Connect Raleigh

This is going to be a long and windy ride so sit back, get comfy and come along with us as we talk through what it's been like running a business, specifically a Co-Working office, during the global pandemic. Michael opens up about the struggles as well as the silver linings and how he feels we move forward from here. And if it's not clear from our conversation, Michael loves Oakwood Pizza Box so you better run, not walk, over there today to grab a slice and ask about the top secret Oakwood Pizza Box story. After that, check out some of his other faves:

The Nest

Attended Events

Betabox Labs

HQ Raleigh aka Raleigh Founded

Origin Hotel

Mandolin

Marbles Kids Musuem

C Grace

NC Bluegrass Festival

Christopher Terrell Moore, known as Artist Christopher Terrell, and known to me as Chris is a local Raleigh artist. We met a decade ago when I was walking through the Crabtree Mall with my real estate nametag on upside down. He caught it, called me over and I corrected my blunder. From there we connected on social media, he joined my Connect Raleigh networking group and soon I had the opportunity to help him purchase his first home. Here's a secret I don't think I've told many people and didn't tell Chris during our chat but I should have...I wore that nametag upside down on purpose. I was a new real estate agent trying to meet people so I came up with the idea that I would put it on upside down and walk the mall until somebody noticed it and started a conversation with me. And here we are 14 years later....crazy. 

Over the last twenty years, he has produced over a thousand pieces, showcased his paintings and other art forms at more than 100 shows, and has been written about extensively. His art career began in middle school – drawing cartoon characters from his favorite comic books and selling them to his friends for lunch money. And it's evolved greatly from there.

Through this work, Terrell taps into our internally shared experiences in life, both struggles and triumphs, with the goal of focusing on the more fundamental things that connect us over the more superficial externally experienced things that divide us. In 2009 he put together a year-long exhibit entitled “Art gallery: Home of the Obama Art Museum.” It showcased hundreds of creations by artists worldwide depicting President Obama – some in very creative forms, such as works made out of shoes or coins.  From 2009 to 2012 he created and operated “Hustle & Flow Community School of Hip-hop, R&B, and Art.” It was an organization that promoted school programs such as track-out, in-school programs, and special events. Its mission was to provide young people a place to learn and grow their creativity. In 2012, he created the Raleigh Film & Art Festival which is an annual event that showcases the most talented film directing and art work of young people from North Carolina and beyond. The festival draws many hundred submissions each year.

You can connect with him here:

www.ArtistChristopherTerrell.com

And after the episode, be sure to strap on your walking shoes and go on his tour of Raleigh. You can go check out some of his favorite places and get a feel for his Raleigh here:

Connect Raleigh Networking Group

The Hudson Condos

Raleigh Film & Art Festival

First Friday

Raleigh Arts & Science Academy

North Carolina State University

Obama Art Museum

Tobacco Road Sports Cafe

Benny Capitale's Pizza

Falls Lake

JC Raulston Arboretum

Marbles Kids Museum

Dix Park

Raleigh Farmer's Market

This conversation got me really fired up and I think that after you give it a listen the same will happen for you unless of course you are a terrible person. And if you're a terrible person you're probably not listening to this podcast or following me on social media because you'd be too busy doing terrible things. So, since you're an awesome person, and you're doing awesome things like listening to this podcast of course, you're definitely going to love this chat with Lindsay Wrege the co-founder and CEO of 321 Coffee, a coffee shop truly based on diversity and inclusion. She started this company in her college dorm room as a freshman folks. I know what I was doing as a freshman and it wasn't starting community impacting companies. She now employs over twenty individuals with disabilities and believes in the power of using business for social impact. She's already partnered with big Raleigh companies like Pendo, Cisco and is looking for the right connection at Apple for their new Raleigh campus so if you know somebody...do your thing and make a connection for Lindsay.

You can connect with Lindsey here:

www.lindsaywrege.com

And if you feel connected to Lindsay after this conversation, head on out and check out some of her favorite spots around Raleigh.

