Podcasts about galveston

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Mike Jeffcoat from Venice La., James Plaag from Galveston, Michael Marquez from Galveston.

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by John Littleton from Lake Houston, Dave Freemont from Texas City and Steve Hillman from Galveston.

Relationships, as the heart of building success in service of your institution's mission and the many people who benefit from it, are the central focus of this week's thought-provoking interview with Katie Branch, PhD, MSN, RN, FNAP, CHSE, on the Faculty Factory Podcast. With her professional background proudly rooted in nursing, Dr. Branch currently serves as the Vice President for Interprofessional Education and the Health Education Center at the University Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston. Building on a recent theme of episodes we've had exploring the importance of reclaiming joy in your professional life, this episode with Dr. Branch will surely inspire you and help build upon the positive mindset we all need to combat burnout in such a demanding career. To learn more about the Health Education Center (HEC) at UTMB, please visit: https://www.utmb.edu/hec

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Mike Jeffcoat from Venice La., James Plaag from Galveston, Michael Marquez from Galveston.

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Mike Jeffcoat from Venice La., James Plaag from Galveston, Michael Marquez from Galveston.

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by John Littleton from Lake Houston, Dave Freemont from Texas City and Steve Hillman from Galveston.

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Mike Jeffcoat from Venice La., James Plaag from Galveston, Michael Marquez from Galveston.

Send us a textWe are talking local this week. When I say local I mean Galveston Island Local! Special Guest Interview With the Co-Host of "Cowboys In The Cave" Richard Garza. Also the founder of the FB Group "Galveston Island Cowboy Krazies" Support the show

Dana In The Morning Highlights 8/7Houston received $11 billion dollars last year thru visitors and tourismOpen House for Port of Galveson next weekMattress Mack recently gave an inspiring speech to a group of school bus drivers

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE! Galveston, Texas, is often considered one of the most haunted places in America due to its history of tragedy and devastation. The Great Storm of 1900, the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, claimed up to 12,000 lives, leaving a lasting imprint on the island. Many believe the spirits of the hurricane's victims still linger. Many of Galveston's historic structures have withstood wars, natural disasters, and countless tragic events, contributing to their haunted reputations. The island's role in the Civil War, including the Battle of Galveston, adds another layer to its haunted history. The city has also experienced epidemics that caused numerous deaths, also contributing to Galveston's haunted status. These historical events and tragedies have created a collection of ghost stories and paranormal experiences that intrigue residents and visitors alike. Today, on The Grave Talks, we will discuss The Ghosts of Galveston with Eddy Specter and January Wilson of Eddy Specter's Ghost Tours of Galveston Island. For more information on their tours, go to eddyspecter.com. Become a GRAVE KEEPER and get access to ALL of our EPISODES - AD FREE, BONUS EPISODES & ADVANCE EPISODES!!! Sign up through Apple Podcast Channel or Patreon. Sign up through Apple Podcasts or Patreon http://www.patreon.com/thegravetalks 

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE! Galveston, Texas, is often considered one of the most haunted places in America due to its history of tragedy and devastation. The Great Storm of 1900, the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, claimed up to 12,000 lives, leaving a lasting imprint on the island. Many believe the spirits of the hurricane's victims still linger. Many of Galveston's historic structures have withstood wars, natural disasters, and countless tragic events, contributing to their haunted reputations. The island's role in the Civil War, including the Battle of Galveston, adds another layer to its haunted history. The city has also experienced epidemics that caused numerous deaths, also contributing to Galveston's haunted status. These historical events and tragedies have created a collection of ghost stories and paranormal experiences that intrigue residents and visitors alike. Today, on The Grave Talks, we will discuss The Ghosts of Galveston with Eddy Specter and January Wilson of Eddy Specter's Ghost Tours of Galveston Island. This is Part Two of our conversation. For more information on their tours, go to eddyspecter.com. Become a GRAVE KEEPER and get access to ALL of our EPISODES - AD FREE, BONUS EPISODES & ADVANCE EPISODES!!! Sign up through Apple Podcast Channel or Patreon. Sign up through Apple Podcasts or Patreon http://www.patreon.com/thegravetalks 

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by James Plaag from Galveston, and Michael Marquez from Galveston.

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by John Littleton from Lake Houston, Dave Freemont from Texas City and Steve Hillman from Galveston.

Part 1:We talk with Joe Jaworski, former mayor of Galveston, Tx. now a candidate for AG, Tx.We discuss the recent floods in Texas, and the political fallout for the governor and others. The Texas Legislature will have a special session, the main goal: to further gerrymander the state by redistricting for Republicans' advantage.Part 2:We talk with Chris Lehman and Bill Curry.We discuss what the Democratic Party should be doing to counter the assaults by the Republicans.  WNHNFM.ORG  productionMusic: David Rovics

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Mike Jeffcoat from Venice La., James Plaag from Galveston, Michael Marquez from Galveston and Randy Deerman from Sam Rayburn.

