The Refinery Podcast

What if one of the most important windows in your relationship with your child is shorter than you think?

In Episode 45 of The Refinery Podcast, Rick Burris sits down with speaker, author, strength athlete, father, and grandfather Russell Jones for a powerful conversation about why the years between roughly 10 and 13 deserve a parent's attention and intentionality.

Russell’s mission grew out of profound personal loss. After a 1987 car accident took the life of his 11-month-old son and severely injured his wife, he began rethinking what it truly meant to be a father. Years later, another unexpected experience—breaking 18 inches of concrete in front of an audience—became both a literal and spiritual breakthrough and eventually inspired what Russell calls the “Wall of Negative.”

Russell and Rick talk about fear and faith, grief, resilience, affirmations, self-discipline, physical health, purpose, parenting, and the invisible walls built from doubt, guilt, discouragement, excuses, comparison, and negative self-talk.

They also explore Russell’s belief that parents must do more than provide and protect. We have an opportunity to equip our children for the challenges that will eventually come.

Russell shares the thinking behind his 60-day Top Secrets of Success 4 Kids & Parents program, designed for parents and their middle-school-aged children to experience together through short lessons, conversations, written exercises, affirmations, goal-setting, and principles for building healthy minds, bodies, habits, and relationships.

And perhaps Russell’s most important message to parents is simple: cherish the time, be intentional, stay the course, and don’t quit.

Russell’s ResourcesTop Secrets of Success 4 Kids & Parents — 60-Day Program
Learn about the program

FREE — I Did the Best I Could! Audiobook
Get Russell’s free parenting audiobook

Books — including Sick & Tired of Being Sick & Tired
See Russell’s books

Book Russell for a Speaking Event
Speaking programs and booking information

Health & Fitness / Intelligent Strength
Learn more about Russell’s fitness work

What if the problem you’re treating isn’t actually the problem?

In Episode 44 of The Refinery Podcast, Rick Burris talks with Autumn Henning, founder of Chrysalis Orofacial®, about what can happen when we stop looking at health issues in isolation and start looking at the entire system.

Autumn is a speech-language pathologist who found her specialty in orofacial myology—the function of the muscles of the mouth and face. Her work explores connections between issues that can appear unrelated: breathing, sleep, feeding, speech, swallowing, orthodontics, TMJ pain, teeth grinding and more.

For Autumn, one question keeps driving the work: Why?

Why is the symptom happening in the first place?

That curiosity led her to collaborate with professionals outside her own discipline, develop a specialized model of care, teach other clinicians, and ultimately build Chrysalis Orofacial with her husband, Zach.

Autumn also shares the entrepreneurial story behind the company—from launching a two-day course as a side hustle in 2016, to opening a brick-and-mortar clinic just before COVID, to building a debt-free business that now combines patient care, professional education, consulting and speaking.

Along the way, Rick and Autumn explore specialization, systems thinking, private-pay healthcare, interdisciplinary collaboration, entrepreneurship, leadership and the challenge of creating a business that can eventually operate without its founders handling every problem.

And then there’s the story behind the name Chrysalis: sometimes the struggle required to get free is the very thing that gives us the strength to fly.

Connect with Autumn and Chrysalis Orofacial:

Website: https://www.chrysalisorofacial.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrysalisorofacial1/

Listen, follow The Refinery Podcast, and share this episode with someone who might benefit from seeing the bigger picture.

After living with chronic depression for 20 years, Tiffany Jones began exploring the connection between the brain, mental wellness, and faith. That journey eventually led her to become a Certified Neuroscience Coach and write The Cursed Brain.

In Episode #43, Tiffany joins Rick Burris to discuss the shame that can surround mental-health struggles, the importance of authentic community, and the limiting beliefs and cultural expectations that prevent people from moving forward.

They also explore how to clarify meaningful goals, understand what truly motivates us, navigate major life transitions, and turn unexpected interruptions into opportunities for growth.

At the heart of Tiffany’s work is a simple but powerful mission: she helps people identify what is crowding joy out of their lives—and create space to welcome it back.

Connect With Tiffany Jones

Website: https://www.tiffanyjonesspeaks.com
Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXN1TCH9/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093624063626
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyljones_thecursedbrain/

Tianna Miller — known by many as Trainer Tianna — joins Rick Burris on The Refinery Podcast for a heartfelt conversation about fitness, confidence, line dancing, business, and what it really means to start where you are.

Tianna shares how her own childhood experiences shaped her passion for health and fitness, why she became a personal trainer, and how line dancing has become both a creative outlet and a powerful community-builder. She also talks about competing as a natural bikini athlete, choreographing dances, teaching beginners, and helping people take that first step toward a healthier, more confident life.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt stuck, intimidated, or unsure where to begin. Tianna’s message is simple and powerful: you can say “one day,” or you can make today day one.

Connect with Tianna:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15kLC7YfG5W/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Line Dancing Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1B1xMZmut7/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Email: [email protected]

In this episode of The Refinery Podcast, Rick Burris welcomes Dr. Larry Kuhn, organizational psychologist, leadership advisor, and founder of AspireVue.

