Small Stones Podcast Guest Showcase

Andrew is a seasoned business coach with over 25 years of experience as a business leader and owner. Having led and navigated teams through the challenges of growth and change, he now partners with business owners and department leaders to help them get unstuck, unlock their potential, and stay on course. Andrew offers one-on-one coaching, group coaching, and quarterly strategic planning sessions designed to equip leaders with clarity, focus, and actionable strategies. His mission is to support leaders who are ready to grow their business or successfully move through periods of transition. Learn more at jplcoach.com.

 With three decades of experience in QSR leadership and franchise consulting, Joan is capable of bridging gaps between corporate operational excellence and small business innovation. As the founder of C.J.’s Southern Seasonings, Joan combines her passion for specialty flavors with a rigorous, results-oriented approach to restaurant startups. She is an expert in food safety, technical assessments, and strategic planning, dedicated to ensuring new brands are built on a foundation of profitability and regulatory integrity. 

Adam is the Lead Pastor of Grace Heartland Church in Kentucky and has   been in ministry for more than 20 years. He holds a Master’s in Christian   Leadership and has served everywhere from student ministry in Lexington to   helping launch a church plant in Connecticut. Over the past 15 years at Grace   Heartland, he’s led in children’s ministry, small groups, outreach, and now   serves as Lead Pastor. He’s been married for nearly two decades and is a   proud dad of three daughters who keep life full with swim, dance, Teen Court,   and nonstop activity.    

For the past 18 years, Jason has been running CrowdSouth (a marketing agency), consulting, and purchasing real estate. He started out as an entry-level marketing analyst in the corporate world. Throughout his career, he climbed the corporate ladder and started and sold several small businesses, including an e-commerce business, a social media platform, and a brewery. 

He’s a husband, father, and very involved in my local community. Currently, he’s in the Leadership Bowling Green program and participating in the BG2050 project, which focuses on his community's quickly evolving, growing economy and how we can prepare for the projected doubling in population over the next 24 years. He also loves international travel and outdoor activities, and he has climbed dozens of mountains in the US and around the world.

Originally from the south, Hope moved to New York City to take on the Big Apple. She worked in orthopedics and hospice care for years. Her testimony from seasons of her life including her NYC story to this day has moved hundreds. Through grief and loss, Hope was able to overcome those struggles and came out brighter on the other side. Hope’s passion for animals led her to work at a nonprofit animal shelter in Pennsylvania, where she met one of her beloved pets, Bailey. Subsequently, she found the rest of her furry companions that she adores. Later, Hope met her soulmate and decided to move once again, this time to a small town in Kentucky. Together with her son Kingston, she moved to Elizabethtown, Kentucky. 

After searching for a new career, Hope was directed to Helping Hand of Hope as they were hiring for someone to lead marketing and fundraising efforts. Although she was not familiar with the field, she was not afraid to roll up her sleeves and put in the effort to learn. She quickly became the face of Helping Hand of Hope. In 2019, she was appointed as Executive Director, and she immediately got to work.

Hope has brought Helping Hand of Hope into the 21st century with her innovative ideas regarding social media. She has expanded the Emergency Assistance Program to include personal hygiene items and established the first and only pet food pantry in Hardin County. During the pandemic, she moved mountains by ensuring Helping Hand of Hope remained open and able to serve those in need in Hardin County. Because of her efforts, Helping Hand of Hope is still able to provide support to those in need. She truly gives hope to everyone.

Brent started Ditto Wealth Management in 2014. He holds an undergraduate degree in Business Economics from Western Kentucky University and an MBA from the University of Louisville and has been a financial advisor since 2004. 

He is a husband and a proud father of two girls. He enjoys history, finance, and golf.     

Dr. Megan Stith combines her passion for education and empowering others to reach their full potential as Elizabethtown Community and Technical College's Vice President of Advancement, KCTCS Chief Advancement Officer, and Executive Director of the KCTCS Foundation. In these roles, she helps generous donors change students' lives, provides system-wide fundraising leadership, and supports ECTC's marketing and grants teams. She has raised and supervised over $25M in gifts and grants from individuals, foundations, and federal funders, and previously served as CEO of Kentucky's 5th largest United Way.

A Kentuckian by choice, educational opportunities brought Stith to the commonwealth in 2007. She has spent her career in nonprofit leadership and is driven to help students overcome barriers to their education. Having continued her education at the graduate and doctoral level while working full-time, she identifies with the challenges students face as they balance academic, professional, and family commitments. She invests time in her community through multiple volunteer roles, including as a board member for the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce, Meade County Public Library, and as a pro bono consultant. She is a graduate of Leadership Kentucky, a Certified Fund Raising Executive and contributing author to three books on women’s leadership. She is an avid endurance athlete, the proud mom of two sons, and lives on her husband's third-generation family farm in Payneville.