Good Neighbor Podcast: Tulsa

Most buyers assume building a custom home automatically costs more than buying one already on the market. Angus Martin says that assumption can be completely backwards.

Brandon Andres Green, host of Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa, sits down with Angus Martin of The Birch Co., a Tulsa-area builder working across custom homes, affordable housing, renovations, commercial projects, and tiny-home developments. The company has completed more than 250 homes since 2017, giving Angus a close view of what buyers get right, what they miss, and where expensive mistakes happen before construction ever begins.

One reason custom building can sometimes cost less is surprisingly simple.

When a builder puts up a spec home, they’re speculating about what the eventual buyer will want and pricing some of that uncertainty into the project. When the buyer already knows exactly what they want, Angus says that uncertainty can disappear.

In some cases, that means building new can actually cost less while allowing the buyer to move into the home with equity already built in.

But one of the biggest financial mistakes can happen before the house is ever designed.

Angus says buyers sometimes find a piece of land that looks like an incredible bargain without asking why it has been sitting on the market. Missing utilities, grading problems, infrastructure, drainage, or site-development issues can turn that inexpensive lot into a very expensive decision.

He has seen buyers discover that preparing the land alone could cost roughly $100,000.

We also talk about what is happening inside today’s housing market. Angus says affordable housing and luxury housing remain active, while the middle of the market has become much more difficult for buyers.

And buyer preferences are changing too.

The old mentality of building the biggest house possible is giving way to something Angus thinks matters more:

Does the house actually live well?

He explains why thoughtful floor plans can make a smaller home feel substantially larger and why buyers are increasingly choosing efficiency, functionality, and architecture over square footage for the sake of square footage.

Angus also gives a great example of where trendy upgrades can quietly eat a budget. All-black windows may cost significantly more than other configurations, even though the visual difference may not justify the added expense for every buyer.

That leads into one of his strongest design philosophies:

Build something that won’t immediately tell people what year it was built.

Instead of copying whatever is popular on Pinterest right now, Angus believes buyers are moving toward more distinctive, architecturally significant homes that can still feel interesting decades from now.

If you’re considering buying land, building a custom home, or simply trying to understand what actually drives new-construction costs, this conversation gives you a much better idea of the questions to ask before signing anything.

Learn more about Angus Martin and The Birch Co.:
 https://thebirchco.com/

Instagram:
 @thebirchco

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
 https://gnptulsa.com/

Stephanie Janét spent 12 years fighting alongside her daughter through heart disease. Then one unexpected cardiac emergency changed everything.

Brandon Andres Green, host of Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa, sits down with Stephanie Janét, author, speaker, and founder of The Mighty Heart Warrior Project, to talk about her daughter Makayla, pediatric heart disease, CPR preparedness, AED access, grief, and the mission that grew out of one family’s devastating loss.

Makayla was diagnosed with heart disease before she was born.

She received her first pacemaker when she was only three days old. Over the years, she underwent multiple procedures, received an LVAD, and eventually received a heart transplant at age seven.

At 12 years old, Makayla unexpectedly suffered a cardiac emergency.

Stephanie became her daughter’s first responder.

And she has been very open about the regret that followed.

She wishes she had been more consistently trained and wishes she had had access to a defibrillator in the home.

That experience became the foundation for The Mighty Heart Warrior Project.

Stephanie now works to help other families caring for children at elevated cardiac risk feel more prepared if the moment they fear ever comes.

We also talk about what grief actually looks like after losing a child.

Stephanie describes the first months as dark and overwhelming. There were days she couldn’t get out of bed and times she would get ready for work, sit in her car crying, and turn around and go home.

Years later, she says she understands that those moments weren’t weakness.

They were grief.

Stephanie also turned Makayla’s story into the book Try My Hardest, using the story she had documented throughout her daughter’s life to preserve Makayla’s voice and continue the impact she wanted her daughter to have.

The conversation ends with a practical message for families:

Learn CPR. Know where an AED is. And don’t assume you’ll figure it out in the moment.

Preparedness can give families confidence when seconds matter.

