Whiskey & Wisdom

Could the colors in your wardrobe be making it harder to look and feel your best? Danielle Harris of The Modified Style explains how color analysis and personal styling can make getting dressed easier—and help you feel more confident in what you wear. Danielle joins Tyler Yaw and Chris Kellum to share her path from retail and marketing to launching a Wilmington styling business. She walks through...

Is New Hanover County carrying too much debt—and is county government spending money on the right priorities? Libertarian candidate Bob Drach joins Tyler Yaw and Chris Kellum to explain why he believes New Hanover County must take a harder look at its budget, debt, schools, homelessness strategy, and use of the hospital-sale endowment. Bob is a longtime New Hanover County resident with a Stanford...

What if a coffee truck could serve craft espresso without the noise, fumes, or generator? Zach Bennett built Common Tides Coffee Truck around that idea—a fully battery-powered mobile coffee shop serving fresh, locally roasted coffee throughout Wilmington, North Carolina. Zach joins Tyler Yaw and Chris Kellum to explain how he designed the truck, operates the business solo, and creates a consistent...

Wilmington’s business expo has been rebuilt around something more valuable than vendor booths: practical ideas, better conversations, and real business growth. Matthew Coleman explains why the WilmingtonBiz Expo became Spark ILM—and what Wilmington’s business leaders can expect on October 1. Matthew is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Wilmington Media + Marketing, home of the Greater...

One spontaneous interview with a ripped 78-year-old went viral—and completely changed the direction of evry day club. Now founders Evynn and Ryan are interviewing fit older adults to uncover the simple habits that actually support a longer, healthier life. In this episode of Whiskey & Wisdom, Tyler Yaw and Chris Kellum sit down with the founders of evry day club, a growing wellness platform th...

Jody Fletcher helped lead Navy organizations of up to 45,000 people. His biggest leadership lesson was simple: how you treat people directly affects how they perform. After nearly 30 years in the U.S. Navy—including service as a corpsman alongside Marine Corps Recon and MARSOC—Jody became a command master chief and senior enlisted advisor to two- and three-star generals. In this episode of Whiskey...

Wilmington muralist Alexia Campbell painted nearly 40 murals in about three years—and she scales her designs onto massive walls without using a projector. In this episode, Alexia reveals the freehand process behind her murals, the Instagram momentum that helped turn art into a business, and how she balances large commercial projects, architectural drafting, motherhood, surfing, and faith. Tyler Ya...

Blind Barrels Release 17 “Vision Quest” (Fred Minnick 2nd Edition) | Big Rye, Big Proof & Bad Guesses On the Whiskey and Wisdom podcast, the hosts welcome returning Blind Barrels guest Chris Lecoe for Blind Barrels Release 17, Fred Minnick’s second edition “The Vision Quest,” themed around classic ’80s films. They taste four whiskeys blind, debate color, aromas, mash bills, ages, and proofs, a...

Chris and Sadie Busch join Whiskey & Wisdom in Surf City to share their wild journey from Hawaii to New York, North Carolina, and eventually Costa Rica. After a rapid Coast Guard transfer during COVID, financial pressure pushed them to rethink their future and start investing in real estate. They talk through their first rental property mistakes, lessons from long-term rentals, Airbnb strategy...

Chill Pretty is more than a boutique. It is a one-stop salon, boutique, and community space built around style, connection, and making women feel welcomed. On this episode of the Whiskey and Wisdom Podcast, Chris Kellum and Tyler Yaw are on location in Surf City, North Carolina with Amber and Michelle, the owners of Chill Pretty Boutique. Chill Pretty is more than a boutique. It is a one-stop salo...

Kingdom Athlete Founder Kellie Schiller joins Tyler Yaw and Chris Kellum on the Whiskey & Wisdom Podcast to share how a simple faith-based clothing brand evolved into a thriving community movement centered around fitness, faith, and purpose. Kellie discusses launching Kingdom Athlete during her husband's military deployment, overcoming repeated rejection from local gyms, hosting her first fitn...

Chris Kellum and Tyler Yaw welcome back wedding photographer Leigh Roberts for a candid conversation covering sobriety, wedding industry trends, photography hot takes, and what happens when a wedding professional plans her own wedding. Leigh shares her journey of being sober for one year and seven months after a major health scare, discussing the lifestyle changes, nutrition adjustments, supplemen...

