Manic Energy Podcast

What if the secret ingredient to growing an entire regional economy wasn't a policy or a tax incentive — but a person? A curious, quietly relentless human who just keeps showing up, connecting dots, and refusing to let northeast Minnesota be a flyover?

That's the energy Rachel Johnson brings to her role as President and CEO of APEX — and this conversation left me genuinely fired up about what's possible right here in our backyard.

Rachel's path is anything but linear. Raised on the North Shore by environmentalist teachers in a passive solar house, she went from shy kindergartner to transmission analyst, chamber membership director, real estate developer, pipeline crossing coordinator, and PR lead — before landing as the third CEO in APEX's 23-year history. The thread running through all of it? Pure curiosity, and a willingness to throw herself in before she has all the answers.

What We Get Into:

Why diversifying the regional economy means connecting industries most people never think to link — like helium mining and MRI machines

How film production is actually manufacturing — and why that reframe changes everything about workforce, investment, and incentives

What it's really like to walk into a state capitol hearing on behalf of businesses who don't have time to be there

The trade mission to Switzerland and Germany — and the sustainable aviation fuel deal being built between a German company and a northeast Minnesota timber producer

Why APEX is now linking arms with economic development orgs across the entire state to pitch Minnesota as one unified economy

Favorite Quotes:

"If you have concerns about something, get involved — so you can see what's actually going on, and put your purpose into making sure it gets done right."

"Things are grown or they're mined. We just don't think about that when we pick up our iPhones."

"We're not trying to recruit a thousand-person company. We have a history of being makers, builders, and good stewards of our land."

Chapter Markers: 

00:00 — The kid who barely talked becomes the connector 

02:57 — Passive solar, pine trees, and a non-linear career 

07:08 — Real estate, Enbridge, and the full circle of energy 

16:46 — What APEX actually does 

26:00 — Robots, film studios, and the industries nobody expects 

36:45 — Inside a state capitol hearing 

41:31 — Trade missions and linking arms statewide

Your Turn:

Where are you staying on the sidelines of something — because you don't feel ready, or it doesn't fit how you see yourself? What would it look like to just show up anyway?

About Rachel Johnson & APEX

Rachel Johnson is the President & CEO of APEX — the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion — a private sector-led economic development organization serving northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. 

Since 2003, APEX has impacted over 4,340 jobs in the region and contributed to over $24.5 million annually in state and local taxes. Rachel leads the charge on business attraction, regional advocacy, and connecting the people and industries that make the Northland grow. LinkedIn

Learn more at https://apexgetsbusiness.com/

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend

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What makes a company truly healthy, the balance sheet, the products, or the people inside it? I've been asking myself that question a lot lately, and this conversation cracked something open for me.

I'll be honest, Derek and I barely knew each other before this. We'd bumped into each other a few times at holiday parties through my partner Anne Lang at Lake Superior Consulting. But one pre-show call turned into an hour and a half of, "wait, you deal with that too?" That's the kind of conversation that reminds you why expanding your circle outside your own industry matters.

Derek is the CEO of CuraLinc, one of the largest Employee Assistance Programs in the United States, serving 22 million people across 200 countries with a team of 700 and a network of 90,000 mental health professionals. What makes them different isn't just scale. It's that when you call CuraLinc, a licensed clinical therapist answers the phone in nine seconds.

We went deep on mental health, leadership, performance, empathy, and the thing no one really talks about: how much of the performance problems in your company might actually be yours.

Key Themes + Takeaways

Mental health lives on a spectrum. Life stressors build into mental health challenges which can evolve into diagnosable illness. 

Answering the phone in nine seconds isn't just a metric, it's a philosophy. When 20% of your callers are in some form of crisis, you can't afford to route the "easy" calls first. 

Resiliency, not dependency. One of the things Derek said that stayed with me: we're starting to create mental illness out of life stressors instead of building resiliency. 

Low performance is almost never incompetence. When I hear that framed so cleanly, it's disarming. 

