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#328. I dare you to stay “rural” 15 times without feeling like a doofus. Also, Chat GPT is asking questions and that makes us nervous. With that out of the way, we get to hear from Dillon and his delightful reward of a vacation! Costa Rica treated him well and the all-inclusiveness of a typically not all-inclusive resort is maybe a step above other experiences. Coffee tastings from single origins, professional massages, power juice, robes, views, and seafood are all among the highlights. He did encounter a couple of oddities which bring up questions. When does bringing food onto an airplane become too invasive? How long is acceptable to scroll through movies before landing on one? Let us know via the LinkTree below! Dillon, you deserved every bite of that shrimp cocktail, and you fully earned the cheese added to the fried plantains. Here's to more! Until next time, be kind to each other.FTM Merch! - https://www.teepublic.com/user/fromthemiddleLinkTree - https://linktr.ee/fromthemidpodVOICE MAIL! Comment, ask a question, suggest topics - (614) 383-8412Artius Man - https://artiusman.com use discount code "themiddle"
A young professional steps into leadership faster than expected and learns what really drives success. In this conversation, I sit down with Dana Prenger, a rising marketing manager at SmartSolve, who shares how growing up in a small town, competing in sports, and navigating college shaped her mindset around drive, resilience, and growth. You will hear how she turned uncertainty into clarity through programs like Life Design, how early career risks helped her step into leadership, and why she believes failure is simply a learning moment. We also explore SmartSolve's mission to create water-soluble packaging and reduce waste, showing how purpose-driven work can fuel motivation. This episode is a reminder that progress comes from consistent effort, not one defining moment, and that your mindset will shape how far you go. Highlights: 00:10 Discover how stepping into new opportunities before feeling ready builds real confidence 06:02 Learn how sports shape discipline, time management, and long-term success habits 10:00 Understand how exploring different paths helps you find the right career direction 20:00 See how real-world internships can define and accelerate your career path 34:36 Discover how early sales experience builds resilience and confidence under pressure 51:39 Learn how reframing failure as a learning opportunity changes how you grow and move forward Bottom of Form About the Guest: Dana Prenger is a Marketing Manager at SmartSolve, a zero-waste packaging technology company with a bold mission to make packaging no longer trash. In her mid-20s, Dana has quickly built a career in B2B marketing, contributing across content creation, social media, email campaigns, event marketing, video projects, website management, and brand storytelling. As SmartSolve celebrates its 10-year anniversary, she is grateful for the opportunity to wear many hats and help bring an innovative, sustainability-driven vision to life. She grew up in a small town in Ohio, where she learned the value of hard work, teamwork, and community. A three-sport athlete in high school, Dana was a member of the 2019 Ohio state basketball team and graduated as her class Salutatorian—experiences that shaped her competitive mindset and leadership style long before her professional career began. Dana earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing from Bowling Green State University. During her time at BGSU, she was a Dean's Scholar, recipient of the Women in Business Leadership Scholarship, and an active member of the American Marketing Association. She was selected for the inaugural Ohio Export Internship Program, where she was matched with SmartSolve—an experience that ultimately launched her career with the company. Driven by curiosity and connection, Dana thrives in fast-paced environments where creativity meets strategy and marketing feels intentional and human. Outside of work, she loves to travel and has visited more than ten countries and counting. She is motivated by meaningful work, strong relationships, and conversations around marketing, sustainability, packaging innovation, and career growth. Ways to connect with Dana: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-prenger/ SmartSolve website: https://smartsolve.com/ About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson 00:04 What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe Welcome to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. I'm your host. Michael hingson, speaker, author and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head on and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear, together, we focus on mindset resilience and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Hello everyone, and welcome once again to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I'm really excited to be here today. We've been waiting for this one for a while, and I'm glad we were finally able to do it. I found Dana Prenger online, and her boss and she decided to come on, and then we'll have to get her boss on, because then we want to find out the real truth about Dana. Dana Prenger 01:28 Yes, thanks, Michael, thanks. Michael Hingson 01:31 I'm such a big help, right? But Dana, Dana Prenger 01:35 I was debating on joining. I was like, we should have John, the president of smart solve, share about our story first, and I didn't feel worthy enough to share my story right away, but Michael was very reassuring, and it's like you got this let's give it a go. Michael Hingson 01:48 Yeah, you can tell us a little about smart solve. It's not going to affect having John on because he'll tell more of the story, and he'll tell it from his point of view. So I'm not too worried about that? Well, Dana. Dana is a marketing person. She graduated from Bowling Green State University. I didn't know it was a state university, Dana Prenger 02:10 yep, BGSU. A lot of people get confused with Bowling Green. They think of Kentucky, but northern Ohio, yeah, nice College in town. Oh, cool. Is it? How large is it? Pretty big. It's a d1 school. Michael Hingson 02:25 When I went to UC Irvine, out here in California, one of the reasons I went was that it was a small school. It was actually a new school. The year I was a freshman, was the first year they actually had a graduating class at UC Irvine, there were, like about 2500 2600 students. They had their first graduating class, and I went and visited it in 19, excuse me, in 2024 because when I left, they were just getting ready to start a phi, beta, Kappa chapter, and it was too late for me to become a member. And in 2023 the there was a, there's a magazine that generally is all about Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society. And they discovered me, and they wanted to do an interview. And during the interview, as I love to put it, I shot off my mouth and said that, in fact, I was was going to the school when they were forming the phi, beta, Kappa chapter, but it was too late for me to join, because I was leaving. And one of the people who read that story was a physics professor who came to UC Irvine, basically the year I left, and she is still there. She's still a professor. And she called me and she said, I am the historian for the local mu chapter of Phi Beta, kappa, and we want you to come back and become an honorary member of Phi two. Well, a member of, I guess it'd be an honorary it's not an honorary member. I'm actually a member, but it's of later on, not at the time being a student. So anyway, I went back down and there are 32,000 undergrads at that campus. Now it's crazy. Dana Prenger 04:16 Wow. So cool to see the growth. Michael Hingson 04:18 Of course, UC Irvine or UCI, as they love to say. UCI actually stands for under construction indefinitely, because they're always building something there. Dana Prenger 04:30 It's crazy. Yeah, yeah. BGSU has around 4000 students, so it's cool that it's a big enough college, but they had really great professors and instructors where you didn't feel like just a number there, you got to know people by name. I was involved, yeah, and a lot of different student groups. One of the programs that was really cool was being a life design student ambassador. Michael Hingson 04:53 Ah, well, we'll have to talk about that. But I like, I like the size 4000 is plenty low. Large that's pretty cool. Well, tell us a little bit about you, the the the early Dana, growing up and all that. Where did you grow up? And tell us about some of that. Dana Prenger 05:10 Yeah, of course. I grew up in a small town, Minster, Ohio, so that town's a lot smaller than, Bg, about a square mile. Very good community. A lot of my family's from there. My mom's a school teacher at the school. So very great place to grow up, good traditions, and it's still close to Bowling Green, so it's an hour and a half drive away, so I still go home quite frequently and visit family and friends. Michael Hingson 05:36 So you went you went to school. What time were you Where did you come from? Where were you born? Dana Prenger 05:43 Yeah, born in a local hospital, right near Minster, Minster, Minster, Ohio. We have a lot of German heritage. We do a big Oktoberfest festival every year, which draws a lot of people to it. But besides that, a lot of corn fields. Grandpa's a farmer family. Michael Hingson 06:01 So are you a beer drinker? Dana Prenger 06:05 Yes, I am. I Michael Hingson 06:07 never did like the taste of beer, but that's okay. I did take three years of high school German, so maybe that counts for something. Yeah, there you go. Well, so you, you, you went to school. There you went to high school and all that, and then you decided to go to Bowling Green, huh? Dana Prenger 06:26 Yep, and that's the thing I liked about being in this from a small town, you got to do a lot of things. I was very much a multi tasker, or tried to be well rounded as I could be So, doing school, different clubs, sports. I was a three sport athlete, doing volleyball, basketball and track. So coming to BG, it was fun. I did like an intramural volleyball league. And, yeah, I chose BG. A lot of people, kind of from our area, went there. After being on campus, it did feel kind of like a second version of home. Michael Hingson 06:59 So Wow. So three sports, that's that's pretty cool. That kept you busy. Dana Prenger 07:05 Thanks, yes. And I graduated minster in 2021 so I'm not sure if you, I might be your youngest podcast guest you've had on, Michael. You might Michael Hingson 07:15 be well. You clearly have done well. So you graduated from school in minster in 2021 Dana Prenger 07:22 Yeah, I was born in 2000 to June of 2002 so yeah, nine months after 911 911 Michael Hingson 07:30 so for you, though you were at Bowling Green State four years, Dana Prenger 07:37 three years. Oh, you graduated a year early Michael Hingson 07:40 for you. Now, when you graduated, you were what second in your class? Dana Prenger 07:50 Yep, from Minster. Yep, I was a salutatorian, so had to give a speech at my high school graduation ceremony, Michael Hingson 07:57 and so, so what did you talk about as a as a speaker, as a salutatorian? Dana Prenger 08:05 I shared a story and equated kind of the grade schools reflecting on memories as a clock. So I was like, as the clock strikes one, and I would throw in a funny little memory from first grade to second to third, kind of going around until it was clock striking 12 as we're about to graduate. Michael Hingson 08:23 There you go. So you you had some experience at public speaking? Do you still do public speaking today? Dana Prenger 08:30 I've joined a few podcasts before, but being in marketing too, when students come or groups visit, smart solve, I'll do some speaking there, but not near as much speaking engagements or experience that you have well. Michael Hingson 08:48 So you, you went right into Bowling Green, and you decided right up front you were going to do marketing. Or what did you major in at first? Or did you always stick to