Ask Jonathan Breeden Anything: Celebrating 100 Episodes

Jonathan Breeden: [00:00:00] On this week’s episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast, we’re celebrating our 100th episode. I cannot believe that we’ve gotten this podcast to a hundred episodes in just under two years. When we started it, I wasn’t sure we were going to get to 20 episodes, and now we’re at a hundred.

So Raena Burch and I go back and we talk about all of our, our favorite guest interesting things that happen. Bloopers, like when we recorded Donna White with no video. And other things that we have learned and the people we’ve met along the way telling the story of Johnston County through small business owners, community leaders, and all of our friends and, and that we’ve met along the way.

So listen in.

Welcome to another episode of Best of Johnston County, brought to you by Breeden Law Office. Our host, Jonathan Breeden, an experienced family lawyer with a deep connection to the community, is ready to take you on a journey through the area that he has called home for over 20 years. Whether it’s a deep [00:01:00] dive into the love locals have for the county or unraveling the complexities of family law, Best of Johnston County presents an authentic slice of this unique community.

 

Jonathan Breeden: Hello and welcome to another edition of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden, and on today’s episode, we’re gonna have a special edition as this is our 100th episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. I and Raena Burch are gonna talk about some of our favorite memories over the last almost two years of doing this podcast, neither one of us can believe that this is actually the 100th episode. When we started this, we were doing everything in our power to just get guests on, and we had no idea that it would drop, draw, draw this many views, and have this many subscribers on YouTube and this many downloads.

It has been absolutely unbelievable. So we’re gonna talk a little bit about our favorite guests, things we’ve [00:02:00] learned, the people we’ve met, and sort of how this is gonna move forward into the future. But before we get into that, I would like you to like, follow, and subscribe to this podcast wherever you’re seeing it, whether be on Apple, YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, LinkedIn x Twitter, whatever you wanna call it, or any of the other social media channels of The Best Johnston County Podcast. The best Johnston County Podcast comes out every single Monday and has now for almost two years as this is the 100th episode. I, I, I just can’t even believe it.

But anyway, so, if you would do that, you’d be a mayor, mayor of future episode of The Best Johnston County podcast. We’ve got a lot more great guests coming. Some of which we, we’ve already recorded before this one goes live. I think if you’ve enjoyed this podcast so far, it’s only going to get better as we get better at bringing it to you.

Welcome Raena.

Raena Burch: All right. I, I’m so excited for this episode because I know the, I know some of the answers are gonna be crazy.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, I just, I mean, it’s just when you, when we started planning this [00:03:00] episode a few weeks ago. I was like a hundred. Really?

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: Like, like And you kept saying no, like, like, like, like really, really, really?

It is a hundred. And it just went by so fast.

Raena Burch: It did.

Jonathan Breeden: And I’d like to think that we’ve gotten better at it.

Raena Burch: Oh, for sure.

Jonathan Breeden: Over the a hundred episodes.

Raena Burch: Absolutely.

Jonathan Breeden: When we started it was. A single camera.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: And one of the first,

Raena Burch: it didn’t work.

Jonathan Breeden: That didn’t work. One of the first episodes with Donna White, we didn’t even have video.

Raena Burch: No.

Jonathan Breeden: The video, we couldn’t get the video to work.

Raena Burch: Nope.

Jonathan Breeden: And representative Donna White has let me know that for the last two years that the video,

Raena Burch: well then she needs to come back.

Jonathan Breeden: I know. And I, and I think, and I think she will, but

Raena Burch: yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: But, but I, you know, it just the technical aspects of it. Yeah. We had a single camera, we were trying to upload it into.

Squad cast, which I don’t even think we use anymore.

Raena Burch: No. We use squad cast now. It was a different one. Before that it was this, we had to download this whole program software thing. It was the whole thing.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh my goodness. Yeah.

Raena Burch: And the, yeah, now it’s, now it’s a whole lot more [00:04:00] streamlined for sure. Right.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah.

I mean it’s been interesting. We didn’t have three cameras instead of one.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm. Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: And, just some different things like, like that. But we’ve changed podcast companies.

Raena Burch: Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: One of the guy that was running the podcast company ended up getting outta the business and one of his employees took it over.

So we’ve switched to Cyprees Productions.

Raena Burch: Yeah. And we were very thankful for that.

Jonathan Breeden: We, we were very thankful we

Raena Burch: did not have to go shopping around for

Jonathan Breeden: Right, right. They were able to come in. So, yeah. So it’s, it’s, it’s been a ton of fun. You know, at the beginning we didn’t, I had to beg for friends and family members to come be on this podcast, you know? And I’ll be forever grateful to the initial .