The fish stinks from the head down. The challenges showing up in your organization are often reflections of you as a leader, your priorities, your behaviors, your blind spots. 

Empathy for the individual, accountability to the collective. This is the real tension. Being too compassionate to one person can quietly hurt the entire team. 

Stop chasing margins, start chasing value. Whether you're selling EAP services or energy consulting, the revenue you command should reflect the value you create, not your cost structure.

Our Favorite Quotes

"It's almost never incompetence. It's almost always misalignment."

"Your job is to have empathy for the individual and manage the performance of the collective."

"We're creating mental illness out of life stressors instead of resiliency."

"When somebody starts to underperform, I'm maniacally myopic — I have my top five and that's all I'm working on."

"The fish stinks from the head down. The challenges in your organization are often a reflection of you as a leader."

Chapter Markers

00:00 — What Makes a Healthy Company?

07:10 — What CuraLinc Does (And Why Nine Seconds Changes Everything)

11:00 — Life Stressors, Resiliency, and Getting People the Right Care

18:28 — The Hulk Story: When Derek Got the Feedback He Needed

24:30 — How to Lead Through Performance Problems Without Losing the Human

36:00 — The Mirror Moment: When the Problem Is You

43:40 — Innovation, EBITDA, and Why Value Is Not Your Cost Structure

Your Turn

This week's reflection:

Where are you addressing the symptom instead of the problem — with your team, in your business, or with yourself?

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend

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What if the real measure of success isn't revenue, contracts, or headcount but whether the people on your team get to come home as themselves?

That's the question at the heart of this conversation. And honestly, it's one that hit me harder than I expected.

I'm sitting down with Josh Krick, Program Manager for Lake Superior Consulting's utility locating department and we're recording this on his birthday. That felt appropriate, because this episode is really about growth: what it takes, what it costs, and what it looks like when it finally starts working.

Josh came into this role as a veteran of an industry that, frankly, has a habit of treating people like numbers. He'd seen the revolving door, the burnout, the "if they don't work out, just get new ones" mentality. And when he landed here, he saw something different or at least, the possibility of something different. What followed was a few years of scrappy, sometimes painful, always honest work to figure out what a people-first locating department could actually look like.

We got into it all, the hard early days, the metrics that exposed where we were falling short, the structural changes that turned things around, and the moment a spouse at a holiday party said something that made the whole journey click into place.

Key Themes + Takeaways

Culture isn't a poster on the wall — it's whether your people come home as themselves.

Seasonal and temporary staffing sends a message whether you mean it to or not.

You can't lead 20 people alone.

Lean into the losses.

Psychological safety isn't soft — it's operational.

Promotion bias is real — and it cuts both ways.

The goal isn't more contracts. It's more opportunities for your people.

Our Favorite Quotes

"What better way to figure out what does work than to understand what doesn't work?"

"These are people with families and kids and aspirations. They're people who you were before you got into your role."

"Let's celebrate the wins. But let's lean into the losses — because that's where you find the most you can take out of that when it comes to learning."

"The ones that really get it are the ones who go out there and say, 'Hey, this is what was messed up. That's my bad.' What did you learn? Awesome. You get it."

"The more opportunities I can generate for our employees to make a difference — that's success now."

Chapter Markers

0:00 — Welcome to the Chaos (and Happy Birthday, Josh)

1:37 — From Ohio to Minnesota: How Josh Ended Up Here

8:16 — The Origin Story: Why LSC Got Into Utility Locating

11:15 — What Josh Saw When He Walked In the Door

17:40 — The Holiday Party Moment That Changed Everything

26:49 — The Metrics That Tell the Truth

30:03 — Building the Structure: Leads, Supervisors, Auditors, Trainers

35:39 — Tripling Overnight: The Recent Growth Push

39:32 — The Bias We Don't Know We Have

43:59 — What Success Actually Looks Like Now

Your Turn

Think about someone on your team — or in your life — who you've mentally written off, or quietly decided "isn't ready." What would it look like to flip the script and ask: what would it take to get them there? And are you willing to make good on that commitment?

