Queen City Unleashed

Coming up next on QC Unleashed, is professional basketball player Deja Kelly, who just won the inaugural UpShot Championship with the Charlotte Crown, while winning MVP and leading the league in points and assists!! Deja has been a proven winner from high school to college, and recently she signed a developmental contract with a WNBA team. Deja was also in college when NIL became official and she...

Our next guest is Ashley Stroehlein, and she might be the best partner to have at sports trivia because she has covered so many of them. Ashley is a freelance sports host and reporter for so many different sports and she is about to get a lot busier with the start of football season.  Ashley’s journey to where she is now is so unlikely from what she studied in college. While a lot of reporters wou...

We are back from our break with a very special guest, Daniel Gibson from Nice Day! If you are wondering why he sounds familiar, it is because Daniel is the Managing Director of Nice Day, who is our podcast sponsor.  Daniel, and his wife Blandine, have built something really special with Nice Day and their impact can be seen all across the city. He shared some of their wins with us, but also was re...

We have arrived at the 50th episode of the Queen City Unleashed podcast!!  This episode is really special for a number of reasons… We shot this episode live at Front Porch, we talked to THE PEOPLE of Charlotte, and we had a few special faces that you might remember, come by and catch up with us.  This episode is full of hot takes, Charlotte favorites, small business talk, and so much more. The peo...

We are coming up on our 50th episode and are excited to have Marques Johnson (MJ), of Two Scoops Creamery, as our guest for episode 49! Two Scoops is the biggest local ice cream chain in Charlotte and they are known for their rotating creative ice cream flavors. MJ started Two Scoops with two of his best friends and in 10 years it has taken them on a journey that none of them would have expected. ...

Yoooo!!! We are so excited to have Cory Wilkins as our next guest on the podcast. It’s been a long time coming and this episode did not disappoint.  Cory has become a trusted voice in our city with his platform Tha Daily Special, especially when it comes to food. He has helped so many small businesses in Charlotte and is known to have fun with an occasional April fools joke 😂 Cory is so authentic...

To wrap up our Beyond The Plate series, we traveled across state lines to Wild Hope Farms to interview Farmer Peanut! Wild Hope Farms distributes fresh produce all over North and South Carolina, and you have probably eaten something from their farm in one of the many restaurants they serve in Charlotte.  This episode is really cool for us because we have been a part of the CSA (Community Supported...

Up next on our Beyond The Plate series, we have Lisa Mathews who is the Executive Director of The Bulb.  The Bulb is a nonprofit, mobile farmers market, that distributes produce to underserved communities in and around our city! Lisa started off as a volunteer, sorting produce and helping at markets, and now she leads the organization. The work they do is transformational for so many in our city....

We are kicking off our Beyond The Plate series with Chef Chayil Johnson! He is the Executive Chef at Community Matters Cafe and a rising star in the Charlotte culinary scene. Chayil has been working on his craft since he was 12 years old, so it is no wonder he is getting the recognition he has been receiving. The most impressive part about him though is his heart for people and the work he is a pa...

Our guest this week is realtor Andy Griesinger. He is a fellow Virginia Tech Hokie and was recently recognized as one of the Top 10 Realtors in Charlotte! Andy never had a plan to get into residential real estate, but less than 10 years in you can tell that he loves it! He is so passionate about his customers and sees himself as a friend, there to walk through all the steps with you. He has such a...

We have one of the OGs in the Charlotte creative scene, we have THE Davita Galloway, owner of Dupp & Swat!! Davita is a multi-hyphenate artist, community builder, and one of the most authentic guests we have ever had. Her story is special and we are honored she shared it with us. So many artists and creators in Charlotte stand on her shoulders and the work she has put in over the years! This e...

You may not know his name, but you definitely know his work because he is behind so many of the really amazing murals we have in our city! Up next on QC Unleashed we have artist Matt Moore.  Matt loves to create and he takes pride in the messages he can tie into his art! This episode was full of energy because Matt carries such an infectious attitude of positivity and appreciation. We are so glad...