321 Coffee

Raleigh Farmers Market

Cisco

Pendo

Happy + Hale

Apple

A Place at the Table

NC State Centennial Campus & surrounding greenways

Whitfield Farms

Short Walk Wines

Lilly's Pizza 

Welcome friends. It's time to connect with Mr. John Kornegay. John is a photographer living in Raleigh, North Carolina. When he's not working he enjoys spending time with his lovely wife and son, functional exercising, and transcendental meditation in his spare time.

JK as the local's know him, is a guy you need to connect with right now so go do it. Start with a follow on Instagram and then get to know this man in person as soon as you can. This is another one of the relationships that I talk a lot about that came out of the birthday round table my boy Kristian put together and I'm grateful and lucky to know him. He's got great insights on what to do, where to go and how to live life and he shares much of it here in our chat. 

Connect with JK at:

www.instagram.com/johnkornegay

Check out the conversation and let me know your thoughts. And after the listen, give some of his favorite places a try. You can see the list below.

Shaw University

Lucid Skin Beauty

Nest CoWorking

Lifetime Fitness

Raleigh Raw

Food Truck Rodeo

Morgan Street Food Hall

Ray's buck jones

Angus Barn

Sullivan's

St Jacques

Raleigh Art Museum

Centro

Sitti

Gravy

Tonbo Ramen

Get ready for today's conversation. If you're not sitting down, you may want to. And it's likely you're not going to be able to stay in your seat for very long because it's about to get hype up in here today. So sit, stand, go for a run, listen to this one on a long drive...do whatever you gotta do.

Larry Long Jr. is the Founder and CEO of Larry Long Jr LLC, which focuses on sales motivation, inspiration, training & coaching, and he's the host of the ‘Midweek Midday Motivational Minute’ on Linked IN. Larry is an experienced sales leader with a demonstrated history of success in SaaS sales. He is extremely passionate about coaching as you'll be able to tell from our conversation, and he gets fired up by helping professionals take their game to the 'next level'. From years of playing athletics, primarily baseball, Larry brings a unique perspective to the table and understands many of the challenges faced by sales professionals. His areas of experience include Sales Training, Team Development, Leadership, & Motivation within organizations of all stages (start-up to publicly traded). Practicing what he preaches, Larry continuously seeks opportunities to learn & grow. Basically he is a speaker, trainer and thought leader helping people from all different backgrounds and industries just be better. He's a husband, a dad, a friend, and he cares deeply about people I feel better after every time I talk with him and he ups the energy everywhere he goes. And couldn't we all use a little more of that. This episode has so many important nuggets of wisdom in it that you're just going to have to listen to the whole thing. And after you do, connect with Larry and tell him how this conversation impacted you. You can do that at any of the links in the show notes.

And once you've connected with him, go check out some of his favorite spots around the Triangle below:

Bojangles

Pendo

Idea Fund Partners

NC State Entrepreneurship Clinic

Duke Angel Network

Durham Bulls

Carolina Mudcats

Carolina Hurricanes

Wake Med Foundation

Beasley's Chicken + Honey

Poole's Diner

Marbles Kid's Museum

Boxcar

Urban Axes

Let's connect with Jeff! Jeff Murison is the President of Live it Up Hillsborough Street, an organization dedicated to creating a thriving corridor bringing NC State and local residents together in one awesome community. 

We talk about what it's like to go back to face to face connections in the post Zoom/Covid world, how the pandemic has affected local businesses and the University and the silver lining in all of it. Because if you look...there's always a silver lining.

