People of Chattanooga

Today on the show I have Lewis Armistead.  Lewis is Lewis.  I don't know anyone else like him.  He is a Downhill Skater, Musician, Singer, Mtn Biker and now successful Bar owner with his masterpiece on Station Street named the Bone Yard.  My simple words in this introduction can not describe the magic that was created during our conversation.  Just give it a listen, it's a good one!

Today on the show I have Blythe Bailey. Blythe works for the city as the Director of Design and Neighborhood Connectivity. In this conversation, we dive as deep into greenways as I could keep up with.  We discuss how important green ways are for the community, for health, connectivity and many other reasons.  I ask what the process is like starting from a flicker of an idea inside someone's head to years later as the concrete is being poured and that happens in-between.  We had this conversation without a map in front of us so give us grace as sometimes we struggle to describe locations to each other as we are both simply going off of memory.  So grab a computer, open Google Maps and follow along as we discuss the current and future greenways of Chattanooga.

Today on the show I have Skyler Baker.  Skyer loves to camp and hike.  His latest project was completing the famous Pacific Coast Trail.  This 2,650 trail from the Mexican Border to Canada was his daily life for a few months and he loved most of it.  I had a great time having him on the show to live vicariously through him as he told me stories of the highs and lows that are inevitable on a trip of this magnitude.  So sit back, relax and enjoy listening to what life is like on the trail with Skyler Baker.

Ben VanderHart is a local Musician from his band Telemonster.  He also is the owner of the record label titled: Yellow Racket Records.  Yellow Racket also has a brick and mortar storefront on east main which sells turntables and has over 3,000 pieces Vinyl.  We talk about his experience going to school at Covenant college, how Ben used his English skills in the logistics industry and the story of quitting the safety of a normal job to pursue his passion.  Ben is extremely self aware and insightful.  He explains to me where his drive comes from and his take on motivation and discipline.  Two topics that I am deeply interested in.  Near the end he gives away his secrets of success and doesn't charge a penny for the wisdom.

Cash Daniels, you may have seen him on the Kelly Clarkson Show or talking to former Mayor Andy Berke about Conservation.  His resume may be the longest of anyone I have ever had on the show. The following is a list of his current awards and achievements:TruStage Spirit of Community award winnerPrudential Spirit of Community award, State Honoree and National HonoreeGloriaBarron Prize HonoreeJunior Hellbender award with Tennessee HeartwoodKids who Show Courage award with Channel 9Youth Making Ripples Film AwardYouth Ocean Conservation Summit Film AwardThree time winner of the Youth Conservationist of the year with the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.Did I mention he is only 12 years old?  If that isn't enough, he wrote and self illustrated a book titled “One Small Piece” Pick it up on Amazon.  I hope you enjoy my following conversation with Chattanooga's coolest Conversation Kid,  Cash Daniels.

Jeff Styles has been on local talk radio morning shows for 29 years.  He knows the game well and has cultivated a loyal following.  I had the pleasure to sit down with him for two hours to discuss leaving radio and switching to podcasting, what fires him up in a conversation, the lost art of debate, arguing, critique and his definitions of each.  Jeff is open and honest as no topic is off limits with him.  Religion, work ethic, cancel culture, he won't shy away from any question and I respect that.  He is currently at a shifting point in his career and I'm excited to see where he takes it.  I hope you enjoy my following conversation with “The Voice of Chattanooga” Jeff Styles.

Randy Whorton is a legend in Chattanooga. He loves everything outdoors and gives so much back to the community by cleaning up our rivers and trails. His passion for trail running and stand up paddle boarding led him to tackling bigger and bigger projects. For his 60th birthday he trail ran the entire Cumberland Trail from Chattanooga to Kentucky, and then stand up paddle boarded all the way back on the Tennessee River. This epic feat only took him 19 days which is insane. Randy is clearly a beast, and this is our conversation about his birthday project which he is calling “The Big Cumberland loop.”

Today on the show I have Nathan Bird. Nathan is the host of the local podcast Chattanooga Civics. In this conversation we learn about the man behind the mic, why he started the podcast, and when and where we can vote. Nathan is passionate about Chattanooga, how our local government works and he is eager to share what he learns with everyone. He has interviewed many of the Mayoral Candidates so check out his podcast to hear his interviews and learn more about the Candidates before the election on March 2nd 2021.

