Exploring the Best of Raleigh with Coley Group Real Estate

About Exploring the Best of Raleigh with Coley Group Real Estate

🎙️ The Best of Raleigh highlights the people, places, and businesses that make Raleigh and the surrounding North Carolina communities extraordinary. Hosted by Gretchen Coley of The Coley Group, each episode shares stories, local expertise, and hidden gems that elevate living in the Greater Raleigh area. From trusted vendors and entrepreneurs to food, culture, and lifestyle tips, this podcast connects you with what makes Raleigh thrive.

Publisher

Gretchen Coley

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Nov 2023

Latest episode

16 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

96 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Oct 2026

   The Patient She Didn't Recognize: How Dr. Vivian Throop Built City of Oaks Dental Around Real Relationships

   Dr. Vivian Throop saw the same patient three times and still didn’t recognize him. That one moment changed how she practices dentistry for good. Dr. Throop, owner of City of Oaks Dental (https://bestofraleigh.com/partners/profile/city-of-oaks-dental) in Raleigh, joins host Gretchen Coley to talk about building a relationship-first dental practice outside the insurance system, how far cosmetic veneers have come since their fake, boxy 90s heyday, and the overlooked link between dry mouth and cavities. She also breaks down the oral warning signs her office looks for to catch sleep apnea and TMJ issues before a patient ever gets a diagnosis. In this episode: The neighborhood run-in that made her rebuild her whole practice around relationships, not volume Why dry mouth, not sugar, might be the biggest hidden driver of cavities What modern veneers actually involve, and why they no longer mean filing teeth into “nubs” About Dr. Vivian Throop: Dr. Throop owns and operates City of Oaks Dental, a general and cosmetic dental practice in Raleigh built around 90-minute new patient visits and a fee-for-service model rather than insurance-driven care. She’s a North Carolina native trained in cosmetic dentistry and a go-to voice in the Triangle for smile makeovers, veneers, and sleep-related dental care. Subscribe to The Best of Raleigh for new episodes every two weeks. Hosted by Gretchen Coley of The Coley Group. Find us on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@TheBestOfRaleigh), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/22Uwup4PpUrNIiwNlTlDD5), Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-of-raleigh/id1715127694), and wherever you listen. Moving to Raleigh? Start at thecoleygroup.com/welcome-to-raleigh (thecoleygroup.com/welcome-to-raleigh).

2. 

   2 Oct 2026

   The Gaslit Patient Who Became a Doctor: Dr. Elizabeth Sierakowski of Essential Health Raleigh

   For 20 years and 20 doctors, Dr. Elizabeth Sierakowski couldn't get a straight answer for her own body. Now she runs the practice she always needed. Dr. Elizabeth is the co-founder and medical director of Essential Health Raleigh (https://bestofraleigh.com/partners/profile/essential-health-raleigh), and she's triple board certified in family medicine, integrative medicine, and functional medicine. In this episode, she opens up about being dismissed by doctor after doctor starting at age 15, the $6,000 appointment that finally changed everything, and how that experience shaped the boutique, sanctuary-style practice she built in North Raleigh. In this episode: Why "functional," "integrative," and "traditional" medicine aren't actually competing approaches, and how Essential Health combines all three under one roof The real story behind being labeled with IBS, eczema, anxiety, and vertigo for two decades before anyone looked deeper Inside the therapies at Essential Health, including hyperbaric oxygen, blood ozonation (EBOO), and a new exosome offering Why Dr. Elizabeth built her North Raleigh facility to feel like a boutique lounge instead of a doctor's office Her philosophy on resilience over restriction, and why she tells patients to "wag your own tail" About Dr. Elizabeth Sierakowski: Dr. Elizabeth is the co-founder and medical director of Essential Health Raleigh, a precision health practice offering hormone optimization, longevity care, and integrated wellness services in North Raleigh. She is triple board certified and fellowship trained through A4M, the Academy of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. Subscribe to The Best of Raleigh (https://bestofraleigh.com/) for new episodes twice a month. Hosted by Gretchen Coley of The Coley Group. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen. Moving to Raleigh? Start at thecoleygroup.com/welcome-to-raleigh (thecoleygroup.com/welcome-to-raleigh).

3. 

   18 Sept 2026

   Yes, Permanent Makeup Is a Tattoo | Jeanette Ivey on Brows

   Turns out your "permanent makeup" is legally, technically, unmistakably a tattoo, and Jeanette Ivey is completely fine with that. Jeanette Ivey (https://www.instagram.com/byjeanetteivey/), owner of Ivey Artistry (https://www.iveyartistry.com/) and one of Raleigh's most in-demand permanent makeup artists, sits down with Gretchen Coley to talk brows, lash lines, lip blushing, and the new nano machine hair stroke technique quietly replacing old-school microblading across the industry. She also gets honest about the technique she used to hate, the biggest mistake clients make when choosing an artist, and why she still won't get her own lash extensions. In this episode: The moment Jeanette went from hating permanent makeup to building a luxury studio around it Why anyone who got microbladed brows between 2017 and 2020 should book a consult now The nano machine hair stroke technique almost nobody in Raleigh is trained on yet Why she still won't wear her own lash extensions About Jeanette Ivey: Jeanette started her beauty career at 18 behind the MAC Cosmetics counter and opened Ivey Artistry in a single rented salon room before growing it into a 2,400-square-foot studio in Lafayette Village. Today she also runs Muse Academy, training the next generation of Raleigh's permanent makeup artists. Subscribe to The Best of Raleigh (https://open.spotify.com/show/22Uwup4PpUrNIiwNlTlDD5) for new episodes every 2 weeks. Hosted by Gretchen Coley of The Coley Group. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen. Moving to Raleigh? Start at thecoleygroup.com/welcome-to-raleigh (https://thecoleygroup.com/).

Who has been a guest on Exploring the Best of Raleigh with Coley Group Real Estate

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Michelle Murphy
• Mick Michael
• Ryan Prestel
• Joe Graziose
• Chris Knott

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

1,490,558

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

10 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 61 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

68

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

51

Contact Exploring the Best of Raleigh with Coley Group Real Estate

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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