Chiseled with Rob Commodari

I had a really fun time with Ken Walls, my guest on this week's episode of Chiseled, and I'm sure you will too. The author of the No. 1 bestselling book Walls of Wisdom, and creator of "Grow Live Academy," an online program that is part Mastermind part family, Ken has one of the most positive and energetic attitudes of anyoneI've ever met.

Growing up in a "poor family" with "a lot of violence, drugs and alcohol in the house," Ken was a successful entrepreneur from a young age, having started work at 8 years old. But by the time he was 34, his successcould not keep him from hitting rock bottom.

"I had no business trying to run a business of any kind in the state of mind that I was in constantly, which was drunken at all times," he said.

When he finally surrendered, through the "grace of God" and a lot of Alcholics Anonymous meetings, Ken knew it was time to pay it forward. And so he did, setting out to help any person he could.

"If you help enough other people get what they want out of life, you will have way more than you could ever possibly imagine having in your own life," he said.

Ken has had incredible success in business, with perseverance, focus, and a little help from some of the biggest names in the fields of personal growth andsales. It's no surprise. He is energetic, positive, forceful, and so funny.  I'm certain you're going to be wound up listening to him and will leave this episode of Chiseled buzzing with motivation and ready to act.
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Want to talk to Ken? You can reach him at kenwalls.com, kensbizcard.com, or on his podcast's website, BreakthroughWalls.tv.

Will Heaven be boring? During a trip to the Grand Canyon a couple years ago, I looked out at the vastness of it all and thought, if this is Heaven, I can't wait.

One step closer to the edge and I may have found it. But I'm not ready yet. I have a lot of life left in me, plus I really don't know what I'm going to do with myself when I get there.

Apparently, I'm not the only one. Many years ago, D. Scott Smith's five-year-old son asked him a similar question. In fact, seemsthat a lot of people are wondering about the afterlife when they haven't yet figured out what to do with themselves right here on earth. Scott began pondering questions about time, space, and how we maneuver through them, and he came up with some amazing ideas about how to best live our lives in the moment.

Scott noted that age matters. At five years old, time feels like it's moving six times more slowly than it does for an older person. So, when he tells his son, it will be an hour until dinner, it's nosurprise his son starts questioning whether he is going to be bored in Heaven.

But the questions don't stop as we age.

"We're notoriously dissatisfied," he said.

On this week's episode of Chiseled, Scott offers his "octodecim" or rule of 18. In short, we live through seasons of life, which are designed for growing, learning, establishing, reaping, and benefiting, not to mention enjoying a little bonus time at the very end. But in Scott's theory, most of us aren't living the experience appropriate for their octodecim and are instead spending too much time evaluating the past or anticipating the future.

From the first minute of this week's episode of Chiseled, I'm certain you will be pleased with how you're spending yourtime. This was a fun, logical, metaphysical discussion (if such a thing is possible) and a great conversation no matter what age you are.
Want to reach Scott? You can catch up with him onhis website or follow him on YouTube, LinkedIn, or X (Twitter). Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy thisweek's Chiseled.

When Chad Kneller was in his 20s, he “was all about sex, drugs, and rock and roll.” Laser-focused on being a singer in a rock band, Kneller figured life ends at age 27, just as it did for a host of famous musicians who burned hot and diedyoung.

Through the lens of that existentialism, Chad drank too much, partied too hard, and ignored basic rules of society. Eventually, the warrants piled up and Chad found himself doing a coupletwo-week stints in jail. During one of those sojourns, he picked up a Bible and read it cover to cover. He then approached the prison minister.

“I said, ‘Hey, I got some questions,’ and he didn't know I have three hours’ worth of questions. He answered them all. Andthat was the beginning of a new life for me,” he said.

Upon his release, Chad returned to his new girlfriend and the two set upon a path of finding their future together. A marriage, two military stints, and three kids later, Chad and his wife are nowserial entrepreneurs.

Chad has also published a book called Finding Happy, which seeks to help people, especially young people, getbeyond the intensity of their emotions and gain context to get through the most difficult seasons of their lives.

“I feel like if someone would have given me a booklike that when I was in my early 20s I could have saved a whole lot of time. I wouldn't have wasted almost a decade after that.”

Finding Happy has received great reviews and Chad says he’s even been told it saved one person’s life, a true win if ever there was one.

It was a pleasure talking to Chad and I know his chiseling is going to continue to help others. If you want to reach Chad, hisemail is [email protected] or you can check him out on all his social media channels @chadkneller or on his website.

Many of you have been listening to Chiseled since I started podcasting in 2021. I love interviewing new people and hearing what they have to say. I hope you have found some useful insights from my guests on personal and professional growth.
Most of all, I hope the podcast has entertained you.

Turns out podcasting has brought me closer to an already strongband of brothers. In this week's Chiseled, I talk to four of my buddies in real estate who also have a taste for the mic and have launched their own shows.

