Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev

Join Kosta and his guest: Cora Hageman, Owner and Founder of Wonderfill Refillery.

In this episode: For most Cookeville shoppers, Wonderfill is their first experience with a zero-waste store. So, let’s start there. What is a zero-waste store? How does it work? What do we need to know before we go? How is garbage and waste from single use items like shampoo bottles and cleaning supplies really impacting our environment? If e...

Join Kosta and his guest: Mark Lynam, Director of Research Development and Proposal Services at Tennessee Tech.

In this episode: When most people hear Office of Research, their eyes glaze over. Explained for those of us without a PhD: what does your office actually do, and why should our greater Upper Cumberland community care? What kind of research is TTU doing? Where does the money come from? How is it used? Let’s talk ab...

Join Kosta and his guest: Mason Harville, Owner of Upper Cumberland Tree Care and Land Management, Vice Chair of Putnam County Young Republicans and Candidate for Cookeville City Council.

In this episode: The next generation of leadership here in Putnam County is making their voices heard. Whether it’s through organizing, running for office or simply showing up for our community, we’re welcoming the freshman class of our n...

Join Kosta and his guest: Tessa Davis, Sales and Marketing Director and Assistant Tourism Director at Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors Bureau.

In this episode: In 2024, Tennessee set a new record for tourism after generating $31.7 billion in direct visitor spending and welcoming over 147 million travelers. Most of us probably never think about it, but the Upper Cumberland is a tourist destination. How does increased touri...

Join Kosta and his guest: Virginia Fillers, Director of SoulSong at First Presbyterian Church of Cookeville, Board President of Restoring Childhood Initiative and Candidate for Putnam County Commission District 12.

In this episode: Being a parent in 2026 isn’t easy. To be clear, it’s never been easy, but now we get to post it on social media. As someone that’s a parent, the Director of a Montessori Program and serves as th...

Join Kosta and his guest: Trenton Strode, Vice President of Putnam County Young Democrats, District Representative of Putnam County Democratic Party and Candidate for Putnam County Commission District 11.

In this episode: You’re running multiple races in 2026. As we said earlier, you’ll be seeking one of the two seats in Putnam County Commission District 11, but you’ve also announced and qualified on the ballot to run agai...

Join Morgan and her guests: Tracey Franklin, Owner of Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy and Kosta Yepifantsev, Owner of Home Caregivers. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the Producer of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev, and I run the behind the scenes of this podcast.

In 2025, Tracey and Kosta became the Putnam County Representatives for a dance competition hosted by WCTE called Let’s Dance. In honor of their up...

Join Kosta and his guest: Charlotte Sanders, Chair of the Putnam County Republican Party and President and Founding Member of the Exchange Club of Putnam County.

In this episode: Charlotte, I know this is a loaded question, especially for someone as involved and multifaceted as you, but what does success in Putnam County look like to you? You’re the current Chair of the Putnam County Republican Party and previously served a...

Join Kosta and his guest: Andrew Smith, Senior Instructor in the Department of English at Tennessee Tech University, Author, Editor, and Publisher of Everything's Folked Music Fanzine and Host of Teacher on the Radio on WTTU 88.5 FM.

In this episode: This episode will air on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and we hope it serves as a reminder of the enduring strength of MLK’s message and legacy. You’ve spent many years teaching...

Join Kosta and his guest: Jordan Iwanyszyn, former County Commissioner, career banker and 2026 Candidate for Putnam County Trustee.

In this episode: You’re working hard, and that’s an understatement. You’ve had signage up for over a year, and in terms of market saturation: you’ve done an impeccable job. From a campaigning standpoint, what will it take to win this primary and how will you do it? Thanks to property taxes most...

Join Kosta and his guest: Wayne Nabors, Putnam County Clerk and Candidate for Putnam County Mayor.

In this episode: This is the first official episode of 2026, and there’s no better way to ring in this election year than with a candidate interview. First of all, we want to thank you for all your hard work and dedication to Putnam County. You’re running for Putnam County Mayor, and I want to start there: why Mayor and why n...

Join Kosta and his guest: Hillary Huddleston, Army Veteran, community organizer, and Director of The Lines We Inherit, a documentary exploring the history and lasting impact of segregation in Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland.

In this episode: Our world can feel bleak. For many of us, on either side of the aisle, it feels like there’s nothing we can do to change what's happening or what happens to us. How does getting involved ...

Join Kosta and his guest: Chad Day, Owner of Kona Ice of Cookeville and Candidate for Putnam County Clerk.

In this episode: Before we get into the episode, I want to give our listeners some background on your story and how you got here today. You’re from Cookeville, but you also recently relocated to Cookeville. You’re an entrepreneur, community organizer and now candidate for local office. Take us all the way back, how di...

Join Kosta and his guest: Diane Duncan, Former Director of the Putnam County Library and newest member of the Putnam County Library Board of Trustees.

In this episode: Diane, you’ve had a storied tenure with our local library. No pun intended. Starting as a bookkeeper and later serving as Director of the Putnam County Library, we’re grateful for your service and experience. As of November, you’re our library’s newest board...

Join Kosta and his guest: Jennifer Wilkerson, Putnam County Circuit Court Clerk.

In this episode: Jennifer, you’ve spent more than twenty-five years working throughout our justice system: from law enforcement and non-profit advocacy, and now the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office. When you think about all the experiences you’ve had with the justice system and our community, what does justice mean to you? A lot of people have hear...

Join Kosta and his guest: Johnny Blayze, Executive Director and Co-Founder of UC Makerspace.

In this episode: The Upper Cumberland is changing. I’m sure people are tired of hearing us say it, but it’s true. Everyday we’re evolving into our next form and I see UC Makerspace playing a pivotal role in that evolution. For anyone just hearing about the concept of a makerspace for the first time, what should they know? At what po...

Join Kosta and his guest:  Seth Melton, Realtor at the Real Estate Collective Company.

This week we're celebrating Thanksgiving, biscuits and gravy, and all the ways we're better together.

We’re honored to host Seth on this special Thanksgiving episode, because he makes this community better everyday. Thank you to our guest host of Questions from a Cornucopia, BTwKY Producer Morgan Franklin.

Seth's Spicy Mac and Chee...

Join Kosta and his guest: Michael Ruff, Actor, Producer, and Director of Upcoming Cookeville Theatre Company Production: Crowns.

In this episode: For our listeners who aren’t familiar, how would you describe Crowns to someone hearing about it for the first time? What makes this story feel alive and necessary today? Crowns centers around the Black church tradition of hats, not just as fashion, but as identity. What do you h...

Join Kosta and his guest: Dr. Jeffrey King, Director of Nuclear Engineering at Tennessee Tech University.

In this episode: The word nuclear carries a certain gravity - no pun intended. Nuclear bomb, nuclear winter, the nuclear option: when we go nuclear, there’s no going back. When you hear the word nuclear what does it mean to you? Should we be afraid of nuclear energy? What will it take to undo the decades of fear and ske...