While immigration is at the forefront of today's news cycle, it's hardly a new issue in Southeast Texas. Since the 1800s, Galveston has been a major port of entry for foreign newcomers. That pattern continues today up Highway 45 in Houston, which ranks among America's largest destinations for refugee resettlement. While Harris County has many resources for assistance, transitioning into the workplace in a new country and culture is rarely easy for even the most skilled, educated, and adaptable English-speaking arrivals. But for those arriving from rural and agrarian backgrounds, it is even more difficult. There are few options for finding dignified work. One charity that is working to fill this void is Plant It Forward. They empower refugees to build income through sustainable urban farming businesses. Plant It Forward secures land access, provides mentorship, and facilitates sales opportunities at area markets. In this episode, we'll take a trip to America's fourth-largest city with Gravy reporter Evan Stern to hear about how Plant It Forward's efforts have impacted the lives of its participants and the area's foodscape. Teresa O'Donnell, who traces her unlikely journey from tech executive to nonprofit founder, will share Plant It Forward's history. And CEO Nirjhor Rahman will argue that beyond helping members, Plant it Forward is introducing “a new type of farmer” to Texas's fast-aging agricultural sector. One of these new farmers is Constant Ngouala. A native of Congo-Brazzaville, he joined Plant it Forward shortly after arriving in Houston. He now mentors new arrivals as a Master Gardener while farming his own rented plot. In addition to sharing his experiences as a refugee, he discusses the difficulties he faces as an area market farmer. What is the sustainable food movement's viability in Houston? Gravy explores how, by working the land, Plant It Forward's farmers may represent a continuum in keeping with the region's culture and history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Where We Roam, hosts John and Dayna are joined by Royal Caribbean insider Corinne Trigg to break down the exciting details about Perfect Day Mexico, the highly anticipated new private destination opening in Costa Maya in 2027. From record-breaking water slides at Jaguar Tower to the massive adults-only pool at El Hideaway and the all-new Fiesta Plaza, we cover everything you can expect from this next-level private island experience. We also dive into the Royal Beach Club opening in Nassau this December, compare it to Perfect Day at CocoCay, and discuss how these new developments will transform Western Caribbean itineraries out of Galveston, Texas. Plus, Corinne gives us an inside look at what's coming aboard Star of the Seas, the newest Icon Class ship set to wow cruisers in 2025. Whether you're a Royal Caribbean fan, a cruise planner, or just love dreaming about your next getaway, this episode is packed with must-know updates and insider tips. Key topics covered: Perfect Day Mexico details (opening date, attractions, exclusive access for Royal Caribbean guests) Royal Beach Club Nassau opening and pricing What to expect on the new Star of the Seas How Royal Caribbean is reshaping the cruise experience out of Galveston Perfect Day Mexico, Royal Caribbean private island, Jaguar Tower, El Hidoe adults-only pool, Royal Beach Club Nassau, Star of the Seas, Icon Class ship, Galveston cruises, CocoCay comparison, Royal Caribbean news #PerfectDayMexico #RoyalCaribbean #StarOfTheSeas #CocoCay #RoyalBeachClub #CruisePodcast #WhereWeRoam

More than a century and a half after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, historians are still searching for exactly when the U.S. Civil War ended. Was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”?  That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose previous work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title, Lincoln's Peace, in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

In today's episode Mike Primavera talk about legendary boxer Jack Johnson. In the early 1900s, Jack Johnson became the first Black heavyweight boxing champion of the world—then spent the next decade daring America to do something about it. He fought with style, laughed in the ring, knocked out legends, and lived large in gold suits and bright yellow hot rods. While the press raged, the cops threatened, and politicians tried to shut him down, Johnson just kept winning. He taunted the so-called “Great White Hope” into the ring on the Fourth of July, then beat him so badly the crowd went silent. This is the story of the most dangerous thing you could be in Jim Crow America: free, Black, and unapologetically unbeatable.

More than a century and a half after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, historians are still searching for exactly when the U.S. Civil War ended. Was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”?  That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose previous work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title, Lincoln's Peace, in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

More than a century and a half after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, historians are still searching for exactly when the U.S. Civil War ended. Was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”?  That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose previous work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title, Lincoln's Peace, in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

More than a century and a half after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, historians are still searching for exactly when the U.S. Civil War ended. Was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”?  That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose previous work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title, Lincoln's Peace, in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

More than a century and a half after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, historians are still searching for exactly when the U.S. Civil War ended. Was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”?  That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose previous work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title, Lincoln's Peace, in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

More than a century and a half after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, historians are still searching for exactly when the U.S. Civil War ended. Was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”?  That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose previous work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title, Lincoln's Peace, in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than a century and a half after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, historians are still searching for exactly when the U.S. Civil War ended. Was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”?  That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose previous work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title, Lincoln's Peace, in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-south

More than a century and a half after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, historians are still searching for exactly when the U.S. Civil War ended. Was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”?  That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose previous work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title, Lincoln's Peace, in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Mike Jeffcoat from Venice La., James Plaag from Galveston, Michael Marquez from Galveston.

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by John Littleton from Lake Houston, Dave Freemont from Texas City and Steve Hillman from Galveston.

Before the Gulf Fwy the Galveston-Houston Interurban was a popular way between Houston and Galveston.

Our fantastic guest, Gulshan Sharma, MD, MPH, discusses key elements of leadership, such as teambuilding, applied knowledge (or intelligence), situational awareness, authenticity, and the role of brain chemistry, this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast. Dr. Sharma is the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical & Clinical Innovation Officer at UTMB Health in Galveston. He also serves as a Professor in the Division of Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine within the Department of Internal Medicine at UTMB. “What leadership should bring is a vision for the organization and a main thing for a leader is to manage and de-escalate crisis,” Dr. Sharma told us. Since leadership is personal, coaching becomes vital for leaders because it helps individuals build self-awareness. Additionally, dedicating time to clearing your mind is important, as an uncluttered thought process is essential for personalized leadership. “Leaders should lead; they should not be doing tasks. If leaders start doing, it invites trouble,” Dr. Sharma states.

A review of Carnival Dream, a six-night cruise out of Galveston, Texas, to Cozumel, Costa Maya and Belize City. 

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Mike Jeffcoat from Venice La., James Plaag from Galveston, Michael Marquez from Galveston and Randy Deerman from Sam Rayburn.