You can find him online at:

[email protected]

www.hillsboroughstreet.org

http://brcalliance.org

Or, if you're out and about at any of the following places there is a good chance you'll bump into him and can connect:

Global Village Coffee

Live it Up Hillsborough

Blue Ridge Corridor Alliance

North Carolina State University

Drive Shack

Connect Raleigh Networking Group

Young Professionals Network

Downtown Raleigh Alliance

Player's Retreat

Raleigh City Greenways

Trolley Pub

Gonza Tacos Y Tequila

Aloft Hotel

Krispy Kreme Challenge

Liz McLean is a lifelong Raleigh resident and has vowed to NEVER LEAVE. She's a graduate of Meredith College with a passion for her community and the people of North Carolina.  She has over thirteen years of professional experience in public relations, brand awareness and client engagement and has worked with a variety of clients including political candidates, Fortune 500 companies and local non-profits. Her 3 favorite things are Raleigh, Live Music and Giving Back and she's happiest when all 3 collide into a beautiful mix.

She recently joined the team at Holt Brothers Incorporated as Executive Director of the Holt Brother Foundation, an organization led by former NFL greats and brothers Terrence and Torry Holt to help kids that have a parent or guardian with cancer.

Liz enjoys helping others understand how to apply their talents, grow their personal and professional networks in the city she loves and call home, and is constantly looking for ways to grow and improve her own understanding of her gifts...gifts that include high level peripheral vision and knowing when stragers are pregnant, among other very serious gifts.  She’s recently taken up Fly Fishing and can often be found at Dix Park or out and about in downtown Raleigh.

Connect with Liz here:

IG: www.instagram.com/mcleanliz

Some of her favorite people, places and things around Raleigh that you need to drop everything and go experience right now include:

Transfer Food Hall for awesome food choices

Jolie for fancy date night

Rosewater Kitchen also for fancy date night

Barcelona again for a fancy date night

Cowfish (actually I said this one but it's really good)

Vita Vite for pre and post dinner drinks

Bloomsbury Bistro the place to be in the 90's but still pretty damn good

Hayes Barton Pharmacy amazing desserts...maybe best in town

Lincoln Theater for live music

Mission 19 is a favorite "local" band

Band Together a favorite organization

Pour House for live music

Kings for live music

Walnut Creek Amphitheater for live music

Reynold's Coliseum for live music back in the day now mostly some NC State athletics

Holt Brothers Foundation to make an impact in the community

Torry & Terrance Holt

Holt Brothers Construction

NC State Football

A Place at the Table for coffee

Benchwarmers for coffee

Tazza for night out with friends

Dix Park to do fun shit outside

Lake Raleigh for a top secret cool place to paddle board that nobody knows about...until now

Umstead Park for hiking

The Flourish Market for local shopping

Edge of Urge for local shopping

Unlikely Professional for local shopping for the dudes

So & So Books for a cool bookstore

Two Roosters (this was mine too) for amazing ice cream

In an arena football game right before the NFL camp was slated to start and potentially all of his childhood dreams about to come true, he broke up a pass play, tripped over a receiver and slammed into a wall. The impact broke Jojo's neck and left him paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors told him he'd never walk again. In that moment he thought: “My life is over. I’ll never play again. I’ll never be a husband or a father.” But then, like an answer to those dark thoughts, he remembered something a past coach used to shout at him during practice: “Dig!”

That word motivated him. So he made it his own and turned it a slogan: “D.I.G.: Determination. Intensity. Guts.”

Those words got him through that dark time in his life. There were days he wanted to quit the rehab work because it was just too hard. D.I.G. kept him going, all the way to a full recovery. Nearly 20 years later, he still carries that message to every person who walks in the door at CORE, his downtown Raleigh fitness studio. Every day he calls on his experiences to say: “No matter your goal, you have to have the Determination to start. You need the Intensity to hustle hard. But the key is Guts. You’ve got to have the guts to push through the hardest times." It’s become the CORE value at CORE and he continues to inspire every person he comes in contact with.

You can connect with Jojo here:

www.Coreraleigh.com

IG: @CoreRaleigh

Twitter: @CoreRaleigh

And then go check out some of his favorite places here: 

Midtown Olive Oil

Lululemon North Hills

Barre 3

Mojoe's Burger Joint

Happy and Hale

Run Raleigh Physical Therapy

If you're thinking of calling Raleigh home, today's guest is somebody you should connect with for sure. Doug Stewart is the Author of 5 1/2 MENTORS, he is a TEDx speaker, certified Dale Carnegie Instructor, performance coach, and mentorship thought leader. He is best known for utilizing original and adaptive methods to help people pursue a life of purpose through enthusiastic discovery. Most importantly, Doug is a devoted husband to his best friend, Merideth, and proud father to Kendall and Kendrick. And he knows a thing or two about building community which is why he is on today's episode.

