Founder Episodes

Polina Maw on Self-Discovery, Relationships, and Understanding Your Desires | 1,691 Polina Maw believes understanding our deepest preferences begins with clarity, self-awareness, and the freedom to explore what genuinely matters to us. As the founder of O-Find, Polina combines data science and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to help people better understand and express their intimate desires, personal preferences, and relationship dynamics. Her work focuses on bringing structure and precision to areas of human experience that can often feel complex or difficult to communicate. Rather than relying on engagement-driven technology or forcing uncomfortable conversations, she develops practical tools that encourage meaningful self-discovery and greater understanding. Through O-Find, Polina aims to make personal exploration more accessible, helping individuals gain clarity about their desires, relationships, and lifestyle choices. Her message is simple: when we better under…

[SPOTLIGHT FEATURE] Kenny Stoddart & Nick Vuletich | 1,689 Kenny Stoddart and Nicholas “Nick” Vuletich believe meaningful leadership begins with understanding who you are, taking ownership of your growth, and recognizing the importance of supporting those around you. As the founder of IronMind Elite, Kenny helps young professionals develop the self-awareness, confidence, communication skills, and mental readiness needed to navigate the transition from college into adulthood. His work focuses on building identity and leadership beyond titles, achievements, and expectations. Nick is a psychology major and First Class cadet at The Citadel, graduating in May 2027. As part of an internship supervised by Kenny through IronMind Advisors, Nick founded The Citadel Mental Wellness and Resiliency Club, known as The Watch, a cadet-led initiative encouraging students to look out for one another. Its first meeting attracted 100 sign-ups. Together, Kenny and Nick bring perspectives from …

[SPOTLIGHT FEATURE] Kenny Stoddart & Sarah Sturgis | 1,677 Siblings Kenny Stoddart and Sarah Sturgis believe some of life's strongest foundations are built through identity, family, and the people who continue showing up when life becomes difficult. As the founder of IronMind Elite, Kenny helps young professionals navigate the transition from college into adulthood by developing greater self-awareness, confidence, leadership, and mental readiness. His work encourages young adults to understand who they are beyond achievements, titles, and expectations. Sarah Sturgis, DNP, is a Doctor of Nursing Practice and nurse practitioner whose perspective is shaped by both her work as a clinician and her role as a mother. As Kenny's sister, Sarah has been one of his steadiest supporters, standing beside him through every season with unconditional support and without judgment. Together, the siblings bring a deeply personal perspective to conversations about family, caregiving, identity, …

Dr. Maria Nemeth on Turning Your Intentions Into Meaningful Action | 1,661 Dr. Maria Nemeth believes meaningful success is not simply about knowing what to do. It is about learning how to direct your energy toward what matters and turn your intentions into meaningful action. A Master Certified Coach, transformational seminar leader, author, and lifelong advocate for social change, Maria has spent decades helping people bridge the gap between what they say they want and how they actually live. She is the founder and director of the Academy for Coaching Excellence, where thousands of people around the world have been trained to bring greater clarity, purpose, and effectiveness to their work and lives. Her influence extends across nonprofit organizations, businesses, government sectors, and the broader coaching profession. Maria is also the author of two acclaimed books, The Energy of Money and Mastering Life's Energies. Through her writing, she explores how our relationship …

Susannah Robbins on Anxiety Relief, Overthinking, and Hypnosis | 1,656 Susannah Robbins believes anxiety does not have to control the way you think, feel, or move through your life. A Certified Master Hypnotist, IEMT Practitioner, author, and founder of MindShift Potentials, Susannah helps people struggling with chronic anxious thoughts, overthinking, fear, and self-doubt develop a greater sense of calm, confidence, and control. Her path into this work began close to home. After watching her daughter experience severe anxiety, Susannah became determined to find approaches that could help. That search eventually introduced them to hypnosis, and the meaningful changes she witnessed inspired Susannah to change the direction of her own life and train as a hypnotist. As her work with clients developed, Susannah recognized another important need. People needed practical tools they could reach for when anxiety appeared in everyday life, not only techniques used during a professio…

Matt and Alexis on How Consistency Can Transform Your Life | 1,652 Matt and Alexis believe transforming your life is more possible than most people think, but motivation alone is rarely enough to make change last. As the founder of Firefli, Matt brings an entrepreneurial perspective to personal transformation, while Alexis, Firefli's Head of Marketing, brings her own understanding of what it takes to turn an idea or intention into consistent action. Together, they explore the relationship between motivation, discipline, and the small decisions that ultimately shape our lives. Their philosophy challenges the idea that meaningful transformation requires one dramatic breakthrough. Motivation can help someone begin, but consistency is what allows that initial spark to become progress. By continuing to show up even when excitement fades, people can gradually create new habits, strengthen their confidence, and move closer to the person they want to become. Through their work wit…