Learn more about Stephanie and Try My Hardest:
https://trymyhardest.com/

The Mighty Heart Warrior Project:
 https://themightyheartwarriorproject.com/

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
 https://gnptulsa.com/

A criminal case may begin with one charge, but the consequences can quickly reach a mother’s job, housing, children, transportation, finances, and entire family.

Brandon Andres Green, host of Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa, sits down with Jane-Roberte Sampeur, executive director of Still She Rises, to talk about public defense, motherhood, family stability, survivor justice, and what the legal system can miss when it looks only at a case number.

Still She Rises is a Tulsa nonprofit law firm that provides holistic legal representation to mothers in North Tulsa.

Jane is a career public defender who previously worked with the Legal Aid Society in New York before bringing that experience into work focused specifically on mothers and families.

The central idea behind holistic defense is straightforward:

The criminal charge is only part of the story.

Jane explains that a traditional legal case may focus primarily on whether someone can defeat or resolve the criminal charge. Still She Rises also asks what else is happening in the client’s life.

Are her children at risk of being removed?

Does she have court debt?

Is an old conviction preventing her from finding housing or employment?

Does she need help accessing treatment, rent assistance, or another community resource?

That can mean bringing together criminal defense attorneys, family defense attorneys, civil attorneys, and client advocates around the same person.

We also talk about survivor justice and what courts may miss when someone accused of a crime has also lived through serious abuse, violence, or trafficking.

Jane explains why trauma histories can easily be reduced to a simple courtroom narrative that fails to capture what someone has actually survived.

The conversation ultimately comes back to something much bigger than one law firm:

What would happen if communities responded to struggling families with support earlier, before the legal system became the first place anyone intervened?

Learn more about Still She Rises:
 https://stillsherises.org/

Instagram:
 @StillSheRisesTulsa

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
 https://gnptulsa.com/

We talk constantly about what children need from fathers. We don’t talk nearly enough about what fathers need in order to show up well for their children.

Brandon Andres Green, host of Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa, sits down with Marquess Dennis, founder and executive director of Birthright Living Legacy, to talk about intentional fatherhood, mental health, asking for help, and why even good dads sometimes need a team around them.

Marquess didn’t enter fatherhood advocacy because he had everything figured out.

He entered it because he didn’t.

He describes becoming a father while struggling with depression and not having a clear standard for knowing whether he was doing a good job. He began searching for resources that could help him become a stronger father and discovered how difficult those resources could be to find.

That experience eventually became Birthright Living Legacy.

One of Marquess’s biggest lessons is that simply being present isn’t the same as being intentional.

A dad may technically be in the room but still miss opportunities to connect. That can mean getting on the floor and playing, reading with your children, participating in the things they enjoy, and making deliberate choices about how you spend your time together.

Marquess puts it another way:

Treat your family like million-dollar customers.

We also talk about something many fathers quietly wrestle with: asking for help.

Marquess says men are often taught that needing support means they are weak. But nobody thinks twice about asking another person to help lift something heavy or help when a car breaks down.

So why should fatherhood be different?

Birthright Living Legacy creates opportunities for fathers to connect with other dads, talk about mental health, spend time with their children, and learn practical skills without feeling like the program is only for one particular kind of father.

Marquess has also helped lead broader conversations through the Oklahoma Fatherhood Summit and was recognized with a 2024 Oklahoma Parent Leadership Award.

His message is simple:

When fathers thrive, families flourish.

Learn more about Birthright Living Legacy:
 https://brlivinglegacy.org/

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
 https://gnptulsa.com/

A denied roof claim doesn’t always mean the conversation is over. But it also doesn’t automatically mean the insurance company got it wrong.

Brandon Andres Green, host of Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa, sits down with Brandon Witten, co-owner of Family Tree Roofing, to talk about storm damage, denied insurance claims, roof repairs, discontinued shingles, documentation, and what homeowners should understand before signing a roofing contract.

Brandon explains why one of the most important things after a storm is building a clear picture of what actually happened.

That means looking beyond the roof itself.

