Good Grit Stories

Trevor Stockton has always known that he wanted to cook for a living. Trevor, the executive chef at the RT Lodge in Maryville, Tennessee, had a spell where he thought he might get a degree in business administration, but then he rediscovered his passion for food while he was in school. 

Words by Clair McLafferty

Read by Nancy Peterson & Matt Godfrey

Original Theme Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

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If you drive down Heathrow Drive in Florence, Alabama, you’ll eventually arrive at Shoals Christian School, my high school alma mater. Out front there’s a flagpole encircled by twenty-six stone pavers that are the color of sand. Each one is engraved with the name of a student from the school’s first graduating class, the class of 2000. One of those names is “Brett Trapp.” That used to be me.

Words by B.T. Harman

Read by B.T. Harman

Original Theme Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

Annie F. Downs was a college student at the University of Georgia when she met Scotland for the first time. She boarded the plane for a mission trip with the Wesley Foundation, and when she got off the plane, she was home. That was in 2000. Eighteen years later, Scotland has tucked itself into Annie’s heart like a prayer that she keeps coming back to. See Scotland through her eyes as Annie takes Good Grit's Editor-in-Chief through through the Scottish highlands. 

Words by Ashley Locke

Read by Nancy Peterson

Original Theme Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

We were so excited to send our Publisher, Sarah Cait Sawyer, to Dallas to meet Lecrae’s mother, Momma Ormie. She returned from her trip to tell us all about the amazing woman she was blessed to meet. Momma Ormie speaks candidly about being a single mother, finding herself again, and, of course, what Lecrae was like as a child, we can’t wait to share their conversation with you. So pull up a chair and join Sarah Cait and Momma Ormie for margaritas and guacamole...

Words by Sarah Cait Sawyer

Read by Nancy Peterson

Cover Image by Justin Clemins

Original Theme Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

“Good is the enemy of smart creatives."

"We try to create a culture that's optimizing for speed, failing fast, and growing at a rate that is outpacing the rest of the company.”

These are statements from Barrett Stirling, the founding of Krewe, a 100 year company....now in their 5th year. Be inspired by an entrepreneur who isn't simply reacting to the ebbs and flows of business, but who is establishing a company truly built to last. 

Words by Amy C. Collins 

Read by Nancy Peterson

Original Theme Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

Farmer, banker, business owner, and restaurateur  Jack Paulin "Paul" Kennedy changed so many lives through his work and passion. Listen as award winning chef, David Bancroft explains how his grandfather inspires his work & life even today. 

Words by Ashley Locke

Read by Matt Godfrey

Original Theme Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

“It was one of those life-changing moments when you realize something very precious is about to be lost, and has to be saved.” Listen to the incredible story of Columbia Tennessee’s W7thCo Gallery, and how one days window shopping turning into a project that saved a city's history.

Words by Sarah Rowland

Read by Nancy Peterson

Original Theme Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

Dave Barnes is by no means a one trick pony. At the age of 40, he continues redefining what’s included in the price of admission. We took time with Dave to explore how he developed a career as a Nashville singer-songwriter into a combination music and comedy show that sells out clubs across the US. 

Words by Blake Ells

Read by  Matt Godfrey

Original Theme Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Special Music Provided by Dave Barnes

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

--- Brought to You by Non-Fiction Coffee ---

Coffee can change lives. Non-Fiction Coffee believes this and it’s why they’ve partnered with small farmers all over the world like the Torre family farm in the mountains of Junin Peru. Find our how your purchase can change the world by visiting nonfiction.coffee/goodgrit.

Down a side road off Main Street in Sealy, Texas, population 6,500, just across the railroad tracks, sits an unassuming white clapboard building. At first glance, you might think it was an old church, which would be okay because the revival going on inside has just as much soul. Meet Cheryl Schulke, a Texas leatherworker whose style and work is turning heads in Texas and beyond. 

Words by Ginny Ellsworth

Read by  Nancy Peterson

Original Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

Yelp not, lest ye be Yelped!

Are websites like Yelp & shows like American Idol creating an overly judgmental generation. Dr. Jeffrey Heine talks about the danger of living a life as a 1-Star reviewer. 

Words by Dr. Jeffrey Heine

Read by  Matt Godfrey

Original Music by Kyle Carpenter & Wilder Adkins

Read this story and many more at goodgritmag.com & use the promo code LISTEN to get $10 off your subscription.

--- Brought to You by Non-Fiction Coffee ---

Coffee can change lives. Non-Fiction Coffee believes this and it’s why they’ve partnered with small farmers all over the world like the Torre family farm in the mountains of Junin Peru. Find our how your purchase can change the world by visiting nonfiction.coffee/goodgrit.