We're not making a lot of money from these labors of love, butthe return on investment has been enormous. Not only have we found our voices, but we've learned several profound lessons.  

"Your compensation is directly impacted to how well youserve people and how many people you serve," said Louisville, Kentucky's Mike Gandolfo, who co-hosts the Horse Racing Happy Hour.

"If I can help other people win, I'm winning," saidBrad Noll, who explains how to become a great communicator.  

The five of us had several laughs discussing our adventures inpodcasting. Hopefully, the conversation will make you laugh too and perhaps even help you eliminate any hesitation that may be holding you back from pursuing a creative outlet of your own.
 
Interested in checking out my friends' podcasts? You can findthem here:

The Horse Racing Happy Hour hosted by Mike Gandolfo.
Student of the Game hostedby Brad Noll.
Inspire Campfire hosted by Scott Wurtzbacher.
The Karl Miller Show hosted by Karl Miller.

Meantime, enjoy the five guys (not the burger joint) on thisweek's episode of Chiseled.

Real estate agent Garrett Maroon has never made a cold call,hosted an open house, or bought a lead. He started in real estate in 2014 with just 40 people in his referral database and has since built a business on relationships and referrals only, doing very well selling 550 homes in under nine years.
But about seven years after starting his career, Garrett felt that he was dancing around a subject he really wanted to discuss — his faith. So the Newport News, Virginia-based agent began talking about it with other realtors and even clients, and found that connecting his faith to his work could be wildly successful.

Garrett turned his faith into a successful business model. He operates the "Faithful Agent," a real estate business and a coaching company of the same name. He hosts a podcast with his buddy Tyler Wilson, runs a large Facebook community, and last year began holding faith-based business conferences for agents. He is also publishing a book on his faithful agent strategy.

"We want to be a place ... where a Christian can say, 'I need to gettrained in my business but I want it to come from someone who has the same mentality as I do with this eternal perspective, with Christ in mind,'" he said.
 
Garrett told me that he wants to make sure that people understand he's not using his faith to try to make a buck.

"At the end of the day, for me, as a Christian, my job is to first andforemost honor the Lord."

I recorded my interview with Garrett a while back. He is afast-talker and extremely animated about his goals, which he is rapidly achieving. I firmly believe that Garrett, a husband and father of four young children, is going to have great success in his endeavors, and after you hear this week's episode of Chiseled, you will too. 
 
Interested in learning more about Garrett? You can check out his website or email him at [email protected].

#faithfulagent

#faithbasedagent

#chiseled

#Christinmind

#awareness

#Christian

If you know anything about me, you know I love words. I'm an avid reader, a public speaker, and a burgeoning author. Mybook, Better Than You Think, is a study of some of my favorite words and how they shape us and our relationships.
I am not alone in this love of language, which is why I really enjoyed my interview with Kevin Eastman for this week's episode of Chiseled.
Eastman is the former assistant coach of the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics. He is also the former assistant coach and vice president of operations for the L.A. Clippers. He has worked with the likes of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Paul Pierce, and many others.
You may know Kevin as the Amazon best-selling author of Whythe Best Are the Best: 25 Powerful Words That Impact, Inspire, and Define Champions. This was one of my favorite reads over the last year.
In this week's podcast, Kevin describes some of the words that motivate him, among them "truth" and "preparation." He offers great insight into the meaning of "humility" and "curiosity." These words are just a few of the many that champion athletes internalize and live by. They are also guideposts for us to use to live with purpose.
Kevin packs a ton of incredible insights into our fast-paced discussion. This episode is dripping with remarkable stories of how successful athletes, coaches, and others learn and succeed. It's no accident that he found so many of the people he interviewed use the same vocabulary repeatedly.
I'm blessed to have had the opportunity to interview Kevin and I really appreciate all he shared. As a professional speaker, Kevin can be booked at kevineastman.net. You can also discover moregreat bits of wisdom from Kevin on his X (Twitter) handle, @kevineastman.

#chiseled

#powerfulwords

#whythebestarethebest

#champions

#awareness

"I do not fit into a box. I'm certainly not a typical attorney."

Brandy Wilson Edwards was experiencing hardcore burnout.Working as an attorney for many years, she wondered where her passion went. She loved speaking, writing, and helping people live better lives, all activities she did as an attorney. But it wasn't fueling her own sense of fulfillment.
 
So Brandy took a "pause" to figure out what drove her happiness. She realized that she didn't have to choose between professional and personal goals. She could have it all — if she knew how to pursue it.
 
Now working as a motivational speaker, author, yoga and mindfulness instructor — and attorney, Brandy turned her passion for personal wellbeing into a mission to empower the legal community and other professionals to become zealousadvocates for themselves, not just their clients. You could say it's not even work at all for Brandy.

"I turned burnout into a blessing," she said.

In his week's episode of Chiseled, Brandy shares the difference between contentment and complacency, and gifts and skills, and shares how to "PAUSE," her five step method for setting priorities, taking action, understanding the consequences of your choices, self-care, and existing with intention to "live with more courage and less regret."

