Barbara Walker has spent decades building Hartland Insurance into something much bigger than an insurance agency.

This conversation is about what it really looks like to build a business that lasts—through hard seasons, changing times, family dynamics, growth, adversity, and the daily responsibility of taking care of people.

Barbara takes us all the way back to the early days, when building the business meant living on chicken noodle soup and macaroni and cheese, and walks through the journey of growing from a small family operation into three locations and 38 employees. But what makes this episode powerful is not the growth, it’s the heart behind it.

We talk about learning the business from her father, carrying forward the values he taught her, and why one of the most important lessons in business is simple: never judge the person walking through your door. You never know what they are carrying.

This episode also gives a real look into leadership. Not the polished social media version, the real version. The pressure of making payroll. The responsibility of leading a team. The challenge of balancing work, family, and your own well-being while others depend on you.

Barbara also shares one of the most powerful moments in her business journey—when their office building burned down. Instead of folding, the team pulled together, worked side by side out of a construction trailer, and came back stronger. It’s an incredible reminder that adversity can either divide you or deepen you.

And then there are the moments that define what true service looks like.

Like climbing through a fallen tree and into a damaged home to get an elderly client the medication she needed. Because when people are having one of the worst days of their lives, they don’t just need a policy—they need someone who cares.

In this episode, we get into:
-The real early struggles of entrepreneurship that nobody talks about
-How to build a family business without losing the family
-Why culture is created through small moments, not big speeches
-What leadership feels like when others depend on you
-How adversity can strengthen a team instead of break it
-Why service businesses succeed when they truly serve
-The importance of protecting your time and recharging your own battery

This is a conversation about community, legacy, leadership, and building something you can be proud of. If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, leader, or someone trying to build a life that means something—this one is for you.

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This is one of the most important conversations I’ve ever had on Coffee & Grit… and it’s been sitting in the vault since January 14th.

I didn’t rush this one out, because some conversations you don’t just post. You sit with them. You respect them. And when the time is right—you release them. This is that conversation.

Before anything else, this is a conversation with a dad. Robbie Parker is Emilie’s dad. Before the headlines, before the narratives, before the world decided what his story meant, he was a father sitting in a room, waiting, hoping, holding onto the only thing he had left in that moment—hope.

What unfolds in this episode is not the story you think you know. It’s what it actually felt like to live it. Because after losing his daughter Emilie in the Sandy Hook school shooting, Robbie didn’t just have to face unimaginable grief… he had to face a world that started telling a story about him before he even had the chance to process his own.

This episode is about what happens when grief gets taken from you.  When your pain becomes public, when your identity gets questioned, when people who have never met you decide who you are. And in the middle of all of it, you’re still just trying to figure out how to breathe. 

In this conversation, we get into:

• What those first moments actually felt like confusion, waiting, and not knowing what was real
• How quickly narratives were created before the truth even had a chance
• The emotional and psychological weight of having your grief questioned and attacked
• What it feels like to be seen by the world… but not actually understood
• How identity can get pulled away from you when you’re at your most vulnerable

There’s something else running through this entire conversation that you may not fully see yet, but you’ll feel it. Connection. How I got connected to Becca, how Becca connected me to Robbie, and how this conversation is now connecting to you. And a simple truth Emilie shared that carries through everything you’re about to hear:

Everything is connected.

This is Part 1 of a conversation that doesn’t stay on the surface and it only gets deeper from here.

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I hope you all love this episode as much as I do!

This is the official kick off to the Difference Maker Bootcamp series of interviews and I knew these episodes were going to go another level. After all, these are people Making A Difference, and because we go beyond the surface in bootcamp I know these Difference Makers very intimately. 

Going back to my first conversation with Brian he told me he believes everyone has an artist inside them. The only Difference between he and them is no one ever told him he couldn't. That comment stuck with me and I knew in that exact moment that he is a Difference Maker. Thank You Brian Fritz for setting the bar, quite fittingly, with this masterpiece!

On the surface, this might look like a conversation about art, birds, or murals. It’s not. This is about identity, healing, mindfulness, and what it really looks like to build a life and a business that actually means something. Brian is someone who has used art, nature, and creativity to survive hard things, to make sense of life, and to help other people experience more meaning in the spaces they live in.

At the highest level, this episode is about reclaiming soul.

Brian is pushing back against the lifeless, mass-produced, “fill the wall” version of how most people live. The safe choices. The things that look fine but don’t feel like anything. And in its place, he’s creating something more human, more intentional, and more emotionally alive. Not just putting paintings on walls, but helping people build environments that actually reflect who they are and what they care about.

Brian makes a powerful case that your home is a canvas, and whether you realize it or not every single thing in it is a choice. Every color, every object, every piece on the wall is either adding to your life or just taking up space. If you have the opportunity to surround yourself with things that make your heart sing, why would you settle for the fast food version?

