My Morning Cup

E13 - Mayor Tim Kelly’s Morning Cup

In this episode, we talk about the ups and downs of Mayor Tim Kelly’s career - starting with his first job as a dishwasher at the Vine Street Market. We also discuss the influence his parents had on his career (in their own very different ways), his most successful startup, and why drummers don’t name bands.
 
Mayor Tim Kelly is the mayor of the city of Chattanooga and a successful business owner. You can connect with him here.
 
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

E12 - Rich Mozingo’s Morning Cup

My guest this week is Rich Mozingo, President of the Chattanooga Lookouts. We discuss the career moves that brought him to Chattanooga (twice) and how the minor league is more so about selling than it is about baseball. Plus the history and future of the Lookouts, including the new stadium and most importantly where Rich stands on the DH and Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame.
 
Rich is the President of the Chattanooga Lookouts. You can connect with Rich here or learn more about the Lookouts here.
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

E11 - Ella Livingston’s Morning Cup

Ella Livingston was born in Ghana into a family of educators, health practitioners, engineers, and cocoa farmers. In this episode, we explore Ella’s experience at Spelman College (a women-only HBCU), how her time spent studying abroad in Japan led her to start a chocolate business while teaching math full-time, and the challenges she faced when starting her business.
 
Ella is the founder of Cocoa Asante, a brand that handcrafts chocolates that are almost too pretty to eat. You can connect with Ella here.
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

E10 - Brent Burks’s Morning Cup

Brent Burks joins the podcast this week to share the story of cutting his teeth in the courtroom, how family dynamics can shape a person’s career, and learning to adapt and hustle when your plans change beyond your control.
 
Brent is a partner and attorney at the McMahan Law Firm, Chattanooga’s most prolific and largest personal injury law firm. You can learn more about Brent here.
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

E09 - Wade Hinton’s Morning Cup

This week on the podcast, Wade Hinton shares what made him move away from (and come back to) Chattanooga, why he feels so strongly about community engagement, and how international travel has affected his business decisions. Plus, how his interest in music led him to become an attorney, which in turn led to him becoming a DEI consultant.
 
Wade Hinton is the founder of Hinton & Company, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consulting firm. You can connect with him here.
 
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

E08 - Roy Vaughn’s Morning Cup

Roy Vaughn joins the podcast this week to share about his diet coke obsession, the time his mentor set him up to stand on his own, why he left his role as Founding Partner at an agency to work for BCBST, and how a communications professional can excel in human resources. 
 
Roy Vaughn is the Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer at BCBST. You can connect with him here. 
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

E07 - Gideon Thomas’s Morning Cup

This week on the podcast, Gideon Thomas shares how her passion for the performing arts led her to a career in HR and how a series of family health crises led her to become an entrepreneur in the healthcare industry. Plus, why she believes great business decisions happen by disaster (not by design) and why listening to your body is so important.
 
Gideon is the founder and owner of Serious Healthcare, an agency that focuses on placing elderly and disabled clients into the personal homes of nurses to care for their daily needs. You can learn more about Gideon here.
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

E06 - Mitch Patel’s Morning Cup

Mitch Patel joins the podcast this week to talk about the American Dream, his interlude with engineering, the culture at Vision Hospitality, and how treating employees well can drive profits for your company.
 
Mitch Patel is the owner of Vision Hospitality and a portfolio of hotels. He is a successful businessman, founder, philanthropist, and die-hard Tennessee fan. You can connect with him here.
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

E05 - Kenyatta Ashford’s Morning Cup

Local celebrity chef, Kenyatta Ashford, joins the podcast this week to share how growing up in New Orleans influenced his love of food, the meaning behind Neutral Ground, his experience on the TV show Chopped (spoiler: he won), and the ups and downs along the way of becoming a successful chef.
 
Kenyatta Ashford is the chef and founder of Neutral Ground, a modern New Orleans style po-boy and yakamein restaurant in Chattanooga, TN. You can connect with Kenyatta here and learn more about Neutral Ground here.
 
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.

E04 - Chip Baker’s Morning Cup

Chip Baker, the most positive and fun person I know, joins the podcast to reveal how someone goes from running a hospital to running a music festival. Plus, we talk about his passion for aviation, the time Samuel L. Jackson returned his phone call within three hours, and more.
 
Chip Baker is a management coach, County Commissioner, former Executive Director of Riverbend Music Festival, and former hospital administrator. You can connect with him here.
 
My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.