Joey Welling was born and raised in Charleston, SC and is a graduate of Bishop England High School and The Citadel. He’s been in the fitness industry for 19 years, working his way up from folding towels to becoming a personal trainer to traveling to NYC, ATL and Nashville, to finally co-owning his first gym in 2016 and later delivering his dream to his hometown in 2021 through Ethos Athletic Club. Joey is passionate about 3 things: health, hospitality and the New York Yankees. And he still folds towels to this day.

Joey entered the fitness industry because he fell in love with the environment of a gym. All of the “wrong” jobs he held taught him to appreciate the power of a positive environment and good people. This soon collided with his desire to better people’s days through health and wellness. The eagerness of the teen who mopped floors led to the entrepreneur who founded an athletic club based upon character, community, creativity and a fundamental “WHY”: make someone’s day better.

Ethos Athletic Club was established in the chaos of 2020 – in part to add positivity and health to a world full of negativity and fear. Joey took a leap to build a brick & mortar business when the gym industry as we knew it was threatened to ever exist again. Instead of following the trends of the time, he decided to go directly toward the obstacle - not reinventing the wheel, just spinning it in a different direction. 

Joey believes, and has instilled in both his Team and the members of the Ethos community, that we all have a responsibility to do good – to create a positive impact that goes beyond the individual and the walls of Ethos Athletic Club. 

Own it.

A Lowcountry native, Tripp grew up constantly submerged in the waterways and culture that make up the coastal regions of South Carolina.

In 2014, Tripp founded the Lowcountry Maritime School (LMS), a 501©(3) non-profit organization dedicated to teaching young people math and science skills using boat building as a teaching platform. The mission, still to this day, is to inspire the Lowcountry’s younger generations to reach their full potential through boatbuilding and exploring maritime culture.

In 2019, his passion for the natural environment, the belief in the connectivity of people, and a desire to gain a broader perspective on coastal regions worldwide inspired Tripp to co-found Apparent Winds. He resigned from LMS to set sail on a two-year circumnavigation and film project. Tripp is taking lessons from that journey and leading a new iteration of Apparent Winds.

Apparent Winds is a 10-year global expedition dedicated to collecting and sharing environmental and cultural preservation stories while conducting marine research aboard the sailing vessel ‘Resilience.’

Lee Pringle, Founder & Artistic Director - Colour of Music Festival

A visionary leader with a bold depth of field and admired among his peers for accomplishing the unimaginable for many players and patrons in the classical music world, Lee Pringle has mastered cultivating and curating programs including but not limited to spirituals, gospel, chamber, and orchestral presentations that span the evolution of his life experiences. #cmchs #creativemornings

Marissa and Clay Carlisle of Bevi Bene Brewing Co.

Co-owners and husband-and-wife duo Clay and Marissa Carlisle opened Bevi Bene Brewing Co. in June 2022 in the heart of Charleston’s brewery district. Bringing together their passions for the outdoors, entrepreneurship and living well, Bevi Bene is Charleston’s first authentic lager and hard kombucha brewery.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love making music in so many different ways. I love the violin and I enjoy practicing. Conducting has always been a great dream of mine. I feel very fortunate that I am able to do it in Charleston. I love that through music we can express so many emotions. What makes me even more happy is that through music we can connect to our listeners on a deeper level. 

How do you unwind or de-stress?

I love to watch a good show on Netflix and an occasional glass of wine. Does not happen often, but getting out to walk on the beach is a great de-stresser. Spending time with friends is a great too. I love people and spending time with good company is always fun and relaxing.

What is your favorite place in Charleston?

I have so many. Charleston has so much to offer. I love the beaches, the battery, waterfront park. During the holidays I love to visit Charleston Place because their holiday display is so beautiful and my kids love the trains

Coffee fuels our morning events. If you’re a coffee drinker, what’s your go-to order?

I am a big coffee drinker. I drink a lot of coffee during the day and I love my new Nespresso Vertuo machine. My favorite is a cortado with oat milk.

Who or what gives you creative inspiration?

I love to listen to the old recordings of the great violinists and conductors. I love the “old- school”. It is so inspiring to hear violinists David Oistrakh and Isaac Stern. I look up to my teachers and would often remember and think about their comments about various ways of practicing and playing. 

Do you have a hidden talent?

I am really good with puns. 

Tell us about your proudest moment or accomplishment.

Most recently, I had to step in and conduct a masterworks on a few hours of notice. The conductor was sick and I was asked to step in. It went so well and it pushed my conducting and music making to a much higher level. Overall, this was an incredible experience and something a learned so much from. 