The annual period between June 19 and July 4 in the US should be viewed as a time when we read Africana Governance formations against contemporary Social Structures that seek to oppress and restrict human possibilities. Juneteenth is a powerful, living ritual of African self-determination that remembers and reiterates freedom as a Ways of Knowing rooted in self-governance and collective memory. This stands in stark contrast to fantasies of “independence” that follow it on July 4th.This sacred corridor of time, tracing from Port 21 on Galveston Bay to Houston's Freedmen's Town and beyond, reveals and embodies African traditions of convening, storytelling, and liberation. The rituals reveal contradictions of state power—from a US citizenry terrorized by masked would-be secret police to an inversion of “states rights” arguments where fascism is rejected from the margins rather than the center, exposing the weaknesses of a system hell bent on repression.In this moment, Texas serves as a metaphor: a site of contested sovereignty where those human trafficked fought their way out of captivity, simultaneously building enduring communities and institutions despite ongoing threats. Movement and Memory efforts like the Juneteenth Legacy Project, the Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy, and the African American History Research Library at the Gregory School activate a corridor from emancipation to freedom, centering economic, cultural and political self-determination, education, faith, and art.To engage Juneteenth is to be present, to listen deeply to people, and to speak clearly and vulnerably, because each one of us matters. In this way, Juneteenth is not only a celebration but an unyielding act of liberation by and for Black people ourselves.JOIN KNARRATIVE: https://www.knarrative.com it's the only way to get into #Knubia, where these classes areheld live with a live chat.To shop Go to:TheGlobalMajorityMore from us:Knarrative Twitter: https://twitter.com/knarrative_Knarrative Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knarrative/In Class with Carr Twitter: https://twitter.com/inclasswithcarrSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of "Building Texas Business," I sit down with Molly Voorhees, the president of Beck's Prime, Winfield's Chocolate Bar, and Agnes Cafe. Molly shares her journey from Silicon Valley back to her roots in Houston's culinary scene. She talks about how her passion for food and community has shaped her approach to running family-run businesses and the importance of customer service. We explore the challenges of maintaining a successful family business, emphasizing the importance of respecting individual expertise and fostering a collaborative environment. Molly discusses how she integrates technology into operations, which can be challenging for mid-sized companies. Her experiences provide insight into the practical hurdles of implementing new systems while maintaining efficiency. Molly also reflects on the entrepreneurial spirit in Texas, particularly in Houston, where local businesses benefit from a supportive community. She shares how this environment has been beneficial, despite the uncertainties and challenges in the business world. Her approach to leadership involves patience and listening to her team, allowing them to voice their opinions and ideas. The conversation also touches on the importance of authenticity and resilience in business. Molly shares how facing challenges early on, like financial struggles and an empty restaurant, taught her valuable lessons. She emphasizes the importance of mental health awareness in corporate culture and maintaining open dialogue about success and failure. As Molly looks forward to upcoming projects, she invites listeners to experience the culinary adventures that celebrate innovation and community. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS   Molly shares her journey from Silicon Valley back to Houston, taking on leadership roles in Beck's Prime, Winfield's Chocolate Bar, and Agnes Cafe, emphasizing her passion for food and community. The episode explores her innovative approach to maintaining high standards in Beck's Prime while expanding into the chocolate business, highlighting the importance of customer service and community connection. Listeners gain insights into managing a family-run business, where respecting individual expertise and fostering collaboration are essential for effective decision-making and business success. We discuss the integration of technology in operations, acknowledging the challenges faced by mid-sized companies and the potential for improved efficiency through technological advancements. The supportive entrepreneurial spirit in Houston is highlighted, showcasing how local businesses benefit from a community eager to see them succeed, even amidst ongoing challenges and uncertainties. Her reflections on entrepreneurship emphasize authenticity, resilience, and mental health awareness in corporate culture, encouraging open dialogue about success and failure. Excitement for upcoming projects is shared, inviting listeners to join in a culinary adventure that celebrates innovation and community in Houston's vibrant food scene. LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller About Beck's Prime GUESTS Molly VoorheesAbout Molly TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode you will meet Molly Voorhees, president of Beck's Prime, winfield's Chocolate Bar and Agnes Cafe. Molly shares her passion for bringing people together over quality food and service and how, in difficult times, she looks for the next right thing to do to keep the company moving forward. Molly, I want to thank you for coming on Building Texas Business. Thanks for coming in today. Molly: Thank you for having me Excited to be here. Chris: So we have a lot to talk about with you because you cover a lot of areas. So let's start Just tell everyone kind of what it is you do, the companies that you're involved in and what they're known for. Molly: So we started Beck's Prime back in 1985. I was just 10 years old so I did not start it, but my dad, a lawyer, winn Campbell, and an operating partner, a guy named Mike Knapp, started it together. And really my dad, winn, loves food and grew up in the burger business in Dallas. Chris: Ok, what was the burger place in Dallas? Molly: It was golf. Chris: I've had lots of golf, yeah, so he was 14. Molly: He tells some fantastic stories about, you know, his first day on the job, cutting onions and being a human trash compactor and sort of all the love, and ended up getting a law degree. But always loved the food industry, always wanted to be in it and came up with the concept of Vex Prime in 1985. I convinced a lot of people to gamble with him and invest and that was the very first Vex Prime on Kirby. Chris: OK. Molly: I was 10, just kid watching, watching it all happen, while I, you know, played sports and did all the things you do and went to college, ended up in um tech out in silicon valley for a long time during the the boom and bust period okay and which was fun went to business school and then wanted to to come back and be in the restaurant industry and grow it. Food is fun. It's very personal. I had sold being in tech. You're not selling something that brings necessarily as much moment-to-moment joy as feeding people Okay, necessarily as much moment to moment joy as feeding people. And I really felt like with Beck's Prime we had something great and then it was time to grow it and so I've moved back here in 2006, back to Houston, and we started growing and building more Beck's Prime and then we took over the management five years ago, chocolate bar and rebranded that Winfield's chocolate bar and built a factory and new stores and now we're selling wholesale and corporate gifting. And then we have a little side concept that I did with a friend called Agnes. Chris: Okay. Molly: Agnes Cafe and Provisions. Chris: Oh, we're off the internet, right. And that was my crazy covid baby I was. Molly: I thought everyone wanted to get back to work and we needed to create jobs and he's desperate for community and the restaurant industry to come back. And there was a restaurant that had closed there and decided to open up a neighborhood cafe with a friend who was crazy enough to say yes when I brought her the idea and we opened Agnes four years ago in June and it is a local neighborhood favorite. Chris: That's great. That's great. So original inspiration, I guess obviously is your dad, and being exposed to the business Great. So original inspiration I guess obviously is your dad and being exposed to the business. What was it that got you to kind of branch into chocolate, because that's much different than kind of a full service meal concept. Well, in theory it was going to be easier. Molly: Famous last words. Famous last words. You know, I love how food brings people together and what we do at Beck's Prime is really hard, which is, you know, you walk up to the window or you drive through our drive-thru and I mean we are cut, grinding and patting all the burgers every day. Nothing's frozen. I mean we're cutting those French fries it is busy back there and we're going to get you a made from scratch meal in eight to ten minutes. And that's hard. So I thought, okay, let's be in the food business, but let's scoop ice cream and cut cakes and sell chocolate. Um, well, when we took the business, they weren't doing the highest quality version of that. So I was like, okay, well, I'm going to apply the Beck's Prime model to it and I'm going to make it all really high quality and we're going to make all of our own cakes and ice cream. And so now I've made it as hard or harder than go back to your roots. I mean, nothing is easy. Chris: Right Molly: But yeah, I think they're similar in the sense of how you manage a restaurant, all of the different services, and how you buy food and how you work on cleanliness and operations. So there's a lot of similarities. Chris: And, I would think, critically important to people you hire to be customer-facing. Right, to make that experience, the food's got to be