Chiseled with Rob Commodari

At a tender age, Craig Moody moved with his family to a new town. His educator mother and a businessman father wanted the best for their son, but while going to stay with family friends during the transition, Craig felt unwelcome and unliked. Later, at school, he was bullied and had trouble making friends despite his best efforts.

Flash forward two decades and Craig was still feeling uprooted. With no job prospects and trouble making fraternal and romantic relationships, a nasty look from a clerk in a grocery store pushed Craig to the brink.

"I went home that night and just thought about that stare I got and was like 'I'm done,'" he said.

And he nearly did himself in save for the beseeching voice of his father. As it turned out, however, Craig's dad was nowhere near the house.

"It was God's voice," Craig said with certainty. "It was a defining moment in my life."

From there, Craig decided to turn his life around. He joined a local church, connected with an old friend who never gave up on him, and jumped into personal growth, studying the works of John Maxwell and others. It wasn't long before Craig was flush — starting his own home restoration business, getting married, and having kids. He later started several other businesses and has gone from despondent "loser" to successful business coach.

The co-author of the books Think Big and Next Level Your Life, in which, Craig tells a story about getting out of your own way and avoiding self-sabotage, lessons that we all need to learn some time in our lives.

"I acknowledge the imposter in me. It creeps up and I don't let him in," he said.

Craig's story may sound familiar to you; it even may sound like your own, and that's okay — because we all can learn from each other's versions of our own stories. I know after sharing my own stories with Craig, we will stay connected in the future.

Want to talk to Craig? Look him up on craigmoody.co or reach out to him at the email address he shares at the end of this week's episode of Chiseled.

For Amy Somerville, life happens in the transitions. Amy was in the real estate business for 18 years with RE/MAX — as a realtor, broker, team leader, franchise consultant, and coach. She readily admits that throughout it all, she was not a public speaker.
But after nearly two decades in business, Amy needed to help her young family transition to the next stage of their lives. She chose to "take one for the team” and begin a very public-facing position running the professional development department. Within two years, she transitioned from senior vice president at RE/MAX to an independent consultant to an employee with Buffini and Company, whom she lovingly describes as "monsters" in the high-end real estate coaching space (I agree).
Just a year later, while attending a real estate conference in New York, she was approached by eXp Realty CEO Glenn Sanford, a fan of Jim Collins, whose Good to Great book series offers incredible organizational management principles. One of Colins’ principles says you may not know your "what" or your "why," but you are better positioned to take a leap in business when you find your "who."
Sanford, who owns Success Enterprises, which happens to publish Amy's favorite magazine, SUCCESS, told her that she may be his "who."
And shortly thereafter she transitioned again, becoming the new CEO of Success Enterprises.
“It's heavy to carry a brand that has such a reputation and such an impact on so many people, and me included, so it's wild," she said.
With its reputation for excellence, Amy is energized by the challenge of carrying the 127-year-old media group to its next level — by pursuing her own mission to LIVE — lead, inspire, provide value, and empathize.
With her energy, focus, faith, and fortitude, I have no doubt that SUCCESS is in good hands. I was honored to interview her and believe you will feel the positivity and intention in everything she says during this Chiseled podcast.
Amy is a source of strength and inspiration, with which I am sure you will agree after listening to this week's episode. Want to contact Amy? Listen to the end to get her email address so you can give her a buzz.

