Sunday Afternoon Smokes

Chris Strother
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Sunday Afternoon Smokes is a long-form podcast hosted by Chris Strother, featuring unhurried conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, business owners, and leaders across the Upstate of South Carolina. Each episode explores business, leadership, faith, risk, and the realities of building something meaningful. Recorded at the table, not the podium. Cigars are part of the setting — never the requirement. Settle in. Enjoy the conversation.

  1. 10h ago

    Color Analysis, Personal Style & Finding Your Path | Episode 87 with Lindsey Woodring

    Lindsey Woodring is the founder of Greenville Color Queen, where she helps people discover the colors that work best with their natural skin tone, eye color, and hair color through personal color analysis. In Episode 87 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Lindsey joins Chris in the lounge to break down what color analysis actually is, how seasonal color systems work, why black doesn't look good on everyone, and how the right colors can change everything from clothing and makeup to hair color and personal style. But the conversation quickly becomes about much more than clothes. Lindsey talks about growing up in Minnesota, spending years bouncing between jobs and wondering why nothing seemed to fit, moving to Greenville, and eventually realizing that she wasn't looking for the right job—she needed to build something of her own. After discovering color analysis and becoming certified, Lindsey launched Greenville Color Queen in late 2025. Within her first year, she conducted more than 600 color analysis sessions and turned what began as a side business into her full-time career. They also get into Lindsey's own transformation—from hiding behind black clothing, blonde hair, and a version of herself that didn't feel authentic to becoming more comfortable with who she actually is—as well as entrepreneurship, confidence, personal growth, faith, and where she hopes to take Greenville Color Queen next. An unhurried conversation about color, identity, entrepreneurship, faith, and finally finding something that fits. GVL Color Queen: https://www.gvlcolorqueen.com https://www.gvlcolorqueen.com https://www.instagram.com/gvlcolorqueen https://www.instagram.com/gvlcolorqueen Sunday Afternoon Smokes: https://sundayafternoonsmokes.com https://sundayafternoonsmokes.com https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes

    Color Analysis, Personal Style & Finding Your Path | Episode 87 with Lindsey Woodring

  2. Sep 27

    Creativity, Business & Building the Upstate Music Scene | Episode 86 with Brandon Schnader

    Brandon Schnader is the co-founder of Brando Jones Films, a Greenville, South Carolina video production company built by musicians for musicians. In Episode 86 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Brandon sits down in the lounge to talk about the unlikely path that turned two musicians and longtime friends into business partners, filmmakers, and advocates for the Upstate South Carolina music scene. Brandon shares how he and Jones started with cameras, a love for local music, and a desire to document talented artists who weren’t getting the attention they deserved. What followed was years of learning how to balance creativity with business, navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship, work alongside your best friend, survive failure, and build a company without losing sight of the community that made it possible. The conversation also gets into social media, algorithms, the obsession with follower counts, why 500 views still means 500 real people, the realities of making a living doing something you love, and why great creative work can become something much bigger than content—it can become a time capsule. Today, Brando Jones Films has worked with hundreds of artists while continuing to invest in the musicians, venues, and creative community of the Upstate. This is a conversation about creativity, friendship, entrepreneurship, music, failure, community, and figuring out what you’re actually good at along the way. Brando Jones Films: https://www.brandojonesfilms.com/ https://www.instagram.com/brandojonesfilms/ Sunday Afternoon Smokes: https://sundayafternoonsmokes.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

    Creativity, Business & Building the Upstate Music Scene | Episode 86 with Brandon Schnader

  3. Sep 20

    Custom Home Building, Remodeling & Why Construction Costs So Much | Episode 85 with Caleb Adkins

