Just Some BS

Send us Fan Mail

SEO-Rich Description (use on both Buzzsprout & YouTube)

Be honest—you’ve silently raged at slow walkers, public speaker-phone people, and that one coworker who hits Reply All with “Thanks!” In this laugh-out-loud solo pod, Brandon Stanchock runs through the Top 10 universal pet peeves we all pretend not to have—but absolutely do, from “no offense, but…” to the dreaded “it is what it is.” Expect relatable stories, playful jabs, and a gentle nudge to be the bigger human (and return your shopping cart). 

What’s inside (highlights):

• “No offense, but…” = I’m about to offend you on purpose.
• Public speaker-phone calls (yes, we can all hear Aunt Linda).
• Slow walkers (and full-width family phalanxes at theme parks).
• Reply-All avalanches and accidental CC disasters.
• Loud chewers + chaotic “drink-while-chewing” combos.
• Four-way-stop philosophers who over-wave into gridlock.
• The plane-landing clapper debate.
• Serial texters who send 10 messages instead of one.
• Shopping cart abandoners (wind + bumpers = pain).
• “It is what it is” — the slogan of giving up (let’s retire it). 

If you love relatable humor, everyday annoyances, and comedy rants with a little self-awareness, this one’s your commute antidote. Drop your biggest pet peeve in the comments and tell Brandon which one he missed.

📣 Interested in sponsoring a future episode?

Put your brand in front of a community that appreciates straight talk and good laughs. (Link in show notes.)

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock

Your Potential. Your Rules. Stay Weird.

Send us Fan Mail

First-time leadership is exciting—and a little terrifying. In this solo episode, Brandon Stanchock walks through the top 10 mistakes new leaders make and the simple shifts that prevent months (or years) of frustration. Leadership isn’t about being flawless; it’s about learning faster and leading better【turn36file0†L4-L6】.

What you’ll learn (with quick fixes):

1. Trying to be everyone’s friend → lead with trust, fairness, and accountability, not popularity
2. Avoiding hard conversations → don’t let issues fester; prepare data, aim for win-wins, and practice the reps
3. Micromanaging everything → set expectations and checkpoints; allow R&D-style learning (yes, it has a cost)
4. Thinking leaders must have all the answers → it’s okay to say “I don’t know—let me find out,” then circle back
5. Ignoring culture because “the work comes first” → culture is a performance system, not frosting on the cake
6. Failing to set clear expectations → define “what good looks like,” due dates, and check-ins (written > verbal)
7. Not managing up → lead both directions: make your boss’s job easier while serving your team
8. Forgetting self-care → protect energy, delegate to strengths, communicate “no surprises” when behind
9. Over-promising to look capable → pause, check capacity, give the truthful best you can deliver
10. Neglecting to develop yourself → leadership isn’t the finish line; keep learning, seek mentors, grow EQ

Brandon closes with an invite: what mistake did you make—or see all the time—that didn’t make the list? DM him on LinkedIn and keep the conversation going.

📣 Sponsor Spotlight

Interested in sponsoring a future episode? Put your brand in front of a no-BS community of leaders, builders, and creators. (Link in show notes.)

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock

Your Potential. Your Rules. Stay Weird.

Send us Fan Mail

Planning Orlando and torn between Universal’s Epic Universe and Walt Disney World? In this BS-free breakdown, Brandon and theme-park superfan Cole compare the parks head-to-head—covering best rides, Express Pass/VIP value, crowd strategy, and can’t-miss food so you get more fun per dollar (and fewer lines).

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Quick verdict: Disney still owns magic & nostalgia; Universal wins thrills & value.
• Ride strategy at Epic Universe: hit the non-Express headliners first (e.g., Donkey Kong, Dragon Racer’s Rally), then circle back to Battle for the Ministry midday.
• Top rides worth the wait: Monsters Unchained (jaw-dropping animatronics), Hagrid’s (pure joy), Stardust Racers (beautiful chaos).
• Hard pass: why Fast & Furious – Supercharged is an easy skip.
• Express Pass & VIP math: when Premier hotels (that include Express) beat buying it à la carte, and how VIP—with included meals—can pay for itself on crowded days.
• Crowd hacks: save Super Nintendo World and Wizarding World for after 3 PM; use Celestial Park as your decompression zone.
• Food wins: Pizza Moon (order at the table), Oak & Star Tavern breakfast (get the cornbread), Atlantic for a chill dinner, Frozen Butterbeer, and the Isle of Berk mac-and-cheese cone with pulled pork.
• How many days you really need: with VIP, plan 3 days (2 legacy parks + 1 Epic); without VIP, 4 days to breathe and catch shows.

