Sunday Afternoon Smokes

Brandon Schnader is the co-founder of Brando Jones Films, a Greenville, South Carolina video production company built by musicians for musicians. In Episode 86 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Brandon sits down in the lounge to talk about the unlikely path that turned two musicians and longtime friends into business partners, filmmakers, and advocates for the Upstate South Carolina music scene. Brandon...

Caleb Adkins has been around tools and construction for most of his life — from helping rebuild his family's home as a kid to working on farms, learning from experienced tradesmen, managing custom residential renovations, and building his own company, C A Homes. In Episode 85 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Caleb joins Chris in the lounge for a wide-ranging conversation about custom home building, rem...

Bob and Jennifer Houde, owners of Maison Avenir in Greenville, South Carolina, join Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a conversation that goes far beyond fashion. Jennifer has spent more than twenty years in luxury retail, developing an eye for fit, fabric, construction, quality, and the subtle details that determine whether a piece of clothing is actually worth owning. Her path, however, began with a d...

What does recovery really look like after a stroke or traumatic brain injury? Alex Katzman and Caitlin Beakes join Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a wide-ranging conversation about stroke and brain injury rehabilitation, the hidden challenges patients face, and the impact these life-changing events have on entire families. Alex, an occupational therapist, and Caitlin, a speech-language pathologist, wo...

Chris Dover is the third generation to lead Dover Cylinder Head Service, a fourth-generation family business serving the automotive industry in Upstate South Carolina. In Episode 82 of *Sunday Afternoon Smokes*, Chris joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up in the Upstate, watching Greenville and Pickens County change, learning the family business from his father, and eventually...

Ethan VanDonkelaar is the owner and head trainer at Covey Kennels in Upstate South Carolina, where he works with everything from family dogs and basic obedience to high-performing hunting and retrieving dogs. In Episode 81 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Ethan joins Chris in the lounge to talk about the path that took him from corporate sales to guiding fly-fishing and upland bird hunts — and eventual...

Megan Trimmer is the owner of Deep Kneads Massage Therapy in Greenville, South Carolina, where her approach to massage goes far beyond simply helping clients relax. In Episode 80 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Megan joins Chris to talk about her unlikely path from elementary education and the service industry to becoming a massage therapist and eventually building her own practice. Along the way, the...

Jessica Eshan joins Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, sobriety, entrepreneurship, faith, forgiveness, and what it really means to build a meaningful life. Jessica shares her journey from the cigar blogging community into executive leadership in human resources, real estate, and AI-driven manufacturing technology before opening up about alcoholism, recovery, ch...

What happens when your career, identity, and future suddenly change? Joel Conwell joins Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a thoughtful conversation about faith, identity, purpose, entrepreneurship, and what it means to build a meaningful life beyond your job title. Chris and Joel explore Joel's journey from pastoral ministry into the technology world, the challenges of reinventing yourself after unexpec...

Tay Nelson, owner of Bobby's Barbecue in Fountain Inn, joins Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a conversation about barbecue, entrepreneurship, faith, and the long road to building something that lasts. What begins with cigars and the process of creating Tay's own premium cigar brand, Octavius Reserve, quickly expands into the story of how a career at GE unexpectedly led to barbecue, catering, seasoning...

Houston Miller joins Sunday Afternoon Smokes for one of the most personal and emotionally charged conversations in the show's history. What begins as a discussion about Houston's background in law enforcement, construction, and public service becomes a deeper conversation about fatherhood, family court, forgiveness, faith, and the challenges many parents face after separation and divorce. Chris an...

Armand Groesbeek, owner of House of Holland Tattoo Emporium, joins Sunday Afternoon Smokes for one of the most personal and faith-centered conversations in the show's history. What begins as a discussion about identity quickly becomes a deep conversation about Christianity, obedience, prayer, testimony, and what it means to build your life on something greater than your profession or accomplishmen...

Jarrett Forrester joins Sunday Afternoon Smokes to discuss entrepreneurship, customer service, branding, and the unexpected path that led him from full-time musician to business owner. Known throughout the Southeast as a touring Americana and country artist, Jarrett shares how Cowboy Custom Printing was born almost by accident after a frustrating business experience revealed an opportunity to do t...

