Join Kosta and his guest: Lisa Mackie, Executive Director of Deeper Still Upper Cumberland . The mission of Deeper Still Upper Cumberland is to bring healing and lasting freedom to abortion wounded hearts of women and men. The Upper Cumberland chapter was founded by Lisa Mackie after she attended a Deeper Still retreat. This chapter is an affiliate of the founding Deeper Still based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Find out more about Lisa Mackie and Deeper Still Upper Cumberland: https://www.deeperstil...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 79
Join Kosta and his guest: Shaun Scantland , Business Development Consultant at Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development . This week we're celebrating Thanksgiving, biscuits and gravy, and all the ways we're better together. We’re honored to host Shaun on this special Thanksgiving episode, because he makes this community and podcast better everyday. Thank you to our guest host of Questions from a Cornucopia, BTwKY Producer Morgan Franklin and special guest Finn Scantland. Shaun'...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 78
Join Kosta and his guest: Jennifer Hutchinson-Tracy, Director of the Putnam County Animal Shelter . In this episode: Adopting a pet is a magical experience. What’s one of your favorite adoption stories from here in Putnam County? And what do we need to know about how to adopt our next furry friend? How many animals are currently at the Putnam County Animal Shelter and what does the intake to adoption rate look like for any given month? If you could manage one misconception people have about anim...
Nov 18, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 77
Join Kosta and his guest: Senator Paul Bailey , Tennessee State Senator , Representing the 15th District. In this episode: I know some people are listening and thinking, I know what a State Senator is - but I don’t actually know . Will you walk us through what you do at the Capitol and how the State Senate impacts our lives here in the Upper Cumberland? You’re a strong supporter of small government to expedite economic growth in Tennessee . In your experience, why is small government the most ef...
Nov 11, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 76
Join Kosta and his guest: Amy McBroom (Stockwell), Director of The Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center . In this episode: It’s almost the holidays, it’s an election year, and we’re feeling stress from every angle right now. I read something really devastating on your Facebook that sometimes people feel like they have to wait until after holidays or big life events to ask for help or leave an abusive partner because they don’t want to ruin anything. What would you say to these victims? I can’t...
Nov 04, 2024•49 min•Season 3Ep. 75
This episode contains themes that may be distressing to some listeners: including child loss, death, extreme weather events and other content that is not intended for children. We understand if this episode is too overwhelming for you to listen to at this time. We hope all our audience will read the Collin's Family Story and consider making a donation to The Magnolia Foundation . Join Kosta and his guest: Matt Collins , Founder of The Magnolia Foundation. On March 3, 2020, the Upper Cumberland c...
Oct 28, 2024•58 min•Season 3Ep. 74
Join Kosta and his guest: Amy Ing, Owner of Spotlight Costumes . In this episode: Collectively we spend a pretty penny on Halloween, in America alone we spent 12.2 billion dollars in 2024. So, how does renting a costume from you compare to buying a costume online or at a big box store? Because after you buy the costume, wig, shoes, and accessories, it can easily be $200-$300 for a cheap costume you’re never going to wear again. Halloween is right around the corner, and in the true spirit of the ...
Oct 21, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 73
Join Kosta and his guests: Carroll Moore and Erica McElroy, Owners of Halloween Hollow Haunted House . In this episode: Visiting a haunted house or haunted corn maze at Halloween is nothing new, but Halloween Hollow provides a multi-event experience. Will you talk about what it’s like to visit the haunt and what makes Halloween Hollow different? I love Halloween. I love scary movies. I love spooky stuff in general, but I’m terrified of haunted houses. Why do you think some people love going to i...
Oct 14, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 72
Join Kosta and his guest: Eddie Walker, Magic: The Gathering community organizer and Manager of Knighthood Games . In this episode: To be totally honest with you, we’re sailing in uncharted territory. I’d venture to guess most of our audience (and myself) have very limited knowledge on games like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. So let’s start there, what is tabletop gaming? In 2016 the world was reintroduced to RPGs, specifically Dungeons and Dragons through the Netflix show Stran...
Oct 07, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 71
Join Kosta and his guest: Mark Creter , Professor of Theatre for the School of Music at Tennessee Technological University. Proudly serving as the artistic director of the campus theatre, the Backdoor Playhouse from 1992-2024, for the past 30-years Mark's dedicated his life to the development, expansion and betterment of the performing arts at Tennessee Tech, and across the Upper Cumberland. In this episode: You’re no stranger to the partisan divide and increasingly conservative values of this c...
