Podcasts about Forbes

Remarkable Retail Episode 311 welcomes guest co-host and longtime friend of the pod Anne Mezzenga, Founder & CEO of Retail Field Report, joining Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc on mic and on camera.Anne opens with her new venture, launched in March as an evolution of the work she built at Omni Talk Retail with co-founder Chris Walton. Retail Field Report takes a journalist's lens rather than an analyst's — working shifts in stores, interviewing executives and walking floors to learn what's actually happening inside retail organizations, not what the headlines claim.The news opens on a shaky macro backdrop: diesel at a four-year high, the priciest Labor Day gas in a year, worse still across Europe, and a Fed narrative that has flipped from cuts to a 62% market-implied probability of at least two hikes by year-end. Michael adds the Canadian view — reciprocal tariffs, shelved US liquor and a tourism reversal after June's 5% bump in cross-border travel. Anne reports from the field: once fuel, healthcare and food are covered, the discretionary spending big-box retailers count on is running dry.On earnings, Steve unpacks Five Below's five straight quarters of double-digit comps, 23% revenue growth, its move past 2,000 stores and a rare guidance raise. Victoria's Secret posts a 9% comp; Anne credits store consistency, omnichannel execution and strength in PINK and beauty, and the pair explore whether GLP-1s — increasingly prescribed alongside hormone replacement therapy — are quietly reshaping apparel and beauty demand. Lululemon disappoints, with comps down 9% and the Americas down 12% as Heidi O'Neill steps in as CEO; Anne argues the brand needs a sharper point of view and less rinse-and-repeat product. At Kohl's, Steve flags a second straight quarter of Sephora underperforming the rest of the store.The centerpiece is Anne's work as a flex retail associate, booking shifts through the Reflex app in cities across the US: point-of-sale systems so intuitive that training is nearly obsolete, twelve strangers running a warehouse sale that moved 3,000 customers in a single shift, and hospitality-only roles at Longchamp in Boston and Sézane in San Francisco, evidence that mid-tier retailers are putting real P&L dollars into the welcome.The trio then debates Anthropic's open-source Claude Commerce Agents — throttled assortments in agentic pilots, returns exposure, and grocery shoppers splitting weekly lists across banners by price. Anne walks Target stores with executives and lands bullish on the Bullseye, while Steve sizes up Shein's Hong Kong listing at roughly $27 billion against its one-time $100 billion valuation.On the radar screens: Quince's rumored raise and brick-and-mortar ambitions (Steve's skeptical the assortment translates), and Michael on JBS, the world's biggest meat processor, Brazilian beef imports, and whether beef can price itself out of the grocery basket for good. Registration is open for a special webinar featuring Steve in conversation with Placer AI's Head of Analytical Research RJ Hottovy. From changing shopping patterns to emerging market opportunities, shifting consumer demand continues to reshape the industry. So don't miss this data-driven session unpacking the most important trends defining today's marketplace and the strategies leading brands are using to win retail's future. It's all brought to you by Placer.AI and It all happens on Tuesday September 29 at 1pm ET..Register here today:https://www.placer.ai/discover-events/discover-shifting-consumer-demand About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Find Rocky Lalvani @ www.ProfitComesFirst.com  or email him at rocky@profitcomesfirst.com Make more, work less video: https://youtu.be/   A professor at Wharton once told a C-minus undergrad: don't ever be irreplaceable, because if you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted. That undergrad is now Ari Meisel, founder of Less Doing and creator of the Replaceable Founder framework, and he's spent fifteen years proving the same rule applies to founders. Most owners wear "nobody else can do this but me" as a badge of honor. This episode makes the case that it's actually the ceiling on the business. Ari and Rocky get into exactly how an owner gets out of that seat: the order of operations for deciding what to fix, automate, or hand off, the twenty-task inventory Ari uses to force real change within a year, and the specific dollar numbers behind doing it, including replacing a $235-an-hour bookkeeper and finding $140,000 in grants a nonprofit never had the capacity to chase.   In This Episode: Why being indispensable is a ceiling, not an achievement The exact order: optimize, automate, then outsource, and why skipping steps backfires The Ultimate KPI exercise: twenty tasks in, sixteen gone within a year, four that are actually yours Why most failed delegation is a failed instruction, not a broken system How Ari runs twenty-six AI agents across five organizations, and what each one replaced The verification habit ("pokayoke") that keeps delegation, human or AI, honest   Key Takeaways: Being irreplaceable isn't safety. It's a ceiling. List the twenty things you spend the most time on, and commit to eliminating sixteen within a year. Fix the process before you automate it, and automate it before you hire it out. Every delegated task, human or AI, needs a built-in check that it actually happened. Staying the bottleneck has a real cost: banks, buyers, and your own household can't tell what the business is worth if nothing works without you.   About Ari Meisel: Ari Meisel is the founder of Less Doing and creator of the Replaceable Founder framework — a system that helps entrepreneurs build businesses that run without them. After being diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 23, Ari became obsessed with optimizing, automating, and outsourcing everything — first his health, then his business. Today he works with founders to eliminate operational bottlenecks, reclaim their time, and build companies that scale without sacrificing their life. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, and Fast Company. He's the author of Less Doing, More Living and hosts the Less Doing podcast.   Links: Website: www.talktoari.com.    lessdoing.ai    Profit Blueprint Calculator I Profit Comes First: https://lp.profitcomesfirst.com/profitblueprintcalc-page   Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profitanswerman Sign up to be notified when the next cohort of the Profit First Experience Course is available! Free Copy of the Profit Blueprint Book: https://lp.profitcomesfirst.com/landing-page-page  Monthly Newsletter signup: https://lp.profitcomesfirst.com/newsletter-signup Relay Bank (affiliate link): https://relayfi.com/?referralcode=profitcomesfirst Profit Answer Man Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitanswerman/ My podcast about living a richer more meaningful life: http://richersoul.com/ Music provided by Junan from Junan Podcast Any financial advice is for educational purposes only and you should consult with an expert for your specific needs.       

Great leaders don’t try to be great at everything. They identify where they add the most value and create space for others to do the same. In this episode, Andy Stanley and Holly Goddard continue their conversation on Andy’s latest book, What Great Leaders Do, by exploring why playing to your strengths is essential for maximizing your impact. They discuss how narrowing your focus, protecting your most productive time, and letting go of responsibilities others can do better can strengthen both your leadership and your organization. Download the application guide: https://re.yourmove.is/4i6g9CM Get your copy of Andy’s new book, What Great Leaders Do: https://re.yourmove.is/4g7pEz5 Here's what they cover in this episode: Why doing fewer things can help you accomplish more (2:58) The myth of the well-rounded leader (8:38) The importance of creating margin (22:25) How leaders attract and retain high-capacity team members (24:52) Special thanks to our sponsor BELAY for offering a free download of their guide: Feedback that Fuels Growth. This resource teaches you how to have the conversations most leaders avoid, navigate difficult feedback with care, and build a culture where your team feels supported and empowered. Just text the word ANDY to 55123 to claim your free guide now. Prefer to watch instead of listen? You can find new episodes of the Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast on YouTube at YouTube.com/AndyStanleyOfficial Recognized as one of Forbes' 6 Leadership Podcasts To Listen To In 2024 and one of the Best Leadership Podcasts To Stay in the Know for CEOs, according to Industry Leader Magazine. If this podcast has made you a better leader, you can help it by leaving a quick Spotify or Apple Podcasts review. You can visit Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and then go to the “Reviews” section. Thank you for sharing! If you've already read What Great Leaders Do, consider leaving a review on Amazon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of us went to art school and never actually learned how to paint. We were told to go make something and figure it out, which is great, but it often leaves us limited by our ability to bring our ideas to life. If that's you, you're not alone, and this episode is a permission slip to learn something new if you feel stuck. My guest today is Alonsa Guevara, a Chilean American artist whose work has been exhibited internationally and featured in Forbes, Time Out New York, and VICE. I had the privilege of working with Alonsa and learning more organized ways to mix paint, organize color temperature, and more. On this episode, we talk about her evolution from conceptual work to more realism in her paintings, and she also announces her new course, Alive Nature, here for the first time. Focusing on florals, botanicals, and fruit, it spans seven modules and is built so a complete beginner can follow along. The waitlist gets first access and a discount. Doors open September 16 and close September 20. Links to join are below, and yes, I'm on that waitlist myself! Come find us on the Create! Magazine Substack too. That's where I share essays on galleries, pricing, and building a creative career you love. createmagazine.substack.com

Listen in to these highlights from four of our best recent conversations on things likely on your mind in planning for retirement: purpose, identity, curiosity – and experimenting your way into a fulfilling next chapter. They can spark ideas for what’s next for you. Want to go deeper? Listen to any of the full conversations: What If Retirement Is the Wrong Goal? – John Coleman Change Your Questions, Change Your Life…in Retirement – Marilee Adams, PhD Letting Go to Become Who You Truly Are – Deborah Santana How to Flourish…in Retirement – Daniel Coyle _________________________ Guest Bios John Coleman is the author of Good Money: Six Steps to Building a Financial Life with Purpose. He is the author of five books, and he or his work have been highlighted in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Financial Times, the LA Times, Christianity Today, Forbes, and the Harvard Business Review, among other publications. Marilee Adams, PhD is the Founder and CEO of the Inquiry Institute, and author of Change Your Questions, Change Your Life, now in it’s 5th edition and it has been translated into 26 languages.. She is an award-winning author, executive coach, and leadership consultant whose work has shaped how leaders think, communicate, and make decisions for more than four decades. Deborah Santana is the author of Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom. Her work has been featured by Vogue, Oprah, and NPR, among other national and literary outlets. She is the founder of the Do A Little Foundation, which supports women and girls in the areas of health, education, and happiness. Her work explores identity, social justice, spirituality, and the power of collective voice. Daniel Coyle is the New York Times best-selling author of nine books, including Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment, The Culture Code and The Talent Code, Winner (with Tyler Hamilton) of the 2012 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Prize, he is a contributing editor for Outside magazine, he also works a special advisor to the Cleveland Guardians. Coyle lives in Cleveland, Ohio during the school year and in Homer, Alaska, during the summer with his wife Jen, and their four daughters. _________________________ Other Retirement Podcast Episodes You May Like Best of 2026 – Part One Best of 2025 – Part Two What If I? Best of 2025 – Part 1 The Very Best of 2024 __________________________ Time to take stock of what needs your attention planning for the non-financial side of retirement? Take this free 5-minute assessment. It’s not a report card. It’s a tool to help pinpoint what matters most to you in the years ahead. _________________________  

Feeling stuck or looking for a fresh perspective? In this 2 Minutes of Motivation re-release episode of Live Greatly, Kristel Bauer shares two simple ways to boost creativity, generate new ideas and break out of your usual patterns of thinking. Creativity isn't just for artists or traditionally "creative" roles. It can help you solve problems, approach challenges differently and discover new possibilities at work and in your life. Tune in for two quick strategies to help you spark more creativity and fresh thinking. Explore Having Kristel Bauer speak at your next event or team meeting. https://www.livegreatly.co/contact  Order Kristel's Book  Work-Life Tango: Finding Happiness, Harmony and Peak Performance Wherever You Work (John Murray Business, November 19th 2024) About the Host of the Live Greatly podcast, Kristel Bauer: Kristel Bauer is a corporate wellness and performance expert, keynote speaker and TEDx speaker supporting organizations and individuals on their journeys for more happiness and success. She is the author of Work-Life Tango: Finding Happiness, Harmony, and Peak Performance Wherever You Work (John Murray Business November 19, 2024). With Kristel's healthcare background, she provides data driven actionable strategies to leverage happiness and high-power habits to drive growth mindsets, peak performance, profitability, well-being and a culture of excellence. Kristel's keynotes provide insights to "Live Greatly" while promoting leadership development and team building.   Kristel is the creator and host of her global top self-improvement podcast, Live Greatly. She is a contributing writer for Entrepreneur, and she is an influencer in the business and wellness space having been recognized as a Top 10 Social Media Influencer of 2021 in Forbes. As an Integrative Medicine Fellow & Physician Assistant having practiced clinically in Integrative Psychiatry, Kristel has a unique perspective into attaining a mindset for more happiness and success. Kristel has presented to groups from the American Gas Association, Bank of America, bp, Commercial Metals Company, General Mills, Northwestern University, Santander Bank and many more. Kristel has been featured in Forbes, Forest & Bluff Magazine, Authority Magazine & Podcast Magazine and she has appeared on ABC 7 Chicago, WGN Daytime Chicago, Fox 4's WDAF-TV's Great Day KC, and Ticker News. Kristel lives in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida area and she can be booked for speaking engagements worldwide. To Book Kristel as a speaker for your next event, click here. Website: www.livegreatly.co  Buy Kristel Bauer's book, Work-Life Tango: Finding Happiness, Harmony and Peak Performance Wherever You Work (John Murray Business, November 19th 2024) Follow Kristel Bauer on: Instagram: @livegreatly_co  LinkedIn: Kristel Bauer Twitter: @livegreatly_co Facebook: @livegreatly.co Youtube: Live Greatly, Kristel Bauer To Watch Kristel Bauer's TEDx talk of Redefining Work/Life Balance in a COVID-19 World click here. Click HERE to check out Kristel's corporate wellness and leadership blog Click HERE to check out Kristel's Travel and Wellness Blog Disclaimer: The contents of this podcast are intended for informational and educational purposes only. Always seek the guidance of your physician for any recommendations specific to you or for any questions regarding your specific health, your sleep patterns changes to diet and exercise, or any medical conditions.  Always consult your physician before starting any supplements or new lifestyle programs. All information, views and statements shared on the Live Greatly podcast are purely the opinions of the authors, and are not medical advice or treatment recommendations.  They have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration.  Opinions of guests are their own and Kristel Bauer & this podcast does not endorse or accept responsibility for statements made by guests.  Neither Kristel Bauer nor this podcast takes responsibility for possible health consequences of a person or persons following the information in this educational content.  Always consult your physician for recommendations specific to you.

John sits down with Dr. Abbie Maroño to discuss imposter syndrome, social media pressure, and finding your personal True North. Dr. Abbie shares her journey from becoming a professor at just 23 to working with organizations including the FBI and U.S. Secret Service. She also talks about her books, Work in Progress: The Road to Empowerment, The Journey Through Shame and The Upper Hand: Mastering Persuasion and Getting What You Want with the Science of Social Engineering, and explains why being open about our mistakes can actually make us more relatable and trustworthy. About Dr. Abbie Maroño: Dr. Abbie Maroño is a keynote speaker, behavioral scientist, and author, specializing in trust, influence, and nonverbal communication. She is known for challenging conventional thinking and translating complex behavioral science into practical insights that audiences can immediately understand and apply. Her interest in human behavior did not begin in a classroom. Growing up in an unstable and traumatic home, she learned early that no one was coming to save her. At 16, she faced a choice no child should have to make: continue down a path of addiction or fight for a different future. She chose the latter. That decision sparked a lifelong fascination with why people make the choices they do and how understanding human behavior can change the course of a life. ​Earning her PhD in Psychology, Dr Abbie became a Professor of Psychology at just 23 years old. She was later recognized by the U.S. Department of State for extraordinary ability in behavioral science and named one of Central Florida's 40 Under 40 by the Orlando Business Journal. She is the creator of The Upper Hand, a proprietary framework focused on trust, influence, communication, and decision-making. Dr Abbie has trained representatives from 29 U.S. federal agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security, as well as senior leadership at INTERPOL. The U.S. Secret Service also recognized her contributions with an award for outstanding contribution to their forensic services. As a bestselling author, TEDx speaker, Forbes contributor, Court TV contributor, and media commentator, her work has been featured on BBC News, Fox News, WIRED, Reuters, Forbes Breaking News, Apple News, and many more outlets. She also provides expert witness services in matters involving behavioral analysis, nonverbal communication, and human behavior, including high-profile civil and criminal cases. Listen to this episode to learn more: [00:00] - Intro [02:17] - Dr. Abbie's bio [03:23] - Two very different books [06:08] - The myth of having it all together [09:25] - We're trained to wear masks [10:11] - Social media's impossible standards [11:50] - Finding your True North [13:08] - Dr. Abbie's personal principles that keep her grounded [16:04] - Don't let praise or criticism define you [19:26] - Pain is a prerequisite for purpose [22:09] - When John realized that he needed to work on himself [26:04] - Growth isn't new year, new me [30:13] - High life is a lie [33:27] - Happiness vs Joy [35:27] - Finding purpose and joy takes discipline [38:43] - How difficult retirement can be for professional athletes [42:37] - Adversity is a gift only when it's healed [45:51] - Dr. Abbie's childhood and addiction NOTABLE QUOTES: "If people can't relate to you, they will stop listening." "There's just some things that nobody should know. People don't need to know every little detail about our lives." "We don't need to hide ourselves, but we don't need to overshare everything." "Each of us has to have a true north, something that we can hold on to, no matter what. So that when those voices get loud, it's like that we can find a way to at least quiet them down a little bit, and then refocus that true north, so that we can continue to head in the direction we need to be heading." "Let people show you who they are and decide if that's enough for you. Stop trying to convince people that you're worth enough and that you deserve to be in their life, and they deserve to be in yours. Just let people be who they are." "We need principles to ground us when the money is coming in, when the work is going well, when everybody's looking at you like you're the best. It's so easy to lose sight of yourself. Money comes and goes so fast, and fame and success come and go so fast. If you don't have something to ground you, you're gonna falter." "Always remember, you're never as good as they say you are, and you're never as sad as they say you are. You're somewhere in the middle." "You can have very little and be so much happier than someone with everything. It's how you live in your head that determines how peaceful your life is." "When you find your bubble of happiness, you build an impenetrable bubble. You don't let outside words come in. You don't let outside perspectives come in. You protect that little bubble of happiness." "Pain is a prerequisite for purpose. You have to go through it. You don't bypass it. You don't ignore it. You don't pretend it doesn't exist, and you don't numb it. You have to work through it. That's how you get to purpose." "If you don't understand how someone can treat another person like that, it's a blessing." "If you can find something that brings you joy, don't let the world tell you you need all this other stuff. You don't need all this other stuff. It's great to have, but you don't need it to feel complete, and you don't need it to feel at peace." USEFUL LINKS: https://www.abbiemarono.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/drabbiemarono/ https://www.instagram.com/doctorabbieofficial/ https://www.facebook.com/DrAbbieofficial TEDx Talk "How to Turn Your Personal Shame Into a Source of Strength" - https://youtu.be/ptvCTuct4GE?si=A8vpm6D5n9UfG0Td  The Upper Hand: Mastering Persuasion and Getting What You Want with the Science of Social Engineering - https://a.co/d/0ctZMkgv Work in Progress: The Road to Empowerment, The Journey Through Shame - https://a.co/d/04nYbXkh The Doctor Abbie Show - https://www.youtube.com/@TheDoctorAbbieShow CONNECT WITH JOHN Website - https://iamjohnhulen.com    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhulen Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnhulen    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/johnhulen    X - https://x.com/johnhulen    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@iamjohnhulen    EPISODE CREDITS Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/ 

Episode Description Many nonprofit leaders treat turnover as a problem to solve after someone resigns. The organizations that handle it well plan for it before the hire, in how the job itself is designed. Sarah invited Steve Cadigan, LinkedIn's first Chief Human Resources Officer and the person who grew the company from 400 people to 4,000 while the median tenure on his own staff was nine months, to talk about how to build an organization that works when people come and go, and how to stay connected to the good ones after they leave. In This Episode, You'll Learn Why Steve says no job should take more than six months to learn How to design a role around a hire who will stay three years What to do with a good employee after they leave, and why it pays off Why Steve hires for how fast someone learns, not what they already know How to make a major donor relationship belong to the organization, not one person Who This Episode Is For • Executive directors who just lost someone they were counting on • Leaders whose roles take eighteen months to ramp when staff stay three years • Anyone about to have a hard conversation with an employee who has outgrown the job • CEOs who have decided the sector cannot attract talent, and built accordingly About the Guest Steve Cadigan is  a globally recognized talent strategist, culture architect, and author with over 30 years of experience helping organizations navigate growth and transformation. As LinkedIn's first Chief Human Resources Officer, Steve helped scale the company from 400 to 4,000 employees, building a culture that set the standard for tech companies worldwide. Today, through his firm Cadigan Talent Ventures, he advises high-growth companies, venture firms, and global leaders on how to win the talent war, design future-ready workplaces, and use culture as a competitive edge. He's a sought-after keynote speaker and the author of Workquake, a #1 Amazon bestseller that reimagines how we work in a post-pandemic world. Steve's insights have been featured in outlets like Forbes, CNBC, and Bloomberg, and his work has been the focus of business school case studies Connect with Steve: Official website: https://stevecadigan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cadigan  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevecad/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestevecadigan/ Be sure to subscribe to Inspired Nonprofit Leadership so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! Let us know the topics or questions you would like to hear about in a future episode. You can do that and follow us on LinkedIn.

