Coffee With Strangers
132 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 30 ratingsCoffee with Strangers RVA is your new Monday morning routine. With interviews from fascinating people in Richmond and look ahead at the week's events, Coffee with Strangers will get your week off the right start.
You know those people in RVA who we've all followed on social media, liked pictures of their cats, seen them in a crowd and thought, 'Man, I'd like to have coffee with that guy.', well, it's those people who join Kelli Lemon for coffee every Monday, somewhere in Richmond.
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Episodes
Raymond Hawkes - Richmond Is In That Good Spot
February 19, 2018 03:10 - 33 minutes - 60.4 MBKelli's downtown at Pop's to grab coffee with Raymond Hawkes. Ray's a Virginia Union grad the evening traffic reporter on CBS6 who despite his evening shift has mastered the dinner break and still live Richmond.
Emily Herr - Richmond Is A Great Place To Experiment
February 12, 2018 03:05 - 34 minutes - 63.4 MBKelli's downtown at Pop's to grab coffee with Emily Herr. Emily's a Richmond native living who still lives only about four miles from where she was born. A 2013 VCU grad, Emily's been livin' RVA dream as full time muralist traveling and painting.
Matt Dinardo - Richmond Makes You Want To Know Your Neighbor
February 05, 2018 03:23 - 37 minutes - 68.3 MBKelli's downtown at Pop's to grab coffee with Matt DiNardo. Matt's the morning meteorologist on 8 News Born & raised on Long Island, Matt's been in RVA for 14 years and yeah, his forecast is more accurate than the farmer's almanac.
Lori Waran - Richmond is a Special Place
January 29, 2018 02:55 - 33 minutes - 61.2 MBKelli's downtown at Pop's grab coffee with Lori Waran. Lori's the publisher at
Ashley Williams - Create the Life You Dream in Richmond
January 22, 2018 03:32 - 32 minutes - 58.5 MBKelli's in Jackson Ward to grab juice with Ashley Williams. Ashley is the owner of BareSoul Yoga and social justice advocate and her yoga studio in Saadia's JuiceBox is making yoga and mindfulness accessible to a whole new population.
Kelli Lemon with the Holiday Update
November 27, 2017 03:38 - 46 seconds - 1.43 MBHope you had a great Thanksgiving and scored some dope Black Friday deals. Monday is Cyber Monday so you've got more chances to snag some great stuff and Tuesday is Giving Tuesday so we hope you'll save some money to support one of the local non profits we've worked with this year like UnBoundRVA, Girls for a Change, Storefront for Community Design, The Salvation Army, Studio Two Three, Code VA or one of the other great non profits in RVA. We're taking a break through the end of the year but...
John Murden - Your Interests are Reflected in Richmond
November 20, 2017 02:55 - 27 minutes - 49.7 MBKelli's at Garnett's East to grab coffee with John Murden. John's a Richmond native who married into the restaurant business but hasn't forgotten his roots at Little Caesar's. He's also the founder of Church Hill People's News, a website that's been covering news and events of the east end for more than a decade.
Ryan Rinn - Richmond is Generous & Innovative People
November 13, 2017 03:05 - 30 minutes - 56.8 MBKelli's in Highland Park to grab coffee with Ryan Rinn at the newly opened 6 Points Innovation Center. Ryan's originally from Texas, came to Richmond to attend U of R, stuck around and ended up in grad school at VCU, and soon after that he became Executive Director at Storefront for Community Design.
Bill Martin - Richmond is America's Story
November 06, 2017 03:39 - 45 minutes - 82.6 MBKelli's at Garnett's Cafe at The Valentine to grab coffee with Bill Martin. Bill's the Director of The Valentine and has been with the museum for 23 years. As Bill says, The Valentine is "all Richmond all the time" and a place where we can each find our respective piece of Richmond history.