Sep 30, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 70
Join Kosta and his guest: Kathryn Wisinger, Director of the Putnam County Library . In this episode: In this community we’re lucky to have the partnership of local government, education, public resources like the library, non-profit resources like Plenty Book Store and countless businesses and community members working to improve the “book culture” as our friend Lisa Uhrik would say. *However, in Putnam County only 31% of elementary students tested at or above the proficient level for reading. W...
Sep 23, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 69
Join Kosta and his guest: Ryan Risher , Realtor at Skender-Newton Realty representing The Risher Team. Like the rest of Tennessee we love following Ryan you on social media. Whether it’s ghost stories, memes about Cookeville or just sharing funny things that happen with your family, he always know exactly the content we want to see. In this episode we're finding out why Ryan decided to go such a different direction with his social media. How to be ourselves online (or at least try). Why there's ...
Sep 16, 2024•44 min•Season 3Ep. 68
Join Kosta and his guest: Emily Armstrong , Graduate Student at TN Tech and photographer . A note for everyone listening to this episode, we’ll be exclusively talking about Emily’s trip to the 2024 Paris Olympics where she photographed the games’ archery competitions. She is an incredibly talented photographer and creator, so we hope you’ll look at her other work, but for now, we are going full gas, no breaks on her Olympic debut. 😀 Find out more about Emily Armstrong: https://emilyarmstrongpho...
Sep 09, 2024•20 min•Season 3Ep. 67
Join Kosta and his guest: Téa Phillips . CEO of ATS Innovations Inc., and inventor of MetaFlex Gloves . In this episode: Roughly 20% of adults in America are living with an Arthritis diagnosis. When we lose the ability to grip or use our hands as we normally would, with conditions like Arthritis our life changes completely. For almost the past decade you’ve worked on engineering, testing and scaling a glove to help people with such mobility issues. What inspired you to start Metaflex? How does M...
Sep 02, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 66
Join Kosta and his guest: Tyler Buck , Owner of Baskin Robbins Cookeville , and coming this fall, Baskin Robbins Algood. Tyler is the youngest Baskin Robbin's franchise owner in the company's history. In this episode: Our Baskin Robbins isn’t just in the community, it’s part of the community and that’s something you’ve championed since buying the store. What does it mean to you as a business owner, especially a young business owner to be part of this community? For those that don’t know, Baskin ...
Aug 26, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 65
PSA: If you get a random Dropbox Link from Kosta, please don't open it! 😬 Join Kosta and his guest: Dr. Muhammad Ismail Director of CEROC and Associate Professor of Computer Science at Tennessee Tech University . In this episode: This goes without saying, but we use the internet for everything. Even my washer and dryer are hooked up to Wi-Fi. That being said, a cyber attack on the United States could be devastating. In your opinion, would a major cyber attack be more catastrophic than a convent...
Aug 19, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 64
Join Kosta and his guest: Dr. Mark Green, educator, community organizer and actor. Currently Dr. Green is a professor of biology at Tennessee Tech University and Vol State Community College where he facilitates a campus community garden and non-credit based outdoor series open to all adventurers of the Upper Cumberland. In this episode: The first thing you told us when we started working on this episode was that you were the Forrest Gump of the academic world and there couldn’t be a truer statem...
Aug 12, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 63
Join Kosta and his guest: Dr. Landon Sears, Pediatric Dentist and Founder of Cavity Commando's Dentistry for Kids. In this episode: For parents who are thinking about where to take their kids to the dentist, is there a difference between pediatric dentistry and going to a normal dentist? As a parent you might think, okay my kids are going to lose these teeth anyways. What’s the big deal? Of course they need to brush and floss and get check ups, but why would your kid ever need serious dental car...
Aug 05, 2024•57 min•Season 3Ep. 62
Join Kosta and his guest: Jason McCormick , Director of Liquidations at Northstar Recycling Company , and former owner of R-Cubed. In this episode: The average American creates and discards roughly 5 pounds of trash per day. As someone that’s been at the forefront of recycling and circularity for the past 15 years, what do you think is the most misunderstood part of recycling? One of the top concerns of Gen-Z and the next generation of advocates is climate change and sustainability. What part do...
Jul 29, 2024•44 min•Season 3Ep. 61
Join Kosta and his guest: Mitchell White , celebrated artist, designer, and educator. In this episode: Whether it’s through painting, floral design, events or educating others - your creativity and passion for art is larger than life and larger than you. You build a community everywhere you go, and that’s the throughline of this entire episode. What’s your advice to artists, or simply people in general on how to build a better community around them? You’ve worked in the Putnam County School Syst...
