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This podcast is to help YOU, our listeners, become more familiar with the Northeast Tennessee community. From the perspective of folks who work and live here, we invite you to come explore all NeTN has to offer and to protect these places we love!
0:00:01 - (Lara Potter): Hey, guess what.
0:00:02 - (Jenna Lafever): What?
0:00:02 - (Lara Potter): It's season three of Meet Me and.
0:00:04 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, it is.
0:00:05 - (Lara Potter): In case you didn't know what you were listening to, it is season three. I'm gonna read this again, y'all. She just keeps handing us. This time, even this time we got in trouble for apparently, this is.
0:00:15 - (Jenna Lafever): Listen. Don't get that too close to the microphone.
0:00:17 - (Lara Potter): Apparently, it's distracting. Hey, this is your go to podcast for all things east in the Volunteer State. Join us as we explore the stories and people behind the hidden gems, vibrant cities and breathtaking landscapes. We've got you covered. I'm Lara. As always, we're recording from May Pop studio in downtown Johnson City and can't wait to explore these hills with you.
0:00:40 - (Jenna Lafever): That sounded so genuine. You did such a great job. I'm Jenna for the whatever time it is. And today I really am excited. I'm always excited, but today I'm really excited.
0:00:49 - (Lara Potter): You know what I'm feeling? You know what I'm feeling?
0:00:51 - (Jenna Lafever): What?
0:00:51 - (Lara Potter): Spicy.
0:00:54 - (Jenna Lafever): Get the camera. Sorry. That was gonna make a little, like, salsa dance kind of thing, you know? But then with the microwave.
0:01:01 - (Lara Potter): Spicy. I don't even know all. That's really spicy.
0:01:03 - (Jenna Lafever): Cut that. Let's cut that part. Mitch, cut it. Cut that. Cut the shake. Sorry about that.
0:01:08 - (Lara Potter): That one time you ate caramel, that got trouble.
0:01:11 - (Jenna Lafever): Okay. Yeah, yeah. Okay.
0:01:12 - (Lara Potter): See, you make it look a little cuter.
0:01:14 - (Jenna Lafever): I was a little too aggressive with the shake. I think I'm too early.
0:01:17 - (Lara Potter): Too spicy.
0:01:18 - (Jenna Lafever): Okay, I'm gonna tell the guests. Tell the listeners who are guests.
0:01:21 - (Lara Potter): I know they want to know.
0:01:22 - (Jenna Lafever): Now we have Jose Castillo in the studio. He is one spicy guy. We're going to talk more about that in a little bit. How he coined that. But his mission in life is to add flavor, connect people, change the world. He's a speaker. He travels all over the country inseing NASCAR races to audiences of 150,000. That's right, Crystal. He makes salsa on a stage in front of 500 business executives. Helps students find their unique voice. And most recently. And you're excited about this one because you're an Olympic nerd.
0:01:52 - (Jenna Lafever): He was the host for Team USA in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
0:01:56 - (Lara Potter): So daily. So.
0:01:57 - (Jenna Lafever): So, guys, today, welcome Jose Castillo.
0:01:59 - (Jose Castillo): Thank you so much.
0:02:00 - (Jenna Lafever): Thank you for being here.
0:02:00 - (Jose Castillo): So excited to be with you.
0:02:01 - (Lara Potter): Of course, you had to have that on.
0:02:03 - (Jose Castillo): I know. Well, you got to rep Team usa. That's.
0:02:05 - (Lara Potter): I mean, right.
0:02:06 - (Jenna Lafever): One thing.
0:02:06 - (Lara Potter): And he truly got to. But we're going to come back to that.
0:02:09 - (Jenna Lafever): And he stays swagged. Out. Like, it doesn't matter what it is. Like nascar, Team usa. Like, he has the swag.
0:02:15 - (Lara Potter): I can go back many years ago to when I first started following Jose. Right. I don't even know really what you did then, but whatever it was that many years ago, I was like, this thing's really cool. Like, he's famous, and I'm just one up here today with him.
0:02:30 - (Jenna Lafever): That's right. And I didn't really know he's also an entrepreneur. We didn't even put that in there. He owns a business, right?
0:02:36 - (Lara Potter): Absolutely.
0:02:36 - (Jenna Lafever): Right near our studio, so.
0:02:37 - (Lara Potter): Absolutely.
0:02:38 - (Jenna Lafever): That's right.
0:02:38 - (Lara Potter): So anyway, thank you for being with us. Don't let us monopolize this entire. And talk about.
0:02:43 - (Jose Castillo): This is why I'm here listening to you guys. Y'all have such a great show. It's so much fun.
0:02:47 - (Lara Potter): Let's hear about you. Tell us about Jose.
0:02:51 - (Jose Castillo): So I am, like you said, a host, mc, speaker, entrepreneur, But I like keeping my hands in a lot of different pots, and I just can't sit still. It's probably the add, but I really enjoy getting a chance to interact with a lot of different people and do a lot of different things. But as you said, my primary role is being a host and emcee, and that is welcoming folks to events, making sure that people are having a good time, whether that's on a big screen or through a television camera or just on a stage with a mic. I just like talking to people, helping people have fun.
0:03:24 - (Lara Potter): He does a damn good job at it. So good at it. Yeah. Well, it's. You're a natural. So talk to me about how we got here. Like, what is your background and how you came to be in the position that you're in now.
0:03:35 - (Jose Castillo): So as a little kid, I can remember walking in front of our giant plate glass window in our dining room, and everybody would be seated around the table, and I would go out into the backyard and walk in front of this giant window and put on a show. Of course, they couldn't hear me, but I would, like, fall down, and I would make jokes, and I would just walk around, and they were all just laughing and having a great time. And from that moment, I was like, oh, there's a power in making people laugh and helping people have fun and engaging them. And so from a very young age, I found myself with a microphone in my hand.
0:04:10 - (Jose Castillo): But my first hosting gig, and I just revisited this was at Science hill High School, 33 years ago on the stage. Yeah, the. My. My drama teacher was like, jose, I just moved to town, sophomore in high school, didn't know many people, joined the drama club because I really like talking to people. And she said, jose, you would make a great host. And I was like, what is this host MC thing? And so she explained, we're doing a series of one act plays.
0:04:41 - (Jose Castillo): And you, you're not the star of the show, but you're the glue of the show. You make sure things start on time, end on time. You tell little jokes in between. You make sure the audience is engaged. And I did that. They gave me like a suit with top hat and cane.
