Coffee With Strangers

Kelli’s in Carytown to grab coffee with Caroline Logan at Don’t Look Back. Caroline is a Richmond native and graduate of the University of Richmond. For her 9 to 5 she’s the Director of Communications for the Virginia Tourism Corporation, in her spare time she loves getting out in Church Hill with her husband and dog…and of course traveling around the Commonwealth.

Kelli's at Don't Look Back in Carytown to grab coffee with Brian Beard. Brian's the owner of River City Food Tours, a business he founded to offer Richmond natives and visitors alike the opportunity to taste new food, hear new stories and feel like a local. Brian is also one of the best Instagram photographers in Richmond...and he doesn't even own a camera.

Kelli's downtown at Pop's Market on Grace Street to grab coffee with Duron Chavis. Duron's an urban farmer, activist, and father. He's been in Richmond all his life and within the last few years really been devoting his time and energy to finding opportunities for minorities to get involved with farming and improving access to fresh food for everyone.

Kelli's at the HI Richmond Hostel on 2nd Street to grab coffee with Beth Dixon. Beth's maybe best known as the bar manager, bartender, mixologist, bar chef or whatever you want to call it at Pasture on Grace Street. But she's also a mom, chicken wrangler and bee keeper who knows the importance of a good porch and loves the #rvadine scene.

Kelli’s at Pop’s Market downtown to have coffee with Josh Epperson. Josh is kind of the quintessential Richmond creative, he’s a writer and podcaster (Orphaned Stories), but he also hold’s down a 9 to 5 and runs a nonprofit (Feast RVA). He’s been in a Richmond for more than a decade and has carefully and consciously worked at how he integrates work with life so he can really live Richmond.

We've all heard the the term, eating bird food, right? Well, Brittany Mullins heard it from her college roommate when she ate trail mix and sunflowers seeds. Fast forward a few years to Brittany living in Richmond and starting her blog, eating bird food became that name and she embarked on a one woman crusade to prove the healthy living doesn't have to mean depriving yourself and that muffins can still be delicious and healthy. In the eight years of her blog she's amassed more than 100,000 followers seeking her recipes, fitness tips and health tricks. In this episode she gives Kelli extensive details on how she takes her coffee, where she buys local foods and how she lives Richmond.

Kelli’s downtown at Pop’s Market on Grace St to grab coffee with Tommy McPhail. You’ve probably seen Tommy somewhere on your timeline before, the red hair is hard to miss, he’s also hard to miss around town. He’s involved in pretty much everything, especially everything music. He’ll put a band up in his house for a night and help them land a gig in someone’s basement…oh, and he tweets his childhood hero, Michael Jordan, everyday…okay…just listen.

Kelli's in the Fan to grab coffee with Jake Crocker at F.W. Sullivan's. Jake's the co-owner of F.W. Sullivan's, Lady N'Awlins, and Uptown Market & Deli, all located at the corner of Stafford and Main in the Fan. To relax from the restaurant world, Jake's taken up acting and recently became a member of the Screen Actor's Guild. His latest work includes AMC's Turn, Mercy Street on PBS and a role in the Meg Ryan film Ithaca, released in late-2015.

Kelli's kicking off season 3 with Dawn Estelle Archer at Pop's Market on Grace Street. Three years ago Dawn Estelle Archer was depressed, suicidal, and really struggling to find happiness...She started a dance fitness class in a Manchester parking lot and had soon sold her car and was soon traveling the country teaching classes and counseling. Today she's got a quarter of a million followers on Instagram who she inspires with her transparency, and fitness programs...all from her Richmond studios. Episode 1 has tears and laughs, you'll want to check it out.

Kelli grabs coffee with Sharalyn Bailey, Administrator for the Dominion Christmas Parade. Sharalyn has been working with the parade for 25 years and has some solid tips on where to park, when the get there and more.