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock

Your Potential. Your Rules. Stay Weird.

Send us Fan Mail

How do ministry and executive coaching collide? Karl Landis has lived both—graduate school in sociology and theology, 13 years pastoring and leadership development, and now building a Christian CEO peer advisory group that runs on three core values: growth, respect, and humility. In this conversation with Brandon Stanchock, Karl shares the practices that keep leaders grounded, the performance-review framework he calls catalytic coaching, and why so many CEOs feel isolated (and what to do about it). 

You’ll learn:

• ‘Catalytic’ performance reviews that develop people without “gotchas”—and how to make sure nothing in the review is a surprise. 
• Why Christian leaders can be too slow to confront dysfunction—and how to have crucial conversations with grace and clarity. 
• In vs. On the business: simple ways to reclaim reflection time so you stop making every decision yourself. 
• The learner’s posture—books, listening, and modeling vulnerability first—that sets the bar for an entire team. 
• Decision-making balance: when you have enough data to act vs. when waiting just creates damage. 
• From third-culture kid in Central America to peer-group chair: how being “the new person” built empathy for leaders who feel misunderstood. 

If you’re a values-driven owner or exec who wants high-production, low-maintenance teams—and a place to process the hard stuff—this one’s for you.

📣 Episode Spotlight — Karl Landis x Convene (Christian CEO Peer Advisory)

Forming a non-competing peer group (Lancaster, York, Berks, Lebanon counties): monthly Forum Days for learning + challenge, 1:1 coaching with Karl, and a starter set of personal & company assessments to accelerate growth and reduce isolation. Search “Karl Landis Convene” to connect (links in the show notes). 

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock

Your Potential. Your Rules. Stay Weird.

Send us Fan Mail

From the pulpit to recruiting to HR, Brett Hower has spent his career where it matters most—with people. In this episode, Brett joins host Brandon Stanchock to unpack the thread running through pastoral ministry, executive search, and organizational development: you can build the best environment in the world, but individual choice still drives outcomes. We dig into gratitude vs. entitlement, how to spot and keep high-production, low-maintenance people, and the listening skills leaders need when “fixing” isn’t the answer. 

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why Brett left ministry, pivoted through executive recruiting, and landed in HR—plus the 10th-grade speech class (and tough teacher) that unlocked his communication superpower. 
• The core lesson from all three careers: you can’t make people do what they should—choice beats circumstances every time. 
• How one leap to a small West Virginia church triggered a life “domino run” (new town, new friends, engagement, step-dad life). 
• Practical empathy: when to ask “Are you okay?” and just listen—no solutions required. 
• The hiring and culture signal Brett watches first: gratitude (and why entitlement is the beginning of the end). 
• “Solve more stress than you create” and other rules for high-production, low-maintenance teammates (hat tip: Coach Franklin). 
• Culture fit ≠ cloning the founder—align on mission and values, allow diverse methods. 
• The most freeing leadership advice Brett ever got: “No one is thinking about you as much as you think they are.”

If you’re building a team—or trying to become the teammate others fight to keep—this episode will sharpen your BS-free people strategy.

📣 Guest Links — Connect with Brett Hower

• LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettahower/
• Sixmo Companies: design & development services
• Front Street Consultants: fractional/part-time HR for small businesses
  (Links in the show notes.) 

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock

Send us Fan Mail

Today isn’t about finance or KPIs—it’s about finishing the story that’s been living in you for a decade. Author Brandon Rogers joins Brandon to unpack the making of his debut novel The Safe Place: the daughter who said “Dad, finish your book,” the 48-hour writing sprint that poured out 22,000 words, and the whirlwind that led to four publishers and a multi-book deal. We dig into vulnerability, trauma, redemption, and what it takes to create when life gets loud. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The catalyst: a 12-year-old’s nudge and the mantra “If not now, when?” that flipped decades of delay into daily momentum. 
• Process & pace: 4–6 a.m. quiet hours, voice notes → pages, and how a weekend sprint became a finished manuscript—then a series. 
• Structure that grips: two timelines—present-tense interludes and childhood memory—that braid together like a film edit. 
• Vulnerability on the page: writing the hard scenes (including a house fire at age six) and choosing catharsis over perfection. 
• Dreaming vs. doing: saying no to make creative space; why “get busy living or get busy dying” became the daily filter. 
• From pages to picture: the movie vision, casting daydreams (hello, Jake Gyllenhaal), and an audiobook idea with an uncut, director’s-notes version. 
• What’s next: Book 1 slated for January release; Book 2 already in draft and queued up for next fall. 

