Podcast appearances and mentions of Jack Daniels

SUBURBAKNIGHT: Act Two Walter Knope has finally discovered the one thing worse than suspecting your new neighbor is a sex demon. Being right. Inside Richard's immaculate house, Walter gets the confirmation he was looking for. The Maitlands are dead. Richard isn't human. And he isn't just interested in Samantha. He wants everything Walter has. Walter tries to warn Sam. It goes badly. What starts as an argument about Richard quickly becomes an argument about money, sex, failure, jealousy and every other thing a married couple has been politely not saying out loud. Sam packs a bag. Walter, terrified Richard will get to her, practically helps her leave. Written by Nick Bannister, SUBURBAKNIGHT is a wicked suburban horror-comedy about marriage, masculinity and what happens when your midlife crisis actually grows horns. Walter needs someone who understands monsters. Enter Bobby Joe Williams. Local horror host. Full-time drunk. Part-time monster expert. Possibly the least reassuring person you could want standing between your family and eternal damnation. Bobby Joe confirms the bad news. Richard is an incubus. He feeds on souls, controls his victims through desire and, unfortunately, appears to be immortal. Meanwhile, Richard has already started remaking the neighborhood. Walter goes looking for Andy and instead finds him dead in the bathtub, his wife Alli transformed into something considerably less neighborly. Walter barely escapes with his life. Then Samantha comes home. Richard is waiting. This time, Sam sees him too. When Richard finally drops the charm and shows them what he really is, he offers Walter everything he ever wanted. Money. Freedom. A fresh start. All he wants in return is Samantha. Walter says no. Then Mia introduces Richard's face to a medieval mace. For a moment, it feels like the Knopes may actually have this thing under control. Then Richard takes their daughter. Now Walter and Sam are done running. They need Mia back. They need help. Unfortunately, the closest thing they have to a professional is Bobby Joe Williams in boxer shorts drinking margarita straight from a blender pitcher. So they do what any responsible parents would do. They raid the failed antique business. Crossbow. Mace. Axe. Sword. Armor. Walter's junk has finally found a purpose. And across the street, Richard is waiting. Starring Darin Toonder, Jim O'Heir, Jade Tailor, Jack Daniel, Rob Fitzgerald, Logan Laurel, Emily Brolin, Ashley Platz, and Zeke Alton. Produced by Table Read Podcast and Manifest Media Productions, LLC. Executive Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In hour two, we're joined by our friends at Jack Daniel's to try some whiskey on the air. Crowder officially announces his retirement from the NFL. Plus, why the Canes schedule is looking REALLY good.

Reaction to a physical joint practice between the Dolphins and Giants with Chris Perkins. We're joined by our friends at Jack Daniel's to try some whiskey on the air. Crowder officially announces his retirement from the NFL. Gino Torretta explains why Fernando Mendoza will be a successful NFL QB. Plus, in honor of National Radio Day, we celebrate our boss Len ahead of his retirement.

Tony Marini has been part of the Reno rodeo world his whole life. His dad volunteered at the Reno Rodeo for decades. He grew up around the cowboys, knew the families, understood the sport. Now he's the guy Anthony Carano tapped to take Caesars Entertainment all the way into rodeo, and nobody's doing it like this. Caesars Rodeo is launching this December, and the names attached to it will blow you away. Rocker Steiner is the face of it. Dusty Tuckness is part of the team. DJ Silver is doing nightly activations at Caesars Palace during NFR. And December 11th at PH Live is the night everything comes together in one room. Tony sits down with Chad and holds nothing back. How this came about, why Anthony Carano is the reason any of it exists, what the vision looks like going forward, and why the crossover between rodeo, country music, hunting, and the casino world is more natural than anyone realizes. This one's worth your time, and December 11th is worth your calendar. This episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and brought to you by Resistol Hats, Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels, Corning Ford, Bodyguard Bumpers, Bedslide, Demerbox, GATR Coolers & Drinkware, TKO Vitality, Almost Heaven Saunas, and ZLINE Appliances.

Kicking off a fifth series, Paul takes his audience in Boston, Lincolnshire, through an ideal range of questions for a perfect pub quiz.He also has rounds inspired by the area, on subjects like suspension bridges, the tallest buildings in the world, and the way in which Boston avenged Lincoln. And he gets asked - again - about the Lincolnshire football club that's had three England captains, Jack Daniels, and the Lincolnshire town that used to be the capital of England.This Comedy of the Week episode features the first episode of the fifth series of Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz. All series are available to listen on BBC Sounds.Written and performed by Paul Sinha Additional material: Oliver LevyAdditional questions: The AudienceRecorded at the Blackfriars Theatre, Boston, by Jerry Peal at Peal Sound Mixed by Rich Evans at Syncbox PostProducer: Ed Morrish Executive producer: Lyndsay FennerA Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4

