New in town: Michelle Apples

Age:

36 years young.

Status:

Newlywed. Will be married two years come September.

Current location:

Hanahan, SC.

Moved from:

Nashville, TN but my husband and I travelled the whole US for a year before moving from Tennessee to South Carolina.

Rent or own? How was the process?

We own two homes in Nashville and recently bought our place in Hanahan, SC. We actually only looked at one other home, and then found ours and the whole process was quite flawless.

Name of the realtor who helped you:

Sarah Wacaster is our realtor and she is fantastic – would highly recommend her.

What made you move to the area?

We spent a week in Charleston during our US Tour as it was one of our first stops. We fell in love with the area, and we kept joking that we should quit traveling and just move to Charleston.

Was this move planned or spontaneous?

Very Spontaneous. It was either go back to Nashville or try Charleston, so we figured why not try something new and see what happens.

Did you know anyone in town before moving and were you able to make new friends?

We didn’t know anyone at all when we moved to town, and unfortunately have been traveling the majority of the summer so we haven’t had a chance to really settle in and make connections yet.

Cost of living here compared to your previous location:

Pretty similar.

How would you describe the community and culture here compared to your previous location?

Charleston feels more laissez-faire than Nashville does. The laid back nature, coastal vibes, the way everyone is dressed in color. Even subconsciously my wardrobe colors started to evolve once I moved to Charleston. It feels less rushed and less in a hurry. It also feels like there is more to do during the day in Charleston because it has the ocean/scenery where Nashville has a bustling night scene/live music/ more entertainment/honky-tonks.

Traffic situation:

Both Charleston and Nashville are rapidly growing so the traffic is very similar in both places with the traffic situations getting worse and worse in both cities.

One thing you wish someone had told you before you moved here:

We didn’t have much expectations, so our expectations have exceeded all expectations. We are still very new to the area so we haven’t explored enough to know what we wish we would have known.

Advice for the town mayor:

I think with every city that is getting more and more popular the challenge would be to continue to improve the infrastructure in a way that helps the community and the growth the city is seeing.

What would you bring from your old town?

I would bring the talented musicians from Nashville. Anywhere you go in Nashville there are talented people. When you arrive at the airport a band welcomes you, every bar/restaurant you go to has live music and very talented musicians, and then you have the bluebird cafe, the listening room, the grand ole opry or the Ryman. I think you can take it for granted when it’s your day to day but when you are gone you miss all the opportunities to see very talented musicians.

Do you call this place home?

My whole adult life has been a bit transient. I am originally from Northern Canada, then moved to Vancouver, BC, lived in LA for a few months, moved to Toronto, Ont, and then to Nashville where I was only there for 2 years before hitting the road full time for a year. I travel a ton for work and pleasure and so I would love for Charleston to be home base and feel more settled for now, but I think home takes awhile to build and doesn’t just happen overnight.

Favorite restaurant:

Le Farfalle and it is the place that I keep going back to. We have a whole bucket list of places yet to try.

Hobbies and reading:

We travel a lot. I love seeing new places, and experiencing new cultures. I love animals, the ocean, pool days, games nights with friends, good food, better company, writing, reading, working out, outdoor activities such as hiking, pickleball, or going for long walks. I try to read one new spiritual book a month, and also a new business book. And of course my go to is the bible because the wisdom I have gleaned from the book of life has changed my life.

If money wasn’t an issue, where would you live?

I would love to have a condo in NYC, and then a house on the ocean in Charleston and be able to go back and forth.

What do you do for a living?

I am the owner of The Christian Singles Hub, which is a community for Christian Singles. We host events in 40+ regions across the USA, Canada and beyond, and also offer Retreats, Trips, Matchmaking and Virtual Speed Dating events.

How did you get into this space?

It was all God. I started it during the pandemic and slowly but surely saw the need for Christian Singles to have spaces for connection.

Why does dating seem so hard nowadays?

Dating has “evolved” the same way that our modern day world has evolved. Technology has made us more connected yet less connected than ever before. If you look at our parents/grandparents generation they dated in a way that people don’t these days. The Paradox of choice states that the more options we have the more likely we are to not choose at all, and with technology we have more options than we have ever had before.

Christianity is declining – in 2007, 78% of U.S. adults identified as Christians, and in 2023-24, 62% of U.S. adults identified as Christians. Why do you think this is happening?

That’s a great question and one that is so vast. A few reasons that Christianity may be declining would be family & cultural changes, a rising number of people that have zero religious affiliation, lack of tradition, lack of personal experience with religion, and more exposure to doubt and alternatives through technology. Families used to sit down to dinner every night and have conversations, and now we see broken homes, broken relationships, people too busy to even parent their children, and lack of morals/values and traditions. Only 38% of Gen Z adults say they regularly ate dinner with their family growing up, compared to 74% of those aged 50+ which shows how culture and family traditions have changed.

The moment that changed everything:

I was working for another Matchmaking agency, and I just knew that my morals, and values were different from the company I worked for, and it was either stay and compromise or start my own business and trust that everything will work out.

The moment that almost made you quit:

Oh so many. I think that when you start a business you don’t realize how hard it is going to be, how lonely it is going to be, but also the sacrifices you are going to have to make, and I think that is why a lot of business owners quit prematurely—because owning a business means sacrificing comfort. The times I almost quit were simply because the sacrifice didn’t seem worth it.

I always thought to myself “Who are you to be starting this business, or who are you to be a host on this podcast.” And every time those thoughts would creep in and every time I wanted to quit my business because it was hard, lonely, and challenging, someone would come to me and say “Thank you so much for the wisdom you shared, or that really encouraged me, or I needed to hear that today, or you changed my life, or I didn’t realize how depressed I was until I attended this retreat.” Every single time I thought about quitting, God would send me someone to tell me what I needed to hear to keep going. It was like He was saying just hang on, keep going just a little bit longer, and here I am almost 5 years later, and those doubting moments come less and less, and yet, as long as my eyes are fixed on Jesus, He still sends me those little moments of encouragement that continues to encourage me to “run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith.”

The moment you knew you were on to something:

I started these audio events during the pandemic, and all the sudden hundreds of people would tune in every day and it wasn’t even us talking about dating but just offering space, connection and conversation and people would show up every single day. It was this moment that made me realize this was so much bigger than myself.

What are you building toward?

I don’t know if I have this big overarching thing that we are building toward, but just being obedient in today where God has called us to be. I wouldn’t have seen all that we are and have built five years ago because it’s been a lot of pivoting, and revamping when I sense that we are supposed to. So I know that as long as I am obedient, spirit led, and continue to pray over where God is taking us then where He is taking me is going to be bigger than anywhere I could take myself.

As a pro, what’s the perfect first date?

Environment is everything and it’s going to be different depending on who you are and who the person is that you are going with.

Who is the person you are going out with, and what are some things they like. It’s the little details that stand out on a date. If she says that she likes chai lattes, then find the best coffee shop that has those, or if she mentions she loves the farmers market, then go to a farmers market and walk around and then get a bite after. You will stand out if you put in effort because we live in a world where most people don’t. The best first dates I have ever been on have been ones that are creative, intentional and impressed me because they actually took time to plan something unique rather than throwing something together. Unique and creative dates don’t have to be expensive. Some of my best first dates were inexpensive.

Somewhere that feels familiar, comfortable, and isn’t going to be too distracting. For example, a really loud atmosphere is going to take away from getting to know the person in front of you, or a coffee shop that is so small that you are sitting right next to the person beside you and are self-conscious of them overhearing your whole conversation.

Be intentional in your planning.

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