Dan Schlund believes the moments that bring us crashing down can also become the foundation for building something greater. Known around the world as “The Rocketman,” Dan is an entrepreneur, paramedic, stunt performer, author, speaker, and one of the few people to master the extraordinary art of Rocketbelt flight. For more than a decade, he completed hundreds of flights across 26 countries and six continents, taking his career from Hollywood stunt work and live-action productions to major international events. But Dan’s story reaches far beyond the spectacle of flying. His career has crossed professional stunt work, pyrotechnics, film and television production, and emergency medical services, giving him a unique understanding of both high-risk environments and the responsibility of protecting the people working within them. That perspective became deeply personal after Dan survived catastrophic injuries, including severe burns that cost him 185 square inches of skin and a lat…

[SPOTLIGHT FEATURE] Kenny Stoddart on Leadership Under Pressure | 1,639 Kenny Stoddart believes leadership is ultimately measured by the quality of your thinking when the pressure is highest. As the founder of IronMind Advisors, Kenny works with executives, founders, and high performing leaders whose decisions carry consequences far beyond themselves. While traditional leadership development often focuses on strategy, productivity, and external performance, Kenny focuses on the internal systems driving every decision: thought, attention, emotional control, and judgment. Through his IronMind Mentality framework, Kenny helps leaders identify and eliminate mental interference, regulate their response to pressure, and maintain clarity when complexity and uncertainty collide. The goal is not simply to perform better when conditions are favorable, but to develop the mental discipline required to execute decisively when the margin for error is at its smallest. Kenny's work challe…

Fred Auzenne on Behavior Change and Breaking Unhealthy Patterns | 1,629 Fred Auzenne believes the patterns holding us back are not permanent. Once we understand how they were formed, we can begin to redesign them. A former U.S. Army counterintelligence officer, performance facilitator, and founder of the Clear Edge Institute, Fred has spent more than 25 years exploring why capable, intelligent people sometimes act against their own goals and what it takes to create lasting behavioral change. His perspective was shaped by an unusual foundation. In military intelligence, Fred studied influence, behavior, and the ways people can be manipulated. Today, he applies that understanding in a very different direction, helping people recognize the environmental and behavioral patterns influencing their choices so they can regain greater control over their lives. Drawing on research in neuroscience and human behavior, Fred developed Clear Edge 90, a 90 day performance system designed …

Jenna Summers on Finding Purpose Through Faith After Trauma | 1,621 Jenna Summers believes even life's most painful experiences can become a powerful testimony of faith, forgiveness, and purpose. A Christian author, missionary, speaker, and worship leader, Jenna's faith journey began in childhood and has carried her through extraordinary adversity. From experiencing abuse and surviving a devastating house fire to enduring violence abroad and a life threatening assault while pregnant, Jenna has faced moments that tested her physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her, Jenna found strength through her faith and ultimately chose forgiveness, transforming her pain into a calling to serve others. Her ministry has taken her to more than 60 countries, where she has helped develop schools for vulnerable children, counseled trauma survivors, translated Swahili, spoken to thousands, and shared her faith through worship and music. To…

Monique DeMonaco on Emotional Intelligence and Career Success | 1,616 Monique DeMonaco believes career success requires more than technical knowledge. It requires the emotional intelligence and human skills to communicate, adapt, and lead. As the founder of EQ Wize, Coach Monique is helping bridge the gap between education and employment by preparing emerging professionals with the skills today's workplaces demand. An internationally trained Life, Executive, and Career Coach with more than 20 years of experience, she specializes in emotional intelligence, communication, emotional regulation, critical thinking, and professional development. Through Emotional Intelligence and Brain Science based education and CPDSO accredited certifications, Monique helps young professionals understand what employers are truly looking for and develop the confidence and practical skills to become more hirable, promotable, and effective in the workplace. Her work also supports parents, graduat…

Carolyn Sidgwick on Grief Healing and Finding Hope After Loss | 1,614 Carolyn Sidgwick believes healing begins the moment we give ourselves permission to feel, reflect, and share our story. A grief mentor, author, speaker, life coach, and founder of Soul Love, Carolyn helps people navigate loss with compassion, hope, and self love. After the devastating loss of both her husband, Matt, and her mother, she discovered that journaling became more than a coping tool. It became a path toward healing, purpose, and renewal. That journey inspired the creation of the internationally published Soul Love Journal, a guided journal designed to help people reconnect with themselves through reflection, self compassion, and emotional healing. Today, Carolyn supports others as they move through grief, encouraging them to embrace their emotions, care for themselves, and find meaning beyond loss. Through her writing, coaching, and speaking, Carolyn reminds people that grief is not something t…

