Podcasts about Grew

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Stephanie Stuckey. The chair of Stuckey’s, a historic snack and candy company. She shares her journey of revitalizing the brand, her family’s legacy, and the importance of entrepreneurship and branding.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Stephanie Stuckey. The chair of Stuckey’s, a historic snack and candy company. She shares her journey of revitalizing the brand, her family’s legacy, and the importance of entrepreneurship and branding.

This week on the podcast, serial entrepreneur Ben Albert joins Dave for a compelling conversation about building success during a global pandemic. Together, they explore the challenges and rewards of growing a business, forging meaningful connections, and establishing thought leadership in your industry. Ben also shares his insights on the role of core values and how they shape your personal and professional story.

We just had our biggest financial leap ever, a $310,000 increase in our net worth in just one quarter. In this episode, I take you behind the curtain to reveal exactly how we did it. But this isn't just about our win—it's a blueprint for how you can do it too. I'm sharing the exact system we use (and teach inside Budget Dog Academy) that's changing lives and stacking net worth gains for hundreds of our students.   I'll show you how simple financial tools—like a balance sheet, budget, and roadmap—when automated and aligned with your values, can completely transform your financial life. Whether you're in debt, overwhelmed, or just looking for next-level results, this is your episode.   Timeline Summary: [0:00] – Introduction [0:41] – Our $310K Q2 net worth increase and why this framework is different [3:07] – Real-life student success stories and their massive net worth jumps [4:59] – Core drivers behind our growth: cash flow optimization, investing, and business valuations [5:26] – The 5-document system: balance sheet, budget, amortization schedule, roadmap, and cash flow goal worksheet [10:01] – How tracking quarterly net worth can change your mindset [13:01] – Why automation beats emotion when managing your finances [20:05] – Turning your goals into monthly cash flow targets [23:36] – The 3 pillars of financial fitness: education, automation, and community [27:39] – The myth of “more income equals clarity”—what really solves financial anxiety [29:34] – My personal “why” and how financial freedom saved our family   5 Key Takeaways:   Automation is key. Your system should run itself with minimal input—30 minutes a month is all it takes. Clarity trumps income. You don't need more money—you need a better plan for the money you already have. Track it or lose it. A quarterly balance sheet is like stepping on the financial scale—you can't improve what you don't measure. Your roadmap should reflect your values. Build a system that funds your goals, not someone else's idea of success. Community and education drive momentum. Surrounding yourself with the right tools and people accelerates your financial journey.   Quotables: “More income is speed—not clarity. If you're leaking at $60K, you'll be leaking at $600K.”   “If you can't commit to 30 minutes a month, you're not ready to win financially.”   “Automation eliminates the human limitations holding you back from wealth.”   “Net worth is the scoreboard, but freedom is the real win.”   “I don't just build systems—I build legacies.”   Links & Resources:   https://bookwithbudgetdog.com/ped   If this episode gave you clarity or motivation, share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven't yet—rate, follow, and leave a review. Your support helps spread this mission of financial empowerment. Let's get to work!

“It's me just wanting freedom… freedom to make my own choices & live life on my terms.” - Ron Weatherly Ron didn't start his waterproofing company, Dry Pro Foundation and Crawlspace Specialists, with a business plan, angel investors, or even a clue how to fix a foundation. He started with a crawlspace, raw knees, whatever tools he could scrounge, & a spark of rebellion. Because he knew what he didn't want… Another layoff. Another week waiting on a paycheck. Another life ruled by someone else's calendar. So, he built something of his own. He gave up his salary to hire his first manager. Went back into sales when the numbers didn't add up. Grew the business past $29 million—and walked away when the values lined up, not just the dollars. That's not luck. That's freedom built on purpose. Today, he's not stuck in meetings. He's mentoring founders, investing in people he believes in, & home by 3:30—because that's the life his business was built to protect. If you're growing fast but feel trapped, maybe it's time to ask: what am I really building? Connect with him at ronweatherly.com Chris Brogan said it best: “The goal isn't more money. The goal is living life on your terms.”

State of the Bay examines the impact of federal healthcare cuts on Covered California, breaks down California's new CEQA reforms, and talks with Oakland author Leila Mottley about her new novel "The Girls Who Grew Big."

Send us a text

Zuben turned his personal experience with crippling overdraft fees into Brigit, a fintech he sold for $460 million after hitting $100M ARR. This episode gives early-stage founders the unfiltered truth: how Zuben discovered massive market pain hidden in plain sight, validated the idea with real customers, built bulletproof unit economics early, and navigated brutal early-stage fundraising. It's a real story about solving problems banks deliberately ignore—and getting rewarded big time. You don't want to miss this.Why You Should ListenHow Zuben turned a personal $1000 overdraft nightmare into a $460M exit.Why solving your customer's deepest pain point is the only way to unlock real growth.How to validate product-market fit fast (and what most founders miss).The surprising reason Zuben says unit economics matter way earlier than you think.Keywordsfintech, overdraft fees, product market fit, earned wage access, early stage startups, customer validation, fundraising, founder stories, lending, unit economics00:00:00 Intro00:08:47 Inside the Hidden Overdraft Market00:16:34 Validating Your Idea the Right Way00:27:37 How Brigit Cracked Customer Acquisition00:33:38 Why Unit Economics Saved Us00:37:08 Navigating a Crisis and Coming Out Stronger00:45:14 Behind the Scenes of a $460 Million Acquisition00:48:57 The Moment of True Product Market Fit00:50:22 Advice Every Early-Stage Founder NeedsSend me a message to let me know what you think!

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Shaan Patel. Founder and CEO of Prep Expert, a leading online test prep company. The conversation explores Patel’s journey from struggling test-taker to perfect SAT scorer, bestselling author, and successful entrepreneur. He shares how his personal experience inspired a mission to help students unlock scholarship opportunities and academic success.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Shaan Patel. Founder and CEO of Prep Expert, a leading online test prep company. The conversation explores Patel’s journey from struggling test-taker to perfect SAT scorer, bestselling author, and successful entrepreneur. He shares how his personal experience inspired a mission to help students unlock scholarship opportunities and academic success.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Shaan Patel. Founder and CEO of Prep Expert, a leading online test prep company. The conversation explores Patel’s journey from struggling test-taker to perfect SAT scorer, bestselling author, and successful entrepreneur. He shares how his personal experience inspired a mission to help students unlock scholarship opportunities and academic success.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is one of the fastest growing dessert brands in the country. It's known for its seriously delicious classic flavors and its wacky collaborations. (Kraft Mac and Cheese ice cream, anyone?) Co-founder and CEO Ben Van Leeuwen talks with Jeff Berman to reveal how it grew from his love of simple ingredients and driving an ice cream truck as a teenager into a rapidly scaling company with about 2,000 employees.Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this candid and inspiring episode of the Property Profits Podcast, Dave Dubeau sits down with real estate syndicator and developer Donato Settanni. Donato shares how he launched his business just before the chaos of COVID-19 and weathered the economic storm that followed. From remote closings and rising interest rates to new tech innovations and a 400-unit ground-up development project near Seattle, Donato opens up about the real challenges and smart strategies he and his team used to grow their portfolio. Learn how DXE Properties is navigating today's market with smart cost controls, creative tech tools like HappyCo and AI chatbots, and a thoughtful blend of friends-and-family and institutional capital. Donato also reflects on the freedoms and pressures of transitioning from employee to business owner—and reveals his “unfair advantage” in the industry. Key Takeaways: Surviving and thriving through COVID shutdowns and rate hikes Inside a $5.7M deal with a $1.3M reno and a $13M exit Scaling through innovation, like switching from Apartments.com to direct marketing Why development pedigree matters—and how it plays out in a big project How DXE is pairing institutional investors with loyal capital partners   - Get Interviewed on the Show! - ================================== Are you a real estate investor with some 'tales from the trenches' you'd like to share with our audience? Want to get great exposure and be seen as a bonafide real estate pro by your friends? Would you like to inspire other people to take action with real estate investing? Then we'd love to interview you! Find out more and pick the date here: http://daveinterviewsyou.com/

JOIN THE VALOR COFFEE COMMUNITY – Courses, Exclusive Videos, PDFs, Spreadsheets and more:⁠ ⁠https://community.valor.coffee?utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=ep148Thanks for listening, following/subscribing, giving us a good review, and sharing with your friends on social media. It goes a long way!Brandon Sardi built Poorboy Coffee from a $500 pop-up into a brand with 63,000+ Instagram followers in roughly 12 months—while single-handedly running operations, developing his roasting program, launching online sales, and building his entire brand foundation in San Francisco.In this episode, Brandon breaks down his scrappy approach to growth through authentic storytelling, consistent content, and genuine community building. Instead of polished marketing, he documented his real journey with simple setups, sharing wins and struggles transparently. We dive into his bootstrap mentality (including some creative city regulation workarounds), his systematic content creation process, and how he turned followers into revenue through sponsorships and brand collaborations. If you want practical insights on content strategy that actually converts followers into customers, this episode delivers concrete tactics for building a brand from scratch through social media hustle and authentic connection.*If you purchase something through one of our links, we may be entitled to a share of the sale*Buy Valor Coffee: ⁠⁠https://valor.coffee/shop?utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=ep14⁠8Watch on Youtube: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/valorcoffee16⁠⁠Want to become a Wholesale Partner? Email us at wholesale@valor.coffee to set up an account!Want to send us coffee? Have a question you want to answer on the show? Send us an email to info@valor.coffeeWant to get your business in front of more people? We partnered with Local Eyes Growth to grow our business through SEO and the results have been incredible. Local Eyes is offering a FREE backlink ($300 value) to Valor Coffee Podcast listeners who partner through our exclusive link. Visit ⁠⁠https://localeyesgrowth.com/valor⁠⁠ to get the ball rolling!Follow the Valor Coffee Podcast on Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/valorcoffeepod⁠⁠Follow Valor on Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/valor.coffee⁠⁠Subscribe to Riley's YouTube Channel: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@rileywestbrook⁠⁠Follow Riley:  ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/rileywestbrook⁠⁠Follow Ross: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/rosswalters⁠⁠Follow Ethan's Parody Account:  ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/ethanrivers777

Send a message directly to Lee ( Include your details )Jacob McKinnon shares his remarkable journey from international marketing entrepreneur to successful real estate agent, generating $1.4 million in GCI within just three years of entering the industry.• Started his career as a chef before building a direct sales and marketing company in the UK• Brought his marketing business to Australia, scaling to 12 locations and 123 salespeople• Pivoted to real estate when COVID decimated his face-to-face marketing business• Spent first six months without a listing before securing his first sale that set a street record• Grew from $85K GCI in first year to $300K in second year and $1.4M in third year• Disrupted the Southern Highlands market by introducing auction campaigns• Reduced average days on market from 155 days (area average) to just 35 days• Creates video content for every listing, often cooking meals in vendors' kitchens• Built success by systematically door-knocking 1,570 homes in his immediate neighborhood• Currently leads a team including his wife as operations manager and two sales associates• Targeting $100 million in property sales this yearClick the links in our show notes to learn more about the Complete Salesperson course, the Complete Property Management day, and the Complete Leader Conference coming up this year.Hosted by Lee WoodwardProudly brought to you by Lee Woodward Training Systems. Brought to you by NexrElevate your real estate business with Nexr – the strategic partner that helps you overcome challenges in securing more listings, building better teams, and achieving faster growth. With over 20 years of experience in developing Tier 1 agencies, Nexr provides bespoke solutions tailored to your unique needs. Ready to redefine the future of your business? Visit nexr.com.au today. Discover more: Next Events Lee's New Book – Claiming Doors Explore Lee Woodward Short Courses The Mat Steinwede Real Estate Success Program