What does it take to build one of Wilmington's most talked-about coffee brands? On this episode of Whiskey & Wisdom, Tyler Yaw and Chris Kellum sit down with Caitlyn Goff, owner of Grounds of Grace Coffee Truck. From canned lattes and coffee flights to seasonal flavors and faith-driven branding, Caitlyn shares how she built a growing business that has become a community favorite. We discuss so...

What started as a few moms getting together for movement and connection has grown into one of Wilmington’s fastest-growing postpartum fitness communities. On this episode of Whiskey & Wisdom, Chris Kellum and Tyler Yaw sit down with Brooke Pereira, founder of The Mamalates Group, to talk about motherhood, postpartum fitness, community building, and helping moms feel less alone after having kid...

Nom Nom Nom’s Rob Stang on Gnomes, New York-Style Deli Life, and Building Community in Wilmington On the Whiskey and Wisdom podcast, Chris Kellum and Tyler Yaw welcome guest Rob Stang of Nom Nom Nom, tasting Penelope Havana whiskey and discussing drink preferences. Rob shares his background from upstate New York, years in retail management, and his shift to entrepreneurship with his wife, leading...

Most people see wrestling as just a sport. They’re missing the point. In this episode of Whiskey & Wisdom , we sit down with John Mills, Southeast NC Wrestling Rep for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), to break down what’s really happening on the mats—and why it matters far beyond competition. From the rapid rise of girls wrestling to the deeper impact of mentorship, discipline, and fait...

Abbye is back—and this episode doesn’t hold back. After just a year, Abbye made the decision to sell Ibis. But that was only part of the story. Between running two businesses, navigating a major life transition, and facing a cease-and-desist that’s forcing The Starling to change its name , this might be her most pivotal season yet. We break down: Why she sold Ibis (and what most people don’t under...

Plea Deals, Murder Cases, and the Reality of Criminal Defense Cape Fear Criminal Defense joins Whiskey and Wisdom to break down how criminal cases really work. Drawing from his experience as a public defender, prosecutor, and defense attorney, he explains plea deals, burden of proof, jury selection, murder cases, North Carolina’s death penalty, and the real-world pressures of defending clients whe...

High-Risk Auto, Underinsured Homes & Legacy: Insurance Wisdom with Jacob Carroll | Whiskey Wisdom Podcast On the Whiskey Wisdom Podcast, co-hosts Tyler and Chris welcome Jacob Carroll, owner and agent of Superior Insurance, while they sip a 115-proof Yellowstone barrel pick and discuss flavor, seasons, and living near the coast. Jacob shares his move from Florida to North Carolina after a seve...

The Quiet Shift Ending the Bourbon Boom The script explains how bourbon’s decade-long boom—marked by soaring prices, scarcity, secondary-market flipping, and “hunting” culture fueled by online communities—has begun to shift quietly rather than crash. Once overlooked in the 1980s and 1990s, bourbon surged in the early 2010s as consumers sought authenticity and tradition, turning hard-to-find bottle...

From Marine Aviator to Podcast Studio Owner: Rich Cardona on Unfilter, Podcasting for Business, and Client Acquisition Tyler and Chris Kellum host the Whiskey Wisdom Podcast at Unfilter in Wilmington with owner Rich Cardona, a retired Marine helicopter pilot who left Amazon, explored entrepreneurship, and built a podcasting and video business that evolved from remote work into a physical studio de...

Inside Cinch: Wilmington’s New Billiards Bar with Cocktails, History, and Hands-On Buildout On the Whiskey and Wisdom Podcast, Chris Kellum and Tyler talk with Haley and Joe in a new location, Cinch in downtown Wilmington. Joe and Haley describe opening Cinch on December 5 after signing the lease in June and completing a roughly six-and-a-half-month buildout that transformed the former Christmas s...

In Tyler Yaw's newest project. He breaks down why Lent is so much more. Lent as the Original 40-Day Grit Challenge: Leaving the Arena for the Throne Tyler opens the Applied Faith Podcast by noting that Ash Wednesday marked the start of Lent and challenges listeners not to treat Lent as a watered-down inconvenience or failed resolution. He frames Lent as a 40-day training ground meant to step out o...

Whiskey Tasting Adventures with Blind Barrels: Featuring Dr. Chris In this episode of the Whiskey and Wisdom podcast, co-hosts Chris Kellum and Tyler are joined by special guest Dr. Chris to explore the latest quarterly release from Blind Barrels. The trio embarks on a blind taste test of four distinctive bourbons and whiskeys, including a 12-year single malt and a cask strength wheat whiskey. Alo...

This week we bring back Austin Wolfe, owner of Digital Wave Media. We discuss business, burgers, podcasting and more.