Jim + Jeff Wood are life-long "swim-preneurs" dedicated to the sport of swimming and teaching people the skills they need to be successful swimmers.  They jointly began their own swim school in Smyrna, Georgia, and have also launched a new online swim school, SwimAble.com. Older brother Jim is a former swim teammate of CJ's at St. Bonaventure University.

In this episode, Jim, Jeff and CJ discuss their passion for swimming, starting a business and their partnership with The Gist.

blog.thegistcontent.com/jim-jeff-wood-swimable

Heather Caroccio is an entrepreneur and wellness coach based out of Geneseo, New York.  She owns and operates a preschool, as well as recently starting up Wellness Matters.  Wellness Matters, her new health and wellness business, offers nutritional consulting, group programs, and more.  Heather is extremely passionate about helping busy individuals slow down and love themselves enough to get educated on their own health and wellness.

In this episode, Heather and CJ discuss podcasting, new wellness fads, and why “working on yourself” is a life-long journey.

Former teacher and marketing director, Christina Garnett works with brands to strengthen their digital strategy through community building and audience intelligence.  With a recent move to HubSpot as a Senior Marketing Manager for Offline Community & Advocacy, Christina focuses her efforts to encourage a deep dive to understand personas, competitors, and more.

In this episode, Christina shares with CJ her deep love for audience research and social listening; and how she helps people truly understand their audience, along with her March Madness picks and love of the Marvel Universe.

Akash Desai is a software entrepreneur and an investor in cybersecurity and education technology companies. He may attribute much of his success to good luck, but he still knows a thing or two about growing a business, particularly when it comes to developing and motivating teams and building trust with a target market. When we sat down to chat, we discussed the Buffalo investment scene, the workforce shift toward independent contractors and entrepreneurs, and much more. Enjoy!

Read the episode overview or get in touch with Akash here: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/akash-desai-the-buffalo-investment-scene-and-pandemic-silver-linings

Steve Coulton is Co-Founder of OnCore Golf, a Buffalo-based golf ball manufacturer. If you’re from Buffalo, you’ll know OnCore as the group responsible for the talk of a $30 million golf and sports complex coming to the waterfront in 2021. (We can’t wait!) And if you’re a golfer, you may have seen OnCore making waves in the pro golf world with their cutting edge golf technology. Either way, Steve was gracious enough to join me on The Fling to chat about golf, technology, growing a startup company, how OnCore’s partnerships with NFL stars Josh Allen and Ezekiel Elliott came to be, and more. Enjoy!

Episode overview: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/oncore-golf-co-founder-steve-coulton

Lauren Molenda is Co-Owner of Riveter Design, a micro-agency out of Buffalo, New York. If you work in marketing in Buffalo, you probably know her. She’s a super-connector and delights in tapping into her network to help a friend in need. In this episode, Lauren and CJ discuss the shift in workforce taking place in the marketing industry from in-house teams to freelance culture, and why it benefits clients and agencies alike. Enjoy!

Read episode overview or get connected with Lauren: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/lauren-molenda-and-micro-agencies-freelancers-and-networking

Chris Miano is the founder of MemoryFox.io, a platform for collecting and organizing content to support better storytelling by brands to inspire action. Chris began his entrepreneurial training as a platoon leader in Iraq at the ripe age of 23. He shares his transition from a distinguished military career back into civilian life, ultimately culminating in the creation of MemoryFox. We barely scratch the surface of his startup story; however, Chris is an incredibly insightful guy, and you’re sure to gain a new perspective about entrepreneurship from our 35-minute conversation. Enjoy! 

Read episode overview or get in touch with Chris: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/chris-miano-his-journey-from-the-army-to-founding-a-saas-startup

Barbara Leggett is the founder of the Happiness Center of Western New York. As a Professional Certified Coach who is also certified in happiness studies (yes, there’s an academy for that), Barbara helps her clients live their best lives, both professionally and on personal levels. Here’s a woman who has read the research on the science of happiness and knows how to apply it to everyday living. In this episode, you’ll learn more about happiness coaching, whether it’s right for you, and get a taste of it for yourself as Barbara coaches CJ live. Enjoy!

Read the episode overview or find out how to get in touch with Barbara here: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/professional-happiness-coach-barbara-leggett-coaches-cj-live

Matt Phillips is the Founder and CEO of Pro Athlete Advantage, a high-performance business consultancy. Matt is also a mental toughness expert and a former pro baseball player. He applies the structure and benefits of coaching in athletics to business coaching to help entrepreneurs accelerate growth toward their goals. Listen in on my conversation with this highly motivated individual and learn how to start building momentum in your own life. Enjoy!

Check out an overview of our conversation here: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/matt-phillips-mental-toughness-when-to-hire-a-business-coach

Sara Heidinger is an owner of Undergrounds Coffeehouse & Roastery in Buffalo’s Old First Ward. She is also the Director of Special Projects for New York State Assemblyman Patrick Burke’s office, a freelance photographer, and a board member for the Old First Ward Community Center. As you can see, in a word, Sara is a doer. She doesn’t let fear or uncertainty get in the way of positive action, and she is often fueled by love of her community. Hear her take on Buffalo’s revitalization, restaurant operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gathering the confidence to start your own business in this episode of The Fling. Enjoy!

For a quick overview of our conversation, visit: https://blog.thegistcontent.com/sara-heidinger-buffalo-gentrification-covid-restaurant-operations