Today on the show I have my good friend and colleague Cameron Muilenburg. Cameron and I met riding BMX bikes a few years back and our relationship has grown from friends to working together as journalists for RoadRunner Touring Magazine. Cameron by trade is a videographer, but by heart he is an adventurer. At only 33, he has had more life experiences than many twice his age, and I get the sense he is only getting started. He has lived in a van for over a year. He has traveled in India and Africa. He is one of the most creative outside the box thinkers that I know. He is bold and not afraid to try the unknown, like getting married and then moving into an RV parked in the backyard of the house that you own. That’s right, Cameron thought it was a good idea to rent his home to pay for his mortgage and then remodel an airstream to live in as newlyweds. But you know what, with his ever positive attitude and outlook on life, Cameron always pulls it off and is a great example for us to not take the norm as law. I could not be more proud to introduce my friend to the few people in town who do not already know him. I hope you enjoy the following conversation with Cameron Muilenburg.

Kim White: You all probably have heard her name before as she is a powerful, well-known woman in our community who has quite the running resume. She has held the title of President and CEO of River City Company which is a non-profit responsible for much of the redevelopment of downtown specifically along the riverfront. She was the President of former Senator and Mayor of Chattanooga Bob Corker’s real estate group. Kim attended Hixson High School and UTC here in Chattanooga and now she is running for Mayor. I could not be more excited to have had the honor of sitting down with Kim for an hour to find out who she is as a human, and not just a head line on a Times Free Press article. I hope you enjoy the following conversation with Kim White.

Paul Mayer is one of the best Submersible Pilots in the world. He has over 2,000 dives under his belt, which in layman's terms means that less than 10 people who have ever lived on this planet have dived more than him . He has worked piloting subs for the philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft Paul Allen. He was part of the team who found the World War Two Cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis in 2017 which people have been trying to find for decades. He dives at the Chattanooga Aquarium volunteering his time to clean the tanks and feed the fish. And when he is not being filmed for documentaries, he likes to fiddle in his shop and hang out with his two pet goats Bert and ernie. This is a long one folks. Paul is very humble, and this 3 hour conversation is just the tip of the iceberg. I hope you enjoy the following conversation, with the one and only Paul Mayer.

Scottie Bowman is the owner of two great restaurants in town: Scottie’s on the River and also the Big Chill & Grill. She started The Launch Pad which is a twelve step based sober living house for women in recovery of alcohol and drug addiction. Scottie is about as real as they come and opens right up about being an alcoholic. She is not afraid to tell her story which involves first using drugs at age twelve. Stealing drugs, living around murder in the family and being molested as a child. She will not fairy tale reality and that can be scary as many of us are not used to hearing people only discuss real pain and trauma. I think most people if they are being honest with themselves will be able to identify with many parts of her story. She is an inspiration and I could not be more proud to have her on the podcast. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the powerful, loving and generous human that is Scottie Bowman.

Wade Hinton was born and raised in Chattanooga’s west side neighborhood by his single mother. He went to College at Emory University and Law School at the University of Memphis. His resume is impressive as he has been the city’s attorney, the Deputy General Counsel at Volkswagen and Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity at Unum. Now he is setting his sights on running for Mayor. As per usual, I try my hardest to get to know who Wade is as a person, not just as a Mayoral Candidate. As I believe every human has a story and is more than a job title or list of achievements. Please enjoy the following unedited conversation with Wade Hinton

Tim Laramore is an avid kayaker, a teacher at Baylor, and the Director of the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy. The conversation revolves around water as we discuss access, land acquisition, park creation and maintenance. We talk about the pro’s and con’s of Dams, the different ways to enjoy water as well as protect it and personal kayaking stories. Tim is also heavily involved with the highly anticipated Waldens Ridge Park which is a collaboration project at a scale that we have never seen before in Chattanooga. The Park will feature Mtn biking, Bouldering, hiking and more and is located close to town right off of the W road. So pull out a map, sit back and follow along as we discuss the wonderful public land of Chattanooga.

