Episode 12

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Published on:

25th May 2026

EP12 Do It Scared with Mallory Files

Mallory Files started Ozark Charcuterie in her home kitchen five years ago because she needed somewhere to put her hands and her energy. She had no business plan for what it would become. She just started making boards.

Today, Mallory is the founder and owner of Ozark Charcuterie and Wine Bar, a pink-painted, disco-ball-adorned space in downtown Fayetteville that she describes as the antithesis of a sports bar: designed for women, by a woman, where everyone is welcome. She's opening a cheese and wine shop in Rogers, has a U of A marketing degree she actually uses, and built the whole thing off social media and sheer will. In this episode, Sami Kinnison sits down with Mallory to hear the real story behind the business: how it started as a way to survive a hard season, what happened when a neighboring business owner told her three times she wasn't going to make it, the guilt cycle she navigates every single day as a mom, wife, and entrepreneur, and the big vision she's sharing publicly for the very first time.

If you've ever talked yourself out of something because you didn't feel ready, if you've ever been in a room where someone tried to make you feel small, or if you're carrying that endless guilt of never quite being in the right place at the right time, this episode will feel like a conversation with someone who gets it and kept going anyway. Mallory's advice isn't polished. It's honest. Do it scared. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to show up.

Listen to this episode of HerStory now and hear from the woman who built a business on charcuterie, community, and the refusal to let anyone else decide how much space she gets to take up.

The Women of All Generations event is June 16, 2026, 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center. Tickets at fayettevillear.com/woag.

Mentioned in this episode:

  • Ozark Charcuterie and Wine Bar, 3 E. Mountain St., downtown Fayetteville: ozarkcharcuterie.com
  • Ozark Charcuterie Rogers location (opening 2026): 401 N. First St., Suite 101
  • University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
  • Women of All Generations event: fayettevillear.com/woag

Connect with Mallory:

Mentioned in this episode:

Women of All Generations | June 16, 2026

The Women of All Generations event is almost here. Join us June 16, 2026 from 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center for an afternoon of real conversation, connection, and celebration. Tickets and sponsorships are available now. You belong in that room. Grab your spot at fayettevillear.com/woag.

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About the Podcast

HerStory Podcast - Presented by Chamber Fayetteville and Be Freaking Awesome - Featuring Stories of Women of Fayetteville
Every woman you admire has a story she almost didn't tell. The version where things didn't go as planned. The pivot that looked like a failure before it became the thing that changed everything. The moment she almost talked herself out of the room she was born to be in. Those are the stories that actually teach us something. The ones that make you feel less alone and more ready to go back out there and try again. That's what HerStory is about, and it starts with an invitation. Chamber Fayetteville's Women of All Generations returns on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, from 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center. It's an annual panel, celebration, and networking event that brings together women across industries and age groups for honest, meaningful conversation. This year's theme is "You've Earned This," and it's exactly what it sounds like: a pause worth taking. A room full of women who have worked hard, grown a lot, and earned the right to celebrate that together. The 2026 event features a panel discussion moderated by Brittany Phillips, with confirmed panelists Samantha Gregory (influencer, @MunchinWithMantha), Kelsi Musick (head coach of the University of Arkansas Women's Basketball team), and Carol Gray (General Manager, Village Inn). You'll also find meaningful networking with 400-plus attendees, The Curated Collective marketplace spotlighting local and women-owned businesses, and the Sarah Jessie Young Award presentation, honoring a woman who exemplifies leadership, impact, and generational influence. HerStory is how we're getting you ready for that room. This limited podcast series is produced in partnership with Chamber Fayetteville and hosted by Angela Belford and Sami Kinnison of Be Freaking Awesome. Each episode features a different woman from the Fayetteville community, sitting down to share the real version of her story. Not the polished LinkedIn bio. Not the highlight reel. The actual journey: the grit it took, the confidence she had to build from scratch, and the growth she wouldn't trade even on the hard days. We're not here for surface-level inspiration. We're here for the honest, specific, "I needed to hear that" kind of conversation. The women featured in this series come from different industries, different generations, and different starting points. What they share is a willingness to talk about what it actually took. Because here's what we know after years of coaching and facilitating conversations about leadership and communication: the stories women tell each other in quiet moments, the real ones, are some of the most powerful professional development tools that exist. And most of those stories never get told out loud. HerStory is our attempt to change that. Angela Belford has spent decades helping people understand the beliefs underneath their behavior, the invisible edges that shape how we lead, how we communicate, and how we see ourselves. Sami Kinnison has built a career helping teams and leaders say the things they've been avoiding, and find out what's possible on the other side of that conversation. Together, they bring a warmth and depth to these interviews that creates space for guests to go somewhere real. Each episode is a conversation, not an interview. You'll hear laughter. You'll probably hear something that makes you catch your breath a little. You'll definitely hear something you want to text a friend. If you've ever sat next to a woman at an event and thought, "I want to know more about her story," this series was built for you. If you're the kind of person who drives home from a conference replaying one conversation that changed your whole perspective, you're going to love this. If you've been waiting for permission to tell your own story out loud, we hope something you hear here gives it to you. Subscribe now so you don't miss a single episode, and grab your tickets to Women of All Generations at fayettevillear.com/woag. This is the kind of event that reminds you why community matters, and why your story matters too. HerStory. Real women. Real Fayetteville. Real talk.

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Sami Kinnison