How do you start your day?

Coffee and kids!!

Rapid Fire

Morning person or night owl?

Night owl definitely

Summer or winter?  

Spring

Mountains or beach?

Mountains

Pancakes or waffles?

Waffles 

Fiction or non-fiction?

Non-fiction and biographies. Historic facts

Redux has been a sanctuary for creatives in the Lowcountry for years, CreativeMornings included, which is why we are thrilled to kick off 2023 with Redux’s new Executive Director, Kate Ledbetter. We chatted with Kate to know her a little bit before our January talk.

1. What do you love most about what you do?

Being immersed in an endlessly creative environment. It’s a lot of energy!

2. What inspired you and how did you become involved in your current career(s)?

We have always been huge fans of Redux and followed along with the growth and careers of the studio artists over the years. I have worked in non-profits in Charleston over the past 20 years and the opportunity to serve Redux in this way was a natural fit.

3. How do you start your day?

I start every day with meditation, burn some incense, play music…and then it’s off to the races. With two young sons our mornings start early and require copious amounts of coffee.

4. Tell us about your proudest moment or accomplishment.

I am very proud of our kids. When a wild piece of art I created was accepted into the Redux auction in 2020 I felt very accomplished. When I first heard my radio show, Easy Does It, on Ohm Radio I felt proud.

5. Do you have a hidden talent?

I love growing and arranging flowers and foraged greenery. My grandmother was an avid and talented arranger of flowers. Giving flowers is my love language.

6. Who or what gives you creative inspiration?

I find creative inspiration in sitting still.

7. Coffee fuels our morning events. If you’re a coffee drinker, what’s your go-to order?

YES! At home we brew coffee provided by my sis in law who owns a fabulous coffee shop in the North Georgia Mountains. I add Laird mushroom creamer and a splash of oat milk. At Redux, we work within dangerous proximity of the Harbinger where my go-to is an oat milk latte.

8. What is your favorite place in Charleston?

I have always loved King Street, the whole way up and down.

9. How do you unwind or de-stress?

Meditation, listening to Ram Dass lectures, yoga, walks, time in nature.

Rapid Fire:

Morning person or night owl? Morning person, for sure!

Summer of winter? Summer

Mountains or beach? Beach

Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes. All the pancakes.

Fiction or non-fiction? Fiction. Lots of it. Hard copy, on Kindle, Audible–gimme, gimme!

Founder of Walk & Talk Charleston, Tyler Page Wright, graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in History and a secondary focus in Art History. She is a certified guide and a proud member of the Palmetto Guild and Charleston Tour Foundation. A born New Yorker with deep southern roots and island ties, Tyler was drawn to Charleston for its people, its beauty, its history, and its hospitality. We think that may be why you’re here too! Let her show you around the town!

Ripple with Andy Manzi

This March, we’ll hear from Andy Manzi, founder of the Warrior Surf Foundation, on the topic of Ripple. A perfect match, if you ask us.

A little about Andy:

After returning from tours overseas with the USMC, Manzi found myself working through the effects of TBI, PTSD and depression. Through a good friend he was introduced to surfing, and from his first ice cold winter surf, he knew he had discovered something important. Surfing changed his life and helped him to overcome those difficulties. It wasn’t long before he knew this was something that other veterans could benefit from, and so they launched their program. Over time it has grown to serve more veterans, but they stay true to their roots - veterans serving veterans.

1. What do you love most about what you do?

I love the fact that every day I work towards making the world a better place.Simple.  A million ways we can do it. Choose one.2. What inspired you and how did you become involved in your current career(s)? 

I believed that surfing gave me a chance to live a full life and walk around with a full heart after a tough childhood and a tough war experience. I witnessed many go through a transformation during surf lessons I was teaching on Folly Beach and I was sick of all the clinical bullshit I tried to do to get better. I was tired of so many of our people committing suicide, having issues with the law, and pretty much living shitty lives, etc. I didn’t want anyone like me to live in a secret prison in their minds as I did at times. A pill is only the beginning of the end for some. So I was like, screw it- let’s get a specialist to helps us provide therapy on the beach and we will give free surf lessons. A lot has happened since.3. How do you start your day? 