Mary Lou Kayser is a best-selling author of seven books, a podcaster, educator, writer, and mother of two. She is also a listener of the universe. And when it sends her a message, she's ready to receive it. But at no time did she expect a message to tell her that she needed to write a book of poems.
However, when her father unexpectedly passed away and a new person came into her life who had a profound influence on her, she was tuned in for the signs. And she got one.
"I started getting downloads from a higher source and they were coming to me as poems," she said. "So I just started collecting and writing them down."
Months later, she found she had a collection that hit on four themes: leaving, grieving, loving, and being. She put them together and published the set in her new book The Far Unlit Unknown, which she describes as a take on "non-obvious leadership development."
Mary Lou calls her newest book a gift to herself and an opportunity to move toward her next calling, whatever that may be. Indeed, Mary Lou teaches that resistance or preventing yourself from going after new goals is the enemy of a fulfilled life.
"At the end of the day you're the only person who stops you," she said. "It's up to us to say 'yes' to ideas."
I was fortunate to meet May Lou through our mutual connection Tommy Breedlove. She has amazing insights and I'm happy to be able to share some of them with you in this week's episode of Chiseled, the podcast for those of us who are still a work in progress.

#Chiseled

#Rejectingresistance

#awareness

#resistanceistheenemy

At age 21, Ty Nichols was "cooking" as Comcast's top Mid-Atlantic region salesman for 19 months in a row. He was looking to buy property in Panama and create a successful life and career — until he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Hanging out with friends he had known since preschool, Ty found himself caught in a massive brawl. Though a bystander, he was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and second-degree murder.

"I'm staring down a million-dollar bond and I didn't even do anything," he said. Ty ended up getting sentenced to 15 years, which was suspended to five. He served three years in a state penitentiary.

A former Catholic school student, Ty turned to the Bible on his first night in jail. He opened up to a random page and landed on Psalm 1, whose first line starts with "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked." Ty knew that he had to steer clear of troublemakers and eliminate from his life the people who got him into his mess.

"Those that you surround yourself with do have a massive impact on your life," he said.

After his release, Ty did everything he could to say on the straight and narrow path. After several attempts to find work, Target finally gave Ty a chance. He worked his way up, eventually becoming a store manager, team leadership trainer, and recruiter. After 14 years at Target, Ty moved on and opened up his own business. He now teaches professionals and leaders how to be more productive, more impactful, and more influential through behavior design and habit formation.

To get to his success Ty needed motivation, skills, and the will to succeed. It wasn't easy, but thanks to a little help from new friends, a supportive wife, lots of dedication, and a clear vision, Ty is a public speaker, a behavioralist, and the "habit strategist," who helps individuals reach the mindset they need to achieve their goals.

I was fortunate to be introduced to Ty by our mutual Toastmaster friends, Karen and Frank Story. Ty really teaches us that anything is possible — both good and bad — and how we use the lessons from our experiences will determine how our futures will progress. I'm pleased to share Ty's engaging story and insights on this week's episode of Chiseled.

#awareness

#habitstrategist

#behavioralist

#chiseled

Noelle Banks knew when she was 12 years old the life she was going to lead. Attending a non-denominational church for the first time in her family's adopted town outside Atlanta, Ga., she found herself in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. From that point on, she found a relationship with Him as well as a community of people that would model her lifelong relationships.

It certainly came in handy years later, in 2017, when Noelle found herself facing a breast cancer diagnosis, which resulted in a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction.
"I've always been very intentional about who I surround myself with and I think it has made a huge difference in my life."
The people who stepped up for Noelle in her time of distress included not only fellow congregants and friends but also strangers among the membership of Buffini and Company, the coaching company for real estate agents that she joined in 2004.
"We are designed to be around people and it's really important who you choose to surround yourself with on a consistent basis, which is one of the reasons why I so very much value our White Hat community in Buffini and Company," she said.
Brian Buffini's podcast also ended up having a big role to play in her recovery.
In this week's episode of Chiseled, Noelle shares the story of her evolution toward Jesus, her surprise diagnosis, and the support she received from the Buffini community. I'm proud to call myself a member of this amazing group of real estate agents.

I couldn't be more excited to introduce you to this week's guest on Chiseled! 

If you have never heard of Bob Beaudine, you're in for some high-energy inspiration! The president and CEO of Eastman-Beaudine, Bob got started in brand management for Carnation (Nestlé) before joining his father in the executive search industry. 

