Bench To Bold with Alisa Hood and Marnie Schneider

Send us Fan Mail This week, Marnie and Alisa sit down with Ace, known to her growing audience as “Ace the Money Game” a real estate investor and wholesaler who built a self-made career out of one of the hardest possible starting points. The hosts met Ace by chance, as their Uber driver during a Kentucky Derby weekend in Louisville, and what started as small talk turned into one of the most candid...

Send us Fan Mail Carolina Panthers safety Trey Boston joins Marnie and Alisa to talk about the sport that's taken over his post-NFL life: padel. From a vacation rally in the Dominican Republic to traveling internationally for tournaments, Trey breaks down what the sport is, why it's exploding worldwide, where to play in Charlotte and why he's betting big on it as a business. Plus: h...

Send us Fan Mail Diondre Lewis went from a military upbringing across four continents to Duke pre-med to IBM and landed in Charlotte, the city he swore he'd never live in. Marnie and Alisa talk with the founder of Wave Rideshare about what it took to break into tech, why he started giving away free training to underserved communities, and how that nonprofit mission eventually gave birth to a...

Send us Fan Mail Marnie and Alisa turn the cameras on themselves, literally emptying their bags on air. Inspired by a Louis Vuitton 'What's in Your Bag' campaign, they go item by item through everything they carry: the sentimental keepsakes, the wellness staples, the snacks, the things they didn't know they had. Turns out, what you carry says a lot. Episode Highlights: 0:00 — W...

Send us Fan Mail When Nesha Pai's brother told her that his friend found her life 'intimidating,' it triggered something. She'd been hearing that word her entire life and she was done letting it be a problem. In this episode of Bench to Bold, Marnie and Alisa sit down with the Charlotte-based CPA, keynote speaker, author, and breast cancer survivor to unpack one of the most loa...

Send us Fan Mail He dropped out of high school, attempted suicide, got on a plane to Oakland with no money and no plan, earned a scholarship to UC Berkeley, and was drafted 12th overall in the 1988 NFL Draft. If the story ended there it would already be worth telling. In this episode of Bench to Bold, Marnie sits down with her longtime friend and Washington Commanders legend Ken Harvey — four-time...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when Marnie and Alisa ditch the guest and just talk? In this solo episode, the Bench to Bold hosts run through a round of "this or that" that takes some unexpected turns, morning routines, sleep socks, bad perms, Charlotte weather, and what it really means to choose boldness in everyday life. Alisa also shares the story of a 24-hour trip to Cancun that ended...

Send us Fan Mail Carla Truitt, founder of Eight Royale, joins Marnie and Alisa to share how sore feet, a music career, and a lot of hustle led her to design a line of stylish, packable flats and why year eight is the year she's finally found her voice. EPISODE NAVIGATION: 00:00:07 — Marnie and Alisa introduce Carla Truitt 00:02:09 — Carla traces her path from communications student to marketi...

Send us Fan Mail Boutique fashion, bold reinvention, and the courage to start over — Renata Gasparyan joins Marnie and Alisa in the studio for a conversation as rich and layered as the pieces she designs. In this episode of Bench to Bold, the founder of Renata — a one-of-a-kind boutique on East Boulevard in Charlotte — shares how a career at one of São Paulo's most legendary fashion houses le...

Send us Fan Mail She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a French degree, moved to Philadelphia, and told her new boss she'd stay exactly one year. Thirty-plus years in the NFL later, Leslie Stephenson Matz is the woman who built the Carolina Panthers' TopCats cheerleading program from scratch, and is now being considered for the NFL's first-ever cheerleading Hall of Fame. In this d...

Send us Fan Mail Fashion, dating, healing, and showing up fully — Heather Anderson joins Marnie and Alisa for a conversation that goes well beyond style tips. In this episode of Bench to Bold, the founder of So Heather shares how a decade-plus career in fashion influencing evolved into something far more personal: helping women over 40 navigate divorce, dating, and the kind of inner work that actu...

Send us Fan Mail No guest. No agenda. Just Marnie and Alisa taking over the show to let listeners finally get to know them. In this Season 2 solo episode of Bench to Bold, the co-hosts go deep on the things that actually matter: favorite flowers, candy dealbreakers, the people they'd most want to have dinner with, their complicated relationships with heights and bridges, and the TV shows Alis...