one? Dana Prenger 08:59 I was debating between two things. So yeah, I liked marketing, like the business element. I had an older brother who went to BGSU as well. He was in the College of Business. But I also liked design. And in high school, I was on the yearbook committee. So I liked to take pictures, like to design the pages. So I tried out a few different classes before officially declaring my major. VCT is the program visual communication technology. I took a few classes in that but ultimately, after my first year, decided to go on with business and marketing as my specialization. Michael Hingson 09:37 Well. But even so, VCT is, in a sense, related to marketing, although I understand it's a specialty as well, correct? Dana Prenger 09:48 Yep, very much related into it work hand in hand. I'm actually hiring for a digital content coordinator right now, so it's cool to have somebody that I'm looking for. With more of that specialized experience Michael Hingson 10:04 and and are we looking at people from Bowling Green? Dana Prenger 10:08 Yep, it's a in person position. So looking at people around the area or willing to commute? Michael Hingson 10:15 Yeah, because otherwise, bringing somebody in from out of state or from a long way away, and paying moving expenses and all that. That's a bigger challenge. Dana Prenger 10:25 Yeah, and one of the things I was involved at at BGSU that I really loved this program, it was a new program they were implementing called Life Design. So basically, it's based off of the book and research that the Stanford Bill Burnett and Dave Evans did, designing your life, but basically saying that a lot of students come and come to college and don't know their major and are undecided and trying to figure out classes. So it's just a way to build community along the way, and it's a class for first year students to help them prototype different pathways and different avenues for their life. Michael Hingson 11:05 And so do they get a chance to look at different kinds of curriculum, different disciplines and so on? Dana Prenger 11:11 Yep, different curriculum, different careers, thinking, planning out your years. If you would go in this major, join this major, do this club, basically just getting people to think outside of the box, and prototype is a big word that they used in design different pathways that work for you. How's that working? Yeah, it was really great program. I was one of the first people to come as a freshman, to have that class, and then the class evolved and grew. My second year at BG, when I became the life design ambassador, I joined the class and was helping the first year students out, and the program continued to grow, continued to grow. We actually had a new building dedication, Jeffrey, Jeff and Jan, rad, Bill center for life design, so I got to be a part of the whole new building opening, grand ribbon cutting ceremony. And just cool to see something build up. Michael Hingson 12:10 Is it still going on? Dana Prenger 12:12 Yeah, still going on. And it's a big kind of differentiator of what BGSU has compared to other colleges across Yes, Michael Hingson 12:20 I can imagine that is pretty unique, but it really sounds like a great tool, because I think a lot of people aren't necessarily as ready, and I don't know whether as ready as is the right way to put it, but as ready to make a commitment as to what major or maybe this Is that people want to really look at options before they make a decision. But either way, it's great to have that kind of a program, Dana Prenger 12:47 and being a student ambassador just helped students get adjusted. Like this is the first time a lot of kids are living off on their own, and so just being there as a reference and resource for them some things they don't feel comfortable asking a professor even just about living in a dorm or college life. I was there for a group of students. Michael Hingson 13:08 Yeah, well, I remember going down to UC Irvine and starting and I didn't know a lot about a lot of the different things that would go on. But for us back in the day, as it were, you were just kind of thrust into it and you you could learn it and but again, I think that's one of the reasons I really liked the fact that it was a fairly small college or university at the time, and I remember I was put in the dorm with all of The athletes for the campus not being an athlete, but they had World Champion water polo team and other things like that. And people would occasionally pray play pranks on me, until the day came when I got to play a prank on them. Gained a lot of respect for that. So I was pretty cool. Dana Prenger 14:00 Are you going to share the prank or keep it a secret? Michael Hingson 14:03 Well, what happened was my my guide dog, my first guide dog, Squire, who's a golden retriever with a wicked sense of humor. Squire was in my room and I was next door with another freshman. We were trying to solve a physics problem. My master's is in physics. I went back into my room and there was no squire. Well, it turns out that they had stolen squire, and they hid him and and I kind of figured that part out, but I went through the dorm looking and of course, everybody was snickering and watching me. I went into the restroom and called him, and he didn't respond. He you know, I didn't hear him anywhere. I even opened the showers, and there was no response. And finally, one of the students who had seen all this happen came over and he said, Look, Squire is in the shower. Or and we went in and opened the door, and Squire comes right out, bouncing and having a good old time, having put it all over on me, as it were. But what we did was they didn't, you know, most all the students weren't paying attention to the fact that this guy was showing me where Squire was. We hit squire again, and I went out and got really ticked, saying, What did you guys do with my dog? I'm sure you took the dog, and everybody was laughing, always in the shower, and they went in the shower, and there's no dog because we hit him elsewhere. So, you know, we got back at him. It was kind of fun. And Squire made no noise when I was looking for him, what a horrible sense of humor. Dana Prenger 15:44 Golden Retrievers are great dogs. Michael Hingson 15:46 They are. Well, it was fun. I mean, you know, it was all in it was all in good fun, but still not the best thing to do to a guide dog. But that's okay. But the the jocks were, were were, were the major players of the campus. Actually, there's a great story. Every room had a phone in the dorm. And so in one of the women's dorms, one day, one of the women started getting some obscene phone calls from somebody, and she told her boyfriend about it, who was one of the jocks, and they, one day, they they told her, if you get him on the phone, this guy calls back, try to keep him on the phone and get somebody to let us know. And they, when this guy called, One day, she got word to her, her boyfriend, and all of the other jocks. They went through the entire phone book on campus in 10 minutes, dialing every number. Found three numbers that were busy, two of which were clearly not the right ones, because they were offices and all that. And so there was this one, and they all went over, knocked on this guy's door. Can you imagine all these big water polo and football players and all that went over and knocked on his door and they said, Hang up the phone and don't you ever do it again. It was great. I mean, teamwork, what? What teamwork? So, you know, they were all pretty neat guys. I gotta Dana Prenger 17:19 say, Yeah, being part of a team is just so good, and for building your character, like growing up being on basketball team, volleyball team, my basketball team actually made it to state in the year 2019, so you really do form a nice bond with them. And even now, as I'm in a different phase of life, your work, team, workplace, just really important, Michael Hingson 17:47 just really important too. Yeah. Well, if you were to describe your hometown with one word or whatever, how would you describe it? Dana Prenger 17:55 Ooh, that's a good one. I would say tradition, just because we do have so many traditions that bring the community together, or minster school motto is tradition of excellence. So that's what I would use. Michael Hingson 18:09 So that's pretty cool, though. But you had, you've had parents who who honored you, but who also, I'm sure, did a lot to teach you things and and help you grow up in the right way. Dana Prenger 18:26 Yes, yeah, a lot of thanks to both my parents, yeah, Mark and Jody. And then I had two siblings, two brothers, siblings and one sister. So family of six, wow, the second oldest, so I had older brother kind of paving the way me younger sister, and then a younger brother, who's a senior right now, and he's debating on where to go for college, and I think he's also going to be going to BGSU Michael Hingson 18:56 well, and I'll bet Older brother especially made sure that sister was treated well, Yep, yeah, brothers do that, right, what? That was fair. That's okay. Well, so you, you worked pretty hard at it all and, and, and had a lot of fun. So tell me more about your your whole time at college, getting marketing degrees and and what all that was like, and then how you ended up going to work and going to work for somebody close by. That must have been a joy. Dana Prenger 19:34 Yeah. So yeah, I loved marketing. And as I said, VCT, I was considering that, and I could have graduated like I did in three years with just marketing, or I could have stayed longer and did an international business specialization. I love traveling. I've been to 10 plus countries, and yeah, thought about doing a study abroad because that older brother of mine, he did do a study abroad in Strasbourg. Of France, and loved it, but instead, I came across this program called the Ohio export internship program. So basically, it's a program designed for small to mid size companies in the state of Ohio, and the state helps them out by going through the whole interview process for candidate, all the screening, teaching them adequate coursework, and then they'll pay for half of the interns wages for the summer. So in the spring, I did a three credit hour course. Had a group of 20 students in my cohort, and then all different colleges in the state of Ohio participated in this too. But then I could have been matched up with the business anywhere in the state of Ohio for my summer internship, summer of 2023 and I just so happened to get matched up with smart solve and that's how I came to know about them Michael Hingson 20:57 cool well, so having been a three sport person and all that. What do you find today from all of your sports experiences that helps you in your career and and how is that all stuck with you? Dana Prenger 21:15 Yeah, definitely the hard work and the grit and drive being able to focus your energy and really go when you have to go, yeah and yeah, managing your time effectively, like when I was in sports, you still had school, you still had other things you had to do in the evening. So being able to manage your time and get a lot of things done. Michael Hingson 21:42 So you you learned a lot about time management, having to juggle three sports and everything else that you were doing. And so how did all that work when you got to Bowling Green, though, did you? Did you have as many different kinds of activities you weren't doing three sports at Bowling Green, I presume? Yeah, no Dana Prenger 22:01 less sports and more trying to focus the academics and, like I said, what I wanted to do with my life. So, yeah, I spent a lot of time being the ambassador for life design. Still did sports just for enjoyment, fun. I did an intramural volleyball League. Yeah, I was involved in the American Marketing Association. Once I found out my true passion, I really liked marketing. Was involved with that, and I was also involved in through the College of Business Dakota Dean's Advisory Council on diversity and inclusion. Michael Hingson 22:37 What did you think about that? Dana Prenger 22:42 Yeah, it was really good for me to be a part of and opened