0:04:56 - (Jenna Lafever): And I was like 15 year old.
0:04:59 - (Lara Potter): That's right.
0:04:59 - (Jose Castillo): I was like, I'm in. This is awesome.
0:05:01 - (Lara Potter): Hey, ladies.
0:05:02 - (Jose Castillo): Exactly.
0:05:04 - (Jenna Lafever): A little tip of the hat.
0:05:05 - (Jose Castillo): Good day to you. So from that moment, I look back now and I'm like, well, of course I was destined to be a host and emcee. Everything I've done along my path has led back to that. Helping people feel welcome. There's always an extra seat at the table. There's always an opportunity to bring somebody else in and make sure they feel at home.
0:05:24 - (Jenna Lafever): And you've been able to do it all from Johnson City the whole time. Did you move after high school or college, any of that, or did you stay here?
0:05:30 - (Jose Castillo): I like to tell people I'm not from here, but I got here as quick as I could.
0:05:34 - (Lara Potter): Amen.
0:05:35 - (Jose Castillo): And I've stayed here. I genuinely, I went away for a year for a job that I took out west. But, you know, honestly, this has been my home ever since. And the more I travel, the more I love coming back here. This is a great place to live, work, get a chance to travel from here. And one little hop, I can be in Atlanta and then I can be anywhere in the world. So for me, this is the place to be. And as long as I'm around, will always be my home.
0:06:03 - (Lara Potter): You know, it's funny that you say that, that little hop to Atlanta, because I just want to put a little plug in there. Fly try, fly try. I mean, it's just very important that people do that. And that's the exact reason why you can get to.
0:06:16 - (Jose Castillo): I love, I love walking in TSA is like, hey, Jose, where are you going this week?
0:06:20 - (Jenna Lafever): And you're also in, like, so. It's always so quick.
0:06:23 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah.
0:06:23 - (Lara Potter): The most convenient. So sorry. Just needed that little head, put it in there.
0:06:26 - (Jenna Lafever): And people need to thank you. Our sponsors think next season they'll be our sponsor.
0:06:30 - (Lara Potter): Spice. Right. So should you.
0:06:32 - (Jenna Lafever): That's right. It's a spicy Flight, which is another. A good segue.
0:06:35 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah.
0:06:36 - (Jenna Lafever): Because we talked about it when you walked in. Just like you've coined this, you know, have a spicy day, stay spicy. Tell us how that came to be and how, like, it's. People have latched onto it, and it's like, it is you. Like, everyone is like. It's spicy. It's Jose.
0:06:51 - (Jose Castillo): So I love peppers. I love hot food, obviously. You know, my dad was born and raised in Mexico, so I grew up eating jalapenos, and I've always loved that. And as I started to kind of build a personal brand and start to do some speaking and consulting, and I had this picture of me that a friend of mine designed, and I used it on my sticker card, which I've given away stickers for years. I know stickers are amazing. They're a wonderful thing.
0:07:15 - (Jose Castillo): If you have a sticker, send it to me at Think, Jose. I'd love to see your picture of my sticker somewhere. Because people have sent them to me, you know, bus stop in Greece, the airplane bathroom. Don't put them in there. But so I started doing my little face, and I was like, man, I love ideas. I love coming up with things. And I'm constantly trying to rework what I do and how I do it. And so creativity been a big part of my life.
0:07:38 - (Jose Castillo): So a friend of mine came up with a little habanero light bulb above my head, and it was like, spicy idea. And so I started putting that over my face on my sticker cards and think, Jose. Like, spicy ideas. Thinking about things is what my first domain was, what my first social media was. So it has been spicy ideas and Think Jose ever since. That's cool.
0:08:02 - (Jenna Lafever): And the peppers. So if you guys come to Johnson City, whoever's listening, go to Juan Juan Chow, and you have all your peppers like that you painted there, right?
0:08:11 - (Jose Castillo): Yes. So one year I traveled. One year I traveled too much, and I came home and I just collapsed. And my wife, Shannon, was like, jose, you have not done anything creative this year. I'd stopped playing music because I was traveling too much. She's like, you need to have a creative outlet. And I was like, oh, yeah, I haven't done it. So my whole family are all artists. They're all crazy people. And so I was like. But I'd never painted. I'd always done music or other things, Performing arts.
0:08:37 - (Jose Castillo): And so I started painting, and I painted a pepper a day for a year. And I said, it has to be a small format, and it's got to Be something I can do in five to 10 minutes. But I painted, you know, with pencil, sharpie, acrylic, oil, fire, beer, wine, sand, anything I could get my hands on. And I painted a pepper a day For a year, 365 of them and 64 of them are hanging on the wall in one shower right now.
0:09:02 - (Lara Potter): Yeah. Is that an escape for you?
0:09:04 - (Jose Castillo): Oh, totally. I love painting, art. Anything having to do with a creative outlet with your hands, like, I love it. And I still to this day, I don't paint one every day, but like my Christmas card this year I did a woodblock print, which I'd never done before. I got some Linotype, carved it out.
0:09:20 - (Jenna Lafever): Wow.
0:09:21 - (Jose Castillo): Did the little thing and I was like, this is great. I can make a whole bunch by just going, yes. I got my own little automation.
0:09:27 - (Lara Potter): That is fast.
0:09:28 - (Jenna Lafever): Where did you find the time? Like, you literally travel so much. And this year especially.
0:09:32 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah. 130 days on the road this year.
0:09:35 - (Jenna Lafever): So that is a lot. And then still finding time to do all this stuff, run a business and all the other things.
0:09:41 - (Jose Castillo): I don't know how to do it. I have the same 24 hours. Yeah. I play Latin percussion, so I play congos and bongos drums.
0:09:49 - (Lara Potter): The more you know about Jose, Right? Right.
0:09:52 - (Jenna Lafever): He's an author, too. He wrote a kids book. All my Nephews.
0:09:55 - (Lara Potter): The things we think we Know, surface level. Right.
0:09:58 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:09:59 - (Lara Potter): Today we see the.
0:10:00 - (Jenna Lafever): The deeper.
0:10:01 - (Lara Potter): And that's impressive.
0:10:02 - (Jose Castillo): I mean, everybody's got great stories. That's the thing.
0:10:05 - (Lara Potter): And you dig in. We do. We just have to learn to tell them y. That And.
0:10:08 - (Jenna Lafever): And you do a great job.