Executive recruiting may be familiar to you now, but it was a new industry when Bob got started and he took it to a whole other level. How?
"(My dad) wanted to know where I was going, and I said, 'When I do a search for a president of a manufacturing company, at the end of the search I get a tour of the plant. If I did the head of marketing for the NBA, we'd get an All-Star weekend."

Bob's first executive placement was Bud Selig as commissioner of Major League Baseball. Since then, his hunt to find the one special person to fire up an executive team has led him to interview generals, U.S. presidents, college presidents, and of course, professional athletes, and team managers. 
Today, Bob is recognized as a pioneer in the professional sports industry, being the top recruiting firm in college sports, according to the Wall Street Journal. Sports Illustrated dubbed him "the most influential man in sports you've never heard of."  He has held private speaking engagements for the likes of Nike, AIG, Madison Square Garden, NBC, and the L.A. Lakers.

But Bob is more than just an executive recruiter. He is also an entrepreneur, an author, and a man of faith. He has published two amazing books that I love: "The Power of Who," which describes how to harness your friends and family to help you succeed in life, and "Two Chairs: The Secret That Changes Everything," which teaches readers how to have an out-loud conversation with God, who will give you the best advice you could ever want. 
In this week's episode of Chiseled, Bob describes how writing “Two Chairs” prepared him for the personal tragedy that laid ahead; he shares a conversation that business coach Tom Ziglar had sitting in one of those chairs; and he offers valuable lessons on finding the right job and relying on friends.

Carole Souza is a top-ranked real estate agent from Omaha, Nebraska, a business coach, and a woman with a huge heart. She has a genuine love for "discovering how awesome people are" and her favorite part about coaching is helping people to "figure out how really cool they are and what greatness they have about them."

But Carole wasn't always forthcoming about how great she is, especially when as a young mother her husband divorced her and told her she would never amount to anything.

Carole took the admonishment as her marching orders and by age 27 she owned her first business. By age 30, she was president of a corporation. She eventually moved into the mortgage credit industry where she became a senior vice president at Fidelity Corporation before retiring and becoming a real estate agent.

Yet, it took Carole until her mother's death — when Carole was in her late 40s — to take the biggest shot of her life — announcing to her family that she is gay.

Funny thing is, her family already knew. They were just waiting for her to share her truth.

Whether gay or not, many of us feel like we are living two lives — a passion to do something and a fear about what other people will think. In this episode of Chiseled, Carole and I delve into living our best lives by doing the thing God wants us for us — being our true and authentic selves.

Heidi-Marie Ferren is a Los Angeles-based writer, producer, actress, and the last and longest-reigning Miss USO. She's also the product of a rape and a survivor of an abusive foster care experience.

But even when she was alone as a small child and uncertain of whether she would ever get to see her mom again, Heidi-Marie was comforted by her relationship with God and her love of helping others.

"That is the most alone that you could feel, to be a four-year-old child not knowing when you're going to come home again or if you can go home or what's going to happen tomorrow, or why you have no one," she said. "God is all you have, and I had that foundation even as a child in a very personal way."

From testifying in court against her father to feeling rejection from her mother's family because of the circumstances of her birth, Heidi-Marie found comfort in performance, storytelling, and empathy for others. She channeled her energy into becoming a child actress, a helper at her mom's non-profit, a rape crisis center volunteer, a scholarship-winning college student, and eventually Miss USO.

"Much like a Marvel character, your biggest scars can be your greatest superpowers," she said.

Now a storyteller and producer, Heidi-Marie is standing up for victims through the power of the written and spoken word. She also advocates for victims of sex-trafficking in the United States, 80 percent of whom have a history of being in the child welfare or foster care systems.

Mother of two and grandmother of four, Diane Halfman is a consultant, trainer, and host of the podcast Live Your SPAlife, which teaches people how to "seek power always."

