This episode? It’s not about dogs.

It’s about trust, protection, and what it really means to feel safe in your own life.

Meet Graham Bloem. South African-born. Straight-talking. Zero fluff.

Founder of Specialty Dog Training®, where “man’s best friend” gets an upgrade to “family’s first line of defense.”

With 25+ years in the game and $20+ million in revenue, Graham isn’t training pets.

He’s building elite protection partners for high-level families, executives, and public figures worldwide.

We’re talking about dogs trained to read energy, assess threats, and act with precision.

Not chaos. Not aggression. Control.

1. How Graham Bloem went from South African animal lover to founder of a $20M elite dog training company
2. Why most dog behavior issues are actually bad matchmaking problems
3. The real factors behind choosing the right dog: lifestyle, energy, environment, and expectations
4. The difference between a family pet, a deterrent dog, and a fully trained protection dog
5. What goes into elite protection dog training including bloodlines, temperament, and advanced conditioning
6. How bonding and handler training turn a trained dog into a trusted family protector
7. The truth about dog marking behavior and practical ways to fix it
8. How to build a premium, trust-driven brand in a competitive niche
9. Why every interaction is an impression that can lead to long-term business growth
10. The role of authenticity, heart, and service in scaling a values-based company
11. How dogs read human energy, emotion, and behavior often better than we read ourselves

It’s part business. Part philosophy. Part “wow, I didn’t know dogs could do THAT.”

Bottom line:

This episode isn’t about selling protection.

It’s about understanding it.

And once you do… you’ll never look at a “good dog” the same way again.

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

What do you do when your hometown is wiped out… and hope goes with it?

If you’re Ron Ladner, you build a restaurant.

Not because it’s a smart business move.

Because your community needs a place to feel human again.

Ron grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, cut his teeth in software, built and sold a company… and then came home.

After Hurricane Katrina, he and his wife Laura opened Shaggy’s. Not just as a restaurant, but as a gathering place for healing, connection, and joy.

What started as one location is now:

1. 5 restaurants
2. 450 team members
3. 1M+ guests served annually

But here’s the twist…

Ron never set out to build a restaurant empire.

He set out to make people feel better when they walked out than when they walked in.

And somehow, that became the business model.

1. Why focusing only on what you can control is Ron’s foundation for life and business
2. How growing up with less fueled his drive for freedom, not just money
3. Why impatience can actually be a competitive advantage when used right
4. The moment Ron realized: if you do things like everyone else, you get average results
5. How Shaggy’s reinvented restaurant service with a team-based, high-efficiency model
6. The real reason most businesses fail at culture and what it actually takes to build one that lasts
7. Why employee experience drives customer experience, not the other way around
8. How Shaggy’s turned restaurant jobs into real careers with 3-year average tenure
9. What people are really responding to in Ron’s bestselling book: honesty, humility, and zero filter
10. Why finding someone to replace you and do it better might be the ultimate entrepreneurial win

We talk a lot about scaling.

About growth.

About building something “big.”

Ron flips that.

Build something meaningful first.

Make people feel seen, valued, and taken care of.

Do that consistently…

and growth takes care of itself.

🌐 https://shaggys.com/

You can chase success.

Or you can build something people actually feel.

One of those scales faster than you think.

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

In 2006, our guest’s son was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. After remission, a second diagnosis, PNH, led to a bone marrow transplant. In the middle of it all, Make-A-Wish sent their family to Scotland to play The Old Course. That trip became more than a memory. It became a lifeline.

During treatment, her son and husband would mentally replay every shot from that trip to get through the pain. That moment sparked something lasting: a desire to give back.

Then, just as her son was declared cured, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

After beating cancer herself, she became a wish grantor with Make-A-Wish San Diego. Inspired by her first wish child and her own healing journey, she created a CBD salve to ease a young boy’s discomfort. That single act grew into Budding Botanicals, a natural wellness brand built on relief, education, and purpose.

Today, her son is pursuing his dream of becoming a professional golfer, and she leads a thriving business grounded in gratitude and impact.

