Podcasts about mentors

Explore the inspiring story of Adam Wright, CEO of Pilot Companies, who shares how life's toughest moments shape resilience, character, and leadership. From overcoming personal tragedy to leading a business with a focus on people and purpose, Adam's journey offers valuable insights on faith, perseverance, and integrity.In this episode: How Adam's childhood adversity shaped his mindset around resilience and growth The influence of his mother's hard work and unwavering faith on his values The significance of mentors and key relationships in shaping success The importance of doing the next right thing and walking in faith and confidence Leadership principles balancing standards and grace The power of intentional prioritization over striving for balance Lessons from athletic endeavors and how discipline translates into the corporate world Building a purpose-driven organization focused on customer experience and team member engagement The impact of personal faith and the importance of community in decision-making Practical tips on discerning God's calling and walking in confidence Berkshire Hathaway Adam Wright LinkedIn Pilot Flying J Holy Bible LinkedIn Twitter Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to Adam Wright's inspiring journey 02:00 - Childhood challenges and the impact of his father's passing 04:30 - Lessons learned from his mother's example of hard work and faith 07:00 - How mentors and coaches influenced Adam's development 09:30 - The importance of showing people they matter in every turn 12:00 - Decision to stay local for family and educational opportunities 14:00 - The significance of faith and prayer in decision-making 16:00 - Overcoming self-doubt and realizing the power of others' belief 18:30 - Transition from college football to NFL: hard work and humility 21:00 - Lessons from athletic discipline and perseverance 24:30 - The role of redshirting and continuous improvement in football and life 27:00 - The mindset of "next game" and relentless pursuit of excellence 30:00 - Navigating challenges in professional sports and the corporate world 33:00 - Leading Berkshire Hathaway Energy: balancing standards with grace 35:00 - Building company culture around authenticity, purpose, and accountability 36:45 - The importance of trust, relational capital, and clear communication 39:00 - Mentors and relationships that reinforced Adam's confidence 42:00 - The role of family, especially his wife's unwavering support 45:00 - Leading Pilot Companies with a customer-centric approach 48:00 - Cultivating company values and ensuring they live beyond words 51:00 - Prioritization over balance: integrating work, family, and faith 53:00 - The indivisibility of life and intentional trade-ups 55:00 - Final thoughts and encouragement to walk in purpose and faith. This episode emphasizes leadership rooted in faith, perseverance, and authentic connection. Adam's story encourages us all to pursue our purpose with confidence, balanced by grace and a commitment to serving others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Jim Burns, founder of HomeWord, returns to the Jesus Calling Podcast to discuss how parents can navigate the heartbreak of estrangement with their adult children. He offers advice on avoiding self-blame, communicating without unsolicited criticism, and prioritizing healthy boundaries. Later, neuroscientist Dr. Joshua W. Brown shares how a terminal brain tumor diagnosis at age thirty sparked his interest in investigating how faith practices and prayer contribute to healing. Using his scientific training, he describes seeing cases that medical professionals cannot explain, exploring how healing may happen beyond the scope of traditional treatment. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Brooke Envick Upcoming interview: Butch Hartman Dr. Jim Burns Doing Life with Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut and the Welcome Mat Out - Book by Dr. Jim Burns When Your Adult Child Strays: Trading Heartache For Hope - Book by Dr. Jim Burns Reconnecting with Your Estranged Adult Child: Practical Tips and Tools to Heal Your Relationship - Book by Tina Gilbetson Dr. Joshua W. Brown Global Medical Research Institute Proving a Miracle: Unlocking the Power of Prayer to Heal - Book by Dr. Joshua W. Brown Interview Quotes: “I say to people whose kids are just moving into adulthood: ‘Number one, you’re fired as a day-to-day parent. You have to give the kid the passport to adulthood.’” - Dr. Jim Burns “Mentors don’t necessarily give advice, they give advice when they’re asked.” - Dr. Jim Burns “I say to parents all the time, take the lead, but take the lead with love. Take the lead with kindness.” - Dr. Jim Burns “There are very few estrangements where we don’t need the help of counsel. We need somebody coming alongside us to give us insight, especially with estrangement, because we don’t know what to do.” - Dr. Jim Burns “So the tightrope that you walk is you show love, you practice kindness, you expand the relationship to not just be a one-topic parent. And in doing that, you can embrace your child and love your child.” - Dr. Jim Burns “I think the bottom line with a lot of people, a lot of adult children, is they’re asking one question, ‘Do you still love me?’” - Dr. Jim Burns “If you hope for nothing, you are protected from being disappointed. And so hope has a cost to it. I was starting to see people, right in front of me, experience healing through this kind of prayer ministry. And so that gave me some degree of hope that there was at least something going on there that was worth pursuing.” - Dr. Joshua W. Brown “If you spend your time praying, thinking about God, thinking about His goodness, thinking about how He loves you and cares for you, your brain cells will become more responsive to those thoughts over time.” - Dr. Joshua W. Brown “Can what we believe, or our prayers for example, lead to mind-body effects that can have effects on actually reducing pain?” - Dr. Joshua W. Brown “As with food, you are what you eat. And I think the same principle applies spiritually and even psychologically [as to] the things that you spend time thinking about.” - Dr. Joshua W. Brown _______________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website TikTok Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Business Edition Podcast, co-hosts Gary McCreadie and Furman Haynes from WorkHero sit down with Cornelio Martinez, Owner at Maize Mechanical, he shares the journey of building a successful HVAC business by focusing on relationships, strategic hiring, and long-term growth instead of chasing rapid expansion. He explains how partnerships, mentorship, and investing in apprentices helped him scale sustainably while navigating the challenges of staffing, sales, and business operations. The conversation also explores his vision for contractor co-ops, workforce development, and how small businesses can compete with large private equity-backed companies. Cornelio Martinez is an advocate for electrification, workforce development, and sustainable business growth. After starting as a subcontractor, he strategically grew his company through partnerships, mentorship, and investing in apprentices. Today, he's passionate about helping independent contractors build stronger businesses while creating more opportunities for the next generation of skilled trades professionals.   Expect To Learn: Why strategic partnerships can accelerate business growth. How to know when it's time to hire employees instead of subcontractors. The pros and cons of using subcontractors versus building an in-house team. Why investing in apprentices creates long-term business stability. How transparency impacts customer sales conversations. The biggest financial lessons every growing contractor should understand. How contractor co-ops could help small HVAC businesses compete with larger organizations.   Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 00:44 – When Is the Right Time to Hire Your Next Employee? 01:53 – Learning from Mentors and Building Strategic Partnerships 03:07 – Growing Through Relationships Instead of Marketing 03:34 – Subcontractors vs. Hiring Your Own Apprentices 04:08 – Why Investing in Employees Pays Off Long-Term 06:49 – Scaling Without Overextending Your Business 07:37 – Avoiding Technical Overload During Sales Conversations 08:59 – Selling with Logic, Emotion, and Trust 11:54 – Competing with Private Equity Through Collective Buying Power 12:38 – Streamlining Operations and Holding Contractors Accountable 13:54 – Final Thoughts   Follow our Guest Cornelio Martinez: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornelio-martinez-38660b40/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corneliomartinez/  Company Website: https://maizemechanical.com/  Company Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/people/Maize-Mechanical/61556354961579/#    Follow Gary McCreadie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/  Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/61569643061429/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/    Follow Furman Haynes:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/furmanhaynes/  WorkHero: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workherohvac/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workhero__/

In this "Community Spotlight Edition" of "Ask the Expert," Landy Thomas of SRNA spoke with Cindy Ranii about living with transverse myelitis (TM). Cindy described her diagnostic journey, rehabilitation, accessibility, and financial challenges [00:53]. She discussed returning to work briefly before retiring, emphasizing the importance of support, love, and community [08:51]. Cindy shared her path from wheelchair tennis to international wheelchair table tennis, and her pursuit of Paralympic qualification through point-based global competition [13:17]. She also discussed writing and self-publishing her book, Parakeet Races and Other Stories, inspired by family memories and her experience with TM [31:58].Cindy Ranii is a 79-year-old retired educator who lives with her wife Shelly and service dog Hollis in Santa Cruz, California. In 2005, her life changed drastically when she was diagnosed with transverse myelitis (TM). Within four days, she went from golfing, playing tennis, and working vigorously as the Superintendent of a local high school district to being a paraplegic (T-3 complete).Six months after her diagnosis she was back at work, using a wheelchair fulltime. Eighteen months later she decided to retire to have enough energy to enjoy her family (four children and 13 grandchildren) and to rebuild an active lifestyle. She competed in wheelchair tennis and then pursued table tennis with her eyes on the Paralympics. Currently she is training to compete in the 2028 LA Paralympics in wheelchair table tennis, saying, “My quest is to be the oldest Paralympian in history. It's a long shot; but why not!”Cindy has written numerous articles regarding living with a disability for New Mobility Magazine and authored a memoir, Parakeet Races and Other Stories, which is available through Amazon: https://rebrand.ly/cindy-ranii 00:00 Welcome00:53 Cindy's Diagnosis Overview01:37 Early Symptoms and ER Rush06:07 Hospital Transfer and TM Diagnosis08:51 Rehab Reality and New Life11:27 Accessibility Costs and Support13:17 Paralympic Table Tennis Quest17:52 Disability Community and Pride20:25 Finding Resilience Through Sport22:34 Mentors and New Athletic Path28:27 Work Return Then Retirement31:58 Writing Her Memoir37:09 Closing Reflections

James Dumoulin built one of the biggest interview brands on the internet by walking up to strangers and asking how much money they make.He co-founded School of Hard Knocks in 2021 with his brother Jack and friend Joshua Smith. The early channel gave business advice and stalled around 25,000 followers. So James flipped the format. He started cold-approaching millionaires and billionaires on the street, pointed the camera at them, and let them talk. His 2022 Mark Cuban interview changed everything.Today School of Hard Knocks reaches more than 17 million followers and over 4 billion views across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The clips run under five minutes. The business behind them runs on four engines: ad revenue, brand partnerships, high-ticket consulting, and School of Mentors, a paid community of nearly 6,000 entrepreneurs. In August 2025, James reported his biggest month yet, with 700,000 dollars in revenue and 400,000 in profit. At 23, he became a millionaire and put his first major check into a 200-unit apartment complex in Texas.In this conversation, we cover the pivot, the real hit rate on cold approaches, the money behind the views, and what hundreds of interviews with the wealthy taught him about building wealth of his own.Follow James and School of Hard Knocks: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschoolofhardknocks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjamesdumoulin/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theschoolofhardknocksSupport the show

ఈ రోజుల్లో పిల్లలు తల్లిదండ్రుల మాట ఎందుకు వినడం లేదు?కుటుంబాల మధ్య దూరాలు ఎందుకు పెరుగుతున్నాయి?Generation Gap నిజంగానే సమస్యా...లేక ఒకరినొకరు అర్థం చేసుకోకపోవడమే కారణమా?ప్రముఖ Psychologist, Global Trainer, Researcher షాజియా పర్వీన్ గారు ఈ అంశాలపై ఎన్నో విషయాలు మనతో పంచుకున్నారు. పిల్లలకు సరైన మార్గదర్శకత్వం ఎంత ముఖ్యమో చెప్తూ… సమస్యల గురించి బాధపడటం కంటే వాటికి పరిష్కారాలు వెతకాలని, పిల్లలకు కేవలం లక్ష్యాలు మాత్రమే కాదు... మంచి Mentors, సరైన వాతావరణం కూడా అవసరమని చెప్పారు.కుటుంబ బంధాలు, పేరెంటింగ్, యువత భవిష్యత్తు గురించి ప్రతి ఒక్కరినీ ఆలోచింపజేసే ఈ podcast ను తప్పక వినండి. మిస్ అవ్వకండి!Why are children today not listening to their parents?Why are distances growing within families?Is the generation gap really the problem, or is it simply a lack of understanding between one another?Renowned Psychologist, Global Trainer, and Researcher Shazia Parveen shares valuable insights on these important issues. She explains the importance of proper guidance for children and emphasizes that instead of worrying about problems, we should focus on finding solutions. She also highlights that children need not only goals but also good mentors and a supportive environment to thrive.This thought-provoking podcast explores family relationships, parenting, and the future of today's youth. Don't miss it!Guest: Shazia ParveenHost: Adarsh Kumar#TALRadio #SpecialInterview #ShaziaParveen #FamilyRelationships #Parenting #GenerationGap #YouthDevelopment #FamilyBonding #MentalHealth #TouchALifeFoundation 