0:10:09 - (Lara Potter): You do a great job of telling your story. So a lot of people in this region connect you with nascar, Right. Because that's. That's where they're connected.
0:10:17 - (Jenna Lafever): That's right.
0:10:18 - (Lara Potter): Tell us about that piece of your life in the NASCAR world.
0:10:23 - (Jose Castillo): So I've always been a car guy. I was the guy that had the picture of the Lamborghini hanging up on his wall in his bedroom.
0:10:27 - (Lara Potter): A poster.
0:10:28 - (Jose Castillo): Yes. I didn't have an actual Lamborghini. It definitely was. Oh, it was folded. It was all ripped and torn.
0:10:37 - (Jenna Lafever): You're going to get us in trouble with our boss.
0:10:38 - (Jose Castillo): Do you like languages?
0:10:39 - (Lara Potter): She's over my shoulder.
0:10:40 - (Jenna Lafever): She's. She's staring at you.
0:10:42 - (Jose Castillo): But I was the only car guy in my family, so I didn't grow up. Yeah, they were all doing other things. So at a young age, I really became just infatuated with cars, speed, etc. I had a fast car, like I really loved that. Well, after moving to Johnson City, Tennessee, I start going to the race and I'm like, oh, this is amazing. And it was such a cool experience to go to my first race and kind of experience Bristol, if you've never been, you got to go, because that's right. Wall of sound, wall of air, like, it's just amazing.
0:11:10 - (Lara Potter): Nothing like it anywhere else in the world.
0:11:13 - (Jose Castillo): It is, it is. And so through that experience, I had started doing some hosting, emceeing, some on camera work. And the folks at Bristol reach out and they're like, hey, Jose, we're the first track in NASCAR that's really going to start to use our big screen as kind of like a morning show before the race. Because fans come hours before the race, sit in their seat, and they had a captive audience with these screens and they would show country music videos and ads.
0:11:35 - (Jose Castillo): And they were like, what can we do to activate that? And so 18 years ago, they hired me to be the on screen host and talent for Bristol Motor Speedway. Baby Colossus back then.
0:11:45 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:11:46 - (Jose Castillo): And so I got my first start doing that and I showed up and they had a camera crew. We would go out in the campgrounds and cook food with people and record videos and play them back on the big screen. And then as we got closer to race time, I would go up in the stands and give stuff out, get people up on the big screen, help them become part of the show, interview drivers, celebrities, guests. And I loved it like that. For me, I was like, wow, this is really, really cool.
0:12:12 - (Jose Castillo): It was a live event experience. Some of it was scripted, most of it wasn't. And I got a chance to really kind of find my way through that moment. And Bristol was the first track to start doing this. Other tracks then started to kind of jump on. And over the years I would go to another one and another one and another one. And then just a couple of years ago, I wound up doing 23 races out of the season.
0:12:34 - (Jose Castillo): That was too many. So I scaled that back. So now I do between 15 and 18 races a season as the host of the big screen at the track, but also hosting trackside live. Like a live show at the. At the event.
0:12:46 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:12:46 - (Lara Potter): And so do you keep.
0:12:47 - (Jenna Lafever): I mean, you have to stay up on all that, like, information on the sport, and it's a lot like it is. Just I'm still fairly new in the motorsports industry and trying to learn how it all works with the playoffs and all that. So have you been a NASCAR fan before or is it like when you moved here and went to the first race. You kind of.
0:13:04 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah.
0:13:04 - (Jenna Lafever): Been to the sport.
0:13:05 - (Jose Castillo): It was the first race that I went to. I was like, oh, this is interesting. And again, I didn't grow up in a family that watched a lot of sports or that, you know, was involved in that. So when I got that first taste of it and then especially that next year when I went to work. So literally the year after I became a fan, I went to work and I did, I did and I. And I still feel like there's stuff that I'm learning about it.
0:13:28 - (Jose Castillo): But my job is not to be the expert on all the details. My job is to be the connector to the fans and the experience. And that's different than being a journalist, different than being a play by play announcer. My job is to be there to connect the fans and the experience. Experience.
0:13:43 - (Lara Potter): And with the drivers.
0:13:45 - (Jose Castillo): Oh, yeah. And that's the cool part, is the drivers are now part of this as well. And a lot of the tracks, they can see and hear the big screen and what we're doing. So we'll call out questions from the crowd to the driver. We'll get, you know, the crowd to respond during driver intros or whatever those moments are. We now to get a chance for the drivers to interact back with the fans as part of the in race experience.
0:14:06 - (Lara Potter): How's the experience of interviewing? So once upon a time in my former life, I worked one race and I was in the pits. I knew nothing about nascar. I hadn't lived here very long. And I'm trying to interview these drivers now and have a clue what I'm.
0:14:19 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah, but you're cute. You had no problem. Come on.
0:14:21 - (Lara Potter): However, what is your experience with interviews with these drivers? Tell us some, some, some fun stories. Who's hard to talk to, who's easy to talk to, who you going after to try and get them, to get them fired up.
0:14:34 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, so they get plenty fired up on their own. Like, it's like. And you have to remember too, these are competitors and all they want to do is win. So a lot of times when I'm talking to them pre race, et cetera, they're chill, they're having a good time, we can talk about whatever we want, et cetera. But once green flag flies, they become competitors. And so a lot of times you're going to get frustration, you're going to get, you know, especially because I talked to them after they wrecked out.
0:15:01 - (Lara Potter): Then you're getting good interview.
0:15:03 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah, that's right.
0:15:04 - (Lara Potter): This is what I'm like We're going to need to take out a few of these worms.
0:15:07 - (Jose Castillo): Oh, yeah.
0:15:08 - (Lara Potter): Not going to do that. When I was trying it, I was like, yeah.
0:15:11 - (Jenna Lafever): Hello, sir.
0:15:12 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, it's. It's wild. It. It's probably one of the weirdest experiences was the all Star race in Charlotte was years ago when Dale Jr. Was racing, and he ran out of gas on the last lap he was winning and ran out of gas and pulled in, lost the all star race. And there are, you know, hundreds of thousands of fans watching this race, and none of them left their seat. And the reason normally the race ends, everybody kind of gets up and goes on their way.
0:15:44 - (Jose Castillo): Everybody was waiting to HEAR what Dale Jr. Had to say. So my producers in my ear, like, where is Dale? We got to find that interview now. And apparently, when he ran out of gas, instead of coming back to his pit, he had just pulled right into the garage area. And so I am sprinting down hit road, my big belt pack, headset microphone, my cameraman sprinting. We're running down, and we finally see where Dale Jr. Pulled into the garage. He's just getting out of the car, and of course, media is swarming him. And I'm like, there are all these people right here waiting with bated breath to hear what he has to say.