In this episode:

1. Turning hardship into purpose
2. The power of memory and mindset in healing
3. Building a mission-driven brand from lived experience

A quick note from Hersh:

Since recording, he’s become a big fan of Budding Botanicals and its products. Not a client. Not a sponsor. Just the truth.

https://www.matchmaker.fm/show-guest/dawn-norby-1144d5

https://www.buddingbotanicalsca.com/contact

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

Christian Ray Flores has lived several lifetimes in one.

From growing up as a refugee in Chile to becoming a pop superstar in Eastern Europe, Christian’s journey spans continents, industries, and reinventions. Today he is a high-performance coach, entrepreneur, media founder, and philanthropist helping leaders pursue success that actually means something.

In this conversation, Christian shares how resilience, purpose, and disciplined habits shaped his path from global music stages to boardrooms and coaching sessions with founders, executives, and creatives seeking sustained peak performance.

With a master’s degree in economics and fluency in four languages, Christian has built startups, raised millions for business and mission-driven ventures, and co-founded Third Drive Media, producing content designed to move audiences and fuel innovation. Through Xponential, his coaching and advisory work helps high achievers align success with significance.

He is also the host of the Headspace by Christian Ray Flores podcast and the author of Little Book of Big Reasons to Love America, where he explores leadership, mindset, and the habits that shape extraordinary lives.

In this episode of the YES, BRAND Podcast, we talk about reinvention, the power of purpose-driven leadership, and why the most meaningful success is built from the inside out.

https://www.xponential.life/

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

In this energetic conversation on the YES, BRAND Podcast, Hersh sits down with Nadja Fromm, Corporate Breakup Coach and Startup Strategist, to talk about what it really takes to leave the 9-to-5 behind and build a business that reflects who you are and how you want to live.

With more than 20 years of experience helping professionals navigate career transitions, Nadja has made it her mission to help people walk away from burnout and into bold, freedom-fueled entrepreneurship. Her approach is direct, practical, and refreshingly honest. No corporate jargon. No endless planning cycles. Just the mindset, clarity, and strategy needed to stop spinning and start building.

In her work, Nadja encourages clients to think of leaving a corporate job as a “corporate breakup.” And just like any breakup, it can be painful, confusing, and even a little scary. But it can also be the catalyst for reinvention.

As Nadja puts it, the old idea of getting a revenge body after a breakup is outdated. Today, the real glow-up is building your own “revenge business.”

Throughout the conversation, Hersh and Nadja explore the courage it takes to rewrite your professional story, why burnout is often a signal rather than a failure, and how stepping away from the expected path can unlock a level of freedom and creativity many professionals never thought possible.

Nadja brings contagious energy to the conversation, acting as the ultimate cheerleader for people ready to stop waiting for permission and start designing a career that works for them.

This episode is for anyone who feels the pull toward entrepreneurship but has been told to stay safe, stay small, or stay put.

Sometimes the boldest brand move you can make is choosing yourself.

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

What if the very thing capping your income, confidence, and impact isn’t strategy… but something you learned at seven years old?

In this episode of the YES, BRAND Podcast, Hersh sits down with Curtis McCullom, mindset strategist and creator of the LGET Mindset™ framework: Learn, Grow, Expand, Transform.

Curtis works with CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs who are successful on paper but still hitting invisible ceilings. The kind that do not show up on a P&L sheet, but show up in hesitation, self-sabotage, overworking, or playing smaller than their actual capability.

Through modalities like NLP, Mental Emotional Release® (MER), and Hypnotherapy, Curtis helps high performers identify and reprogram the subconscious patterns that have been quietly running the show for decades.

This conversation goes beyond tactics. It is about identity. Beliefs. Emotional wiring. And what becomes possible when you finally clear the internal noise.

Curtis is also the host of The Curtis McCullom Show, where he interviews top leaders on success, mindset, and personal growth, exploring what really drives sustainable achievement.

If you have built something meaningful but know there is another level waiting, this episode is your invitation to look inward and unlock it.

Your next level is not outside of you. It is already within you.