What if commercial real estate is already in a period of serious distress, but most investors cannot see the full extent of it yet? When a market turns, people expect the evidence to be obvious. They expect public defaults, collapsing prices, and clear signs that the cycle has changed. But this downturn is unfolding differently. Distressed assets are changing hands privately, lenders and institutional owners are limiting what becomes public, and significant capital remains on the sidelines because investors still do not know how to price rates, risk, and future values with confidence. In this episode, I sit down with John Azar to examine what is actually happening inside the commercial real estate market, why this cycle is not simply another version of 2008, how hidden distress is creating opportunities for investors who preserved capital, and why the operators who showed discipline during the euphoric years may be the ones best prepared to act now. What You'll Discover In This Episode Why commercial real estate can be in distress before the broader market acknowledges it How private sales and nondisclosure agreements can conceal the real level of pain Why this cycle looks fundamentally different from the 2008 financial crisis How the excesses of 2021 through 2023 created many of today's distressed assets Why the behavior of an operator during the last cycle matters when evaluating them today How patience and preserved liquidity can become an advantage in a repricing market Why uncertainty around rates and values is freezing capital despite abundant liquidity What investors should examine before allocating money to a distressed real estate opportunity   About the Guest John Azar is an entrepreneur, adventurer, executive coach, and the Founder and Managing Partner of Peak 15 Capital. As a fund manager, John helps investors access tax-efficient commercial real estate opportunities designed to support long-term capital growth and generate regular cash flow throughout the holding period. Through Peak 15 Capital's current fund, limited partners can participate in opportunities structured to provide General Partner-level economics without taking on the same operational risks and responsibilities. Peak 15 Capital takes a collaborative, transparent, and highly disciplined approach to investing. The firm focuses on protecting the downside through extensive due diligence, conservative underwriting, and prudent deal execution, while pursuing strong returns, tax advantages, and quarterly distributions for investors. To learn more, visit http://peak15cap.com,  http://johnazar.com, or send an email to azar@peak15cap.com. You can also find John on Instagram and LinkedIn.   About Your Host From pro-snowboarder to money mogul, Chris Naugle has dedicated his life to being America's #1 Money Mentor. With a core belief that success is built not by the resources you have, but by how resourceful you can be. Chris has built and owned 19 companies, with his businesses being featured in Forbes, ABC, House Hunters, and his very own HGTV pilot in 2018. He is the founder of The Money School™ and Money Mentor for The Money Multiplier. His success also includes managing tens of millions of dollars in assets in the financial services and advisory industry and in real estate transactions. As an innovator and visionary in wealth-building and real estate, he empowers entrepreneurs, business owners, and real estate investors with the knowledge of how money works. Chris is also a nationally recognized speaker, author, and podcast host. He has spoken to and taught over ten thousand Americans, delivering the financial knowledge that fuels lasting freedom.   Resources Private Money Guide:  https://go.moneyschoolrei.com/book-podcast Wealth Wednesday Webinar: https://go.moneyschoolrei.com/wednesday-webinar-podcast Mapping out the Millionaire Mystery:  https://go.moneyschoolrei.com/newbook-podcast    

Dan Pontefract is a renowned leadership strategist, author, and keynote speaker with over two decades of experience in senior executive roles at companies such as SAP, TELUS, and Business Objects. Since then, he has worked with organizations worldwide, including Salesforce, Amgen, Nestlé, Virgin Media O2, Autodesk, BMO, the Government of Canada, Manulife, Nutrien, and BDO, among others.As an award-winning and best-selling author, Dan has written six books: THE FUTURE OF WORK IS GREY, WORK-LIFE BLOOM, LEAD. CARE. WIN., OPEN TO THINK, THE PURPOSE EFFECT, and FLAT ARMY. His 2024, Work-Life Bloom, is the 2024 Thinkers50 Best New Management Book and the Gold Medal Winner of the Axiom Business Book Awards. He also writes for Forbes and Harvard Business Review.Dan is a renowned keynote speaker who has presented at four TED events and has delivered over 600 keynotes. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria's Gustavson School of Business and has received over 25 industry, individual, and book awards.Dan's career is interwoven with corporate and academic experience, coupled with an MBA, B.Ed, and multiple industry certifications and awards. Notably, Dan is listed on the Thinkers50 Radar, HR Weekly's 100 Most Influential People in HR, PeopleHum's Top 200 Thought Leaders to Follow, and Inc. Magazine's Top 100 Leadership Speakers.Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact CEOD@bmhcc.org if you have any questions about claiming credit.

