Jess Ekstrom is the founder of Mic Drop Workshop, where she helps women land paid keynote spots and become thought leaders. She's also a keynote speaker, author, and mom of two.

Learn how Jess went from being the only woman in a speaking lineup (with an event planner who admitted "we just needed a woman") to training thousands of women worldwide to get paid to speak. In this episode, Jess talks about why in-person events are no longer optional, the power of asking "why not?" instead of "what if," and how she doesn't do it all despite what it looks like on social media.

Plus: throwing away yearbooks, the "tomorrow Jess" productivity hack, and why the question shouldn't be "what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?"

Resources:

• Mic Drop Workshop: jessekstrom.com
• Podcast: Making It with Jess Ekstrom
• Book: Making It Without Losing It (out now)
• Text line: Send "HYPE" to 704-228-4973

This episode's interview with this guest was too good to not publish, so please excuse the minor inconvenience half way through!

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Amanda Cheney is the founder of aMANda's Best Friend, a pet care service that's been around for 15 years. She started with a one-page business plan and six months from her dad to prove it could work.

Learn how Amanda went from wanting to be a vet to working in telecom, banking, and politics before finally saying "I wanna work with the real dogs." In this episode, Amanda talks about rebuilding after COVID, scaling to a team of 20, expanding to Greensboro, and why she's launching a coaching and consulting arm this spring for pet care providers looking to grow.

Plus: the Maya Angelou quote that changed how she hires, why getting involved in nonprofits is essential for small business owners, and why adopt don't shop is critical.

Resources:

• aMANda's Best Friend: amandasbestfriend.com | @amandas_best_friend

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
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Danny Rosin co-owns Brand Fuel, a B Corp doing brand merchandising globally, and founded Band Together, a nonprofit that's raised over a million dollars a year for 25 years through live concerts.

Learn how his Band Together story raised $60,000 in only 3 weeks. In this episode, Danny talks about strategic abandonment, why nonprofits should invest in overhead, living life through rose-colored glasses, and how Raleigh's caring community banded together to create something that's lasted 25 years.

Resources:

• Band Together: bandtogether.org | October 10th concert
• Brand Fuel: brandfuel.com
• Danny Rosin: LinkedIn

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
• Follow / DM on Instagram: www.instagram.com/allupinyourbusinesspod
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Tara McCoy didn't wake up one day deciding to start a travel agency. It started with a college internship at AAA, turned into a side hustle to pay off debt, and 12 years later she's running Two Sisters Travel - a boutique travel agency that's sent clients to six continents.

The name? Her and her sister Elizabeth. Elizabeth wanted to work from home after having a baby. Tara said let's do our own thing. Elizabeth said "I just wanna sell travel, I don't wanna run a business." Tara said fine, I'll handle it. Turns out Tara was running a business for six years before she even realized it.

In this episode, Tara breaks down what actually happened during COVID (spoiler: she had clients reschedule for FOUR YEARS), why working with a travel advisor protects your time and investment, and the 13th birthday trip tradition she does with each of her five kids - solo trips anywhere in the world. We talk Japan cherry blossoms, Iceland Northern Lights, World War II history tours, and why she's headed to six continents in 2026.

Plus: the Morocco spiritual awakening, watching a lion pride take down a water buffalo, and why backup plans matter when life snowballs. Want to hear how her full pride experience went?? Subscribe to Patreon to get the deets!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Two Sisters Travel: twosisterstravelco.com
• LinkedIn: Tara McCoy / Two Sisters Travel Company
• Location: Columbia, South Carolina (serves clients across the US)

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

• Email story ideas to AllUpInYourBusinessPod@gmail.com
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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

Jamie Davis has been practicing family law exclusively for 25 years - same law firm since graduating law school. She went in thinking she'd do criminal law, took one family law class at UNC, and never looked back.

Now she's a board certified family law specialist, certified parenting coordinator, family financial mediator, and host of "A Year and a Day: Divorce Without Destruction" podcast (which started in her son's bedroom with a handheld recorder in 2017).