Curtis helps you access it.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@curtismccullom

Website: http://www.bespokehumanpotentialcoaching.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtis-mccullom/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BespokeHumanPotential

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curtis.mccullom.BHPC/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curtis.mccullom/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/curtisBmccullom

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@curtismccullom

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh sits down with visionary entrepreneur Eric Malka for a candid conversation about brand building, legacy, and what it really takes to scale with integrity.

Eric brings more than 30 years of experience in the luxury branded consumer-packaged goods arena. He is best known as the co-founder of The Art of Shaving, the brand that redefined men’s grooming and turned a daily routine into a ritual.

As co-founder and former CEO, Eric grew The Art of Shaving from a startup into an internationally recognized brand. In 2009, the company was acquired by Gillette, a Procter & Gamble company. Following the acquisition, Eric continued to lead the business as CEO through the end of 2010, guiding the transition while preserving the brand’s identity inside a global powerhouse.

In 2014, Eric founded Strategic Brand Investments, a private equity fund focused on empowering early-stage entrepreneurs to develop their brands and grow sustainable businesses. As Managing Partner, he works closely with founders and leadership teams to pioneer winning strategies, scale with purpose, and build brands that endure.

In this conversation, Hersh and Eric explore:

1. What it really means to build a brand, not just a product
2. The discipline behind scaling without diluting identity
3. Navigating acquisition while protecting brand equity
4. The difference between entrepreneurship and brand stewardship
5. How early-stage founders can think bigger and build smarter

This episode is a masterclass in long-term brand thinking from someone who has done it at the highest level, from startup grit to global acquisition and beyond.

YES to brands that mean business.

www.strategicbrandinvestments.com

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

On the latest YES, BRAND podcast, Hersh sat down with T Keaton Woods, who calls herself a “soul personal trainer.” Stay with me.

T works with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs, the dreamers gutsy enough to say, “I’m going to make something new.” She sees soul as your source code. Not religious. Not woo. Just the core programming that drives how you live and create. And like any code, it can get messy. Her work is to help refine it and actually operate from it.

She doesn’t see herself as a coach barking plays from the sidelines. She’s a Sherpa. She may know where the potholes are, but you still have to walk the path. Sometimes she calls out the hole. Sometimes she lets you step in and then offers a hand back up. Either way, the authority stays with you.

She and Hersh talked about her “slow-mad” life in Scotland, her massive metaphorical circus tent of human connection, and why artists matter. They document the times. They make us feel history, not just read it.

Her closing thought was simple and powerful: sometimes the most aligned move is no. Build on solid ground, not a house of cards.

That’s truth worth training for.

Find T: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tkeatonwoods/

Worth noting: Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Resources:

60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz: https://getoffyourassets.scoreapp.com/

60-second Personal Brand Quiz: https://bit.ly/QuizHR

Hate “sales”? Get the icks when it’s time to make the offer? That actually makes sense — because your real job isn’t to sell. It’s to connect, serve, guide, and create trust with the right people.

The problem isn’t your offer. It’s that most sales models force you into performance instead of relationship — pitching instead of listening, persuading instead of aligning.

In this episode of YES, BRAND, longtime collaborators Nancy Zare, Ph.D. and host Hersh Rephun explore what changes when selling stops being an act and starts being an extension of who you are. Nancy shares how learning the right words and right approach helps leaders attract new business without feeling “sales-y,” while Hersh reframes sales as permission earned through clarity, personality fit, and genuine connection.

This is a conversation about why authority doesn’t come from pressure — it comes from alignment — and how the strongest relationships are built when you stop trying to convince and start inviting.

Website: https://nancyzare.com/

The real comeback isn’t to your old life — it’s to your true one.

Rachel Gaddis didn’t just change careers — she changed her relationship with purpose.

After a late ADHD diagnosis, a battle with breast cancer, and a full career reset in her 50s, she built a practice around helping others navigate reinvention without losing themselves.

Hersh talked with Rachel about what real change looks like — not the “pivot” everyone posts about, but the quiet, uncomfortable clarity that comes before it.

It’s the same kind of clarity that my advisory clients are chasing — the moment when the next version of your work finally matches who you’ve become.