Damage to gutters, downspouts, fences, windows, and other parts of the property can help establish whether the damage being claimed is consistent with the storm. Good photographs and documentation become especially important when the person reviewing the claim may never physically visit the property.

We also get into a surprisingly technical issue that can completely change whether a repair is realistic:

Can the existing roofing product actually be matched and installed correctly?

Brandon explains why discontinued or incompatible shingles can create problems with manufacturer installation requirements and building codes. A repair that looks simple on paper may not be simple if replacing one shingle damages several surrounding shingles or requires mixing products that were never designed to work together.

But he also makes an important point homeowners may not expect from a roofer:

Sometimes the insurance company is right.

Brandon says he has inspected denied claims where the real problem was a roofer overstating the damage or pushing for a full replacement when a smaller repair was actually reasonable.

We also talk about what homeowners should check before hiring anyone, including licensing, insurance, reviews, documentation, and whether the contractor can clearly explain what they are seeing.

And Brandon warns homeowners about one major red flag after a storm: anyone promising to somehow make your deductible disappear.

Before you accept a denial or sign a contract, make sure you understand the facts.

Learn more about Family Tree Roofing:
 https://familytreecontracting.com/

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
 https://gnptulsa.com/

What makes someone who wasn’t planning on becoming a politician decide to run for office?

Brandon Andres Green, host of Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa, sits down with Jeremy Founds, a Marine veteran, OU Master of Social Work graduate, Coffee Bunker case manager, and candidate for Oklahoma House District 80, to talk about service, veterans, local government, and why he decided to enter the race.

Jeremy’s path into politics didn’t start with a lifelong ambition to hold office. He has owned a restaurant, worked in corporate jobs, spent time in lending, and eventually found some of his most meaningful work helping veterans navigate resources and benefits.

That work led him to the Coffee Bunker, an independent Tulsa nonprofit that gives veterans a place to connect and helps them navigate programs that can sometimes be difficult to understand or access.

Jeremy also shares how service and giving back have helped him manage some of the post-traumatic stress he experienced after serving in the Marines.

Then we get into the campaign itself.

Why run for office when you weren’t looking for the job? And how much should a party label matter when voters are choosing who represents their neighborhood?

Jeremy explains how he was approached about running, what House District 80 covers across southern Broken Arrow and toward Bixby, and how he is trying to connect with voters through social media, door knocking, and direct conversations.

We also discuss the issues Jeremy says motivated him to get involved, including education, health care access, veterans services, domestic violence, human trafficking, government accountability, and whether Oklahoma is doing enough to compete with surrounding states.

This is not an endorsement of any candidate. It is a conversation with someone asking voters for the job and explaining why he believes he should have it.

Learn more about Jeremy Founds:
 Search Founds for House on Facebook.

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
 https://gnptulsa.com/

Growth sounds great until your business starts growing faster than your leadership, team, and systems can handle it.

Brandon Andres Green, host of Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa, sits down with Shannon Wilburn, co-founder of Just Between Friends and founder of Shine Executive Coaching, to talk about what really happens when a small business starts scaling fast.

Shannon started Just Between Friends in Tulsa with another young mom and a simple consignment sale in her living room. Their first event sold about $2,000 worth of children’s and maternity items, and Shannon walked away with roughly $150.

She calls it “the hardest $150” she ever made.

But people wanted another sale. Then another.

What started in a living room moved into larger spaces, eventually reaching the Tulsa fairgrounds. Other women wanted to replicate the model in their own cities, and before long Shannon and her co-founder were building a franchise system that would grow to more than 150 locations across 33 states.

And that kind of growth exposed problems they never saw coming.

Shannon talks about what happened when they casually let other operators use the Just Between Friends name before realizing they were dealing with trademarks, intellectual property, and a much bigger business than they originally intended to build.

She also gets into something founders don’t always say out loud:

Growth can get lonely.

The decisions get heavier. More people depend on you. And the systems that worked when the business was small can start breaking as the company gets bigger.

One of Shannon’s biggest turning points was creating an advisory board. Instead of trying to hire every high-level expert the company needed, she brought experienced professionals into the business periodically to challenge their thinking and provide expertise they couldn’t yet afford full time.

