Stories from the Center of the Universe

Episode 292: Spring Break Memories with Mel and Ebeth

We recorded this one during Spring Break 2023. So why are we releasing this now? I wanted this to be a fun set of recorded memories just available for 2 families. The Gilmans and Colemans are on vacation again and the youngest of 5 kids (across both families) asked me for the 5th or 6th time to publish it to the world. So here you have it....two families reminiscing about Spring Break trips taken together over the course of several years (unfortunately we didn't have the 3 oldest kids because they were in college at the time). Yes, this one is random and fun.

Episode 291: Kiara Robinson

Kiara Robinson and Paul met in a unique way and discovered they had both been in the military. Kiara was active duty in the United States Marine Corps for five and a half years and had many different jobs/duties while in the USMC. She is from Long Beach, CA, but went to high school in Phoenix, AZ where she played a lot of sports and ultimately made the decision to enlist. They talked about her experiences in the military and how she had to get used to being a civilian again when she left the military in 2018. Kiara told Paul that she has always enjoyed adventure, new things and exploring. They then talked about what was next for her which sounds like a trip of a lifetime. Kiara is going to drive the Pan American Highway starting in Alaska and ending in Argentina. She and Paul discussed how she will do it, what countries she will visit, the vehicle she will be traveling in and what some of her goals are for the trip. They ended by agreeing to touch base from time to time while Kiara is on her trip to hear about her experiences.

Episode 290: Weldon Bradshaw

Weldon Bradshaw has been a coach, a teacher and a writer. He is still writing and his knowledge of Richmond, Virginia high school sports is unparalleled. Weldon taught and coached at the The Collegiate School for fifty years and retired two years ago. Before that he was covering sports for the old News Leader newspaper and the Times Dispatch. He is in his 56th year of covering high school basketball, 55th year of high school football and he’s covered many other sports along the way. Weldon was quick to point out that he would not have been able to do that without the wonderful support of his wife Emily. Paul and Weldon discussed sports and competition stories, but they also talked about the behind the scenes stories that Weldon would observe and then write about. They also discussed a life changing experience for Weldon when he became the benefactor of an organ donation in 2012. They finished by talking about Emily, their kids and grand kids and how he believes he has led a fulfilling life with all its challenges and joys along the way.

Episode 289: Chris Gorres

Paul asked Chris Gorres what he says when people ask him what he does for a living. He told Paul he is a Coach. We’ll come back to that. Chris moved to the United States from the Philippines when he was four years old. He grew up in Maryland and played all the sports growing up. That’s what he wanted to do and his Mom let him do it as long as he got the grades. The hard work on the field and in the classroom paid off when he attended Cornell University and played football for the Big Red. Paul and Chris had a great chat about sports now versus 20-25 years ago. They touched on the state of sports, the NIL, the transfer portal and Chris spoke wisely about striving for excellence and competing. They did talk about his job and Paul learned about some of the people Chris has coached and trained and his approach on how to train each person individually. They finished by talking about Chris’ podcast and his family.

Episode 288 (SB1): Laura Redding and Perfect Spaces Home Staging & More

Laura Redding joins the podcast as our first guest of an enduring series dedicated to telling the stories of entrepreneurs and their small businesses. Laura is the founder of Perfect Spaces Home Staging & More. In full disclosure, Laura and I are business partners in this company. As you can imagine, Laura and I are excited to share her story and discuss our business in this episode (SB1 = Small Business 1).

Episode 287: Rich Brent

Rich Brent is the Executive Director of The Big House Museum in Macon, Georgia. The Big House Museum is dedicated to the lives and memories of the Allman Brothers Band. Stu Brown (Episode 257) connected us to Rich. They grew up together in Hurt, Virginia and are great friends. Paul and Rich talked about growing up in Hurt, playing football and basketball and riding BMX style bikes. Rich talked about his professional life and how he was living in Macon, Ga. where he began volunteering at The Big House which led to him becoming an employee. He told Paul that he has been very fortunate to be a part of The Big House and to meet so many amazing fans. They discussed some of the incredible projects he has worked on and Paul discovered some of Rich’s favorite concert venues. They also talked about his wife Megan and her well known catering and restaurant business. They finished by talking about what the future holds for The Big House.

Episode 286: Stewart Verdery

Stewart Verdery joins Paul via a connection with John Hollis (Episodes 277 & 282). His family moved to the Richmond area when he was five and settled in Hanover on a fourteen acre farm that had had a long history. Paul learned of some very unique things that the Verdery family built on the farm in those early years. Stewart went to a couple of schools in the Richmond area before finishing his last three years at Woodberry Forest. He talked about his great experiences while there and his involvement with the school since he graduated to present. For college he went to Williams and then to the University of Virginia for law school. He and Paul talked about his extensive career in and around the U.S. government including being the first Assistant Secretary of Policy for the newly formed Department of Homeland Security. He told Paul about some of the politicians he worked for and how he started his own lobbying and public affairs firm when he left the public sector. They finished by talking about his wife Jenny and their three kids, Izzy, Chase and Jack.

Episode 285: Ray Hedrick

Paul told Ray Hedrick that he completed the trifecta for him. Ray, as the Head Baseball Coach at Randolph Macon College, now joins Pedro Arruza (Episode 99) and Josh Merkel (Episode 154) of being on the podcast and representing the three major sports at RMC. They discussed RMC and the athletic success they have been and are currently enjoying. He told Paul that it is not just three major sports, but he mentioned softball, women’s volleyball, and both lacrosse teams amongst others. Paul asked Ray about growing up and discovered that Ray is from northern Virginia and was raised by his grandparents. He talked about playing different sports growing up and he then told Paul why baseball became his sport and why he loves it so much. Ray played at RMC and then held a few different positions in the college baseball world before landing the head coaching job at his alma matter at the young age of 29. Paul learned and was surprised by some of Ray’s daily activities as a D3 Baseball Coach. They finished by talking about Ray’s coaching philosophy and most importantly about his family … wife Sheree, daughter Maris and son Garner.

Episode 284: Bravo Bakeshop - Liz Dillon

Liz Dillon joins Paul for Series 4, Part 2 of the Downtown Ashland Association and we are so happy to have her on the podcast! Liz is a native of Florida and grew up on a farm in a small community so it is no wonder that she told Paul that she loves Ashland. Liz and her husband have settled in Hanover and when doing so, Liz saw an opportunity to live out her dream and follow a true passion that she has had since she was a little girl and that was to have a bakery business. Along with her own hard work and planning, she went through the DAA Entrepreneurial Program and she won the Center Street Pitch Competition sponsored by the DAA. Paul learned the meaning behind the name as well as the type of baking Liz does which is very unique. She told Paul about what she’s doing now and they also discussed her future plans for Bravo Bakery. They finished by talking about what Liz likes to do when she’s not baking and about her three kids and one very special grand daughter who will be three next month.

Episode 283: Barry Farmer

Barry Farmer comes to the podcast via a connection with Louise Keeton and the Downtown Ashland Association. Paul learned about what Barry knew about Ashland as a young person growing up in the city. They talked about his upbringing and how he was raised by his grandmother and what she meant to him. He discussed the close relationships he had with his siblings growing up even though they were living in separate houses as children. Barry told Paul about his volunteer work and how it has led to many opportunities including a job. They had a lengthy discussion about Barry’s three sons who he adopted and raised as a single father. They talked about Barry’s journey of adopting each boy and there was one unique thing about Barry and his sons that was discovered during their conversation. They also talked about Barry’s radio show, how it is growing (it’s syndicated!) as well as its relationship to Ashland and the DAA.