Managing a rapidly growing business, growing an Instagram account to 520K followers, and scaling to 11 million pageviews in the first half of 2025 with Amy Coyne from Amy Bakes Bread. ----- Welcome to episode 526 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Amy Coyne from Amy Bakes Bread. How Amy Bakes Bread Grew from 500K to 11 Million Pageviews in Just Two Years Amy Coyne first started her blog in 2020 as a hobby. She's always had a passion for sourdough and, combined with her background as teacher, felt like a food blog teaching others to bake sourdough and solve their baking problems was a perfect fit. In this episode, Amy discusses the evolution of her blog from hobby to full-blown business (with over 11 million pageviews in the first half of 2025!), the inflection points that led to significant growth, and the importance of community building on platforms like Instagram. She also shares insights on her business revenue streams, the challenges of work-life balance as a creator, and her strategies for continued growth and engagement with her audience. Three episode takeaways: How Amy grew her Instagram account to over 520K followers — In January 2023, Amy challenged herself to post on Instagram daily for 90 days, growing her account from 1,000 to 16,000 followers. This experiment became her proof of concept. Since then, she's consistently shown up with content like Q&As, bake-alongs, and carpool chats. Now with over 520,000 followers, Amy shares the strategies that have fueled her growth, including how she uses analytics to refine her approach. How Amy is managing her rapidly growing business — Amy opens up about her current income breakdown, her goals to diversify revenue streams, and how she balances motherhood with business growth. She also talks about why she recently brought on part-time help. Describing her success as “life-changing,” Amy reflects on how her growing business has impacted her family life. How Amy scaled her blog to over 11 million pageviews in the first half of 2025 — Amy shares the SEO and keyword strategies that helped her grow from 500,000 pageviews in 2023 to over 11 million in the first half of 2025. She explains how viral recipes have boosted her blog's visibility in search results, how her traffic sources have evolved, and how she balances creating content for her blog versus social media. Resources: Amy Bakes Bread A Couple Cooks Grocers List Manychat Slickstream Raptive Amy's cookbooks Amy's courses Follow Amy on Instagram and Facebook Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Raptive and Yoast. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

I'm going to let you in on a secret…my art career took off not by adding more tasks, but by intentionally letting go of a few bad habits. 6 to be precise. It was a surprising shift from the typical "do more" mindset, and once I committed to stopping these patterns, I finally saw real momentum. Listen to this episode to get the behind-the-curtain look at how simple shifts changed everything…and how they can change your art career, too. Make sure to subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss a thing! And don't forget to come hang with me on Instagram @jodie_king_. Interested in being a guest on a future episode of Honest Art? Email me at amy@jodieking.com! Resources mentioned: Learn more about Studio Elite: https://www.jodiekingart.com/studioelite Learn more about the Honest Art Society: https://www.jodiekingart.com/has  EDGE canvases 2.5in thick: https://www.jerrysartarama.com/the-edge-all-media-cotton-canvas-2-1-2-inch-boxes-of-three  Rolled Canvas: https://www.jerrysartarama.com/paramount-universal-primed-cotton-canvas-roll-84inx6yd-11oz-75363?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22276619958&gbraid=0AAAAAD_sa4aN1Hg6rqdRweSRZmLb8SKIX&gclid=CjwKCAjw4K3DBhBqEiwAYtG_9PasIhoWndt9W2I-vBTorcQVJymFPiUxCP1jED95T70mOEpsAOQk6hoCL_IQAvD_BwE  Art Biz Mini Course: Email Marketing: https://www.jodiekingart.com/offers/9U3kVbz5/checkout  Episode 67: Fight Me! Yes, An Artist Needs An Email List With Yasmine Kashefi: https://jodieking.com/episode-67-fight-me-yes-an-artist-needs-an-email-list-with-yasmine-kashefi/  Join Jodie's email list here:https://www.jodiekingart.com/jointhelist  Grab the Art Biz Mini Course: An Artist's Guide to Instagram: https://www.jodiekingart.com/offers/9xFEJ2E3/checkout  Join me at my Santa Fe workshop in July: https://www.santafeartistgetaway.com/service-page/honest-art-2?referral=service_list_widget  Join me at my Austin workshop in October: https://jodieking.com/honest-art-workshop-austin-october-2025   Grab the Art Biz Mini Course: An Artist's Guide to Instagram: https://www.jodiekingart.com/offers/9xFEJ2E3/checkout  Have a question for Jodie? Ask it here: https://forms.gle/hxrVu4oL4PVCKwZm6  How are you liking the Honest Art Podcast? Leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform and let us know!     Watch this full episode on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64Vn6NF5BfiwLNTSb_VnDA  For a full list of show notes and links, check out my blog: www.jodieking.com/podcast  

In this Ecommerce Summer School archive episode, we explore how AI is changing paid advertising for online stores. Drew Smith, co-founder of upp.ai, explains how artificial intelligence can automate these tasks. He shares how their product data platform helps businesses show more products to customers and increase sales. Drew discusses real success stories where companies went from showing only 3% of their products to 84% visibility.Topics discussed in this episode:  Why retailers struggle to align paid media campaigns with evolving AI-driven ad platformsHow AI is transforming Google Ads from manual control to machine learning black boxesWhat makes Performance Max campaigns difficult to manage for non-technical marketersWhy most retailers fail to activate more than 20% of their product inventory in paid adsHow reinforcement learning leads Google to over-optimize for a small segment of productsWhat a Product Data Platform is and how it complements Google's ad algorithmsWhy large inventories and high ad spend are critical for effective AI optimizationLinks & Resources Website: https://upp.ai/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/upp-ai/X/Twitter: https://x.com/upptechnologiesGet access to more free resources by visiting the show notes athttps://tinyurl.com/2b6hv8phMORE RESOURCES Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter: https://newsletter.ecommercecoffeebreak.com/ Free Store Optimization Beginners Guide: Instant PDF Download!

In this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar, Patrick Evans and Randy Florence welcome Andrea Carter, a Coachella Valley marketing and PR powerhouse with a fascinating life story. Andrea shares insider tales from coordinating A-list celebrities at the Palm Springs International Film Festival to co-founding the record-breaking Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament for St. Jude. She reflects on her small-town Minnesota roots, her unexpected reunion with her biological family, and her journey in local philanthropy. From singing with Patrick Evans to managing Joan Rivers and Mariah Carey's memorable appearances, Andrea offers a heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply human look at a life well-lived behind the spotlight. Don't miss this candid conversation at the corner booth of Skip Paige's Little Bar. Presented by the McCallum Theatre.Listen or View this episode now from BigConversationsLittleBar.com or subscribe for free and download from any of our podcast portal partners.Takeaways:Andrea helped grow the Warburton into St. Jude's top U.S. fundraiser, raising $35+ million.The event's formula: big-name celebrities, unique music shows, and community passion.Not all celebrity guests go smoothly—Cheech & Chong's appearance was infamously “crude.”Her PR career included handling Joan Rivers, Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, and more.Grew up in a town of 500 in Minnesota with only 26 kids in her graduating class.Was adopted, later reunited with birth parents and found three full-blood brothers.Her music passion never left—she recently won "Singing with the Desert Stars."Believes deeply in giving back to the community, especially through nonprofit work.#BigConversationsLittleBarPodcast #PatrickEvans #RandyFlorence #SkipsLittleBar #McCallumTheatre #AndreaCarter #MutualBroadcastingSystem #CoachellaValley #PalmSpringsFilmFestival #WarburtonGolfTournament #StJude #Philanthropy #CelebrityStories #DesertCharities #PodcastGuest #BehindTheScenes #AdoptionStory #MinnesotaRoots #DesertStars #SingingCompetition

Barbara Dolleschal is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Zotter Chocolates US and Smargasy Inc, who helps businesses grow through digital innovation while bringing premium Austrian chocolate to American consumers.Through her dual ventures, Barbara guides small businesses to streamline operations with AI solutions while transforming Zotter Chocolates from an organic side project to a thriving distribution company.Now, Barbara's journey from Austrian digital marketing pioneer to successful American entrepreneur demonstrates how diverse business approaches can create extraordinary results.And while rapidly scaling her chocolate business to new heights, she's helping other companies implement cutting-edge solutions for growth in crowded markets.Here's where to find more:www.zotterusa.comwww.smargasy.comwww.bizlens.ai___________________________________________________________Welcome to The Unforget Yourself Show where we use the power of woo and the proof of science to help you identify your blind spots, and get over your own bullshit so that you can do the fucking thing you ACTUALLY want to do!We're Mark and Katie, the founders of Unforget Yourself and the creators of the Unforget Yourself System and on this podcast, we're here to share REAL conversations about what goes on inside the heart and minds of those brave and crazy enough to start their own business. From the accidental entrepreneur to the laser-focused CEO, we find out how they got to where they are today, not by hearing the go-to story of their success, but talking about how we all have our own BS to deal with and it's through facing ourselves that we find a way to do the fucking thing.Along the way, we hope to show you that YOU are the most important asset in your business (and your life - duh!). Being a business owner is tough! With vulnerability and humor, we get to the real story behind their success and show you that you're not alone._____________________Find all our links to all the things like the socials, how to work with us and how to apply to be on the podcast here: https://linktr.ee/unforgetyourself

Let me tell you about a guy named Junior.First-generation immigrant. Grew up watching his parents bust their asses in meatpacking plants and fields just to keep the lights on. He was the kid everyone counted out—the kid they said wouldn't make it.But Junior didn't buy into their narrative.He turned that doubt into rocket fuel.From sleeping in a small apartment while buying rental properties…From an engineering career most people would've settled for…To building a real estate team set to close 350 deals this year—while most agents can't even get out of their own way.In this episode of All or Nothing in Real Estate, Junior shares exactly how he scaled profitably, built a culture that people would kill to be part of, and why setting appointments and doing the hard, unglamorous work is what separates contenders from pretenders.You're going to hear about:How he went from immigrant kid labeled a dropout to full academic scholarship at Iowa StateThe books that shifted his mindset and lit a fire under himWhy leadership isn't about titles—it's about authenticity and clarityThe tactical moves that beat the market by 55% in Q1If you've been coasting, this is your wake-up call.

Featuring: Sarah Howson & Marianne Whitlock | Recorded LIVE at The PA Show London What does it really take to grow a business, raise a family, stay fit—and still be kind? In this inspiring live-recorded episode of The Time Management Podcast, host Abigail Barnes interviews Sarah Howson and Marianne Whitlock, Co-Founders of Strategic PA Recruitment and Strategic PA Network. These two former Executive Assistants turned powerhouse entrepreneurs share the real-life realities of building two businesses while managing six children, marriages, homes, and a packed events calendar. From black belt kickboxing to soccer mum duties, they reveal how they've mastered time management for working mums, built a thriving community for EAs, PAs, and business support professionals, and still make space for movement, mindset, and meaning. What You'll Learn: Time blocking strategies for busy professionals Letting go of perfectionism and embracing “good enough” The underestimated power of emotional intelligence and confidence Behind the scenes of running events, mentorship programs & annual awards How to stay well and thrive—even at full capacity Whether you're scaling a business, managing a household, or leading from behind the scenes, this episode will leave you motivated, inspired, and ready to take back control of your time.

This is a special interview.These two young women found a way to grow a massive music program in Los Angeles… with no expensive commercial rent.Check this out to be inspired by their creativity and ingenuity!- - - - -Check out our free trainings and resources on school marketing, group lessons, and using AI in your music school:growyourmusicstudio.com/freeGet updates and FREE workshop invites from Nate and Daniel:growyourmusicstudio.com/7fmsIf the podcast has been helpful to you, leave a review here:growyourmusicstudio.com/7fmsReview*******SPONSOR - Piano Express from GroupLessons.comNow's the time of year to consider what programs you are going to be offering in your music studio this fall…And if you are looking for a program that will:Increase student retention…Increase the number of your beginners that become intermediate students…Help students go through their books faster (Proven! We did a study on this!)...Increase home practice time (Proven! We have years of data showing that this happens)And increase the profit in your studio (not just revenue)…… Then you need to head over to GroupLessons.com, sign up for a free demo, and we'll show you how hundreds of studios have easily started a new group program (sometimes in just a few weeks)... with little to no difficulty.You can even begin our owner training for free (download our shopping list, and look through our teacher guides and method).Click here for more information*******SPONSOR - Big Music GamesBig Music Games provides fun with a clear purpose. Ear training and music theory for students ages 4-14. Level up your student's ears & ignite their passion and motivation to practice with 15 levels of rhythm, melody, harmony and songwriting games. Join the tribe of teachers dedicated to improving the way the world educates the next generation of musicians. BigMusicGames.com/7FMS

Ryan Groh is the Associate Director of Ecommerce at BYLT Basics, a California-based premium apparel brand. With over seven years of experience in ecommerce and digital merchandising, Ryan has led initiatives that have significantly increased online revenue and improved customer experience through personalization and streamlined checkout processes. He played a pivotal role in BYLT's migration to Shopify's Hydrogen framework, enhancing site performance and enabling seamless omnichannel operations. Before his current role, Ryan was the Ecommerce Manager at Absolute Merch Inc. In this episode… Brands often wonder whether building a mobile app is worth the investment when a responsive mobile site already exists. The decision is particularly tricky for ecommerce companies trying to boost loyalty, retention, and customer lifetime value without overwhelming their tech teams. How can businesses know if an app will genuinely enhance the customer journey and deliver measurable ROI? Ryan Groh, an expert in ecommerce and digital merchandising, shares how his team approached the mobile app question by focusing on their most loyal customers. Ryan explains that an app can provide a more curated, frictionless experience for high-value buyers — especially those already engaged via SMS or email. He recommends identifying segments with high purchase frequency or cart value, using exclusive in-app promotions, and ensuring tech integrations support a seamless UX. For Ryan, app-driven ecommerce growth hinges on choosing the right platform vendor, personalizing content, and building app-based features that align with the brand's LTV strategy. In this episode of the Minds of Ecommerce podcast, Raphael Paulin-Daigle interviews Ryan Groh, Associate Director of Ecommerce at BYLT Basics, about scaling loyalty and retention through mobile apps. Ryan dives into how push notifications outperform traditional channels, how to evaluate whether your brand is a good fit for an app, and the value of a headless CMS in crafting seamless user experiences.

