The Game Changer Network

In this episode, Chicke Fitzgerald sits down with Erik "EZ" Brine, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer (Chief Toast Officer) of Winglore Spirits, for a candid conversation about the formation of a whiskey brand built by pilots, for the aviation community — and the journey to raise capital through Netcapital's Regulation CF platform.

Winglore Spirits was founded by a group of military aviators united by a shared vision: to build a brand that celebrates squadron culture and connects it to the broader public through fine spirits and the thrill of fast jets. Anchored by the brand pillars of Toast, Roast & Lore, Winglore is pioneering an interactive, story-driven approach to whiskey — inviting aviators, veterans, families, and enthusiasts to share the stories that make every pour worth raising a glass to.

Erik brings 26 years of Air Force experience as an airlift pilot, plus a decade in the Pentagon, Senate, and White House, a decade leading a non-profit, and years in the private sector and academia. In this interview, he shares:

The origin story behind Winglore Spirits and how the founding team came together

What it means to build a brand around Toast, Roast & Lore

Why the aviation community needed a whiskey brand of its own

The decision to raise capital via Reg CF on Netcapital

Lessons learned along the journey from concept to capital

How investors become part of the squadron — not just shareholders

Whether you're an aviator, a whiskey enthusiast, a founder considering a Reg CF raise, or simply someone who appreciates a great brand story, this conversation offers a rare look inside the building of a category-defining spirits company.

Learn more about Winglore Spirits: https://winglorespirits.com/

Invest or learn more about the raise: https://netcapital.com/companies/winglorespirits

#WingloreSpirits #Netcapital #RegCF #Whiskey #AviationCulture #Crowdfunding #FounderStories #ToastRoastLore #SmartMeetsHeart

Interview with Stu Heinecke, the author of How to Get a Meeting with Anyone - The Untapped Selling Power of Contact Marketing

Interview with authors of this anthology about leadership, Angela Fowler, Sonja Jahn, Vera Firman

Leadership is evolving, and women are at the forefront of this transformation. LeadHERship Unveiled: Women Leading with Impact is a powerful collection of stories from trailblazing women who have redefined success, broken barriers, and led with purpose, resilience, and authenticity.

Inside these pages, you’ll discover inspiring journeys of female leaders who overcame adversity, shattered glass ceilings, and navigated the complexities of leadership in their own unique ways. From corporate boardrooms to entrepreneurial ventures, from overcoming societal biases to balancing personal and professional aspirations—these stories showcase the grit, grace, and determination of extraordinary women who are making an impact.

Whether you are an aspiring leader, an established executive, or someone seeking inspiration to embrace your power, this book offers:

✔ Real-world leadership lessons from women who have triumphed against challenges.

✔ Practical strategies for success in business, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.

✔ Insights on resilience, confidence, and purpose-driven leadership.

✔ Empowering narratives that celebrate diversity, inclusion, and collaboration.

If you’re ready to step into your leadership potential, embrace your strengths, and lead with impact, LeadHERship Unveiled will ignite your inspiration and fuel your journey.

🔹 A must-read for women in business, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and change-makers who want to lead with authenticity and confidence.

Dr. Jan Yager is a sociologist, freelance writer, coach, speaker, artist, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

Jan has a Ph.D. from The City University of New York Graduate Center and an M.A. in criminal justice from Goddard College. She did a year of graduate work in art therapy at Hahnemann Medical College, took courses in nonfiction writing at the New School and editing and publishing in the NYU Publishing program. Jan majored in fine arts at Hofstra University which presented her with the Art Student of the Year award.