She also explains how implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System, or EOS, helped move her from reactive, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants leadership into a much more strategic way of running the company.

Shannon eventually exited Just Between Friends in 2022.

Today, through Shine Executive Coaching, she works with established founders and entrepreneurs who already have revenue, employees, and a business that’s ready for its next stage of growth.

If your business is growing and what used to work suddenly isn’t working anymore, this conversation is worth hearing.

Learn more about Shannon Wilburn and Shine Executive Coaching:
 https://shineexecutivecoaching.com/

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
 https://gnptulsa.com/

A cold case doesn’t stay unsolved because everyone stopped caring. Sometimes the evidence is incomplete. Sometimes the trail went cold. And sometimes the biggest clue may have been sitting in front of investigators the entire time.

Brandon Andres Green sits down with Matthew McLaughlin, producer of Cold Red Podcast, to talk about unsolved murders, behavioral profiling, victimology, and what retired FBI profilers can sometimes see when they come back to a case years later.

Cold Red is hosted by Dr. Raymond Carr and James R. Fitzgerald, both retired FBI profilers. Fitzgerald is also known for his work helping identify and capture the Unabomber through forensic linguistics.

The show originally started as a true-crime podcast featuring former law-enforcement colleagues and experts. But over time, people began reaching out directly and asking the team to look into unresolved cases.

Matthew says that changed the show.

What started as true-crime content gradually became something closer to a cold-case initiative.

One of the most interesting techniques they use is something called victimology.

Instead of beginning by trying to create a profile of the killer, Ray and Fitz first build a detailed picture of the victim. Who were they? What was happening in their life? Who had access to them? What relationships, routines, risks, or circumstances surrounded them?

Then they work outward from there.

Matthew explains that this different lens can sometimes reveal connections investigators may have overlooked.

We also get into one of the biggest misconceptions around cold cases: DNA, forensic evidence, or even what appears to be a “smoking gun” doesn’t automatically mean someone can be arrested.

Investigators may still need enough evidence to secure warrants, meet legal standards, and prove the case decades after the crime occurred.

And sometimes the reason a case stays cold is more uncomfortable.

Matthew says he has seen cases where mistakes were made early in an investigation and people later became more concerned about protecting themselves than admitting what happened. In other cases, questions about law enforcement itself become part of the investigation.

Cold Red also takes a different approach to true-crime storytelling.

Matthew says the focus is intentionally kept on victims and families rather than glorifying offenders. The team tries to avoid sensationalizing killers and instead asks whether telling the story can actually help uncover something useful.

That can become emotional very quickly.

Families may agree to discuss only the surface of what happened, then find themselves opening up much more once the interview begins.

We also talk about what happens behind the scenes when producing a show like this. Matthew writes and outlines episodes, vets guests, books interviews, works with anonymous tips, and helps determine whether someone reaching out is a legitimate witness, family member, law-enforcement source, or potentially someone connected to the crime itself.

And because these cases don’t always have endings, the podcast format creates something traditional documentaries often can’t.

They can come back.

A new witness may surface. Someone may finally be willing to talk. New evidence may emerge. And a case that seemed completely frozen can suddenly move again.

If you’re interested in cold cases, FBI profiling, victimology, true crime, forensic linguistics, or what actually happens behind an unsolved investigation, this conversation gives a very different look at how those stories are approached.

Listen to Cold Red Podcast:
Available on major podcast platforms and YouTube

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
gnptulsa.com

Jackie Fusco will tell you she was not the obvious person to lead an outreach ministry. In fact, she says she was afraid of homeless people and poor people and wanted very little to do with that world.

Brandon Andres Green sits down with Jackie Fusco of Transform Your Life With Jackie to talk about the difficult season that changed the direction of her family, her faith, and eventually the way she saw the people around her.

Jackie was married with five children when her husband suffered a brain injury. The man she describes as the rock of the family suddenly couldn’t function the way he had before. He lost his job. Their home went into foreclosure. Money became tight. And Jackie found herself trying to hold together the children, the house, full-time work, and a marriage under enormous pressure.

