Our guest this week is the head football coach, Neal Brown. Currently, he calls Morgantown, West Virginia home, but that isn’t where his journey started. After graduating from college, he was unsure of where his professional career would lead him. He accepted a grad assistant position at the University of Massachusetts, his alma matte, and knew within months that coaching was what he needed to be doing. Recent events led to a tweet by Coach Brown: Be a Light which was inspired by a song written ...
Jun 10, 2020•37 min•Ep. 38
Our guest this week, Chris Herren has been sober since August 1, 2008. He had his first drink at the age of 12 and was addicted to drugs by the age of 18. Growing up Chris’s desire to fit in lead him to the partying scene in high school which he recalls as just, “doing what all the other kids were doing” or so he thought. Surprisingly, through the drinking and the drugs, his natural athleticism and his fear of failure are what pushed him to make a career of basketball. He worked hard to made it ...
Jun 03, 2020•51 min•Ep. 37
Our guest this week is Brian Zachary Pillman, the son of the late Brian William Pillman the American Professional Wrestler. Brian faced adversity at the age of 4 with the death of his father. He was raised by his Aunt Linda and “Uncle” Mike who he gives praise to for helping to shape his life. Brian took the traditional route by completing his formal education and accepting a corporate job, but he felt he needed more. Follow Brian on Social Media: Instagram: @flyinbrian41 Twitter: @FlyinBrianJr ...
May 27, 2020•53 min•Ep. 36
First-generation college graduate, Joe Coniglio has fought his way to achieving a successful football career. After graduating from college, he wasn’t sure exactly where his career would go, but it was his desire to find his passion and purpose in life that allowed him to embrace every situation. Joe is currently the Outside Linebackers and Defensive Recruiting Coordinator at Kent State University. He believes the past and future success of his team starts with their head coach who brings a clea...
May 20, 2020•39 min•Ep. 35
Our guest this week is 25-year Austin Hatch who will undoubtedly stop you in your tracks and encourage you to be grateful for everything you have. He survived not just one plane crash, but two. Tragedy struck during both crashes ultimately resulting in every single member of his family dying. It is a true miracle that he was able to survive. He discusses the road to recovery and how he was able to persevere. While he does admit to suffering from survivors’ guilt, he chose to focus on controlling...
May 13, 2020•41 min•Ep. 34
Four-time cancer survivor, Casey O’Brien continues to beat the odds. Casey was 13 years young when he was first diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, osteosarcoma. After kicking cancers ass for the fourth time, Casey joined the University of Minnesota’s football team as a walk-on placeholder. He fulfilled his dream by holding for an extra point during their 2019 season. Casey will continue to be at risk and face additional surgeries as a result of his treatment, but he leans heavily on his faith to...
May 06, 2020•42 min•Ep. 33
This week’s guest, Jerry Schemmel is a famed broadcaster, author, cyclist and motivational speaker who has had a brilliant career. He had his underdog moment and beat the odds early in his life by surviving a plane crash. After an engine blew, his flight went down killing 112 people. Leaning on his faith in God, he was able to overcome his survivors’ guilt from that terrible day in 1989. He continued to push himself to new limits cycling 3,000 miles in seven days and 14 hours winning the two-per...
Apr 29, 2020•41 min•Ep. 32
This week’s guest is Jim Walter. Easily put, he is our Jerry McGuire. Scroll through his social media and you can see that he spends his time working hard for some pretty big names in the sports world. But he didn’t have an easy start. At a very young age, he discovered that his father was living a double life with another family. I’m sure you can imagine what that does to a teenage boy trying to figure out life. He made the conscious choice to use it as fuel and is now the President at Kaulig S...
Apr 22, 2020•50 min•Ep. 31
Our guest this week is 17-year-old, Adam Chaney. Adam is a World Junior Record Holder and top 5 national recruits. He has swum in places like Budapest and Fiji and holds several state, national, and world junior titles allowing him to become an Olympic trials qualifier. After swimming an entire summer through a broken back, the injury worsened forcing him to sit out three whole months. But that didn’t stop him. Post-injury, he went on to win two state titles and competed in the Junior Pan Pacifi...