my eyes to a lot of things, because my small hometown, though I love it, and we have great tradition, we are kind of a little bubble of not a ton of diversity. So being opened up to new, new perspectives and new things that was really beneficial. Michael Hingson 23:06 Well, certainly there were other small colleges around. Why did you specifically choose Bowling Green? Dana Prenger 23:13 Yeah, I think I wanted it was a perfect distance. I still wanted to be close to my family and close to home, but also I wanted to go out and experience on my own. If I chose a school too close to home, I would just be driving home, coming, eating dinner with my parents, and not really fully immersing into my independence. Michael Hingson 23:34 So so it was kind of just the ideal distance, if you will. Dana Prenger 23:42 And being like I said, a bigger college, so there is more opportunities sporting events and games, but they had it at an affordable price too, like going to football games my friends and I love to go watch and cheer on the Falcons, but it wasn't like a big school where we had to pay a lot for the tickets as well. Students got free tickets to all sporting events. So I enjoyed that. Michael Hingson 24:06 Oh, that's cool. How big was the stadium? Dana Prenger 24:10 Pretty big. I don't know the exact size, but yeah, it's right off the highway too. So as you drive on 75 through Ohio, you'll see the stadium in the road Michael Hingson 24:24 well, but you, but you enjoyed it. Do you still do any work or activities at Bowling Green? Dana Prenger 24:32 Yeah, so I'm living in BG right now, as I work at Smart solve, they do have a program called the regional network leaders, which tries to keep alumni engaged. So I joined that, and I'm on a team with seven other individuals just helping keep the alumni connected to the university. How's that working? It's good. It's good. Great to meet. With people, and just gives me something else to do besides work in the evenings. But it's not a huge time commitment. We meet about once a month, Michael Hingson 25:10 but it works out pretty well. Well, so you worked, you worked as a life design ambassador. Do you still do anything with that program today? Dana Prenger 25:24 No, not as much as I would like to. I think they are also in the progress, because I was one of the first people to graduate with having to keep us engaged and involved. I still am connected with a lot of them on LinkedIn, and sometimes one of the life design coaches will message me if a student has questions or wants to just have a quick prototype call or conversation to learn more about marketing or their field. Michael Hingson 25:53 You're you're available to help. Which is cool. It's neat to be able to to be a part of all of that. Yeah. Which is cool. So anyway, you you were part of the export internship program and so on, and that eventually got you connected with smart solve. What attracted you to specifically to smart solve? Why did you decide that that's what you, at least were were willing to explore? Dana Prenger 26:20 Yeah, I really liked smart solve. How strong we are with our core values and vision, mission and purpose statement. Most companies say these are our core values, but they're just words on the wall, and they don't get lived out each and every day. But here at Smart solve, we do something called the daily word of inspiration. So we have about 20 full time employees on our team, and we'll just have a calendar we rotate whose day it is for inspiration, and it's just a brief 15 minute meeting, how we start our day every day. And you can share a personal life story. You can share a Bible verse, any watch a video, motivational video, anything you want to give for your inspiration. And then we start our day with word of prayer, optional. Word of prayer. Michael Hingson 27:13 Well, that's pretty cool, and certainly that's a lot of commitment. I was going to ask, why you feel that the whole idea of smart solving what it's doing generates so many important values, but it's pretty clear why that's the case. Dana Prenger 27:31 Yeah, the core values are character, drive, innovation, joy, humility and growth. All right, it's really cool to hear those lived out, and you can see our team members each embody it smart. Solve is a faith based company, but we don't discriminate or only hire people of the same faith. In fact, not everybody's Christian that works here, but we are open about it because we want people to be comfortable about it, or be knowing that we do have that optional daily prayer every day Michael Hingson 28:07 well, and I think there's value in that. I mean, it's, I think, important to recognize that there are a lot of different religions in the world. And the fact is, if you really study most religions, they all pretty much essentially end up going to the same place, and they all believe in the same basic rules anyway, which is, which is pretty important, which is, which is kind of good. Well, where did the term or the title of the company, smart solves come from? Dana Prenger 28:38 Yeah. So John, he's our current CEO, co founder of smart solve. He smart solve. He calls himself intrapreneur, because smart solve was under CMC group, which is they had a bunch of different businesses. One of their main things was supplying labels, any and all kind of labels. And this is kind of the evolution story of smart salt, water salt. One of the customers was like, our labels are great, but it would be nice if they could just dissolve or wash away, because it was an application in the back of a kitchen. How you have, like, containers, the plastic containers you have to label food days of the week and expiration dates for food safety loss. But when they were putting the containers in the dishwasher, after trying to, like, peel or scrub the labels off, there would still be adhesive, sticky residue on it. Yeah. So, so, yeah, they developed water soluble label. And so, yeah, a label that can dissolve and wash away. So day mark still sells water soluble labels to food rotation business, but John was an intern at that time and was like, I think there's a much bigger. Market for water soluble materials, besides just label for food rotation so he can, they allowed him to take that idea and run with it. So smart solve is specifically water soluble materials. We sell just water soluble paper that dissolves the labels and then also pioneering water soluble, flexible packaging, so power stock applications Michael Hingson 30:27 I remember many years ago, and I still don't know how they knew it, but I got a package in the mail and it had popcorn in it, you know, the shipping stuff, and somebody said, Oh, this is that water soluble popcorn. If you put it in water, it'll it'll melt. And I was going, No. And sure enough, it was, I don't know what visually was the clue that that was water soluble, but it was, Dana Prenger 30:58 yeah, so our company, smart solves vision is to make packaging no longer trash. We realize the increased amount of plastic packaging, or just any packaging unnecessary consumption going on in the world today. So having an avenue or a smart solution of how to solve the problem, Michael Hingson 31:21 well, you can always come up with a new kind of straw that everybody can use, that they if they throw it away, it's not going to fill the world full of plastic. That's another story. Dana Prenger 31:35 Yeah. But in microplastics, to the increasing research and studies how microplastics are impacting human health and the environment. One of the fun facts we like to share is, well, not fun fact, but sad fact that by 2050 they project that plastic in the ocean will outweigh fish in the ocean. Michael Hingson 32:04 I hadn't heard that one, but I'm not surprised which it's so unfortunate. Dana Prenger 32:09 Yeah, great garbage patches of just waste forming out in the ocean. Michael Hingson 32:15 Is there a way, has anybody looked at the fact that, yeah, there's a lot of trash out there and so on, and it's great to come up with trash that won't be trash that will dissolve. But what do you do with all the stuff that's there? Has anybody been working at all on finding ways to dissolve that stuff as well? Dana Prenger 32:35 Yeah, I think that's harder, because it's already all out in the ocean, but there are efforts and people who go out and try to collect it, but then it's like, once we take it out of the ocean, where do we put it, just into massive landfill areas? Well, that's Michael Hingson 32:51 why I was wondering if there is some sort of a chemical process that could be introduced that would dissolve a lot of that material, rather than trying to collect it and take it somewhere, but I realize it's a much more of a significant challenge to do, because you don't want to hurt the fish and you don't want to hurt the ocean. But nobody has come up with a way to just dissolve all that plastic Dana Prenger 33:15 and stuff yet. Yeah, and our material is non toxic to fish, so it's we don't want people to we wouldn't say, just throw it in the ocean, but if it would end up litter becoming there, it would dissolve. Be safer fish. There's multiple end of life avenues for smart solves packaging, which is, yeah, flushable too. So some customers of ours are like toilet bowl cleaner cleaners or feminine care tampon packages that is flushable, so you can just flush the packaging down the toilet Michael Hingson 33:49 right, which, you know, and all of that is very important, but it still seems to me that hopefully somebody someday will figure out a way to dissolve All the stuff that's out in the ocean, yeah? Because I think collecting it is never going to happen as fast as it gets thrown in the ocean in the first place, Dana Prenger 34:09 yeah, especially in different countries around the world where there's not as adequate systems set up for landfills or recycling and waste is just much more incremental. Michael Hingson 34:22 So when you graduated and you started at Smart solves full time, what did you do? Dana Prenger 34:31 Yeah, so, actually, so the Ohio export internship program, I was a full time intern for the summer of 2023, okay, and then I was finishing my final year at school at BGSU, but they offered me to stay working part time. So I did work part time at Smart solve. My senior year of BGSU, I was a sales development rep, so business development, I had to do a lot of cold calling, so you just pick up the phone try to call people. So tell them about smart solve and so, yeah, I did that until I graduated in May, and then they kind of knew that they wanted more marketing support, and I liked marketing better than the sales prospecting. Sales, yeah, so they created a position for me, marketing coordinator, what was Michael Hingson 35:22 it like selling smart solve did you find that there were a lot of people who were very pessimistic or skeptical about what it could do? Or were you able to demonstrate pretty, pretty easily that in reality, sports fans it works? Dana Prenger 35:38 Yeah, I think smart solve products were easier than most things to sell and communicate about because, like we said, it really is a product that is better for people, better for the planet. I said our core values earlier in our vision, but our mission statement is enabling people to better care for the planet by pioneering Zero Waste packaging technologies, so smart solves. Big slogan is zero waste, zero hassle, zero hassle in the consumer. So it's cool to share that with prospects, and they would be more receptive, I feel like, than selling products that people don't necessarily need or want, but still in any industry, no matter how cool the product you have, when you're cold calling people on the phone, you're going to get some of those people that are like, how did you get my number? Or I don't want to talk, or just denies and ends the phone on you. So yeah. Well, that happened a lot of character building, doing that. Michael Hingson 36:38 I experience it oftentimes today, looking for speaking opportunities, even so, same concept, yep, and I've been selling my whole life, so I'm I'm fine when there are objections, when I at least