Raena Burch: Oh yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Guest, Paul Flaherty from HTR.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Representative Donna White. Even though we didn’t get the camera to work were some of the Woody Bailey our IT guy.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: These are some of the original sort of original guest that we had. I mean, I didn’t know what I was doing. I don’t know if it was gonna take off, but they were willing to come, give their time.

Raena Burch: Well, I mean, they believed in you.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s true. That’s true. They absolutely [00:05:00] did. And Annice Broadwell realtor out here in the Cleveland community also was one of the very first guest, Backpack Buddies was, you know, yeah.

Raena Burch: They were one of my favorites.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. They were still one of my favorites.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And everything they were doing they came on and so, yeah. And, you know, and I, and I still, the funny thing is I owe Lynne Heilman and a lot of credit because while. She wasn’t able to come home. She kept getting sick. Stuff came up. She was helping me get guests.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And she still has not come and actually been on the podcast yet, but we still need to get her. But golly, I owe her a huge, huge debt of gratitude for helping me get some of those early guests.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: That she knew her, her wife came on. Early on Alyssa,

Raena Burch: Alyssa

Jonathan Breeden: and talked about her, her, her performance training program

Raena Burch: Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: And her career in real estate. So it’s been, it’s, it’s been a,

Raena Burch: it’s been a ride.

Jonathan Breeden: It’s been a ride. It has been a ride, but I would’ve never thought, you know, and when it started, you know, I, I, I didn’t wanna separate the podcast from Breeden Law.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: And you told me I should, you have to the [00:06:00] marketing peoples. And I was like. This po. Nobody’s gonna watch this podcast. Whatcha talking about stuff? But then all of a sudden the podcast really became its own thing.

Raena Burch: Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: The podcast now has over 4,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Raena Burch: Almost five,

Jonathan Breeden: almost 5,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Raena Burch: Almost five.

Jonathan Breeden: So

Raena Burch: over a thousand on Facebook.

Jonathan Breeden: Right, right. We didn’t actually separate it probably for four or five months, so. Six months. So the first podcast starts in November of 23 and we don’t separate it off of Breeden law’s

Raena Burch: mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: Social media pages until like April of 24.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: So it is kind of amazing.

Raena Burch: Much to your chagrin, but I was like, we have to do it.

Jonathan Breeden: No, no. And you were absolutely right and, and I just. I just didn’t know that it could be a thing, like

Raena Burch: mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: I, I wanted to do it. I wanted to put positivity in the community. I wanted to highlight small business owners in Johnston County.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And, and, and interesting people and community leaders.

And, and that’s what we’ve done, and that’s what we’ll continue to do. But I had no idea that it would develop into being as big a thing as it has been.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: And I’ll tell you more than [00:07:00] once, now I’ve gone someplace and somebody’s come up to me and said. You’re the person with the podcast, not your lawyer, not your

Raena Burch: right, ’cause you’re, I mean, right.

Jonathan Breeden: Not your David,

Raena Burch: you have your face on all the Breeden law stuff.

Jonathan Breeden: Right, right. Not your David’s father, not you represented me. You know, all of that. It was literally, you’re the one with the podcast and, and I was like, the biggest smile, like, like I, now I’m a podcaster because people recognized me for being a podcaster, but

Raena Burch: I love that.

Jonathan Breeden: No, it was, it’s been, it’s been really neat. Yeah. And we’ve met so many great people we have. That, that, that you know, when you start a podcast, the first thing you do is make a list of 50 of a hundred friends you think would come on.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: So I made that list.

Raena Burch: Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: And I don’t know that maybe 25 of that initial a hundred list has actually been on.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: Most of the people we have met along the way,

Raena Burch: along the way,

Jonathan Breeden: we’ve met at varying events. We’ve invited, they’ve been referred to us.

Raena Burch: Yeah. I was gonna say, other people have been like, oh, you know who you should bring on, you know, so and so and

Jonathan Breeden: Right. Made the connection for us.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: So it’s it’s been a lot of fun. I hope everybody’s enjoyed listening to it and [00:08:00] watching it. It’s been a ton of fun doing it. I, like I said, I would much rather record podcasts than practice law, even though I do have to practice law because you know, gotta pay the bills.

Right. Gotta pay the bills. But, but I just love, I just love talking to people and having people share their story. Everybody has a story.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Everybody is the hero of their life story.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: We talk about that here in the divorce process and it’s, it’s and I just love hearing people’s stories because

Raena Burch: Yeah,

Jonathan Breeden: because a lot of these stories are inspiring type stories.

Raena Burch: They are.

Jonathan Breeden: I mean, not everybody

Raena Burch: extremely

Jonathan Breeden: right. Not everybody has been born with a, a super spoon in their mouth or whatever you think about, especially

Raena Burch: in Johnston County,

Jonathan Breeden: right? You think of Ms. Kavaliauskas and the Life after Narcissism Foundation and the hell she lived through.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And, and all the stuff that.