She is also a former police officer who worked undercover as a prostitute to hunt down a serial killer. She found that the skills she learned from 10 years on the job, much of it "in character," translated into lessons she could share with business leaders looking to move through crises, manage boundaries, and not second-guess themselves.

"I learned, particularly undercover, about having to trust myself in stressful situations to be able to make quicker decisions, to really be able to move through stress no matter what's going on. These are the exact skills that our leaders need," she said.

Diane also found that her success in police work came from a strong habit of listening to the guidance God was giving her to go along with her police training.

"We've got to listen enough to where, you know, that intuition comes," she said. "That was really helpful in police work; that in trusting myself, I am trusting God that whatever happens I am going to make the right decision, that I am going to help people stay safe, I am going to keep myself safe, I'm going to come home to my two daughters."

Diane is a great example of gentle strength and I'm sure you will enjoy hearing her share some of her stories in this week's episode of Chiseled.

Bill Hampton is not from the south, but he got there as fast as he could. At age 24, while moving from Atlanta to Nashville to build his music management and concert promotion business, he tuned into a radio station and heard a "hillbilly" talking about money. And Bill understood every word he was saying.

As someone who was making money but never had any, when Bill arrived at his new apartment complex, he immediately went upstairs and called the show. And that's how he became a lifelong friend and a longtime business colleague of Dave Ramsey.

"I got through because he had no listeners back then. He was probably just happy to talk to somebody," Bill recalled.

Bill signed up for Dave's Financial Peace University class and started applying the principles. Three years later, Dave asked Bill to teach the class. From there, they built an empire.

During their 13 years together, Bill helped Dave sign book deals, build the marketing and digital business, design high school and college curricula, and launch a new radio show, one that today is heard by 4.5 million listeners each week on 500 stations.

Dave Ramsey's company rose from a $2 million to a $70 million business by the time Bill left. But Bill had to leave. Gobs of money, private jets, and living on his achievements left him in search of a new challenge.

In this week's episode of Chiseled Bill shares the journey from joining Dave Ramsey to founding Hampton Strategies, a consulting firm that helps businesses grow. He tells how he built a multimillion-dollar peach business from the back of a truck and engineered an Amish shed company, and he discusses the guiding principles and spiritual forces behind every decision along the way.

We live in a world where we frequently take for granted conveniences of modern life. With the touch of a button, we can order goods and products and have them delivered to our door. Even during a pandemic lockdown, we could fire up our phones and computers and see the people we couldn't be near.

But what would happen if that all stopped instantly?

It did for Lauren Donahue, this week's guest on Chiseled. Growing up, Lauren always had an outlet. And I'm not talking about a pastime like co-ed softball, which she competitively played, but an actual outlet where she could plug in her phone, her smoothie maker, her curling iron, and all the other products that most of us take for granted everyday.

Lauren lost that outlet in 2014 after joining a reality TV show. Not knowing the game show's rules, she found herself living in a cave with a group of strangers with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Forced into survival mode, including flossing with a piece of hay and using a squirrel skin for a facial, Lauren found that "it's in the spaces that we're uncomfortable that we grow the most."

Lauren came out of the cave with huge new life lessons, which she has built into a brand centered around taking time to unplug. In this episode of Chiseled, Lauren describes how she ended up on the show, what she was expecting (or not) from her experience, and how she used it to create a legacy for her grandfather and to teach others how to "fill up your cup first so you can help others with the overflow."

It's nearly Christmas and I want to share a very uplifting conversation with you this week on Chiseled.

Jeff Bennett is a friend of mine dating back 30+ years from our time playing baseball at Florida Atlantic University. Jeff doesn't share any terrifying or traumatic stories this week — unless you count the fact he has EIGHT children! But he calls them "the greatest blessing" he could have so it sounds all good.

Jeff is a "salt of the earth" type of guy. He says he and his wife started their family a little later in life. They didn't decide how many kids they wanted to have. As he puts it, they just didn't like the word (birth) "control."