there's a lot of truth to the to the fact when I at least get an objection, at least I can then go off and deal with it, but the people who just shut you down and you don't even get the opportunity to deal with the objection. That's a different story. Dana Prenger 37:06 Yeah, it really does. Michael Hingson 37:07 So was John a chemist? Or how did he develop Dana Prenger 37:11 all of this? Yeah, so John had a team of like, independent contractors that he would work with, and also just some of the knowledge with the water soluble label coming from CMC, but yeah, we have a lot of different team members now, research chemist employees that helped bring this product to life. And one of the cool things is doing a new product launch. So all of our typical water soluble materials we have today you can still buy, but we just now launched a new product called Pure nil zero, which is a completely plastic free, 100% bio based packaging substrate solution Michael Hingson 37:58 is packaging constructed like that, more are less stringent or sturdy than the more traditional kinds of packaging. Or is that something that you've been able to overcome and it's not any less durable? Dana Prenger 38:16 Yeah, it depends. It all depends on what you're trying to package in it. Yeah, it won't be as strong as plastic, but a lot of customers will use it for, like, powdered solutions. So obviously, if you have, like, liquid hand soap, you can't put that in our package, or it will start to break apart. But there's a lot of like, travel and convenience powdered packets that work great in our material. And the thing about pure no which is this new product, it is approved for direct food contact. So our other packaging is more agricultural, personal care, laundry, dish, a lot of those applications, this new product is approved for direct food packaging. So say you would have a powder drink, pack, mix, instant coffee, and eventually we want to get into more snack packaging, but there becomes certain limitations with oxygen and moisture barrier, Michael Hingson 39:12 yeah, well, you know, but that's still, it's it is really fascinating to hear about this, though, because there's, there's so much that that goes into it, it's really kind of fascinating to to see. Do you have customers all over or mainly in Ohio or what? Dana Prenger 39:33 Yeah, we do have customers all over the world. In fact, a lot in the European, European union, union that area, a few customers in the UK, since sustainability, new laws are happening all over. Michael Hingson 39:49 So you recently became the marketing manager. Tell us about that. Yeah. Dana Prenger 39:54 So yeah. I was very, very rapid upward marketing coordinator. For a while, and then just the end of this year, I got the promotion to Marketing Manager, which is great because I yeah, thank you. Get to manage content creators, to have somebody that creates blogs for us, somebody that helps with video support, especially because the water soluble material, it is so cool to see it, dissolve yourself. So yeah, doing a lot of video creation, and then, as I mentioned earlier, we're hiring for a digital content coordinator, a full time in office role. Michael Hingson 40:34 So are other companies doing the same kinds of things that smart solve does? Dana Prenger 40:39 There's a few, not a ton, but there's other bio based solutions. So for example, one company is using seaweed to make packaging, and there's other bio based materials, but not many water soluble packaging. Michael Hingson 40:57 So what makes smart solve unique? Dana Prenger 41:00 Yeah, we are unique for the ability to help you come to market with it. Our materials printable too. So some of the other like plastic PVA based, say laundry packs or dish packs, it's that plastic ours. You can print on it so you can have certain branding or safety warning instructions. Remember the challenge few years back when kids were trying to eat Tide Pods? We say, how different would it be if you could have had a big warning logo or image on the pod itself for them not to consume? Michael Hingson 41:38 Yeah, well, that's of course, the issue is, will they really pay attention to it or not? Dana Prenger 41:45 Yeah, also true, but we do think there's a good branding perspective too. Just to have brand on it, have instructions. We get. Our packaging is a little bit more expensive than just plastic and traditional uses, but we try to show our benefit by being better for the planet, better for the environment, and you do get a lot of good marketing. ROI, some of our customers have said using the materials and videos and being able to make a lot of sustainable claims has helped their company Michael Hingson 42:21 as a whole. So what kind of goals do you basically have as the marketing manager at Smart solve for what you're looking to do over the next few years? Dana Prenger 42:31 Yeah, one of my big grows goals is just growing, growing our followers, growing our reach. I feel like not a lot of people know about smart solve or know about our materials. So we have a LinkedIn page, since we are a B to B business, we also have Facebook and Instagram, but LinkedIn is our primary social that I'm looking to grow. So I think I shared with you smart solves LinkedIn profile, if you want to include that, or if any of the listeners today want to give us a follow, I'd really appreciate it. Michael Hingson 43:03 Well, absolutely that makes sense to do. Dana Prenger 43:07 Well also just increasing website. I help add new pages on our website, increasing our web visitors, new traffic, and creating more leads and sales qualified opportunities for our sales team, Michael Hingson 43:21 so dealing with diversity and and such, what do you do to make sure that your materials are accessible for people who don't necessarily read the print or who aren't going to be able to see pictures on the websites and so on. Do you have you all done a lot with that yet? Dana Prenger 43:42 Yeah, we're getting into improving and open to recommendations and suggestions. A lot of with the package itself, we leave up to the individual brands who sure have the product, because we're just the packaging supplier, not actually the end brand that uses it, but yeah, our website, I we use a site to do that, trying to become more accessible. There's so many ways to learn and do it, so, yeah, Michael Hingson 44:15 well, but it makes sense to do so with all the sports and stuff background that you've had, and we talked about this a little bit already, but what lessons from sports and leadership and all of your experiences have translated most into what you're doing today? Dana Prenger 44:37 Yes, I would say I'll tie it back to drive that one of our core values at Smart solve, and just as an athlete, having to really drive, whether that be your mental state, getting in the right mindset before a game or big competition meet, you. And just putting your effort into your skill to perfect it Michael Hingson 45:06 well, and an important thing to do by any standard. So, you know, a lot of people have jobs, they have worked in various places, they've matured and so on, but a lot of times there's kind of a defining moment that shows them that what they're doing is really what they wanted to do and so on. Do you have a defining moment like that that said this is really it? Dana Prenger 45:37 Yeah, that's a good question. And I think life is a journey, and there's always going to be small moments throughout I haven't had one big knock me off my feet moment that's shaped everything, but more kind of collectively built up small moments, small hurdles, small challenges that's got me where I am Today, any specific challenge that comes to mind, yeah, I would say. I would say, just going through college and yeah, figuring out my path and different setbacks along the way, throughout, trying to figure out my major and things and one of a small, funny setback, but not that big of one. I mentioned it as I was 16 years old, going to get my driver's license from sports. I had an injury and sprained my ankle, so I couldn't walk at the time, but I really wanted to get my driver's license, and it was my left foot, so not my right foot. So I my parents, the car that we had was a minivan with all my siblings, so Driver's Ed test, I'm pull up in this minivan, and I didn't want to let that setback delay me from passing my driver's test, so I had my crutches, crutched out, put my crutch in the back of the car, and then drove, using my right foot to pass my driver's test. Michael Hingson 47:10 And you passed your test, huh? Yes, and you did well on the written part as well, yep. Well, all I have to say is I think you should come out here to Victorville and spend a little bit of time the way people drive out here is crazy. I still submit that they ought to let me have a license, because I am sure that the way I would drive is every bit as good as the way people drive in Victorville right now. Wow, I don't see the problem myself. Dana Prenger 47:40 Yeah, and it's crazy. With innovation, the new things coming up, like nowadays, the autonomous vehicles, I'm curious to see in the next years how that will impact driving. When I am older and have children, when will they have to get their driver's test like that? Or there's some bold suggestions that say in many years to come, you won't have to drive a car. Michael Hingson 48:07 Well, I, in all seriousness, am really of the opinion that it will be great when autonomous vehicles are really as stable and as foolproof as they ought to be, because I think that we really do need to take driving out of the hands of drivers. It's just too many people to do too many crazy things on the road. The reality is that for blind people, and it's not going to be in prime time, certainly in the very near future, but the National Federation of the Blind challenged private universities and companies to develop a car a blind person could drive, and I don't mean an autonomous vehicle, but literally one that would provide the information so that a blind person could drive it just like a sighted person. And if you really look at driving, what is driving and why is it that blind people can't do it well, the answer is, because we don't have a way to get the information in as timely and as functional a way as sighted drivers do with eyesight. And the the people who realize that actually developed a vehicle that a blind person could drive. If you go visit the website of the National Federation of the Blind nfb.org, and search for Blind Driver Challenge, you can actually see a video of a blind man driving a vehicle around the Daytona Speedway right before the 2011 Rolex 24 race. Wow, and he wasn't driving it with people communicating with him through walkie talkies or anything like that, the car was literally transmitting the information to him that allowed him to drive the vehicle, drive through obstacle courses and do a variety of other things, pass a vehicle and so many other things. Because the fact is, today, the technology exists to provide that information to blind people, but it's not ready for prime time, and probably won't be, but autonomous vehicles are coming, and I really am looking forward to the time that they really work and work well, because they're going to make life a whole lot better for everyone. And I'm serious when I say taking the hand, the driving out of the hands of drivers, is pretty important to look at, yeah, so it'll be interesting to see how all that goes. So we've been talking about drive why other why? Else wise, did you really want to use Drive and make that kind of a theme for what we're talking about today? Dana Prenger 50:48 Yeah, I think drive just reflects the path that people have for life. And drive you always want to keep going being a goal oriented, focused person. There's a lot of things, and other people do experience many setbacks. And what I've learned from your story as well. When trouble would come your way, you didn't just stop. You kept moving, kept driving in a direction. Sometimes you might not always get from point A to point B. You might have to do a little bit of a detour in the