What does it take to lead at every level and shape the leaders of tomorrow? SUMMARY Long Blue Line podcast host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99 sat with Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman '95, the U.S. Air Force Academy's vice superintendent, for a deep dive into leadership, humanity and building a world-class service academy. This episode is packed with wisdom for aspiring, emerging, and seasoned leaders alike.   SHARE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   GEN. SHERMAN'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS  - Leadership is a human experience - focus on connecting with and caring about people.  - Love what you do and love the people you lead; passion inspires others to follow you.  - Embrace failures and challenges as opportunities for personal growth and development.  - Set the right culture and values within your team to build trust and mutual support.  - Be present and engaged with your team, understanding their motivations and experiences.  - Leadership is about more than rank or position - it's about earning genuine trust and respect.  - Invest time in understanding different generations, cultural nuances, and individual perspectives.  - Balance professional excellence with personal growth and life experiences.  - Support your team's development by providing encouragement and holding them accountable.  - Your legacy is built through individual interactions and the positive impact you have on people's lives.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Major General Thomas P. Sherman 01:29 Choosing Leadership Over Flying 07:23 The Impact of Mentorship and Values 12:46 Heritage and Evolution of Security Forces 17:43 Personal Growth in Aviano, Italy 24:17 The Importance of Work-Life Balance 29:50 Culminating Command Experience at Bagram 42:25 The Role of Family in Leadership 51:29 Continuous Self-Improvement as a Leader 56:27 Embracing Failure as a Growth Opportunity 01:00:06 Legacy and the Impact of Leadership   ABOUT GEN. SHERMAN BIO Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman is the Vice Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. He is serving as the chief operations officer to the Superintendent and overseeing the Academy's blend of military training, academics, athletics, and character development for cadets. Gen. Sherman commissioned in 1995 from the Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. He built a distinguished career as a security forces officer. He's held command at nearly every level. His key assignments include leadership of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB and critical staff positions at the Pentagon. In May 2024, Gen. Sherman was tapped to serve as the Academy's Vice Superintendent   CONNECT WITH GEN. SHERMAN LINKEDIN     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS       TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest, Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman '95  |  Host, Lt. Col. (ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz  00:00 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, the podcast where we share insights on leadership through the lives and experiences of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99 today. I'm joined by a leader whose career has taken him from the flight line to the halls of Congress and now back to the very institution that launched it all. Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman currently serves as vice superintendent of the Air Force Academy, where he plays a critical role in guiding the development of our future officers and ensuring the Academy remains a world class institution for leadership, character and Day 1 readiness to win the future fight. A 1995 Academy graduate, Gen. Sherman has spent nearly three decades serving in key operational, strategic and command roles. He's led at every level, from squadron to wing command, and his assignments have included everything from nuclear security enterprise to homeland defense, policy development at the Pentagon, and legislative affairs at the highest levels of the Department of the Air Force. Prior to his role as vice superintendent, Gen. Sherman served in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he was a principal military assistant leading policy integration across joint staff, interagency services and combatant commands. He's perhaps best known in command circles for leading the 88th Air Base wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, one of the largest and most complex wings in the Air Force, with a focus on people first, leadership and mission excellence. Gen. Sherman, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad you're here too.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:32 It is great to be here. Thank you.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:33 We're excited and we're going to dive right in, because I think what is so special for our listeners is really hearing these moments that have changed your life. I'd like to start at the Academy. You turned down a pilot slot. You were rated, but said no.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:48 Well, actually it was a little bit before that. You know, it's kind of interesting, because that was the draw that brought me here, is I just had this incredible passion to want to fly, and I love flying, and I truly enjoyed it, especially through all the different airmanship programs and things like and things like that we had here. The experiences were fantastic. But, you know, as I was starting to learn more about myself going through the Academy, I was starting to feel my heart getting pulled in a direction of wanting to really lead people and really spend a lot of time working with the enlisted. And I think that came from a couple different areas. I think it was some really unique exposure that I got during my ops Air Force time, which I went to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, during ops, and just had our action officer that worked this, I think just did a phenomenal job. And I really started getting pulled to what was then called security police. That is actually when Laurie and I got together and started dating, because Laurie is here in Colorado Springs, but she grew up as an Air Force brat. My father-in-law is a retired Chief Master Sgt., and so there was a lot of mentorship that was taking place around dining room table when I was a young cadet. And I think one of the things that her parents really taught me was just the value of the enlisted force, and so I was feeling my heart really getting pulled. And so obviously, there's a conundrum. There's a conundrum on what were the root desires that brought me here — what were the things that I was learning as a cadet, my joy of flying, and also, particularly the culture at that time, was that that was really the job that you needed to aspire to be, that was the expectation of cadets. And so then to really kind of run counter to that strong current was really kind of a unique, you know, almost unnavigated area, right? And so to really kind of take the story out to its next level is that I'd really gotten to a point where talking with people there — we hadn't had the AMT program, but there were these NCOs that were kind of tangentially attached to cadet squadrons. And so I got a chance to talk to one of the master sergeants that was there who was a maintainer by background. And I was kind of pouring my heart out to him on, you know, what had I been talking to him with my now in-laws, about where was my heart pulling me? And so he said, ‘Give me just a second.' And he picked up the phone, and he called my AOC and he goes, ‘Hey, you're gonna be there for a little while.' And this was a Friday afternoon. He said, ‘I got a cadet that needs to come talk to you.' And he hangs up the phone and he goes, ‘Now you go tell your AOC what you just told me.' And so I ended up going to my AOCs office that day, and we had about a two-hour conversation about this. I sat down and really, kind of took the time to explain to him what was I feeling, And obviously, I really try to see the best in people. And so I think from a noble place, he was doing his best to convince me that I was making a grave mistake. And went on to talk to me about what his concerns were, the career field that I was looking at, things along those lines. And we can save that conversation for another time, but I think really where the foundation came in is where we started to talk about leadership. And you know, what I was asking him to do was to pull my rated recommendation form, so we had just submitted them, and I was asking him to pull my rated recommendation form. I didn't want to compete for it anymore. And so we started to talk about leadership. And he says, ‘Hey, Cadet Sherman, you need to understand that leadership in this Air Force is being the lead F-16 pilot on a bombing run, you know, putting iron on target.' And that's true. It's a very important part of leadership. It is a very important part of tactical operational leadership in this Air Force. So he's not wrong in that space. But I was looking at it from a different lens, and I was looking at it, I think, on a larger level. And what I don't think he realized is that 30 seconds before I walked into his office, he set me up for success. I just happened to be waiting outside the office, and all of a sudden, I looked on his cork board, and somebody, and I don't know who it was, had pinned a note that was written to Airman Magazineby an airman first class. And this airman first class titled this, “I need a leader.” And this A1C felt so strongly about what they were feeling — and I have no idea who this person was — felt so strongly about it that they put pen to paper, and this would have been the fall of 1994, and sent this into Airman Magazine, and it says, “I need a leader.” Commissioning sources. ‘Send us lieutenants that we can look up to that will hold us accountable when we do wrong, that will encourage us when we do well, that will be an example that we can look up to, that will care about us as human beings, because you are not sending them to us now. Air Force, I need a leader.' Like that 30 seconds just before I walked into his office — that changed my life, and it changed my life, because for me, at that moment, what I was getting ready to go ask my AOC to do, what I was looking at inside myself, that became my charge. And so as we spoke, you know, 20-year-old Cadet First Class Sherman — I might have been a 21-year-old at the time — Cadet First Class Sherman pushed back on my AOC, and I said, ‘Sir, I disagree.' I said, ‘I want to be that guy. I want to be that guy that that A1c is asking for on your cork board outside, because that's leadership in this Air Force.' And so, to his credit, he said, ‘Hey, I want you to go think about this over the weekend. You know, think about what you're doing. Come back to me on Monday. No questions asked. I'll pull it if you want me to.' And I left there, and I remember feeling like, not like a weight had been lifted off my shoulder, but I almost felt like this sense of like, ‘Now I've got my purpose,' because that little article has shaped me my entire career, and I mean to this day, and at a scale. You know, as a lieutenant, my scale is this big on what I'm affecting to help do and be what that A1C needs to a wing commander. I always keep it in the back of my head, and after all of these years, I am still thinking about, Am I doing right by that A1C that 31 years ago, felt so strongly about something that they wrote a note to Airman Magazine, and that became my charge.   Naviere Walkewicz  08:09 That is incredibly powerful. I'm a little bit without words, because I'm thinking about, first off, being brave enough to disagree with an AOC. I mean, I think that takes courage in showing your leadership there. Were you always like that? Have you always been someone that is steadfast in a decision and being able to kind of speak out?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  08:30 So I get that from my parents. And, you know, I grew up in Corona, California. My mom and dad are amazing people. And we didn't grow up with a lot of money, and we grew up from a pretty meager background, and my mom and dad had made a decision early on in their marriage, when they had my sister and I, that my mom was going to focus to make sure that Nancy and I got an education, and my dad was going to work as many jobs as he had to to put food on the table. And sometimes my dad was holding down three jobs to make sure that we had nutritious food to eat, and my mom was working miracles to make sure that we were fed well, but that also that she was dedicated and had the time to volunteer for things like PTA, being involved as a class volunteer, making sure that we were involved in things and had exposure to things that what they did was they also instilled in me this really strong blue collar work ethic. And it was this aspect of, if I just roll up my sleeves and put in the work, anything is possible. And so on that line, this young kid growing up with a West Coast father and an East Coast mother, and just this, really neat family background that things for me, that I believed in I would go after with all of my heart and soul. And so I found out about the Academy when I was 12 years old. And so, you know, when I at 12 years — we were going to a community event there in Corona, and there was an officer recruiter — Capt. Craig. was her name — and we started talking. She says, ‘Hey, did anybody talk to you about the Air Force Academy?' And I said, ‘No, this sounds great.' So from there, I just made this decision as a 12-year-old, and I worked all the way through junior high and high school to get here, because to go to your point like, ‘I made a decision, I'm gonna see this thing through.'   Naviere Walkewicz  10:30 Whoa. OK, so you knew you were going to the Academy before you graduated high school.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:35 Yes, in my mind, there was no other option.   Naviere Walkewicz  10:39 And so anyone in your family serve, or were you the first one in your family to serve?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:43 So I am the first officer and career member of the family. My dad was drafted and went to Vietnam in 1967 and stayed through Tet of 1968. I had an uncle, Harry Lee Schmidt, who was a C-47 loadmaster in World War II and Korea, and my grandfather was actually a part of the initial kind of what was the foundation of the OSS and the Navy doing beach recon on beaches in the South Pacific, prior to island hopping campaign and island landings. And so there was this real heritage of service, right? Just not career service. But even then, as a kid, I always had in my mind, ‘OK, one way or another, I'm going to serve, and if I do an enlistment and then go to college afterwards —' but I had this idea that, ‘OK, I'm going to serve,' and then all of a sudden, this became this amazing conduit that got me here, right?   Naviere Walkewicz  11:38 And they also had ties to aviation. How did they feel about your decision, your family?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  11:43 It was interesting, because they knew how passionate I was about aviation growing up. I mean, we did not miss an air show at March Air Force Base, the Chino air show, which was planes of fame, which was all historic aircraft. I volunteered as a high school student to work there, and we helped restore airplanes with me and my friends. You know, it was interesting, because my parents were very supportive in ‘OK, where's your heart leading you? And, what makes you feel so strongly about this?' Because when I first talked to him on the phone, I called him from Ramstein Air Base and said, ‘Hey, I think I know what I want to do in the Air Force. I want to go to security police. And my mom was like, ‘What's that? And, so, as time went by and I explained it, I think my parents probably all along knew that that was probably going to be a very good fit. And then after commissioning and at my first assignment, I think that they were certain of it, right? Yeah, they were absolutely certain.   Naviere Walkewicz  12:37 That is amazing. Well, I want to dive into this profession a bit, because it's interesting. You know, you've mentioned, when you came in, it was security police, and, security forces and you hear people saying defenders and peacekeepers. So there's this lineage and this heritage. Can you maybe talk a little bit about that and then maybe lead us into that next transformational moment that you might have had in this role?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  12:58 OK, I'm very proud of the fact that, you know, I am part of an ever decreasing group of folks that came in when we were still security police, and that was really still the peacekeeper days, because this was all kind of the follow on on the Cold War. The peacekeepers were our cold warriors and that was a huge part. Our defenders came in and really, that name started to really grow in 1997 when the name changed from security police to security forces, and we were actually going back to some of our heritage that was in Operation Safeside, which was the combat security police squadrons in Vietnam. So when you think about the courage that was displayed during the Tet Offensive at places like Tan Son Nhat that those were safe side warriors that were a part of these combat security police squadrons. And so the very — part of the lineage of the very beret, and flash that we have is actually a tip of the hat to the lighter blue berets, and that flash with the Falcon and the crossed runways that goes back, actually, to our Safeside heritage days. The beret goes back even farther than that. It goes back to Strategic Air Command, Elite Guard back in the 1950s. So it's this great lineage. And so, you know, for me, part of it was like when I got my first beret, wow, that meant something to me. And then, you know, as we then kind of transformed along the way, and this amazing career field grew, and the aspects of this air based ground defense, which was really, I would say, was kind of the draw that got me into wanting to go into security police, was I really liked this idea of, ‘How do we do base defense?' The law enforcement side was intriguing to me, but it was based defense that just had me just had me captivated.   Naviere Walkewicz  14:44 And was that something that you found out early in your career? After you graduate the Academy, you're now in security police. Is that when you kind of realized, ‘This is where I want to go in, air, base, ground defense.'?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  14:54 It even happened at ops. So as we were spending time with the security police squadron, I ended up spending time with a captain who was heading up the Elite Guard, and there was an interaction we had as I was doing a ride along. He's like, ‘Hey, you need to come see me.' And so I went and met up with him, and he took me around and introduced me to all of his airmen that were part of the guard. He knew something all about them. And then we went to his office and talked, and he had gone to Ranger School and Airborne and things like that, and said, ‘Hey, like, the future of the career field is actually us looking to the past.' And really kind of got me fired up on what we call back then, air base ground defense. So when I got to McChord — McChord Air Force Base was my first duty station. And the great thing about going to AMC first is it AMC is a mobility — I mean, it is all about mobility and the operations associated with it. And so the first thing that that my task was as the second lieutenant in that squadron was, I was the air base ground defense flight commander. So that was, I mean — we would go out to Fort Lewis, and we would bivouac for days. And I had, you know, a 44 person team that was a base defense sector. I had specialized K-9 units heavy weapons. And back in those days, we had 81mm mortar teams and fire direction centers that we would set up. So I just got completely on board with the air base defense piece. And so that was that was very passionate for me, which then made the next step to Korea an absolutely logical next location, going to the wolf pack at Kunsan, not only getting a chance to then stand up Gwangju as a part of the first Air Expeditionary Unit to go back to Korea since the Korean War, but then doing the mobile reserve aspect of it. And it was just a great assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  16:40 Wow. So you were right in from the very beginning. You got kind of just into it all.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  16:45 So when we go back, when you were talking to me about, ‘Hey, when you make your mind up...' So I had this five-year plan built out. And, you know, my five-year plan was ‘OK, I'm gonna do my first assignment at the first opportunity to PCS. I need to go remote. I need to go to Korea. And then, OK, how can I get another overseas assignment after that? And then what do I need?' So the thought was, “Let me get to as many match comms as I can, as fast as I can in my career, and use that as a place — OK, because I want to build my experience base out. Because even as a lieutenant and young captain, I didn't want to come across as a one-trick pony. So my thought was, “Let me just get as much as I could under my belt early on.' And so after I left Kunsan, I ended up going to Aviano Air Base in Italy, which, for me, when you look at like those moments in life that are transformational, this was transformational on a different level. You know, some assignments you go to are very much professional growth assignments. This assignment, for me, was very much a personal growth assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  17:52 OK, so tell me more.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  17:55 I mean, when you think about it, four years at USAFA, very uniquely focused on a plate that is overflowing with things that you need to get done. So you are, you're focused on, you know, everything from grades to military training to all of those things. And then I get to my first base, and I am just working, and I'm volunteering for everything, and we have got a heavy ops tempo of exercises and things like that. And my leadership was fantastic, because they were throwing me into every opportunity I could. And then, boom, I go to Korea, and that is a unique warfighting focused — and at Kunsan especially was heavily warfighting focused. So now all of a sudden I am spending really, when you think about it, the last almost seven years being uniquely focused on mission, right? And so I get to Aviano Air Base, Italy, and the first thing that happens is Operation Allied Force kicks off. So I get there in January, boom. Allied Force kicks off. I think it was in end of February, beginning of March. And wow, what? Again, what an amazing, mission focused experience. And then after we finished up Allied Force and the base returned back to more of its steady-state standpoint, it was the Italians that took me under their wings, that because I made a specific choice, because I grew up — my mom's side of the family are all Italian immigrants — and I was always at my Nonnie and Papa's house, and there was just a lot of that growing up, which is that whole, like, you know, West Coast dad, East Coast mom thing, but I didn't know, you know, my mom and her brothers never spoke Italian. And there was a lot of that, that thought back in those days that, you know, ‘Hey, we're here to be American, so we're going to learn English, and we're not going to speak, you know, the language that we came from,' right? And so my mom and her brothers really never learned to speak Italian. And so my thought was, ‘Gosh, I grew up with this as such a strong part of my childhood that I need to put myself in a position where I can learn the language and start to kind of get an appreciation on the culture. Together.' And so I specifically — and really lucked out on a location, but I was about 20 kilometers away from Aviano. I was in an amazing town. I was the only American living in the complex that I was in. So I was like, ‘If I'm going to learn, I need to just dive in the way that you do, in the way that I do, and just start learning.' And so I ended up kind of building this support group of Italian families that all kind of took me under their wings.   Naviere Walkewicz  20:27 Wait, I have to ask you a question, because back when you're at the Academy, you said you spoke to your now in-laws. So was Laurie not a part of this?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  20:35 So Laurie and I, right. So that's an important part of the story. Laurie and I dated for two years while I was a cadet, and when I was in tech school, her and I made the very difficult decision — and as painful it was — to part ways, so her and I actually parted ways for a few years. I was single at the time. Laurie was still here in Colorado Springs, and I was getting a lot of assignments under my belt, which, to be honest with you, you know, in retrospect, it was very fortunate, because I may not have made the same assignment choices had I been married at the time. And because I wasn't married, there were no other variables that I needed to factor in, other than personal experience goals, right, that I wanted to play into, and so I could just put down whatever assignment I wanted, and that allowed me the opportunity to just focus on job. And while Laurie and I stayed in touch, and I stayed in touch with her parents over the years, I was in Aviano, and her and I were not together at that point,   Naviere Walkewicz  21:39 That makes sense. I was like, why were you alone in Italy?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  21:43 It's a fair question. But I also think that being single in that environment allowed me — and that's where I think it helped me develop as a person. And so there are a lot of, I think, really wonderful things that happened during that time, and that was because I was so uniquely mission focused. It was these, this amazing group of Italian friends together, that really kind of taught me about there, there's a time to relax, you know, there's a time to work, there's a time to relax, and there's also a real human need to enjoy life and enjoy time together, which is quintessentially Italian. And so, as my pool of this, these amazing people — that  by the way, for the last 25 years, we've been going to visit. It's the same families that took me under their wings when I was a lieutenant, are the same families that were all tuning in as we were doing a live stream of me pinning on my second star. And so I've never been stationed anywhere else in my career where I felt more at home. And so I think this sense of like, ‘Wow. This like independently as my own person, this feels like home.' And as time went by and I started to get an appreciation for actually things that were a part of my childhood. Because, you know, we would have these long, huge meals, we would spend four or five hours at the table as a family. And for me, this was all normal. Well, that was also a part of kind of normal Italian life and normal Italian culture. You're not going out to dinner with your friends unless you're investing at least three hours at the restaurant. But for me, this was all — this felt normal to me. And so it was about, you know, you don't need to eat your food in five minutes.   Naviere Walkewicz  So contrary to USAFA, by the way.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN You know, you don't need to chew no more than seven times and swallow. So it was about experiencing that, and learning even just some things that became personal passions. Like, you know, how wine is made and why wine pairing matters, and how is this process? And so all of a sudden, this personal experience — and I think growing as a human being was taking place there, and I was maturing as a human being because I had gotten all of this phenomenal job experience under my belt, but this was where I was growing as a human being. And you know what's interesting, as time has gone by, I have noticed just how impactful that time was, because there are things that I've noticed, even as a senior officer, that I feel very strongly about, that I don't think I felt as strongly about as a junior officer, and it was because of that experience, and it was the aspect of when people are on leave, let's let them take leave. There is a part of the human experience that you need to enjoy time with people that you care about, because what it does is you're not slacking off from work. You're not leaving everybody hanging. What's happening is that, because you're taking some time to just enjoy life with people you care about, when you come back, the restorative effects that have taken place because you simply breathe and you enjoyed what it was that you were doing and whatever your passion was, you know, unencumbered, you could enjoy that. And we all realize that there are times, especially as you get into positions of authority, that, hey, they're going to need to call you periodically. But what was interesting is that, especially, I mean, I'll give an example as a wing commander. As a wing commander, despite realizing how important that mission is and how big Wright-Patt was, we, Laurie and I took leave, and we took two weeks of leave, and we went back to Italia and visited our friends and enjoyed life, because the culture helps us to slow down. But what it also did is I gave my staff some parameters. ‘Hey, here are the things that I think are important, like on a scale of one to 10. Here are the things that I think are an eight. So an eight or higher, call me. Don't text me.' I said, ‘Physically call me, because I will answer the phone knowing it's for — and then you have my undivided attention.' But what it also does is it means that my vice wing commander who is there, that I am empowering my vice wing commander and showing to everybody else I trust this leader to lead this wing in my absence. And if it's something that really needs my involvement, they'll get a hold of me. But I think our junior leaders need to see that at the senior most levels, that I can physically trust and emotionally trust my vice, my deputy, to hold things down while I'm gone, and that I'm not irreplaceable, and that if I did my job as a leader, I set the conditions that allowed the wing to thrive in my absence, and didn't mean that the wing had to hang on every decision I made or every word that I said, that I set the conditions that allowed them to be successful and fostered the leadership that allowed them to lead in my absence. And I felt great while I was gone, because I knew the people that we had there, and I knew the investment that we made in them. So that was kind of a long, you know, trip around this…   Naviere Walkewicz  27:26 I mean, I think it was so powerful that you kind of learned that about yourself in Italy. And then would you say that there was anyone that you saw emulating that? Or was it just something over time, you developed this realization that you need to enjoy life and you need to allow people the space to do so.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  27:43 So I would say the people that I was emulating in that aspect were a lot of the families that were there. I have been fortunate that I have worked for some commanders who, at different times in their life felt the same way. Conversely, I also worked for commanders that did not feel the same way. And, you know, an interesting case in point on something that on an experience I had in a command bill and after I had left Aviano — this is when Laurie and I were back together; we were married at this point. I had a group commander that was frustrated about me taking leave and called me every day at 1500; every day at 1500 I got a telephone call. And you know what that does is now all of a sudden, you're eating lunch, and the clock is getting closer to 1500 and you start to get that knot in your stomach and you're like, ‘OK, what are we going to talk about today?' And so, unfortunately you don't see some of the same appreciation for that across the board. So how do we deal with it? The best thing that we deal with it is that that's where the buck stops. We don't pass it down to our people. So after I got the call from him, I didn't call back to the squadron. I got the call from him. We went through the call, we answered the questions, and I didn't then immediately turn around and call back to my ops officer who was running the Squadron at the time, and say, XYZ. And we just left it there, because at that point in time, the bucks got to stop it at that point. So I think that that's kind of the, you know, the alpha and the omega of learning and then also having your own personal resilience and courage to say, ‘I accept that the buck stops here, and I'm not going to let this roll downhill to my people.'   