Talking 'Ship

In 2021, mid-pandemic, Ric Pratte and fellow remote worker Ben Newton were hanging out at a brewery when they decided to launch a MeetUp Group: the Asheville Digital Nomads.Two years later, the social networking group of remote/hybrid workers, solopreneurs and actual nomads has more than 1,700 members and it's growing. Particularly since LinkedIn recently named Asheville as the #2

This week we have a fascinating conversation with Ashley Haywood, the Founder of Embrew Tea, where we find out why you can re-steep their tea bags!Jeff talks with Ashley about her journey from a tea lover to a tea entrepreneur. She talks about the challenges she faced in starting her company and the lessons she learned along the way. Ashley shares her vision for the future of Embre

Are Jeff and Katie Button destined to be best friends? Find out in this week's episode of Talking 'Ship where the two put their "friendship" to the test. Jeff talks with Katie about how she's gained success and notoriety - From starting Cúrate in the early 2010s to landing TV gigs on the Magnolia Network, ventures that didn’t work out (RIP Button & Co. Bagels) and her newest

On this chaotic episode, we talk with the lovely Blake Jennelle - one of the first hires at DuckDuckGo, the search engine that emphasizes protecting privacy. As Jeff notes, Blake "could've done whatever," but he decided to move to Asheville and is now mentoring and serving as CTO at 645 Ventures.Additionally, we discuss Duck vs. Goose, Chai vs. Matcha and spice things up with a tec

Is Legally Addictive Foods ACTUALLY addictive? According to Jeff’s 15-month-old daughter who ate the entire pack during this episode, it sure is. This week we talk with Legally Addictive’s Founder Laura Shafferman & Partner Seth Eisman about their delicious product, their move from Brooklyn, NY to Weaverville, NC and what’s next for the snack company.Episodes mentioned in

It's not every day you get to talk to the man who helped create one of your favorite childhood toys AND pioneered the telehealth industry.In this episode, Jeff talks to Gary Wald - the former executive and business development entrepreneur who has worked with companies like Hasbro, NBC and TeleDoc. Ever heard of the Transformers? Well, you have Gary Wald to thank!Thanks to our spon

Remote work is on the rise & in-migration to Asheville is up, which means Coworking businesses are flourishing. But what does it take to create a connected, high-quality coworking business?Jeff talks with Sean Comeaux & Erika Gifford this week - the power couple running Hatchworks Coworking. They cover the organization’s recent upgrades, their place in the entrepreneurial

With pizzas as big as PIE.ZAA’s (28 inches), you’d think Owner Tyler Kotch would be compensating for something. But, based on our conversation with him, we’re not sure what!In this episode, Jeff and Tyler talk about his venture into large pizzas, his background in sales in the healthcare industry and the future of PIE.ZAA.Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their suppor

Can leaders change? Are we getting too fragile? Jeff asks Outside Angle Co-Founders Sarah Silverman & Sam Franklin the tough questions on this week's 'episode.At Outside Angle, Sam & Sarah lead a team of experienced facilitators, project managers, change strategists, and organizational development experts who help clients in their most vulnerable moments, when the stakes ar

Jeff puts Grandmaster Tony to the test with martial arts movie trivia in our first episode of Season 3!In addition to quizzing Tony, Jeff talks with him about his history in architecture, his entrepreneurial mindset and how he’s applied it all to his business, Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts. Thanks to our sponsor, HomeTrust Bank for their support. You can learn more about HomeTru