Volunteers can walk away any time, and there's no paycheck to make them think twice. Amy Courter led 61,000 of them as National Commander and CEO of the Civil Air Patrol, the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, where she was the first woman to wear two stars. Today she's an Executive Coach and Certified EOS Implementer. In this episode, host Jason Piasecki talks with Amy about who actually owns culture, why every organization has one whether it was built on purpose or not, and how she answers anyone who dismisses volunteer work: the Titanic was built by professionals, does pay or passion really drive winning? They also get into the town halls she called "stump the general," and the deal she cut with the janitors to catch her team working late.

Motion Dynamics started as an automotive contract manufacturer in 1992. Today, the majority of what they make goes into medical devices and aerospace components. That kind of shift doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't hold together without the right people. Richard Witham is a sales engineer at Motion Dynamics and the grandson of its founder. In this episode, host Jason Piasecki talks with Richard about how a West Michigan manufacturer built a culture rooted in communication, ownership, and precision, and why those values are inseparable from the quality their customers depend on. They also get into how Motion Dynamics hires for character over credentials, and why the president sits in on every second interview.

Few people have had a better seat to watch a winning culture get built than Dean Stotz. He spent 37 years as associate head coach at Stanford Baseball, working alongside Mark Marquess to create one of the most celebrated programs in college baseball history: two national titles, 14 College World Series appearances, and five straight trips to Omaha. In this episode, host Jason Piasecki talks with Dean about what made Stanford so hard to beat, how the coaching staff built and maintained standards year after year, and what any leader can take from it. He also talks about his book, 108 Double Stitches, and the thread that runs through 37 years of baseball stories.

Jason Piasecki sits down with Gina Thorsen, CEO of Stormy Kromer, to talk about what it really takes to build a strong culture. They discuss how pride, ownership, and relationships show up in day-to-day operations, and how those elements have helped shape a team that people want to be part of. If you're thinking about how culture impacts hiring, retention, and performance, this conversation offers a practical look at what actually works.