What makes this conversation hit even deeper is the story behind the art. There’s a moment in this episode where Brian shares the meaning behind one of his paintings, and it stops you. It forces you to slow down, to feel, and to realize that what you’re looking at isn’t just a piece of art. It’s a lived experience, processed and expressed in a way that impacts other people.

If you’re someone who feels like you’re going through the motions… if you know there’s more depth, more meaning, more intention available in your life… this conversation is going to hit home.

In this episode, we get into:
-How Brian used art and creativity to process grief, anxiety, and real life experiences
-Why most people disconnect from their creativity and what it actually looks like to reclaim it
-The connection between mindfulness, presence, and creating a life that feels aligned
-How your environment directly impacts your energy, your mindset, and how you show up
-What it looks like to build a business rooted in purpose instead of just selling a product

This is one of those episodes that lingers with you. The kind that makes you look at your life, your space, and your choices a little differently.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coffee-grit--5708348/support.

Featuring Dennis Rozma, licensed professional counselor, crisis therapist, and a man who has spent a lifetime helping people navigate their hardest moments… and is now living one of his own.

At 80 years young Dennis is walking through life as a full time caregiver for his wife as dementia continues to take hold. And instead of shrinking, instead of retreating he is asking a different question: How do I still make a difference from here? That question is the heartbeat of this episode.

We talk about what it actually looks like to love someone through dementia. The moments that are confusing, heartbreaking, and sometimes even strangely human and beautiful. The reality of watching someone you love change, and the strength it takes to stop trying to “get them back” and instead meet them where they are.

Dennis opens up about the identity shift that comes with caregiving. Going from a life filled with purpose, clients, and relationships… to a quieter, more isolated season… and the internal pull to not lose himself in the process. That is where this gets powerful. Because he is not done. He is now stepping into a new chapter, starting a podcast to help other caregivers navigate what he is living every single day. Not from theory. Not from a textbook. But from real life… in real time.

Stories as data with soul.

In this episode, you will hear:
-What it actually feels like to care for a spouse with dementia and the moments no one prepares you for
-Why trying to hold on to who someone was will break you and what it looks like to adapt instead ----The truth about caregiver guilt and how to process it without letting it consume you
-Why taking care of yourself is not selfish… it is survival
-How a lifetime of serving others prepares you for the moments that matter most
-What it looks like to lose your old identity and choose purpose anyway
-Why it is never too late to start something new and make an impact
-The simple but powerful belief that we all have a responsibility to make a difference

If you have ever felt like your world got smaller.  Like your role changed, like life asked more from you than you were ready for. This one will hit. Because Dennis is living proof that purpose does not retire. Even in the hardest seasons of life you still have something to give.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coffee-grit--5708348/support.

Featuring Darin Ureche, 30 year top producing real estate agent who built his career without the flash, the ego, or the “look at me” energy — just consistency, trust, and doing the work the right way.

This episode hits hard for those that want to build a consistent success in sales and business development. The whole episode is filled with Data As Soul for Darrin success career. Not a good year. Not a hot streak. Decades of it.

And what is powerful is he has now turned that into something teachable. A framework that anyone in sales or business development can use if they are willing to do the work.

In this episode, you will hear stories (aka data with soul) about:
-Why consistency is built in the small things, not the big wins
-The trap of chasing deals instead of building relationships
-How trust becomes your real pipeline
-What most people avoid that top producers lean into
-Why doing it the right way eventually compounds
-How to get off the roller coaster and build something steady

If you are tired of chasing, tired of inconsistency, or tired of wondering why it has not clicked yet, this conversation is for you. Because consistency is not luck. It is built.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coffee-grit--5708348/support.

What is up everybody? Welcome back to another episode of Coffee & Grit. This one right here is a conversation about what it really looks like to build something the right way.

Listen in as I am joing by Brandon Sacker of TCI Home Services & Precision Pro Sprayers, and from the outside, you might think this episode is about insulation, mold remediation, and home services. It is.

However it is also about integrity. Ownership. Leadership. Standards. And what happens when somebody decides they are not going to cut corners, not going to play the short game, and not going to build a company that wins at the expense of people.

Brandon shares the story of going from sales into ownership, buying TCI, helping double the business, and building a team and culture where trust actually means something.

He talks about walking away from jobs that are not the right fit, creating a company where customers feel safe, where employees want to stay, and where doing right by people is not a marketing line. It is the standard. 

There is a lot in this episode that hit me. The story of watching a single mom get taken advantage of in car sales and realizing he wanted to do business differently. The way he talks about his people by name and how seriously he takes sending them into somebody’s home. The fact that he would rather lose the sale than sell something that is not truly going to help.

And one of the most powerful moments in the episode is when he talks about helping someone at cost because they could not afford the work and he knew it needed to be done. That is what this episode is really about. Not just building a business. Building one you can be proud of.

