From restaurant floors to healthcare systems, graphic design studios to instructional design labs — Alix Grotewold has never stopped evolving. Alix joins Dr. Alison Tendler to reflect on her unconventional, ever-adaptive career journey and the inner drive that keeps her pushing forward. A fierce competitor—sometimes even with herself — Alix shares what it means to keep reinventing, how she navigates between creativity and analysis, and the personal challenges that shaped her perspective. With ho...
May 02, 2025•54 min
Angela Drake’s journey is one of resilience, reinvention, and relentless giving. From a career in beauty to leading Two Men and a Truck, she’s built a life around empowering others—whether through mentorship, community service, or helping people recognize their worth. But her path wasn’t always easy, and a chance opportunity became the golden ticket she almost didn’t take. In this episode, Angela opens up about the power of stepping up, the lessons learned through loss, and why true strength com...
Feb 28, 2025•56 min•Ep. 63
Andrea Vetos shares her journey from accounting graduate to leading operations for 23 car wash locations across four states. She discusses fostering workplace culture, breaking barriers for women in leadership, and embracing discomfort as a path to growth. Andrea offers actionable advice on mentorship, conflict resolution, and her golden rule for decision-making: "If it’s not a heck yes, it’s a no." Andrea shares her insights on leadership, work-life balance, and empowering others to thrive. Lea...
Jan 24, 2025•45 min•Ep. 62
Angelica Mercado-Ford shares her journey from her early childhood in Jalisco, Mexico, to her life as an educator, artist, and advocate in Sioux Falls. Raised in Nebraska as the eldest of six in an immigrant family, Angelica navigated a world where few people looked like her, which inspired her to be the representation she never had. She discusses her shift from political science to using art as a tool for advocacy, her passion for justice, and the challenges of balancing her identity between two...
Oct 25, 2024•50 min•Ep. 61
Steffanie Liston-Holtrop shares her journey from growing up on a farm in Alcester, South Dakota, to becoming an entrepreneur and publisher in Sioux Falls. Steff reflects on the work ethic she developed in her youth, her initial dreams of working in New York City, and how she ultimately fell in love with building her business in a community she values. She delves into her passion for helping clients through digital and print media, learning to pivot and grow, and the challenges of balancing mothe...
Sep 27, 2024•57 min•Ep. 60
Theresa Rose shares how clarity, enthusiasm, and divine timing converge to illuminate the path to success. Her journey began with childhood lessons from her entrepreneurial mother, a Mary Kay director, instilling in her a deep appreciation for business from a young age. Despite facing challenges like bullying in middle school, Theresa's resilience and early affinity for business metrics shaped her into a strategic thinker and problem solver. Today, Theresa embodies the belief that clarity and en...
Aug 23, 2024•56 min•Ep. 59
Melissa Hiatt shares her life and career journey, where she discovered a passion for emotional health and organizational systems. Initially pursuing a career in singing, Melissa's path shifted when she met her husband Tim, and found a new calling in supporting individuals and organizations through emotional challenges. Drawing on her background in student services and systems thinking, she emphasizes understanding organizational systems rather than trying to fix individuals alone, advocating for...
Jul 19, 2024•53 min•Ep. 58
Pat Gale shares his journey from Dubuque, Iowa, to a prominent role in the Sioux Falls Community Foundation. Influenced by his father's career in journalism and music, Pat's path took him to the University of South Dakota, where he earned a degree in mass communications and met his wife. His career began at Citibank and flourished at the Community Foundation, where he emphasizes empathy, hard work, and inclusivity. Pat discusses his nearly two-decade tenure at the Foundation, highlighting its gr...
Jun 14, 2024•43 min•Ep. 57
Jael Thorpe is an entrepreneur who's navigated challenges from her upbringing in South Dakota to founding several successful ventures. From childhood entrepreneurship to career shifts, Jael's story reflects the grit and adaptability crucial to entrepreneurship. At the heart of Jael's success is her knack for building cohesive, ego-free teams. Through ventures like Gameday Social, she's shown a willingness to take risks, even when faced with setbacks. As a mother of three, Jael seamlessly integra...
May 17, 2024•45 min•Ep. 56
Bill Linsenmeyer grew up in Monroe, MI, amidst a bustling household of eight siblings. From his formative years at a boarding and college prep school in Indiana to becoming captain of his unit, Bill shares his passion for setting goals and the transformative power of visualization. He shares insight into his most valuable lessons and how he overcame obstacles. Bill's career path is dynamic - from working with large corporations to navigating the tumultuous waters of entrepreneurship. His experie...
