Content warning: this episode features mentions of suicide. If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255. Dr. Mark Goulston is the co-founder of Michelangelo Mindset. Founders, entrepreneurs, and fortune 500 CEOs hire him when there is a critical or urgent problem they want to deal with or an amazing opportunity they don't want to miss. He coaches them to tap into the way Michelangelo saw his masterp...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 87
Wanona Satcher is the founder and CEO of Mākhers Studio, a green manufacturing and modular design build company. She’s a graduate of Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction, and Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business. She’s written for The Huffington Post, and participated in both the CityLab Aspen Institute, and Bloomberg Philanthropies National Innovation Program. Wanona was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and that had a profound impact on who she grew into. ...
Oct 04, 2021•56 min•Ep. 86
Today’s episode is a speaking engagement that Brett Kaufman had recently with the Conscious Capitalism organization. Conscious capitalism is the way forward. We have to be not only creating consciously, but also recycling good, quality capital back into the market – into the hands of young entrepreneurs who will define the future of business, and, more importantly, the future of our world. Conscious Capitalism offers opportunities to engage, to meet other like-minded people, to grow, and to be a...
Sep 27, 2021•46 min•Ep. 85
Kelly Mooney grew up the 8th of 10 children. Her family was a huge influence on her as she launched a career that placed her in the heart of the then-emerging industry of internet commerce. Now, she’s a CEO and Strategic Advisor recognized for leading organizations in customer insight and digital experience. She recently founded a pre-leadership organization, Equipt Women, focused on helping young professional women excel at work and in their personal lives. More importantly, Kelly is a dear fri...
Sep 20, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 84
Phil Franks is the co-founder of Owl & Key, a lifestyle design agency aiming to help people design extraordinary lifestyle freedom. His co-founder is his wife and co-host of their podcast Unlocked, which further explores the work they’re doing and how you can apply it to your own life. Phil was adopted when he was just six weeks old. The honest and open nature in which his adoptive parents treated that fact shaped much of Phil’s positivity and gratitude that extends into his world view today...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 83
Chet Scott joins us for something we don’t do very often on Gravity: a returning guest. He’s a leadership and development coach for some of the world’s most influential people. After “waking up” in 1993, he set about pursuing his life’s opus – something his organization, Built to Lead, strives to help everyone discover for themselves. Last time he joined the show, we explored how his upbringing led him to where he is today, but we didn’t get into the personal health revolution he went through af...
Sep 06, 2021•59 min•Ep. 82
We’ve gathered some of the most informative and inspiring voices to appear on the show since we launched almost two years ago into this fun compilation episode featuring their tales of childhood entrepreneurship. It turns out that people drawn to business often start young and you can learn a lot from them, even if they were only just starting to learn things themselves. We hear about lemonade (and beer) stands, buying low and selling high, and realizing our worth as creators and suppliers. We h...
Aug 30, 2021•43 min•Ep. 81
Will Zell made his mark at an early age when he ran for a city council seat in his hometown of Bellefontaine, Ohio at the age of 17. He’s since gone on to serve as Executive Chairman of Nikola Labs and as CEO of Zell Capital, which he also founded. Zell Capital was designed to open investment opportunities to all – not just the wealthy. We look at Will's entire life, from his upbringing surrounded by maturity and female role models, to his early experiences in politics, and how they led him to w...
Aug 23, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 80
Simeon Schnapper is a psychedelic philanthropist, futurist, and managing partner of JLS Fund, formed to aid investment in the booming intersection of science, technology, and neurology investigating the use of plant-based and psychedelic medicines to heal illness and enhance wellness. Simeon initially found his way into a burgeoning career in the world of the performing arts, becoming a staple of the Chicago theater and improv scene, and even releasing a feature film, “Dot,” as a star-writer-pro...
Aug 16, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 79
Nick Nanton is a multi-Emmy-award-winning documentary filmmaker and the Founder and CEO of DNA Films, through which he’s produced countless works, including, “Dream Big: Rudy Ruettiger Live on Broadway,” a sell-out one-man show he wrote and directed. In Nick’s words, he came from a childhood where he had “more love than he could spend, but money was scarce”. He soon learned that if he wanted something in life, he would have to be the one to make it happen. Learning a lifestyle of entrepreneurshi...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 78
This week, we’re joined by Rachel Friedman, the founder and CEO of TENFOLD: a cultural, strategy, and creative firm aiming to build brands from the inside out by leveraging what makes them special. Their award-winning solutions connect people to place in a meaningful way and they will soon be launching TENSPACE, a sister brand dedicated to creating physical showcases for brands and their stories. Rachel was aware of a sense of “not-enoughness” from a young age and harnessed it to live an intenti...