Apr 15, 2020•42 min•Ep. 30
Jeff Piecoro is currently a sportscaster for Fox Sports Ohio. You may have seen or heard him reporting for the Cincinnati Reds for their Reds Live pre-and-post-game shows and as a dugout reporter. Jeff was told at the beginning of his football career (we won’t say how long ago, but will tell you he has aged very well) that he didn’t have the speed or the size to play in the SEC. But that didn’t stop him. He was a walk-on at the University of Kentucky. He was a redshirt his first year & conti...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 29
Our guest this week is comedian and entrepreneur, Josh Sneed. Josh worked as a Systems Analyst at Procter & Gamble before he quit his JOB (journey of the broke) and started living his dream. Being a comedian is no joke, pun intended. He worked hard to hone his craft before he finally got the courage to get up on stage. He talks to us about the impact his dad had on his career and the toll his unfortunate death had on him in 2008. He also talks with us about how COVID-19 prevented him from pe...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 28
This week’s guest not only has a powerful story but sheds some light on the pandemic that is COVID-19 & how our essential works can stay safe. For Dr. Jessica Evans, 2015 was a pivotal year. She finished her residency and was actively studying for boards. She had trouble getting pregnant, found out her husband cheated on her, and had several deaths in the family. As if that isn’t enough both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer and mom almost died from chemo. She only worked & slept...
Mar 25, 2020•43 min•Ep. 27
In this episode, Kyle and Calvin sit down with MLB legends Johnny Damon and Jason Motte at the Bluegrass World Series. Johnny Damon Born into a military family on an Army base in Kansas, Johnny learned to overcome adversity at an early age. While you know him for his 18-year career & a 2-time world series appearance, it was the stuttering issue he resolved through song that taught him that life will be tough but you have to learn how to deal. He now lives in Orlando, FL raising his 8 childre...
Mar 18, 2020•22 min•Ep. 26
“There’s always room for one more at the table.” Tony shares with us his family values and how they impacted his success. Tony Ricci is the Owner of Tony’s Steakhouse with locations in Cincinnati, Lexington, and Indianapolis. Tony illustrates his path to success and how he overcame being fired after 22 long years of dedication with the same company. His ego got smashed again a few months later when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. Tony was born in Italy and came to the US as a young child. He...
Mar 11, 2020•44 min•Ep. 25
“We should teach our children about failure early on.” Our guest this week former NFL Champion turned entrepreneur; Gary Brackett was raised by a Vietnam Veteran who taught tough love with a healthy amount of support. His story reveals several layers of adversity from almost having to leave college due to lack of resources, becoming an undrafted rookie in the NFL, then losing his brother, mother, & father within a 16-month span. We discuss how he won in football, business. & most importa...
Mar 04, 2020•49 min•Ep. 24
Our guest this week, Uriah Steffen had his left leg amputated below the knee as a result of a car/bike accident in 2012. But that’s not where his story started. In 2008 he failed out of two different colleges & was arrested for his first DUI. In 2009 he landed his dream job after completing an auto tech program in Pennsylvania but was arrested again for his second DUI. He continued to struggle with his addiction through 2012 facing homelessness, eviction & ultimately losing his job! Alth...
Feb 26, 2020•37 min•Ep. 23
You’ve all heard a field of dreams, right? Well, this week’s guest has created just that for the University of Cincinnati Men’s Baseball Team! Coach Scott Googins is the head coach for the Bearcats & heading into his third season. Coach Googins has been coaching since the early 90’s & his impressive collection of awards & accolades paves the way to his success. Most recently he led the Bearcats to their first tournament victory in more than 45 years! The new season is among us & ...
Feb 19, 2020•35 min•Ep. 22
What started as a small business founded in 1960 out of a service station has grown to 578,000 square feet of successful manufacturing, packaging, and distribution! Dick Rolfes is the patriarch and founder of Camco (name was created by combining Campbell & County, a county in Northern Kentucky) & is a healthy 79 years young. He takes us on a walk through the decades & shares with us his method to success. We conclude the episode with his predecessor & son, Richard Rolfes who reti...
Feb 12, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 21
Our guest this week has one of the most notable lines of lineage we have had on the show to date; His Grandmother’s second cousin was Rosa Parks! Born into a family rich in history and trendsetting, he did not fall short in carrying on his family name. He is an accomplished author & award-winning broadcaster of historical events like the Presidential Elections, Hurricane Sandy, and 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood & made history himself becoming the first African American CBS News Justice...
Feb 05, 2020•51 min•Ep. 20
This week we have Jeremy Ganger AKA Pitbull, not the singer, but the professional wrestler who saved 100’s of lives in the Dayton, OH shooting. Jeremy wrestled for 12 years in a Dayton based WAR Wrestling, Rockstar Pro Wrestling and Heartland Wrestling Association, but that’s probably not what you will find on a Google search today. August 4th was a tragic night for the city of Dayton, OH. Jeremy was working as a bouncer at the infamous bar, Ned Peppers on that night. He shares with us the drama...
