Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #21 The Fab Five (April, Erin, Danielle, Tiffany, and Lori) coming from beautiful southern California (inform, inspire, & transform)

TOTD – “Friend, a person who doesn’t need to say a word, a listener of the heart, a healer with a warm touch, a rock for stability in turbulent times, the first one to shower you with encouragement, and the one person (5) you know who loves you unconditionally and will always be by your side.”                                                        Jeff Christian

A little about our guests:  They call themselves the ORIGINAL FAB FIVE…not necessarily because they have hoop game…but because they are FABULOUS!

The Fab Five grew up together in Thousand Oaks, California.   They have shared the highs and lows of life – together…over 5 decades worth of life experiences.  They are all turning 60 and they all continue to be the scaffolding for each other to provide support to reach things beyond their reach, to be a structure for each other to lean on when life gets wobbly, to be the safety net when caring for ailing parents, sick children, lost significant others and to BE the strong minded individual who can build anything to get the job done.   

The FAB FIVE are…FABULOUS!  A little about the FAB FIVE – from Lori’s perspective.

April: The Little Warrior. Friends since 7th grade. Small but mighty. Honest, caring, steadfast in her beliefs, always rooting for the underdog, world traveler, vegan. Don't let her little 110lb frame fool you - she'd be the first one to jump into a skirmish to defend the defenseless (or me). 

Erin: The Mayor. Friends since 6th grade. Funny as hell, smart, an amazing organizer of events for our friends and her community, part-time flight attendant and loves to travel. 

Danielle: The Garden Angel. Friends since high school. Sweet, straight shooter, considerate & thoughtful, finds peace in growing her flower garden and tending the birds and critters. 

Tiffany: The Wealth Whisperer. Friends since high school. She and I were roommates for several years in our 20s - we laughed a lot and got into lots of shenanigans. Smart, self-made, with a tough exterior/soft and sensitive inside. Currently teaching all of us how to Options Trade so we can continue building wealth for ourselves after retirement. 

Lori: Elementary school teacher. 2nd career of 25 years. Like to read, travel, imagine, and pretend I'm much younger than I am.

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

What was life like growing up?

First memories of the friendship…

Let’s talk friendship…what does that mean and how has the definition of friend changed throughout your meaningful friendship

Everyone is in a different chapter in life… how nice has it been to be there for each other and to know you always have a friend to support you when needed.

Hero, Highlight, or Hardship…you have experienced them all…TOGETHER…

Bond that is timeless…

Part of the friendship you are most proud of…

Challenges of making friends in today’s world…

Life’s Essential Ingredients…what are some of yours collectively…

Advice for marriage, raising children, finding yourself, creating balance/harmony…

Something you wish all significant others would know/do or say…

Books you recommend?

Legacy 

Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #20 Bonnie Butler is coming from San Antonio, Texas (inform, inspire, & transform)

You can find Bonnie via her website bonniebutlercoaching.com

Bonnie Johnston Butler is a certified life coach, speaker, and teacher specializing in thought management and emotional resilience. Drawing from her experience as a mother of ten, four biological, six adopted, and former foster parent to 17 children, she founded Bonnie Butler Coaching to help parents and professionals transform overwhelm into clarity. Through practical strategies for emotional regulation and self-leadership, she empowers clients to overcome self-sabotage, navigate complex dynamics, and create purpose-driven lives. 

Thanks for sharing your struggles, insights, hopes, dreams…with children, families, and people all over the world and thanks for being our guest on Life’s Essential Ingredients…welcome to the show!

TOTD – “When awareness is brought to an emotion, power is brought to your life.” — Tara Meyer Robson

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

What was life like growing up?

Build Emotional Strength

Restore Confidence

Create a more connected home

Heal the Hard Stories and trauma informed parenting…

Courageous Conversations

Parenting through different paths…and insight on healing and resilience

Growing as a parent

Things you wished you knew from day 1

Seeing growth in your kids…

Staying out of the power struggle with your kids…signs that something is coming…

Importance of family dinner…

Not engaging in the negative emotions of parenting…

Nobody wins…finding common ground and then building from there

Tools for emotional regulation. Tools for resilience. tools for staying steady in the moments that matter most 

Summit – give parents a day out away from the children…tools, coping skills… build a network of support…

EFT – emotional freedom technique…tapping…

Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #19 Alan Stein Jr. is coming from Gaithersburg, Maryland (inform, inspire, & transform)

You can find Alan via his website alansteinjr.com

Alan Stein, Jr. has a passion for helping business leaders level up their behaviors. He spent 15+ years working with the highest performing basketball players on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant). 