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend

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What happens when you spend 28 years in one place… and then finally decide you’re not done living? Today’s episode is about getting unstuck—by choosing discomfort on purpose.

I’m joined by Rob Jonasen, a cathodic protection technician at Lake Superior Consulting—and honestly, this conversation hit close to home because Rob’s role is one of the first roles I ever started in.

Rob’s a Duluth–Superior guy through and through. He started working at 19, stayed in the steel mill for 28 years, raised six kids, and did what a lot of people do: kept grinding, kept providing, and tried to make it all work. But at some point, “books were enough” became “books aren’t enough anymore.” And that’s where his story starts to really move.

Key Themes + Takeaways

Rob talks about looking back and realizing how quickly decades disappear—especially once you become a parent.

When overtime disappeared, it hit hard. When it came back, he clung to it—16-hour shifts, ten days off in five months—until he knew something had to change.

Rob didn’t want trucking because he loved trucks—he wanted the world. LSC gave him travel, autonomy, and a new kind of pride.

Cathodic protection is invisible until you know what you’re looking for—then you see line markers, rectifiers, right-of-ways everywhere.

Sometimes it starts with one comment, one annoyance, one “there has to be a better way”—and Rob’s the kind of mind that turns that into a real tool.

Rob’s advice is simple and earned: build your internal values, be on time, be honest, and do work you can feel good about.

Our Favorite Quotes

“I worked in the steel mill for 28 years… and the time just flies by so fast.”

“I was working 16 hours straight for like five months. I had ten days off in five months.”

“I reached a certain age in my life where books weren’t enough.”

“To go into cathodic protection, you have to be a little smart and a lot crazy.”

“You should get in over your head sometimes… and then when you do it, you grow.”

Chapter Markers

00:00 — Meet Rob: 28 years in the steel mill, and a pivot coming

03:25 — The overtime years: when work stops feeling like life

05:24 — The roof day that turned into a career conversation

09:58 — Freedom on the road: standards, responsibility, and autonomy

13:05 — “What did I get myself into?” + the tech that made him light up

13:46 — The septic wire story: using DCVG thinking in real life (and digging 9 feet 😅)

21:18 — Innovation culture: making better tools, contagious pride, and peer impact

27:57 — Rob’s career advice: values, honesty, reliability, and self-respect

36:40 — The googly eyes: why a little ridiculousness matters

Your Turn

This week’s check-in: Where in your life are you tolerating “stuck” because it feels familiar—and what’s one uncomfortable step that might actually set you free?

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend

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What happens when two identical twins grow up to become powerhouse women in engineering, leadership, and motherhood… and still need regular “twin time” to keep the world spinning right?

This episode is fun on the surface, but underneath the laughs, it’s really about identity, ambition, family, and what it means to grow alongside someone who has known you literally your entire life.

In this episode, Katie and I sat down with Ally Johnston & Taylor Scherz—identical twins, industrial engineers, leaders in their respective fields, and two people who somehow manage to be both wildly similar and completely their own people.

Taylor and I work together at Lake Superior Consulting, and I’ve had enough accidental public encounters with Ally over the years to know firsthand that being around twins can be both confusing and hilarious. But what made this conversation so good wasn’t just the novelty of identical twins. It was getting to hear how they’ve built lives that are deeply connected without being interchangeable.

We talked about growing up competitive and inseparable, sharing clothes, switching places in school, choosing the same degree, studying abroad together, and eventually building careers in male-dominated industries. We also got into leadership, AI, consulting, manufacturing, motherhood, and the kind of sibling bond that doesn’t go away just because life gets busy.

There’s a lot of humor in this one, but there’s also something really grounding about hearing two people talk honestly about individuality, support, and the value of having someone in your corner who just gets you.

Key Themes + Takeaways

Growing up as twins meant always having a built-in best friend, but also needing space to become individuals.

