The Best of LKN
Episodes
405 episodes
407: Wes Priddy - Higher Ground Outdoor Living
If you've ever stepped into a backyard and thought, this is the best room in the house, you already understand what Wes Priddy is going for. Wes is the owner of Higher Ground Outdoor Living and a founding member of our Best of LKN Business Netw...
406: CTR Custom Homes - Connor Ruckman & Sara Brennan
In this episode, recorded on the veranda at Safe Harbor Peninsula Yacht Club, Jeff sits down with interior designer Sara Brennan of Sara Lynn Brennan Interiors and builder Connor Ruckman of CTR Custom Homes to talk about a spectacular new const...
405: Lake Norman Fondo - 8 Years of Cycling for a Cause with John Finney
John Finney joins the podcast to talk about the Lake Norman Fondo, now heading into its eighth year. What started as a community ride of fewer than 100 cyclists on the Town Green in Davidson has grown into a 500-plus rider event drawing partici...
404: Jessica Lundgren - Inside Classica Homes
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Jessica, a sales manager at Classica Homes, at the Napa model in Stevens Farm, Huntersville. They talk about what sets Classica apart as a locally owned, design-based builder: a custom-home experience and qu...
403: Elisa Gillespie - Proactive Motion Physical Therapy
Elisa Gillespie returns to the Best of LKN for the first time since November 2022 — and a lot has changed. After years operating as Gillespie Physical Therapy and then Movement Matters, Elisa launched Proactive Motion Physical Therapy in July 2...
402: Jon House - From NASCAR Pit Crews to Kayak Fishing for Veterans
In this episode of the Best of LKN Podcast, Jeff Hamm sits down with Jon House, a real estate broker with Allen Tate covering the North Charlotte-to-Statesville corridor. Jon shares his remarkable journey from chasing a childhood NASCAR dream a...
401: Surf Wake Ski Lake Norman - Meet Audrey & Tim
In this episode of The Best of LKN Podcast, Jeff sits down with Audrey Pennell and Tim Hyde, co-founders of Surf Wake Ski, a new Lake Norman business launching for summer 2026. Both North Carolina natives who met working at a Mooresville boat d...
400: Dr. Jonathan Leake - Hydrate Medical Lake Norman
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Dr. Jonathan Leake, board-certified emergency medicine physician and co-founder of Hydrate Medical, an IV hydration and wellness practice with eight locations across the Carolinas, including Mooresville and ...
399: Lake Norman Real Estate: Denver & Sherrills Ford Market Report May 2026
Jeff sits down with Mike Feeley of Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties to talk about the west side of Lake Norman — specifically Denver, Sherrills Ford, and Terrell. They dig into why this part of the lake has long been considered the region...
398: Cliff Kinchen - Kinchen Martial Arts Academy in Cornelius
Cliff Kinchen, founder of Kinchen Martial Arts in Cornelius, joins the podcast to share his remarkable journey from a tough upbringing in Detroit to 20 years in the Air Force, and eventually to building a thriving martial arts school on Bailey ...
397: The Serve Pickleball + Kitchen - Meet Robin & Jack Salzman
In this episode of The Best of LKN, we welcome back Robin and Jack Salzman to talk about their latest venture, The Serve Pickleball & Kitchen in Cornelius – a one-of-a-kind entertainment complex featuring 10 indoor courts, 6 outdoor courts,...
396: goGLOW Mooresville - Meet Jeremie & Briana Evans
Jeremie and Briana Evans join the podcast to introduce goGLOW Mooresville, a new non-toxic spray tanning salon opening May 1st in Langtree Village. The husband-and-wife team share how they met in Charlotte's mortgage industry, settled in Moores...
395: Jenny Curran - My Gym Lake Norman
Meet Jenny Curran, the brand-new owner of My Gym Lake Norman — the children's fitness center tucked into the plaza by the Harris Teeter on Sam Furr Road (yes, right by Birkdale, and yes, the parking is actually easy). Jen...
394: Jim Gordon - Inside Peninsula Prime
In this episode, Jim Gordon, owner of Peninsula Prime in Cornelius, joins the podcast to share how 2025 became a pivotal turnaround year for the upscale steakhouse. After taking full operational control in January 2025, Jim and his wife Robin r...
393: Mike Feehley - Lake Norman Luxury Real Estate
Mike Feehley is a luxury real estate broker with Ivester Jackson Distinctive Properties, a Christie's International Realty affiliate, and a career firefighter and chief with the Charlotte Fire Department.In this episode, Mike shares how ...
392: Matt Venuti - The AmeriCosmos Experience (Cain Center)
Matt Venuti is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and national touring artist who began his musical journey as a trumpet player before discovering the electronic valve instrument (EVI) in a Boston jazz club. That chance e...
391: Karen Schmidt - Freshwater Shoppe on Brawley (Mooresville, NC)
Karen Schmidt of Freshwater Design Build returns to the Best of LKN Podcast to share exciting news: Freshwater Shoppe, a retail design studio that opened in October 2025 on Brawley School Road in Mooresville. Located next...
390: Christy Martin - Boxing Legend & Survivor
Boxing Legend Christy Martin on Surviving Domestic Violence and Building Christie's ChampsBoxing legend and domestic violence survivor Christy Martin joins the podcast to discuss her nonprofit, Christie's Champs, and her whirlwind 2025 —...
389: Joe Meehan - Optima Vita Consulting
Jeff sits down with Joe Meehan, founder of Optima Vita Consulting, whose path to wellness coaching wound through pre-med studies, a professional basketball career in Switzerland, nine years coaching Division I ball at Bucknell University, and u...
388: Stephen Grotz - Architecture, Renovation & Timeless Design
Stephen Grotz, founder of Stephen Grotz Architecture PLLC, joins the podcast to talk about his path from Culpeper, Virginia to building a multi-state residential architecture firm. Stephen shares how his love of home design started early — sket...
387: Alongside Families - Meet Meghan Macy & Mary Kay Portaro
In this episode, Jeff welcomes Meghan Macy, COO of Alongside Families, and Mary Kay Portaro, board member and former staff volunteer, to share the story behind this Charlotte-based nonprofit. Founded in 2017 by Emily Kemmann, Alongs...
386: Real Massage LKN - Therapeutic Massage in Denver/Sherrills Ford
Cindy and Eric are the husband-and-wife team behind Real Massage LKN, a new therapeutic massage studio located at 5206 Slanting Bridge Road in the Denver/Sherrills Ford area of Lake Norman. Cindy brings over two decades o...
385: Carol White - Impeccable Closets
Carol White's road to owning Impeccable Closets wound through a corporate PR career at GTE/Verizon, a stint as a stay-at-home mom, and seven years managing sales and training at a big box organization retailer — where she discovered a passion f...
384: Sarah Conrad - Growth, Running & Women of Strength
Sarah Conrad, owner of Clean Eatz Lake Norman, returns to The Best of LKN podcast to share updates on the brand's expansion to five Charlotte-area locations — Cornelius, Mooresville, Charlotte, and Concord — and what's new on the menu, from tur...
383: Executive Women of Lake Norman - with Joanie Baker and Kellie Grutko
Jeff sits down with Joanie Baker, President of Executive Women of Lake Norman, and Kellie Grutko, the organization's Director of Communications. Together they share the story of a group that's been connecting Lake Norman's women in business sin...