People at Hope Center Ministries are trying to do to help you know, drug addicts with, with a, with a rehabilitation center where they can go and live and work and get job skills.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: You know, that kind of stuff. So to be able to tell those stories has been important too.

Raena Burch: [00:09:00] Extreme. Yes. And, and just letting people know that they’re out there.

You can volunteer, you can donate, you can, you know, all these, all these things are always looking for help. Right. Obviously. No doubt.

Jonathan Breeden: No doubt.

Raena Burch: So, speaking of great guests, I have some questions for you

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Raena Burch: About previous guests.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Raena Burch: Are you ready?

Jonathan Breeden: Alright, I’m ready.

Raena Burch: All right. So first one is, out of all the interviews we’ve done so far which guest really surprised you in a good way?

Jonathan Breeden: Surprised me in a good way. I don’t know. I mean, I’ve always been. You know, I’m always looking at the positive in people.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: So it’s not like I was expecting anything negative from any of, the people. I think that I was you know when you go back to some of our candidates, right?

So we had, we had Bill Stovall when he was running for county commissioner.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: On an early 2024. He ultimately wins that primary.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: In May of 24, is appointed to the board early because they had, Tony Braswell passed away and he’s now been a county commissioner now for, [00:10:00] I mean, you know, over a year, 18 months, I guess, I guess he became county commissioner in like maybe September of 24 to now You know, I didn’t always agree with, you know, his position is sort of, you know, sort of his anti-growth positions on Johnston County. I think Johnston County’s gonna grow and we need to plan for it, but when you, once you started listening to his reasoning and his plans. You know, he made a lot of really good points.

Yeah.

You know, some of which I didn’t agree with, but like, it was educational for me because he had done his homework

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: As to why he thought we were going down the wrong road. Now, what has been interesting is, is to watch him as a county commissioner and still a good friend of mine. You know, not exactly.

Do what he said he wanted to do as he’s gained more information sitting on the board.

Right? Yes. It’s one thing to sit in the audience. Yeah. It’s another thing to sit in the front. Right. It’s a well Right.

Raena Burch: To be in the game.

Jonathan Breeden: To be in the game. Well, and you get a lot more information.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And you start to understand what your options [00:11:00] actually are, not what you wish them to be.

Raena Burch: Wish they were.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. But, but I did learn a lot. From, from that one. And I did enjoy talking to him and, and developing a friendship with him.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: But the candidate ones have always been interesting. ’cause we’ve had, oh yeah. We’ve had democrats, we’ve had Libertarians.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: We’ve had Republicans.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: So it’s been pretty interesting.

Raena Burch: Yeah. Well, we just wanted to make sure, you know, especially during elections, that our viewers are getting all of the information, well, all of the options. Right.

Jonathan Breeden: The candidates that were willing to come talk to us.

Raena Burch: Yes, exactly.

Jonathan Breeden: So no doubt.

Raena Burch: So, okay, so number two. What episode do you find yourself thinking about the most after it’s like aired or after we filmed it? Even to this day?

Jonathan Breeden: You know, it’s the ones that, really with some of the nonprofits, right? The Isaiah 117 house.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden:I did not know that was coming to Johnston County. And so that is a,

Raena Burch: I

Jonathan Breeden: think

Raena Burch: think it’s the first, they said it was the first one in North Carolina.

Jonathan Breeden: It’s the first one. Right? And so that is a home that is being built in Selma as we speak. [00:12:00] That would be a transition place for children coming into foster care where they would go until they could be placed into a foster home.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: So instead of going to a DSS office or a cubicle or something, they could go to a home with toys and a shower and, and new clothes.

Raena Burch: Beds.

Jonathan Breeden: And,

beds.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: So they could be placed with a foster family. You know, because I did so much work with foster care.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: I represented and DSS court for many, many years. We still help parents dealing with the Department of Social Services.

So that helped help. I mean, Mark Hall with hope Center Ministries.

Raena Burch: Mark Hall

Jonathan Breeden: Mark Hall. Right. Mark Hall with Hope Center Ministries. Bringing that home here.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm

Jonathan Breeden: to Johnston County where people that are overcoming drug addictions and stuff can go and live

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And work and gain job skills and it not cost them a dime. Backpack Buddies, of course, back to one of the original ones.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: Sending home backpacks full of food every weekend to children who may not have food at their home.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: So that they would have something to [00:13:00] eat over the weekends

Raena Burch: and also helping over the summer.

Jonathan Breeden: Over the summer again,

Raena Burch: over christmas break and

Jonathan Breeden: Right.