great, but if the people aren't great as well, right, you have to get both right. Molly: Yeah, and there's actually some evidence that the people matter more than the food. So you'll be surprised the number of text messages I get and there's some science behind this too, not just anecdotal. But oh my gosh, that guy over at Memorial Park. Or the cute drive-thru cashier over there at Kirby who always gets my sandwich right and says, hello, I love her so much, she loves my dog. There's nothing about what they ate or if they enjoyed their meal or it tasted good. It's the people. So you know, I think that part we've done well, which is why we're still in business. Chris: So let's kind of go down that route a little bit. What is it that you have done? I guess it that you have done, I guess first at Beck's and now at Winfield chocolate to focus on getting the hiring right, the processes you put in place, what did mistakes you made that you learned from, kind of. To me that is the key to the kingdom and I think our listeners could learn a lot from what you've done to put such a good system in place to get the right people. Molly: So it's interesting. I think the basics matter right how we treat people every day. I think we've always done that really well inside of our team how we hire. So when we hire managers, we will never hire a general manager for a store. We will only hire an assistant manager and then they can move up to a general manager. But when we hire, we actually take a team member through a number of different steps. You know. Obviously they interview with our management team, they interview with other managers, they interview with the other managers, then they'll do a shadows shift where they'll come and work a shift with the team. So we're really trying to make sure we get people who see themselves working in our environment. Chris:Right. Molly: Right. If you don't, if you want to be a white tablecloth restaurant manager or employee, we're not the right place. So sometimes people will come and they'll spend a shadow shift with us and they don't want to be in the environment. And then we'll also ask them. We'll give them dinner passes and we'll say bring a loved one to lunch or dinner with you here. And we'll say bring a loved one to lunch or dinner with you here. And that test is does somebody who's close to you see you working here? Chris: Oh yeah. Molly: You know, and so we try to help employees find a couple touch points so that they know whether or not, culturally, we're a good fit for them. But from my perspective it's really interesting. I think we have incredibly loyal long-term team members who've been with us forever. If you ever go in one of our stores, you'll see these posters that celebrate, you know, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40 years of with us. People are like, oh my gosh, those people have been with you for so long and I'm like, well, those are just the people on the poster that year. Right, and really I think it comes down to basic manners, boundaries, respect, helping each other. But just treating people as you would want to be treated goes a really long way. Chris: Yeah, like I said, that's the basics right, and to have that longevity in your industry is remarkable. Molly: Transparency, kind but also clear. Hey, this is how this needs to happen, Not having policies. We're not a big policy company. Chris: I love that because. I feel, the same way. I think. As soon as you create a policy, then all you're dealing with is all the reasons there should be an exception to the policy. Exactly so just treat people humanly, and humanely and reasonably. Molly: Yeah, and if we need to figure it out we will. But you know, if we had a policy that you know you can't take care of a customer if it's going to cost us more than $15. Let's say we had some limit, or something. And that would just be such a buffer. And it turns out the manager who's trying to take care of the customers all of a sudden handcuffed Right Right, and they just want the ability to do the right thing. Chris: Right. Molly: They're in the service business. People don't go into the service business unless you enjoy serving people. Chris: Well, and if you know, I think if you're watching your business, if someone's abusing a system, you'll see it and that's not a policy issue or lack of policy issue, that's a character issue, right, that surfaces, that you maybe didn't catch in the hiring process. I also like what you said because I think I'm hearing more of this in the corporate world the experimental part of the interview process where you you put someone in a skills assessment situation. So you said the shadow session or whatever. I know we're trying to do that and assessing skill. You know it's one thing to ask questions and be you know in a conversation, but people's skill sets matter in these jobs, right, that's how they're going to sink or swim. So I think that you've incorporated that is something that I see more and more people trying to do. Yeah, and I love to bring the loved one in. Molly: We try to do the same as well. Chris: It's like do something social with your spouse or significant other, because you're going to be away from them with us a lot. Molly: you're going to be away from them with us a lot they're going to spend more time with us than they are, you know, with you so? Do you see them and you know? Chris: okay with us, yeah do you like? Molly: do you like us? Yeah? Chris: so let's let's back up a little bit, because you mentioned, obviously, dad and a partner started VEX Prime. At some point you come in and kind of take over. What was that kind of transition? Molly: like it's still in transition. Chris: Okay so. Molly: I would say we certainly do not have a policy of nepotism in our business, policy of nepotism in our business, but to say that we don't have a lot of dads and daughters and family members and cousins and aunts and uncles all working together, we would have a long laugh. So my dad is still involved in the business. He's still a full-time lawyer. He's still a full-time lawyer and he is, you know, he helps us with all sorts of higher level finance, legal type ideas. I mean he's all over the map there, Our chief operating officer, Mike Knapp, the original partner. He's still working and he manages all of our managers and operating team. His daughter is our HR director and we have a marketing director who's been with us for almost 20 years and her husband is a project manager for us. So, and then on our you know extended family, I mean we really we have have tons and tons of family members working together and we actually view it as a real asset because we're all so passionate and deeply engaged in the business, because we're looking for it to be as best as it can be, but we are also, I would say, have investors from our community and our friends and family. We've raised a lot of money and so we are very careful because we're trying to make money for all of our investors. We have a fiduciary duty to that. So, I think in many ways, part of our culture is we are a family business, but we're not run like a family business at all Right. So how was it? I guess? Chris: you coming back in and you know I guess dad and his partner letting go of some things, and I mean you know, I know from experience. You know we have clients that go through this and I've had some guests on the podcast. You know everyone experienced a little different. What can you share about maybe some of the things that, looking back, probably could have done better or things that actually went well? ADVERT Hello friends, this is Chris Hanslick, your Building Texas business host. Did you know that Boyer Miller, the producer of this podcast, is a business law firm that works with entrepreneurs, corporations and business leaders? Our team of attorneys serve as strategic partners to businesses by providing legal guidance to organizations of all sizes. Get to know the firm at boyMillercom, and thanks for listening to the show. Molly: Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things I mean it's always hard and I think that there's an ebb and flow to it. And you know, one of the things I think we did really well and we still do really well is we stay in our lane and I think we're really good at the active debate and listening and having hard conversations but listening to each other's points and coming together to make a decision that is methodical and thoughtful, versus well, you know, it's going to be my way, or the highway, like we very rarely would let someone just take something and run with the decision. We're very consensus oriented but we also stay in our lane. So, if you know, I've probably my strongest background is in marketing. If I feel really passionate about something related to marketing and and I've got my reasons and I'm, you know, persuasively getting everyone on board everyone's gonna be like, okay, cool, cool, yeah, you got it, got it, you know. Or my dad's like the contract needs to read this way. You know, with the Cisco vendor, we're like, okay, cool, great, you got it. So I think one thing we've done well is we. We have a lot of people with very specific expertise and we're able to learn from each other, but not stomp on each other. And so, like Mike Knapp, who's our chief operating officer, and we have got some other great operators on our team they know how to run a restaurant. Well, if I go in there and tell them how to do it, like I'm way overstepping them my lane. Chris: Right. Molly: Right. But if I go in there and I'm like, hey, I noticed like this seemed inefficient, what's going on there? They'll either be like oh gosh, we got to go fix that, Thank you. Or well, this is why we're doing it this way and I can learn from that. Chris: I think there's a lot of humility in that for the whole team Right. Molly: Yeah, you know, or feedback, that happens. Chris: Yeah, you know, no egos. Molly: Yeah, I mean we all have egos. But yeah, I mean I can say to my dad, if we cross that out, we're never going to make this deal, Like, stop being a lawyer. Chris:Right. Molly: I mean you know how it goes. It's like there's always the lines there, but I think we do a good job of being honest, transparent, giving feedback and then, when we cross the line which family members can do, we do a good job of like coming back together. Chris: Good, so there's grace too, right. Molly: Forgiveness grace. That wasn't my best moment, I'm sorry. Chris: Yeah, okay, wasn't my best moment, I'm sorry, yeah, okay. So let's talk a little bit about you know you're, you've grown this business and you've added to it. What are you think about like technology or innovation? Are there things in that realm that you've implemented to kind of help either with the growth or, once the growth has happened, help kind of manage and make it more efficient? Molly: So I came from tech right in Silicon Valley, so it's like, okay, let's get some platforms on this business right. 