Ally and Taylor’s careers show how flexible and powerful an industrial engineering background can be.

Leadership in engineering and operations is still evolving, and both of them bring a steady, practical confidence to male-dominated spaces.

AI isn’t replacing thoughtful leaders anytime soon, but it is creating huge opportunities for efficiency, better systems, and smarter work.

Family support looks different for everyone, but having someone who deeply understands you can be a massive anchor in work and life.

Our Favorite Quotes

“Twins take it to a whole new level.”

“The joke in school is mechanical engineers make things. Industrial engineers make things better.”

“We need twin time.”

“If you can’t tell us apart, it’s entertaining.”

“Make sure they get a little bit of that individuality, because they will be lumped together forever.”

Chapter Markers

00:00 Welcome to the chaos

00:38 Who’s older by one minute?

02:05 Growing up competitive, close, and very twin-like

13:26 What industrial engineering actually is

17:02 From manufacturing floors to consulting leadership

26:24 AI, process improvement, and the future of work

44:20 The myths and misunderstandings of being twins

48:13 Why “twin time” still matters

49:03 Advice for parents raising twins

Your Turn

This week’s check-in:

Where in your life are you being invited to become more fully yourself—without losing connection to the people who know you best?

And maybe a second one too:

Who feels like home to you in the middle of all the chaos?

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend!

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AI is here, it’s not slowing down, and whether you’re excited or a little uneasy… you’re not alone. The real question isn’t “Is it good or bad?” — it’s “How do we use it to our advantage?”

On this episode of Manic Energy, Katie Brooks and I sit down with Kaycee Wheeler to talk about artificial intelligence in a way that actually feels usable — not hype-y, not doom-y… just real.

And before we even get into the big-picture stuff, I had to start with a story that still blows my mind: Kaycee stepped into a “data processing” role and, in a matter of months, built tools that basically automated the job — faster, more accurate, and (this part matters) pushed decision-making back to the field, where it should’ve been all along. In short: Kaycee didn’t just learn the job… he worked himself out of it — and that’s exactly the kind of mindset this moment demands.

Key Themes + Takeaways

AI is a lever, not magic. It can compress hours into minutes, but it still needs a human who understands the goal and can validate the output.

The biggest immediate win is acceleration. Kaycee talks about using AI for Excel formulas, pivot tables, code, and even rapid software prototyping — getting to “80% done” insanely fast.

Learning is getting reinvented in real time. Using AI as a tutor (CAD, electronics, even turning manuals into podcast-style audio) might be one of the most practical and underrated use cases.

Privacy isn’t a footnote. Paid vs free plans, corporate ecosystems (like Copilot inside Microsoft), and how data may or may not be used for training — this matters if you’re putting sensitive info into tools.

Entry-level knowledge work is where the pressure hits first. Kaycee makes the case that data processing and other “starter roles” could shrink, which raises a real question: how do people build the ladder if the bottom rungs disappear?

Energy demand isn’t going down. If AI adoption accelerates data center buildouts, the knock-on effects touch our entire world — including the work LSC and others do in the field.

Our Favorite Quotes

“You came into this role… and instead of just learning the ropes and doing the job, you developed tools that did the job for you.”

“It’s only as good as the output — you still need a human to analyze the data and prove it.”

“In eight hours, I have a full-blown prototype… without five coders and $20,000 later.”

“I think AI is in that ‘newspaper phase’ — we’re just figuring out what it can do.”

“The thing to be scared of… is entry-level jobs when it comes to data.”

Chapter Markers

00:00 — The AI question everyone’s asking

01:14 — The story that sets the tone

03:41 — From X-ray tech to systems + software

07:58 — The “Excel guru” era is ending

12:53 — Hardware + CAD + 3D printing (with AI as the teacher)

17:57 — Quality control + the human in the loop

27:05 — Privacy, platforms, and what to trust

48:13 — The workforce shift nobody’s ready for

Your Turn

This week, take 10 minutes and ask yourself:

Where could a tool like AI remove friction in my work — without removing my judgment? And what’s one small task (an email, a spreadsheet cleanup, a draft outline) you could test it on this week to learn by doing?

