Sunday Afternoon Smokes

Sunday Afternoon Smokes is a long-form podcast hosted by Chris Strother, featuring unhurried conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, business owners, and leaders across the Upstate of South Carolina.Each episode explores business, leadership, faith, risk, and the realities of building something meaningful. Recorded at the table, not the podium. Cigars are part of the setting — never the requirement.Settle in. Enjoy the conversation.

Sunday Afternoon Smokes is a business podcast hosted by Chris Strother, with 83 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Chris Strother hosts Sunday Afternoon Smokes, a business show with 83 episodes published.

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  Episode #86

  Creativity, Business & Building the Upstate Music Scene | Episode 86 with Brandon Schnader

  Sep 27, 20262h 24m

  Brandon Schnader is the co-founder of Brando Jones Films, a Greenville, South Carolina video production company built by musicians for musicians. In Episode 86 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Brandon sits down in the lounge to talk about the unlikely path that turned two musicians and longtime friends into business partners, filmmakers, and advocates for the Upstate South Carolina music scene. Brandon shares how he and Jones started with cameras, a love for local music, and a desire to document talented artists who weren’t getting the attention they deserved. What followed was years of learning how to balance creativity with business, navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship, work alongside your best friend, survive failure, and build a company without losing sight of the community that made it possible. The conversation also gets into social media, algorithms, the obsession with follower counts, why 500 views still means 500 real people, the realities of making a living doing something you love, and why great creative work can become something much bigger than content—it can become a time capsule. Today, Brando Jones Films has worked with hundreds of artists while continuing to invest in the musicians, venues, and creative community of the Upstate. This is a conversation about creativity, friendship, entrepreneurship, music, failure, community, and figuring out what you’re actually good at along the way. Brando Jones Films: https://www.brandojonesfilms.com/ https://www.instagram.com/brandojonesfilms/ Sunday Afternoon Smokes: https://sundayafternoonsmokes.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

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  Episode #34

  Custom Home Building, Remodeling & Why Construction Costs So Much | Episode 85 with Caleb Adkins

  Sep 20, 20262h 59m

  Caleb Adkins has been around tools and construction for most of his life — from helping rebuild his family's home as a kid to working on farms, learning from experienced tradesmen, managing custom residential renovations, and building his own company, C A Homes. In Episode 85 of Sunday Afternoon Smokes, Caleb joins Chris in the lounge for a wide-ranging conversation about custom home building, remodeling, construction costs, building codes, HVAC, design, and why real-world experience can sometimes teach what a classroom can't. They also get into why good planning can save homeowners money, what actually drives the cost of a renovation, how building codes continue to change, and what Caleb has learned from years of working alongside skilled tradespeople. There's also a unique connection to the Sunday Afternoon Smokes lounge itself: Caleb helped bring the room to life, installing the exhaust and portable air-conditioning systems after Chris designed the room's airflow and cooling strategy. That leads into a deeper conversation about The Smoking Room Co., intentional spaces, and why a well-designed room should do more than look good — it should work. Plus: cigars, bourbon, margaritas, Airbnb ownership, C A Homes, raising a family, learning by doing, and where Caleb hopes to take his business next. Contact Caleb: cplusthreeoffice@gmail.com Sunday Afternoon Smokes: sundayafternoonsmokes.com https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/ The Smoking Room Co.: www.thesmokingroomco.com

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  Episode #84

  Beyond the Clothes: Fashion, Confidence & Human Connection | Episode 84 with Bob & Jennifer Houde

  Sep 13, 20262h 35m

  Bob and Jennifer Houde, owners of Maison Avenir in Greenville, South Carolina, join Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a conversation that goes far beyond fashion. Jennifer has spent more than twenty years in luxury retail, developing an eye for fit, fabric, construction, quality, and the subtle details that determine whether a piece of clothing is actually worth owning. Her path, however, began with a degree in microbiology and plans to work for the CDC before realizing that the life she had prepared for wasn't the life she wanted. Bob followed an equally unexpected path through real estate, occupational therapy, and healthcare operations before eventually joining Jennifer to build Maison Avenir. Together, they created a high-end retail experience designed to feel less like a traditional boutique and more like being welcomed into someone's home. Chris, Bob, and Jennifer explore the relationship between clothing and confidence, why what we wear can become connected to identity, and how the right clothing can sometimes help someone rediscover a part of themselves. They also discuss the difference between price and value, Jennifer's process for curating brands from around the world, and why great curation is often about removing choices rather than adding more. The conversation eventually becomes less about clothes and more about people: hospitality, trust, relationships, building a business with your spouse, creating an experience people want to linger in, and Maison Avenir's attempt to scale intimacy without losing what makes the business special. Maison Avenir https://maisonavenir.com/ https://www.instagram.com/maison.avenir/ Sunday Afternoon Smokes https://sundayafternoonsmokes.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

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  Episode #83

  Life After Stroke & Brain Injury | Episode 83 with Alex Katzman & Caitlin Beakes

  Sep 6, 20262h 34m

  What does recovery really look like after a stroke or traumatic brain injury? Alex Katzman and Caitlin Beakes join Sunday Afternoon Smokes for a wide-ranging conversation about stroke and brain injury rehabilitation, the hidden challenges patients face, and the impact these life-changing events have on entire families. Alex, an occupational therapist, and Caitlin, a speech-language pathologist, work with patients navigating everything from physical limitations and aphasia to memory loss, executive function, emotional regulation, and the difficult process of rebuilding everyday life. They explain why no two brain injuries are alike and why successful rehabilitation requires treating the whole person—not simply the most visible deficit. The conversation also gets deeply personal as Chris shares his experience walking alongside his wife after her stroke. Together, they discuss grief, identity, marriage after brain injury, the fear of becoming a burden, caregiver burnout, and the importance of giving both survivors and caregivers space to acknowledge when life is simply hard. Alex and Caitlin also share the story behind the Caretaker Support Group they helped create alongside Chris and why community matters for the people quietly carrying the weight of caring for someone they love. Along the way, they break down occupational therapy, speech therapy, aphasia, apraxia, cognition, neuroplasticity, and what meaningful progress can actually look like months—or years—after a brain injury. And before the conversation ends, Caitlin somehow takes us from speech therapy to riding a bicycle across the United States twice. Roger C. Peace: https://www.instagram.com/ph_rogercpeace/ Sunday Afternoon Smokes: https://www.sundayafternoonsmokes.com https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

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  Episode #82

  Four Generations of Automotive Craftsmanship | Episode 82 with Chris Dover

  Aug 30, 20262h 34m

  Chris Dover is the third generation to lead Dover Cylinder Head Service, a fourth-generation family business serving the automotive industry in Upstate South Carolina. In Episode 82 of *Sunday Afternoon Smokes*, Chris joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up in the Upstate, watching Greenville and Pickens County change, learning the family business from his father, and eventually taking the reins himself. We get into cylinder heads and engine rebuilding, how the automotive industry has changed, the value of old-school craftsmanship, and why Chris believes doing right by the customer matters more than squeezing every dollar out of a job. We also talk cigars, Chris's passion for woodturning, the wooden whiskey glasses he may be making for the SAS lounge, and the work his church supports in Kenya, Tanzania, and Romania—including the experiences in Romania that changed his perspective on life back home in America. An unhurried conversation about family, craftsmanship, faith, business, and leaving something worth passing down. Dover Cylinder Head: www.doverheads.com Sunday Afternoon Smokes: www.sundayafternoonsmokes.com https://www.instagram.com/sundayafternoonsmokes/

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