Surprisingly

Before Dave Brown became the co-owner of The Basement, The Basement East and Lowbar, he was just a guy who wisely decided to drop out of college and hitchhike across the country. He had just lost a dear friend in a horrific tragedy and was working through his grief, trying to make a living and casually figuring out the meaning of life along the way. Hear him talk about spotting small miracles in the moment, dumpster diving, and being stung by a scorpion in the second half of his sit-down with us. See this episode and more on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod. LINKS: https://www.thebasementnashville.com https://www.lowbarnashville.com  

Like a lot of people in Nashville, Dave Brown is a songwriter and musician. Like exactly one other person in Nashville, he's the proud (and humble) co-owner of the legendary The Basement, plus The Basement East and Low Bar Nashville. Even though he's not the kinda dude who would take credit in this way, the former is a space that has helped launch musical magnificence: St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Sturgill Simpson, just to name a few. His Part 1 details his journey into becoming a business guy. But his Part 2? That one is all about his very unbusiness-like freewheeling escapades hitchhiking across the country after an early existential crisis. See this episode and more on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod. LINKS: thebasementnashville.com & lowbarnashville.com

Scott is here on a mission. He's ready to be the latest stranger to sit with us and he's willing to get extra vulnerable. He's just finished a book to help people get out of their own way and get busy pursuing their dreams. He cringes when he calls the book self-help, but he glows when he shares that he's gotten astronauts, famous artists and professional athletes to contribute their stories on its pages. He talks about navigating his relationship with a father who was mentally ill, we make some fart jokes and we cry a little too.   See this episode and more on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod.   LINK: https://tenaciousbook.com

Scott is here on a mission. He's ready to be the latest stranger to sit with us and he's willing to get extra vulnerable. He's just finished a book to help people get out of their own way and get busy pursuing their dreams. He cringes when he calls the book self-help, but he glows when he shares that he's gotten astronauts, famous artists and professional athletes to contribute their stories on its pages. He talks about navigating his relationship with a father who was mentally ill, we make some fart jokes and we cry a little too.   See this episode and more on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod.   LINK: https://tenaciousbook.com

In John's second episode, we go full tilt boogie into the power, purpose and intricacies of finding and wearing fragrances. Lock in for tea on what scents he loves and how he advises wearing perfumes on the body. Stay awhile to hear him piece out some on the language in the olfactory world. Then don't miss the end, when he gives our newest coworker a concierge cologne reco sesh.   LINKS: https://refineryfragrances.com

In John's former life, he was a hired-gun touring guitarist. Now, in his early thirties, he runs his own fragrance boutique, offering a pretty massive selection of niche unisex lines from his Nashville shop and select fragrances online. We start talking with the full intention of delving into how he met his wife of 10 years when he was just 16, but listeners, we got sidetracked talkin' about scents, clothes, styling your home and hanging a TV for the first time. Zero percent sorry. In his episodes, we'll be covering off on three F's: fashion, fragrance and (Oop! Sidewinder!) football. In this Part 1, your host gets a history lesson about Baltimore's Colts and Ravens debacle, and John stands on business as a diehard fan. He shares the details about his full-circle story of playing with Skillet, his friendship with Colton Dixon and how it's wild to be just, you know, a human in a body.   See this episode and more on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod.   LINK: https://refineryfragrances.com    

In Mandy's second episode, she talks more about her relationship with her parents, recording a new album and her interest in music history. She shares a bit about how her creative process works and how being emotionally resilient has helped her survive in a challenging business.   Bonus tip from Mandy's dad Dan: If you're stuck in the fog, always keep an eye on the ditch line to guide you.   Watch this episode and more on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod.   LINK: mandybarnett.com  

Mandy is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and veteran of stage and studio who has been performing since she was a child. In this episode we learn how, at just 18 years old, Mandy played Patsy Cline in the musical Always Patsy Cline to reopen the Ryman Auditorium. She shares that she has recently taken over hosting Sundays with Mandy on SiruisXM's "Willie's Roadhouse" after the loss of her dear friend and country star Jeannie Seely, who previously hosted Sundays with Seely. Mandy also gives us a bit of insight into sweet relationship with her mother, Betty, and how losing her earlier this year has affected her.   See this episode and more on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod.   LINK: mandybarnett.com

