Sergio Kopelev has one of those journeys that sounds almost unbelievable. He came to the US as a refugee, grew up in real poverty in Brooklyn, got into some serious trouble as a kid, and somehow turned it all around to become a vice president at a multinational consulting firm who's spoken in front of Congress. It’s like a mix of West Side Story meets an episode of The Americans with a bit of Goodfellows and Hijacked all tied together. Yet, it’s 100% REAL, and that's what makes this one SO good.

We got into everything from how his family's history shaped his mindset, to the moment law enforcement completely changed his trajectory, to what he's building now, and okay, I have to tell you about this, he's launching a spy school startup called Tradecraft Adventures! It’s where people actually get to live as an undercover operative for four days. Like, WHAT?! I couldn't believe he was sharing all of this, and I didn't want this conversation to end.

Sergio owns every single part of his story, including the messy parts that most people would never talk about. At the end of the day, his journey is about figuring it out as you go, and honestly, aren't we all doing that? If you need a reminder that where you started doesn't define where you're headed, this is your episode. Trust me on this one.

Grab your copy of my new book, The Trust Threshold, available on Amazon https://www.liftoffcompany.com/the-trust-threshold/

Trust is the invisible line between momentum and stagnation. Cross it, and teams move faster. Miss it, and nothing works the way it should.

In this episode of the Snarketing Podcast, hosts Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa welcome back their first-ever repeat guest, Jeanniey Walden, for a wide-ranging, candid conversation about trust, leadership, attention, and growth in an AI-shaped world.

Jeanniey introduces her new book, The Trust Threshold: Crossing the Line Between Stuck and Unstoppable, and breaks down how her AIR Method (Authenticity, Inspiration, Relatability) applies far beyond business strategy. The discussion spans everything from why attention has collapsed to a three-second window, to how leaders unintentionally create “checklist workers,” to why relatability is a revenue and survival skill, not a soft one.

The episode also explores how AI can be used as a thinking partner rather than a shortcut, the danger of performative leadership, and why trust signals show up long before revenue drops. With real-world stories from Fortune 250 brands, startups, and personal leadership moments, this conversation blends practical insight with humor and honesty.

Within hours of its release on 2/24, the book hit bestseller! Grab your copy by going to https://www.liftoffcompany.com/the-trust-threshold/

Hopefully you know by now that I didn’t just wrote a book (The Trust Threshold) - but this took me on a journey I never expected. I didnt just write it - I “vibe-Authored” it. And during that process I realized I created the way I lead when I was a little girl (WHAT?!?!)

This episode came from sitting down with Vanessa and Keith Bell for an unexpected, unfiltered, no-prep conversation about my own journey. The one that led me to do something I swore I would never do again…write another book.

I talk openly about my first book experience years ago, and why I never wanted to write another book. Bu more importantly, it touches on how the journey to write a book through this vibe-authoring process led me on a journey to understand so much more of who I am and give me the insights to create the framework that can now help and power other business, brands and leaders.

You will hear so much and meet the great team behind this process.
We talk about the early fears.
The moment the outline stopped me cold.
And the realization that the framework behind my work (authenticity, inspiration, and relatability) didn’t start in my career… it started when I was young and helping my grandma learn to speak after a stroke.

This conversation became the missing chapter in my own story. It helped me understand why this podcast exists, why this book needed to be written, and why the AIR Method isn’t just a business framework, it’s a way of navigating life, leadership, and growth.

If you’ve ever said:
Writing a book sounds cool, but I could never do it, I dare you to not just listen to this podcast, but to try it out.

My book is all about helping people go from Stuck to Unstoppable and you deserve that.


Oh and P.S. If you are seeing this before 2/23 - enter our giveaway for a free copy of my new book.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/432368-the-trust-threshold-crossing-the-line-between-stuck-and-unstoppable

I don't know about you, but 2025 wasn't the best year for me. I lost my mom, my former company liquidated in bankruptcy and most people I know lost their jobs. That had to be more than a coincidence, and after chatting with Letao Wang, now I know why and I am super psyched for this new year- the year of the Fire Horse!

All I have to say is THANK goodness Letao didn't listen to his family and chose this path. 

A conversation you will not want to miss. 

In this episode of Liftoff Journeys, I sit down with Letao Wang, counselor and award-winning astrologist, to talk about how your life can positively impact many people when you follow the path you are drawn too. 

Like many of us,  Letao didn't find his career part right away. In fact,  he followed the expected path his family had set for him. He graduated, went into finance, graduated, and stepped into a career that looked stable and successful. But internally, something was missing, and he could feel it.

Imagine living according to expectations rather than alignment. That was Letao's reality and a chance spiritual encounter during his Saturn return became the moment that shifted everything. Not because it gave him all the answers, but because it finally gave him permission to ask better questions.

He makes everyone who has been in this position before feel really happy as he shares how  how astrology and counseling became tools for Letao not to escape reality, but to understand people more deeply and to help them heal. What I loved most was how authentic and relatable he was about fear, doubt, and the grief that can come with choosing a different path. Best of all, he trusted his inner voice. Trust led to belief and belief led to his business leadership. 