Whether you’re an aspiring author or a leader craving creative oxygen, this conversation is your permission slip to make the thing that won’t leave you alone.

📣 Episode Spotlight — The Safe Place by Brandon Rogers

Be first to read the debut novel that started with a weekend writing blitz and became a multi-book deal. The Safe Place lands in January (exact date TBA), with Book 2 following next fall. Watch for pre-orders, cover art reveals, and the audiobook—possibly with a behind-the-scenes “uncut” edition. (Links in the show notes.)

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock

Send us Fan Mail

How do you take a solid ISO shop and make it faster, smarter, and easier to run—without ripping out your ERP? Adam Marsh (President, Ledge Inc.; founder, 80/20 Quality) joins Brandon to share a no-hype playbook for practical AI in manufacturing: secure models, simple automation, and quality workflows that actually ship more good parts. 

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Where the real waste hides: why the floor is fine—and the back-end admin is bleeding cash (POs, certs, contracts, first-article packages). 
• 7 AI tools that already work in a job shop:
  1. Weld-photo check that flags defects and explains confidence scores,
  2. RCA assistant (brain-dump ➜ fishbone ➜ 5 Whys ➜ corrective actions),
  3. Material-cert auto-review against spec,
  4. Contract/flow-down checker mapped to your QMS,
  5. PO-to-PO diff to catch line-item changes instantly,
  6. Proposal builder for same-call quotes,
  7. “What-if” scheduling & 13-week cash-flow sensitivities. 
• Secure by design: SOC-2, no model training on your data, and picking the right model (not just one chatbot) per use case. 
• Team-based incentives > heroics: how a “craftsman bonus” crushed rework and boosted throughput. 
• Data before ‘AI’: simple standards, clean inputs, and crawl-walk-run rollouts that earn trust on the floor. 
• CMMC, PPAP, FAI, AS/ISO—without the chaos: get deliverables right upfront so you pass first time and get paid sooner. 

If you’re a CNC, fab, or industrial shop juggling certs, submittals, and schedules, this conversation gives you a field-tested starting list you can deploy next week—no rip-and-replace required. 

📣 Episode Spotlight — Ledge Inc. & 80/20 Quality

Want AI that’s actually usable on the shop floor? Ledge Inc. implements quality systems (ISO/AS), fractional quality leadership, and a secure, multi-model AI workspace for cert checks, contract reviews, PO diffs, scheduling scenarios and more. Pair it with 80/20 Quality to capture error data at the source and fix the 20% that causes 80% of pain.

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock

Send us Fan Mail

Some quotes belong on mugs, not inside your management playbook. In this solo episode, Brandon Stanchock (with a cameo from Invader 🐶) breaks down 10 famous leadership/culture quotes he can’t fully get behind and offers practical rewrites that hold up in the real world. We also finally decode the show’s name: Just Some BS = Brandon Stanchock and “just some BS.” You’ll never unsee it. 

In this episode you’ll hear Brandon’s take on

• “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Culture thrives because of clear strategy; vision and financial health set the table. 
• “There are no bad teams, only bad leaders.” Leaders own a lot—seat fit and values fit matter too. 
• “Employees don’t leave companies; they leave managers.” Sometimes it’s pay, relocation, or life stage—context matters. 
• “What gets measured gets managed.” Pick the right KPIs or you’ll manage the wrong problem. Define “good vs. not good.” 
• “The customer is always right.” Serve hard—but protect people and process with values as your north star. 
• “Work smarter, not harder.” Real wins are smart and hard and consistent—learn to love the boring reps. 
• “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day.” Passion’s great; it’s still work. Build skills while you pursue the thing you love. 
• “Leaders eat last.” Servant leadership rocks—sometimes the team needs you to eat with them or lead from the front. 

If you’re tired of oversimplified slogans, this episode hands you BS-free rewrites you can use at your next standup.