Let us know what you think!Security Halt's Med Group - https://zcform.com/QA5QsClick the link for a FREE consultation with My Med Team to see how we can help.   How should military experience shape leadership in America?What separates successful entrepreneurs from everyone else?According to retired Green Beret and inventor James Hills, it's not luck—it's persistence.In Episode 450 of the Security Halt! Podcast, Deny Caballero welcomes back James Hills for an in-depth discussion on entrepreneurship, innovation, product development, and what it really takes to build a successful business after military service.James shares the evolution of Tac Valve, lessons learned from manufacturing, fundraising, branding, and networking, while offering practical advice for veteran entrepreneurs navigating the challenges of launching a startup.The conversation also explores sustainability, emerging technologies, advanced materials, and why solving real-world problems is the foundation of every successful business.Whether you're building your first company or looking to scale an existing business, this episode delivers actionable lessons from someone who has successfully brought multiple products to market.Listen now. Follow the show. Share this with the veteran or entrepreneur who needs to hear it. Chapters:00:00 Meet James Hills: Green Beret, Inventor, and Entrepreneur01:09 Launching Tac Valve and Building a Startup02:04 Disrupting the Water Bottle Industry Through Innovation03:19 Travel, Perspective, and Entrepreneurial Inspiration05:35 Where Great Business Ideas Come From07:31 Raising Capital and Building a Powerful Brand09:24 Manufacturing Challenges Every Startup Faces11:24 Building a Network of Mentors and Advisors13:44 Strategic Partnerships That Accelerate Growth15:05 Overcoming Setbacks and Staying Focused17:43 Why Networking Opens More Doors Than Marketing20:34 The Power of Authentic Human Connection22:14 Marketing, Sponsorships, and Brand Awareness24:01 Industry Events Every Entrepreneur Should Attend25:46 Breaking Into the Defense Industry28:20 Supporting Veterans Through Business30:52 What's Next for Tac Valve33:29 Sustainable Innovation and Environmental Impact36:50 Stem Cells, Recovery, and High Performance38:31 Advanced Materials Changing Product Design40:57 Why Great Teams Build Great Companies43:52 Lessons Learned From the Entrepreneurial Journey45:11 Advice for Every Veteran Entrepreneur46:45 Giving Back and Building Community47:35 Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks Sponsored by: Transcend Use my referral link to book a consultation for Peptide Therapy http://transcendcompany.com/DenyCaballero Pure Liberty Labs Use Code: SECURITY_HALT_10 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purelibertylabs/ Website: https://purelibertylabs.com/ PRECISION WELLNESS GROUP  Use code: Security Halt Podcast 25 Website: https://www.precisionwellnessgroup.com/ WARRIOR RISING Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearewarriorrising/?hl=en Website: https://warriorrising.org/ Donate Today: https://warriorrising.org/?form=donate SPECIAL FORCES FOUNDATION Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/specialforcesfoundation_/ Website: https://specialforcesfoundation.org/ Request Help: https://specialforcesfoundation.org/get-support/   Security Halt Mediahttps://www.securityhaltmedia.com/Instagram: @securityhaltX: @SecurityHaltTik Tok: @security.halt.podLinkedIn: Deny CaballeroSupport the showProduced by Security Halt Media

Wörthersee Edition, Part 2 – diesmal live und gemeinsam. Die Folge beginnt mit der passenden Kleiderwahl für einen Drehtermin und den sprachlichen und grammatikalischen Grundprinzipien des zivilisierten Lebens. Kann der Kapitalismus überhaupt funktionieren, wenn endloses Wachstum seine Grundvoraussetzung ist? Und kann der Mensch überhaupt Stillstand akzeptieren? Das Nilpferd denkt nicht ans Übermorgen – wir schon. Dieser evolutionäre Vorteil des abstrakten Denkens ist gleichzeitig der Grund, warum echte Zufriedenheit so schwer ist. Es gibt nur das Jetzt. Der Rest ist Konstruktion. Isabel versucht aktiv, keine Ziele zu haben. “Trust the process” – am liebsten so, wie Roger Federer die Vorhand schlägt: kinetische Kette, Körper vertrauen, aufhören nachzudenken. Alexandra Eala, 21, Filipina, Top 30, Wimbledon – sagt bei einer Pressekonferenz über den Rückhalt ihres Landes: Once it grows, it cannot be stopped. Das gilt für Tennis. Und für damit, zumindest laut Lukas, auch für alles andere. Dazu: Warum "Du bist genug" nicht gleichzusetzen ist mit Anspruchslosigkeit. Und eine Anekdote von Lukas mit 16 Jahren, die zeigt, wie viel ein einziger Satz eines Mentors verändern kann.

Coaching Over Managing: Empowering Leaders to Inspire Growth through Coaching by Terry Ostrowiak https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWPZML42 Quantumleapcatalyst.com Synopsis: Coaching Over Managing: Empowering Leaders to Inspire Growth through Coaching is designed to help managers coach rather than simply manage.Autobiography: Terry Ostrowiak is a Business Catalyst who helps open-minded executives in small businesses achieve Quantum Leap Results-hitting targets and goals faster and more easily than they could on their own. His coaching career spans over 40 years across 26 countries. He has organized and conducted coaching and training programs, workshops, and seminars for a range of small and large companies.For 12 years, Terry ran one of the most successful independent Dale Carnegie operations in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was awarded the International President’s Cup three times for generating and conducting quality business.He was appointed Special Adviser to the International Federation of Professional Coaches and Mentors, has hosted his own radio programs in the United States, and is the founder of Dynamus International, a global coaching consultancy based in San Diego, California.With over 40 years of experience coaching, teaching, and training small businesses worldwide, Terry (aka The Quantum Leap Catalyst) shares his approach to what makes a successful coach and what makes a client’s coaching session truly exceptional. Terry has also published a book titled The Greatest Book on Coaching for Small Business, which addresses the challenges faced when running and growing a business to higher levels.

“Until death, all defeat is psychological.” — Marcus AureliusHow can you make good decisions for your future, especially in a world of noise, overwhelm, and pressure?Our guest Jon Fussell (known as “Fuss”) is a retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander. Over a 20-year military career, he led the most elite special mission units on hundreds of direct-action combat missions across eight deployments.Fuss served in tactical leadership roles on SEAL Teams 3, 4, 10, as well as SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two. He then served as a Troop Commander at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (SEAL Team 6).Today, as founder of Patriot Leadership Development, Fuss uses real-world battlefield scenarios to teach executives how to navigate intense ethical dilemmas and maintain operational clarity under immense pressure. In this episode:• How to install a culture where "calm is contagious", in the office or at home. • The exact framework elite teams use to remain at the top of their game.  • How to make decisions under pressure that maximize your organizational velocity.  • The best lessons from a 20-year career in the most elite special forces.Let's WIN THE DAY with Jon Fussell!_

What if almost everything you've been told about happiness is wrong? Most people spend their lives trying to avoid discomfort. Jerzy Gregorek argues the opposite: the harder the choices you willingly make, the happier, stronger, and more resilient your life becomes. World Champion weightlifter, philosopher, poet, therapist, and author Jerzy Gregorek explores the mindset principles that helped him survive political persecution in Communist Poland, overcome alcoholism, fight for freedom, coach elite athletes, and transform countless lives through what he calls the Happy Body philosophy. Jerzy explains why confidence isn't something you're born with—it's something you earn through difficult choices. He reveals why most people sabotage their own happiness through expectations and complaint, why tiny daily improvements create extraordinary lives, and why true freedom begins the moment you take complete ownership of your choices. --- 00:00 Why Hard Choices Create an Easier Life 01:29 Recovering From Injury Starts With the Right Goal 05:22 Why Most People Never Build Real Resilience 07:02 The Stoic Philosophy of Constant Progress 08:01 Why You Need Bigger Goals 10:21 Building Confidence Through Personal Proof 13:19 The Power of Micro Progressions 15:18 The Incredible Story of Rebuilding a Life From Scratch 25:00 At 71 Years Old: Why Jerzy Still Olympic Lifts Every Day 30:03 How Poetry Became a Tool for Healing Trauma 36:18 "The Mind Makes the Body" 40:47 Viktor Frankl on Finding Meaning Through Suffering 45:20 Fighting for Freedom in Communist Poland 47:48 Helping People Recover From Addiction, PTSD & Darkness 54:54 Can You Become Your Own Hero? 56:17 The Books That Changed Jerzy's Life 58:12 Why Expectations Create Suffering 59:18 Stop Complaining, Start Taking Ownership 01:03:21 Choosing Happiness Is a Skill 01:07:22 What "Ever Forward" Really Means 01:10:47 The Value of Mentors 01:13:28 Jerzy's Daily Happy Body Practice ---- Episode resources: Timeline - get MitoPure with urolithin A for less than $75/month with code EVERFORWARD  Watch and subscribe on YouTube

Send us Fan MailEncouragement is not just something nice we say when things go well. It is the fuel that teaches a child, deep down, “I can do this,” even when the grade is low, the plan falls apart, or life feels unfair. We get real about how our words land, especially for parents carrying a lot, and why mentoring matters more than rescuing.We walk through practical positive parenting tools you can use immediately to build confidence in kids and raise resilient children: praising effort instead of outcomes, asking “Did you try?” after a disappointing result, and calmly uncovering the why so you can actually help. We also talk about partnering with teachers, using chores and responsibilities to develop leadership skills, and letting children make small choices that build decision-making. Along the way, we share why safe spaces for mistakes matter, how modeling “try again” teaches grit, and why praising character traits like kindness, honesty, and courage can stick longer than appearance-based compliments.You will also hear simple connection habits that strengthen trust at home: affirming language like “You matter” and “I'm proud of you,” listening without interrupting, and spending intentional one-on-one time by putting the phone down for an hour. If you want to mentor with love, reduce power struggles, and help your child solve problems without you fixing everything, this conversation will give you a clear place to start. Subscribe, share with a parent who needs encouragement, and leave a review with what you want to hear next.https://singlemomsunitedpodcast.com/As Mom's we are more than nurturers we are Mentors to our children.

What’s the deal with mentors? What’s their role? Who needs one? How do we find someone who’s a good fit? Can you be one? Perhaps ‘being’ a mentor has as many benefits, as ‘having’ a mentor? Apart from mentors, Bobby, Tiff and I also explored learning styles, optimising your energy, how to retain information and lots more. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having more than one can be to your advantage. Learn how to develop mentors that meet your needs when you need them. #ThePitch #INICIVOX #VirtualMentorship

In this return episode, Anika and Dick Wybrow break down the exact mindset shift required to transition between industries, why independent publishing outperforms traditional deals for genre fiction, and the counterintuitive truth about building a sustainable creative business: it's not about chasing trends—it's about finding your authentic voice and the people who love it.In This EpisodeCareer pivot from broadcast to books: How 20 years in comedy and TV prepared him for writing—and why it required complete humilityThe case for indie publishing: Why control, speed, and 70% royalties beat traditional publishing's marketing machineFinding your niche in a crowded market: Why humor is his unfair advantage against AI and how to defend your work in 2026Building a dedicated readership from zero: The power of responding to every email and comment—and why word-of-mouth beats paid adsThe narcolepsy reframe: How he transformed a "disability" into a creativity superpowerAudience growth without the hype: Why you don't announce your book—you quietly build your team of readersThe Substack experiment: Serializing a prequel, building SEO, and getting two revenue bites from one storyBalancing workaholic tendencies with life: Calendar blocking, time limits on creative tasks, and why delegation mattersFive actionable tips for aspiring authors: The exact framework for finishing your first book (no perfectionism allowed)The faith factor: How becoming a Christian shifted his storytelling toward hope and championing marginalized charactersTimestamps07:11 Learning humor writing: Mentors, analysis, and understanding structure11:35 Why independent publishing was the only option for his stories19:22 Why humor is the ultimate AI defense23:11 Finding your first dedicated readers: Authenticity and personal response31:06 Substack as serialization, SEO, and future revenue34:17 Calendar blocking and reframing narcolepsy as a creativity superpower40:09 Five tips for aspiring authors: The exact framework for finishing your book46:15 How faith shifted his storytelling toward hope and purposeKey Insights & TakeawaysInsight 1: Skill Transfer Requires Humility, Not ConfidenceDick had 20 years of broadcast success. Writing books is a different craft entirely. Rather than assuming he knew how to write, he became a student—finding mentors, analyzing structure in published works, and accepting he had "permission to be stupid" about the new medium. Confidence kills learning.Insight 2: Independent Publishing Wins for Niche VoicesTraditional publishers reject stories that are "strange" or don't fit market categories. Independent publishing gives you three critical advantages: (1) Complete creative control, (2) 3-4x faster release schedules, (3) 70% royalties instead of $1 per $14.99 book. For passionate authors with unique voices, this isn't a trade-off—it's freedom.Insight 3: Humor Is Your Unfair Advantage Against AIAI can generate content at scale. AI cannot be funny. Humor is what Dick calls "cultural voodoo"—nobody can define it precisely enough to code it. By writing humor-forward genre fiction, he's built immunity to AI competition that pure genre writers don't have. Authenticity and voice beat volume every time.Insight 4: Your Readers Are Built One Person at a TimeDick didn't build a following through viral moments. He built it by responding personally to every email and comment. Readers who feel seen become advocates. One person from 2019 (Neil) has been a loyal reader for seven years. That's lifetime value that no algorithm can buy.Insight 5: Five Steps to Actually Finish Your BookWrite the book you want to read (don't chase trends)Don't announce it (avoid the dopamine hit that kills momentum)Find 2-3 trusted readers (not family)Set a daily writing goal (even one sentence counts)Finish before you fix (first drafts are garbage—that's the point)The real permission slip: Give yourself permission to write badly. Every author writes garbage first drafts. Revision is where the work happens.Insight 6: Your Limitations Are Often Your Unfair AdvantagesDick has narcolepsy—he's half-asleep most of the time. Rather than fighting it, he reframed it as his creativity engine. Being in a dream-state means his mind wanders into places other people don't naturally go. That's where his best story ideas come from. The lesson: reframe, don't resist.Resources & Links MentionedDDUB Publishing (Dick's independent publishing company)Hell Inc. and Wolfwear series (bestselling collections)The The Facilite Con (sci-fi heist comedy, August 2026 release)Substack (serialization platform for prequel content)Facebook Ads Library (research tool for ad copy analysis)Joe Abercrombie's "The Devils" (humor writing structure reference)About Dick WybrowDick Wybrow spent 20 years as a standup comedian, radio host, and TV producer (including work on CNN's early comedy newscast with Pete Dominic). He pivoted to full-time authorship and founded DDUB Publishing, building a multi-book catalog of supernatural thrillers blended with humor. He's financially supported his wife's retirement through author earnings, relocated to New Zealand, and is now exploring teaching online from Thailand while maintaining a prolific writing schedule. He's a self-taught expert in ad copywriting, graphic design, and marketing—and is committed to mentoring aspiring authors.Connect with DickWebsite: https://www.dickwybrow.com/Social:facebook.com/dickwybrowtiktok.com/@dickwybrow_ Open to mentorship: Authors working on projects can reach out for guidanceSubstack newsletter: dickwybrow.substack.comWeekly humorous newsletter + prequel serializationRelated EpisodeRejection to Recognition: The Tenacity Behind Dick Wybrow's Best-Selling SuccessSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