Naviere Walkewicz  29:41 That's an excellent leadership lesson, because I was going to ask you, ‘What does that look like, and how would you how would you handle that?' And so you went right into that. Thank you so much for that. So what has it been like leading security forces — defenders? What's it been like? Has there been a moment in time where — a particular assignment or something's really stuck into your mind or into your heart, because it's just really affected you?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  30:05 Absolutely. I will tell you, as we go back, as we were kind of talking about decisions that you make in your youth, and that critical decision that I made in the fall of '94 I mean, I have worked with some of the most amazing people I've worked in my life. I have gotten a chance to go to places I never thought that I would see. And so, when you kind of roll up, I would say it was my final squadron command, and I would say that that was a real culminating squadron command. So I commanded four squadrons, and we command early, and we command often, and there's a lot of responsibility that that's placed on us as young officers to command as a young officer. And so having the opportunity to command two times as a captain, or one time, you know, as a major-select, then as a major, then as a lieutenant colonel. So that culminating command would have been Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan in May of 2012 to May of 2013 and you know, it was interesting because all of my previous squadron commands had all been vested in either the contingency response or the kind of combat contingency environments. And it was almost like all of those were leading me to this moment. So let me just kind of set the conditions on what Bagram was like at that point in time. We had grown the squadron to about a 1,200-person squadron, huge squadron. And what we were also responsible for is we had taken over battle space ownership from the Army. So the Air Force was controlling 220 square miles of battle space throughout Parwan province, which is a huge. I mean, it's twice the size of Washington, D.C., if you want to try to give a comparison, more or less is fair to look at that level as just a huge amount of terrain in which our airmen were responsible from everything from humanitarian operations and goodwill outreach to engagements to literal kinetic action and combat in the battle space. And so a part of this culmination was, was an environment where as the defense force commander — as that squadron commander to them as a lieutenant colonel at that point — I mean how we are weaving ourselves into their lives, and how we are working with their section commanders, and how we're working and managing the value of our perimeter defenses with our teams that were going outside of the wire doing legitimate patrolling and engagement and things along those lines, was huge. And I think that that is an example. And when you look in the rearview mirror to say, ‘Gosh, now this, a lot of this makes sense, like all of these assignments, whether by design or whether by fate, somehow gave me an experience that at this moment, I needed it most.' And I think, as I talk, we've really enjoyed being here with the cadets and talking to them about, how does a leader really develop trust, and how does trust really manifest itself? And so, through the time that we were there, and the engagement as their leader — not just the leader who's just simply circulating, because that's important, but they also need to see your decision making and your strategic thought. And how do you react under pressure? How are you reacting as we've got incoming in, and what do you do being the person in the joint defense operations center, helping to manage that, and how are you both taking care of people, and how are you managing mission? And they see that. And so I would say that the development of that level of trust, especially in an environment where you are literally dealing with high costs, is huge. And so I think there was one, situation that really rests on my heart that and I don't talk about this to give validation, but I think I talk about it on it's about how people connect, and why do I feel so strongly that leadership is a human experience, like this is a what we are doing as a human experience. And so I was retiring my chief. So I was asked by my chief at Bagram — this was some years later. He's out of the 105th Base Defense Squadron out of the New York Air National Guard, and him and I were a phenomenal team there. Dave Pritchard and I just made a great team. And so he was retiring, and asked me to come back and do his retirement. So we had done the retirement ceremony. We were at the VFW afterwards, having his after-party and so forth. And so I had gone into the bathroom for a comfort break and washed my hands and things like that. And I noticed, as I was kind of moving towards the bathroom, there was kind of a young man who was kind of floating. You know, floating around. And so I came out of the restroom as I was finished, and he was waiting there at the exit of the restroom for me, and kind of, you know, got in front of me, and he stood there, and he looked at me, and he goes, ‘Hey, sir, I just, I needed to let you know this, that I was one of the airmen in one of your patrols that got hit by an IED, and he said, your investment in us, and the words that you used and when you came to talk to us, and the faith that you had in us gave me the courage to go back outside of the wire when you asked us to go back outside.' And so why that rests so heavy is when you think about what, what is the what is the con? The consequence there is that somebody believed in you so much that when you spoke to them and said the word, they were going to go back out and do it again, in spite of what had just happened to you. And I don't think there is any stronger level of trust that you can ask from somebody than to have one of those moments. And so that moment just resides very, very heavy on my soul, because I think it puts into real, tangible context, what is the responsibility of leadership? What is your responsibility of leadership?   Naviere Walkewicz  36:42 I'm letting that sit a little bit, because I can't even imagine the amount of feeling that you had first for him, the courage to share that with you. Because I'm sure that he really wanted to share that. I'm curious if you can remember perhaps, what he might have been referring to, like what you were sharing with the men and women there.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  37:02 So, you know, it was also a part of things that, in times after Bagram have really been used for me as a senior leader on why I reinforced the importance of values. And, this was one particular incident there that really comes to mind is, and I use this when I when I talk to people, because I again, it's the consequence, and it's why our responsibility as leaders to set the right conditions and culture and all of that is so incredibly valuable. And so I talked to people about a story about we had had a situation where we had some real destabilization in the battle space. There was a particular village that we were having some unique challenges with, and we were doing a lot of kind of battlefield shaping, and we were doing some particular village engagement, and the engagement just wasn't happening. And so we were now kind of starting to escalate our interaction with the village a little bit more and as we were doing that, we were now going to start doing more shaping operations. So it just so happens that one of these nights —this was in the late fall, early winter of 2012 — and we were sending one of our patrols outside to do some shaping and engagement operation there. But this was in the evening. This was a different aspect that we were working for this particular mission. And so mounted up that the airmen are ready to go. They're pushing outside, they're right on time, and everything is going according to plan, and they are getting close to what we call the objective rally point. So that was where they were going to rally up before they actually moved into the village after that. And so everything was going according to plan. And the only thing they needed to do before they got to the objective rally point was really kind of go down a small gully over a rise, and then they meet at their objective rally point at that point. And so teams are moving out. First truck over the rise, getting to the point. Second truck over, everything's going fine. Third truck over, fourth truck after that, BOOM, off goes the IED. And what had happened is, they were waiting for this opportunity, and they knew exactly what to do. And that is, if you hit the last truck in the movement, you've got three trucks that are gone ahead of time, and now we've got folks in a very precarious situation. And so what I talk to people about, when we talk about conditions and the real impact that a leader has, is I'll talk to them about who was in that truck, who was in that MRAP that we were sending down at that point in time. And inside that MRAP was the face of America. And the explosion was significant, and it did some considerable damage. It threw the engine out of it, penetrated the hole, ripped one of the doors off the side in the front. And so, you know, the truck commander was National Guard from, actually from Tennessee, and he had gotten injured, broken an arm because that door had peeled back. And as the door peeled back, his arm got caught and broke his arm. The driver, Asian American coming out of the state of California, active duty. He had injuries to his legs because of the penetration of the hole. We had a gunner up in the turret, African American female from the New York Air National Guard. She had a broken pelvis at the time, and she just stayed on the gun the entire time despite her injuries. We had our radio operator. European American female coming from the Midwest. She was actually Air Force Reserve. She had a case of TBI from the explosion, and she was still making calls on the radio. We had two of our riflemen in the back, both came from Hispanic heritage, one of them from Puerto Rican heritage, one of them from Mexican heritage. They were very fortunate that while they got tossed around the back and had some minor TBI issues, they were more or less bumps and bruises, and they were all by themselves. Yeah, because they were all alone, they were in the middle of Afghanistan, they had just gotten hit. And so for me, what's so important about that story is that if we did not set the right culture and the right values and the right expectations and be in a leader by example, and they were harassing each other on Bagram, and they were assaulting each other on Bagram, and they weren't respecting each other on Bagram, and they didn't care about each other on Bagram, they would have died out there that night. But they treated each other like a family, and they cared about each other like a family, and they took care of each other like a family that night, and they lived and they all came home. So for me, if we're going to talk about what is the true consequence of leadership — and I use consequence deliberately, because oftentimes that's used in a pejorative manner — but this is the true result of your actions, that if you don't set those conditions, then you are legitimately putting your people at risk. And so that whole experience at Bagram, and in so many ways that we all carry our scars and our bruises and things like that. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world, but that was tough. And I often describe it as a tale of two cities. You know, it was the best of times. It was the worst of times.   Naviere Walkewicz  42:34 I think a lot of times, when leaders go through experiences like that, they have some more fortunate than others, but a support network. And I would guess it would be your family. How has your family played a role in these moments in your life, in helping you as a leader?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  42:54 So I will say it's primarily my wife. I have got this wonderful support of parents and my in-laws and so forth. And what's been truly fortunate is how close I am with my in-laws. Because when Laurie and I were dating while I was a cadet, anytime I had an overnight or weekend pass, I was over at her mom and dad's house and so I think that being married to somebody that has truly known you from the beginning, you know, where, whether we got a training weekend going on, or something like that, or I'm working first BCT or whatnot, that Laurie was a unique part of all of these things. And I would say that it has been incredibly heartwarming to watch her interact with the cadets here, because it's fun, because her and I do everything together. And so as we're going to events, I'll have a group of cadets that I'm talking to, and then I'll look over and Laurie's surrounded by a group of cadets who are asking her just very insightful questions about our experiences together, and ‘Was it tough sending them away on deployments?' Or how, you know, in those tough times, ‘How do you how do you keep your marriage together?' Just really insightful questions to ask, but she has just been so central to everything that I do. And so going back a little bit and talking about, like the strength of our relationship and how much that helps, we actually needed to have that breakup period as horribly painful as that was, and wow, was I carrying a torch for her all of those years. I mean, I remember, you know, as time was going by, I would talk to my mom, and I'd be like, ‘Mom, I just wish that Laurie could see the man that I become.' But we needed that time because oftentimes, and what we found in ourselves, we didn't know it at the time, because you're living in your environment and you can't see it, right? Is that in youth, things are often absolutes. And you often will get to a place where you're starting your marriage, your relationship is growing. And if you start to talk about marriage, there are things that we have found were absolutes for us. You know, certain things that we did, how we practiced our faith. Did we open up presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but the expectation was somebody was going to have to give up their particular tradition to conform to the tradition of one of the spouses. And in your youth, that seems reasonable, and I think we needed that time to be apart, having had that time together at such an important time in each of our lives here. But we needed that time apart, because I think we needed that frame of reference as we grew as people into adults. Grew as young adults. And now all of a sudden here I'm getting multiple assignments, and now being thrust into leadership positions with accountability and authority, and then coming back to that, all of a sudden, you're realizing, ‘Gosh, the world just isn't always in absolutes. And maybe a marriage doesn't have to be zero sum, but maybe a marriage can be positive sum.' And do we really have to make somebody give up something that is important to them, that is a part of their identity? Because somehow you feel like you have to conform your marriage into one side or the other. And so, I think for us that was that was so incredibly important. So to kind of get to that story is that, you know, I left Aviano and I went to Al Dhafra. I was in Al Dhafra actually for September 11. It was my first squadron command, but it was a squadron command I wasn't expecting, because I came there as a chief of security forces for about a 70-person security forces flight as a part of the 763rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at Al Dhafra. And then all of a sudden, 9/11 happens, and we went from about 400 people on Al Dhafra to about 4,000. And you know, U-2s came in, ISR platforms came in. Everything changed. And all of a sudden, this 70-person security forces flight that I had grew into about a 350-person security forces squadron. And AFSET said, ‘Hey, Sherman, you built it, you keep it, and we'll replace you with a major when you leave.' And I was a six-year captain, and so then finishing up that assignment, and I got picked up for — there was a point to that story — but it was about coming back, is that, hey, I got these new, unique experiences that grew me under my belt. And then I came back to do an AFIT program at Cal State San Bernardino. And that was the moment that brought Laurie and I back together.   Naviere Walkewicz  In what way?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN And so, I had a health scare. Nobody knows what it was. We never figured it out. Doctors never figured it out. But it was one of those things, like, all of a sudden, I shotgun something out to everybody I knew. I said, ‘Hey, doctors are a little bit concerned, you know, keep me in your thoughts.' And so Laurie, Laurie is like, ‘Holy cow, you can't just send a one liner and leave it at that.' So she called my mom and dad and said, ‘What's his phone number?' And so it started to turn into ‘Hey, give me all of your test results after you get it back.' Then pretty soon we're talking a couple times a week, and then pretty soon we're talking every other day, and then we are talking every day. And the beauty of this was that we already knew each other, so we already knew what everybody's favorite color was — by the way, Laurie's is purple. We knew what music each other liked. We knew things about each other. And some of the things that actually drew us together when we were dating here was, you know, we had things like some common family traditions, like, you know, Italian fish on Christmas Eve and sitting around the table for hours and stuff like that were all things that we had in common. So we already knew that about each other. Now, her and I on the phone, we're getting into some real, like substantive discussions, children, faith. How do you how you raise children? How do you know, what are we going to do for different traditions? What happens if I have to take a remote; what does that mean? And so we were getting into these really, deep conversations. And, you know, I would come back from either class or then when I PCs to the security forces center out at Lackland, you know, I would come home from work, and this was in the old flip phone days where you had a battery that came off the back. So I would have one battery in the charger, and then I would have an earbud in, and I'd have the phone in my pocket. Yeah, and I'd come home and to call her, and we would just go throughout the evening. So I'm ironing BDUs at the time, shining my boots and stuff like that, and so, and we were just talking. And then we were just kind of like living life together. And, after that point, it became very clear that those two young people who sincerely cared about each other, now, each of us grew up and had experiences in a place that allowed us to really appreciate each other and really love each other. And you know, we were married just a little over a year after that. And it has been phenomenal, her support. And I think one of the great testaments to that was, 10 days after we got married, I went to Baghdad, but she's like, ‘I grew up in the Air Force. I know how this works. We're gonna move the house. I'll get the house put together.' And she's also a professional in her own right, which is great. So she was working in a legal office here as a paralegal and legal assistant here in Colorado Springs, and has been a GS employee for the last 18-plus years. So what's great is she, too has her own aspect of service. What I love about it is that in the jobs that she's in and then the jobs that I'm in, we can talk shop, and then we cannot talk shop, right? And so she's the first person I go to if I have to ask a question, she's the first person that I'll go to say, ‘Hey, did I do that right? Or do I need to backtrack on that a little bit?' Because she knows me, and she knows me completely, and that level of trust and love and faith that we have for each other has truly enabled me to be able to serve our airmen on a level that I don't think would have been possible without her.   Naviere Walkewicz  51:59 Would you say that she's had a role in your development as a leader, in the way that you lead.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  52:05 Oh, absolutely, absolutely, because, and I love it, because her experience as a brat and her dad as a chief gives her a very unique lens to look through. And so the advice that she gives me she can give me from her teenage self in some way, you know, from that experience, watching how her dad interacted with something or knowing her aspect about this. And then as she's developed professionally, working on the E-Ring at the Pentagon a couple different times, working for very senior leaders, knows how to navigate that space. So then I'll go to her for advice, like, ‘Hey, how did your boss handle something like this?' ‘Well, let me tell you what, how we work through this...' And so I would absolutely say that that Laurie has uniquely influenced and helped me to become the best version of myself that I can be.   Naviere Walkewicz  53:03 Wow. Well, I want to ask you a little bit about developing yourself as well, because one of the questions we like to ask is, what are you doing every day to make yourself a better leader? Can you share what that might be?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  53:17 I've said it a couple times during this: I truly believe that leadership is a human experience, so for me, it's about the interaction. And so oftentimes, advice that I've given to people — like there are amazing resources abound that can help people, give people leadership perspectives, and we can either learn it from history, or we can learn it through study. We can learn it through analysis. We can learn it through books. And I've always talked to people about use the external tools that help to grow you, but make sure that you're using it to influence the personality that you already have. Because oftentimes what happens is, is that people will have this really strong desire to say, “OK, I want to make sure that I do this right. And so in doing this right, let me make sure I've got my checklist, and so I'm going to greet them, I'm going to ask them how their family is, I'm going to ask them if the kid did all right in the baseball game. And I'm going to go through my checklist, and if I do that, I fulfill my leadership obligation.' Now not everybody does, and I'm making generalities on but, but I think that there can oftentimes be the allure that when you are focusing on what may be the theory or the principle of the day, and not using it to supplement and grow and mature your personality, that there is a strong allure to want to wholesale replicate what it was that you learned, and you're doing it in a noble place. It's not nefarious. It's being done in a noble, genuine place. But there's that allure to say, ‘OK, good, I really like what I've learned. I'm going to do these things and step through.' And so why I talk so much about the experience, and why I talk so much about the interaction, is that the more that you know the people that you may be influencing by just simply being there and understanding what that means. It means you're eternalizing the value of your presence. You're listening to their stories, and you're understanding for them, what are the things that are motivating them? What are the things that they value? Because each generation, each environment, each condition is going to require something a little bit different from you, and if you don't take the time to understand your environment or generation or cultural nuances or things like that on where you're at, then you are missing that opportunity to develop trust, where they start to believe in you as a person, and not just the rank and position that you hold, because they'll do the right thing for the rank and position that you hold. That's the caliber of people that we have in this Air Force of ours. They'll do the right thing. But if you transcend that in the fact that they believe in you wholeheartedly and trust you, oftentimes with their own lives, it means that you've invested something into them, where they truly know that you care. And that goes back to that A1C on the cork board that said, ‘I need somebody who cares about me as a person.'   Naviere Walkewicz  56:41 You know, as I think about what you've experienced through your career and the lessons you've learned, both professionally and personally, what would you say to yourself back then that you should be doing back then to get to where you're at now? Because we have listeners that are like, ‘What can I start planting today, that will bloom down the road?'   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  57:03 Absolutely. And so I think if I was to go back and put my arm around Cadet First Class Sherman, I think what I would do is — because it is, it is oftentimes easy to look in the crystal clear mirror of hindsight, right? But I think instead, what I would do is I would put my arm around him and say, ‘Keep following your heart and let the failures happen, because the failures are going to grow and let the stumbles happen and enjoy the triumphs with people and be appreciative for what got you there.' And I think it would be more of the encouragement of like, ‘You have laid out a path for you take the path wherever it goes, the joy, the pain, the triumph, the failure, all of those things, because all of that helps to develop the leader.' And oftentimes you want to go back and say, gosh, if I was going to talk to my previous self, then I would say, ‘Ah, don't do that one thing,' right? But I'm looking at it saying that if I didn't do that one thing, then I'm not sure that I would be where I'm at at a time to make sure I didn't do that thing at a moment that was incredibly catastrophic. And so while we have this desire to want to prevent ourselves from the failure, I think that what we have to do is say you're going to fail and you need to fail, and it's going to sound — relish in the failure, because it is often emotionally troubling, especially those of us that come here because we are Type A perfectionist, and that's part of the draw of coming to this amazing place. Is there a certain personality traits that help us to be successful here, but not all of those personality traits make us uniquely successful in all situations outside, and so you've got to have that failure at some point in time. And the failure that you can get up and say, ‘OK, I did this. This happened. My soul is bruised. My ego is bruised. I may have to take a little bit of accountability for this. OK, now I need to have the courage to take the next step forward again.' Because I could easily retreat back to a safe place, and I could become risk averse, and all that does is hurt the people around you. OK. I have to have the courage to breathe and take the step again and get back in there. So I would tell my — I don't think I would want to prevent myself from doing anything. I think even the growth that took place while Laurie and I were apart — and, like I said, that torch that I carried for her — I think if I had whispered in my ear and said, ‘Hey, just relax, you're gonna marry her.' I think I needed that torch, because that in my own mind and my own emotion was me needing to become a better man, and so I think I needed to go through — like, sometimes you need the struggle, and sometimes the things that are most valuable are the things that you had to go through the struggle for, right? And I think that's where my blue collar ethics background comes in. It's like, I'm just going to roll up my sleeves and I'm going to work through the struggle.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:00:36 Wow. Well, we took a look back. I just want to ask you a question forward. So do you think about legacy? And what do you want your legacy to be? Is that something that plays in your mind as you wake up each morning or go to lead people?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:00:50 I think the way that I look at it is, I look at it in a in a different aspect, and the way that I look at it is in a very confined point to point. It's not about what is going to be Tom Sherman's legacy when he retires someday, but was that interaction that I had with somebody to give them some encouraging words when they fell down, did that matter to them at that moment? Because there are people for me in my failures that were commanders, that were leaders, that were mentors, that were senior enlisted, that, you know, grabbed that lieutenant by the arm and helped to lift me up. And their memories are etched in my fabric. And so I think that it's about that individual event that your legacy will live in the people in which you made a difference to them.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:01:49 Well, I'll share with you, I was telling my son — he's a cadet, a third-class cadet, actually, now he's about to be a C2C — that I was doing this podcast with you, and he said, ‘What an incredible leader, Mom, he motivates me. He's so inspiring.' So your legacy is already through my son—   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:05 Thank you! That means — thank you so much for sharing.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:10 —that you really made an impact. So we're going to get to your final thoughts here in a little bit. But before we do, I want to make sure that you know our podcasts publish on every second Tuesday of the month, and you can certainly listen to Gen. Sherman in any of our other podcasts on longblueleadership.org. So Gen. Sherman, what would you like to leave our listeners with today? This has been incredible, by the way. Thank you.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:32 I have truly enjoyed this, and it's just been — it was just wonderful having the conversation with you, and it's in real honor to be a part of this. I truly believe in what you're doing here.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:43 Thank you. It's my pleasure to help share your story and help inspire others. And is there anything we might leave with our listeners that that they can part with tonight?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:51 I think, for me, you need to love what you do and love I think, is one of the most powerful words in language. And I don't just say the English language. I say in language because of the strength behind the meaning and how wide the meaning can be impactful. If you love what you do, people will feel that your very presence will make a difference. They'll feel that if you love what you do, then you're being, you know, internally, inspired by the love that you have for what you're being a part of, right? If you love and care about your people, they will follow you to the ends of the Earth, because they know the passion that you have and the belief that you have in them. So I think that as we go back to these things, we oftentimes look at the terms of courage and love may seem diametrically opposed, and I would attest that you can be most courageous and that your courage will be most effective only when it's buttressed by the love that you have in what you do and who you do it with.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:08 Thank you, sir, for that. Thank you for being on Long Blue Leadership.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:04:11 Absolutely. Thank you. This was a wonderful time. It was a real honor.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:14 Thank you. Well, until next time, I'm Naviere Walkewicz. We'll see you on Long Blue Leadership.     KEYWORDS Leadership, Air Force Academy, Major General Thomas P. Sherman, mentorship, personal growth, security forces, work-life balance, family support, continuous improvement, legacy       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation        