0:16:20 - (Jose Castillo): And so I'm, like, muscled my way in through the scrum, and I'm like, yes, put the mic to his face. And Dale, of course, you know, he's like, man, I just hate it for the fans. Thank you, guys. And the crowd just goes nuts and, like, this roar of support because they wanted to hear from him. And that was one of those moments where I was like, this is a powerful connection, what we get to do, particularly with the screen show, because there's a whole fan base that's there to enjoy the experience, and they want to see and hear what's going on.
0:16:48 - (Lara Potter): And he carries a Legacy, too.
0:16:49 - (Jose Castillo): Oh, 100%. Yes. Yeah.
0:16:52 - (Lara Potter): That's really cool.
0:16:53 - (Jenna Lafever): Do you have any, like, it could be any event, NASCAR or otherwise, just like, your favorite interview or experience, whether that's with a fan or with a driver or celebrity.
0:17:02 - (Jose Castillo): So I love celebrities when it's their first time to a NASCAR race, and I've had a chance to talk to a whole bunch of them and interact with a whole bunch of them, and most of the time, their faces are just blown away. Like, they. First of all, they show up, and there's this crowd, and they're just like, oh, my God.
0:17:18 - (Lara Potter): Goodness.
0:17:18 - (Jose Castillo): You know, even. Oh, it is. Yeah. And Just to see and hear the cars and feel the excitement. Probably one of my most memorable moments was at Bristol Motor Speedway, and about five minutes before the pre race concert, one of the guys comes up. He's like, hey, Jose, just found out. NBC is going to take the first song from this set from this musician, and you're going to do the intro live on broadcast tv.
0:17:48 - (Jose Castillo): Don't screw it up. And walks off. And this is like five minutes before this is going to happen. Well, it was Steven Tyler from Aerosmith.
0:17:55 - (Jenna Lafever): Oh, that's cool.
0:17:56 - (Jose Castillo): When he released his puncture. Yeah. So I'm like, okay, yeah, don't.
0:18:00 - (Jenna Lafever): Really, don't screw this up.
0:18:01 - (Jose Castillo): Really, don't screw it up. I've got Steven Tyler getting ready to walk on a stage. NBC is going to take this live on broadcast. We've got a huge crowd here. This is a huge moment. So I'm standing there beside the stage and I'm like, okay, don't screw it up. Here's what I've got to say. You got to make sure I get these words right, et cetera. Well, up walk Steven Tyler. And so we're like, interacting. I'm like, oh, my goodness. So I run up on stage, I do the thing, I nail it. And as I get ready to turn walk off, Steven Tyler walks up and winks at me.
0:18:28 - (Lara Potter): Yes, he did.
0:18:29 - (Jenna Lafever): You're like.
0:18:30 - (Jose Castillo): And I was like, got you in that moment. I was like, all right, I got Steven.
0:18:35 - (Lara Potter): I'm speechless.
0:18:36 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, I'm good. I can continue on with the rest of my day.
0:18:39 - (Lara Potter): These are bragging rights.
0:18:40 - (Jenna Lafever): I know.
0:18:41 - (Lara Potter): Yeah.
0:18:42 - (Jenna Lafever): And we haven't even gotten to what I'm so excited to hear about. Can we get there now?
0:18:46 - (Lara Potter): We can.
0:18:46 - (Jenna Lafever): Okay. Because then telephone.
0:18:49 - (Lara Potter): Well, I mean, we talk about your. Your NASCAR side of the world, but things just went next level yet again for you. We need to talk a little bit about how in the world Jose ends up as part of the Olympics. What?
0:19:05 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, I felt the same way. Yeah. It was one of those moments where I've gotten to do a lot of cool stuff in my life, but this wasn't even on my radar. It was not something that I thought was even possible. I'm a huge Olympics fan. I. I have to say, as a kid growing up, we didn't have a TV in our house because my dad was in advertising. He's like, I don't want a TV in the house. I want the kids to read and listen to music, etc.
0:19:31 - (Jose Castillo): But every couple years, when the Olympics would come around, dad would Go rent a tv, bring it into the house for the Olympics.
0:19:38 - (Jenna Lafever): Wow.
0:19:39 - (Jose Castillo): And so the only TV I watched growing up was the Olympic Games. Literally.
0:19:44 - (Lara Potter): This is crazy.
0:19:45 - (Jenna Lafever): I know.
0:19:46 - (Lara Potter): This story is.
0:19:46 - (Jose Castillo): Oh yeah.
0:19:47 - (Lara Potter): Already crazy.
0:19:49 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, yeah. So for me the highlight of sport, of achievement, of entertainment was the Olympics.
0:19:56 - (Lara Potter): Well, of course.
0:19:57 - (Jose Castillo): And that, because that's what I knew.
0:19:58 - (Lara Potter): So for an athlete, I mean that's.
0:20:00 - (Jenna Lafever): It is the high.
0:20:01 - (Jose Castillo): 100%. 100%. So over the years that's just been a part like family to this day we still watch opening, closing ceremony, watch all the, you know, the events we're excited about, etc, cheer them on. Like that's a big part of my family, you know, history. So after almost 20 years of working events and experiences and getting a chance to work with some amazing teams of people, I have an event company that I've worked with for a long time and wonderful folks.
0:20:28 - (Jose Castillo): They're now Wasserman, part of the group that puts on the Olympics. So I get a call a couple months out from the Summer Games and it's a producer who I'd worked with before and he's like, hey Jose, he's like, would you be interested and, or available to come help at the Olympic Games host? And I'm like.
0:20:48 - (Jenna Lafever): A couple months out, right?
0:20:50 - (Jose Castillo): Oh, this is like short, short timing, right? And what had happened was is this is a first time of things. So normally Team usa, they have a Team USA house. And what that is is when you go to a city, you set up an event venue for all the athletes, team partners, sponsors, as a place to come watch the games when they're done competing or just a place to hang out, relax. So it's not the dorms, it's not the Olympic village, it's a separate location event space just for the team.
0:21:22 - (Jose Castillo): Well, for the first time ever they decided to open it up to the public and sell tickets. So they're now taking this kind of private event experience and now elevating it and saying we want it to be, you know, this amazing experience that fans can buy a ticket for. So they started programming it out and they're like, okay, we got athletes and Olympians and celebrity guests and you know, we have pop up shops and bars and all this cool things. And then they got to the host part and they're like, well we're going to have athletes hosted.