Brandy is a bundle of energy and I can see why sitting at a desk is not the greatest use of her talents. I am blessed to have met her and look forward to seeing what she does next to craft memorable messages and spread her contagious spirit.
 
Interested in hearing more from Brandy? You can take a look at her website or email her

at [email protected].

This week's episode of Chiseled is intense. If you're exploring your faith or are hard-core religious — whatever your religion — Rob Foy has some deep thoughts about having a "real" relationship with God.
Rob is a long-time friend of mine and a real estate agent in central Maryland. He grew up in an Irish Catholic household, but his family stopped attending weekly services around the time he was nine.
Flash forward 20+ years, and Rob and his brother found themselves one weekend abandoning a golf vacation in Myrtle Beach with a bunch of their buddies to check out rumors of Virgin Mary sightings in Conyers,Georgia.
It changed his life.
"So much grace was put on me at once that Ididn't know which way to go," Rob said of the experience.  
The event, which he describes in detail on this week's show, triggered a spiritual journey that has taken many ups and downs,including an incredible physical challenge that he explains in this episode. But through it all, Rob persisted, and has reached a level of faith that few of us can imagine.
This week's episode of Chiseled isn't just for the Catholics among us. It's for anyone who wants to hear another person's spiritual awakening and the incredible impacts that it has had on his life. Rob is extremely knowledgeable about his faith and discusses it in emotional and intellectual terms that you will find deeply engaging.
I promise, you're going to be intrigued by thisweek's episode of Chiseled. It may even inspire you to explore your own relationship with God. If you do, Rob's happy to discuss your journey with you. You can reach himat [email protected]. Or if you want to reach out to me, I am curious to hear what you think.

One day business and health coach Kelli Calabrese thought she had the perfect life — a successful career, a beautiful home, a 25-year marriage, and two great kids. But the next day, her husband came home and told her the marriage was over. He walked out, filed for divorce, and soon after married someone else.
It was a huge shock to Kelli, who had spent her marriage trying to be a great wife.
"It took me to my knees, it emptied me out," she said.
After three years of doing a deep dive and peeling back the layers of her trauma, Kelli emerged a new woman. 
You might have thought there were five stages of grief, but Kelli says it's more like 14. And she knows because she went through all of them and now teaches them as a divorce and mental health care coach.
Kelli explains the stages of grief concisely and powerfully in this week's episode of Chiseled. But her story isn't just one of turning lemons into lemonade. It's one of personal discovery, finding joy, and falling "madly in love" with God.
Her journey is also not the only one she's offering. Kelli is making available to Chiseled listeners an e-copy of her latest bestselling book, Success Habits of Super Achievers, which shares the stories of 80 people who had something "unreasonably difficult" happen to them and made something great out of it. Just go to her website to download a copy or email her at [email protected]. You can also find Kelli on Facebook or LinkedIn.  
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Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Chiseled.

Well, this is going to be a little awkward. Dan Faulkner, Jr. should be sending you this message since he is my guest host this week and interviewed none other than ... me. 😉
If you've been following my journey for a while, you probably know that I have dedicated my life to learning. My love for personal development began when I first read Og Mandino's classic, The Greatest Salesman in the World, while working as a penny stock broker in Boca Raton, Fl. 
After reading Salesman in one night, I went the next day to Barnes and Noble and bought all of Mandino's books. Since then, I have read more than 1,000 books, and my interest in self-help and personal growth has become a passion for helping others discover the best in themselves.  
Even after all that reading, I still had doubts about my worthiness to write my own personal growth book. Nonetheless, and despite my hesitation, I published Better Than You Think in 2020. The book focuses on 16 principles of awareness to build a more fulfilling life. With its release came a workbook, a website, and several personal appearances. 
You already know how to reach me (just reply to this email) but I would be grateful for you to visit RobCommodariauthor.com where you can learn more about Better Than You Think, order a copy for yourself or a friend, and download the accompanying workbook. 
Better Than You Think turned out to be a beginning, not an end, to my efforts to share stories of impact and growth. As I describe in this week's episode of Chiseled, I had an epiphany before starting this podcast. I do believe it's part of a larger plan. At the very least, it has been hugely rewarding and I learn something new from every guest. 
After more than two years of episodes, Chiseled has spawned a new project -- a 16-module course with stories, lessons, and exercises to help people realize that we all are a work in progress, and each of us is a work worth pursuing. I will be introducing it shortly.
Meanwhile, I have recently embarked on a related project. Next month, I will be hosting Living the Chiseled Life: An Introspective Look Inside live at Gramercy Mansion in Stevenson, Md. We will be bringing stories to life in an evening to remember. I am confident this will not be a one-night-only event.
I sincerely hope that you enjoy this week's episode of Chiseled, in which Dan asks some great questions about my getting started on this journey, stories I shared in Better Than You Think, and intense conversations between me and God.