SUBURBAKNIGHT: Act One Walter Knope is having a bad week. His antique store is bankrupt. The bank has locked him out. His house is now filled with everything he couldn't sell. His teenage daughter thinks he's embarrassing, his marriage has seen better days, and Walter is beginning to suspect middle age may just be a long series of humiliations ending in death. Then Richard Sarandon moves in across the street. Richard is rich, handsome, charming and spectacularly confident. The neighborhood women can't stop looking at him. The husbands barely notice. Walter notices everything. Especially the two body bags carried out of Richard's house in the middle of the night. Then Walter sees Richard do something no human being should be able to do. Written by Nick Bannister, SUBURBAKNIGHT is a wicked suburban horror-comedy about marriage, jealousy, masculinity and the nightmare of discovering that the impossibly perfect man next door may actually be a monster. Walter calls the police. They find nothing. Richard smiles. Walter looks insane. Then comes the neighborhood party. Pool. Booze. Barbecue. Husbands watching football. Wives watching Richard. With help from Andy, his beer-bellied neighbor and resident horror-movie expert, Walter finally puts a name to what moved in across the street. An incubus. A demon that seduces women and feeds on their life force. Now Richard knows Walter is onto him. Walter knows Richard wants Samantha. And the fight Walter thought was about his pride, his marriage and his rapidly collapsing life is about to become something much worse. Luckily, Walter's house is currently filled with swords, crossbows, armor and medieval weapons nobody wanted to buy. Maybe the antique business wasn't such a bad idea after all. Starring Darin Toonder, Jim O'Heir, Jade Tailor, Jack Daniel, Rob Fitzgerald, Logan Laurel, Emily Brolin, Ashley Platz, and Zeke Alton. Produced by Table Read Podcast and Manifest Media Productions, LLC. Executive Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell. Find The Show: Table Read Podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's This Week in Bourbon for August 14th 2026. The Bourbon and Beyond line up with set times has been announced, US Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the decision on Bad Spaniels, and Chattanooga Whiskey has announced Chattanooga Whiskey Moldovan Ice Wine Cask Finished.Show Notes: Festival details and culinary lineup revealed for 8th annual Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville 9th Circuit Court rules for VIP Products, overturning Jack Daniel's dog toy sales ban California craft distillers face deadline as direct-to-consumer delivery rights near expiration Next Century Spirits acquires Chicken Cock Whiskey and Grain & Barrel Spirits portfolio Brown-Forman partners with E! network for new "Cocktail Wars" competition series Indianapolis-based Circle City Whiskey Co. celebrates major growth as an independent bottler Copper & Kings expands reach with new direct-to-consumer online shipping program Hard Truth Distilling announces Master Distiller's Reserve Dark Roast Rye for fall release Garrison Brothers reveals 2026 Cowboy Bourbon at 141 proof for September release Chattanooga Whiskey launches Moldovan Ice Wine Cask Finished bourbon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With just a little over a month away from the 2026 Independent Hotel Show Miami taking place, special guest and President of Staypineapple Hotels Inc., Dina Belon, joins the Suite Spot to discuss the Stayepineapple brand, the independent hotel industry, and what she is looking forward to from IHS Miami 2026! Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in and we check out what’s trending in hotel marketing. I’m your host, Ryan Embree. Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree. Back for another edition of season two of our independent hotel show series, where we are getting geared up and ready for that annual tradition down in Miami Beach at the Independent Hotel Show. We cannot wait. We’re gonna talk a little bit about it with our guests. We actually met for the first time in person last year at this event. We’re able to spend some time with her. Dina Belon, president at Staypineapple Hotels. Dina, thank you so much for joining me back on The Suite Spot. Dina Belon: Oh, thank you so much for inviting me, Ryan. This is amazing. I’m so excited. We had such a good time in Miami last year, it was a blast and, uh, talking to you felt like I was talking to a friend. Ryan Embree: Well, I appreciate it. I feel the same. Just honored to be speaking with you here. And I can’t believe we’re here. It’s we’re just months away from the Independent Hotel Show. It’s gonna be bigger, better than ever. We’re excited about it. We’re gonna talk about it. But we did have you on for the first time, so we had the opportunity. Usually, I start these episodes by a little bit of a background and kind of an introduction, but I’m gonna start a little unorthodox today. There was a post that I saw on LinkedIn, which by the way, for our Suite Spot listeners, make sure you say, uh, you follow Staypineapple Hotels and Dina. Great follows on LinkedIn. But there’s an, an article called Everything Staypineapple Hotels Dina Belon Does in a Day. And I thought that was such a cool and creative idea and concept. Talk to us a little bit about how that idea originated and give us a day in life. What is it like to be Dina Belon? Dina Belon: Well, I tried to be very honest. Hopefully it was fun too. I, there’s a lot of humor in my day, and so hopefully that came across. Um, the magazine, uh, that’s a local magazine here in, uh, east, the east side of Seattle and Bellevue and Kirkland area of Washington does those highlights of leaders in the area, um, on a regular basis. So it was fun, uh, a little stressful because you had to, like, take photographs and, you know, kind of just walk through your day. Um, I loved, though, really integrating my pets, because they’re a big part of my life. And so it started off with Molly waking me up at 5:45, which is actually what she does every morning. About 15 minutes before my alarm goes off, my little kitty cat starts yelling at me about wanting water. Um, so yeah, all the way until, you know, 8:00 at night and a lovely glass of wine with my husband. And all the shenanigans in the middle. Ryan Embree: Yeah. And I think it’s so cool because I think it, you know, we obviously work in the people business, right? In hospitality. Uh, we host people from all over the world, all different walks of life. Um, but to see, you know, sometimes, uh, I think right now, especially right now, right, when there’s all this talk of AI and technology and stuff like that, it’s really refreshing to see our industry leaders. And I get that. I have the, the privilege of getting that, interviewing some of the industry leaders when they talk to me about their, you know, beginnings and, and how maybe they started as a bellman or a front desk agent or fell into the industry. And I think the more that we can kind of humanize and show that these are people that really have a true passion for serving other people. Um, and then on the other side of the front desk, the guests that come into our lobbies, they are people too, whether they’re on a work trip, where they’re trying to escape. You know, sometimes it, it’s refreshing to take, take a beat and think about that. And that’s exactly what this article did for me because it is, you know, even though we’re hospitality, we’re in it, the hustle bustle, 365, twenty four seven. We’re still people, right? Yeah. We’re still people with our pets and, and, and our, uh, you know, what we like to do. Um, so it was a really cool, I think, uh, refreshing look. I wa – I definitely wanted to bring that in. Br – um, and, and your love of pets, it goes right along with your brand, uh, Staypineapples Hotel. And, you know, I’ve come to know and love through your content, your keynotes at the Independent Hotel Show, uh, following you on LinkedIn. For those audience members that might not be as familiar, uh, share with us, uh, a little bit about what makes Staypineapple Hotels so unique and one of a kind. Dina Belon: Yeah. So we are the opposite of corporate uniformity, uniformity. Uh, we’re really about, you know, a boutique sp – hotel experience with a lot of personality. Um, so one of the things that we’re well known for is the naked experience, um, which is, uh, a little eye-opening to a lot of people, but all it really is, is a fun, cheeky, which we like to do, uh, marketing way to talk about our bed and our bedding and our linen and our terry is so comfy, cozy and amazing, you’ll wanna sleep naked. Um, so it, and we give you an, a big cuddly robe so that you don’t come to the door naked. Ryan Embree: There you go. Dina Belon: Um, so that, that’s, that’s very indicative of the Staypineapple personality. Um, we’re also, um, not just pet friendly, we’re dog obsessed. Um, so we, uh, really go over the top with our pet program. We have a partnership with Soundz, S-O-U-N-D-Z, uh, that is, um, uh, sounds, uh, in music – Sure. That, um, pets like and that calm them when they feel nervous, um, that is available for guests, uh, at no cost, a 14-day, uh, free trial. And then, um, we have a partnership with, uh, an emergency veterinary, uh, service called Veg. Um, of course, you get beds and bowls and treats and, um, water bottles and poop bags and all kinds of stuff when you bring, uh, your furry friend. Although we’re dog obsessed, we also love kitty cats too. I have two kitty cats and two dogs. So, um, we, yeah, we’re, we’re pretty over the top with the pet thing. And then we have a, we have a number of the properties that have, uh, hotel dogs as well. Um, so one of the management staff ha – brings their dog to work every day and has really become a, a core team member. Um, you wouldn’t believe how many reviews we get, uh, with our, our furry, uh, friends being, uh, listed as their favorite part of the hotel. Ryan Embree: Yeah. I’ve seen them at trade show nows at industry trade shows. Yeah. You’ll have, like, a puppy break. Uh, brilliant. Brilliant. Dina Belon: It’s my favorite thing. Ryan Embree: Yeah. It just gets people in, in, in a happy mood. People love it. So, uh, and, and the focus of, of the dog obs – dog obsessed, um, i- i- is, is so smart. I mean, p – you know, people. We always think about how stressful travel is, obviously, from a logistics and s – and people standpoint, but obviously on our pets too. They’re in a place that they’ve never been before. Um, they don’t know that they’re heading across the country or even down the road. They’re in somewhere unnatural. So that’s really, really cool that you can kind of make them feel at ease there. And, and I’m sure the guest feedback, uh, from that has been really, really great to see. Um, now, you talked about, um, Staypineapple being a, a very unique boutique brand. Um, I noticed one word you didn’t mention in there, which is, uh, independent or non-branded. Uh, you prefer the term unchained. And I wanna explore that a little bit. I don’t wanna give you too much, uh, of a question. I, I’d like, like you to kinda run with that. Why do you prefer unchained to maybe independent segment or non-branded? Dina Belon: So to me, independent, non-branded, um, you know, indicates that we’re small or we’re isolated or, um. And, and I think it’s, um, diminishing to 30% of the hotel sector, which is truly unchained in both term, both ways that that term can be used. One, we are not attached to a chain in literal terms, but we’re also unchained from a limitation perspective. I think what is so amazing about the independent or the in – the unchained sector of the market to the guest is the founders, the visionaries, the leadership teams, the hotel teams at these hotels put their lifeblood and their passion and their vision and their belief in hospitality into these properties and into the experiences guests are gonna get. It is not a corporate ownership that is managed by a brand that has 5,000 other w – hotels just like it. And, you know, the onsite hotel team has reams of binders to tell them how to do their job. Um, we believe very much in no SOPs. Um, we have, uh, ultimate SOP. It’s do the next right thing. That’s the SOP for Staypineapple. It’s that simple. Just do the next right thing. We help the team understand that a little bit with kind of some guidelines, which is what is the best thing for you and your colleagues? What is the best thing for the guests? And what is the best thing for the business? And if you frame that question, those questions under do the next right thing, anybody can make the right decision at any moment, at every level of the organization. When we talk about empowerment, it isn’t, you know, we’ve given you a toolkit. I always loved this, because I worked in, in the brands. Um, and we always had a toolkit. You had a toolbox full of things that you could use to solve a problem. Well, I don’t need to give you a toolbox. You are a grown person that is a professional in the hospitality industry and you’ve entered this industry with a passion for people. Why would I tell you how to do your job, um, in every aspect with books of SOPs? Instead, I should get out of your way and let you be who you are in an authentic way. Because that connects with people. If, uh, you know, we put, we put people in our industry in a blazer, a Navy blazer, and a name tag, and tell them, “This is how you answer the phone. This is how you greet somebody. This is how you do this.” Basically, you’re a representation of the brand, so you need to fit in this box. Well, I believe in a different hospitality, in a hospitality that is, um, grounded in, um, real people and real human beings and, and mistakes even, and quirkiness, and stuff that you wouldn’t necessarily, uh, engage in or experience in your normal life. That’s why you’re traveling. You wanna experience different things and new things. You’re going to a new place. And so we don’t have, um, dress. We don’t have uniforms for our front of house team members. We do for back of house simply because we don’t want the back of house team to have to ruin their own clothes because the engineers get their clothes snagged and the housekeepers get their clothes dirty and, you know, so it’s more just to take care of our team. But, um, the front of house team doesn’t have uniforms. They get to wear their own clothes to work. That’s another idea. It’s like, I want you to be you, but wear this black polo shirt that makes you look like everybody else. Or Navy Blazer that makes you look everybody, right? Like the entire concept of what we think is normal and standard in our industry is the antithesis of what we’re trying to create as an experience for a guest. Um, so it’s really important to us, you know, you can have colored hair and ear piercings and tattoos. And I remember early in my career, it was always, um, I love to tell this story. Um, the, the dress code, because I was a manager, so I was allowed to wear my own clothes, but the dress code was, had to have, um, pants or a skirt, uh, a, a jacket, had to have a blazer, and it had to be of solid color. So what I’ve got on today would not have applied. Um, my shoes could not have open toes and an open heel, one or the other. And I had to have pantyhose on. So I lived in Florida. I remember I stopped wearing pantyhose at some point because they were hot. And so I, I actually had an HR person, uh, come up to me and say, “By the way, um, we’ve, we’ve noticed that you’re not meeting the dress code.” And I just turned around and looked at her and I was like, “Those things make me sweat. I have to be out by the pool sometimes. I have to be outside. It’s too hot. I’m not wearing them. Fire me.” Ryan Embree: Yeah. Yeah. Dina Belon: That was the end of pantyhose in our dress code. I was like, “Good luck with that.” Ryan Embree: Right. And I’m sure the person on the other side, you know, it, it, they were just obviously following the guidelines – Right. And the standards of what was put before them. And you’re absolutely right, Dina. You know, the, the one thing that we talk about all the time, and you talk to. Uh, I’ve talked to industry leaders about is, you know, what makes your management company brand property so great? Usually the first thing they say is they’re people. Yet, when you’re putting those people in a box, how great can they actually be, right? Every property is so different because of the individuals that make up that property. Um, so, you know, that thought process is, is so brilliant to, to think of the individualism and the passion can kind of shine through because it’s those stories that you talked about in the unchained or the independent sector that, that reason why I, this is one of my favorite series, because I get to sit and talk to independent hoteliers and, and hear their stories, their struggles, their challenges, but also their successes, their passions, where they built this, this property that has been, you know, where they’ve had these struggles, but they’ve gotten over the hump and they just love it so much and you can just see it come out in that, that, uh, conversation. It’s, and sometimes very different. Nothing to knock the brands, but sometimes very different when you’re talking to a GM of a branded hotel. Um, and it’s m- maybe just a stop on, on their way to the career. So it is one piece of advice I hear all the time is if you’re a hospitality professional out there, you know, maybe explore the independent hotel down the road. You know, get some good experience there. It’ll, you’re definitely gonna learn a lot, that’s for sure. Yeah. Um, you’re gonna get a lot of – Well, it depends on – Yeah. Dina Belon: Yeah, what you like, right? And I agree with you. One isn’t right or wrong. I spent the vast majority of my career in the, in the branded hotel space. Um, and I just found my happy place in – Sure. In the independent space, right? I, because I was always bucking the rules when I worked in the brands. And I didn’t, I didn’t even know what boutique and. I, I though boutique hotels were just little. Like, I literally, when I started at Staypineapple, I love the story too. ‘Cause when I started, I was like, “I’m gonna come in and show them how to write SOPs and, and brand standards, and we’re gonna standardize this, and we’re gonna scale it, and it’s gonna be, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” I had, I told, because I had spent my whole career in that space. Um, I believed passionately in brand standards when I started at Staypineapple. And I remember, um, our CFO telling me, “Do not say the word brand standard. You will send Michelle off the deep end.” Michelle is our founder. Yeah. And I was like, “What? I don’t understand.” Yeah. “How could you not have brand standards? How do you even operate this place without brand standards?” Right? Right. Um, and, and it took me a couple of years to really internalize what the difference in the business model is. Again, one is not right or wrong. They both have their strengths. But if you’re, uh, a free spirit, if you’re somebody. Like we hire for three things. Authenticity. Like your. First of all, people underestimate the willingness to be authentic. If you have been trained to put on a mask when you go to work and, and almost be an actor and play a part at the hotel, it’s very difficult to take that mask off and, and allow the vulnerability of being yourself. ‘Cause if somebody rejects you when you’re being yourself, it hurts a lot more than if a guest rejects you and yells at you when you have a mask on. That’s a Ryan Embree: Great point. Dina Belon: You’re being somebody else, right? Yeah. So it’s a harder position for our team members, I think, to be their authentic selves. Um, the next is really critical thinking. The ability to problem solve and, and, and be creative and figure out ways to, um. We know to say yes. That’s one of our sayings. We notice. We know how to say yes. Yes is not always a direct yes. Sometimes you have to go around to get to yes, but we know how to do that. And that’s all about creativity and critical thinking. And then really, the last one, um, I think is underserved in our industry, which is emotional intelligence. Um, that ability to read people. And, and it connects to that critical thinking, right? If I can, if I can, uh, connect with you on an emotional level and understand you better, understand your psychographics as a person, which is much deeper than that you like Diet Coke, right? I want to know things deeper than that about you. Then I can use that emotional intelligence to be creative and create, create hyper-personalized experiences for you. That is something that I think isn’t. It. The industry in general, particularly on the branded side, does not foster in our industry. If those things are interesting to you, then go check out the independent or unchained space, because I think you’ll be a lot happier coming from a recovering brand employee. Ryan Embree: Ryan Embree: Yeah. I, I love that. I love everything about that. I mean, those skills are. I mean, it’s, it’s at the core of hospitality, um, especially the emotional intelligence. And I think y- you’re absolutely right. It’s a skill needed now more than ever, by the way. Um, and it’s gonna get trickier to navigate. So we’ll be those, those younger, um, hospitality professionals and, you know, at, at, at any age, really, that invest that time and effort into honing in that skill that are gonna, that are gonna see successes there. Um, I wanna, I wanna take, uh, a step back, Dina, and kinda look at the hospitality landscape right now for independent and, or unchained, uh, uh, hotels. Where do you see opportunity in today’s landscape? And then maybe where are some of the bigger challenges that, that they’re coming up against? Dina Belon: Sure. So I think one of our biggest opportunities I just mentioned, which is hyper-personalization, um, we really look at this, i- if you kinda start at the beginning of the process of how you do hyperpersonalization. Um, it really starts with zero-party data for us. Uh, every brand or every group or every, you know, independent hotel is different, um, in their philosophy on this. I’ve certainly, um, experienced and, um, met with people that do research on their guests online. They look up your Facebook page. They check you out and see what you might be talking about. Um, we have decided to take the approach that we only wanna use data that you have freely and willingly given us. Um, so we communicate with our guests a lot, um, when we can. So there’s a little bit of a differentiator here when we talk about this. Um, if you’re coming in as an Expedia or a Booking.com guest, probably not getting this experience because we don’t have, we don’t have much information about you, and those OTAs don’t like to share. So, but if, uh, you’ve stayed with us before or it’s a direct booking, then we have communicated with you, um, in a way that is fun and cheeky and kinda starts to get you. Um, w- we like to, we like to encourage kind of a pre-arrival experience that is, um, engaging and, and, and gets you kind of primed for what Staypineapple is gonna be like. So you’re not, like, smacked in the fa – you know, you’re expecting a Marriott courtyard and you’re smacked in the face with Staypineapple. Ryan Embree: Right. You got a dog running up to you and yeah. Um, Dina Belon: So one of the things we do is ask a very open-ended question, um, in a pre-arrival email to all of our, uh, direct booking guests. And it says, um, basically in a cheeky way, I don’t remember exactly how it’s phrased, but it’s why you come in to stay with us. And you would be shocked at the amount of information that people share with us and, like, get into deep personal things and tell us all kinds of stuff. That is a trevor – treasure trove of information. Again, that’s stuff that matters. Not whether Jack Daniels is your favorite, you know, liquor. Uh, like, I wanna know that you’re. What, what do you volunteer for? What, what are you passionate about? What do you care about? Are you married? Do you have kids? You know, like, the things that, that you really, really make you who you are, right? That’s, that’s what we really look at for hyper-personalization and allows our team to use their creativity. So that’s just step one, right? Gotta have the information. And then two, you have to have a culture of people that are encouraged and inspired to be creative, to do fun, interesting things, not just deliver a bottle of wine to your room. What? Ryan Embree: Yeah. Dina Belon: Right? Um, like, do something that’s about me, not about you. It, like, that’s what I always say. To me, the bottle of wine in the room is about you buying my loyalty. It’s about you as a hotel. It’s not about me as an individual. So everything should be about the individual and about what makes them excited or happy or feel welcome or feel like they belong, um, there. How many times have you walked into a hotel and you felt like there was a cool club and you didn’t belong? Ryan Embree: Mm. Yeah. Dina Belon: So awful. It is the worst thing about hotels, I think. One of the other things that I just find, um, disheartening about our, our industry is that many people that are not related to the hotel business think you can’t go in a hotel if you’re not a guest. That’s so sad to me, right? Like, there’s, there’s this perception of a barrier, and it’s the opposite of what we should be. Like, we believe our hotels are very much a community hub. And so we encourage the community to come into the hotel. And we don’t even, we don’t have a lot of food and beverage. And some of our properties don’t have any. Some have just limited. We have a few full-service