I Am Wiser Podcast with Dr. Laura Purdy

In this episode, I sit down with Riley James, sports journalist, storyteller, entrepreneur, and host of If Anyone Cares, to talk about the lessons that come from growing up, making mistakes, finding your value, and figuring out what success actually means.

Riley reflects on his career, the opportunities he had at a very young age, and the arrogance and mistakes that came with being given more responsibility than he was prepared for.

But the deeper lesson isn't about journalism.

It's about learning to give yourself grace for the person you were before you knew what you know now.

In this episode, I sit down with Sharon Fekete, founder of The Doctor Whisperer, author, keynote speaker, and mental health advocate, to talk about one of the most overlooked responsibilities of leadership: creating workplaces where people feel safe enough to be honest.

Sharon's journey from addiction and depression to helping organizations build healthier cultures has shaped a simple but powerful philosophy.

Leadership isn't about having every answer.

It's about creating an environment where people know they'll be heard when they ask for help. 

What began as a conversation about mental health in the workplace became a much broader discussion about empathy, courage, and the kind of leadership people actually need today.

In this episode, I sit down with Todd Westra, CEO of Growth Readiness, entrepreneur, and host of the Growth & Scaling Podcast, to talk about what happens when business doesn't go according to plan.

Todd has experienced both extraordinary success and painful setbacks. He's built companies, lost millions in revenue almost overnight, navigated legal battles, and watched trusted business relationships fall apart. 

But what stayed with me wasn't a lesson about strategy.

It was a lesson about perspective.

Sometimes the wisest thing we can do is honestly examine our mistakes without carrying responsibility for decisions that were never ours to make.

In this episode, I sit down with Carol Covino, health and wellness coach, author, and advocate for healthy aging, to talk about what happens when life forces you to slow down.

After multiple surgeries and months of recovery, Carol found herself facing something she had spent her entire life helping others overcome: the feeling that everything had been put on hold.

But instead of asking, "Why is this happening to me?" she asked a different question:

"What can I still do from here?"

That shift changed everything.

What began as a conversation about fitness, menopause, and healthy aging became a much deeper discussion about resilience, identity, and learning to redefine success in every season of life.

In this episode, I sit down with Corey Feldman, entrepreneur, veteran, EMT, and CEO of Protego Health, to talk about healthcare, AI, military service, and what changes when life forces you to rethink what matters.

On paper, this conversation spans denied claims, startup growth, emergency medicine, and combat experience.

But underneath all of it is a much simpler question:

What does it mean to fight for people?

Whether Corey is helping physicians navigate insurance denials, treating patients during medical emergencies, or serving alongside fellow reservists in combat, the throughline remains remarkably consistent:

Protect people who cannot protect themselves.

And do it without losing sight of their humanity.

In this episode, I sit down with Mfon Akpan, accounting professor, mentor, and lifelong learner, to talk about career paths, confidence, and the surprising power of trying things before you're sure they're right for you.

What stood out to me most about this conversation is how often our assumptions turn out to be wrong.

We think we know what we'll enjoy. We think we know what we're good at. We think we know what opportunities matter. And sometimes we're right.

But often, the experiences that shape our lives begin with a simple willingness to say yes before we have everything figured out. 

In this episode, I sit down with Brian Colao, attorney, advisor, and one of the leading experts on healthcare and dental service organization compliance in the country.

While much of our conversation focuses on healthcare regulations, corporate practice laws, and business structure, the deeper lesson is much broader than compliance.

It's about discipline.

Brian has spent decades helping organizations navigate complex legal and operational challenges. And over and over again, he's seen the same pattern:

The problems that seem expensive to prevent often become far more expensive to fix. 

Whether you're building a healthcare company, leading a business, or making decisions in your personal life, this conversation is a reminder that shortcuts often create the very pain we're trying to avoid.

In this episode, I sit down with Alex Sharp, CEO of Shared Practices Group, to talk about leadership, culture, healthcare, and what it really takes to build something that lasts.

Alex leads a rapidly growing dental organization spanning more than 20 states, but what stood out to me wasn't the business strategy.

It was the philosophy.

Because according to Alex, there's a big difference between a group of people and a community.

A group of people simply works together. A community is united by a shared purpose.

And when people believe in the mission, the work becomes about something bigger than themselves.

In this episode, I sit down with Nabeel Siddiqui, AI leader, product strategist, and Head of Tech and Automation at SAP Digital, to talk about one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding AI today.

Most people think AI is the solution.

Nabeel believes that's the wrong place to start.

What matters first is understanding the process, the people, and the problem you're actually trying to solve.

Because technology can accelerate a good system.

But it can't rescue a broken one.

In this episode, I sit down with Nathan Manzotti, technology strategist, AI advisor, educator, and founder of Tech Ramen to talk about what founders often learn the hard way:

Not everyone offering help is actually helping you.

What starts as a conversation about AI, healthcare technology, and fractional CTO services quickly becomes a much deeper discussion about trust, ethics, leadership, and how to protect your business while trying to grow it.

Nathan brings a rare perspective shaped by military service, federal government experience, enterprise technology leadership, and entrepreneurship, and throughout this conversation, one theme keeps surfacing:

Good partners help you grow. They don’t try to own you.