And I, you know, coach Fred, you know, just a few weeks ago Yeah. Coach Fred and what he’s doing with his mentorship of young men and helping parents advocate for their children when they’ve been bullied and feeding the homeless. And yeah.

Raena Burch: The thanksgiving dinner that they do,

Jonathan Breeden: the thanksgiving dinner coach Fred does so

Raena Burch: on Thanksgiving Day, which is great. That’s usually not an option for, right,

Jonathan Breeden: right. I mean, so, so, I mean, there’s been so many, so I, you, you go back to, the Miracle League, you know, Monty and, and the Miracle League and all they’re doing that episode ran, I think in February of, of 25. So, so I mean, you know, like, and if,

Raena Burch: and if you haven’t been to a Miracle game, I highly suggest, you know, right. It is one of the most uplifting experiences you can have for free. Like for free. Like you go and just these kids are. So much fun. It was fun.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s it.

Raena Burch: So much fun

Jonathan Breeden: Playing on a real field there in Smithfield.

Raena Burch: Yeah,

Jonathan Breeden: next to the Shrack and the, at the Smithfield Community Park. So yeah, so I mean, those are the ones I think.

Because because they’re, [00:14:00] they’re, they’re heartwarming. Of course. I’m empathetic. You’re empathetic. Yeah. You know, these people are doing so much in the community. So, so I think I think about those. I, you know, I know after I learned about those programs, I would, I would make calls to other community leaders to make sure that they were aware of the, like of Isaiah one 17 House in particular.

So that, you know, we could help find them some more funding. Yeah. And make sure that everybody was still going board. So, you know, I did try to. I did try to help. Yeah.

Those groups, you know, and then there’s groups that were part of groups like, like, like One Compassion, which is

Raena Burch: mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: You know, part of of River Wild and the development and Reid Smith and Ed Aldridge and Yeah. And all of that. You know, that’s a charity part of that. Right. So, I mean, it’s been a, you know, a, a, a ton of. I, I’ve learned a lot. But those are the ones that you think about because you know what a difference those people are making in this community.

Raena Burch: Exactly, yes. I, I 100% agree with you on that. So was there a guest who changed your perspective on something?

So I know you talked about Bill Stovall on how you saw his, [00:15:00] he came in and he explained his perspective, but was there anybody who changed your perspective on something?

Jonathan Breeden: I wouldn’t say changed my perspective, but I definitely have been educated.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: By guests. You know what I mean? How I didn’t know how stuff actually worked.

You know, so I’m kind of old and cantankerous and whatever. I mean, you know what I mean?

Raena Burch: No.

Jonathan Breeden: I’m not that, but I’m saying like, I mean, maybe didn’t, but I been definitely had a lot of people educate me on a lot of different things that I didn’t know anything about. And so that’s what it’s been about You know, when we interviewed, the Clayton Women’s Club a few weeks ago. And they were saying that they had been listening to the podcast.

Raena Burch: Every episode. Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. And how much they had learned.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: By listening to the podcast, Trish, I think was her name.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And so, you know, it’s like, and she just found the podcast.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: So she’s gone back and listened to like a whole bunch of episodes and she’s only been in [00:16:00] Johnston County five years and taught her how much she had learned. By just listening to the podcast after finding it, getting ready to be a guest. So, And that’s what the whole goal of this was to be.

So for somebody to say that they really learned stuff from it.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And I had tons of, of, of friends and neighbors tell me the same thing. That that’s been, that’s been great.

Raena Burch: Yeah. I mean, like, like you said, this is, this podcast is all about bringing. Political leaders, community members nonprofit organizations, small business owners to the all of Johnston County, in hopes that, you know, you don’t have to go to Raleigh anymore, you can stay here.

Jonathan Breeden: Right.

Raena Burch: There’s lots of things to do here. Lots of place, you know, organizations to support here, people who need help here, all of that.

Jonathan Breeden: Correct? Correct.

Raena Burch: Okay. So in your opinion, who was the most entertaining guest? Because you are very entertaining and I’m very animated, entertaining. You’re very animated and you talk, you definitely know how to talk your a lawyer, but who do you think was the most charismatic guest

Jonathan Breeden: I don’t know

Raena Burch: on the podcast so far?

Jonathan Breeden: I mean, [00:17:00] Donald O’Meara, you know, he’s sort of a high energy realtor guy.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: I think that may still be the most views of any one we’ve had or it’s close.

Raena Burch: Close.

Jonathan Breeden: It’s close. I think it like, like on YouTube, that episode saw, or some portion of that episode got. Well over 10,000 views.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And so, yeah, he, he, you know, he was pretty. He was pretty dynamic and you know, you know, he’s a high energy kind of guy.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And you know, I think that came through in that episode as we were talking about the housing, the housing trends and the high interest rates and

Raena Burch: Yep

Jonathan Breeden: how the housing market had slowed, how he’d grown his business.

