The Stephan Hogan Podcast

Stephan Hogan
  • 5.0 (28)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

The Stephan Hogan Podcast is where creativity meets courage. Hosted by Nashville artist and storyteller Stephan Hogan, each episode dives deep into honest conversations with musicians, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders about the pursuit of purpose, success, and self-belief. Ranked among Spotify’s top 10% of video podcasts, Stephan’s show blends music, mindset, and meaning - reminding listeners that the most powerful stories are the ones told with heart.

  1. Dierks Bentley’s Tour Manager Built a Water Brand to Save Music

    3d ago

    Dierks Bentley’s Tour Manager Built a Water Brand to Save Music

    Chris Thacker is the co-founder and CEO of Stage Water, a canned water brand built for the live music community. He is also a longtime tour manager for Dierks Bentley and has spent decades behind the scenes of the music industry leading teams, solving problems, and keeping major tours moving. In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Chris Thacker shares how Stage Water launched, how the company became the official water of CMA Fest, and what most people do not understand about starting a beverage brand. We talk about the real business behind canned water, beverage distribution, co-packing, funding a startup, raising capital, giving equity to investors, building a brand with purpose, and why Stage Water gives back to the creative community. Chris also breaks down what he learned from years on the road with Dierks Bentley, how leadership changes when you are responsible for people, and why building something meaningful requires patience, risk, humility, and belief. This conversation is for entrepreneurs, founders, music industry professionals, artists, managers, creators, and anyone trying to build a business that actually stands for something. Watch more episodes of The Stephan Hogan Podcast for conversations on business, leadership, creativity, faith, ambition, failure, music, and the human stories behind success.verage Brand, Watch This https://www.countrypolitannashville.com https://www.studiobank.com/ https://stagewater.com/ https://www.simonsaysnashville.com/ Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

    1h 3m
  2. The Lost Art of Reinventing Yourself - Ben Montague

    Jun 4

    The Lost Art of Reinventing Yourself - Ben Montague

    At some point, the dream changes. Ben Montague started as a musician chasing songs, shows, and the artist life. Then he found himself driving through the night after gigs, windows down just to stay awake, so he could open his guitar shop the next morning. That was the crossroads. Today, Ben owns Carter Vintage Guitars and Norman’s Rare Guitars. But the real story is not about guitars. It is about being able to shift gears and follow a new dream.  In this episode, Ben opens up about music, business, private equity, family pressure, acquiring Carter Vintage and Norman’s Rare Guitars, and the emotional cost of building something meaningful. This one is for musicians, creatives, founders, business owners, guitar lovers, and anyone who knows they may be standing at a turning point.  Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

    1h 22m
  3. When the Dream Becomes a Business

    May 21

    When the Dream Becomes a Business

    https://www.gofundme.com/f/stephanhoganpodcast Stephan sits down with Mitchell Tenpenny for a real conversation about fatherhood, grief, losing a parent, anger, therapy, phones, social media, AI, fake validation, human connection, and why live music still matters in a world full of content. Mitchell Tenpenny is known for songs like Drunk Me, Truth About You, At the End of a Bar, and his latest chapter as an artist, husband, and soon-to-be father. Mitchell Tenpenny is a multi-platinum country artist, songwriter, and performer with one of the most recognizable voices in modern country music. But this conversation goes far beyond the songs. Mitchell Tenpenny opens up about becoming a father, losing his dad, trying to be present, and the strange weight that comes with chasing something you love. He talks honestly about anxiety, performing live, protecting his voice, and the mental side of walking on stage when thousands of people are expecting you to deliver. Stephan Hogan and Mitchell Tenpenny also talk about what happens when the dream starts working. The number one songs, the pressure to keep going, the expectations, the business, and the moment the thing you love can start to feel like something you have to keep alive. At the center of the conversation is a question a lot of people eventually face: What do you do when the thing you love starts to feel heavy? Toward the end, Mitchell Tenpenny dives deeper into songwriting, Nashville, country music, why some writers get caught trying to impress other writers, and why the best songs are usually the ones that feel honest, simple, and human. Subscribe to The Stephan Hogan Podcast for more conversations with artists, songwriters, music executives, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders shaping the future of music, business, and culture. Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

    1h 9m
  4. Inside the Music Business Playbook - Kent Earls

    May 13

    Inside the Music Business Playbook - Kent Earls

    Kent Earls is one of the music executives behind the scenes helping shape the songs, songwriters, artists, and careers people are talking about in Nashville. In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Kent Earls sits down with Stephan to talk about the business behind the hits, from his time as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville to becoming partner at Verse 2 Music, the publishing company built with Kane Brown in partnership with Sony Music Publishing. We talk about Ella Langley, Joybeth Taylor, Verse 2 Music, Kane Brown, Sony Music Publishing Nashville, Nashville music publishing, songwriter development, artist development, creative partnerships, and how leverage is really built in the music business. But this conversation is bigger than country music. Kent shares what artists, songwriters, creatives, entrepreneurs, executives, and decision makers need to understand about trusting your gut, owning your value, choosing the right partners, building relationships, and creating long-term leverage before the deal ever happens. This is an inside look at how high-level music executives think, how publishing companies bet on talent, and how careers are built behind the scenes in Nashville. Topics covered: Kent Earls, Ella Langley, Joybeth Taylor, Verse 2 Music, Kane Brown, Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville, Nashville music business, music publishing, songwriter development, artist development, music executive, country music, creative entrepreneurship, business leverage, strategic partnerships, trusting your gut, and building value. Subscribe to The Stephan Hogan Podcast for more conversations with artists, songwriters, music executives, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders shaping the future of music, business, and culture. Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

