Entrepreneur and festival producer Billie-Jo Aasen joins Brandon to unpack the real story behind building global music festivals—and using that platform for good. From growing up in small-town BC to producing major events across Canada and Abu Dhabi, Billie-Jo shares the grit, risk, and resilience behind her success. This episode dives deep into mentorship, bold action, mental health advocacy, and how small businesses can create massive impact through initiatives like the Lifted Foundation.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Take the first step before you feel ready and build momentum through action.

• Turn bold asks into real opportunities by being specific and showing you’ve done the work.

• Develop thick skin as an entrepreneur and ignore critics who’ve never stepped in the arena.

• Build powerful mentorship relationships that accelerate your growth.

• Lead with small-town values while scaling big, high-risk ventures.

• Navigate high-stakes business models like festivals that require resilience and risk tolerance.

• Use your platform as a megaphone for good and create real community impact.

• Transform personal hardship into purpose-driven leadership.

  
  

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Festival production and risk management

✅ Mentorship and entrepreneurial growth

✅ Small-town leadership values

✅ Building strategic relationships

✅ Mental health advocacy

✅ The Lifted Foundation mission

👤 Featured Guest:
Billie-Jo Aasen – Festival Producer & Founder | The Festival Company

Instagram: @billiejoaasen

@liftedorganization

✅ To Donate for the Tumblr Ridge Relief Cause:

https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/lifting-tumbler-ridge 

🎙️ About The Open Concept:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.

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Architect and author Talor (Taylor) Stewart, founder of Conscious Home Design in Vermont, joins Brandon to unpack how the built environment quietly shapes our habits, health, and happiness. This episode reframes home design as more than “style”—it’s about creating spaces that reduce friction, support relationships, and help you live in flow. You’ll hear practical ways to apply this thinking even if you rent or don’t plan a major renovation.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Design your home to support your goals so willpower isn’t doing all the heavy lifting.

• Avoid decision fatigue in renovations by using a clear framework before construction starts.

• Translate personal values into real spaces that actually fit the way you live (not just what looks good online).

• Create dedicated zones that trigger the right mindset—focus, rest, creativity, connection—on autopilot.

• Build better relationships at home by shaping spaces that encourage giving, receiving, and reciprocity.

• Stop chasing “shiny object” inspiration and make choices that tie back to what matters most.

• Use small, low-cost changes in any home to elevate how you feel and function day-to-day.

• Make your home an asset—not an obstacle course for the life you’re trying to build.

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Mind-body-environment connection

✅ Values-based home design

✅ Decision fatigue in construction

✅ Dedicated space and habit formation

✅ Maslow’s hierarchy applied to housing

✅ Relationship-centered living spaces

👤 Featured Guest:
Talor (Taylor) Stewart – Architect | Founder, Conscious Home Design

Instagram: @conscioushomedesign

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Teresa Vozza (a “recovering executive” and former Chief HR Officer at Allianz) joins Brandon from Toronto to break down why most leadership training doesn’t stick—and what to do instead. This episode gets real about the human side of leadership: triggers, conflict, feedback, and regulating yourself under pressure. You’ll hear practical ways to ask better questions, read the room, and lead with clarity—without corporate buzzwords.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Spot the real issue under the “business problem” and coach yourself to the root cause

• Regulate your nervous system in high-stakes moments so you don’t freeze, overtalk, or blow up

• Ask specific, disarming questions that make people feel seen (and actually open up)

• Build trust faster by noticing details and following up like you genuinely care

• De-escalate conflict without saying “calm down” (and keep the room from catching fire)

• Communicate with fewer, sharper words to boost executive presence and influence

• Use stories and emotion to move people to action instead of “spray and pray” training

• Lead through bids, boardrooms, and tough conversations with steadier confidence

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Trauma-informed executive coaching

✅ Triggers, somatics, and nervous system regulation

✅ Conflict de-escalation and validation

✅ Executive presence and concise communication

✅ Asking better questions (and pausing)

✅ Perspective-taking and perceptual positions

✅ Trust-building through intentional connection

👤 Featured Guest:
Teresa Vozza – Executive Coach | Crucible Leader (Former CHRO, Allianz)

Instagram: @teresavozzaoffcial

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Maxwell Nee joins Brandon from Singapore to break down how real wealth builders think about buying businesses—especially the overlooked, under-optimized ones most people ignore. They unpack what a family office actually is, why motivated sellers matter more than “perfect” financials, and how acquisitions can become the fastest path to scale revenue, profit, and team capacity. The conversation also zooms out into big forces shaping the next decade—AI disruption, aging owners exiting, and massive infrastructure demand tied to Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Spot the real deal-breakers in acquisitions—beyond revenue and profit.

• Find motivated sellers faster by recognizing the personal signals that trigger a sale.

• Use M&A as a shortcut to growth instead of grinding from zero every time.

• Decide whether to buy businesses for quick wins, strategic build-and-hold, or longer-term macro plays.

