S2 Ep 10: From São Paulo to Charlotte | Renata Gasparyan | Bench to Bold

S2 Ep20: From Record Deal to Redemption | Haley Morgan Hunt | Bench to Bold

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2519788/fan_mail/new] Haley Morgan Hunt joins Marnie and Alisa for a conversation about what happens when life doesn't go the way you planned it — and why that can be the best thing that ever happens to you. A singer-songwriter who landed a record deal at 16 and spent years building brands for professional athletes, Haley shares how a single visit to a juvenile detention center in 2018 changed the entire trajectory of her life. That one visit became The Verb Kind, a mentorship organization now serving incarcerated and at-risk youth across multiple states, from Miami to Nashville. Haley talks candidly about identity, faith, service, pregnancy at 42, and why she believes God saved her from the fame she once chased. Episode Highlights:  00:00 — Introducing Haley Morgan Hunt: philanthropist, businesswoman, and friend 00:45 — From senior superlative "Most Likely to Become Famous" to a record deal at 16 03:27 — Building brands for professional athletes and navigating identity after sport 05:58 — The 2018 invitation that changed everything: teaching at a juvenile detention center 09:07 — Founding The Verb Kind and expanding mentorship across three states 13:29 — Singing the national anthem at six NFL games in six weeks 15:18 — What it's really like walking into a detention center for the first time 19:28 — Why service resets perspective more than anything else 25:20 — Where The Verb Kind is growing next and how to bring it to your city 29:19 — Expecting her first baby at 42 and her boldest moment ahead About This Week's Guest: Haley Morgan Hunt is a singer-songwriter, brand builder, and the founder of The Verb Kind, a mentorship organization serving incarcerated and at-risk youth in juvenile detention centers and foster homes across the country. A former record-deal artist and national anthem performer, Haley has spent the last several years building brands for professional athletes while growing The Verb Kind into a multi-state operation. She lives in Orlando, Florida. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchtoBold Follow Bench to Bold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benchtobold

S2 Ep19: Off the Sideline | Kristen Weaver | Bench to Bold

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2519788/fan_mail/new] This week, Marnie and Alisa welcome Kristen Weaver, life coach, founder of Dream by Weaver, and wife of NFL coach Anthony Weaver for a conversation about finding her own voice after years of putting everyone else’s needs first. Kristen shares how she built a platform rooted in encouragement and positivity, and what it really looks like behind the scenes of an NFL family’s very public life. The heart of the episode is Kristen’s story of her son AJ’s sudden, debilitating anxiety at age eleven and how the family worked through it together, eventually co-authoring a book, A Family’s Playbook to Coping with Anxiety. Kristen also opens up about the family’s recent return to Baltimore, AJ’s full-circle moment walking back onto the same campus where he once couldn’t step foot, and what gratitude looks like for a coach’s family starting a new season. Episode Highlights: 00:53 — Who Kristen is beyond being a coach’s wife and mom, and where her positivity comes from 02:38 — Why putting herself out there on social media was terrifying at first 04:00 — Kristen’s “locker room” advice for getting clarity before chasing motivation 05:51 — What people don’t see behind the scenes of NFL family life 08:30 — AJ’s story: losing his ability to walk into school at age 11 due to anxiety 11:11 — Co-writing A Family’s Playbook to Coping with Anxiety with AJ 13:13 — Returning to the same Baltimore school where AJ once couldn’t set foot 19:55 — Anthony Weaver’s gift for connecting with their kids 20:40 — The championship game: AJ’s panic attack and his comeback to win it 29:48 — Where to find Kristen and the latest on the book About This Week’s Guest: Kristen Weaver is a life coach and the founder of Dream by Weaver, where she helps clients find clarity, confidence, and their authentic voice. She is married to NFL coach Anthony Weaver and is mom to AJ and Justice. Alongside AJ, she co-authored A Family’s Playbook to Coping with Anxiety, sharing the tools that helped their family navigate his anxiety diagnosis. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchtoBold Follow Bench to Bold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benchtobold

S2 Ep18: Building the Foundation | Ace | Bench to Bold

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2519788/fan_mail/new] This week, Marnie and Alisa sit down with Ace, known to her growing audience as “Ace the Money Game” a real estate investor and wholesaler who built a self-made career out of one of the hardest possible starting points. The hosts met Ace by chance, as their Uber driver during a Kentucky Derby weekend in Louisville, and what started as small talk turned into one of the most candid conversations they’ve had on the show. Ace opens up about being kicked out of her home as a teenager, periods of homelessness in Phoenix, and time spent in prison and how those bench moments became the foundation for a real estate wholesaling business that crossed seven figures within five years. She talks about renovating homes as a kind of rebuilding metaphor for her own life, her plans to launch a construction company focused on affordable housing, and the mindset shifts that got her here. Episode Highlights: 00:00 — Meeting Ace as their Uber driver during Kentucky Derby weekend in Louisville 02:24 — Ace’s bench moment: starting with nothing and his first wholesale deal in 2015 04:32 — How Ace became homeless after coming out to her mother as a teenager 06:42 — Where the name “Ace the Money Game” actually came from 09:03 — Reconnecting with her mom and losing her father in a tragic accident 11:40 — Why renovating homes feels like a metaphor for rebuilding her own life 14:08 — From wanting to be a trauma surgeon to discovering real estate 16:32 — The real story behind driving for Uber on Derby day 18:06 — Lessons Ace would share on stage at a Grant Cardone event 22:29 — Ace’s boldest goal: building a construction company and her own hotel brand About This Week’s Guest: Ace, known as “Ace the Money Game,” is a real estate investor and wholesaler who has done deals worth well over a million dollars since starting her business in 2015. After experiencing homelessness and time in prison, she rebuilt her life from the ground up, and is now working toward launching a construction company focused on building apartments, subdivisions, and affordable housing. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchtoBold Follow Bench to Bold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benchtobold