"I am asked all the time are you Mormon or are you Catholic. The list goes on and on, and I say no, I just really like her. I like her a lot," he says.

Jeff's been a commercial airline pilot since 1994, and started flying professionally in 1991. As you can imagine, being up in the front seat at 40,000 feet, you get to see some miraculous creations — the shifting of light between day and night, meteor showers, comets, bright stars, sunsets and moon rises.

Jeff knew his whole life that he was going to be a pilot, just as he knew at age 10 that he was resolute in his faith and accepted Jesus as his king and savior.

In this Christmas episode, Jeff gracefully shares his convictions. His commitment, calm, and the purity of how he lives and loves the Lord are a beautiful testament this holiday season. Whether you're a Christian or not, I encourage you to tune in and feel the power of Jeff's faith wash over you.

Karl Miller lost four of the fingers on his right hand in a farm machinery accident when he was just 2 years old. Despite the early setback, he never saw the amputation as a hindrance. Instead, he adapted and grew, internalizing the belief that the unchangeable facts of his life make him unique and inspirational. If you ever meet Karl and ask him how he’s doing, he will likely respond, “I’m blessed!”

So, it was a shock when as a teenager, Karl visited a ministry camp at the far reaches of Ontario, Canada, and found that the young people there viewed suicide as a way to avoid their hardships and get the attention they badly craved.
​
In this episode of Chiseled, Karl describes a conversation he had about suicide with one of those young campers. Karl also shares how he was called to grow; how becoming a counselor at summer work camp for teens in South Carolina challenged him more than anything else in his life; and how he turned his lessons in determination and faith into major success as a world-class real estate agent in Lynchburg, Va. He also shares the monumental emotion he felt reaching the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Karl is someone I deeply admire and through his stories and experiences, he offers great insights about challenging oneself, building tenacity, and enjoying the road ahead.

The youngest of four siblings, Tim Reeder's parents divorced when he was a child. He went to live with his mother, who remarried, and where Tim witnessed lots of mental and physical abuse toward his mom and sisters.

At age 14, his father came around with a new wife. Unfortunately, she had also suffered massive trauma and was not capable of being a parent. Tim suffered alternating experiences of emotional abuse and massive neglect.

Tim turned inward to learn how to cope. He became what is called a "firefighter" in coaching and organizational psychology circles. It means that Tim is a peacemaker and a problem-solver.

Tim ran with the role, and after coming out as gay by age 18, he had to learn that being a "firefighter" didn't mean he had to pacify, patronize, or placate anyone.

When Tim decided to go into real estate, he discovered that through his empathy and fix-it attitude, he could genuinely and fearlessly serve others. It turned his job as an agent into a massively successful business in Omaha, Neb., one founded on passion, authenticity, and inclusion.

You will hear Tim explain how he took beliefs and turned them into actions. This is one of the liveliest debates I've had on Chiseled when it comes to the role of God in our lives and how best to worship Him.

The grandson of a Holocaust survivor who taught him how to rebuild after someone tries to destroy you, David Shar started working as a child scooping poop. He didn't see it as a "dirty job," he saw it as an opportunity to create a safe and healthy environment for suffering animals.

As an adult, he turned an ice cream parlor into a mission for inner city kids in Baltimore. Now, David teaches business organizations how to bring meaning and purpose to the workplace without turning work into the sole identity of their employees.

David is one of the smartest and funniest people I know and this episode is so chockful of wisdom and insight. It's one that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end!

Dan Faulkner came from a middle class background in Kenmore, Washington. His was the kind of existence that appeared normal on the outside. 

But Dan's mom suffered from addiction and volatile mental health issues and his father was a "conspiracy theorist before it was cool." 

That led to early troubles for Dan, who looked for acceptance at age 15 from a group of friends who used drugs and drinking to find community. By age 17, Dan was smoking speed out of a hollowed out light bulb. 

