Courtney Bowman was a middle school Latin teacher who made charcuterie boards as a creative outlet. Four boards later, she started Raleigh Cheesy in October 2019. Three months after that, she decided to leave teaching and go full-time with the business.

Then COVID hit.

In this episode, Courtney walks through how the pandemic unexpectedly helped her business grow, why she closed her first location to focus on one store, and the day her AC died during the slowest season of the year. We talk about what happened when the Raleigh community showed up with $15,000 in 48 hours, The Bachelor Series she started and why it is hard to keep going, and her biggest leadership lesson: your response to stress directly impacts your team.

Plus: elevated spreads, grazing tables, favorite cheeses, and the importance of good shoes when you're on your feet all day.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Raleigh Cheesy: 3075 Medland Drive, Raleigh NC
• Instagram: @raleighcheesy
• Facebook: Raleigh Cheesy
• Event space rental (holds up to 30 people)
• Classes & workshops available
• Favorite cheeses mentioned: Délice de Bourgogne (Fage Pave from Trader Joe's), Toma Provence, Meredith Dairy marinated goat & sheep feta, Humboldt Fog

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@AllUpInYourBusinessPod

Become a Supporter of the show for as little as $3 and get exclusive access to shows early, special interviews, and updates from guests! Support the show here

Joanne Wetzel bought a camera in 2019 to help shelter dogs get adopted. She had no photography background—just a hunch that beautiful photos would help overlooked dogs get seen. Five years later, she's photographed nearly 1,000 rescue dogs and built a thriving pet photography business that's completely different from what you'd expect.

Five Freedoms Photography isn't about quick photo sessions and digital downloads. Joanne creates custom artwork for pet parents' homes, guides them through planning calls and ordering appointments, and hand-delivers albums to their doorsteps. She specializes in working with "stranger danger" dogs, reactive dogs, and end-of-life sessions where pets fall asleep in their owners' arms during the shoot.

In this episode, Joanne breaks down why she's not a "turn and burn" photographer, how 80% of her revenue came from repeat clients last year, and what it's like photographing dogs who are days away from being euthanized. We talk about the business lessons she learned from six years doing hair and makeup, why problems are just part of the process, and her new Rescue Lens Sponsorship program that lets local businesses fund shelter photography.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Five Freedoms Photography: fivefreedomsphotography.com
• Instagram: @fivefreedomsphotography
• Rescue Lens Sponsorship Program: Available on website
• Wake County Animal Center (volunteer location)
• Second Chance Pet Adoptions
• Pit Bull Flower Power by Sophie Gamand
• Foster Photo Day Initiative (monthly slots for rescue dogs)
• Unleashed Dog & Cat Store (Spring Fling event)

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@AllUpInYourBusinessPod

Become a Supporter of the show for as little as $3 and get exclusive access to shows early, special interviews, and updates from guests! Support the show here

Michele Wilson is disrupting the construction industry with dignity and class—and she's doing it by erasing the lines that keep people siloed.

As the founder of Sonder Luxe Home Solutions and the creator of Coffee with Contractors (a quarterly networking movement that pulls 70-100 people every single time), Michele is on a mission to fix what's broken in construction: the lack of collaboration, the transactional relationships, and the fact that homeowners keep getting screwed over because they don't have anyone fighting for them.

In this episode, we dive into what it's like being a woman in a male-dominated industry, why she named her company after a word from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, and how she went from expecting 10 people at her first networking event to consistently selling out at 75-100. Michele breaks down the hard lessons about protecting what you build, why verbal alignment is not legal protection, and how boundaries are a leadership skill—not an emotional reaction.

We also talk about her portfolio of gorgeous renovation projects, why she outsources design work to support interior designers, and the power of knowing when to walk away to protect your peace.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Sonder Luxe Home Solutions: sonderluxe.com
• Coffee with Contractors (CWC): cwcrdu.com
• Instagram/LinkedIn: @sonderluxe, @cwcrdu

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@AllUpInYourBusinessPod

Become a Supporter of the show for as little as $3 and get exclusive access to shows early, special interviews, and updates from guests! Support the show here

Maggie didn't set out to open a restaurant. She set out to answer a question that had bothered her since childhood: Why am I always on the privileged side of the volunteer line?

That question led her to a day shelter for people experiencing homelessness, which led to a conversation at Golden Corral that changed everything. Her friend John, who'd been homeless for three months, told her he chose that restaurant because "here I have choice" and "here I'm not invisible." Those two sentences became the blueprint for A Place at the Table—a pay-what-you-can restaurant in downtown Raleigh that's feeding 150-200 people a day while building something even more important: community.

In this episode, Maggie breaks down how she built a nonprofit restaurant with zero restaurant or nonprofit experience, why she got denied by the Secretary of State's office the first time, and how "friend-raising" (not fundraising) grew the concept from 50 people at their first pop-up to 450 at the last one before they opened their brick-and-mortar. We talk about hiring people smarter than you, getting on the Kelly Clarkson Show, and why the biggest fight isn't food insecurity—it's community insecurity.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• A Place at the Table: Downtown Raleigh, NC
• Website: tableraleigh.org
• Instagram/Facebook: @tableraleigh
• How to give back: Volunteer, dine, donate, or cater - all options available online

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@AllUpInYourBusinessPod

Become a Supporter of the show for as little as $3 and get exclusive access to shows early, special interviews, and updates from guests! Support the show here

Ashley didn't set out to open a coffee shop-slash-craft beer bar in a historic 1930s house. She got laid off from her corporate job, started looking for a tiny coffee shop, and ended up falling in love with a 3,650 square foot space that was definitely not what she was looking for—but somehow was exactly what downtown Cary needed.

