Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev

Join Kosta and his guest: Tess Mann, Owner of Couture by Tess Bridal and Designer of Tess Mann Haute Couture. In this episode: Your achievements as a designer, and bridal stylist would take most of us a lifetime to accomplish. But I find one of the most intriguing parts of your story is that you spent an entire career in Federal Law Enforcement before pursuing fashion. How did you transition from...

Join Kosta and his guest: Michele Honeycutt, Election Commission Administrator for Putnam County Election Commission . In this episode: Generally speaking, across the United States, over the past decade the accuracy and legitimacy of our elections has become a point of concern for many. As someone that sees every aspect of our elections, what’s your message to anyone questioning the outcome of an...

Join Kosta and his guest: Matt Billings , Economic Development and Grants Coordinator for the City of Cookeville . In this episode: For Millennials and Gen Z there’s been a great effort to advocate on our behalf to participate in public service, run for office and take leadership, but the problem remains that so far not many Baby Boomers and Gen X are ready to let go of these responsibilities. As...

Join Kosta and his guest: Bridgett Jones, Co-Founder and Owner of Mill Creek Farm . In this episode: How is Mill Creek Farm bringing a fresh take on agritourism and bringing our community back to the farms that started it all? You didn’t just create a destination for guests to visit cattle, you created an experience for guests to become part of the farm. Will you tell us about how you structure yo...

Join Kosta and his guest: Kevin Maxwell , Engineer, Entrepreneur and Owner of 37 Cedar Restaurant and Bar . In this episode: At the last Cookeville City Council Meeting on December 21, City Manager James Mills brought forth an ordinance that prohibits the sale and consumption of alcohol at public parks, on municipal grounds, streets and sidewalks. Events impacted include WCTE’s fundraiser Blues an...

Join Kosta and his guest: Jamie Lankford , Owner and Founder of Jamie’s Eats and Sweets . In this episode:  We know you as Jamie from Jamie’s Eats and Sweets. Although, just 3 short years ago, this was just a dream getting cooked up in your kitchen. How did you scale this business so quickly? Your Mom was a Pampered Chef Consultant and you grew up watching her host parties. What impact has your Mo...

Join Kosta and his guest: Wesley Adkins , Principal Auctioneer for Highland Elite Auction , Affiliate Broker and Real Estate Agent at Highlands Elite Real Estate and General Manager of Cookeville Panera Bread. Wesley is a Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce Ambassador, member of the Cookeville Jaycees , regular volunteer for Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity and Heart of the Cumberlan...

Join Kosta and his guest: Todd Matthews , one of the leading voices in the true crime community, a pioneer of the amateur sleuthing, an architect of that community’s online presence as well as the US government programs to identify missing and unidentified persons (NAMUS) , Executive Director of The Doe Network and a sought-after speaker and consultant. Todd is believed to be the first person to s...

Join Kosta and his guest: Courtney McShan , Professional Organizer and Owner of The Courtney Collective , a hands-on approach to home organization that’s both functional and transformational. In this episode: There’s always something new to try or another must have. As someone that organizes homes professionally, what's your message to everyone that can’t stop buying things? In your experience, wh...

Join Kosta and his guest: Dr. Paula Hinton , Professor at Tennessee Technological University and Historian. In this episode: It’s no secret we love true crime. It’s one of the fastest growing genres of film, television and podcasts. What is it about listening to the gruesome details of how people were killed that we want to hear? They say those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. In yo...

Join Kosta and his guest: Sara Chambers , Fertility Advocate, Influencer and Co-Founder of Privy Clear , an innovative advertising agency dedicated to helping small businesses break through the noise and thrive in the digital world. Approximately one in eight couples are affected by infertility in the United States. As Sara documents her own journey with infertility she's haunted by the realizatio...

Join Kosta and his guest: Dwight Henry , Former Tennessee House State Representative , Cookeville City Council Member, Mayor and Civil Servant to the State of Tennessee. Currently, Dwight serves as a Founding Member and Member at Large of IMPACT Leadership , an organization dedicated to the development and encouragement of civic minded leaders from underrepresented populations of our society to ac...

