“Dreams Don't Have an Expiration Date.” | The Extraordinary Story of Amy Robbins
Guest: Amy Robbins →Extraordinary Stories episode featuring Amy Robbins, CEO of Alexo Athletica.
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“Dreams Don't Have an Expiration Date.” | The Extraordinary Story of Amy Robbins
Extraordinary Stories episode featuring Amy Robbins, CEO of Alexo Athletica.
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All 92 episodes.
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“Beliefs are Lies We Tell Ourselves To Be True” | The Extraordinary Story of Dr. James Leathem
Guest: James Leathem →Dr. James Leathem didn’t start with certainty. He started with loss, rejection, and a quiet voice telling him to take a shot anyway. After his father’s death and a near-death experience of his own, he made a decision that would shape his life: become a doctor. Not because it was logical, but because it felt true. What followed was years of doubt, failed attempts, and a belief he had to dismantle b
“Today’s the Day I Beat Him” | The Extraordinary Story of Eamonn Kichuk
Guest: Eamonn Kichuk →For Eamonn Kichuk, running wasn’t just a sport. It was his identity. A top prospect in Canada, expected to rise fast, he went from winning everything in high school to finishing dead last in college races. Then came the real break. Seven years without a single track season. Injuries, surgeries, and the quiet weight of wondering who you are when the one thing you’ve built your life around disappear
“Dissatisfaction is a Creative State” | The Extraordinary Story of Ben Dixon
Guest: Ben Dixon →Ben Dixon didn’t set out to reinvent himself. He set out to build something. But somewhere between drifting cars, chasing money, and building a network, he found himself in an identity that didn’t feel like his anymore. The tension wasn’t external. It was internal. Success was happening, but alignment wasn’t. And that forced a question most people avoid: what happens when you outgrow the version o
“Let It Be… and If It’s Not in Front of You, Let It Go.” | The Extraordinary Story of Emily Nguyen
Guest: Emily Nguyen →Emily Nguyen didn’t set out to become the person holding everything together. But somewhere between navigating family crisis, finishing school under pressure, and stepping into rooms full of strangers, she became exactly that. Her story is one of quiet resilience. Not loud ambition. Not performative strength. Just a steady commitment to keep going, even when things stop making sense. The turning
“Don’t Feel Like an Outsider” | The Extraordinary Story of Lawan Hawizy
Guest: Lawan Hawizy →Lawan Hawizy spent most of his life feeling like he didn’t belong. A Kurdish kid growing up across cultures, moving countries, and constantly adapting, he learned early how to fit in without ever fully feeling seen. From engineering school at 16 to corporate success across continents, his life looked impressive on paper—but something essential was missing beneath the surface. That changed in a mo
“Self-Belief is Overrated. Generate Evidence.” | The Extraordinary Story of Bethany Graver
Guest: Bethany Graver →For years, Bethany Graver was the person everyone trusted to lead. High-performing, dependable, and rising fast inside the world of hospitality. From the outside, it looked like success. Internally, it felt like slow burnout. She stayed longer than she wanted, convinced herself it was part of the plan, and kept showing up… even as resentment quietly built beneath the surface. The turning point di
“Just Say Yes and Go” | The Extraordinary Story of Nicholas VandenNieuwenhof
Guest: nicholas vandennieuwenhof →Nicholas VandenNieuwenhof didn’t set out to lead. He went from a fraternity house at Arizona State to managing a $4 million student government budget overnight, forced into a role he didn’t feel ready for. That moment—equal parts accidental and overwhelming—became the beginning of a life spent helping others step into responsibility before they feel prepared. The turning point wasn’t just taking
“I Just Wanted to Feel Confident” | The Extraordinary Story of Brianna Ransbottom
Guest: Brianna Ransbottom →Brianna Ransbottom didn’t grow up feeling confident. She describes herself as the “ugly duckling,” a kid who hid behind insecurity, never quite feeling feminine, never quite feeling like she fit. What started as curiosity around makeup became something deeper—a way to rebuild identity from the outside in, and eventually, from the inside out. The turning point wasn’t just learning how to apply mak
“Take a Walk Before You Say Something You Regret” | The Extraordinary Story of Brandon Gerson
Guest: brandon →Most founders learn how to build companies. Fewer learn how to stay human while doing it. In this conversation, Brandon Gerson pulls back the curtain on what it actually looks like to build a business alongside your spouse, raise a family, and still chase something ambitious. Beneath the surface is a constant tension between performance and presence, between being sharp in the boardroom and patien
“The Scariest Thing You Do Becomes the Best Thing” | The Extraordinary Story of Alan S. Adams
Guest: Alan S. Adams →Alan S. Adams wasn’t supposed to be here. Dyslexic, in debt, going through a divorce, and working in a factory, his life looked like it was narrowing, not expanding. Then one decision changed everything. He declared bankruptcy, quit his job, and walked into a university program he barely understood. What followed wasn’t a straight path forward, but a deeper realization that crisis doesn’t just bre
“Your Body was Communicating 20 Years Ago” | The Extraordinary Story of Lucia Harmeling
Guest: Lucia Harmeling →Lucia Harmeling has built her life around listening—to the body, to her intuition, and to something deeper guiding her forward. But that clarity didn’t come from certainty. It came from years of learning how to decode what most people ignore. From working with complex patients in a veterans hospital to helping women who feel dismissed by traditional healthcare, Lucia operates like a detective—piec