restaurants, but it’s not about us wanting to make money in our restaurants. It’s about us wanting to create an atmosphere in the hotel that is engaging and activating for the guests that are coming. ‘Cause the guests wanna interact with locals. They don’t want to interact with somebody from New York – Right. When they’re in Seattle. They wanna hang out with Seattle people, right? Yeah. So it’s, it’s a real win-win model, but you have to turn, you have to turn that barrier so many people think exists. Ryan Embree: Well, you touched on two things there, Dina, that at the core of this independent hotel show series, it really comes back to, which is loyalty, you know, just fierce, fierce loyalty for inde – I mean, the type of loyalty that I hear from guests talking about independent hotels is very different from the other points or nights that I’m, that I’m hearing in, on the other side of it. And, and it’s a depth that will be word of mouth. I mean, when you talk about word of mouth, like, that is the ultimate s – what marketing can’t buy, right? That storytelling that they’re going to be able to provide you champions of your brand and advocates for your hotel. Uh, the second thing is local community engagement and getting the community on board with what you do. I see it no greater place than Miami when we’re at, at the independent hotel show. And they talk about trying to just infuse that Miami culture into their own properties. And it does attracts a lot of locals. And, and you’re absolutely right. It’s, there’s a parallel where probably somewhere where you, where we talk a lot about reputation and people being scared of those one-star, two-star, or even negative feedback in any sense of it, embracing that and saying, “I don’t want one-star reviews, but I wanna see the negative feedback so that I can fix it, right? I want those, I want those locals to come into my hotel. Um, I don’t wanna put that barrier up because I wanna be that community hub. I love that. So what about any challenges you think right now? Dina Belon: Yeah, I think, um, the, there’s, there’s a number of challenges. I mean, I can, I can talk about the obvious, the headwinds on inflation, the cost of human and financial capital, maintaining service quality while we’re trying to maximize profit. Yeah. I like all of the blah, blah, blah. All of the, Ryan Embree: Yeah. All those talking points. Dina Belon: Yeah. They’re not very fun topics though. Um, honestly, I think the most interesting topic right now is really AI. And I do think it’s our biggest risk, particularly in our, our world of this unchained or independent hotel space. It’s the biggest risk we have, and it’s also the biggest opportunity. And it could go either way. And I think it will probably go hard one way or the other. It won’t be somewhere in the middle. And the reality is, is AI, AI search, which is kind of where we’re at right now, not, we’re not really to the point of bookings starting a little tiny bit. But, um, AI search is focused on very deep, complex, broad data about a hotel. So a, a person, and it really starts with the search parameters. You’re going from keyword search, like, I’m going to Seattle and I wanna be near Pioneer Square, to, I’m interested in a boutique hotel with a cool vibe that has a restaurant and provides a great sleep experience. Those two searches are completely different and is where the threat and the opportunity comes from. The opportunity is, as the hotel owner, operator, you have the best opportunity to create very deep content that is searchable by an AI. Compared to Booking.com and Expedia and all the others, their scale just does not allow them to create that kind of deep content for every hotel on their site, right? So you can create a higher value for the AI search to go to your website over somewhere else that it can go find your hotel. You might still find your hotel, but you’d rather get the booking. Um, direct and get the AI sending the guests to your website to check out the hotel than to booking.com ‘s website to check out. So that’s where the opportunity is. Threat is very real that the big brands and the OTAs have the pocketbooks, bandwidth, the resources to win at this fight and come in and put themselves between us and our guests. And so I think both at a legislative level, all the way down to individual property advocacy and elevating your voice online and everything in between, every hoteler, hotelier needs to be paying attention to. Because in the next five years, you could lose, you could lose the connection to your guests prior to arriving. And that, for us, that would ruin a huge part of our experience. Like we have pre-arrival concierge that helps you curate and plan your experience for your whole trip, not just your hotel stay. All of that would be for naught if I can’t communicate with my guests. Ryan Embree: 100%. Yeah. Uh, seismic shift happening, technologics pl – like shifting beneath us. Uh, I think you’re absolutely where it’s gonna impact everyone from the big brands all the way down to the small independent hotel who, who thinks, “Oh, this is, this isn’t coming for me. It’s gonna have wide ranging effects. It’ll be very, very interesting to see.” But share your concern, but also hopefully that little bit of hope there too, that it, it does go that right way and hospitality stays in, in somewhere where we come to know and, and love our industry. I wanna shift gears. Another thing I’ve, uh, learned about you over the years following your content and your career is your work, uh, inspiring, empowering the next generation of female hospitality professionals. Dina, I’ve seen you on stage at, at multiple panels, uh, a- a- around this subject. Tell us a little bit about the work you do behind the scenes and any tips you would share for up and coming Suite Spot female listeners or just the listeners in general here. Dina Belon: Yeah, I do. I love this topic. I, I love to empower women. Um, I think, uh, uh, we’re, we’re a force in this industry, um, and our voice should be heard. Um, so I, I like to support other women by a couple of things. Um, you’ll, you’ll, you’ll start to notice, I like to simplify things down to like one, two, three points at most. Yeah, I like it. Um, because I think it’s the way the human brain works. Sure. And the best way we can kind of, uh, create change – Yeah. Is by having a very focused, uh, approach to it. I really like self-advocacy, um, and encouraging women to self-advocate, because I think in general, this is a generalization because it’s not all women, but in general, we’re not great at it. Um, men are much better at self-advocacy than women. There’s been all kinds of study and research done on that. Um, and it’s a huge part of why women are paid less, why women are promoted less, because they just don’t ask. They don’t raise their hand. Um, and so I. And then the, the second point kind of ties in, which is leading by example. And so I think I love to tell stories about my career when self-advocacy was a benefit to me and how I got to where I am. And I’m afraid of it too. Let me tell all the female listeners I am not great at self-advocacy. Um, I’ve learned to do it over the years while I’m kind of gritting my teeth in the back of my mouth. Um, but I, there’s been a number of times when, you know, the really, the places where my career really took off, um, I stood up for myself and I raised my hand and I said, “I can do that.” Or, “I can even do more than what you asked me for.” So I’ll give you an example. Um, when I was at Wyndham, um, we, we acquired another company that did the same thing as we did. Um, and we were looking at how to create efficiency and blah, blah, blah. One was in Seattle and one was in Florida. And I was in the Florida office and I was asked, and we were the acquirer, so we acquired the company in Seattle. And so I was asked to fly out to Seattle and check out how my division, which we did all the renovation work and capital improvements and stuff like that, how my division would work with the group in Seattle. And so off I went on a plane and met with them and talked to them and figured out how they did things and figured out how we did things. Um, and so the ask was like, how do we merge the two and how do we create some efficiency? And I came back with a combined team that had me at the top of it with a promotion to vice president. It was really hard for me to do. It was a little bit easier because I gotta do it in writing and send it in and I didn’t have to say it out loud. Um, but it worked. And it was the first VP role I ever had. I was one of the youngest vice presidents at Wyndham. I remember the first time I went to the all leadership meeting, which was, happened once a year at Wyndham. There was 500 people there. This is vice presidents and above. Um, that’s how large the organization is. Um, that’s less than 5% of the employment base of the company. Um, and I was one of the youngest and I was one of the few women that were in the room. And I was blown away by that factor. And I went, “I, I need to work at do- doing something about this. I need to help other women.” ‘Cause particularly 20 years ago probably, um, there was a little bit more sharp elbows among women. There were so few seats in leadership that we were competing for them. And I think women weren’t as good as we are today at lifting everybody up instead of competing with each other. Adding more chairs at the table instead of competing for the one that a woman is gonna fail, fill. Um, so those, I think, are really my biggest things that I recommend younger women focus on is be an example to other women around you, above you, below you, beside you, I don’t care. Advocate for yourself. Advocate for other women and support each other. Um, don’t compete with each other. Ryan Embree: Yeah, I love that. I love that story. And I think we, you know, it’s inspiring to hear those, right? Because it, it can be scary sometimes. Um, but to hear those, those stories, those real life, um, you know, personal, uh, examples in front of you, those are the things that maybe get you that extra bit of confidence there. And it’s, it’s very, very cool to see. So, uh, appreciate your work there. And, um, you know, ex- excited to, to share that with those tips for the audience. Definitely wanted to, to, um, go into that topic a little bit. Um, but this is the Independent Hotel Show series. We might change your episode to say Unchained Hotel Series. But, uh, we’ll, we’re gonna. This is. We’re talking today about the Independent Hotel Show happening this year, September 16th and 17th. Uh, Miami Beach. Remember, listeners, uh, don’t forget to use promo code Ryan26. That’s for a complimentary, uh, registration. Dina, you’re on the advisory board. You’ve been a long time supporter of this show. What inspired you? Take me back to when you were first kind of asked to get involved with the show. Uh, what inspired you to get in, like, first involved with it? And how do you see it supporting independent hoteliers? Dina Belon: Yeah. I was, uh, introduced to it before the very first one and asked to be on the advisory board. And it was an immediate yes, and yes, what can I, what can I do to help? Because I knew that there was a gap in our industry in the independent space for a place for independents to get together and have real conversations and real opportunity to collaborate and learn from each other. We’re so isolated, um, in, in many ways. Like, we don’t have a mothership to create all of the stuff, the, you know, programs or education or philosophy or how do you do this? Or what do you do with that? Or, you know, how do you get mustard stains out of the towels? You know, like, anything. Like, we don’t have a mothership that helps us, that hands us a bunch of stuff and tells us how to do it. Each of us are creating all of this on our own. And that’s part of what makes our sector of the industry so unique and great, is that you get a different experience at every property because they’re all created through a visionary process. But there’s also a lot that we could share best practices and adapt what somebody else is doing to what we’re doing. I, like, I love to talk to, um, suppliers and vendors and tech companies, um, that reach out to me all the time because I learn from them. I learn what they’re doing, um, how one of their customers is doing something. You know, like, we constantly have a need for new knowledge and collaboration in our space that didn’t exist. And so this show is one of the only things that are really in our space focused on us and give us the opportunity to do that. It is an incredibly good show. It’s so well curated from, uh, an educational perspective, from the sessions. There’s multiple stages. Um, everything is in one room, which I love. Um, you can, you know, you can be listening to a panel discussion that’s really energizing, and then you’ve got a 10-minute break and you can run over and see a vendor that you wanted to talk to because you’ve only got 10 minutes. And then you get, you know, it’s not spread out. It’s not like the big shows where, you know, you’re gonna have to walk 10 miles to get to something. And the people that are there care and are focused on the independent space. So you’re also not gonna get the eye rolls and the you’re too small and we don’t care about you, and oh, you’re not part of Marriott, uh, you know, conversation, whether with vendors or with anybody, right? The, the people that are here are passionate about this part of the industry and are ready and willing to help anybody that comes to the show improve what they’re doing. Uh, like, I love helping other independent hoteliers, uh, in any way I can. In any context, talking about distribution, talking about guest service, talking about, you know, any, any part, because there are enough customers out there for all of us. I know we’re competitors, but, um, helping, helping everybody lift is a much better strategy than trying to elbow somebody out. Ryan Embree: Absolutely. We’re all in it together. 100% agree. And it’s funny, you know, you were mentioning at the, at the top of the answer about, you know, how independent hotels don’t have some of these resources that the big brands do. Uh, you know, one of the, one of the common things that big brands do is have an annual conference, right? And they get everybody together and, and share ideas and challenges. This is like the annual conference for independent hotel shows. So it’s a sense of belonging. Um, it’s a different energy. It’s a different. It’s, it’s a different type of, uh, uh, of event. Um, it. So real quick, first, uh, tip for any first time attendees that, uh, might be going. Dina Belon: Yeah. Um, I think two. Again, I love my, my two or three points. Um, be curious. So show up curious, um, and, and open and willing to share. Um, because that’s what your, your analogy to a brand conference is perfect because, um, that’s what we’re there to do is help each other. Um, and being curious will help you just be a sponge and take things in. Um, use, use AI in this scenario, um, and help have an AI assistant help you, an electronic one in your pocket, help you remember all the stuff that is gonna come at you because it’s gonna come like a fire hose and it’s gonna be really hard to remember it all when you get home. Um, I use Pocket for anybody who cares. It’s a little tiny device that I literally keep in my pocket. And I push it anytime I have an idea, I can just talk into it. Or I can push it if I’m having an interesting conversation with somebody and it’ll record that conversation. Of course, I ask the person before I do it. Um, but right? So that it, so that you’re, you’re capturing all of that interesting, cool ideas and, um, vendors and sup – you know, people that can support you. Um, it, walk away from an interaction with somebody and they’ve handed you their business card. Take your little device. It can be your phone too, but however you wanna do it and say, “I just met Ryan with Suite Spot and I really wanna be on his podcast. I need to reach out to him after when I get back.” And then your little AI will give you a to-do when you get back, uh, home. So that’s, that’s my number one tech tip. Um, and then I think the other, the opposite of that, which is a little challenging sometimes, is set the technology down and be present and be aware and pay attention. And don’t be on your phone answering emails from your staff back at your hotel. Like, I know it’s super hard to disconnect and, and be present while you’re at the conference, but you’ll gain a lot more if you’re there and you’re listening and you’re talking. Like, if you go to some of the educational sessions, raise your hand, ask questions. Make a point. Don’t even ask a question. If you’ve got an idea that the panel needs to hear, raise your hand and say it. Um, because it’s a, it’s a dialogue. This isn’t a. There’s, you know, we don’t have the president of Marriott and the president of Wyndham sitting on a panel telling us all how to do things. We’re all collaborators that are telling how we’re doing things and wanting to hear how you’re doing it and figuring out how we can share, share those ideas. So be present. Ryan Embree: That, that’s a great. Yeah, that’s a great mindset to, to enter this show into. My tip is gonna be make sure you see Dina Bellin on stage, uh, because she’s gonna be there once again. You’re gonna be moderating a powerhouse panel. Hospitality is not a department. Um, give us a sneak preview, if you can, of what that discussion might unpack and maybe your thoughts on the topic. Dina Belon: Yeah. It’s really gonna be, you know, about how hospitality is a culture. It’s not a silo. It’s, um, it’s really formed over time through behavior and modeling. Um, it’s not training manuals. It’s not a poster on the wall. It’s values. Um, it’s about, um, really taking everybody in your organization, whether it’s ops, which always seems obvious, but the finance departments, you know, HR, uh, the marketing team. Like, is everybody aligned to your mission and values as an organization? And you as a leader, are you practicing, as a lifestyle, the culture of your organization? So hospitality is not about the ops department. It is about the entire organization following a. Identifying first, have you identified? Right? So, like, our mission at Staypineapple is where stays become stories. Um, it’s a cute, cute way to say it, but it is in very real terms. We want your stay to be so impactful and so memorable that it becomes a lifetime story for you and your family. That kind of connection, that kind of sense of belonging, that kind of emotional feeling, um, is what we’re after, and that’s our mission. And so, if I’m not living that lifestyle every day as the leader of the organization, and our CFO, and our accountant, and our HR, uh, manager aren’t living that lifestyle, how can we ask the hotel teams to live it? Ryan Embree: Yeah. Great point. Yeah, it’s, I mean, it’s hospitality, right? And what we’re always trying to, to try to accomplish, uh, at the end of a guest day is to really, uh, not just, not just feel, feel the, the hospitality, feel the s – the, uh, uh, the, the service that we were providing them. Uh, not just feeling like they, they stayed in, you know, four rooms in a, four rooms in a box, right? That’s, that’s what – Yeah. The old saying. Dina Belon: How many hotels have you forgotten – Ryan Embree: Right. That’s a wonderful point. Wonderful point. And a great segue into our next, because I think you’ve got an unforgettable, um, uh, portfolio over there. So we’re gonna do some rapid fire here, Dina, to get to know you and your, uh, portfolio a little better at Staypineapple Hotel. So, uh, we always like to start with our favorite view from one of your hotels. Dina Belon: Definitely Chicago. So we’re in the loop and we look right at the Chicago Theater sign. And then three blocks down the other way, you can see the edge of the bean. And then there’s this amazing jazz mural, uh, from the corner rooms of the building. The, the incredible view. And we’re an urban city center, so views are not generally our vibe. Um, right? It’s usually another building next door. Um, but that one, that is really incredible. Ryan Embree: That makes for a good one. Uh, favorite fun fact about one of your properties? Dina Belon: Oh, uh, this is personal. Uh, uh, Fetch, which is our recycling program, is, um, all built around our dog obsessed culture. Uh, again, we like to be, you know, funny and cheeky. Um, so Dash, who’s our, um, our mascot, um, the pineapple pup. Um, he helps with waste reduction education, the Fetch program. Get it? Fetch, dog. Ryan Embree: Oh, I love it. Yeah. There you go. Uh, favorite signature dish, um, or amenity? Dina Belon: Hmm. Um, there’s a couple. Oh, goodness. These, this is hard. This is really hard. I, I mentioned the naked experience already, so I’ll let that one go, though that is one of my favorites. Again, personal. So you might start to see, I have a little bit of slant towards sustainability. Um, I am. It’s a, it’s a personal topic that I’m very passionate about. Um, our water bottles. Um, it was a huge lift for us to figure out. So, uh, what, I don’t know, five years ago, we used to have, um, unlimited water bottles available to our guests. Um, it’s part of our health and wellness program. We believe that, you know, hydration is a big part of health and wellness, particularly in en – urban environments when you’re walking a lot, you need to stay hydrated. It gave me a lot of heartburn. We were, we were, we were selling, or not selling, giving away a half a million water bottles, plastic water bottles a year. And it just, it hurt my heart. Um, so we were able to partner, um, with Path Water to do a custom 20-ounce aluminum water bottle pre-filled. Um, and we leave that in the guest room complimentary for every guest. And we put a water bar in our lobbies, um, for, to refill those bottles. Um, and that replaced all the plastic water bottles. And so, so now you see really fun, cute, steak pineapple aluminum water bottles all over the airport all the time in our city. Ryan Embree: Hey, there you go. Great marketing goes along with it. Uh, favorite guest experience? Dina Belon: Um, definitely Surprise and Delight, which is our, uh, strategy around that creative, uh, you know, hyper-personalization for guests. Uh, really creating those moments that create memories and stories. Ryan Embree: And then last favorite piece of art. Ryan Embree: That’s funny. Um, we, we happen to have our owner, our founder, Michelle, is a huge art collector. So that is really hard. We have a lot of original art in our hotels that’s from her personal collection. She regularly emails me and says, “Hey, I just bought a new piece, and can you find a place to put it in one of the hotels?” And I’m always like, “Oh my God, I’m running out of walls, Michelle.” But I think my favorite that she has, um, bought for every single hotel is, um, a Martin Goldstein original dog sculpture. Um, he is famous for creating these whimsical, limited edition bronze dogs that are known as Harvey Dogs. Um, and they’re just super cute. Um, and you can find one at every hotel. It’s, it’s one of those, like, Disney where you have to find the Mickey Mouse and Everything. Ryan Embree: Yeah, like a little Easter egg, yeah. Dina Belon: Exactly. An Easter egg hunt at any Staypineapple is go find the Marty Goldstein, uh, Harvey dog. Ryan Embree: All right. Well, there it, there it is. Challenge, um, put out there for our Suite Spot listeners, uh, visiting Staypineapple Hotels. Well, Dina, thank you. You’ve spent, um, quite, uh, some time with us. Um, thank you so much for sitting down. As we wrap up today, we do like to look into kind of our hospitality crystal ball. Uh, try to predict the future, which is becoming more difficult to do every single day, uh, now with every, the technology and AI. But, you know, as president of Staypineapple Hotels, what’s your vision for the future of, uh, the brand? Dina Belon: Yeah. You know, I think we’re gonna continue to expand on our ability to connect with guests and make them feel like they belong when they’re at Staypineapple, that they’re part of the family. And I know that sounds kitschy, but it’s, it’s a very real emotional, uh, mission for us. And, and in the broader context, what we believe the hospitality’s, hospitality industry’s role and responsibility in society is, and will become even more important as robots take over the world. That human connection that a hospitality industry can create, um, becomes an imperative for us to stay connected as a society. Ryan Embree: I agree. Yeah, that was just gonna echo that same sentiment. I think it’s gonna become more and more im- important. So we need, uh, brands like Staypineapple Hotels to, to keep true to that hospitality mission statement. So Dina, thank you again, uh, for taking the time to join us here on The Suite Spot. Any final thoughts before we wrap up? Dina Belon: Just go out there and be you, you know? Uh, don’t be afraid to, uh, come play in the independent space and definitely come to the Independent Hotel Show in Miami and, uh, let’s have a cocktail. Ryan Embree: Let’s do it. Uh, both Dina and I will have the privilege of being down there in Miami. We hope to see you in person. Dina, thank you so much for joining us here on The Suite Spot, and we hope to see you at the Independent Hotel Show in Miami. Thank you. And thank you for listening. We’ll talk to you next time here on The Suite Spot. To join our loyalty program, be sure to subscribe and give us a five-star rating on iTunes. Suite Spot is produced by Travel Media Group. Our editor is Brandon Bell with cover art by Bary Gordon. I’m your host, Ryan Embree and we hope you enjoyed your stay.  

