Could a restaurant owner and longtime Charlotte resident become the city’s next mayor?

In Episode 13 of Men On Pause, Dave explains why he is considering running for mayor of Charlotte.

Dave and Deon discuss public safety, street racing, the light rail, homelessness, Uptown businesses and whether Charlotte has lost some of its identity during its rapid growth.

Dave also shares his family’s deep North Carolina roots and their reported connections to the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. Could that history eventually lead him into public service?

The conversation expands into Charlotte real estate, the growth of Huntersville and South End, Lake Norman, casinos, filmmaking incentives, tourism and what the city needs to become a true destination.

This isn’t about Republicans versus Democrats. Dave’s position is simple: it should be about right versus wrong and bringing residents, business owners and city leaders together.Would you vote for Dave?

What should Charlotte’s next mayor prioritize first? Men On Pause features real conversations between Dave and Deon about business, family, relationships, culture and everything men face while navigating adulthood.

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At some point, you stop being the kid. You become the parent to the people who raised you. And nobody teaches you how.In Episode 12 of Men On Pause, Dave and Dion go deep on one of the heaviest topics men over 40 face — caring for aging parents, grandparents, and in-laws while still raising kids, holding down a career, and trying not to lose yourself in the middle.They get into the REAL stuff: dementia and watching your mom slowly forget. Parkinson's and keeping your dad moving. The moment you realize your grandfather can't drive anymore — and the conversation nobody wants to have. Wills, funerals, cremation, burial preferences, and why families need to talk about this stuff BEFORE a crisis forces them to.Dave tells a WILD Thanksgiving story involving his grandmother, edibles (weed tea AND a truffle), two ambulances, two fire trucks, cops at the door, and his mom thinking grandma was dying — when she was really just too high. It's one of the funniest moments in MOP history.But it gets real fast. Dion talks about his father going from "Superman" to a cancer diagnosis — and how he lived six years after being given three months. Dave opens up about saying goodbye to his grandfather before moving to Charlotte, and watching his mom's dementia change the woman who raised him.They break down the "sandwich generation" — being stuck between your kids on one side and your aging parents on the other — and why men need to ask for help instead of carrying it alone.This one will hit you in the chest. You might want to call your parents after.🎧 Watch or listen to *Men On Pause* on YouTube, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.The Power Is In The Pause. 🎙️

The guys are back in the studio with ENERGY this week. Dion just got back from Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400, and they break down every detail — the sold-out crowd, the 11 cautions, the violent Christopher Bell/Chase Elliott crash, and Denny Hamlin winning his 63rd career race after starting dead last.

They talk about toughness, pushing through pain. Dion rocks a Tim Richmond shirt and hat, and the conversation turns to which drivers transcend the sport and become cultural icons.Then Dave takes over with his weekend in Charlotte — taking Kash to the Post Malone & Jelly Roll BIG ASS Stadium Tour opening night at Bank of America Stadium.

Dave breaks down Jelly Roll's redemption story, Post Malone's genuine warmth with fans (especially kids and people with special needs), and why Kash is now a full-blown Jelly Roll convert. Dave talks boat season, Cleveland, Lake Norman's sketchy water levels, and the jokes go OFF — brain-eating amoebas, Illuminati meetings in the Bahamas, and Dion's absolute refusal to touch lake water that isn't chlorinated.But the real conversation is the one at the end.

Dion poses a hypothetical: take a stable Charlotte job with guaranteed financial security but give up NASCAR and doing what you love. Dave's answer? "Money is just fun coupons." What follows is one of the most honest conversations about purpose, risk, mortality, and choosing to LIVE that these guys have ever had on the show.

They agree: this topic needs its own episode.

Stay tuned.

Smash the button wherever you watch or listen. The Power Is In The Pause. 🎙️

Soft is not the same as lazy. Lazy doesn’t show up.

Soft shows up — and falls apart under pressure. Dave and Dion break down what the participation trophy era actually built: a workforce that craves validation but can’t absorb feedback, managers who are quitting because HR won’t let them manage, and an entire generation that got 10,000 followers before they ever had a boss.From the restaurant floor to the broader workforce crisis, this episode earns its frustration.

The data backs it up — 1 in 5 managers have considered quitting over the stress of managing younger employees. Full-service restaurants are still nearly 200,000 jobs below pre-pandemic levels. And social media has created a fake confidence epidemic that breaks down the moment the kitchen gets hot.

But here’s the good news: the bar is so low that simply showing up changes everything. Dave and Dion share stories of young people who impressed them, the coachability signal that separates the great from the gone, and why the fastest path to power is becoming undeniable.

Segments: The Cotton Candy Generation Defined ·The Manager’s Dilemma · Social Media Created Fake Confidence · What Real Pressure Builds · The Good News

Plus: Burst My Bubble, Rule Hard or Not, and the Fantastic callback that Dion will never let Dave live down.

