Elliot Kallen has started businesses from scratch his entire life, and he is candid about the part nobody romanticizes: the cash crunches, the failures, the bloody nose, and the hardest loss a parent can carry.

In this conversation, Elliot makes the case that the path to anything worth building is a crooked line, that vision is what carries you past failure, and that the real goal is to fall in love with the work itself. He shares the three voices that still drive him, the mentor question he asks every day, the spray paint fortune his father walked away from, and the story of A Brighter Day, the teen mental health charity he founded after the loss of his son Jake.

Elliot is the author of the number one Amazon bestseller Driven, founder of Prosperity Financial Group, and President of A Brighter Day.

What we cover:

• Why every founder's line is crooked, not straight
• The mentor question: are you doing everything you can think of doing all the time
• Gut versus brain, and how to tell which to follow
• Vision as the thing that carries you past failure
• Falling in love with the game, not the money
• A Brighter Day, turning loss into a mission that reaches thousands of families a month
• Keeping a team aligned with a vision that keeps changing

A Brighter Day: abrighterday.info Need to talk? Text BRIGHTER to 741741. Connect with Elliot Kallen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotkallen/

Follow Conversations That Count and never miss an episode. Grab the free communication playbook at ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook.

Chapter markers (locked from the finished 38:16 master)

00:00 Cold open 00:43 Welcome and intro 01:10 Meet Elliot Kallen, author of Driven 02:00 Why every entrepreneur's line is crooked 03:30 A conversation that counted, his parents' voices 08:24 Gut vs brain, the spray paint that got away 10:34 Elliot and the Untouchables 13:04 Vision is what overpowers failure 17:44 Fall in love with the game, not the money 20:25 A Brighter Day, turning loss into legacy 30:16 Keeping your team aligned, the chariot horses 33:30 Recap and close

• (00:00) - Cold open

My disadvantage was actually my advantage. That's the line Ken Daniel used to become the youngest digital marketing manager in Stellantis history. This is the story behind it.

I sat down with Ken Daniel, Digital Marketing Manager for the Mid Atlantic region at Stellantis, to talk about mentorship, leadership, and the framework he uses to keep giving back to the community that built him. Ken is a Detroit native, Cass Tech grad, University of Michigan Ross School of Business alum, and currently sits on the board of Transforming Youths into Adults (TYIA) in Baltimore. The conversation centers on the two mentors who told him to follow his passion, the Connecticut dealer test that taught him "I don't know" is a leadership move, and the pull back to push up philosophy that drives everything he does.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why "I don't know" is the most powerful 3 word leadership move you can make in any room
• The pull back to push up mentorship philosophy, why every interaction should be mutually beneficial
• Don't chase the dollar, chase the passion, the line every young professional needs to hear

Plus the two mentor conversation that reframed Ken's entire career trajectory at 23, why the Wagoneer Preakness setup at 2am taught him about going into the weeds with your team, the Transforming Youths into Adults nonprofit model that prepares foster youth to buy their first home by 25, the six jobs in college that built the skillset Ken uses at Stellantis today, and the fail forward calculus story that turned an E grade into a career pivot.

Support Transforming Youths into Adults. The Baltimore nonprofit prepares foster youth aging out of the system to become first time homeowners by age 25. Learn more or donate at TYIA.org.

Get the free Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook

CONNECT WITH CTC:
Website: https://ctcpodcast.media
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-count/id1890348796
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J6lZ10GvK07qCv3aQxnkR
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaft
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/davidshaft

FOLLOW KEN DANIEL:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethldanieljr/

Follow Conversations That Count on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

• (00:00) - Hook

A 17 year old in Detroit was about to graduate high school. He could not read. One mentor traded boxing lessons for reading lessons. That story is the throughline of this entire episode.

I sat down with Brian Vieaux, President of MISMO, the mortgage industry's standards organization, to talk about mentorship, leadership communication, and the moments that shape who we become. Brian's career arc is leadership in motion. Thirty years in mortgage banking, a pivot into fintech as President and COO of FinLocker, and now leading the industry standards organization that makes the entire ecosystem more efficient and trusted.

In this episode you will learn:

• The Khali Sweeney Downtown Boxing Gym story, the 100 percent graduation rate model that has 1500 Detroit kids on the waiting list
• Why personal branding is communicating, the line every leader needs to internalize for sales, hiring, and visibility
• How a 30 year career in mortgage banking pivots cleanly into fintech leadership and industry standards

Plus the books before boxing reframe and why the hook matters more than the lesson, the financial education gap nobody is solving, why podcasting is a sales weapon for anyone in a relationship driven industry, and the moment David got into mortgage banking by accident and stayed by design.

