In this compelling episode," Jeff sits down with Bill Brandmeyer (see his bio below), a visionary leader who has transformed organizational development, marketing, and social impact over four decades. Bill shares insights from his remarkable journey, from working with Fortune 500 companies to founding ShareWaves, a nonprofit revolutionizing youth sports access. Listeners will discover how Bill's passion for breaking down barriers in sports has created tangible opportunities for...

This episode is a beautiful example of how a person's life/career journey evolves. Sandra Wiley (see her bio below) grew up in a small rural town in Kansas and got married at 19 with aspirations of being a housewife and a mother. She is now a company president and one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting (10 years running and she does not have an accounting degree :-). Sandra and I discuss: - Her belief that everyone has a gift and that everything in life happens for a...

In this insightful episode, we sit down with Mark Hamberlin (see his bio below), the first Chief People Officer to appear on "The Corporate Couch" podcast. As the executive responsible for human resources strategy and operations at Clark Construction Group, Mark shares his expertise in attracting, retaining, and engaging top talent to drive business success. With decades of experience spanning roles at Danaher, Cisco Systems, Coach Leather, and Hallmark Cards, Mark offers a unique perspective...

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Fr. Justin Mathews, a Kansas City native whose journey from musician/audio engineer to Orthodox priest and social entrepreneur exemplifies the intersection of faith, innovation, and community transformation. Fr. Justin shares his remarkable story of leading Reconciliation Services (RS) at Kansas City's historic racial and economic divide, growing it from a modest $650,000 organization to a $4.5-million force for change with 30 employees. We explore...

In this powerful episode, I sit down with Ken Bramble (see his bio below), an employee benefits consultant turned mental health advocate whose raw honesty about his personal struggles has resonated with audiences nationwide. Ken opens up about his journey wrestling with imposter syndrome while building a successful 25-year career in the employee benefits space. He candidly shares how anxiety crept into his life as he balanced the mounting pressures of career advancement, family...

In this illuminating episode, Jeff sits down with marketing legend and bestselling author Seth Godin to discuss his new book "This is Strategy" and explore the evolving landscape of college, work, and decision-making. Episode Highlights: Seth reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, from his college days to founding successful ventures The genesis of "This is Strategy" and why strategy is crucial in today's rapidly changing work environment His thoughts on college (it's not pretty) Insights...

You will enjoy this conversation with Andrew Marquardt (see his bio below) the general counsel, co-founder, and CEO of Advantage Tech. Andrew and I discuss the life-changing events in his early teen years that changed his life, how his legal career led him to start an IT company (it also included a legal decision that went against Microsoft), how he never thought he could become an attorney (and his grit to make it happen), the "Oh Sh**" moments he had when he started his company, his advice...

Please enjoy this conversation with Jenna Washnieski (see her bio below). Jenna has great energy and we discussed how she was born to be a leader, how a letter she wrote to herself at seventeen predicted her career, why she journals (she has a closet full of them representing the last 20 years), what it's like to be the youngest executive at your company, the beauty of trying different things in your career, why self-awareness is the number one leadership trait, how listening to your...

You will learn and laugh while listening to my conversation with Heidi Lehmann (see her bio below). We talk about how she compares art to creating a startup company ("Making the Strange Familiar and the Familiar Strange), selling her first company to AOL for $105 million, why she uses the "3 Es" (Entrepreneurship, Energy, and Enthusiasm) to make career decisions, her goal to make Kansas City an innovation destination via blockchain (she co-founded the KC Futures DAO), co-producing the BET...

Honored to have the co-author of one of my favorite books "The Go-Giver" Bob Burg (see his bio below) as our guest on this episode. We chat about his early career, how he became a public speaker, how a "drive-by" mentor changed his sales philosophy and became a key part of the book, a summary of the five laws of stratospheric success, why no one cares about your quota or product, how focusing on adding value to others leads to success, why givers attract, learning systems to be successful,...

In our first conversation with someone born in the Netherlands, you will learn and laugh listening to Michel Koopman  (see his bio below). We chat about his great career and discuss why senior leaders (especially C-Suite executives)  should approach their careers like athletes, how being process-driven accelerates start-up business growth, how being transparent while being mindful is a great communication approach, why top performers are hesitant to pursue their development, his first paid...

A fun and insightful conversation with Jamie Crosbie (see her bio below)! Jamie and I talk about the life/leadership lessons from her legendary mom, knowing that she wanted to start a company at an early age, her first public speech at 15 years old in front of 500 people, her first professional job leading a group of accounting clerks (and her story of regularly falling asleep at her desk :-), how to interview salespeople, why a positive mindset is so important, why failure is the path to...