James MacDonald, Founder of Limelight, joins That's What I Call Marketing to discuss programmatic advertising, building a global ad tech business, AI and why simplicity still matters for marketers today.This episode explores the journey from Fleet Street advertising sales to modern programmatic technology, through a practical conversation about risk, reinvention, customer focus, remote culture and building technology that solves real problems.In this episode, we cover:– What Fleet Street taught James about sales, resilience and asking for the business– Why helping people buy is more powerful than pushing people to buy– How James identified the gap that led to Limelight– Why programmatic advertising still needs simplicity, support and better execution– How Limelight thinks about AI, interoperability and the importance of human judgement– What it takes to build and maintain a strong remote culture across a global teamA useful listen for marketers interested in ad tech, programmatic advertising, AI in marketing, founder stories, sales, customer success, remote teams and building through change.That's What I Call Marketing is the podcast for marketers who care about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession.Follow the show for more conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, professors, authors, thinkers and practitioners.Find more episodes at: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.comThis Cannes Sessions episode is brought to you in partnership with The Digital Voice.Find out more at: https://www.thedigitalvoice.co.uk01:38 Starting out on Fleet Street03:19 What early sales teaches you04:35 From eggs to advertising06:27 Helping people buy, not pushing a sale07:04 Mentors, mistakes and learning through failure07:11 Starting again and founding Limelight09:31 Finding the right business partner10:59 Identifying the gap in programmatic12:00 Building the Limelight platform14:00 Taking risks as a founder15:59 Building culture as the company grows16:42 Running a fully remote global business18:17 What Limelight does20:49 How people discover Limelight22:16 Listening to customers and building the product23:33 AI, human judgement and interoperability26:05 Why simplicity matters in technologyThat's What I Call Marketing is where marketers come for real conversations about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession.Hosted by Conor Byrne, the show features conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, authors, thinkers and practitioners about what good marketing looks like in practice.Listen, follow and find more episodes at: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.comConnect with Conor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorbyrneirl/If you enjoy the show, please follow, subscribe and leave a review. It helps more marketers find the conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/ymCLwjN3K0c   In this spotlight from episode 366 of Stories from the River, Tyler Trill continues the conversation with Jason Baugus, exploring the leadership lessons that shaped his growth at Broad River Retail. Jason reflects on the influence of early mentors, sharing how observing experienced leaders helped him build confidence and develop the skills needed to guide conversations and better serve guests. Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes.    Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com    Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-river-retail 

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/ymCLwjN3K0c   In this spotlight from episode 366 of Stories from the River, Tyler Trill continues the conversation with Jason Baugus, exploring the leadership lessons that shaped his growth at Broad River Retail. Jason reflects on the influence of early mentors, sharing how observing experienced leaders helped him build confidence and develop the skills needed to guide conversations and better serve guests. Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes.    Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com    Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-river-retail 

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Grace Brennan, founder of Higgle, about process-driven visual arts and creative thinking in primary classrooms. Grace shares her education journey from County Wexford to art and design studies and entrepreneurship supported by Enterprise Ireland and local programmes, and reflects on how third-level art opened her mind to experimentation and careers. We discuss how art can become outcome-focused “cookie cutter” work influenced by social media, often because teachers lack training and time to explore materials, and why this can harm children's creativity and confidence. Grace explains Higgle as a digital prompt generator that supports open-ended, cross-curricular art problems adaptable to available materials and diverse classroom needs, and she outlines her EPV courses for teachers.00:00 Welcome and Art Chat01:24 Grace Brennan Journey03:35 Simon Art Teaching Roots04:56 Mentors and Creativity07:57 Leaving Cert Art Reality09:03 Fixing Cookie Cutter Art16:31 Why Art Foundations Matter20:00 STEAM and New Curriculum22:55 What Is Higgle24:47 Inside the Prompt Generator26:12 Pencil and Paper Challenge27:45 Minister for a Day30:32 Where to Find Higgle31:52 Final Thanks and Wrap This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 165 The Mentors We Need with Mark Kelbel Watch Now https://youtu.be/xHCtJCyaxxA Listen Now Description In this episode of Finding Peaks, Chris welcomes back Mark Kelbel, founder of Freedom Golf, to explore how mentorship, community, and purpose can transform lives both on and off the course. Mark shares how Freedom Golf has grown into far more than a nonprofit—it has become a place where young people, especially those navigating the foster care system, find guidance, belonging, and hope. Together, Chris and Mark discuss the importance of positive role models, the foundation that 12-step principles provide, and why recovery flourishes when people discover a purpose greater than themselves. The conversation dives into the grit that comes from persistence, the impact of surrounding yourself with the right people, the role families play throughout recovery, and why healthy boundaries are essential for lasting growth. Whether you're in recovery, supporting someone you love, mentoring the next generation, or simply looking for ways to make a difference in your community, this episode is a powerful reminder that meaningful change rarely happens alone. Talking Points Introduction to the Show Freedom Golf in the community The foster care pipeline Mentoring the youth 12-step and the foundation Purpose in recovery Community is the key Persistence grows grit Having the right people in your life Family involvement during recovery The importance of boundaries Final thoughts Quotes “I tell them too, look, you may not think you are capable of anything, but you are capable of something.” - Mark Kelbel Episode Transcripts

Season 8, Episode 3: How did Fernando De Leon go from translating legal disputes as a teenager on the US-Mexico border to building Leon Capital Group? Today, we sit down with Fernando De Leon, Founder and CEO of Leon Capital Group, to break down one of the most remarkable founder stories in real estate. Fernando shares how his early life in Matamoros and South Texas shaped his view of risk, opportunity, and systems. We also get into his first real estate equity stake, his time at Harvard and Goldman Sachs, and how he built conviction before the GFC. Whether you're interested in distressed debt, Texas real estate, AI, data centers, or the mindset behind durable compounding, this episode is a must-listen. Join us as we dive into the skepticism, stamina, and timing that helped Fernando build across real estate, private equity, and operating businesses. Shoutout to our sponsor, Lennar Investor Marketplace. New construction rental investments with comps, returns, and underwriting built in. TOPICS 00:00 – Introduction to Fernando De Leon 07:00 – Early Real Estate Lessons on the Border 14:00 – Harvard, Mentors, and Long-Term Seeds 21:40 – Leaving Goldman and Optioning Texas Land 28:29 – Buying Distressed Loans After the GFC 37:07 – Why 2008 Won't Repeat the Same Way 46:43 – AI, Data Centers, and Hidden Risk 52:48 – Building Operating Businesses 57:07 – Mental Health, Talent, and New Opportunities 01:04:00 – Mistakes, Stamina, and AI Disruption For more episodes of No Cap by CRE Daily visit https://www.credaily.com/podcast/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NoCapCREDaily About No Cap Podcast Commercial real estate is a $20 trillion industry and a force that shapes America's economic fabric and culture. No Cap by CRE Daily is the commercial real estate podcast that gives you an unfiltered ”No Cap” look into the industry's biggest trends and the money game behind them. Each week co-hosts Jack Stone and Alex Gornik break down the latest headlines with some of the most influential and entertaining figures in commercial real estate. About CRE Daily  CRE Daily is a digital media company covering the business of commercial real estate. Our mission is to empower professionals with the knowledge they need to make smarter decisions and do more business. We do this through our flagship newsletter (CRE Daily) which is read by 65,000+ investors, developers, brokers, and business leaders across the country. Our smart brevity format combined with need-to-know trends has made us one of the fastest growing media brands in commercial real estate.

Recently, Sky's husband, The Boo, did something that really bothered her. What makes it even funnier is the fact that what he did, he learned from Thor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if one of the greatest sources of confidence, purpose, and momentum in your life is understanding how Jesus sees you?In this episode of Take Care & Live!, Dr. Stephen V. Peters unpacks a powerful passage from Matthew 4:18-19 and explores five transformative things Jesus does for every person who chooses to walk in relationship with Him.Jesus doesn't simply call people—He sees them, develops them, equips them, gives them meaningful work to do, and places them in position to impact others.In this episode, you'll discover how Jesus:• Sees you – You are noticed, known, and valued.• Mentors you – He invites you to follow Him and learn His ways.• Equips you – He transforms you for the opportunities and challenges ahead.• Gives you an assignment – Your life has purpose and meaningful work to accomplish.• Draws you to an audience – Your gifts and experiences are meant to serve and influence others.Following Jesus doesn't exempt us from conflict, disappointment, or hardship. But it does remind us that we are not alone, we have value, and our lives carry purpose.If you've been questioning your worth, searching for direction, or needing renewed confidence for the week ahead, this episode is for you.Scripture: Matthew 4:18-19 Take a listen, reflect on where Jesus is shaping your life, and step into this week knowing that you are seen, being formed, and being sent for a purpose.Take Care & Live!00:00 Going Nowhere? Start Here00:29 The Relationship That Changes Everything00:58 Five Things Jesus Does for Those Who Follow Him01:57 Jesus Sees You02:54 Jesus Mentors You03:53 Jesus Equips You04:51 Jesus Gives You an Assignment05:51 Jesus Provides an Audience06:28 New Opportunities and New Territory

Recently, Sky's husband, The Boo, did something that really bothered her. What makes it even funnier is the fact that what he did, he learned from Thor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever looked at two versions of a photograph where one is technically clean and the other one a little rough around the edges. For some reason, you feel something pull you toward the scruffy one. It drives you crazy because you can’t explain it and put words to why? Well for this weeks podcast we are going to dig in a talk about that and how to sit with that feeling. In my practice and in helping others I see us spend a lot of time learning to justify our choices. Composition, exposure, light direction, timing all comes with vocabulary and frameworks that let us explain what we did and why. Sure I like to know all that, but there’s a quieter voice underneath. A voice that responds before the analytical mind catches up. It’s the part of you that knows an image works before you understand how. It’s your instinct. Instinct isn’t mystical. It’s more of a super fast compressed process where the thousands of visual decisions you’ve absorbed and cataloged show up. The problem is we’ve been worked over to not trust that intuition. Social media rewards certain aesthetics. Portfolio reviews push us toward legibility. Mentors see through their own eyes, not ours. Almost without noticing, we give up our taste to external feedback loops. In this episode, I hope that we can get to some reasons and talk about what happens when logic interrogates intuition. I also offer up three practices that have helped me build trust with that quieter part of my seeing: shooting without immediate review to stay connected, setting aside low-stakes time for experimentation where failure is the point, and learning to articulate choices after the fact rather than rationalizing them. Instincts aren’t broken but rather they sharpen with reflection. They deepens with repetition. And the more you learn to listen to it, even when you can’t yet explain what it’s saying, the more your work starts to feel like yours. so head out and notice one moment where your gut reacts before your mind can explain it. Honor that reaction in some tangible way. Then come back to it after a few days and see what you notice. Have a great week Daniel

As technology reshapes the way people pay, one truth remains: understanding your customers is more important than chasing the latest trends. In this episode, Lawrence Ferrer of Bayad shares how businesses can build lasting trust by creating solutions that reflect how people actually live, work, and transact. From serving customers who still prefer in-person payments to embracing the expectations of a digital-first generation, the conversation highlights why adaptability is essential for sustainable growth.We also explore the value of doing your homework, developing products that solve real problems, and earning credibility through consistent execution.00:01:06 – The Philippines as a high-touch and high-tech payment market00:03:50 – Lawrence's hustle and early career in payments00:05:16 – Returning to transform Bayad into an omnichannel payments company00:08:56 – Smart Money, PayMaya, and pioneering fintech in the Philippines00:12:47 – Mentors, hard work, and building foundational skills00:18:32 – Discovering sari-sari stores as the key to Smart Load's success00:24:17 – Why entrepreneurs must continuously talk to customers00:25:43 – Transitioning from Smart to PayMaya and Voyager00:35:35 – The challenges of growing PayMaya before the pandemic00:41:21 – Customer Frontline Solutions and support services00:49:24 – Using technology to improve customer experiences00:55:14 – Educating consumers about Bayad's digital transformation00:57:40 – Partnering with banks, wallets, and fintech companies01:01:06 – Building teams and combining legacy and digital talent01:06:45 – What's next for Bayad and expanding nationwide payment access01:08:41 – Maintaining customer relationships through digital channels

Meet Aleksandar Jason, a freelance sports and lifestyle photographer who shot the Socceroos from inside their camp at the 2022 World Cup and is back on the road capturing the World Game on its biggest stage.But he didn't start there. Aleks cut his teeth in Melbourne's underground club and music scene, photographing for Vice, Sony Music and the Tumblr-era nightlife label he co-founded, before a single phone call, taken while at Bondi Beach, landed him at Melbourne City, where he's now shot for 10 seasons.Since then, he's worked with Nike, Cricket Australia, New Balance, FC Porto, the A-Leagues and even got to shoot weddings for Socceroos stars, John Iredale and Jamie Maclaren.Inside this episode, Aleks shares how he turned a nightlife side hustle into a sideline seat at FIFA World Cups and brands most people dream of working with, why "just starting" beats waiting for a clear plan, and the hard-won lesson of learning to say no, that took him a decade to figure out.We cover:(03:21) - Interview begins(05:41) - Quick Fire Questions(09:26) - Origin of Aleks' passion for photography(12:38) - Early breaks that put Aleks' career on positive trajectory(14:20) - How to work across a diverse genre of photography(18:06) - BTS of running a freelance photography business(19:16) - Aleks on working with the Socceroos at the 2022 FIFA World Cup(23:04) - Favourite moment being at Melbourne City FC(24:51) - Shooting the A-League Grand Final for Auckland FC(27:41) How Aleks bonded with the Socceroos coaching staff(33:39) - What does preparation look like for a tournament(41:37) - Aleks' prediction for the Socceroos at the FIFA World Cup(44:07) - Mentors who have supported Aleks on his journey(45:12) - What is a mistake you have made and how did you come back from it?(46:04) - Projects that were a catalyst for Aleks's career(47:24) - Biggest Pinch me moment(48:19) - What is a better way for sport to be more involved in social justice beyond what it is doing now?(49:55) - Alek's question for next guestIf you liked this ep, give these a go next:#232: How to be the Chief Photographer at the AFL with Michael Willson#258: How to balance freelance work in sport and a regular 9-5 job with Chris MacPherson#279: How to be a freelance videographer in sports with Michael BarkerWant a job in sport? Click here.Follow SportsGrad on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokFollow Reuben on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokThanks for listening, much love! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Psalm 78:1-8.