Andy Schwartz CEO, OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners  |  Kevin Spahn Founder, Spahn Financial (now OnePoint BFG) Two former Northwestern Mutual advisors, two very different paths. Andy Schwartz and Kevin Spahn share what it takes to build, grow, merge, and create lasting enterprise value. In Summary What separates a successful advisory practice from an enterprise with the ability to grow well beyond its founders? Andy Schwartz and Kevin Spahn offer two different perspectives on that question. Both spent decades at Northwestern Mutual, but their paths eventually diverged. Andy left to help build what is now OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners, an $18B+ firm expected to surpass $20B by year-end. Kevin built one of Northwestern Mutual's top practices before deciding to merge his business into OnePoint and become an equity partner. Louis talks with Andy and Kevin about the decisions behind both journeys: creating a true firm rather than an aggregation of practices, transitioning advisors from 1099 to W-2, using outside capital without relinquishing control, rethinking succession, and determining when equity in a larger enterprise can offer greater opportunity than continuing to build alone. Underlying it all is a factor that's much harder to quantify: trust. The Storyline Andy Schwartz and Kevin Spahn have known each other for roughly 30 years. They met while both were building careers at Northwestern Mutual, where Andy became an important mentor to Kevin as Kevin transitioned from practicing law and estate planning into wealth management. After roughly 30 years at Northwestern Mutual, Andy and his partners left in 2015 with approximately $3B in assets to launch independently. What began as Bleakley Financial eventually became OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners, an $18B+ enterprise that Andy expects will surpass $20B by the end of 2026. That kind of growth required more than attracting assets. Andy describes the evolution from a predominantly 1099 structure into a firm where more than 85% of advisors and AUM are now W-2. The shift created a more cohesive enterprise, gave advisors access to equity, and ultimately positioned OnePoint to bring in minority capital from Joe Duran's Rise Growth Partners. Andy makes an important distinction about that relationship: OnePoint is “private equity invested,” not “private equity owned.” The structure gave the firm capital and expertise while allowing its partners to retain control. Kevin faced a different decision. After more than 30 years at Northwestern Mutual, his practice had grown to 18 people and approximately $2B in assets. He was happy at the firm, but his clients had evolved, his business had become increasingly complex, and the internal succession plan he once envisioned carried risks he could no longer ignore. He could have built an independent firm himself. Instead, he chose to merge with OnePoint. The decision wasn't driven by the largest possible check. Kevin saw the opportunity to become an equity partner in a larger enterprise, give his team and clients a more durable future, and leverage infrastructure he didn't want to recreate himself. For both men, the story ultimately comes back to the same principle: The right economics matter, but sustainable partnerships require trust, shared philosophy, and the belief that everyone involved can create more value together than separately. Topics Covered Building an enterprise versus building a practice Northwestern Mutual and the path to independence OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners' growth from ~$3B to $18B+ Organic growth versus M&A Creating a growth-oriented advisor culture Moving from a 1099 model to a predominantly W-2 structure Equity ownership and advisor alignment Minority private equity investment Rise Growth Partners and Joe Duran Internal succession versus an external merger Selling versus merging an advisory business Merging versus teaming versus going it alone Evaluating equity versus cash in a transaction The economics of leaving a captive firm Centralization versus advisor autonomy Trust as a factor in partnerships and transactions > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors How did Andy and Kevin's 30-year relationship ultimately lead to a transaction? (04:11)Kevin explains how Andy helped him transition from attorney and estate planner into wealth management, beginning a professional relationship that would eventually make their partnership possible decades later. Why did Andy leave Northwestern Mutual after roughly 30 years? (08:45)Andy describes wanting greater flexibility, a multi-custodial platform, and more optionality for clients and the business—a decision that ultimately led to the creation of OnePoint BFG. Why did Kevin decide his longtime Northwestern Mutual practice needed something different? (15:49)Kevin explains how his clients, service needs, and business evolved over time, while concerns about his original internal succession plan led him to consider a different path. What has driven OnePoint's growth from approximately $3B to $18B+? (21:41)Andy outlines the firm's emphasis on client experience, advisor experience, organic growth, and carefully selected inorganic growth—and why helping advisors grow is fundamental to the model. Why does Andy say OnePoint is a firm rather than an aggregator? (23:54)The distinction comes down to alignment, shared responsibility, centralized resources, equity, and a partnership structure in which advisors are accountable to one another. How did OnePoint convert a predominantly 1099 advisor base into a W-2 enterprise? (29:26)Andy explains why capital and equity became necessary to build the next stage of the business and why trust was essential to bringing advisors into a more integrated structure. Why did OnePoint choose minority private equity investment? (33:13)Andy shares why Rise Growth Partners offered something previous potential buyers had not: a structure designed to benefit the broader advisor partnership while preserving control. Why did Kevin merge with OnePoint rather than shop his practice broadly? (36:43)For Kevin, maximizing price wasn't the objective. His decision centered on trust in Andy, confidence in OnePoint's infrastructure, and creating a strong future for clients and employees. Why did Kevin choose equity in the larger firm instead of simply cashing out? (40:57)Kevin explains why he believes participating in the future growth of a larger enterprise offers a compelling alternative to relying solely on the future growth of his own practice. How should advisors evaluate the “golden handcuffs” that can make leaving difficult? (46:42)Andy argues that the analysis needs to compare what an advisor gives up with the potential growth, economics, equity, and leverage available on the other side. How much conformity does a true enterprise require? (49:06)Andy explains why OnePoint sits somewhere between complete advisor autonomy and complete centralization, seeking enough consistency to create enterprise value without eliminating entrepreneurial flexibility. What would Andy and Kevin tell their younger selves? (52:06)Kevin emphasizes surrounding yourself with the best people possible, while Andy reflects on having the courage to make a difficult change after a successful 30-year run. Key Takeaways Building enterprise value requires more than asset growth. OnePoint's evolution included changing its ownership structure, integrating advisor practices, creating equity opportunities, and investing in centralized capabilities. Organic growth remains central even in an M&A-driven market. OnePoint targets approximately 10% organic growth and evaluates prospective partners partly on whether they are growth-oriented and whether the firm can meaningfully help them grow. A collection of successful advisors does not automatically make a firm. Andy sees shared ownership, alignment, accountability, infrastructure, and centralized services as critical distinctions between an enterprise and an aggregator. Outside capital does not have to mean giving up control. OnePoint chose a minority investment from Rise Growth Partners that provided capital and strategic support while leaving control with its operating partners. Succession can expose risks that growth may obscure. Kevin began reconsidering his internal succession strategy when he recognized its dependence on his continued production, key employees, and the future economics of an aging client base. The highest purchase price isn't always the most valuable transaction. Kevin prioritized equity participation, infrastructure, continuity for his employees and clients, and confidence in his future partners over broadly shopping his business for the highest bid. Trust can determine whether structural change is possible. From OnePoint's 1099-to-W-2 conversion to Kevin's decision to merge, both guests repeatedly point to established trust as the foundation that allowed significant business decisions to happen. https://youtu.be/jkIoynpZj6Y Quotable Moments “The biggest mistake advisors make is they buy their own bullshit.”— Andy Schwartz “We're not an aggregator, we're a firm.”— Andy Schwartz “The biggest issue is trust. Either they trust you or they don't.”— Andy Schwartz “I wasn't looking to sell my business. I was looking to merge it.”— Kevin Spahn “You have to trust them. You have to see that they provide value. And you need to be on the same page philosophically.”— Kevin Spahn “Associate yourselves with the best people you can… It accelerates your trajectory in ways that you can't do on your own.”— Kevin Spahn FAQs Why did Andy Schwartz leave Northwestern Mutual? After approximately 30 years at Northwestern Mutual, Andy and his partners wanted greater flexibility, the ability to operate on a multi-custodial basis, and more optionality for clients and the business. They left in 2015 with approximately $3B in assets and launched the independent firm that ultimately became OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners. How large is OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners? At the time of the interview, Andy says OnePoint manages more than $18B and expects to exceed $20B by the end of 2026, even without additional organic growth. What has driven OnePoint's growth? Andy points to three priorities: client experience, advisor experience, and growth. The firm targets approximately 10% organic growth while also expanding through acquisitions and partnerships with advisors it believes fit the OnePoint model. Why did OnePoint move advisors from 1099 to W-2? The firm wanted to evolve from a platform supporting individual practices into a more integrated enterprise. That required creating firm-level economics and equity that could be used to attract, retain, and align advisors. Today, Andy says more than 85% of OnePoint's advisors and AUM are W-2. What does “private equity invested, not private equity owned” mean? Rise Growth Partners holds a minority, non-controlling interest in OnePoint. The investment provides capital, expertise, and strategic support while the operating partners retain majority ownership and control of the business. Why did Kevin Spahn leave Northwestern Mutual? Kevin says he remained happy at Northwestern Mutual, but his practice and clients had evolved. His work had shifted increasingly toward investments and complex high-net-worth planning, while he also began identifying risks in his intended internal succession plan. Why did Kevin merge with OnePoint rather than launch his own independent RIA? OnePoint already had the infrastructure, people, and capabilities Kevin would have needed to build himself. The merger allowed him to focus on clients while becoming an equity partner in a larger enterprise he believed could grow faster than his standalone practice. Why didn't Kevin shop his practice to multiple buyers? Kevin says his decision was driven primarily by trust. He had known Andy and other OnePoint partners for decades and believed the firm offered the right future for his clients and employees. His choice ultimately came down to staying at Northwestern Mutual or joining OnePoint. How do Andy and Kevin suggest advisors evaluate a potential partner? Their discussion points to three fundamental considerations: trust, demonstrable value, and philosophical alignment. Economics matter, but both argue that a sustainable partnership depends on confidence in the people and business on the other side of the transaction. After approximately 30 years at Northwestern Mutual, Andy and his partners wanted greater flexibility, the ability to operate on a multi-custodial basis, and more optionality for clients and the business. They left in 2015 with approximately $3B in assets and launched the independent firm that ultimately became OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners. At the time of the interview, Andy says OnePoint manages more than $18B and expects to exceed $20B by the end of 2026, even without additional organic growth. Andy points to three priorities: client experience, advisor experience, and growth. The firm targets approximately 10% organic growth while also expanding through acquisitions and partnerships with advisors it believes fit the OnePoint model. The firm wanted to evolve from a platform supporting individual practices into a more integrated enterprise. That required creating firm-level economics and equity that could be used to attract, retain, and align advisors. Today, Andy says more than 85% of OnePoint's advisors and AUM are W-2. Rise Growth Partners holds a minority, non-controlling interest in OnePoint. The investment provides capital, expertise, and strategic support while the operating partners retain majority ownership and control of the business. Kevin says he remained happy at Northwestern Mutual, but his practice and clients had evolved. His work had shifted increasingly toward investments and complex high-net-worth planning, while he also began identifying risks in his intended internal succession plan. OnePoint already had the infrastructure, people, and capabilities Kevin would have needed to build himself. The merger allowed him to focus on clients while becoming an equity partner in a larger enterprise he believed could grow faster than his standalone practice. Kevin says his decision was driven primarily by trust. He had known Andy and other OnePoint partners for decades and believed the firm offered the right future for his clients and employees. His choice ultimately came down to staying at Northwestern Mutual or joining OnePoint. Their discussion points to three fundamental considerations: trust, demonstrable value, and philosophical alignment. Economics matter, but both argue that a sustainable partnership depends on confidence in the people and business on the other side of the transaction. Related Resources Rise and Reinvent: Joe Duran on Building and Rebuilding World-Class Firms From Insurance Sales to $8B RIA: A Northwestern Mutual Breakaway Story The 4th Annual Advisor Transition Report Andy SchwartzCo-Founder, Managing Partner, and Chief Executive Officer Andy Schwartz is the Co-Founder, Managing Partner, and Chief Executive Officer of OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners, where he also serves as a Wealth Management Advisor. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® with more than 40 years of experience, Andy has built his career around helping clients make confident, well-informed financial decisions at every stage of life. He works extensively with physicians and business owners on wealth building, retirement planning, and tax-efficient asset transfer across generations. A 2026 finalist for Wealth Management Awards CEO of the Year (under $25B AUM), Andy brings the same discipline to leading the firm that he brings to client relationships: comprehensive planning, long-term thinking, and an unwavering commitment to independence and integrity. Beyond his client work, Andy is deeply invested in the advisory profession itself. He co-hosts The Advisor’s Compass podcast, offering candid, practical guidance on the business and responsibilities of being an advisor. His mentorship philosophy is straightforward: pass the ladder back down. His industry recognition spans more than a decade, including Top 1,200 Advisor by Barron’s (2018–2024), Top 250 Wealth Advisor and Best-In-State Wealth Advisor by Forbes (2018–2024), Top 400 Financial Advisor by the Financial Times (2018–2020), and Top 100 Independent Advisor (2020–2023). He was named Executive of the Year by NJBIZ in 2019 and was a finalist for the Invest in Others Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 20 years of service with NJ SEEDS. Andy holds a B.S. in Finance and Marketing from Rowan University and is actively involved with Nourish NJ, the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, and JSDD. Outside the office, he enjoys golf, reading, and time with his family at the beach.   Kevin SpahnPartner and Wealth Advisor Kevin Spahn is a Partner and Wealth Advisor at OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners, bringing more than three decades of experience in comprehensive financial planning to his clients and the firm. Kevin’s path to wealth management is rooted in the law. After earning degrees from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Wisconsin, he began his career as a practicing attorney before making a deliberate pivot toward financial planning in 1993. He joined Northwestern Mutual, then founded Spahn Financial, building a practice centered on thoughtful, holistic planning for families and business owners. That practice joined OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners in 2025. His approach has remained consistent throughout: help clients build and protect wealth not just for themselves, but for the generations that follow. Kevin works with clients on comprehensive financial plans that account for the full picture, understanding that the impact of good planning extends well beyond an individual portfolio to families, businesses, employees, and the broader community. Kevin is based in the greater Chicago area.   NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. View the transcript of this episode… Build, Grow & Transact: Making the Leap from Northwestern Mutual to a $20B Enterprise A conversation between Louis Diamond, Andy Schwartz, CEO of OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners and Kevin Spahn, Founder of Spahn Financial (now OnePoint BFG). Louis Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Build, Grow & Transact: Making the Leap from Northwestern Mutual to a $20B Enterprise. It’s a conversation with Andy Schwartz, CEO of OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners, and Kevin Spahn, founder of Spahn Financial, now OnePoint BFG. I’m Louis Diamond, and this is The Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive, whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique, or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned. Each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education-driven and based on building relationships, starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at 908-879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions, and more, inspired us to create our annual Advisor Transition Report. It’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Louis Diamond: There’s a big difference between building a successful practice and building an enterprise. I think Andy Schwartz and Kevin Spahn offer a unique perspective on that distinction from two very different sides. Both spent decades in the Northwestern Mutual system. Andy ultimately left to build what became OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners, taking the firm from roughly three billion to nearly 20 billion and transforming just about every aspect of the business along the way. Kevin built one of Northwestern Mutual’s top practices before reaching a different inflection point, deciding what he wanted the next phase of his career and business to look like. Rather than go independent on his own or simply monetize what he had built, he chose to become part of Andy’s growing enterprise. That makes their story particularly relevant for our Build, Grow, and Transact series. Andy can speak to what it takes to build a firm capable of becoming an acquirer, from converting advisors from 1099s to W-2s, to creating equity opportunities, to bringing in outside capital while remaining very deliberate about being private equity-invested rather than private equity-owned. And Kevin brings the seller’s perspective, how you evaluate the economics, the trade-offs, and ultimately the people you’re trusting with the business you spent more than 30 years building. Because whether you’re building, buying, or considering a transaction of any kind, the numbers are only part of the equation. As you hear from both Andy and Kevin, trust may be the most important currency of all. So let’s get to it. Andy and Kevin, thank you so much for both joining us today. Andy Schwartz: Great to see you again, Lewis. Thank you for having us. Louis Diamond: I’ve been excited about this interview for a bunch of reasons. One, our Build, Grow, Transact series has become a real staple of our show and we got lots to talk about there. But also, the friendship, the relationship that you two have had for over 30 years really stood out to me. So before we get into the nuts and bolts, talk about your relationship. How’d you guys meet, and how did your career stay so intertwined together when you’re in different geographies and at different firms, and have each been very successful in your own rights? Andy Schwartz: Sure. Kevin, do you want to start with that? Kevin Spahn: Sure. I started in this career in 1994 and met Andy sometime after that. He was a more advanced financial planner. I was an attorney, and then I transitioned into this business. So when I first joined Northwestern Mutual, which is my first broker dealer, I didn’t really have a background in investments. At the time, a lot of Northwestern Mutual reps were learning the investment business because they maybe originally started with Northwestern Mutual focusing more on insurance planning. My background was more estate planning. At the time, if you think early ’90s, if you did estate planning, insurance often went hand in hand with that. The estate exemption in early 1990s was about $600,000. So if you pass more than $600,000 to your children, there was a 55% tax. One way around it was to put insurance in an irrevocable trust, help cover the tax that way. So it really was a popular common strategy back then, and it’s really what got me into the business. But I quickly realized that I didn’t want my future to be insurance and estate planning. And there was a conflict if you acted as someone’s attorney and sold insurance. So I had to pick one way or the other. I decided long-term it would be better for me to move into the wealth management space. But with that little background in that, I had a lot of work to do. So took a lot of tests, became a certified financial planner. But the person that helped me the most along the way was Andy. We became friends, we sat on committees together. That’s really how we met, I would say. So we worked side by side interacting with our home office and representing the field, bringing issues to the home office that we thought were beneficial to the field. As we did that together, I got to know Andy. And then separately, I learned from him how he built his business and how they would review clients’ portfolios and come up with solutions. So I really credit Andy with helping me more than anyone else to transition from attorney, financial planner doing more estate planning insurance to wealth management. Louis Diamond: Very cool. Hey, I would say, maybe I’m a little biased, that, Kevin, you picked the right path in hanging up the law shingle and coming into wealth management. Kevin Spahn: I tell a lot of people I’m a reformed attorney. Andy Schwartz: Great. Louis Diamond: Exactly. My dad would say the exact same thing. Very common at dinner tables in the Diamond households. Andy Schwartz: I was always grateful that I wasn’t smart enough to be an attorney. Louis Diamond: There we go. Andy Schwartz: That’s where my gratitude lies. Yeah. Louis Diamond: There we go. Andy Schwartz: Some would say he’s too smart. Louis Diamond: There we go. Andy, question for you. I mean, anyone who is at or was at Northwestern Mutual, I mean, you’re like Elvis to them. It’s absolutely crazy the amount of fanfare and brand recognition that you and your brother Scott have. But for those who maybe missed your first podcast appearance with us a number of years ago, or aren’t or weren’t within the Northwestern Mutual system, or haven’t been familiar with Bleakley and now OnePoint BFG, just give us the cliff notes, the origin story, how you got into the business, and how’d you get from here to there? Andy Schwartz: Yeah. So the origin is probably pretty common, probably by accident. Going into my senior year in college, I was working in a restaurant, had a falling out with my boss. I happened to be dating a woman who was living with a general agent with Fidelity Union Life. No one will have ever heard of Fidelity Union Life, but their secret sauce was they sold life insurance to college seniors on a note. So if you can get a $10 money order, because where I went to school, nobody had a checking account, then you could basically get a note signed and they would buy insurance. And then when they graduate, hopefully they’d pay for it. I started selling life insurance my senior year in college. And then my twin brother Scott, who is my partner, and has been for over 40 years, he took an interview with what was the nucleus of our present firm actually. I just went up to Northern New Jersey in May of 1984 because I was an expert. I had been selling life insurance to college kids for six months, so I knew everything you had to know. We met with these guys, and we both ended up joining them. So that was a Northwestern Mutual district agency, and that was 1984. We got licensed right away. I got my CFP in ’86. We always knew that it was going to be about planning. So I think we had the right idea. We were a little ahead of the curve because there weren’t a lot of CFPs in ’86. We got securities license immediately. So before Northwestern had securities license, we got securities license with US Life actually. And then it was really a volume business, a client-building business. We always tried to act as a firm and share resources. We were small, but like a lot of people, we started out selling A shares and B shares and C shares, doing financial planning, selling insurance, and then we made a lot of really good hires along the way. And then after 30 years at Northwestern Mutual, which was a great experience for me, and I have nothing but respect for the institution and certainly the advisors that are there, Kevin certainly was one of them, and I know he feels the same way, but we just wanted to have a little more flexibility. We went independent about 11, almost 12 years ago. We wanted to be able to be multi-custodial. We wanted to have a little bit more optionality for our clients and for ourselves. We left Northwestern at three billion or so in assets, and that was in 2015. It’s in March of 2024, I get introduced to this guy with a crazy accent named Joe Duran. Funny, probably the only person in the industry that had no idea who Joe Duran was me. I’d never heard of Joe Duran. I don’t pay attention. I worry about our firm. I don’t worry about what’s going on outside. So I get introduced to Joe by a mutual friend, and we had an interesting conversation, and it took us probably about four or five months to figure out what we wanted to do. And then in August of ’24, myself and my three partners, we rolled in. And then in ’85, the rest of the firm rolled in. And we can talk a little bit more about that. Today we’re 18-plus billion, growing quite a bit. We’ve been very lucky that we’ve made some very good decisions along the way. We’ve made some bad ones too. But most of the decisions had to do with the people that we hired, the people that we brought on to help us, because I think it’s really important. I always say that the biggest mistake advisors make is they buy their own bullshit, and I try not to, and I realize that I’m smart enough, but I’m certainly not the smartest guy. I’m rarely the smartest guy in the room. So what we try to do is hire lots and lots of really smart people. And we’ve done that. They’ve been loyal to us, we’ve been loyal to them. Yeah, so we’re blessed to have a really great team and lots of good partners. Yeah. Louis Diamond: Yeah, we’ll definitely get into more of the nuts and bolts of the decision to take on capital, partner with Joe Duran’s Rise, but that’s an amazing background. Andy, I have to give you credit because your style, and I think I’m sure there’s business benefits, but it comes from a good place, I’m sure. But the coaching and consulting and just assistance that I’ve heard you provide to so many past and current Northwestern Mutual advisors through sports camps is absolutely incredible. It’s very near and dear to my heart because we always try to lead with education and helping people. So I just wanted to call that out, that your reputation for just providing amazing guidance and coaching to advisors is unparalleled. Andy Schwartz: And it’s been the best part of our journey. We’ve been able to help so many people. We get way too much credit by the way. So everybody gives us way too much credit. But the way I look at it is, I’ve been able to leverage my life because I’ve been able to build a great life for myself and my family, but we’ve been able to leverage that, and that’s where the real gift is. So yeah, it’s been a joyful journey for us. Louis Diamond: Amazing. Kevin, question for you. You walked through your little bit unorthodox background to get into Northwestern. Can you talk about where your personal practice is today? And then I want to ask you about the decision to leave Northwestern and sell and team up with Andy and team. Kevin Spahn: Well, I have to go back to the beginning. What was attractive to me about this business is I went from a career which was confrontational adversarial. I was a trial attorney for six years, and every day I would fight with people over things I didn’t necessarily have a personal interest in and I didn’t really believe in always. But the adversarial confrontational nature wasn’t really my personality, and I would take it too personally. So sometimes I’d go home in a bad mood because I was fighting with somebody taking a deposition. At night, after so many years as a trial attorney, I started going to people’s houses and doing wills and trusts. And that’s where the dynamic of working with a client or a potential client, feeling that you helped them and walking out of the meeting where they would appreciate what you did for them, and you build a relationship and actually all of a sudden have a friend, that dynamic was attractive to me. That’s really what got me to transition into the business. So I think it was really helpful to me at the beginning of this career. As Andy said, we all grew our businesses one client at a time. There’s a lot of doors closed, phones hung up on. There’s many people that don’t want to talk to you. There’s many people that don’t call you back. There’s many people that you think you’re getting somewhere with and you don’t. And that’s difficult for people because people often, young reps take that as personal rejection. I had the benefit of comparing what I was dealing with as a young financial planner to what I had dealt with as an attorney in litigation. I think it just was perspective that I knew I didn’t want to do that anymore. So the negatives to this business didn’t seem that bad to me. I loved the independence. I loved all the relationships that I was building. And that part of it is to this day my favorite part of the business. When you ask about the present, what basically happens is you start out taking anybody and everybody as a potential client or as someone that you would be willing to work with. And then over time you work with more successful people. So where I’m at today is working with pretty successful people, but they’re all the same, meaning we like working with nice people. If people are nice, we work with them. I feel we can help anybody. Over the years, one client at a time. The thing that I probably, if I could go back, would change is I think Andy and I are both good at meeting people and building trust and providing value, so that’s why they work with us. So I think that’s just something we’ve both been able to do. He’s much better than I am at building an organization. So I built an organization basically hiring people, that whenever we got too busy, I hired another person. Drawback in terms of that is, anybody that I interview I think is great, and I think they’d be great to join the organization. I like them all. In spite of that, I’ve also brought in many good people that I love. At this point, my firm has 18 people. We’re a little subset of Andy’s larger firm. I think one of the most attractive things to me about joining Andy’s firm is what Andy mentioned before: the people. As opposed to me having to build this all out myself, going independent, Andy already did that. And he has the infrastructure that would allow me to just merge right into that and not have to go through the pain of figuring all that out, which I don’t even think I’m capable of, to be honest with you. Louis Diamond: You’re probably selling yourself short because the way I understood it, you had one of the top practices within the entire Northwestern Mutual systems, and it’s a firm filled with very successful advisors. For you, Kevin, what was the driving force to leaving NM after all these years? What was bothering you or frustrating you that indicated to you that it was time to do something different? Kevin Spahn: To be honest with you, I was pretty happy at Northwestern Mutual. I love the company and the people. I still have many good friends there that I truly miss. The big thing for me, I don’t know if it was any one thing, to be honest with you, is Andy said there’s optionality, especially on the investment side. I think one of the things that happened to me is, when I first started, I was 31 years old, and most of the potential clients that I would meet and work with, they weren’t what I would call today great investment clients. They didn’t have a lot of money. They had great futures. They might’ve been earning significant income or on the way to earning significant income. So what did they need at that point in their life? They needed planning. They needed protection. They didn’t really need investment management because most of their investments were going into their 401(k). But a lot of those clients that we would take on, and I think that’s the big advantage of Northwestern Mutual, you take on clients that a lot of the investor firms don’t want because they don’t have large investment portfolios. But at some point down the road, all of a sudden you wake up and they do have large investment portfolios. So you bring them in as clients that might buy life insurance from you or disability insurance or something like that. And then you help them, and you give them advice, and you build a relationship with them. Down the road, they make more and more money. They leave jobs, they roll 401(k)s, they have the ability to invest money, stock options, things like that. Next thing you’re doing more comprehensive planning that incorporates investments. As that progresses even further, you work with larger and larger clients, much more significant net worth, more complexity, bigger tax issues. Some of the strategies and opportunities that we now have at this independent RIA are very attractive for these high-net-worth clients. Along the same lines, less of what I do at this point in my career is insurance, mostly because a lot of the people that I meet are older, they already bought insurance, they’re looking more for investment advice as opposed to insurance. So one of the things that most attracted me to Northwest Mutual was their strong insurance products, which helped me for many years. As time went on, I was doing less of that. Louis Diamond: Makes complete sense. So it was a changing of what clients wanted and just the circumstances of your clients where you said, “What got me here when I was 31 was insurance planning, and that’s what my clients needed. But as my practice has evolved, I’ve aged, my clients are older, have more money, the focus shifted from insurance to investments.” And then the distinction was, am I at the best place to run investments in addition to insurance planning, et cetera? It’s a very interesting dynamic. Just the shift in basically your legacy clients was what drove you to consider change. Kevin Spahn: That was a big factor. I think the second big factor was I had my own firm with 18 people. My succession plan was that at some point I would shift ownership of the firm to people that worked with me. So as they owned more of the firm, they would have revenue that was currently at the time being paid to me. In my mind, as it shifted to them, they would buy me out using revenue from the clients that we already had. And I realized that there were some issues with that. In our business, as you get older, in your client’s age, they start taking money out of their portfolios. So everyone understands that in our business, the younger average age client you have makes your book more valuable. I was the biggest driver of new business at my firm, and I started to see that there were some problems with my succession plan. They included, if something happened to me during this succession, that would be a real problem for the people that were buying my business from me if I went that way. If something happened to some of my key people, that would’ve been a problem as well. So it was really attractive to me to… I wasn’t looking to sell my business, I was looking to merge it. So I merged it with Andy’s business. I believe that Andy and what he’s put together and the actual idea of having partners. So I never really had partners, but now I do. Having partners that we’re all on the same page, we all have similar backgrounds, we all bring something different to the table, and we can learn and benefit from working with each other. But also, owning a little piece of a much larger firm was, number one, it put me in a better position in terms of the potential risk of something happening to me or one of my key people. But secondly, I just think it’s more likely to grow at a greater pace than my firm would’ve as I aged from my 60s to my 70s. Louis Diamond: Very interesting. It’s a great realization. I think it’s one that probably every firm owner grapples with at some point, is the romanticism or the ease, some would say, of an internal succession plan. Rewarding those who have helped you build the firm is something I think everyone is interested in. But once that’s put into practice, whether it’s because of capital or sky-high valuations or right people on the bus or risk, et cetera, nowadays oftentimes leads to a firm owner looking at a transaction, whether it’s a merger, a sale, a private equity, capital infusion as a means to solve for succession. So it’s a very interesting way you framed it. Andy, I want to turn it over to you for a little bit. So you mentioned when you launched Bleakley Financial, which was the old name of your firm, out of Northwestern, you’re about three billion. I think I read that you’re about 10 billion or so when Joe Duran and Rise invested you in 2024. You just said you’re at 18 billion now in the middle of 2026. That is absolutely incredible and amazing. Andy Schwartz: We’ll be well over 20 by the end of the year without any additional organic growth. Louis Diamond: That’s absolutely incredible. Andy Schwartz: We’ve got a lot going on right now. Louis Diamond: What’s actually driven that? What’s been the playbook? Andy Schwartz: The three areas that are most important for us, and we had our town hall this morning, and we always talk about the things we focus on as a group, the first and most important is the client experience. I always say to people, if you are their advisor, then that means someone else isn’t. These people, they all deserve to be really well taken care of. They deserve the best service, they deserve the best advice. So that’s something we take really personally. So client experience first. Then we also understand that we don’t just work for clients, we work for our advisors. So I have two jobs. I have, I don’t know, 500 clients I service with my team, and I work for Kevin and 36 other partners and all of our employees. Because again, I recognize that the decision Kevin made… We’re in the middle of a transition out with another advisor, and we pretty much talk to her every day, and I know how hard this is. A transition is so difficult. When you come from a good place, because any of the Northwestern advisor who joins, they’re coming from a good place, it’s not like they have to go anywhere, it’s difficult. So we have the massive responsibility that three or four or five or 10 years from now, that there better be hugs around that this was the best decision ever made or otherwise. That’s the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. So we’ve got to take care of our client experience, we’ve got to take care of our advisor experience. And then obviously, we’ve got to grow the firm so the firm grows organically. So part of this whole idea of serving our advisors is we have to help our advisors grow. I talk to a lot of people on the acquisition side, and if I’m talking to an advisor, it doesn’t matter how big they are, we kind of think of it as a OnePoint way. There’s flexibility in the OnePoint way. But if I can’t help them grow, I don’t want them, because I say it all the time, I’m not the mafia. I’m not here to get a taste. Louis, if you weren’t interested in joining us, if I thought that we could help you grow by doing that, then I want you bad. If I don’t think I can help you grow because we’re so different, or because you’re not going to adapt what we do, or there’s no leverage in it, or you’re already better than we are, I don’t want it. So for us, organic growth, number one, and I think you know the industries well enough, that’s got to be the key. We shoot for 10% organic growth. We’re at a little over 5% so far halfway through the year. So assuming we have the similar second half of the year, we’ll hit our 10. Last year we’re at 7.5%. The second is the inorganic growth. If you truly build a platform, if you truly build a firm that advisors know that they’ll be supported, that they’ll be loved, and you’ll help them grow their businesses, it does make it easier for us. We’re not the highest bidder typically. We can’t. We respect our client’s capital, we respect their equity, so therefore we’re not going to go out there. We’re not an aggregator, we’re a firm. But I think that if we can get that message across, and I think we have, then advisors join us. So that’s been a big part of the growth. And then the market’s helped. Obviously, over the last two years, the market’s been helpful. So that’s how we’ve gone from 10 to 18 and on our way to 22 by year-end. Louis Diamond: This is absolutely incredible. Any advisor or firm owner would say organic growth is important, but just saying it’s important doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. So what are the ways in which you help your advisors or your own practice grow organically? What is it that OnePoint is doing for your advisors? Andy Schwartz: Starting with bringing on growth-oriented advisors. I mean, look, Kevin Spahn and I come from the same place. We learned how to sell. The great thing about coming out of whether they’re broker dealers or out of the different insurance BDs is, these are people that know how to sell. These are people that don’t think that selling is a bad word. A lot of times you go to the wirehouses and they’re not necessarily sales guys. They’re really smart. They think that they’re investment mavens and investment geniuses. I’m not interested in investment geniuses. I’m interested in people that want to take care of their clients, provide everything they can, clients first, do the proper planning, be good advisors, but they’re growth-oriented. So as long as we’re talking with the right advisors. Again, if I’m talking to advisor and they might have a big practice, if they’re not growers, we’re not interested. There’s a sense of responsibility for all the partners because we are a true partnership. It’s not an aggregation. This is a firm. I’m responsible for Kevin. Kevin’s responsible to me. All of our partners are responsible to each other, because if we’re going to do a 10% organic growth target, and if some partner is negative 3%, we don’t put them through the spanking machine, but everybody is very aware of where everybody is and nobody wants to let their partners down. I think either you’re a growth-oriented advisor or you’re a zoo-fed bear. There’s another expression that I got from another Rise Growth Partner or Rise Growth firm. We all kind of communicate and talk to each other. And I was talking about zoo-fed bears, and he said, we call them house cats that think they fight. So they’re house cats, but they have no claws. But I think if you’re careful about who you bring on as partners, and if they are workers, growers, they understand that their job in life is to serve the people. We talk about referrals, we do lots of training to help on referrals. We work on organic growth strategies from the firm, but a lot of it comes from the advisors themselves. Louis Diamond: Makes sense. So it sounds like, to boil it down, it’s being really selective and having a really clear sense of who’s the right fit for your firm. Not that there’s not amazing advisors out there, but just because you’re an amazing advisor, doesn’t mean you’re the right fit to join OnePoint. Andy Schwartz: I think the one big distinction and difference is other than the fact that we are minority-owned with private equity. So we own our business. I mean, I’m the CEO of the firm. I also have the biggest book in the firm. At least for right now, I mean, Kevin was transitioning, so I’m sure next year he’ll be the leading advisor. But I lead the firm, because as far as I’m concerned, you have to lead by example. We are completely aligned. I know exactly what Kevin does every day because I do the same thing. I’m not some attorney or accountant or private equity boss that’s saying, “Oh, I’ve got an idea for growth. We’ll just raise our fees by 5%.” Brilliant. Yeah, we are completely aligned, all of us. I think that makes us a little bit unique, and it really helps us, I think, in our growth trajectory. Louis Diamond: I would agree. The challenge that a lot of advisors-turned-firm-owners or turned-enterprise-builders have is the tug of war between the client work, which either is their ultimate passion and driving force, or it’s something they’re really good at minimum, versus being the owner, the operator, et cetera. I resonate very much, Andy, with the way you handle it. I do the same thing running a company, but also working with advisors. To me, I need to do both in order to do my job well. But that tug of war is tough. So I’m curious, your firm is very large now, you’re a steward of external capital, and you have a $3 billion book yourself. How do you do it? How do you balance the two? Andy Schwartz: Well, fortunately, my kids are grown, so I’m not coaching sports anymore. So I do have a little more time than most. Look, we have a great team. So the idea that I run the firm… I mean, I lead the firm, I don’t run the firm. We have great partners. We have great… Our manager team is fantastic. So I mean, they really run the firm. But this is where my passion is for now. So I don’t mind. Days are typically pretty long. I don’t play golf during the week. Mara and I don’t travel probably as much as we should. Vacations are always a little bit mixed. There’s always room for calls and meetings and whatever. But to me, I mean, I’m grateful to be in this situation. I’m enjoying it. This is such a privilege to be the person that people recognize as the leader of this bunch, of this group. I mean, it is the honor of my life. So I don’t think of it so much as work. It’s my advocation. It does get busy. There are some times where I have to remind myself, “Just enjoy the ride.” I get a little overwhelmed, but I get lots of help and that makes it possible. Louis Diamond: Yep. If you’re not doing the job of the folks that you’re encouraging and leading to do, how do you have fodder to train them, to teach them, to empathize with that? Andy Schwartz: Exactly, you don’t have the credibility. I can ask them to do almost anything because they know I do it myself, and I think that helps. Louis Diamond: Yep. So moving more into the decision to bring on private equity capital, what I thought was probably the most interesting component of your announcement that you took on PE investment was that you completely restructured or reoriented your firm prior to Joe Duran coming in 2024. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Bleakley Financial Group was almost all 1099 contractors. So everyone owned their own books of business, paid Bleakley a fee or an override for certain services. But now, today, over 85% of your advisors and your AUM are W-2 employees, meaning you converted them from 1099 to acquiring them or merging with them. To me, that’s the dream. It’s had to have been very, very, very hard and challenging because there’s so many aggregator firms or platforms that support independent advisors, but the value that they’ve created is fairly minimal relative to one cohesive firm. So can you just talk about that decision, a very big and brave decision to go down the path of acquiring or merging with the practices rather than letting them continue to operate independently? Andy Schwartz: Well, look, we had to… It’s funny because we had been having conversations for years with consultants, and they kept telling us what we had to do. Again, we’re not that smart, so we just kept thinking, “No, we don’t have to do that.” But we were told 10 years earlier that the only way that this thing has any value to the world is you’ve got to have EBITDA for the firm. We talked to all the smart people, we ignored all of them. But what happened was we needed capital and we needed equity in order to bring people on, because people aren’t just joining us just because we can help them grow a bigger business. So the reason we went in the direction we went initially was we just needed capital. We wanted to grow the firm, and the only way we were going to get to is… What’s the old saying? What got us here is not going to get us there. So we needed capital. But we also realized that I had to have something I could sell in the marketplace. And people want equity. So they want cash, but they also want equity, because we’re talking to entrepreneurs. Kevin owned his own firm. He has $2 billion of assets. He wasn’t interested in being someone’s employee, but he was interested in being able to get leverage and be a partner and share equity in a larger firm that had the chance to grow even more. So what the gift that Joe Duran, the Rise folks gave us was that gift of structure and understanding. So that was really helpful, and that’s been a big part of our success. Louis Diamond: Yeah, it’s an amazing journey. Again, I think you could probably write a book or a case study on how that happened. I’m sure there were some downfalls, some people that weren’t all that excited about it, but the results speak for itself. Andy Schwartz: I think people ask all the time because I do get phone calls. People are trying to do this, and they’re struggling. It took us 90 days to basically do it. People say, “I’ve been at this for two years.” And the biggest issue is trust. Either they trust you or they don’t. At the end of the day, I always went to the advisor here, we were a firm for 30-plus years prior, and these guys knew that we always did what we said we were going to do, and we always did. If your people trust you, then you can do it. If your people don’t trust you, it isn’t going to work. Louis Diamond: In other words, your firm added immense value to the advisors as well. Aside from trust, if you weren’t providing a service or services that they found a value that they couldn’t access on their own, it would’ve been 85/15 going the other way for sure. Andy Schwartz: Yeah, 100%. I know it’s not easy, but it wasn’t that hard for us. Louis Diamond: Good. It’s well-earned. So I believe you were Rise Growth Partners’ first investment. Andy Schwartz: We were. Louis Diamond: That’s cool. It’s exciting. You get to be someone’s first, but did it make you uncomfortable that you were the first investment or did you see that as a positive? Andy Schwartz: I actually saw it as a positive. Well, one, because I recognized immediately that Joe Duran and his team were way smarter than we were certainly, and certainly with what we were trying to do. And I figured that it’s almost like the first child. They were so excited to have somebody, and there was so much time and energy, so they just really doted on us. They were really able to help us. Now they’ve got four or five groups that they work with, and obviously we’ve been launched. So the younger babies are getting more time and attention, although we get everything that we need from them. But yeah, that never concerned me. I always thought that would be our advantage. It actually turned out that way. Louis Diamond: Interesting. In thinking through a sale or a minority sale, did you entertain other types of capital, whether it was a family office or a multitude of other private equity sponsors or selling the firm outright? Andy Schwartz: Yeah, we probably had four or five very, very serious conversations. Actually, some got pretty close to the end where we basically just made the decision not to do it. One was a much larger firm, good people. But the problem always was… I was always going to get rich out of the deal because it was going to be 100% sale, but there was really no lift or leverage from the advisors. So the principals, they were willing to pay me a big multiple and my partners a big multiple, and pay these guys basically an average multiple. So we had always told our guys, “Let’s stay together, and someday, this thing, whatever it’s going to turn into be, will benefit everyone.” So with the Duran situation and the deal with Rise did, it gave everybody a chance to benefit from what we were doing. But what was good about all of those false starts was, it taught me a lot because I had… I know you’re involved in this, so you know better than I do, but we’d start conversations, somebody would reach out to me, I would be very specific about what I needed. They would say, “Yep, we can do that.” And then you get to the finish line, and it’s almost like, I started out, I wanted a tomahawk steak and a baked potato, and I ended up getting a two-day-old hamburger with some cold French fries. It’s like, I know I’m not that smart and I know you’re the PE guys, but for God’s sakes, we’re not stupid. So it was funny because in January of ’24, I told my partners, “I don’t want to have any more of these conversations. It was a waste of time and energy. I’m sick of talking to these people. Let’s just put our heads down, and then let’s grow the firm a little bit more, and then we’ll see what the world looks like.” And then I get introduced to Duran. Louis Diamond: Perfect. Makes sense. Yeah, so you were well-educated on the market, the types of buyers, and I always say it’s almost more important to understand what you don’t want more than what you do want. The only way oftentimes to understand what you don’t want is to experience it and touch and feel it and really get into the weeds on it. I like too, Andy, I saw in an article, you said that “we’re private equity invested, we’re not private equity owned,” which is a very cool dynamic. I could imagine why that was important to you to retain majority control. Kevin, I want to bring you back into the conversation. Thank you for being patient here. But I mean, I would imagine you had some real choices. I mean, you could have stayed at Northwestern and been very successful, gone through with your internal succession plan. You could have gone to an independent BD, monetized, figured out succession later. You could have sold the business to a strategic acquirer. You were big enough to take on an investor in some capacity on your own. So options wasn’t your problem. Maybe just walk us through. Did you consider any other pathways? And what were the pros and cons in your mind that led you to doing a transaction with Andy? Kevin Spahn: I’m a little different, I think, than most people in this industry. Even as you grow your business at a certain percentage, none of that stuff has ever really meant anything to me. All I know is I like what I do. So when I came into the business, because I like it, I enjoy it, I spend time doing it, I’ve tried to get better at it. But it comes naturally because it’s something that I don’t look at Monday mornings as, “Oh, no, it’s Monday morning.” I’m excited to go to work. My entire career, once I left law, my business has just grown over the years naturally. But you said something before, Louis, and I think this applies to me. I love to work with the clients. I don’t like what I have to do in terms of running the firm. I never have. It’s never been my cup of tea, but you have to do it if you run a firm. So number one, the thought of all the due diligence that I would have to do to research all the firms out there, I wasn’t really all that interested in doing that. At the end of the day, it comes down to this word trust. I trust Andy. I trust the other partners here too, because I’ve known not just Andy, but I’ve known Scott and many of the other partners for years. So I knew what I was getting myself into. At the end of the day, I knew what they built. I was very comfortable with it, and I was either going to stay at Northwestern Mutual or I was going to come here, but I wasn’t going to go anywhere else. I will say, since I’ve gone, it’s been exactly like I thought. I thought I trusted Andy. And if something happened along the way with the transition, everything that he said has been true, thing that he promised is real. As you deal with more complexities with a bigger book and more and more employees, I knew that I was almost at the breaking point in terms of my own organization and to merge into this organization that, as I said before, he’s already built out. I don’t have to do it. And to benefit from these great people that he has as part of his organization, that’s all been a real blessing for me and my team. So I didn’t shop the marketplace really, but I knew what I was getting into, and it’s worked out clear as I thought it would. Louis Diamond: That’s amazing. I think that’s what most people would covet. But it is a decision in and of itself to not shop the marketplace. I mean, from representing buyers or prospective buyers, I know the pricing leverage or the negotiation leverage and the valuation lift that comes from having an open market, having multiple bids, et cetera. It sounds like that wasn’t the… Obviously you wanted to get fair value for your firm, but for you, it was more, it’s trust, “I’m either going to just stay at Northwestern, which is the devil I know or it’s what I’ve known where I’ve been successful, or I’m going to go to the individual that I trust and forget about all the other noise.” Kevin Spahn: Well, Andy says things, but I know they’re true because I’ve seen him at work. I’ve seen how he’s acted. I’ve seen how he interacts with people. But here’s an example. He cares about the people that are at his firm. He says that, but I know it’s true because I see it. I’m the same. I really care about the people in my firm. So as I think about, well, what about the future of two groups, my clients, but also the people that work in my firm? They’re going to be around long after I am. Well, I don’t want myself to retire someday, get a big check, because there’s all sorts of options to get a check. If I get a check and then my client’s scatter to the wind, and my employees don’t really have a future and they just have to go and find their own way, that wasn’t attractive at all to me. So one of the things that I really appreciate about this opportunity is that there is a plan for both my clients and my employees or the younger team members at formerly Spahn Financial, where I feel very good about the fact that they have a solid, secure future in an industry that they’ve all grown to love without them having to go out and make their own way. Louis Diamond: Makes sense to me. We noted a couple of times in this interview, you talked about equity, partnership, both of you have. So Kevin, for you, what did it mean differently for you to become a partner and get equity in a larger firm rather than, we’ll say, the less risky move of just taking everything in cash? Why was that an important distinction for you? Kevin Spahn: For many years, when I left law and came into this business, I didn’t have any money at the time. I was just starting to make money as a lawyer. It takes a while. I started low. I got trial experience working for the government, so they didn’t pay much. That was three years. Then I was at a firm, and I was just starting to make more money. Then I made this big shift into a career tha

Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Joe Valerio and Forbes.com writer Jeff Fedotin discuss their thoughts on the Chiefs' 53-man roster and their practice squad, including several changes to the offensive line. Are there any surprising cuts? Or sleepers who made the team? Jeff also shares the maelstrom he accidentally created when he leaked the name of Travis Kelce's dog in his story on Kelce's first Tommy Hilfiger commercial. Agree or disagree with us? Let us know on X: @joevalerio73 and @JFedotin. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode of the Moms of the Lou podcast features Loryn Nalic, owner of Balkan Treat Box and Telva at the Ridge. She just won the 2026 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest. Loryn discusses her journey in the restaurant industry, starting with her Bosnian husband and learning to cook Balkan cuisine. She highlights the difficulties of balancing work and motherhood, the importance of flexibility for working mothers, and the emotional rewards of celebrating achievements and milestones with her children. She also includes recommendations for dining & Balkan cuisine at some of her favorite restaurants in St. Louis!This episode is sponsored by St. Luke's Hospital. St. Luke's is a trusted partner in every phase of your family's health journey. Connect with St. Luke's Hospital on Facebook and Instagram and schedule your appointment today!Chef Loryn Nalic is the chef and co-owner of Balkan Treat Box and Telva at the Ridge in St. Louis, Missouri. What began as a bold little food truck in 2017 has grown into one of the country's most celebrated restaurants, known for its soulful, wood-fired interpretation of Balkan cuisine. In 2023, Loryn and her family expanded their vision with the opening of Telva at the Ridge, a restaurant and café inspired by the rich culinary traditions and evolving flavors of the Balkans. Loryn's culinary journey began long before Balkan Treat Box. She spent years baking bread, working in pastry, cooking, serving, and managing events at some of St. Louis' most respected restaurants. Her path took a transformative turn when she met her husband, Edo, a Bosnian refugee. Through his memories of home, Loryn discovered the cuisine and culture of the Balkans. Together, they traveled throughout the region, learning traditional techniques, tasting regional specialties, and recreating the dishes he missed most.Today, Balkan Treat Box and Telva remain true family businesses. Edo, his brother Emir, and their father Fadil work alongside Loryn every day. Together, they honor the traditions of Balkan cooking while bringing fresh perspectives and creativity to every dish, creating food that celebrates culture, craftsmanship, and community.In 2026, Chef Loryn Nalic received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, one of the highest honors in American dining. Prior to her win, she earned four James Beard Award semifinalist nominations and one finalist nomination in the same category, reflecting years of national recognition for her culinary excellence.Her restaurants have also received numerous national and regional accolades, including:• Food & Wine – Best Bites of the Year• Bon Appétit – Top 50 Restaurants in America• St. Louis Business Journal – Best Food Truck• Feast Magazine – Best New Restaurant• St. Louis Magazine A-List – Best Food Truck• Ian Froeb's 100 Best St. Louis Restaurants – #1 Best Restaurant• St. Louis Post-Dispatch – Best New Restaurant• Sauce Magazine – Best New Restaurant and People's Choice AwardLoryn's work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Travel + Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, The Drew Barrymore Show and The Splendid Table. She has served as a guest chef aboard the Windstar James Beard Cruise through the Balkans and is a sought-after speaker at culinary, hospitality, and entrepreneurship conferences. Recognized as one of America's leading voices on Balkan cuisine, Loryn combines personal storytelling with deep culinary expertise to share the traditions, history, and evolving flavors of the region with audiences around the world.We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don't forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! This episode was produced by St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by STL Bucketlist Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. 

DNB heeft een groot deel van het Nederlandse goud weggehaald uit Amerika: 27 ton ging fysiek naar Zeist en 59 ton werd in New York verkocht en in Londen teruggekocht. Verder blijft de onduidelijkheid over box 3 bestaan nu het wetsvoorstel wordt vooruitgeschoven naar op zijn vroegst 2029. Peter dook met $950 de trenches van Robinhood in en Bert ontmaskert hoe een BlackRock-quote door Forbes en Bitcoin Magazine compleet verkeerd werd geïnterpreteerd. In de marktupdate: is de bearmarkt voorbij nu bitcoin tegen de $82.000 aan schurkt?Probeer de eerste maand voor 5 euro (80% korting)Satoshi Radio wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door: Bitvavo, Blockrise en Watson Law.Timestamps(00:00:00) Welkom en Podcast Introductie(00:06:00) Bookmark van Bert: DNB verplaatst deel van goudvoorraad van Amerika naar Engeland(00:30:00) Bookmark van Bart: Onduidelijkheid over box 3 blijft, coalitie wil wetsvoorstel vooruitschuiven(00:50:00) Bookmark van Peter: SEC-voorzitter Atkins ‘verwacht' dat Clarity goedgekeurd wordt(00:56:00) Bookmark van Peter: ‘Bitcoinmining maakt eerste echte bearmarkt door'(00:58:00) Bookmark van Peter: Hyperliquid naar de VS via Payward (Kraken)?(01:04:00) Bookmark van Peter: Kort reisverslag vanuit de trenches(01:15:00) Bookmark van Bart: Introducing umbrelOS 2.0.(01:20:00) Bookmark van Bert: BlackRock: “It's going to keep growing because we keep expanding the access”(01:29:00) MarktupdateBookmarksBertDNB verplaatst deel van goudvoorraad van Amerika naar EngelandBlackRock: “It's going to keep growing because we keep expanding the access”BartOnduidelijkheid over box 3 blijft, coalitie wil wetsvoorstel vooruitschuivenIf you want to win in either scenario, own both.Strategy has acquired 4,603 BTC for $370M, increased USD Cash by $29M, and repurchased $152M of $STRC.Met de prachtig gemiddelde aankoopprijs van… $80.318

Tired of ADHD strategies that don't work? Start with my this training: Stop Trying to “Fix” Your ADHD. You're Not Broken: https://programs.tracyotsuka.com/sign-up_____Holly Fowler was the kid who got told she was too loud, too distracted, too much. She was also a C-grade student barely passing maths and science until an academic scholarship gave her a reason to care.Then she got straight As.That same intensity now fuels Wable, the global social network Holly founded for neurodivergent people to connect across friendship, dating, work, and support. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, she has since scaled the company across four continents.Diagnosed with ADHD in her early 20s, Holly can now see the clues all over her childhood, including years of school reports calling her easily distracted and distracting to others.In this episode, Holly and Tracy talk about ADHD as an entrepreneurial advantage, what rejection taught her about RSD, how she manages overthinking and constant decision-making, and what building a company has revealed about how her brain works under pressure.If you have ever been told your brain is too much for the room, this conversation explores what can happen when you build around it instead.Resources: Website: https://www.hellowable.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itshollyfowlerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-fowler-3b36b9163 Mindbridge Coaching: https://www.mindbridgecoaching.com Wable: https://www.hellowable.comSend a Message: Your Name | Email | Message Explore more from me:

