The Fling

Heather Caroccio is an entrepreneur and wellness coach based out of Geneseo, New York.  She owns and operates a preschool, as well as recently starting up Wellness Matters.  Wellness Matters, her new health and wellness business, offers nutritional consulting, group programs, and more.  Heather is extremely passionate about helping busy individuals slow down and love themselves enough to get educated on their own health and wellness.

In this episode, Heather and CJ discuss podcasting, new wellness fads, and why “working on yourself” is a life-long journey.

Former teacher and marketing director, Christina Garnett works with brands to strengthen their digital strategy through community building and audience intelligence.  With a recent move to HubSpot as a Senior Marketing Manager for Offline Community & Advocacy, Christina focuses her efforts to encourage a deep dive to understand personas, competitors, and more.

In this episode, Christina shares with CJ her deep love for audience research and social listening; and how she helps people truly understand their audience, along with her March Madness picks and love of the Marvel Universe.

Akash Desai is a software entrepreneur and an investor in cybersecurity and education technology companies. He may attribute much of his success to good luck, but he still knows a thing or two about growing a business, particularly when it comes to developing and motivating teams and building trust with a target market. When we sat down to chat, we discussed the Buffalo investment scene, the workforce shift toward independent contractors and entrepreneurs, and much more. Enjoy!

Read the episode overview or get in touch with Akash here: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/akash-desai-the-buffalo-investment-scene-and-pandemic-silver-linings

Lauren Molenda is Co-Owner of Riveter Design, a micro-agency out of Buffalo, New York. If you work in marketing in Buffalo, you probably know her. She’s a super-connector and delights in tapping into her network to help a friend in need. In this episode, Lauren and CJ discuss the shift in workforce taking place in the marketing industry from in-house teams to freelance culture, and why it benefits clients and agencies alike. Enjoy!

Read episode overview or get connected with Lauren: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/lauren-molenda-and-micro-agencies-freelancers-and-networking

Chris Miano is the founder of MemoryFox.io, a platform for collecting and organizing content to support better storytelling by brands to inspire action. Chris began his entrepreneurial training as a platoon leader in Iraq at the ripe age of 23. He shares his transition from a distinguished military career back into civilian life, ultimately culminating in the creation of MemoryFox. We barely scratch the surface of his startup story; however, Chris is an incredibly insightful guy, and you’re sure to gain a new perspective about entrepreneurship from our 35-minute conversation. Enjoy! 

Read episode overview or get in touch with Chris: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/chris-miano-his-journey-from-the-army-to-founding-a-saas-startup

Matt Phillips is the Founder and CEO of Pro Athlete Advantage, a high-performance business consultancy. Matt is also a mental toughness expert and a former pro baseball player. He applies the structure and benefits of coaching in athletics to business coaching to help entrepreneurs accelerate growth toward their goals. Listen in on my conversation with this highly motivated individual and learn how to start building momentum in your own life. Enjoy!

Check out an overview of our conversation here: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/matt-phillips-mental-toughness-when-to-hire-a-business-coach

Sara Heidinger is an owner of Undergrounds Coffeehouse & Roastery in Buffalo’s Old First Ward. She is also the Director of Special Projects for New York State Assemblyman Patrick Burke’s office, a freelance photographer, and a board member for the Old First Ward Community Center. As you can see, in a word, Sara is a doer. She doesn’t let fear or uncertainty get in the way of positive action, and she is often fueled by love of her community. Hear her take on Buffalo’s revitalization, restaurant operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gathering the confidence to start your own business in this episode of The Fling. Enjoy!

For a quick overview of our conversation, visit: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/sara-heidinger-buffalo-gentrification-covid-restaurant-operations

Emmily Bowman is the owner of Braid Babes, a one-of-a-kind hair braiding service based in Buffalo. You can book a Braid Babe braider to come to your house and braid you up for an event, or hire them for a braid party. In the first official episode of “The Fling” podcast, Emmily shares her journey from a quiet nine-to-five into entrepreneurship, with plenty of inspiring nuggets along the way for other aspiring entrepreneurs. If you feel the itch to make a change in your career but are not sure of your next move, this episode is for you. We talk about exploring your interests, networking, and the steps Emmily took toward venturing out on her own. 

