Grace Bruins sits down with travel specialist and neurodiversity advocate Angela Gorske to uncover how transformative experiences and educational travel can empower communities.

Angela shares her inspiring mission to “improve the world” through hands-on adventures and uniquely tailored trips, especially for those with extraordinary needs. From field trips that bring history to life to creative business funding ideas, Angela takes us behind the scenes of her brand’s soft launch and how love—passed down from her grandmother—drives everything she does.

Angela delivers heartfelt stories and practical advice on starting a mission-driven company, offering insights that entrepreneurs and changemakers won’t want to miss.

Episode Highlights:

01:16 - That's what I started off with in January when I said, okay, I'm going to start a business if I don't get a job. And that's where we're at.

03:19 - We have a trip that is getting rescheduled. It was supposed to be next Thursday, but now I'm going to a conference. So it's getting rescheduled to next month to The Dome in Milwaukee.

05:21 - Right now, I'm working on a bucket list trip for a gentleman whose Parkinson's is currently not doing bad, so.

07:29 -  So if you're feeling like you've got a raven on your back or someone who's bringing too much negativity to the table, fly higher.

Grace Bruins

LinkedIn

Angela Gorske

LinkedIn

Grace Bruins sits down with web design strategist and former event planner Kristin Adkins to uncover how asking for help—and expanding her perspective—became the defining catalyst for her entrepreneurial journey.

Kristin gets candid about transitioning from custom work to high-demand packages, building a client base by leveraging her unique industry experience, and embracing collaboration as the ultimate growth hack.

This episode is a must-listen for subject matter experts seeking practical advice on scaling their business and turning vulnerability into their superpower.

Episode Highlights:

01:38 - I'm not doing so much custom work right now. I'm doing more of a package of. This is what I know most people in my clientele need, and I'm able to offer it to them and get it to them really quick.

02:18 - I work with them to position them online to get those gigs. And why they would come to me is because I actually have eight years of experience in the event planning side of things. So I used to hire speakers, so now I use that experience and I make them websites.

05:41 - I think getting help is some of one of the hardest things to do as an entrepreneur and asking for help. And so I wish I would have done that sooner in the hiring process and helping people or helping my designs get out there and everything. So I finally have a designer that works under me, and I finally have a copywriter that works under me. And it's just, if I would have started out with that, I think I could have just really launched even more than I did.

07:44 - If we look at things from a different direction or a different different or widen our lenses a little bit, I think there's a lot of opportunities out there that maybe we're not seeing.

Grace Bruins

LinkedIn

Kristin Adkins

LinkedIn

Legendary Women In Business

Grace Bruins sits down with Money Masters founder Barbara Fausett for a candid conversation about building a legacy business, the real risks small owners overlook, and how collaboration—not competition—unlocks true growth.

Barbara shares wisdom from decades in finance and operations, revealing why a holistic approach to business advisory makes all the difference.

Episode Highlights:

02:30 - At the end of the day, if you're not bringing money home, you're not going to stay in business.

03:28 - I really wanted to take that to the small business to help them way beyond just the transactional pieces of bookkeeping, to really help them with the entire scope of their business, anything that relates to the finances.

04:26 - They're just at a point where they want more time. They know they can get more money out of the business, or maybe they have a specific goal, something that they want to achieve, and they're really looking for somebody to provide some insights that they know they're missing.

07:00 - It is not competition. There's other people that do what I do, but they might serve a different type of client or a different type of client might be interested in working with them.

Grace Bruins

LinkedIn

Barbara Fausett

LinkedIn

Grace Bruins sits down with the ever-inspiring Sara Deacon of 360° Emcee to unpack what it truly means to thrive as a small business owner. Fresh off a year of business evolution,

Sara shares her insights on building resilient networks, learning from setbacks, and finding the “smoothest pebble” to stand out—wisdom she now brings to her clients and her new book. Together, they explore the power of supportive communities, the art of emceeing legendary events, and unconventional advice every entrepreneur needs.

Sara brings candor and humor to her story, revealing why nurturing authentic relationships is game-changing for business founders and how broad experience is often more valuable than deep specialization.

Episode Highlights:

02:53 - I'm not a business owner that has found the riches in the niches. I have more of a wider range of experience than a deeper one.

03:17 - A lot of newer business owners are not necessarily ready to invest $5,000 plus in something they are not sure is going to work for them.

05:17 - Legendary Women in Business has been rebranded from her former event called Warrior Unchained. Warrior Unchained was personal to her and meaningful to her, but it didn't really translate marketing wise to what we were actually doing in that room.