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend!

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There was a time as a kid when a power outage felt like an adventure—candles, blankets, stovetop heat, and the weird magic of waking up to everything “back to normal.” As an adult, it hits different… because now I’m not just thinking about light—I’m thinking about heat, water, pipes, food spoilage, and how much of life rides on a grid we usually never notice.

Today on Manic Energy, we’re digging into the invisible system behind every flick of a switch—and the people who keep it reliable when the weather doesn’t cooperate and demand keeps rising.

We’re joined by Frank Frederickson, Vice President of Customer Experience and Engineering Services at Minnesota Power. Frank’s a lifelong Minnesotan (International Falls roots), trained as a mechanical engineer at the University of Minnesota, started his career at 3M, and for the last 18 years has worked across renewable development, plant operations, engineering, and customer experience—serving ~150,000 customers across northern Minnesota.

And yes—he’s also driven a Zamboni at the Target Center, captained a tour boat in Voyageurs National Park, and clearly has a thing for big machines.

Key Themes + Takeaways

Electricity is “instant.” The electron is generated and consumed in the same moment—so the grid is a nonstop balancing act.

Reliability is the whole game. The transmission grid is engineered for extreme reliability, but weather and nature still create real-world outages.

The grid is changing fast. Wind/solar are growing, but their variability means we still need dispatchable resources (gas, hydro, biomass, etc.) and smarter transmission.

Tradeoffs are real. Every energy source carries a footprint—emissions, land use, materials, manufacturing, wildlife impact, reservoirs… it’s never “something for nothing.”

Demand is rising again. Electrification, reshoring, and data centers (and AI) are pushing load growth after years of relative flatness.

Where you live matters for your bill. In regulated states like Minnesota, big new loads can spread costs—while deregulated markets can behave very differently.

Our Favorite Quotes

“We create a product and sell it to customers that’s an instantaneous product.”

“Electricity travels at the speed of light… and it’s consumed in the same millisecond it’s created.”

“We were renewable before it was cool.”

“It’s the first 2%… everything kind of needs electricity to do just about everything.”

Chapter Markers

0:00 When a winter power outage stops feeling like an “adventure”

1:29 Meet Frank: engineering roots, renewables, and the path to Minnesota Power

5:32 Hidden talents: boats, Zambonis, and why “driving things” matters

7:46 Where electricity actually comes from (and why it’s always “right now”)

12:21 Dispatchable vs variable generation: the real challenge of renewables

16:09 Minnesota Power’s energy history: hydro → coal → back toward renewables

28:18 Why more renewables can mean more transmission (not less)

34:31 Will data centers raise your bill? Regulated vs deregulated reality

40:21 HVDC: why it matters, how it works, and what’s changing in Minnesota

43:54 The future mix: wind/solar/gas/batteries now… nuclear maybe later

Your Turn

This week’s check-in: What’s one part of your life that only “works” because someone, somewhere, is quietly maintaining the infrastructure behind it—and how might gratitude change the way you move through your day?

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend!

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What if the biggest “building” shaping your life right now isn’t a hospital, a bank, or a factory… but a concrete box full of servers, power, and cooling that you’ll probably never see? This episode is my attempt to make data centers feel real—not mystical, not political, just understandable.

Today I sat down with Lucas Mistelske—and we immediately got rolling. We barely knew each other going in, but after talking for an hour before hitting record, it felt like we were already in that “alright, let’s get into it” rhythm.

I wanted Lucas on because data centers have become this buzzword that gets people heated fast… but most folks don’t actually know what a data center is, what’s inside one, why they keep getting built, or why the energy conversation is suddenly so intense. Lucas has the rare combo of technical depth and real community perspective—from building businesses in Duluth to leading data center operations across the country, to now stepping into a big role at Giant.

Key Themes + Takeaways

• What a data center actually does: It’s the physical home base for the internet and modern business operations—designed for uptime, resilience, and security.