You know how he, he, you know, he’d grown his business, he’d been in inflatables and party.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: Rental type stuff. And then he started a O’Meara Realty and how it’s grown and golly, it’s grown. I mean I bet it’s probably doubled since he was on.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: I mean, it, you know, it’s so, so, so that was great. So I would definitely say Donald O’Meara.

Raena Burch: Okay. All right. I, you know, personally, I think maybe the most charismatic one was actually. The mayor of Selma. Byron McAllister.

Jonathan Breeden: Byron McAllister, yes.

Raena Burch: He was [00:18:00] very eloquent, very well spoken, very just yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: He was, he absolutely was. I, I liked Byron McAllister. Yeah. He yeah. I didn’t agree with everything you had to say.

Raena Burch: No, I, you’re not gonna,

Jonathan Breeden: but, but he, you know, he definitely had plans for Selma and was, was executing them.

Raena Burch: Yes. All right. So, and I, you kind of was there a small business owner or nonprofit leader who inspired you? And it sounds kind of like your answer might be Isaiah 117, but is one specific one.

Jonathan Breeden: And inspired me. I, I mean, I definitely think. You know, the, the nonprofit, it’s Carlton McDaniel able to serve.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And what they do with, with an adult structured day program

Raena Burch: mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: Where disabled adults can go and learn life skills and, and be trained on and, and, and work. And do,

Raena Burch: mm-hmm

Jonathan Breeden: task and, and jobs and stuff like that.

You know, I’ve known Carlton for a long time. You know, I was recently a guest on his podcast, the Serving Effect. Yes. But I mean, [00:19:00] you, you can’t be around people like Carlton McDaniel and not be inspired. Same thing with Monty and the Miracle League.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: You know, you know, that kind of stuff.

I mean, really I think that was

Raena Burch: Yeah. Stepping up to fill a role Right. In the community that’s desperately needed.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. Right. Well, and, and, and you know, the, the Blue Knights Motorcycle Club.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: You know, I, I didn’t know anything. They reached out to us.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: They came on. I mean, I had no idea that, that you had these law enforcement and former law enforcement agencies raising money and doing so much good in the community

Raena Burch: mm-hmm

Jonathan Breeden: by just through their more motorcycle club and having rides and sponsoring rides and supporting rides and raising scholarship money and, and all of that. So, I mean, you know, a lot of this has been, you know, some of these people I’ve known and are friends of mine or groups I’ve been aware of a lot of these people, I had no idea.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And, you know, they reached out to us or they did, they were referred from somebody else.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: And so then you really learn a ton, you know what I mean?

Raena Burch: And those have been some of my favorite surprise guests, the ones that reached out to us on social media and said, Hey, I watched your podcast. I love it.

I, I. [00:20:00] You know, I, I own a business or I am part of a non nonprofit, or can we come on? And we’ve had so many great guests because of that. So anybody watching or listening, if you think that if you have a small business or you know someone knows a small business and you think it’d be a great guest, tell ’em to message us,

Jonathan Breeden: right?

I mean, I enjoyed just dog people.

Raena Burch: Oh, yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Because they brought a dog. They brought one of the dogs with us. Oh my God. Cute. A dog sat there. Cute. Did not bark or anything. No. You know, so it’s so cute. Right.

Raena Burch: And they’re the ones who you use when you go outta town that

Jonathan Breeden: Well, I used, I buy stuff from them.

Yes. The I used Bon Voyage is the oh, that’s right. Is the, that she used to own? It’s the, is the

Raena Burch: kennel,

Jonathan Breeden: the, the kennel that Yes, that, that she owned. And she sold and now she has just dog people here, 40, 42. But yeah, so it’s, but she started, her mom built, I think you spend a small

Raena Burch: for just dog people every, well, every month.

Jonathan Breeden: I do. I just have to make sure. That I keep my daughter out of it when I’m there because I mean, it just, why do we need this? Well, we do, and then I buy it. Listen. Right, [00:21:00] right. And then I buy it. Right. So that’s,

Raena Burch: that’s also your child. It’s just furry and Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: Right, right. That’s exactly right.

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Raena Burch: All right. So, is there a particular episode you would recommend to someone listening to the podcast for the first time?

Jonathan Breeden: You know, the very first one where we sort of sat down and we went through what we were trying to accomplish, because I do think we accomplished what we started out to accomplish.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: I know that’s a lot of words in the word, but like I mean, I think it has been what I and you sort of imagined it would be. Which is promoting the community and things that are [00:22:00] positive in small businesses in the community.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: You know what I’m saying?

Raena Burch: Informing.

Jonathan Breeden: Right.

