Jesse Laner is a husband, father, and co-owner of Northern Colorado’s thriving real estate brokerage, C3. Interestingly, Jesse never planned on getting into real estate. The profession found him during a pivotal time in his life. In 2008, while initially exploring real estate investing, Jesse realized he needed capital to achieve his goals. This led him to the selling side of real estate—a move that helped him build up his cash reserves and launched his career in the industry. In this episode, Jesse gives a refreshingly transparent take on the real estate world. He doesn’t hold back in sharing his thoughts on both the rewards and challenges of his profession. He dives into the importance of collaboration within the industry, introducing the concept of “collabo-tition,” where competitors work together to raise the overall success of everyone involved. Jesse also draws comparisons between the 2008 market crash and today’s current market conditions, explaining why today’s challenges might be even tougher due to the drastically lower number of transactions. With an emphasis on perseverance, adaptability, and teamwork, Jesse offers valuable insights for anyone navigating uncertain markets.
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In this powerhouse episode, I sit down with Gentle Art of Leadership’s first guest, and my longtime friend, former M & E Painting project manager, and now full-time pastor, speaker, and soon to be author, Rick Scadden. This conversation blends hilarious stories, raw honesty, and life-changing lessons as we unpack Rick's extraordinary journey from a four-time felon to a full-time pastor.

Whether you’re setting goals for 2025, chasing your vision, or overcoming fear, this episode delivers practical insights, relatable stories, and actionable steps to help you seize your moment and turn dreams into reality.
 
🚀 Key Takeaways from This Episode:

🔑 Leadership & Growth Journey:
• Rick’s transformation from a troubled past to leading teams at M & E Painting and stepping into full-time ministry.
• Hilarious (and chaotic) stories about tough customers (we’re looking at you, Karen) and an unforgettable team trip to Vegas.

🔑 Seizing the Moment:
• The powerful coffee shop moment when Rick audibly heard God say, “Rick, I just want you to be my son.”
• Overcoming fear to step into his calling.
• The five-step process: Vision → Decision → Commitment → Discipline → Accountability.

🔑 The Vision Blueprint:
• Why Vision must precede Decision and how clarity of purpose is essential for meaningful progress.
• How having a clear "why" makes challenging commitments easier.

🔑 The Discipline Formula:
• Rick’s formula for sustainable success: Consistency + Rest = Longevity.
• Why rest isn’t laziness but a critical tool for effective leadership.

🔑 Passion Over Smarts:
• How passion and consistency outperform raw talent and intelligence every time.
• Why showing up with energy and purpose creates lasting impact.

🔑 Finding Your Voice as a Speaker:
• Rick’s journey to discovering his unique voice as a speaker.
• Why public speaking is about serving the audience, not just performing for them.

🔑 Accountability is Everything:
• The importance of having mentors and accountability partners to keep you on track.
• How the right support network can push you past fear and doubt.
 
This episode isn’t just about Rick’s transformation—it’s a step-by-step guide to achieving your goals, conquering fear, and living with purpose. Whether you're an entrepreneur, leader, pastor, or someone standing at a crossroads, Rick’s story will inspire you to stop waiting, start doing, and seize your moment in 2025.

👉 If you’re ready to laugh, learn, and take bold action—hit play, like, comment, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who needs to seize their moment!
-------------------------------------------
** Referenced Items in the Podcast
Check Out Eryn Lynum's Gentle Art of Leadership podcast episode, where we discuss

-----------------------------
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Become an Award Winning Company: 7 Steps to Win Business Awards
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Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling
https://a.co/d/0kcaC5a

JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength
https://a.co/d/aB1gJbm
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This week, Rocky Romano joins us on the Gentle Art of Leadership Podcast. He gets real, raw, and unfiltered about his life’s traumas and wounds that led him to a deep and ugly heroin addiction. Rocky dives deep into the emotional wounds, abandonment issues, and patterns of self-sabotage that quietly derail men’s lives.

From chasing success to numbing pain with quick fixes, Rocky doesn’t hold back as he shares his personal story, including a life-changing moment checking into rehab in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. But his story isn’t just about hitting rock bottom—it’s about the breakthrough that came when he shifted his mindset from self-focused to serving others, and ultimately found his faith in Jesus.

These passions led Rocky to help launch the ARK Sober Living Facility in Loveland, Colorado. The Ark focuses on Christ centered sober living, equipping men with faith, fellowship and life skills to STAY sober for a lifetime. At ARK, men are not only given tools for recovery, but hope, purpose, and a path back to who they were created to be.

As we discuss these topics, Rocky shares excerpts from his book: Rock Bottom: The Heroin Addict Next Door.

This podcast isn’t just Rocky’s story—it’s a guidebook for any man (or anyone who loves one) searching for healing, purpose, and a life that truly matters.

Expect raw conversations, real-world tools, and a reminder that no matter how broken the road, redemption is always possible.

Tune in, lean in, and get ready for the kind of honesty that leads to transformation—one story, one step, one breakthrough at a time.

