Track 14 | Shawn Hopper | Gather Round

Track 14 | Shawn Hopper | Gather Round

Author: Fort Thomas Coffee | Christine Smalley September 18, 2026 Duration: 34:54

Solving Problems and Gathering Around with Shawn Hopper

In this episode, Shawn Hopper shares how a lifelong passion for solving problems has shaped both his corporate career and the creative projects he pursues on the side.

One of those projects is Gather Round, a social app designed to help people connect, laugh and enjoy meaningful time together. During this live recording at Fort Thomas Coffee, guests gathered around the table, enjoyed s’mores and became some of the first people to test the app.

The evening turned into a real-time look at innovation as Shawn listened to feedback, uncovered a few bugs and worked through solutions on the spot.

In this episode:

  • How Shawn developed a passion for solving problems
  • Lessons learned from solving challenges for major corporations
  • Why he created the Gather Round app
  • The process of turning an idea into a working product
  • What happens when real users test an app for the first time
  • Why connection, curiosity and experimentation matter

Gather Round is expected to launch in the months ahead. After cutting the mics, we learned even more about this jack of all trades. With three production ready golf innovations in the hopper, Shawn's passion projects might just become your next favorite solution.


The Community Soundtrack is a space where individual stories are heard as essential parts of a larger, shared melody. Hosted by Christine Smalley of Fort Thomas Coffee, this podcast explores how personal journeys in business, culture, and daily life intersect and build upon one another. The conversations here aren't interviews in a traditional sense, but rather gatherings where each person's experience adds a unique verse to a collective narrative. You'll hear from a variety of voices discussing society, leisure, personal reflections, and creative pursuits, all with the understanding that our individual paths complement each other. Listening to this podcast feels like discovering how separate notes combine to form a resonant chord. The underlying belief is that our combined stories create a kind of living harmony-a soundtrack that gives deeper meaning to the community around us. It’s an audio journal of connection, emphasizing that every contribution, every shared moment, weaves into the ongoing and beautiful story we are all telling together.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 14

The Community Soundtrack
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