2000 was the year, and so I've now been through a lot of point-of-sale changes and QuickBooks to Great Plains Accounting, all these Clover, uber, online ordering, and we have tended to actually be pretty early adopters. We probably had online ordering off your phone earlier than most companies in Houston, and it's interesting because they're so great and, in theory, they're going to make your life so much easier and everything is going to be faster and more efficient. I don't always feel that it has worked out that way. Oh okay, feel that it has worked out that way. Okay, you know, I think the layers, the layers can add just more work or buffer or time, even in how long it maybe takes to place an order. And I think we went through. If we go back a decade, I think that was the painful era of technology in the restaurant space, I think. Where we are now with some of the point of sale systems and how they're integrating, how can I let me explain this when a decade ago, or even five years ago, you would be in our restaurant and you would see we'd have our point of sale system, we'd have the drive-thru speaker, we'd have an Uber iPad, a DoorDash iPad, a Favor oh wait, favor called in and then paid with a real credit card. So just imagine. All of that is like just messy. Chris: And you'rust trying to keep up. Molly: Right, we're just coming at you and all we want to do is take the order, take your money and send you on the way with your food right. So, like that transaction, for us that 20 years ago was you walked up to the counter, you paid and you left. Now we've got all these things right and and if the DoorDash order comes in on this tablet, I've got to enter it in this system on the cash register, or it won't go to the kitchen and then the kitchen doesn't get a ticket. So it seems like, in theory, we should all love all of this. And for the consumer who's like beep, beep, beep. Chris: On the sofa at home, right. Molly: Great. It's great for them. For us, it's been hard, you know, and and it has taken a lot of time. And now what? What? My point with technology now is that all those systems are finally talking to each other, and so we were taking more orders through a single unit. There's less double entry. Chris: So technology is catching up right Kind of with the innovation, all the innovation of all that. Now technology is catching up, so it's integrated. Molly: And then behind the scenes is like how our accounting and everything flows over whether it's from our vendors that we're buying food from, and finally everything is catching up. But I think we all take for granted how easy that integration is, and when you're a mid-level size company, like we are, you don't have the financial resources to spend money on the consultants that you really need to hire to help you integrate that, and so it just can be hard. Yeah. Chris: Well, that's a great point, I think, with aspiring entrepreneurs, right, that you you've got to face these challenges and sometimes the only way through them is you know it's going to be extra time and hours on you to figure it out because you don't have the capital to just go hire a consultant to come fix it. And that's one of those lessons learned, right? It sounds easy, sounds fun, but when you're in the middle of it it's either you're going to do it or it's not going to happen yeah, and you get. Molly: I mean, there's so many great ideas out there and great technologies and great marketing ideas, but the the thought process around implementation and execution typically isn't thought through by many companies that we're partnering with. Right. You know, oh, you just do this, this and this, which is a trigger for all of us. We always laugh when we're in a meeting. It's like, oh, it's no problem to switch from this point of sale system, this point of sales, and we're like right they're never there. Chris: That's sweet they're never there past the sales delivery. Right, it's just like. Then they're gone. You're off to sell someone else, that employee will quit if if I say we're gonna switch yeah well, let's talk a little more about. I guess you know you're born and raised here. Becks started here Chocolate Bar. Winfields now, what are some of the advantages that you feel like that you've experienced as a result of being a Texas based? Molly: company. I think Texans are unique in that we embrace entrepreneurs. In Houston, I have, in particular, found this to be an incredibly warm and receptive and we believe in you, molly attitude. I'm out there hustling chocolate so hard. I'm out there selling to businesses and people want to see us succeed. It's not like being in a part of the country where I feel sometimes like well, we'll see if she can make that happen, where they kind of mock you, whereas here I feel like people are behind us and that's such a positive that happen. You know where they kind of mock you, whereas here I feel like people are behind us and that's such a positive place to work, whether it's people who you're partnering with or buying from you or, you know, just giving you money to go make it happen. Right, it's hard to make a business happen without the ability to raise money. Chris: Sure. Molly: And there's faith involved in someone giving you their money to go make something happen. I mean, you never know, right, right. Chris: No, it makes sense. I couldn't agree more. I don't think what you described as kind of that spirit of Houston, houstonia, just kind of a very entrepreneurial, very welcoming and supportive community, love to see others succeed. So you know, let's talk about the contrast of that as we sit here today, and you're in the middle of it, and you're in the middle of it. Molly: What are some of the headwinds that you are dealing with or that you kind of see around the corner, that you're trying to prepare for? You know, I think everything feels a tiny bit chaotic right now, and I think it doesn't matter. You know where you are on any sort of belief system as a business person, you're sort of like what's happening right? And I think our hr director always says this. She's like what's the next right thing to do? What's the next right? And I think, with all the challenges and headwinds, and I think, with all the challenges and headwinds which I have to just globally say I can't specifically mention I'm like, oh, I could be like, oh, the tariffs are this or that. Maybe the tariff goes away tomorrow. It's not really a worry, but it could be a worry. It's just the uncertainty. Yeah, and uncertainty can be a significant economic headwind. Uncertainty can be a significant economic headwind because when we go into uncertainty mode, we are stuck. And we just. It's like we're all of a sudden we're standing on the Galveston beaches and our feet are sinking in that squishy sand. That's so warm right now and lovely. Chris: And we literally can't come out of it we don't do anything. Molly: It creates paralysis. We just go into, like, and so I think what's hard as a leader and as a texan and as an entrepreneur, is to not let that stop us from making decisions and moving forward. Yeah, so I go back to my hr director and says okay, what's the next right thing I need to do? Chris: let that stop us from making decisions and moving forward. So I go back to my HR director and says, okay, what's the next right thing I need to do? Yeah Well, I mean, I think it's one good you have a partner, whether it's any officer or not, but someone that you can lean on and have that. What's great about that is it's simple right. It's how you eat the elephant right, one bite at a time. So big picture can be overwhelming, create a lot of uncertainty, could create paralysis. So, okay, let's go back to the basics and what's the next right step, right, and then maybe with one step, it's easier to take the second step which leads to the third step and all of a sudden you've built some momentum. Molly: Yeah, and you can do something with that. Chris: Yeah. Molly: But it is you know, and at the same time as you take the next step, you've got to kind of know where you're driving towards. Chris: Yeah, so let's talk a little bit about leadership styles, and how would you describe your leadership style? How do you think that's evolved over time? Molly: You know I think I'm not very patient and I think that's hard, and I think it's hard to probably work with me, because we all have a tendency of we've got a great idea. We wanted to have happened two weeks ago. Chris: Right. Molly: Right, not just, not just an idea. It's like oh, that's a great idea, why don't? Why aren't we already doing it? Chris: And why is it already? Why isn't it done already? Molly: Like what's the problem? And so I think one of the things I've really had to work on is patience as a leader, and it's far more fun to be part of a team with a patient leader versus a chaotic always and and I don't do this perfectly well, and so either. I would believe you if you said you did, yeah, you wouldn't you know me for half an hour and you can tell this, but I think I love being a leader that people can say no to now. I think I love being a leader that people can say no to now. I think, it's really hard sometimes to be. You can be the type of leader people can't say no to because they're scared of you or they don't want to say no. But when my team