Special guest and familiar face, Charles Oswald joins the Suite Spot in his return to the TMG Hospitality Trailblazers series. As CEO & President of Aperture Hotels, Charles shares his insights on AI & technology in hospitality, capital investment challenges, and his vision for the Aperture Hotels brand.  Tune in now to the full conversation. Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in and we check out what’s trending in hotel marketing. I’m your host, Ryan Embree. Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree, here for another edition of our TMG Hospitality Trailblazers. Technically, a look back on a few years back when we visited with this particular individual and company trailblazing and paving the way forward in hospitality. That is Charles Oswald, president and CEO of Aperture Hotels. Charles, thank you so much for being back here on The Suite Spot. Charles Oswald: Oh, it’s good to be back. Thank you. Ryan Embree: Yeah. You’ve been busy. It’s been a long time. I had to look back and see the last time we visited here on The Suite Spot. We did our original hospitality trailblazers, really in the infancy of Aperture Hotels back in December 2023. A lot’s changed on that since then, right? So catch us up a little bit. What have you been working on? There’s been some incredible growth that we’ve seen with your company. Congratulations on that. But catch us up since we last visited. Charles Oswald: First off, so at that time when we had launched Aperture Hotels, we were coming out in the, in the wake of the pandemic. So if you kind of think back where we were three and four years ago versus today, there were a lot of properties that had gone through this economic shock, and there were owners who were reeling from that experience, especially those that had corporate business travel hotels as opposed to those leisure destinations that benefited from the pandemic. And so during that time, Aperture actually went on and took on almost 30 different properties that we added to the portfolio, that were, driven by those owners who needed a new management company to come and take a look at their, their with fresh eyes and take a look at their top line strategies, their expense controls. And so we had a lot of properties, and they were 100% of those properties were not through acquisitions, but were actually just performance turnaround assignments where they were switching management companies, to somebody to take a fresh look. So, with all that said, we found ourselves, walking into properties that were on, like, the sixth or seventh year of a five-year hold strategy for private equity firms or high net worth individuals and so on. And that quickly turned into turnarounds, which the story from us lately has actually been sales, a lot of sales, 20 plus sales over the course of this last year. And so today, as we stand here, I’m actually more rebuilding the pipeline with a mix of more management change assignments, plus a few pipeline of new developments. And those new developments are mostly, like, 100 or 300 room soft brand properties across the country. So yeah a lot’s changed for sure. Really rapid growth, really rapid sales, and now more sort of measured one at a time growth. Ryan Embree: Yeah, and I wanna talk about that, because I’ve had the privilege to talk to some management company owners and leaders, and they’ve kind of echoed that same sentiment of not just growth, but strategic growth. And that seems to be where you are right now, too. So when you kind of take a look at. I know you mentioned that particular segment, but when you take a look at the hospitality landscape right now, what makes the right strategic partner for Aperture Hotels right now as you kind of enter this cycle where you’re trying to build back up a little bit? Charles Oswald: You’re right. The right partner, it’s about fit. And when you look at the experience of our leadership team, we’re really engineered towards compact, full service hotels, lifestyle, premium select service brands. They can be brand or independent. We’d like to partner with owners that have some portfolio stable scalability. Preferably they own by that, I mean, they own more than one hotel, and there might be more than one opportunity there. You know, we wanna work with those owners that know what they’re doing, right? They’ve got some, some governance, sophistication, some decision speed. Hopefully, they’ve not just made bad investments when they’re turning over these properties, but really, they’re looking for some performance turnaround in a good investment. And preferably those are longer term holds. As you can tell, we did a lot of hard work for some turnarounds and watched them sell. And they sold largely to owners who had their own management. So that’s tricky for us, right? That leads us looking for more opportunities. So in terms of us in aperture and how we see ourselves in competitive points of difference is we’ve got a group that has hundreds of hotels of experiments. Myself, I’ve managed about 300 hotels now over the years, and they’ve ranged from little 60-room properties up to a thousand plus room convention hotels and resorts. And so what we bring is, we’ve got big experience in our leadership team, but we’re in a small package, right? A boutique-sized company that can give more corporate support to property ratio. And we’re very data-driven in how we use our decision-making tools to uncover those hidden business opportunities and the potential to drive market share and outperform GOP. Big experience, I’d say that corporate support, the data-driven decision-making process and tools, I think is really what sets us aside. And by the way, I’ll just mention that our average RGI that we’ve achieved in the first 18 months when you put us in place after another management company, the average RGI growth or repar index gains is actually just over 10%. So we’ve had, like, incredible turnarounds at the top line, which leads them to great bottom line improvements as well. Ryan Embree: Which makes it so much more impressive, too, with the climate right now. And these events that we go to would talk about operating and margins right now, and trying to be just efficient as possible, because costs are, are rising right now. It is certainly difficult to navigate, and I’m sure that experience that you’ve had has certainly lended itself to some great stories that you can then share to help grow that portfolio. And the other part of the experience that you were talking about is you have the data and the insights. And one of the places you find that data and insights is obviously hospitality events that are going on. I’ve had the pleasure of running into you at quite a number of these. If I’m not running into you, Charles, I’m seeing you up on stage conducting interviews or, or sharing some of your takeaways on LinkedIn after the event. You got a busy second half of the year. I wanna talk about these events, though, and how you kind of leverage them, right? So, why do you think these events, especially now, are so important? And then, how do you measure success of an event once it’s completed, whether that be a lodging conference, an investment conference, or whether it be, just an educational data event? Charles Oswald: Look, that’s a really good question. When you consider the time, travel budget, and the opportunity costs on an executive’s busy calendar to get out to these conferences and spend three, four days between the travel and the time out there, we’ve gotta be, we’ve gotta be very intentional, right, about how we approach it. So, I see value in going to these conferences because of deal sourcing and the relationship capital that we pick up. Also, I think there’s that market intelligence and the pricing signals that we get from those from this conference. There’s the access to capital markets. That was particularly important for me here recently as I was looking to as I’m in the process of acquiring a property right now in Phoenix, and when we needed to raise LP capital and we had those relationships these are people, again, we met at conferences. I think talent reputation, right, it’s important to get out there and continue to manage that. So those, those are a number of the reasons why we wanna get out to these conferences and why we think they’re important. But the measure of success, you’re right, for a data-driven guy, I wish I could put a specific number to it. Like, here’s the ROI from each of these conferences. It’s really difficult to. It’s really difficult to do, but I can tell you that, I do look back and, and aggregate those. I look at the management contracts we picked up, and I think of, “Okay, well, where did I meet these folks? And so what’s the average return?” And I can put a number to that. And I would tell you that in terms of the immediate return, what I’m looking for is if I can have three to five specific follow-up conversations, a result of that conference, then the trip was worth the cost. Ryan Embree: That’s great advice for young hospitality professionals out there. I mean, we have a great industry, and one of the coolest parts of it is you get to rub shoulders sometimes with those executives. So even those younger hospitality professionals that might be tuning in here, it’s a great piece of advice to when you can, obviously, try to get that exposure of networking and get out there because hospitality is certainly a big world, but it’s also a very small world, and you run into a lot of the same people. And again, this, just like you said, Charles, a lot of the stories, success stories, whether it be business relationships, some of those transactions could stem from sitting next to somebody at breakfast – Absolutely. On day two of a conference. Love to hear that advice, love to hear that those stay beneficial, because we love those. We’re hospitality people, right? We’re in that industry. Now, another thing you become kinda famous for your takeaways articles on LinkedIn. My advice would be to encourage anyone, definitely give Charles if you’re not already a follow, because you have some great insights and takeaways from some of the events that he goes to. So I’m gonna kind of put you on the spot here. If you had to do a takeaways article for the first half of 2026, maybe give us a couple points, and then if you could, maybe share some predictions. We’re hospitality people. We love to kind of predict, try to predict the future a little bit, so. Charles Oswald: Yeah. Well, maybe, maybe the biggest takeaway from the first half is that we’re not great in hospitality about predicting future. Ryan Embree: That’s a good one. Charles Oswald: So, as we rolled into 2026, there were a lot of folks that were saying it was gonna be, like, Groundhog Day, that we’re looking at flat, very modest, RevPar growth and expenses that, outpace, the top line. And I think what nobody saw coming was US demand growth in the first half of the year. Now part of this, I will tell you, if we look back in some panels, a year ago, I called part of this, which is I asked why is no one talking about the impact of the $30 billion increase in tax refunds that we’ll see, plus the real wage growth that’s happening, and what impact that could have on our industry? And, and a lot of people kind of poo-pooed and they said, “Well, you know, we don’t really know that the tax refunds are gonna be there. We don’t really know how those are gonna hit.” Okay. But we do. There was some, some mirroring it kinda like during the pandemic when you put money in people’s pockets, there were a lot of people that just went out and spent it. And so I did, I think that had a real impact on the, on the first half of the year. And then the other part that none of us saw coming, and I didn’t, was certainly there’d be a war in Iran and how the general global conflict can would affect the outbound travel case for the American traveler. So, that outbound travel, international outbound decelerated, right, while domestic leisure demand, stayed strong. So, that helped prop up the first half of the year. So there are some trends from the first half that I think will carry out to the second half. So for not getting in looking forward, I’d say that second half of the year, there’ll be more bifurcation. You know, we’re gonna see a continuing challenge to new supply growth, and we’re gonna continue to see labor costs rising, but at a bit of a decelerating rate. So if I were to expand a little bit on that, on the bifurcation, we’ve heard a lot of talk about the K-shaped economy. And really in that bifurcation, there’s some people talking about this hollowing in the middle class, and, and, and I think that’s actually very, very misrepresented. What’s actually happened is we’ve seen a growth generational wealth, over the course of the last 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years. And this is a long-term macro trend, okay? The fact is that there are fewer poor today, about a third less than there were, you know, 40, 50 years ago. There are few, fewer lower middle class, and no longer is the core middle class the largest classification of income in America. But according to the BLS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is actually now the upper middle class is the largest class, right? So people are moving up on this continuum, and they’re more wealthy. So when you start thinking about that, what does that affect on our industry? That’s why we’re seeing this interest in, towards experiential travel, towards the soft brands, towards luxury, and why upper upscale and luxury tiers have been outperforming. So I think we’ll continue to see that as we go through the end of the year. And the other story I think we’ll continue to see is that new supply, right? Man, the plan, I mean, there’s, like, you know, 10% supply growth planned. But what actually happens, is just a, you know, a fraction of a percent. And so, in there, the challenge, you know, debt isn’t the problem anymore. It’s more about equity and construction cost relative to the commercial real estate valuations,in interest rate market environment that we’re in today. Ryan Embree: Yeah, so you have a little bit tampered demand, or tampered, building construction because of those construction costs. And do not underestimate, again, the willingness and ability for people and wanting to travel and have experiences. I still think they even the younger generation, they’re getting some more money in their pockets, and the first thing that they’re wanting to do is plan a nice trip, right, before they go out and, and buy those expensive things that, which was, was typically would happen. Charles Oswald: Yeah, and I wanna just comment one thing though is we’ve talked a lot about economic resilience, and that resiliency definitely exists in the US, and it’s more resilient than a lot of folks probably though it was when you look back in time. However, some of that does seem to be breaking here, right? You know, you are seeing rise of credit card debt. You are seeing some increases in folks, particularly at the mid-scale and, and, and lower income classes defaulting on car payments and things like that. And so if you start to make a decision about, you know, do I travel or do I pay my, my car, that is going to affect the industry, you know, as we go forward. And, and that’s gonna play a little bit in that bifurcation that we were talking about. Those who are on the upper end have watched unreal growth for the last few years in their stock market portfolios. You know, they, they feel a little bit more free and, and open travel. Ryan Embree: Yeah, it’s interesting. You’re right. You know, we always talk about still prioritizing travel, but travel over things. But when tho- those things become, like you said, payments or car payments, then all of a sudden the priorities start to shift a little bit. So it’d be interesting to see how that continues in the second half of this year. Now, another topic we that you’re gonna hear at every single hospitality show, it’s a bingo card, is AI and technology. And you, and you actually speak a lot. I’ve seen you on panels speak a lot to it in, in your interviews. Where do you think the hospitality industry, which we’ve said typically is one to slowly adopt technology? Where do you think we are in this cycle of AI adoption? And then maybe you could zoom in a little bit into your organization and, and where you’ve prioritized that, or maybe stayed away from it. Charles Oswald: Maybe we kind of break that down into sounds like three or four areas, right? I think, yeah, it’s what’s the biggest impact today? What’s kinda happening now? And maybe where’s it going? Sure. And, uh, and how do we play into that as a management company, right? Yeah. So I guess there’s four ways. In terms of the biggest impact today, it’s for sure it’s been, it, it, it’s been in distribution, right? Uh, GEO and AEO are the new SEO. And so, um, uh, maybe what’s accelerated hospitality is entrance into AI because the customer was using it to search for hospitality, and then all of a sudden we woke up and said what – Ryan Embree: Great point. Charles Oswald: It’s not just about keywords, but how, how do we become the answer to the question they’re asking? And so that’s, uh, that’s certainly the biggest impact today is on the distribution side. I think what’s happening in progress, we’re starting to see more in the areas of revenue optimization and design, right? Like on, you know, when it comes to new hotel renovations and they and developments. And then the future, where’s it going? I think we’re gonna see AI more in our, more closely integrated into our business analytics, like and that’s gonna extend into labor scheduling and productivity. I think we’ll see it help us in energy management and procurement. Things like F&B menu engineering both from the creative standpoint and kinda marrying that with the math, right? Like, what the cost of plate is and what the customer’s actually buying. And and that’s really important. IAnd by the way, that’s a weak spot, I think in the industry. There are an awful lot of management companies that are not very good on food and beverage side. So at Aperture, what are we doing? First off, I would say we lean really heavily on our tech partners to adapt, adopt AI for their analytics or reporting insights. And today insights has become the real opportunity, right? I mean, if you ask your BI system, you know, it’s one thing for them to be able to pull a report or show you some side-by-side comparisons, but the insights, like, why is this happening? You know, you can tell me, me what my flow-through is, it’s great, but, like, what should it be if we had run according to all the budget metrics that, like, that we put out there? They’re, they’re weak on that side, at least to date. So I think that’s gonna be the next step is that is conveying those analytics and reports to insights. And so, we’re keenly working with technology solutions that they can implement in those ways, and digital marketing efforts that help us improve the distribution that we were talking about earlier, GEO and AEO. And from a practical day-to-day standpoint, you know, we’ve incorporated, cloud enterprise solutions in our daily work and our applications, like, you know, Excel and SharePoint, et cetera, like a lot of other companies have. But we got plenty of room, plenty of runway there when it comes to AI. Ryan Embree: Absolutely. Yeah, 100%. So, uh, every day, yeah. every hour, it feels like sometimes with these announcements. Um, but yeah, you, you mentioned something really, really fascinating at the top of that, the answer of, you know, I think the adoption cycle sometimes with technology and hospitality has been slow because we’ve tried to, sometime, “Hey, download our app,” right? We’re, we’re trying to get the customer to move with the technology that we want them to move into, and the ecosystem that, that, “Hey, you know, do this.” And now, what’s happening is we’re seeing the consumer move into these LLMs and, and AI search, and now hospitality’s kind of been like, “We have to catch up because this is where our customer is,” right? So maybe that does cause a little bit of, uh, acceleration. So, because that is the biggest thing that we’ve been hearing as well, is just AI visibility. There is just this, this fear of a couple years ago, it was the fear of doing anything and being like, “I’m not doing anything with AI and technology. Now it’s like, now I have. My biggest fear is keeping me up, is I’m not being found on AI, uh, search engines and LLMs.” Charles Oswald: Yeah, let me tell you, like, just a great example, I was traveling not long ago, to Chicago, and I had a trip to Nashville, and I was just curious. I just, I went to Google – Yeah. And said, “Hey, what are the, what’s the best hotel in Chicago?” And it gave me a list of sponsored results. So it was like, I don’t know, half a dozen or so hotels there. And it gave me a list of, like, you know, here’s what says, and there’s like 20 properties there, and there is, AAA and Forbes, and there was the map and so all this stuff, and I’m like, “Wow, there, there’s, like, you know, 60 best hotels in Chicago.” And so then I moved over, just out of curiosity, I asked, uh, Claude, “What’s the best hotel in Chicago?” Gave me one answer, named one hotel, this is the best. And it gave me a little honorable mention list of three properties underneath it. I thought, oh, my gosh. And then I did the same thing with Nashville. I get one answer – Yeah. And it’s honorable mentions. And it really started making me think, oh my gosh, like, like, if, if only one hotel is gonna come up with that, how do I make that money? And, uh, and who is this, who is this, um, generative AI trusting? And so, so, so we began to dive really deeply in that conversation about, like, when, where are these trusted resort returns coming from, and how do we influence that, right? How do we make sure we appear there? Ryan Embree: 100%. Yeah, that’s the, the next race right now is to try to figure that out. And that’s difficult. Charles Oswald: Kind of back up and just elaborate, just one more comment – Yeah. Is just that, that, like, in Google, I mean, it’s, sure, it’s trusted. I don’t think anybody says that you don’t, you don’t trust Google on those returns and the 60 properties that it’s sent, but – Right. It’s returning the results that it wants you to see, the search engine. Whereas Claude, ChatGPT, Grock, others, they’re returning the results that, as the consumer, I wanted to see. Ryan Embree: And that’s, and that’s the, I think that’s the difficult because it almost changes into a little bit 40 chess, because I might ask the same question, and based on my search experience, it could look at a different best hotel in Chicago than could be your best hotel in Chicago. Once you go down that. Yeah. Charles Oswald: Are you Going there for business, or is it a wedding, or is the soccer team? Yeah, right. And it, it might know the purpose. It might know lis – a little something about you. You’re exactly right. Ryan Embree: Well, uh, uh, listen, I’m gonna take us back before we get to, into that to rabbit hole and, and lose everybody there, because one of my, uh, one of the favorite parts of the conversation, and we’ve done, you know, now this, I think we’re, we’re over 200 episodes here, but one of the, one of my favorite parts, uh, places of our conversation, Charles, back when we first spoke, was hearing the origin story of aperture hotels and, and the name for it. And so, uh, I wanted just to revisit that for those who may have missed that episode. Can you share that story again and why this whole shift your perspective, which you can find on your LinkedIn, your website, everywhere, that mindset has really resonated, uh, with, so well with, um, hotel owners, investors, and has, has been an important part of your s – your company’s success. Charles Oswald: Oh, wow. Um, you know, thank you for, uh, for asking that question, uh, and, uh, and it’s a reminder and the flashback. You know, so, uh, so what is an aperture, first off, right? It’s, it, it’s, it’s in that, you know, that, that, that camera lens that allows light, right, to, to, to pass through, right? So, so it creates a clear, well-composed image. And so I think from a hospitality brand, um, that maps into some of our values. Um, you know, we talk about transparency and accountability. We talk about clarity and vision, right? Like, an owner sees a, a hotel’s position, um, uh, potential, and we can help capture it, right? We help focus, bring focus. Precision and control, you know, I, I think that helps, uh, convey into our views on process orientation across the enterprise and, you know, and consistent execution. One of our core values is about being actively curious, right? Like, how do you scratch beneath the, the surface and shine a light on, on what that is, right? And, you know, what can we do to, to make, you know, to reveal those, those, the, the hidden business potential? We think about, you know, when we’re walking into the hotel and, and, and we’re touring our, our properties and, and, and looking for those, um, those guest experience improvements, it’s like, how do we make this, uh, picture perfect for the customer who arrives, right? What that arrival experience, what are the first moments of truth? And so I think all of those things, that, that transparency of clarity, vision, precision control, uh, you know, picture perfect, uh, all these things, um, sort of play into that aperture name. But I’ll be honest, there was another part of this, uh, which is that, you know, there’s, like, 400 hotel management companies out there, uh, and there’s hundreds more that used to be. Finding an original name is admittedly difficult. Every name you can think of has been, uh, used. Sure. Uh, we, we were fortunate, uh, to be able to find something that was original that didn’t, you know, pigeonhole us into something like, you know, calling ourselves, uh, Sunbelt Management or something like that. So, so, so that did work out well for us. Ryan Embree: Yeah. Well, I love it because, you know, you, you mentioned at the top that this was, you know, Aperture Hotels was really their origin story started during and during that COVID time, right? During and after that COVID time. And I think it was in those conversations, the companies and organizations that I spoke to that had a very clear North Star, a very clear direction of who they are and their culture during that time, because it was such a difficult time. So to have such a strong kind of name and you have all of those things, I’m sure that is, has been so beneficial for you as you continue to grow and scale, because you need that, right? You need something to kind of lean back onto and be kind of your Compass North, your North Star, however you wanna to phrase it. But I love to hear that. And like I said, it, it stuck with me all these years afterwards, so I wanted to touch on it again. And, um, I saw recently on LinkedIn that, uh, you and your team wrapped up a leadership conference in, uh, New Orleans. Tell us a little bit about that event and how, how instrumental the team has been, and also your, your success over at Aperture Hotels. Charles Oswald: Oh, that is. Well, yeah, that, that, that was a fun time. Uh, first off, getting together, getting our team together – Yeah. For that annual conference is my favorite part of the year really energizes me. Um, you know, I’m so grateful for, for, for, for the team that’s doing this work on the ground and, and the leadersh – uh, we have out there in the field. You know, I think often we talk about performance. We send around our balanced scorecard. We measure and we rank people and, and, uh, you know, we talk about process and so on. And that, and that’s, that’s an important part of the, uh, uh, of what we cover in the, uh, in, in our annual leadership co – uh, conference as well. But, um, but I think when you’re rubbing elbows, uh, you know, you’re in the same room with everybody. Uh, there’s, there’s a different level of, you know, preparation, focus, and curiosity, you know, team member bonding and relationship that happens. And, you know, and I love how in the aftermath of these conferences, we, you know, we hear about how, you know, the general manager, you know, in, you know, in the US West, it’s called the general manager in the US East, and they’re – Sure. They’re getting together and collaborating now on, on, on best practices and, and how they dealt with certain challenges maybe that are shared experiences that they’re having. So that’s where it happens, right? I mean, you get out there in a conference together like this where I think i- ideas get sharpened, uh, perspectives broadened. People learn, you know, here’s some insights, and they, uh, you know, share in their experiences. They challenge each other. And, uh, we, and, and we come out of it just, uh, winning together. And by the way, I should mention also, there’s some really great food, uh, so – Oh, I know. Yeah, yeah. Sorry. New Orleans. Uh, I’m a big eater. Ryan Embree: Yeah, that, that helps too. Uh, Charles Oswald: A few extra, but I’ve never missed one. And, uh, New Orleans is a great place for someone to like me, that’s for sure. Ryan Embree: Yeah. We, well, we talked about how quickly things are moving right now in hospitality, and it’s so important to kinda get everybody together in one place. And we’ve seen how you prioritize, obviously, the, the bigger hospitality events across hospitality. So sometimes to get that dialed in with your team, just so important. And great to hear that that continues to be. ‘Cause if you remember back in the day, we were hearing that that was gonna be the end of this, by the way. Everybody was gonna have these leadership conferences on Zoom, and everyone was gonna love it, and nobody was going anywhere. So, uh, love to see that that, that prediction didn’t come to pass. Now, you’re – Charles Oswald: Yeah, you know, the funny thing about that, Ryan, is – Sure. Is that we’re out there in hospitality on the sales front. We were telling our companies, our clients, why they all need to get together. And hospitality companies are like, “Well, but, but we’re gonna do it on Zoom.” Ryan Embree: Right. Right, exactly. Right? We gotta practice what we preach a little bit Charles Oswald: Both Sides of our mouth, right? Yeah. Yeah. And, and enjoying some of the hospitality, uh, that we provide every single day, right? So, so you’re headquartered in Atlanta, Charles, you’ve got. But the portfolio spans across the country, you mentioned it. Are there any particular markets that you’re seeing strong opportunities and maybe some that you’re cautiously maybe staying away from for a bit right now? Charles Oswald: Well, uh, first off, the Atlanta part. Um, right? I mean, we’re, we’re the transportation hub of the Southeast, but, uh, arguably the country and the world with the world’s biggest and busiest airport. So when we talk about, like, w- where we’re willing to go, we’ve got a competitive advantage from here in the, uh, in that we have more direct flights to more cities across the country and the globe than any other, an- anybody. Else, right? Uh, coming out of, uh, the world’s biggest and busiest airport. So, so that’s, uh, that’s, that’s really nice and not to mention there’s a, there’s certainly a lot of drive markets, uh, that are within four, four hours of, uh, of Atlanta. So, um, so yeah, that makes us pretty opportunistic when it comes to, uh, uh, hotel management assignments. You know, ideally, uh, you know, we’re looking, ideally we’re, we’re looking at, you know, those top 100 or so cities. Ideally, you know, we, we, we certainly have better presence in the eastern half of the US, but we do span from Florida beaches to coastal California. In terms of the type of markets that are, that are more ideal and better fit for us, you know, generally speaking, they’re, you know, a lot of the, the southern markets are, uh, you know, certainly performing well. They’re business friendly. We avoid union hostility, uh, where, whenever possible, right? Sure. And, um, you know, th- those are the type of markets where we’d wanna go. And in terms of, of the type of hotels, you know, again, I think leaning towards the bifurcation that we know exists in, uh, in the industry that kinda says, you know, you gotta be great at, uh, soft branding experiential properties, right? And some lifestyle assets. And, and so that we’re, we’re, we’re leaning that direction. And you see it in our pipeline. You know, so, so our pipeline includes, you know, includes today, uh, multiple Marriott, Hilton, soft branded assets, like, like Tribute and, you know, and Tapestry Autographs. We also have, uh, some brands like Compass by Margaritaville sitting in the pipeline, right? And, and independent. Um, so, so really cool, exciting places where we get to create our own brand, really, our own store – Yeah. Based off of the building that’s there. And all of those new development projects that we’re talking about have, um, they have a lot of credit. I mean, that’s the only way you can pull these off today is if you’re, if you’ve got historic tax credits, you know, so we’ve got that in multiple places and hundred plus year old buildings. It’s, you know, great stories to tell. Uh, we’ve got, uh, you know, tax increment financing, PIDs, we’ve got enterprise zone, we got the CIPLA, you know, many other different factors that have played into making a capital stat that actually works. Uh, and that’s the way to, you know, that’s, that’s the way we’re getting it done and, uh, on the new development side. Ryan Embree: Well, those are fun projects, let me tell you. Um, I, I, I’m sure to work on, because it’s like you said, I mean, you get to tell a story there. Um, sometimes there’s a story already ingrained with these historic buildings that then become a, a key foundational component of, uh, you know, what you’re building on, um, so to speak, and, you know, uh, literally and figuratively when, when it comes to your maybe digital story. So, yeah, very, very cool to see. We’ll, we’ll, we’ll be excited to watch, watch those come to, to life. I want to. We’re, we’re wrapping up here, Charles, but I always feel like it’s always my duty, you know, having the privilege to talk to leaders like you, try to just get as much inside advice as I can out of you during this time. Obviously, as a business owner, you know, starting a business never easy, so much vision, resilience, incredible amount of commitment, especially doing one where you started it during a historic time and around COVID, right? But looking back on your journey building Aperture, you know, what advice would you give maybe to the next generation of hospitality leaders? It doesn’t necessarily have to be about if someone’s wanting to build their own, uh, management company, but e- even just a hospitality professional just now today in 2026? Charles Oswald: That’s a good question. You know, some things that come to mind is, uh, it’s a one in whatever business you’re, you’re doing, if, if you’re trying to be entrepreneurial and you wanna be an owner, I’d say, you know, choose your partners carefully, right? If you’re coming up in the business, I’d say, um, master the numbers, you know, not just your gut. If you’re, you know, you’re, you’re, you’re in the hiring seat, uh, uh, as a, as a team leader, I would tell them to, um, make sure they treat people decisions as serious as the capital decisions, right? Very, very important. I think from a business development standpoint, uh, I say those guys that are trying to, you know, build a, a portfolio need to y – learn to, to read the deal and not just as an operation. I think young or old, we should embrace the tech shift. I couldn’t believe I, I have some college professor friends, I do some advisory work at several universities, and I listen to, uh, college professors and some students out there, uh, who are very, being very resilient, r- resistant to AI, talking bad about it, they view it as a threat. And, uh, I’m like, “Hey, guys, y’all need to know that we do employ people, employers are looking for those young folks to come out with some experience and exposure and learning, uh, you know, and, and, and to have some insights in how to, how, you know, we cannot adopt AI at our companies.” And, and, uh, you know, you’re doing an injustice if, uh, if you’re resisting tech shift. Uh, so, and lastly, I would say think about your reputation management, right? Like, like, protect your credibility with your owners, with your franchisors, like it’s capital, because it is. Ryan Embree: Great advice. Sound, sound about. We got. That was comprehensive. Thank you for, thank you for sharing that. No, really appreciate it. Like I said, you know, uh, try to glean as much as I can out of these conversations and share it. Um, all great advice. Um, you know, hopefully we don’t have to wait three years next time to have you back on the podcast. Would, would love to catch up with you then, but who knows where, where you’ll be and, and the growth, uh, of Aperture Hotels. But what’s next? Like, as we wrap up today’s final question, kinda what’s your vision for the future as you look into the, this latter part of the half of the 2020s, right, for Aperture Hotels? Charles Oswald: Yeah, I think, um, being involved in a few developments is, is, you know, the one side. I’d say there’s just ongoing organic growth of, uh, taking on, on, uh, new management contracts, and they’ll probably mostly still be through, management company transitions as opposed to actual ownership transitions. And then, look, M&A is on the table, right? We, we’ve studied, uh, a few other small management companies that we can maybe, uh, acquire or merge in with. And I think that’s, yeah, I, I’m continuing to be open to that, uh, that conversation and, and, uh, uh, I hope to probably do just one. Uh, I don’t think multiple, but, but, but probably just one that’s really the right fit and the right strategic play. Ryan Embree: Awesome. Well, we’re excited. It’s been cool to watch your journey and aperture hotels from when we first spoke with you to here we are now and wish you nothing but success. So thank you so much, um, for taking the time to, to spend some time with my, myself as well as our sweet spot listeners, Charles. Charles Oswald: Yeah. Thank you. It’s great chatting. I appreciate it, Ryan. Ryan Embree: alright. Thanks, everyone. We’ll talk to you next time on The SuiteSpot. To join our loyalty program, be sure to subscribe and give us a five-star rating on iTunes. Suite Spot is produced by Travel Media Group. Our editor is Brandon Bell with cover art by Bary Gordon. I’m your host, Ryan Embree, and we hope you enjoyed your stay.  