• Why more are being built: Tech doesn’t slow down—AI, data growth, and “always-on” services keep driving demand.

• The building is simpler than you think… and more intense than you expect: A robust concrete box, redundant power, and precise cooling—plus serious risk planning.

• The “location logic” has flipped: It used to be about fiber routes and geography; now it’s increasingly about available power + land.

• Waste heat is an opportunity: Pairing data centers with district energy could be a huge win if we actually do it at scale.

• The future gets weird fast: Quantum computing and “Q Day” could reshape everything from encryption to medicine.

Our Favorite Quotes

• “Data centers are… where this video will be uploaded, where the podcast will be stored… that’s how the internet works.”

• “At the end of the day, it’s a concrete box with power and cooling… and some security.”

• “We should be doing it at scale—why wouldn’t we?” (on district energy / reusing heat)

• “The hierarchy of needs has changed dramatically… developers are looking for where there’s power available today.”

• “Quantum computing… has the potential to disrupt quite everything that we know.”

Chapter Markers

00:00 — Lucas “with a C… and with an L” + why data centers matter

01:49 — From small-town Minnesota to building businesses (and that coffee story)

07:57 — Data centers 101: what they are and what they do

12:20 — Why the world keeps building more (AI, scale, and no “finish line”)

21:39 — The district energy dream: using data center heat for good

24:25 — The new reality: power availability is driving everything

30:16 — Quantum computing + “Q Day” (the part that makes you sit up)

Your Turn

This week’s check-in: Where are you forming an opinion on something you don’t fully understand yet—and what would “learning the basics” look like before taking a hard stance?

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend!

Giant Voices (official site): https://www.giantvoices.com/

STARBASE Minnesota: https://www.starbasemn.org/duluth/

Lucas contact

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-mistelske/

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What does it actually take to move energy safely across hundreds of miles—without the people who depend on it ever noticing it’s there? This conversation is a reminder that the “invisible” infrastructure around us is built on a whole lot of hard-earned experience, problem-solving, and accountability.

Today, Katie and I sat down with Aaron Perrault, one of Lake Superior Consulting’s Engineering Directors, and someone I’ve genuinely enjoyed working with over the years. Aaron's path into the energy industry started in a place that shaped him in a really practical way—boots-on-the-ground work at a natural gas compressor station right after 9/11, when engineering jobs were hard to come by.

From there, Aaron moved through product development (control valves, instrumentation, certifications), major pipeline projects at Enbridge, and eventually into consulting—where the “work” isn’t just designing systems, but translating complexity, asking the right questions, and helping projects get done the right way.

Key Themes + Takeaways

Field experience is a cheat code. Aaron's early years troubleshooting real equipment at weird hours built instincts that still show up in his work today.

Big projects are moving assembly lines. A pipeline job site isn’t a single place—it’s a constantly shifting operation, with quality and safety systems baked into every step.

Quality isn’t a vibe—it’s a process. From visual inspection to X-ray/UT on welds, the goal is decades of reliability, not “good enough.”

Restoration is real work. Building the pipeline is only part of the story—there’s a long tail of landowner follow-up, drainage fixes, and seasonal cycles that require time and care.

Consulting changes how you think. Aaron talks about learning how to use consultants, scope projects properly, and choose contract types (T&M vs fixed) with a clearer view of risk.

Permitting is both the challenge and the reality. It’s iterative, demanding, and often the biggest driver of uncertainty—especially as demand grows (data centers, load growth, etc.).

Our Favorite Quotes

“I didn’t know what I was learning at the time… looking back now, very few people have those experiences.”

“Your job site is moving… it’s like a ten-mile moving assembly line.”

“We’re going to make mistakes… it’s how we respond to it and make sure we’re doing things the right way.”

“I didn’t know how to use a consultant… I would have asked more questions and leaned on more individuals.”

“We’re not trying to be annoying—we’re trying to understand the project and meet expectations.