has now in a place where we're close enough and capable enough, where they can say molly, that is a great idea, and if we try to do that right now, we will fail yeah like, okay, I can be mature enough to hear that now and I appreciate you saying that. So I think, I think I don't want to stop pushing us, but I've tried to learn as a leader where kind of thinking of an organ? Right now right, which pedals I should be pushing harder on or less hard? Chris: I think you raise a great point, because I think it's like anything. I think if there's too much of one thing, it's not good. It's that statement of everything in moderation, and I think one of the challenges of a leader is to know when to push and when to back off. So you had to when to be a little forceful versus empathetic and, you know, maybe demonstrating some more grace. But every situation is a little different. So a good leader assesses it and go okay, what type of leadership does this moment call for? Yeah, and it's that awareness, almost right, and learning to be a little bit versatile, because I think if you're all one all the time, you're not going to be as successful as you want. To be right, you will be in some moments, but you're going to fail miserably in others. And again, that's much easier said than done in practice, right? Molly: I mean, it's much easier said than I don't know. You know, I'm so critical of my own leadership skills. It's hard to even walk in here right now and be positive. And yet I would say I'm doing so much better than I was, and, in part, I think it's having people around me who have helped coach me to be a better leader. I've hired coaches, or I have people who've helped me through how to handle certain situations. I think tools help. It's interesting Six months ago, about a year ago we implemented this easy calendar tool so we could watch our projects and hold each other a little more accountable, and we got so crazy. We got off of using that tool and the team was like, hey, can we bring that back? Oh yeah, why do we stop doing that? And so I think when you do have tools that help you as a leader lead, they can be really useful. If they become a way for you to stop having, I think, the productive conversations and you're just kind of using it as a checklist, I think it can be dangerous, but there's ways to use all this technology and tools out there to benefit us as leaders. Sure, and I think that's something I've learned to do a little bit better in recent years. Chris: Any anything you can point to. I always like to ask this is not the fun question but failure or mistake that you experienced or encountered, that you learned from that. You're like that was a growth moment. In hindsight, man, it felt terrible, whatever I look back. And what a growth moment for me, anything you can share there, because I always find that that's such a great learning and it hopefully dispels for listeners, right, because you feel like you're the only one out there failing and he's like, no, you're not. Molly: Oh my gosh, you're going to learn from it. Yeah, and I think you know there's so much shame we only talk about our successes or people only talk about their successes, right, or it's more fun. I mean, I don't want to walk around talking about all the things I've done wrong, and this was a little while ago and I rely on it now because not everything we try. We've just released product at Central Market in June. We just yeah, super exciting. Chris: A chocolate product, a chocolate bar. Molly: We've got truffles and boots and some go to Central Market and buy our products. But also at the airports in the market, we've got some great fun Texas themed products at Intercontinental Airport. So if you're going through the airports, buy some Winfield's chocolate. So you go out there and I'm so excited right now to tell you about this. Right, we're in these great new major retailers and we're in 12 Kroger's. Well, what I'm not telling you is I've been in 15 Kroger's and now we're in 12 because we only find those. I'm not going to tell you about the three that we're not in anymore because they're not. You know, the others are doing great. Go find us at the Buffalo Kroger or the West Gray, go find us at the airport, and I'm not going to come back and be like, well, that didn't work. They never bought from us again. Which is, you work so hard to make those deals happen and get out there in the world and there's so much hustle and it may just not work. So, going back in time, I had an investor and this was a decade ago and we had opened some stores in Dallas, some Bex Prime restaurants, and one of them had failed and we were going to close it and I mean, I was devastated, ashamed, sad, all of the things, and I'd gone out and raised $2 million and I had lost that money. It was over and I had to call our investors and let them know what had happened. Phil Plant, he says so you stubbed your toe for the first time. I was like I did. He's like, yeah, you're going to keep stubbing your toe if you keep at this long enough. Chris: If you keep trying hard enough, right? Molly: If you keep trying hard enough and you keep putting these projects together and businesses. He's like you're going to have some wins and you're gonna have some losses and you're gonna stub your toe but keep going. And it meant I can't. I'm gonna cry thinking about it. He's a really great person and but that meant so much to me in that moment because I mean I had failed big time. I had the. Chris: It didn't work, you know talk about the value of having the right people around you, right? Wow, that's pretty cool. Molly: You know and with Agnes I mean that restaurant took a solid two years to take off. You know I had to go borrow some money to keep it going and now it is a place where our community meets and people love it and then it is neighborhood joy and connection. I could not be more proud of it. But I'm telling you, walking into a restaurant on a Friday night, that you have opened and convince people to give you money to open, and there there's not a single soul in the place not a single soul. Very humbling. Chris: Right, you wanted to go walk the neighborhood streets, going, come on. Molly: Yeah, and so I think you know now with my team I can, we can take the wins and the losses with a little more grace. Chris: Yeah. Molly: You know well, that didn't work. What are we going to try next? Chris: Yeah Well, I think you know it sounds like part of the culture, right, is you said? The one thing about you said as a leader is people aren't afraid to tell you no. And it sounds like you've created a culture where people aren't afraid to fail and learn from it and keep going, and that's to me a sign of a really strong culture. Molly: Well, and it's okay to say like well, that sucked. I screwed that up pretty bad. Chris: Well, we're conditioned to, like I said, we don't talk about failures. I think we're conditioned that, oh, don't talk about that, because it's got to look like it looks on Facebook and everybody's smiling and happy when we know that's not reality. And so we can get past that and just be transparent. Molly: Yeah, authentic. Chris: I think the better off we're all. Molly: But don't you think being more authentic has happened as part of post-COVID? Chris: era. Molly: Don't you think people are more open about their wins and losses? Chris: I think, so I don't know. It's kind of the chicken or the egg. I think Brene Brown started talking about it a lot more and it caught on in the corporate world and that was happening pre-COVID but close to COVID, and then with that the world goes upside down. I don't think anybody knew what. So about uncertainty, no one knew. So I think it did create a feeling of I don't know what's next and this okay to be authentic. And as we started coming out of that, then there's a lot probably exposed more in the sports world about mental health and all that kind of just built on itself, where I think we're learning it's okay and it's more acceptable to be more authentic. Right, it's a good thing, it's a great thing. Molly: It's way more fun to live in this world. I think I'm not. Fun is not the right word, it's just grounding. Chris: Yeah. Molly: It's more real. Right, I meet more real people. Chris: Agreed, agreed. So well, let's turn to a little bit more of a light side, okay, okay, so what's your favorite vacations place? Molly: Oh my gosh. Well, I'm a, I love adventure. So you know, skiing, hiking, colorado one of those Texas and Colorado type people for sure Love going down to Galveston and fishing and being on the beaches down there, and then we love to scuba dive. So hit the Caribbean. Chris: Awesome, that's all great things. Molly: I can identify with that Stay out of the sun. Chris: You're in the food business, but, and so this is my favorite question to ask every guest Do you prefer Tex-Mex or barbecue? Oh man Hardest question of the podcast. Molly: This is so hard that I might have to Gosh. You know I'm probably a barbecue person. I think I'm going to go. Chris: We have a lot of good barbecue around here. Look, it's a hard question for a reason we have a lot of good barbecue, a lot of good tex-mex. You know, I've even had people try to answer it by combining both there's not. Molly: you know, look at levi good, he's got his tex-ex and his barbecue. He's sort of doing it right, that's right, that's right. Chris: So well, I want to, you know, just wrap this up by saying thank you for coming on and sharing your journey, excited to see what you're doing. Obviously, we watched the Becks on Kirby get redone because we're right around the corner, but what you're doing with the windfield chocolate sounds exciting and uh. Hopefully, now people hear this, they'll know more about agnes and yeah, come to all of ours. Molly: You can do breakfast at agnes, lunch at beck's, dessert at windfields. Chris: You hit them all I like it, yeah, so there you go, uh kind of a full service yeah, integrated, you can do it. Them all love it it Well, Molly, thank you for coming on. Molly: Thank you for having me. Chris: Really appreciate you taking the time. Special Guest: Molly Voorhees.