S2 Ep 17: Panther Legend on the Padel Court | Tre Boston | Bench to Bold

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2519788/fan_mail/new] Carolina Panthers safety Trey Boston joins Marnie and Alisa to talk about the sport that's taken over his post-NFL life: padel. From a vacation rally in the Dominican Republic to traveling internationally for tournaments, Trey breaks down what the sport is, why it's exploding worldwide, where to play in Charlotte and why he's betting big on it as a business. Plus: his media career after football, raising kids with intention, the meaning behind number 33, and a look at the team tennis league he's helping bring to the South. Episode Highlights: 00:00 — Welcome & introducing Panther legend Trey Boston 01:00 — Paddle or padel? The naming debate explained 03:23 — The international governing body and Premier Padel league 06:04 — Life after the NFL: ACC Network, Weather Channel, and HBCU GameDay 09:50 — Jobs that found him: on financial freedom and commercial real estate 17:25 — Why padel makes business sense: court economics and investment opportunity 22:37 — 92% retention rate, 45% women players, and why padel beats pickleball 26:51 — Where to find padel courts in Charlotte right now 34:15 — Growing up with a single mom in Fort Myers and the faith that guides him 39:04 — The meaning of number 33, Intense Tennis, and a new padel brand on the way About This Week's Guest: Trey Boston is a former Carolina Panthers safety who played six seasons in the NFL after being drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft. Since retiring, he's built a media career that includes co-hosting a daily show on the ACC Network, appearing on the Weather Channel for a home renovation series, and covering HBCU football for Byron Allen's network. He's now one of padel's most visible advocates in the United States, investing in courts, attending international tournaments, and building what he calls a "family" around the sport. Trey splits his time between Charlotte and Fort Myers, Florida, where he grew up. Connect with Trey Boston: https://www.instagram.com/trebos10/ Follow Trey on Instagram and keep an eye out for his upcoming padel brand, Por Quatro. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchtoBold Follow Bench to Bold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benchtobold

S2 EP16: Discovering Charlotte's Transportation Gap | Diondre Lewis | Bench to Bold

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2519788/fan_mail/new] Diondre Lewis went from a military upbringing across four continents to Duke pre-med to IBM and landed in Charlotte, the city he swore he'd never live in. Marnie and Alisa talk with the founder of Wave Rideshare about what it took to break into tech, why he started giving away free training to underserved communities, and how that nonprofit mission eventually gave birth to a safety-first ride and delivery platform. They also get into the broken economics of gig platforms, Wave's growing footprint in healthcare and professional sports, and the story of how Diondre met his wife in the YMCA basement. Episode Highlights: 00:00 — Welcome & introducing Diondre Lewis of Wave Rideshare 01:37 — Born in Fayetteville, raised in the military: Germany, Hawaii, and everywhere in between 03:12 — Choosing Duke over full rides and surviving organic chemistry 07:55 — A pivot from pre-med to tech, inspired by IBM-bound engineering buddies 13:20 — Spamming IBM every day for a semester and landing a job in 25 minutes 24:43 — Starting a free tech training nonprofit and discovering Charlotte's transportation gap 28:42 — How Wave was born: trust, safety, and the problems gig platforms can't solve 35:36 — Wave's food delivery model and why high-value orders need a different kind of driver 41:15 — Healthcare, professional sports, and the exotic car division 38:45 — Meeting his wife in the YMCA basement, the one he always knew was coming About This Week's Guest: Diondre Lewis is the founder and CEO of Wave Rideshare, a Charlotte-based transportation company built around safety, trust, and accountability. A Duke University graduate who pivoted from pre-med to tech after stints in IBM research and training, Diondre spent years helping underserved communities access technology skills before identifying transportation as the hidden barrier behind his nonprofit's attendance problem. That insight became Wave — now serving healthcare systems, professional sports organizations, restaurants, and individuals who need more than a gig platform can offer. He lives in Charlotte with his wife, a music professional with sync licensing credits and studio connections, and their family. Connect with Diondre & Wave Rideshare: Follow Diondre on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmajorbnr/ Follow Wave Rideshare: https://www.instagram.com/waverideshare/ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchtoBold Follow Bench to Bold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benchtobold