Houston Hustle Podcast

What if the problem was never your feet… but the shoes themselves?

In this episode of Houston Hustle, Dr. Paige Ward and Dr. Charlie Ward sit down with neuroscientist turned entrepreneur Dr. Steffie Tompson, founder of Steffies Shoes, to unpack the story behind a revolutionary footwear brand changing the way women experience heels.

After years of walking Baylor College of Medicine’s massive campus in painful heels, Dr. Steff realized women everywhere were silently accepting discomfort as normal. Instead of settling, she took a bandsaw to a pair of heels in a prosthetics lab, exposed the steel and rigid plastic hidden inside, and asked a game-changing question: Why are women’s shoes designed this way in the first place?

What followed was the creation of a footwear company built on neuroscience, biomechanics, and innovation — blending beauty with true comfort.

This episode dives deep into: • The hidden cognitive toll of discomfort and “micro stressors” • Entrepreneurship after academia • Learning marketing and e-commerce from scratch • The reality of building a startup as a mom • Why modern business owners must constantly adapt • The journey to getting Steffie's Shoes into Nordstrom • Designing products that genuinely improve people’s lives

It’s an inspiring conversation about innovation, resilience, and solving problems the world has normalized for far too long.

If you’re an entrepreneur, creator, founder, or someone chasing a vision nobody else fully understands yet — this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now to hear how one Houston entrepreneur is disrupting an entire industry… one step at a time.

Find Dr Steff at: https://steffies.us/

https://www.instagram.com/shopsteffies/

Host contact: https://www.championforestchiro.com/

This week on Houston Hustle, Dr. Paige Ward and Dr. Charlie Ward sit down with Feldman and Lee Trial Attorneys founder David Feldman for a raw and honest conversation about entrepreneurship, resilience, and the reality behind personal injury law.

David shares how he went from working in high-profile family law cases to building a personal injury firm from a spare bedroom with little more than a vision, peanut butter sandwiches, and relentless work ethic. From surviving the uncertainty of COVID shutdowns to navigating hiring nightmares, crazy courtroom stories, and battles with insurance companies, this episode dives deep into what it truly takes to build a business from the ground up.

The conversation also explores leadership, company culture, social media authenticity, expansion into new Texas markets, and why David refuses to become another “billboard lawyer.” Along the way, he shares unforgettable stories from his legal career that sound straight out of a movie.

If you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, or someone chasing a vision through the chaos, this episode is packed with real lessons, real hustle, and real Houston energy.

Find Feldman and Lee at: https://www.personalinjuryhouston.com/

https://www.instagram.com/personalinjuryhouston/

or call : 713-962-8974

Host contact: https://www.championforestchiro.com/

What is your business actually worth—and are you leaving money on the table?

In this episode of Houston Hustle, Dr. Paige and Dr. Charlie sit down with Dan Altom of Sunbelt Business Brokers to break down the reality of buying and selling businesses. From valuations and exit strategies to the emotional side of letting go, Dan shares what most business owners don’t think about until it’s too late.

With over two decades of entrepreneurial experience and leading one of the largest small business brokerage teams in Houston, Dan gives a behind-the-scenes look at how deals actually happen—and why they take longer (and get messier) than most people expect.

You’ll learn:Why most business owners don’t have an exit planThe biggest mistakes people make when selling their businessHow to maximize value before going to marketWhat buyers are really looking forWhy cash at closing matters more than you think

The mindset required to navigate long, unpredictable deal cycles

Whether you’re building, scaling, or thinking about stepping away, this episode will challenge how you think about your business—and your future.

This is real hustle. Real strategy. Real Houston.

Find Dan at : ⁠facebook.com/SunbeltTexas⁠⁠twitter.com/SunbeltTexas⁠

⁠https://www.youtube.com/@sunbelttexas⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunbelt-texas-business-sales-&-business-brokers⁠

Host Website: https://www.championforestchiro.com/

In this episode of Houston Hustle, we sit down with Josh and Sergio, the founders behind OdderTech—a fast-growing IT company taking a boots-on-the-ground approach to building something real in Houston.

