Friendly Talk Show

What happens when you turn the thing you love into the thing people pay you for?

Endurance coach, cyclist, and JMU instructor Averi joins Mark and Anna for a conversation about building a career around riding bikes, finding confidence in your work, and making things even when the internet has opinions.We get into his journey from the Air Force to coaching, how a cycling video brought out the haters, and why he keeps creating for himself. Plus, supplement industry hot takes, Mark’s beef with marketing agencies, and a misunderstanding about whether Averi won the Tour de France.

Vote for Mark to be the next Top Host https://tophost.org/2026/mark-chepelyuk Vote for Anna to be the next Top Host https://tophost.org/2026/anna-chepel

Daniel Phonelath joins us to talk about his journey from working in tech to returning to his family’s restaurant, and what that taught him about identity, ambition, and meaningful work. We get into the challenges of working with your parents, learning to say no, and why restaurants are about much more than food.Along the way: immigrant expectations, the college debate, difficult customers, and plenty of laughs.

Jared Miller started his business before he had everything figured out.In this conversation, we talk about risk, money, faith, growing through mistakes, and why waiting until you feel ready can keep you stuck. Jared shares what he learned building Titan Roofing & Exteriors, the financial lessons that came the hard way, and why sometimes the only way forward is to start ugly and learn as you go.Connect with Jared:https://www.instagram.com/titanroofingvahttps://www.titanroofingva.com/

Daniel Wenger is the co-founder of VFC Homes. We talk about growing a construction business, building trust, his faith, learning to let go, balancing business with family, and why even successful entrepreneurs are still figuring things out.

Contact Danielhttps://www.vfchomes.com/

Content & Marketing Workshophttps://forms.gle/XWkwSR4B7vAL4TFG8

Join Tim Lewis, Jill, Anna, and Mark for a friendly conversation about hiking, photography, relationships, online criticism, and building a life around what you love. We start in the studio, then finish the conversation at sunset on McAfee Knob.

Follow Tim

https://www.facebook.com/TimEbaysball

https://www.instagram.com/timebaysball/

In this episode, Mark sits down with Nikita, owner of Grace Hill Construction, for a conversation about what it really takes to build a good home today.Nikita shares his story of growing up around hard work, learning construction through his first home build, and eventually starting his own custom home building company. The conversation gets into why good homes cost so much, the difference between custom homes and big builders, what homeowners often miss when comparing prices, and why cutting corners usually costs more in the long run.They also talk about the personal side of building a business, including the pressure of long workdays, balancing family and work, learning to delegate, and trying to grow without losing the values that made the business worth building in the first place.This is a conversation about homes, quality, work ethic, family, and the cost of doing things the right way.Contact Nikita:https://www.instagram.com/gracehillconstruction/https://www.gracehillconstruction.com/

In this episode Mark sits down with Kyle Glenn, a certified financial planner and exit planner, to talk about the human side of building and leaving a business. They discuss why many business owners are not prepared to sell, the difference between lifestyle and enterprise businesses, how money affects identity, and why your purpose has to be bigger than what you do for work.

In this episode of Friendly City, Mark sits down with Kyle Glenn, a certified financial planner and exit planner, to talk about the human side of building and leaving a business. They discuss why many business owners are not prepared to sell, the difference between lifestyle and enterprise businesses, how money affects identity, and why your purpose has to be bigger than what you do for work.

In this episode, Mark sits down with Haima Askari for a conversation about identity, meaningful work, culture, language, convenience, and travel.Haima shares his perspective on photography, Kurdish-American identity, preserving culture in America, and why language creates such a deep sense of belonging. They also discuss happiness vs. fulfillment, America’s obsession with convenience, the future of work, and why struggle often gives life more meaning.

Follow Haima: https://www.instagram.com/askari007/

In this episode of Friendly City, Mark sits down with meteorologist and content creator Grant Coleman (  / cole_front  ) and his wife for a conversation that starts with weather and content creation but evolves into something much deeper: creativity, marriage, purpose, and building a life together.Grant shares how a childhood fear of thunderstorms turned into a fascination with weather, eventually leading him into broadcast meteorology and social media. He breaks down his journey from gaming YouTube channels and long-form weather forecasts to creating the short-form weather skits that have helped him build an audience online.The conversation explores the realities of content creation while working a full-time job, the role his wife plays behind the scenes, how they navigate marriage while pursuing ambitious goals, and why creating is more fulfilling than endlessly consuming content.They also share the stories of how they met, fell in love, got engaged, and what they've learned about partnership, communication, and supporting each other's dreams. The episode closes with a discussion about Grant's future ambitions, monetizing content, and the importance of following creative ideas when inspiration strikes.