🎙️ 33 CONVERSATIONS PODCAST

In this episode of 33 Conversations, Michael Abney speaks with Gary Parkinson, a fractional content strategist, copywriter, and author, about the transition from being seen as a service provider to becoming a trusted strategic partner.

Gary shares what changed when he left corporate life, built his own path during the uncertainty of 2020, and began helping clients move beyond surface-level content into clearer, more empathetic storytelling. The conversation explores imposter syndrome, client trust, pipeline building, stoicism, business uncertainty, organic content strategy, and knowing when a client relationship has run its course.

This episode is for fractional leaders, consultants, solo founders, content strategists, and service-based entrepreneurs who want to build deeper trust, own their value, and become more than the person executing tasks.

It is worth listening to if you are navigating uncertainty, trying to position yourself more strategically, or learning how to stop proving your worth and start embodying it.

In this episode of 33 Conversations, Michael Abney sits down with Nate Roy, founder of Cortex Flex and co-founder of Capsule Inc., for a conversation about neuroscience, resilience, leadership, authenticity, and what it really means to grow under pressure.

Nate shares why mindset alone is often not enough, how the nervous system shapes our response to adversity, and why leaders must learn to move between being the teacher and being the student. The conversation explores how pressure constrains the brain, how training can expand our capacity for precision under stress, and why authenticity may be one of the most important leadership skills we often overlook.

Key themes include nervous system regulation, founder resilience, athlete mindset, leadership development, neuroplasticity, emotional adversity, youth athletics, and the role of environment in personal transformation.

This episode is for founders, entrepreneurs, coaches, athletes, parents, educators, and mission-driven leaders who are trying to grow without losing themselves in the process.

It is worth listening to if you are navigating pressure, rebuilding after adversity, questioning old leadership models, or looking for a more grounded way to develop resilience beyond motivational advice.

Marc da Motta, founder of Pathfinder Content Marketing, joins Michael to discuss the quiet rebellion against the 'more is more' content machine. This conversation explores why Marc walked away from the traditional agency model to build a boutique consultancy focused on the foundational power of brand positioning and the 'narrative spine.'

Key Themes Include:

- The pivotal shift from content quantity to messaging clarity.

- What a 'narrative spine' is and how to build one for your brand.

- Why 'positioning-first' is essential in a noisy, AI-saturated world.

- Letting go of vanity metrics to focus on the deep work of your craft.

- The relationship between storytelling, authentic value, and human connection.

This episode is for founders, marketers, and entrepreneurs who feel trapped on the content treadmill and want to build a more authentic, effective, and sustainable brand narrative. If you're tired of creating content that doesn't connect and want to get to the root of what makes your business valuable, this conversation offers a clear path forward.

In this conversation, Michael sits down with brand strategist and founder Gio Petrucci to explore the delicate line between the founder and the human. Gio shares his journey of realizing his business, once built as 'proof' of his worth, was consuming his identity | and the path he's now on to separate, nurture, and reintegrate the two.

This episode is for founders, creatives, and strategists who feel the tension between who they are and what they're building. This is for anyone who has used their work as a shield or as proof, and is ready to build from a more authentic place.

Key themes include:

- The internal conflict between founder and human.

- Letting go of the need for 'security' and financial validation.

- The influence of immigrant parents on an entrepreneur's drive.

- Why human connection is the core of meaningful branding.

- Navigating founder anxiety and self-doubt.

- Building a business that is honest, not just big.

This isn't a conversation about marketing tactics. It's a vulnerable look at the inner world of a founder, touching on the universal fears and desires that drive us. It’s a permit to be more human in your work.

In this conversation, Michael sits down with executive communications strategist J.T. Compeau to explore the gap between earned authority and the feeling of uncertainty many leaders face when asked to speak. They discuss why credentials aren't enough, the delicate balance between authority and vulnerability, and the 'unnamed' shifts in our culture that are changing the way we must communicate.

Key Themes:

- The search for certainty, not just words.

- Navigating the authority vs. vulnerability equilibrium.

- The evolution of leadership communication post-2020.

- Why 'authenticity' is a misunderstood and overused concept.

- The power of being a 'witness' to someone's message.

