UNSTUCK

Patrick Murphy is the founder and co-owner of Pulse Boxing & Fitness - a fitness business located in the Chicago suburbs. Patrick is a combat veteran having served in Iraq as a member of the US Army's 82nd Airborne unit as a paratrooper. Patrick is a former professional MMA fighter and after starting his post-military fitness career at LifeTime Fitness Partrick went on to open his own fitness business in 2016. Themes covered in Patrick's life story include: Passion, Committment, Perseverance, Drive, Resilience, Creativity, Adaptability and more. Patrick walks us through his life story and the lessons he learned from the adversity he faced along the way including failing his first attempt at Ranger school and sleeping on an air mattress in the back of his gym while he was building the business. Among many other inspiring lessons Patrick will share how he has adapted his business to the many curve balls of life as an entrepreneur during a pandemic. 

Jimmy Pedro is one of the most decorated judo players in American history. Pedro represented the United States in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympic Games, winning bronze in 1996 and 2004. In Part 2 this 2 part interview Jimmy walks us through his journey starting with his coming up short of his own (and the world's) expectations for a Gold Medal in Sydney in 2000. Jimmy outlines a simple but crucial formula for success: DESIRE + COMMITTMENT + FOCUS + SACRIFICE + RESILIENCE and shares how he has applied that formula throughout his life both in and outside of competitive judo. 

Jimmy Pedro is one of the most decorated judo players in American history. Pedro represented the United States in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympic Games, winning bronze in 1996 and 2004. In Part 1 this 2 part interview Jimmy walks us through his journey from starting Judo at age 5 through his Bronze Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and then his coming up short of his own (and the world's) expectations for a Gold Medal in Sydney in 2000. Jimmy outlines a simple but crucial formula for success: DESIRE + COMMITTMENT + FOCUS + SACRIFICE + RESILIENCE and shares how he has applied that formula throughout his life both in and outside of competitive judo. 

Kirstie Ennis is an American hero and a shining example of the power of a positive mindset and of having a purpose greater than yourself.  Kirstie is a former helicopter mechanic and gunner in the United States Marines. In 2012, while on a routine resupply mission to an extraction in Afghanistan, her helicopter crashed and she sustained extensive injuries including a traumatic brain injury, damage to her spine, a shoulder injury and ultimately a leg injury that required her left leg to be amputated above the knee. One year to the day from her accident, Kirstie attempted to take her own life. Relying on her own incredible inner strength and with a solid support network around her, Kirstie has gone from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs (literally), dedicating her life to serving and inspiring others through her actions as an adventure philanthropist. Among many other ambitious endeavors, she is attempting to climb the Seven Summits (having climbed 4 of the 7 so far) – raising money for and creating impact in each of the local communities in which she climbs and inspiring everyone who hears her story along the way. Among many incredible honors, Kirstie is the winner of the Pat Tillman Award at the 2019 ESPY’s. In this hour-long conversation we walk through Kirstie's journey to the Marines, through the crash and recovery, and how she rediscovered her purpose in the process and went on to change the world. 

Maxine Clark is the founder and former CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop. Build-A-Bear started with one store in the Galleria Mall in St Louis and has 500 stores around the world today. Maxine takes us through her entrpreneurial journey, talks about places along the way where she felt stuck and how she moved through and past that stuckness and shares wisdom that can be applied to both business and life. She shares details of her post-BAB life including an ambitious "social impact real estate development" in St. Louis.   

In May of 2019, Mrika Nikqi became the youngest woman ever to climb the Seven Summits - all before the age of 18! Alongside her father, Mrika tackled the tallest peaks on each continent - battling extreme weather conditions, altitude sickness and a variety of other challenges along the way. Mrika walks us through each of the seven climbs and we pull the life lessons out of each unique experience.  

Mike Hamill, is the owner of Climbing The Seven Summits - a mountain guide company that leads expeditions on the biggest peaks in the world. Mike is internationally recognized as one of the top climbers / guides in the world, having completed the Seven Summits (the tallest peak on each continent) an astonishing 6 times. He literally wrote the book on climbing the Seven Summits and is quickly growing his young guide service (which he started after guiding for one of the biggest guide companies in the business for 15 years) into a recognized and respected brand in the guiding community. Mike discusses his passion for the mountains and for sharing them with his clients, setting BIG goals and not being afraid to "fail" along the way.  

Len Forkas is the Founder of Milestone Communications – a wireless tower company based in Reston VA that manages more than 200 towers throughout the Midatlantic and Southeastern United States. But that’s the least interesting thing about Len. He’s the Chairman of an amazing charity called Hopecam that leverages wireless technology to keep kids battling cancer connected to their schools and classmates, he’s in the process of climbing the Seven Summits, he has biked across countries like Mongolia and oh by the way he’s also attempting to run a marathon in every state and on every continent. Len shares the inspirational story of WHY he started Hopecam and what drives him to continue to build the charity and his business while chasing opportunities to expand his comfort zone. 

Tucker Dupree was diagnosed with progressive vision loss at the age of 17. Making the decision to define his future rather than accept his fate, Tucker rose above this diagnosis to become the world's fastest blind swimmer, competing in 3 Paralympic Games and winning 4 medals along the way. Tucker's story will serve as an inspiration to anyone facing their own challenges and the role that MINDSET and ATTITUDE play in overcoming challenges, setting BIG goals and accomplishing them!

A conversation with Daniel Sobelman, Founder & Managing Partner of CRE Bridge Capital (a bridge lending fund) about his journey to launcing CRE Bridge Capital, where he got "stuck" in his life / career and how he moved through and past those challenging times. Daniel shares some well-articulated and inspirational thoughts on the idea of "stuckness" and how to discover and tap into your Inner Strength to move through those challenges even at a point when you might think you've got nothing left to give.