Join Kosta and his guest: Andrew Buckner , Musician, Author and Editor-in-Chief of Cookeville Lifestyle Magazine . This week we're celebrating Thanksgiving, biscuits and gravy, and all the ways we're better together. In the immortal words of Adam Sandler, "Love to eat turkey, 'cause it's good. Love to eat turkey, like a good boy should." Thank you to our special guest host and officiant of Questio...

Join Kosta and his guest: Michael England, Co-Founder and General Manager of The Exceptional Bean , an inclusive, nonprofit coffee shop created to empower individuals with disabilities to find employment and community. Find out more about The Exceptional Bean: https://www.theexceptionalbeancookeville.com/ Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in...

Join Kosta and his guest: Megan Spurgeon , Director of Empower Upper Cumberland at Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency . In this episode:  Empower’s mission is to lift 1,600 children and their families out of poverty by 2025. What does it really mean to lift someone out of poverty? For the average person living in poverty in the Upper Cumberland what does it look like? Find out more about Empow...

Join Kosta and his guest: Ben Prine , Franchise Owner of Cookeville Chick-fil-A . Recently honored as Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 employer of the year, Cookeville Chick-fil-A is proud to serve the families of our community with the highest quality in food, customer service and of course - chicken. Find out more about Cookeville Chick-fil-A: https://www.cfacookeville.com Bet...

Join Kosta and his guest: Dr. Jeremy Byrd , Executive Director of Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity , a non-profit Christian housing ministry, building affordable homes in partnership with God, families, and individuals in need. Did you know the median house sold in Putnam County in 2023 is $322,000 . The median household income to afford that mortgage is roughly $83,000 (give or take on inter...

Join Kosta and his guest: Kelly Warbis , CEO and Co-Founder of EKAMOR Resource Corporation . With a mission to drastically reduce the major challenges of managing municipal solid waste, EKAMOR is working to change the world's management of waste from an extractive economy to a circular economy. In this episode: Where does your trash go? Does recycling actually help the environment? What is carbon...

Join Kosta and his guest: Justin Veals, Director for the Men’s Program for Independence Again , Co-Founder of The Recovery Kitchen , Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, Long-Term Recovering Heroin Addict with over 5 years sober from all substance abuse. Today’s episode will be touching on many subjects and issues that will be difficult to fully grasp for most of our audience. While many of us may...

Join Kosta and his guest: Corby King , Director of Schools for Putnam County School System . Currently the 13th largest public school district in Tennessee with 22 schools, including a virtual learning school, VITAL , and an adult high school, PCSS serves over 12,000 students providing a wide range of programs and opportunities with standards-based, solid instruction and a personalized learning ap...

Join Kosta and his guest: Dan Allcott , Professor of Music at Tennessee Tech and Music Director of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra . This episode is a celebration of Dan's career as a musician, orchestral director, conductor and educator as well as a celebration for the 60th Season of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra. Bryan Symphony Orchestra features faculty and student performers from the School of Mus...

Join Kosta and his guest: Ashley Michael , Co-Founder and Manager of Plenty Downtown Bookshop , a registered non-profit, community-directed bookstore providing resources to authors, dreamers, and readers alike. Find out more about Plenty Downtown Bookshop: https://www.plentybookshop.com/ Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN. Th...

Join Kosta and his guest: Blair Dudley , Founder and CEO of Hip Cookeville , a public benefit corporation whose mission is to enhance the quality of experiences for the people who live, work, and play in Putnam County and surrounding communities. Online Hip Cookeville reaches roughly 60,000 members daily and is one of the Upper Cumberland’s largest virtual resources. Join Hip Cookeville on Faceboo...

Join Kosta and his guest: Marc Burnett , Director of Development at Mustard Seed Ranch and Former Vice President of Student Affairs at Tennessee Technological University . Find out more about Mustard Seed Ranch: https://www.mustardseedranchtn.org/ Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN. Find out more about Kosta Yepifantsev: http...

Join Kosta and his guest: Tommy Fitzgerald, Owner of Fitzgerald Peterbilt and Founder of SemiCasual Truck Show . Learn more about Tommy Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Peterbilt, and SemiCasual Truck Show: https://fitzgeraldpeterbilt.com/ https://semicasualtruckshow.com/ Follow SemiCasual Truck Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SEMICasualShow Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of M...