Earlier this year, Forbes released its annual Top Creators list. This week, we have two of its highest-ranked names sharing their behind-the-scenes secrets. .At Oxford Road's CAO Summit this past July, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomed two powerhouses of the creator economy: Dhar Mann (founder, Dhar Mann Studios) and John Allen, aka MrBallen (founder, Ballen Studios). In this in-depth conversation, the two stars talk about storytelling at scale, the benefits of paying attention to the comments section, and going beyond the brief. Let's dive in.“It does seem sort of fluky when somebody goes viral. I promise you it's not. Going viral might be fluky. Staying relevant is not.” -John Allen, aka MrBallen (founder, Ballen Studios)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we explore what happens when a mental health professional realizes that the career path they've built no longer aligns with who they are or where they want to go. Our guest, Carly Hill, shares her personal journey of stepping away from clinical work, including the factors that influenced her decision, the challenges she faced along the way, and the lessons she learned during the transition. Together, we discuss how clinicians can evaluate whether they're experiencing temporary burnout or a deeper desire for change, and how to thoughtfully approach a career pivot without feeling like they're abandoning their training, experience, or purpose. Whether you're considering a new professional direction or simply curious about the many ways a mental health career can evolve, this conversation offers practical guidance, honest reflection, and encouragement for anyone navigating a season of change. Success doesn't always mean staying on the same path—it can also mean having the courage to create a new one.What You'll Learn:The emotional challenges clinicians often face when considering a transition away from direct clinical work.How to navigate feelings of guilt, uncertainty, or fear when contemplating a major career change.Why leaving clinical work does not mean abandoning your training, expertise, or impact.Examples of alternative career paths and opportunities available to mental health professionals beyond traditional clinical roles.Bio:Carly Hill is a licensed clinical social worker and 7-figure business mentor for therapists and coaches. She's worked with thousands of students, helping them achieve freedom and security by teaching them how to successfully build an online coaching business that has led them to triple their revenue. Carly is also a Reiki master, NLP practitioner, and the author of the #1 Amazon best-selling book Therapreneur™- a guide to make the transition from therapist to coach. Carly has appeared on various podcasts and in numerous publications, including Forbes, Entrepreneur, NBC, CBS, & Fox News. Connect with Carly Hill:https://carlyhillcoaching.com/https://www.instagram.com/carlyhillcoaching/https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-hill-6815a1122/Dr. Margo Jacquot is the award-winning founder and Chief Care Officer of The Juniper Center, one of the largest woman-owned counseling and therapy practices in the Chicago area. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in trauma recovery, addiction treatment, and LGBTQ-affirming therapy. Dr. Jacquot is also the host of the "Mental Health Business Mentor" podcast, where she shares insights on running a successful mental health practice. thejunipercenter.comConnect with Dr. Margo Jacquot:Website: thejunipercenter.comInstagram: @thejunipercenterFacebook: The Juniper Center

The debate about whether AI will replace human workers has already been settled - not by academics or futurists, but by the organisations that fired their humans, discovered AI couldn't do what they needed, and quietly hired them back. The future isn't AI replacing humans. It's humans and AI working together in ways that neither could manage alone.In this episode, Victor Coimbra joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to share what hybrid agentic organisations actually look like in practice, and what data scientists need to do to position themselves at the centre of them.You'll discover:Why thinking of AI as a tool rather than a coworker is the mindset holding most organisations back [03:58]The four archetypes that determine which tasks belong to humans and which to agents [08:17]How AI is turning data scientists back into scientists [18:24]The two skills that will define an indispensable data scientist in a hybrid organisation [27:01]Guest BioVictor Coimbra is a Partner and CTO at Artefact, the world's largest pure-play AI consulting firm and co-founded the firm's Latin American operations. In 2024, he was recognised in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Brazil list for his outstanding contributions to AI innovation.LinksConnect with Victor on LinkedInArtefact websiteConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

The digital maps platform MapQuest has soared to the top of Apple's App Store rankings after refusing to adhere to President Donald Trump's order to change Lake Ontario's name to Lake America, even as its larger rivals Google Maps and Apple Maps have chosen to do so. Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2026/09/02/mapquest-tops-app-store-download-charts-after-defying-trump-on-lake-ontario/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're struggling to gain traction on social media for your business, this episode will give you the blueprint on how to revitalize your digital marketing strategy and scale your business without burning out.  In this special interview at the iconic Godmothers bookstore, Jamie Kern Lima interviews Natalie Ellis about her step-by-step formula for creating viral content and building a loyal audience on social media. She also breaks down how she uses Wispr Flow, Claude Code, and Replit to automate mundane tasks and provide a more personalized experience for her community, along with her advice on how entrepreneurs can better regulate their nervous systems to increase performance, productivity, and fulfillment, even in their busiest seasons.  In this episode, Natalie and Jamie will discuss: (00:00) Celebrating BossBabe's Impact on Women Globally (09:18) The Cost of Never Being Satisfied (17:33) The Myth of Having One Purpose in Life (26:07) The Value of Hustle Culture (30:56) Nervous System Regulation 101 for Entrepreneurs (36:24) My Tested Formula for Creating Content that Goes Viral (47:48) Easy Ways You Can Use AI Today to Grow Your Business (1:03:30) How to Inspire the Next Generation of Female Entrepreneurs (1:08:04) Maintaining Relationships While Healing Generational Trauma (01:13:10) When to Seek Investors Jamie Kern Lima is an entrepreneur, 2x New York Times bestselling author, and host of the #1 self-improvement podcast in the US, The Jamie Kern Lima Show. She co-founded IT Cosmetics, which she sold to L'Oréal for $1.2 billion in 2016, becoming the first female chief executive officer of a L'Oréal brand. Jamie has been included on Forbes' list of "America's Richest Self-Made Women" since 2017. She's also an active philanthropist who has funded leadership training in more than 100 prisons and shelters across the US and has donated over $40 million in product and funds to help women face the effects of cancer with confidence.  Sponsored By:  Fora Travel - Visit https://www.foratravel.com/bossbabe to learn how to turn your love of trip planning into a business. Resources Mentioned: Godmothers Natalie's Book, The Freedom-Based Business Method Wispr Flow Claude Code Replit Connect with Jamie Kern Lima: Instagram LinkedIn Website YouTube Jamie's Podcast, The Jamie Kern Lima Show Connect with Natalie:  Instagram LinkedIn Website YouTube Natalie's Book, The Freedom-Based Business Method artificial intelligence, AI tools, AI for business, social media marketing, personal branding, entrepreneurship, content creation, Natalie Ellis, Jamie Kern Lima, BossBabe, Claude Code, Replit, Wispr Flow, AI automation, AI marketing, business automation, social media growth, build a personal brand, audience growth, content strategy, viral content, creator economy, digital marketing, AI for entrepreneurs, business growth, online business, community building

How can leaders create a culture where people feel inspired to share ideas, stay curious and think differently? On this Live Greatly podcast episode, Kristel Bauer sits down with former Google executive and award-winning keynote speaker Steve Lerch to talk about his new book, INNOVATE: Igniting a Culture of Curiosity and Perpetual Improvement. Steve shares lessons from his time at Google and actionable strategies to help leaders foster innovation, build trust and create an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up and sharing new ideas. Kristel and Steve also discuss psychological safety, why celebrating the sharing of ideas matters, how to cultivate greater inspiration and curiosity, and what creativity and innovation look like in the age of AI. Plus, Steve reveals whether his experience working at Google was anything like The Internship with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Key Takeaways From This Episode: How leaders can build a culture of innovation Tips to cultivate inspiration and curiosity How to create an environment where people actually want to share ideas The connection between psychological safety, trust and innovation Why leaders should celebrate the sharing of ideas Insights from Steve's new book, INNOVATE Creativity and innovation in the age of AI What Steve's experience working at Google was really like ABOUT STEVE LERCH: Steve Lerch is an award-winning international keynote speaker, consultant, and former Google Executive, who has become a highly respected voice in the world of innovation, leadership, digital strategy, and consumer behavior. Steve is the author of INNOVATE: Igniting a Culture of Curiosity and Perpetual Improvement. Connect with Steve Lerch:  Order his book: https://a.co/d/07YFv0Kd    Website: https://www.stevelerch.com/    Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelerchspeaks/  About the Host of the Live Greatly podcast, Kristel Bauer: Kristel Bauer is a corporate wellness and performance expert, keynote speaker and TEDx speaker supporting organizations and individuals on their journeys for more happiness and success. She is the award-winning author of Work-Life Tango: Finding Happiness, Harmony, and Peak Performance Wherever You Work (John Murray Business November 19, 2024). With Kristel's healthcare background, she provides data driven actionable strategies to leverage happiness and high-power habits to drive growth mindsets, peak performance, profitability, well-being and a culture of excellence. Kristel's keynotes provide insights to "Live Greatly" while promoting leadership development and team building. Kristel is the creator and host of her global top self-improvement podcast, Live Greatly. She is a contributing writer for Entrepreneur, and she is an influencer in the business and wellness space having been recognized as a Top 10 Social Media Influencer of 2021 in Forbes. As an Integrative Medicine Fellow & Physician Assistant having practiced clinically in Integrative Psychiatry, Kristel has a unique perspective into attaining a mindset for more happiness and success. Kristel has presented to groups from the American Gas Association, Bank of America, bp, Commercial Metals Company, General Mills, Northwestern University, Santander Bank and many more. Kristel's work has been featured in Forbes and she has had multiple TV appearances including NBC News Daily, ABC News Live, FOX Weather, ABC 7 Chicago, WGN Daytime Chicago and more. Kristel lives in the Chicago, IL area and she can be booked for speaking engagements worldwide. To Book Kristel as a speaker for your next event, click here. Website: www.livegreatly.co  Follow Kristel Bauer on: Instagram: @livegreatly_co  LinkedIn: Kristel Bauer Twitter: @livegreatly_co Facebook: @livegreatly.co Youtube: Live Greatly, Kristel Bauer To Watch Kristel Bauer's TEDx talk of Redefining Work/Life Balance in a COVID-19 World click here. Click HERE to check out Kristel's corporate wellness and leadership blog Click HERE to check out Kristel's Travel and Wellness Blog Disclaimer: The contents of this podcast are intended for informational and educational purposes only. Always seek the guidance of your physician for any recommendations specific to you or for any questions regarding your specific health, your sleep patterns changes to diet and exercise, or any medical conditions.  Always consult your physician before starting any supplements or new lifestyle programs. All information, views and statements shared on the Live Greatly podcast are purely the opinions of the authors, and are not medical advice or treatment recommendations.  They have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration.  Opinions of guests are their own and Kristel Bauer & this podcast does not endorse or accept responsibility for statements made by guests.  Neither Kristel Bauer nor this podcast takes responsibility for possible health consequences of a person or persons following the information in this educational content.  Always consult your physician for recommendations specific to you.