journey of the drive, but yeah, that's kind of why I thought drive would be a good conversation topic word for today's podcast. Michael Hingson 51:29 But the reality is that that you can succeed. I tell people all the time that I reject the concept of the term fail, because if you fail, that's kind of an end all. You just, you just screwed up. Well, you didn't screw up. The issue isn't failure. The issue is what do you learn from it? And the issue is how you you move forward. And so I've learned that in reality, when things don't go right, I'm my own best teacher. I'm the one that has to take that information and internalize it and figure out how to move forward, people can suggest people can help. And I think that's important. But for me, personally, and for every individual on the planet, ultimately, we have to internalize it and make it succeed, which is, I think, so very important. Dana Prenger 52:19 Yeah, connecting some of those points is what we would talk about in life design too, because students would come and if they wouldn't pass a certain class or wouldn't do a certain thing, they would see it as a failure. And it's reframing failure and redefining it that, yeah, it's not, in fact, a failure, but a learning opportunity and experience Michael Hingson 52:41 it is. It's a growth opportunity by any standard, and that is something that we all really need to work on, because failure just isn't isn't fair and it isn't right, and we've got to get away from thinking that it is, Dana Prenger 52:56 and even reframing your experiences or statements you choose to say and think and believe about yourself like I could. I'm, as I said, one of a younger professional. Sometimes it can be intimidating or room full of people that know more than you. I could be down on myself. And look at it and say, Oh, I'm the youngest here. I am most inexperienced. I don't have as much skills or sets, or I could reframe it and think of it in a positive light and say, I am young, I do. I offer a new mindset. I bring new skills, new things that aren't already established. So kind of having that confidence and positive outlook to be able to reframe Michael Hingson 53:42 the other part of that. The other part of that, though, is that, yeah, you're young and all of that. But clearly some people have thought that you have a lot to contribute, and you're already doing that. And so obviously life is, is a is a place where we can learn, and we do need to continue to learn, but, but the reality is that we can always find learning as an end, as an adventure, and something that we need to do. And I think that that's exactly what we should we should be doing regularly, because it's always all about learning, yep, which really makes a lot of sense. So for you, what's next? For you? Do you have any notion? Dana Prenger 54:32 Yeah, I think I'm excited to continue developing this role, this new marketing manager role at Smart solve. I do like to travel. As I said, I've been to a lot of different countries, so wanting to further learn more about the world, new people, new places. Yeah, I want to have a family. I have a boyfriend that we're getting kind of serious. So looking for. To that next phase of my life and how well of a role model my mom was for me, I do want to be a mom as well someday. Cool. What countries have you been to? Yeah, I've been to Mexico, been to Portugal, been to Spain, one of the recent family trips. We just got back from Costa Rica. It was gorgeous there. We left right after Christmas and got back January 7 of this year. So that's why I'm still a little tan from the trip for you. But yeah, it was a good mix of adventure, zip lining, rock climbing, hiking, and then also just getting to relax and be in warm weather by a beach. Michael Hingson 55:46 What are what other countries, Dana Prenger 55:49 other countries that I've been to, went to Punta Cana, that was a very nice one, that Dominican Republic as the country, yeah. Michael Hingson 56:02 Cool. So the whole family went, Dana Prenger 56:07 yeah, all six of us. Wow. It works out nice because I have one sister and two brothers, and then my mom and dad. So it's kind of perfect, three and three, three girls, three boys. Michael Hingson 56:18 Yeah, that's, that's pretty cool. I'm glad that you you get a chance to have some of those experiences. What have you learned by going to other countries? Dana Prenger 56:29 Yeah, I've learned a lot just the way of life, the way they do things. Speaking of since we just got back from Costa Rica, one of the sayings they say all the time is Pura Vida, just pure life and kind of a more, not as upbeat, fast, hard paced environment as the US more free, yeah. But also it depends on the trip too. I've done some local mission trips. I wanted to do an international mission trip. I had it scheduled, but then that's when covid happened, so I had to cancel that. So bucket list coming up soon, I'm going to do a international mission trip. But it is different when you're traveling for just enjoyment vacation versus other purposes. Michael Hingson 57:19 You find that a lot of places where you visited, don't tend to take, and I don't mean this in a negative way at all, but don't take life as seriously as we tend to try to do here. Yeah, yeah. And it's, and it makes a lot of sense to lighten up a little bit, and then ought to do more of that. Well, if people want to reach out to you, how do they do that? Dana Prenger 57:42 Yeah, they can message me on LinkedIn if they have a LinkedIn profile, or they can go to smart solve website, contact us through there. What's your LinkedIn name to me? Yeah, Dana, just my name. You can search it. Dana pranger. Dana, D, a n, a pranger, P R, E N, G, E R, Michael Hingson 58:04 okay, well, I hope people will do that. This has been fun, and you've got a lot of good insights that you've offered, and we're going to have to after you your marketing for a while, we'll have to have you come back and tell us Dana Prenger 58:19 more stories. Yeah, that would be wonderful. And, yeah, thank you for having me as a guest. Super fun. Yeah, we'll see you, John. Yeah. Now we'll get John on and he can, I gave you a little warm up to smart solve. He can get into more of the details. Michael Hingson 58:36 Well, I want to thank you, and I want to thank everyone for being here today. We really appreciate it. Love it. If you'd give us a five star rating wherever you are, and also, even more important than a rating, please give us a very positive review. We really love your reviews. People will and do monitor and read and watch these podcasts more when people review them. So we'd love you to voice your thoughts. If you'd like to reach out to me. I would love to hear from you, and especially if you might know and Dana you as well. If anyone else, in addition to John, who ought to come out on on unstoppable mindset podcast, feel free to email me, and we're changing the address so it's easy. It's speaker, S, P, E, A, K, E, R, at Michael hingson, M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s, O, n.com. Love to hear from you. Love to get your thoughts. And we'll we'll value them a lot. And if you know people who ought to come on, please introduce us. But again, Dana, I want to thank you for being here. This has been absolutely a lot of fun, and hopefully we'll get to do it some more in the future. Dana Prenger 59:48 So thank you. Yes, this was great. Thank you, Michael, Michael Hingson 59:55 thank you for being here with me on unstoppable mindset. I hope to. Day's conversation left you with a fresh perspective, a new insight, or at least something worth thinking about if you're ready to go deeper into the ideas that shape how we see ourselves and others, I have a free gift for you. Head over to Michael hingson.com and download my free ebook blinded by fear, it explores the invisible beliefs that hold us back and shows you how to reframe them so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review and share this show with someone who can use a reminder that growth starts with mindset. When people think differently, we all move forward together. Thanks again for listening, keep learning, keep questioning and keep choosing to live with an unstoppable mindset. You you.
On this episode of The CJ Moneyway Show x GI: The States Capital, we journey with Richard Blank—CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and pinball machine collector—who traded comfort in Philly for legacy-building in Latin America. Richard's story is a bold, inspiring narrative of taking risks, building culture from the ground up, and living a life of intention. Learn how he turned telemarketing into an art form and created a motivational company culture that drives seven-figure success in paradise. CJ MONEYWAY SHOW LINKS Website https://cjmoneyway.com Listen on All Platforms https://pod.link/1707761906 Book CJ Moneyway https://calendly.com/cj-cjmoneywayshow/60min CJ Moneyway Listener Benefit CJ Moneyway listeners can access $40+ savings here: https://readyrx.com/treatments/se?coupon=cjmoney #RichardBlank #GIStatesCapital #Entrepreneurship #BusinessPodcast #PuraVida #Motivation #Leadership #Telemarketing Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Sent us text! We would love to hear from you! In this episode, Commander Drew and Dr. Paul explore what the world's happiest countries are doing right — and what the U.S. can learn from Finland, Iceland, Denmark and a surprising newcomer, Costa Rica. The conversation moves into youth happiness, technology, and why the most connected generation is also one of the most isolated. We talk about: Why "Pura Vida" is more than a slogan — it's a life philosophyHow social media has replaced connection without replacing lonelinessThe flying umbrella drone that had us laughing on the flight deckA Manchester listener stuck in a holding pattern — and how to break out of itThe power of saying no without burning bridgesPlus the Jet Jolt — Racing the Sunrise at 35,000 Feet — and a Wingman Story that will stay with you. Your Wingman Challenge This Week: Pick one "runway move" — one habit, one project, one person to encourage — and commit to it this week. Small moves, flown consistently, change the whole flight plan. Thanks for flying with us. Your Wingmen, Commander Drew & Dr. Paul The Wingman Show
What happens when a high-stakes investment banker swaps Wall Street trading floors for the waiting rooms of a pediatric therapy clinic? In this episode, live from the Growth Code Conference, Will Humphreys sits down with Adnan Bhanpuri, co-owner of Treehouse Pediatric Therapy.Adnan shares a masterclass in "indirect impact"—how non-clinical leadership, insurance negotiations, and operational excellence create the "bespoke" experience families need when they are at their most vulnerable. If you've ever wondered how to align your administrative team with your clinical mission, this conversation is for you.In This Episode, We Discuss:The Corporate Pivot: Why Adnan left the world of structured credit (think The Big Short) to find a more "human" ROI in pediatric rehab.The "Broadway" Analogy: Understanding the vital role of non-clinical staff as the stagehands that make the clinical "performance" possible.Following the Pain: How Treehouse evolved from a speech-only clinic to a multidisciplinary powerhouse (ABA, OT, PT, and Social Work) by simply listening to parent frustrations.The "Pura Vida" Leadership Style: Using a Growth Mindset to navigate the "Byzantine" rules of insurance and the stresses of business ownership.Operational Empathy: Why getting an insurance contract right or a schedule fixed is actually an act of love for the families you serve.If you are a practice owner looking to bridge the gap between your administrative staff and your clinical mission, or if you're looking for inspiration on how to scale a "bespoke" family experience, this episode is for you.Send a textVirtual Rockstars specialize in helping support or replace all non-clinical roles.Learn how a Virtual Rockstar can help scale your physical therapy practice.Subscribe here to our completely free Stress-Free PT Newsletter for your weekly dose of joy.
