Vroom Vroom Veer with Jeff Smith

Mark Daoust is the founder of Quiet Light Brokerage, an online consultancy which helps owners of online businesses plan a financially successful exit from their businesses. He is the father of 7 kids. Between business and family, his life has ample veer and vroom.

From Mark's Website "In 2007, a year after having sold his first online business, a friend asked Mark if he would be willing to help him sell his web hosting company. During the previous year, Mark was evaluating whether or not to start a consultancy firm to assist owners of profitable websites who wanted to divest of their websites. With the call from this friend, Quiet Light was officially born. Mark retained his friend’s business, put the listing out to market, and within two months had found a buyer at a price that was higher than average web hosting companies were fetching in the marketplace.

Since that first business in 2007, Mark has personally helped dozens of small business owners and entrepreneurs and has also expanded Quiet Light to the team it has today. In building out a team of advisors to help other small business owners, Mark has always emphasized the importance of honesty, working in the client’s best interest (even if that means not working in his own best interest), and thorough preparation of all listings before they are brought to market.

Before Quiet Light Brokerage, Mark founded an online publication and grew it’s subscriber base to 220,000 members. Mark has been a presenter at top conferences and seminars as well as a guest author for numerous publications."

Mark Daoust Vroom Veer Stories

Not your typical entrepreneur kid in high school; he was NOT the kid selling candy out of his locker; fun fact spent 5-years in high school w/o getting held backWanted to study the classics and philosophy in college; his parents steered him toward a business degreeFell into a job in a web-hosting company; was tagged as one of three college students to open a new branch; took the job with the goal of getting firedHis first business started making money right away; until his credit card merchant account provider dropped himStarted a content based business that actually gained some sustainable tractionSold his 2nd business for all the wrong reasons; ego, hubris, boredom--but learned a lot about selling a businessQuietlight was started when one of his former clients and now a friend called him to help him sell his businessRadical/Reckless honestly is about telling the truth to clients even when it means the company won't make money from that truth

Mark Daoust Connections

Website

Gregg is a Professional and Certified Mental Strength Coach and Personal Fitness Trainer. He owns Warrior Mind Coaching and Training along with

Warrior Fitness Coaching and Training. His high quality, high content programs are thoroughly researched and delivered in a unique, energetic and powerful straightforward manner.

Vrooming in corporate Sales

Pre 2000, Gregg was making great money in corporate sale in the telcom business. He sales region include California and Hawaii

Then around 2000 the telcom bubble burst, telcoms stopped buying infrastructure and Gregg was out of a job.

His veer awakening unfolded over the next five years following being "downsized" from his job.

He and his fiancé decided to "downsize" their lifestyle which included moving from California to Bend, Oregon.

Gregg then vroomed back into corporate telcom sales living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area of California

That vroom lasted about three years and Gregg was downsized again

Veer into Coaching

Gregg started working with the idea of turning his "passion" into a business

The problem was that he had multiple passions and he had to figure out which passion he authentically enjoyed sharing with others

Most of his passions he were just for him...he enjoy doing them, but not sharing them.

His big A-HA moment was when he discovered that he really enjoyed coaching people.

Almost Veered off a mountain

Gregg tells the story of surviving an avalanche during a mountain climbing trip.

He described a new sort of inner peace and gratitude for being alive.

This inner peace helped Gregg see that so much of the little things in life that hold us back just don't matter.

We discuss building structures in our life to help us cultivate this inner peace.

Mystery School

Learning the secrets of the universe through transformation experiences.

10 day retreat in Joshua Tree including a practice in native american shamanism.

Dance and movement

5 rhythms dance

shamanic trance dance

ecstatic dance

Links

Warrior Mind Coaching

Veronika (Verca) Partikova is a kung fu and self-development (online) coach, World Champion, professional MMA fighter, speaker, and academic researcher.Driven by her passion for Kung Fu, she relocated alone to Hong Kong, where she lived for eight years. During that time, she earned a Ph.D. in Sports Psychology, taught coaching at a university, and shared her knowledge of kung fu with both locals and international students.In 2022, she moved to Thailand to pursue MMA training and turned professional at the age of 36. Alongside her fighting career, she remains an active academic researcher, presenting at international conferences and publishing papers on the connection between psychology and martial arts.She currently coaches kung fu online through her Kung Fu Scholars program, which blends traditional martial arts with modern training methods, including mobility, strength conditioning, and psychological tools. The program has attracted students from more than 15 countries across four continents.