What the Best Mentors Taught Me About Leadership and Life | E311Highlights from this episode: What the Best Mentors Taught Me About Leadership and Life (00:54)Closing Thought: What we're praised for in public, we pay for in private (21:27)Training a new associate has reminded me just how much of who I am today came from the mentors, colleagues, and leaders who invested in me long before I knew what I was capable of. In this episode, we are talking about the lessons that shaped my career, the responsibility we have as practice owners to develop the next generation, and why great mentorship is about more than knowledge—it's about perspective, confidence, and belief. We talk about the transition from student to teacher, the power of paying wisdom forward, and how the impact of a great mentor can last long after the season ends. If you're leading a team, building a practice, or looking to leave a lasting legacy, this conversation is for you.Join in the conversation and subscribe to the podcast to keep up with all the great content coming down the pipe! For exclusive content, be sure to register your email on our website and I will be sending out newsletters and other great bonuses as we go. I love getting feedback, questions, suggestions, etc. so contact me at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theultimateod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on social media (click here for ->⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) OR, just shoot me an email at drlillie@theultimateod.com and I'd be happy to chat!

Send us Fan MailMost of us were taught to seek mentors, someone to give us advice. Far fewer of us were taught to build sponsors, the people who advocate for us in the rooms we are not in. That distinction can change the trajectory of your entire career. In this ENCORE conversation, Kele Belton sits down with leadership development expert Lenetra King to break down the real difference between a mentor, an advocate, and a sponsor, and how to cultivate each of these relationships with intention.In this episode of Communicate to Lead, Kele Belton brings back her conversation with Lenetra King, founder of Watch Me EXCEL and author of Unwritten Insights: A Career Playbook for Leaders of Color. Together they unpack one of the most important career distinctions you may never have been taught: the difference between mentors, advocates, and sponsors. Lenetra shares the strategies women and leaders of color can use to build a network of champions who advocate for them in rooms they are not in, address systemic barriers to advancement, and accelerate their careers with intention.A note from Kele: This conversation is being re-released because sponsorship has been one of the top themes on the show this year. If listeners resonated with the solo episodes on sponsorship (like Episode 158: The Sponsorship Gap), this conversation goes deeper by clarifying the distinct roles that mentors, advocates, and sponsors play, and how to cultivate each.What You Will Learn:The exact difference between a mentor, an advocate, and a sponsor, and why understanding it can change the entire trajectory of your career.How to identify which type of relationship you need most right now based on where you are in your career, not which one is easiest to ask for.Why starting with your why creates more powerful connections with mentors and sponsors than starting with what you do.Strategies for women in the workplace to overcome the barriers that quietly keep them out of sponsorship relationships, even when their work is strong.How to build a diverse network of champions, and why diversity in your network matters for both equity and career opportunity.What to do when systemic barriers and biases are blocking your access to the support systems your colleagues take for granted.Your Action Step:Take one step this week toward building the network of champions you need:Audit your current network. Who in your life is a mentor (giving advice)? Who is an advocate (speaking well of you to others)? Who is a sponsor (using their power to open doors for you)? Notice which category is most underdeveloped.Identify one person who could be a sponsor for you, someone with influence in the rooms where decisions about your future get made. Take one small action this week to deepen that relationship, whether a thoughtful message, a shared resource, or a request for a brief conversation.If you are already a leader, audit the other direction. Who are you sponsoring? Whose name are you speaking in rooms they are not in? Make one deliberate sponsorship move this week.Frequently Asked Questions:What is the difference between a mentor, an advocate, and a sponsor?A mentor gives you advice, usually in private conversations where they share their experience and perspective. An advocate speaks well of you to others, signaling to their network that you are someone worth knowing or working with. A sponsor uses their power and influence to open specific doors for you, advocating for your promotion, recommending you for stretch assignments, or putting your name forward for opportunities you do not even know exist. Most professionals have mentors. Far fewer have sponsors. The gap between those two relationships often explains why two equally talented people advance at very different rates.How do you find a sponsor at work?Sponsorship cannot be asked for directly the way mentorship can. Sponsors choose the people they invest in based on observable performance, trust, and a sense that the person is worth their reputational capital. To attract sponsorship, focus on three things: consistently deliver excellent work that is visible to senior leaders, build genuine relationships with people who have influence, and make sure your career goals are known so a potential sponsor knows where to advocate for you.Why are sponsors more important than mentors for career advancement?Mentors help you think more clearly. Sponsors help you move forward. Mentorship gives you advice and perspective. Sponsorship gives you access, opportunity, and advocacy in the rooms where decisions about your career are actually made. Both matter, but research consistently shows that sponsorship is what closes the gap between being a strong performer and being promoted.How can women and leaders of color build sponsorship relationships?The first step is recognizing that systemic barriers exist, and that the absence of sponsorship is often not a personal failing but a structural one. From there, the work is intentional: identify potential sponsors in and beyond your immediate workplace, build relationships through consistent value-add interactions, make your ambitions and goals visible, and look for communities and networks (formal and informal) where sponsorship is being cultivated deliberately.Mentioned in This Episode:Lenetra's book: Unwritten Insights: A Career Playbook for Leaders of ColorSimon Sinek's book: Start with WhyAbout Today's Guest, Lenetra King:Lenetra King, FACHE, ACC, is the founder of Watch Me EXCEL, a leadership development firm dedicated to helping organizations engage and retain talented women and leaders of color at the emerging and senior executive level. She is also the author of Unwritten Insights: A Career Playbook for Leaders of Color. Lenetra works with hospitals, healthcare companies, higher education institutions, and associations to strengthen leadership capacity and drive high-performance cultures.Connect with Lenetra:Website: https://www.watchmeexcel.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenetra-king/Instagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/lenetraking/Instagram (business): https://www.instagram.com/watchmeexcel/About Your Host:Kele Belton is a communication and leadership facilitator, coach, and consultant who helps high-performing women in middle management build the communication and leadership strategies that get them recognized, sponsored, and promoted.Connect with Kele:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kele-ruth-belton/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetailoredapproach/Website: https://thetailoredapproach.comBook a Leadership Strategy Call (30 minutes, complimentary): https://calendly.com/kele-thetailoredapproach/leadership-strategy-call

On the Context Coaching Podcast, athletic administrator Dustin Mones (Monte Vista Christian) shares his journey from a multi-sport athlete in Connecticut to boarding school coach and athletic director roles at Eaglebrook and Stony Brook, then returning to Monte Vista as AD. He discusses early coaching insecurity, the importance of mentors for new athletic directors, and how small paperwork mistakes can directly impact student opportunities. Mones reflects on coaching learned under Don Keithley—discipline, attention to detail, and integrating faith—and contrasts boarding school co-curricular expectations with Monte Vista's day-school model, noting he misses deeper daily student connections. The conversation covers resisting youth sports specialization, training both physical and mental/spiritual aspects, simplifying practices, aligning consequences with behavior, and blending “old school” standards with empathy.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:38 From Athlete to Educator02:40 Boarding School Coaching Life03:31 Returning as Athletic Director04:20 Year One Lessons and Why07:35 AD Transition Challenges10:00 Paperwork Mistakes and Details12:07 Mentors and Coaching Philosophy15:11 Junior Boarding School Insights18:05 All In vs Balance23:55 Day School Shift and Connection26:20 Multi Sport vs Specialization29:44 Co Curricular Requirements31:31 Required Co-Curriculars Model32:27 Arts and Athletics Crossover33:30 Boarding Program Considerations34:52 Culture Builders for Coaches36:27 Training Mind and Body38:37 Structuring Lifts and Practice43:49 Advice to Younger Coaches45:58 Mentoring and Keeping It Simple49:43 Entitlement and Life Lessons52:13 Old School vs New School Coaching57:05 Consequences That Align59:57 Final Wrap and Thanks

Huntington Properties' Tooba Patoli on canvassing from zero, tenant mix strategy, the landlord hat, why AI is killing deals, and what it really takes to build a retail leasing practice in Texas. The Crexi Podcast connects commercial real estate (CRE) professionals with industry insights built for smart decision-making. In each episode, we explore the latest trends, innovations and opportunities shaping commercial real estate, because we believe knowledge should move at the speed of ambition and every conversation should empower professionals to act with greater clarity and confidence. Tooba Patoli left a corporate salary job at 22 to go make $0 in commercial real estate. Four and a half years later she's a senior retail specialist at Huntington Properties, leading a team that closed nearly 95 leases across 36 shopping centers in a single year. In this episode, Tooba joins host Shanti Ryle to talk about how she built her book from scratch through canvassing, why she thinks like a landlord even when she isn't one, what's driving Texas suburban retail right now, and why three of her deals recently fell apart because tenants used AI instead of an attorney. Introducing Tooba Patoli of Huntington Properties From corporate salary to $0 commission: why she made the leap at 22 Why retail — and why mom and pops in high-growth Texas suburbs How leasing fundamentals give you an edge in investment sales Mentors, pattern recognition, and joining the right firm 95 leases in a year: how the team pulled it off across 36 shopping centers What her day actually looks like now versus year one The landlord hat: why she never advises a deal she wouldn't take herself Talking to tenants: why it's always case by case The hot chicken deal that almost blew up — and the lesson she still teaches her team She did a second deal with that same tenant four years later Canvassing 101: always start with tenants, not landlords 18,000 miles in year one and the script that actually worked at the door Be a farmer: plant today, bloom in 12 months What's driving Texas retail right now — and where Houston is heading The shortage of quality second gen space and how landlords are getting creative The concepts winning right now: food and bev, Pilates, personal services, froyo TI negotiations, personal guarantees, and why it's a 50/50 market Why AI is killing deals — and who she actually blames The right way to use AI as a broker Advice for new brokers: understand the fundamentals before you feed the model About Tooba Patoli Tooba Patoli is a Senior Retail Leasing Associate at Hunington Properties, where she helps lead the firm's third-party retail division across Texas. She specializes in retail leasing, tenant and landlord representation, and investment sales, working with property owners, developers, investors, and growing businesses. Tooba's approach combines proactive business development, market research, and relationship building to uncover opportunities and help clients achieve their goals. By staying closely connected to local business owners, monitoring emerging retail trends, and maintaining an active presence throughout the market, she helps clients make informed real estate decisions and position their assets for long-term success. For show notes, past guests, and more CRE content, please check out Crexi's blog.Looking to stay ahead in commercial real estate? Visit Crexi to explore properties, analyze markets, and connect with opportunities nationwide. Follow Crexi:https://www.crexi.com/​ https://www.crexi.com/instagram​ https://www.crexi.com/facebook​ https://www.crexi.com/twitter​ https://www.crexi.com/linkedin​ https://www.youtube.com/crexi About Crexi:Crexi is reimagining commercial real estate with an AI-powered platform built to deliver smarter, more efficient solutions at every stage of the deal lifecycle. From real-time data and market insights with Crexi Intelligence, to targeted property marketing and seamless deal management through Crexi PRO, and a transparent, time-bound bidding experience with Crexi Auction— Crexi enables users to evaluate opportunities, maximize exposure, and close with speed and confidence. To date, Crexi has subsidized over $2.74 trillion in property value, 26 billion square feet listed, and supports a growing community of more than 23 million yearly users.