Wie können wir trotz des "Pua Vida" Lebenstils im Land der Ruhe eine grosse Wirkung im und für das leben anderer haben. Predigt von Frank Vornheder am 8.3.2026 in der FFG Lenzburg #Jesus, #NeuesLeben, #ErfülltesLeben, #Jüngerschaft, #Nachfolge, #Gnade, #Bibel, #ChristSein, #Christus, #HeiligerGeist, #Heilung, #SinnDesLebens, #SchönesLeben, #LandDerRuhe, #Vision,
Legendary LATAM Gringo Jakes' Website: https://jakenomada.com/ Twitter: https://x.com/JakeNomada $27 a month, unlimited data, 100+ countries = pangia pass Use my link for 10% off: https://pangiapass.com/a/bold Find Me Here: https://linktr.ee/bold.perceptions Travel / Lifestyle Consultation, DM Me On Instagram: bold_perceptions Subscribe to win a free flight.... when I hit 5k subscribers I will buy a random person a one way flight to experience solo travel themselves. & I will help you plan the adventure. Ai summary for seo ~ Latin America is a sprawling, high-contrast mosaic that defies any single label, offering a lifestyle that is as exhausting as it is exhilarating. To live here as a "gringo" is to enter a world where the social fabric is woven with deep-seated warmth and a collective resilience that prioritizes human connection over rigid schedules. Whether you are navigating the high-altitude Andean peaks or the humid pulse of a Caribbean coastline, you'll find a culture that operates on the "Tranquilo" principle—a fluid approach to time where bureaucracy is slow, but the coffee is fresh, the music is loud, and the people are genuinely curious about your story. It is a region that rewards the flexible and punishes the impatient. For those looking to plant roots, the "Gringo Trail" has evolved into a sophisticated network of hubs catering to different flavors of expatriate life. Mexico City and Medellín remain the heavyweights for digital nomads seeking cosmopolitan energy, world-class gastronomy, and robust infrastructure. Meanwhile, places like the Sacred Valley in Peru or the coastlines of Costa Rica offer a more soul-searching, "Pura Vida" existence focused on wellness and nature. In 2026, the influx of remote workers has pushed prices up in trendy neighborhoods like Roma Norte or El Poblado, but the cost of living still offers a "luxury-for-less" trade-off that is nearly impossible to find in the US or Europe, particularly regarding private healthcare and domestic services. However, the transition isn't always seamless, and "gringo" life requires a specific mental toolkit to navigate safely and respectfully. Safety is the most common concern, but it is often more about "situational awareness" than dodging cartels; it's about learning not to "give papaya"—local slang for not making yourself an easy target by flashing wealth. Beyond security, there is the hurdle of the "Gringo Tax," where foreigners are often quoted higher prices. Integration is the only cure for this; those who bother to learn the local Spanish (or Portuguese in Brazil) and respect the formal etiquette of the Usted find that the "foreigner" label eventually softens into that of a "local friend," unlocking a much deeper, more authentic version of the city. Ultimately, living in Latin America is an exercise in trading "First World" convenience for "Real World" vibrancy. You might lose a day to a confusing bank errand or a sudden power outage, but you'll gain a life filled with spontaneous Sunday asados, vibrant street markets, and a sense of community that makes the hyper-individualism of the North feel sterile by comparison. It is a place where the infrastructure might be crumbling in spots, but the spirit is unbreakable. If you can handle the noise, the spicy food, and the occasional chaos, it offers a richness of experience that makes it one of the most rewarding regions on earth to call home. #travel #travelblogger #nomad #latinamerica #expat #wifimoney
En este episodio de Tertulia Dura, Armando “Pura Vida” Pérez habla sin filtro sobre una realidad brutal: perdió a seis familiares por suicidio, incluyendo a sus padres.Lejos de esconder el dolor, decidió convertirlo en servicio.Conversamos sobre depresión, disciplina, comunidad, liderazgo y cómo usar lo trágico como motor de propósito. Desde tocar fondo hasta construir una cultura organizacional basada en cuidado, resultados y humanidad.Una conversación incómoda, necesaria y profundamente humana.Si estás pasando por un momento difícil, habla. Pide ayuda. No estás solo.
Where you look is where you go - so look forward." Alex Perry returns from a transformative surf trip to Costa Rica with profound lessons about living in the present moment. In this powerful solo episode, discover how the philosophy of Pura Vida - living the good life - translates into daily resilience, gratitude, and embracing what's in front of you. Learn why letting go of control, like riding a wave, can lead to the most meaningful experiences. Perfect for anyone seeking inspiration on mindfulness, overcoming challenges, and finding joy in the journey. Topics: Costa Rica surf lessons, living in the now, resilience mindset, daily gratitude practice, cultural connection, overcoming adversity, mindfulness techniques, personal transformation. Your turn to start the fire. Like what you heard today on Alex Perry on Fire? Tell us about it. Want to share what has helped you on your journey? We want to hear about that, too. Comment on social, DM us or give us a call. Instagram: @alexperryonfire TikTok: @alexperryonfire Call: 214-506-8023
We are honored to share that Mani Barajas-Alexander is featured in our new book, Life Lessons from Pickleball™ and as this episode airs, Sher and Shelley are experiencing Pura Vida at Mani's place in Costa Rica.In this special encore conversation, Mani shares how Pura Vida House became far more than a luxury villa. It is a thoughtfully designed pickleball experience that blends movement, connection, nature, and the Pura Vida lifestyle.From morning pickleball sessions and world-class instruction, to chef-prepared meals, beach sunsets, wildlife, and unforgettable adventures, Pura Vida House offers a week that nourishes both body and soul.This is not just a pickleball vacation. It is an experience rooted in relationships, community, and living life fully.If pickleball in paradise has ever crossed your mind, this episode is for you.
Más detalles sobre las próximas dos cervezas de décimo aniversario de Lechecoco! Boxab abre taproom en San Juan! Pura Vida con nueva beer! Stranger Things y más en el podcast más tecato del futuro!
Jared is fired up in NYC for Ticked Off Tuesday, venting about TikTok warriors telling him to “stay out of politics” after an RFK Jr pull-up rant, uninvited life-coach replies to a simple “I'll be 60 when my kids graduate” thread, health scolds comparing a Pura Vida tuna sandwich to two Big Macs, and strangers who jinx an empty middle seat before the plane door even closes. Then he dives into listener complaints: a December birthday dictator who holds friendships hostage over a group dinner, baby gifts that are somehow dry-clean only, Reddit poisoning how people hear their favorite podcasts, and a sister-in-law who wants guests to split the cost of the Christmas roast. It's one big, cathartic gripe-fest with plenty of laughs.Jared is on tour!
Conheça os produtos da Puravida - cupom: SOCIOSPURAVIDA: https://r.vocemaisrico.com/ccb634b5a3 Vivemos uma era curiosa: nunca houve tanta informação sobre saúde, nutrição, treino e bem-estar — e, ainda assim, nunca estivemos tão exaustos, acima do peso e distantes da vida que gostaríamos de ter.Como explicar esse paradoxo?Todo mundo sabe o que deveria fazer: comer melhor, dormir mais, treinar com consistência, controlar o estresse, evitar ultraprocessados. Mas, na prática, grande parte das pessoas continua presa ao mesmo ciclo: entusiasmo, tentativa, queda… e culpa.Será falta de disciplina?Ou existe algo mais profundo sabotando nossas escolhas sem que a gente perceba?Por que tantas dietas falham?Quais são os comportamentos mínimos que realmente transformam um corpo — e uma vida?Qual é o pilar mais determinante: alimentação, treino, sono ou ambiente?E, principalmente: o que qualquer pessoa pode começar HOJE para chegar em 2026 no melhor shape da vida — com mais energia, saúde e consistência?Para responder a essas e outras perguntas, recebemos Guto Galamba e Daiana Parisato para o episódio X do podcast Os Sócios.Ele vai ao ar nesta quinta-feira, às 12h, no canal Os Sócios Podcast.Hosts: Bruno Perini @bruno_perini e Malu Perini @maluperiniConvidados: Guto Galamba @gutogalamba e Daiana Parisato @daianaparisato
Neste episódio, Camila Espinosa e a nutricionista Maria Eduarda Marques continuam a conversa e trazem, de forma simples e direta, os principais pontos para escolher, usar e organizar a suplementação no dia a dia.Com uma linguagem simples, elas trazem orientações essenciais, destacam pontos de atenção e ajudam você a entender como suplementar.
Chris Albro, the CRO of People.ai joins the Surf and Sales podcast. We discuss the challenges of maintaining data quality in CRMs, how to proactively addresses customer concerns around AI, and the generational differences in work ethic and expectations. Chris also shares insights on the evolving sales landscape, the impact of AI, and the importance of empathy and execution. And the next www.surfandsales.com event is happening in November 2026. #PuraVida
***My New Jersey accent has rendered me unable to pronounce Pura ViTa multiple times in a short time frame so at the end you'll hear me saying what sounds like Pura ViDa, please know that Tara's restaurant is called Pura Vita and all links in the show notes are correct. *** :-) Today, I am joined by Chef Tara Punzone and writer Gene Stone. Tara is the founder of the award-winning Pura Vita restaurants in Los Angeles. Pura Vita is the first 100% Plant-Based Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar in the USA. A trailblazer in vegan Italian cuisine, Tara has been featured in Bon Appétit, Eater, and the Los Angeles Times. Chef Tara grew up in an Italian American home in New York, and has thrived on a vegan diet for over 35 years. Her passion for healthy southern Italian food has been evolving since her childhood when she made the decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle. It was then Tara began converting all her family's traditional dishes to vegan versions of the same, without compromise. Vegana Italiana is her first book.Gene Stone – A graduate of Stanford and Harvard, Gene is a former Peace Corps volunteer and newspaper editor for such companies as the Los Angeles, Times, Esquire, and Simon & Schuster. He has written more than a dozen books under his own name on a wide variety of subjects and has also ghostwritten or co-written another thirty-five books for a very diverse lot of people, many of which have been national bestsellers. However, for the past fifteen years he has concentrated mainly on writing or ghostwriting books about plant-based diets and their relationship to animal protection, health, and the environment. Among these books are such titles as Forks Over Knives, 72 Reasons to Be Vegan, How Not to Die, Living the Farm Sanctuary Life, Eat for the Planet, The Engine 2 Diet, and Animalkind.To connect with Tara: Website (you can buy Vegana Italiana here): https://puravitalosangeles.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puravita_la/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheftarapunzone/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PuraVitaLosAngeles/To connect with Gene:Visit his website www.genestone.comTo connect with me:Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummusFor more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivistsContact me here or send me an email at info@didyoubringthehummus.comSign up for meditation sessions hereSign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program hereJoin my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest©2025 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLCTheme Song ©2020 JP Winters @musicbyjpw
Quando, afinal, vale a pena usar um suplemento alimentar?Neste episódio, Camila Espinosa conversa com a nutricionista Maria Eduarda Marques sobre quando a suplementação realmente faz diferença na saúde e na rotina.De forma simples e prática, elas abordam os benefícios, os cuidados e as situações em que o suplemento pode ser um grande aliado do bem-estar.
