Stock and Hicksy are back in the podcast studio as Hicksy rests his fully braced leg. It couldn't have happened at a better time as they welcomed guests, Tad and Kelly Coffin.

Tad is a multiple Olympic medal winner and saddle designer, and Kelly is an aviator and painter. Tad won his first Gold Medal at the 1976 Olympics as an equestrian. Following the event, he was approached by a saddle company. Then he was tutored by local leather legend, Chuck Pinnell.

Once he started his own saddle company, Tad Coffin Performance Saddles, he saw that saddles were not designed well, especially for the horse. Thus began his long quest and eventual success in developing a high-tech saddle. Tad tells how you can see when a horse is anxious to unload a rider and when they are happy after a ride.

Kelly, a UVA grad, also talks about her twenty years as a naval aviator flying Sikorsky SH-3s in the Navy and the Reserves. She later became a trainer to pilots and other instructors. She is now a respected, professional painter.

Tad and Kelly live on a farm with their family in Ruckersville, VA.

These two were fascinating guests. It's no wonder Hicksy felt like a loser! (Stock agreed with him.)

We are happy to be back after our podcast was delayed due to Hicksy rupturing his knee during a pickleball game. We are happy to say he is recovering well.

Our guests, Jack Totty and Turner Brennan, are the owners of Antigua Threads, which also happens to be our sponsor. Jack and Turner, who live in Austin, Texas, were inspired to start Antigua Threads after getting cheap airfare to Antigua, Guatemala. Pretty soon, they were connecting to the people and culture. So much so, that they decided to start a business employing the locals. (Hicksy wears his Antigua Threads belt every day.)

Jack and Turner reveal the main goal of their business. Stock also volunteers some sage advice on how to measure business success.

You can support our sponsor by purchasing their belts, totes, and hats at their website. You can also support their business at their Kickstarter account.

"The more I open up to people, the more they open up to me," and thus begins an authentic conversation with Mike Matarazzo, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y, and then completed a three-year culinary apprenticeship at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W. VA.

Chef Mike learned the hard way about pushing his limits when he found himself passed out on the floor while completing an 8-day exam for becoming a Certified Master Chef. The experience changed his perspective on life. "I had to learn how to be honest with myself." So, he began his own coaching business for people in the hospitality industry. Mike also talks about how the term "work-life balance' is all wrong and how he is now more self-aware than he has ever been.

He tells Stock and Hicksy that he is quite happy at Farmington along with his coaching business and podcast. But he still has one big dream he wants to accomplish one day.

Since, 2014, Chef Mike has been the Executive Chef of Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Va. He also serves as the Lead Advisor to The United States Army Culinary Arts Team. You can hear his podcast and to find out more about his coaching, visit his website.

Mike, his wife, Hannah, and two children live in the Charlottesville, VA area.

Stock and Hicksy celebrate their 20th podcast (actually 21st but we just got the notification from our podcast channels!)

The podcast metrics make them both quite proud. With listeners in eleven countries and a rating of 5.0, these podcast rookies feel like the show is building an audience and they could not be more grateful.

They have learned that there is one common thread for each of their guests. But they have seen that about ten minutes into the interview, their guests get comfortable.

Most importantly, because of their success, they are going to keep the podcast going. So, this podcast episode may seem like shameless promotion (because it is), but Stock and Hicksy also know they could have done it without you, the listener, and their sponsor, Antigua Threads (www.antiguathreads.com)

Thank you and keep listening, following, and sharing!

In this 20th episode, Stock and Hicksy go very deep with their guest, David Fife. David has experienced a lot of traumas in his life. His mother died of cancer when he was ten years old. His dad traveled a lot. But none affected him as much as his son, Stewart's death in an ATV accident. It sent him on a journey that has led him to become an advocate of psychedelic drug treatments.

Though he had traveled the world and was well-respected in the private equity world, he felt like he had not achieved enough to be worthy of love. After his beloved wife, Marion wondered if he had what it takes, and his therapist in San Francisco said he needed help, David took a year off from his career and sought help at the Hoffman Institute. "It changed my life," David said.

"We all have stories, and those stories are not real. It's what we make up," David says as he goes deep into 'Shadow Work' and how treatment with psychedelic dosages helps him connect with people. David's story led Stock to tell his own story about going beyond just thinking about things but to actually feeling.

This is a fascinating and raw story about how David is changing the narrative on the use of psychedelic drugs to treat childhood trauma. Psychedelic drugs, David predicts, will one day be used in mainstream medical treatments. He quotes some startling research statistics to prove his point.