Andrew Hitz on Boston Brass, The Brass Junkies & TEM, Mentors, and Finding Creativity in the Pandemic The host returns to Studio HFL interviews begun in 2017, thanks past sponsors and supporters, and introduces an interview with tubist Andrew Hitz. Hitz discusses navigating the pandemic while helping his first-grade son Nicholas in online Spanish immersion, his wife's work as a middle school band director, and how stepping off the road after 14 years in Boston Brass led him to be a stay-at-home dad and later refocus creatively. He recounts how he joined Boston Brass via an emergency sub gig arranged through Sam Palafian, reflects on early musical immersion at Tanglewood, youth orchestra experiences, and meeting mentors including Palafian and Arnold Jacobs. He describes his passion for Phish (201 concerts) and parallels between musical intensity across genres. Hitz explains how his network and desire to keep collaborating with Lance LaDuke led to The Brass Junkies and later The Entrepreneurial Musician (TEM), and how business learning grew from social media and arts marketing interests while he remains selective about performing. 00:00 Welcome Back Updates 00:43 Sponsors And Supporters 01:43 Interview Kickoff Praise 05:24 Life In The Pandemic 06:23 Stay At Home Dad Shift 10:55 Spanish And Early Listening 12:10 Joining Boston Brass 16:48 Youth Orchestra Pressure 28:12 High School Band Reality 30:51 Meeting Your Heroes 33:55 Why Phish Matters 39:08 Phish Shows And Tickets 40:47 Empire Brass Origins 41:41 Meeting Sam Pilafian 42:36 Empire Brass Seminar 44:19 Inside Open Rehearsals 45:26 Rolf Intensity Story 47:32 Chamber Music Dynamics 50:25 Empire Performance Fire 51:12 Mnozil Brass Magic 53:22 Touring Life Reflections 54:53 Starting Brass Junkies 01:09:38 TEM Business Origins 01:14:02 Playing Versus Podcasting 01:20:27 Wrapping Up and Thanks

Today, Janice is joined by Sharon Bowen, Chair of the New York Stock Exchange, Director of Intercontinental Exchange, and Board Director of Neuberger Berman and Akamai Technologies. Sharon reflects on her upbringing in Chesapeake, Virginia, during a pivotal era of social change, the mentors who shaped her leadership journey, and the lasting impact she has made on financial markets and public policy throughout her distinguished career.Tags: janice, ellig, sharon, bowen, chair, executive, leadership, career, mentors, social, change, financial, public, policy

What does it take to stay steady when life, leadership, and uncertainty seem determined to pull you in every direction? In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, I sit down with Phillip W. Heath, President and CEO of Samaritan Health Care and Hospice, to explore a career built on service, compassion, and resilience. Having dedicated more than three decades to caring for vulnerable populations, Phillip shares why leadership begins with understanding others' needs and how staying connected to the people you serve can provide clarity, purpose, and perspective.   Our conversation moves beyond traditional leadership advice and into the realities of making difficult decisions, navigating ambiguity, and remaining committed to a mission as external pressures mount. Phillip reflects on moments when he questioned his path, the lessons he learned from saying yes to opportunities others might avoid, and why chasing every new idea can distract leaders from what matters most. We also discuss the balance between mission and sustainability, and why meaningful leadership requires both heart and discipline.   One theme that stayed with me throughout this conversation is Phillip's belief in the power of mentorship. He explains why no leader succeeds alone, how mentors have shaped his journey, and why borrowing steadiness from others can help us navigate uncertainty with greater confidence. Whether you're leading a team, navigating change, or simply searching for a stronger sense of direction, this episode offers practical wisdom on building resilience through relationships, staying true to your values, and continuing to grow through every stage of leadership. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Who has been the mentor who helped shape your journey, and what lessons from them still guide you today?

What happens when urologists look beyond the clinic and take on leadership in the life sciences industry? In this episode of BackTable Urology, host Dr. Raj Pruthi talks with Dr. Kelly Parsons and Dr. Pat Keegan about their journeys from academic urology to executive roles in biotech and pharma. They discuss what motivated their transitions, how physician expertise adds value in industry, and the realities of life outside of traditional clinical practice. --- Get the BackTable apphttps://www.backtable.com/app --- Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction05:36 - Choosing a Non-Clinical Path11:07 - Reactions from Mentors and Peers14:31 - What Feels Most Fulfilling18:31 - A Typical Week in Biotech26:04 - Working with Investors31:21 - Additional Degrees and MBA Debate35:31 - Is it Risky to Leave Clinical Practice?44:13 - Networking and Next Steps47:59 - Wrap Up --- More about this episode The conversation explores the day-to-day work of industry leaders, the impact of advanced degrees like MBAs, and the importance of networking for physicians considering a nonclinical path. Drs. Parsons and Keegan reflect on the challenges and rewards of leaving clinical medicine, the support and reactions from mentors and peers, and what they miss most about patient care. They also share practical advice for urologists and other specialists who are curious about new career opportunities beyond the exam room. --- BackTable Urology is the go-to podcast for urologists, urologic oncologists, and urogynecologists. Download the free BackTable app to get early access to new episodes, cases, and courses curated by physicians in your specialty. ► https://www.backtable.com/app

Show SummaryOn today's episode, we're replaying a conversation with Michael Bailey, Deputy Director of Leadership Programs for the George W. Bush Institute. We talk about some of the initiatives of the Bush Institute, including the Veteran Leadership Program, the Democracy is a Verb initiative and the Bush Institute's efforts to celebrate America 250.Provide FeedbackAs a dedicated member of the audience, we would like to hear from you. If you PsychArmor has helped you learn, grow, and support those who've served and those who care for them, we would appreciate hearing your story. Please follow this link to share how PsychArmor has helped you in your service journey Share PsychArmor StoriesAbout Today's GuestMichael Bailey serves as Deputy Director, Leadership Programs, for the George W. Bush Institute. In this role, he manages the Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program, which focuses on developing the leadership skills of veterans and those who serve them and their families. Bailey also supports alumni engagement efforts for the Institute's international leadership programs.Prior to joining the George W. Bush Institute, Bailey provided operations, media, and communications support to The American Choral Directors Association, a music organization dedicated to the excellence and advancement of choral music.Bailey is a native of Arlington, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music (Voice) from The University of Oklahoma, and he holds a Master of Business Administration with concentrations in finance and real estate from Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business. He has a passion for running and enjoys racing in half and full marathons.Links Mentioned During the EpisodeGeorge W. Bush InstituteStand-To Veteran Leadership ProgramAmerica 250Democracy is a Verb initiative  PsychArmor Resource of the WeekThis week's PsychArmor Resource of the Week is The PsychArmor course The Myths and Facts of Military Leaders. This course identifies four of the most popular myths about military leaders and how they don't align with the reality of working alongside Veterans and Service members. You can find the resource here:  https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/The-Myths-and-Facts-of-Military-Leaders Episode Partner: Are you an organization that engages with or supports the military affiliated community? Would you like to partner with an engaged and dynamic audience of like-minded professionals? Reach out to Inquire about Partnership Opportunities Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media Email PsychArmorPsychArmor on XPsychArmor on FacebookPsychArmor on YouTubePsychArmor on LinkedInPsychArmor on InstagramTheme MusicOur theme music Don't Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