Jan 29, 2020•45 min•Ep. 19
Judson Laipply was just your average small-town guy who loved to motivate people through his keynote speaking. He never dreamt that dancing would give him the platform to skyrocket his career. He has been a guest on shows such as Oprah, The Today Show , Good Morning America, The Ellen Show, Tosh.O & his video has even been featured several times on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. While he may have broken the internet dancing through the decades in his video Evolution of Dance , he still ...
Jan 22, 2020•50 min•Ep. 18
Chris Bergeron is the new head coach for the Miami University Hockey Team. Growing up in Canada he recalls only experiencing winter. So, naturally, hockey was part of his life at a very young age, but it wasn’t until he was in his 13th year of school, (no, he wasn’t held back – yes, Canada requires 13 years of schooling) that he fell in love with the “brotherhood” of the sport. His collegiate career at Miami left such an impact on his life that he returned not once but twice to coach; now proudl...
Jan 15, 2020•45 min•Ep. 17
Born and raised in small-town Ohio, Joel Willis thought his life would consist of your typical 9-5 corporate grind for his remaining working days. Until it didn’t. About 5 years ago he took the biggest leap of his life and started working from home to develop his love for comedy and writing. Joel is now executive editor, overseeing all non-video content for the brand The Dad which could include memes, tweets, co-branded or sponsored content, and long-form articles or essays. The Dad (& Joel)...
Jan 08, 2020•44 min•Ep. 16
Watch out Calvin, we have a new Blackmon in town this week! Mr. Gus L. Blackmon is Warner Bros. longest-tenured employee and just happens to be Calvin’s uncle! The year was 1973 and Gus made the biggest decision of his life. He left the comfort of a factory job in Dayton, OH and moved across the country to join what was then an intimate staff at Warner Bros. in California. This starstruck young man started in the mailroom and worked his way up the ranks, ultimately becoming an award-winning prod...
Dec 22, 2019•55 min•Ep. 15
“A lot of people believe where I am today, is where I have to stay.” Owner and Author, Dr. Karen Townsend sheds light on her journey and why growing up on welfare drove her to become the successful business owner and first-generation college graduate she is today. In the 5th grade, she decided she was going to go to college. As she shares in the podcast, “education gives you options,” so she counted down every year because it was her ticket to a better life. She opens up about the lowest point i...
Dec 15, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 14
Captivating, energetic, an ALL-IN story of what it takes to build a great team. Mike Bohn was the Athletic Director of the University of Cincinnati at the time of our interview and arguably built one of the best team of coaches the university has ever seen. He has since accepted a position with USC and we wish him all the success! During our interview, Mike references the Lion King and discusses how he motivates his team through his colorful stories. Want to hear some of his personal tips for in...
Dec 08, 2019•31 min•Ep. 13
Charles Michael Davis is an accomplished actor, model, producer, and director formerly known as Chuck D or C Dizzle from the 937 (Dayton, OH) now currently residing in LA. Most recently, you may have seen him on The CW’s series The Originals in a lead role. A self-taught actor, he never took an acting class but was determined to do everything he could to make it in LA. He speaks to us about his drive, his journey to 10,000 hours, and the self-motivation it took for him to be successful. Yes, lad...
Dec 01, 2019•58 min•Ep. 12
The host of The Learning Leader Show & mentor to our hosts, Ryan Hawk discusses the evolution of his career. Something most people don’t know is that Ryan was by nature a very reserved individual. Those who know him best were surprised by his decision to put himself in a high-pressure situation of the podcast spotlight. He started the podcast 5 years ago & has recorded 320+ episodes with listeners in 163 countries. He continues to passionately seek out what sustaining excellence means to...
Nov 24, 2019•51 min•Ep. 11
Lily Rice is the first European female athlete to land a backflip in a wheelchair and second in the world! Born with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), she has found that the friendliness of a skatepark has changed her life. Since her disease is progressive, she taught herself over the years how to deal as her legs became weaker ultimately resulting in her needing a wheelchair. She opens up about bullying and how she and her parents coped with the disability. She is a true inspiration and has ...
Nov 17, 2019•51 min•Ep. 10
A retired Marine Corporal, Josh Sams shares his catastrophic story of how he lost both his lower legs and the last two digits on his right hand during a tour in Afghanistan. He walks us through the moment the IED exploded sharing his initial thought, and the hardships of his recovery process. The doctors informed his loved ones he would probably never walk again, but miraculously after 3 dozen surgeries and 5 intense months in the ICU, and many more months of rehab and recovery he was able to de...
Nov 10, 2019•44 min•Ep. 9