Ashley Hawkins - Keep Richmond Interesting
October 30, 2017 02:36 - 28 minutes - 52.7 MBKelli's on Broad Street for coffee with Ashley Hawkins of Studio Two Three during the Coffee then Lipstick event with Lou Stevens Glam Squad and Capture Photography. Ashley and her co-founders started Studio Two Three right out of VCU as a way of keeping artists in Richmond and keeping Richmond interesting and this mom of two still finds time to live Richmond.
Andrea Maradiaga - I Just Keep Falling in Love with Richmond
October 23, 2017 02:33 - 23 minutes - 43 MBKelli's at pop's to grab coffee with Andrea Maradiaga. You may have seen Andrea around RVA at some notable restaurants and dope events, probably because she's been in the RVA restaurant scene for 12 and is the owner of Richmond PhotoBooth, you know, that dope thing at all the cool parties now? Yep, that's probably her. Born in the US and raised in Nicaragua, Andrea moved to Richmond by herself at 18 to attend VCU and brought the hustle of a third-world country with her to her business.
Governor Terry McAuliffe - This is all Virginia!
October 16, 2017 02:08 - 34 minutes - 63.7 MBKelli’s at the State Capitol to grab coffee with Governor Terry McAuliffe. The Governor’s nearing the end of his term so this was the perfect time grab some coffee and talk about what he’s enjoyed about Richmond, how he sells Virginia and what he’s got coming up next.
Bert Arens - Richmond is Upcoming & Contemporary
October 09, 2017 02:15 - 24 minutes - 44.9 MBKelli's in Carytown to grab coffee at Ellwood Thompson'swith Bert Arens. Bert's the Catering Manager at Ellwood's, a position she's been in for about six months, she's been in Richmond since the 80's though when she attended VCU. She was a big part of organizing National Coffee (with Strangers) Day but doesn't need much coffee herself, she's naturally got a ton of energy.
Nate Marcus - Richmond is Like a College Campus
October 09, 2017 01:25 - 15 minutes - 29 MBKelli’s back at the State Fair of Virginia to ride the the Ferris wheel with Nate Marcus. Nate’s the founder of the website Occasion Genius. Originally from Boston, Nate was originally teaching Iron Chef classes when he moved to RVA, seeing the opening in the market for a site that listed hundreds of team-building and adventurous activities, he started Occasion Genius to help pair groups in RVA looking for something to do with businesses who can host them for dope events.
Daryl Watkins - There's Always Something New to Find in Richmond
October 02, 2017 02:05 - 18 minutes - 33.2 MBKelli's at the Virginia State Fair to ride the Ferris wheel with Daryl Watkins of Creative Dog Media. Daryl's no stranger to an aerial view either so the Ferris wheel was a nature spot to talk. He took Creative Dog Media from a hobby to a recognizable business and one of the premier aerial photography companies in RVA. Daryl's lived all over Virginia and been in Richmond since 2005 and doesn't anticipate leaving soon either.
National Coffee (with Strangers) Day 9/29
September 25, 2017 02:19 - 1 minute - 2.96 MBOkay, y'all, National Coffee (with Strangers) Day is Friday, September 29 at Ellwood Thompson's from 7am to 11am. It's going to be a great day, made possible by our friends at Blanchard's Coffee Roasting Company, Black Hand Coffee Company, Gearhart's Fine Chocolates, King Of Pops, Richmond PhotoBooth, and Triple Crossing Brewing. They'll all be on had with their amazing coffee products. With a $1 donation to The Salvation Army, attendees get their choice of a coffee product and a $5 donation ...
Shannon Siriano Greenwood - People Just Do Stuff in Richmond
September 11, 2017 02:34 - 14 minutes - 27.2 MBBurned out from living the beltway loop life, Shannon Siriano Greenwood moved to Richmond about five years ago. She was part of a duo who opened a successful fitness studio in the Fan but when she began her family, she realized to fitness studio-owner-lifestyle wasn't what she was looking for as a compliment to motherhood. She sold the business but kept getting calls from friends asking for help growing their businesses the way she'd grown her own...