What builds trust when you don't have a title or position of authority? SUMMARY According to Lt. Col. Joe Bledsoe '11, it's honesty, integrity, humility presence and action. Tune in as he shares practical leadership lessons learned from the Academy, combat aviation and years of mentoring others.   SHARE THIS EPISODE FACEBOOK  |  LINKEDIN   COL. BLEDSOE'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS 1. Leadership starts before the title. People follow your example, ideas, and presence long before you get formal authority. 2. Informal leadership is as real as formal leadership. Class president, wingman, or peer—your influence, credibility, and support role matter even without rank. 3. Be “clay to be molded.” Show eagerness, humility, and effort; people notice fresh attitude and willingness to embrace hard things. 4. You can't lead alone—build a trusted team. Time management and heavy responsibility force you to delegate to people you trust and empower them. 5. Trust has two layers: inherent and earned. Start with inherent trust (shared values, shared background) and deliberately grow earned trust through behavior. 6. Five traits that build credibility fast: Honesty, integrity, humility, presence (actually being there, engaged), and decisive action. 7. Debrief like a fighter pilot: brutally honest, never personal. Separate the person from the performance, do root‑cause analysis, fix errors, and then move on—no re‑litigating. 8. Own your mistakes out loud. Saying “I'm sorry,” “I was wrong,” or “I don't know, but I'll find out” accelerates trust and models humility. 9. Mentors and mentees are non‑negotiable. Continuously seek guidance from those ahead of you and invest in those behind you to sharpen your own thinking. 10. Prioritize relationships and pride in the mission. Treat family and friends well, cultivate the Long Blue Line, and remember you're on the A‑team—act like it.   CHAPTERS 00:00:00 — Opening & Guest Intro Show open, Naviere introduces Lt Col Joe “Paveway” Bledsoe and his career highlights. 00:01:13 — Voluntold to Lead: Becoming Class President Basic cadet training, being “voluntold,” interview gauntlet, and getting elected class president. 00:04:09 — What a Class President Actually Does Informal vs formal leadership, picking the class exemplar (Robin Olds), dining‑ins, spirit missions, and accountability. 00:08:38 — From Future Doctor to Fighter Pilot Arriving at USAFA wanting to be a physician, loving biology and medicine, and the first seeds of doubt. 00:10:03 — Ops Air Force, Powered Flight, and the Pivot Deployed Ops Air Force in CENTCOM, exposure to flying in theater, powered flight, and choosing pilot training over med school. 00:12:22 — Mentors, Family, and Making a Hard Call Mentorship from family, upperclassmen, and permanent party; emotional weight of changing paths and family's reaction. 00:14:08 — Leading Without Rank: Credibility and Trust Informal leadership as a young wingman, lessons from time management and delegation as class president, inherent vs earned trust, and key traits (honesty, integrity, humility, presence, action). 00:22:06 — Fighter Pilot Debriefs & Radical Feedback Culture Brutally honest debriefs, owning mistakes, root‑cause analysis, safety and mission focus, and how that mindset translates beyond the cockpit. 00:27:48 — Leadership at Home: Marriage, Parenting, and ‘Knock It Off' High‑school‑sweetheart marriage, parenting, using accountability and humility with kids, and balancing “fighter pilot” mode with being a husband and dad. 00:30:30 — Future Conflict, Growth, and Pride in the Long Blue Line Risk and future fight, Institute for Future Conflict, exposure to other AFSCs and logistics, daily growth habits (mentors, mentees, reading, writing, running), advice to younger self, and closing message on being proud of USAFA and the A‑team.   ABOUT COL. BLEDSOE BIO Lt. Col. Joseph “Paveway” Bledsoe '11 is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and recognized leader whose career has spanned combat operations, advanced airpower development and service to the Long Blue Line. A native of rural Pennsylvania, Bledsoe graduated from the Academy in 2011 with a degree in biology before earning a Master of Public Policy from the University of Maryland.  He is Currently assigned to the Institute for Future Conflict at the U.S. Air Force Academy where he studies the future of airpower, emerging technologies and the challenges of great-power competition. Prior to joining the Institute, he helped lead training and operational planning efforts at the 366th Fighter Wing, contributing to major exercises and the wing's first deployment to the Indo-Pacific region. His work bridges the gap between today's operational realities and tomorrow's strategic challenges. A recipient of the Association & Foundation's Young Alumni Excellence Award, Bledsoe is widely respected for his emphasis on faith, family and service. Throughout his career, he has remained deeply connected to the Academy community through mentorship, alumni leadership and a commitment to developing the next generation of leaders. On this episode of Long Blue Leadership, he shares lessons learned from leading peers, building influence before authority and navigating high-stakes decisions in both the cockpit and the profession of arms.   CONNECT WITH JOE LINKEDIN   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org Please note: we are only considering USAFA graduates as guests at this time. Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE AT USAFA.ORG/LONGBLUELEADERSHIP AND ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT Guest, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Joe "Paveway" Bledsoe" '11  |  Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99    Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz 0:01 Sometimes leadership begins long before you've ever been put in charge. It starts when people trust you enough to follow your example, your ideas or your vision. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99; Long Blue Leadership starts now. Well, Lt. Col. Joe “Paveway” Bledsoe the Third. Welcome to Long Blue Leadership. Lt. Col. Joe Bledsoe 0:20 Naviere, it's great to see you. Thank you for having me here today. I'm looking forward to the conversation. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:24 So, Joe, your career has been exciting so far, and you're still in it. You know, you have been operational leader, obviously an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot. You've been deployed, you have been a researcher, you're a Young Alumni Excellence Award winner for our Association & Foundation, you've been an AOG board director and a fellow for the Institute for Future Conflict. And that, that's just, you know, a short little list, because you're a student heading back into, over to, is it North Carolina, right? Seymour Johnson.   Col. Joe Bledsoe 0:53 That's correct. Seymour Johnson, yep.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:54 In the cockpit, yeah. Col. Joe Bledsoe 0:56 Yeah, we're super excited. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:59 Yes. Well, we're going to touch on probably many of those places, but I want to dial it back to something that only one graduate in every class experiences, and for you it happened shortly after Basic Cadet Training. Your class selected you as your class president. How did that come about? Col. Joe Bledsoe 1:14 How did that all go down? That's a great question. So there we were, right after basic training. I was in Cadet Squadron 19 for my freshman year, and I got the opportunity — this is one of those voluntold moments, right — where the upperclassmen and BCT cadre said, “Joe,” or “Cadet Bledsoe, report to H-1 during transition week.” That's when everybody's coming back, and you're like, “Sure, yep, yes, sir, yes, ma'am. Here we go.” So I show up with 40, 50 other fourth-class cadets, and we come to find out it was for us, and we were going to go through who was going to be the class officers. So first off, as I look back on that experience, a lot of respect and no humility being asked to go like represent Squadron 19, right? Like, I didn't volunteer, they just kind of pointed me in that direction, so we show up and got to interview with the upperclassmen, class officers, and there's funny interview questions, real serious interview questions. You know, I was just honest, right? Like, I'm here. This is what I think about what being a leader looks like, and how I could help serve the class, not thinking I would ever be selected, right? And as the night is going on, and ACQ is right around the corner, they kind of whittle it down to four or five of us, and we get up in front of the rest of the cadets and classmates that were there, and it was an open forum, like you know, back in Rome times, like you're standing in the gauntlet, Yeah, like it was like Roman voting, right? And asked a bunch of questions, and I remember standing up there with, you know, preppies, prior enlisted, and then me, just like straight off the street, and there's a couple other of us up there, and just answer the questions honestly, and at the end of that, there was a vote, and you know, they read the results, and I was like, "Holy smokes, I'm class president. How did this, how did this happen,” right? And I think there's a lot that — it was daunting at first, right? And then also, like, “This is awesome, I don't know what I'm getting into,” right? I just found out about it. I remember walking back on the Tizo. This was the first time I can say this now, because you know, grad, and I didn't run the strips because the upperclassmen and class officers walked me back, and I distinctly remember to — back to my squadron to — Jordan Kraft and Forrest Underwood walked back and were given some mentorship to me, like here's how to succeed, here's things we would recommend, and it was just an awesome opportunity to like kind of learn what pure leadership looks like, what it means to be in this not org chart that is unique to the Academy, and that's where the, that's where the adventure started for class president. I'm still, I haven't been fired yet, and I still proudly serve the Class of 2011 — Robin Olds' class — as their class president, and it's one of the best jobs that I have the privilege of doing. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 4:10 My goodness. I mean, just to unpack that a little bit, obviously, in basic cadet training, you did enough to impress your cadre, I'm sure that there was probably some sort of cadre selection to bring however many of them forth first. Would you say that you would you agree with that, or is that — am I way off? Col. Joe Bledsoe 4:28 Yeah, I would say —I think when I look back my time at basic training, like I wanted to come to the Academy since I was in your school, right? So, like, I thrived — I'm not saying it was easy by any means, right? We all know that, but I thrived in like this new adventure, right? And I took everything, I embraced everything. I think that may have been something they saw, right? Like I was clay to be molded, right? And I had some prior opportunities in basic to show that to my BCT cadre, and they picked up on it. It wasn't that I was trying, but I think looking back on that experience, there was moments of like my freshness, my eagerness, my like pride in that I made it to basic training, that I wanted to just try as hard as I could, and I think some of that probably shown through, and ultimately may have been why I was selected to go try that interview process, right? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 5:20 So that interview process, at the end of the day, you were elected by your peers, and you know it — to your point — you said in that unusual, the not normal org chart, right, the one that doesn't exist, but yet you have leadership of your class. What did that look like? How did that translate? Because not many of us are class president, I'm certainly not my class president, and so I'm not sure what that leadership role looks like. Can you share a little bit more about some examples? Col. Joe Bledsoe 5:46 Yeah, I think that that leadership role was very different each year, right? As a freshman and a sophomore, as a four-degree and a three-degree, before any official academy leadership position starts to present themselves, that they do for two-degrees and firsties, it was a lot of helping the class stay as a collective whole, right? So one of the first big things as freshmen was selecting our class exemplar, right? And running like — how do, who do we select? How do we come together and figure that process out? How do we then, once we have a name, once we selected Robin Olds, how do we have a formal dining in? Things that I had never even heard of, right? As well as on the other side, the shenanigans, right? So, the spirit missions, right? There was many times I've had to go to the commandant's office and say, I don't know where the class crest is, like, out of pure honesty, right? But, like, that is, that was like a way, as an underclassman, that we kind of got that informal leadership, but also you're the leader by default here, so we're gonna, we're gonna make you accountable for your class. So I got to see both sides, that transitioning a little bit more to two-degree and first a year was now taking a little bit step back in writing in the informal leadership position, so I looked as myself as like a supporting agent, supporting member to our cadet leadership, and I always presented that like, “Hey, if you need our class to do something, I will do that, but if militarily you own that, like, I'm not ever going to step on your toes or push back,” right? The other thing we got, I was able to do is also help provide, like, morale inputs, right? Like you kind of had the pulse of morale, I think, more as the class president sometimes than in the official leadership, so could help provide some inputs along those ways, and there are some, say more shenanigans or morale events that we get to help put forth and present those to the cadet leadership for official approval later on as we firsties. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 8:04 Gosh, well, that was, I mean, it's really insightful for us to understand some of the roles that a class president and class cabinet plays, and so understanding that it's — I like how you put it as a supporting agent to the formal leadership. And we're gonna touch on this a lot more, because I think there's going to be times when you'll share how you build that trust and credibility throughout, both when you're a cadet and as an officer. But before we jump there, I happen to find out, Joe, that you weren't coming to the Air Force Academy to become a fighter pilot, but to become a physician. Can we talk about that for a moment? Col. Joe Bledsoe 8:37 Absolutely, that's absolutely a — I came to the Air Force Academy, wanted to be a doctor. I knew I wanted to be a biology major. I declared, I think, the first day I could declare and went through the gauntlet of getting ready for med school applications, and I loved every second of it. It was awesome. Even my fellow classmates would say he was a huge nerd and studying all the time, because that was my goal, right? I came into the Academy, and I wanted to be a doctor, and I knew the gauntlet that is, that that is required to do such a thing. And I still love medicine, right? I still love — I think medicine is fascinating. Every time my probably get there someday, or in the conversation, but anytime my kids have to go to the ER, like I'm like, “Can I scrub in,” right? All that kind of stuff. Yeah, put me in. I love medicine, and it wasn't till the summer between my two-degree and firstie year did I have that midlife crisis at the age of 21 and then firstie year is when that crisis kind of came to a head, and new doors opened, and here we are today, right? So that, yes, you're absolutely right. Always wanted to be a doctor. I was still fascinated by medicine, but now I'm just a pilot. So, there we go. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 9:57 So, can we, can you expand a bit more on it? So, was it a decision you wanted to make or a decision you had to make? Col. Joe Bledsoe 10:03 Yeah, yeah, that's great. It was a decision I had to make, ultimately, myself. Right? No one, no one said, “Joe, you can't be a doctor.” So, the summer — there's two key things that really happened that helped influence that decision. The first one was the summer between two-degree in firstie year, I had the opportunity to deploy to the Middle East, and we've heard of Ops Air Force. You know Ops Air Force. Well, at that time we had a deployed Ops Air Force, so they sent cadets overseas to deployed locations to see what was, you know, to get the full experience in a deployed location. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 10:40 Wow. Col. Joe Bledsoe 10:40 So I had the opportunity to do that. Spent the summer in CENTCOM and kind of opened my eyes to… Col. Naviere Walkewicz 10:47 Oh, Central Command. Col. Joe Bledsoe 10:47 Yeah, sorry, Central Command, and got to experience — I got attached to a C-130 unit, right, and I got to see what flying looked like in a deployed environment, and I kind of opened my eyes, where I've been hyper focused on medicine, right? Like, you know, so focused on this is what it takes to be a doctor. I kind of like put my blinders on to what the rest of the Air Force did, right? So I was like, “This is pretty, this is, these guys and gals are doing awesome stuff, like this is this is the pointy end of what was going on.” And that planted a seed, that planted a seed. So it came back, firstie year was doing the med school applications, going through, I had some free time in my academic calendar, and I got to go down to the airfield and do the powered flight program. So, I got to see flying over the summer, and then I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to go fly an airplane, and I was like, “OK, the seed was planted, let's see if I get air sick, like, let's see if there's anything else here that might make me not want to do this.” And I loved it. Right, I fell in love with flying down at the airfield. I came back, and I was like, I'm gonna pause the med school applications and put my name in the hat for pilot training, and the rest was history, right? So, doors open, doors close, right? But that was my story, and I loved getting to talk to cadets about that, because so many can be — so many times we see some that are hyper focused, and like there's always other options out there, and it's OK to have a crisis we can talk you through. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 12:23 I think that's a fantastic lesson that you actually learned early, because you know it's interesting — had you not been sent to Ops Air Force at a deployed location, you might not have taken Alex flight, and so you know when you think about leadership opportunities and lessons, this is one of those moments where it actually steered you in a new direction. So, as we think about that, I'm curious, how your family responded to that, because, you know, you had come to the Air Force Academy to be a doctor. Were they happy for you? Were they surprised, a little nervous? Col. Joe Bledsoe 12:57 Yeah, there was a ton of mentorship there, right? Not just from my family, but from upperclassmen peers, permanent party, like, “What are you doing? Like, you came here telling us this was your goal. Where did this new goal come from?” So, there was a lot of time talking that through, and I needed that myself. It wasn't, as you know, in any decision, like, it wasn't a snap decision. So, a lot of time walking through that decision process and leaning on mentors and kind of asking the questions, like I knew what four years of med school, and then residency, but I knew what that like, what does pilot training look like? How long does that take, right? So, a lot of questions to help answer, or to find answers through, and ultimately, my family was super supportive, super supportive, and they still joke, like, “Hey, how come you're not doctor.” Well, because I fly F-15s now, right? But all supportive all throughout the process, right? And that's where you lean on others, right? Lean on others, because it very much felt like a crisis, like I still have scar tissue over it. But looking back on it, it wasn't just me making — I ultimately made the decision, but they helped me through it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 14:08 That's fantastic. You know, I think about you as an officer, as a fighter pilot, and obviously there's a lot of steps you took to get there on the road was certainly not easy. Often, though, I think that there can be some misconceptions, or maybe this is accurate, that earlier in your pilot life or your aviator life, there's probably not a lot of leadership lessons where you're leading others. Maybe, maybe that's a misperception, and we'd love to talk about that. You know, how do you find the leadership opportunities then when you are, you know, you're party of one, right? You don't necessarily have any direct reports. What does leadership look like there? Col. Joe Bledsoe 14:43 Yeah, can we take that back to like some lessons I learned at the Academy?   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 14:46 Oh, absolutely.   Col. Joe Bledsoe 14:47 Right, I think, I think that's where I've leaned most heavily in, like, not in there's this difference between formal leadership and informal, positional versus informal, and I was blessed enough at a pretty young age to learn the plus — the how to succeed and how to fail in informal leadership. I've tried to carry that throughout my career. So when you say like the younger days of being a wingman in the F-15 community, it's a lot about credibility. It's a lot about that peer leadership. How do you build the credibility? How do you build the trust to be someone that others look up to in that informal system, right, in that informal system. When they look down their phone, like, “Who do I call? Who do I have to call? Who do I want to call?” Right? and I think that's where you have to balance some of that stuff, and I spent time thinking about that, and trying to lean on lessons that I learned from the Academy, and while formal leadership positions were never handed to me, that doesn't mean you're not a leader, right? Like, you can't beat it, doesn't mean you don't just get to sit back and not lead. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 16:02 Can you share an example of a time when you learned that about yourself, or what that looked like?   Col. Joe Bledsoe 16:09 In the flying world? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 16:11 Or as a cadet?   Col. Joe Bledsoe 16:12 Yeah, as a cadet, I think the biggest one was — I'll take it back to, like, freshman, sophomore year, where I learned one of the key pillars that I'm convinced the Air Force Academy teaches all us grads about is time management, right? And I thought I was pretty good at time management, and then when you're now the president of 1,000 other cadets, your inbox fills up very quickly, right? Or you're like, “I thought I was good at time management.” And I learned very quickly that you can't do it alone, right? You can't do it alone, and I had to learn to surround myself with people that I trusted and that I could delegate or hand tasks off to, and just say, “I need this accomplished,” and I did that to my friends that I knew would get the mission done, right? And I had to have that level of trust, and I think that is translated throughout my career, where I inherently trust people with a project, right? I think there's two versions of trust, inherent trust and earned trust. When I look at the graduate network, whether that's the Air Force Academy, Navy, West Point, and I see a class ring, I'm like, “I inherently trust you,” and I can, I believe, or I see some other veterans have on — like, “I inherently trust you,” and then in other cases where I've had to learn and work with people, it's now, “I'm earning your trust, and I hope you're earning mine as well,” and that is this unique balance of I inherently trust you, I learned that at the Academy. Now let's build on that as a foundation and get this earned trust to as high as we can. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:54 What does some of that earned trust or becoming more credible look like when young leaders don't have the benefit of time? Right, so I, the more time I work with you, the more I learn about you. You build that credibility, etc. How does one accomplish that, maybe either shorten the gap or do that a little quicker or impactfully earlier? Col. Joe Bledsoe 18:18 Yeah, time is always — like we always need more time, right? How often do you say, like, “I only have 24 hours, but I need more time,” right? So, if we're always fighting time, like, and everybody's fighting time, then, like, that's a constant. So, let's not worry about time. So, I look at it as, like, what traits do people bring to the table, or what traits can we can we sharpen? Honesty, right? Honesty is huge. You have to be honest, and that's a pillar of trust. Integrity, right? Integrity first and showing people that you display integrity is really important. Humility, I think, is also really important. Humility is really important. I was listening to a podcast the other day, and it really struck home to me, a sense of humility is — if a leader is able to say three things, they're gonna — I know I could, I can build that trust, no matter what that time gap is. “I'm sorry,” “I was wrong,” or one of the seven basic responses: “I don't know, but I'll find out,” right? I think that's really important with humility. The other one is presence, not with a T, like we're not giving presents, but presence. Being present is really important character trait in my mind, and the fifth one that I try to reflect on a lot is action. Right? I think defaulting to not doing something is not what we want. That doesn't help build trust. Taking action with what knowledge you have and making a decision is really important, and I think those are the traits that help build that credibility, help build that trust in that time gap, whatever that looks like. If you can hit those, the five that I try to hit home. If you can do that, hopefully you're building that relationship that is going to foster — have great fruition out of it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 20:06 That's outstanding, and that's really helpful, I think. I love how you took out the constant of time being an excuse, right? Like, we don't always have the benefit of time, whether it's time and getting more experience or just time in general, I think those are outstanding examples of how you can build credibility. So, thank you for sharing that. You know, one of the things that I also would love to kind of dig into a little bit of your experiences, Joe — because they've been really vast, right? So, I don't believe that everyone has the same kind of path. How have you grown as a leader in these different experiences that really, again, aren't positional leadership roles? I'm just curious, how your growth has been in that space. Col. Joe Bledsoe 20:47 Think a lot of it's been through failure. I think a lot of it's been through failure. These might not be huge, like we lost a million dollars, or like, not through those kind of failures, but relationship failures, or conversation failure at the micro level, and how I've tried to handle that is surround myself with people that will tell me that the emperor — I'm gonna go back to the, I'm gonna go back to the old fairy tale, or fable, right? If you surround yourself with people that are able to come up to you, and you trust them, and you trust their feedback, that is something I've tried, that was Cadet Bledsoe, advice given to me is Cadet Bledsoe. Surround yourself with people that you will listen to and take their feedback honestly. And sometimes that means if I don't have that person in the room and I know I fumbled a conversation or I made a poor decision, it's going to that individual and saying, “I messed up, I'm sorry, I was wrong,” or “I don't know,” right. And that's how I try to use that to present humility, I think, and that's important, because we're all fallible, we all make mistakes, and if I can't admit that, then, like, we're off to the wrong foot right away. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 22:06 Do you think some of that that skill that you've developed over time has been something that you've learned in, and forgive me, I don't know if it's a fighter pilot community, specifically, or you know, I think about when you do your sorties and you have some sort of debrief, right? I feel what I've heard, I've not actually sat in one, but they're very real. Like, there's no, it's not about making you feel good about it, like it's about the safety and the mission, and so I'm curious, if that skill of humility, and you know, calling a spade a spade, and calling it I'm wrong and I'm wrong, did that come from some of that experience, and maybe you can talk through what that's like, because not everyone, I think, practices at that level of transparency. Col. Joe Bledsoe 22:46 Yeah, the fighter pilot debrief. I learned some of the importance of that through mentorship as a cadet, and then that was sharpened as a fighter pilot. And I learned the importance of that through the form, my formal job, right, the mission, the lives at stake, aircraft, that kind of stuff. And I think I've tried, I've only honed that skill through Air Force training, right? The Air Force has trained me to think like that, and I've tried to translate that into my personal life and leadership positions, because I think there's tons of value to that. There is tons of value in being willing to find a mistake, own up to that mistake with the knowledge and hope that it doesn't happen again, right? And if that is like, if you, if that's your north star, we don't do this again, like, why wouldn't you want to be on that team? Why wouldn't, why don't you want to be? That's how we get better, right? And I think that seed again was planted as a cadet. Like, let's, I tell cadets all the time, like, you're joining the A-team, so put in A effort, right? Like, if you're going to join the A-team, I don't want B-players, and this is what we got to get, like, let's go, right? It's a motivating factor in my mind. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 24:08 What are some of the ways to approach that in a leadership conversation for someone who would be interested in taking on some of those, those learned lessons? Col. Joe Bledsoe 24:18 Yeah, I think the first thing is transparency and honesty right up front. Like this, Naviere, if we were flying together, right and you were my instructor, your job is not to degrade me as a human, but to prove to me that I made a mistake with the ultimate goal of making me better, right? Your job is to always, like — and the relationship you and I have as an instructor and a student is my — I'm gonna sit here in the debrief and go, and Naviere is here to make me better, right? Like, that's your, that's your job, right? Right. So, once you start that as the foundation, like, it can only get better if I know your job is to make me better, and your job is I'm supposed to make this guy better, right. And often we can, when feedback is provided, you're like, this could be a personal attack, or, like, that's all left out, that's all left outside the debrief room, right? Like, we're here to make everybody better, and I think that's where it starts: with that transparency and honesty up front of the expectation. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 25:15 So you'll actually say that. You would actually… Col. Joe Bledsoe 25:17 No, I think that's just a common, that's a common theme, right? That's the expectation in the community. And not just in the fighter community. I think it's throughout the Air Force, right? I think that's what makes us really, really unique. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 25:32 Because feedback is something that we, we do — although maybe some can do it better than others — I think that's a really fantastic way — before you're giving someone feedback, you're really clear on this is what we're hoping to accomplish by having this time together. And so, I think what you just said can make feedback so much more impactful, because it's not about the person, it's about what are we trying to accomplish and helping you, I guess. It is about you, but ultimately helping you. Col. Joe Bledsoe 25:59 Absolutely, right? Like the where every debrief starts is we had a mission objective and we had tactical objectives. Did we do them? If we didn't, let's figure out why, right? So translating to the business world or private sector, it's a root cause analysis, right? It's a root cause analysis, and we will get down to the nitty gritty of like, what type of error — did you make a decision error? Did you perceive the environment wrong? Did your actions cause the error, right? And we get down to that level, so that when the student, student Paveway walks away, Naviere, knows, Naviere, you gave me the exact, like, you decided wrong, because X, Y and Z; don't do that again. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 26:43 Right. Col. Joe Bledsoe 26:44 Here's your fix. You know, that debrief can take hours, and that's the beauty of it, right? “We're gonna sit there, and we're not gonna let anything not be uncovered, because we're gonna go do this again tomorrow, and we can't make the same mistake tomorrow,” right? “We can't make the same mistake.” Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:01 No, that's, that's fantastic. I mean, to have it that clear, and to know it, like, OK, we're not gonna, we don't stay in that space. We've addressed it, we know we've identified a fix, and we move forward. Is that what you said? Col. Joe Bledsoe 27:12 Absolutely. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:13 There's no like, continue to revisit, like… Col. Joe Bledsoe 27:15 Yep, that's the point, right? Like, “I've learned something, I know, I've acknowledged my mistake. Let's move on. This wasn't personal, this was you making me better.” Iron sharpens iron, right? So, here we go, and then move on. And now that translates, as you asked kind of a couple minutes ago, right, that can translate to so many things in your life, right? And I try to do that sometimes, like my wife will tell me, I go too fighter pilot, but there's versions of that that translate as we are not in a fight or pilot debrief. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:50 You literally got in my head because I was gonna say, now I want to put you on the spot, because Joe, you are married to your high school sweetheart, you make a 2% club, right? Like, you actually started the Academy with a sweetheart and ended with the same sweetheart. And now you have three amazing, beautiful children. How do you translate that to, you know, feedback to your family or your personal life? And I love how your wife said too fighter pilot, but how about to your kids? Col. Joe Bledsoe 28:15 Yeah, married my high school sweetheart, Alicia. We started dating our sophomore year, and we've been together ever since. So she is not a grad, but she has a lot of Air Force in her blood, so that's great, and the kids, I would say there's a couple things when it comes to taking some things I've learned or been trained in the Air Force, translating on the home front. The first one goes to accountability, right? I think accountability is really important because in an aircraft, you have to be accountable for your actions, and I think that translates to being a parent, as well as trying to teach the kids some humility. Right, where to be humble, when to own up to your mistakes, and sometimes that works in the fighter pilot way, sometimes it doesn't, and I think that's leadership, right? You can have leadership skills and be consistent in some, in some ways, but other times adaptability is really important, especially with the kids, and each one of my kids is very unique, and we have to cater to each one of them and their unique skills. I will say about my wife, I love her with all my heart, but she knows the words “knock it off” as well, right, because that's a sacred word, not just in the military, but on our, in our homefront, and that usually means stop being a full fighter pilot, like go back to being Dad, right? So she knows, she knows the words and how to make that all go down. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 29:47 I love that it's another language, right? You have your, your fighter pilot language, and you have a home front language. I love that. Thank you for sharing that. You know, I'd like to switch gears a little bit to your time operationally, and maybe this translates into now your work at the Institute, or your most recent work at the Institute for Future Conflict and preparing cadets for the future fight. I'm curious, how all of these skills that you've learned, and these leadership traits that you've continued to develop in yourself, have translated in moments of, you know, like, real conflict, real distress, like when the stakes are high, and how you prepare cadets to think that way, even though maybe they've not experienced that. I'm just curious, what that looks like. Col. Joe Bledsoe 30:31 Yeah, it is hard to translate — like cadets love war stories, right? Like, “So there I was…” but it's hard to translate some of, like, the putting, having the cadets put themselves in the shoes of someone that has 15 years of flying under their belt, right? Like, that's hard for them to grasp, and I understand that, and that's not what I'm asking of them to do, but there are certain skills that I think are really important, and that I've got to experience and talk to cadets and research and spend time thinking about at the Institute for Future Conflict at the IFC. One is risk, right? How do we, how do we think about risk, right? Are we risk prone? We risk adverse? How do we think about risk, not just in this moment, but how does our decision today affect five days from now, a month, right? And, as you remember, because I know it happened to you as a cadet, like you're just in the, like, “What's my next problem,” right? What's my next — OK, how does, like, fixing this problem affect next week? Right. And I think that's what I've got had the opportunity to think a lot about the IFC, as well as try one thing I've learned being back here at the Academy was my experience as a cadet is not the same experience as the cadets now. And what do I mean by that is when I graduated, GWOT, Global War on Terror was the thing we knew what we were getting into. I very much knew flying, going to the Middle East. Now the cadets looked to me and other permanent party, and like, what's our fight going to look like? And right, the question mark is, I don't know, but let me tell you, think about this, and I could be wrong, and I think that is where I've had a lot of time to think about future conflict and what's problems, maybe not nations or adversaries, but like big meta level things they'll have to think about, information access, information sharing, trust, right? How do you, how do you help develop some of these skills in the cadets? And that's where I've spent a lot of time the last two years trying to think and spend, spend some brain bytes, like what does air power look like in this unknown environment? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 32:52 And as you're about to step back into it, I'm thoughtful of that, and so now you're taking what you've helped cadets start to hone in and think about. How are you different now as a leader going back into the cockpit than you were when you came to the Academy? Col. Joe Bledsoe 33:09 Yeah, let me get back to the cockpit, and everyone can tell me what, how I'm different. We'll use that as the test. But here's one thing I think — I've reflected on this recently, going back to the Strike Eagle community. One has been my exposure here in Colorado Springs and at the Air Force Academy, meaning I've learned a lot about what others do that I wasn't — I knew other jobs existed, I knew other AFSCs did things, but not being in a flying day-to-day ops tempo, I've had the opportunity to sit down and, like, “What do you say you do?” “Oh, that has some effects here, here, and here,” and I use a specific vignette would be, I've got to spend a lot of time in the management department and helped teach in the global logistics minor, and like, I knew there was logisticians in the Air Force, and like, that's yeah, right? That's how stuff got here, but like, understanding the importance of, like, that's how my bombs got here, this is how the b…, right, like, truly understanding their frustrations, I think will make me get less frustrated in my day to day, right, and I think that has been one thing that the Academy has given back to me the second time I've been here, is a little bit more exposure to the Air Force, as well as the Space Force, being here in Colorado Springs, like seeing what each team member, like each cog in the machine brings to the fight, right? And I think that's been a blessing here. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 34:42 So those that you will begin to get back working with — your men and women in your community — they won't have had that exposure, and so I'm now going back to our where we started with the sense of informal leadership. How do you help others gain that experience and thought, and maybe thought process informally, since they haven't really been exposed to that? How would you help them navigate it? Col. Joe Bledsoe 35:09 Naviere, I think the best way to do stuff like that is, like, you raised your hand when you said logistics officers, like Naviere, we're doing a podcast with my next squadron, you're coming to talk, right? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 35:19 Right, it's like that was like a long time ago, we need someone more recent. Col. Joe Bledsoe 35:24 But, OK, Naviere, it's not you, but you know people, that's how stuff gets done, right, that's how stuff gets done. And while I by no means want to stand up in front of everybody and say I'm the expert on logistics, but I, I'm not that person, but I trust Naviere, Naviere's contact here, and that's how, like, you create this network of knowledge and this network of trust and credibility. And to my, to the fighter pilots that I'll be flying with, it's somewhat like throwing mud at the wall sometimes, like we're gonna keep throwing mud and see what sticks, but at least they know it's there, right? Like, we're gonna, your job is still to go kill things and blow things up, but at the same time, you know there's this other network out there that you can lean into. But let me be a conduit to make that happen. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 36:15 That is awesome. That's fantastic. So I want to go into this period now, where we talk about you and your continued growth as a leader. What is something, Joe, that you're doing every day to be a better leader? Col. Joe Bledsoe 36:30 I have mentors, and I've tried to find mentees. I think that is where growth can happen, leaning on others for mentorship and mentees to try to talk through some things you've thought through and give experience and exposure to others, right? And that's that network we were just talking about, right? Other things I think are really important is reading and writing. Read a lot, write a lot, nobody writes good anymore, right? Thanks, ChatGPT. But being able to communicate in the written form is really important. So, writing and reading. And the other thing, too, is as a leader, just find an outlet, find something, find a hobby, find something that's fun to do, right. So, I got into running here at the Academy, because we're at high elevation, and I'm, why not, right? But find something that, like, rounds you out, right? It's fine, find an outlet that helps give you some relief from all the stresses that can happen in leadership. That's where I would say I spend a lot of time, or what I think about trying to sharpen my skills. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 37:34 Daily. So, what are you reading right now? Col. Joe Bledsoe 37:37 Oh, that's a great question. I have a couple books that are on the table. Mask of Command is one that I'm reading as I get ready to go back and potentially be in a leadership role. There's a couple other books that come to mind. I'm reading a baseball coaching book, because I coach my baseball, it's a basketball book by Coach K from Duke, as I go back to North Carolina, but it's a book, how to coach kids, right, Leadership on the Court, and it's fun to just think about training and coaching kids and how to keep them inspired. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 38:18 Oh, that's awesome. So, speaking of kids, if you were to go back in time, and talk to younger Joe Bledsoe, the third, what advice would you give him? Col. Joe Bledsoe 38:30 Yeah, if I had to go back, I would say it's worth it. Every second, work hard at the Academy, right? The doors that it opens, that's where my mind went when you asked the question, like, younger me at the Academy. Be good to Alicia, my wife, right? Be good, because she's going to be with you for a long time. So be good to her, as well as foster your, foster your friendships. They're going to mean a lot to you in the future, right? The relationships you build on that hill are going to come back in ways you have no idea years to come. So take time and prioritize the people that you meet. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 39:10 Those are really great reflections. Joe, is there anything that we haven't covered in our conversation that you would love to share with our Long Blue Leadership listeners and viewers? Col. Joe Bledsoe 39:24 Absolutely, be proud of this institution. I'm proud of it. I know you are too, Naviere. Proud of this Academy. Be proud of the cadets, be proud of the permanent party that work here. There's an A-team out there, and this is this is where it starts, right? And it's not just if you're serving in blue or in the Space Force, right? If you're out there doing awesome things for our country on the private, in the private sector, thank you. Keep doing what you're doing. There's no shade of blue in the Long Blue Line, that's my, my phrase for that one. There's no shade of blue. Serve your country, be proud. And that's — just be proud to be an Academy grad. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 40:07 That's fantastic. So, you know, in our time together, I have loved this, this, this leadership conversation, because we really span an area that I don't think a lot of people talk about, and it's, how do you demonstrate leadership in an informal way, you know, without titles and without necessarily key positions or in the hierarchical structure, and so some of the things that really stood with me, Joe, that you've covered, have been being credible, being present, and humble. I really like that, and you didn't say this in these words, but what I took from that was, you know, being honest and truthful is almost one of the most kind ways you can be right, because you're actually helping someone be better, and that really stuck with me, you know. I don't, we have an A-team, we don't need B-players, that I think you exactly said that, so definitely stuck with me. But watching the way that you have led, not with your class, not just the cadets, and, you know, certainly not the squadron that you will have here shortly as a director of operations, but I think you've continued to just be who you've always been, which is someone who leads with integrity through those pillars and certainly by example. So this has been an incredible conversation, and for anyone that is watching us and listening to this, for others that are in their leadership journeys, this is another one you're going to want to share, because it's not just about, you know, Lt. Col. Bledsoe's journey right now, it's been all of these moments and experiences and memories and they really do connect with anyone on a leadership journey. So, be sure to join in on longblueleadership.org or wherever you get your podcasts, not just to see this one, but all of our other conversations. So, Joe, thank you so much for joining us today. Col. Joe Bledsoe 41:46 Thank you Naviere. Go Air Force! Col. Naviere Walkewicz 41:48 Go Air Force!   Col. Joe Bledsoe 41:49 There we go. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 41:50 Absolutely, until next time, we'll see you on Long Blue Leadership. KEYWORDS informal leadership, peer leadership, Air Force Academy leadership, USAFA class president, fighter pilot debrief culture, building trust and credibility, leadership humility, future conflict and airpower, Long Blue Leadership podcast, military leadership lessons.     The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation          