📣 Episode Sponsor — BNMA Custom Software & AI for Builders

Stop force-fitting tools that don’t match your ops. BNMA designs fit-first software and AI workflows for construction and manufacturing—grounded in data standards, RAG, and pragmatic integrations (not tech for tech’s sake). Grab Elena’s no-fluff custom-software planning guide and book a consult via her LinkedIn. 

BNMA: bnma.us

BNMA CEO: Elena Malygina Podcast Episode
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2342464/episodes/17668404-ai-in-construction-start-here-fit-first-software-rag-5-data-steps-w-elena-malygina.mp3?download=true

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock

Send us Fan Mail

Still living on spreadsheets and tribal knowledge? You’re not alone—and you’re not stuck. In this episode, Elena Malygina, CEO of BNMA Custom Software Solutions, breaks down how construction and construction-adjacent manufacturers can move from force-fitting SaaS to fit-first operations that match the way your teams already work. We dig into what’s real (and what’s not) with AI in 2025, how to prep your data, and why starting small beats ripping out your ERP. 

You’ll learn:

• Force-fit vs. fit-first: why bolting your ops onto off-the-shelf tools is painful—and how custom aligns to real workflows to lower friction for the field and office. 
• AI reality check: most shops aren’t “behind”—they’re just missing the foundation. Clean, standardized data beats shiny features every time. 
• RAG for drawings: how retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) + modern vision models can compare markups across huge plan sets and surface changes fast. 
• Five steps to usable data:
  1. establish a single source of truth,
  2. set consistent entry standards (formats, naming, required fields),
  3. add validation rules (e.g., dropdowns),
  4. run regular data audits,
  5. integrate your CRM/ERP/finance so info flows automatically. 
• Cost math that leaders miss: seat-license sprawl vs. one fit-first platform—plus when the 80% rule means you shouldn’t go custom (and when unique workflows make custom a no-brainer). 
• Practical rollout: don’t big-bang the ERP. Start with one high-annoyance process, ship a lightweight tool that integrates with your system of record, earn trust, expand. 

If you’re juggling drawings, submittals, schedules, and crews across multiple jobs, this conversation gives you a BS-free roadmap to better visibility—and fewer “how did we miss that?” moments. 

📣 Episode Spotlight — BNMA Custom Software & AI for Builders

Stop force-fitting tools that don’t match your ops. BNMA designs fit-first software and AI workflows for construction and manufacturing—grounded in data standards, RAG, and pragmatic integrations (not tech for tech’s sake). Grab Elena’s no-fluff custom-software planning guide and book a consult via her LinkedIn (links in the show notes). 

BNMA: bnma.us

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock

Send us Fan Mail

How do you turn a business that’s “my baby” into an asset buyers will fight over? Laurie Barkman—a nationally-recognized Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) and host of Succession Stories—joins Brandon to break down the mindset, metrics and mechanics of an exit that works for you and your team.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago—the next best time is today” when it comes to succession planning.
• The #1 driver of valuation: consistent financial performance—and why messy charts of accounts bury profit you didn’t know you had.
• Owner-dependency danger: if you generate 40 %+ of sales yourself, you’re a “rainmaker company” that spooks buyers.
• Laurie’s three-part test for saleability—Attractive, Ready & Transferable assets—and how certifications, trademarks and SOPs fit inscott-brandon.
• Build vs. Buy vs. “Acquihire”—when organic growth wins and when an acquisition (or ESOP) is the smarter play.
• What it means to be “bankable” in 2025, and why cash-conversion cycles matter more than ever when interest rates spike.

You’ll walk away with actionable steps— from mapping gross-profit by service line to testing whether you can really unplug for a week—to make sure you’re adding options, not obstacles, to your future exit plan.

📣 Episode Spotlight — Business Transition Sherpa™

Need a guide up the exit mountain? Laurie Barkman’s BT Sherpa offers growth audits, owner-dependency fixes, and hands-on sell-side advisory so you can leave horizontally, not vertically—boots on, balance sheet strong. Grab her free digital copy of The Business Transition Handbook at BTSherpa.com/book.

🎙️ Like what you heard?
This podcast is just one part of the Just Some BS universe.

Follow host Brandon Stanchock for weekly BS-free takes on leadership, personal growth, company culture, AI, gaming, and more.

👊 Subscribe to the podcast
🧠 Level up with Growth-ish Mentorship
🎮 Check out the book: Gamers: The Unexpected Overachievers
🧢 Grab some weird merch that actually means something

📱 Connect on LinkedIn: Brandon Stanchock
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/BrandonStanchock