If you are an entrepreneur, a leader, a sales professional, or somebody trying to figure out how to grow without losing your heart in the process, this one is going to hit home. Because Brandon is proof that you can scale, you can grow, you can win, and you do not have to become somebody you are not to do it.

You just have to do it the right way!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coffee-grit--5708348/support.

What is up everybody? Welcome back to another episode of Coffee & Grit.

This week I’m sitting down with Steve Koch, and this conversation is going to hit a lot of you right where you live as business owners.

Because here’s the truth…

Most of us didn’t start our business because we love numbers. We started because we love what we do. We love serving people. We love building something.

But at some point… if you ignore the numbers, the business starts working against you. And that’s exactly what we get into in this episode.

Steve isn’t just a bookkeeper. What he really does is help business owners get clarity. Clarity in their numbers, clarity in their decisions, and clarity in how they move their business forward. We talk about why messy books lead to bad decisions, how time is your most valuable inventory, and why doing everything yourself might actually be holding you back.

There’s also a powerful story in here about a business sitting on over $500,000 in receivables and what happened when they finally got clear on their numbers.

This conversation goes beyond bookkeeping. It’s about ownership. It’s about focus. And it’s about building a business that actually supports your life instead of draining it.

If you’ve ever felt like the back end of your business is a little messy… or you know you’re making decisions without the full picture… This one’s going to hit home.

Alright, let’s get into it.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coffee-grit--5708348/support.

What is up everybody? Welcome back to another episode of Coffee & Grit where this week I am sitting down with Brandon Miller, founder of Inspired by Design Painting in Brighton, Michigan. This conversation gets into something every entrepreneur eventually has to face.

Are you building a job or are you building something that lasts?

Brandon’s story started pretty humbly. Picture a power washer, a ladder sticking out of the trunk of an old Malibu, and one guy grinding it out washing six houses a day while trying to figure out how to build a real business.

Fast forward to today and Brandon is building a company with a clear vision. He wants Inspired by Design to become Brighton’s painter for the next hundred years.

But this conversation goes way deeper than painting.

We talk about ownership versus victim mentality, the mindset shift that changes everything in business, why leadership starts with how you see people, and how something as simple as showing up on social media can completely change the trajectory of a company.

We also get into the idea of the Reticular Activation System and how what you focus on determines the opportunities you start to see.

At the end of the day the lesson is simple. Stop blaming. Start building!

There are some incredible stories in this episode about entrepreneurship, faith, service, and the moments where you realize the opportunities around you were there the whole time. You just had to learn how to see them.

Alright lets get into it.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coffee-grit--5708348/support.

What is up everybody? Welcome back to another episode of Coffee & Grit! This week I’m sitting down with Brenda Lindsay, founder of Mind Transformations, and we dive into something that affects way more people than we like to admit… the internal battles that keep us stuck.

Brenda shares her journey from complete paralysis around public speaking to becoming someone who now teaches mindfulness, resilience, and emotional regulation to others. And this isn’t some fluffy “woo woo” conversation about meditation. This is about what actually happens in the brain and nervous system when we’re living in fight or flight… and how mindfulness can help us retrain it.

We talk about trauma, defensive patterns, fear, and the ways our past experiences can wire us to react before we even realize what’s happening. But we also talk about the hope in that — because if those patterns were learned, they can be changed.

This conversation goes deep into breaking cycles, learning to respond instead of react, and understanding that the things we struggle with don’t mean we’re broken… they just mean we’re layered.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in your head, overwhelmed by your reactions, or like certain fears just won’t let go — this episode is going to hit home.

Connect with Brenda:
Mind Transformations – www.mindtransformationsllc.com
Find her guided meditations on the Insight Timer app.

Alright, let’s get into it.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coffee-grit--5708348/support.

What is up everybody?!?Welcome back to another episode of Coffee & Grit!

I’ve got a returning guest in the studio today my friend Desiree Martinez, fresh off writing her new book Stop Marketing and Start Belonging… and this conversation is a wake-up call for every business owner who feels like they’re doing “all the marketing things” but still not getting the traction they want.

We get into the real stuff:

-Why community still beats content
-Why the old-school “boots on the ground” approach is more powerful than ever
-How we’re entering a new era where it’s not human vs internet…it’s human + AI —
-And the people who learn to blend both are going to win. 

If you’ve been hiding behind your screen… if networking makes you nervous… or if you’re tired of chasing algorithms and want to build something that actually lasts this one’s for you.


Links mentioned in the episode:

• Desiree’s book: Stop Marketing and Start Belonging: https://2dandelionsbookshop.com/search?q=stop%20marketing%20and%20start%20belonging
• Desiree’s community: The Table-
• The Four Conversations by Blair Enns-https://2dandelionsbookshop.com/search?q=the%20four%20conversations
• Desiree’s previous Coffee & Grit episode: https://youtu.be/8QYys1mRaXM?si=eBHOrtqyfQ4Yo8so

Alright… let’s get into it.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coffee-grit--5708348/support.