Nine years ago, Jennifer walked away from everything — two kids in tow, no job, no insurance, and nothing but two garbage bags.

She wasn’t supposed to make it.

But not only did she survive, she’s now leading the charge to make sure others don’t have to walk that same road. As Development Manager for Livingston County Habitat for Humanity, Jennifer doesn’t just raise money. She builds stories. She builds connection. She builds purpose. And in this episode, she brings all of that to the mic with grit, laughter, and truth that hits like a hammer. This conversation covers:

• The real face of homelessness and displacement in your own backyard
• How humor became her survival instinct — and her leadership superpower
• The healing power of service, storytelling, and shared purpose
• Why community service transforms not just homes, but people
• The brutal trap of all-or-nothing thinking and how to break it
• Why your “worst salespeople” may actually be your best
• How to stop chasing and start closing through real conversations
• The kindergarten-level secret to building lifelong champions for your brand

Whether you’re building a business, a nonprofit, a movement, or just trying to build a better life, this episode is your permission to stop playing small.

Because the only thing standing between you and your next breakthrough is the boat you're too afraid to step out of.

This isn’t about homes. It’s about hope. It’s about people. And it’s about the ripple effect of one woman showing up with heart, humor, and holy grit.

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

Robert Pierce doesn’t just clean houses.
He cleans hearts, lights up rooms, and sets fires in the souls of the people around him.

In this powerful return to Coffee & Grit, Robert joins me years after our first conversation back when I was rocking a single mic and a GoPro at Grit and Lavender. Back then, he was just launching his cleaning business.

Now? He’s letting his life be the sermon. Every room he walks into business, brotherhood, or community becomes a place where His purpose shows up.

This episode is not just about business. It is about purpose. It is about faith. It is about waking up and realizing that your life is not your own. It is a calling. We dive into:

• The moment of salvation that rewired his purpose
• Using business as a mission field to lead by example
• Launching a Caerusnet group rooted in faith and bold leadership
• Mentoring 5th graders through faith and identity
• The power of men rising up through F3, church, and authentic brotherhood
• What happens when you stop trying to be perfect and start walking in obedience

This conversation is not polished. It is raw, it is real, and it is full of fire.

If you are an entrepreneur who feels like you are made for something more
If you have been hearing the voice but hiding the light
This episode is your confirmation

You do not need another blueprint
You need faith
You need fire

And you need to start Because as Robert says
"You cannot stay on the ground. Get up. The mission is waiting."

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

Stop Settling for “Fine.” Because You Deserve to Feel Amazing...

Meet Beth Smith – Designer, Disruptor, and Founder of Beth Smith Couture

Back in January I walked into Single Barrel Social for a Howell Chamber Happy Hour and that is when spotted Beth Smith across the room.  I didn’t know who she was.  I didn’t know what she did.
But I knew she was a Difference Maker.

Nine months later, we finally made it happen and it was worth the wait. Beth is on a mission to help women feel as incredible as they are supposed to feel in the clothes they wear. Not just for weddings. Not just for galas. For every day. For walking into the boardroom, the classroom, or your damn kitchen and owning it. In this episode, we get raw about:

• Why she waited until 60 to finally chase her dream (and why she is not waiting another second)
• The real reason you hate everything in your closet and what it is actually saying about your self-worth
• How pricing, imposter syndrome, and saying "yes" shaped her business
• Why women settle for “fine” when they should be feeling fabulous
• And what happens when you build a brand that reflects exactly who you are

We talk skirts, mindset, self-image, AI, imposter syndrome, and what it feels like when the clothes you wear actually fit your soul.

Beth doesn’t just make dresses.  She redesigns your relationship with yourself. And if you are an entrepreneur sitting on a dream or a woman staring at a closet full of “meh” this episode is your sign:

Stop playing small. Start showing up. You are not here to blend in.

You are here to glow!

Website: https://www.bethsmithcouture.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethsmithcouture
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethsmithcouture/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bethsmithcouture

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

Being a engineer Glenn Nixon never imagined a career in sales.

He walked into a room full of closers fresh out of training, scared out of his mind, with no real plan and zero belief in his abilities. But he had something most people miss the drive to figure it out, the humility to keep learning, and the heart to actually care about people. 

That was 23 years ago.

Now he is the guy business owners turn to when their sales process is a mess, their confidence is shot, and nothing is clicking. He is the calm voice in the chaos. The one who sees what they don’t. The one who helps them get unstuck.

This was Glenn’s first time on a podcast. But it did not feel like a first.