My mornings used to be very chaotic, actually really hard for me to find clarity especially with a load of life stuff to knock out every day. Over the past year and a half I’ve found myself waking before sunrise no matter where I am; just enjoying the quiet, whether it’s breathing, surfing, or just sitting with a cup of coffee while looking at the sun. I feel those few hours in the early morning are crucial for your quality of life throughout the day. I’m blessed to have autonomy when it comes to my schedule, so I take a few hours for myself every day in the morning. One of the best options we have in this chaotic life.4. Tell us about your proudest moment or accomplishment. 

I have a lot to be proud of. I’ve done so much. Tons of accomplishments but honestly the fact I learned to surf decently is truly the greatest accomplishment, because without it the last 12 years of my life would have been very different. *The fact that I’m in the process of passing off this Foundation to someone else** is a huge accomplishment, most NGO’s never get there or fail because Founders won’t give it up.5. Do you have a hidden talent? 

I uses to think I didn’t have any lol, but I actually have a few and they will stay hidden. :)6. Who or what gives you creative inspiration? 

We are all creative in our own ways. Some with paint, others with food, for me this it’s this Foundation. My creative drive comes from wanting to see a change in the world, especially when there is an option to do so. Knowing that people need to be led through experience that propels them forward in a life that they are in control of, and one that they love.7. Coffee fuels our morning events. If you’re a coffee drinker, what’s your go-to order?

Cold drip all-day8. What is your favorite place in Charleston? 

Honestly, I love Queen Street grocery and the corner it sits on, I call it my secret spot lol.  I love sitting there early morning or late afternoon. I love that corner.9. How do you unwind or de-stress? 

Cooking a nice meal alone or with close people, which is probably one of my love languages. Sitting quietly outside by the water. Surf and yoga. Now the guitar, so peaceful.Rapid Fire:

morning person or night owl?
morning person

Summer of winter?
Quick to say summer but I have to winter because I’m always somewhere beautiful in the winter

Mountains or beach?
beach

Pancakes or waffles?
waffles

Fiction or non-fiction?
non-fiction– I wish that was opposite

TRANSIT WITH MEGAN MILLS

We are so excited to hear from Megan Mills during this month’s virtual event, on the theme of Transit!

Megan is heading up the Friends of the Lowcountry Lowline’s community outreach efforts and was recently hired as the Executive Assistant to the Board of the Friends of the Lowline. Prior to her current position, she was the Community Engagement Manager position at Charleston Parks Conservancy, developing and implementing the Conservancy’s community programming including events and educational programs. She received her bachelor’s degree in communications studies from the College of Charleston. Living in Charleston for the past 14 years, Megan is active in the community volunteering at Picnic in the Park and Compassionate Friends. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, riding her bike, and spending time with her husband, Eric and their dog, Trout.

The Lowline:

Today, the Lowline is a vision. A vision to reclaim 1.7 miles of abandoned railway track and neglected highway corridor along the backbone of the Charleston Peninsula. A vision to transform this forgotten stretch of urban space into a centralized regional park. The Friends of the Lowcountry Lowline are working alongside the City of Charleston to put together a plan for the space that highlights the surrounding neighborhoods, addresses city-wide flooding, and gives pedestrians and bikers a safe dedicated path. The linear park will have three different “districts” along its route; the urban core, the parks, and the North Central Corridor, each with their own unique characteristics.

SPECTRUM WITH ALLYSON SUTTON + JOEL SADLER: 9.18

Allyson Sutton and Joel Sadler are the founders and co-owners of Sightsee, a travel-inspired retail shop + coffee bar nestled in the Elliotborough neighborhood of downtown Charleston.

Sightsee aims to inspire a sense of adventure in everyday life. By blending the energy and community of a cafe with the joy of product discovery, Sightsee introduces you to new finds in a way that breaks traditional retail categorization.

The concept began as a pop-up shop in 2018, making multiple appearances around North and South Carolina. After finding the perfect home at 125 ½ Line Street and gathering tremendous community support through Kickstarter, Sightsee opened its first brick-and-mortar space in September 2019. Since launching, Sightsee has featured 20+ specialty coffee roasters from around the globe, introduced customers to 40+ emerging brands (most of which are sustainable and/or woman-owned), and spotlighted countless local makers and artists through regular events in their space. Most notably, Sightsee is proud to have become a go-to stop for the finest musicians, artists, poets, lawyers, doctors, parents, students, skaters, tinkerers, and business owners in Charleston and beyond.

In addition to running Sightsee, Allyson and Joel are also the co-founders of Huskwell, a specialty cascara importing business, and Playswell & Co., a creative consulting firm.

Photo by Ryan Belk