    1 hr
  5. The Truth Behind 20 Years of Fame - Jake Owen

    May 6

    The Truth Behind 20 Years of Fame - Jake Owen

    Jake Owen has lived a lot of life since “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” The songs. The tours. The success. The public highs. The private lows. The reinvention. And all the things people search for when they want to understand the man behind the music: Jake Owen songs, Jake Owen tour, Jake Owen music, Jake Owen age, Jake Owen married, and yes, even Barefoot Blue Jean Night lyrics. But this conversation is about the part you do not always see. It is about what happens when bitterness starts taking up space in your life. When success does not heal what you thought it would. When the music business gives you so much of what you prayed for, but you still have to decide what kind of man you are going to become. In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Jake Owen talks about letting go, staying grounded, faith, fatherhood, fame, country music, and learning how to stop carrying things that only make life heavier. From “Anywhere With You” and “Beachin’” to “Best Thing Since Backroads,” Jake has built the kind of career most artists dream about. But 20 years after fame, the real story might not be the hits. It might be the healing. Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: Subscribe for more blueprints on creative wealth. https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

    1 hr
  6. The Revision Blueprint: How the "57th Version" Rule Builds Empires

    Apr 23

    The Revision Blueprint: How the "57th Version" Rule Builds Empires

    After a career at the summit of the music industry, most recently as the Global Head of Country Music at Apple, Michael Bryan reached a definitive conclusion: scaling without soul is a race to the bottom. In this masterclass on creative discipline and longevity, Michael reveals the Southern Drift manifesto, a blueprint for leaders and creators who want to build empires that last 40 years, not 40 seconds. If you care about ownership, taste, and protecting your upside in a world obsessed with extraction, this conversation is your field guide. In this episode, we break down: * Why Michael walked away from one of the most influential roles in music * What Apple taught him about restraint, integrity, and the long game * Why algorithms cannot replace taste, intuition, and human curation * How artists and leaders can protect their creative leverage in a culture built for speed * What it takes to build something meaningful, high trust, and built to last Connect with The Stephan Hogan Podcast: Subscribe for more blueprints on creative wealth. https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

    1h 36m
  7. Music Finance Expert Exposes Why Artists Give Up Too Much Too Early

    Apr 15

    Music Finance Expert Exposes Why Artists Give Up Too Much Too Early

    The Truth About Music Royalties, Creator Funding, and Long-Term Careers | Alex Heiche Alex Heiche sees the creative business from a rare vantage point. As the founder of Sound Royalties, he works with songwriters, artists, producers, and creators at the intersection of money, ownership, pressure, and long-term career building. Founded in 2014, Sound Royalties is the world’s leading specialty finance company for the global creative industries, providing funding solutions to music professionals, YouTube creators, and TV/Film professionals, without risking ownership of their work. The company works with thousands of rightsholders across over 30 countries and growing, offering core products of royalty financing, tour financing, YouTube financing and, most recently, TV production financing. Sound Royalties closed a record-breaking year in 2025, with $135 million in funded contracts distributed directly to creators.  In this conversation, we talk about how creators can access funding without giving up ownership, why so many artists make short-term money decisions that carry long-term consequences, what separates hype from real career building, and how money, fear, ambition, and creativity all collide in the music business. We also get into publishing deals, distribution, catalogs, leverage, streaming royalties, YouTube monetization, financial literacy for creatives, and why the best careers are usually built by people who keep going without losing belief in what they are making. This is a real conversation about ownership, risk, faith, family, endurance, and the hidden financial side of the creative life. If you care about songwriting, music publishing, royalty advances, creator funding, intellectual property, YouTube monetization, Nashville, artist development, financial freedom for creatives, and building something that lasts, this one is for you. #AlexHeiche #SoundRoyalties #MusicPublishing #Royalties #Songwriting #MusicBusiness #Nashville #ArtistDevelopment #YouTubeMonetization #IntellectualProperty Connect with us: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

    1h 30m
  8. CEO of Sony Music Publishing Nashville - Rusty Gaston

    Apr 8

    CEO of Sony Music Publishing Nashville - Rusty Gaston

    Rusty Gaston sees the music business from a rare vantage point. In this conversation, we talk about what really makes songs connect, why the best careers are built on more than hype, and what happens when somebody who came from the independent world steps into one of the most powerful roles in Nashville publishing. This is a real conversation about the heart behind the business. If you care about songwriting, country music, Nashville, publishing, artist careers, intellectual property, music business strategy, the creative process, and the part of the music business most people never get to see, this one is for you. #RustyGaston #SonyMusicPublishing #SonyMusicPublishingNashville #Songwriting #MusicPublishing #Nashville #CountryMusic #MusicBusiness #HitSongs #songwriters  Connect with us: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanhogan https://www.instagram.com/stephanhogan https://www.facebook.com/stephanhogan Email: contact@mavericksmediaco.com Filmed in Nashville, TN Produced: Stephan Hogan Mavericks Media Co. Production

    1h 38m
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5
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

The Stephan Hogan Podcast is where creativity meets courage. Hosted by Nashville artist and storyteller Stephan Hogan, each episode dives deep into honest conversations with musicians, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders about the pursuit of purpose, success, and self-belief. Ranked among Spotify’s top 10% of video podcasts, Stephan’s show blends music, mindset, and meaning - reminding listeners that the most powerful stories are the ones told with heart.

Information

  • Creator
    Stephan Hogan
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    78
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Stephan Hogan Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Stephan Hogan Podcast

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