We record this one out of a shipping crate at Sturgis, which tells you everything about the week we've had. This is close to twenty years into the Jack Daniel's tasting on the hill, and the guys in Lynchburg still know us by name. We get into the Squire program, why one of our regulars has the coin tattooed on his arm, and a Tennessee rye that clears 140 proof but drinks like hot summer afternoon in Sturgis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big Show and Steve Austin are at it again, and this time, they ain't gotta worry about the language! They cracked open a couple of cold Broken Skull IPAs at the Fairmont in Dallas, Texas, and shot the shit on Wrestlemania 32, all the injuries plaguing the WWE & why that's NOT a problem come Sunday, John Cena, the NXT Movement, three hours of RAW, why there are no true heels in the business anymore, Big Show's trouble with suits & ties, the "Shine, Heat, Comeback, Finish" psychology, Donald Trump, iPhones, and a little Jack Daniels history.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SUBURBAKNIGHT: Act One Walter Knope is having a bad week. His antique store is bankrupt. The bank has locked him out. His house is now filled with everything he couldn't sell. His teenage daughter thinks he's embarrassing, his marriage has seen better days, and Walter is beginning to suspect middle age may just be a long series of humiliations ending in death. Then Richard Sarandon moves in across the street. Richard is rich, handsome, charming and spectacularly confident. The neighborhood women can't stop looking at him. The husbands barely notice. Walter notices everything. Especially the two body bags carried out of Richard's house in the middle of the night. Then Walter sees Richard do something no human being should be able to do. Written by Nick Bannister, SUBURBAKNIGHT is a wicked suburban horror-comedy about marriage, jealousy, masculinity and the nightmare of discovering that the impossibly perfect man next door may actually be a monster. Walter calls the police. They find nothing. Richard smiles. Walter looks insane. Then comes the neighborhood party. Pool. Booze. Barbecue. Husbands watching football. Wives watching Richard. With help from Andy, his beer-bellied neighbor and resident horror-movie expert, Walter finally puts a name to what moved in across the street. An incubus. A demon that seduces women and feeds on their life force. Now Richard knows Walter is onto him. Walter knows Richard wants Samantha. And the fight Walter thought was about his pride, his marriage and his rapidly collapsing life is about to become something much worse. Luckily, Walter's house is currently filled with swords, crossbows, armor and medieval weapons nobody wanted to buy. Maybe the antique business wasn't such a bad idea after all. Starring Darin Toonder, Jim O'Heir, Jade Tailor, Jack Daniel, Rob Fitzgerald, Logan Laurel, Emily Brolin, Ashley Platz, and Zeke Alton. Produced by Table Read Podcast and Manifest Media Productions, LLC. Executive Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chad and Alex are back. Chad's been deep in true crime lately, and he can't stop. The Jinx. Making a Murderer. A 70-year-old man who got away with murder for 50 years until his DNA showed up on a baseball hat at the scene. From there it turns into rap, net worths, who stayed relevant, and why Dre is in a category nobody else is in. Then Reno traffic, bad bartenders, and Pyramid Highway. Chad might also be a golfer now. Just another Breakin' It Down. This episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and brought to you by GATR Coolers & Drinkware, Demerbox, Resistol Hats, ZLINE Appliances, Almost Heaven Saunas, Scoreboard Nashville, The Nashville Palace, Cowboy's Choice Horse Feeds, and Jack Link's Protein Snacks.