Christian Historical Fiction Talk is listener supported. When you buy things through this site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Become a patron and enjoy special perks and bonus content.Jennifer L. Wright, a first-time guest, joins us on the podcast this week to talk about her new book, Last Light over Galveston. We discuss what meteorology was like in 1900, how this storm took the city by complete surprise, and how Jennifer got her start in writing, plus much more. Patrons will learn what she loved about growing up in the Midwest.Last Light over Galveston by Jennifer L. WrightAmid the 1900 Galveston hurricane, one woman's perseverance is tested in this captivating story from the author whose work has been called “intelligent and arresting” (Foreword Reviews) and “historical fiction as it is meant to be told” (Library Journal).“Old Galveston shines in this beautifully written tale of a woman's quest to both lose herself and find herself.”Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of ShelterwoodGalveston, Texas. September 1900. Only months ago, Kathleen McDaniel returned from finishing school in Switzerland to her family home in New York's Hudson Valley with a future of promise and privilege set before her. But one horrific event shattered her picturesque life. Now she has fled as far as the train line and a pocketful of money would take her, finding refuge at the St. Mary's Orphan Asylum on Galveston Island, where she helps the nuns care for their young charges and prays her past will not find her. Despite her tenuous standing at the orphanage―and the grief and betrayal that drove her from home―Kathleen slowly begins to make friends. There is Emily, the novice nun she rooms with; Maggie, the tempestuous young girl who only bonds with Kathleen; and Matthew, a kind, handsome man recently employed by Isaac Cline at Galveston's office of the US Weather Bureau.Then in one fateful day, Kathleen's fragile new life begins to crack as it becomes clear that she can't run far enough to escape the reach of her former life. Meanwhile, as troubling news about a storm crossing the Gulf from Cuba swirls in the Weather Bureau offices, Matthew holds fast to Cline's belief that no hurricane can touch Galveston. But as darkness falls on the island, Kathleen must gather her courage and reach for a strength beyond her own if she―and those she loves―are to survive.A stand-alone historical novel about the 1900 Galveston hurricaneA gripping read inspired by true eventsFeatures themes of resilience, found family, and redemptionIncludes discussion questions perfect for book clubsGet Last Light over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright.Jennifer L. Wright has been writing since middle school, eventually earning a master's degree in journalism from Indiana University. However, it took only a few short months of covering the local news to realize that writing fiction is much better for the soul–and definitely way more fun. A born and bred Hoosier, she was swept off her feet by an Air Force pilot and has spent the past decade traveling the world and, every few years, attempting to make old curtains fit in the windows of a new home.She currently resides in New Mexico with her husband, two children, one grumpy dachshund, and an overly demanding guinea pig. She is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers Association), and can be found on Facebook,