Labor Day Housekeeping
September 04, 2017 02:21 - 1 minute - 2.32 MBKelli's off this week but we do have a few announcements. One, big thanks to our friends at Rise Biscuits Donuts for sponsoring last week's episode with Candice Smith. Be sure to visit Rise in Short Pump for some of the best dang biscuits and donuts around. Keep an eye on the website and social media channels for more news about our International Coffee (with Strangers) Day on Friday, September 29 in partnership with Ellwood Thompson's. Come to Ellwood's from 7am-11am and experience coffee p...
Candice Smith - Richmond has Been so Good to Me
August 28, 2017 02:47 - 18 minutes - 34.2 MBKelli's at Rise Biscuits Donuts in Short Pump to grab coffee with Candice Smith of NBC12. Originally from Roanoke, Candice came to Richmond to attend VCU, started interning at NBC12 as an editor and worked her way to where she is now, waking up at 3am to bring viewers the morning traffic and covering events around town through 12 About Town. She loves fitness, getting outside for paddleboarding or running the Libby Hill steps but loves herself pizza and donuts too.
Ryan Allen - Richmond is a Place of Celebration & Love
August 21, 2017 02:39 - 25 minutes - 46.2 MBKelli's at Pop's to have coffee with Ryan Allen. Ryan may be better known though as his drag queen persona, Reann Ballslee. Ryan's been doing drag for 12 years and Reann's won homecoming queen titles and hosted tons of events around Richmond. Both Ryan and Reann love Richmond and feel celebrated and loved in RVA and Virginia.
Will Correll - Richmond is Alive
August 14, 2017 02:20 - 31 minutes - 58.6 MBKelli's in Scott's Addition to grab coffee, and cider, with Buskey Cider founder Will Correll. Will's a Virginia boy at heart, having grown up in Franklin before his family relocated to Memphis. He always knew he'd be back to VA though and when he was ready to open Buskey, he knew RVA and Scott's Addition was the right spot.
Angela Patton - Always Reppin' Richmond
August 07, 2017 02:01 - 31 minutes - 57.1 MBKelli's grabbing coffee with Angela Patton of Camp Diva RVA and Girls for a Change. These two had coffee in late-July in front of a live audience as part of RVA Tech Week but Angela's story and passion is so strong, we had to have her back for y'all to hear about the work she's doing in RVA.
Krissi Cecil - You Might Run Into Someone You Know in RVA
June 26, 2017 02:40 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBKelli's grabbing ☕️ with Krissi Cecil, better known as Krissi Radio of 103.7 Play. Krissi was born and raised in Richmond, and actually went to a party at Kelli's parents house one time..Anyway, she grew up listening to Melissa Chase on the radio and now she gets to work with her, which is kind of like a dream come true for the girl from Mechanicsville. Krissi also has maybe the most unique side hustle we've encountered, selling fireworks.
Anika Horn - Make Your Ideas Come to Life in Richmond
June 12, 2017 02:19 - 26 minutes - 49.3 MBKelli’s at Pop’s to grab coffee with Anika Horn. Anika came to Richmond just two years ago, and never wanted to be an entrepreneur yet she’s totally who we think of when we think of entrepreneurs in the city. Everyday she’s biking around the city helping other entrepreneurs use their businesses for good. Originally from a small town in Germany, that still doesn’t have internet, she moved to RVA two years ago and felt at home within a couple weeks.
Melody Short - Richmond, Where Ideas are Made & Supported
June 05, 2017 02:09 - 25 minutes - 46.5 MBKelli's downtown at Pop's to have coffee with Melody Short. Melody is the small business director at UnBoundRVA, a non-profit who helps low-income families and individuals change the narrative in their lives through the power of entrepreneurship. She's also an entrepreneur herself and mother.