In this episode, we dive into the story behind The Williams House: the couple who said their wedding vows live on the radio, why Ashley put a Bible verse in her logo (and the backlash that followed), and how she's built a space where you can get coffee at 7 AM and an espresso martini at 9 PM. We talk about becoming the unofficial first-date spot in Cary, the Mahjong club that meets every Saturday, and why patience might be the hardest lesson in entrepreneurship.

Ashley gets real about the loneliness of solo entrepreneurship, why she's closed on Sundays despite pressure to open, and how she's learning to filter everyone's opinions while staying true to her vision. Plus: the teenager birthday parties, the serial dater, and why sometimes you just need to write things on your to-do list so you can cross them off.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Williams House: Downtown Cary, NC
• Instagram: @thewilliamshousecary
• Historic Note: Named after Felton and Peggy Williams (first couple to say wedding vows live on radio in the Southeast)
• Bible Verse Reference: 1 Corinthians 10:31
• Hours: Monday 8-2, Tuesday-Saturday 7am-10pm, Closed Sundays

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@AllUpInYourBusinessPod

Become a Supporter of the show for as little as $3 and get exclusive access to shows early, special interviews, and updates from guests! Support the show here

Donald Thompson isn't just the Board Chair of Walk West-he's a masterclass in how to scale yourself across multiple ventures without burning out. In this episode, we dive into his journey from selling Jolly Ranchers in fifth grade (and getting suspended for it) to leading a global consulting practice, coaching executives, investing in entertainment talent, and still finding time to catch Duke basketball games once in awhile.

Donald breaks down the real secret to entrepreneurship: it's not about having the best idea—it's about building the best team. We talk about the hard lessons of delegation, why keeping your promises is the ultimate career hack, and how to vet people you're thinking about hiring (hint: make them demonstrate their skills first).

He also shares why "find great people and let them shine" is his entire business philosophy, how your personal brand becomes your most valuable asset, and the one book he rereads every other year that shapes how he thinks and leads. If you've ever wondered how successful people manage to do it all, this conversation is your blueprint.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Book: Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success
• Connect with Donald: linkedin.com/in/donaldthompson
• Donald's website: donaldthompson.com
• Walk West: walkwest.com

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@AllUpInYourBusinessPod

Become a Supporter of the show for as little as $3 and get exclusive access to shows early, special interviews, and updates from guests! Support the show here

In this episode, I sit down with Kristen Jacoby (KJ), the powerhouse behind Social to Social and a full-time real estate agent crushing it in Raleigh. KJ opens up about her journey from playing D1 field hockey to building a thriving real estate career while still in college, and her brave move to Raleigh in 2023 that changed everything.

We dive deep into the real story behind Social to Social - how a viral TikTok turned into 27 events in just 7 months, bringing thousands of people together in the Raleigh community. KJ gets vulnerable about battling depression during her first eight months in Raleigh, dealing with online hate, and why she vlogs her life.

From sauna epiphanies to champagne tower disasters, KJ shares the unfiltered truth about building a business from scratch with zero event planning experience. If you've ever felt stuck overthinking your business idea or wondered how to make real friends as an adult in a new city, this episode is for you.

Kristen Jacoby (KJ):

• Instagram: @kristennjacoby (her personal/real estate account)
• TikTok: @kj

Social to Social Events:

• Instagram: @socials.social (main account - she notes this is the ONLY official account, all others are fake)

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@AllUpInYourBusinessPod

Become a Supporter of the show for as little as $3 and get exclusive access to shows early, special interviews, and updates from guests! Support the show here

It is nonprofit week! In this episode, I’m sitting down with Heather Thompson. She’s the Vice President of the Realtor Giving Network (RGN), but honestly, she’s more of a professional gap-filler for our community. Heather is here to debunk the "nonprofit myth" and show how Raleigh Realtors are doing way more than just closing deals - they’re out here furnishing homes for families, saving women and children in need, and hauling AC units and space heaters to seniors.. It’s a raw, heart-on-your-sleeve conversation about why philanthropy is basically just a "marketplace for love" and why a wicker dollhouse might be the most meaningful thing in the room.

The Top 4 Things

• Nonprofits are Real Businesses: Heather breaks down why working for a nonprofit isn't just "sweet charity" work-it’s a professional sector that employs 10% of the US workforce.
• The "Unrestricted" Gold Mine: We talk about why "unrestricted funds" are the liquid gold of the nonprofit world, allowing organizations to actually pay the light bill and handle emergency needs.
• Home Security & Survival: A heavy but necessary look at the reality of transitional housing, including why lamps have to be next to doors and why a simple rubber-tipped stick is a vital safety tool for mothers in crisis.
• The Realtor Power: How 10,000 local realtors have turned into an emergency response team that delivers window AC units to seniors within 24 hours of a call for help.

Resources

• Realtor Giving Network Website: www.rrarrgivingnetwork.org
• Other nonprofits mentioned:
  • The Green Chair Project: https://www.thegreenchair.org/
  • The Women’s Center:https://www.womenscenterraleigh.org/
  • Oak City Cares: https://oakcitycares.org/
  • CASA (Kings Ridge): https://www.casanc.org/
  • The Hope Center at Pullen: https://hopecenteratpullen.org/

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@AllUpInYourBusinessPod

Become a Supporter of the show for as little as $3 and get exclusive access to shows early, special interviews, and updates from guests! Support the show here