Veronika (Verca) Partikova Vroom Vroom Veer Show Summary

This week's guest is Vercha Partykova of Kung Fu Academic (kungfuacademic.com), joining the show jet-lagged after a trip from a summer visiting family in the Czech Republic back to her home base in Phuket, Thailand. Verca teaches Hung Ga Kung Fu and self-development skills online, holds a PhD in sports psychology from Hong Kong, fights professionally in MMA and Muay Thai, and publishes academic research on the psychology of martial arts. It's a rare combination — as Jeff puts it, she's got "the whole package," Buckaroo Banzai style.

Verca grew up in what was then Czechoslovakia (now Czechia), starting martial arts as a kid with karate and judo during an era when access to kung fu training was scarce behind the Iron Curtain — students traded bootleg VHS tapes and magazines just to catch a glimpse of the art. She wasn't drawn to fighting out of fear or trauma, the narrative often pinned on fighters; she loved it purely as a discipline, the way a "peaceful warrior" would.

The conversation traces her winding path: a half-year exchange in Hong Kong that left her hungry for deeper training, a grueling stretch teaching English in a windowless tutorial center to earn her way back, and two years living in what amounted to a bed with walls around it — cockroaches included. She eventually formalized her training under her Sifu, Wong Sifu, through a traditional "baai si" ceremony (a kneeling, tea-and-red-envelope oath that bonds student to teacher for life), completed her PhD, and taught sports coaching at a Hong Kong university before COVID pushed her to sell everything and relocate to Thailand within a month to pursue MMA full time.

She and Jeff dig into the difference between martial arts as "dance" (forms without real fighting experience) versus martial arts tested in live combat — and why she felt she needed real fight experience to responsibly coach others, even online. Roughly a third to half of her current students are ex-military, drawn to traditional styles after already having plenty of real-world combat experience.

Verca also breaks down her coaching framework, the "Warrior Scholar," built on four pillars: practice (kung fu technique), body (health and longevity), mind (focus and emotional health), and direction (goals and daily habits). The back half of the episode turns personal, with Jeff and Verca comparing notes on sleep, meditation routines, and the "woo-woo" reputation of gratitude practices — Verca's take is that they're less about positivity and more about grounding yourself in process over outcome.

Topics Covered

Growing up doing martial arts in a closed-off, post-communist Czechoslovakia

The move to Hong Kong, a rough early apartment, and the "baai si" master-student ceremony

Earning a PhD in sports psychology while training and teaching

The shift from academia into marketing, then into full-time online kung fu coaching

Relocating to Thailand for MMA training during COVID

Her professional MMA (1-2) and Muay Thai (4-1) fight records

Traditional martial arts vs. combat-tested fighting ("dancing" vs. the real thing)

Coaching ex-military students in traditional styles

The "Warrior Scholar" framework: practice, body, mind, direction

Sleep habits, meditation, and grounding practices for anxiety

Connect with Verca

Autumn mini-cohort (foundation course): September 21 – October 4

Website: kungfuacademic.com

Search: Kung Fu Academic / Kung Fu Scholars

Facebook: Kung Fu Academic

Instagram: @VirtraKungFuAcademic

YouTube: Kung Fu Academic

Eric Zimmer (BOV) is an inspiration to me.  Listening to his podcast is like free therapy that I didn't even know I needed...so for sure "best of" material.  This conversation goes to the darker places of life, but manages to walk back up the stairs into more light-hearted chat as well.  You might need some tissues, but  you will be laughing along the way.

Eric has built companies for 15 years, and work in technology longer.  He led major software programs for Fortune 20 companies and he started his own Solar Energy company.   The most cool project Eric is rocking now is The One You Feed podcast, named "Best of iTunes" in 2014.

Eric Zimmer (BOV) Vroom Vroom Veer Stories

Eric pointed out that increasing the frequency of moving from Vroom to Veer...like daily is a worthy goal.

In Eric Zimmer's experience, that longer the Vroom Vroom period, the more dramatic the VEER can become.

The Tim Ferriss podcast Episode #2 included a chat about a martial artist who likes to win in "transition" between moves and holds.

Eric Zimmer (BOV) Addiction to getting Sober

24 years old

homeless, living in a van

sleeping on a couch in the back of the van that he picked up out of a dumpster

This went on for about 7 years of drinking and drugging.