Jul 22, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 60
Join Kosta and his guest: Mandy Perhay , CEO of Putnam County Family YMCA . In this episode: What does our YMCA offer our community that no other facility or organization can? There are over 4,600 members at our YMCA and whether you’re 8 or 88 there’s something for everyone. Unlike most gyms, we’re encouraged to bring our kids to the Y. How does having a multigenerational space for fitness help strengthen our community? The YMCA isn’t the cheapest gym in Cookeville, it’s far from it. However, it...
Jul 15, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 59
Join Kosta and his guest: Cyril Focht , 2024 House of Representatives Candidate for Tennessee’s 6th District . In this episode: There are currently 3 candidates for the Democratic Primary of this seat including you, Lore Bergman and Clay Faircloth. Of the three, you’re the only candidate to raise campaign contributions with just under $55,000.00. Besides your ability to financially sustain this campaign, why do you believe you’ll be selected as the nominee on August 1st? Let’s talk specifically ...
Jul 08, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 58
Join Kosta and his guest: Blakelee Paige Smith , MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, NP-C, Owner and Founder of Skin and Aesthetics . Skin and Aesthetics was created to provide the highest quality and excellence in aesthetic dermatology to the Upper Cumberland. What started as a dream in 2019 became reality in 2023 when Skin and Aesthetics opened in Cookeville’s own Premier Medical Park. In this episode: It seems like on every corner we have a bank, church or med spa. As a Dual Board-Certified Nurse Practitio...
Jul 01, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Join Kosta and his guest: Mike Franklin, Co-Founder and Owner of Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy , and Owner of Cookeville’s newest luxury salon Wild Honey Beauty Co. In this episode: After over a decade of being Cookeville’s beauty destination, this summer Loxx Salon and Spa is closing. As a business owner, how did you know it was time to move on? Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy opened in February of 2023, and has already celebrated several rounds of successful graduates and is getting ready ...
Jun 24, 2024•32 min•Season 3Ep. 56
Join Kosta and his guest: Jonathan West, CEO of Twin Lakes Telephone Cooperative. In this episode: For those of us who don’t really understand how the internet works or how it’s changed over the last - let’s say 20 years - what’s fiber internet? What’s broadband? How do you know what kind of internet is right for you? How can access to broadband change the workforce of the Upper Cumberland? If anyone’s listening and thinking, well, I already have internet and it works well enough - I don’t want ...
Jun 17, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Join Kosta and his guest Jennifer Gray, Autism Advocate, Mother of Cookeville Lifestyle’s Cover Thomas Golz and Co-Founder of Small World Dioramas. Find this issue of Cookeville Lifestyles Magazine: https://cookevillelifestyles.com/find-the-magazine/ In this episode: How it felt for Jennifer and Thomas to share their story with Cookeville and beyond. What it's like to raise a child with special needs, and how to help your child find their place no matter their passion or interests. How we can su...
Jun 10, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 54
🌈 Happy Pride Month! Y'all means ALL, and no matter what month it is, we're proud to represent all the people who make our community better when we're together. Join Kosta and his guest: Katie Love, honored Upper Cumberland Pride Royalty, Queen 2019 and 2015, Miss RoadHouse 2017 and Miss Gay East Tennessee America 2013, Katie’s work in entertainment and activism is unparalleled. She helped build the LGBTQ community of the Upper Cumberland as it stands today. Find out more about Upper Cumberland...
Jun 03, 2024•38 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Join Kosta and his guest: Holly Williams, Director of Area Agency on Aging and Disability at Upper Cumberland Development District . Roughly 14,000 Putnam County residents are over the age of 65. That’s approximately 17% of our population. In this episode: What opportunities and advantages do we have in the Upper Cumberland for this age group that many communities do not? Whether you’re looking at care for yourself or a parent, what’s your advice for preparing for these costs? The Area Agencies ...
May 27, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Join Kosta and his guest: Dr. Elizabeth Lisic , Assistant Director of BIRCH Professional Learning Center at Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity. In addition to her achievements in research and development in education, Dr. Lisic is the proud Mother of actors: Elle Lisic and Evan Lisic . In this episode: You have over a decade of experience in professional development and student learning, specifically related to outcomes such as critical and creative thinking. As a parent yourself, how have y...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Join Kosta and his guest: Kathleen Gilpatrick, Co-Founder and President of Cookeville Theatre Company , Owner of Out On A Limb Productions and celebrated director, producer, writer and actor. Find out more about Cookeville Theatre Company: https://cookevilletheatreco.org/ Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN. This episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is made possible by our partners at Aspire Barber and Beauty Ac...
May 13, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 51