Kenny Wilson speaks to Graham Ruddick about the story behind how Dr Martens, the famous footwear brand, trebled its annual revenues to £1 billion while he was chief executive. It is a story that begins with Kenny Wilson as a promising footballer at Aberdeen while Sir Alex Ferguson was manager, involves learning about brand and leadership at Levi's, and has some challenges along the way... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the eCommerce Marketing Podcast, host Arlen Robinson chats with Jesse Kay, founder and CEO of ViberMedia, about the proven strategies behind building, scaling, and monetizing an email and SMS list to over 200,000 subscribers. Jesse shares how he launched his first podcast at 16, built his agency from the ground up, and now helps 8- and 9-figure brands achieve profitable digital growth. The conversation dives deep into common mistakes brands make with list-building, how to implement self-liquidating funnels, and a real-world case study where a welcome series alone drove over $400K in revenue. Key Episode Takeaways: Jesse Kay started his entrepreneurial journey by launching a podcast at 16 and now runs a successful performance marketing agency. Email and SMS remain highly profitable channels—especially when properly integrated. Many brands, even large ones, fail at basic setup steps like correct form integrations and automation triggers. Using a multi-step popup form can significantly increase opt-ins. Segmenting your list by engagement and product interest dramatically improves deliverability and conversions. Automations like welcome series, cart abandonment, and post-purchase flows can drive 40%+ of email revenue. Brands can build a 200K+ list cost-effectively without relying heavily on paid ads. Consistent email sends—especially to your most engaged subscribers—are critical for staying top-of-mind. SMS should be used in sync with email to create a cohesive customer experience. Jesse's case study: Grew a sporting goods brand's list to 146K subscribers and $400K+ in welcome flow revenue using Facebook lead ads and smart automations. For show transcript highlights, past guests, and more, visit: https://www.ecommercemarketingpodcast.com Or on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@ecommercemarketingpodcast  Twitter: https://x.com/emarketpodcast  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ecommercemarktingpodcast  Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/emarketingpodcast/  Past guests on the ecommerce marketing podcast include Neil Patel, Nemo Chu, Luke Lintz, Luke Carthy, Amber Armstrong, Kris Ruby and many more. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