A note on timing: this conversation was recorded earlier this year while Brian was at FinLocker. Brian has since taken over as President of MISMO. Catch his current work at MISMO and listen to his ongoing podcast FinTech Fridays.

Support the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit at dbgdetroit.org. They serve 160 to 180 kids a year, with 1500 on the waiting list. The conversation that counts the most this week is the one you have with your wallet.

Get the free Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook

CONNECT WITH CTC:
Website: https://ctcpodcast.media
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-count/id1890348796
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J6lZ10GvK07qCv3aQxnkR
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaft
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/davidshaft

FOLLOW BRIAN VIEAUX:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianvieaux/
MISMO: https://www.mismo.org
FinTech Fridays Podcast: search "FinTech Fridays Podcast" on YouTube and LinkedIn

Follow Conversations That Count on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

• (00:00) - Hook

Imperfect action beats inaction every time. If you've been overthinking your next conversation, your next sales call, or your next networking move, this episode is the reframe you needed.

I sat down with Jordan Knope, founder of Authentic Charm Academy, to break down the communication playbook he teaches his coaching clients. We talk tonality, internal state, congruence tests, the five step funnel that maps cleanly to sales and leadership conversations, and why the willingness to start the conversation is worth more than any tactic. Jordan's lane is dating, but every framework in this episode applies to the room you walk into Monday morning.

In this episode you will learn:

• The drop tonality trick that makes you sound like a leader in 5 seconds
• Congruence tests, what they really are, and why they're a green light not a red flag in any high stakes conversation
• The five step straight line framework, open, premise, qualify, comfort, close, that works in sales, leadership, and any conversation that matters

Plus the internal state shift that fixes nervous approach energy in any room, the abundance mindset that removes the desperate energy that costs you the room, and David's Try This Tomorrow takeaway you can run by lunch.

Try This Tomorrow: walk up and introduce yourself to five new people. Five. The internal muscle you build is the same one Jordan teaches his coaching clients, and it's the one that earns rooms.

Get the free Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook

CONNECT WITH CTC:
Website: https://ctcpodcast.media
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-count/id1890348796
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J6lZ10GvK07qCv3aQxnkR
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaft
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/davidshaft

FOLLOW JORDAN KNOPE:
Personal Instagram: https://instagram.com/jordanknope
Coaching Instagram: https://instagram.com/authentic_charm_academy
Free dating funnel PDF: DM "funnel" on Instagram
Free Instagram review: mention the podcast when you DM him

Follow Conversations That Count on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

• (00:00) - Hook

Follows the Apple and Spotify discoverability formula: hook in the first 20 words, guest credentials (in this case, Ace from the source episode), 3 keyword-rich bullets, CTA to the Playbook.

```
Promotions are policy. First calls are trust. If your team member proposed tomorrow, would they call you first?

This is the solo breakdown of 8 leadership communication frameworks I pulled from my vault interview with Ace Charafeddine, founder of Acez Academy. Ace was my first ever guest on Conversations That Count, and the conversation we had that day shaped how I lead a team of 40 today.

In this episode you will learn:

• How to audit your flow state and rebuild it through the inputs you actually control
• The First Call Test: a single leadership communication question that tells you whether your team actually trusts you
• Why the give-it-all-away principle is the fastest path to leadership growth

Plus the slot machine framework that makes professional development goals impossible to ignore, the four archetypes for making hard leadership decisions, why be whatever they need beats every fixed leadership style, one personal goal plus one professional goal as the integration that makes production stick, and the holistic operator mindset that ties it all together.

This episode is paired with my full vault interview with Ace. Listen to that one first if you want to hear the source material, or stay here for the playbook.

Try This Tomorrow: pick the framework that made you nod the hardest. Write it on five surfaces by the end of the day. Tell one person on your team. Run it for seven days. Then come find me and tell me which one you picked.

Get the free Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook

CONNECT WITH CTC:
Website: https://ctcpodcast.media
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-count/id1891772224
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J6lZ10GvK07qCv3aQxnkR
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaft
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/davidshaft

FOLLOW ACE:
Website: https://acezacademy.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-charafeddine-0787264a/
Acez Academy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AcezAcademy
Acez Academy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theacezacademy/

Follow Conversations That Count on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.
```

**Keyword density check:**
- "communication" appears 4x
- "leadership" appears 8x
- "professional" appears 1x
- "podcast" appears 1x (lower than the vault but the title hits it 1x)
- "Conversations That Count" appears 3x
- Hits the Apple Podcasts indexing targets cleanly.