From knocking on doors and getting kicked out of office buildings… to solving complex cybersecurity issues and building custom anime PCs that go viral online—this is entrepreneurship in its rawest form.

We dive into: • What it really takes to start and grow an IT business from scratch • The uncomfortable reality of cold outreach and how it built their brand • Why small businesses are overlooked—and how they turned that into an advantage • The truth about AI, cybersecurity threats, and what every business owner needs to know • Wild client stories (yes… including viruses you don’t want to explain 😅)

This episode is a reminder that success isn’t polished—it’s built through rejection, persistence, and showing up when it’s uncomfortable.

If you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, or just someone trying to figure it out as you go… this one’s for you.

Real hustle. Real stories. Real Houston.

Find Odder Tech at: https://www.oddertechs.com/

https://www.instagram.com/oddertech/

Host website: https://www.championforestchiro.com/

On this episode of the Houston Hustle, we sit down with Robert and Christine Prohl, the owners of Odin's Place previously known as Dragon’s Lair Comics and Fantasy, one of the most unique and community-driven businesses in Houston.

What started as a long-time dream turned into something much bigger than a comic and game store. Dragon’s Lair has become a place where people from all walks of life come together to connect, compete, and belong.

But this story is not just about building a business.

Robert opens up about his past, including a major life mistake that changed everything and forced him to rebuild from the ground up. What followed was a bold decision to bet everything on a dream, using a small inheritance to launch a business in an industry they had no prior experience in.

From learning retail on the fly, to surviving COVID, to completely reinventing their business model, to building a full-scale tabletop tavern inside their store, Robert and Christine share what it really takes to create something meaningful.

You will hear how they built a loyal community, why they believe in saying yes before you feel ready, and how they continue to evolve, expand, and push forward even when the path is unclear.

This episode is about resilience, second chances, and the power of creating a space where people feel like they belong.

If you are building something, rebuilding something, or dreaming about starting something, this conversation will challenge and inspire you.

Find Odin's Place at: https://www.odinsplace.com/

Host contact: https://www.championforestchiro.com/

On this episode of the Houston Hustle, we take the podcast out of the studio and onto the field as we spend time with Coach D (Deusdedit Caguana) and the team behind Only Goalkeeper.

From live training sessions to conversations with coaches, players, and parents, this episode gives you a real look at what it takes to train one of the most demanding positions in sports.

Coach D shares his journey from playing professional soccer in Venezuela to building a rapidly growing goalkeeping community here in Houston. His mission goes far beyond developing athletes. He is focused on building confidence, discipline, and strong character both on and off the field.

You will hear firsthand from players about how their skills and confidence have grown, from coaches about the intensity and standards that set this program apart, and from parents about the impact Only Goalkeeper has had on their kids.

This episode is about more than soccer. It is about leadership, mentorship, and creating a community that pushes the next generation to be better.

If you are a parent, athlete, or entrepreneur, this is a conversation you will not want to miss.

Find Coach D at: https://www.onlygoalkeeper.com/

https://www.instagram.com/onlygktraining1/

Hosts contact: https://www.championforestchiro.com/

What happens when you combine obsession-level passion, high-stakes risk, and an uncompromising standard for quality? You get Brent Villareal.

In this episode of Houston Hustle, Dr. Paige and Dr. Charlie Ward sit down with the mastermind behind Near Mint Plus—a disruptor in the comic world who turned a lifelong passion into one of the largest premium comic retail brands online.

Brent shares his unconventional journey from building custom forged wheels for some of the fastest hypercars on the planet, to pioneering exclusive, high-end comic drops with Marvel artists. We dive into how he scaled rapidly, took massive financial risks, and built a reputation rooted in one thing: quality over everything.

But this isn’t just about comics.

This is a raw conversation about:

• Betting on yourself when no one understands your vision
• Turning passion into profit without losing integrity
• Handling criticism, competition, and controversy at scale
• The reality of entrepreneurship behind the highlight reel
• Why accountability—not perfection—is the real key to trust

Brent also opens up about personal challenges, including navigating chronic health conditions while running a business solo—and what it really means to build something worth passing on.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, collector, or creative chasing your next move, this episode will challenge how you think about value, vision, and what it takes to truly stand out.