A poop-themed dog toy took on one of America's most iconic whiskey brands and after 12 years in federal court, it helped reshape trademark law. In this episode of The Valley Current®, Jack Russo unpacks the extraordinary legal battle between Jack Daniel's and VIP Products, tracing the case from the trial court to the Supreme Court and back to the Ninth Circuit. Along the way, he explains how parody, source identifiers, and brand dilution collided in a dispute that became far bigger than a squeaky toy. More importantly, Jack explores what the case reveals about the true cost of intellectual property litigation, where persistence can be as valuable as legal strategy, and why the party that changes the law is often the one that simply refuses to quit. Jack Russo Managing Partner Jrusso@computerlaw.com www.computerlaw.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackrusso "Every Entrepreneur Imagines a Better World"®️  

It's This Week in Bourbon for August 7th 2026. Old Overholt Extra Aged Cask Strength 11YR, Jack Daniel's Distillery Series Selection #17 High Angel's Share Straight Tennessee Whiskey, and Uncle Nearest now has a proposed court date.Show Notes: Uncle Nearest legal dispute moves forward as parties propose an October 2027 trial date. MGP Ingredients reports a 59% drop in bulk whiskey sales despite growth in premium brands. Chevalier Casks launches an online exchange for trading barrels, bulk spirits, and cooperage. Author D.T. Poole releases The Men Who Made American Bourbon to explore the real history of six pioneers. Overholt debuts its 11-year-old Extra Aged Cask Strength American Rye 2026 Edition. Middle West Spirits launches the Old Elk 10-Year Collection following its brand acquisition. Historic whiskey brand H. Obernauer & Co. revives in Pittsburgh after 110 years. Jack Daniel's unveils its 10-year, 138.4-proof High Angel's Share Tennessee Whiskey. Wyoming Whiskey releases State of the Union, a limited 6-year-old straight bourbon. Dancing Goat Distillery launches Stillman's Sonder with new bourbon and single malt releases. Jefferson's Bourbon debuts an ultra-rare 20-Year-Old Founder's Reserve finished in Bordeaux casks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chad and Brittany leave Austin and end up five minutes from Gruene Hall. Hayes Carll is recording a live album and Chad has a request list ready before they even walk in. He talks about what it means to stand in a room where George Strait shot his first album cover, and Willie Nelson has played. Hayes Carll takes the stage and the rest of the night disappears. From there it's Luckenbach on a Monday with old Texans playing Guy Clark songs in the courtyard, the Albert Dance Hall on the way to camp, San Antonio, the Pearl District, Hotel Emma, and oysters on the Riverwalk. Chad also gets into Hayes Carll as a songwriter, Jerry Jeff Walker and what Luckenbach means to him, Chris Knight being made an honorary Texan, and why he thinks songwriting is one of the greatest art forms alive. It's another awesome insight into a life that just ain't for everybody! We hope you enjoy! This episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and brought to you by Demerbox, GATR Coolers & Drinkware, The Nashville Palace, Scoreboard Nashville, ZLINE Appliances, Bedslide, Resistol Hats, and TKO Vitality.

How did I not know the difference?!

Honest feedback, and deliberate practice are the foundations of real self improvement. Episode Summary In this episode, Big Keith and I chop it up with Jon Dufresne of Kinetic Consulting. We explore his ever-evolving approach to firearms training, dive into the challenges and realities of night vision for both civilians and law enforcement, and get his take on gear like ballistic helmets, ear protection mounts, and weapon lights. Plus, we discuss current events around drones, surveillance, and the impact of gun control legislation in New York and New Jersey. We also share some thoughts on the importance of setting goals, practicing regularly, and balancing technology and privacy in today's world. Call to Action 1. Join our mailing list: Thegunexperiment.com 2. Subscribe and leave us a comment on Apple or Spotify 3. Follow us on all of our social media: Instagram   Youtube 4. Grab some cool TGE merch 6. Ask us anything at AskMikeandKeith@gmail.com 5. Be sure to support our show sponsors; they are a big part of making the show possible. Show Sponsors HSM Ammunition – Consistency, reliability, and American craftsmanship in every round. Check them out at hsamunition.com or look for the orange HSM logo at your local gun shop. Thunder Ranch – World-class, reality-based firearm training under Jack Daniels, offering courses for every level. Get more info at traintr.com. Kings River Custom – Artisan-quality, bespoke firearms and knives. Discover their craftsmanship at KingsRiverCustom.com Key Takeaways Jon's training philosophy treats curriculum as a living document, always updated with improvements and student feedback. "See The Night," Jon's night vision company, focuses on not just supplying night vision gear, but educating users with hands-on integration and white-glove service—mainly for law enforcement, but open to civilians. Deliberate, regular practice (even dry fire for 10 minutes a night) is essential—once-a-year training isn't enough, especially when it comes to high-stress situations like home defense or active shooter response. PCCs (Pistol Caliber Carbines) have limitations—reliability and performance at distance can be serious issues for both civilians and law enforcement. Weaponized Geometry is Jon's class tailored for solo, non-team room clearing, with emphasis on realistic expectations and skill development. Including your kids in training (even in dry fire!) builds healthy lifelong habits. Gear matters: things like helmet covers, counterweights, helmet-mounted lights, and ear protection mounts each have specific pros and cons—Jon breaks it all down. Drones, AI, and surveillance are a double-edged sword, increasing both convenience and risks to personal privacy. Legislative news: New Jersey's assault weapon and magazine ban overturned, and federal efforts push for American-made weapons to equip the military. Guest Information Jon Dufresne Owner of Kinetic Consulting Former 75th Ranger Regiment Specialist in night vision integration and tactical training owner of See The Night Check them out for night vision gear and education Keywords Firearms training, Night vision, Ballistic helmets, Jon Dufresne, Kinetic Consulting, Law enforcement training, Self-defense, Weaponized Geometry, Dry fire practice, PCC reliability, HSM Ammunition, Thunder Ranch, Kings River Custom, Gun laws New York, NJ assault weapon ban, Drone surveillance, AI robotics, Civilian Marksmanship Program, Tactical gear reviews, Ear pro mounts, Home defense, American-made guns

This week on Eat Drink Smoke, Tony and Fingers review the Caldwell Crafted & Curated Savages Malpensante, a rich and surprisingly subtle cigar with notes of wood, leather, walnut and coffee. Is it worth $17 a stick? They have thoughts. They also pour the Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Heritage Barrel, a seven-year-old Tennessee whiskey bottled at 100 proof. It brings plenty of sweetness, oak, vanilla and a little disagreement over whether there is any banana hiding in the finish. Plus, Fingers introduces Tony to the Pepperidge Farm Coconut Cake of his childhood, Costco faces a class action lawsuit over its promotional emails, and the guys test out a bristle-free alternative for cleaning the grill. They also discuss rising cigar prices, the future of AI-assisted writing, and some heartbreaking news from their friends at Defiance Beef. All that, along with brisket experiments, Costco shopping disasters, and a truly unreasonable amount of coconut cake, on this episode of Eat Drink Smoke. Find everything at [EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.](EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.)

This week on Chill Filtered, Cole and Bryan dive into one of the most anticipated monster releases of the year: the Jack Daniel's Special Release (2026) Boiler Hill #1 Rye Whiskey. Clocking in at a towering 146.1 proof, this high-octane Tennessee rye officially charges straight into true hazmat territory. Before uncorking this heavyweight pour, the boys catch up on recent adventures and unexpected surprises. They share stories of recent special whiskey finds, Bryan breaks down his random bout of pneumonia, and they talk about battling wild dust storms out in Phoenix. On Whiskey World News, Bryan covers a packed slate of industry headlines, breaking down the announcements for two brand-new rare whiskey releases and the massive industry news surrounding the lifting of tariffs on Scotch whiskey. And for “What Whiskey Would You Choose?”, Bryan poses a stranded-in-paradise dilemma: Say you're headed to a remote Pacific Island for a 3-week trip—what bottle are you stopping by a standard, everyday liquor store to grab for the journey? A face-melting hazmat rye, wild travel stories, and big industry updates—crack open a bottle and join us!

Brad Leighninger is the pitmaster, co-owner, and founder behind the award-winning barbecue brand Gettin' Basted, based in southwest Missouri. He launched the team in 2012, originally as a competition barbecue outfit, and quickly built it into one of the most successful teams on the professional BBQ circuit before expanding into full-scale restaurants in Branson and Nixa, Missouri. Leighninger is widely known in the BBQ world for helping popularize the "hot and fast" cooking style, using direct heat and drum smokers rather than traditional low-and-slow methods. This approach became a signature of both his competition strategy and restaurant menu. As a competitor, he has accumulated an elite résumé, including multiple world-class titles such as a Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue Grand Champion, King of the Smoker Grand Champion, and multiple Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) Team of the Year honors. He has also earned over 100 major competition wins and numerous grand championships across the United States. Beyond competition, Leighninger co-owns several Gettin' Basted restaurant locations and is active in the broader barbecue industry as a pitmaster, educator, and public figure in BBQ media and events. In short, he's considered one of the most decorated and influential modern competitive pitmasters, known for both his innovation in technique and his dominance on the competition circuit.