---------------------------------------
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Read Rocky's book Rock Bottom: The Heroin Addict Next Door
https://a.co/d/85ghBEl
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JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength 
https://a.co/d/aB1gJbm
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Become an Award Winning Company: 7 Steps to Win Business Awards
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Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling
https://a.co/d/0kcaC5a

JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength
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John Simmons is a husband, father, and entrepreneur . Straight out of high school, John enrolled in the army, where he developed a strong foundation of structure and resilience. Transitioning to civilian life, he worked in restaurants and experienced firsthand the dramatic shift between military service and the business world. John shares key lessons from his time in the military and how they’ve shaped his leadership philosophy today. He emphasizes the importance of taking care of your employees, even if they move on to other opportunities or start competing businesses, and explains how cleansing your company culture can boost production and morale for the rest of the team. 
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Become an Award Winning Company: 7 Steps to Win Business Awards
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Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling
https://a.co/d/0kcaC5a

JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength
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Nate Shields is a husband, father, investor, and entrepreneur. Eight months after obtaining his real estate license, Nate boldly quit his traditional job, embarking on a journey of self-employment. Now, he shares invaluable advice for aspiring real estate agents, emphasizing the importance of a robust CRM system and the potential benefits of joining a team for early-career support. He candidly discusses the inevitable "valley of despair" that often accompanies success, encouraging viewers to persevere through challenges and emerge stronger on the other side.
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---------------------------------------
Become an Award Winning Company: 7 Steps to Win Business Awards
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Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling
https://a.co/d/0kcaC5a

JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength
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Terri is a wife, entrepreneur, and dedicated caregiver with a heartfelt passion for taking care of others. Her journey began in adult respite and home care, where she discovered her calling to provide compassionate, consistent care for her patients. Terri shares her story of overcoming the fear of starting her own business and emphasizes the importance of trusting the process and being patient. She dives into her meticulous process for hiring and vetting employees, ensuring only the best caregivers join her team. Terri also offers valuable advice on how to choose a reliable home care company for your loved one. Her inspiring story is a testament to the power of perseverance, compassion, and following your passion to make a difference.
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-----------------------------
Thinking of writing a book. Check out Scribe Media
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---------------------------------------
Become an Award Winning Company: 7 Steps to Win Business Awards
https://a.co/d/b0ibNFQ

Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling
https://a.co/d/0kcaC5a

JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength
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Sandy Wagget is an author, wife, and entrepreneur with an incredible journey that spans Las Vegas to Colorado and beyond. After earning a math degree and becoming a teacher, she pursued her master’s degree, met her husband, and began her first venture—building websites for wedding professionals. Over time, she pivoted from websites to running a full-service marketing agency. In this episode, Sandy shares her insights on why you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, the importance of accessibility features like alt text on websites, and how she took over a major event, Summit, to further her impact. Sandy also opens up about her personal journey of self-empowerment, the challenges of navigating a difficult relationship with her mother, and how taking control of her situation transformed her life. Her story is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the power of believing in yourself.

----------------------------------------
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----------------------------------------
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---------------------------------------
Become an Award Winning Company: 7 Steps to Win Business Awards
https://a.co/d/b0ibNFQ

Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling
https://a.co/d/0kcaC5a

JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength
https://a.co/d/aB1gJbm
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Desiree is a mother, entrepreneur, and the owner of Better Days, a thriving residential cleaning service. Her journey is one of resilience and transformation, overcoming homelessness and alcoholism to build a life of purpose and success. Desiree shares how dissatisfaction with her job led her to start cleaning homes; and opens up about the challenges of balancing personal relationships while dedicating herself to her business and maintaining a positive team environment. She also discusses how focusing on truly understanding and caring for clients’ needs has been key to her success. Desiree is on a mission to empower others by sharing her story and spreading a message of hope!

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Thinking of writing a book. Check out Scribe Media
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Become an Award Winning Company: 7 Steps to Win Business Awards
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Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling
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JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength
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Kelly Fitzpatrick is an entrepreneur, veteran, and advocate for mental health. Growing up, Kelly faced unique challenges and often felt different from her parents and siblings, with these struggles intensifying after her mother was put in a medically induced coma. A year after high school, she joined the Navy, and despite various challenges, she rose through the ranks to become part of the air crew. After her Navy service, Kelly transitioned to a role in the CIA, ultimately developing a passion for supporting veterans with PTSD and mental health issues. Join us As Kelly shares her amazing experiences, and some incredibly difficult experiences, and shares the tremendous lessons she learned through both.
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-----------------------------
Thinking of writing a book. Check out Scribe Media
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Become an Award Winning Company: 7 Steps to Win Business Awards
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Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling
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JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength
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Braun Mincher, a husband, father, and serial entrepreneur, has been building businesses from the age of 5! From a lemonade stand to founding a snack placement company at age 16, Braun's journey reveals an early passion for sales and entrepreneurship. Those experiences gave him invaluable sales skills that he used to launch and grow not one, but three successful telecom companies. In this episode, Braun shares key lessons in follow-up and customer service, emphasizing how business owners can make it easy for customers to work with them. He discusses the underrated power of a physical business card, insights into selling, and how aviation helped him scale his telecom ventures. Braun also dives into the challenges and heavy regulations he encountered in private lending, along with actionable advice for entrepreneurs looking to grow and sell their businesses. 
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------------------------------------------------------------------

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Thinking of writing a book. Check out Scribe Media
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---------------------------------------
Become an Award Winning Company: 7 Steps to Win Business Awards
https://a.co/d/b0ibNFQ

Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling
https://a.co/d/0kcaC5a

JJ Learns Jiu Jitsu: A Bullied Boy Discovers His Inner Voice and Strength
https://a.co/d/aB1gJbm
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