Mark Baldwin has lived a crazy life. In his 20’s he was a popular DJ in the Caribbean Islands. Some of those islands were so dangerous that he had a personal bodyguard. In fact one summer a DJ was murdered and Mark was next in line to fill the vacant position so he did. Mark is also a breakdancer, sailor, outdoor enthusiast, and he recently returned home from a month trip out west with his son in their converted sprinter van. Mark has worked at the Kennedy Space center and also started L2 Outside, the paddle board store in North Shore. This show is wild as we jump all over the place learning about his life of adventure. This is Mark Baldwin of Chattanooga!

Nelson Johnston is our youngest guest to date at only 24 years old, but don’t let his age fool you. He is in a league of his own when it comes to working hard. He has quite the unconventional success story. He self-describes himself during the podcast as “spoiled rotten.” While attending Mccallie private high school he assumed he would finish high school go to college and become a Dr or Lawyer, but at 16 years old he convinced a mechanic to give him a job and he discovered manual labor for the first time. It was hard work and he loved it. Something in him came alive. He found creative ways to get the older guys at work to teach him how to fix more and more complex things. These relationships developed into mentors and he was hooked on working with his hands. He canceled plans to go to college, and after graduating high school became obsessed with welding and fabrication. Eventually he almost lost his leg due to infection from over working and is missing his pinkie toe to prove it. Now he has started his own custom fabrication business and is the ultimate example of what you can accomplish when passion, and drive converge along with mentorship and some good old never quit attitude. This is Nelson Johnston of Thorough Built LLC.

Sunshine Loveless is a world class athlete who played for America in Women's tackle football. In 2010 she helped the US take home the gold medal against Canada in the first ever IFAF Championship. She also has played competitive fast-pitch softball, worked as a raft guide on the Ocoee river and more recently has gotten into MTN biking. She currently works at Outdoor Chattanooga and recently started her own stand-up-paddle board tour business called Sunshine’s Adventures. I’m honored to have this Cancer surviving gold medalist on the show and to learn more about her. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Sunshine Loveless.

Today on the show I have Monty Bruell. Monty has a fascinating story as he guides me through his life during this podcast. He was raised in Alton Park by his single mother. He became the first African-American to graduate from Baylor high school. He graduated Harvard with a degree in Economics and came back to Chattanooga to work with the Lupton family in Coca-Cola. He started working in a manager training program and moved all the way up to being the Assistant to the vice-president of Marketing for Coca-Cola in Texas. From there he became the Consumer Marketing Manager for Florida Coke where he experienced racism and discrimination even as he was one of the most important people at the plant. His list of accomplishments do not end there as his resume and life experiences are staggering. Now he aims to become the next Mayor of Chattanooga. We talk about the shrinking middle class, the growth of our city, our schools and much more. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Monty Bruell.

Hollee Brock recently completed the Camino de Santiago in Spain which means “The way of Saint James.” It is a pilgrimage route of sorts with most people using the trail to grow their Spirituality. Hollee is a wonderful writer and after her trip she wrote down stories from the trail and started her own podcast called. “Along the Camino.'' It quickly became popular as thousands of people tuned in to listen to Hollee reading her stories about her own journey on the trail and how it changed her. During my conversation with Hollee we talk about her backstory, what the trail was like and she even reads a chapter of her journal at the end. Please enjoy my conversation with Hollee Brock.

Jim Johnson the owner of Biketours.com and overall bicycle advocate. He has been helping people plan European bike tours for 18 years, that was until Covid-19 hit. His business model came to an abrupt halt and now one year before retirement he is completely reinventing his business by switching from international tours to domestic tours right here in the greater Chattanooga area. We talk about bikes and access and his grand plans to expand the Chattanooga River Walk into a loop joining Camp Jordan with the Chickamauga battlefield into Saint Elmo. Jim is also working on a second trail which would connect Chattanooga to Atlanta’s Silver Comet trail system which he is calling the TAG (Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.) You may want to have google maps pulled up for this conversation as we discuss the planned routes and options for these two huge legacy projects. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jim Johnson.

