Ashley Freeman never set out to build one of Oxford’s largest short-term rental management companies.

Before Velvet Ditch Villas, many people around Oxford knew her simply as Coach Ashley. But after a difficult season of life led her to begin renting her own home, what started as a way to make some extra income quickly grew into something much bigger.

In this conversation, Ashley talks about the early days of the business, working until 4 a.m. while juggling coaching, motherhood and rentals, and the people who believed in her before she fully believed in herself.

We also talk about a mission trip to Belize that changed the way she thought about relationships and service, her fiercely competitive personality, building and leading a team, raising her daughter Lucy, becoming more comfortable putting herself out there publicly, and the role faith plays in how she thinks about success and the future.

Ashley also shares her perspective on Oxford’s rapidly changing short-term rental market, why the business may eventually expand beyond Oxford, and what she hopes the next chapter of her life will be about beyond simply managing more properties.

In this episode:

• Life before Velvet Ditch Villas and the days of “Coach Ashley” 🎾
• A lesson from Belize that shaped how Ashley sees people
• How renting her own home unexpectedly became a business
• The 4 a.m. season of trying to do everything herself
• Why competitiveness has been one of her biggest strengths
• Learning to believe in herself as a leader
• Building a team and helping other women recognize what they are capable of
• Motherhood and what she hopes her daughter learns from watching her
• Becoming more visible through social media and personal branding
• Ashley’s take on Oxford’s evolving short-term rental market
• Faith, purpose and what success means to her now

Find Ashley and VDV at:

• Velvet Ditch Villas: thevelvetditchvillas.com
• Instagram: @ashleyfreemanofficial
• Velvet Ditch Villas on Instagram: @velvet_ditch_villas

Beyond the Square is hosted by Blake Thompson and features conversations with the people, places and stories that make Oxford, Mississippi what it is.

What happens when a coffee shop becomes about much more than coffee?

Brad Akin spent years working in college ministry before he and his family opened Shadrach’s Coffee in Oxford. Today, they operate two drive-through locations and the Rad Shack food truck on the Ole Miss campus.

In this conversation, Brad shares how coffee became an unexpected career, why Shadrach’s puts such an emphasis on knowing its customers, and what he has learned from employing and mentoring college students. We also talk about the challenges of expanding a business, the role faith plays when plans go sideways, performing weddings for former students and employees, and why Oxford eventually became home.

Plus, Brad shares his Oxford restaurant favorites, his thoughts on game-day business, and why people still order iced coffee when it is freezing outside.

Learn more about Shadrach’s Coffee:

Website: shadrachscoffee.com

Instagram: @shadrachsoxford

If you enjoyed this episode, follow or subscribe to Beyond the Square so future conversations will appear automatically. You can also explore earlier episodes at oxford.captivate.fm/listen.

In this episode of Beyond The Square, Blake sits down with Pam Swain, President and CEO of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce.

Pam has been with the Chamber for more than two decades, and in this conversation she shares how a Southern Miss graduate from the Pine Belt found her way to Oxford, what the Chamber actually does, and why she believes Oxford is such a unique place to live, work, raise a family, and grow a business.

Blake and Pam talk about the balance of growth and preservation in Oxford, the role Ole Miss plays in shaping the town, the impact of athletics on the local economy, the strength of Oxford and Lafayette County schools, and what kinds of businesses and amenities Pam would love to see come to town.

They also get into Pam’s personal story, including life as a boy mom, learning to unplug with her family, her love for RV travel, and a few favorite Oxford memories from over the years.

Topics discussed:

• Pam’s path from South Mississippi to Oxford
• What the Chamber of Commerce actually does
• How Oxford has changed over the last 20 years
• The challenge of growing Oxford without changing Oxford
• The relationship between Ole Miss and the local economy
• Why strong schools help draw families to Oxford
• Small businesses, box stores, and finding the right balance
• Double Decker, local events, and what brings people to town
• Pam’s favorite things about Oxford and family life

Learn more about the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce at OxfordMS.com.

Have an idea for a future guest on Beyond The Square? Email [email protected].

Today's conversation is with Micah Ginn, Associate Athletic Director for Sports Productions and Creative Services at Ole Miss.

Micah and I first met as freshmen at Northeast Mississippi Community College. After graduating from Ole Miss, he headed to Los Angeles with dreams of working in entertainment. Somewhere in those years he realized the part he loved wasn't being in front of the camera, it was everything happening behind it: producing, directing, pulling a project together and making it work.

Micah eventually came home to Mississippi and built a career around the games and the campus he grew up watching. Today he helps lead the team responsible for the video production, photography, live-event content, and storytelling behind Ole Miss Athletics, the stuff you see on the videoboard on Saturdays is his team's work.

We talk about his path from community college to Hollywood and back to Oxford, what actually happens behind the scenes on game day, the growth of sports media, and why working through the highest-pressure moments in the building has made him a calmer Ole Miss fan than the rest of us.

Enjoyed the episode? Share it with a friend.

Feedback or guest suggestions? Message @TheOxfordPod on Instagram or X, or email [email protected].

After a few years away, Beyond The Square returns with a fresh season of Oxford stories.

I'm Blake Thompson, and after nearly two decades in Oxford, I've learned the real stories of this town aren't just what happens on the Square or in a sports stadium. They're the people building things, fixing things, and steadily shaping what this place is.