• Avoid “key man risk” by building systems that let the business run without the founder.

• Source deals without relying on agents by getting good at outreach and pattern recognition.

• Prepare your business to sell by optimizing for enterprise value—not just minimizing taxes.

• Understand how trust, reputation, and contracts change across US vs. Asian deal cultures.

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Family offices and family business investing

✅ Motivated sellers and exit psychology

✅ Mergers & acquisitions as a growth lever

✅ Key man risk in small businesses

✅ Deal sourcing through cold outreach

✅ Construction and trades acquisition opportunities

✅ Brisbane 2032 Olympics infrastructure tailwinds

✅ Tax optimization vs. sale readiness

👤 Featured Guest:
Maxwell Nee – Founder | Family Office Insider (and Black Mountain Capital)

Instagram: @maxwellprincenee

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Ryan Mueller’s path is anything but typical: from performing as a Blue Man in Las Vegas to building a real estate business that helps displaced families find housing fast—while helping investors increase cash flow without the usual STR chaos. In this episode, Ryan breaks down how “insurance housing” became his edge, why “death by a thousand cuts” made him walk away from Airbnb-style rentals, and how taking a true CEO sabbatical helped him design what came next.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Understand why insurance-paid housing tenants tend to treat properties better than typical short-term guests

• Increase rental income without relying on vacation-style Airbnb demand

• Avoid the “death by a thousand cuts” operational burden of STRs (messages, turnovers, cleaning drama)

• Use “house hacking” and disciplined saving to build a real investing foundation early

• Protect yourself with layered risk reduction (security deposits, screening, insurance-backed payments)

• Reframe your next chapter after an exit by creating space to think instead of rushing into the next thing

• Spot how past “emotional shrapnel” can show up in leadership—and keep it off your team

• Build a scalable model by turning repeatable actions into systems and software

🔑 Key Topics Covered:✅ Blue Man Group audition and performance intensity✅ House hacking and financial discipline✅ Long-term vs short-term rental realities✅ Insurance housing placements✅ Tenant risk and property protection layers✅ Business exits and identity shifts✅ CEO sabbatical and life design✅ Building proprietary tech for property matching

👤 Featured Guest:
Ryan Mueller – Founder | Plexa Housing (Insurance Housing / Midterm Rentals)

Instagram: @ryangramsmueller

🎙️ About The Open Concept:

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Skye Waterson joins Brandon from New Zealand to break down what ADHD really is—and what it isn’t—especially for adults, business owners, and parents trying to make sense of the “everyone has ADHD” conversation. They dig into burnout, dopamine, why traditional productivity advice often backfires, and how to build systems that work with your brain instead of against it. You’ll also hear practical tools like Skye’s “prioritization filter,” plus real talk on confidence, criticism, and communication at home and at work.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Reframe ADHD as a “spiky profile” so you can lean into strengths without ignoring weaknesses

• Spot the hidden path to burnout—and rebuild work habits before you crash

• Break procrastination by rewarding the start of a task (not just the finish)

• Use “sensory stacking” to make boring work doable without relying on junk dopamine

• Filter your to-do list down to what’s truly urgent so you stop drowning in fake priorities

• Communicate better with ADHD brains by reducing “working memory traps” and writing things down

• Hire support (like an EA) the right way—so they actually cover your weak spots

• Improve focus fast with movement—one of the most evidence-backed tools discussed in the episode

🔑 Key Topics Covered:
✅ ADHD vs ADD (and modern diagnosis types)
✅ Burnout and workaholism patterns
✅ Dopamine, motivation, and procrastination
✅ Sensory stacking for focus
✅ Prioritization filter and “waiting room” test
✅ Communication, working memory, and relationships
✅ Hiring an assistant with ADHD in mind

👤 Featured Guest:
Skye Waterson – ADHD Coach & Host | ADHD Skills Lab Podcast

insta @unconventionalorganisation

DM : "Brandon" for GPT - Five Minute Focus Coach

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Jonathan Ray (aka @jonathandavidray) joins Brandon from Atlanta to break down one of the biggest silent killers in business: lack of clarity. They unpack why teams fall apart when “winning” isn’t defined, how leaders accidentally turn preferences into policy, and why the best clarity often shows up in the silence you’ve been avoiding. Along the way, they connect leadership, values, and consistency—whether you’re running a crew, scaling a company, or just trying to lead yourself better.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Define “what winning looks like” so your team can execute confidently—and go home knowing the job is done.

• Eliminate burnout loops by setting clear expectations that actually create an “off switch” for work.

• Build trust faster by spotting how most breakdowns trace back to a clarity gap, not a motivation gap.

• Scale culture with values (not preferences) so creativity and innovation don’t die under approval-chasing.

• Lead better by modeling first—because what’s caught will always beat what’s taught.

• Find real clarity through margin by using silence and solitude as a repeatable discipline, not a “someday” luxury.