The Power Is In The Pause.

A French tire company just walked into the American South and started handing out stars — and Dave isn't letting that slide without a full breakdown.

When the MICHELIN Guide dropped its first-ever American South selection (ceremony in Greenville, SC, seven states deep), it rippled through every professional kitchen below the Mason-Dixon line. The only Two-Star went to Emeril's in New Orleans, now run by E.J. Lagasse, Emeril's son carrying the torch. Atlanta stacked eight One-Stars, the most of any Southern city.

But here's the local heat: Charlotte just landed its first-ever Michelin Star, in Wesley Heights, which earned a Star *and* a Green Star, then took roughly 900 reservations and booked out four months almost overnight. Our backyard.

Dave brings the chef's perspective the food blogs won't, what a star does to your kitchen staff, your menu, your prices, and the regulars who built you. Is this recognition, or is it the South getting graded by people who flew in to do it? Does the South need French validation when grandmothers have been plating three-star food for generations?

Plus: NASCAR country meets fine dining, the World Cup's French timing, and whether a regular guy can even get a reservation anymore.

Barbershop therapy with a side of foie gras. Let him cook.

The Power Is In The Pause.

Subscribe, rate five stars (even if Michelin won't), and send this to someone who thinks Waffle House deserves a Bib Gourmand.

Sushi Dave just got back from the Exumas. He can’t tell you who hired him. He can tell you what it’s like cooking a private dinner for one of the wealthiest people on the planet — under NDA, under pressure, in paradise.

Then the conversation shifts. Dion asks the question every man over 40 eventually has to answer: Did you find love first — or your career? Dave gets honest about building a foundation before building a family, why maturity changes what you’re looking for in a partner, and why some men spend years chasing the wrong thing and knowing it.

Crystal clear water. Real talk about success. Two grown men asking what actually matters when you’ve already built the life you said you wanted.

This one breathes.

Segments:

🍣 SushiDave’s Secret Bahamas Adventure

🏝️ Why theExumas Might Be the Greatest Place You’ve Never Seen

💬 Did YouFind Love or Your Career First?

🎯 Closing:Are You Looking for the Right Thing at the Right Time?

New episodes dropweekly. The Power Is In The Pause.

🔗 Follow: @MenOnPause | Dirtay Dojo Media

🎙️ EPISODE 109 – Goldyard (Vic & Austin) are our first in-studio guests!

The duo behind the official NASCAR anthem is in the building. We sit down with Vic (Endo) and Austin (Action) from the rap/rock group Goldyard for a fun, high-energy conversation.

From creating the hype song that plays right before races start, to golf course chaos with RNG, independent artist grind, food truck plans in the Charlotte area, fatherhood stories, and Dave getting hit with wild Illuminati chef conspiracy jokes — this episode delivers non-stop vibes.

🔥 What we cover:

• How Goldyard created the official NASCAR anthem

• Golfing with Erik Lottery & the RNG crew

• Life as independent artists

• Parenting, kids nicknames & athletic sons

• Austin’s upcoming upscale food truck

• Presidential chef stories & hilarious conspiracy talk

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro & Golf Chaos

01:30 - Welcoming Goldyard

07:10 - The NASCAR Anthem Story

16:40 - Golf with RNG

22:30 - Biggest Career Moments

32:10 - Fatherhood Talk

42:30 - Food Truck Plans

47:30 - Dave’s Illuminati Chef Stories

54:30 - Outro

Men on Pause is real talk between guys navigating fatherhood, wellness, business, and life.

Subscribe and never miss an episode. New episodes drop weekly!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. Not professional advice.

#MenOnPause #Goldyard #NASCAR

Episode 8 of Men On Pause hits different this week. Dion took his son Little Dion to the Texas NASCAR race weekend for a “boys testosterone weekend” — racing, food, real talk, and Little Dion’s official debut running the entire production system. Associate Producer Little Dion is in the building.

Then the conversation shifts to the thing nobody wants to talk about but everybody over 40 needs to hear. Men’s health. Real health. Blood work, hormones, testosterone replacement therapy, plantar fasciitis, colonoscopies, and why your body at 45 does not recover like it did at 25. Dion shares his diverticulitis story. Dave breaks down TRT — what it does, what it doesn’t, and why you should never become an Instagram peptide bro injecting random compounds because an influencer told you to. Get real blood work. Work with professionals. Know your numbers.

And because Men On Pause doesn’t do one-dimensional — we’re also talking about the Travis Scott Shy Pink Jordan 1 Low dropping this week, why the generation that created Jordan culture is still living it, and why men over 50 are absolutely not too old for Jordans.

Rule Hard or Not: Is TRT cheating or maintenance? Should annual blood work be mandatory for men over 40? Are Jordans still acceptable for men over 50?

The pause is not quitting. It’s recalibrating so you can go longer and stronger. Barbershop therapy for grown men. The Power Is In The Pause.