In this chat Doug and I sit down for the second time to talk about all things Raleigh. And if there is somebody that LOVES this area...it's this guy. So much so that he's got our area code (919) in everything he does. I feel like this might be one of the best conversations for somebody to listen to that is moving to a new area without much of a support system and without knowing many people. If I were moving someplace new, this would be the first place I would start to get confidence and a plan on how to connect with strangers in a strange place. 

After you listen to the episode please connect with Doug here:

www.YouTube.com/DougStewart919

And now go try out some of his favorite places. Oh, and tell them he sent you and maybe you'll get hooked up.

Downtown Raleigh: https://downtownraleigh.org/

Raleigh Raw: https://www.raleighraw.com/

Raleigh Founded: https://raleighfounded.com/

Warehouse District: https://downtownraleigh.org/districts/warehouse-district

Morgan Street Food Hall: https://www.morganfoodhall.com/

321 Coffee: https://321coffee.com/

Raleigh Farmer's Market: http://ncagr.gov/markets/facilities/markets/raleigh/

Jubala Coffee: http://www.jubalacoffee.com/

Pullen Park: https://raleighnc.gov/places/pullen-park

Harris Lake: https://www.visitnc.com/listing/mn9P/harris-lake-county-park

Jordan Lake: http://www.jordanlakenc.org/

Fuquay Varina: https://fuquay-varina.org/

Cary: https://www.townofcary.org/

Holly Springs: https://www.hollyspringsnc.us/

Apex: http://www.apexnc.org/

The Provincial: http://www.theprovincialapex.com/

Common Grounds: https://commongroundsapex.com/

SAS Institute: https://www.sas.com/en_us/home.html

Research Triangle Park: https://www.rtp.org/

Umstead Park: https://www.ncparks.gov/william-b-umstead-state-park/home

Morgan is a video production entrepreneur and digital marketing content creator. When she is not producing videos for businesses, she focuses on her blog, morgankg.com, and social media outlets to teach the most effective methods in digital marketing and video.

In today's chat in which my dog joins us for the majority of so sorry for the barking, we talk about so many reasons and places that make Raleigh unique and a great place to call home. If you do anything with your day today make sure you connect with Morgan at her links below and then you go check out some of these awesome places we talk about.

Business website - mkgmediaco.com

Now run to these places right now and show them some love:

Wendell, NC: https://www.townofwendell.com/

Bearded Bee Brewing Company:  https://www.beardedbeebrewing.com/

North Carolina State University: https://www.ncsu.edu/

Gary Vaynerchuk: https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/

Jordan Lake: http://www.jordanlakenc.org/

Falls Lake: https://www.ncparks.gov/falls-lake-state-recreation-area/home

Emerald Isle: https://www.emeraldisle-nc.org/

Lake Johnson: https://raleighparks.org/2011/09/02/lake-johnson-park/

Global Village Coffee: http://www.globalvillagecoffee.com/

Lucky Tree: http://www.luckytreeraleigh.com/

Raleigh Raw: https://www.raleighraw.com/

Raleigh Rose Garden: https://raleighlittletheatre.org/visit-us/rose-garden/

Sola Coffee: https://www.solacoffee.com/

Sir Walter Coffee: https://www.sirwaltercoffee.com/

Sitti: https://www.sitti-raleigh.com/

Sosta Cafe:  http://sostacafe.com/

Wye Hill: https://www.wyehill.com/

Dorothea Dix Park: https://dixpark.org/

Lynwood Brewing Concern: https://www.lynnwoodgrill.com/

Benchwarmers Bagels: https://www.benchwarmersbagels.com/