The Best of Raleigh

🎙️ The Best of Raleigh highlights the people, places, and businesses that make Raleigh and the surrounding North Carolina communities extraordinary. Hosted by Gretchen Coley of The Coley Group, each episode shares stories, local expertise, and hidden gems that elevate living in the Greater Raleigh area. From trusted vendors and entrepreneurs to food, culture, and lifestyle tips, this podcast connects you with what makes Raleigh thrive.

The Best of Raleigh is a business podcast hosted by Gretchen Coley, with 93 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.

Gretchen Coley hosts The Best of Raleigh, a business show with 93 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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  The Best of Raleigh

  What Interior Designers Won't Tell You, with Michelle Murphy of Demi Ryan Interiors

  Aug 7, 202635 min

  Michelle Murphy has been designing homes for the same families for over 25 years, and she says the secret is trust, not taste. Michelle is the founder of Demi Ryan , a full-service luxury interior design firm based in Chapel Hill that works with clients across the country, including professional athletes and executives who relocate and bring her with them. In this episode, she talks about her first big break at an HGTV show house, why she refuses to repeat a fabric twice, and what she thinks most people get wrong when they try to design a room themselves. In this episode: Why more homeowners are selling their houses fully furnished, and why buyers are asking for it The real reason handmade means handmade at North Carolina's furniture factories How Michelle furnished an entire five-bedroom beach house for $35,000 The one design trend she wishes would disappear Why scale, not style, is the mistake she sees homeowners make most About Michelle Murphy: Michelle is the founder of Demi Ryan, a Chapel Hill based luxury interior design firm featured in HGTV Magazine, Cottages & Bungalows, and Southern Home. Her work spans the country, built on personal style over trends and clients who come back for decades. Subscribe to The Best of Raleigh for new episodes every two weeks. Hosted by Gretchen Coley of The Coley Group. Find us on YouTube , Spotify , and Apple Podcasts . Moving to Raleigh? Start at thecoleygroup.com .

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  The Best of Raleigh

  Sold For $745K, Now Worth $1.6 Million: Mick Michael On Building Raleigh's Legacy

  Jul 23, 202640 min

  He almost sold pharmaceuticals. Instead, Mick Michael built one of Raleigh's most talked-about home building companies. Mick Michael, co-founder of Envision Homes , sits down with Gretchen Coley to talk about trading an Army infantry officer's boots for a builder's toolbelt, why "inch wide, mile deep" became his company's model, and how a $745,000 townhome in downtown Cary is now worth $1.6 million. In this episode: • Why Mick calls home building "the greatest form of retail" most people never realize they're buying into • The military lesson that still shapes how he leads his team: soldiers first • Why the 50 acres behind The Park at Wimberley in Apex could be the Triangle's next big investment story About Mick Michael: Mick Michael is a co-founder of Envision Homes, a vertically integrated home building and development company based in Raleigh. A former U.S. Army infantry officer, he has spent 26 years in the home building industry, leading projects across Cary, Apex, and Fuquay-Varina, including the award-winning Park Station community. Subscribe to The Best of Raleigh for new episodes every week. Hosted by Gretchen Coley of The Coley Group. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen. Moving to Raleigh? Start at thecoleygroup.com/welcome-to-raleigh.

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  The Best of Raleigh

  Inside Apex's $3 Billion City: Joe Graziose of RXR on Veridea, the UNC-Duke Children's Hospital, and What's Coming to the Triangle

  Jun 5, 202643 min

  What does it take to build an entire city from the ground up? In this episode of Best of Raleigh, host Gretchen Coley sits down with Joe Graziose, Executive Vice President of Residential Construction and Development at RXR, the developer behind Veridea, the 1,200-acre master-planned community rising in Apex. Joe is a 40-year veteran who started as a busboy at 13 and a New Yorker who fell hard for southern hospitality. He walks us through why he builds places instead of just buildings, how he is solving for traffic on NC 55, and what a Saturday morning in Veridea will look like in twenty years. Whether you live in southwest Wake County, you are watching the Triangle grow, or you just love a great Raleigh story, this one is worth your time. 📍 Raleigh, North Carolina 🎙 Best of Raleigh Podcast. Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping the Triangle.

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  Episode #89

  Building Iconic Brands: Chris Knott on Peter Millar, johnnie-O, and a Lifetime in Menswear

  May 22, 202644 min

  What does it take to build one of the most recognized brands in American menswear, walk away from it, and then help scale another from $10 million to nearly $200 million? In this episode of Best of Raleigh, we sit down with Chris Knott, founder of Peter Millar and Chief Merchandising Officer at johnnie-O. From his first retail job at 14 in Fuquay-Varina to building a global brand from a side hustle selling cashmere sweaters out of his van, Chris shares the real story behind two of the most influential brands in menswear. We dive into sales, merchandising, brand building, company culture, and why relationships still beat marketing every single time. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a fashion lover, or just love a good Raleigh story, this conversation is full of insight and inspiration. 📍 Raleigh, North Carolina 🎙 Best of Raleigh Podcast Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping the Triangle.

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  The Best of Raleigh

  Personalized Longevity Medicine: Dr. Philip Deibel of D5 Health on Hormones, Biomarkers, and Feeling Like Yourself Again

  May 8, 202642 min

  What does it take to actually feel like yourself again, not just “fine for your age”? In this episode of Best of Raleigh, we sit down with Dr. Philip Deibel, founder of D5 Health and former OBGYN, to talk about the new model of personalized longevity medicine taking root in Raleigh. From his twelve years delivering babies at Arbor to building a concierge practice where he sees only three patients a day, Phil shares the real story behind his shift into root cause medicine. We dive into hormones, advanced biomarkers, peptides, gut health, the perimenopause conversation most women never get to have, and why the standard “normal range” is calibrated to a sicker America. Phil opens up about his own testosterone wake-up call, the Oura ring moment that changed his marriage, and the 90 percent rule that protects margin for the people who run too hard. Whether you live in Raleigh, work in Raleigh, or are simply tired of being told to wait it out, this conversation will change how you think about your health. 📍 Raleigh, North Carolina 🎙 Best of Raleigh Podcast Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping the Triangle.

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