Eric was too numb and was seeking highs from drugs and drinking.

Downward spiral of getting high, and feeling bad...trying to get sober.

He was dying and headed for jail.

One day he was arrested, lost his job, and his van and he didn't have anywhere else to go.

So he checked in to re-hab...

The treatment center suggested that he should do the 28-day treatment program...1st he said no...

Later he changed his mind because he had a moment of clarity and knew he would die if he went back out into the world.

The problem was his strategy of dealing with life.

Eric Zimmer (BOV) Depression and Feeling bad

Eric was thinkin "I don't like the way I feel, I want to feel different" and using drugs to feel different.

Realizing that having a mood or feeling bad is ok and it's not an emergency.

When in reactive, addicted mode, there is a feeling of panic when one feels bad..one feels compelled to take some action, be that a cigarette, sex, tv, food, drugs, beer what have you.

Eric learned that emotions are not emergencies.

If we are not so afraid of emotions we can just let them be.

From Pema Chodron's book "getting unstuck" , "Shenpa" is like triggered into fight or flight mode.

Some awareness will help you steer back to a better state.

Did that detox Stick?

Yes, but after a relapse.  He went and got high...then he went back to 28-day treatment.

One day at a time, is the commitment in recovery.

Book called "The tools"

A concept of "exoneration"  The idea that the day will come where I have done what I needed to do and life will be easy moving forward.  Sort of wishing for a life without sadness or problems, but that will never be.

He will have problems but we don't need to struggle so much.

It's our resistance to problems that cause most of the pain and struggle.

All the Rage

Episode of One you feed talking with Michael Galinsky about the work of Dr. John Sarno

Job to layoff

He got a job at compuserve in customer service

He got promoted into corporate training.

AOL bought compuserve and Eric got laid off.

Invested severance pay into some IT training and he got into internet start ups.

This pattern of employment ending abruptly continued to the point where Eric started to welcome the changes.

What happened in the Dark Hallway between Door?

You act your way into right action

Emotions can't be directly controlled.

Thoughts and behavior can be directly controlled, emotions can only be influenced not directly controlled.

He learned to keep going and have faith.

Failing back into Addiction

Eric took a trip on Hedonistic Treadmill and started drifting away from recovery after his 1st wife left him.

He convinced himself that he could handle drinking.

Over several years, he became a functional alcoholic.

Then finally he went back to AA and stay sober for 8 years.

Eric Zimmer (BOV) Links

The one you feed podcast

Subscribes, Ratings, Reviews = LOVE! :D

Regan Caruthers: Regan’s path was informed by her early schooling where she meditated daily, practiced Tai Chi, and learned about the power of Divine Love and conscious thought. But she would reject these teachings as she sought to fit in and find social acceptance. Quickly rising through the ranks, Regan had a successful career as a Silicon Valley corporate executive in the educational software industry. But corporate ascension, an extra-marital affair, and a tumultuous first marriage were mere reflections of her brokenness and need for deep healing. Once she consciously committed to practicing what she had learned so young, her life began to change.

Regan recently moved back to Missouri from Santa Cruz, CA. She’s the founder of Aset Yoga Center and dedicates her life to teaching and helping her clients achieve a more intimate and disciplined inner life. Her compassionate approach creates safe spaces for transformation and wellness, through one-on-one coaching, yoga sessions, and her Ready to Awaken courses. She conducts yoga classes for her community as an act of service at no charge

Above all, Regan cherishes her roles as a devoted wife to Jim and a loving mother to her sons, Connor and Ian.

Regan Caruthers Vroom Vroom Veer Show Summary

Regan and Jeffrey Share Experiences

In the meeting, Regan and Jeffrey discussed their past experiences and shared stories. Regan, a yoga teacher, talked about her excitement for the spring weather and her property coming alive. She also mentioned her book, Tragic Magic, and her interest in getting the word out about it. Jeffrey, on the other hand, shared his experience of being on a school team in high school and his involvement in a computer-aided graphics competition. They also discussed their respective locations, with Regan living in a beautiful area and Jeffrey mentioning the weather in Vegas. The conversation ended with Jeffrey expressing his excitement for the upcoming conversation about Regan's life and business.