Chapter Markers

01:00 Starting after 9/11: the compressor station years

02:00 Compressor stations, explained (and why they matter)

06:20 From field work to product development (valves + instrumentation)

08:56 Major pipeline projects: 185 miles across Illinois

12:27 When road bores go wrong—and how you respond

17:06 Coming to Lake Superior Consulting (and the surprise of what LSC really does)

32:40 The consulting lessons: scope, contracts, and communication

Your Turn

This week’s reflection: Where in your life are you gaining skills you don’t fully appreciate yet—things that might make sense only in hindsight?

And if you’re in a season of “learning on the fly,” what would it look like to treat that as real progress instead of feeling behind?

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend!

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What does it look like when the voice of reason finally steps into the spotlight? And what happens when the person who’s been quietly shaping the story decides it’s time to tell their own?

On Manic Energy, I’m usually the one in the driver’s seat—asking the questions, pulling the thread, chasing the “why” behind the work. But in this episode, we flipped it. Because at some point it hit me: we’ve done a lot of episodes… and I’ve had plenty of airtime to share my background, my perspective, and my chaos.

Meanwhile, Katie Brooks—our marketing director at Lake Superior Consulting and my co-host—has been this steady presence in the background. The calm. The clarity. The one who pauses the conversation and says, “Wait… can we back up and explain that?” (Which, honestly, is exactly what our listeners need sometimes.)

So today I put Katie in the hot seat. Not to make her uncomfortable for fun… okay, maybe a little. But mostly because everyone deserves an origin story—and because the way she thinks about communication, storytelling, and market connection is a big part of why this show works.

Key Themes + Takeaways

Marketing isn’t just “making it look nice.” It’s translating complex ideas into something people can actually understand—and feel.

The “superpower” of not being the technical expert: Katie talked about how curiosity and asking good questions can be a strategic advantage, especially in a technical industry.

Personas matter. Different audiences have different needs—budget, safety, schedule, quality—and good marketing meets people where they are.

Real growth requires discomfort. Katie’s not naturally a “front of the mic” person, but she’s choosing to stretch anyway.

Success isn’t only numbers—it’s engagement and momentum. We talked about what “good” looks like: listeners coming back, genuine interaction, and us staying committed for the long haul.

Strategy is as much about what you ignore as what you chase. The website work and business planning conversations are pushing us to focus and get clearer about value.

Our Favorite Quotes

“I almost consider that kind of my superpower… because then I can ask the questions.”

“It’s not just making it look nice—it’s actually transforming the message that you tell.”

“You’ve got to push yourself. Just send yourself off the edge and see what happens.”

“Sometimes the path… isn’t grabbing at everything. It’s being a succinct and coordinated effort.”

“As long as we’re true to ourselves and asking genuine questions… it’s going to hit someone.”

Chapter Markers

01:23 — The Hot Seat Moment: Why we’re finally telling Katie’s origin story

02:11 — Finding Marketing by Accident: From “maybe nursing?” to public relations + art

04:17 — Growth, Acquisitions, and the Real World: Trade shows, sales teams, and learning by doing

06:16 — Why Design Matters: How better storytelling changes how people understand you

09:07 — What Marketing Actually Is: Strategy, personas, and connecting with the real decision-makers

12:58 — Building a Website in Real Life: Content, customer pain points, and alignment across business units

17:14 — What We Want This Podcast To Do: Comfort, curiosity, accessibility, and widening the audience

21:04 — Defining Success: Growth, engagement, and committing for the long haul

26:02 — Breaking the Fourth Wall: Kids, family shout-outs, and keeping it human

Your Turn

This week’s check-in: Where are you being invited to step out from behind the curtain?

Maybe you’re the “voice in the background” in your company, your family, your community—or even in your own life.

What would it look like to take one small step forward… not because it’s comfortable, but because it’s time?

Journal prompt: What’s one place in my life where I’m ready to get a little more visible—even if my voice shakes?

Links & Mentions:

Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/  

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