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North Fulton Business Radio

GSU Student Journalist Zahra Pacheco Interviews John Ray

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GSU Student Journalist Zahra Pacheco Interviews John Ray (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 913)

In this special episode of North Fulton Business Radio, the roles flip. Zahra Pacheco, a journalism student at Georgia State University and a team member of WRAS Album 88, the GSU radio station, transforms a class assignment into a live podcast interview with host John Ray.

Zahra talks about her path into journalism, her show Play It Again, and what she hopes to bring to the future of news and storytelling. She also reflects on growing up in the North Fulton business community as the daughter of Gloria Mattei and Sergio Pacheco, co-owners of Nothing Bundt Cakes; her “beanbag at the bakery” childhood; and what it was like to be the nervous teenager doing a 30-second pitch at an early morning chamber breakfast.

Then Zahra turns the questions on John. He shares how a corporate layoff led to his advisory practice, how North Fulton Business Radio got started, and why podcasting is less about ad revenue and more about relationships, community, and giving others a platform to tell their story.

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

How Zahra is using GSU, Album 88, and her show Play It Again to build real-world journalism experience
What she learned growing up inside the North Fulton business community through Nothing Bundt Cakes and the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce
How John’s layoff and career pivot led to both an advisory practice and the launch of North Fulton Business Radio
Why podcasting works best as a relationship and community builder instead of a quick play for ad revenue
How shows like North Fulton Business Radio gives business owners a platform to tell their story

Topics Discussed in this Episode

00:00 Introduction and Welcome to North Fulton Business Radio
00:37 Meet Zahra Pacheco
02:18 Zahra’s Background and Interests
03:56 The Journey into Journalism
07:57 John Ray’s Podcasting Journey
10:13 Career Transitions and Business Insights
11:15 Community Connections and Personal Stories
23:45 Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Podcasters
24:01 The Reality of Podcast Monetization
25:51 Building Relationships Through Podcasting
26:52 Favorite Podcast Episodes
32:02 Zahra’s Talk Show and Career Aspirations
38:58 Reflections on Family and Business
43:54 Closing Remarks and Promotions

Zahra Pacheco

Zahra Pacheco is a junior journalism major at Georgia State University and a member of WRAS Album 88, the GSU radio station. She serves as assistant promotions director and hosts Play It Again, a live talk show where she and her co-host create a new “mixtape” each week and often interview guests. Raised in the North Fulton business community as the daughter of Nothing Bundt Cakes co-owners Gloria Mattei and Sergio Pacheco, Zahra is blending her love of storytelling, radio, and dance as she builds a career in promotions and creative media work after graduation.

Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which helps them better understand the people. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio

Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.

Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray

With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!

The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their markets, communities, and professions. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.

John Ray, host of North Fulton Business Radio, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors — **John Ray, host of *North Fulton Business Radio* and Owner, Ray Business Advisors**

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, and it is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

You can find the complete archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.

John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

John is the author of the five-star rated book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.

North Fulton Business Radio

Lionheart Radio

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Lionheart Radio (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 390)

As one piece of the Lionheart Works program of The Lionheart School, Lionheart Radio is a 24/7 internet radio station staffed by Lionheart’s students and young adults who are interested in radio as a vocation. Several members of the Lionheart Radio team, along with their mentor, Jimmy Moore, joined host John Ray in the studio to talk about their work. Lionheart’s Abigail Patel also gave an overview of the Lionheart academic program. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

The Lionheart School

The Lionheart School is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in the year 2000 by a group of parents and professionals who created a supportive and nurturing environment for children with challenges of relating and communicating.

Lionheart started in a small cottage on the grounds of the Alpharetta Presbyterian Church and worked diligently to create a model program that focused on each child’s individual differences.

In 2010, with the support of families, friends, foundations and the community, Lionheart moved into a new building that was designed specifically for the population it serves. The Lionheart School emphasizes relationships, emotional intelligence, abstract critical thinking, problem-solving, and social cognition. The academic program integrates the principles of evidence-based practices for students with learning differences while always considering their individual profiles. Each student has an individual learning plan that considers interests, strengths, and preferences, as well as strategies to address targeted challenge areas.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Lionheart Works

Lionheart WORKS is a vocational training program for young adults ages 18 and up with autism and other neurodevelopmental differences who desire an individualized, person-centered program that prepares and supports them in the workforce.

The goal of Lionheart WORKS is to secure meaningful and sustainable employment by matching participants with their ideal work site while maximizing independence and natural supports on the job. Participants entering the WORKS program begin with a discovery process to identify affinities, abilities, and work readiness. Individualized vocational instruction, social thinking, and self-advocacy skill building, as related to the work environment, occur in the training center and at work sites. The program assigns trained job coaches who are specifically paired to individual participants based on their interests and needs.

Their worksites are businesses, organizations, schools, and churches in the north metro Atlanta area that want to train and employ our participants. Each worksite makes a commitment to the growth and vocational success of participants they employ with the goal of sustainable employment. Participants’ families, Lionheart WORKS staff, vocational counselors, and worksite supervisors form a team to encourage participants to attain their highest level of independence and happiness.

Lionheart Works staff comes from a variety of backgrounds including social work, speech and language pathology, psychology, education, recreation, and political science. They are ACRE (Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators) trained and members of TASH and APSE on the national level. Our staff participates in continuing education opportunities yearly.

Interested businesses can contact the school through the website and Instagram. Heather Wagner is the Director of Lionheart Works.

Website | Instagram

Lionheart Radio

Offering a variety of music and sports, Lionheart Radio is on 24/7 and is staffed by students at Lionheart Works and is led by Jimmy Moore. Mr. Moore is a retired YMCA director who is now the volunteer and radio mentor for Lionheart Radio.

Lionheart Radio

Abigail Patel, B.S., Teacher, The Lionheart School

Abigail joined Lionheart in 2012 after graduating from Lee University with a degree in Special Education: Mild to Moderate Disabilities (K-12) and is a certified Special Education Teacher. She is the Lead Teacher for Lionheart’s middle and high school students. Abigail also serves as our Pre-Vocational Coordinator in partnership with Lionheart WORKS. She cares deeply about these teenagers and young adults and is honored to be a part of each of their stories. She is passionate about their social and emotional journeys, their academics and life skills, and about building enriching and interactive environments that develop students into their best selves.

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray, and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Special thanks to A&S Culinary Concepts for their support of this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. A&S Culinary Concepts, based in Johns Creek, is an award-winning culinary studio, celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events. They also provide oven ready, cooked from scratch meals to go they call “Let us Cook for You.” To see their menus and events, go to their website or call 678-336-9196.