Sunday Afternoon Smokes

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Chris sits down with Duncan Morrow and Jerry Plumb of Upstate Community Press for a wide-ranging conversation about storytelling, small business, and the role creativity plays in building community.

What begins with cigars and conversation quickly moves into deeper territory. Duncan and Jerry share how Upstate Community Press grew from a passion for visual storytelling into a platform that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs tell their stories in meaningful ways. The conversation explores the power of narrative in marketing, why authenticity matters more than polish, and how genuine relationships often grow businesses more effectively than traditional advertising.

Along the way, the group reflects on the philosophy behind entrepreneurship, the parallels between music and business, and the importance of collaboration in creative work. They discuss the challenges of starting something from scratch, the lessons learned from working with local brands, and why helping other people succeed often leads to your own success.

Like many Sunday afternoons, the conversation wanders—touching on cigars, storytelling, faith, marketing, and the surprising ways community forms when people choose to invest in one another.

If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about creativity, entrepreneurship, and the people shaping the Upstate, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Upstate Community Press:

https://upstate.press/

https://www.instagram.com/upstatepress/

Follow Duncan Morrow:

https://www.instagram.com/duncan.morrow/

Follow Jerry Plumb:

https://www.instagram.com/attritionist/

Follow the show:

https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Chris sits down with neighbor and entrepreneur Cody Stinson — founder of Media Lifeline Pro — for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, business, technology, and resilience.

Born three months premature and given almost no chance of survival, Cody shares the story of his early life, the vision complications that shaped his childhood, and the unexpected loss of sight in one eye as an adult. What follows is an honest discussion about identity, disappointment, and learning to trust God when plans shift.

From climbing radio towers overseas installing Christian radio stations… to building a web and communications company that now serves 400+ ministries and small businesses… Cody talks about redefining “calling” and seeing business not as separate from ministry — but as a platform for it.

They dive into:

Missions work and the realities of deputation

The technical side of launching radio stations overseas

Why Christian business owners may be the church’s most underutilized resource

Using systems, automation, and AI to serve people well

Finding clarity of purpose after illness and hardship

This is a conversation about simplifying your focus, stewarding your talents, and using whatever tools you’ve been given to make an impact.

If you’ve ever wrestled with the tension between faith and work — this one’s for you.

Guest: Cody Stinson

https://medialifeline.net/

https://www.instagram.com/

Follow the Show: https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

On this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, I sit down with Julian Loue, founder of Rise Bakery, for a conversation about craft, restraint, and building something that lasts.

Julian’s path to owning a bakery wasn’t immediate or linear. After spending years in the automotive industry, baking began as a personal interest, grew quietly during the pandemic, and eventually moved from a home kitchen to the TR Farmers Market before becoming a brick-and-mortar bakery in 2022.

We spend time in the work itself — what a normal baking day actually looks like, the scale of producing bread week after week, what still demands patience and attention, and what home bakers often overthink or underestimate. Julian shares how working with flour, fermentation, and time has shaped not just his bread, but the way he approaches decisions, limits, and consistency.

We also talk about what changes when a business is born out of enjoyment rather than urgency, the difference between selling at a farmers market and selling behind a counter, and why growth isn’t always the goal. Julian reflects on how his French background influences his relationship with bread, food culture, and restraint — and how knowing when *not* to grow has become central to running Rise Bakery.

This isn’t a conversation about hustle or scaling at all costs. It’s about intentional work, staying close to the craft, and building something you can actually sustain.

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, I sit down with Upstate photographer and videographer Josiah Hartline for a relaxed, long-form conversation about work, creativity, and calling.

We talk about growing up in Greenville, feeling directionless in school, finding purpose through apprenticeship and discipline, and how his relationship to work — and faith — has changed over time. Along the way, we touch on philosophy, and why meaningful work still matters.

As always, we start with cigars and let the conversation go where it needs to go.

If you enjoy Sunday Afternoon Smokes, the best way to support the show is to give it a follow and share it with someone who appreciates thoughtful conversation.

Guest: Josiah Hartline

https://www.instagram.com/josiahhartline/

Follow the Show:

https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

This episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes was recorded in April 2025 and, for a long time, I believed it had been lost.

It turns out it wasn’t.

What you’re hearing is a fully unscripted, early-season conversation with two entrepreneurs who build meaningful work in very different corners of the country — and who both understand what it means to carry responsibility, uncertainty, and care for others.

My guests are Jennifer Stewart, owner and operator of Wellborn Upstate, and Heidi Greening, co-owner of Homer Inn and Spa.

There’s no agenda here and no performance. We talk about entrepreneurship, hospitality, running businesses in demanding environments, and the quieter realities of building a life around work that actually matters. The conversation wanders at times — as early conversations often do — but it’s honest, curious, and grounded in lived experience.

For me, this episode carries a deeper personal weight. It captures a moment in time — voices, laughter, cadence — exactly as it was. Some recordings are less about the craft and more about the preservation of presence. This is one of those.

Take it as it is: long-form, unfiltered, and real.

https://www.homerinnandspa.com/

https://www.instagram.com/homerinnandspa/

https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

Episode Clarification:

During the conversation, Courtney misspoke when defining acquired brain injury. An acquired brain injury (ABI) refers to any brain injury that occurs after birth and serves as an umbrella term for both traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries result from an external force (such as a fall or motor vehicle accident), while non-traumatic brain injuries are caused by internal factors (such as stroke, tumor, or aneurysm). This clarification is included to ensure accurate information is shared.

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, I sit down with Courtney Boyd, a speech-language pathologist and certified brain injury specialist with the Roger C. Peace Outpatient Brain Injury and Young Stroke Program.