0:21:51 - (Jose Castillo): And the production company was like, you really need a professional to kind of help tie that all together. And so they went exactly the glue.
0:21:58 - (Jenna Lafever): Well it's like back and forth.
0:22:00 - (Jose Castillo): You need somebody to Help with the glue. And so they kind of went back and forth, and then ultimately like, all right, we need somebody. And so they reach out and ask me to put my name in the hat. Fortunately, NASCAR broadcast on NBC same time as the Olympics, so they took three weeks off. So NASCAR was not going for three weeks. So I'm like, that three weeks is open in my schedule. So.
0:22:20 - (Jenna Lafever): Wow, Beautiful. Like this, right?
0:22:24 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah. So I put my name in the hat, sent a bunch of stuff, etcetera, and just back and forth. And I'm. So many other people applying, I'm like, I don't know if I'm going to get the job. And that's okay. I'm honored to just have been asked.
0:22:37 - (Jenna Lafever): Right.
0:22:38 - (Jose Castillo): So we get down to it, and it's like, you know, they're like, we're getting close to decision time. We've got a meeting this morning. I'm like, hey, can I send a personal video to you guys? I really want this committee to kind of know who I am. And I've sent the reel in my bio and all that, but. So I called Jerry at Bristol. I'm like, hey, Jerry, can I come up and shoot a quick video this morning? He's like, yeah, come on, call my videographer. Hey, can you meet me at Bristol in 30 minutes?
0:23:02 - (Jose Castillo): He's like, yeah. And so go to Bristol, get up on top of the media center, shoot a quick video. Hey, this is my house, and I would love to come represent Team USA in Paris for the Olympics at Team USA House. Just a quick little video about who I am, what I do, and kind of the stage that I work on. So I sent it to him, and I get the call back. Jose, we'd love to welcome you as host.
0:23:25 - (Jenna Lafever): That is incredible.
0:23:26 - (Lara Potter): Set yourself apart.
0:23:27 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah. So, fortunately, I got a chance to work with amazing people for three weeks. It was the longest event I've ever worked in my life.
0:23:37 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah. Because those were long days, even at the house.
0:23:39 - (Jose Castillo): Right?
0:23:39 - (Jenna Lafever): Well, like, the hours.
0:23:41 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah.
0:23:41 - (Lara Potter): Never mind. The time adjustment. Right.
0:23:43 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:23:44 - (Lara Potter): They're just going around the clock. I mean, it's just.
0:23:47 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, it was. It was wild. So it was noon to midnight every day. The house was open 16 days in a row. I had one day off. I was there for three weeks, and about half of the day was scripted out, so we knew, okay, we're going to talk to the. This person at this time. But the other half, we didn't know who were going to win what medals. And so we would have people just randomly show up at the house and Be like, oh, there's Terry Crews or there's Bobby Flay or, you know, whatever it was.
0:24:14 - (Lara Potter): Did you get to cook with Bobby?
0:24:16 - (Jose Castillo): I didn't get to cook with Bobby.
0:24:17 - (Jenna Lafever): But I like Chef Crush goals. Yeah.
0:24:20 - (Lara Potter): But I did go ahead and raise the bar for next time.
0:24:22 - (Jose Castillo): I did get to make drinks with Brian Boano, so I did get that.
0:24:26 - (Jenna Lafever): Okay.
0:24:26 - (Jose Castillo): So didn't get to cook with Bobby.
0:24:28 - (Lara Potter): Go back many years ago. I used to love to watch him ice skate.
0:24:32 - (Jose Castillo): Yes. Oh, amazing. It was. And all of the Olympians that we got a chance to interview were just who you think they would be. They were the same people that you've watched on tv, that you've seen and interacted with. And that was something I was. That was unexpected for me. I've worked events pretty much my whole life, and everybody talks about the Olympic spirit and that it's a thing. And I'm like, is it really?
0:24:53 - (Jose Castillo): And you go and you're like, it is.
0:24:56 - (Lara Potter): Makes me happy. So talk about the Brian Boitano experience. What drink did you make?
0:25:01 - (Jenna Lafever): How was it? Was it strong?
0:25:03 - (Jose Castillo): It was lovely. So he had three drinks that he. He's got a cocktail bar that he owns, and he's done some cooking shows and some other things. And so we had all these experiences set up throughout the day in the house. And I got to paint the picture for you. This is. When I say house, this is the Palais Bronyard, which was built in 1840 by Napoleon.
0:25:24 - (Jenna Lafever): It's a few pictures from.
0:25:26 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, so here.
0:25:27 - (Lara Potter): Which, by the way, selling.
0:25:29 - (Jose Castillo): Here, I got. I got you a little poster postcard there.
0:25:32 - (Lara Potter): There's the house.
0:25:33 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, there's the house. The Palais Bronyard.
0:25:35 - (Lara Potter): This is so awesome.
0:25:36 - (Jose Castillo): Here. Meet me in Tennessee, girl. I customized it for you. That's for you guys. There you go.
0:25:43 - (Lara Potter): He's going to take us. He's going to take us with him.
0:25:46 - (Jenna Lafever): That's right. Right. We'll be the cocktail tasters. We can totally do that.
0:25:50 - (Lara Potter): I feel certain that we can handle.
0:25:51 - (Jenna Lafever): That this needs to stay at the local level. We'll let you do the interview.
0:25:55 - (Lara Potter): We'll just follow your link.
0:25:56 - (Jose Castillo): Come on with me. Come on with me.
0:25:58 - (Jenna Lafever): That's incredible.
0:25:58 - (Jose Castillo): Thank you.
0:26:01 - (Lara Potter): Yeah.
0:26:02 - (Jose Castillo): They set up this amazing event venue as an experience for fans. And so there was a Polo Ralph Lauren store, there was a Nike store, There was Oakley underneath. There was, you know, two Michelob Ultra bars. There were events going on all day long. Food, beverage, et cetera, all that. And all of the screens so you could watch all of the Olympic Games. And be there all day. And then we had events going on, so we would program things throughout the day, interview Olympians from games past, interview modern day Olympians that had just won their medals and they would come in wearing their medals and then they would sit down with the fans and enjoy the watching the games together.