Starbucks is enjoying some holiday cheer. Pura Vida Miami has won a private equity investment. And Shakey's wants to be your neighborhood pizza parlor again.
In this episode, I sit down with Chris Smith, a USA Today bestselling author and sales conversion expert who wrote The Conversion Code.Chris breaks down why 85% of sales happen after the fifth attempt, yet 90% of salespeople quit before that point.He shares the five-minute rule that gives you 21 times better conversion rates and explains why speed matters more than you think.We explore how consumers now control privacy settings and why traditional cold calling is dying fast.Chris reveals how to train AI on your content to generate authentic ideas that actually sound like you.We discuss sales scripts that convert without sounding robotic, handling objections that mask real buying signals, and structuring calls for maximum results.Chris also predicts what will happen in sales by 2030. Don't wanna miss that part.Join us as we break down practical systems to increase your conversion rate and close more deals.
PARTICIPE DA MAIOR BLACK FRIDAY DA HISTÓRIA: https://r.vocemaisrico.com/fae429277e FAÇA PARTE DO MATERIALIZA: https://maluperini.com/ Conheça os produtos da Puravida - cupom: SOCIOSPURAVIDA: https://r.vocemaisrico.com/ccb634b5a3 Vivemos um momento em que o dinheiro volta a ser questionado.Em que empresas começam a repensar o valor do tempo, da escassez e da confiança.Nesse cenário, nasce uma iniciativa brasileira que une tecnologia, visão e propósito para construir um novo padrão financeiro baseado na liberdade.A OranjeBTC é a primeira empresa listada na B3 com estratégia 100% voltada ao Bitcoin.Com mais de 3.600 BTC em caixa, a companhia une tesouraria corporativa e educação financeira em um modelo que alia transparência on-chain, gestão de longo prazo e um conselho formado por nomes como Eric Weiss, Josh Levine e Julio Capua.Para explicar tudo sobre a empresa, recebemos Guilherme Gomes, fundador e CEO da OranjeBTC, e Fernando Ulrich, economista e membro do conselho, no episódio 266 do podcast Os Sócios.Falamos sobre a origem da ideia, o modelo de negócio inspirado na MicroStrategy, o processo de listagem por meio de um IPO reverso, as estratégias de alavancagem e emissão de dívidas conversíveis e a educação financeira como pilar da companhia.Hosts: Bruno Perini @bruno_perini e Malu Perini @maluperiniConvidados: Guilherme Gomes @oranjebtc e Fernando Ulrich @ulrich.fernando
Send me a text, I'd love to hear from you!Welcome to Talking Travel with Wendy, where every trip is an adventure and every story brings you closer to your next journey. Today, I'm bringing you to Costa Rica for a “Pura Vida” escape with GAdventures — a small-group, sustainable tour that put 100% of its Ripple Score back into the local community. We'll sip our way through a coffee cooperative in Sarapiquí, climb down to the thundering La Fortuna Waterfall, soak in hot springs under tropical rain, ride horses through the cloud forest of Monteverde, and taste our way from street-food stalls in Quepos to cozy cafés with the prettiest cups of coffee.Along the way, you'll hear how rooming with a “stranger” turned into a travel friendship, why Costa Rica's wellness-forward food scene stole the show, and how choosing responsible travel can deepen your experience while supporting the people who make it special.If “Pura Vida” is on your bucket list, stick around for tips, favorite stays, and ideas to help you plan your own Costa Rica quest. Hit follow, and check the show notes to learn more about the tour and how to join a future trip with Travel with Wendy. Let's go!⏱️TIMELINE⏱️1:00 GAdventures Partnering & Mission1:22 Ripple Score2:00 My Own Room & Rooming Options4:31 Good Eats7:20 Where to stay?9:35 Activities abound11:10 Favorite - Horseback riding13:00 Tour Surprises13:55 Next GAdventures Tour (Join us)For a travel consultation - BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT HEREWelcome to the Travel with Wendy PodcastI travel the globe interviewing really cool people and small hospitality businesses and tourism businesses from around the world. Join me each week as I discover and share something or someone new. It's always an adventure when you Travel with Wendy!Support the showContact information:NewsletterBlogVlogPinterestYouTubeFaceBook
When most DTC brands think about scaling, they focus on optimizing Facebook ads or expanding to new digital channels. But Jared Mehr helped build something different at Pura Vida—a wholesale empire that became 25% of their business and played a crucial role in their $135 million exit to Vera Bradley. In this episode, Jared breaks down the counterintuitive truth about wholesale: it's often more profitable than your direct-to-consumer sales, provides incredible diversification, and creates marketing lift that benefits all your channels.Starting from cold calls and trade show hustle, Jared shares the exact playbook that took Pura Vida from selling friendship bracelets in a San Diego bedroom to building relationships with thousands of retailers nationwide. Whether you're tired of being at the mercy of Zuckerberg's algorithm changes or looking to build a more attractive business for potential acquirers, this episode reveals why wholesale might be your most overlooked growth opportunity.—Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to (https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact) and request your FREE strategy session today!—Chapters: (00:00) Intro(04:23) The Importance of Wholesale in Business(13:42) The Pura Vida Success Story(16:51) Practical Steps to Launching Wholesale(21:44) Wayflyer: Fast, Flexible Funding Designed for You(22:26) Making It Easy for Retailers to Say Yes(27:21) How to Identify Your Target Retailers(34:08) Common Mistakes in Wholesale Retail(37:51) The Role of Sales Reps(42:05) Understanding Retailer Terms(45:30) Pricing Strategies for Wholesale(51:15) Threecolts: Recover Hidden Revenue for Free—Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omgcommerce Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ Request a Free Strategy Session: https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact Relevant Links:Pura Vida Bracelets: https://www.puravidabracelets.com/Jared's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredmehrSpecial Offer | Wayflyer: https://wayflyer.com/en/partners/omgcommerceSpecial Offer | Threecolts: https://www.threecolts.com/Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Stephane Colleu, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more
Conheça os produtos da Puravida - cupom: SOCIOSPURAVIDA: https://r.vocemaisrico.com/ccb634b5a3 CUPOM: SOCIOS NA OFICINA -- https://r.vocemaisrico.com/4fc4aff144 O Bitcoin voltou a romper recordes, mas a pergunta central continua sem resposta: em que momento do ciclo estamos?O mercado cripto já ultrapassa US$ 4 trilhões e, junto com essa valorização, surgem sinais claros de euforia — empresas criadas apenas para “entesourar” moedas, ETFs aprovados até para Dogecoin e narrativas de todos os lados tentando justificar preços cada vez mais altos.Ao mesmo tempo, o dólar perde força, o ouro retoma protagonismo como reserva de valor e as stablecoins movimentam trilhões, levantando a dúvida se o sistema financeiro tradicional não está, pouco a pouco, sendo substituído. Nesse cenário, surge a discussão sobre porque a concentração em Bitcoin pode ser uma estratégia defensiva, como a geopolítica e a desvalorização do dólar influenciam os preços, de que forma as stablecoins estão diretamente ligadas à capacidade dos Estados Unidos rolarem sua dívida e qual o futuro de projetos como Ethereum, Solana e outros que disputam espaço no mercado.Para discutir o presente e o futuro desse mercado, recebemos Felipe SantAna no episódio 260 do Podcast Os Sócios. A transmissão será nesta quinta-feira, 11 de setembro, às 12h, no canal Os Sócios Podcast.Hosts: Bruno Perini @bruno_perini Convidados: Felipe Santana @felipether e Rafael
In this episode of Unlocked, Zach Smith discusses his journey in the travel industry, emphasizing the importance of crafting unique travel experiences that connect individuals with local cultures. He shares insights on building a business that values individual preferences and the challenges faced during growth, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion also touches on the significance of company values, the Pura Vida mindset from Costa Rica, and the importance of not passing stress within organizations to foster a clearer and more cooperative work environment. Website: www.anywhere.com
What if the key to explosive growth wasn't a killer ad strategy, but getting out of DTC entirely? In this episode, I'm joined by Jared Mehr, Sales Director at Pura Vida Bracelets, who helped scale the brand's wholesale channel to over $35 million a year. Now, he's teaching other eCommerce brands how to win big in wholesale without sacrificing their margins or their sanity. Listen in as we talk about how Pura Vida went from zero wholesale revenue to landing major accounts like Nordstrom, what most brands get wrong about wholesale, and why it's not just for “big” companies. Jared also shares his playbook for making your brand irresistible to retail buyers, how to prep for trade shows, and the exact tools he recommends to manage wholesale ops. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4oCsDmu Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.
