Real Talk with Ben Tompkins

Hunter Porter is a real estate whiz, a statesman, an entrepreneur, a brother, son, Kentucky basketball fan, and a Senior Associate at BC Wood Properties.

Hunter joined the show to share his life’s story, including what experiences shaped him growing up and what lessons his parents instilled in him, as well as his transition from college into the real world, with a little Kentucky basketball nostalgia sprinkled in.

Covering a few different sales positions he held and how he learned to overcome rejection, we later get into how he got his start in the commercial real estate industry, and how he is uniquely positions to be at the forefront of entrepreneurship.

Hunter discusses the power of persistence throughout this episode, as well as some of his mentors and whose work he studies in the real estate industry.

Later, he shares what qualities he believes makes a great leader, the importance of building out your network, and his next goals, before finishing with his realest talk.

You can follow him on Instagram @hunter_a_porter, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.

Brock Roberts is a teacher, a molder of youth, a culture builder, a state champion, and he’s currently the Head Football Coach at North Oldham High School, my alma mater.

We open things up with how he was raised by a single mother and what he learned watching his mom hustle for him and his brothers, how his father’s death is still an unsolved mystery in Kentucky, and how playing sports growing up helped shaped the person he is today.

Brock also went to Thomas More College, where I played a season of college football, which I didn’t know until this episode. We missed each other by a semester I think. Pretty wild.

So, we spend some time talking about that, and also how he handled the identity shift going from a player to a coach after his career had ended.

In this episode, Brock shares the lessons be strives to teach his players and students and how his position as coach is bigger than wins and losses.

He also shares what it was like becoming an assistant coach with Martha Layne Collins High School and winning a state championship, to becoming the head coach at Eminence High School, and then ultimately, landing at North Oldham.

Later, Brock defines his coaching style and philosophy, his go-to mantras and sayings, what makes a great leader, a time he hit rock bottom, the goals he’s reaching for next, and finally, his realest talk.

You can follow him on Twitter @bdroberts20, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.

Cayce Hamilton is a hustler, an MBA holder, a stereotype defier, a former soccer star, and she’s currently the Corporate Group Sales Manager at Marriott.

In this episode, you’ll hear her share her story of growing up in a strict Catholic household and coming out as a gay woman, what it was like growing up in that structure from K-12th grade, the identity shifts that she’s dealt with, and what that conversation was like with her parents.

After that, we discuss the generational acceptance of gay people and how it’s improved over time, then we jump into her career and some of the moves she’s made.

Following some time spent on Capital Hill, we talk about how she obtained her Master’s Degree from Georgia State University, and how she was seven weeks away from reporting to Quantico, Virginia to work with the FBI when she decided it was all too familiar of a structure and chose to forgo that opportunity.

Cayce shares what helped her heal and cope with feelings of identity, being who she wanted to be, who some of her mentors are, a movie that changed her life, and finally, we wrap things up with her realest talk.

You can follow her on Instagram @cayceham, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.

Vicky Michelle is a true entrepreneur. She’s a hustler, a healer, a risk taker, an artist, an adventure seeker, and she’s currently a private chef for a fraternity house at Georgia Tech University.

Vicky joined the show to discuss her entrepreneurial spirit, the businesses that she’s grown, how old she was when she realized she loved cooking for people, and how she’s raised her visibility and refused to dim her light.

We talk about the power of healing that food can be for people, what helped motivate her after she felt stuck, healing from trauma, and the next goals she’s striving for.

Later in the episode, Vicky reveals how she taps into her creative process, she tells me about a time she hit rock bottom, who her mentors are, a movie that changed her life, and finally, as always, we wrap up with her realest talk.

There aren’t many people out there like Vick, and she embodies to me everything that is important about entrepreneurship, going for it, not knowing what you don’t know and yet pushing on in spite of it all, and ultimately, carving out a path that’s uniquely her own. This was a fun one, and I hope you enjoy it.

You can follow her on Instagram @vickyshouseofsecrets, her linktree posted in the show notes, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.

Logan Cohen is a keynote speaker, an influencer with over 1.6 million TikTok followers, an entrepreneur, a licensed therapist and a trauma-informed coach.

In this episode, Logan describes what had led him to this path of ultimately serving and coaching others, the chaos in his house growing up, and the transfer of generational trauma after his Grandfather survived Auschwitz by being on Schindler’s List.

We also tackle some other heavy topics, like Logan’s addiction what it looked like, his sobriety journey, escapism and dissociation, how addiction sometimes is hard to identify in college, and ultimately what had to change in order for him to get sober.

Later on, Logan shares how he launched and has built his business and following. the differences between trauma-informed therapy and traditional therapy, how he helps the people he works with to identify and process their trauma, and how to tell your story with respect to others being involved.

We finish off with learning about Logan’s mentors, why it’s so important to become the hero of your own story, and finally, he shares his realest talk.

You can follow him on Instagram and @healinghumanity777, on TikTok @healinghumanity777 as well, check out his website if you’re interested in coaching services at logancohen.com, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.