• (00:00) - Hook

Most professionals spend 80 percent of their workday communicating, and almost none have a system for getting better at it. This is the leadership communication conversation that started Conversations That Count.

Ace Charafeddine is the founder of Acez Academy, owner of his own mortgage brokerage, and author of 10 Keys of Leadership. He has trained communication and sales leadership teams across the country.

In this conversation you'll learn:

- How to audit your flow state and rebuild it through inputs (sleep, food, conversations, environment)
- The communication move that earns trust before you have the right to coach
- The First Call Test: a simple leadership communication question that tells you whether your team actually trusts you

Plus the slot machine framework for making professional development goals impossible to ignore, the four archetypes for making hard leadership decisions, and the unconditional door policy that makes mentees run through walls for you.

This is the first ever episode of Conversations That Count, finally pulled from the vault. At the time of the recording Ace was at Rocket Mortgage. He has since launched Acez Academy and his own brokerage.

Try This Tomorrow: Ask yourself which of your team members would call you first if they proposed, got a job offer, or had a baby. If you can name three with confidence, you are leading. If you cannot, the gap is your next month of work.

Get the free Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook

CONNECT WITH CTC:
Website: https://ctcpodcast.media
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-count/id1891772224
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J6lZ10GvK07qCv3aQxnkR
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaft
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/davidshaft

FOLLOW ACE:
Website: https://acezacademy.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-charafeddine-0787264a/
Acez Academy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AcezAcademy
Acez Academy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theacezacademy/

Follow Conversations That Count on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

• (00:00) - Hook

Eight frameworks for being the person someone else needs you to be. This is the Thursday solo recap of my vault interview with Toson Knight, founder of Caught Up Mentoring in Detroit.

THE 8 FRAMEWORKS
1. Mentor from your gap
2. Care first, then curriculum
3. Lead with the question, not the answer
4. Boundaries are love
5. Show up even when they won't show up for themselves
6. Name the choice, keep the door open
7. Exposure is the engine
8. Be the same person everywhere

TRY THIS TOMORROW
Pick one framework and apply it to one conversation this week. Just one. Notice what happens.

Episode 58+ of Conversations That Count.

Learn more about Caught Up: https://caughtup.org
Connect with Toson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toson-knight-55b9454a
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caught__up

More CTC at https://ctcpodcast.media

• (00:00) - Cold Open

He bought one of his mentees a car. He's been a father figure to over 100 Detroit kids a year for nine years. And every time you ask him how he reaches kids that nobody else can reach, he says the same two things: build a relationship, and listen before you teach.

This is a vault episode I recorded in 2023 with Toson Knight, founder of the Caught Up Mentoring Program in Detroit. We talk about why kids without fathers gravitate toward men who actually show up, what to do when a mentee chooses the victim mindset, why boundaries matter more than rules, and the conversation that stopped a high schooler from stealing.

TRY THIS TOMORROW
Pick one young person in your circle. Listen to them this week. Not coach, not fix. Just listen long enough to know what they're carrying. That's where mentorship starts.

Episode 58+ of Conversations That Count.

Learn more about Caught Up: https://caughtup.org
Connect with Toson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toson-knight-55b9454a
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caught__up

More CTC at https://ctcpodcast.media

A financial advisor walks into a podcast and says "work is optional." That's the whole show.

This is a vault episode I recorded in 2023 with Aaron Noskey, owner of Lakeview Financial in Rochester. Three years later, every line still lands. We cover why his wealthiest clients aren't business owners but teachers and bank managers, the 85 year old client who saved over a million dollars on forty thousand a year, the compounding math that turns a thousand dollars into six hundred eighty seven thousand, and the real reason "options" is the only retirement goal that matters.

TRY THIS TOMORROW
Open one new account today. Roth IRA, Vanguard brokerage, or a high yield savings account you cannot touch. Put fifty dollars in. Starting is the win.

Episode 58+ of Conversations That Count.

More at https://ctcpodcast.media

• (00:00) - Cold Open

Free entry. Dollar parking. Engines you can feel in your chest. The Detroit Grand Prix is one of the most accessible motorsports events in the country, and this week I went down to find out what the people working it and attending it actually think.

I'm joined on location by Lexi and Jason, two first time Grand Prix workers, for a conversation about the vibes, the community, and why this weekend pulls Detroit together across every walk of life.

TRY THIS TOMORROW
If you're near the Detroit Grand Prix this weekend, come down for at least one hour. Street parking is roughly a dollar. Entry is free. Walk the paddocks. Meet someone you wouldn't otherwise meet.

Episode 58+ of Conversations That Count.

More at https://ctcpodcast.media

• (00:00) - Cold Open