Send us Fan Mail It started with a phone call: a friend leaving town in 45 minutes with a pig she didn't know what to do with. Rebecca Lobb said yes — and that single moment became the spark for Mabel's Misfits, a Waxhaw, NC-based nonprofit built around the animals everyone else overlooks. In this episode of Bench to Bold, Marnie and Alisa sit down with Rebecca to hear the whole story: a...

Send us Fan Mail He's a tech worker from Minnesota, a Marine Corps veteran, a Camden, South Carolina native, a lifelong Carolina Panthers superfan — and, as of July 4th, 2025, one of the most infectious viral sensations in NFL history. In this episode of Bench to Bold, Marnie and Alisa sit down with Michael Malloy, known to the world as Carolina MiC, the man behind the impossible earworm &quo...

Send us Fan Mail What happens in the room when a doctor delivers a cancer diagnosis — and what should happen next? In this episode of Bench to Bold, Marnie and Alisa sit down with Dr. Chadi Nabhan, internationally recognized hematologist, medical oncologist, author, and host of the Healthcare Unfiltered podcast. Dr. Nabhan walks through his new book The Cancer Journey, published by Johns Hopkins U...

Send us Fan Mail On January 15, 2009, Denise Lockie boarded US Airways Flight 1549 at LaGuardia Airport — a routine Thursday afternoon trip home. What happened next would become one of the most remarkable survival stories in aviation history. In this episode of Bench to Bold, Denise joins Marnie and Alisa to walk through every moment: the hostile corporate merger that put her on that flight, the t...

Send us Fan Mail Marjorie Herrera Lewis is a trailblazing sports journalist who became the first female beat writer to cover the Dallas Cowboys, and she brought her incredible energy and stories to Bench to Bold. From growing up in a sports-obsessed family in Santa Fe to accidentally almost becoming the next J.Lo (seriously!), Marjorie's journey is pure gold. She dives deep into her groundbre...

Send us Fan Mail Season two of Bench to Bold is officially here — and Marnie and Alisa are back with a brand new studio, a lot more to say, and zero plans to slow down. In this season premiere, the co-hosts reflect on a whirlwind trip to Super Bowl Media Row (yes, Cam Newton recognized them), share major updates on Marnie's MLB licensing deal and upcoming Baseball Billy books, and pull back t...

Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to open your heart and your home to children from across the world? In this deeply moving episode of Bench to Bold, Alisa and Marnie sit down with Patty Shropshire, a teacher-turned-realtor, adoptive mother of two, and one of the most quietly bold women we've ever had on the show. Patty's adoption story is actually two stories and they couldn'...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Description There’s a voice most of us carry around all day. It comments on what we eat, how we look, what we said in that meeting last week. It’s constant. It’s cruel. And most of the time — we don’t even notice we’re doing it. Colleen Odegaard has spent 30 years on live television, interviewing A-list celebrities and Charlotte’s most compelling stories. But behind the ca...

Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to reinvent yourself — not once, but over and over — and come out stronger every time? In this episode, Marnie and Alisa sit down with the incredible Tiffany Blackmon: chef, content creator, podcast host, and certified Renaissance woman. Tiffany shares the full arc of her journey — from culinary school and competing in the fitness world, to building a thrivi...

Send us Fan Mail Join Marnie and Alisa as they sit down with Julie Ferman, a professional matchmaker with 35 years of experience who has helped create over 1,400 successful couples. Julie shares her unique origin story—meeting her husband while signing up for his dating service—and reveals the insider secrets of the matchmaking industry. In this candid conversation, Julie discusses: - Why traditio...

Send us Fan Mail Choosing a nursing home or rehab facility can happen fast—and families are often handed a short list and told to “pick one.” In this episode of Bench to Bold , we sit down with Erin Stuckey , a South Carolina attorney who has seen this system from both sides: she previously defended hospitals and nursing homes in malpractice cases, and now represents patients and families when neg...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to build a bold life—and keep building when life gets messy? In this episode of Bench to Bold , we sit down with Jennifer Torney , Global Vice President at TAPFIN (a ManpowerGroup company) , to talk about the moments that shaped her confidence, career, and leadership style. Jennifer shares how a major family shift during college forced her to grow up fast,...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to live a bold life —especially after setbacks, loss, and moments that could have kept you stuck on the sidelines? In this episode of Bench to Bold , we sit down with Alvina Alston , a media powerhouse whose life story is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and courage. From growing up in a single-parent household to navigating profound personal loss...