0:26:40 - (Jose Castillo): So there was just these amazing moments that happened throughout the entire experience that were there for the fans. And again, that's why I do what I do. So for me, it was a perfect fit. It was. I get a chance to go do what I do on a normal everyday basis with NASCAR or with, you know, a corporate event, but I get to do that on a global scale, you know, for Team USA house.
0:27:03 - (Jenna Lafever): That's incredible.
0:27:04 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah.
0:27:05 - (Lara Potter): This couldn't have even been a dream job, you could ever even think dream.
0:27:09 - (Jose Castillo): Job, because, yeah, you don't.
0:27:11 - (Jenna Lafever): And it's the first time it's happened. Was the response like, yeah, we're going to be doing this again.
0:27:15 - (Jose Castillo): I feel very confident about the. The future of Team usa And you've made sure that.
0:27:21 - (Lara Potter): No, you're like, twisted.
0:27:23 - (Jose Castillo): I'm available. Let me know, let me know. LA LA 2028, which. Which if you've never been to an Olympic games, please go. Especially since it's going to be on U. S. Soil. Go to LA 2028. Put it on your calendar now.
0:27:39 - (Jenna Lafever): Right?
0:27:39 - (Jose Castillo): It is. The Olympic experience is unlike anything else I've ever.
0:27:43 - (Lara Potter): Meet me in Tennessee and la.
0:27:45 - (Jose Castillo): I love it.
0:27:46 - (Jenna Lafever): I can dig it.
0:27:47 - (Jose Castillo): We take this show on the road, right? Let's do it. I might have a stage for you. Maybe we could put it on the stage.
0:27:52 - (Jenna Lafever): So I was young when the Olympics were in Atlanta, and I have this.
0:27:57 - (Lara Potter): Use a baby.
0:27:58 - (Jenna Lafever): I have the baby. I have this framed print or it's like a frame shadow box of all the Olympic pins.
0:28:05 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, that's a picture.
0:28:07 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah. My dad got all the.
0:28:08 - (Jose Castillo): I didn't realize how big a pin game the Olympics were, so I made my own pins. I made little flavor pepper pins, of course, and I only made 100 of them. I was gone in a couple of days and I'm like, did you get more? No, I was like, I'm done. Like, it already took me a couple weeks.
0:28:24 - (Lara Potter): I'm wanting more. Next time in 2028, they'll be like, get me one of those pepper pins.
0:28:29 - (Jenna Lafever): I need a pepper pin.
0:28:30 - (Lara Potter): Yeah, absolutely.
0:28:31 - (Jose Castillo): So coolest pin moment was I got to put a, you know, my little flavor ink orange habanero pepper. I got to put my flavor pin on Flavor Flav.
0:28:41 - (Lara Potter): Yes.
0:28:42 - (Jose Castillo): I pinned Flavor.
0:28:43 - (Lara Potter): Flavor. Flavor Flav, first of all. Well, wait, is. Is he fabulous?
0:28:48 - (Jose Castillo): I mean, he's wonderful. Yeah.
0:28:50 - (Lara Potter): He also seems like a tiny man. Maybe it's because the watch is pretty small.
0:28:54 - (Jenna Lafever): Right.
0:28:54 - (Lara Potter): Maybe it's because the clock is so large. But he seems like a tiny man. But he seems like a lot of fun.
0:28:59 - (Jose Castillo): He has got so much energy. And, you know, I got a chance to chat with him and interview him at the house, but the coolest part was talking to his manager behind the scenes, and she's like, zay, this is all him. He wants to be here. He wants to go out and see the fans. His support for the women's water polo team was amazing. Yeah. And amazing ambassador for our country, for the sport, for the fans, was just a delight to work with.
0:29:29 - (Jose Castillo): Shook every hand, took every photo, said hello to every person who wanted in.
0:29:33 - (Jenna Lafever): I love when I hear that. I love that you see on screen.
0:29:36 - (Lara Potter): But did you cross paths with Snoop?
0:29:40 - (Jose Castillo): I had one day off in my entire experience, and on that day, Snoop Dogg came into Team USA house.
0:29:45 - (Lara Potter): Stop. How's that? I'm telling you, I just was. I loved that entire experience. I know all of those pieces that fell into place at the Summer Olympics.
0:29:57 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah.
0:29:57 - (Lara Potter): And then when Martha came in. Oh, my gosh. I mean, beautiful. It was a thing of beauty to represent Aqua Catcher with Snooping Martha. And I was very proud. And Jose. Oh, man, put your paper down. You better get in trouble. Golly.
0:30:14 - (Jenna Lafever): She just like to test the.
0:30:16 - (Jose Castillo): Speaking of directors, talking about holding papers and things.
0:30:20 - (Lara Potter): Yeah.
0:30:20 - (Jose Castillo): I had the most amazing team. And most of the time when I'm working, you know, I'll have two or three people on my team. You know, whether it's a camera person and a producer in my ear, maybe a field producer or director. I had six people on my team. So I had everybody from a script writer to somebody with a teleprompter to an audio tech, to a stage manager to a producer in my ear. And they are what made my job doable.
0:30:44 - (Jose Castillo): And you look at what it takes to put on the Olympics. And it was staggering the amount of people that came together to make it happen. And a big shout out to my team because they literally made me look like a rock star every day because they were rock stars. And we all felt that elevated sense of, oh, this is the biggest stage in the world, and we need you to do a great job. And they crushed it. And so I am very thankful for the people that helped me be able to do this for, you know, 16.
0:31:11 - (Lara Potter): Days we are very thankful, though, I want to say, to have someone from Northeast Tennessee or representing Northeast Tennessee. It's home for you now.
0:31:20 - (Jose Castillo): Oh, it is on that stage.
0:31:22 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:31:23 - (Lara Potter): I mean, how proud are we to say, that's our guy. Yeah, he belongs here. And that you're very proud.
0:31:30 - (Jose Castillo): Oh, yeah. And it was great to represent this region and see people come through the house that were part of this region. So Brody Malone, born in Johnson City, you know, had that bronze medal hanging around his neck. I got a chance to get up on stage, an order of eco ceremony, and he got to give a medallion to his dad. His dad was up there on stage as well. And so, yeah, there was these moments of connecting back to Northeast Tennessee that just made my heart so happy and people from all over the world.