Aug 02, 2021•49 min•Ep. 77
Joe DeLoss is a social entrepreneur who’s focused on building transformational brands that leave a positive thumbprint on the planet. The owner and head fryer of Hot Chicken Takeover, Joe has been called “the best marketer in Columbus.” Starting out as a humble pop-up, Joe generated such incredible demand backed by positive word of mouth for Hot Chicken Takeover, that the Kickstarter he launched to fund the purchase of a food truck raised over $63,000. Now, they have six locations. Joe calls him...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 76
Dr. Don Wood, PhD, lived an idyllic childhood with loving and supportive parents. It cultivated a sense of confidence and optimism that he’s carried throughout his life. This high vantage point instilled in him an appreciation for the wildly diverse atmospheric conditions we all face, and how they make us unique in so many ways. After struggling to find a way to combat his daughter’s Crohn’s and his wife’s autoimmune disease, he decided to dig deeper – past their symptoms, which had been the foc...
Jul 19, 2021•59 min•Ep. 75
Elizabeth Brown was elected to Columbus City Council in 2015 and holds the office of President Pro Tempore. She’s the executive director of the Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network, a member of the Columbus Women’s Commission, and serves on various committees, such as for the CelebrateOne Policy. An accomplished writer, Liz initially pursued a career in journalism, working for WOSU Public Radio and being published by New York Magazine. Eventually, she realized that her work wasn’t satisfying her l...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 74
Jeff Krasno is the creator of both Wanderlust, a series of yoga-based wellness events, and Commune Media, an online platform for personal and societal betterment. Through his work, including weekly essays and hosting the Commune podcast, he has interviewed the likes of Deepak Chopra, Brendon Burchard, Russell Brand, and many more important voices. After a tumultuous childhood involving everything from a double life as an American abroad to a bout with a malignant tumor at just age 13, Jeff inter...
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 73
Rob Perkins was an accomplished Managing Partner of his family business, WestView Real Estate, when he decided to launch the WestView Senior Home Purchase Program. He talks about their acquisition of Senior Move Masters, a new venture designed to guide senior citizens and their families through the difficult process of moving home or joining a retirement community. From a young age, Rob was concerned with the advantages he’d been gifted in life thanks, in part, to his family’s emotional and fina...
Jun 28, 2021•50 min•Ep. 72
Stephanie Hightower is the former president of USA Track & Field, and current president and CEO of the Columbus Urban League, a community‐based, non‐profit advocacy organization. She is a four-time US champion in the 100 meter hurdles, a five-time US indoor champion in the 60 meter hurdles, and earned a silver medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. In 1980, she qualified to represent the United States at the Moscow Olympics, but was unable to take part due to a nationwide boycott of the games...
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 71
Jordan Reeves is the Founder and Executive Director of VideoOut, an organization dedicated to producing LGBTQ+ stories, content, and programs to educate the world about the LGBTQ+ community and how to best advocate for it. Jordan has written for Huffington Post and created LGBTQ+ inclusive content for major brands including Hulu, Verizon, P&G, and AARP, and they’ve even given a TED talk. Jordan’s belief that stories are a powerful tool that can connect the entire world is completely aligned ...
Jun 13, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 70
Scott Simon was a meek and timid and fearful child. His withdrawn personality led to him being bullied and finding himself isolated and lonely. Though his loving family only had the best intentions, they perpetuated his behavior instead of pushing him to grow and overcome his anxieties. While at college, Scott stumbled upon the quote, “Do one thing a day that scares you,” and thanks to having found his people, he started to push himself a little bit each day. He graduated with a newfound spark f...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 69
Kaitlin Mogentale, founder and CEO of Pulp Pantry, was a model student and, despite a healthy admiration for her more mischievous peers, was a high-achiever who studied and earned good grades at school while voluntarily taking on whatever extra-curricular activities she could. Attending a Women in Science event sparked her passion for the subject and sent her down the path of searching the world for its problems and solutions. The first major problem she identified came while interning with The ...