We have TC Eley IV on the show, a freshly minted assistant professor that just completed his PhD program. He is starting a new mentorship program for the AOM CTO Division, which marks a great opportunity to talk about supervision, advice, and mentoring in the IS field. Should mentors be collaborators on papers? Can you trust all advice you have been given? When does mentoring go bad? How do you pick a mentor or an advisor to begin with? Tune in to find out. And if our podcast triggered your interest to become a mentor for the AoM CTO Career Mentoring Program, send an e-mail to teley@villanova.edu with the subject "Interested in being a mentor for the AoM Career Mentoring Program." References Berente, N., & Yoo, Y. (2012). Institutional Contradictions and Loose Coupling: Postimplementation of NASA's Enterprise Information System. Information Systems Research, 23(2), 376–396. Glanze, E., Recker, J., & Bockelmann, T. (2026). Digital Sustainability with Physical Constraints: Insights from Twin Transformations in the German Manufacturing Industry. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, forthcoming. Lehmann, J., Recker, J., Yoo, Y., & Rosenkranz, C. (2022). Designing Digital Market Offerings: How Digital Ventures Navigate the Tension Between Generative Digital Technology and the Existing Environment. MIS Quarterly, 46(3), 1453–1482. Recker, J. (2021). Scientific Research in Information Systems: A Beginner's Guide (2nd ed.). Springer. Berente, N., Hansen, S., Pike, J. C., & Bateman, P. J. (2011). Arguing the Value of Virtual Worlds: Patterns of Discursive Sensemaking of an Innovative Technology. MIS Quarterly, 35(3), 685–709. AIS Doctoral Student College: https://communities.aisnet.org/doctoralstudentcollege/home. Lee, J., & Berente, N. (2012). Digital Innovation and the Division of Innovative Labor: Digital Controls in the Automotive Industry. Organization Science, 23(5), 1428–1447. Schecter, A., Pilny, A., Leung, A., Poole, M. S., & Contractor, N. (2018). Step by step: Capturing the Dynamics of Work Team Process Through Relational Event Sequences. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(9), 1163–1181. Lehmann, J., Berends, H., Berente, N., & Tumbas, S. (2026). Architectural Learning in the Professional 3D Printing Ecosystem: Proxies and the Complementarity Space. Organization Science, 37(1), 157–185. Lehmann, J., Hukal, P., Recker, J., & Tumbas, S. (2025). Layering the Architecture of Digital Product Innovations: Firmware and Adapter Layers. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 26(6), 1630–1650. AIS Senior Scholar Mentoring Program: https://archives.aisconferences.org/icis2022/mentoring-program/index.html. AIS Women's Network College: https://www.aiswn.org/. Canadian Chapter of the Association for Information Systems Mentorship Program: https://communities.aisnet.org/canada-thrive/mentor. AIS SIG DITE Early Career Mentorship Program: https://communities.aisnet.org/sigdite/early-career-mentorship-program.