Fortunately, his parents provided him help when he really needed them, and got him into an in-house treatment program. After a few false starts, Dan began his long-term recovery. 

Dan graduated college and started a successful real estate career. Twenty years of personal work later, Dan is now a husband and father of two who credits his sobriety and happiness to "being tired of not having hope" and committing to living a life of surrender.

Deanna Bone is living her best life and says it all started at age 8 when her neighbor gave her her first Bible. And did she use it!  

Not only did Deanna carry the bible her grandfather gave her while walking down the aisle at her wedding but she held it close when she went bankrupt and lost her house during the housing crash of 2008. That good book became a resource again in 2012 when she faced cancer and the prospect of losing her life.

Both events could have spelled the end for Deanna, professionally and personally, but with the help of coaches, oncologists, and an insistent husband, as well as some of her favorite Bible passages, Deanna recovered and returned to the market stronger than ever.

Yet back in action, Deanna said she still felt unworthy and unwelcome among the top tier of realtors in the country. It wasn't until a coach taught her to reframe the way she listens to her voice inside that she discovered that the barriers to the life she wanted came from within and a certain old book she had previously relied on contained new words about building hope and a future.

Listen to the whole Chiseled episode to hear how Deanna discovered that self-care comes in many forms and how she used these tools, and her original source of inspiration, not only to recover but also to succeed beyond her dreams.

Aaron West used to have a horrible relationship with money.  He has always been in sales but even when he was making $125,000 a year, he was just as broke as when he earned $13,000 a year. When he found himself $60,000 in debt, he knew he needed to make a change in his relationship with money.

With counseling and a change in mindset to one of abundance, Aaron soon discovered that the only people talking about money were those with it — not because they had it, but because they weren't afraid of talking about it and the decision that they were making involving money.

Aaron started making disciplined financial decisions, stopped judging himself by his net worth, and broke his family toxic fear of wealth.

Aaron is now a convert for financial stewardship. The transformation has increased his faith in family, religion, business, and body. In this episode, Aaron discusses how he helps people with financial challenges, which advice to take from people with and without money, and how to recognize the difference between being rich and being wealthy.

Have you ever encouraged another person through a tough time only to find out the same words you used to encourage someone were some of the same words you needed to hear yourself? The giver in an act of kindness often receives the same if not more than the recipient.

As a nonsmoker Shelly Slocum was shocked to learn she was facing a diagnosis of lung cancer. But her health scare didn't defeat her because Shelly had already discovered how to face life's challenges. "It's okay to dip your toe in the pity pool, just don't go swimming."

Helping her older daughter — a Navy pediatrician — recover from a breakdown following a traumatic experience, Shelly shared inspirational messages with her daughter every day for months. Her daughter emerged happier and healthier than she had been before and was so transformed by the experience, she encouraged her mother to write a book. Out poured "Love and Inspiration from Mom."

Shelly's book isn't just a list of inspirational quotes. She offers lessons on how to apply these bits of inspiration in the face of any obstacle. To her surprise, she benefited from her own wisdom when she needed it most.

JM Ryerson has built three financial services companies from the ground up. A successful business coach, international speaker, best-selling author, and host of the Let's Go Win podcast, JM shared with me how he gets people to the win. In short, it all comes down to mindset.

In this episode of Chiseled, JM talks about the best ways to show empathy and to support people who are discovering their passion, plus he shares a bit about letting your own light shine even when others want to dim your bulb.

JM's strategies aren't just useful for building successful businesses. They are tools to successfully navigate every relationship of your life. And when you master them, you will find how much easier it is to fulfill goals you didn't know you had.

We all experience pain in our lives! When we experience pain do we look for the silver lining? Do we play the victim role? Can we find purpose in that pain?