- How to find your core message by asking 'What's this really about?'

This episode is for founders, executives, and emerging leaders who are masters of their craft but feel a sense of doubt when it comes to public speaking or shaping their message. It's for anyone who wants to communicate with more clarity, confidence, and human resonance.

If you've ever felt that your expertise gets lost in translation, or that you're not quite connecting with your audience, this conversation will provide profound clarity. J.T. Compeau offers a masterclass in the subtext of communication, revealing how the true work of finding your voice is about calibration, not just performance.

What does it mean to lead from the heart? Daniel Tataje, author and founder of a 13-location, Inc. 5000 dental group, joins Michael Abney to discuss his journey from an immigrant dentist facing endless hurdles to a CEO building a company culture rooted in service and humility. This conversation is a deep dive into his core philosophy: that every person is a unique universe, and the role of a leader is to help them flourish.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

- Seeing the universe in each person

- The 7 Marks of Leadership: a practical framework

- How personal struggles shape a leader’s empathy

- The power of saying 'I believe in you'

- Scaling a mission-driven business

- Living a life of service as the key to happiness

This episode is for founders, leaders, and entrepreneurs who are navigating the complexities of growth and want to build an organization with a strong, positive culture. It's for anyone who believes business can and should be a force for good. If you're tired of leadership advice that focuses only on metrics and strategy, this conversation offers a refreshing and actionable alternative.

In the new era of college sports, opportunities and exploitation exist in equal measure. Attorney and NFL Agent Justin Brashear joins Michael to discuss the world beyond the game | navigating the pressures of NIL and the transfer portal, why an athlete's identity cannot be tied to the uniform, and why the most important question isn't about the next contract, but what makes you happy after the stadium lights go dark.

Key themes in this conversation:

- The mental weight on student-athletes today.

- Navigating NIL and the transfer portal with a long-term vision.

- Why your identity must be separate from your performance.

- Planning for your 'second career' while still in your first.

- The role of family and character in a professional career.

- Finding fulfillment beyond the game.

This conversation is for student-athletes trying to build a future, the parents and coaches who support them, and anyone who has ever wrapped their own identity too tightly in their work. If you're curious about the human side of the massive changes in college sports, this episode provides a grounded, thoughtful perspective that moves beyond headlines about money and focuses on the person who has to live the life long after the game is over.

This is a conversation about the part of building a business that nobody talks about: the messy middle. 3x entrepreneur Corinne Cavanaugh joins Michael to discuss founder loneliness, why authenticity is the new currency, and how to hold the vision when the results haven't caught up.

Key themes include:

- Navigating the 'messy middle' of entrepreneurship.

- The post-COVID loneliness paradox.

- The shift from corporate to fractional work.

- Why authenticity is your greatest differentiator.

- Building with scale in mind.

- Holding your 'why' as an anchor through hard times.

This episode is for founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders who are currently in the thick of building their company and carrying the weight of the vision.

If you feel like you're grinding it out alone, this conversation will feel like a long exhale. It's a raw, honest reminder that the struggle is part of the process and that your presence and authenticity are more powerful than any strategy.

This episode explores the unseen side of entrepreneurship through a conversation with Claudio Vilas, a business broker and advisor working closely with founders during business exits.

Key themes include:

• The psychological pressure of being a business owner
• What founders risk that most people never see
• The emotional complexity of selling a company
• How identity shifts after major transitions
• Why legacy becomes more important over time

This episode is for founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders navigating growth, burnout, or transition.

It’s especially relevant for those considering selling their business or questioning what they’re building—and why.

In this episode, Michael sits down with Korede Oludiran, founder of Echo Oscar Inc., to explore why collaboration—not technology—is the real bottleneck inside modern organizations.

Key Themes

• The gap between talent and alignment
• Why teams struggle to work together
• The role of trust in performance
• AI adoption and human resistance
• Leadership responsibility in change

Who This Is For

• Founders building teams
• Leaders navigating AI adoption
• Anyone managing people inside systems
• Operators feeling friction inside organizations

Why It’s Worth Listening To
This conversation goes beyond strategy and tools.
It breaks down the human dynamics that determine whether anything actually works.