Snackin' and Yakkin'

We’re snackin' and yakkin' with Tiffany Dennis from Forge Charleston (Forge CHS, if you’re classy). She’s a longtime trainer who got tired of big gym takeovers, so she built a 10,000-square-foot gym in West Ashley that’s made for locals by locals!We talk gym life without the usual nonsense, why scales can ruin your peace, and how fitness should leave you ready for your day, not crawling around in defeat. We also get into Tiffany’s vibe rules, including fewer mirrors, no TVs, and yes, a strict no-nipples policy.Then we do what we do best, we snack. Dried okra, pickled okra, and Oreos show up, plus a cameo from the kids that turns this into a family snack summit.If you like funny, low-pressure chats with local business owners, this one’s for you. Subscribe for more Snackin' & Yakkin', we keep it casual, we keep it weird, and we keep the phones in our pockets.Find Forge CHS on social media at: @forgechs

Actor and comedian Brian T. Shirley stops by Snackin’ & Yakkin’, and things get weird in the best way. Ben and Brian swap Charleston comedy stories, talk acting gigs that don’t fit in a neat little box, and bond over how their lives have been weirdly side-by-side for years.It’s part comedy hang, part behind-the-scenes career talk, and part “wait, you did what in that short film?” There’s radio show nostalgia, improv shop talk, road stories, and a reminder that sometimes the best gigs come from saying “yes” and showing up.Also, Brian's snack pick? Goldfish and Arizona tea. Budget-friendly, studio-approved, and way funnier than it has any right to be.Visit briantshirleyactor.com!Like, subscribe, and follow for more!

Baltimore's beautiful nerd of all trades, comedian Violet Gray (aka @ChaoticViolet), hangs out on Snackin' & Yakkin' with Big Ben Kennedy for a chaotic catch‑up 15 years in the making.They talk about:• Growing up trans and becoming Violet, onstage and off• Running a 6‑person comedian RPG podcast online • Publishing monsters in Pathfinder and dreaming up her own game system• Cosplay, Ren faire life, fairy balls, anime cons, and the Eye Fairy costume• Building accepting community in Baltimore libraries and game nights• Why the right GM can make Dungeons & Dragons finally click• Sea‑shanty subculture, Shrek raves, and the curse of shiny reboots• Old Bay dusted caramel popcorn from Fisher’s as elite gamer fuelIf you are a transgender creative, a queer nerd, or a comedy‑loving dice goblin, this one is pure comfort food. You get standup stories, DIY career talk, and a reminder that tenacity beats talent when talent quits.---------New episodes here every Monday 9am EST! Please help support the show by joining the Snackin’ & Yakkin’ Patreon at patreon.com/snackinyakkin for just $5 a month!Follow Snackin’ & Yakkin’ and BIG Ben Kennedy on all social media at: @snackinyakkin and @bbkcomedy

On this episode, I'm hanging with chef-comedian Graham Codespoti (Co-dess-poh-tee) for rice crackers, Vietnamese coffee, and a whole lot of chuckles. We talk Charleston’s food scene, life on the line at The Archer, and why rice crackers beat greasy chips when we are surviving double shifts. Graham breaks down kitchen fryers, Blooming Onions, and his favorite food tattoos, then we drift into early drinking, quitting booze, and replacing it with extreme caffeine and even more stand-up.We also get into open-mic war stories from Wit’s End Comedy Club, growing up bald but not actually having alopecia, cruise-ship drinking dreams, Slipknot and Corey Taylor, and how hard it is to chase comedy while working full-time as a chef. If you are funny chefs, food nerds, or comics who love snacks, this one hits home.If we enjoy this episode, hit subscribe, drop a comment with your go-to shift snack, and share it with a fellow kitchen goblin.Want more show and behind-the-scenes perks? Join the Snackin’ & Yakkin’ Patreon at patreon.com/snackinyakkin. Your support helps keep the snacks flowing and the mics on!

We hang with standup comic Jayson Lee Rose on Snacking & Yakkin and it gets real fast. We talk Myrtle Beach and Charleston comedy, brain injuries, bipolar chaos, quitting jobs on lunch break, open mics that feel like group therapy, and why chasing laughs is the most insane life plan that still somehow makes sense.We snack on Jack Link’s and Mountain Dew Baja Blast, swap road stories from Dockside Bar and bowling-alley comedy clubs, drag our mental health into the light, and rant about meds, nerves, and that “I might puke but I still love this” feeling right before a set. There is talk of Shriners, army recruiters, gay bars, roller derby, and girlfriends who still look this many years old.If we made you laugh or feel slightly called out in a good way, hit subscribe, drop a comment, and share this with your favorite unmedicated (or overmedicated) funny friend. And if you want to keep us stocked in zero-sugar soda and gas-station jerky, the Patreon is only $5 a month.Follow Jayson in insta: @jaysonjaysonroseWant more show and behind-the-scenes perks? Join the Snackin’ & Yakkin’ Patreon at patreon.com/snackinyakkin. Your support helps keep the snacks flowing and the mics on!