She is pretty open about what that did to her.

She was scared. Angry. Frustrated. And not particularly interested in hearing a polished spiritual answer about any of it.

Then her husband attended an ACTS retreat. Jackie says he came home dramatically different and functioning much better than he had been. She wanted to know what happened, but part of the retreat experience was intentionally kept private for future participants.

That made her even more irritated.

Six months later, he convinced her to attend the women’s retreat.

She went reluctantly. And Jackie says that weekend became the point where everything changed.

She describes having her first real encounter with Jesus at 48 years old and coming home with a completely different hunger for faith and purpose.

Not long afterward, a church outreach position opened.

Jackie had no nonprofit experience, wasn’t looking for a job, and admits she was deeply uncomfortable around the very people she would be serving.

She applied anyway.

What began as a small operation has grown into a ministry Jackie says now serves more than 3,500 individuals, supported by roughly 80 volunteers each week.

But the number isn’t really the heart of her story.

It’s how they serve.

Jackie talks about creating an environment where people coming in for help are asked to sit down. Someone brings them coffee. Someone gets them a snack. Volunteers gather what they need and bring it to them.

Because her question became:

When was the last time the person who is always struggling to take care of everyone else was actually served?

That experience also changed how Jackie thinks about poverty itself. After years of working with families, she began thinking about what she calls “poverty of vision” and the patterns that can keep people feeling stuck even when their circumstances are different.

That work has now grown into transformational coaching, speaking, and writing, where Jackie focuses on helping people identify old beliefs, develop a clearer vision for their lives, and move through seasons where they can’t see a way forward.

If you’ve ever gone through a season where life stopped looking anything like you expected, this is a conversation about what can happen when the thing you wanted to escape becomes part of what gives your life direction.

Learn more about Jackie Fusco:
JackieFusco.com

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
gnptulsa.com

Red light therapy gets talked about like more is always better. More time. More intensity. More heat. Deemer and Kelli say that may be exactly the wrong way to think about it.

Brandon Andres Green sits down with Deemer and Kelli of SOLiX Wellness Studio in South Tulsa to talk about whole-body red light therapy, full-spectrum infrared sauna, recovery, sleep, pain, and why they believe the way light and heat are used matters just as much as the equipment itself.

Deemer admits he wasn’t initially sold on red light therapy. He thought of it mostly as something used for skin, wrinkles, and cosmetic treatments. But after researching the technology, wavelengths, energy delivery, and the way different types of light interact with the body, he and Kelli decided to build SOLiX around a much more customized approach.

One of their biggest points is simple:

More isn’t necessarily better.

Deemer explains why he believes red light therapy should be treated more like a dose than a timer. SOLiX adjusts wavelength, intensity, pulsing, session length, and other variables based on what the person is actually trying to accomplish instead of putting everyone through the same session.

We also talk about infrared sauna versus traditional sauna and why hotter doesn’t automatically mean more effective. Deemer explains how infrared works differently from simply heating the air around you and why comfort and consistency may matter more than seeing how much heat you can tolerate.

Then we get practical.

What should someone expect the first time? How often should you go? Why are some red light sessions 30 minutes while others may only be 10 or 13? And what should you ask a wellness provider before assuming two red light devices are doing the same thing?

Deemer also talks about something most consumers probably never hear discussed: joules, the measurement used to describe how much light energy is actually being delivered.

Kelli and Deemer say the people who visit SOLiX come in for all kinds of reasons, including sleep, recovery, relaxation, energy, skin appearance, and everyday aches and pains. They also make it clear that this isn’t presented as an instant miracle. Some people notice changes quickly, while others may need consistency over time.

And if you decide to try it, their first piece of advice is pretty basic:

Hydrate.

Their overall approach is less about chasing the hottest sauna or longest red light session and more about understanding what you’re trying to accomplish and using the tools intentionally.

Learn more about SOLiX Wellness Studio:
SOLiXStudio.com

Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa:
gnptulsa.com