Marybeth Henderson has overcome some awful and bizarre challenges in her life, including losing her dad while still a teen, surviving a mystery contagion that left her in isolation in a hospital basement, facing down a rare cancer that was accidentally discovered, and preventing her house from trying to kill her.

 Throughout it all, she has been working on a mantra that includes the reminders to "never leave anything unspoken," "look for the blessings," "encourage others," and "bring purpose to the pain."

Thankfully, much has worked out well for Marybeth as well. She found her husband in an unexpected place, runs an extremely successful real estate brokerage, and has started a new service to help people discover and recover from unusual illnesses.

I've had the pleasure of knowing Marybeth for over a decade, and she is one of the most positive people I know. She also has another contagion: a laugh that sounds like tinkling bells. And you know what happens when you hear a bell ring!

In the latest episode of Chiseled, Marybeth shares how all of the challenges she surmounted and all of the success she achieved were possible through a help from her friends, the kindness of strangers, and unyielding faith in her creator.

Do you have the intestinal fortitude to keep going after you’ve been knocked down? Are you resilient? From one of my favorite “Rocky” quotes: “But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

Sean Hackney’s story is a story about resilience and fortitude. An 11-time Ironman triathlete and a 20+ time half Ironman finisher, he did it all on a leg that defies medical explanation.

When Sean was a running back in college, his leg was destroyed when he was hit by multiple players during a football game. His kneecap was dislocated, his ACL tore, his quadricep hyperextended down to his shin, and his artery was severed. He should have lost the whole leg.  

After multiple surgeries, doctors were able to take a vein from his thigh and move it behind his knee to act as a conduit for circulation to his lower leg. That graft was expected to last five-10 years and doctors were unsure what to expect next.

Then something inexplicable happened. Twenty-seven years later, the graft was still holding steady — and the vein mapping didn't just work, but one vessel had grown 2-3 times its size and started functioning as an artery.

Listen in as Sean tells his remarkable story of resilience and perseverance.

Brian White grew up without "expectations." A New Jersey boy with no real vision of his future, he never imagined life beyond minimum wage. Then at 19, his girlfriend told him she was pregnant, and he had a choice — to be a part of his baby's life or to get lost.

Ten years later, Brian became one of the youngest presidents ever to run a hospital. Chasing prestige and winning titles, Brian eventually ended up running a health system of 27,000 people and a $4 billion budget. Yet he never stopped to celebrate any of his success. He just kept searching for the next win.

Still married to his teen sweetheart — and four children later — Brian found himself facing the biggest challenge of his life — and suddenly winning took a back seat to surviving, forcing Brian to change his entire perspective on life.

Growing up in California in the late 60's, Larry Underhill's motto was "better living through chemistry." His experimentation with drugs almost beat him. Years later, Larry decided to trade in drugs for Jesus. He committed to a relationship with Christ and over the last 50 years he has seen his share of hardships and humility. Through his strong faith and his discipline Larry say's he is confident that his personal relationship with Christ will last "after his earth suit goes away."

In this episode, you will hear how Larry has applied his commitment to Christ it in all areas of his life; as a business owner, as a father and grandfather, as an addiction treatment specialist, and as a friend. His far-reaching studies and efforts to walk the path of God are the epitome of selflessness in the conduct of service. I hope you enjoy this episode and Larry's many pearls of wisdom and powerful insights.

Gary Adornato has had a passion for sports since he was a kid. Realizing that he never was going to go pro (especially for wrestling), Gary decided to do the next best thing: he built Varsity Sports Network, a Maryland-based media company focused solely on high school sports. 

It wasn't easy. As you can imagine, high school sports coverage isn't the best-paying or highest profile gig but Gary says it's the best job he could ever have, especially because he runs his operation focused only on positive coverage.

The company's trajectory has taken a lot of dips and turns over the past 30 years but that doesn't matter to Gary. He's doing what he loves and he did it by putting his faith in his guardian angel — St. Anthony, patron saint of lost items, who Gary says has helped him every step of the way.