0:31:59 - (Jose Castillo): So it wasn't just Americans, Jimmy. USA House was a ticket for anybody. So we had Australians and Swedes and, you know, Venezuelans and, you know, all these folks. And it was really cool to interact with all those folks throughout, you know, the three weeks. And everybody was so kind and so excited about being there, and it really brought home how much more we have in common than we do apart. And these people from all over the world that were just super excited to connect with you, whether I got the Mongolian wrestling team, got a chance to meet the coach and talk with those folks, fans from Argentina, soccer fans, got a chance to talk with them, though. Every interaction I had was, you know, a chance not only to talk about Northeast Tennessee, but also connect it back to the world.
0:32:45 - (Jose Castillo): And it was just very humbling, but also very, very exciting.
0:32:49 - (Jenna Lafever): I was so sad when it ended because there is this, like, piece of unity that just, like, everyone can feel and be excited about the same.
0:32:57 - (Lara Potter): We all connected.
0:32:58 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:32:59 - (Lara Potter): There were. There were no lines.
0:33:00 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah. And we were so proud to have. Have you there representing our country and then our region, too. It's like, an incredible experience. And like you said, when you couldn't even dream up.
0:33:10 - (Jose Castillo): No.
0:33:10 - (Jenna Lafever): And now it's like, I mean, I don't know what you put next on.
0:33:14 - (Jose Castillo): I know. So I've been thinking about that a lot.
0:33:17 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:33:17 - (Lara Potter): I'm like, all right, so how do.
0:33:19 - (Jose Castillo): I top this, exactly?
0:33:21 - (Jenna Lafever): Have you thought of anything? Any ideas?
0:33:23 - (Jose Castillo): So I have a list that I've started working on. I've not shared it yet, but, you know, it was a reminder to me that anything's possible. And I think people, you know, wherever you're at in life and I'm talking to you, if you're watching or listening right now, you can do it. The impossible happens every single day. And I think for me, the takeaway was, is work hard. Like, this was not an overnight success. I've been doing this, you know, 20 plus years.
0:33:49 - (Jose Castillo): This was an opportunity for me to work alongside people for a long time and have them go, yeah, Jose, this is the right fit. And it was a great fit. So work really hard at what you do and realize, be patient. It's going to take time to, to get those, you know, Mount Everest moments, but they will come, I guarantee you. Work hard, show up, be kind, and those moments will come.
0:34:13 - (Lara Potter): Meet me in Tennessee. Like here.
0:34:15 - (Jenna Lafever): Look at.
0:34:15 - (Lara Potter): I mean, look at this.
0:34:16 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:34:17 - (Lara Potter): Given this opportunity of season three of Meet Me in Tennessee, hey, most people.
0:34:22 - (Jose Castillo): Don'T make it past season one. Season three.
0:34:26 - (Lara Potter): This is just our first season. Check back for season four.
0:34:31 - (Jenna Lafever): That contract, I want to hear, because you've made this your home since you were 15. I want to hear about what you love about this region, about this community, why you choose to stay, raise your family here, and just what makes it so special to you.
0:34:47 - (Jose Castillo): So it's big enough and small enough, and this is the pitch I give around the world. And you guys know this. But for those listening or watching, I recruit wherever I go in the world. I'm like, hey, you got to come here. Even if it's just a visit and it's big enough to have, you know, good sushi, excellent coffee, you know, great Internet, but it's small enough that in five minutes I can be on top of Buffalo Mountain and be in the middle of nowhere and feel like I'm, you know, just lost by myself.
0:35:19 - (Jose Castillo): So for me, that's the great, you know, balance of being here is getting to ride my mountain bike up, you know, the fire trail all the way to the top of Pinnacle and stand and look out and see the forest. You know, Cherokee National Forest is massive. Most people don't realize 600 plus thousand acre national forest right here and it's like five minutes away. Yeah. So there's other places that claim to be mountain towns. We literally are in a mountain. There's mountains right here that you can just walk over to.
0:35:48 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah. But it's also been the community of people. So there's something special about, you know, whether it's the pioneer spirit or whatever you want to call it, the people that gravitate and live in the mountains are the most hospitable, but also some of the toughest. Some of the people that, you know, like to work hard, that like to have their own kind of Private area, but are also like, come on up on the front porch and hang out. Yeah. Um, so for me, I'm like, if that's what you want, then you should come here. And to talk about one other little thing. Spark Plaza, our coworking space, is 15 years old now.
0:36:24 - (Jose Castillo): We have 70 plus members, and people come from all over the world. Not because of the coworking space. They come because of the region, because of all the cool things that we have to offer. And whether that's. You can work remote and get all these cool things, whether it's, you know, low cost of living, high quality of life, all of those things lead to people coming here. And especially over the last few years, we've had this amazing influx of folks, and then they go, oh, yeah, this is really cool. I do want to stay here.
0:36:52 - (Jose Castillo): So I will continue to call this place home. And that's why, you know, we've got a house, we've raised our kids, we have a business. And why every time I get on an airplane, I'm like, I'll be back in a little bit.
0:37:04 - (Jenna Lafever): Yep.
0:37:05 - (Lara Potter): Thank you for being an amazing ambassador.
0:37:08 - (Jenna Lafever): Thank you.
0:37:08 - (Lara Potter): Northeast Tennessee. Oh, she does.
0:37:10 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:37:10 - (Lara Potter): She has another.
0:37:11 - (Jenna Lafever): Well, because he's a foodie and he's also a cook. He also prayer.
0:37:15 - (Lara Potter): But add it to the list.
0:37:16 - (Jenna Lafever): All I know, literally the things Jose.
0:37:18 - (Lara Potter): Can do, I really feel like I need to go out and teach myself a few new things after today. He's inspired me that I can do more.
0:37:25 - (Jenna Lafever): Go do it.
0:37:25 - (Jose Castillo): Thank you.
0:37:26 - (Jenna Lafever): He just said that anything's possible.
0:37:27 - (Jose Castillo): This is true.
0:37:28 - (Lara Potter): Now.
0:37:28 - (Jenna Lafever): This might be the peak. This.
0:37:30 - (Lara Potter): Our career. We have. We have hit the epitome.
0:37:34 - (Jenna Lafever): This is our Mount Everest, if you will. Okay. My question, though, because He's a foodie, 24 hours in the region, where are you eating? Because I feel like this is what the people need to know when you're coming to visit or, you know, you need to know where to go.
0:37:46 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah. Okay. We're foodies, so. Because I, you know, I do love the region. I'm gonna give some stuff around.
0:37:53 - (Jenna Lafever): That's good. Sprinkle the love.
0:37:54 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, I know. You gotta sprinkle the love.
0:37:56 - (Lara Potter): That's safest.