Chad's back with part one of the Nebraska to Texas trip. It starts in Lincoln at the University of Nebraska Cornhusker volleyball camp, where Alyssa held her own against some serious competition and walked away with more to work on and more to be proud of. From there it's Waco and the Baylor Bears elite volleyball camp, Terry Black's barbecue, and dinner with Ted Nugent and Shemane that was supposed to last an hour and went almost two. Then Austin. Lazer's Drunk Uncles podcast, Joe DeRosa, the World Cup at a bar packed with 4,000 people, Dos Equis with lime and salt, and a band called Nether Hour that Chad can't stop talking about. Bluesy, soulful, a little Van Morrison, a little Stapleton. Go find them. Chad gets into real talk about raising an athlete, what D1 recruiting actually looks like, the mindset it takes to keep working when you see how good the competition really is, and why he wouldn't change any of it. Part 2 is coming! Get ready for Gruene Hall, Hayes Carl, Luckenbach, Compadres in Bertie, and Axis deer hunting with Federal Premium. This episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and brought to you by LEER Truck Toppers, Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels, Corning Ford, Bodyguard Bumpers, GATR Coolers & Drinkware, Demerbox, Oakley Sunglasses, and Napa Valley Olive Oil.

Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 left off, and it gets more heated. The Iran deal takes center stage. Alex is over it. Brett explains the business strategy behind it and why $300 billion isn't just a handout. Chad defends Trump harder than anyone in the room expected. Clay drops the thought-provoking line no one wants to believe... maybe the swamp is just deeper than anyone thought. They get into Ukraine disappearing from the news cycle entirely, the currency revaluation theory, why Republicans might not win another presidency for a long time if nothing happens before November, and what the next two and a half years look like if the midterms go sideways. Brett's giving Trump until October. That's the deadline, and everything hinges on it. This is our favorite series to keep us in the know, and keep your mind open! Enjoy! This episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and brought to you by GATR Coolers & Drinkware, Demerbox, LEER Truck Toppers, Napa Valley Olive Oil, TKO Vitality, Oakley Sunglasses, and Corning Ford.

Jack Daniel's 14-Year Batch 2 is an ultra-aged Tennessee Whiskey released in Spring 2026. Part of the brand's premium, age-stated lineup, this limited release features the classic mash bill (80% corn, 12% rye, 8% malted barley) and is bottled at a barrel proof of 117.6 (58.8% ABV). Cheers!

John Mathieu serves as Vice President and Creative Director at Pearpop, leading the company's creative and strategic direction across its portfolio of global brand partners. With nearly 13 years of experience spanning advertising and creator marketing, he partners with brands including Microsoft and Progressive to modernize how brands approach creator marketing. Prior to joining Pearpop, John developed integrated campaigns across broadcast, digital and social for brands including the CDC's national anti-smoking campaign, Ocean Spray, Jack Daniel's, Hasbro and Sallie Mae. Among his work, he created Hacked, a YouTube series for Sallie Mae that earned the 2023 Shorty Award for Best Video Series.

Chad's got Brett Fritz, Alex Crosby, and Clay Belding in the studio and they're not holding back. Brett still believes Trump was put here for a reason and that we're watching a movie play out in real time. The central casting references, the replacements, the mask theory, all of it. Chad's defending Trump to his own crew. Clay's quietly skeptical. And Alex is just trying to get a word in. They cover Q theory, Obama's presidential library and who paid for it, Epstein files and why they fizzled, the Joan Rivers theory, vaccine patents predating COVID, Newsom fraud, Minnesota learning centers, birthright citizenship, and what Justice Thomas wrote in his 91-page dissent that nobody in the media talked about. And then Brett lands on the question that closes out Part 1 — is any of this actually getting out, or is the media just going to cover it up and bury it? Part 2 drops next week. This episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and brought to you by GATR Coolers & Drinkware, Demerbox, LEER Truck Toppers, Napa Valley Olive Oil, TKO Vitality, Oakley Sunglasses, and Corning Ford.

Get ready for a good show today...we're going through 7 pricing psychology tricks that work even on savvy consumers! Backed by real studies, from why discounts can make a painkiller feel less effective to a 1-cent pricing hack that made 25% more money on eBay. In this episode, we break down the research behind charm pricing, price anchoring, credit card spending, partitioned pricing, and more — plus real test results from their own brands, including a $777 bundle that outsold a $699 control and a free-shipping test that flipped conversion rates. 00:00 Cold open: we've been sleeping on this topic 00:02 The most impactful lever most brands never test 00:03 The Price Placebo Effect: the energy drink study that messed with their heads 00:06 Why running sales year-round can quietly kill your product's perceived quality 00:07 The Nine-Ending Paradox: why $39 outsold $34 by 24% 00:08 Real case study: the $777 Jack Daniels bundle that beat the control price 00:09 The Phonetic Length Effect: why $999 feels bigger than $1,000 00:11 Personal price anchors and the IKEA "4 cups of coffee" pricing trick 00:12 The Credit Card Premium: cash bidders vs. card bidders in a real auction 00:15 Partitioned Pricing: the penny-plus-shipping trick that made 25% more 00:19 The Endowed Progress Effect: the car wash loyalty card study 00:20 Getting "got": a real-time example of a surprise upgrade offer

Mediaworld nel 2006 lanciò una campagna molto rischiosa: “Tifa e Vinci”. Compravi una TV prima dei Mondiali di calcio e se l'Italia avesse conquistato la Coppa del Mondo avresti ricevuto il rimborso completo. Cosa è successo quando EFFETTIVAMENTE l'Italia ha vinto? Vuoi far crescere il tuo business? Apri un account FINOM entro il 19 luglio per attivare la promozione esclusiva. Scopri tutti i vantaggi e i dettagli dell'offerta al seguente link — ⁠⁠https://www.financeads.net/tc.php?t=76605C2928136110T⁠⁠ Ascolta la storia di Jack Daniel's -⁠⁠ https://spotify.openinapp.co/6uoqo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Copertina realizzata da ⁠⁠⁠Damiano Stingone⁠⁠⁠ Sound design: Antonio Mezzadra Supporto autoriale: Francesco Marchi  Voci: Francesco Marchi, Matteo Vitelli, Laura Moretti Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us Fan MailIn 2026, American whiskey isn't riding the wave it was five years ago, and every major producer knows it. For a brand the size of Jack Daniel's, that shift raises a harder question: how do you keep innovating when the whole world already thinks it knows you? Success at that scale can actually work against you; when everyone's already tried the whiskey, it's easy to get stuck on mute.In this episode of the Park Street Insider Podcast, Chris Fletcher, Master Distiller at Jack Daniel's, takes the stage for a talk recorded live at the Park Street University stage in Brooklyn. He breaks down how Jack Daniel's has built its innovation strategy around protecting Old No. 7 while still carving out new space, from small-batch distillery-only experiments, to the record-setting proof of the Coy Hill single barrel releases, to reviving age-stated whiskeys Jack Daniel himself sold over a century ago. From the double-edged sword of brand recognition to what real transparency looks like on the production floor, this one is packed with insight into how an American icon stays ahead of a changing market.Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.Featured Guests:Chris Fletcher, Master Distiller, Jack Daniel'sMentioned in the Episode:Jack Daniel'sWant to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here.Learn More About Park StreetSign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter.Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter.Check out Park Street's Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. MarketFollow us for more industry insights onLinkedIn FacebookTwitterInstagram

Στο 211ο podcast της στήλης Business & Marketing Tips της Athens Voice με τίτλο «Όποιος βιάζεται, σκοντάφτει», μιλάμε για μια από τις μεγαλύτερες παγίδες της σύγχρονης επιχειρηματικότητας: τη βιασύνη. Σε μια εποχή όπου κυριαρχεί το σύνθημα «think fast, move faster», εξετάζουμε γιατί οι σημαντικότερες επιχειρηματικές αποφάσεις χρειάζονται χρόνο, σκέψη και ψυχραιμία. Με αφορμή μια κλασική διαφήμιση του Jack Daniel's και παραδείγματα από επιχειρηματίες όπως ο Warren Buffett, ο Jeff Bezos και ο Charlie Munger, συζητάμε γιατί οι βιαστικές κινήσεις οδηγούν συχνά σε ακριβά λάθη, πώς η πίεση γεννά πανικό αντί για στρατηγική και γιατί οι δυνατές επιχειρήσεις, όπως και το καλό ουίσκι, χρειάζονται χρόνο για να ωριμάσουν.

Dusty Tuckness has been voted into the National Finals Rodeo by the top bull riders in the world 17 years in a row. That's a record nobody else has touched. Chad sits down with Dusty the day after he took a hit — subluxed hip, stretched hammy, sprained MCL — and went back out and fought 11 more bulls that same night. They get into what it takes to step in front of an 1,800-pound animal that just threw somebody off and wants someone on the ground. The split-second decisions. The two-man team. Knowing when you're going to take the shot before it even lands. But this conversation goes well beyond rodeo. Dusty talks openly about his faith and how it carried him through a compound fracture of his tib and fib, how it shapes the way he competes, and why he considers himself a Christian who just happens to fight bulls. Chad brings his own story; the mallard duck that started Banded, the veterans he's raised money for, and what this lifestyle gives to him. They also get into Rocker Steiner, Stetson Wright, the camaraderie of the rodeo world, animal ethics, the crossover between hunting culture and rodeo, and what it means to be the unsung hero in an arena full of people watching someone else. This episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and brought to you by Caesars Rodeo, Resistol Hats, Demerbox, GATR Coolers & Drinkware, Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels, Corning Ford, Bodyguard Bumpers, and LEER Truck Toppers.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the renewed speculation that Jack Daniels manufacturer Brown-Forman might be for sale: while the family-owned company rejected two reported offers in April, rumors continue to swirl that they're on the market. Will Pernod-Ricard or Sazerac remain interested? Which drinks company makes the most sense as an acquirer, and how can they attempt to rebuild and grow the brand, especially outside the United States? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is drinking: Upsidedown Wine RoussanneJoanna is drinking: Dogwood & Thistle Monticello RoséAdam is drinking: Thierry Richoux ‘"Les Cailles"' Irancy 2017 Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recommending the wrong whiskey to a loyal customer does not just miss a sale. It breaks trust, and once trust breaks, no amount of personalization copy fixes it. Recorded live at K:LDN 2026 in London, this conversation is about the thing every brand now has in common. Everyone has access to the same AI tools. So what actually separates the brands winning with them from the ones just using them? Phillip Jackson sits down with Jake Cohen, VP of Insights at Klaviyo, and Tim Martin-Harvey, Head of Ecommerce at The Bottle Club, a UK multi-brand alcohol retailer carrying roughly 9,500 products. Their answer: memory. Not the AI kind, the brand kind… meaning the stored, structured context a business builds about its own customers and products over time. Tim explains how one mandatory checkout question, asking whether an order is a gift, for self-consumption, for hosting, or for trade, reshaped his customer insight and exposed why standard RFM and lifetime value metrics break down across different buyer types. Jake widens the lens, arguing that loyalty is better measured through engagement across touchpoints than through money spent, and that the brands seeing real gains from AI are the ones writing customer and product knowledge down as reusable context, what Klaviyo calls "artifacts." The conversation gets specific fast, down to the exact wrong recommendation that can cost a brand its credibility, and closes with Jake's straightforward plan for putting this into practice over the next 90 days. What you'll learn Why context, not performance marketing spend, is becoming the real competitive moat as every brand adopts the same AI tools How one checkout question corrected years of wrong assumptions about who buys and why at The Bottle Club Why standard RFM and lifetime value segmentation breaks down once you separate gift buyers from self-consumption buyers Why loyalty is better read through engagement than through total spend The exact kind of recommendation mistake that destroys customer trust, and how layered product data prevents it Jake Cohen's 30/60/90 day plan for building AI context that compounds over time Key takeaways As every brand uses the same AI tools, the real differentiator becomes stored context, meaning written detail about the brand, the customer, and the products, what Klaviyo calls "artifacts." The Bottle Club added one mandatory checkout question (gift, self-consumption, hosting, or trade), which corrected wrong assumptions about which products are gifts and showed that standard RFM and lifetime value metrics break down across different buyer types. Loyalty reads better through engagement across touchpoints than through money spent. The goal is asking the right questions instead of pushing a discount, then building context on each customer over time. Recommendations get dramatically stronger when product data (margin, weeks of cover, gift versus self-consumption, category nuance) is layered onto customer data. Recommend a Jack Daniels to a lifelong Jameson drinker and you have made, in Tim's own framing, the worst recommendation possible, one that costs more than the sale. Jake's plan: set up a service agent and build its skills first, then use Composer to explore your data and test ideas, then keep improving the skills as you learn, since the value compounds over time. Pull quotes "The word of the moment to me is actually context, and that context, if you can store it effectively and leverage it effectively, is the way that you can create a moat, because you can serve more people more personally, more memorably, which will create deeper relationships and, of course, more durable business over time." — Jake Cohen, VP of Insights, Klaviyo [2:08 to 3:04] "What starts to become very important in the world of AI post LLMs is that the most important thing a brand can do is show up for someone the way that they need when they need it." — Jake Cohen [9:09] "I genuinely think Klaviyo agent makes the most sense to be the agentic storefront, and that's not just me Klaviyo championing it. It's genuinely got the most context from multiple sources." — Tim Martin-Harvey, Head of Ecommerce, The Bottle Club [18:49 to 19:48] "The answer should not be, 'Great, here's 10% off, go buy one.' The answer should be, 'How long are you running? Do you have a color you're interested in? Do you have a race coming up?' As you start to collect that information, that helps build the context for that individual, and they become the type of customer that will stay with you for a lifetime." — Jake Cohen [10:26] Chapters 0:00 Cold open and introductions 4:45 Memory is the new moat, why context beats tools 8:00 The checkout question that rewrote The Bottle Club's customer data 9:15 Why RFM analysis breaks down across buyer types 10:40 Showing up for the customer the way they need, when they need it 12:15 The running shoe example, questions over discounts 19:08 The whiskey mistake, the worst recommendation in retail 20:38 Why Klaviyo believes it can power the agentic storefront 21:18 Jake's plan for the next 90 days In-Show Mentions: The Bottle Club Learn more about Klaviyo's Composer Associated Links: Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Some of our soldiers from the Revolutionary War are still fighting including George Washington. He was even seen during the Civil War by a union commander.We may have rehashed some old personal tales or gone down a rabbit hole or 2.Tonights beverage is a canned cocktail; the classic Jack Daniels & Coke. I found it in a can and said why not? Makes it easier on me.

