Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev

🌈 Happy Pride Month! Y'all means ALL, and no matter what month it is, we're proud to represent all the people who make our community better when we're together.

Join Kosta and his guest: Bennie Taylor, Community Organizer, former candidate for Tennessee House of Representatives District 42 and dedicated public servant. This month and every month we recognize the LGBTQ+ community in the Upper Cumberland that makes us better...

Join Kosta and his guest: Dr. Justin Murdock, Ecologist, Professor of Biology, and Director of The Water Research Center at Tennessee Technological University. 

In this episode: Let’s start from the top, because if I’m being honest, my knowledge of Tennessee’s wetlands is that I’d assume it’s wet land. In April a bill passed the Tennessee House Legislature 71-21 to remove protections for up to 80% of Tennessee’s w...

Join Kosta and his guest: Aaron Cofer, Community and Event Organizer for Indivisible.

Indivisible Upper Cumberland is a non-partisan, issues-focused grassroots community, promoting civic engagement to hold our elected officials accountable.

In this episode: We have a lot of ground to cover in this episode, but I think there’s one overarching question that sums up most of what we’re here to discuss. Does protesting w...

Join Kosta and his guest: Alex Garcia, Mayor of Monterey, TN.

In this episode: When you were elected as Mayor, one of your greater missions was to be a new voice for Monterey. You wanted to represent Monterey in Putnam County and across the Upper Cumberland. When you think about Monterey, and how you want it to be represented, what does that mean to you? Earlier this year, we found out about the closure of Perdue Farms. Th...

Join Kosta and his guest: Penny Foister, Director of Putnam County 911.

In this episode: I think there’s only one question we can start this episode with: what happens when we call 911? You started as an EMT in 1992 with our favorite County Mayor Mr. Randy Porter. We’d be hard pressed to find someone that knows more about emergency services in Putnam County than you, so I have to ask: what’s the hardest job in emergency se...

Join Kosta and his guest: John Nisbet, Attorney and Founder of The Rogers Project.

In this episode: We’re going to talk about what it really means to have law and order, but first I think there’s a bigger question on everyone’s mind, especially today: is there still justice for all? It’s unfortunate that we have to remind listeners this, but I think we should, representation in a court of law is a fundamental human right in...

Join Kosta and his guest: Melanie Hendricks, Plateau Regional Director for Alzheimer’s Tennessee.

In This Episode: Alzheimer's is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. Between 1999 and 2014 Alzheimer's deaths in Tennessee more than doubled. Collectively, we’ll do almost anything to avoid talking about aging, death and what all of this will mean for ourselves and our family. Knowing what you know, what one co...

Join Kosta and his guest:  Alex Lisic, Executive Pastor at Christpoint Church and Creative Director at Fufild.

In this episode: Most of our listeners probably know you from your time at LifeChurch and now, Christpoint Church where you and Elizabeth serve as Executive Pastors. Will you tell us about Christpoint and what makes it such a special place to worship? Not to go too far behind the curtain here, but you kind...

Join Kosta and his guest: Diana Mandli, scholar, entrepreneur, founder and former owner of the Bull and Thistle Gastropub.

In this episode: Last week we talked with our friend Mark Dudney about the history of Jackson County and what brought us here today. Gainesboro is having a renaissance and it’s impossible to talk about the future of Jackson County without the woman that helped start it all. When you opened the ...

Join Kosta and his guest: Mark Dudney, Public Historian, Regional Planner, Producer, and Educator.

In this episode:

They say all press is good press. I’m going to ask you later in the episode if you think that’s true, but for now I want to start with the question on everyone’s mind: what do you do when white christian nationalists move in next door? Earlier this month you shared a touching testimonial about how you’re feeli...

Join Kosta and his guest: Mark Farley, Executive Director of UCHRA, UCDD and Core Partner of Empower UC.

In this episode: Many Americans are questioning how well state and federally funded services really work for this country and if the price tag justifies the outcomes. For anyone listening and thinking, this is just more government bloat - what do you say to them?

I want to talk about single parents because I know this is...

Join Kosta and his guest: Karen Rathgeber Hale, Director of Camp Nakanawa. I hope you packed the bug spray, because this week we're going to Camp Nakanawa.

In this episode: Camp Nakanawa is over 100 years old. As we’ve discussed, this is more than a camp, it’s tradition. How do you weigh the importance of preserving cherished rituals versus embracing new ideas, especially in an age of rapid cultural and technological chang...

Join Kosta and his guest: Matt Brown, Certified Financial Planner, Branch Manager and Generational Wealth Planner at 304 Family Wealth of Raymond James.

In this episode: Money is the last taboo topic. We’d rather talk about almost anything than how much money we make or have. That’s helped create a society of people who don’t really understand how money works - or how it could work for them. What do you wish you could tell...

Join Kosta and his guests: Catherine Jackson, Executive Officer of The Home Builders Association of the Upper Cumberland and Katie Hall, General Manager at Cookeville Kitchen Sales.

In this episode: Building a house is like making a cake from scratch - I don’t know how. Let’s start there, because for most of us buying an existing home is confusing enough, what’s it like to build a house? From 2014 to 2024, the median price...

*Disclaimer/Trigger Warning* This episode may not be appropriate for all ages and audiences as it contains candid conversations about child abuse, child predators, child sex offenders and cyber crime.

Join Kosta and his guests: Lt. Heather Marshall, Public Information Officer and Detective Conor Sparkman from Cookeville Police Department.

In this episode: We say this in every episode, but the Upper Cumberland is ch...

Join Kosta and his guest: Tabitha Merritt, Director of Peach Tree Learning Center.

In this episode: For many, homeschool feels like the only answer to an exceedingly difficult question. Where can my child learn where they’re safe, valued, and prepared for more than a standardized test? In your experience, when does a family know the answer is not public school? Over the next decade, education in Tennessee will change. Whil...

🥳 Join Kosta and his 200th guest: Jill Stalnaker, Prevention Training Specialist at TN Voices, Owner of Leaning Tree Agency and Mom of 5.

In this episode: In 2021 the recidivism rate in Tennessee was roughly 46%. That means that almost half of all individuals released from jail or prison were estimated to return within three years. Creating a normal life after incarceration isn’t easy. Reentry is difficult, slow and for ma...

Join Kosta and his guest: Tammy Key, Owner of Key Learning and Development.

In this episode: In your experience, what do the best teams have in common? There’s one thing mid-level managers, C-suite executives, parents and volunteer soccer coaches can all agree on: just because you have a group of people working together doesn’t make them a team. You’re an expert on leadership and team-building, and I think you’re the perfe...

Join Kosta and his guest: Michael Detwiler, local weather observer, member of CoCoRaHS and known across the Upper Cumberland as the Cookeville Weather Guy.

In this episode: I think the only fitting first question for this episode has to be: can we actually predict the weather? Why do other weather reporters get it so wrong? You’re an on the ground weather observer and member of CoCoRaHS, for everyone just now reali...