Alan is a dynamic storyteller who delivers practical, actionable lessons that can be implemented immediately. He teaches proven principles on how to utilize the same approaches in business that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level. 

Now working center stage as a corporate keynote speaker, Alan brings high energy and the same work ethic he deployed as a performance coach.  Alan is a student of the game and has the mindset that he is constantly growing, learning, sharing, and is developing his current version of his best self. 

Alan, thanks for helping athletes all over the world to perform at a higher level, thanks for guiding businesses, sports teams, and other organizations to simplify success and for being our guest on Life’s Essential Ingredients…welcome to the show! 

TOTD – “At the end of life, most of us will find that we have felt most filled up by the challenges and successful struggles for mastery, creativity, and full expression of our dharma in the world.   Fulfillment happens not in retreat from the world, but in advance – and profound engagement.”                                                                                                                      Stephen Cope

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

What was life like growing up?

Simplify Success

Raise Your Game, Raise Their Game, Raise Our Game, Raise Your Sales, Sustain Your Game

Closing the performance gap…make the time that allows you to be your best self…

Congrats on being a 3-time author…NEXT PLAY, RAISE YOUR GAME, SUSTAIN YOUR GAME 

Next play (in the moment (micro, immediately after what happened) Macro – down the road……skill…white board memory…just wipe it off the board…can’t let feelings and emotions dictate our actions…emotions serve a purpose but don’t allow them to dictate their behavior…

Upgrading your operating system…think of phone it needs to update to work efficiently…what changes to we upgrade in ourselves, in our mind, in our emotions…are we spending time with people who will help us be who we want to be…positive environment/culture

What is your identity attached to – process vs. outcome…who am I when things don’t work out…

Attention to detail…to be great at something…INTENTION

Putting in work in the unseen hours…

What does the little voice in your head say…empowerment vs self-doubt

Life’s Fundamentals…I never get bored with the basics…Better is Better, not more is better

Overcoming the past…

Being competitive…never letting your kids win…EVER..

Coach K Story,  Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant

An assist – something that you do that adds value to someone else’s life…those on your team and those that you serve…can you make it contagious…intentional to add extra value

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle…need to light our candle first…

Legacy 

Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #18 David Ask is coming from Nashville, Tennessee (inform, inspire, & transform)

You can find David via his website theaskexperience.com

About our Guest – David is an entrepreneur and inventor who built a simple idea into a real product—StatGuardPlus—now in over 3,700 retail locations including The Home Depot and Lowe’s. That journey taught him a lot about grit, failure, risk, and perseverance. But what truly drives David today isn’t hardware—it’s people.

David currently serves as the lead coach for Dr. Andy Garrett’s True North Resiliency Program, where he helps individuals, families, and organizations transform their internal culture by doing something surprisingly rare: introducing people to themselves. 

David, thanks for sharing all your talents, beliefs, gifts…with people all over the world and thanks for being our guest on Life’s Essential Ingredients.  Welcome to the show!

TOTD – “Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you, and their souls the heaviest responsibility He will place in your hands. Take time with them, teach them to have faith in God. Be a person in whom they can have faith. When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered as much.”                                                 Lisa Wingate

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

What was life like growing up?

Listeners all over the world and perhaps some of them are interested in visiting Nashville, what does life look like in Nashville…

Authentic identity changes everything… first line on your website…why

Book – Guardians of Grit

Conversation Cards – Self Awareness, Love, Certainty, Creation, Purpose, Joy

Notice, Name, Nurture

Making Decisions with your Values, Convictions, Virtues, Passion (what are you willing to suffer for)

Love is the answer….will show up, listen, and know the people in my life are support

The power of journaling…

The power of understanding your identity…

Developing self-awareness

The Uncrushable Son – let’s start with your definition of uncrushable…

How to set the temperature with your children…let’s talk about that…

Music – album Open Arms in English and Italian

Blog on your ag-thrive site talks about Radical Resilience…

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

Books you recommend?

The Ask Experience Podcast…With a voice often likened to Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban, 

Legacy 

Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #17 LeAnn Flores is coming from Tampa, Florida.

You can find LeAnn via her website vecinacafe.com

LeAnn grew up in a home filled with unconditional love, laughter, sacrifice, and strong values. Her parents, who were youth pastors and hard-working young parents of four, modeled leadership not through titles, but through their actions. From them, LeAnn learned that true leadership is grounded in service, compassion, and unwavering commitment to others. These early lessons planted the seeds of purpose that would eventually grow into her lifelong mission.

