Derek Champagne sits down for a special conversation with his dear friend, Charles Kochel. Charles is a husband, father, entrepreneur, and author. Charles is also the CEO of Infinity Blue, North America, a borderless e-commerce agency helping brands engage with new customers on multiple platforms and continents. Charles talks with us about business, life…and cancer. Charles new must-read book is More: A Mindful Guide To Intentional Living In More, Charles Kochel presents a heartfelt exploration ...
Nov 22, 2024•58 min•Ep. 1392
Derek Champagne interviews former NFL play and entrepreneur, Marques Ogden. Marques, the best-selling author of "Sleepless Nights: The NFL: a Business and Family", talks with Derek about his childhood years, playing in the NFL, his entrepreneurial journey, and leadership lessons along the way. Growing up in a single-parent home with a father that inspired and demonstrated perseverance and fairness, Marques Ogden learned how to define his values and set goals. Marques attended Howard University f...
Nov 17, 2024•32 min•Ep. 1390
Derek's guest this week is Whitney Johnson: Innovation and disruption theorist, keynote speaker, best-selling author, executive and performance coach. Whitney shares her unique journey and key concepts about how to motivate your employees from her book "Build an A Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve". Whitney Johnson was named one of the world's fifty most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50 in 2017. She is the author of the bestselling Build an A Team (Ha...
Nov 10, 2024•23 min•Ep. 1389
Listen to this powerful interview with Dr. David Fajgenbaum who has an incredible new memoir, "Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope into Action". David’s story is truly unique; it’s a tale of learning to live, while dying: a universally relatable story about getting up and fighting back after life knocks you down. A former Georgetown quarterback nicknamed "The Beast," David Fajgenbaum was also a force in medical school, where he was known for his unmatched mental stamina. But things cha...
Nov 03, 2024•25 min•Ep. 1388
Kyle Maynard is a motivational speaker, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and ESPY award-winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua without the aid of prosthetics. Oprah Winfrey called Kyle “one of the most inspiring young men you will ever hear about.” Arnold Schwarzenegger described him as “the real deal,” “a champion human,” and “one of the most inspiring people” he’s ever met. Even the great ...
Oct 27, 2024•26 min•Ep. 1387
In this episode Derek talks with the world's #1 Bowler Jason Belmonte. Jason talks with Derek about his unique story of bowling since the age of two, how he stays motivated to continue being the best in the world, and more on his entrepreneurial journey. Jason is known for being one of the first bowlers to gain media attention for using the two handed approach style to deliver his shot. He has won 22 PBA titles, making him one of only 15 players in history with at least 20 PBA Tour wins. His PBA...
Oct 20, 2024•31 min•Ep. 1386
Jack Ryan aka BlackJack was born in Brooklyn, NY and is a Basketball Entertainer/Motivational Speaker. He is a member of the world-famous Harlem Wizards for 24 years and has performed all over the world. Jack grew up in Brooklyn New York and was always known for being good at basketball. In high school he was the star player and everyone around him thought he was going somewhere. His coach started getting him scouted and he got an offer from Ohio University but it was to go to a community colleg...
Oct 13, 2024•26 min•Ep. 1385
Derek talks with 93' Chicago Bulls NBA Champion Trent Tucker. Trent talks with Derek about leadership skills necessary to build a championship team, how to manage egos, having Phil Jackson as a coach, the Trent Tucker Rule, and what it was like playing with his friends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Derek also talks with Trent about his 9 years playing with the NY Knicks.
Oct 06, 2024•26 min•Ep. 1384
In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Brian Buffini, author of the New York Times best-selling book, The Emigrant Edge: How To Make It Big In America. Brian Buffini emigrated from Ireland at the age of nineteen, with only ninety-two dollars in his pocket. Today, as the founder of Buffini & Company, the largest business training company in North America, he is one of the nation’s top business experts. In his engaging book, THE EMIGRANT EDGE: How To Make It Big In America (Howard Books, A...
Sep 29, 2024•38 min•Ep. 1383
Derek Champagne interviews Nick Friedman. Nick has been featured on Oprah (2x), the hit tv show Shark Tank, Millionaire Matchmaker, and is the Co-Founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk. World-class speaker, bestselling author, founder of a national franchise, and TV personality, Nick’s story is as incredible as they come. But what sets him apart is just how much fun he has along the way. Nick talks with Derek about building a successful brand, working ON not IN your business, and intentionality i...