Her 50+ award-winning books, translated into 35 languages, include the international hit relationship title, When Friendship Hurts: How to Deal With Friends Who Betray, Abandon, or Wound You, published by Simon & Schuster/Touchstone, and translated into 29 languages, as well as the business books Work Less, Do More: The 7-Day Productivity Makeover (in 10 languages); Productive Relationships (in 3 languages); Friendshifts: The Power of Friendship and How It Shapes Our Lives; the series 365 Daily Affirmations (with 5 books on happiness, relationships, time management, creative weight management, and friendship); Business Protocol; Effective Business and Nonfiction Writing; 125 Ways to Meet the Love of Your Life; Put More Time on Your Side; as well as children’s books (The Quiet Dog; The Reading Rabbit; The Cantaloupe Cat); and four novels (On the Run; The Pretty One; Untimely Death; and Just Your Everyday People); and journals including Birthday Tracker & Journal; Friendship Thoughts, Famous Quotes, and a Journal; Personal Journal; and more titles. (See the Books & More section of the site for a more comprehensive list of titles as well as available translations.) Jan has appeared on The View, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, CNN, NPR and other major shows.

Leadership is evolving, and women are at the forefront of this transformation. LeadHERship Unveiled: Women Leading with Impact is a powerful collection of stories from trailblazing women who have redefined success, broken barriers, and led with purpose, resilience, and authenticity.

Inside these pages, you’ll discover inspiring journeys of female leaders who overcame adversity, shattered glass ceilings, and navigated the complexities of leadership in their own unique ways. From corporate boardrooms to entrepreneurial ventures, from overcoming societal biases to balancing personal and professional aspirations—these stories showcase the grit, grace, and determination of extraordinary women who are making an impact.

Whether you are an aspiring leader, an established executive, or someone seeking inspiration to embrace your power, this book offers:

✔ Real-world leadership lessons from women who have triumphed against challenges.

✔ Practical strategies for success in business, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.

✔ Insights on resilience, confidence, and purpose-driven leadership.

✔ Empowering narratives that celebrate diversity, inclusion, and collaboration.

If you’re ready to step into your leadership potential, embrace your strengths, and lead with impact, LeadHERship Unveiled will ignite your inspiration and fuel your journey.

🔹 A must-read for women in business, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and change-makers who want to lead with authenticity and confidence.

Pavilion is the world's #1 private community for go to market leaders. Sam Jacobs is the founder and also the author of Kind Folks Finish First - The Considerate Path to Success in Business and Life

He is focused on helping people unlock and achieve their professional potential and truly believes that there is greatness within all of us and sometimes it just needs a mechanism through which it can be brought forth.

To learn more, visit: www.joinpavilion.com

Interview with authors of this anthology about leadership, Banya Barua, Cecilia Dahl, Susanne Ekstrom, Melanie Schwarz.

Leadership is evolving, and women are at the forefront of this transformation. LeadHERship Unveiled: Women Leading with Impact is a powerful collection of stories from trailblazing women who have redefined success, broken barriers, and led with purpose, resilience, and authenticity.

Inside these pages, you’ll discover inspiring journeys of female leaders who overcame adversity, shattered glass ceilings, and navigated the complexities of leadership in their own unique ways. From corporate boardrooms to entrepreneurial ventures, from overcoming societal biases to balancing personal and professional aspirations—these stories showcase the grit, grace, and determination of extraordinary women who are making an impact.

Whether you are an aspiring leader, an established executive, or someone seeking inspiration to embrace your power, this book offers:

✔ Real-world leadership lessons from women who have triumphed against challenges.

✔ Practical strategies for success in business, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.

✔ Insights on resilience, confidence, and purpose-driven leadership.

✔ Empowering narratives that celebrate diversity, inclusion, and collaboration.

If you’re ready to step into your leadership potential, embrace your strengths, and lead with impact, LeadHERship Unveiled will ignite your inspiration and fuel your journey.

🔹 A must-read for women in business, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and change-makers who want to lead with authenticity and confidence.

Interview with authors of this anthology about leadership, Sara Roy, Brenda Siri and Ingeborg Mooiweer

Leadership is evolving, and women are at the forefront of this transformation. LeadHERship Unveiled: Women Leading with Impact is a powerful collection of stories from trailblazing women who have redefined success, broken barriers, and led with purpose, resilience, and authenticity.

Inside these pages, you’ll discover inspiring journeys of female leaders who overcame adversity, shattered glass ceilings, and navigated the complexities of leadership in their own unique ways. From corporate boardrooms to entrepreneurial ventures, from overcoming societal biases to balancing personal and professional aspirations—these stories showcase the grit, grace, and determination of extraordinary women who are making an impact.