Inspired by the love and unity of her childhood neighborhood, LeAnn set out to create a space that would embody those same values: connection, mentorship, leadership, and love. A place where everyone—no matter their background—could find belonging, build relationships, and grow together.

Those feelings, those principles, those values, and LeAnn’s deep roots inspired her to create The Vecina Café – a nonprofit built by the community for the community.  The Venica Café’s programs are dedicated to empowering individuals to achieve their personal and professional goals.  Through targeted training, mentorship, and support, The Café helps participants build confidence and skills to unlock their full potential…leading to fulfilling lives.

TOTD – “Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.” 

Oprah Winfrey

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

Let’s talk family and culture…guat-rican…What was life like growing up?

Studied at USF with course work in the public relations and advertising fields..first generation….

Parents have given you many gifts…which ones stand out the most

Dadz in Motion program…is that where your nonprofit career started

Pathway to Success

Future Film…DEAR FUTURE ME…

Feeling you get when one of your former members…comes back and tells you how good life is…

Plans for the future…

Books you recommend?

Legacy 

Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #16 Bryan Blackman is coming from Huntington Beach, CA (inform, inspire, & transform)

You can find Bryan via his website crabcrewlife.com

Bryan Blackmon knows what rock bottom looks like. Moving from Texas to California with a dream, a drug addiction, and a crippling dependence on alcohol — and no real plan. Sleeping in tents. Losing everything. The kind of darkness most people don't come back from.

But he chose differently — one day at a time — and rebuilt his life from nothing into something real. Today he's a well-known TikTok influencer whose livestreams have established a community that is built on experience, strength and belief.

The CRAB CREW tattoo on his knuckles isn't just ink. It's a declaration. It's a reminder of where he came from — and a promise of where he's going.

Bryan, thanks for sharing your many gifts and talents, thanks for being genuine and thanks for being on our guest on Life’s Essential Ingredients…welcome to the show!

TOTD – “We can spend our lives letting the world tell us who we are. Sane or insane. Saints or sex addicts. Heroes or victims. Letting history tell us how good or bad we are. Letting our past decide our future. Or we can decide for ourselves. And maybe it's our job to invent something better.”― Chuck Palahniuk

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

What was life like growing up?

What are your life’s essential ingredients..

Let’s talk music…how long have you been playing…

TikTok and what opportunities has that platform created for you…

876 days of sobriety…congrats…

The importance of consistency/routine

Building a brand around sobriety, resilience, and transformation

The path back to yourself

The Elaine moment..

Crab Mentality .. pulling each other down…voice in your head.. but lead you to FROM THE DEPTHS WE RISE…= Crab Crew

CRAB Pillars (Clean, Resilient, Adaptability, Belief)

Replacing Hope with TRUST

Program is for people who are Ready, who Show Up, and who Take Action…

Write down a thing that is not serving you…

Mirror Work…

Journaling is a big part of your transformation…

Belief that you are worth it…

Redemption and how it is your routine

Being unhoused and the misconceptions

Advice for the tent – both physical and mental

6 week transformation experience

Legacy 

Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #15 George Rivera is coming from Austin, Texas (inform, inspire, & transform)

You can find George through his website https://buybacktimeformula.com

George Rivera helps successful founders escape the trap of building a business that depends on them for everything. After scaling multiple companies to 8 and 9 figures, he realized success was quietly costing him the moments that mattered most at home. Today, George helps founders buy back 10–20 hours a week and build businesses that run without them… so they don’t miss what matters most.

George’s work has impacted thousands and continues to grow its global impact through partnerships with top founders, thought leaders, and investors.  Thanks for sharing your many gifts, thanks for being a father who cares and wants to be a positive role model in your son’s life and thanks for being our guest on Life’s Essential Ingredients.  Welcome to the show!

TOTD – "Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back." — Harvey Mackay

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

What was life like growing up?

Life’s essential ingredients

How did your career get started…

Investing in yourself…

You started your entrepreneurial care back in 1995 (were in hs) and have learned so much along your journey…what are some of the life lessons you learned along the way…

The power of failure (learning)…

What was the catalyst for your Buy Back Time Formula…

Burnout and not delegating…leading to no time/energy for the things that are truly most important…

The price of success

Congrats on your book, what was the inspiration to put your thoughts on paper…how will AI help with some of your concepts…

Being present

The biggest lie…how to help performers reach beyond their current ability…

The impact of AI

I know your dad was a big inspiration in your life…what did you love most about him and what are some of the ways he impacted your life…

Two minute scorecard…

Books you recommend

Legacy 

Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #14 Ron Platt is coming from St. Peterburg, Florida (inform, inspire, & transform)

You can find Ron via his website https://www.nasdf.org

A serial entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience across insurance, real estate, and social advocacy, Ron has built a career defined by innovation and impact. But it’s his personal experience, both as a foster parent and advocate for families in crisis that shaped his true mission: to reform the systems that fail single-parent and divorced households. 