We talk about what speech-language pathology really is — far beyond pronunciation — and how communication involves language, cognition, voice, and swallowing. From there, we focus on stroke and brain injury, the communication changes that can happen suddenly, and what patients and families often misunderstand in those early stages.

Courtney clearly defines aphasia — what it is, what it is not — and explains different types of aphasia, how it differs from related conditions like apraxia and dysarthria, and what progress in speech therapy realistically looks like when “back to normal” isn’t always the goal.

This is a long-form, grounded conversation about communication, recovery, and learning how to live — and connect — when language becomes difficult.

**Resources Mentioned in This Episode**

If you or someone you love is navigating aphasia, stroke recovery, or brain injury, these organizations and programs offer education, support, and community:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

The national professional organization for speech-language pathologists, with extensive public education resources.

👉 asha.org

National Aphasia Association

A leading organization focused on education, advocacy, and support for people with aphasia and their families.

👉 aphasia.org

(Note: I gave the incorrect web address during the episode — this is the correct site.)

Triangle Aphasia Project (TAP)

A nonprofit dedicated to life participation, conversation groups, and community for people with aphasia.

👉 aphasiaproject.org

Articulate Aphasics Toastmasters

A Toastmasters club designed specifically for people with aphasia to practice communication in a supportive environment.

👉 28677762.toastmastersclubs.org

Upstate SC Aphasia Support Group

Meets the first Wednesday of each month from 12:30–1:30 PM at the Prisma Health YMCA

(875 Faris Road, Greenville, SC 29605).

For more information, contact Jennifer Leger at [email protected]

USC Aphasia Lab

A South Carolina–based research and outreach program supporting people with aphasia and their families.

👉 web.asph.sc.edu/aphasia

They also produced the documentary “The Disease Detective Looks at Aphasia,” available on Amazon Prime.

Young Stroke Support Group

Meets the first and third Wednesday of every month from 5:30-6:30 at the Prisma Health Roger C. Peace Outpatient Brain Injury / Young Stroke building. (100 Augusta St., Greenville, SC 29601)

Sean from Jetline Canine Training returns to Sunday Afternoon Smokes after first appearing back in Episode 2 in November 2024.

This time, the conversation isn’t about dog training in theory — it’s about what it actually looks like to start a puppy the right way. Poppi, Chris’ new 5-month-old dog, is only about a week into training, so this episode isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a real discussion about foundations, restraint, and why rushing obedience — or labels — often creates bigger problems down the road.

We talk through what early training is really reinforcing, why neutrality matters more than friendliness in public spaces, and how training shifts when a dog is being prepared to be genuinely useful for a disabled handler — not just “well behaved.”

Sean also breaks down the real-world differences between:

• a well-trained pet

• a therapy dog

• a service dog

…without internet myths, certifications for clout, or unrealistic expectations.

As the conversation unfolds, it moves beyond dogs into something deeper — commitment, responsibility, and what it actually means to care for someone (or something) over the long haul. We talk candidly about being a decent person when no one’s watching, the difference between real love and transactional love, and why friendships and relationships almost always matter more than strategy or self-interest — in business and in life.

It’s an honest, unpolished conversation about training, character, and showing up — whether that’s for a dog, a spouse, or the people you choose to build life with.

As the new year is upon us, many people begin thinking about goals, plans, and their annual resolutions. While the practice itself is ancient, this episode approaches the topic from a Biblical perspective on planning, purpose, and dependence on God.

In this solo episode, I reflect on what Scripture teaches about making plans, committing our work to the Lord, and recognizing the limits of our control. Drawing from Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Gospels, and personal experience, this conversation explores how Christians can think rightly about the year ahead—without arrogance, discouragement, or false guarantees.

This episode is a reminder that effort matters, wisdom matters, and planning matters—but all of it exists under God’s sovereignty. Not every plan works out the way we hope, and not every outcome is ours to control. Still, we are called to live thoughtfully, work diligently, and trust faithfully.

Whether you make formal New Year’s Resolutions or simply want to approach the coming year with humility and clarity, I hope this reflection encourages you as 2026 is upon us.

Chris sits down with Michelle Getz, brand strategist and potter from the Upstate South Carolina area, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually means to build a brand — and why most business owners are doing it backwards. Michelle breaks down the difference between branding and marketing, explains why so many entrepreneurs struggle to articulate what makes them different, and shares how she helps clients find the confidence to show up authentically and charge what they're worth.

The conversation covers the creative process behind brand strategy, the unexpected parallels between mentorship and design, and why feeding ChatGPT your brand guidelines before asking it to write your social posts is a smarter move than most people realize. Michelle also talks about her pottery business, Temuna, the tactile joy of working with clay, and the vision she has for where her art is heading next.

If you're in the early stages of a business, thinking about a rebrand, or just trying to figure out how to explain what you do in a way that actually lands — this one's for you.

In this episode of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, I sit down with Matt Bradford, co-owner and operator of Matty’s Pattys in Anderson, South Carolina, for a laid-back but thoughtful conversation about cigars, food, and the realities of building a small business.

We start, as always, with cigars — talking about what Matt’s been smoking lately, how he got into the hobby, and how cigars have become a way to slow down and reset. From there, the conversation naturally shifts into Matt’s entrepreneurial journey, including the leap from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar restaurant and what it really takes to make that transition work.

We go deep on what makes a great burger: the grind, fat ratios, buns, toppings, and the philosophy behind the menu at Matty’s Pattys. Along the way, we talk lunch and breakfast offerings, hot dogs, fries, and eventually tumble headfirst into a surprisingly serious debate — is a hot dog a sandwich? (and if so… is a taco one too?)

The episode also touches on small business ownership, lessons learned along the way, and advice for anyone considering starting something of their own. It’s a relaxed, fun conversation with plenty of laughs, honest insight, and a genuine love for good food done right.

Light a cigar, grab a burger, and enjoy the conversation.