In Kevin's Part 2, he shares the happiest moments of his life, how he's learned to communicate to connect well with clients and how this sit-down with me was nothing like what he expected it to be, but in a good way.   See this episode and more on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod.   LINKS: https://collidecreative.com   https://kevintucker.com    

Don't you love when you meet someone for the first time and you skip the small talk and get right to it? After the pleasantries, Kevin starts by sharing some of his ultra-relatable insecurities and how he's coping with them. He talks about how, in his work as a designer in the entertainment space, he's shed preconcieved notions about people—namely Larry the Cable Guy. We also discuss the universal appeal of Garth Brooks and how Big & Rich's "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) is an undeniably tasty bop.   See this episode and more on YouTube.   LINKS: https://collidecreative.com   https://kevintucker.com

This mini-episode gets into the spirt of the season by begging the question: You wanna take it out back?   We set up on the back porch of our ad agency and content studio to sit with a fresh batch of interesting strangers on the street. We're talking holiday memories, gifts, foiled plans and more. From scandolous holiday cake making to shedding unexpected light on the opioid crisis, this one will give you the giggles and might even make you cry a little.   See this episode and more on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod.   And please watch the student-made documentary "Predator & Prey: Opioids' Savage Effect On Our Community" on YouTube as well. 

In Scott's second episode, he shares how he is constantly looking for new ways to engage communities for fundraising. He graciously answers a couple questions from your host-and-producer's daughter about stage fright and song choice. (The song was "Walk this Way" by Aerosmith. This is becoming a Steven Tyler-heavy podcast lately.)   Scott also shares his thoughts on the future of the sport of ice skating, including the dichotomy between the professional and amatuer sides of the sport.   At the end, he answers how he continues to approach the question: Why not? And how he's working on not being so hard on himself.   Learn how you can give to support cancer research at Scottcares.org.   Watch Scott's episode and subscribe on YouTube. Find us on Instagram @surprisinglypod. Watch Scott's episode and subscribe on YouTube. LINKS: https://www.scottcares.org

Children and adults of the 80's, rejoice! We're on the cusp of giving season and we are so proud to have hosted world-renowned, Olympic gold medalist, Scott Hamilton for a lovely gab session about all the things that are close to his heart. In his first episode, he shares his passion for philanthropy and talks about the who's who and the what's what of this year's Scott Hamilton & Friends event at Bridgestone arena here in Nashville. His annual event is a live music and ice-skating extravaganza for all ages that supports the Scott Hamilton CARES foundation to help fund innovative cancer research. Find tickets and learn more about how you can give now—or throughout the year—at Scottcares.org. Watch Scott's episode and subscribe on YouTube. LINKS: https://www.scottcares.org

On Brother Love's Part Two episode, we continue our conversation about learning how to quell our anger, his radio show Community Corner on Nashville's Lightning 100 and his Just Keep Talking podcast.   He touches on his Morning Pages practice, addiction and how he believes in meaning it when you ask, "How are you?" And in being truthful with your answer when asked the same.   LINKS:  justkeeptalking.com themvibes.com lightning100.com/communitycorner

What's not to love about Larry, a.k.a Brother Love?   He's our 237th musician and disc jockey on this podcast who comes correct with great stories. He gets really excited when he talks about his cool, touring-drummer wife, boinking his bride in Steven Tyler's bed and singing karaoke with Ed Sheeran.   Before we close, we talk about him getting access to therapy through Music Cares and how he's learning to manage his anger. He has a part two as well. Don't miss it.   LINKS: justkeeptalking.com themvibes.com lightning100.com/communitycorner

We pick up where we left off with Jason and get into why fame doesn't matter to him as much as getting paid and why working with behind-the-scenes industry legends is such a meaningful part of his work.   From working on Netflix's cartoon Motown Magic and writing a book, Jason talks about enjoying his success and focusing on giving back.   LINKS: https://www.eighthroom.com

