The Best of LKN
Episodes
417 episodes
419: Mike Feehley - Lake Norman Real Estate Market Report (Q2 2026)
Mike Feehley of Ivester Jackson Christie's International Real Estate is back to break down what's actually happening on the west side of Lake Norman. His read on Q2: this isn't a crash or a stall, it's a return to normal — roughly three to thre...
418: Paul Chickene - Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists
There are 96 islands on Lake Norman, and Paul Chickene will be the first to tell you that number is shrinking. Paul is VP of Communications and Volunteer Engagement for the Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists, a volunteer nonprofit working to...
417: Paras Gore - Atelier Doux Bakery
Paras Gore's three nephews used to sit through family birthdays and holidays with two or three Oreos each – the only thing on the table that wouldn't send them to the emergency room. So she put her organic chemistry background to work and start...
416: Dustin Johnson - Club Pups Lake Norman
Dustin Johnson walked away from a career at Hendrick Automotive Group, bought a piece of land in Mooresville, permitted it himself, and spent 22 months building a dog boarding and daycare. Eight years later, Club Pups Lake Norman is a multi-tim...
415: How AI Search Is Changing Local Business, with TJ Todd
For twenty-five years, getting found online meant chasing blue links on Google. That era is ending fast - and TJ Todd of Studio 490 is back on the show to explain what's replacing it. Jeff opens with a telling stat from his own experience: at a...
414: Elevate Strategy and Consulting - Lynn Bowser & Drew Webster
Most small business owners don't realize they've built a job instead of a business – and they find out the hard way when it's time to sell. Lynn Bowser and Drew Webster of Elevate Strategy and Consulting join Jeff to explain why a company doing...
413: Drew Chalfant - Hiking Adventures With Kids (Lake Norman)
Drew Chalfant and his wife brought HAWKs – Hiking Adventures With Kids – to Lake Norman, planting the national brand's first East Coast flag right here in our backyard. A recovering franchise attorney (and former emo-band touring musician) turn...
412: Brian Park - Park Place Entertainment
For twenty-plus years, Brian Park worked title abstracting in law firms – tattoos, white glasses, and all – while a lifelong love of music sat on the back burner. He started DJing on the side in 2016, booked his first wedding in November 2019 (...
411: Laughing Through Charlotte – The Story of Funny Bus
Lake Norman residents Lisa Schnurr and Kevin Anderson took one bright red school bus, a live comedian, and a whole lot of "well, crap, I guess we're doing this," and turned it into Funny Bus – a 90-minute BYOB comedy tour of Charlotte that's no...
410: Jaime Lane on Building Community with Link Lake Norman
Jaime Lane is Lake Norman through and through — she's been coming to the lake since 1983 and has called Huntersville home for more than two decades. On this episode, she sits down with Jeff to trace her path from interior designer and nonprofit...
409: Krystal Bajkor - Bee Organized Lake Norman
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Krystal Bajkor, founder of Bee Organized Lake Norman, a professional organizing service that helps busy families and professionals reclaim their homes. Krystal shares her path from a career in corporate bank...
408: Andrea Sharp - Building Good Gaines Fitness
Andrea Sharp returns for her fourth appearance to talk about a dream years in the making: her own brick-and-mortar gym. She walks Jeff through the Good Gaines Fitness journey – from training clients in her garage, to renting space at a baseball...
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...