Tim Kelly is the owner of Kelly Subaru, an owner of Chattanooga Brewing Company and a founder of the Chattanooga Football Club. If that wasn’t enough, he is also currently running for Mayor. During our almost two hour uninterrupted conversation, we talk about his childhood and his education, his unique perspective on religion and its usefulness and of course his most proud life work so far, starting the CFC, which is the Chattanooga Football Club. Yes, we get personal as he openly shares his opinion of the Chattanooga Red Wolves Soccer Club and how they tried to buy out the CFC and when that didn’t work, they tried to put them out of business instead. This is a candid conversation that flows naturally and you get to learn who he is as a person and not just a politician. We do end the show with some ideas that he has for making Chattanooga an even greater city that it already is, and I find out the reason that he is running for Mayor. Enjoy my conversation with Tim Kelly.

Briana Garza is one of the most positive person that I have talked to in awhile. She was fired from her 9-5 job due to Covid-19, but as she puts it. Instead of becoming unemployed she became self employed. She chose to not feel sorry for her situation and instead expanded on her two side hustles to work for herself full time. She manages her Airbnb property, consults for other on Airbnb and has been on short term vacation rental panels with the city as well as founded Chatt Taste Food Tour. We talk about what exactly a food tour is, what it’s like to start a business and where she wants to expand next. It’s a fun conversation. I introduce you to the amazing Briana Garza.

Genesis the Greykid is a Poet, Writer, Artist, Musician who looks at the world differently than anyone else I have ever talked to. The way he thinks can only be described as beautiful. We talk about abstract ideas like changing your age, spirituality and dark matter. His art pieces sell for thousands of dollars and he was commissioned to create the cover art for a Kanye West single dubbed “Brothers.” I hope you enjoy my conversation with Genesis the Greykid.

Matt Mclelland is an Innovation Strategist at Covenant Transport Services. He looks into the future to see where the industry is headed and then advises the company how to not be left behind with the changes ahead. He also has a real passion for the outdoors. He sits on the board for the Lula Lake Land Trust. He loves, trail running, Hang gliding, whitewater kayaking with his wife, and constantly tinkering with his Van build dubbed “Chad the Van.” He self describes himself as pretty good at most everything outdoors, but master of none. You will see him in many trail races, but he will be neither first nor last to cross the finish line. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Matt Mclelland.

If you are in the music scene in Chattanooga, you already know Stratton Tingle. If you are not in the music scene, there is still a good chance that you have at least heard his name. He is a man of many talents and is heavily involved with our community in all aspects. He has an amazing story of how he became so involved in our city. His resume runs deep from living in Africa, starting a band and putting on the best dance party in town, Flavorless. This is just a sample of what we talk about during our conversation and yes, we talk about his dreads and how often he washes them. I proudly introduce you to Stratton Tingle!

Aaron Hoffman is the mad genius behind his award winning Hoff Sauce. From it’s inception in 2013 as a small boot strap operation, Hoff has grown the business from renting kitchen space at Mean Mug on the weekends to having his products on over 1,000 stores across the country. He did this all while crafting every single bottle right here in Chattanooga. He offers a unique outlook of how to start a business that I think is very valuable. Enjoy my conversation with the “Hoff!”

Tiffany Pauldon-Banks is a serial Entrepreneur and this time around she is bringing Chicago style Hoagys to Chattanooga. Learn with me what exactly a hoagy is and how Chicago sets it apart. I had lots of fun with this conversation as we laugh our way through her amazing story of how Lil Mama’s Chicago Style Hoagy was born! Tiffany is the real deal and I cannot wait for her to officially open her doors on Patten Parkway this fall. Spoiler alert: She made me a Hoagy the next day and it can only be described as a party in you mouth. I didn’t know that much flavor could fit into one bite. Don’t be hungry while listening unless you want to torture yourself! Here is Lil Mama!

Bryan Shannon is a huge lover of music and history and very so much guitars. He was the director of Songbirds Guitar Museum that unfortunately due to the pandemic of 2020 decided to close their doors for good. Bryan feels blessed to have had a great run working his “dream job” for 3 1/2 years at the museum. This is his story.