CLIMBers, if you're interested in achieving financial stability and financial freedom as an indie artist without compromising your artistic integrity, this episode is for you! Dan Scott is a musician, attorney, advisor, and founder dedicated to helping creatives build good lives where their work, wealth, and purpose align. You can do it all; you just need to have a few tools in the toolbox. After beginning his legal career at Sullivan and Cromwell, he founded Scott Law in 2015 and then launched Spotlight Advisory Group, where he advises artists, entrepreneurs, and creators on ownership, financial freedom, intellectual property, and long-term legacy. He's a contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines; Dan speaks on creativity, entrepreneurship, and the evolving creator economy, and his upcoming book, which has not been released yet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in the episode:Smidge- All Supplements and Products | Smidge® Code- GOLDIVY10 for a 10% discount at checkoutGenesis Gold- Genesis Gold® | Hypothalamus Support Supplement - Code GOLDIVY for 10% off at checkoutDr. Stephanie's- Shop Dr. Stephanie's Here Code- GOLDIVY30 for 30% off at checkoutGuest: Hannah PerezInstagram: hannah perez (@hanxperez) • Instagram photos and videos In this episode of Ivy Unleashed, we sit down with Hannah Perez, co-founder of the game-changing clear protein brand SEEQ and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.Hannah opens up about what it really takes to scale a brand with the vision of hitting $100 million, from the raw grit needed behind the scenes to the goofy, high-energy momentum tactics that keep her team moving forward every day. We dive deep into the power of delusional optimism, how to step into the identity of your future self to manifest high-level outcomes, and the exact daily practices she relies on to navigate the highs and lows of entrepreneurship without hitting burnout.Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a founder looking to scale, or someone wanting to upgrade your mindset and manifestation practices, this high-energy conversation will leave you inspired to dream bigger and take immediate action.*Additionally, we want to remind you that this podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. We are not licensed therapists, and this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.*#delusionaloptimism #forbes30under30 #seeqprotein #ivyunleashedSupport the show

"It's really that investment to transition from a legacy industry into a future industry…that is aiming to drive more sustainability and manufacturing processes and products overall…One of the things that we fundamentally see as being important in this economic shift, and we say it in this Practical Guide to the Green Economy, is that this transition we believe will favor places that make things.… and we want to make them better and more sustainable." Bethia Burke on Electric Ladies Podcast As communities seek economic growth and manufacturing jobs, a recent study found that manufacturing jobs related to clean energy and using environmentally-friendly practices are helping drive economic growth. What exactly are so called "green jobs," where are they really making a difference? Listen to Bethia Burke, President, The Fund For Our Economic Future, share the findings of their study - and lessons for other communities - in this fascinating discussion with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson, which first aired last year. They also share insightful career advice. You'll hear about: What their study found about "green jobs" and local economies, including job (re)training. What lessons other communities can take from Ohio's experience – including in their Practical Guide to the Green Economy. Why manufacturing based on sustainable business attracts more workers, enhances communities and helps people stay where they are. How the Infrastructure Investment Act, Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act have been huge boosts to Ohio – and how other communities can tap them too. Plus, insightful career advice, such as… "Often we put women in these do-gooder roles, and, these socially beneficial roles, and they take significantly lower salaries because part of what they want to achieve is service and positive societal benefits forward.…(but) ask for a higher salary, even if it is in a social service oriented sector.… I think any woman in any job, whatever she is trying to achieve…take whatever you think your level is, and add at least 20% because you're definitely underselling yourself." Betha Burke on Electric Ladies Podcast Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Read Joan's Forbes articles here. You'll also like: 6 Ways Sustainability Can Help Businesses Navigate Tough Times - with Workiva and KPMG experts. Women's Trillions Drive New Economic Values - with LGT Private Bank advisor Silvia Bastante de Unverhau How Michigan Leveraged the Inflation Reduction Act incentives for Record Economic Growth - with Michigan Chief Growth Officer, Hilary Doe How Energy Policy Can Drive Economic Growth - with Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus Nuclear Energy As A Growth Sector - with President of the Nuclear Energy Institute, Maria Korsnick, a nuclear engineer who also ran a reactor. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

There is now a tool that will literally go find journalist requests, podcast opportunities, and press placements for your brand — and send them straight to your inbox automatically.Work with us → www.visibilityonpurpose.com

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Ron Culp joins host Jason Mudd to discuss why business acumen now outweighs writing skills in PR hiring, the three stages of a corporate PR career, and five practical ways to build business acumen at any career stage.Tune in to learn more!Meet Our Guest:Our guest is Ron Culp, a professional-in-residence at DePaul University and a former corporate chief communications officer. He brings decades of experience across government, corporate communications, public relations agencies, and higher education, where he helps prepare the next generation of PR professionals.Five things you'll learn from this episode: 1. Three stages of corporate public relations2. Why business acumen has taken over writing skills as the top thing employers want3. Five practical ways students and young professionals can build business acumen4. Why understanding how your company makes money changes the decisions you make5. Why business acumen matters Quotables"When what you're doing isn't having any impact on the business, you really have to question it. If you don't, you're gonna start being questioned." – Ron Culp"You just make better decisions if you have a sense of what the business is all about." – Ron Culp"Good writers are good thinkers, always has been the case, and good writers can be trained." – Ron Culp"If we can't figure out how they make money, then I'm not sure we can be the trusted strategic partner that we need to be." – Jason MuddIf you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend. You may also support us through Buy Me a Coffee or by leaving us a quick podcast review.Guest's contact info and resources:Ron Culp on LinkedInRon Culp's blog: culpwrit.comAgeism in the workplace: Hiring bias, careers, and the future of workHow trusted strategic advisors influence leadersAdditional Resources:Marketing leaders are reframing reputation management as a revenue strategyTraditional PR doesn't work anymoreHow to turn social and reputation management into a revenue operating systemListen to more episodes of the On Top of PR with Jason Mudd podcastFind out more about Axia Public RelationsIf you like this episode, you're going to love this:How public relations changes business outcomesHow communications professionals shape business successMaximizing Agency Partnerships with Mark RiggsRecorded: August, 2026Support the showOn Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America's Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

In today's episode, you'll discover: 1.    Conflict may be the doorway to the relationship you actually want. 2.    Stop outsourcing your judgment—even to really smart people. 3.    Stop making your peace dependent on someone else's cooperation. To support these three takeaways, I chose a quote from Marc Benioff: "You must always be able to predict what's next and then have the flexibility to evolve." About Allison Maslan: Allison Maslan has built 10 companies over 40 years and was named one of Forbes' "10 Women Entrepreneurs to Watch." She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Scale or Fail, endorsed by Daymond John and Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank. For 17 years, she and her CEO Business Mentors have helped over 150,000 Founders scale their companies and create more freedom through Pinnacle Global Network, an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company four years running. How to Get in Touch with Allison Maslan: Website: https://pinnacleglobalnetwork.com/ Email:  support@pinnaclegn.com Gift: http://pinnacleglobalnetwork.com/SalesGame   Stalk me online! Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/conniewhitman Communication Style Assessment (CSA)™: https://www.assess.biz/assessments/assessment_entry.asp?m=1188&a=1177 Subscribe to the Enlightenment of Change Podcast on your favorite podcast streaming service or YouTube.  New episodes are posted every week - listen as Connie delves into new sales and business topics or addresses problems you may have in your business.

Kimberly McCreight is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including Reconstructing Amelia, which was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, and Alex Awards and was called Entertainment Weekly's Favorite Book of the Year. A Good Marriage was named a Best Book of the Summer by the New York Times, People, and Publishers Weekly. It was also an Amazon Best Mystery of the Month. A TV adaptation of A Good Marriage is coming soon from Amazon and Nicole Kidman's Blossom Films. A national bestseller, also currently being adapted for television, Like Mother, Like Daughter was named a CBS New York book club pick and was a Book of the Month selection. McCreight's most recent book is Someone Else's Husband. A Katie Couric Book Club selection, Someone Else's Husband was named a best book of the summer by People, the Boston Globe and Forbes, among others, and an Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far. It has been optioned for television by Lionsgate and 3Arts. She attended Vassar College and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her two daughters. Kimberly joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about how she keeps things moving and how she kept going after dealing with rejection, being a literary writer writing thrillers, writing different point of view characters, inserting flashbacks, twists, perfectionism, how running and training relates to writing, and much more. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. (Recorded on July 24, 2026) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)  

What if AI could help us understand people better, rather than simply replacing what humans do?Episode summaryHow can we use AI to become better at persuasion, communication and understanding human behaviour? My guest on this episode is Roger Dooley, author of The Persuasion Engine, a new book exploring what happens when behavioural science meets rapidly evolving technology.Roger argues that tools once available only to large organisations — from behavioural science expertise to eye-tracking — are becoming accessible to almost anyone. We explore how AI can act as a personal “nudge unit”, helping us apply ideas from behavioural science, test communications and understand how different audiences might respond.We also discuss why simply asking an AI for an answer isn't enough, how to push LLMs beyond predictable responses, and why human judgement remains essential.Roger introduces his idea of a “60-second audit” — using AI to identify how communications might be misunderstood or backfire before we send them.Along the way, we talk about Cialdini, cognitive biases, invisible calls-to-action, board papers, cultural disasters, AI collaborators, rally driving, long division and why the best analogy for AI might be a power tool rather than a replacement for human thinking.Guest bioRoger Dooley is an author, speaker and behavioural science expert who has spent years exploring a deceptively simple question: why do people do what they do?His latest book, The Persuasion Engine (Wiley, 2026), looks at what happens when behavioural science meets AI — and how tools once available only to big companies with big budgets are now becoming accessible to almost anyone.Roger is also the author of Friction, named a Top 3 Management Book by PwC's strategy+business, and Brainfluence, which has been published in 11 languages.He brings an unusually practical perspective to the subject. Roger co-founded College Confidential  and today he combines that entrepreneurial experience with behavioural science in his writing, speaking and teaching.He is a lecturer at McCombs Business School, a Forbes contributor and host of the Brainfluence podcast — and his work focuses on helping organisations understand people better, remove unnecessary friction and communicate in ways that actually work.AI-Generated Timestamped Summary00:00 — What if AI could be your behavioural scientist?05:00 — Cialdini, behavioural science and why people don't know why they decide10:00 — Eye-tracking, attention and what people actually notice15:00 — Making important information more visible20:00 — Board reports, visual hierarchy and designing for human attention25:00 — Better prompting and getting AI beyond obvious answers30:00 — What happens to human expertise when AI knows the theory?35:00 — Reactance, unintended consequences and communications that backfire40:00 — Cultural context, reputation and Roger's “60-second audit”45:00 — Using AI to become better at understanding other audiences50:00 — Roger's lifelong interest in technology and what comes next55:00 — Cognitive offloading, critical judgement and rally driving57:00 — Why AI is best thought of as a power toolLinks to topics discussedThe Persuasion Engine — Roger's latest book on how AI, behavioural science and neuromarketing tools are becoming accessible to organisations of all sizes.Roger's previous appearance on this podcast talking about Friction.RogerDooley.com — Roger's website, including his books, articles, speaking and latest work.Roger on LinkedIn — where Roger regularly shares ideas on behavioural science, persuasion, AI and marketing.The Brainfluence Podcast — Roger's podcast exploring behaviour, persuasion, neuroscience and business.Roger's episode on The Persuasion Engine — his own introduction to the ideas behind the book, including what he calls “Neuromarketing 2.0”.Friction — Roger's previous book, and the subject of his earlier appearance on The Human Risk Podcast.

Tim Kanak (@fantasyaceball) and Jon Anderson (@JonPgh) are back with another episode of the T-10 MLB Prospects of the Week, powered by MLB Data Warehouse.Every week, Tim and Jon break down the most impressive performances from across Minor League Baseball, combining prospect scouting, player development, dynasty fantasy baseball analysis, statistical performance, and future MLB upside.#1 Austin Gordon, SP, Angels — AAThe Angels right-hander takes the top spot after a dominant week that included 7 perfect innings and 8 strikeouts. Gordon has become one of the biggest helium stories in the Angels system, featuring a four-pitch mix led by two distinct breaking balls.#2 Jason Schiavone, C/1B, Astros — AAThirty home runs. Twenty-seven stolen bases. As a catcher. Schiavone continues one of the most unexpected breakout seasons in the minors after hitting .400 with 6 extra-base hits and 5 home runs this week.#3 Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B, Brewers — AAFischer surpassed 40 home runs on the season, including a three-homer game during another massive week. The raw power is absolutely elite, and the big question is whether the hit tool can improve enough for the entire offensive profile to play.#4 Matthew Etzel, OF, Marlins — AAAEtzel filled up the box score with a .429 average, 5 extra-base hits, 3 homers, and 3 steals. The athletic outfielder continues to show a balanced offensive profile with power, speed, and on-base ability.#5 Mason Molina, SP, Cardinals — AAAFresh off his promotion to Triple-A, Molina delivered 5 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts and no walks. His excellent changeup leads a pitch mix that could eventually make him a valuable big-league starter.#6 Jason Gilman, SP, Red Sox — High-AThe Division III product is one of the best stories in the Red Sox system, punching out 10 hitters over 5⅓ scoreless innings. His elite fastball carry and nasty sweeper are producing serious swing-and-miss results.#7 Carter Graham, 1B, Reds — AAOne of the year's biggest breakout bats, Graham hit .348 with 5 extra-base hits and 4 home runs. A legitimate swing-path adjustment has helped transform his power production.#8 Patrick Forbes, SP, Diamondbacks — High-AThe former shortstop turned power pitcher struck out 8 hitters in 4 scoreless innings. With velocity up to 100 mph and a deep arsenal, Forbes possesses some of the most exciting raw stuff in the Arizona system.#9 Tai Peete, OF, Cardinals — AAPeete continues his monster second half, hitting .556 with 2 home runs and 2 steals. The power and speed combination is electric, and his recent production has been impossible for dynasty managers to ignore.#10 Brian Curley, SP/RP, Diamondbacks — AACurley rounds out the T-10 after 5 shutout innings and 9 strikeouts. The undersized fireballer brings triple-digit velocity, multiple quality breaking pitches, and the attitude to potentially become a high-leverage weapon.• Week 21's best MLB prospect performances• Dynasty baseball risers and breakout candidates• The biggest power hitters in MiLB• Breakout pitching prospects• Prospect scouting reports and tool grades• Future MLB contributors and fantasy baseball targets• Which performances are sustainable — and which might be fool's gold?Hosted by Tim Kanak (@fantasyaceball) and Jon Anderson (@JonPgh), the T-10 is your weekly source for MLB prospect analysis, dynasty fantasy baseball strategy, Minor League Baseball scouting, and the next generation of Major League Baseball stars.Subscribe to MLB Data Warehouse, the Prospect Warehouse Podcast, and follow Tim on YouTube for weekly prospect rankings, scouting reports, fantasy baseball analysis, and the most important stories from across MiLB.#MLBProspects #FantasyBaseball #DynastyBaseball #MiLB #MinorLeagueBaseball #ProspectRankings #Top100Prospects #Top150Prospects #MLBPipeline #MLBDraft #BaseballProspects #FantasyBaseballPodcast #ProspectWarehouse #MLBDataWarehouse #FantasyAceball

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Alexis Morin, founder and principal of Soul Work Coaching, for a deep, tender, and surprisingly practical conversation about money, justice, spirituality, and leadership.Alexis co-founded and led a national nonprofit, Students for Education Reform, through her 20s, earned a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, won the Interreligious Engagement Prize for her thesis on “spiritual but not religious” folks, and has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list twice. Today, she blends executive coaching, spiritual care, interreligious theology, and community organizing to support nonprofit leaders and people in career transition who feel called to do work that actually aligns with their values.We talk about:What it's really like to grow a student group into a national nonprofit — and how idealism collides with the brutal realities of inequality and philanthropyThe moment a Buddhist coach lobbed a “good grenade” into Alexis's worldview by asking: “What would it feel like if you really believed the universe was benevolent?”Why capitalism functions like the dominant religion of our time, and how that shapes our sense of worth, success, and safetyHow fundraising can be a spiritual practice and civic act, not just “begging rich people for money”Why grassroots fundraising and small gifts can build more real power than a handful of billionaire checksHow Alexis now helps nonprofit leaders and changemakers do “soul work”: interrogating their ideas about justice, money, and calling so they can make aligned decisions about leadership, transitions, and careerI also share some of my own story — from being a first-gen, lower-middle-class student navigating elite spaces, to getting seriously ill and having to confront what I am without my income or productivity. We connect this to the paradox that often, letting go of our tight grip on money and status is what finally frees us to ask for more, lead more boldly, and show up more fully.If you've ever wrestled with questions like:How do I fundraise or get paid well without betraying my values?How do I hold onto hope and agency in a world that feels increasingly unequal and unjust?Can spirituality and ambition actually coexist?…this conversation is for you.Learn more about Alexis and her work:Website: AlexisMorin.meInstagram: @alexisrmorin (personal and business all-in-one, delightfully unhinged at times, in the best way)Text me your thoughts on this episode!Enjoy the show? Don't miss an episode, listen and subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  Leave me a review in Apple Podcasts. Connect with meBook a free hour-long consultation with me. You'll leave with your custom blueprint to confidence, and we'll ensure it's a slam-dunk fit for you before you commit to working with me 1:1. Connect with me on LinkedIn Email me at jamie@jamieleecoach.com 

Today I am joined by Christina Kim! Christina is the founder of her namesake New Jersey-based interior design firm, specializing in the design of bespoke ground-up residences. Whether designing a chic city apartment or a breezy forever beach home, Christina brings her signature warm, soft, modern style to life—creating homes that feel effortlessly stylish, deeply personal, and rooted in laid-back luxury. Her work has been featured in the Kips Bay Show House, House Beautiful, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Elle Decor, Rue Magazine, and more.In this episode we talked about Christina's journey to becoming an interior designer, how she started her firm, her love of art, and so much more! Christina's InstagramChristina's WebsiteKips Bay Boys and Girls Club I'd like to thank this month's sponsor, Alexandra Kaval, owner of Grace Space Christian Coaching! Apply to work together through a clarity callGrowth Without Burnout Signature 1:1 ProgramFlourish Group Coaching ProgramInstant access to the How to Seek Your Next Right Step from God guide through joining our email listPodcastGSCC YouTubeGSCC Instagram

Boarderie is redefining entertaining and gifting with beautifully arranged, ready-to-serve cheese and charcuterie boards delivered straight to your door. Founded in 2021, the family-run company was born out of the pandemic, when a Palm Beach hospitality business was forced to close. What started as a solution for bringing the restaurant and catering experience home quickly grew into a nationwide DTC brand, earning recognition from Oprah's Favorite Things, Shark Tank, and Forbes.Find Me:IG + TikTok citrusdiaries.studiocitrusdiaries.com | hello@citrusdiaries.comCreate your ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ today! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#madeonzencastr

About This Episode In this episode, Frank Cottle sits down with David Grossman — one of America's foremost authorities on leadership and change communication inside organizations. Grossman is founder and CEO of The Grossman Group, a trusted executive coach to the C-suite, and a six-time author whose award-winning Heart First series is applauded by leaders worldwide. His latest book, The Heart Work of Modern Leadership: 6 Differentiators of Exceptional Leaders (Amplify Publishing Group, 2026), is an Amazon Best Seller across four business categories. His commentary has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, Fast Company, Newsweek, the World Economic Forum — and Allwork.Space.   The conversation moves from The Grossman Group's research with The Harris Poll — which found AI to be the single biggest change-management issue in business today — into the surprising heart of his new book: it's not the bad leaders organizations should worry about. It's the good ones.

A whistleblower at the U.S. Postal Service reported “grave concerns” with the agency's new system for mail-in ballots as it's come under fire in court, warning lawmakers that the “risky and haphazard” implementation of the rule could keep millions of voters from receiving a mail-in ballot in the November midterms. Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2026/09/01/usps-whistleblower-warns-new-rule-could-keep-voters-from-getting-ballots-what-to-know/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wes Moss is a Managing Partner and Chief Investment Strategist at Capital Investment Advisors (CIA), where he leads a team dedicated to helping individuals and families achieve financial independence. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and prominent money educator, Wes is the author of What The Happiest Retirees Know and You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think, and hosts the nationally recognized Retire Sooner Podcast alongside his weekly call-in radio show, Money Matters. Recognized nationally by Barron's, Forbes, and Investopedia for his expertise in income investing and retirement lifestyle planning, he holds a degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lives in Atlanta with his family.Connect with Wes Moss:Website: https://www.wesmoss.com/ The Retire Sooner Method: The 5 Secrets Behind America's Happiest (and Unhappiest) Retirees. https://a.co/d/00AA74b0 Need expert tax planning? Visit GTG Tax to learn how to make your taxes work for your goals: https://gtgtax.com/ TurnKey Podcast Productions Important Links:Guest to Gold Video Series: www.TurnkeyPodcast.com/gold The Ultimate Podcast Launch Formula- www.TurnkeyPodcast.com/UPLFplusFREE workshop on how to "Be A Great Guest."Free E-Book 5 Ways to Make Money Podcasting at www.Turnkeypodcast.com/gift Ready to earn 6-figures with your podcast? See if you've got what it takes at TurnkeyPodcast.com/quizSales Training for Podcasters: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sales-training-for-podcasters/id1540644376Nice Guys on Business: http://www.niceguysonbusiness.com/subscribe/The Turnkey Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/turnkey-podcast/id1485077152 Discover how you can look 'poor' to the IRS and rich to a lender. Check out my sponsor, GTG Tax Planning, at gtgtax.com to book a short discovery call.