Apr 24, 2024•47 min•Ep. 55
Terry Liggins has defied the odds and transformed adversity into triumph. Raised as the middle child of a single mother with five siblings in the inner city of Omaha, Nebraska, Terry faced numerous challenges growing up. Yet, he draws strength from the advantage of witnessing his older siblings' experiences, steering clear of repeating their mistakes and focusing on breaking the cycle of poverty. Terry reflects on pivotal moments, such as surviving a drive-by shooting at the tender age of 6, gra...
Apr 05, 2024•57 min•Ep. 54
CEO Tricia Benn shares how her life was shaped by her upbringing on a hobby farm, instilling values of usefulness and hard work. Tricia's leadership philosophy, rooted in teamwork and resilience, stems from her farm adventures and experiences in competitive figure skating, where she learned the importance of setting goals, facing challenges, and embracing uniqueness. Her experiences extend to her parenting style, encouraging her daughters to discover their passion and make a difference. Tricia e...
Mar 22, 2024•49 min•Ep. 53
As one of four adopted siblings, all with different biological parents, Kerri Tietgen shares her journey through the lens of authenticity and self-discovery. Growing up as the only Asian American in a small community, she navigated the challenges of not physically matching her siblings and the absence of representation. Despite these hurdles, Kerri embraced her uniqueness, owning her identity with resilience and intentionality. Throughout her career in organizational development, Kerri encounter...
Mar 08, 2024•50 min•Ep. 52
Life coach Lynn Gillette shares her inspiring journey from an educator and mother to a passionate advocate for self-coaching. Discover how Lynn turned life's challenges into opportunities, and found her true calling through a transformative webinar. Lynn discusses the power of changing your inner dialogue, celebrating life, and stepping into empowerment. She shares practical strategies to overcome fear, anxiety, and negative thought patterns. Learn the secrets to trusting your inner voice, takin...
Feb 23, 2024•49 min•Ep. 51
As Owner and Operator of McDonald's franchise locations, Jordan Hartshorn shares his journey from starting in a location in Aberdeen, SD, to becoming the owner of 18 locations across the Midwest. Influenced by his dad's guidance and legacy, Jordan emphasizes the importance of family dynamics in business. He discusses the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, highlighting the value of partnerships and continuous learning. Jordan shares a unique hobby that he calls "therapy", offering time ...
Feb 09, 2024•49 min•Ep. 50
As we bid farewell to 2023 and set our sights on 2024, it's a moment of reflection and learning on today's episode of "The ART of Seeing Clearly." Join us as we revisit insightful conversations with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries who graced our podcast last year. These nuggets of wisdom are more than just stories – they're actionable insights that can shape your business and life in the upcoming year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 26, 2024•24 min•Ep. 49
Coleen Liebsch courageously shares her journey of self-discovery, unveiling the harsh reality of domestic violence she encountered as a child. Battling with feelings of inferiority and a desire to stand out, she found refuge in being average at everything, using it as a shield against the fear of failure. Coleen's accidental entry into telemarketing, driven by a fascination with numbers, opened unexpected doors and taught her valuable lessons about recognizing others, even through unconventional...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 48
How does an Italian-born Psychologist end up owning and running not one, but four successful restaurants? Riccardo shares his incredible journey, how he overcame rejection, explored and worked in a variety of medicine-related fields, and wound up in Sioux Falls, SD. He discusses his philosophy on customer service and why saying thank you every day to every single staff member matters. He shares his passion for family and why he spends his free time with his wife. Riccardo believes humility is wh...
Dec 15, 2023•54 min•Ep. 47
Tamien Dysart admits he's in love with self-learning. An avid fan of John C Maxwell, Dysart takes everything he's learned and applies it to the companies and people he mentors and coaches. His goal is to impact millions of people. Learn how Tamien has leveraged his mindset, hard work, and determination into many successful ventures and accomplished many goals to "author his own life". He explains why health is wealth and the routines he's established to help him be a ninja of his time. Learn mor...
Dec 01, 2023•44 min•Ep. 46
Erica Beck's career has been all about serving the community and its people, whether in the public or private sector. As Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Sioux Falls, Erica shares the importance of mentors, her passion and vision for the City, and how her role fulfills her. She discusses how to have the hard conversations, empowering leaders, and the silver lining of crisis situations. Erica also opens up about her own personal struggles and successes and how it has helped her move forward intent...
