🪑🎙️ IN THE HYPE SEAT: Steven Fondu On Taking Risks, Healthy Competition, and How He Built Jupiter's Hottest Restaurant - Ara
In this high-energy episode of In The Hype Seat, Holly Meyer Lucas sits down with Steven Fondu, the restaurateur behind Ara — the hottest new spot lighting up Jupiter’s buzzing Cypress Drive (aka "Cy Dri"). Ara has quickly become the go-to destination for foodies and trendsetters, thanks to Steven’s passion, authenticity, and innovative hospitality.
Steven’s journey from college baseball at Furman University to leading Jupiter’s vibrant dining scene is one fueled by hustle, heart, and relentless drive. This episode takes you behind the scenes of Steven’s leap from the NYC restaurant world to establishing his own culinary oasis in Jupiter during the height of the pandemic, sharing both the highs and lows of bringing an ambitious vision to life.
🎨 Kyle Lucks: Painting Icons, The Pressure of Perfection, and Why He Hasn’t Painted Taylor Swift (Yet)
He’s painted everyone from Serena Williams and Jackie Kennedy, to Coco Gauff and Rick Ross. His art work hangs in sports arenas, private collections, and stadiums all over the world. And this year, Kyle Lucks has became the artist everyone’s watching.
In this episode of In The Hype Seat, Holly sits down with celebrity portrait artist Kyle Lucks for a hilarious, candid, and behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to paint cultural icons everyone knows—and get it exactly right. From commissioned portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump to a Billie Jean King trophy reflection moment that broke the internet, Kyle opens up about the high-stakes pressure of his craft and why he only paints stories that give him goosebumps.
🎙️ Ariella Sherman: From Therapist to Foodie Influencer – How to Pivot, Become an Influencer, and Build a Brand from Scratch
In this episode, Holly Meyer Lucas sits down with Ariella Sherman on her last day as the Marketing Director for Meyer Lucas Companies. Ariella is better known online as @never_not_eating_, and this candid conversation is all about career pivots, building influence, and what it really takes to grow something from the ground up.
🌟 Holly Meyer Lucas Solo Episode: How I Built It From Scratch, Part 1
In this intimate solo episode, In The Hype Seat host Holly Meyer Lucas steps into the spotlight to tell her own story—raw, unfiltered, and completely in her own words. For the first time publicly, she walks us through the formative experiences that shaped her into the entrepreneur, leader, and creator she is today.
From growing up between Seattle and Germany to navigating financial hardship in college—including bartending to survive and sleeping in her car—Holly shares how these early experiences formed the foundation of her relentless drive and deep self-awareness.
She opens up about the pressure to succeed, the toxic relationships she had to walk away from, and the moment she finally broke into the corporate world—only to realize she needed something more aligned with her creativity and independence.