The Heirloom Podcast

This week’s episode of The Heirloom Podcast is a “Framily” Meeting. Ben and Erin, Jim and Mallorie, and Emily and I sit down together to talk about Episode 4 of HGTV’s Inn This Together and reflect on the series as a whole. It’s good to have friends stand beside you in unexpected times.

There is so much to celebrate in this final episode. We got the sign. We built beautiful rooms. We overcame floods. We reached milestones we had dreamed about for years. Most, importantly, we learned that a group friends who stick together can accomplish about anything.

In this episode of The Heirloom Podcast, Josh Nowell, Jim Rasberry, Mallorie Rasberry, and Emily Nowell talk through Episode 3 of Inn This Together on HGTV and the challenge of designing three kitchens that felt warm, timeless, and lived in — not cold and commercial.

What did it really take to open the Scotsman USA Kitchen store and build a manufacturing company in small-town Mississippi? In this episode of The Heirloom Podcast, Josh Nowell and Jim Rasberry sit down with Mallorie Rasberry and Emily Nowell to talk through Episode 2 of Inn This Together on HGTV and the story behind Scotsman Manufacturing, Laurel Mercantile, and the opening of the Scotsman USA Kitchen store. From starting a factory in Laurel, Mississippi, to designing the retail space, building American-made products, and watching craftsmen see their work displayed for the first time, this episode gives a closer look at the people, risks, and hard work behind the project.

What was it really like trying to restore the Heirloom building while filming a television show at the same time? In this episode of The Heirloom Podcast, Josh Nowell and Jim Rasberry sit down with Mallorie Rasberry and Emily Nowell to talk through Episode 1 of Inn This Together on HGTV and what was happening behind the cameras during one of the biggest restoration projects in Laurel history.

Josh Nowell and Jim Rasberry dig into the meaning of legacy—from its ancient Latin roots to the everyday choices that define it. Jim reveals his unconventional “burial” plans, following a conversation about how small-town ripples, eternal perspective, and simple diligence can leave a mark that lasts for generations. Recorded at The Heirloom Hotel in Laurel, Mississippi.

Country music legend Ronnie McDowell joins Josh and Jim in Laurel for The Heirloom Podcast. He shares stories from 48 years on the road—from paying tribute to Elvis, to singing with Conway, to recording with Dolly Parton—Ronnie has found himself in the middle of country music history, with a story for every mile. Whether you grew up on country music or just love a good story, this episode is a reminder that legacy surrounds us—even alone in the pickup on a brisk fall drive, when the radio rattles out those old songs that make us smile and remember the ones we love.

What role does creativity play in building a legacy? For Erin Napier—artist, author, and co-host of HGTV’s Home Town—it’s the seed that starts it all. In this episode of The Heirloom Podcast, Josh Nowell and Jim Rasberry sit down with Erin to talk about the power of imagination, the early days of Laurel’s revitalization, and why small towns demand creativity. From purple dinosaurs to downtown murals, Erin reflects on how storytelling, design, and perseverance helped transform her hometown into something beautiful.

On this episode of The Heirloom Podcast, filmed at The Heirloom in Laurel, Mississippi, hosts Josh Nowell and Jim Rasberry sit down with 98-year-old WWII Navy veteran Jimmy Bass. After surviving a kamikaze strike aboard USS Harding during the Battle of Okinawa, Jimmy returned home, suited up for high school football, and won the Shrimp Bowl—building a legacy of faith, family, and freedom in small-town Mississippi.

HGTV designer, entrepreneur, and hospitality visionary Mallorie Rasberry joins Josh Nowell and Jim Rasberry to share how welcoming others well can transform a town. From a backyard guest cottage to The Heirloom Hotel, Mallorie reflects on how care and intention in hosting can leave a lasting legacy. Recorded at The Heirloom Hotel in Laurel, Mississippi.

Filmmaker Christian Taylor and LTJG Hunter J. Taylor join Josh Nowell and Jim Rasberry at The Heirloom Hotel to share the powerful true story behind The Girl Who Wore Freedom. At the heart is Danièle “Dany” Patrix Boucherie, a young girl who wore a parachute dress to the first D-Day commemoration in Normandy. Her story reflects the enduring gratitude of the French people—and the legacy of freedom still celebrated in Normandy.

Artist and Home Town contributor Adam Trest joins Josh Nowell and Jim Rasberry to talk creativity, small-town life, and how legacy often starts with a sketch. From murals to dinnerware, his work proves that art can shape a town—and outlive its maker. Recorded at The Heirloom Hotel in Laurel, Mississippi.

On this special Mother’s Day episode of The Heirloom Podcast, Erin Napier, Mallorie Rasberry, and Emily Nowell—three mothers and leaders behind Laurel, Mississippi’s revival—join us to talk about motherhood, memory, and the kind of legacy that’s built in everyday life, not on camera. As we say in this episode: you don’t teach legacy by talking about it—you teach it by living it.

Before Home Town and HGTV, six friends—Ben and Erin Napier, Jim and Mallorie Rasberry, and Josh and Emily Nowell—believed Laurel’s story wasn’t finished. In this episode of The Heirloom Podcast, we revisit the early days: forgotten streets, late nights, small acts of faithfulness—and the belief that hard work without knowing the outcome can change everything.

In this episode of The Heirloom Podcast, we sit down with our good friend and fellow Laurel native, Ben Napier—builder, storyteller, and co-star of HGTV’s Home Town. But this isn’t about television or fame. It’s about how stories shape identity, build culture, and create a lasting legacy. Ben reflects on growing up Southern, learning to build with his hands, and honoring the men who came before him. We talk about storytelling as a Southern art form—and how a life rooted in humility, faith, and purpose becomes the kind of story worth telling long after we’re gone.

In episode two of The Heirloom Podcast, we sit down with retired Navy Colonel Craig Ziemba—fighter pilot, combat veteran, and longtime wingman to our first guest, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore. Craig brings us down from space into the cockpit to reflect on what it means to live a life of service, sacrifice, and steady faith. He’s logged over 11,000 flight hours, completed eight combat tours, and landed jets on aircraft carriers in the dead of night—but the most impressive part of Craig’s story isn’t on his résumé. It’s the legacy of faith and friendship he’s built along the way.

Barry “Butch” Wilmore joins us from the International Space Station, sharing his journey from fighter jets to spaceflight, and how his faith in Christ gives footing even in a place with no gravity. While the world may see Butch as “stuck” in space, he sees this as another step in God’s sovereign plan, relying on faith and preparation to bring him peace, joy and purpose in any situation.