• Choose consistency over intensity to create long-term results in health, business, and leadership.

• Stop confusing motion with progress by taking action, learning faster, and letting experience shape your next move.

🔑 Key Topics Covered:
✅ Clarity and expectation-setting
✅ “What winning looks like” metrics
✅ Values vs. preferences in leadership
✅ Culture by modeling and observation
✅ Standards vs. perfectionism
✅ Silence, solitude, and margin
✅ Consistency, benchmarks, and the long game

👤 Featured Guest:
Jonathan Ray – Executive Coach | Founder, AcadiaOS

🎙️ About The Open Concept:
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Rob Gibbons joins Brandon for a deep, high-level conversation on performance, leadership, and what actually drives sustainable success. A former professional basketball player turned executive coach and growth strategist, Rob shares how elite sports culture, behavioral psychology, and communication frameworks translate directly into building winning companies. From managing egos to playing the long game in business, this episode is about building teams—and lives—that last.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Translate elite sports discipline into business execution without burning out your life

• Build winning cultures by aligning people to roles that fit their strengths

• Avoid the “superstar trap” that kills teams and stalls growth

• Communicate more effectively by adapting to how others think, decide, and process

• Play the long game instead of chasing short-term wins that don’t compound

• Spot cultural red flags early before they derail performance

• Understand why resilience beats talent in leadership and entrepreneurship

• Create leverage through people, not just strategy, capital, or tactics

🔑 Key Topics Covered:
✅ High-performance team culture
✅ Leadership vs. ego management
✅ Sports-to-business mindset transfer
✅ Communication styles and behavioral psychology
✅ Scaling companies the right way
✅ Long-term value creation vs. short-term wins
✅ Franchise legacy thinking

👤 Featured Guest:
Rob Gibbons – High-Performance Sales Leader & Executive Coach | Achiever Capital

🎙️ About The Open Concept:
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Coach Alan Dyck @coachalandyck, a transformation coach out of Kelowna, joins Brandon to unpack the real work behind sustainable fitness—mindset, consistency, and identity. Alan shares his rock-bottom moment, how he lost over 120 lbs in 2.5 months, and why most people don’t fail from “bad plans”… they fail from pressure, self-sabotage, and lacking support at home. They also get into his 16-day cleanse framework, supplements vs. whole foods, and the long-game of health and longevity.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Break through self-sabotage by shifting fitness from a “phase” into an identity

• Create momentum fast with a short, structured reset that reduces inflammation and bloat

• Build consistency that lasts even when life, relationships, and social pressure push back

• Set bigger goals by expanding what you believe is possible (and borrowing belief from great mentors/coaches)

• Fuel workouts without relying on powders by using simple whole-food pre-workout options

• Spot the early warning signs that your energy, strength, and hormones may be off

• Lead your family and team better by becoming the most disciplined version of yourself

• Make “hard conversations” easier so your fitness journey doesn’t become a relationship battle

🔑 Key Topics Covered:
✅ Rock-bottom moments and identity change
✅ Mindset, self-image, and “not enough” thinking
✅ Consistency, accountability, and lifestyle design
✅ The 16-day cleanse and inflammation reduction
✅ Supplements vs. whole-food nutrition strategies
✅ Testosterone, bloodwork, and longevity health habits
✅ Social pressure, relationships, and staying on plan

👤 Featured Guest:
Coach Alan Dyck – Transformation Coach | @coachalandyck

🎙️ About The Open Concept:
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David Forster joins Brandon Smith to break down what it really takes to scale a service business without drowning in chaos. As an operations coach and active COO at TOSIG Landscaping, David explains how to “lasso” visionary ideas into priorities that actually move the business forward. They dig into decision filters vs. SOPs, why most performance issues are process problems, and how strong onboarding and delegation create teams that think like owners.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Prioritize big ideas using simple filters so you double down on what’s already working instead of chasing distractions

• Decide faster in the field with a repeatable diagnose → decide → direction loop (and avoid “call the owner” bottlenecks)

• Transfer owner intuition into team-ready questions so your people start thinking like owners

• Build profit without “doing less” by tightening labor efficiency and job planning instead of bolting on new services

• Spot when it’s truly an estimating problem vs. an execution/process problem

• Onboard new hires with a clear “team journey” that mirrors your customer journey—and actually delivers on expectations

• Create accountability that drives performance without being harsh or chaotic

• Delegate with confidence by offloading admin/back-end work first, so you can protect quality and train the field properly

🔑 Key Topics Covered:
✅ Visionary vs. Integrator (COO) dynamics
✅ Prioritization and “distraction” filtering
✅ Decision-making frameworks in the field
✅ Core values as decision tools
✅ Labor efficiency and man-hour control
✅ Onboarding and training systems
✅ Delegation and buying back time

👤 Featured Guest:
David Forster – Operations Coach & COO | TOSIG Landscaping (Systems Over Sweat)

🎙️ About The Open Concept:
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