Conscious Curiosity

Today on Conscious Curiosity SD, we sit down with Traci Cole—a mission-driven entrepreneur building a business that truly matters. Traci is the CEO and founder of Dignity Bath and Spa and Director of Southern California Veterans Business Outreach Center where she leads the effort to support veteran and military-connected entrepreneurs in starting or growing a business.  Tracy shows us it’s not just about ideas—it’s about digging deep to find the real problem and having the courage to solve it. Her journey began with caring for her father during Alzheimer’s, where she uncovered a powerful, often unspoken challenge: preserving dignity in caregiving.  That insight […]

Today on Conscious Curiosity SD, we sit down with Chris Thorne, CEO of the North San Diego Business Chamber—a true community builder dedicated to helping small and mid-sized business leaders thrive. Running a business can feel isolating. The pressure, the decisions, the constant need to adapt—it’s a lot. And too often, leaders try to carry it alone. This conversation is a powerful reminder: you don’t have to. Chris shares how the Chamber is creating something bigger than networking—a connected ecosystem where leaders support leaders. From meaningful relationships to real advocacy and shared resources, this is about building a community that shows up for each other. […]

On this episode of Conscious Curiosity SD, Jeff sat down with Lauren Gallagher and Lori Bolander of Gallagher, Bolander, Smedley, LLP, a firm that has been serving San Diego families for over 70 years and current clients of Jeff’s at Jailbreak Leadership. This conversation goes beyond the practice of law and into what it really looks like to lead, partner, and build something that lasts. Lauren and Lori speak candidly about the reality of partnership—it’s not always easy, and it’s constantly evolving—and what it takes to build and sustain culture as an organization grows. They share what it means to […]

Conscious Curiosity SD welcomes a special conversation featuring friends and colleagues of Jeff who are deeply involved in the Conscious Capitalism movement. In this episode, Jeff is joined by Michele Moninger of The Rooted Brand and Brian Ford of Self Improvement Daily and For Purpose Foundation. Each helping businesses, teams, and individuals lead and operate with greater purpose through their work. In this episode, they explore the four tenets of Conscious Capitalism: Higher Purpose | Stakeholder Orientation | Conscious Leadership | Conscious Culture Drawing on decades of collective experience, they share real stories of what it looks like when these […]

On this episode of Conscious Curiosity SD, Jeff and Sara explore the journey of finding meaning in work, transitioning from a corporate tech career to becoming a watercolor artist and founder of Swil Arts. They discuss the importance of slowing down to appreciate life’s small moments, the challenges of building a sustainable business, and the principles of conscious capitalism in action. Rooted in San Diego, Sara has built Swil Arts as a purpose driven, place-based business that creates art designed to foster connection, reflection, and belonging. Drawing from local landscapes and community narratives, her work reflects an intentional shift from […]

On this episode of Conscious Curiosity SD, Scott Lawn, owner of Greenway Landscape Design & Build, joins Jeff for a conversation about ethics, innovation, and building a purpose driven business. After 33 years in business and more than 20,000 residential clients across San Diego, Greenway was recently named the 2025 BBB Torch Award for Ethics winner. For Scott, the award is validation of a culture built around one core value: we do the right thing. Everything else flows from that. Empowering people to do great work. At the heart of Greenway’s work is making memories. They design outdoor spaces to […]

In this episode of Conscious Curiosity SD, Jeff sits down with Sidd Vivek, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of San Diego, to explore how collaboration across education, business, and community is shaping the future of San Diego. Together, they unpack how investing in students today creates stronger leaders, a more prepared workforce, and a more resilient region tomorrow.   The stories shared here makes one thing clear: shaping the future is a shared responsibility. By supporting organizations like Junior Achievement of San Diego, we move from intention to impact.  Sidd Vivek offers a compelling vision of a future shaped by […]

On this episode of Conscious Curiosity SD, Jeff sits down with Laurie Edwards-Tate, President and CEO of At Your Home Familycare, a 2025 BBB Torch Award for Ethics winner. Laurie brings a powerful mix of experience, heart, and uncompromising standards to a conversation about what real leadership looks like in an industry built on trust. At Your Home Familycare is an early pioneer of non-medical in-home support. Laurie built the organization from scratch with a clear mission: compassionate home care you can trust. Her guiding belief has remained constant for four decades: the higher the standard you set, the better […]

There was only one person who made sense for the 100th milestone episode of Conscious Curiosity SD: Samantha Scholl. Samantha is one of San Diego’s strongest connectors and community builders, and through her work at the Better Business Bureau, she is helping redefine what purpose driven business looks like in our region. In this episode, we dig into the three themes that keep showing up across 100 conversations with local leaders: community, collaboration and connection. Jeff & Samantha explore what real collaboration looks like when ego steps aside, how connection becomes a practice rather than a transaction, why purpose driven […]

When you combine business acumen with a heart for community, powerful things happen. In this episode of Conscious Curiosity SD, Jeff welcomes back Louie Nguyen, former Chief Investment Officer at Mission Driven Finance and now the CEO of SAY San Diego, one of the region’s largest and most impactful nonprofits. Louie shares his bold vision for transforming the nonprofit model, from dependency on grants to building self-sustaining social enterprises that generate cash flow and resilience. He discusses how SAY San Diego serves over 50,000 San Diegans each year through after-school programs, behavioral health, parenting support, and community empowerment, all while centering on a powerful core idea: joy […]