Raena Burch: Everybody and.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. And there’s the one where. You interviewed, you know, we do the special editions Ask Jonathan Anything where I answer the family law questions ’cause we do family law here at Breeden Law Office. But there is one where you ask me the exact same questions . Where I ask the guests.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And I sort of tell my story of growing up in Laurinburg and the, you know, the son of a CPA and an emergency room nurse and you know, becoming a lawyer because of the Federalist papers in a high school civic class and you know, having that dynamic teacher in Spencer Willard and, you know, sort of thinking, you know, having this innate sense of justice and why I want to do it, and being a law, you can fight for justice, you can fight for children

Raena Burch: Yeah

Jonathan Breeden: and stuff like that. So, so that one’s a pretty good one too. And then any of the ones with the small businesses, you know, whether it be Tim Sims, the local dentist.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: Chris Key, Edward Jones you know, Edward Jones agent. You know, the small business people you know, that those have been great because I mean, that’s [00:23:00] largely what we start, set out to do and we’ve done a fair number of, of those.

Raena Burch: Yeah. And we did have a podcast. We had a podcast or podcaster, guest. And Dusta Rhymes, who actually that’s also does her own podcast, but mostly focuses on small businesses solely.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s true, that’s true. The  Dusta Rhymes, that’s Down Home Dirt

Raena Burch: Down Home Dirt

Jonathan Breeden: I, it’s called. Right, right. Yeah. And so it was good to have her and, and she had her colorful outfit because she also has a cleaning business.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And

Raena Burch: yep.

Jonathan Breeden: And yeah, she was, she was a lot of fun. Yeah. And high energy. Mm-hmm. And and she’s just gotten another job. I saw on LinkedIn the other day. Oh. But she’s still doing her podcast, so it’s great.

Raena Burch: Yes, absolutely. Okay. So, any behind. This is probably gonna be my favorite question of all ’em. So what behind the scene, bloopers or unexpected moments still kind of make you laugh?

Jonathan Breeden: Oh goodness. Well, I mean there’s been so many word flubs.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Right, right. I mean there’s, I’m just glad it’s not Facebook Live. It’s

Raena Burch: not live. No, we don’t do this live.

Jonathan Breeden: I’m very glad it’s not Facebook Live. ’cause when I was deciding which [00:24:00] podcast format to go with, I almost went with Facebook Live and I would, it would be fine, but you know, sometimes.

I mean, some of them have been technical. Yeah. Like we did with the one with Donna White. We don’t have any video. Nope. But we had great, all we, we thought we did. We thought we did, but we didn’t. We didn’t we shot Houston Colson and we went to edit it with roof steppers. We, you know, and it, it came, it came out like around August the 18th.

And, we didn’t have it.

Raena Burch: Yeah. Well we had five, we had five minutes of it. We had five

Jonathan Breeden: minutes of it, so we had to bring Houston Colson back and he did. He was a good sport. Re reta. Right. I really appreciate Yeah. Houston Colson giving us time to come back and, and he actually did better the second time than he did the first.

He did. He did. And we got more information. He was more relaxed. Yeah. Talking about his roofing company and mistakes people make in choosing roofers. Yeah. I, y you know, there’s been, there’s been a lot. Yes. I mean, not as many as you would think though. Like it’s, it’s not like there’s bloopers every episode.

No, but, but, well, I just, you know, but they’re edited. We’re

Raena Burch: not walking around, we’re [00:25:00] not running into anything Right. Or anything. Right. You know, whatnot. But, but some of the, some of the word flops have been, have been funny. Some of the name mispronunciations, oh geez, have been. Quite comical. Yes. Like you, you got it now though.

You, you said her name. What? Kavaliauskas.

Jonathan Breeden: Kavaliauskas I couldn’t get that right to say anything for the, for the Life after Narcissism Foundation.

Raena Burch: That one took, that one took a little bit of rehearsing, but like you said, thankfully it’s not live and you know, that’s what we tell the guests. We’re like, if you, if if you say anything, you’re, anything we can edit it out.

It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.

Jonathan Breeden: Right,

Raena Burch: right. Alright. So. Have there been any interviews that sparked new connections, collaborations, or community action afterward?

Jonathan Breeden: Well, I mean that you know of, right? Well, I mean, the vast majority of the guests I did not know before they came on.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: So that is a connection with me to them, you, you know what I mean? Yeah. Some I knew the venue, like Broadslab. Yeah. But I didn’t know Jeremy Norris

Raena Burch: person. Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. I knew of him, but I’d never met him.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: But I’d [00:26:00] been to Broadslab for events multiple times down in Benson. Yeah. You, you know what I mean? I did not know that Lee’s Fresh market existed.