Whether you are an aspiring leader, an established executive, or someone seeking inspiration to embrace your power, this book offers:

✔ Real-world leadership lessons from women who have triumphed against challenges.

✔ Practical strategies for success in business, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.

✔ Insights on resilience, confidence, and purpose-driven leadership.

✔ Empowering narratives that celebrate diversity, inclusion, and collaboration.

If you’re ready to step into your leadership potential, embrace your strengths, and lead with impact, LeadHERship Unveiled will ignite your inspiration and fuel your journey.

🔹 A must-read for women in business, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and change-makers who want to lead with authenticity and confidence.

The mission of Alabaster House is to provide spiritual resources to government leaders in our nation’s capital through confidential prayer, biblical devotionals, and friendship.

Most leaders in Washington, D.C. have substantial workloads, coupled with significant time away from family and home. This creates great strain on their lives emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Alabaster House is an encouragement to those serving in government.

Winnie Brignac Hart and Lorrie Brignac Lee- STAND OUT: Tools To Master The 8 Fundamentals Of Standing Out In Business

BRAND TRAFFIC CONTROL

STAND OUT

TAKE OFF

STAY ON COURSE

In their new book STAND OUT: Tools To Master The 8 Fundamentals Of Standing Out In Business, marketing and branding experts Winnie Brignac Hart and Lorrie Brignac Lee provide a framework for developing and refining a message that will resonate in the marketplace.

TwinEngine Team Shares Their Strategic Approach: “When you say, ‘this is what we stand for and this is why we do what we do’ – you do so with the understanding that you will appeal most to those people who share your values and who relate to what you say you stand for.”

STAND OUT will equip CEOs, chief marketing officers, and chief strategy officers with tools and resources to help their business define what it is (distinct advantage), clarify how it represents itself to its prospects and customers (brand), and align these in practical ways to achieve specific measurable goals (strategy).

Hart and Lee are founders of TwinEngine, a Houston-based strategic marketing and creative agency.

In today’s complex business environment, having a superior product or service is not enough to distinguish a company from its competitors, nor can advertising alone command the attention and loyalty of customers. What’s needed is a consistent and genuine message that communicates the company’s core values, beliefs, and purpose – in short, a brand.

As identical twin sisters, the authors have developed a heightened awareness of the importance of perception and reality. From their first-hand experience of dealing with misperceptions and working hard to refine their individual identities, they’ve honed the ability to perceive differences in other people, companies, and brands. In STAND OUT, Hart and Lee have distilled this ability to help companies see themselves more objectively into a set of tools and exercises, such as the Brand Traffic Control Radar Tool, the Brand Traffic Control Assessment, the Brand Positioning Assessment, and the One-Page Marketing Plan.

The Brand Positioning Assessment shows where a company is compared to the competition and competing brands by measuring the four key attributes of a brand:

Brand Differentiation How effectively does the brand capture the attention of prospects?

Brand Relevance How aligned is the brand to customers’ and prospects’ needs?

Brand Promise How consistently does the brand deliver on its promises?

Brand Intelligence How well does the company understand its brand and the quality and impact of the brand experience on its customers?

Ultimately, a company’s product or service becomes an obvious choice as an extension of its story. The key is authenticity – aligning what an organization communicates about its products or services with what it truly is. When a company’s story, messages, and images reflect the values, personality, and lifestyle preferences of its customers, they’ll feel more involved with the brand.

Winnie Brignac Hart, and Lorrie Brignac Lee, authors of Stand Out – Mastering the 8 Fundamentals of Standing Out in Business and creators of The One-Page Marketing Plan bring 25+ years of marketing experience, 125+ industry awards and a passion for leveraging their twin talents to help companies translate traditional marketing channels into forward-thinking solutions.

They have built a reputation as inspired leaders, speakers and savvy interpreters of business brand and personality. At TwinEngine, they have collaborated with the largest public and privately held corporations in the region, helping them define their distinct advantages and what makes them stand out. They define their business style as collaborative and relationship-based, and bring a right-brain approach to the visual organization of ideas and the left-brain efficiencies of real-time brand management.

Their website is twinengine.com/