06:45 - So I wish I would have known then how important networking is and how important it is to have a community around you who understands what you're doing when you're trying to build a business and understands the ups, the downs, the sideways and upside downs of it. Because it's really important to have support in all of those ways.

Grace Bruins

LinkedIn

Sara Deacon

LinkedIn

Legendary Women In Business

Grace Bruins welcomes powerhouse pitch master Precious Williams, CEO of Perfect Pitch Group, for an episode packed with energy, insight, and practical advice for entrepreneurs ready to stand out.

Broadcasting live from the Small Business Owners Community Conference, Grace and Precious dive into the art and science of pitching, the power of owning your uniqueness, and the journey of celebrating success beyond boundaries especially for women over 40.

Precious, a 13-time national pitch champion, shares the secrets behind her bold brand, her global speaking career, and the importance of building real connection over quick wins. This episode is for anyone who’s tired of playing small and ready to shake up their business narrative.

Episode Highlights:

02:38 - Being 327 pounds and walking into that tank and thinking, where did I get a load of money? And then walking out victorious, you know what I mean?

04:04 - But if you don't have a community, if you don't have people who want to work with you or want to buy from you, that's gonna be your major problem.

10:17 - But when you dream big and you mobilize your troops and your community, you can run circles around big companies.

10:49 - Why not go big or go home? Why not do the unexpected? Why not interrupt the pattern?

Grace Bruins

LinkedIn

Precious Williams

LinkedIn

Grace Bruins sits down with business growth strategist Tyler Nielsen, founder of VAST Insight Partners, to unpack the actionable strategies that mid-market manufacturers can use to make more and keep more, all without sacrificing speed for perfection. Fresh from the Small Business Owners Community Conference, Tyler shares why ditching the pursuit of perfection and embracing rapid, data-driven decisions is vital for business growth.

Tyler’s real-world experience—spanning decades in the corporate sector and now as a hands-on entrepreneur—offers a rare glimpse into going from W2 to running his own thriving consultancy. He gets real about founder challenges, the power of actionable data, and building a sustainable business that lasts.

Episode Highlights:

02:52 - I knew I needed to reset and get more engaged with the Family, create some ownership, create some guidance that I can control.

03:48 - Don't wait for perfection. It's not going to be perfect. It's not going to be exactly what you want when you want it.

04:59 - So a lot of complexity, a lot of decision making, but then simplifying what we're doing so that we know what we're deciding now, how we see that playing out and then having levers or insights to is it working or is it not working so we can get there faster?

09:17 - I think it plays into just something I've focused on personally and in the business. Part of why I'm doing it is to gain freedom and ownership of what we do and help other businesses do it in the right manner.

Grace Bruins

LinkedIn

Tyler Nielsen

LinkedIn

Grace sits down with business strategist Brad Herda for a candid look inside the challenges and triumphs of family-run businesses, leadership across generations, and blue-collar grit.

Brad shares why asking tough questions is essential for successful family transitions, the surprising strengths of Gen Z leaders, and his philosophy for authentic business growth. With hard-earned insights from Vision Forward Business Solutions and his award-winning Blue Collar BS podcast, Brad delivers fresh strategies for small business owners ready to level up.

Brad’s pragmatic yet empathetic approach brings clarity to complex transitions, leadership development, and the evolving multi-generational workforce.

Episode Highlights:

01:50 - There's a lot of usually blunt questions that need to be asked that the family tiptoes around and does things and it's like, yeah, no, we need to have that conversation and may not like it, but yet you still got to go to dinner tomorrow night at the same time and celebrate the birthday, the anniversary or whatever it might be.

03:33 - Now I got to figure out how to pay mom and dad differently so I can hire somebody to do the work that mom and dad were doing.

08:11 - Other dynamic that's happening that we have older Gen Z's that are now going to be leading much older people than themselves in these teams, which is going to create a very large different dynamic, particularly in the service world and even in the blue collar world.

Grace Bruins

LinkedIn

Brad Herda

LinkedIn

Grace sits down with Mackie Diedrichson, branding and operations manager at LC Marketing Corp, along with Rick and Beth, founders of Great Plate, to unravel the secrets behind their meteoric Walmart success and the art of bold business pivots.

Mackie shares how a surprise buyer meeting flipped their business plan upside down—turning a reusable party plate into a viral, eco-friendly disposable that hit Walmart shelves in a million-unit order.

The episode dives into sustainable innovation, the importance of staying agile, and the energizing reality of getting “bootstrappy” in a rapidly changing market.