For a quick overview of our conversation visit: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/emmily-bowman-and-accidental-startups-influencers-and-braids

Matt Vaadi is a social entrepreneur focused on alleviating homelessness in Columbia, SC and the surrounding areas. He accomplishes this mission by donating three percent of all revenue from his company, ERG Payroll & HR, to local charities focused on addressing this need. On top of all that, and being a best-selling author, Matt is a marketing nerd on the down-low and just a great guy.  

During my chat with Matt, we discussed what it really means to operate a mission-based organization, starting with goal setting and company policies. Both of us being newbie podcasters, we swapped lessons learned and success stories. Finally, we hit on a few foundational concepts of inbound marketing that make it an effective strategy for businesses. Enjoy!  

https://blog.thegistcontent.com/matt-vaadi-and-mission-based-organizations-podcasting-and-inbound-marketing

For almost two decades, Jason Pearl has been a high impact growth specialist leading businesses of all sizes to get the most out of their leaders and revenue-generating staff. Having worked with Jason for many years now, it's obvious to me that his unclouded focus in life is what has driven his success as an entrepreneur and sales coach. It is also what makes him so magnetic—a natural leader. In this episode he shared with me his approach to staying focused on what's most important. I also asked him for a bit of wisdom on being a dad, of which he has 13 years' experience, and his best advice for those of us powering through a pandemic in a sales capacity. He believes the secret lies in agility and quick action. Enjoy!

CJ sat down with Doug Levin. Doug is living his best life thanks to a successful private label business he built from the ground up. Even so, he never considered himself the entrepreneur type. He shared his interesting trajectory from musician to wholesaler to product development specialist in a matter of seven years in our conversation. Enjoy!

https://blog.thegistcontent.com/doug-levin-and-chicago-arbitrage-and-lifestyle-design

Casey Kelly runs Buffalo Design Studio and teaches design at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In this episode, I pick her brain on the leap from doing to teaching, her creative process, and the public art she creates. 

https://blog.thegistcontent.com/casey-kelly-and-career-leaps-graphic-design-and-public-art

Melissa Wilson is the VP of Customer Engagement at EZaccessMD, a mobile tele-health company based in Rochester, New York. EZaccessMD partners with employers to offer an innovative and revolutionary benefit to their employees and their families. Enrolled members can access healthcare remotely through telemedicine technology while also having healthcare providers come to them to conduct patient visits at their homes.  Melissa talked about how she's adjusting to life during a global pandemic professionally, while also being a working mom. We also discussed the importance of a solution like EZaccessMD can offer for people who need medical care but would prefer to steer clear from hospitals and other public places where they can risk infection. 

https://blog.thegistcontent.com/melissa-wilson-and-telemedicine-healthcare-and-working-parents

CJ sat down with Emily Hart. Emily is the Director of Business Development at Seating, Inc., a chair manufacturing company headquartered in Nunda, New York. Emily brings great energy and a lot of passion about business, local manufacturing and horseback riding. We covered a variety of topics including the importance of a good "presentation" during remote video meetings. And we speculated about how the traditional office or workplace might change even after the acute effects of the current pandemic subside. This was a really fun, engaging conversation and we hope to do it again. Enjoy!

https://blog.thegistcontent.com/emily-hart-and-remote-work-local-manufacturing-and-riding-horses

CJ sat down with Kevin Kerl. Kevin is the CEO of SelectOne, a professional recruiting firm headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The conversation began with Kevin sharing his experience living and working in Boston during the bombing at the marathon, and how that was the only experience he remembers that remotely resembles the pandemic we're all experiencing now. Kevin and CJ also discussed his experience growing companies, the importance of change and how to innovate during during adverse times. We also discussed how remote work will continue to proliferate and his recommendations for any businesses thinking about hiring new employees now.

https://blog.thegistcontent.com/kevin-kerl-and-innovation-change-remote-work-hiring

CJ sat down with longtime friend and former college roommate and teammate Chris Ekimoff. Chris is a forensic accountant based in Washington, D.C. Chris specializes in investigating things like tax fraud and ponzi schemes. He does a lot of work with attorneys and frequently is asked to stand witness in court cases. In addition to his work, Chris has a strong presence on social media and recently started a podcast. Enjoy!

https://blog.thegistcontent.com/chris-ekimoff-and-accounting-courtroom-testimonies-and-content