Addisyn Merrick is a professional soccer player for the Carolina Ascent and she joined us to share her incredible journey and career! We learned that Addie isn’t just a baller on the field, but apparently can throw down as a baker as well. Her journey to where she is now will make you happy and proud of her for how she fights and stays positive. She understands her position as woman of color in sp...

If you like coffee or coffee shops, then we have a Charlotte Coffee MVP! James Yoder is the Co-Owner of Not Just Coffee and Night Swim Coffee.  James loves coffee and he also loves people, and that is so evident when you hear him talk about the business and see the different ways his coffee shops create connections. This episode gave us one of our all time favorite moments because we realized that...

As we wrap up our Voices of NoDa series, we are happy to introduce Jake Pfeifer, the owner and head artist of glass blowing studio, Hot Glass Alley.  Jake has been blowing glass since he was 15 and he is well known in the glass blowing community for his technique, precision, and consistency. The pieces he is able to create out of glass are mindblowing and incredible! He chose Charlotte as the city...

Up next on our Voice of NoDa series, we have Food and Beverage power couple Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel!! They are the owners of the Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group that includes Michelin Guide restaurants Ever Andalo, Habberdish, and Supperland.  We learned so much about their journey and their passion for what they do. They are so intentional with every concept they develop and you won’t f...

In our first episode to kick off 2026, and our Voices of NoDa series, we have legendary bartender Bob Peters! Bob is a pioneer in the Charlotte cocktail scene and the Beverage Director at Soul Gastrolounge.  Bob shared with us so much history about Charlotte and cocktails. He has a deep respect for the classics, but he is known to add his own spin on things. We even got to step behind the bar and...

In our last episode of the year we have JD Harris, the owner of the very popular Charlotte apparel brand, Glory Days!! This episode was the perfect way to end the year as we talked about him crashing a wedding, working with his creative hero, and building a brand that is recognized all over Charlotte. JD represents so many things we should all carry with us into the new year. He is passionate abou...

Our episode with Valentina was so fun and full of energy as we learned more about her journey as a Pastry Chef and her business La Bonbonniere. She has some of the best cookies and desserts in the city and is known to sell out quickly at markets around the city.  Valentina thought that she was walking away from baking completely when she moved to Charlotte from Venezuela, but a new baby and suppor...

This episode was a really special one because we got to chat about one of our favorite topics with Matt Simpkins and Tom Bogan of Oaklore… Bourbon!! We also got to enjoy some while shooting and that is a first we will always remember.  Before they were owners of a distillery making bourbon, they were two dads, walking their kids to the bus stop every day who realized they both loved bourbon. From...

For the last episode of our Voices of Camp North End series, we had a fun conversation with Mike Salzarulo, the co-owner of Tipsy Pickle, in Camp North End. Mike is also the co-owner of Protagonist Beer and owner of Antagonist, a coffee shop and cocktail bar opening in 2026.   Mike shared his deep passion for hospitality with us, and you can see that passion when you go to one of his establishment...

On the second episode of our Voices of Camp North End series, we sat down with Michelle Fernandez inside her one of a kind airstream. Michelle is the owner of La Bodeguita, a craft cafe in Camp North End, and a mental health therapist.  Michelle has a captivating story that covers a unique childhood, early life obstacles, and incredible discovery. Art has been a consistent part of her life and as...

On the first episode of our Voices of Camp North End mini series, we got a chance to kick it with former professional soccer player turned urbanist, Tesho Akindele. Tesho is the development analyst for Camp North End and the perfect person to introduce our conversation about Came North End.  Tesho has constantly followed the fire in his heart and because of this he is already living his second dre...

On this episode of Queen City Unleashed we get to sit down with Monica Warren who is an amazing example of someone who has made Charlotte her home and found a way to turn her hobby into a business! She is the owner of Pretty Perfect Style and she creates beautiful jewelry that could stand alone as art pieces.  Monica shares her story of how she got to Charlotte and the boredom that led to her taki...

It would be hard for anyone to find a bigger cheerleader of Charlotte than Clayton Sealey, and that is who we had the chance to talk to on this episode. Clayton is from Charlotte, left for some years while still keeping an eye on his city, and now is back making a difference in so many ways.  Clayton is a voice for city government, urban development, walkable cities, the arts and is known to have...