It’s like one of the great kept secrets of all of Johnston County and Benson, where they have a s don’t tell Wake, right. Where they have a slaughterhouse, but they also have the best freshest meats you will ever find.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And they have the sausage biscuits on Saturdays. I was gonna say that

Raena Burch: The free, they’re free. Right, right.

Jonathan Breeden: On Saturday mornings, right?

Raena Burch: Oh yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And people drive from. States away to go to Lee’s Fresh Market.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: Right off I 95 and Benson. So, so I mean, that’s been exciting. Just businesses that I didn’t know were here

Raena Burch: mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: Didn’t know existed. You know, have sparked new connections for me as well.

I met a ton of people through the Launch Joco program.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Where I’m mentoring and IT for the first time. I’ve been a mentor and launched Garner for several years, but this is the first time I’ve been, and so we’ve had several guests.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: From the Launch JoCo program from Natasha Armstrong, Houston Colson.

Raena Burch: Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: [00:27:00] We had the wildlife.

Raena Burch: Yeah. Robert, I think Robert, Rob, Robert Weaver,

Jonathan Breeden: right? Where they get bats and squirrels outta your attics. And he also does,

Raena Burch: he has some of the best stories,

Jonathan Breeden: pest controls. He’s got the best getting birds outta Walmarts. Yeah. I mean, possums, snakes, I mean, I, I couldn’t sleep after I tap that, take that, and then I listen to it and I couldn’t sleep again thinking about what is in my house.

But, but, but it’s been good to have some of the people, from Launch JoCo and we hopefully we’re gonna have a few more in the future. Josh Armstrong with Joco Homecare.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: And, and, and, you know, all the different services that she’s providing

Raena Burch: Oh, yeah

Jonathan Breeden: there at Smithfield. You know, I tell you what, I was a little, you talking about it being skeptical, I was a little skeptical about the men’s health in Clayton.

Raena Burch: Oh yeah. The Game Day Men’s Health

Jonathan Breeden: Game Day Men’s health.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: But, you know, after I talked to, talked to him, you know, you know, he’s. A real doctor.

Raena Burch: He, he’s a doctor. Like he’s an actual doctor

Jonathan Breeden: working in emergency room. Right. I mean, and you know, it was, you know, pretty interesting the things he’s trying to do with sort of the whole thing.

Not just [00:28:00] testone testosterone replacement, but also with weight loss, with everything else.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: To help nutrition and all be healthier. So, you know, so that was a extremely educational one as well.

Raena Burch: Yeah, I agree with it. I did not know a lot about that one either. When obviously, because I sit behind the scenes when you guys record everything.

Yeah. But I still, you know, I’m sitting there and I’m learning and I did not know most of what he talked about. Right. Absolutely not Obvious. I’m not a men, but it’s good to know for the men in my life.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s true.

Raena Burch: So, all right. If you could bring one guest back for a follow-up episode, who would it be and why?

Jonathan Breeden: Well, I’m trying to get Brad Knott the congressman back.

Raena Burch: That’s a tough ones.

Jonathan Breeden: Right? He, because he’s busy, because he was running for congress when he was here.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: He had a lot of ideas.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: At the time he was here, he not won. I guess he was going to win the primary, I guess. Yeah. Right. When he was here, Cody Daltry had pulled out and suspended her campaign.

Mm-hmm. Now he is in Congress.

Raena Burch: So much busier now.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. I’ve gotten to see him a few times. I actually got to see him and I spoke to him last week. We’re recording this in the middle of August.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And he wants to come back on, [00:29:00] his team wants to be, come back on. It’s just a matter of trying to, to find a time that would work.

Yeah. ’cause you know, they’re in Washington so much. But, but I do want to have ’em back on. I think we will get him back on because he has learned so much having been in Congress for the last seven or eight months now.

Raena Burch: Yeah,

Jonathan Breeden: nine months. The big, beautiful bill what’s coming up next? Yeah, some of their next plans.

I think I’ve gotten to hear him speak multiple times. I’ve gotten to meet him multiple times. But I do think that the citizens would be really interested to learn things like the United States ran a surplus in June of 2025, for the first time in 25 years, I know we have this $37 trillion deficit, but we actually ran a surplus for the first time since New Gingrich was speaker and Bill Clinton was president when they actually bounced the budget back in like 98 or 99.

Raena Burch: Yeah, early. Yeah. Nineties, right? Like

Jonathan Breeden: we’re going back. Way back. Yeah. So, you know, it’s been a long time.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: And so that’s something I didn’t know. That’s something [00:30:00] the public didn’t know. That’s something the media’s not telling people. But it did happen and while you know, $30 million may not sound like a lot over.

You know, you’re $37 trillion in debt, you know, at least you’re not going backwards. Or at least we didn’t go backwards that month.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: So, you know, so stuff like that. Yeah. But, but I’d like to have him back on. You know, he’s gained a ton of knowledge you know,

Raena Burch: because again, it’s different being in the audience and in the game, right.