    Caleb Adkins has been around tools and construction for most of his life — from helping rebuild his family's home as a kid to working on farms, learning from experienced tradesmen, managing custom residential renovations, and building his own company, C A Homes. In Episode 85 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Caleb joins Chris in the lounge for a wide-ranging conversation about custom home building, remodeling, construction costs, building codes, HVAC, design, and why real-world experience can sometimes teach what a classroom can't. They also get into why good planning can save homeowners money, what actually drives the cost of a renovation, how building codes continue to change, and what Caleb has learned from years of working alongside skilled tradespeople. There's also a unique connection to the Sunday Afternoon Smokes lounge itself: Caleb helped bring the room to life, installing the exhaust and portable air-conditioning systems after Chris designed the room's airflow and cooling strategy. That leads into a deeper conversation about The Smoking Room Co., intentional spaces, and why a well-designed room should do more than look good — it should work. Plus: cigars, bourbon, margaritas, Airbnb ownership, C A Homes, raising a family, learning by doing, and where Caleb hopes to take his business next. Contact Caleb: cplusthreeoffice@gmail.com Sunday Afternoon Smokes: sundayafternoonsmokes.com https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/ The Smoking Room Co.: www.thesmokingroomco.com

    Custom Home Building, Remodeling & Why Construction Costs So Much | Episode 85 with Caleb Adkins

  4. Sep 13

    Beyond the Clothes: Fashion, Confidence & Human Connection | Episode 84 with Bob & Jennifer Houde

    Bob and Jennifer Houde, owners of Maison Avenir in Greenville, South Carolina, join Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a conversation that goes far beyond fashion. Jennifer has spent more than twenty years in luxury retail, developing an eye for fit, fabric, construction, quality, and the subtle details that determine whether a piece of clothing is actually worth owning. Her path, however, began with a degree in microbiology and plans to work for the CDC before realizing that the life she had prepared for wasn't the life she wanted. Bob followed an equally unexpected path through real estate, occupational therapy, and healthcare operations before eventually joining Jennifer to build Maison Avenir. Together, they created a high-end retail experience designed to feel less like a traditional boutique and more like being welcomed into someone's home. Chris, Bob, and Jennifer explore the relationship between clothing and confidence, why what we wear can become connected to identity, and how the right clothing can sometimes help someone rediscover a part of themselves. They also discuss the difference between price and value, Jennifer's process for curating brands from around the world, and why great curation is often about removing choices rather than adding more. The conversation eventually becomes less about clothes and more about people: hospitality, trust, relationships, building a business with your spouse, creating an experience people want to linger in, and Maison Avenir's attempt to scale intimacy without losing what makes the business special. Maison Avenir https://maisonavenir.com/ https://www.instagram.com/maison.avenir/ Sunday Afternoon Smokes https://sundayafternoonsmokes.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

    Beyond the Clothes: Fashion, Confidence & Human Connection | Episode 84 with Bob & Jennifer Houde

  5. Sep 6

    Life After Stroke & Brain Injury | Episode 83 with Alex Katzman & Caitlin Beakes

    What does recovery really look like after a stroke or traumatic brain injury? Alex Katzman and Caitlin Beakes join Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a wide-ranging conversation about stroke and brain injury rehabilitation, the hidden challenges patients face, and the impact these life-changing events have on entire families. Alex, an occupational therapist, and Caitlin, a speech-language pathologist, work with patients navigating everything from physical limitations and aphasia to memory loss, executive function, emotional regulation, and the difficult process of rebuilding everyday life. They explain why no two brain injuries are alike and why successful rehabilitation requires treating the whole person—not simply the most visible deficit. The conversation also gets deeply personal as Chris shares his experience walking alongside his wife after her stroke. Together, they discuss grief, identity, marriage after brain injury, the fear of becoming a burden, caregiver burnout, and the importance of giving both survivors and caregivers space to acknowledge when life is simply hard. Alex and Caitlin also share the story behind the Caretaker Support Group they helped create alongside Chris and why community matters for the people quietly carrying the weight of caring for someone they love. Along the way, they break down occupational therapy, speech therapy, aphasia, apraxia, cognition, neuroplasticity, and what meaningful progress can actually look like months—or years—after a brain injury. And before the conversation ends, Caitlin somehow takes us from speech therapy to riding a bicycle across the United States twice. Roger C. Peace: https://www.instagram.com/ph_rogercpeace/ Sunday Afternoon Smokes: https://www.sundayafternoonsmokes.com https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