Service, Discipline, and Self-Care

Regan and Jeffery discuss the importance of service, discipline, and self-care in their lives. Regan teaches yoga to seniors as an act of service, while Jeffery emphasizes the value of effort in maintaining health. They both agree on the significance of discipline in personal growth, with Regan stressing its importance over mere motivation. The conversation concludes with a discussion on overcoming depression through physical activities and practicing gratitude, even in difficult times.

Nature's Impact on Well-Being and Friendship

Jeffery and Regan discussed their morning meditation experiences and the impact of nature on their well-being. They shared their fondness for the desert's unique scents and bird songs, as well as the grounding effect of walking barefoot in their respective natural environments. Regan expressed her love for her childhood, despite its challenges, and highlighted the positive influence of her grade school, which taught meditation and other life skills from a young age. They also reminisced about their long-standing friendships and the importance of maintaining connections from their past.

Regan's Experiences With Dark Energy

Regan shared her personal experiences of encountering dark energy and demonic entities from a young age. She described how she commanded them to stop and how this led to a change in her life and spiritual path. Regan also discussed her corporate career and how her awakening affected her work and personal life. She emphasized the importance of radiating love towards the demonic visitors to stop their visits. Regan also criticized popular spiritual teachers for not addressing the dark side and their own shadows.

Regan's Personal Journey and Spiritual Awakening

In the meeting, Regan shared their personal journey, discussing their challenging home life and how it influenced their decisions. They mentioned their academic achievements and how they sought to escape their home environment. Regan also discussed their spiritual awakening in their mid-40s, which led to a more disciplined and stable life. They emphasized the importance of divine guidance and acting upon it. The conversation also touched on Regan's experiences in college and their decision to repeat the 9th grade, which was a turning point in their adolescent life.

Regan's Inner Voice Guidance Experience

Regan shared her experience of receiving guidance from her inner voice. She described the voice as matter-of-fact, emotionally neutral, and very specific in its instructions. In December 2021, she was told to urgently move home, which led her to relocate from California to Missouri. Despite initial skepticism from her community, she followed the guidance and found a home with a geothermal well, which she believed was a sign from her guides.

Regan's Miraculous Medical Journey

Regan shared a personal story about a life-threatening medical condition she was born with, which was only discovered after a series of urgent medical appointments. She underwent open heart surgery at a renowned medical facility, Barnes Hospital, and was fortunate to have a successful recovery. The surgeon, Ralph Damiano, was amazed by the clinical outcome and attributed it to a miracle. Regan also shared a subsequent miracle where the scar on her chest formed the shape of a crucifix, which was confirmed by her surgeon.

Regan's Spiritual Awakening and Gnostic Gospels

Regan shares her experience of facing death without fear, attributing her calmness to her spiritual beliefs and knowledge of her eternal, divine nature. She discusses her interest in the Gnostic Gospels, which were hidden texts discovered in Egypt in 1945, and how they provide alternative perspectives on early Christianity. Regan also recounts a transformative moment when, after an awakening experience, she felt overwhelming love and was able to express it to her previously abusive stepfather, leading to a significant change in his behavior.

Regan's Yoga and Meditation Practices

Regan discussed her work at the center, which includes teaching yoga to her community, conducting a workshop on fundamental yoga poses, and sharing breathwork practices. She also mentioned her involvement in Heartmath retreats, plant medicine ceremonies, and private coaching sessions. Regan described her home as a beautiful, 3,000 square foot space where she practices meditation and yoga. She also mentioned a unique outdoor space at the back of her property, which she uses for ceremonies and safe fires.

California Living Challenges and Regan's Book

Regan and Jeffery discuss the challenges of living in California, particularly in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. They talk about the increasing problems with homelessness, crime, and drug use in these areas. Regan mentions her upcoming visit to California and how she misses certain aspects of it, but not others. They also briefly discuss Regan's book "Tragic Magic" and how people can connect with her through her website, social media, and discovery calls for inner life coaching.

Connections

Website

Tom Schwab is a digital marketing engineer who specializes in Inbound Marketing, a public speaker, and entrepreneur. Tom found a winning solution when he started to focus his efforts on an inbound strategy, thus turning his regional business into a national leader and now helps others discover the power of Inbound Marketing.

Tom Schwab Vroom Veer Stories

What was more fun?  Peeing in a cup, or watching others pee in a cup?  hmmm.

Did you know mostly people working on nuclear submarines are in their 20's?