David, his wife, Marian, and his two children live in Charlottesville, Va. He is the Managing Partner at Integrated Venture Capital.

Ever since she was little, Debbie Easter loved to participate in sports. She was so good at lacrosse that she's listed in the "50 Greatest Lacrosse Players" in Virginia college sports history. UVA's Women's Basketball Coach, Debbie Ryan, was so impressed with her skills (and 6'2" height) that she recruited her to play for the program.

But her real passion was for horses and horse racing. After graduating from UVA, she went to NYC to work for the prestigious Jockey Club Registry where horses are registered for racing and breeding. She later returned to Charlottesville, VA, her hometown, to open Spring Haven Farm. Since then, she has led the way for Virginia to become a haven for horses and the horse racing industry. She describes the key to success in the industry and what makes her happier in her profession more than anything else.

Debbie Easter is president of the Virginia Equine Alliance and Executive Director of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association.

If you were to ask Clarke Murphy, renowned leadership expert, popular author, and podcaster, "What makes a great leader?" (which Stock and Hicksy did), he would say "Sustainable Leadership. These are leaders who solve complex social and economic challenges." They have a strong "LQ" and create a "followership".

Leadership isn't his only passion, though. Clarke is an experienced sail racer. He grew up sailing with his father and has passed down the love of sailing to his children. Clarke has been racing with some of his crew for over 20 years. He has competed in seven transatlantic races and has raced in the UK and the Caribbean.

Clarke's books can be found at Amazon. His podcast, Redefiners, is the third most popular business podcast in the USA.

Clarke and his wife Whitney have three grown children.

Sunny has been an artist almost her entire life. This creative outlet helped her through many difficult experiences.

Her path to being a commercial artist began at a paint store in Richmond, VA. developing a line of paints for Benjamin Moore. She learned how color affects the brain and became an expert in color construction.

However, it wasn't until her luggage was stolen with her favorite scarf that inspired her to design scarves with her artwork printed on them. The scarves are called "Wrapped in Love". She donates a portion of her scarf sales to the One Love Foundation. Her success in scarves soon led to her designing baby swaddles for hospitals around the country. (Stock said he needs to be swaddled which made for an awkward moment with Hicksy.)

This authentic conversation touches on cancer, abuse, loss, business, and serving others. It is a fast hour!

Sunny Goode's artwork can be found at www.sunnystackgoode.com. Her scarves and other items can be purchased at www.lovevolve.com. She is a divorced mother of three children and lives in Richmond, VA.

"I never believed that I would fail in whatever I do. When I put my mind to it, I want to accomplish it," said Grenada native and Charlottesville resident, Gimond Sylvester. He spent his childhood building homes in the family construction company in Grenada. Though he liked it, he wanted new opportunities. So, he got a job on a cruise ship and worked his way up to bartender. He loved his ten years on the cruise ship which was truly a lot of work. Then he met his future wife who was with her family on a cruise. He finished his job on the cruise ship and moved to Charlottesville in 2011 and got married two years later.

"I was always building something," Gimond continues. So, he started his home remodeling business, LTC Sylvester, LLC for one big reason and it has nothing to do with money. His grandmother was a crucial influence and helped him to be the sincerely positive person that he is today. Hicksy and Stock shamelessly ask for a second interview with stipulations. (According to Hicksy, Gimond also makes a massively good Manhattan.)

Gimond is married with a daughter. You can find him at Farmington Country Club or working for his home remodeling business, LTG Sylvester, LLC.

"I'm driven by shiny objects." And so begins the curious career and adventurous life of Scott Johnston. Scott opened two nightclubs and a restaurant in New York City in the 1980s. He loved the nightclubs which were a classy alternative to the Club 54 disco-type places that he hated with a passion. Then he worked on Wall Street with Salomon Brothers. After that, he started a hedge fund and was an adjunct at Yale. He also co-founded two tech startups.

However, he seemed to find his most enjoyment, and least money, with a new shiny object: writing fiction (which he says you should never do to make a living). It took an uprising at his alma mater after he spoke there to inspire him to write a satirical novel, "Campusland" (which may become a TV show in the near future). He calls the current state of private educational institutions, post-George Floyd riots, "lunacy". (He writes about it extensively in his blog, The Naked Dollar.) His recent cardiac arrest, though, made him appreciate his friends even more. (Stock was with Scott when he had the cardiac arrest which led Scott to ask Stock a very pointed question.)

Scott and his wife recently moved to Charlottesville, VA from New York City and absolutely love it and they are quite proud of their daughter and two sons.