Send us a textIn this inspiring episode full of practical strategies, I sit down with Kelsey McCormick, founder of Coming Up Roses, to explore how creative entrepreneurs can pivot away from burnout and build sustainable, freedom-filled businesses — all while showing up as present moms.Kelsey shares her journey of growing a multi-six-figure creative studio, then shutting it down at the height of success to create a new business that supports the flexible, travel-filled life she wanted for her family. She reveals how she built a loyal community that converts without using sleazy sales tactics, and how any mompreneur — no matter their follower count — can start selling consistently by warming up their audience the right way.In this conversation, you'll learn: ✨ Why defining your “enough point” is the secret to balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship ✨ How to get off the “burnout treadmill” and create repeatable systems in your business ✨ Kelsey's best advice for showing up generously and building trust that turns followers into clients ✨ How to ditch the “sales ick” and launch your offers with confidence and authenticity

Rob Woollen, founder of Sigma Computing, shares the unfiltered reality of going from 0 to $100M ARR. After spending seven years grinding without product-market fit, Sigma finally hit an inflection point—tripling revenue year over year. Rob dives deep into the pivots, setbacks, and critical decisions that turned early failure into a massive success. If you're an early-stage founder feeling stuck, this episode will show you how patience, resilience, and radical product decisions can transform your startup.Why You Should ListenHow Sigma went from $0 to $100M ARR—but spent 7 years figuring it out.The pivot that turned years of failure into explosive growth.Why obsessing over speed to product-market fit is the wrong game.How to handle the psychological toll of startup uncertainty.The hidden power of building features your customers never ask for.Keywordsproduct-market fit, Sigma Computing, pivot, startup growth, business intelligence, Snowflake, early-stage startup, SaaS growth, cloud analytics, founder stories00:00:00 Intro00:02:49 Debating speed to product–market fit00:10:14 Quitting Salesforce and the EIR leap00:23:12 Two years of prototypes that went nowhere00:36:53 The Snowflake meeting and spreadsheet pivot00:45:41 Dealing with Investors00:52:30 Tripling three years straight to $100M ARR00:54:46 Why most people shouldn't start a companySend me a message to let me know what you think!

