The Company Man

If you have ever wondered what getting punched in the face by a cage fighter feels like, Elise Reed is happy to paint the picture.  One of the most decorated cadets to ever graduate from the storied Virginia Military Institute, she joins the podcast to lay it all out: Training, precision, dedication, entrepreneurship, leadership, and military service. This one is the real deal.  Regardless of what one may think about women fighters, Elise lets you into the mindset necessary to prevail.

Nick Wright drops some millennial excellence on roasting a mean coffee bean, headlining a band, serious entrepreneurship, meaningless tattoos, and in-depth knowledge of the geopolitical significance of Skid Row's classic '18 and Life'. Who says Millenials are all sitting in their parents' basement playing Ms. Pac-Man. This guy is going to change the world.

If you ever find yourself 30 miles off shore in 25 foot waves and gale-force winds, let's face it, you should have checked the weather before jumping in the Boston Whaler for a little fishing.  When things go wrong at sea, Scott Langum should be on your speed dial.  He has a team of experts who through discipline, precision, critical leadership, and skill can get you safely back on dry land.  

Lombardi. Parcells. Wooden.  Great names come to mind when one thinks of coaches who led their teams to victory from the sidelines.  But, it's quite another coaching challenge to get through to your players when they are literally being drowned by the opposing squad.  Anna Phelps is that kind of leader.  She is the real deal.  Just ask the four star general that made her one of the first female coaches at a storied military institution.  Oh, and she runs a superstar corporate team all day every day. 

It all started with a drive-by.   The post of a 20-second video of a guy pulling a mice infested, rusted out, 1960s camper trailer was the catalyst to an experiment that helped transform a punk rock video director into a corporate disrupter.  Now he has clients all over the country.  Darren Doane is the real deal.  Since this whole thing was his idea, it's only fitting he drop into The Company Man to wrap up 2020.

Pennsylvania coal country can turn out good football players and good salesmen.  Jason Elmore is both.  From summers selling house painting jobs to pay for college to the big leagues of corporate training, this guy has mastered his craft.  This is the story of a self-made company man. Elmore learned by success, failure, observation, and flat-out hustle.  Then he wrote it all down. He's the guy who can make the best salesperson even better. 

Joel Price is the guy who took the leap.  Conference rooms in companies everywhere are loaded with ladder climbers looking out the window, ignoring the power point, and dreaming of cashing out.  High in the mountains of Arizona is a guy who can get you to a secret fishing hole, set you up with a rustic motel room, or load you up with chicken and jo-jos.  This is the story of a guy who became the company man, but it took losing it all to become CEO of himself.  

34 years beyond freshman year, this bunch of buddies from the University of Dayton stay connected.  Max Eichman is the king pin of the whole thing.  He is the most loyal person in the world and loves nothing more than an afternoon at Flanagan's with the boys.  People still yell his name when we walks in the door. This is his take on the power of loyalty and relationship.

Most of us spend decades in a conference room. Gary Kapphahn spent most of his career, watching a dashboard in the middle of the night, somewhere over the open ocean.  After more than 30,000 hours of flight time in dozens of different aircraft, he brings his story of aviation to life. 

Ryan Phillips knows a think or two about leadership. He knows the impact of a good mentor. This is the story of a kid, who was down to his last quarter when he got pulled out of a video arcade and pushed onto the football field. The rest is history.