When's the last time you thought about whether the way you're showing up in your business is actually attracting the people you want in your community? There's plenty of pressure to perform online. Follow the formula. Feed the algorithm. Polish your content until it looks perfect. Yet, the more polished and automated marketing becomes, the more valuable genuine human connection can feel. In this Mastering Excellence conversation, Nikki welcomes visibility mentor and Behavior Change Specialist Chardét Ryel to explore what it means to call in a community instead of constantly pushing your message out. You learn how your voice, curiosity, listening skills, and willingness to show up as yourself create trust and attract people who already feel aligned with you before a sales conversation even begins. The Transformation Before listening, you may find yourself: Feeling pressure to perform or present a polished version of yourself online. Relying on marketing formulas that don't feel natural to you. Wondering how to attract more of the right people without constantly promoting yourself. Moving too quickly into selling when you recognize someone may need what you offer. After listening, you learn how to: Use your natural voice to build authority, trust, and connection. Create marketing that allows the right people to self-select into your community. Ask better questions and listen beyond what's being said. Recognize when curiosity, pauses, and genuine connection create opportunities for deeper sales conversations. Build an evergreen ecosystem that allows people to discover you when they're ready. Key Takeaways In this episode, Nikki and Chardét discuss: Why becoming more human matters as AI makes content easier to automate and polish. The difference between push marketing and creating an environment that naturally pulls the right people toward you. Why showing up authentically doesn't mean everyone needs to become unscripted. How asking genuine questions allows you to understand someone before deciding whether there's a sales opportunity. Why being willing to pause and listen is an advanced sales skill. How creating safety and paying attention to nonverbal cues strengthens trust. Why your marketing ecosystem needs evergreen content people can discover long after you create it. Call In Instead of Constantly Pushing Out Chardét describes calling in your community through the difference between push and pull marketing. Push marketing puts your message in front of people, often without knowing whether they're the right fit. Pull marketing creates an environment where your messaging, voice, branding, and client experience attract people who recognize themselves in what you're sharing. By the time this person reaches a sales conversation or checkout page, they've already started to self-select. This doesn't mean you stop promoting your business. It means you create more opportunities for the right people to think: "You're my person." This makes the sales conversation more natural because you're not trying to convince someone to fit. You're discovering whether the alignment is already there. Show Up in a Way That Feels Like You When Nikki asks Chardét for the first thing someone needs to understand about how she calls in her community, Chardét's answer is: Be willing to go unscripted. For Chardét, this means allowing train-of-thought moments, laughter, changes of direction, and imperfection to show up in her videos, webinars, newsletters, and podcast. However, the lesson isn't that everyone needs to throw away their scripts. The deeper question is: What truly feels like you? When structure makes you feel grounded and confident, use structure. When you're at your best responding in the moment, give yourself more room to be unscripted. The goal isn't to imitate someone else's version of authenticity. It's to communicate in a way that lets people experience the real you. Curiosity Before the Sales Opportunity Chardét shares that there was a time when meeting someone with a potential need immediately triggered the thought: "I need to sell to you." Now, she approaches these conversations differently. Even when someone mentions wanting to start a podcast or YouTube channel, she doesn't immediately move into selling. She asks questions. She listens. She gets curious about what this person wants to achieve and why it matters to them. This gives her the opportunity to understand more than whether there's a match between a need and one of her offers. She can also notice whether there's alignment in values, motivation, and the way they want to work. For Nikki, this reinforces a core principle of relationship-based selling: understand the person before you move toward the sale. The Power of the Pause One of the most useful sales skills in this conversation is also one of the simplest: Be willing to pause. Chardét intentionally leaves space in conversations instead of immediately filling the silence. Why? Because people often keep talking. And what comes next can be the information you really need. Nikki describes being comfortable with silence as an advanced selling skill. When you don't rush to fill every pause, the other person may tell you how to relate to them, how to earn their trust, what matters to them, and even how to sell to them. The pause isn't empty space. It's an opportunity to listen. Nikki's Three Things That Need to Be in Place Before You Sell The conversation about listening and referrals brings forward an important Sales Maven framework. Before selling to someone, Nikki teaches that three things need to be in place: 1. They understand they have a need. When someone isn't aware of a need, earning their business becomes much more difficult. 2. You have a solution that meets this need. A need doesn't automatically mean your offer is the right solution. 3. You have permission. Before moving into selling, make sure you've earned permission to have this conversation. This is one reason referrals can feel so natural. Someone recognizes a need, knows a person who has a solution, and asks permission to make the introduction. These same three elements belong in your sales conversations. Build an Evergreen Ecosystem Calling in your community isn't only about how you show up in a one-on-one conversation. Chardét encourages business owners to create an ecosystem that gives people multiple ways to enter their world. This may include: A podcast YouTube A newsletter Webinars Other evergreen content You don't always know where a future buyer discovers you or when they're ready to engage. Creating at least one evergreen platform means the work you're doing today continues to introduce people to your voice, ideas, and business in the future. This also reduces the pressure to constantly recreate content simply to stay visible. A Quote Worth Remembering "The pause isn't empty space. It's an opportunity to listen." Try This This Week Choose one conversation this week and practice staying curious longer than you normally would. Ask one more genuine question before talking about yourself or your offer. Then, when the other person finishes answering, allow a pause. Don't rush to fill it. Pay attention to what they say next, the words they choose, their body language, and what seems important to them. Notice what you learn when your goal is understanding the person instead of getting to the sales opportunity. Who This Episode Is For This episode is especially valuable when you: Want to attract aligned clients without relying entirely on social media algorithms. Feel pressure to present a polished version of yourself online. Want your visibility strategy to feel more natural and sustainable. Are working on asking better questions and listening more deeply in sales conversations. Want to build authority and trust without constantly proving your expertise. Are creating a community around your business and want the right people to recognize that they belong there. Keep the Conversation Going Did today's conversation give you a new way to think about visibility, community, and how you show up with prospective clients? Here are a few places to continue learning: Connect with Chardét Ryel: https://www.chardetryel.com/ Listen to Chardét's private podcast, Secrets of Standing Out Online: Visit Chardét's website to access the 10-part private podcast series. Explore the Sales Maven Society: https://yoursalesmaven.com/sales-maven-society/ Discover more relationship-based selling strategies: https://yoursalesmaven.com Listen to more episodes of the Sales Maven Show: https://yoursalesmaven.com/sales-maven-podcast/ Timestamps 00:13 Welcome to the Mastering Excellence Series and meet Chardét Ryel 02:38 How Chardét supports female founders in finding and using their deeper voice 05:41 Why human connection becomes more valuable as AI grows 09:27 What it means to call in the community you want to build 10:12 The difference between push marketing and pull marketing 14:29 Why Chardét chooses to show up unscripted 15:12 Finding the right balance between structure and authenticity 18:13 Who Chardét wants to call into her community 21:24 Listening beyond the words someone says 23:38 How Chardét creates safety and trust in conversations 25:21 Why using pauses is an advanced sales skill 29:10 Curiosity before selling 33:52 Nikki's three requirements before you sell to someone 36:23 The structure behind calling in an aligned community 37:29 Why an evergreen marketing ecosystem matters 38:59 The Little Something Extra with Chardét 39:59 Where to connect with Chardét About Chardét Ryel Chardét Ryel is a Behavior Change Specialist and serial entrepreneur with over thirteen years of marketing and business development experience. She started her career pitching to Fortune 500 companies while working for a tiny four-person startup in New York before starting her first company, a wellness brand, in 2013. As a visibility mentor and Forbes-featured Top 200 podcaster, Chardét supports female founders in using their voice to build authority, trust, and demand without relying on algorithms or constantly proving themselves online. Learn more at https://www.chardetryel.com/. About Nikki Rausch Nikki Rausch guides service-based women entrepreneurs who aren't yet comfortable with selling to confidently enroll more clients through natural, relationship-based conversations. Through practical strategies and proven frameworks, you learn how to create consistent business growth while staying true to your values. Whether you're building sales confidence, improving client enrollment, or refining your sales communication, Nikki shows you how to create sales that feel natural and results that feel inevitable.

You can find more from Alexandra here:AtHomeHypnosis.comThetaSpringHypnosis.comBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H16H4KTQWhat actually happens in a hypnotic state—and what can it teach us about accessing our most authentic voice? In this fascinating episode of The Self Esteem and Confidence Mindset, we sit down with Alexandra Janelli, hypnotherapist, author, and practice coach with sixteen years of private client work in New York City, to explore what really happens beneath the surface of the conscious mind and how practitioners—and everyday people—can move beyond scripts to access something more authentic.Alexandra is the founder of Theta Spring Hypnosis and At Home Hypnosis, and bestselling author of "Advanced Hypnosis: A Practitioner's Guide Beyond Scripts and Techniques." Featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Vogue, and Oprah Magazine, and recognised as Best of New York for hypnotherapy, she shares how the hypnotic state reveals the parts of ourselves we've learned to silence—and how reconnecting with them unlocks genuine self-trust and visibility.

A colleague of mine, Grace Foster, wrote an insightful article for Forbes magazine this summer about the value of English majors in an age of AI. Specifically, she shares the value of “close reading” as a skill that we all should have: slow down, be critical, and understand how to turn good writing into something great. In this episode, I share her perspectives and mine to make this one of your core communication skills. https://www.forbes.com/sites/gracefoster/2026/07/14/english-majors-can-teach-us-how-to-be-indispensable-in-the-age-of-ai/ The post Ep. 402 – Close reading as the bridge to clear writing appeared first on Just Saying.

Anna Barnhill has spent sixteen years studying why even the most accomplished leaders get stuck — and exactly how they break through. Her new book, Leaderwired: The AI Era Leadership Playbook for Transforming How You Think, Decide, and Lead, blends psychology, behavioral science, and modern leadership research into a practical methodology for real, lasting transformation. Anna is a Professional Fellow at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School and teaches Leadership and Innovation at MIT Professional Education. She holds the ICF Master Certified Coach credential — a distinction earned by fewer than 1% of coaches worldwide — and is also a Marshall Goldsmith Certified Coach. Her insights on leadership regularly appear in Forbes. Her tools and frameworks have been refined through thousands of coaching hours with Fortune 500 executives, giving her a rare, real-world perspective on what leaders need to thrive in the AI era. Click here to connect with Anna on LinkedIn.

Aman Advani is Founder and CEO of Ministry of Supply, a clothing brand using science to make the world's most comfortable clothing. The company was founded in 2012 with the mission to incorporate fundamental engineering and performance principles into clothing staples, ultimately building a wardrobe that both looks good, and feels comfortable.Prior to co-founding Ministry of Supply, Advani spent 4 years in management and non-profit consulting with Deloitte and TechnoServe. He holds a BSIE from Georgia Tech, and half an MBA from MIT, was a member of Forbes 30 under 30 list and BBJ's 40 Under 40 list, and has been featured as the cover of both ASB and Boston Magazine. Most recently, Aman was named to the NRF's 2023 "List of People Shaping Retail."In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:00] Introduction[01:58] First reactions to AI tools and Lovable[05:04] Co-founder's non-technical background[07:39] Sponsor: Klaviyo[09:45] Using Claude for CRO and analytics[13:07] Sponsor: IntelliGems[15:16] Build vs buy for AI customer service[19:12] How much human oversight remains[20:17] Sponsor: eFulfillment Service[22:04] More efficiencies from AI tools[24:22] Building an internal production system[27:05] Why AI makes agencies more valuable[29:42] Callouts[29:52] Getting teams comfortable taking the demo[32:08] Testing fast without overthinkingResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeMachine Washable Everything ministryofsupply.com/pages/home-2  Follow Aman Advani linkedin.com/in/amanadvani Book a demo today a intelligems.io/ Get your free demo klaviyo.com/honest Lower scale costs today eFulfillmentService.com/honest If you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

In the past couple of weeks, the Trump administration has reignited its trade war with Canada, threatened an ‘economic D-day' against Iran and watched the US national debt surpass $40tn. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has personally made billions of dollars since returning to office. Jonathan Freedland speaks to Dan Alexander of Forbes about how Trump has amassed his fortune – and what his economic record could mean for voters in the midterms

What if growing your business online didn't require creating brand-new content every single day? In this episode of Social Media Decoded, Michelle Thames sits down with creator, educator, agency owner, and Call Her Creator podcast host Katelyn Rhoades for a real conversation about visibility, content systems, creator confidence, and building a business that doesn't depend on one platform or one income stream. Katelyn shares how she went from working a traditional marketing job to building an online audience, launching a social media agency, growing a podcast, creating digital products, landing brand partnerships, and developing her Visibility Vault. But the biggest lesson? You don't have to constantly reinvent the wheel to stay visible. Michelle and Katelyn break down how repeatable content frameworks, recognizable branding, strategic repurposing, strong hooks, carousels, email marketing, and documenting your real life can help you become memorable without burning yourself out trying to create something new every day. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How Katelyn used social media visibility to leave her job and build her own business Why consistently showing up online can create opportunities you never expected How to stop putting pressure on yourself to create completely new content every day Why content frameworks and repeatable templates can actually make you more creative How recognizable branding helps people remember your content Why your best-performing content should be repurposed instead of abandoned How Katelyn reviews 30-, 60-, and 90-day content performance to decide what to create next Why people probably didn't see your content the first time you posted it How to use carousels strategically with stronger hooks, value, and calls to action Why documenting your real life can sometimes connect better than highly polished content How visibility helped Katelyn land opportunities including Forbes, podcast sponsorships, speaking, and brand work Why being good at what you do isn't enough if nobody knows you exist How showing up online can strengthen your confidence as an entrepreneur Why follower count shouldn't determine whether you start pitching yourself or sharing your expertise How email can create deeper relationships when you stop treating every message like a marketing campaign Why entrepreneurs should build multiple streams of income How Katelyn currently monetizes through agency services, creator partnerships, podcasting, digital products, memberships, and the Visibility Vault Why building an email list, podcast, or other owned audience matters if social media disappears How authenticity will become even more valuable as AI-generated content becomes more common Stop Reinventing the Wheel One of the biggest lessons from this conversation is that consistency doesn't mean creating something completely different every day. Look at what's already working. Repurpose it. Turn it into a series. Update the hook. Change the example. Use the same framework again. Your audience probably hasn't seen everything you've already created—and recognizable content can actually strengthen your personal brand. The goal isn't to constantly surprise people with a completely different version of yourself. The goal is to become recognizable enough that people know your content before they even see your name. Visibility Creates Opportunities Katelyn's story is proof that visibility can open doors you couldn't have planned for. Her decision to consistently share what she knew online ultimately helped create opportunities including growing a large audience, launching an agency, starting a podcast, landing media exposure, working with brands, speaking, and creating multiple revenue streams. Michelle and Katelyn also discuss an important truth for anyone who has been hiding: Someone with less experience or expertise may be receiving opportunities simply because they are willing to consistently show people what they know. You don't want to become your industry's best-kept secret. Build Beyond Social Media Instagram may be an important visibility tool, but it shouldn't be your entire business. This episode also explores why creators and entrepreneurs should build an ecosystem that includes channels such as: Social media Email Podcasting YouTube PR Digital products Services Brand partnerships Community The more ways people can discover, learn from, and stay connected to you, the less dependent your business becomes on any single algorithm. About Katelyn Rhoades Katelyn Rhoades is a creator, educator, entrepreneur, social media agency owner, and host of the Call Her Creator podcast. She also created the Visibility Vault, a collection of tried-and-tested Canva templates, captions, and plug-and-play resources designed to help creators stay visible without starting from scratch every time they post. Her approach combines content strategy, visibility systems, confidence, authenticity, and practical tools that help entrepreneurs consistently show up online. Join the Conversation What part of this conversation hit you the hardest? Are you putting too much pressure on yourself to create something new every day? Are you sitting on content you could repurpose? Are you letting follower count keep you from showing up? Or do you need to finally start building your email list? If you're listening on Spotify, leave a comment and tell us your biggest takeaway. If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, leave a review and let Michelle know what you're changing after listening to this episode. And if this conversation reminded you of another entrepreneur or creator who needs permission to stop overthinking their content, send this episode to them. Key Takeaway Visibility isn't about doing more just for the sake of doing more. It's about doing the right things consistently enough to become recognizable. Stop trying to recreate the wheel every day. Show up. Share what you know. Repurpose what works. Build relationships. Build your email list. And create a business people can discover in more than one place. Because the visibility you build today could create opportunities months—or even years—from now. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Emma Grede is the businesswoman behind major fashion brands including Skims and Good American, which she co-founded with Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian, respectively. Last year Forbes included her on their list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, with an estimated net worth of $405 million.She grew up in Plaistow, East London, the eldest of four daughters. Her parents separated when she was five and she was raised by her mum, who worked long hours as a trader at an investment bank. Emma took on a lot of the responsibility at home caring for her sisters. Dyslexia meant she struggled at school, but she found satisfaction in a string of part-time jobs, from delivering newspapers to making sandwiches in a deli. She later dropped out of the London College of Fashion to pursue a career in the industry, and by her mid-twenties she had founded her first company. She made her name brokering deals between celebrities and brands that included signing Natalie Portman as the face of Dior. In 2016 she founded an inclusive denim brand called Good American with Khloé Kardashian, and in 2019 she launched the shapewear brand Skims with Kim Kardashian. Lately her success has led her out of the boardroom and into the spotlight with guest appearances on Dragon's Den, and the US equivalent Shark Tank, as well as launching a podcast and writing a memoir. Emma lives in Los Angeles with her husband and business partner Jens, and they have four children.Presenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Hannah Hufford and Christine PawlowskyDesert Island Discs has cast away many fashion leaders to the island over the years including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.

Spencer Greenberg is an entrepreneur and mathematician with a PhD in applied math from NYU. He's the founder and CEO of ClearerThinking.org, a psychology education and research organization that designs and conducts novel studies in psychology and offers more than 80 interactive educational tools to the general public, used by hundreds of thousands of people. His work has been featured by numerous major media outlets, such as Forbes, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Independent, Lifehacker, Gizmodo, Fast Company, and Financial Times. Today on the show we discuss: why most self-help advice gets recycled, how to spot grifters and too-good-to-be-true promises, why smart people still get manipulated, the dangerous side of manifestation and toxic positivity, the evidence-backed psychological tools that actually improve your life, how to stop overthinking and turn better decisions into action and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, please visit our Patreon. Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a baseball reference in summer sci-fi flick The End of Oak Street and new reporting on players’ unwillingness to wear cups, then (32:30) discuss career years for Pete Alonso and Gabriel Moreno, Mason Miller’s changeup, Cal Raleigh’s swing change, and whether MLB will follow other leagues’ leads in establishing a tournament or trophy apart from the playoffs, before Stat Blasting (1:17:47) about the worst/least-experienced lineups ever, the most prolifically .500 teams, and the hierarchy of double-play frequency. Audio intro: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to The End of Oak Street wiki Link to David Robert Mitchell wiki Link to Detroit references in movie Link to Parrish 1982 gamelog Link to Doctor Strange Tigers reference Link to protective cups article Link to Luke 22:42-44 Link to Chisholm article Link to Forbes article on JKG Link to Time article on JKG Link to best hitters in August Link to on-pace leaderboard Link to pitch run values since 2025 Link to Miller’s changeup count Link to Cruz homer clip Link to Miller article 1 Link to Miller article 2 Link to game theory meme Link to Cal swing article Link to Neil on alternate champions Link to Neil on the NBA Cup Link to Knicks NBA Cup decision Link to regular-season-champion article Link to regular-season-champion episode Link to Yankees’ six-run win Link to Stat Blast wiki Link to Giants loss article 1 Link to Giants loss article 2 Link to Giants unfun fact Link to Sam post 1 Link to Sam post 2 Link to 2022 White Sox .500 records Link to Rochester Hop Bitters info Link to Preston’s FB post Link to “9 to 5” video Link to double-play data Link to Hembekides clip Link to Hembekides graph Link to Molina 3-2-8 double play Link to Nootbaar play Sponsor Us on Patreon Give a Gift Subscription Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Effectively Wild Subreddit Effectively Wild Wiki Apple Podcasts Feed Spotify Feed YouTube Playlist Facebook Group Bluesky Account Twitter Account Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source