0:37:57 - (Jose Castillo): It's. I know. Yeah. So let's see. So let's go. All right, let's start with.
0:38:05 - (Jenna Lafever): This is tough. I am.
0:38:06 - (Lara Potter): I am, like, on the edge of my seat here. This is a great question.
0:38:10 - (Jenna Lafever): Most challenging.
0:38:10 - (Lara Potter): All about this.
0:38:12 - (Jose Castillo): So I'm going to go what I know the best, which is Mexican food. And I'm going to Start with La Costa Chica has the best tacos al pastor. So that's the most traditional Mexican taco. You go, and they have like this big spit with all the thin slices of pork and pineapple and onion. And shave it off onto it. Yes, they do. It's called a trompa. And they do that at La Costa Chica in Johnson City. So go there for a very traditional street taco like you would get in Mexico.
0:38:44 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah. So let's go coffee. There are literally, you know, four coffee places within a stone's throw right here. But I'm a cortado guy, so that's a Spanish cup of coffee. It's equal parts espresso and milk. And I would go to the moon for a cortado. Then I would go, oh, my goodness. Oh, you know what? I'm going to give a little insider tip. Okay, so if you're a bourbon person, go to Kingsport. BNB Package has some of the coolest bourbon bottles that you can find anywhere in the country come through that little store.
0:39:23 - (Jose Castillo): So if you're a bourbon person, go there. Okay, that's good.
0:39:27 - (Jenna Lafever): My brother's Christmas list.
0:39:28 - (Lara Potter): Another little tidbit. The owner, then the new owner of BNB Package Store is also the owner of Stir Fry Group.
0:39:35 - (Jose Castillo): Yes.
0:39:36 - (Lara Potter): That has a number of different restaurants throughout the region. So a little shout out to Martin Bagwell and some of those folks that they're really. They show a lot of love. They do say so.
0:39:47 - (Jose Castillo): And the brunch at Wan Shao is excellent. I love a good spicy brunch. And they've got a good spicy brunch.
0:39:53 - (Jenna Lafever): And you can see the pepper art.
0:39:55 - (Jose Castillo): That's right. And you can see the pepper art. I just saw a show at Paramount. John Crist was just at Paramount. Got a chance to hang out with my friend John. We did driver intros together one time at Texas. He's hilarious guy. So he was at the Paramount. So if you want to go see a show, that theater is just an amazing. It's a jewel right on State Street. And some places kind of out of the way. Let's see some hidey holes.
0:40:20 - (Jose Castillo): Tie am out in the middle of nowhere past. It's in between Elizabethan and Hampton, and it's actually right past Hampton. And it's this little lady's house, and she serves Thai food. And you got to show up early or else it's gone when it's gone.
0:40:36 - (Lara Potter): So part of this, our teeny, tiny boss, our director, that's over my shoulder right now. Something tells me she knows about.
0:40:42 - (Jose Castillo): She probably does.
0:40:43 - (Jenna Lafever): She's shaking her. She seeks these.
0:40:44 - (Lara Potter): She in particular. Tai. Yeah. When Ty is involved, I need her with me to direct me on what to order. And I love it. I'm just not as knowledgeable about Thai food and I get real nervous and as we discussed, I can't see the menu.
0:40:56 - (Jose Castillo): Yeah, yeah, I know.
0:40:58 - (Jenna Lafever): Flashlight now.
0:41:00 - (Jose Castillo): So the other place I'm going to tell you and I'm not going to tell you the name of it, I'm going to make you search for it is the best Italian food that I've had in 100 miles is in Mountain City. And you know this place and it's a guy from Italy who hand makes all the pasta, all the bread.
0:41:19 - (Jenna Lafever): You give me good bread.
0:41:21 - (Jose Castillo): Right, right. And I'm not going to tell you the name of it because I don't want you to know about it because I. It's hard for me to get a table, so. But if you really want it, you can go search.
0:41:29 - (Jenna Lafever): I'm not going to say it either. I know what you're talking about, but I'm not saying.
0:41:32 - (Lara Potter): One more reason to show that you are just such a great ambassador, spokesperson, advocate.
0:41:37 - (Jose Castillo): Irwin won too. I gotta throw some. So the Red Fork in Irwin is amazing and it's. One of the co founders of Timber started the Red Fort and so go show them some love and especially with post. Helene, please go visit all of our mountain towns that are open. They need your business. Go eat some food and spend some money.
0:42:01 - (Jenna Lafever): Shop local.
0:42:02 - (Jose Castillo): Yes.
0:42:02 - (Lara Potter): Well, you talk about the strength of those people, you know, us that are in the mountains and how strong we are. This is a perfect example with tragedy that hit such as Helene, that we never would have expected in, well, 500 years. Yeah.
0:42:17 - (Jenna Lafever): Yeah.
0:42:19 - (Lara Potter): How resilient we are. And we grow back. We do stronger and better for it, so. And because of people like you and like you, my friend.
0:42:28 - (Jenna Lafever): And you too, all of us.
0:42:30 - (Lara Potter): Thank you.
0:42:30 - (Jose Castillo): Yes, thank you.
0:42:31 - (Lara Potter): We appreciate your time. We can't wait to see what's next. And we're so right.
0:42:36 - (Jenna Lafever): We're so proud of you. We're so glad that you're in our community doing all that you do well.
0:42:40 - (Jose Castillo): Thank you all and I appreciate you all highlighting all the amazing things we have to offer.
0:42:44 - (Lara Potter): Absolutely. So we have to close out. She's setting us up.
0:42:47 - (Jenna Lafever): I got to get this back out.
0:42:48 - (Lara Potter): Hey, listen to us. Wherever you choose to listen to your podcasts.
0:42:52 - (Jenna Lafever): That's right.
0:42:52 - (Lara Potter): Meet me in Tennessee.
0:42:54 - (Jenna Lafever): What else you got to say? Like what? You.
0:42:56 - (Lara Potter): Well, if you like what you hear.
0:42:57 - (Jenna Lafever): If you don't like what you hear, bye.
0:42:59 - (Lara Potter): Please still do. So just keep listening. You'll find something that you like in there.
0:43:04 - (Jenna Lafever): Okay, I'll finish her line because I can see it. Go to NortheastTennessee.org to find out more. And share your Tennessee stories with us on all the socials. And use the hashtag meetmentn until next time.
0:43:18 - (Lara Potter): We did it again.
0:43:21 - (Jenna Lafever): Thank you, Jose.