From the jump, it felt like two kindred spirits sitting down to talk about the game behind the game. We talked about how aligned we are in the way we lead, sell, and build relationships all through the lens of service. We both believe in winning people, not pushing them. And in a world full of tactics, that kind of alignment is rare.

In this conversation, we dig deep into:

• The difference between a sales rep and a trusted advisor
• How to coach business owners through fear, confusion, and indecision
• What actually moves the needle in leadership, sales, and consulting
• And how to stop managing metrics and start mentoring people

This episode is for the sales leader who is burned out chasing a number

The coach who knows their people are capable of more

The business owner who feels like they are carrying it all alone

And the Difference Maker who knows there is more to give but does not know what the next move looks like.

If you are tired of surface level sales talk and ready to hear what it really takes to build trust, solve problems, and grow people, this is the one Because behind all the strategy, systems, and scripts, it is still about people

And that is something Glenn Nixon never forgot

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

Some people survive.

Some people shine.

And some people walk through the fire and become the damn fire.  That describes Sparkle Lindsay perfectly!  Because this is not just another episode. It is a reunion, a revelation, and a reminder of what happens when you stop waiting and start walking toward your calling. Sparkle returns to Coffee & Grit five years after we first connected on LinkedIn. Back then, she was barely a year into sobriety and unsure if recovery coaching would even be a real path. Now she’s built a national movement, trained over 1,300 coaches, launched multiple curriculums, and turned trauma into transformation. But it did not happen overnight. We dig into:

• The rock-bottom moments, from funerals to bounced checks, and the divine timing that followed
• Building a business while healing from addiction, grief, and self-doubt
• The shift from proving yourself to becoming yourself
• The power of doing the work inside and out
• How knowing, loving, and leading yourself first changes everything
• Why leadership is not about fixing people. It is about holding space for their rise

This episode is for the Difference Maker who is building while battling self-doubt, putting everyone else first, and waiting for a sign. Let this be it. Sparkle’s story is not polished or sugar-coated. It is honest, gritty, and exactly what most entrepreneurs need to hear. This is what building from the inside out really looks like. You are not late. You are right on time. And the time is now.

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

Let’s get one thing straight this isn’t just another story about surviving.

This is a story about choosing to rise differently with love, with grace, and with fire. Joni Woods came back into the studio just weeks before her book Burned, Blocked & Better Than Ever drops. But this conversation?

It went way beyond a book launch. Joni doesn’t just talk about resilience. She lives it.
From sleeping in her car after escaping a toxic marriage…
To raising her kids in the aftermath of generational trauma…
To surviving abuse, shame, religious judgment, betrayal, loss, and learning how to finally let go without losing herself...

This is the kind of episode that punches you in the chest, then wraps you in a hug.

We talk about:

• Why forgiveness isn’t weakness — it’s freedom
• How letting go of resentment can heal generations
• The pain of being misunderstood by the people closest to you
• Why your vulnerability is the real value of your story
• What it looks like to choose love when you’ve got every reason not to
• How to stop living on other people’s expectations — and finally be YOU

And yeah… we talk about the scars.
The ones you carry on your body.
The ones you explain to your kids.
The ones that shaped who you are. Because Joni didn’t just survive — she turned her story into a mission.

And she’s sharing it now so you don’t have to keep carrying yours alone.

This episode is for:
✅ The person who’s been told to tone it down, suck it up, or keep the peace
✅ The entrepreneur who’s stuck in relationships, routines, or roles that are killing their spirit
✅ The visionary who's been through the fire — and is ready to rise

This isn’t self-help fluff. This is a damn roadmap for how to be kind, real, and relentless in a world that keeps testing you.

Joni’s book Burned, Blocked, and Better Than Ever launches Oct. 7th. Pre-order it. Share it. Show up to her story.

Because she didn’t just write it for herself. She wrote it for all of us.

🎧 Let this episode be your reminder: you’re not broken — you’re becoming.

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

Let’s talk real...

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, inconsistent with your content, or questioning whether your marketing efforts are even working… this one’s for you.

Because I’ve been there too!

In this solo episode of Coffee & Grit, I step back into the studio—Loudmouth Studio—to catch you up on the wild journey of building something from scratch while still trying to coach, create, lead, and live.

We dive into:

• How my dream of having a content studio went from 3-year vision to reality in 3 months
• What it really looks like behind the scenes of building your brand while building your business
• Why entrepreneurs struggle with consistency—and how to fix it
• The story of a client who started sharing his truth, got vulnerable… and finally started closing
• How to stop giving your best work away for free and start charging your worth
• The hidden ROI of sharing your story—and the cost of staying silent
• Why so many visionary entrepreneurs are burning out on marketing that doesn’t move the needle

This episode isn’t polished.