Bruce Ashford on The Power of Clarity in Business and Leadership | 1,613 Bruce Ashford believes meaningful growth begins with clarity, not complexity. A strategic advisor, author, and founder of The Ashford Agency, Bruce helps nonprofit leaders and founder led businesses bridge the gap between the impact they are making and the growth they are capable of achieving. By combining clear messaging with practical strategy, he equips leaders to build organizations that are both mission driven and sustainable. Drawing on more than two decades of executive leadership experience, Bruce has advised nonprofits, universities, businesses, and CEOs across local, national, and international organizations. As a certified StoryBrand Guide and Small Business Flight Plan® advisor, he specializes in helping leaders communicate with greater clarity, strengthen their strategy, and lead with confidence. A prolific author of nine books and hundreds of articles, Bruce has also served as a speechwr…

Kristen Renee Appleby on Healing and Personal Transformation | 1,609 Kristen Renee Appleby believes lasting transformation begins by rebuilding the foundation, not simply treating the symptoms. A three time author, speaker, and founder of The Rebuild Collective, Kristen helps people create meaningful change across their health, finances, career, and relationships by uncovering the patterns that quietly shape every area of life. Her holistic approach addresses the environment, beliefs, habits, and emotional wounds that often keep people feeling stuck. Before stepping into this work, Kristen built a successful career supporting high profile CEOs and working as a celebrity stylist in New York. But after an autoimmune diagnosis forced her to confront years of burnout and self neglect, she began a deeply personal journey of healing that transformed not only her health, but also her relationship with work, money, and purpose. Drawing from that experience, and the insights shared…

Carlos Tanner on Ayahuasca Healing and Plant Medicine | 1,601 Carlos Tanner believes nature holds profound wisdom, and healing begins when we learn to approach it with humility, respect, and intention. Founder of the Ayahuasca Foundation, Carlos has spent more than two decades studying traditional Amazonian plant medicine alongside indigenous curanderos in the Peruvian rainforest. Since establishing the foundation in 2009, he has helped create opportunities for people from around the world to experience authentic healing traditions while preserving the knowledge and practices of the communities that have carried them for generations. Committed to bridging ancient wisdom with modern science, Carlos has partnered with researchers to explore the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca for depression, anxiety, trauma, and other health challenges. Through collaborative research efforts, this work has contributed to a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating meaningful improvem…

Tammy Machmali on Emotional Freedom and Inner Peace | 1,593 Tammy Machmali believes the life you want begins the moment you stop carrying the emotional weight that was never yours to keep. Founder of Baggage Be Gone: Healing Hearts & Minds, Tammy has dedicated her work to helping people release the hidden beliefs, unresolved pain, and emotional patterns that quietly shape their lives. By combining subconscious healing, hypnosis, forgiveness work, and practical transformation tools, she guides individuals toward lasting freedom and deeper self awareness. Tammy's own journey spans cultures, continents, and personal transformation. Born in Iran, raised in Israel, and now living in the United States, her experiences have given her a unique perspective on resilience, identity, and the universal desire to live with greater peace and purpose. Those experiences became the foundation for helping others uncover what has been holding them back for years. As a podcast host, author, sp…

Reed Nyffeler on Entrepreneurship and Purpose Driven Business | 1,592 Reed Nyffeler believes business is at its best when it creates opportunity, develops people, and serves a purpose beyond profit. A lifelong entrepreneur, Reed has dedicated his career to building companies that empower others to lead, grow, and make a meaningful impact. As the founder and CEO of Signal, an international security services franchise, he has helped create a business centered on giving people peace of mind so they can focus on what matters most. His entrepreneurial vision extends beyond one company. Reed also founded Filtergo, a commercial air care franchise, and Framebrand, a technology and analytics company that helps franchise organizations scale with greater clarity and efficiency. Across every venture, his focus remains the same: equipping entrepreneurs with the tools, systems, and leadership they need to build businesses that strengthen their communities. As the author of Transform Thr…

Dustin Shepherd on Helping Veterans Navigate Life After Service | 1,591 Dustin Shepherd believes the greatest act of leadership is making the path easier for someone else to walk. A retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with 29 years of service, Dustin Shepherd spent his military career leading through some of the most demanding environments imaginable. Multiple combat deployments taught him that leadership is measured not by authority, but by the ability to guide people through uncertainty, hardship, and change. After facing his own personal struggles and the devastating loss of fellow Soldiers, Dustin realized that many people who want help never receive it because they do not know where to begin. That insight inspired him to found TOA, an organization dedicated to connecting individuals with the right resources, support, and guidance when they need it most. Rather than creating another program, Dustin focused on building a bridge, one that brings clarity to complex systems a…