    Life After Stroke & Brain Injury | Episode 83 with Alex Katzman & Caitlin Beakes

  6. Aug 30

    Four Generations of Automotive Craftsmanship | Episode 82 with Chris Dover

    Chris Dover is the third generation to lead Dover Cylinder Head Service, a fourth-generation family business serving the automotive industry in Upstate South Carolina. In Episode 82 of *Sunday Afternoon Smokes*, Chris joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up in the Upstate, watching Greenville and Pickens County change, learning the family business from his father, and eventually taking the reins himself. We get into cylinder heads and engine rebuilding, how the automotive industry has changed, the value of old-school craftsmanship, and why Chris believes doing right by the customer matters more than squeezing every dollar out of a job. We also talk cigars, Chris's passion for woodturning, the wooden whiskey glasses he may be making for the SAS lounge, and the work his church supports in Kenya, Tanzania, and Romania—including the experiences in Romania that changed his perspective on life back home in America. An unhurried conversation about family, craftsmanship, faith, business, and leaving something worth passing down. Dover Cylinder Head: www.doverheads.com Sunday Afternoon Smokes: www.sundayafternoonsmokes.com https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

    Four Generations of Automotive Craftsmanship | Episode 82 with Chris Dover

  7. Aug 23

    Dog Training, Hunting Dogs & Building Covey Kennels | Episode 81 with Ethan VanDonkelaar

    Ethan VanDonkelaar is the owner and head trainer at Covey Kennels in Upstate South Carolina, where he works with everything from family dogs and basic obedience to high-performing hunting and retrieving dogs. In Episode 81 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Ethan joins Chris in the lounge to talk about the path that took him from corporate sales to guiding fly-fishing and upland bird hunts — and eventually into building Covey Kennels. They get into what actually makes dog training work, why consistency from the owner matters just as much as the trainer, developing hunting dogs that can perform in the field and still live well at home, choosing the right breed for your lifestyle, gunfire conditioning, boarding philosophy, and just how much dogs are actually capable of learning. The conversation also goes well beyond dogs, touching on entrepreneurship, family, fatherhood, faith, jiu-jitsu, and the value of narrowing your focus to the things you’re genuinely built to do. An unhurried conversation about dogs, discipline, purpose, business, and building a life around the things that matter. Covey Kennels: https://www.coveykennels.com/ https://www.instagram.com/coveykennels/ Sunday Afternoon Smokes: sundayafternoonsmokes.com www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

    Dog Training, Hunting Dogs & Building Covey Kennels | Episode 81 with Ethan VanDonkelaar

  8. Aug 16

    Therapeutic Massage, Pain Relief & Understanding Your Body | Episode 80 with Megan Trimmer

    Megan Trimmer is the owner of Deep Kneads Massage Therapy in Greenville, South Carolina, where her approach to massage goes far beyond simply helping clients relax. In Episode 80 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Megan joins Chris to talk about her unlikely path from elementary education and the service industry to becoming a massage therapist and eventually building her own practice. Along the way, they explore the difference between relaxation and therapeutic massage, why the location of pain isn't always the source of the problem, and how our everyday habits and movement patterns can contribute to chronic discomfort. Megan explains why she views pain as information, how massage can work alongside chiropractic care, physical therapy, and strength training, and why understanding your own body is an important part of long-term health. 
They also get into hydration, hot stones, massage guns, what to expect during your first appointment, the realities of building a small business, Megan's new venture into life insurance, and—as tends to happen in the lounge—a lengthy detour into bartending and cocktails. It's an unhurried conversation about career changes, entrepreneurship, taking care of your body, and finding work you genuinely enjoy. Deep Kneads Massage: www.deepkneadsmassagetherapy.net Sunday Afternoon Smokes: www.sundayafternoonsmokes.com https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

    Therapeutic Massage, Pain Relief & Understanding Your Body | Episode 80 with Megan Trimmer
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5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Sunday Afternoon Smokes is a long-form podcast hosted by Chris Strother, featuring unhurried conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, business owners, and leaders across the Upstate of South Carolina. Each episode explores business, leadership, faith, risk, and the realities of building something meaningful. Recorded at the table, not the podium. Cigars are part of the setting — never the requirement. Settle in. Enjoy the conversation.

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