Real people. Real conversations. Jew From The Lou is a weekly interview show about the stories that shape us: grief, grit, faith, money, health, and starting over. Host Nechama Henderson goes deep with founders, athletes, artists, and everyday people to find the lessons hiding in their lives. New episodes every week. We find ourselves in each other's stories.
The One For The Hopeless Romantics (Ep 96) ft. Kristen Sheets
If you're a hopeless romantic, this one's for you.
Kristen Sheets is a coach with Breath and Exposure here in St. Louis, and her love story might be my favorite one we've ever told on this show. She met her husband on a first date... at a breathwork class. Under a full moon. Then they went salsa dancing. I am not making this up.
But this conversation goes so much deeper than a love story. We get into what it actually means to be vulnerable, why the emotions you don't speak can show up in your body (her throat story is wild), and the one mindset shift that changed everything for her: build a life you don't need to escape from.
We also go deep on the female nervous system, why women are not tiny men, and why your period is basically your monthly report card. Plus the fun stuff: human design, manifesting, and my chicken story.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How Kristen met her husband on the most organic first date ever (breathwork, dinner, salsa dancing)
Why unspoken emotions get stored in the body
The 90-second rule for emotions
What the female nervous system actually needs across your cycle
How to hold grief and joy at the same time
Plus: the closing life lesson I am still thinking about.
⭐ Rate the podcast:
28 Sept 2026
Life After the NFL (Ep 95) ft. Hakeem Valles | The One About Building Empyr
What happens when the dream you spent your entire life chasing no longer fits the person you've become?
Former NFL tight end Hakeem Valles went from undrafted to the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and New York Giants, then walked away to build something new. He gets honest about the financial reality of pro football, losing his identity when the game ended, becoming a father in the middle of it all, and starting over with Empyr Coffee, where he now helps lead 32 employees around the world.
In this episode:
• The truth about money, roster cuts, and identity in the NFL
• Why fatherhood changed his definition of success
• Walking away from football and the comeback attempt two years later
• From coffee novice to coffee builder: the Empyr story
• Leadership, grief, and why no one is truly self-made
• Finding your "freedom number" from survival mode to abundance
As Hakeem says: "The fortune is in the follow-up."
Connect with Hakeem: Instagram: @hakvalles80 | TikTok: @hakeemvalles Empyr Coffee: empyrcoffee.com | @scratchcoffeestl
Connect with Jew From The Lou: 📱 Instagram: @jewfromthelou 📱 TikTok: @jewfromthelou 📱 YouTube: @jewfromthelou
#JewFromTheLou #HakeemValles #EmpyrCoffee #NFL #LifeAfterFootball #Entrepreneurship #Fatherhood #Leadership #CoffeeBusiness #StLouisPodcast
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Feel called to share your story? Your story is safe with me. DM @jewfromthelou on Instagram to be a guest.
Everyone has a story. What's yours?
20 Sept 2026
Episode 94: The One About Scratch Money ft. Parker Dill
What happens when the vision in your head is bigger than what everyone else can see?
In this episode of Jew From The Lou, I sit down with Parker Dill, Director of Partnerships at Empyr Coffee and founder of Scratch Coffee STL, for a conversation about entrepreneurship, coffee, networking, faith, and what it really takes to build something from scratch.
Parker shares how a high school internship unexpectedly led him into the coffee industry, the relationships that helped shape his career, and what he’s learning while helping bring a new coffee shop to life.
We also talk about the reality behind opening a brick-and-mortar, why collaboration can be more powerful than competition, how to build relationships without constantly selling yourself, and why sometimes people aren’t buying the product they’re buying into the person behind the vision.
From navigating the messy middle of entrepreneurship to trusting timing, building the right team, and recognizing the role faith and serendipity can play along the way, this conversation is about much more than coffee.
At its core, The One With Scratch Money is a conversation about putting yourself in a position for opportunity, doing the work, and believing in what you’re building before everyone else understands it.
Because as Parker reminds us, “I always say I’m lucky, but I put myself in a position to succeed.”
This episode reflects Parker’s personal experiences and perspective as shared during the conversation.
This is the Jew From The Lou Podcast, where real stories meet real inspiration.
Connect with Parker and Scratch Coffee:
Instagram: @parker_dill (https://www.instagram.com/parker_dill/#) and (https://www.instagram.com/parker_dill/#)@scratchcoffeestl (https://www.instagram.com/scratchcoffeestl/#)
Connect with Jew From The Lou: 📱 Instagram: @jewfromthelou 📱 TikTok: @jewfromthelou 📱 YouTube: @jewfromthelou
#JewFromTheLou #ScratchCoffeeSTL #EmpyrCoffee #Entrepreneurship #CoffeeBusiness #Networking #SmallBusiness #Busi
Who has been a guest on Jew From The Lou
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Andrea Spadafora
William Swofford
Dr Curtis Weldon
Iris Schmidt
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
45,200
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
61
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
89
Contact Jew From The Lou
Guest appearances
Books guests
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Questions about Jew From The Lou
Who hosts Jew From The Lou?
Jew From The Lou host the show. Published by Nechama Henderson.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Jew From The Lou take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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