[SPOTLIGHT] Kenny Stoddart with Luke Stenson & Wyatt Porch | 1,577 Kenny Stoddart works where leadership is measured by the quality of a person's thinking under pressure. As the founder of IronMind Advisors, he helps executives, founders, and high performing leaders strengthen the one asset that determines every decision they make: the mind behind the role. Joining him for this conversation are the founders of Athlete Check, whose work aligns with the mission of helping athletes and leaders build greater self awareness, resilience, and long term mental performance. Rather than focusing on motivation or productivity, Kenny develops the internal discipline that sustains clear judgment, emotional composure, and decisive execution when complexity, uncertainty, and responsibility collide. Through the IronMind Mentality, leaders learn to eliminate mental interference, regulate pressure in real time, and perform with consistency when the margin for error disappears. His philos…

Keith Spurgin on Leadership and Building Strong Relationships | 1,576 Keith Spurgin believes every lasting success begins with two things: strong leadership and meaningful relationships. An author, international speaker, and President of Growth Resourcing Group, Keith has devoted his career to helping leaders, pastors, and business owners grow with greater purpose, influence, and impact. Through decades of leading organizations and developing people, he has learned that sustainable success is never built on strategy alone. It is built on the quality of the leader and the relationships they cultivate. As the founder of New Hope Church in Wylie, Texas, Keith has spent years equipping leaders to navigate growth, overcome challenges, and build cultures that inspire transformation. His practical wisdom, combined with a genuine passion for people, has made him a trusted mentor to leaders across industries and around the world. Whether speaking from the stage, coaching executives…

How Leah Nappe Helps Women Start Over Stronger | 1,566 Leah Nappe helps women rebuild their lives after the end of a relationship, not by returning to who they were, but by discovering who they are becoming. As the founder of In Charge In Change LLC and author of From Home to Heart, Leah works with single, divorced, and widowed women who are navigating one of life's most disorienting transitions. Her approach goes beyond healing heartbreak, helping women regulate their nervous systems, reconnect with their identity, and create a future that feels meaningful, hopeful, and fully their own. Her work is deeply personal. Inspired by both her own experiences with loss and her journey supporting her mother through divorce, Leah understands that relationship endings are about far more than losing a partner. They often involve rebuilding confidence, purpose, and a sense of self. Today, she empowers women to move beyond survival and step into a new chapter with greater resilience, e…

Donald Sandel on Shifting Your Mind to Lead Better | 1,563 Don Sandel operates at the intersection of leadership, mindset, and measurable human performance. With academic roots from Western Michigan University and advanced study spanning institutions such as Yale, UPenn, and UC Berkeley, his work reflects a deep commitment to understanding how people think, lead, and perform at their best. Over the past twenty five years, he has worked inside major organizations, shaping leadership development initiatives that influence not just individuals, but entire cultures. As the founder of GoPositiv, Don focuses on a critical shift that many overlook. Performance does not begin with strategy. It begins with mindset. His work challenges leaders to rethink how they approach pressure, change, and growth by building a more intentional, positive internal framework. He has led development efforts for global companies including Astellas Pharma, Allscripts, and United Airlines, and has part…

Sandy Ciaramitaro on Raising a Generation to Kindness and Purpose | 1,562 Sandy Ciaramitaro believes the values that shape a child's future are planted long before adulthood. An educator, author, and founder of The Good Eggs Foundation, Sandy has devoted her career to helping young people develop the character, compassion, and sense of purpose that create meaningful lives. With a background teaching morality, ethics, and social justice, she understands that academic success alone is not enough. Children also need to learn empathy, kindness, service, and respect for others. That mission inspired The Good Eggs series, a collection of stories designed to help children embrace virtues, celebrate diversity, and discover the joy of making a positive difference in the lives of others. More than books, they are invitations for families, educators, and communities to raise the next generation with character at the center. Through The Good Eggs Foundation, Sandy extends that mission…

Ramiro Moreno on Cleaner Air Healthier Living | 1,559 Ramiro Moreno has spent nearly three decades solving a problem most people do not realize they are living with every day. As the founder and president of DWD2 Clean Air, Ramiro has built his career around improving the quality of the air people breathe by addressing contamination where it actually begins, inside the HVAC and air conditioning systems that power homes, vehicles, and commercial buildings. Long before indoor air quality became a mainstream concern, Ramiro recognized a critical gap in the industry. While many solutions focused on treating symptoms at the surface, the root causes, mold, bacteria, and accumulated contamination within evaporator systems, often remained untouched. Determined to change that, he introduced non-invasive evaporator cleaning technology to the United States, creating a more effective approach that challenged conventional industry practices. Today, his work continues to help organizati…