Below the Surface Podcast

Chris Ulmer owns Crystal Coast Graphics, a bowling center, a food truck, commercial properties, Airbnbs, and more — and he's done it without sacrificing his marriage or his sanity. In this episode, Jared sits down with Chris to talk through the real mechanics of scaling: when to diversify (and when NOT to), how to escape being the bottleneck in your own business, why he fires customers, and h...

Below the Surface with Jared Shepherd — Brad Smith | Gunny B Outdoors Brad Smith isn't your average fishing guide. He's a retired Marine who did 20 years, deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, went through MARSOC, and came home a changed man. But this episode goes way deeper than fishing. Brad opens up about what it really cost him to serve, how his marriage hit rock bottom and how faith pul...

Big Dave Mercer is one of the most well-known names in Eastern NC fishing — but behind that reputation is a story most people have never heard. In this episode, Jared sits down with Big Dave and gets into the real stuff: growing up in Beulaville, building his whole identity around football at ECU, hitting rock bottom when a shoulder injury ended it all, and what happened in January 1998 that chang...

What does it actually take to build a business, raise a great kid, and find yourself — all at the same time? Michael Letchworth is a partner at Sam Jones Barbecue, founder of Fox Hollow Outdoors, and the dad behind one of the most genuine father-son outdoor brands in the game. But the story behind the content? That's where it gets real. In this episode, Michael opens up about hitting rock bot...

Today on Below the Surface, we sat down with Clarke Merrell — the man behind some of Eastern NC's most recognizable restaurants: Prime Bistro, Wine Bar, Circa, Dank Burrito, Merrell Estate & Gardens, Social Q, and Beaufort Olive Oil Company.  In this episode, Jared and Clarke get into what it really takes to build a hospitality empire from scratch, the brutal reality of tight margins in f...

Jared Shepherd built ProServe from his garage with nothing but a truck, some tools, and his wife Maria saying "okay." Now he's responsible for 50+ employees and their families — and for the first time, he's talking about what actually sits underneath all of it. In this unfiltered episode, Jared introduces himself, brings on co-host Matt Wiggins, and gets real about anxiety, pan...

Brian Saunders is known all over New Bern — from teaching for 26 years to Victory Fishing to Neuse River Fishers of Men. But most people have no idea what built him. In this episode, Brian gets raw about the three things he worshipped before God — football, alcohol, and women — and the wild night at ECU that changed everything. He also opens up about almost dying in 2019 during a routine surgery,...

Tim Eskew grew up poor in King's Crossroads, NC — and didn't even know it. Now he's a pastor, founder of Eastern Carolina Inshore Club (ECIC), and a man whose name has become synonymous with community, purpose, and giving back. In this episode of Below the Surface, Tim opens up about the moments that shaped him: realizing at 13 that he wanted more out of life, learning that failure...

Josh Sutton is one of the top speckled trout guides in North Carolina — but the journey to get there? Nothing short of wild. From racing go-karts up and down the East Coast, to a dirt bike wreck that changed everything, to finding his calling on the water — Josh keeps it real about all of it. We talk racing, machining, faith, the pressure of being a guide, social media killing the fishing world, a...