My Morning Cup

Candy Johnson has a “non-traditional” career path which started with aspirations to become a famous supermodel. She won Miss Barbizon in 1994 but after becoming a single mom she decided to go to college instead. She earned her degree as a single mom and went on to get her Masters.

In this episode, Candy shares how she learned to deal with rejection, how moving to Chattanooga from the Nashville area opened her eyes to the work Chattanooga needs to do with inclusion of all citizens, and what the Urban League’s focus is for the future.

Candy is the President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. You can connect with her on LinkedIn here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

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• Wade Hinton’s Morning Cup (E09)

Growing up, Tracy wanted to be a psychologist, but different opportunities arose and she found herself with a career in the healthcare industry. After starting and selling her business, she made her way to Chattanooga as CEO of Hospice of Chattanooga.

In this episode, Tracy dispels myths about hospice, answers how healthy Chattanooga is (or rather, how unhealthy it is), and explains which trait all good CEOs should have.

Tracy is the CEO of Journey Health Foundation. You can connect with her on LinkedIn here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

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• Gideon Thomas’s Morning Cup (E07)

How many people can say they had a revelation to pursue a specific career? Not many, but Mark Reeves can, and it happened in a movie theater parking lot, of all places.

In this episode, Mark shares how teaching led him to the TSSAA, what the TSSAA *really* is, and why you always need to be yourself. Plus, why you should attend the Blue Cross Bowl later this week!

Mark is the Executive Director of the TSSAA. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here and you can find information about the upcoming Blue Cross Bowl here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

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• Roy Vaughn’s Morning Cup (E08)

The story of CPR Wrap is not as simple as a good idea; it’s a product of hard work and many sacrifices. In this episode, Felicia shares why not all money is good money, how she once turned down a million-dollar offer for her product, and why she includes her health as a KPI in her business.

Felicia is the Founder and CEO of CPR Wrap. You can connect with her on LinkedIn here and you can watch her TEDx talk here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

If you liked this episode, we think you’ll also like:

• Gideon Thomas’s Morning Cup (E07)

Most people are lucky to have one or two mentors, but Karen Shostak has been fortunate to have five throughout her career. In this episode, we discuss the lessons she’s learned from those mentors, a traumatic event that shifted her perspective on life, and why the best opportunities come to those in the peripheral.

Karen is the Deputy Director of Parks and Outdoors with Hamilton County. You can connect with her on LinkedIn here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

If you liked this episode, we think you’ll also like:

• Chip Baker’s Morning Cup (E04)

Donna McConnico has had a “circuitous” career, which started when she changed her college major five times, graduated, and then decided to go to seminary school instead. In this episode, we discuss her love of learning and helping others, why Signal Centers is so important to Chattanooga, and even how she met Elvis three times.

Donna has been the CEO of Signal Centers since 2005. You can connect with her on LinkedIn here and learn more about Signal Centers here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

If you liked this episode, we think you’ll also like:

• Leslie Gower’s Morning Cup (E02)

Jay Dale is one of the few people who chose a career after graduating college and stuck with it. In this episode, we reflect on his path through every position in banking that led him to be Market President for the bank with the #1 market share in Chattanooga. 

We also discuss his impressive bourbon collection, and why he is “obnoxiously” proud of Chattanooga and a self-proclaimed UTC Super Fan. 

Jay is the Market President of First Horizon Bank in Chattanooga. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

If you liked this episode, we think you’ll also like:

• Brent Burks’s Morning Cup (E10)

Kris and Mandy Simmons join the podcast this week to be the first-ever double guest feature on My Morning Cup! In this episode, we talk about the paths that led them together professionally and personally, what it’s *really* like to work with your spouse, and how to successfully scale a company to a national level. 

Plus, Kris shares what movie surprisingly inspired him to pursue a career in video production, and why Mandy went back to the same employer three times (yes, three!!).

Kris and Mandy are the husband-wife team behind 6 STRONG MEDIA, a creative video agency. You can connect with Kris on LinkedIn here and Mandy here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

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• Mitch Patel’s Morning Cup (E06)

Very few people know exactly what they want to be when they grow up - but Vance Travis did. He knew he wanted to be an architect, but his plans were put on hold when he was drafted into the military. After six years in the Army, he started his architecture career, working his way up and making connections before eventually starting his own firm.

Vance was the President and Owner of THW Architects, before retiring when he sold his company in 2016. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

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• Becky Blaesing’s Morning Cup (E26)

Mark McKnight always dreamed of owning an outdoor store, but dreams change, as was the case for Mark several times in his career. In this episode, we discuss how he got comfortable with those dreams changing, why simply showing up is the best thing you can do, and what the future framework of Reflection Riding holds.

He also shares about the time he “broke” Twitter, and how he took Rock/Creek’s e-commerce store from five figures to the multi-millions.

Mark is the CEO and President of Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

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• Gail Loveland Barille’s Morning Cup (E22)