After thinking he would make the navy a career, the fall of the Soviet Union changed his mind

Thinking he was set in career sales management, until the 2nd great depression changed his mind

How the Navy uses the Fire (once) , aim, FIRE FIRE FIRE method of dialing in a target

Growing a local business to a national business uses "inbound marketing"

Being a podcast guest is WAY easier than creating a podcast yourself (amen)

Even as a podcasters, most conversions come from an external audience, by being a guest

Tom Schwab Links

Annie Vinje spent two decades moving between corporate marketing and teaching fitness before founding The Feel Good Method. An integrative health practitioner and meditation teacher, she helps high-achieving women navigate burnout and midlife transition, trading the chase for nervous system regulation and a path back to feeling like themselves.

Annie Vinje Vroom Vroom Veer Show Summary

In this episode, host Jeff Smith sits down with Annie Vinje to explore her transformation from a high-tech marketing professional to an integrative health practitioner. After experiencing a major health collapse in 2018 marked by extreme, unexplained exhaustion, Annie realized that standard medical brush-offs—and taking dozens of daily supplements—weren't addressing the root cause of her burnout.

Annie shares how she systematically rebuilt her vitality by shifting her focus from merely "not being sick" to genuinely "feeling good." Together, Jeff and Annie unpack the power of personalized health over one-size-fits-all diets or extreme fitness trends. They dive into actionable strategies for managing chronic stress, optimizing sleep, navigating mid-life health shifts, and customizing meditation practices to fit your actual life.

Key Highlights & Discussion Points

The Journey to Healing: Annie's transition through high-tech marketing, homeschooling, and a severe 2018 health crash that led her to pursue certifications in yoga, meditation, and integrative health.

Redefining Your Baseline: Why sitting at "fine" shouldn't be the standard, and why severe fatigue in your 30s or 40s shouldn't be dismissed as a "normal" part of aging.

The Personalization Principle: Why popular health trends like keto or CrossFit might work for a friend but fail for your unique biology, and why a shelf full of supplements isn't a long-term solution.

Demystifying Meditation: Overcoming the myth that meditation requires "stopping your thoughts." Annie discusses personalized approaches to mindfulness—including walking, journaling, or nature—and the value of simple observation.

Hormones & Modalities: Why extreme cold plunges can sometimes disrupt female hormones, and why heat modalities (saunas, hot yoga) are often better suited for women’s recovery.

Overcoming 2:00 AM Wake-Ups: Practical approaches for middle-of-the-night restlessness, including non-sleep rest, tactile focus rituals, morning light exposure, and optimizing dinner macros.

Practical Takeaways

Morning Routine: Get natural sunlight in your eyes shortly after waking, delay checking email, and ease into the day to prevent early cortisol spikes.

Evening Wind-Down: Support overnight blood sugar stability by eating adequate protein and healthy fats at dinner while reducing evening sugar and alcohol.

Stress First: Chronic fight-or-flight states will undermine even the best diet and workout routines. Address baseline stress to get real results from nutrition and exercise.

Resources & Connect with Annie

Follow Annie: Search Annie Vinje on Instagram, YouTube, and your favorite podcast player for regular video updates and health tips.

Website: annievinje.com (Spelled V-I-N-J-E)

Free Resource: Download Annie’s "Why Am I Tired" checklist on her website. If you check off more than five items, it’s a great sign to reach out for individual guidance.

Colleen Budde is an entrepreneur, business owner, and former mechanical engineer who left a successful corporate career to build a life centered on flexibility, family, and meaningful work. After working in the automotive and defense industries, she and her husband purchased a business and began the transition from traditional employment to entrepreneurship.Today, Colleen owns multiple businesses, including a coworking space, consulting practice, and e-commerce brand. She is passionate about financial discipline, sustainable business growth, leadership, and helping people build lives that align with their values rather than external expectations.As a mother of three young children, including twins, Colleen speaks openly about career transitions, burnout, identity shifts, entrepreneurship, and the realities of balancing ambition with family life. Her perspective combines practical business experience with an honest look at what it means to redefine success and create a life that genuinely fits.

Colleen Budde VroomVroom Veer Show Summary

Former test engineer Colleen Budde left her $140k corporate career to build a life centered on flexibility, family, and purpose. In this episode, she breaks down her journey from corporate employee to coworking franchise owner, why business growth shouldn't become a new jail cell, and how to design a business around the lifestyle you actually want.

Connect with Colleen

https://www.buddeconsultinggroup.com

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