You will enjoy the conversation with the bold and fearless Melea McRae(see her bio below). Melea and I discussed the following: how she navigated being the only female executive at a company, knowing she wanted to be an entrepreneur at an early age (when she was 10 years old she dressed as a "business owner" for Halloween), her advice to female entrepreneurs, finding career success as an intrapreneur, the impact of her mom dying when she was very young, how a palm reader in NYC predicted her...

This conversation with Sonya Jury (see her bio below) tugged at my heartstrings as one of our topics was her journey during her mom's Alzheimer's illness (my dad had early onset Alzheimer's when I was about 10 years old). Sonya wrote a book to help others through their parents' journey (or other loved ones) called - "Mom Forget My Birthday: A Daughter's Journey Through Alzheimer's".  We chat about many things including her career pivot from architect to business consultant/author, how getting...

Here's an interview with someone I "knew" as a teenager the humble, servant leader Wayne Simien (see his bio below) from his early athletic success as a McDonald's All-American (recognizes the top 25 high school basketball players in the United States) and winning the 2006 NBA Championship to his current role as the associate athlete director of engagement and leadership at the University of Kansas. His leadership lessons from Hall of Famers like Pat Riley, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning,...

Not only does Robert "Abe" Abrams (see his bio below) have an extensive Wikipedia page but so does his father (who also has a US Army tank named after him). I was honored to have Abe as a guest. We talk about his love for being a tactical leader (leading combat troops in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan during multiple combat tours spanning Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom), what it is like being in combat, how the death of his...

You will not find many executives talking about leading with love, vulnerability, and transparency but you will in this episode with Michael Sommers (see his bio below). We talk about his drive at an early age to be a servant leader and strive for greatness, the three signs of a miserable job, how his parents' divorce impacted his leadership journey, the "formula" that justifies his leading with love, and how he operationalized transparency at his company. You will love this episode with...

Get ready to saddle up your horse in this episode with Zach Arend (see his bio below). His life and career journey is one you will not want to miss. Zach and I discuss: How he was demoted from the vice president of sales of a $300 million company to an account executive (and the major impact it had on his life); his journey from 11 to 18 years old to become a bronc riding champion, his early leadership lessons while still in college working for UPS and leading a team of 16 (when he knew...

There are so many leadership lessons from Fred Stipkovits in this episode (see his bio below) from his first job leading a Coast Guard Homeland Security unit (with colleagues who had been in the Coast Guard longer than he had been alive) pre and post-9/11 (including ramming a boat head-on at 50 MPH to track down a suspected terrorist), his struggles transitioning from his military career (including working a job at Home Depot), being selected as president of a company where two years earlier...

You will learn many things by listening to Dr. Frumi Barr's (see her bio below) professional journey. Frumi talks about starting her career as a physical therapist and then pivoting into the business world where she led/founded fourteen different companies, her experience being a female C-Suite executive starting in 1980, how her persistence led her to meet Simon Sinek (he wrote the forward for her book), why growth companies need to understand the "Valley of Death", the benefits of a...

Maria Flynn (see her bio below) is just such a fascinating person from her roots growing up on a Kansas wheat farm to her journey as a CEO/founder to helping entrepreneurs in the early stages of their journey to succeed. Maria and I discuss the lessons she learned from her parents (e.g., if you can see it, you can be it), being an intrapreneur, why mindset is so important, why in times of stress you need to rally yourself first and then your team, why sh*t is always going to happen and what...

A fun and insightful conversation with the lifelong entrepreneur Glenn Fisher (see his bio below). Glenn and I chat about how he started a business for a business owner after a conversation at a bar, his rule of 3 in times of stress, having lunch with Zig Ziglar and Lee Iacocca as a customer (as well as David Spade sleeping on his couch), graduating #1 in his Marine Basic training boot camp, and his entrepreneur lessons from launching over a dozen companies. You will enjoy my conversation...

If you grew up wanting to be a professional athlete, but never achieved your dream my conversation with John Hall will inspire you (see bio below). We discuss how a devasting knee injury shaped his career journey, his first professional job which was in the fashion industry (including revealing if he dated any models), being the youngest boxing promoter in the world, working for the NFL, Sacramento Kings, and NY Rangers (including his insights on working with Wayne Gretzky), and his decision...

My conversation with John Minnis (see bio below) should be published the day after Father's Day. We talk about the lessons he learns from his dad (he is in 6 Hall of Fames), quitting a successful job to be a better spouse and father, how your career is a series of chapters that you do not realize until the chapter is completed, his job interview with a CEO that happened in a bar wearing shorts, a tank top, and a baseball cap, why he wrote in "Journey to Leadership" book, how reading "Never...