Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev

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 animal shelters or even animal control, what would it be? You’ve helped thousands of families here in the Upper Cumberland find another member of their family and a pet they will cherish for the rest of their life. The holidays are right around the corner, everyone wants a puppy for Christmas, what’s your message to families on adopting instead of shopping from a breeder this holiday season?

Find out more about Putnam County Animal Shelter:
https://www.cookeville-tn.gov/161/Animal-Shelter

Find out more about Friends of Putnam County Animal Shelter:
https://friendsofcpcanimals.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 Volunteer State Community College.

Find out more about Volunteer State Community College:
https://www.volstate.edu/campuses/cookeville

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 effective way to govern and how is it helping to drive the economic growth in the 15th District? In many years, when you decide to hang up your hat - what do you hope is your legacy from your time serving your community, this district, and our great state of Tennessee?

Find out more about Paul Bailey:
https://paulbaileyfortn.com
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/legislatorinfo/member.aspx?district=S15

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 partner Sabrina Brazle, The Realty Firm.

Find out more about Sabrina Brazle:
https://www.sabrinabrazle.com/

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 get this information out of my head: 1 in 3 women is a victim of domestic abuse and 1 in 4 men are victims, I had no idea. Do you think most people know this? Domestic abuse can be mental, physical, economic or psychological, and it’s not always easy to tell when someone is being abused. If we suspect someone is being abused what should we do?

Find out more about Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center:
https://ucfamilyjusticecenter.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 Academy.

Find out more about Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:
https://aspirebarberandbeauty.com

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 changed forever. For the community, it was an indescribable loss - for Matt, it was an unimaginable one. The tornado that ravaged the Upper Cumberland took the one thing we can never replace, 19 members of this community, including Matt and Macy's beautiful daughter Hattie Jo.

To honor Hattie Jo, the Collins family started the Hattie Jo Collins Memorial Scholarship, an endowed scholarship at Tennessee Tech University that benefits students in the nursing program. In 2023, they founded The Magnolia Foundation which seeks to serve families who have also experienced the pain of child loss.

Find out more and donate to The Magnolia Foundation:
https://www.themagnoliafoundation.com/

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 Miss Sallie's Market.

Find out more about Miss Sallie's Market:
https://www.misssallies.com

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 season and this episode, I want to talk about dressing up for Halloween. What’s your favorite Halloween costume that you’ve ever had? What does the process of finding our dream Halloween costume look like with the help of Spotlight Costumes?

Find out more about Spotlight Costumes:
https://www.spotlightcostumes.net/

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 Academy.

Find out more about Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:
https://aspirebarberandbeauty.com

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 in-person haunts while others absolutely hate it? This year, you have an experience where guests must sign a waiver. Why do they have to sign it? Can anything bad actually happen in a haunted house?

Find out more about Halloween Hollow Haunted House:
https://halloweenhollowhaunt.com/

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 partner Sabrina Brazle, The Realty Firm.

Find out more about Sabrina Brazle:
https://www.sabrinabrazle.com/

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 Stranger Things. For anyone that’s seen that show and wonders if that’s what it’s actually like to play the game, what would you say? Gaming still has a lot of stigmas. Whether it’s video games or tabletop games, you might have made it past the satanic allegations, but you aren’t totally out of the woods yet. What do you feel like are a few of the biggest misconceptions about gamers and their lifestyles? I want to talk about Magic: The Gathering, known more commonly to the players as Magic. What is it? How did it help build Knighthood Games into what it is today?

Find out more about Knighthood Games:
https://knighthoodgames.com/

Join the Knighthood Games Discord:
https://discord.com/invite/heSxJU4qBe

Join the Magic: The Gathering Cookeville Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/275497302639289

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 Academy.

Find out more about Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:
https://aspirebarberandbeauty.com

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 community. What role does threatre and the performing arts play in leveling the playing field and turning down the temperature to help us see each other as equals? This fall you’re directing The Two Gentlemen of Verona, which will premiere this Friday, October 4th and run until October 12th. For anyone counting this is Mark’s 9th time directing for Shakespeare in the park. What can we expect from this performance? Whether it’s on a state, local or campus level, the past few years have brought to light several questions about the morality and legality of men dressing in women’s clothes and vice versa. As someone that’s worked in the theatre their entire life, and studied the history of performing arts (and costuming), how did we get here and more importantly what can we do to move forward?

Find out more about Mark's Next Production - Two Gentlemen of Verona:
📆 October 4-12, 2024
⏰ 7:00 PM
📍 Dogwood Park/Performance Pavilion
💵 Free Admission 
🛜 https://www.cookeville-tn.gov/461/Dogwood-Shakespeare-in-the-Park

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 Miss Sallie's Market.

Find out more about Miss Sallie's Market:
https://www.misssallies.com

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. What’s the missing link? As a kid I loved going to the library, now my kids love going to the library, but a lot has changed in the past 20 years. What can parents expect the Putnam County Library of 2024 to have it didn’t before? What are a few small changes we can make as parents, and adults in general to reintegrate reading into our lives and help create that “book culture” for the people around us? 

Find out more about Kathryn Wisinger and the Putnam County Library:
https://pclibrary.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 partner Sabrina Brazle, The Realty Firm.

Find out more about Sabrina Brazle:
https://www.sabrinabrazle.com/

*More information about Putnam County School System testing scores, finances and other government provided data can be found here. 

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 so many real estate agents in the Cookeville and what's next for buyers and sellers in Cookeville.

Find out more about Ryan Risher and follow him on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanwrisher/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.risher/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanwrisher

Find out more about The Risher Team and working with Ryan:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanWRisher/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-w-risher-36427092/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risherteamtennesseerealest4095

Skender-Newton Realty: https://www.heathersellshouses.com/

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 Academy.

Find out more about Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:
https://aspirebarberandbeauty.com