Like the show? Show your support by using our sponsors.   Need to update your shop systems and software? Try Tekmetric HERELaunch your tool game to the next level with Launch Tech USA! HEREIn this episode, Jeff Compton sits down with Kansas technician Eric Schoenberger of Holt Motor Company. Having grown up around Chrysler dealerships alongside his father, a veteran drivability and transmission specialist, Eric shares his experiences in dealer life and why he ultimately transitioned to the independent repair world. The conversation explores flat-rate frustrations, warranty and recall work, shop politics, diagnostic strategies, transmission repairs, evolving technology, and the value of ongoing training. Eric also discusses how independent shops offer less stress, and a different approach to customer service and technician growth.Timestamps: 00:00 Podcast Welcome and Holiday 00:45 Kansas Guest and Vision Talk 01:30 Shop Intro and Dealer Roots 06:03 Family Influence and Career Path 08:12 Flat Rate and Recall Frustrations 17:25 Favorite Dealer Work and Transmissions 23:03 PT Cruiser Love-Hate Jobs 25:35 Diagnostics and Techline Support 27:49 Dealer Life and Shop Politics 32:37 Misfires, Burnt Valves, and Borescopes 36:31 Pentastar Problems and Tips 41:26 Diesel Disasters 44:04 Recall Work Realities 49:21 Hybrid Battery Discussion 52:37 Leaving the Dealer World 55:47 Advisors, DVI, and Communication 01:01:38 Training Great Advisors 01:08:35 Transmission Service Debate 01:14:38 Moving to Independent Shops 01:16:27 Learning Through Service Information 01:18:46 Oddball Repairs and Old Mopars 01:27:05 Caravan Rear A/C Repairs 01:33:05 Training Events and Mentors 01:38:49 Shop Culture and Dispatching 01:40:44 A/C Diagnostics and Leak Testing 01:47:37 Parts Support Challenges 01:54:02 Technician Pay and Flat Rate 01:56:23 Gravy Work vs. Diagnostics 02:02:27 Independent Shop Mindset 02:12:28 Training and Networking 02:20:06 Final Thanks and Wrap Up Follow/Subscribe to the show on social media! TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffcompton7YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheJadedMechanicFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091347564232

Jeff, Pete, Christina, and Lori gather for a relaxed conversation filled with stories, laughter, and thoughtful reflections. The discussion begins with excitement over the Amadeus Pro beta and the future of audio production on Apple Silicon Macs. From there, each shares memories of mentors and advocates who encouraged independence, informed decision-making, and the attitude of simply doing what needs to be done. The group explores the importance of maintaining connections in both blindness and mainstream communities, appreciating the perspectives each brings. They also talk about everyday accessibility, highlighting simple solutions such as fountains, wind chimes, textured surfaces, and other environmental cues that make life easier. Later, the conversation turns to emerging technology, including smart glasses, Aira, scanning apps, and privacy concerns. Along the way, memories from conventions, podcasting adventures, and a few musical tangents create a fun and engaging conversation among friends. Major Topics in Chronological Order Introductions and weather banter. Amadeus Pro and the new Apple Silicon beta. Accessibility and the longevity of audio production tools. Mentors, advocates, and people who shaped their blindness journey. Attitude, informed choice, and the "just do it" mindset. Balancing blindness communities with mainstream communities. Maintaining friendships with both blind and sighted people. Everyday accessibility and practical low-tech solutions. Using sound and texture as orientation cues around the home. Memories from ACB and NFB conventions. Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses and the future of wearable AI. Aira integration and hands-free access. Scanning apps, privacy, and document reading. Seeing AI improvements and simplified interfaces. Music, iBUG Today, and closing humor. Products and Services Discussed at Length Audio and Podcasting Amadeus Pro HairerSoft Apple Silicon Macs Wearable Technology Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Google AI Glasses (future possibilities) Rumored Apple Glasses Accessibility Services Aira Aira AI Reading and Recognition Apps Voice Dream Scan Seeing AI Communities and Organizations National Federation of the Blind (NFB) American Council of the Blind (ACB) iBUG Today

Dave Baszucki is co-founder and CEO of Roblox, the user-generated gaming platform where all the games are built by the community itself. With over 100 million daily active users and projected revenue bookings of $7 billion this year, it is one of the largest gaming economies in the world—and one that has made millionaires out of teenage developers in Argentina, South Korea, and everywhere in between. Tyler and Dave explore why Roblox decided early against prioritizing advertising revenue, why Dave thinks the main competition of Roblox is its own execution speed rather than Fortnite, whether every mega platform inevitably becomes an everything app, how falling token costs will change the platform, why he insists all the games on Roblox are beautiful, whether Robux should have a floating exchange rate, why admitting you have kids under 13 on your platform turns out to be a competitive advantage, why he's skeptical of blanket social media bans, what his son's experience with bipolar disorder taught him about metabolic health, his two-year sabbatical between companies that involved a motorhome trip across North America and a stint hosting talk radio in Santa Cruz, why Mutiny on the Bounty remains one of his favorite books, what he'll learn next, and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video on the new dedicated Conversations with Tyler channel. Recorded May 27th, 2026. Other ways to connect Follow us on X and Instagram Follow Tyler on X Follow Dave on X Sign up for our newsletter Join our Discord Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:44 - Roblox by the Numbers 00:08:54 - Competition 00:12:13 - Everything Apps 00:19:50 - AI Language Translation 00:21:18 - Token Costs  00:24:01 - Beauty and Gaming 00:27:01 - Robux 00:29:28 - Social Media and Younger Audiences 00:40:56 - AI and Gaming 00:45:44 - Mutiny on the Bounty 00:47:38 - David's Earlier Companies 00:51:16 - Mentors 00:52:35 - Outro

How can parishes better accompany people entering the Catholic Church? In this listener Q&A episode, Dave wraps up the OCIA series by answering questions about sponsors, mentorship, community, Natural Family Planning, and how to meet the diverse needs of those coming into the Church. Dave argues that one of the biggest missing pieces in many OCIA programs isn't more content, it's deeper relationships. We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your questions/comments Don't forget to text “EKSB” to 33-777 to get the shownotes right to your inbox! You can also find the full shownotes at www.ascensionpress.com/EveryKneeShallBow

In fast-changing companies, some things move so fast that you rarely have time to consult the business books when questions arise. Welcome to Frequently Asked Questions, a segment on WorkLife where Molly answers questions from listeners about the topics they confront in real time. In this episode, Molly is joined by Ashley Murphy, a key member of Molly's team and one of the people that helped create Glue Club, a leadership development community that Molly and her team run focused on helping leaders feel more confident and less lonely at work. These questions are based on common questions from the community that Molly and Ashley thought would be relevant for the WorkLife audience as well – tips for working productively with a boss you don't always agree with, knowing when it's time to seek out an executive coach, and struggling to pitch yourself to prospective employers if you don't fit into a traditional box.Featured guestFollow Ashley Murphy on LinkedInLearn more about Glue ClubConnect with the teamFollow Molly on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at glueclub.com/Subscribe to Molly's Substack LessonWatch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollectiveFollow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We could do it later. We could get serious later. But why? Why not do it while we have the chance?