Some of our soldiers from the Revolutionary War are still fighting including George Washington. He was even seen during the Civil War by a union commander.We may have rehashed some old personal tales or gone down a rabbit hole or 2.Tonights beverage is a canned cocktail; the classic Jack Daniels & Coke. I found it in a can and said why not? Makes it easier on me.

Two friends confront retirement myths, entrepreneurial grit, and America's racial wounds—while examining real slave artifacts that spark raw honesty. Bill and Odell blend business wisdom, faith, and hard history to model how listening across divides builds true common ground. To learn more, please visit our website The Common Ground This podcast is produced by BG Podcast Network. Bill Goebell Social: Bill's Website Rev. Odell Cleveland Social: Odell's Website Odell's Instagram Odell’s Facebook Books available on Amazon Odell's Patreon Odell's X Chapters00:00 Introduction, Prayer, and Retirement Banter 04:47 Entrepreneurial Life: "We Only Eat What We Kill" 09:35 Business Development, Networking, and Rejiggering 12:01 Odell's Three-Legged Stool Consulting Model 16:48 Negotiation, Value, and Client Relationships 23:57 Slave Tags and the Hidden History of Enslaved Skills 31:06 Uncle Nearest, Jack Daniels, and Intellectual Property 35:53 Childhood Racism, Integration Struggles, and Finding Common Ground 40:33 Thomas Jefferson, Hypocrisy, and America's Original Sin 48:35 Slave Chains, Ghana Castles, and the Transatlantic Trade 53:24 Closing Reflections and PrayerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At first, we were all so proud of the company that was created to honor the Black man who taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey. Now, the company is stumbling and critics are having a field day. Today we offer an alternate take on the situation and share some life and business lessons that can be learned.

Rupert Lowe exposes the horrifying scale of Britain's grooming gangs in this hard-hitting interview with Patrick Bet-David. One victim, aged just 12, described being raped with a broken Jack Daniels bottle. Another was locked in dog cages and trafficked to Saudi Arabia. A third was raped by a dog while men filmed and laughed. The report reveals up to 250,000 victims, predominantly young white girls from care homes, groomed, trafficked, and repeatedly raped, mostly by Pakistani Muslim men.

In this episode, Ania and Roy chat about the 2026 World Cup (Mundial) — even though neither Ireland nor Poland qualified! They discuss football fandom, favourite players, predictions for who might win, and the unique three-country hosting arrangement between the USA, Mexico and Canada. A fun, casual conversation packed with sports and everyday Polish vocabulary.

Chad's got two big stops coming up, and he's fired up about both of them. First up is Texas for an Axis deer hunt during the rut with Jason Vanderbrink, CEO of the Kinetic Group. Benelli Lupo, Federal Premium Ammunition. Hayes Carl at Green Hall in New Braunfels. Dinner with Ted Nugent and Shemaine at the Nugent compound in Waco. And something personal he's keeping close to the heart. Then it's Nashville for the Freedom Hunters Nashville Classic, June 21st and 22nd. Sunday night at the Nashville Palace with Barrett Hobbs and Hobbs Hospitality! From the food and drinks, to the live auctions, silent auctions, speakers, four-star generals and admirals in the room, and live music headlined by Leith Lofton. Monday morning at the Hermitage Golf Club. Sunbelt Rentals is the title sponsor. Jack Daniel's is the official whiskey, and he wants YOU there! Chad's been involved with Freedom Hunters for over a decade. He's seen firsthand what getting veterans and active duty military back outdoors does for them. This event raises the money to keep those trips going. Tables of 10, VIP seating, and single tickets available. Go to freedomhunters.org. Season 18 of Benelli's The Fowl Life premieres on the Outdoor Channel in July. Season 19 starts filming in September. A lot of good things are coming, and we're glad you're here! This episode is presented by Mickey Thompson Tires and Wheels and brought to you by Bodyguard Bumpers, Leer Toppers, and Nutrien Ag Solutions, Realtree Camo, Banded Brands, Mojo Outdoors, and Almost Heaven saunas.

You ask AI what’s the best brand of supplement, how to handle a tricky conversation, or whether to take the job. But what about your own inner wisdom? When was the last time you paused and asked yourself first? I’m not picking on AI or telling you not to use it. However, it’s important to tune into your inner wisdom, so it doesn’t slip into the background from lack of use. It’s like use it or lose it baby. Why We’re Outsourcing More Decisions Than Ever People have always looked outside themselves for guidance to experts, religious leaders, therapists, coaches, and even psychics, and astrologers. That’s nothing new. But AI has changed the speed of that outsourcing dramatically. Author, entrepreneur, and podcast host Tim Ferriss recently shared a transparent peak into his business. His book sales dropped over 40% in 2025 and a jaw-dropping 50% again so far in 2026. His explanation? People are skipping how-to books and long- form YouTube videos in favor of instant AI answers. This isn’t just a publishing problem. It’s a signal. We are increasingly moving away from anything that takes time. For decades we’ve had drive-through coffee, apps for finding love, and now there’s telehealth calls. But what are we missing when we skip just sitting with something and taking our time with it? Are we handing over big life decisions to something that compiles other people’s experiences rather than relying on your own? The Hidden Cost of Decision Fatigue Research suggests the average adult makes 35,000 decisions every single day. Just ordering a coffee involves cup size, hot or cold, caffeine, sweetener, milk type, and flavorings. No wonder we’re exhausted! Decision fatigue is real, and that overload pushes many of us to skip the natural process of seeking inner guidance, especially for big issues. When you’re depleted, it makes sense to look for something to ease the burden. AI is right there, fast and seemingly limitless. But that speed has a cost in terms of trusting yourself and your own inner knowing. Information and Inner Wisdom Are Not the Same This is the heart of the matter. Information is fast, external, and tells you what other people know. AI gather this information and can deliver it in seconds. On the other hand, inner wisdom is personal, earned through your lived experience, and requires time, awareness, and reflection to emerge. That is something AI will NEVER provide. For thousands of years, wisdom required effort. People took on apprenticeships, learned religious or spiritual practices, spent time in self-reflection, experienced trial and error and these paths often took years. But today, information arrives instantly. The question is are you trading the slow accumulation of wisdom for the quick hit of information? And what might you have lost as a result? 4 Things AI Cannot Do For You AI is a genuinely powerful tool for brainstorming, research, and saving time. But there are things it simply cannot tell you: Which opportunity feels right for your life Whether a relationship is for your highest good What your soul is nudging you toward What you truly want in your heart of hearts The danger isn’t that AI will replace your intuition. The danger is that you’ll skip it even after gathering information to make your final decision. This will eventually erode trust in yourself over time. A Personal Story About Self-Trust At the end of my corporate career, I took a layoff package instead of taking a position in another division of General Foods. That place was draining me of my life force. In fact, I had a recurring dream that ended one night with coming home from a business trip to find my apartment emptied out. The only thing remaining was a burned-out neon clock that had stopped working. This same clock was in my real life office. Finally, I understood I was burned out, time was up, and so I walked away. Leaving with a seven-month package, I had no plan except talking to vendors, peers, and marketing executives. I had my astrology chart done and read What Color Is Your Parachute? which was a popular self-help book on finding work you love. None of it told me what would come next. Looking back, what I find interesting is that I didn’t discover my next chapter because I found the answer. My future unfolded because I gave it room to emerge. Within six months, former colleagues started calling asking for freelance help. That became a twelve-year career freelancing for big marketing agencies with brands like AT&T, Chase Bank, and Jack Daniels. The work was on my own terms, often just four days a week. My father joked with his friends that I was semi-retired because of that schedule. That’s the difference between information and wisdom. Information shows us possibilities. Wisdom helps you recognize which possibility is right for you. And the more you connect with your intuition, the more you trust yourself because of it. Midlife Wisdom Is Powerful By midlife, you have decades of experience. You’ve survived heartbreaks, celebrated successes, made mistakes, and recognized patterns. You’ve honed your intuition through living, day by day and have built trust in yourself. Yet, most women seriously underestimate how important and valuable that truly is. I worked with a 61-year-old client who had been job hunting for a year. Convinced that ageism was closing every door, her beliefs were crowding out the value of her own qualifications and experience. After the first session working on shifting those beliefs, she recognized how much she’d been doubting herself. She chose to stop focusing on what others thought of her and rely on her own earned wisdom. Seven days later she had three interviews. Within two months she landed exactly the job she wanted. It wasn’t her circumstances that changed, but her relationship to her own inner wisdom. How to Use Both AI and Your Inner Wisdom You don’t have to choose between AI and intuition. Use them based on what each one does best: Use AI to gather information Use your mind to analyze the possibilities Use your heart to understand what things mean Use your intuition for personalized guidance of the highest nature Over the next few weeks, when something comes up, consider turning inward first. You may already know your next step. But even if you tune in after you gather information, that slowing down will help you know what is for your highest good. Key Takeaways AI provides information; only you can access your inner wisdom Decision fatigue makes it tempting to outsource even deeply personal decisions Your accumulated life experience is a resource no tool can replicate Slowing down creates the space for wisdom to emerge Trusting yourself is a practice that builds over time Frequently Asked Questions – Inner Wisdom Vs. AI What is inner wisdom and how is it different from information? Inner wisdom is the personal knowing that comes from lived experience, reflection, and self-awareness. Information is external knowledge that can be quickly retrieved from sources like AI. Wisdom is earned; information is accessed. Can AI help with personal decisions? AI can help you research options, brainstorm possibilities, and organize your thinking. But it cannot tell you what feels right for your specific life, values, or soul path. That discernment comes from within. How do I access my inner wisdom? Start by slowing down. Ask yourself: What do I already know? What feels true to me? What would I do if no one else’s opinion were available? Write down what comes up. Many people find insights arrive in quiet moments — in the shower, on a walk, or during meditation. Why do women in midlife struggle to trust their own inner wisdom? Many spiritually aware women in midlife believe they need one more course, certification, or expert opinion before they can trust themselves. In reality, decades of lived experience have already built a deep well of wisdom — it simply needs to be accessed and trusted. What is the risk of relying too heavily on AI? The risk isn’t that AI will replace your intuition. The risk is that the habit of seeking instant external answers means you stop pausing long enough to hear your own inner guidance at all. The post Is There A Risk Relying On AI Vs. Your Own Intuition? appeared first on Intuitive Edge.

