Below the Surface Podcast

Welcome to BELOW THE SURFACE — where we bring you real conversations with amazing guests. Hit follow and stay tuned for new episodes! 🎙️

Below the Surface Podcast is a sports podcast hosted by Jared, with 9 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jared hosts Below the Surface Podcast, a sports show with 9 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Below the Surface Podcast

  He Built 6 Businesses Without Burning Out | Chris Ulmer

  May 13, 20261h 42mS0

  <p>Chris Ulmer owns Crystal Coast Graphics, a bowling center, a food truck, commercial properties, Airbnbs, and more — and he's done it without sacrificing his marriage or his sanity. In this episode, Jared sits down with Chris to talk through the real mechanics of scaling: when to diversify (and when NOT to), how to escape being the bottleneck in your own business, why he fires customers, and how to work with your spouse without blowing up your home life.<br/><br/>⏱ TIMESTAMPS<br/>0:00 — Intro<br/>2:30 — Filling market gaps in Eastern NC<br/>6:30 — Internal growth vs. chasing new customers<br/>8:30 — Don't be a Super W...

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  Below the Surface Podcast

  He Let His 4-Year-Old Hunt First — and Never Regretted It | Michael Letchworth

  May 13, 20262h 1mS0

  <p>What does it actually take to build a business, raise a great kid, and find yourself — all at the same time?<br/>Michael Letchworth is a partner at Sam Jones Barbecue, founder of Fox Hollow Outdoors, and the dad behind one of the most genuine father-son outdoor brands in the game. But the story behind the content? That's where it gets real.<br/>In this episode, Michael opens up about hitting rock bottom in 2022, quitting alcohol for good, and how clarity changed every single thing — his business, his fatherhood, his purpose. He talks about intentionally letting Larken (his son) kill...

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  Below the Surface Podcast

  Faith, Loss, and Fishing Through Rock Bottom | David Mercer

  May 13, 20262h 8mS0

  <p>Big Dave Mercer is one of the most well-known names in Eastern NC fishing — but behind that reputation is a story most people have never heard. In this episode, Jared sits down with Big Dave and gets into the real stuff: growing up in Beulaville, building his whole identity around football at ECU, hitting rock bottom when a shoulder injury ended it all, and what happened in January 1998 that changed everything.<br/>Dave opens up about two miscarriages, losing a stillborn son at 30 weeks in 2020, and how buying a boat in the middle of grief became one of the mo...

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  Episode #5

  From Combat to Coast: How a Retired Marine Found Peace on the Water | Brad Smith

  May 13, 20261h 17mS0

  <p>Below the Surface with Jared Shepherd — Brad Smith | Gunny B Outdoors<br/>Brad Smith isn't your average fishing guide. He's a retired Marine who did 20 years, deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, went through MARSOC, and came home a changed man. But this episode goes way deeper than fishing.<br/>Brad opens up about what it really cost him to serve, how his marriage hit rock bottom and how faith pulled it back together, the years-long fertility struggle that led to a gender reveal at his retirement party, and how he turned a captain's license into a growing charter business — Gunn...

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  Episode #4

  He Opened a Restaurant at 28 With No Money—Now He's Franchising | Clarke Merrell | Below the Surface

  Apr 7, 20261h 29mS1

  <p>Today on Below the Surface, we sat down with Clarke Merrell — the man behind some of Eastern NC's most recognizable restaurants: Prime Bistro, Wine Bar, Circa, Dank Burrito, Merrell Estate & Gardens, Social Q, and Beaufort Olive Oil Company. <br/>In this episode, Jared and Clarke get into what it really takes to build a hospitality empire from scratch, the brutal reality of tight margins in fast casual, what "dank" actually means as a brand standard, and why he believes you're in the people business first, no matter what you're serving.<br/>They get into franchising Dank Burrito, navigating economic unc...

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