This passion led to the creation of NASDF (National Association for Single and Divorced Families), a first-of-its-kind membership organization offering an umbrella of products, services, support and resources to support families nationwide. 

Ron is also responsible for creating and launching the only divorce insurance product on the market called Support Insured, which guarantees the continuation of child support and alimony payments for up to one-year should the payor die, become disabled, involuntarily unemployed or declares a business bankruptcy. 

Ron, thanks for sharing your gifts with children and families and thanks for being our guest on Life’s Essential Ingredients.

TOTD – “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”                                                                                Gandhi

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

What was life like growing up?

Florida State graduate…what was life like back then…

Very successful real estate career (over 300 million in sales)….what does it take to be successful in that field…

Why is it so important to advocate for children…

What changes would you implement if you were in charge of the foster care system

Gap in care, finances, education, social workers…

Kids need stability but that is the missing ingredient…how do we fix that

Ingredients that we all need to be a family

Relationships

Best part of building your family

Gap in Insurance and how you and your father filled it

Legacy 

Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #13 Russell Van Brocklen is coming from West Sand Lake, NY         (inform, inspire, & transform)

You can find Russell via his website https://dyslexiaclasses.com

Dyslexia touches as many as 15–20 % of all learners, yet most families still hear “wait and see.” Russell flips that script. As the Dyslexia Professor, he translates structured-literacy methods proven most effective for struggling readers into bite-size actions parents can use right now. Russell’s clients know exactly why multisensory routines beat generic worksheets and with Russell’s expertise, start seeing progress before the next report card.

Russell has over 10 years of experience in teaching students with Dyslexia techniques to overcome their current struggles and recognize the superpower they’ve been given.  Russell is a frequent speaker at various reading and writing conferences and has helped thousands of students reach for and achieve their dreams.

Thanks for sharing your many gifts with people all over the world and thanks for being our guest on Life’s Essential Ingredients…welcome to the show.

TOTD – “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.  In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”                                           Maya Angelou

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

What was life like growing up?

Best part of growing up with Dyslexia?

Most exciting part of helping individuals with dyslexia…

What was special education like when you grew up and educators didn’t have the knowledge they have now…

Helping individuals find their secret sauce…

Best thing a parent can do to help their child?   

Writing to Read…is a process you created…

PRACTICE….

Developing trust in one’s self to know they can do it…

Books you recommend?

Legacy 

Send us Fan Mail

C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved.   We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER.  We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other.   Please check out c4leaders.org to support our important work. 

Season 6 Episode #12 Jason Lyle is coming from North Georgia (inform, inspire, & transform)

You can find Jason via his website thesacredgrit.com and https://www.skool.com/sacred-grit-6182/about

About Jason’s work:  Jason Lyle is a wilderness guide, retreat leader, and spiritual coach with a passion for helping men reclaim their inner strength and truth. After 13 years as a pastor and over a decade working in Uganda on sustainable    development, Jason founded Adventures in Recovery, a nonprofit using nature, movement, and mindfulness to support men’s mental health. He also leads Sacred Grit, a coaching and retreat platform built on the belief that healing begins when we stop running from our pain and start facing it with courage. Jason’s work is raw, grounded, and deeply human—just like the men he serves.

Thanks for helping, healing, and guiding men to reclaim their true identity and purpose in life.   Thanks for being our guest on Life’s Essential Ingredients…welcome to the show!

TOTD – “resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress, and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside. And whenever you encounter anything that is difficult or pleasurable, or highly or lowly regarded, remember that the contest is now: you are at the Olympic Games, you cannot wait any longer.”       Epictetus (Manual 51)

Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!

In this episode:

What was life like growing up?

Nervous System Regulation

The Power of Reflection

Self – Love…the most loving thing you can do…

Mind, Body, Soul…

Mindful Masculinity – three core pillars: Tools, Stillness, Authentic Masculinity

Feeling Whole…

Self- Awareness

The ability to separate from everyday life….

Creating Capacity to hold DISCOMFORT

Yoga..

Identifying TRIGGERS… then Dealing with Anger…regulate..

Perspective

Road Map

Do the hard work…

Meaningful planting ritual for growth and intention

Cold Plunging

Releasing the pressure to FIX oneself vs. learning how to love who you currently are…

The Sacred Grit Podcast…

Purpose, Guilt, Forgiveness, Books you recommend?

Legacy