Season 6 Midway Mashup
May 30, 2017 02:34 - 4 minutes - 7.59 MBKelli's had coffee with six people so far in Season 6. So we thought we'd take a break for Memorial Day weekend and give y'all a mashup of those six guests and get back at it on June 5 with Melody Short. Enjoy!
Dayal Baxani - Richmond has Good Balance
May 22, 2017 02:19 - 26 minutes - 47.9 MBKelli's at Pop's to meet Dayal Baxani for coffee. Dayal walked the the couple blocks up from his store on East Broad Street. 707 Fine Clothing has been Dayal's family's business for 38 years, and Dayal's been at for 15. Over that time, Dayal's seen nearby clothing stores close as downtown Richmond changed. His family stuck with it though and is still there as downtown comes back around. Dayal was born and raised in Richmond, spent some time at VCU and loves all that RVA has to offer for his b...
Rose Maghdouri - There's so Much to Discover in Richmond
May 15, 2017 02:44 - 21 minutes - 39.9 MBKelli's at Pop's to meet Rose Maghdouri. Rose is originally from Iran, she moved to the States when she was 17 and then to Richmond a few years after college. She was laid off from her job in international banking so she went back to school to buy some time until she figured out her next move. Richmond was calling though and she moved back but still couldn't find what she was looking for, until one day the light bulb went off in her head to open a yoga studio...
David Bailey - As Richmond Changes, so do Solutions
May 08, 2017 02:06 - 35 minutes - 64.9 MBKelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with David Bailey. David's a Richmond native and Church Hill resident. David's the founder of Arrabon, an organization that works with Christian communities to find solutions in an ever-changing world. David's a total stranger to Kelli but no stranger to the RVA dining scene and has suggestions across the board.
Ross Catrow - Richmond is Awesome! You Should Come!
May 01, 2017 02:28 - 31 minutes - 57.4 MBKelli's grabbin' coffee at Pop's with Ross Catrow. Ross is the founder and former publisher of RVANews.com, which closed last year. Now he's a full-time advocate for RVA Rapid Transit, a group working to connect Metro-Richmond through a regional transit system. Oh, and he's the editor and curator of the popular Good Morning, RVA emails.
Sam Reed - Don't Sleep. Richmond is Poppin'
April 24, 2017 02:40 - 32 minutes - 59.7 MBKelli's at Pop's to grab coffee with Sam Reed. Sam's a musician and singer, originally from Chester. After high school she got married and had a child, not long after she realized she really wanted to to take her singing seriously, and she could actually do that in Richmond. Today she sings with a diverse group of bands and lives a diverse lifestyle in RVA.
Austin Kitchen - Richmond is an Amazing Place
April 17, 2017 02:11 - 35 minutes - 65.1 MBKelli's kicking off Season 6 at Pop's by grabbing coffee with Austin Kitchen. Austin is maybe better known as @RVAFitFoodie on Instagram, the girl posting amazing pics of her beautiful and healthy food. She's always been fit and into fitness but how she arrived at the healthy eating piece came after a cancer-scare. Now she's inspiring and empowering people across the world with how to feel better and live longer by improving what they eat.
Lorna Pinckney - You'll Miss Richmond if You Leave
April 10, 2017 02:34 - 32 minutes - 60.1 MBKelli's at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Lorna Pinckney. Lorna began hosting weekly poetry and open mic events near Pop's almost 20 years ago with Soul Kitchen and then evolved into Tuesday Verses and then added Wednesday Verses. Lorna's weekly open mic events have provided a creative outlet for Richmond's urban creatives, saved folks from suicide, and played match-maker for singles.
Brandon Farbstein - Endless Possibilities in Richmond
April 03, 2017 02:07 - 33 minutes - 61.8 MBKelli's at Pop's to have coffee with Brandon Farbstein. Brandon's the kid who gave a Ted talk at 15 years old, then within the same year he was named to Style Weekly's 40 Under 40. At 17 he's now finishing high school online because the bullying got so bad he had to leave but he's using it to motivate and inspire others as he continues his motivational speaking career.