Mackie’s first-hand retail expertise and the relentless spirit of the Great Plate founders will inspire anyone who dreams of seeing their product in major retailers, or is facing a make-or-break business crossroads.

Episode Highlights:

10:20 - I can only imagine what the inside of his brain is like trying to configure all of these various components. But I think that is entrepreneurship in and of itself—going into a meeting with a product you’re looking to sell and coming out with a completely different product that doesn’t exist with an ask. And coming from the retail side, that’s all you can ever ask for is to be a buyer’s answer.

14:49 - When one of the comments that was just made when we were at Costco, one of the new design iterations, the buyer looked at us and said, now you're sure that this doesn't exist out there? I said, no, it's brand new. Something that's out there.

38:14 - It's being open-minded, open to changes, open to the uses of it. And as Rick and Mackie were open to that meeting, so saying open to making it a disposable product. And now that we have it, we look at all of those positive things that occurred by being open-minded.

39:16 - Don't underestimate any of the type of things where you have.It's a word. You can do it, you can do it, you can do it.

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Rick Kellow and Beth Kuehl

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Mackie Dideriksen

LinkedIn

Grace Bruins sits down with Julie Hoover, Executive Director of Family Sharing of Ozaukee County, for a heartfelt look at how one nonprofit is redefining the food pantry experience and community engagement in Ozaukee County.

Julie shares powerful stories, straight from the thrift shop floor and from the heart of their client-first approach, while giving listeners a behind-the-scenes sense of what Running a modern-day resource hub looks like.

Julie and Grace talk thrifting trends, out-of-the-box partnerships, and the nuts and bolts of running a business that supports dignity and real human connection. Julie’s contagious passion shines through, from tales of taxidermied chickens to strategies for elevating volunteer impact and business partnerships.

Episode Highlights:

07:38 - That was the big aha is if we want to serve more people, we need to be going out to where the people are. So, it was 2021. We launched our Bags and Backpack Program that you mentioned for kids on the weekends when they're not in school and facing food insecurity. Senior delivery, which is groceries right to the door of seniors in low income housing. So, if they have a hard time with steps and you have the physicality of carrying groceries upstairs, we're taking care of them, and then our mobile pantry.

11:00 - A lot of times our pantry leads will connect someone who has a food need and we're taking care of that. They'll connect them with the Community Service Navigator that can help with whatever other need they have and help kind of walk alongside them through that challenge. It's amazing.

20:18 - We do our best to keep things out of landfills, but there are times you think, why didn't someone just throw this out at their house? But then there are just as many times where you think, oh, my gosh, somebody donated this. This is amazing.

24:08 - If they gave us a dollar instead of that can of green beans, that enables us to put that money toward fresh items: milk and eggs and dairy and that kind of thing.

Connect with Grace Bruins

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Connect with Julie Hoover

LinkedIn

Website

Grace sits down with glass art visionary Amy Moorefield, Executive Director of the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, for a captivating dive into the transformational power of niche focus and community in the business of arts. Amy dishes on resilience, redefining museum missions, and making art truly accessible—all while building an environment where creativity and business thrive together.

Amy brings her signature blend of industry insight and heartfelt leadership, sharing why glass—neither liquid nor solid—illuminates more than just galleries, but entire communities. It’s an episode brimming with energy, practical wisdom, and yes, a little jazz hands magic.

Episode Highlights:

18:23 - We're the largest paperweight displayer in the world, ranked in the top five glass museums, but we also have been accredited by by the American Alliance of Museums since 1974. And that also is something to be very proud of. And what that is, as I like to say, it's the FDA stamp of approval on anything we do.

19:25 - We're seeing more business support, and we're very grateful for it, partially because we spent a lot of time moving on to becoming a glass museum. That was a lot of work on a national level, international level, where the community that really supports this institution felt somewhat neglected in the business community.

21:27 - So they they can be challenged moments, but there's also a lot of getting to know each other for the institution, for us to get to know the business and for the business to get to know the museum and for museums to understand that this is a symbiotic symbiotic relationship.

34:18 - I think that people to this analogy, business people really need to pay attention to those culture shifts and not be on the end of the train on that, having to make those sometimes difficult decisions or changes that need to happen, but to be more proactive and really take it as a I like to use the word not challenge, but an opportunity to either reinvent your business or making those nudge moves, like becoming a glass museum and focusing really on community to really kinda harness that, trying to pay attention in a real focused way on when those changes are going to happen.

Connect with Grace Bruins

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Connect with Amy Moorefield

Website