Dr. Kuhn brings more than two decades of experience in leadership development, executive advising, organizational psychology, assessment, and workforce strategy. In this conversation, he shares how his journey from CFO and operations leader to psychologist shaped his passion for helping leaders grow with greater self-awareness, relational intelligence, and decision quality.

Rick and Larry explore why organizational transformation is relational before it is structural, how leaders shape culture through everyday interactions, and why the supervisor-direct report relationship is often where culture is truly formed. They also discuss healthcare leadership, systems thinking, hiring decisions, AI, resilience, and the importance of staying human-first in a rapidly changing workplace.

This episode is a thoughtful conversation for leaders, founders, coaches, healthcare executives, and anyone interested in building healthier organizations through better relationships, deeper insight, and more intentional leadership.

Connect with Dr. Larry Kuhn:
Website: https://aspirevue.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlarrykuhn/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drlarrykuhn

In this episode of The Refinery Podcast, Rick Burris welcomes Russell Betts, international bestselling author, founder of Connected Through Change™, and relational leadership guide.

Russell helps men, couples, and leaders navigate the disorientation of midlife with clarity, emotional maturity, and steadier presence. His book The Good Husband’s Guide to Menopause helped reshape how partners understand menopause, marriage, and change. His forthcoming book, When Strength Stops Working, explores what happens when the old strategies of fixing, powering through, performing, and controlling no longer work.

Rick and Russell talk about why midlife is not a crisis, but a transition of identity. They explore the emotional reality many couples rarely say out loud: men often feel confused, ashamed, or unsure when their old strengths stop translating, while women often feel unseen, alone, or tired of carrying the emotional load. Yet underneath it all, both are often longing for the same thing: to feel safe, understood, and connected again.

This conversation is for anyone navigating marriage, menopause, midlife, leadership, emotional growth, or a season where the tools that once worked no longer seem to fit.

Connect with Russell Betts:

Website: https://connectedthroughchange.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@connectedthroughchange
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubetts/
Email: [email protected]

Subscribe to The Refinery Podcast for more conversations on leadership, purpose, growth, and meaningful change.

Linda Wilson joins The Refinery Podcast for a powerful conversation about resilience, emotional intelligence, grief, healing, and the importance of supporting others without taking on their burdens.

After walking through bankruptcy, multiple open-heart surgeries within her family, serious health challenges, depression, and the loss of several loved ones, Linda has learned that resilience is not simply about surviving. It is about becoming more self-aware, asking for help, developing compassion, and choosing how to move forward one day at a time.

In this episode, Rick Burris and Linda discuss emotional intelligence as an essential life skill, the hidden cost of internalized stress, the difference between support and rescuing, and why asking for help is a sign of preservation rather than weakness. Linda also shares the heart behind her book, On Resilience: When You’re Too Effing Stupid to Quit, and the community she is creating to help people know they are not alone.

Connect with Linda Wilson:

Website: https://lovinglifesjourney.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindamariewilson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindamariewilson/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lovinglifesjourney

Get Linda’s book:
https://tinyurl.com/on-resilience-boo

In this episode of The Refinery Podcast, Rick Burris talks with Dr. Gail Everett, co-founder and Executive Director of Strides Tutoring, about the power of literacy to change a child’s future.

Dr. Gail shares how her early experiences with her deaf brother, her years working with children, and her doctorate in special education shaped the work she now leads through Strides. The conversation explores dyslexia, phonological awareness, trauma, education gaps, and the one-on-one relational approach Strides uses to help students become confident readers.

Rick and Dr. Gail also discuss the deeper mission behind the work: helping children gain confidence, supporting families, reaching students in difficult circumstances, and inviting tutors, donors, and future leaders to step into a meaningful opportunity.

Connect with Dr. Gail and Strides Tutoring:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gail-everett-12349a13/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STRIDEStutor.org
Website: https://stridestutor.org/
Email: [email protected]
Giving Link: https://stridestutor.org/donate/

Rick Burris talks with coach Seth Drugatz about the path from burnout and misalignment to purpose and transformation. Seth shares how leaving a finance career led him into coaching, and how his work now helps people uncover the hidden internal patterns that keep them from expressing their greatness.

This episode explores ontological coaching, people-pleasing, energy, identity, and the powerful question: What do you really want? A thoughtful conversation for anyone ready to stop going through the motions and start living in deeper alignment.

Connect with Seth Drugatz:

Email: [email protected]

Social Media Links: www.linkedin.com/in/seth-drugatz-353730136

In this episode, Rick Burris sits down with Dean Houdeshell, leadership coach, engineer, and founder of Project Horizon, to talk about what it really takes to build future-ready leaders. Dean shares lessons from engineering leadership, plant startups, business turnarounds, and consulting work to show how companies can develop stronger people, smarter decision-making, and more innovative cultures.

They explore trust, problem-solving, succession planning, empowering teams, and why the best leaders create space for others to grow and lead. This is a valuable conversation for business owners, executives, managers, and anyone who wants to build a team that learns faster and adapts better in times of change.

Connect with Dean Houdeshell:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.coachingwithdean.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-houdeshell/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dean.houdeshell