What does it actually mean to train a horse? Jessica Fry, founder of Wild Hearts Equine Therapy, joins Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a conversation about horses, healing, trust, and the surprising connection between human and animal nervous systems. What begins as a discussion about equine therapy quickly expands into a deeper conversation about emotional regulation, anxiety, confidence, trauma, and...

Eddie King, Editor-in-Chief of Upstate Community Press, joins Sunday Afternoon Smokes to discuss community, entrepreneurship, storytelling, and the winding path that shaped his life. Raised in Belton, South Carolina, Eddie shares how an unexpected end to his plans of joining the Marine Corps sent him searching for a new direction, eventually leading him to Hawaii. What began as an attempt to escap...

Nancy Davis joins Sunday Afternoon Smokes to share her unexpected journey from medical transcriptionist to jewelry artist and entrepreneur. What started with handmade bottle lights and alcohol ink artwork eventually evolved into Nancy Davis Studio, where she now creates custom rings, earrings, bracelets, ashtrays, and other wearable art. Along the way, she learned the realities of craft markets, t...

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Chris sits down with Dallas Vickers, owner of the Greenville franchise of Stunning & Brilliant Events, for a conversation about wedding planning, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and what luxury really means. Dallas shares her journey from culinary school and private chef work to building a career in event planning, discussing the realities of weddings, co...

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Chris sits down with Ryland Rainsford, co-founder of Scout's Doughnuts, for a thoughtful conversation about entrepreneurship, faith, family, endurance, and building a business with intentionality. Before opening one of Greenville’s most beloved doughnut shops, Ryland worked as a mechanical engineer at Michelin while his wife JP taught elementary school....

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Chris sits down with Will Bestermann — recent Clemson graduate, future physical therapist, and creator of Saturday's Best Sports — for a conversation about ambition, entrepreneurship, sports media, discipline, and figuring life out in your twenties. At just 22 years old, Will is balancing college, physical therapy school acceptance at UConn, content crea...

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Chris sits down with local attorney Trey Ingram of Holliday Ingram Real Estate Law for a wide-ranging conversation about family, faith, entrepreneurship, adoption, and building a meaningful life in a rapidly changing world. Trey shares the story behind Holliday Ingram Real Estate Law, why he walked away from the traditional big-firm path, and how he and...

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Chris sits down with physical therapist Collin Beckermeyer, DPT, and physical therapist assistant Michelle Edwards, for a thoughtful conversation about chronic pain, recovery, physical therapy, faith, mindset, and what it truly means to help people heal. Michelle brings more than 34 years of experience as a traveling PTA, while Collin represents a younge...

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Chris sits down with Woody Liles, co-founder of Sauna House Greenville, to talk about his transition from civil engineering and large-scale infrastructure projects to launching a modern European-style bathhouse in Upstate South Carolina. Woody shares how long hours, job stress, and burnout pushed him to rethink his career path—and how a single experience...

In Episode 64 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Nico DiNunzio shares a powerful story shaped by family, loss, and resilience. From growing up through divorce to losing his father—and later surviving a life-altering stroke—Nico reflects on the moments that forced him to confront what really matters. We talk about therapy, personal growth, career direction, and what it means to be present as a husband and...

In Episode 63 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Chris sits down with Jason Jansen, owner of Broadwater Shrimp Supply & Seafood Market — and the guest of honor for the very first video episode recorded inside the new Sunday Afternoon Smokes Lounge. Jason's story starts with coolers, a truck, and a one-way move from Charleston to Greenville with no customers, no connections, and no plan B. What followed w...

Francie Staub has been at the bleeding edge of every major marketing shift for thirty years — and she saw each one coming before most people believed it was real. From an art gallery in Atlanta to banner ads nobody wanted to touch, from Razorfish at its peak to managing a $175 million media budget at TD Ameritrade and US Card at Capital One, Francie built her career by jumping toward the scary thi...