Sep 22, 2024•39 min•Ep. 1382
In this episode Derek talks with Dave Alpern, President of Joe Gibbs Racing and author of Taking the Lead. The president of Joe Gibbs Racing―the winningest team in NASCAR history―shares the secrets of succeeding in business and in life. In NASCAR, as in life, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to being in the right place at the right time and making the most of every opportunity. Nobody understands that better than Dave Alpern. Dave started his career as an unpaid intern ...
Sep 15, 2024•29 min•Ep. 1381
Derek Champagne talks with Beth Comstock, former Chief Marketing Officer and then Vice Chair of Innovation at GE. For almost 3 decades Beth led efforts to accelerate new growth, develop digital and clean-energy futures, seed new businesses and enhance brand value. As President of Integrated Media at NBC Universal , Beth oversaw TV ad revenue and digital media efforts, including the early development of hulu.com Prior to this, she held a succession of roles at NBC, CBS and CNN/Turner Broadcasting...
Sep 08, 2024•24 min•Ep. 1380
In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Brian Scudamore. Brian talks with Derek about setting goals, hiring the right team, building a culture, and how he built his successful franchising empire. Brian is a franchising genius and has built an empire of solid brands with a great team and authentic culture. O2E Brands is the banner company for home-service brands 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, You Move Me, and Shack Shine. Brian started his business in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 18, ...
Sep 01, 2024•30 min•Ep. 1379
In this episode Derek Champagne interviews noted businessman George Maloof. George is the former owner of the NBA Sacramento Kings, Palms Casino & Resort in Las Vegas, and the NHL Vegas Golden Knights. George discusses his NHL hockey team, how he deals with setbacks, what success looks like, and how important customer service is to his brand.
Aug 25, 2024•43 min•Ep. 1378
In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Tim Sanders. Tim Sanders spent most of his early career on the cutting edge of innovation and change. He was an early stage member of Mark Cuban’s Broadcast.com , which had the largest opening day IPO in history. After Yahoo acquired the company, Tim was tapped to lead their ValueLab, and by 2001, he rose to Chief Solutions Officer. In 2005, he founded Deeper Media, which provides consulting services for leading brands. Today, he is one of the top-rated...
Aug 18, 2024•42 min•Ep. 1377
This is a must listen to episode! Derek interviews 2018 Songwriter Hall of Fame Inductee, Steve Dorff. Steve talks with Derek about his personal journey, legendary career, dealing with personal tragedy, what success looks like, and stories of writing and working with the top musical artists of all time. Steve also shares highlights from his new book "I wrote That One Too...A Life In Songwriting From Whitney To Willie". Order Steve's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-That-One-Too-Songwritin...
Aug 11, 2024•40 min•Ep. 1376
Derek talks with baseball legend Art Shamsky. Art was a prominent player with the iconic 69′ Mets World Series Championship Team. Art captures an important part of our nation’s history: a country torn apart by war, the year of Woodstock, the year of first person on the moon, and the “lovable losers” who went from underdog to champions! Be sure to order Art’s new MUST READ book: “After the Miracle: The Lasting Brotherhood of the ’69 Mets” Learn more at: http://artshamsky.com/...
Aug 04, 2024•26 min•Ep. 1375
In this interview, Derek talks with John and Ana Mann about their new book "The Go-Giver Marriage". John and Ana share the "why" behind writing this new book, their process for collaboration, and highlight some of the secrets to lasting love. Learn more at https://gogivermarriage.com John David Mann is coauthor of more than 30 books, including four New York Times bestsellers and five national bestsellers. His classic 2008 parable The Go-Giver (coauthored with Bob Burg) earned the 2017 Living Now...
Jul 28, 2024•22 min•Ep. 1374
In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Melissa Lay. Melissa shares how she started her unique clothing company, her experience when she found her product in Target stores nationwide, being on Shark Tank, and growing her national lifestyle brand. Learn more at www.sandilakeclothing.com
Jul 21, 2024•28 min•Ep. 1373
In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Peter Winick. Peter Winick is the Founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage, a company that helps thought leaders turn foundational ideas into thriving businesses. He is an entrepreneurial-minded director who leverages the power of internal and external relationships, accelerating the growth of aspiring thought leaders and exponentially increasing the value of their intellectual property. For over twenty years, Peter h...