Justin Ayars - Richmond has a Progressive Spirit
March 27, 2017 02:25 - 31 minutes - 58.2 MBKelli's at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Justin Ayars of Unite Virginia. Justin was born in Las Vegas and grew up around Liberace, Barbara Streisand, and the Rockettes, then moved to Northern Virginia, and out of law school had a clerkship in Norfolk. He's been all around the Commonwealth and saw the need and opportunity to connect the LGBTQ community through story-telling, and Unite Virginia was born.
Prabir Mehta - Richmond is Where You Go to Create & Thrive
March 20, 2017 01:57 - 31 minutes - 57.8 MBKelli's at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Prabir Mehta. Prabir's family moved from India to Richmond in 1988. He's seen Richmond change over that time, especially Jackson Ward, which is where he currently rests his head. Prabir is involved in a lot around the city, including Board Chair at Gallery 5 and working with the folks at the Science Museum of Virginia, and more. And he's also a big coffee drinker.
Tiffany Jana - Richmond is Eclectic & Diverse
March 13, 2017 02:06 - 30 minutes - 55.5 MBKelli's visiting Pop's Market to grab coffee with Tiffany Jana. Tiffany's a military brat who's been in Richmond for more than 20 years. She's seen Richmond change a lot since the mid 90s. She was about to move to the Bay Area late in 2016 but when mayor-elect Levar Stoney called and asked her to head-up his transition team she chose to stay.
Kelli & Matt - What are You Waiting for? Come to RVA Already!
March 06, 2017 03:16 - 47 minutes - 86.5 MBKelli’s at Pop’s Market to grab coffee with…Matt. Yeah, our originally scheduled guest didn’t show but we decided to turn on the cameras anyway and give Matt a break from runnin’ all the cameras and actually drink some coffee and talk about Richmond.
Chris Dovi - Richmond is a Cultural Nexus
February 27, 2017 03:57 - 35 minutes - 64.2 MBKelli's at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Chris Dovi. Though they've only ever casually met, when news around the world breaks, Kelli visits Chris' Facebook page for his take. Chris says his Facebook posts are "the last shadow of [him] as reporter," who had formerly written for Style Weekly, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond Magazine, and hosted a radio program on WRIR. He's now the Executive Director of CODE VA
Steph Shaw - Richmond is Inclusive
February 20, 2017 03:33 - 26 minutes - 48.5 MBKelli’s at Pop’s for coffee with Steph Shaw. Steph is a true stranger, never met and literally know nothing about her. Well, she was on the Governor’s LGBT Tourism Task Force but that’s all we know. We did learn that Steph’s in advertising, lives in Church Hill, and wants to be buried at Hollywood Cemetery.
Lauri Wansley - I Knew Richmond Would Blow Up
February 13, 2017 03:18 - 23 minutes - 43.7 MBKelli's grabbing coffee with Lauri Wansley at Pop's Market downtown. Lauri's got one of the coolest jobs around, she's the Richmond Community Manager for Yelp, which means she throws cool parties, exposes tons of otherwise hidden gems around town, and probably eats out a lot! Sitting in her dorm room during her senior year at Virginia Tech was when this Richmond native realized she wanted a career she passionate about...that's when she found Yelp.
Kelli's Creative Mornings Talk - The Mystery of The Why
February 06, 2017 03:30 - 20 minutes - 38.4 MBKelli's at the Byrd Theatre in Carytown as the speaker for January's Creative Mornings event. The title of her talk is The Mystery of The Why.