This episode is for anyone who has ever looked at their life and thought, this should feel right by now. This is your year. Let's do this.

Support the show

Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Watch the TV show "Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden"
Follow us on X
Follow us on Instagram
Talk to us on Facebook
Meet Jeanniey live - see where she will be next.

Famous author and great guy, Gareth Russell Dreamt about being the Czar of Russia when he was little. WHAT?!?  I wasn’t expecting this conversation to go where it did, and honestly, that’s my favorite kind.

In this episode of Liftoff Journeys, I sit down with author and historian Gareth Russell to talk about how he became the writer he is today… and it turns out that journey started much earlier than most people realize. Long before the books, the acclaim, or The Palace, there was a child in Belfast surrounded by Bible stories, family history, old films, and an imagination big enough to dream of becoming the Czar of Russia.

Gareth is incredibly authentic about the fact that writing wasn’t just a dream, it was a refuge. A place where things made sense. A necessity before it was ever a career. And in that honesty, there’s something deeply inspiring about realizing that the path doesn’t have to be linear or obvious to be meaningful. This is one of the first conversations we have had where the person knew what they wanted to be when they grew up from such a young age!

Because this is Liftoff Journeys, the conversation doesn’t stay in one lane. We move from childhood dreams to modern leadership, from royal history to artificial intelligence, and from the past to the very real questions we’re all asking about the future. Gareth shares why history isn’t something we leave behind, it’s something we repeat, reinterpret, and often fail to listen to.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt called to something before they had the language for it. For anyone who’s taken a winding path and for anyone who believes that understanding how people become who they are can change how you think about your own journey.

P.S. It is SUCH a good conversation that we've already asked Gareth to come back on the show in a month (we heard he is working on a new project) and we want to share the scoop!

I’m sitting down with Stephen Gee — CEO and co-founder of Blend — expecting him to give me a common story of his background, and at some point he casually says, “I actually went to college to become a volcanologist.”

Volcanoes.
Lava.
Remote islands.
No friends. (His words, not mine.)

And somehow… that explains everything about how he sees leadership today.

This episode of Liftoff Journeys is very much about Stephen’s journey — not the polished LinkedIn version, but the real one where he followed curiosity instead of a title and ended up exactly where he was supposed to be.

Stephen walks through how studying volcanoes — systems under pressure, unseen fault lines, sudden eruptions — shaped the way he now spots what’s broken in modern leadership. Why siloed executives feel productive but miss what’s actually building beneath the surface. Why pressure narrows perspective instead of expanding it. And why the most dangerous leaders aren’t the ones who fail — they’re the ones who stop questioning.

We laugh a lot in this conversation. About awkward rooms. About walking into spaces where you have no idea what anyone does. About realizing, decades into your career, that the most growth happens when you’re willing to say, “I don’t know — tell me more.”

And we also get real about:

• how Stephen accidentally found his way into the human side of leadership
• why community and cognitive diversity matter more than playbooks
• how Blend was built by intentionally breaking industry boundaries
• and why curiosity — not certainty — is what actually makes leaders better

Without trying to, this conversation brings The AIR Method™ to life:

• Authenticity — being willing to admit what you don’t know
• Inspiration — letting unfamiliar perspectives reshape your thinking
• Relatability — realizing no one’s path is as linear as it looks

If you’ve ever wondered how someone really ends up where they are — or if you’ve felt that quiet nudge that says there might be more growth outside your usual lane — this journey will stick with you.

Because sometimes the very thing that seems like a detour…
turns out to be the training ground for everything that comes next.

Some kids learn how to speak up early.
Others learn how to disappear.

Scilla Andreen learned how to disappear.

Bullied as a child and conditioned to keep her voice small, Scilla grew up believing that staying invisible was safer than being seen. That belief followed her into adulthood until the moment she realized that silence was no longer an option.

In this episode of Liftoff Journeys, Jeanniey sits down with Scilla Andreen, CEO & Co-Founder of iNDIEFLIX and Founder of iMPACTFUL, for a conversation that will hit home for anyone who was ever bullied, excluded, or made to feel like they didn’t belong. (That's almost all of us at some point in our lives)

Scilla shares how the loneliness she experienced early in life didn’t break her, it shaped her. What started as her love for independent film became a global edutainment movement focused on empathy, mental health, and human connection, reaching schools, corporations, and communities around the world.

Together, they talk about what it really takes to build a purpose-driven business when your motivation is deeply personal, the tension between passion and practicality,  the courage required to ask for what you’re worth, and the cost of living in a world where technology, isolation, and mental health struggles are colliding faster than we’re willing to admit.

This conversation is about what happens after Scilla starts living authentically, inspirationally and in a very relatable way (The AIR Method).

It’s a powerful reminder of three things we could all be reminded about:
1- Kindness isn’t weakness, it’s leadership.
2- Being seen isn’t ego, it’s responsibility.
3- Choosing to use your voice can change far more than your own life.

This isn't just a journey you need to hear, its one you need to share with someone who needs to hear they matter too. 

Support the show

Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Watch the TV show "Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden"
Follow us on X
Follow us on Instagram
Talk to us on Facebook
Meet Jeanniey live - see where she will be next.