Two new episodes drop January 29th, then new conversations every other week.

Subscribe now so you don't miss it. 🙃

As always, if you like what you're hearing I encourage you to share this episode with at least one or two friends. And if you have any feedback or suggestions the DM's are open @theoxfordpod on IG and X or you can email at [email protected].

Today's interview is with Elizabeth Randall who is the found and president of Randall Commercial Group. RCG serves their clients and their commercial real estate investment needs through market analysis, research, and a team approach. RCG is based out of Oxford but has offices across the country. But Elizabeth loves Oxford! She's a product of the Mississippi Delta and Ole Miss. She and her husband are raising five children while she is also heavily involved in local charities and organizations. And you've probably seen her running miles and miles of roads around town as well. Plus Liz has a heart for entrepreneurship and leadership in our community, and especially in young women.

As always, if you like what you're hearing I encourage you to share this episode with at least one or two friends. And if you have any feedback or suggestions the DM's are open or you can email at [email protected].

Hello, Hello... Glad YOU are here for Beyond The Square the Oxford Podcast where we talk with the people of Oxford, MS to hear their stories and about being a part of our community. Because we believe that it's truly the people that make Oxford what it is. As always I'm your host, Blake Thompson.

If you're not already following the show on Twitter, find it at @TheOxfordPod and you can also follow the Facebook Page as well.

You can go back and listen to earlier episodes to get a little more background on me and how this podcast came about, but basically I love listening to podcasts and have created a few along the way. And I thought one about the people of Oxford would be a great way to get to tell some stories about what makes Oxford special.

A little inside baseball here, I was looking to start this podcast a while back. So this conversation was actually recorded in February of 2020 right before everything went haywire with Covid. This episode's guest is Mike Dennis, Ole Miss hall of fame running back, dentist, and family man. Mike grew up in Jackson before accepting a scholarship to play football for Coach Vaught. Mike was then drafted by two teams to play pro ball and chose the warmer climate. After hanging up his cleats he became a dentist, but he and his wife, Jane, retired to Oxford where they can be around their kids and grandkids.

He shares his recruiting experience after being pursued by numerous blue blood programs, getting to meet the King of Rock and Roll, and the joys of living in Oxford and becoming a huge Oxford Charger fan as he cheers on his grandchildren.

As always, if you like what you're hearing I encourage you to share this episode with at least one or two friends. And if you have any feedback or suggestions the DM's are open or you can email at [email protected].

This episode features Allison Layton who is a licensed professional counselor and Marriage/Family Therapist with Cornerstone Counseling here in Oxford.

We talk through the importance of counseling and therapy, the benefits of it for both individuals and couples, and a few barriers that some people have to overcome to seek counseling for themselves. She talks of the needs she sees in her clients and the pressures that many of her clients in their teens and 20s face today. I recorded this conversation with Allison a little over a year ago and she talks through the impact of Covid on her counseling practice, her clients, and teletherapy as things had only recently been opening up or relaxing more in our community. And she shares some resources that could be helpful for parenting and marriage as well.

One last thing.... If you've not already done so, I encourage you to be sure to follow/subscribe (for free) to our podcast here ... and share this episode with a friend who you believe would enjoy it too. As always, follow along on twitter @theoxfordpod and if you have any suggestions for future guests don't hesitate to reach out. The DMs are open.

Today's episode features Brad Freeman who is the Director of M-Trade Park, our sports complex on the northwest side of town. A quick note to mention that this conversation was recorded over a year ago... and it was actually the day after the new naming ceremony where FNC Park became M-Trade Park. So as you hear us talk of that change and all, be aware that it was very new news.

Brad Freeman grew up in Oxford, went to play baseball and a little football at Mississippi State University where he twice played in the College World Series. After a short stint in pro ball he came back to Mississippi to finish up school and get his Masters Degree then returned to Oxford to head up the new sports complex and... also moonlights as an NFL referee. Brad talks about all of this, and his love and appreciation of our community is very evident.

One last thing.... If you've not already done so, I encourage you to be sure to follow/subscribe (for free) to our podcast here ... shoot this episode to a friend who you believe would enjoy it as well. As always, follow along on twitter @theoxfordpod and if you have any suggestions for future guests don't hesitate to reach out. The DM's are open.

On the latest episode of Beyond The Square :: The Oxford Pod we have Dr. Marvin King who has been a part of the Oxford and Ole Miss community for over seventeen years. He came to Ole Miss in 2005 after earning his PhD in Political Science from North Texas and a BA in Government from UT Austin. Dr. King has a dual appointment as a political science professor as well as an African American Studies professor + serves as a Senior Faculty Fellow in the Residential College South at Ole Miss. Marvin and his wife are very engaged with the Oxford community. Marvin has served on the Oxford Park Commission board as well as with the Planning Commission.

He shares his experiences in taking a position in Mississippi from out of state, the growth of technology in the classroom as both an asset and hurdle, dealing with ideological diversity in classrooms that often deal with hot topics, and his time with OPC and the PC. Dr. King discusses his love of running and how he helped to begin the Oxford Run community and his own marathoning experiences. Plus a few podcast and book recommendations.

As always, if you like what you're hearing I encourage you to share this episode with at least one or two friends. And if you have any feedback or suggestions the DM's are open or you can email at [email protected].