Doug Scott is an avid Oregon Ducks fan, a native Oregonian, a software product manager, and he’s the Co-Host of the QB11 Show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

I met Doug through Twitter, and reached out to him because I wanted to not only find someone to come on and talk some Ducks football, but I wanted to find the right person. Someone with a story to tell. And in this episode, Doug does just that.

We go straight to the deep end as he opens up about living in rural Oregon, being the child of divorce and what it was like growing up with an absentee father.

We discuss his mother’s impact on him and what he learned from watching her hustle to make sure Doug and his sister didn’t go without.

Later in the episode, we weave through Doug’s career trajectory and his time working as a pharmacy technician, before ultimately landing in the software engineering and product management space.

After that, we spend some time nerding out and reminiscing on Oregon football, how he initially became a fan, how he became a podcaster, grading the Dan Lanning Era to this point, the expectations for the Ducks heading into the Big 10, some of his favorite players from over the years, some gameday best tips, and finally, his realest talk.

You can follow him on Twitter @douglasts, check out his show the QB 11 Show everywhere podcasts are available, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.

Carson Hollingsworth is a teacher, a mentor, a brother, a builder of youth, and he’s the JV basketball coach at Cambridge High School.

We get pretty deep early as he shares the passing of his mother and brother and the impact they had on his life, as well as other life-shaping moments during adolescence.

Then, we bounce around from his playing career, to injuries he dealt with and what inspired him to get through rehab and workouts time and time again, to ultimately transitioning from a player to a coach.

After defining his own coaching style, Carson shares who some of the coaches are that he tries to emulate, as well as his favorite players growing up.

Later in the episode, he details his first jobs coming out of college, when he committed to teaching as a career, and his favorite memories from playing ball.

We wrap things up with the biggest things he tries to instill in the kids he coaches, how he overcomes adversity, and finally, his realest talk.

This is another episode where we go deep and get personal when talking about his mother and his brother, and I appreciate that so much. Keep doing what you’re doing Carson, keep making them proud, man.

You can follow him on Instagram @carsonhollingsworth0, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.

Bradon Fortin is a beast. He’s an athlete, the son of a former NFL player, a dad himself, he’s one of the first people I connected with down here in Atlanta, and he’s one of the Head Coaches and Lead Instructors at The Forum Athletic Club.

In this episode, Bradon notes what it was like growing up in an NFL family, where his dad, Roman, was a stud for 12 seasons. He tells me what it was like playing football with a dad who was a pro, as well as lessons his dad has taught him over the years.

Later on, we get into how The Forum has been built as a business from one location to three, all thanks to their approach to fitness and their unique Fast Twitch classes.

After breaking down the benefits of HIIT-type workouts, he shares a few of his biggest success stories with clients, the goals he’s striving for next, what his favorite part about coaching is, and finally, as wrap up with his realest talk.

You can follow him on Instagram @bradon410, check out The Forum’s website to see their facilities, drop by for a class if you’re in the Atlanta area, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.

Linus Höglund, or Hogland as he’s known to fans, is a name to know in the EDM scene.

He’s a hitmaker, a platinum-selling DJ, a content creator, and he’s one of my favorite people to listen to right now.

In this episode, we do a deep dive on his personal life, what it was like growing up in Stockholm, Sweden, who his role models are, sports he played growing up, and life shaping moments during his youth.

He shares how he got started as a DJ, what it looked like in the beginning dropping songs on Soundcloud, how he’s grown as an artist, and ultimately we arrive at his release, Letting Go feat. Kiddo, which caught the eye of Kygo, who then signed Hogland to his first deal.

He describes what a surreal feeling it was watching Kygo play his song in front of fans, how he dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic as a performing artist, the difference between playing festivals versus shows, his creative process, Avicii’s impact on him, his Mount Rushmore of artists, what he’s working on next, and finally, his realest talk.

It was an honor to have him on the show, he’s definitely somebody that I expect to keep blowing up and gaining more traction in the music scene, and I can’t wait until the day that I can see him live, wherever that may be.

You can follow him on Instagram @hogland, check out his work on Apple Music and Spotify, his website hoglandmusic.com, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.

Davey West B is a rapper, a writer, an artist, he’s that guy to get it poppin’, and he’s the man behind the projects Space Trip and Firewav.

He released Space Trip in 2020, Firewav dropped in 2022, they’re available on Apple Music and Spotify, and he’s currently working on some more big things.

Davey joined the show and explains what it was like growing up as on only child raised by a single mother in Philadelphia, the first time he became aware of death, and shares some of his mentors.

Beginning when he was just 8 years old, Davey began writing in composition notebooks and details how his artist’s journey got started.

He dishes on artistic visibility and what it’s like owning that spot, what the feeling is like when he performs live, and the hustle involved with promoting yourself and doing pop-ups.

Later, we speak on the rap game, where it’s at, who new artists are, the emergence of the female superstars that are dominating right now, and sadly this was taped before any of the Kendrick and Drake beef got kicked off, or else you know I’d be yelling team Drake over here.

Davey shares all of this, plus what he’s working on now, before giving us his realest talk.

You can follow him on Instagram @dawavey1, check out his music on all streaming services, and if you enjoy this episode, please drop a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with two other people. Put ‘em on. Help me grow this show and keep building up this community.