The People, Process, & Progress Podcast - The People, Process, and Progress of the New River Valley

Episode Date: December 8, 2025

Life in the New River Valley has shaped me in ways I never expected. In this Season 9 opener, I share how the move, the mountains, the community, and the challenges along the way changed my approach to family, leadership, health, and resilience. This season, I will be talking with people across the region and sharing my own reflections as we explore the real stories and steady progress happening here.

Welcome back to People, Process, Progress. I'm Kevin Pinell, and this is the start of Season 9. You may have noticed the new cover art. It shows me sitting in the mountains in the winter. That image reflects where I am right now, where the snow is falling outside my window. Over the next few months, I'll be talking with people across the New River Valley in Appalachia and sharing my own perspectives along the way. My goal is to blend the real stories from people in this region,

with the lessons these mountains have taught me throughout my own journey. Before I open the door to the stories of others, I'm also going to ask some region-specific questions, and I'm going to use three of those questions on myself now. What do I love most about living in this part of Virginia? For me, it's the ability to walk outside, see the mountains, and hear almost no human-created noise. That simple combination resets my mind every time,

and when I practice my pillar to mindfulness, It's the great setup where I listen to everything around me. Next, what's the best view in the area? For me, it's Baldnob, right? We've done a lot of hikes, particularly during the, you know, 2020 year when everything was locked down. We got out and did a whole bunch of hikes. Baldnob is about 4,300 feet up. The view stretches back over the New River Valley and even to parts of the West Virginia.

I bet up there many times, and it never fails to give me a great perspective. For those that aren't aware, there's a place called Mountain Lake where they shot part of the dirty dancing movie. and Bald Knob is right by there. Third question, what's a hidden gem in the valley more people should know about? For this one, I don't think it's quite as hidden anymore, but there's a place called Eastern Divide Brewing Company that also opened in 2019 and is a great spot. The views are strong, the beer is cold, well-brewed, and the food and environment are easy to enjoy. It's a place where you can slow down without trying too hard.

So to close out this kind of intro trailer for season 9 with a focus on the New River Valley and Appalachia, I just want to thank you all for joining me, for joining me for all these years since I first started podcasting in 2018 and changed my name and changed my focus. And that's part of life, right? You have passion and lose passion. You bring passion. You change what you want to share. And part of this pivot for me is I talk about planning and all this kind of things that work

all the time. And I want to look back and lean into where I live and the people that are here. So we'll still talk about how to get things done, putting people first and process aligned, right, and making progress together. but of the next few months, I'll be talking with people across the valley and Appalachian sharing my own reflections as we go. The goal is simple. Learn from real people. Learn from the place we call home and keep moving forward with purpose.

Thank you so much for listening. Thanks for your support. And if you want to connect with me, you can follow me on X and Instagram at Penel KG, PN and the LKG. I have a YouTube channel called People Process Progress. This podcast People Process Progress is on Apple, Spotify, everywhere else you can get audio. video on YouTube as well and I'm also on LinkedIn so reach out look me up and we'll make connections thanks so much for listening and I'll see you in the next episode got speed y'all