What if financial planning isn’t really about money? In this episode, I speak with Certified Financial Planner (CFP), educator, and author Carmen Ortiz about why traditional approaches to wealth often leave people feeling unfulfilled—even when they have more than enough. Drawing on nearly four decades of experience and her own journey beyond conventional financial planning, Carmen introduces her Transcendent Financial Planning System, a framework that connects financial decisions to self-knowledge, purpose, and contribution.

We cover topics including:

If you've ever wondered whether financial success alone is enough, this conversation offers a compelling new perspective on what it means to live a truly wealthy life.

The Wise Up! Podcast is your regular dose of business wisdom, brought to you by the members of OpenWater.

Artificial intelligence can make us faster, more productive, and more efficient. But what happens when we start outsourcing not just our work—but our judgment? In this episode, I speak with strategist and creative leader Carl Loeb about the growing risk of "cognitive surrender" and how professionals can use AI without losing the uniquely human capabilities that create real value. Drawing on research, practical examples, and his own experience integrating AI into creative work, Carl offers a framework for staying in control while taking advantage of these powerful new tools.

We cover topics including:

If you're trying to figure out how to use AI without becoming dependent on it, this conversation provides a thoughtful and practical roadmap.

The Wise Up! Podcast is your regular dose of business wisdom, brought to you by the members of OpenWater.

What if the biggest threat to your business performance isn't market conditions, competition, or technology—but the gradual decline of your own capacity? In this episode, I speak with entrepreneur, coach, and former competitive athlete Denis Champagne about the connection between physical strength, mental resilience, personal alignment, and long-term success. Drawing on more than 35 years in business and a lifetime of athletic competition, Denis shares why leaders must treat themselves as their most important asset—and why discipline ultimately matters more than motivation.

We cover topics including:

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, fragmented, or simply less effective than you once were, this conversation offers a practical framework for rebuilding capacity from the inside out.

The Wise Up! Podcast is your regular dose of business wisdom, brought to you by the members of OpenWater.

What if the real secret to business development isn’t selling at all, but building genuine, friction-free relationships over time? In this episode, I speak with entrepreneur, implementation expert, and self-described “superconnector” Sharon Schanzer about the hidden mechanics of networking, execution, and sustainable business growth. Drawing on decades of experience spanning design, technology, consulting, and community-building, Sharon shares why connection is a long game, why most people underestimate the work of business development, and how generalists are becoming increasingly valuable in a specialized world.

We cover topics including:

If you’ve ever struggled with networking, pipeline-building, or turning ideas into action, this conversation offers a refreshingly practical perspective on what actually moves business forward.

The Wise Up! Podcast is your regular dose of business wisdom, brought to you by the members of OpenWater.

What if the fastest path to growth isn’t chasing new revenue, but improving the profitability already inside your business?

In this episode, I speak with operations executive and cost optimization advisor Jeff Peduto about why cost optimization should be treated as a strategic growth lever—not just a reactive cost-cutting exercise. Drawing on decades of experience leading operational transformation and business optimization, Jeff explains how organizations can uncover hidden inefficiencies, improve supplier spend, protect margins, and create lasting operational discipline.

We cover topics including:

If your business is working hard but margins still feel tighter than they should, this conversation offers a practical roadmap for creating stronger financial performance.

The Wise Up! Podcast is your regular dose of business wisdom, brought to you by the members of OpenWater.

What if your organization’s margin challenges, client churn, or execution gaps aren’t operational problems at all, but leadership ones? In this episode, I speak with executive coach and fractional leader Jared Koesten about how aligning people, process, and strategy unlocks measurable business performance. Drawing on decades as a global CHRO and advisor to CEOs, Jared shares a practical framework for eliminating friction, achieving greater team engagement and strengthening leadership EQ.

We cover topics including:

If you’ve ever been told to “just fix it,” this conversation offers a smarter, more durable way forward for leaders to inspire engagement and achieve sustainable improvements to their businesses.

The Wise Up! Podcast is your regular dose of business wisdom, brought to you by the members of OpenWater.

Search funds may be one of the best-kept secrets in alternative investing. In this episode, I speak with veteran venture capitalist Jon Staenberg, managing partner of the Agate Hound Fund — the world’s first fund of funds dedicated to this asset class. We explore how search funds empower young entrepreneurs to buy and grow small businesses, why the model has delivered outsized returns for decades, and what the coming “silver tsunami” of retiring owners means for future opportunities.

The Wise Up! Podcast is your regular dose of business wisdom, brought to you by the members of OpenWater.

Of the three major disciplines in global health, public health is both the least visible and the least well-funded. And yet, effective public health practices are critical to alleviating and even avoiding major health crises (think pandemics). In this episode, I chat about the future of public health with Dr. Jay Varma, who has led public health programs around the world for the past two decades. We discuss the importance of thinking from a prevention and policy mindset, the crisis facing effective public health administration, and the role of AI in relieving the pressures that put public health at risk. Could AI be the single biggest opportunity to improve public health in our lifetimes?

We cover topics including:

Please listen in to join this fascinating —and critical—conversation.

How can mid- and late- career professionals break the mold that ageism and other cultural forces try to force us into? Could the OpenWater community play the modern role of a fractional Oracle of Delphi? In a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, Karl Stewart shares wisdom acquired through a varied career spanning mathematics, dance, acting, HR management and leadership coaching.  We explore the concepts of the Sage and Ancestral Intelligence (the other, older AI) as the most powerful of human resources. From Greek mythology to more modern approaches, Karl shows us how to using learned and inherited wisdom to turn ourselves into “magnets” rather than fit existing modes of thinking.

We cover topics including:

Please listen in for these and other fascinating pearls of wisdom from Karl.

The Wise Up! Podcast is your regular dose of business wisdom, brought to you by the members of OpenWater.

Every caterpillar goes through an incredibly messy transformation inside its chrysalis –  reduced to goo before eventually emerging as a beautiful butterfly. But this only happens once in their lifetime.  What about adults in mid-life or mid-career? How many periods of messy change might we encounter and endure during our lifetimes, and how can we emerge as transformed and beautiful as a butterfly? I spoke with executive coach, leadership consultant, people expert and author Rachel Burr about her book, Butterfly Goo, and the opportunities she sees for us to embrace change and develop leadership from our authentic core. Among the subjects we discussed:

I truly enjoyed this rich and personal conversation with Rachel and I know you will too.

The Wise Up! Podcast is your regular dose of business wisdom, brought to you by the members of OpenWater.