Marc Cheatham - Richmond is Emerging and Changing
January 30, 2017 03:05 - 51 minutes - 93.5 MBKelli's downtown to grab coffee with Marc Cheatham at Pop's Market on Grace Street. In 2011 Marc founded The Cheats Movement, a Richmond brand dedicated to growing community through hip-hop culture. In its six years, the Movement has grown to include podcasts, live shows, an upcoming Family Gathering and magazine release, and even more. With the Family Gathering coming up on February 4, Kelli had to catch up with Marc and let him that #WeSeeIt.
Kelley Blanchard - Small Biz is Beating Heart of RVA
January 23, 2017 03:00 - 24 minutes - 45.1 MBKelli's at Pop's Market downtown to grab coffee with Kelly Blanchard. Kelley's involved in a lot around Richmond, especially small business. She was a co-founder of New Normal Apparel in Jackson Ward, she recently started the Richmond Pit Bull Project to celebrate and support pit bulls, and dogs in general. Kelli and Kelley have known of each other for a while but never had the chance to meet over coffee.
Trevor Dickerson - Richmond is the Perfect Big Small Town
January 16, 2017 03:03 - 23 minutes - 32.5 MBKelli's kicking off Season 5 downtown at Pop's Market by grabbing coffee with Trevor Dickerson. Trevor really is a man to know around Richmond. Late in high school he founded a news site in Short Pump and ran that for a few years before selling it, then worked for a local PR firm, before leaving that to found Boulevard Creative Then in 2016 he co-founded RVAHub.com and Breakaway RVA. In short, he's a man in the know and he's a man to know.
Mayor Dwight C. Jones - There's a lot of Good Goin' on in Richmond
November 07, 2016 02:18 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBKelli's wrapping up season 4 with Mayor Dwight C. Jones. Mayor Jones is winding down he's second term as mayor of Richmond and look back on his time as mayor, some thoughts for Richmond residents when heading to the polls on November 8 to vote for his successor, and some advice for whoever that new mayor may be. Don't worry, Kelli got him to drop some his favorite places to eat around town and spill his Richmond speech.
Deejay Gray - Richmond is on the Precipice of Something Exciting
October 10, 2016 02:14 - 32 minutes - 44.3 MBKelli's at Garnett's Cafe to have coffee with Deejay Gray, founder and artistic director of Theatre Lab, Richmond home for unexpected and evocative performance. Deejay tells Kelli about the hidden gems of the RVA theater community, his favorite spots to eat and what he's looking forward to this fall.
Curt Autry - Richmond has a lot to Offer
October 03, 2016 11:04 - 6 minutes - 11.3 MBKelli’s at Pop’s Market downtown to grab coffee with Curt Autry of NBC12. Curt’s been in Richmond for over 20 years, he moved up from Raleigh, North Carolina to anchor a new weekday newscast in RVA and stayed to raise his family. Now, just a note, we did have some audio issues with this episode so it’s a bit shorter but don’t worry, we will get Curt back so he can tell us more about his favorite spots, how he’s seen Richmond change and where he comes up with his hashtags.
Amy Brachman - Kindness, Confidence, Joy & Community in RVA
September 12, 2016 02:18 - 39 minutes - 53.9 MBKelli's downtown to grab coffee with Amy Brachman. About five years ago, while on sabbatical, Amy found a pair of yoga pants that made her feel taller than the 5'0" on her driver's license. So she ordered a whole bunch more and sold them to friends who also wanted to feel great about themselves. Soon, she was getting calls from yoga and barre studios in Richmond asking her if they could stock her pants, and with that, Super Fun Yoga Pants was born. Amy's been in RVA for about 10 years and fee...
Shane Emmett - RVA, A Special Sense of Community
September 05, 2016 02:40 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBKelli's in the fan to grab coffee with Shane Emmett, CEO and Co-Founder of Health Warrior, the food and movement company based in Scott's Addition. Shane's a reformed lawyer who's been in Richmond for eight years and in the health food industry for about six. He's also a father of two who's happy to share his company's origin story and how he lives Richmond with his wife and two daughters.