In this episode, Denise Leonhard, CEO of Early Warning (the company behind Zelle), joins us to discuss her journey from American Express and PayPal to leading one of the largest real-time payment networks in the US. Denise shares how Zelle became a $1 trillion powerhouse, what makes it different from other P2P networks, and how it's expanding into small business payments. We dive into Zelle's unique bank-owned structure, the challenges of fraud, and the roadmap for growth—including new tools for SMBs and disbursement payments. Denise also offers candid insights on building teams, product innovation, and the future of real-time payments.Denise Leonhard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-leonhard-4b93918/00:00:00 - Why Zelle's Office is Always Full in SF00:01:34 - Denise's Journey: From Venmo Rival to Zelle CEO00:02:57 - Early Wallets at Amex and PayPal's Public Era00:05:05 - Leading Venmo and Taking a Break00:05:36 - Meeting Early Warning: The Banks Behind Zelle00:06:20 - How Zelle Was Born and Grew to $1 Trillion00:07:09 - Early Warning's Mission: Fighting Fraud00:08:17 - Small Business Stories and Financial Inclusion00:09:02 - What Makes Zelle Different from Venmo?00:10:12 - Real-Time Money: Stories of Instant Relief00:11:20 - Zelle's Biggest Days: Rent, Payday, and SMB Growth00:12:14 - How SMBs and Consumers Use Zelle Differently00:13:30 - Can Non-Bank Apps Join the Zelle Network?00:14:55 - Zelle's Roadmap: SMB Tools, Tags, and QR Codes00:16:01 - Disbursements: The Hidden Power of Zelle00:17:43 - Tackling Fraud: Tech, Product, and Education00:19:24 - Who Owns Fraud? Banks, Consumers, and Liability00:20:53 - How Zelle's Settlement Infrastructure Works00:21:25 - Product Roadmap: Network Growth and SMB Focus00:23:01 - Building the Team: Product, Ops, and Fraud00:24:16 - Strengthening Bank Relationships for Expansion00:25:13 - Why Zelle Builds Fraud Tools In-House00:25:19 - Hiring Across New York, SF, and Scottsdale00:26:31 - Celebrating $2 Trillion and Planning the Next Trillion00:26:41 - Advice for Fintech Founders and Operators___Connect with Rex on social media:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexsalisbury/Twitter: https://twitter.com/rexsalisburyTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rex.salisburyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rexsalisbury/

Gill Valerio reveals how he turned a $10K investment into $8.5M by building and exiting a successful marketing agency. In this brutally honest and value-packed conversation with Brad Lea, they dive deep into mindset, accountability, entrepreneurship, AI, and the real difference between agencies that grow and those that stagnate. If you're tired of excuses and ready to build something real — this one's for you.   Gill's links https://www.instagram.com/officialgillvalerio/ https://joinlimitlessagency.com

Most cash-pay hormone practices hit a ceiling. They grow… then stall. But Jody Layne helped take one from $500K to $4.2 million in revenue without sacrificing patient care.In this episode, Jody breaks down the Predictable Profit Formula that made it possible. You'll learn her full five-step framework, how to identify the one thing holding most clinics back, and what she wishes she'd done differently (yes, she made a major mistake, and you'll want to avoid it). Whether you're a healthcare entrepreneur, clinic owner, or hormone practice leader, this episode is a masterclass in scaling profitably and sustainably.

Josh Turley is CEO of RTA Fleet Management, a fleet management software company that his grandfather started in the 1980's and ran as a small family business for decades. Then Josh's father ran the business until 2015, never growing this slow, old-school business past $2 million in revenues. Josh had worked in the business before, but in 2016, Josh bought the business, to over as CEO and slowly began to make improvements—and mistakes—as they started to grow.  Josh had an ambition to grow the company and learn how to be a real CEO. They started retooling their code to build modern cloud software, investing heavily for many years. They transformed their leadership, staff, business model, pricing, marketing, tech stack, and culture as they grew faster. They also focused on state and local government fleets as they grew.  The bootstrapped company grew steadily, with 75 employees and a $15 million annual recurring revenue (ARR) run rate in 2024, supported by some debt. In 2025, Josh closed a $30 million investment round from Susquehanna Growth Equity, a practical growth equity investor that invests in steady SaaS businesses.  Josh is a long-time member of my Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups. He is an avid learner, attending conferences, reading books, hiring consultants, and continually seeking new knowledge.  In this episode, Josh also talks about: How difficult it was to transform an old business into a new one Why their Purpose, Values, and Mission drive successful hiring Why he chose to take on growth equity investors and de-risk with secondary investment Quote from Josh Turley, CEO of RTA “Every problem is a leadership problem. The biggest challenge in building a SaaS business is always the people—making sure you get the right people on the bus in the right seats. We're at 90 people now, and there's no way I can manage 90 people myself. As the CEO, it all starts with you, then your leaders.  “Most problems I see are because we got the wrong person in the wrong seat. You can't outrun that, regardless of how good the product is or how strong your financial model is. It will always catch up to you eventually, and that causes more problems than anything.  “When you get a leadership team to be 100% aligned with one another, it doesn't matter what the market's doing. It doesn't matter what the product is doing. It will figure itself out. It's a forcing function to get that alignment, and then you just can't be stopped at that point.” Links Josh Turley on LinkedIn RTA on LinkedIn RTA website Susquehanna Growth Equity website The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com.

Summary: At this point, most Americans will probably be familiar with the media company, Newsmax. Their political slant has garnered the company its fair share of criticism, but their growth in recent years has been undeniable.  Chris Ruddy is the CEO of Newsmax Media, which trades under the symbol NMAX. Chris began his career as a journalist at the New York Post and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review before founding Newsmax in 1998. Since then, it's grown into one of the nation's leading broadcasting and digital media companies. Chris joins us today to talk about the public perception of NewsMax, the rationale behind their recent IPO and their plans to leverage their massive reach into future growth. Highlights:Founding Newsmax (2:06)Product offerings and reach (3:14)Political leanings (5:23)Attracting younger viewers (8:14)IPO (9:59)Capital allocation (11:16)Avenues for growth (12:24)Podcasting (14:38)International expansion (15:52)AI (18:21)What do investors get wrong about Newsmax? (19:34) Links:Christopher Ruddy LinkedInNewsmax LinkedInNewsmax WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR Website Feedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, Joe@lowerstreet.co.

Tell us your thoughts on this episode!In this episode of the Cancer Pod, Dr. Leah Sherman sits down with Dr. David Grew, a board-certified radiation oncologist and founder of Primr, a free digital video resource. They also go into details about prostate cancer, from early detection and PSA testing to the latest advancements in treatment options, including when active surveillance is possible vs. surgery and radiation therapy.  Dr. Grew shares how Primr evolved from his inclination to use images to understand and explain medicine. His digitally crafted visual explanations are helping patients understand and navigate their diagnosis and treatment options. Tune in to learn about symptoms, high-risk factors, diagnostic tools like MRIs and genomic testing, and the importance of multiple medical opinions when managing prostate cancer.Click here for Dr. Grew's bio and all social media links to PrimrPrimr Website: https://www.primrmed.com/Direct link to Prostate Cancer Education on PrimrClinical Trial Explainers from Primer:The SABRE TrialThe INDICATE TrialThe CLARIFY TrialSupport the showOur website: https://www.thecancerpod.com Become a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live events, exclusive content, and so much more. Join us today and be part of the journey!Email us: thecancerpod@gmail.com Follow @TheCancerPod on: Instagram Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn YouTube THANK YOU for listening!

New Yorkers' blind pride. Grew up "poor" in a "rough" area, NOT! Calls! Are whites under attack? Joe "banned"! Worry: making the wrong decision?The Hake Report, Wednesday, June 25, 2025 ADTIMESTAMPS* (0:00:00) Start — Disclaimer* (0:04:37) New Yorkers* (0:13:56) Hey, guys!* (0:17:44) Supers/Coffee: Jewish people and the countries* (0:28:47) RICK, Hampton, VA: Trades; JLP/crew shoutout* (0:31:53) RICK: Trump-Iran; Blind hate; Dems/Repubs* (0:36:16) DAVID, Ocala, FL: Pearl; Diversity; Govt not trustworthy* (0:40:25) DAVID: black communities, childhood* (0:50:00) DAVID: Lifespan, health* (0:53:14) SEBASTIAN, Italy, 1st: Thx, helped my life, forgave* (0:55:48) SEBASTIAN: Making decisions … See a friend?* (1:05:21) JOE, Phoenix, AZ: Is he banned? The black thing, "Snake"* (1:21:34) SEBASTIAN: Worry, wrong decisions?* (1:30:08) Supers / Coffees, Biblical Advice* (1:39:34) REAGAN, TN… Construction: Immigrants hiding; Ladies, blacks* (1:49:49) ALEX, CA: Attack on us? Examples… ClosingBLOG https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2025/6/25/the-hake-report-wed-6-25-25PODCAST / Substack HAKE NEWS from JLP https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2025/6/25/jlp-wed-6-25-25–Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/show*SUPER CHAT https://buymeacoffee.com/thehakereportSHOP - Printify (new!) - Cameo | All My LinksJLP Network: JLP - Church - TFS - Nick - PunchieThe views expressed on this show do not represent BOND, Jesse Lee Peterson, the Network, this Host, or this platform. No endorsement or opposition implied!The show is for general information and entertainment, and everything should be taken with a grain of salt! Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe

Jess Testani leads the Connecticut Athletic Trainers' Association and is a former AT of the year recipient. What is your AT Story? When did you get introduced to Athletic Training? Where did you go to college? Where was your first job? How long have you been practicing? Grew up as an injured athlete in high school Erik Lanaes at Sacred Heart Attended Sacred Heart Univ Played soccer there with 2 significant injuries that left me without soccer I took an Intro to AT course  My mentor, Tim Spiker, told me I was an Athletic Trainer and not a PT The ability to multitask and think outside the box. Shenandoah University for the ELM They were big on the challenge and immersion of the AT Program Spent a season with Rutgers football Then went to DC United and realized the schedule didn't fit my desired life I found the secondary setting was my real calling Got into the Physician practice so I could spend time with family, but still felt lacking in the depth and connection with the athletes. You were named the CATA AT of the Year in 2019.  Tell me about that. Have as many conversations with ATs as you can. The then Vice president started asking me how we could change and push the profession. From there I came to the board meeting and met the members, and the rest became history. I became the secondary schools committee chair and worked to improve communication and connection. What is a unique aspect of Athletic Training in your state? I feel like our scope of practice is the best for ATs What is a big challenge for Athletic Trainers in your state? Similar to every other state - perceived value Work life balance We are a small state with smalled programs.  So there are not a lot of ATs trying to take our place. Functional shortage = shortage of numbers available for that setting Contact: Jess - presidentCATA@gmail.com Jeremy - @SportsMedicineBroadcast New Code: SMB

We hear so much advice from folks these days about how to grow on social media, but a lot of it isn't grounded in a reality for people trying to build something from scratch.This session is different.A practical story from someone who has done it themselves recently. Rachael, the Founder and Company Director of Because of Marketing, a global digital marketing publication. Founded from her bedroom in July 2020, Because of Marketing has become a go-to source for the latest in marketing campaigns, industry news, and trends.This is her story of building a social following from the ground up. What worked, what didn't, and what she'd do differently if she had to start again tomorrow.Take the time to check out our partners, all of whom we work with because we think they're useful companies for lovely marketers.Frontify - All your brand assets in one place: Frontify combines DAM, brand guidelines, and templates into a collaborative source of brand truth.Cambridge Marketing College - The best place to get your marketing qualifications and apprenticeships.Planable - the content collaboration platform that helps marketing teams create, plan, review, and approve all their awesome marketing content.NOAN - your superhuman business partner. Easily build your strategy & control your business knowledge with AI, then use it to manage your tasks, create content & supercharge your marketing.