Nov 20, 2023•49 min•Ep. 45
Debbie Frisch is a mother, foster mom, spiritual director, volunteer, community activist, and philanthropist. Having fostered over 50 children, she took her gift and passion to the next level, founding HelloBaby, a play center oasis in one of the most economically challenged areas on Chicago's south side. Debbie shares how the plans for HelloBaby came together, why play is the work of childhood, and how we can create the childhood we want at any age. Debbie's unique set of experiences and skills...
Nov 03, 2023•44 min•Ep. 44
Mark Boundy admits, that if a recruiter looked at his resume they might barf. After dropping out of one college program, he had to "sell" his way into the program he wanted. Literally, he learned to sell by begging his way back into college. Mark then went on to work in a variety of unrelated industries and now owns his own consulting firm. Mark discusses how to look for commonalities in every role, being anti-perineurial, what value truly means to a customer and a business, and the importance o...
Oct 20, 2023•56 min•Ep. 43
Most of Tina Greenbaum's friends are retired. But she doesn't. She loves learning and wants to ensure when she gets to the end she can say, "I did it." Her leadership coaching program and methodology combine over 40 years of research and learning. From sports and energy psychology to neuroscience, spirituality, and mind/body connection, Tina uses her gifts to provide executive leaders with the tools to improve their leadership skills. Tina shares key tips to identify what scares us and where we ...
Oct 06, 2023•45 min•Ep. 42
Trisha Dohn and her team are on a mission to create JOY, health, financial, mental, and physical well-being for companies and their staff. By preventing a health crisis, companies can save on healthcare costs, and improve productivity, culture and morale, and overall quality of life. While Trisha never envisioned herself as an entrepreneur, her passion and drive changed over time and she found herself challenging the beliefs of others and herself to create a thriving enterprise dedicated to surr...
Sep 22, 2023•39 min•Ep. 41
Author, Speaker, Trainer, and CEO Melissa Johnson rejoins our podcast to discuss her second book: Lifelong Learner: Notes, Reflections, and Discoveries. She admits she's a great starter, having worked 27 jobs before the age of 40 and where she knows she doesn't always excel, what to do when there's a big "but..." in your life, why curiosity is key, why no one wears a white hat in tough situations and her views around vulnerability and transparency. She encourages others to realize they are so mu...
Sep 08, 2023•46 min•Ep. 40
Michelle Lavallee was raised with the belief she could do anything through hard work, high energy, and fearlessness. Her natural ability to connect with people led her to roles in marketing and executive leadership in a variety of industries. Michelle shares her passion for strategic planning, the most important first step of a strategy, and why it's critical to any business. She shares a surprising mentor in her life and why she believes no one is a born leader. She explains what the opposite o...
Aug 04, 2023•51 min•Ep. 39
Two South Dakota-based creatives have taken their roots and channeled them into storytelling. Whether it's a book, or movie (teaser: Napoleon Dynamite), illustrating or creating art through make-up, Sean and Rebecca share their insights into how they've taken their talents and energy into a variety of business opportunities. They share their insights into failure, success, and the passion behind their collaborative book series, Porter the Hoarder, and its impact on children and families across t...
Jul 07, 2023•54 min•Ep. 38
Sadie Swier loves helping women entrepreneurs find the answers they need to succeed. She embraces opportunities to stretch herself and others and become their best selves. She shares how she overcomes "imposter syndrome" and teaches others to do the same. Sadie shares her tips on being her best self and why balance is BS. She also explains what she believes are the best qualities of a great leader and two top pieces of advice she shares with her clients. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...
Jun 02, 2023•50 min•Ep. 37
Eric Lupton dropped out of high school to work in his family's company. Little did he know then that he'd be President of Life Saver Pool Fence by age 21. Twenty years later, Eric and team have built a successful and thriving company. Eric explains what he calls the "Montessori Style of Business", why he's not detail oriented and goes against the norm. Eric does this all from a wheelchair, having been born with cerebral palsy. He says he's "lucky enough to be born in a wheelchair" and in life an...
May 19, 2023•53 min•Ep. 36
According to world-renowned photographer Christopher Reistroffer, storytelling through imagery is a gift he's been given. And he makes the most of it. Growing up with little means, he developed a passion and appreciation for travel, culture and creativity. Chris shares his go-to tactics for business and life, including the importance of something as simple as making your bed every day. He shares why some things are better done in silence and why we're essentially all the same person with a diffe...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 35