“When I grow up, I want to be a bubble bather.” 

At three years old, my daughter didn’t know what a career was, but she knew exactly what mattered to her: helping people, having fun, and creating happiness. That moment stayed with me. What’s remarkable is that those same values have guided every chapter of her life since, through different paths, different choices, and now, working alongside me at Liftoff Enterprises. 

In this relaunch episode of Liftoff Journeys, I sit down with longtime friend and collaborator Steve Olenski (aka The CMO Whisperer) to share the true origin story of this podcast and why it’s coming back now. We talk about the quiet moments that define us, the trust it takes to honor who we are at our core, and how easily that trust gets disrupted as we grow up and “get practical.” 

This conversation also introduces the heartbeat behind my upcoming book, The Trust Threshold: the idea that growth doesn’t come from reinventing ourselves, but from crossing the invisible line between self-doubt and self-trust. 

This episode sets the tone for everything Liftoff Journeys is about:
real stories, real people, and the moments that shape us long before success has a name. 

If you’ve ever wondered whether the things that lit you up early in life still matter, this journey starts here.

Send us a text

Summary

In this engaging conversation, Marc Roberge of O.A.R. discusses the importance of authenticity in music, the joy of living a work-life blend, and the deep connections formed with fans over decades. He shares insights on the music industry, the significance of having a clear vision for growth, and offers valuable advice for aspiring artists. The discussion highlights the transformative power of music and the pride that comes from making a positive impact on people's lives.

Takeaways

• Marc emphasizes the importance of authenticity in building a lasting music career.
• He believes that staying true to oneself is crucial for success in the music industry.
• Marc reflects on the joy of living a work-life blend and how it fuels creativity.
• He acknowledges the deep connections formed with fans over the years.
• Marc shares that the success of OAR is rooted in genuine relationships with their audience.
• He advises aspiring artists to focus on tangible experiences rather than just numbers.
• Marc highlights the significance of being willing to perform anywhere, anytime.
• He discusses the impact of music on people's lives and the inspiration it provides.
• Marc believes that the music industry is about creating moments and stories, not just numbers.
• He expresses gratitude for the opportunity to do what he loves every day.

Support the show

See what we look like; subscribe to our YouTube channel
Watch the TV show"LiftOff with Jeanniey Walden"
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
Talk to us on Facebook
Meet Jeanniey live - see where she will be next.

Send us a text

In this heartwarming episode of Liftoff Journeys with Jeanniey Walden, we bring you full-length, unfiltered discussions from the live TV set of the nationally broadcast show Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden. These conversations—featuring Michelin star Chef Joey Sergentakis, entrepreneur and cancer survivor Maureen Brody, and globally renowned artist Christopher Radko—are only available here on the podcast, giving you an exclusive deep dive into their inspiring stories and unique perspectives.

Chef Joey Sergentakis: Crafting Joy Through Food

Joey Sergentakis, a Michelin star chef, shared his journey from humble beginnings in his family’s kitchen to achieving one of the highest accolades in the culinary world. On the TV set, Joey opened up about the emotional connections that food can create and how the simplest dishes can bring people together. In this extended podcast version, Joey shares exclusive stories about the power of food to connect people—a conversation you won’t hear anywhere else.

Maureen Brody: Turning Challenges Into Triumph

Maureen Brody, an inspiring entrepreneur and cancer survivor, shared her emotional journey on the live set of Liftoff. She discussed how her battle with cancer shaped her entrepreneurial mindset and gave her a renewed sense of purpose. In the podcast’s extended discussion, Maureen delves deeper into how resilience, paired with a strong sense of community, drove her success. she shares highlights from her wellness and skin care line,  fmaking this conversation a true must-listen.

Christopher Radko: Capturing the Magic of the Holidays

Known around the world for his iconic holiday ornaments, Christopher Radko shared his passion for art and tradition during the show. Here on the podcast, you’ll hear even more about the deeply personal stories behind his artistry. Christopher offers insights into how his creations reflect love, nostalgia, and the magic of the holiday season—proving that art can be a powerful way to inspire joy.

Why This Episode Is Special

What makes this episode so unique is that these conversations were filmed for the Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden TV show, which reaches over 85 million households a month. But here on the podcast, you’re getting the extended discussions with insights and details you won’t hear anywhere else. It’s your exclusive backstage pass to meaningful stories that inspire, uplift, and connect with the things we love most.

Key Takeaways

• Joey Sergentakis: Follow your passion and let food become a vehicle for joy and connection.
• Maureen Brody: Resilience and community can transform adversity into powerful opportunities.
• Christopher Radko: Creativity and tradition bring meaning and magic to the lives of others.

Tune In Now

Don’t miss these exclusive, in-depth conversations with Chef Joey,  Maureen Brody, and Christopher Radko. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at their lives, only available on Liftoff Journeys with Jeanniey Walden

Support the show

See what we look like; subscribe to our YouTube channel
Watch the TV show"LiftOff with Jeanniey Walden"
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
Talk to us on Facebook
Meet Jeanniey live - see where she will ...