May 31, 2021•58 min•Ep. 68
Mikey Sorboro is a natural-born entrepreneur. His story isn’t one of overcoming childhood adversity or trauma to grow into something remarkable. He simply worked hard, made astute observations about himself and the world around him, and was never scared to take the plunge into launching a business that fit the basic needs of consumers. While driving minicabs as a young man, Mikey’s late-night passengers would routinely ask him where they could buy pizza by the slice. The answer was: nowhere. Yet...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 67
In early 2016, Achea Redd was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Her initial attempts to hide it from the world only created a shame spiral that made things worse and, eventually, she suffered from a full mental breakdown. Once she acknowledged the situation with her loved ones and sought out treatment from mental health professionals, she finally started to heal. As part of her journey to wellness, she launched a blog, allowing her to share her feelings and experiences with those who ...
May 17, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 66
We meet Howard Getson, CEO of Capitalogix, a company that implements cutting-edge A.I. in the creation and management of hedge funds. He shares the four stages of A.I. application in business and how he believes the technology will change and shape the future, both in the corporate landscape and in our day-to-day lives. There are countless inspiring messages to take from Howard’s story, from using businesses as a force for good, to the desire to leave the world a better place. What Brett asks: [...
May 10, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 65
Ilya Bodner is the founder of numerous start-ups and has a unique perspective on innovation. A first-generation Uzbek immigrant, Ilya set his sights on achieving the American dream while paying his way through Ohio State University. His entrepreneurial spirit, one instilled in him as a child, hasn’t slowed down. He joins the Gravity Podcast to discuss his business philosophies, what fuels his passion and his three rules for launching a new company. What Brett asks: [03:25] Tell me a little bit a...
May 03, 2021•58 min•Ep. 64
Alex Frommeyer, known by many as Fro, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Beam Dental, a digital-first provider of dental insurance for businesses in over 40 states. Fro started Beam Dental with Alex Curry and Dan Dykes in 2012, applying their collective passion for solving problems to the fragmented and analog dental industry. With multiple dental professionals in both his immediate and extended family, Fro used real life feedback and insight to guide Beam from an apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, to...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 63
Bruce Griffin Henderson is an author and the Chief Creative Officer of SmileDirectClub, the next generation oral care company. From touring musician, to author, to cancer survivor — he’s seen a lot and learned even more in his life. Each stop along the way has contributed to his unique perspective on the world, leaving him with an appreciation for the journey and allowing him to de-emphasize the outcome. What Brett asks: [06:18] Tell me about how the music really grabbed you. [12:10] Was music y...
Apr 19, 2021•56 min•Ep. 62
Debbie Penzone has a distinguished resume as a salon industry innovator, community leader, author, philanthropist, and lifestyle expert. She is passionate about wellness and inspiring others to live their fullest life, and integrates those principles into the business. When not leading a team of hundreds as President and CEO of Charles Penzone Incorporated, you can find her cooking up a new recipe, laughing with her husband, or on a yoga mat. Debbie had a skin disorder in middle school. She woul...
Apr 12, 2021•53 min•Ep. 61
Rob Dube started his first business in high school selling Blow Pops out of his locker. For the last 30 years, he's served as the CEO and co-founder of imageOne, ranked as one of the Top 25 Small Businesses in America as a Forbes Small Giant. Rob has guided the company with a focus on their purpose: To deliver genuine care that consistently drives extraordinary energy, actions, and experiences to everyone, every day, every time. Recognizing the benefits that meditation brought to all areas of hi...
Apr 05, 2021•57 min•Ep. 60
Regan Walsh is an author, a keynote speaker for Fortune 500 companies such as Freddie Mac, Nike, Intuit, and JPMorgan, and an NYU-certified coach who focuses on helping women who are over-programmed and underwhelmed to reclaim their lives, both personally and professionally. She contributes to Harvard Business Review and Forbes and Fast Company, nbc.com, Today, and Real Simple have all featured her work. Regan is located in Columbus, Ohio, and coaches people from all over the world. Regan is als...
Mar 29, 2021•53 min•Ep. 59
Susan McPherson is a serial connector, angel investor, and corporate responsibility expert with more than 25 years of experience in the field of marketing, public relations, and corporate responsibility. In 2013, she founded McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy focused on the intersection of brands and social impact, to provide storytelling, partnership creation, and visibility to corporations, NGOs, and social enterprises. Susan is also the author of "The Lost Art of Connecting: T...
Mar 22, 2021•47 min•Ep. 58