CONHEÇA OS PRODUTOS DA CAFFEINE ARMY - KOALA: https://r.vocemaisrico.com/e08eeca18a Conheça os produtos da Puravida - cupom: SOCIOSPURAVIDA: https://r.vocemaisrico.com/ccb634b5a3 O sonho de quase todo praticante de atividade física é o mesmo: ganhar massa muscular e perder gordura ao mesmo tempo. Mas, se esse é o desejo da maioria, por que tão poucos conquistam esse resultado?A verdade é que, apesar de todos os modismos — dietas da moda, suplementos milagrosos e até mesmo o uso indiscriminado de hormônios —, o que realmente funciona continua sendo o básico: treino consistente, alimentação equilibrada, descanso de qualidade e disciplina.Será que o sono influencia mesmo na performance e no ganho de massa? O que pesa mais: treino ou dieta? Até onde vale a pena copiar a rotina de um fisiculturista? O cárdio atrapalha ou ajuda no crescimento muscular? Vale a estratégia de engordar para depois secar? E como começar do zero sem cair em atalhos e promessas milagrosas?Para responder a estas e outras perguntas, convidamos Renato Cariani e Júlio Balestrin para o episódio 238 do podcast Os Sócios.Se você quer entender como treino, descanso e disciplina se conectam para transformar seu corpo de forma consistente, este episódio vai te mostrar o caminho. Hosts: Bruno Perini @bruno_perini e Malu Perini @maluperiniConvidados: Renato Cariani @renato_cariani e Júlio Balestrin @juliobalestrinoficial
INTELLIGEMSIntelligems brings A/B testing to business decisions beyond copy and design. Test your pricing, shipping charges, free shipping thresholds, offers, SaaS tools, and more by clicking here: https://bit.ly/42DcmFl. Get 20% off the first 3 months with code FARIS20.RICHPANELCut your support costs by 30% and reduce tickets by 30%—guaranteed—with Richpanel's AI-first Customer Service Platform that will reduce costs, improve agent productivity & delight customers at http://www.richpanel.com/partners/ajf?utm_source=youtube.//Most DTC teams want wholesale but treat it like a black box. In this episode, Jared Mehr (Pura Vida) lays out the exact path he used to build a $35M wholesale program—from first doors to trade shows to rep groups—without blowing up margins or ops.What you'll learn:- Readiness checklist before you call a buyer: inventory, UPC/SKU hygiene, pricing, 3PL capabilities, and wholesale order flow- The real margin model (retail 50 / brand 50), why big boxes demand an extra 10–20% off wholesale, and how to price with future sales-rep commissions- Why “permanent promo” DTC tactics kill retailer interest—and what to do instead- Cash-flow realities: net-30/60/90, chargebacks, AR risk, and why a mom-and-pop baseline protects you when majors change POs- How to get your first accounts: outreach scripts, sampling, store-locator lead lists, and door-to-door tactics that still work- Operational must-haves: displays that drive sell-through, starter packs, minimums, and a reorder cadence that compounds- When wholesale beats ecom on profit, and how channels can lift each other rather than cannibalize- Scaling playbook: when to add trade shows, inside sales, and regional rep groups—and how to vet the right partners- Merch & forecasting: use pre-booking data to decide what to actually make (and what not to)If you're feeling margin pressure, stagnant growth, or rising CAC, this episode gives you a practical, de-risked way to add a meaningful revenue channel—complete with the numbers, sequences, and pitfalls to avoid. No hype. Just a clear plan to get into stores and sell through.//CHAPTER TITLES:00:01:36 - The Retail Experience: Should I Do It For My Brand?00:02:18 - How Jareds Got His Start In The Retail Business00:04:54 - Why It's Important To Establish A Brand Online00:08:24 - Good $ Starting Point For A Brand To Turn Retail00:12:14 - First Things To Do 00:16:10 - How Profit & Margin Work In Retail Relationships00:23:31 - Wholesale Vs Ecommerce00:25:57 - The Sales Process00:32:47 - The Hotel Gift Shop00:35:38 - In Store Merchandising00:41:25 - What Sales Pitch Worked For Me00:45:13 - How To Be Successful Once You Are In Stores//SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL FOR 2X/WEEKLY UPLOADS!//ADMISSIONGet the best media buying training on the Internet + a free coaching call with Common Thread Collective's media buyers when you sign up for ADmission here: https://www.youradmission.co/andrew-faris-podcast//FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW X: https://x.com/andrewjfaris Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.comWork with Andrew: https://ajfgrowth.com
What happens when you follow your nervous system—not your to-do list? In this heart-opening episode of Your Next Business Bestie, Jordan shares her journey from burnout in tech to building a multi-passionate wellness business rooted in yoga, fertility awareness, and Costa Rican sunshine. We talk about the spiritual side of yoga, the surprising challenges of yin, and how fertility education changed both our lives in ways we never expected. We also dive into the realities of starting over, building peace on your own terms, and living a life aligned with your values—one that actually feels good in your body.
Holly is joined by photographer and author, Kristen, as they dive into the vibrant life of Costa Rica, and explore the challenges and joys of living in a tropical paradise. From surfing adventures and cultural transitions to the complexities of sustainable development, this episode offers a candid look at what it truly means to embrace the Pura Vida lifestyle. You'll hear about Kristen's experience in moving down to Tamarindo fourteen years ago to work with Robert August, and a bit about her new photography book. Overall, whether you're dreaming of a move or just curious about life in Costa Rica, this conversation is packed with insights and personal stories that will inspire and inform. Connect with us at https://surfwithamigas.com/ or @surfwithamigas.Episodes produced and edited by Emma Roggenkamp.
I'm just back from visiting Costa Rica for the first time…let's talk!
Nothing but the pure life for Wells this week. Sun tans, surprise birthday decorations, spanish TV, and wait…back pain? Dammit. Side effect of turning 41 we guess. But hey, no complaints when you're in paradise, right? Meanwhile, Brandi just wrapped up at Sand In My Boots Festival where by all accounts her sets were straight litty kitty, and now she's got The Sphere in her sights as she preps for 5 weeks in Vegas w/ country music guy Kenny Chesney! Your hosts then debate the merits of street vs book smarts, wonder if you can watch a TV show AND read the book at the same time, and dive deep into an Aladdin revision theory that actually kinda makes sense…speaking of The Sphere, have you been? And have you ‘enhanced' your experience with anything? We wanna know! Hit us up in the VMs with your thoughts. Till next week…ok byeeee. Favorite Things this week: The Eternaut (en Español!) Assassin in Paradise (game) The Order Handmaid's Tale Sunset on the Reaping (book) The Stand (book) Thanks to our awesome sponsors for supporting this episode! Mood: Get 20% off your first order at Mood.com/YFT with promo code YFT. Hungryroot: For a limited time get 40% off your first box PLUS get a free item in every box for life. Go to Hungryroot.com/yft and use code yft. Happy Mammoth: For a limited time get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com and use the code YFT. Prolon: Visit ProlonLife.com/YFT to claim your 15% discount sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Quince: Treat your closet to a little summer glow-up with Quince. Go to Quince.com/yft for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Article: Visit article.com/yft for $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. Betterhelp: Visit BetterHelp.com/favoritething to get 10% off your first month. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow Your Favorite Podcast! Plus, keep up with us between episodes on our Instagram pages, @yftpodcast @wellsadams and @brandicyrus and be sure to leave us a voicemail with your fave things at 858-630-1856! This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.
Nothing but the pure life for Wells this week. Sun tans, surprise birthday decorations, spanish TV, and wait…back pain? Dammit. Side effect of turning 41 we guess. But hey, no complaints when you're in paradise, right? Meanwhile, Brandi just wrapped up at Sand In My Boots Festival where by all accounts her sets were straight litty kitty, and now she's got The Sphere in her sights as she preps for 5 weeks in Vegas w/ country music guy Kenny Chesney! Your hosts then debate the merits of street vs book smarts, wonder if you can watch a TV show AND read the book at the same time, and dive deep into an Aladdin revision theory that actually kinda makes sense…speaking of The Sphere, have you been? And have you ‘enhanced' your experience with anything? We wanna know! Hit us up in the VMs with your thoughts. Till next week…ok byeeee. Favorite Things this week: The Eternaut (en Español!) Assassin in Paradise (game) The Order Handmaid's Tale Sunset on the Reaping (book) The Stand (book) Thanks to our awesome sponsors for supporting this episode! Mood: Get 20% off your first order at Mood.com/YFT with promo code YFT. Hungryroot: For a limited time get 40% off your first box PLUS get a free item in every box for life. Go to Hungryroot.com/yft and use code yft. Happy Mammoth: For a limited time get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com and use the code YFT. Prolon: Visit ProlonLife.com/YFT to claim your 15% discount sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Quince: Treat your closet to a little summer glow-up with Quince. Go to Quince.com/yft for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Article: Visit article.com/yft for $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. Betterhelp: Visit BetterHelp.com/favoritething to get 10% off your first month. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow Your Favorite Podcast! Plus, keep up with us between episodes on our Instagram pages, @yftpodcast @wellsadams and @brandicyrus and be sure to leave us a voicemail with your fave things at 858-630-1856! This podcast is brought to you by Podcast Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Let's understand the fear of success on a deeper level and make sure we are staying in SELF PARTNERSHIP as we LOCK IN, expand, and uplevel!! Remember: your subconscious mind wants you to stay SAFE by keeping you in the familiar/cozy. So, we gotta do a little 'outsmarting'...which is moreso like true comfort & understanding of the 'scared' parts of ourselves. Try a TASTE OF DREAMAWAY for free here: https://www.haleyhoffmansmithprograms.com/offers/y5bMkDqb ONE WEEK LEFT until You Have the Magic officially hits shelves… (May 6) Which means one week left to PRE-ORDER & enter my magical sweepstakes!! https://haleyhoffmansmith.com/book/ Here's the scoop: ✨ Everyone who pre-orders gets access to a virtual tapping session with me: UNLOCK YOUR INNER MAGIC (Date TBA!) ✨ Every pre-order is also an entry into my sweepstakes: 3rd Prize: A 30-min 1:1 session with me - let's shift, align, and open portals together with some tapping!! Can't wait to meet virtually