It’s not scripted.

It’s not a highlight reel. It’s me, in the moment, fired up, and laying it all out so you can get clear, confident, and freaking consistent in how you show up.

If you’re a Difference Maker ready to stop playing small and start dominating your space with real, raw, authentic marketing—this is the spark you’ve been waiting for. 🎧 Let’s go.



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

Ever feel like you were lazy, unmotivated, or just... broken—because the traditional path never lit you up?

You sat in the back of the classroom, zoned out in office meetings, watching your peers climb ladders you didn’t even want to lean against...You weren’t the problem!  You were a visionary stuck in a system that couldn’t hold you.

That is exactly what fueled this impromptu recording of Coffee & Grit after a trust builder meeting at Loud Mouth Studio that went 10 layers deeper.  Listen I as I talk with a young and hungry entrepreneur Hayden Larance, founder of Amistad Digital, whom found his path while selling products he didn't love. What started as a casual off-camera conversation turned into one of the a super energizing episode for those in the grind of building a start up business. 

We dive into:

• What it's really like building a business from zero—no fluff, no filters
• Making the leap from scammy sales to soul-driven service
• Why automation and reputation matter for small business owners
• The solopreneur struggle: wearing every hat, burning out, and still showing up
• How action—not info—is the bridge between dreaming and doing
• The power of relationships and showing up human in business
• Shifting from “How do I make money?” to “How do I make a difference?”

Hayden might be young, but he’s got that beast-mode mindset. He’s documenting the journey, slaying giants, and learning in real-time—and he’s not afraid to get uncomfortable. This episode is for the entrepreneurs out there grinding in silence, wondering if they're crazy for wanting more.
For the ones chasing freedom instead of just a paycheck.

For the ones who feel stuck—but know deep down they were built for something bigger. This is your reminder to stop the "mental masterbation" and Just Do It like Nike!

🎧 Listen in and watch how the fire gets lit.

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

What’s up, everybody?! Welcome back to another episode of Coffee & Grit — and you already know I’m fired up for this one!

It’s not every day I get to jam in the new studio with a three-time guest, a true friend, and one of the biggest difference makers I know — the Godfather of Connecting People, Steven Zyskowski, founder of Caerusnet Michigan.

Steve’s was back in Michigan last week from sunny Arizona for the annual Caerusnet Breakfast — and this year, I got the honor of emceeing the event. Let’s just say, when Steve’s in town, the energy shifts. The man is a master connector, facilitator, community builder, and culture curator — and in this conversation, we go deep.

From the power of shaking the tree for opportunity (instead of waiting for apples to fall in your lap), to the reason Caerusnet isn’t for everyone — Steve gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what it truly means to build a tribe of givers and difference makers.

We unpack stories of growth, comebacks, and what it takes to stay in the game when the entrepreneurial grind gets real.

This episode is a masterclass in building community, doing business with the right people, and refusing to play small.

So if you’ve ever struggled with imposter syndrome, questioned your value, or felt like giving up — this one’s for you. You’re closer than you think. Just keep shaking the damn tree. 

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

This episode features a powerhouse Difference Maker—Rhonda Trask, founder of Hearts CRi Michigan (HCRi)—who’s rewriting the story for foster, adoptive, and kinship families across the state.

If you’ve never walked alongside a foster, adoptive, or kinship family—you probably have no idea just how isolating, exhausting, and misunderstood the journey can be. But Rhonda does. And she’s made it her mission to see these families, hear them, and empower them with real tools to heal trauma and build confidence in kids and caregivers alike.

In this powerful conversation, we talk about:
🔥 What it means to parent two different brains—trauma and neurotypical—and why the same playbook won’t cut it
🔥 The difference between being trauma-informed vs. trauma-responsive (it’s massive)
🔥 Why foster families burn out—and how the right support systems can stop the cycle
🔥 How a single moment at a dinner table lit a fire in Rhonda that became Hearts CRi
🔥 What a real win looks like for a child who’s only known survival mode
🔥 The bold new ways Rhonda’s building wraparound support, trauma-informed OT, IEP advocacy, and even dreams of a full family healing camp This isn’t a feel-good story.

It’s a call to action. Because as Rhonda says: “Not everyone is called to foster or adopt. But everyone can do something.” Whether you're a parent, an educator, or someone looking for a way to make real impact—you need to hear this story.

☕ So grab your coffee and tune in. You’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of trauma, empathy, and what it really takes to make a difference.

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