Heath Foster is my good friend who I met riding dirt bikes, but it doesn’t end there. The more I got to know him, the more of his stories started coming out. He is the kind of guy who has done everything. He has through hiked the Appalachian trail, traveled via motorcycle throughout Mexico and free dove in the Caribbean. He volunteers at the Tennessee Aquarium and is one of the nicest guys that I know. In fact today is my birthday and he dropped off some donuts at my house this morning. I hope you enjoy this one, I know I did.

C-Grimey is a local hip-hop artist and community activist who took it upon himself to start, coordinate, and execute the current Chattanooga protests. Check out their facebook page, instagram and website site at http://www.icantbreathecha.org where their mission states… “We seek to educate and advocate for policy change. By focusing on opportunities to bring equity to Black and Brown communities, our goal is to dismantle systemic issues at their roots and strengthen our community as a whole.”

This episode is special because it was never intended to be released. This was a practice recording with my friend Nick who was helping me get used to the feeling of asking questions and adjusting audio levels for when I started the podcast. So it is technically the first ever People of Chattanooga Podcast recording. Because there was no expectation for this practice episode, we ended up having a very natural and candid conversation and now it’s time to release it just for fun. Enjoy my conversation with my best bud, Nick Rader

Meet Jeremy Weaver. He was a co-founder of Wind River Tiny Homes. He completed a one year fellowship with Causeway to work with the city to bring Tiny Homes to Chattanooga. He took off a year to travel the world via planes, trains, and automobile and much much more.

Seth Cathy is the grandson of Truett Cathy who founded Chick-fil-A. Seth however chose a different career path than chicken sandwiches. His passion for ceramics drove him to start his business Ember Studios located right on Main Street in the South Side. Outside of work, you can catch him on any type of motorcycle or on a sunny day driving his Model T to an ethanol free gas station.

Justin Shipp is the artist who transforms the cold steel box of a work van into a cozy getaway cabin on wheels. He has always been an artist and meticulous with his craft. Starting off as a custom bicycle frame builder, he then transitioned to Mercades Sprinter van build-outs. Get to know Chattanooga’s custom van convertor located right here on East Main Street.

Rodger Ling is a lifelong Caver. He pioneered and was a leader in exploring “pit caves” and has explored many “virgin” caves. He was on the cave rescue team for a number of years, and has a lot of history and stories to tell us about the caves in our area as we are a cave mecca in America.

Grace Frank is one of the leaders in the Chattanooga real estate market. She started Grace Frank Group consisting of a team of 10 people and has done every deal you can think of and more. That wasn’t enough so she also started a sustainable farm with a rare breed of pigs called Red Wrottle that you can pick up at the local farmers market every Wednesday afternoon. Land to Table Farm is free range, non-GMO, all natural and also dabbling in hydroponics and aquaponics.

Ed Jones is a modern day health guru who has seen and helped thousands of people improve their lives through nutritional information and supplementation. He has been the owner of Nutrition World on Lee Highway for over 40 years. He also runs his own podcast that is highly successful called the Holistic Navigator and I strongly urge you to check it out. He is in fantastic shape physically and a huge proponent of getting blood work done so you can accurately see what your body is missing and needing for optimal health. His montra is not to have average health, but to have optimal health. I learned a lot in this one. Enjoy my conversation with Ed Jones.

Meg Gorman. Running for Congress in Tennessee District 3 under the Democratic Party. Learn more about Meg and what she wants to do and what she stands for. Hear her explain what the position is for, and some of her concerns about the current way our district is being represented, as well as some of her ideas to tackle said concerns.

Thomas Persinger has had quite the career path so far. It all stemmed from a fishing trip to Alaska when he was young. That trip planted a love for Alaska in his heart that he could not shake which led to him getting his captains license and float plane license to guide in Alaska. Along the way he tried his luck at commercial fishing and processing and all of this turned into his new business of selling wild caught seafood direct to customers. It’s a long one and a great listen and if it makes you hungry, head over to his website to order some food. www.marithymeseafood.com

Andrea Hassler is the Executive Director of the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC.) I sat down with her for a conversation about her work for the SCC. Land access, environmental impact, graffiti removal and the SCC’s latest project “Walden's Ridge” on Signal Mtn which will be a multi-sport park with MTN biking trails, hiking trails and bouldering as well as protecting A Tennessee State Champion Post Oak tree. We talk about her rafting trip through the grand canyon, what it’s like to camp on the side of a rock cliff and more...