This week on The Whiskey Trip, Big Chief sits down with Cody Stys from The Vaults at The Stanley Hotel, a one-of-a-kind whiskey destination located beneath one of Colorado's most famous historic hotels.   The conversation begins with the rich history of the Stanley Hotel, which opened in 1909 and has become a landmark in the Rocky Mountains. The hotel is perhaps best known for inspiring Stephen King's novel The Shining. During a stay at the hotel in the 1970s, King found himself nearly alone in the massive property as it prepared to close for the season. The experience sparked the imagination that would lead to one of the most iconic horror stories ever written. While Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation wasn't filmed at the hotel, the Stanley remains forever connected to The Shining and attracts visitors from around the world who want to experience a piece of literary and cinematic history.   Of course, this is The Whiskey Trip, so the guys quickly get down to business by pouring four outstanding single barrels selected by Cody.   On the first half of the show, Big Chief and Cody sip on a Root Shoot Distillery Single Barrel and a The Heart Distillery Single Barrel, discussing the unique character of Colorado whiskey and the craftsmanship behind these exceptional picks.   The second half features a Laws Four Grain Single Barrel and a Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye, delivering bold flavors, rich complexity, and plenty of conversation about what makes a great barrel selection stand out from the rest.   Throughout the episode, Cody shares stories from The Vaults, insights into the barrel-picking process, and how the Stanley Hotel's history and atmosphere create an unforgettable experience for whiskey lovers. From historic hallways and ghost stories to world-class pours and good company, this episode captures everything that makes whiskey culture so special.   Pour yourself something good, settle in, and enjoy the ride.   Take the Ride with Big Chief.

Update: Man who drank a handle of Jack Daniels at his birthday party then shot at a police helicopter for 20 minutes has been sentenced, Headline of the Week #2: Sexually rejected flies turn to booze, Nude guy tells cops 'Aren't we all nude at some point?'

Update: Man who drank a handle of Jack Daniels at his birthday party then shot at a police helicopter for 20 minutes has been sentenced, Headline of the Week #2: Sexually rejected flies turn to booze, Nude guy tells cops 'Aren't we all nude at some point?'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chad was side stage Saturday night for Chase Rice. Sunday night it was Dustin Lynch headlining the Drifters Festival, and he owned it from the first song. The audio was dialed in, and Dustin talked to the crowd, told stories, fired them up, and did a Toby Keith tribute that had the whole place going. Chad was there with Brittany, his other friend Brittany, and her husband Brad. They went backstage before the show, stood side stage for the whole set, then got back on the bus after and went out in Reno together. Chad's known Dustin for years. From Talladega, Tennessee, duck camp, hunting stories on the bus. He talks about what makes Dustin different. His humility, the down-to-earth energy, and the fact that he's a hunter and a provider who genuinely gets it. Dustin Lynch is coming to camp this fall. Chad can't wait. This one turns into a full-blown love letter to music — country, outlaw, rock, metal, hip hop, all of it. Chad goes deep on Hayes Carl, Brent Cobb's new album, Whiskey Myers, GNR, Metallica, and old school rap. If you love music the way Chad loves music, this one's for you. This episode is brought to you by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey, Demerbox, Bedslide, Oakley Sunglasses, Napa Valley Olive Oil, GATR Coolers, Jack Link's Protien Snacks, and Resistol Hats!

Chad just got home from side stage at the Drifters Music Festival in Reno, and he had to get on the mic. Chase Rice headlined. Brittany was there. So was Les Nesbitt at 85, Chad's brother Clay, his nephew Chase, and his lab, Jack, who may be the most famous dog in country music. They walked to the stage with Chase, stood side stage for the whole set, and spent over an hour on the bus after. Chad's known Chase for six years. He met him through Jack Daniels in Turkey Camp in Oklahoma. Since then, it's been duck camps in Wisconsin, Kansas, Tennessee, backstage in Nashville, Vegas with Les and Dan Henderson at Steve Aoki the night before a sold-out Kane Brown show at T-Mobile Arena. That night, Chase called Les up from the stage, and 15,000 people sang him happy birthday. This episode is part concert recap, part friendship tribute. Chad runs through the set list, from Walk That Easy, to Bad Day, Key West to Colorado, Circa 1943, Cruise, a Toby Keith tribute with Should Have Been a Cowboy, and Lonely Eyes to close it out. He talks about Chase's evolution from bro country to something much more real: the songwriting, the road life, the hunting, the dogs. Chase Rice just gets it. And Chad loves him for it. This episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey, and brought to you by Demerbox, LEER toppers, Almost Heaven Saunas, TKO Vitality, Napa Valley, Nashville Palace, Scoreboard Nashville, and ZLINE Appliances

Chad's got a new truck, a new boat, and a lot on his mind. The 2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty is built out and beautiful — Avalanche Gray, Bodyguard bumpers, Mickey Thompson tires, Lear topper, the works. Thank you Corning Ford. Now that that's out of the way, Chad goes somewhere unexpected. Black Springs. Growing up poor. Brown bag lunches with cold spaghetti between two pieces of generic wheat bread. Riding bikes until dark. Breakdancing with J.J. and Marcus and Corey on a piece of graffitied cardboard. A nail through the foot. A wood-burning stove. Government cheese. A mom working graveyard shifts at the Veterans Hospital in oncology while going to nursing school and still making it to every game. He talks about what that upbringing gave him. From humility, to discipline, faith, the fear of God, and what it means to be 51 years old, in the best shape of his life, doing exactly what he was put on earth to do. He talks about his dad. Twenty years this August. He's still talking to him. TChad doesn't have it all figured out. He'll be the first to tell you. But he knows where he came from and he's not ashamed of any of it. This Life Ain't For Everybody. This one especially. This episode is presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, and brought to you by Corning Ford, Napa Valley Olive Oil, Oakley Sunglasses, Resistol, Mickey Thompson Tires and Wheels, TKO Vitality, Almost Heaven Saunas, and BEDSLIDE!

Just last year, Jack Daniel's released Tanyard Hill Rye to much acclaim. On the heels of that release, they surprised the entire enthusiast community by releasing five different ryes via their White Rabbit Gift Shop. Each of these special release bottles are 8-10 years old and range in proof from 142.7 to 146.1. These five batches comes from three different Jack Daniel's barrel house locations: Coy Hill, Boiler Hill, and Fire Brigade Fields. A total of 129 barrels were used for this release, and these barrels were laid down between February 2016 and August 2017. First and foremost, we would like to give a shout out to our listener David who graciously provided the samples to make this episode possible. But, how do these bottles taste? We took a long trip with many twists and turns to find out. You won't want to miss our take on these highly limited and coveted releases. If you've tasted them, we want to know what you think. Cheers.--------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPMusic: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Jim Shannon and Todd Ritter settle into the Bourbon Road bar for a warm-weather tasting session built around one unifying theme: light-proof, finished whiskeys perfect for summer sipping. The pair reconnect after Jim's trip to Branson and Todd's afternoon on the soccer sidelines, pouring five bottles that span maple syrup barrels, maple wood chunks, raw honey, port wine casks, and even an old fashioned cocktail mixer barrel — each one bringing its own creative approach to the art of the finish. On the Tasting Mat: - Iron Fish Distillery Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Maple Syrup Barrels (86 proof): A craft bourbon out of Thompsonville, Michigan, finished in barrels previously used to age maple syrup from a nearby family sugar bush farm. The nose opens with caramel green apple and buttery sweetness with virtually no ethanol heat. The palate is confectionary and sweet with a gentle warmth and a soft, hugging finish. Award-winning and approachable, this one shines as a warm-weather pour, especially over a large ice cube or alongside a glass of half-and-half iced tea. Retails around $50. *(00:02:11)* - Company Distilling Weated Bourbon Finished with Maple Wood Chunks (90 proof): From the distillery co-founded by former Jack Daniel's master distiller Jeff Arnett, this weated bourbon blends whiskey from three states using both column and pot stills, aged four to six years. Rather than using a maple syrup barrel, fully matured straight bourbon was finished by placing maple wood chunks directly into the whiskey to coax natural toasted wood character. The nose carries green apple, a hint of cinnamon toast, and a subtle forest smokiness. The palate is extraordinarily silky and smooth with very little impact up front, building to a light zip on the finish. A dangerously sessionable pour. Retails around $50. *(00:07:04)* - Green River Honey Finished Bourbon (92 proof): Distilled and aged in Owensboro, Kentucky, this four-year-old Green River straight bourbon was finished by adding a custom blend of locally sourced, seasonally selected raw unfiltered honey directly into the barrel, allowing the bourbon and honey to marry through natural barrel interaction. The result is a honey-colored, notably sweet whiskey with a confectionary nose and a smooth, very approachable palate that lends itself to mixing — a spiked Arnold Palmer or a light honey old fashioned being natural fits. Presented in distinctive hexagonal honeycomb-themed packaging. Retails at $24.99. *(00:13:31)* - Oak Lore Distilling Company Port Cask Finished Four Grain Bourbon (92 proof): From Oak Lore Distilling in North Carolina, this four-grain bourbon sourced from Southern Distilling in Statesville, NC and Kentucky partners including Bardstown/Green River receives an additional 12 to 18 months of maturation in freshly dumped domestic port wine barrels that previously held port for up to 18 years. The nose is dark and figgy with cherry and deep fruit. The palate opens with upfront sweetness before settling into a rich, heavy dark fruit finish reminiscent of well-aged port. A campfire evening sipper, particularly appealing to port lovers making the move toward bourbon. Retails at $79.95. *(00:21:48)* - Oak Lore Distilling Company Old Fashioned Finished Four Grain Bourbon (98 proof): The second of Oak Lore's Story Series entries, this four-grain bourbon finishes for an additional 18 months in barrels previously used to age Oak Lore's own old fashioned cocktail mixer. The result captures the essence of a classic old fashioned — bitters-forward aromatics with hints of orange, ginger, cardamom, and baking spice on the nose. The palate opens sweet and transitions into a bittery, cocktail-like finish that calls for nothing more than an ice cube and an orange garnish. Retails at $89.95. *(00:31:46)* Jim and Todd round out the episode with news about the freshly launched Bourbon Road website, which now hosts over 1,320 tasting notes, all 500-plus episodes, a searchable blog, and the all-new Roadie Bar — a members community complete with chat, event calendars, giveaways, and a 24/7 AI bartender named Cooper. The pair also tease an upcoming event at the Frankfurt Bourbon Society's Corner Rick House during the Bourbon on the Banks weekend on October 3rd. Sign up at thebourbonroad.com to join the community and secure your spot.