We're in Nashville, so it stands to reason that a lot of our guests will wanna talk music. So far the quotient of music-industry guests is pretty high and there is no shortage of interesting insider info when it comes to that particular topic in this town.   Jason, aka Hollis, is a music producer and performance venue owner with a firm Gen X hustler mentality who has found success through staying true to his childhood passion no matter what.   In this episode, he shares the merits of wearing sunglasses all the time, how watching Fraggle Rock and the Muppets inspired him as a child and how working with bands like The Fray, Rose Hill Drive and The Pink Spiders took his career to the next level.   LINKS:  https://www.eighthroom.com

If there's one thing we love on this podcast, it's to be surprised. Obviously. So when Lona showed up to the studio like a ray of sunshine with cute hair and an even cuter heart stamp on her cheek, we knew we were in for a fun chat. She's a middle-aged woman who is very much into doing exactly what gives her joy while juggling a million things at once. Which, for your host, is so stinking relatable.   Lona was eager to discuss her two recent book launches and her work as a life coach. That segues us into why hope and connection matter, especially when we're all struggling in different ways.   We're only a couple episodes into our podcast and I'm seeing some themes emerge: people want to talk about our information landscape, interpersonal relationships and mental health. We're here for it.   LINKS: Livelaughlona.com   Watch Lona's episode and subscribe on YouTube

We had such a good time chatting with Bennett in our first episode that we invited him back for a part two follow-up. In this second sitting, we discuss whether moral superiority deserves a place in the enjoyment of art and why he only eats octopus once a year. Then we take a deeper dive into who his mother was as a woman, why inclusion with intention matters and why he believes placing value on an action is more meaningful than placing value on holding a belief itself. Watch Part 2 of Bennett's episode and subscribe on YouTube

We're only three episodes in and already we've talked to two folks with shows of their own. Do one in three people have a podcast or content hustle at this point? Probably.   He's got his own radio show about NDE's, UFO's and all things paranormal, funky, weird and currently unexplainable. If we had all the time in the world, we probably would've discussed those phenomena at length. Instead, Roman gets vulnerable about how he felt aimless at a certain point in his life and how his faith—and therapy—helped put things in perspective.   Roman also touches on how more men need to take personal responsibility for how they show up emotionally in relationships. So, will therapy save men and keep them from continually destroying themselves and everything we hold dear? We can only hope.   LINKS: "It's Getting Weird Out There" on 1029thebuzz.com   Watch Roman's episode and subscribe on YouTube

Growing up, Hayley loved all the behind-the-scenes music industry magic she saw watching her mother work at a radio station. Today, she's built a storied career as a beloved Nashville DJ. In this episode, Hayley talks about her love of music and what it feels like to interview famous people. There's a little respectful name dropping, of course, but we don't talk deep celebrity shop—and that's intentional—because there's an unspoken Nashville rule: If you've got friends in high places, be cool. Also, if you see someone famous living their dang life here in town, fix your face and keep it movin'.  And if, say, you're Hayley and you happen to have gotten marital advice from Alice Cooper before your wedding, be totally chill about it in the moment and definitely spill those beans for our collective benefit. LINKS: @therealmp3spod facebook.com/therealmp3s Watch Hayley's episode and subscribe on YouTube

In our inaugural Surprisingly episode, we meet Bennett, a goat-soap marketer who was raised by a Caribbean mother and an Italian-Midwestern father.   We explore how his culture, his intellectual familial environment and early-life grief has informed how he sees the world.   Bennett humbly defines new vocab words for Bridget, breaks down determinism and classical stoicism, and shares how philosophical concepts (and years of therapy) have helped him foster greater empathy. If you dig this listen, strap your nip hairs down because we'll be releasing a second episode of Bennett soon. LINKS: lynchburgsoapcompany.com Watch Bennett's episode and subscribe on YouTube

Surprisingly is all about creating space for meaningful and unexpected connections. In each episode, our curious host meets one-on-one with a stranger. No hidden agenda. No talking points. No prepared questions. Just two people seeing where the conversation leads. Produced in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee by Fresh Consumables content studio.