In this episode, Jamie breaks down the myths we all believe about divorce. No, you don't get everything if your spouse cheats. Yes, you should absolutely have a therapist during divorce (it's cheaper than therapy-ing your lawyer). And staying together for the kids? Not always the best move.

We talk prenups vs postnups, why business owners need protection before marriage, the questions you should ask before saying "I do," and why North Carolina's year-and-a-day separation law actually makes sense. Plus: why the divorce itself is the most anticlimactic part of the whole process.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Jamie Davis: divorceistough.com | jdavis@divorceistough.com
• Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn: @jaimehdavisattorney
• Podcast: A Year and a Day: Divorce Without Destruction
• Book: Divorce Without Destruction
• Law Firm: Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor and Gibbs
• Location: Raleigh, North Carolina

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

Cody started Unhinged Coffee in April 2025 - and it wasn't planned. After 18 years in corporate America (Wells Fargo, all the way up to VP), they were over it. Missed the human connection. Felt like they were watching communities from the outside.

Around the same time, Cody was processing the loss of his dad. The way they connected? Over coffee. Morning, afternoon, and evening coffee. All day, every day.

The mission? Rooted in mental health. Breaking stigma, creating community, making resources accessible.

In this episode, Cody talks about leaving corporate, why he is doing Find Your Therapist speed dating events, and the lesson about who actually shows up to support you (spoiler: it's not who you think). We get into hot yoga disasters, collaboration bike rides with ice casualties, and why their mugs say things like "I love hot dads" and "rise and fucking shine."

Plus: miso caramel hojicha lattes, why planning beats rushing, and the 16-foot coffee trailer coming soon.

Soft opening this Friday April 3rd. Grand opening in May. Knightdale needs this.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Unhinged Coffee: Located at the old Rewind Retro Bar, Knightdale NC
• Instagram/TikTok: @unhingedcoffee.co
• Soft opening: Friday, April 3rd
• Grand opening: May 2026
• Wake Forest Farmer's Market (Saturdays)
• Knightdale Farmer's Market (monthly)
• Run club launching February
• Collaboration bike rides with Bike Library Raleigh
• KJ / Social to Social (Pilates event host - previous episode guest)
• Raleigh Founded (coworking space)
• Blu Co (e-commerce focused coworking)

Support the show

🔗 My Links:

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

Holly Schwab's nine-month-old son Zach had a grapefruit-sized tumor attached to all his major organs, including his aorta. They were within a month of it spreading.

That was 2008. Zach is now 19, cancer-free, and the namesake of a nonprofit that's been collecting toys for hospitalized kids for 16 years.

In this episode, Holly walks through Zach's neuroblastoma diagnosis, why she switched oncology teams at Duke, and the moment doctors closed Zach's file without telling her because she got a second opinion at Sloan Kettering. We talk about the $12,000 CT scan bill after insurance, why her husband got fired during Zach's treatment, and how she noticed a gap no one else was filling - kids stuck in treatment chairs for 7-12 hours with nothing but crayons meant for older children.

Holly started Zach's Toy Chest to fill that void. Now they serve Duke, UNC, emergency rooms, clinics, and even life flight helicopters across North Carolina. She shares her hardest lesson (not everyone wants to help you), why she never gatekeeps nonprofit advice, and the importance of infant and teen donations - the age groups everyone overlooks.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Zach's Toy Chest: zachstoychest.org
• Donation options: One-time or recurring ($10/month makes a big difference)
• Volunteer opportunities: Toy sorting, courage card making, event support
• Hospitals served: Duke, UNC (Wake Med), emergency rooms, clinics across NC
• Upcoming events: Golf Tournament (May 4th), Summer's Night with Santa (late July/early August)
• Ronald McDonald House (Duke and NYC Upper East Side locations)
• Duke Law Clinic (helped with 501c3 paperwork)
• Amber Smith / Activate Good (YouTube resources for starting nonprofits - 200-300 free videos)
• Sloan Kettering (NYC - Upper East Side, neuroblastoma specialists)

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

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