Jonathan Breeden: It is, but I think he’s truly enjoying it.

Raena Burch: Oh.

Jonathan Breeden: Which they don’t always, it’s not always something that’s the Yeah. They enjoy. But I do think he seems to be enjoying it. Okay. So I’d like to have him back on.

Raena Burch: All right. I,

Jonathan Breeden: and I would’ve said Adrian O’Neal, but we’ve already recorded but

Raena Burch: already had him

Jonathan Breeden: we, we have, we recorded Adrian O’Neal’s, the county parks and open Space director. Second thing, I don’t know if it’s gonna run before this one but if it hasn’t. It will be running right near this episode. Yeah. Close where we talk about The Mountains to the Sea Trail. We talk about the Cleveland Community Park, which I think they call the Johnston’s County Regional Park.

Raena Burch: Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: We talked about a new park in Four Oaks. We talk about a walking trail behind Wilsons Mills Wilson, the New Wilsons Mills High School. A [00:31:00] two mile trail on the river there. So, a lot of neat things. So those are the ones,

Raena Burch: yeah. Yep. And that’s one of the ones I think people ask about the most, the original Adrian O’Neal.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. Original.

Raena Burch: So this is why we wanna have him come back and kind of give us an update. Right. You know, almost two years later.

Jonathan Breeden: Yep. Right. That’s crazy. Totally. Right, right.

Raena Burch: All right. All right. So when you okay. So it’s kind of great question to follow that up with. When you run into people who listen to the podcast, is there a guest that they talk about the most?

Jonathan Breeden: Initially it was Adrian O’Neal. And he was one of the very first guests.

Raena Burch: The very first. Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. I mean, he was in the first five or six or seven. And people asked me about that because they wanted to know about Mountains to the Sea Trail. They wanted to know about, there’s a new, he’s working on a new boat ramp now.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: They wanna know about the Cleveland Community Park. But by far of the early ones, that was the one I heard the most about as we moved along. People love Craig Olive. You know what I mean? The Johnston County Register Deans.

Raena Burch: Yes. So the people that solve, he’s such a genuine person.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. He’s a genuinely good person.

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: People would ask me about that. [00:32:00] You know, we had the county manager, Rick Hester on twice. And the Novo ones. Yeah. I had several people reach out to me about Stacy Beard with Novo Nordisk and what they’re doing.

Raena Burch: Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: And the expenses there.

Raena Burch: There’re hiring.

Jonathan Breeden: And they’re hiring. And she said, we’re hiring, we’re hiring, we’re hiring. she said that in both episodes. So, with the new expansion there with Novo.

So, y you know, and, and, and you know, there were other people, other ones that people, you know, a asked about or commented on. Melissa Overton.

Raena Burch: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: With the Overton experience and all of her medical training and medical.me, Dana Wooten with the Clayton Chamber Commerce

Raena Burch: Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: And Launch JoCo and all the things that Clayton Chamber of Commerce are doing. So, I mean, there have been, I, Tim Sims, the dentist, people talk about. You know, a real a an electric toothbrush versus an axle toothbrush when he said that.

Raena Burch: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: So, I mean, there’s a lot of ones that have created conversations, but those are the ones that I, I think the most about.

Raena Burch: Yeah, I think that, I think about that one all the time, but for a different reason because he called me out off camera for drinking coffee.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Oh, okay.

Raena Burch: Do you remember that?

Jonathan Breeden: I don’t remember that.

Raena Burch: He called, he called me. I was off camera and he was like, much like your, you know, assistant. [00:33:00] Did you drink coffee? And, and I’m like, there’s no need for that. That was uncalled for.

Jonathan Breeden: Anyway. Yeah. So anyway. Well, anyway, we’ll have to wrap this one up. We could do this, we could do this all night. It’s been a ton of fun. But yeah, so if you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please like, follow, subscribe it wherever you are. Go back and listen to some of the episodes we just discussed here today.

I think you will find them educational fascinating. I do think that most of the content we’ve learned from these guests is evergreen, and so what they’ve told us about their businesses and the services they’re providing are still relevant today. Same thing with the nonprofits. All the nonprofits are still in business in Johnston County.

They’re all doing even more and more and more. They continue to grow. They need your support. We’ve tried to support ’em, so reach out to some of them. Give us a five star review downward below. Share this podcast with your friends and neighbors. Tag us in our Instagram stories Best of Johnston County.

That’s how we grow this podcast, so that we will be here for the next 100 episodes where we will continue to tell the story of Johnston County. [00:34:00] Until next time, I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden.

That’s the end of today’s episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.

If the legal aspects highlighted raised some questions, help is just around the corner at www. breedenfirm. com.