🎯 If you want to build something premium, this is the blueprint.

Find Brent at: https://www.scottwilliamsinks.com

https://www.instagram.com/nearmintplus_/

Host contact: https://www.championforestchiro.com

In this episode of Houston Hustle, Dr. Paige and Dr. Charlie Ward sit down with Dr. Rachel Moore DPT, founder of Disrupt Physical Therapy, who is now leading an exciting rebrand to Onward Houston.

Rachel shares the raw story behind building her practice from a table in the corner of a CrossFit gym to a growing multi-clinic vision across Houston. Along the way, she opens up about the realities of corporate healthcare, the frustrations with insurance-driven care models, and why she set out to disrupt the traditional physical therapy system.

We dive into:

• Why she left a corporate clinic after turning around a failing practice

• How COVID unexpectedly launched her business (including treating patients in her driveway) • The importance of pelvic floor health for athletes, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause

• The mindset shift required to become a successful healthcare entrepreneur

• Why she’s rebranding to Onward Houston and what that means for the future of PT in Houston

• Her ambitious plan to open four clinics in four years

If you're an entrepreneur, healthcare provider, athlete, or someone passionate about building a better model of care, this episode is packed with insight, honesty, and inspiration.

🎧 Listen in and hear how Rachel is redefining what physical therapy can look like.

Find Dr Rachel at: https://www.disruptphysio.com/

https://www.instagram.com/onwardhouston/

Host contact: https://www.championforestchiro.com

In this episode of the Houston Hustle, Dr. Paige Ward and Dr. Charlie Ward sit down with Jason Hassenstab of Elevated Development to explore the world of land development and what it takes to build thriving communities in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.

Jason shares how growing up in a family construction business shaped his work ethic and entrepreneurial mindset. After more than a decade working in infrastructure projects across California and Hawaii, he made the bold decision to move to Texas and start building something of his own.

The conversation dives into the realities of land development, including how projects can take years before a single home is built, the importance of infrastructure and utilities, and the long-term planning required to scale a business in this industry. Jason also discusses the strategy behind Elevated Development’s goal of delivering 1,000 residential lots per year by 2034, while expanding into commercial projects like office condos, daycares, and co-living spaces.

Along the way, he reflects on lessons learned from entrepreneurship, the importance of mentorship and investor communities, and how maintaining strong systems and partnerships allows a small team to operate efficiently at a large scale.

If you are interested in real estate development, entrepreneurship, or the growth of Houston and Texas, this episode offers a fascinating look behind the scenes at how land becomes neighborhoods.

Find Jason at : https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevated-development/

https://www.facebook.com/elevateddevelopment.co

https://x.com/ElevatedDe71714

https://www.youtube.com/@ElevatedDevelopment-b9e

https://www.tiktok.com/@elevated_development

Host Contact: https://www.championforestchiro.com

In this episode of Houston Hustle, we sit down with Christien Palumbo, founder of Grain Offering Pasta Co., to talk organic ingredients, bold vision, and the power of believing bigger.

From working in restaurant kitchens in Rhode Island to launching a one-man pizza operation at Montgomery Farmers Market, Christien shares how he turned his love of food into a fast-growing Houston brand built on quality, connection, and conviction.

But this conversation goes far beyond flour and focaccia.

We dive into: • Why he only uses third-party tested, glyphosate-free Italian flour • The difference between a poverty mindset and a prosperity mindset • Faith, manifestation, and quantum leaps in business • The discipline of training your mind like a muscle • Scaling from solo hustle to food truck to brick-and-mortar vision • Why loving your customers is the ultimate marketing strategy

If you have ever battled doubt while building something from scratch… If you have ever wondered whether success and faith can coexist… If you are chasing a dream that feels bigger than your current reality…

This episode is for you.

Real hustle. Real mindset. Real Houston.

Follow Christien at https://www.instagram.com/grainofferingpastaco/

and catch him at Montgomery Farmers Market and beyond.

And if you are building your own dream, subscribe, leave a review, and keep hustling.

Host contact: https://www.championforestchiro.com/