Crisler Torrence may very well be the 3rd best Kayaker in town. He has worked as a guide on the Ocoee. He has planned and guided custom white water trips out west, and now he is the head guide over at Rock/Creek Adventures. He also recently graced the cover for Get Out Chattanooga magazine for his work with land conservation. I welcome you all to get to know the man who knows every species of flora and fauna in the South East, Crisler Torrence.

Nathalie DuPre’ everybody. This girl rocks! She lives for adventure and her photography business showcases that passion. She specializes in the outdoor photography industry, but can do it all. From hanging on a rope at Sunset Rock getting that golden hour shot of the local pro, to shooting product in her homemade rain studio; she can get the shot that you didn’t know was possible. I’m proud to introduce you to the one and only Nathalie DuPre’

Les Warnock was recently appointed president of SORBA Chattanooga (Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association). I was able to sit him down for a conversation about what they are doing as an organization to grow, build and maintain Mountain Bike trails in the Chattanooga region. Sit back, relax and get to know Les Warnock of SORBA Chattanooga.

Elizabeth and Wes are the owners of the BBQ joint on Main Street that we all love, Charlies BBQ & Bakery. In this episode I sit down with Elizabeth to get a behind the scenes look of what it takes to start a BBQ restaurant as newcomers to town. In fact the reason they picked Chattanooga as the location to start this business is simply because they fell in love with a building here. The old Charlie's Gas Station on East Main Street. Half way through the podcast, Wes jumps in to share his mission for the business which is not all about financials, but more about helping the community. In fact, they have a really cool dream about building a “Showerbus” in town for the homeless. So sit back, grab a rack of ribs from Charlie’s BBQ and enjoy my conversation with Elizabeth and Wes.

Randy Whorton is that guy you meet who can and has done everything. From working as a professional high-diver overseas, to a semi-pro Ironman athlete, to juggling like a clown or Stand up Paddle boarding the state of Tennessee from top to bottom, this is just a hint of what he has accomplished. He has raced countless ultra marathons with his wife Kris, and he started www.wildtrails.org which is an organization that puts on races, builds new trails and cleans up the outdoor spaces that we all love. They promote healthy living though exercising in the great outdoors. Enjoy my conversation with Randy Whorton.

Andrew Gage is the owner of everyone's favorite coffee shop Velo Coffee Roasters. We talk about how he sold his car to start the business, how he used bikes to deliver coffee, and how many bikes he has. It's 14. Everyone, I introduce the mastermind behind Velo, Andrew Gage.

Ashley Jones is the founder of the not for profit "Love Not Lost". In this interview we find out why she started this much needed National nonprofit and what it does to give love during death. Her passion for this is unparalleled and this may be the first People of Chattanooga episode that makes you cry. So grab a Kleenex box and settle in to listen to the emotional story from Ashley on how Love is not Lost!

Edward Yates is the best highliner in the East Coast. In 2014 he rigged and walked a highline across the Chattanooga Aquarium. It takes a unique person to dream, plan, and execute a goal like that. In this interview we tease out just what kind of person it takes to live the "Peter Pan" lifestyle that Eddy is know for. Spoiler alert, It's not just a walk in the park as it looks from the outside. The focus and commitment that Ed gives to a project is unparalleled. Enjoy getting a glimpse inside the head of Edward Yates.

For the inaugural launch of P.O.C. (People of Chattanooga) Podcast I could not be more happy than to have Jason Bowers on the show. He opens up and shares his wonderful story of how he created not one, but two very successful bars/restaurants here in Chattanooga. From growing up as a missionary kid in Central America to his hilarious proposal story to his wife, Jason really gives an honest hard look at where he came from and what it takes to run a restaurant. Also touching on the uncertainty of the COVID-19 virus that just forced his hand to shut down dine in-service, and what he has to do to continue to stay in business as the economic rug of stability has been ripped underneath us in the blink of an eye. I present you, Jason Bowers.