Jul 14, 2024•34 min•Ep. 1372
Derek talks with Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas. Jesse helps companies stand out by thinking different, creating attention and creating fans for life. Jesse Cole, also known as “the guy in the yellow tuxedo” is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the world-famous Savannah Bananas as well as the Party Animals and Firefighters. With the mantra “Fans First. Entertain Always”, the Bananas are on a mission to Make Baseball Fun by creating the Greatest Show in Sports. T...
Jul 07, 2024•28 min•Ep. 1371
Derek Champagne talks with David Lane, entrepreneur and CEO of Lunatix. David shares his entrepreneurial journey. He shares valuable advice about recognizing warning signs, knowing when to pivot, recognizing key opportunities within what you are already doing, and removing blinders. Lunatix is the first ticket site where sports fans can buy the regular season and get the post season. They can buy concert or theatre tickets and get the post season. Lunatix description: We are diehards, loyal, fan...
Jun 30, 2024•26 min•Ep. 1370
Derek Champagne chats with Michael Dweck. Michael, the co-founder of Basic Outfitters, was recently named to Forbes 30 under 30 list and has appeared on the ABC hit t.v. show Shark Tank. He talks with Derek about his entrepreneurial journey, defining success, and his experience in "the tank". In 2014, Basic Outfitters co-founders Laura and Michael Dweck married and moved into a cozy apartment in NYC. It was quickly obvious whose clothing collection would take precedence in their precious and lim...
Jun 23, 2024•38 min•Ep. 1369
In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Shark Tank veteran Evan Delahanty. Evan is the Founder and Lead for Peaceful Fruits LLC, a social good startup that produces premium dried fruit snacks from sustainably-sourced acai. Evan shares his entrepreneurial journey, his approach to community engagement, and his experience on the hit ABC television show Shark Tank. Learn more at www.peacefulfruits.com
Jun 16, 2024•30 min•Ep. 1368
We spoke to Beau Oyler, Shark Tank Veteran and Entrepreneur recently. Beau talks with Derek about his experience on Shark Tank, building a successful company, and some valuable lessons he has learned along the way. Having founded Enlisted Design and Urbio, he has created rich product and brand experiences for fortune 500’s and small startups. He pioneered the design cooperative movement and has a unique ability to truly collaborate with his partners. His designs have received every major design ...
Jun 09, 2024•37 min•Ep. 1367
Sramana Mitra is the founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first and only global virtual incubator/accelerator. Its goal is to help a million entrepreneurs globally reach a million dollars in annual revenue, build a trillion dollars in global GDP, and create 10 million jobs. Since its founding in 2010, 1Mby1M has become a powerful platform for democratization of entrepreneurship acceleration. Sramana also developed 1Mby1M’s Incubator-in-a-Box methodology for Corpora...
Jun 02, 2024•19 min•Ep. 1366
In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, talks with Christopher Lochhead. Christopher is the co-author of Harper Collins’ “instant classic” Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets and he’s the co-host of the Legends and Losers podcast. Christopher is a former three-time public company CMO and entrepreneur. Fast Company Magazine calls him a “Human Exclamation Point” and The Economist calls him “off-putting to some.” At 18 he got thrown ou...
May 26, 2024•35 min•Ep. 1365
In this episode Derek Champagne talks with Options for Community Living CEO, Yolanda Robano-Gross, and NFL Standout, Erik Coleman. Yolanda and Erik share a spotlight on the current epidemic of mental health and homelessness, how their organization is addressing the problem, and how we can take action in our own communities. Learn more at https://optionscl.org/ Yolanda Robano-Gross joined Options for Community Living (Options) as Chief Executive Officer in 2014 with more than twenty years of prio...
May 19, 2024•27 min•Ep. 1364
Derek chats with entrepreneur, author, and consultant Marissa Levin about highlights from her entrepreneurial journey and how to build an amazing culture. As a 25 year CEO and Entrepreneur of a multi-million dollar business, she has taken on the challenge to “educate, equip, and empower” 100 million fellow entrepreneurs and leaders across the globe. Throughout her career Levin has been named a SmartCEO three times, named one of Washington’s Top 100 Technology Titans in 2009, and serves on the Gl...
May 12, 2024•24 min•Ep. 1363
In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Kavit Haria. From a young age, Kavit Haria learned to play “the world’s most dificult percussion instrument”, the Tabla. Having immersed himself in learning about artist promotion, Kavit began to raise his profile and performed across the UK at venues large and small, with many artists (including Jimmy Page at the Royal Albert Hall) and recorded albums at the famed Abbey Road studios. Recognizing the demand for sharing what...
May 05, 2024•17 min•Ep. 1362