Hair! How I Grew It trailer

Host Jason Blitman sits down with author Leila Mottley (The Girls Who Grew Big) to discuss her experience as a doula and how it shaped her portrayals of motherhood. They explore themes of friendship, family, shame, and the evolving landscape of abortion laws in Florida. Later, Jason is joined by Guest Gay Reader, Chip Pons, who shares insights on his debut book Winging It With You, his love for rom-coms, and his journey from Bookstagrammer to published author.Leila Mottley is the author of the novel Nightcrawling, an Oprah's Book Club pick and New York Times bestseller, and the poetry collection woke up no light. She is also the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. She was born and raised in Oakland, where she continues to live.Chip Pons grew up in a small lake town in Northern Michigan before eventually traveling the world as a photojournalist in the US Air Force, where he met and worked alongside his dream of a husband and better half. He's spent his entire life swooning over the love stories filling up his shelves until one day, he was brave—or delusional—enough to write his own. He currently lives in the heart of Washington, DC. and when he is not writing or chasing his pup, Margot, around, he can be found daydreaming of untold happily ever afters or on Bookstagram shouting about the books he loves. And snacking, like, all the time. BOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE for only $1July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP!Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

In this episode of the Practice Acceleration Podcast, Jess O'Neill shares how she and her business partner Sarah added $500K in revenue in just 12 months by reducing consulting hours, improving team performance, and following a clear 90-day plan. She reveals how stepping into a true CEO role helped them work smarter, boost retention, and rediscover the joy in running their practice. In this episode you'll learn: Why more leads aren't the answer—better retention is.  Stepping back from patients helps you step up as a leader. Structure creates freedom. You don't need to hustle harder—just focus smarter. If you want to scale your practice, reclaim your time, and lead with confidence without working harder, then this episode is for you. P.S. If you want to learn more on how to scale your healthcare practice, chat with one of our expert coaches at https://practiceacceleration.com/application and see how we can help you!    Thanks so much for joining us this week. We hope you love it! Have some feedback you'd like to share? Leave us a review on iTunes! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave an honest review for The Practice Acceleration Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are super helpful and greatly appreciated as it helps us expose this show to a wider audience- plus, we read each one of them! If you're looking for ways to grow your healthcare practice even faster, join our free Facebook group Scale Your Practice.

David Cramer is the co-founder of Sentry, the leading open-source error monitoring tool used by over 90,000 companies. A self-taught engineer, he went from 9th grade high school dropout and Burger King manager to building one of the most widely adopted developer tools in the world — by working hard and rejecting conventional wisdom. As of 2022, Sentry is valued at over $3 billion. David now serves as Chief Product Officer, after previously holding roles as CEO and CTO. In this episode, we discuss: How David went from managing a Burger King to landing his first job as a software engineer How an code snippet grew into a ubiquitous monitoring platform Why open source is an underrated distribution hack How a ruthless competitive streak and obsession with excellence fueled Sentry's rise And so much more… Referenced: Aaron Levie Beats by Dre Cursor Dan Levine Datadog Disqus Dropbox Heroku Max Levchin Okta Omar Johnson Oracle Sentry Satya Nadella Stripe Uber VS Code WindSurf Y Combinator Yandex Where to find David: LinkedIn Twitter/X Where to find Brett: LinkedIn Twitter/X Where to find First Round Capital: Website First Round Review Twitter/X YouTube Timestamps: (4:01) Learning to code through gaming (6:31) Dropping out of high school (9:47) Building infrastructure at Disqus (10:20) “Software is not that hard” (12:45) Early interest in open source (15:45) The birth of Sentry (23:37) Two common founder mistakes (27:13) David's unwavering focus (28:17) Sentry's journey to venture backing (36:43) Finding conviction in decisions (41:11) How Sentry found PMF (46:34) More confidence, less ego (48:08) Is sales valuable? (51:31) David's personal philosophy (1:01:17) Money is not the hardest problem (1:06:27) Marketing won't fix a bad product (1:10:34) What makes Sentry's market unique (1:16:24) “You're gonna mess up” (1:22:08) Why brand will always matter (1:30:51) Eliminating all competition

• Promo for Jeff's Bagel Run and Summer of Sips drinks • Use #TDBagel for monthly giveaways • Show opens from the Just Call Mo Studio • Savannah Boan joins in-studio, plays Deadpool pinball, shares disco aunt story • Talks Chirag, South Carolina roots, and jumping a train to get to work • Addresses fan misconceptions about past absences—just scheduling, no drama • Wildlife influencer and Gatorland rep discusses needing credit in conservation • Dan jokes about craving credit like his dad; influencer culture toxicity discussed • Savannah blocks trolls to avoid bandwagon hate; Dan never blocks • Savannah meets Tom & Dan fans at Gatorland, praises niche wildlife creators • Girl becomes cicada influencer; cicadas vs. toxic lubber grasshoppers clarified • Savannah named official Tom & Dan wildlife correspondent • Fans fabricate drama between her and Chris Gillette; they made joint video to clarify • Savannah gets strange DMs; impersonated online by teen scammer feeding fake gators • Legal action taken; catfishing dangers highlighted • Recognized at LAX; has met celebs through reptile work • Praise for Steve Irwin's no-gimmick fame; Savannah's voice and tattoos make her stand out • Grew up around monster trucks; dad built Carolina Crusher • Ran away at 16 to work as Cinderella; ended up partying with Billy Idol • Shares awkward Nick Swardson encounter and better meeting with TJ Miller • Treats celebs like regular people; most aren't that weird • Presented croc talk to Aussie scientists, forced them to take selfies • Sees herself as bridge between science, zoos, and public • Push to make conservation engaging and accessible • Mentions viral gator dummy video and Gatorland Global travels • Visited Australia, Jamaica, Cuba, Belize, Mexico; missed India trip due to COVID • South Africa trip included rhino dehorning and friend Dingo's death by snakebite • Rhino horns removed via helicopter-assisted vet crew; antiseptic and tags applied • Explains wild dogs' gruesome hunts and lion mating patterns • Lions tranquilized with baited zebra for contraceptives and blood work • Rhino and lion work brought staff to tears; sacrifice explained • Initiation involved drinking elephant dung water with venomous death adder nearby • Close elephant encounter; kicked beer can nearly provoked it • Savannah values rare access to behind-the-scenes wildlife work • Gatorland audience fades if crocs not involved; one panther there hates her • Story of wild gator leaping into a tree for birds • Modern humans are soft compared to wild animals in constant survival mode • Vote for Gatorland as Best Theme Park in Orlando Weekly • JustCallMoe.com promo and upcoming Cimarron Skateway event • Savannah's close inyala encounter at lodge; laid next to her, ate TP, watched TV • Contracted African tick bite fever; symptoms appeared back in U.S. • Got botfly from Cuban tree rat; missed its emergence on camera • Talk on authenticity in wildlife media; Bear Grylls faked past survival content • Dangerous boat encounter with hippos; they walk riverbeds and kill more than crocs • Raised pet hippo story ends in tragedy; maturity turns animals aggressive • Savannah balances kid-friendly content with high-risk animal work • Marine Corps background and past goal of air traffic control • Struggles of influencer life—millions of views but under a million subs • Running a show or channel requires nonstop work behind the scenes • Tom's family trip to Sweden; Savannah recalls chaotic Times Square • Drew Barrymore show visit; connected more with Ross Mathews • Some newsrooms felt hostile; entertainer mode helps smooth tension • Praises Orlando and Florida for supporting weird local talent • Cuba is her favorite place; Northern Australia is a close second • Crocodiles are more dangerous than gators; Australia's wildness fascinates her • Australians question trips to NT unless for crocs; she loves the remoteness • Got lost finding the studio; invited to return anytime ### **Social Media:**   [Website](https://tomanddan.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/tomanddanlive) | [Facebook](https://facebook.com/amediocretime) | [Instagram](https://instagram.com/tomanddanlive) **Where to Find the Show:**   [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-mediocre-time/id334142682) | [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2FtZWRpb2NyZXRpbWUvcG9kY2FzdC54bWw) | [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy/A-Mediocre-Time-p364156/) **The Tom & Dan Radio Show on Real Radio 104.1:**   [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-corporate-time/id975258990) | [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2Fjb3Jwb3JhdGV0aW1lL3BvZGNhc3QueG1s) | [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy/A-Corporate-Time-p1038501/) **Exclusive Content:** [Join BDM](https://tomanddan.com/registration) **Merch:** [Shop Tom & Dan](https://tomanddan.myshopify.com/)

Instructure's Canvas, the learning management system used by over 4,000 school districts and 2,500 higher education institutions, became a lifeline during the pandemic. On this episode of Behind the Deal, Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Holden Spaht and Partner Brian Jaffee sit down with Instructure CEO Steve Daly to discuss how they worked together to refocus Instructure to grow into a leading EdTech platform. For more information on Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal, visit https://www.thomabravo.com/behindthedeal Learn more about Thoma Bravo: https://www.thomabravo.com/ Visit Instructure's website: https://www.instructure.com/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we explore Michelle Pontvert's approach to hosting online events using private podcasts. Discover how this "easy events enthusiast" created a 33-contributor audio event in just 34 hours, achieved an 872-person listen-through rate, and saw a 40% uptick in overall business sales. Learn why Michelle chose audio over traditional summit formats and how she designed an experience that benefits hosts, collaborators, and listeners equally.Links mentioned:https://www.michellepontvert.comhttps://www.michellepontvert.com/event-debriefhttps://www.michellepontvert.com/quizhttps://www.instagram.com/michellepontverthttps://www.facebook.com/michelle.pontvertIf you enjoyed today's episode, please:Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us at @helloaudiofm so we can repost you.Leave a positive review or rating at https://ratethispodcast.com/lyppGrab a free trial of Hello Audio: helloaudio.fm/pricing

Dorian Morris built Undefined Beauty into a national retail brand without investors, relying on her industry expertise, community insight, and bold pivots. By staying self-funded and mission-driven, she proved that inclusivity and smart strategy can scale on her own terms.For more on Undefined Beauty and show notes click here. Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

- Counterpoint: iPhone Topped China Sales in May, Grew 15% Globally - Foxconn and Tata Increase Indian iPhone Production for US - Apple Starts Repair Program for M2 Mac mini with Power Issues - M4 MacBook Air Hits Apple Refurbished Store - iPhone XS Goes Vintage While Fifth-Gen iPad Goes Obsolete - Apple Slips Revised iOS 26 Beta to Developers - Apple Plans Global, In-Person Deep Dives for Developers - Steam Client Beta Drops Need for Rosetta 2 - Apple Music Competitors Can Animate the Lock Screen in iOS 26 - Sponsored by Insta360's new X5: Get 8K 360° video and an invisible selfie stick at store.insta360.com with code macosken - A.I. hallucinates current events and Apple tweaks Parental Controls on Checklist No. 427 - find it at checklist.libsyn.com - Catch Ken on Mastodon - @macosken@mastodon.social - Send Ken an email: info@macosken.com - Chat with us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. Support the show at Patreon.com/macosken

Register for the webinars:DO's and DON'Ts of the LOI - Jun 17th - https://bit.ly/441EocMHow to Offshore in a Blue Collar Business - July 1st - https://acquiringminds.co/hiringKevin Ramsier bought a "guy in a truck" business for radon mitigation. 10 years later it was a multi-state franchise.Topics in Kevin's interview:Finding ways to earn money as a kidBouncing back from early career setbacksThe Wall Street Journal ad that changed everythingTurning around a bankrupt concrete businessBuilding and scaling a radon mitigation companyUsing franchising to manage growth and quality control3 questions that transformed his lifeTransitioning into the role of an independent sponsorInvesting in people instead of public marketsHow he teaches his kids to value moneyReferences and how to contact Kevin:LinkedInSier Capital PartnersGet complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund TeamWork with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:Pioneer Capital AdvisoryGet a complimentary IT audit of your target business:Email Nick Akers at nick@inzotechnologies.com, and tell him you're a searcherConnect with Acquiring Minds:See past + future interviews on the YouTube channelConnect with host Will Smith on LinkedInFollow Will on TwitterEdited by Anton RohozovProduced by Pam Cameron

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Shaan Patel, founder and CEO of Prep Expert, a leading online test prep company. The conversation explores Patel’s journey from struggling test-taker to perfect SAT scorer, bestselling author, and successful entrepreneur. He shares how his personal experience inspired a mission to help students unlock scholarship opportunities and academic success.