Dana In The Morning Highlights 7/23Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo wins Academy Of Country Music's award for the 3rd timeOld Quarter Songwriter Festival will be happening in Galveston this NovemberHow many homes did you see before you decided? Do you prefer to rent or own? 

A gnarly hurricane in Galveston, TX that rarely gets brought up. The beach is still gross from what I hear. Support on Patreon!

También conocida como Amy Medina Jorge, es una destacada profesora de STEM (Ciencia, Tecnología, Ingeniería y Matemáticas) con raíces profundamente puertorriqueñas, nacida y criada en Ponce, Puerto Rico, antes de mudarse a Estados Unidos. Actualmente enseña en la Odyssey Academy, ubicada en Galveston, Texas. El 31 de mayo de 2025, Aymette formó parte de la tripulación del vuelo NS‑32 con el cohete New Shepard,https://www.instagram.com/amyastra25/https://www.instagram.com/curiosidacientificapodcast/https://jaboneradongato.com/https://linktr.ee/curiosidadcientificapodcast

Dana In The Morning Highlights 7/21City of Houston is debating on scooter free zones to reduce hazards35 dogs took to the waves over the weekend at the Ohana Surf Dog Competition10-year-old London wrote a book called 'The Jellezs' - https://thejelleezs.my.canva.site/

Hour 3 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Reanna De La Cruz from Baffin and Michael Marquez from Galveston. National Anthem sung by Lee Greenwood

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Lynn Smith from Port O'Connor and Steve Hillman from Galveston.

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Mike Jeffcoat from Venice La., James Plaag from Galveston.

Hour 1 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Glenn Hammond from the Tri-bay, James Plaag from Galveston, Tommy Alexander from Matagorda and Brian Barrera from South Padre.

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Blaein Friermood from Baytown, Dave Freemont from Texas City and Steve Hillman from Galveston.

Matthew Johnson is a born and bred midwesterner, ultra marathon runner, and US Army Veteran.He joins to show to tell his story of overcoming adversity, and failing his way to success. Matt credits fitness and community for saving his life, and he wants to provide that opportunity to other military veterans by raising money for ValorFit a 501c3 Non Profit that pays for Veterans memberships into CrossFit or group fitness gyms. While running across Texas from El Paso to Galveston, Matt raised $30,000 for ValorFit and became the fastest person to accomplish the feat.Wanting to do more for ValorFit he has doubled down where he'll run across Texas again, but this time from north to south.You can find Matt on all social media platforms including instagram @mattjohnson__ and his Youtube channel.You can support ValorFit by checking out their website, and donating at this link below.https://runacrosstexas.betterworld.org/campaigns/matt-johnsons-run-across-texas-b-2

In this episode, Trent and Jeni discuss their recent trip to Galveston and dive into the latest updates at Disney World, including the absence of virtual queues, changes to early entry strategies, and new entertainment options. They explore the opening of Epic Universe, the perks for Disney Resort guests, and the growing number of adult-only experiences. The conversation also covers ongoing construction, new dining experiences, and essential planning tips for visitors. Listeners are encouraged to share their own experiences and tips for making the most of their Disney adventures.

Hour 1 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Glenn Hammond from Tri-Bay, Jeff Naylor from Freeport and James Plaag from Galveston.

Hour 2 of The Outdoors Show! Captain Mickey is joined by Bob Green from Fayette Co., and Steve Hillman from Galveston.

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 3/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 6/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.