“I Didn’t Know It Then, but Radio Saved My Life.” | The Extraordinary Story of Rascal
Guest: Rascal →Rascal didn’t grow up chasing a career in radio. He grew up chasing connection. A kid recording mixes at lunch, a Marine carrying something he couldn’t yet name, a man trying to outrun the noise in his own head. For years, he was living with PTSD without knowing it—self-medicating, compartmentalizing, surviving. And then, almost by accident, he found a microphone. What started as a lie to get on
“There's nobody north or south of you.” | The Extraordinary Story of Paul Johnson
Guest: Paul Johnson →Paul Johnson grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Phoenix, the son of a construction worker and a waitress, watching his parents fight their way into a better life. By his twenties, he wasn’t just studying politics, he was living it—knocking on 90,000 doors, listening to thousands of people, and eventually becoming mayor at 29. But beneath the resume is something more human: a belief tha
“I Love Pain… it’s Where I Grow” | The Extraordinary Story of Andrew O’Brien
Guest: Andrew O’Brien →Andrew O’Brien doesn’t tell a redemption story the way most people expect. He doesn’t soften it. He doesn’t clean it up. He talks about addiction, prison, loss, and survival with the same tone he uses to talk about business, leadership, and fatherhood. There’s no separation between who he was and who he is now. That tension lives at the center of this conversation. After losing most of his family
“Everybody’s an Expert You Just Have to Care Enough to Ask” | The Extraordinary Story of Eric Miller
Guest: Eric Miller →Eric Miller didn’t set out to become an engineer. He set out to be a writer and got redirected by circumstance. Decades later, that same curiosity that once pulled him toward storytelling now defines how he moves through the world: asking better questions, listening longer than most people, and seeing patterns in people others miss. But underneath that curiosity is something quieter...a tension be
“I Had to Unlearn Fear” | The Extraordinary Story of Bassel Hamwi
Guest: Bassel Hamwi →Bassel Hamwi’s life has been shaped by movement, conflict, and reinvention. Born in Damascus and raised across continents, his early years were marked by war, instability, and constant adaptation. From painting windows black during bombings to later leading institutions that shaped entire economies, Bassel carries a perspective forged in environments where survival and leadership often overlap. T
“It’s Not Who I Am...It’s When I’m Myself.” | The Extraordinary Story of Austin Willman
Guest: Austin Willman →Austin Willman spent years trying to define himself. Title. Niche. Expertise. The box that would finally make everything make sense. But the more he searched for clarity, the further he felt from it. The tension wasn’t about direction—it was about identity. Who am I supposed to be? And why does it feel so limiting? That question broke open after a moment of forced reflection. Instead of asking wh
“Most of My Thoughts Are Gratitude.” | The Extraordinary Story of Michael Ostroff
Guest: Michael Ostroff →Michael Ostroff has spent 40 years building at the highest level—companies, spaces, systems. From the outside, it looks like discipline, precision, and scale. But underneath it all is something quieter: a man who spends most of his time thinking about gratitude. The tension isn’t success vs. failure. It’s efficiency vs. meaning. Output vs. presence. At 25, Michael leaned into how his brain natura
“I Had to Grieve Who I Used to Be” | The Extraordinary Story of Nicole Zeno
Guest: Nicole Zeno →Nicole Zeno built her life around momentum. Travel, startups, new cities, new identities. Always moving. Always evolving. But beneath the movement was a quieter tension: who are you when the version of you that worked… stops working? That question hit hard. A sudden health crisis. A loss of trust in her own body. A forced pause that stripped away certainty and replaced it with something far more
“Most people are successful on paper… but falling apart inside.” | Aaron's True Healing Experience
Guest: Dana Herrera →Aaron Bare shares what it feels like to live a life that works externally but feels disconnected internally — and the quiet realization that something has to change. A conversation on radical honesty, identity, and what it really takes to heal.
Aaron Bare: “I was successful on paper… but falling apart inside”
Guest: Dana Herrera →Aaron Bare on the moment he realized his external success was masking internal misalignment — and the honest reset that began his healing journey, in conversation with Dana Herrera on The True Healing Experience.
“Put Yourself in the Right Rooms and Plug In” | The Extraordinary Story of Kristen Cantrell
Guest: Kristen Cantrell →Kristen Cantrell has built her life around connection. Not the transactional kind, but the kind that changes how people experience themselves. What started as a recruiter burnout moment turned into a decade-long journey of building communities where people actually feel seen. Behind that success is a quieter tension: the pressure to hold everything together, even when you don’t have to. In this c
“I’m a Million Dollar Project Over Here.” | The Extraordinary Story of Kevin Hudson
Guest: Kevin Hudson →Three years ago, Kevin Hudson thought his life had stalled. A move, isolation, and the slow unraveling of habits he once relied on left him disconnected from himself and his world. Then came the pain—sudden, violent, and undeniable. What started as pancreatitis revealed something far more serious: a rare cancer wrapped around his spine. In a matter of weeks, Kevin went from living fast to fighting
“I Had Everything and Still Felt Unsafe...” | The Extraordinary Story of Rachael Blumberg Chiprut
Guest: Rachael Blumberg →She had the life people work for. A family, a career, stability. And still, she woke up one morning feeling anxious, disconnected, and unsafe in her own body. No clear reason. No obvious trigger. Just a quiet realization that something inside her wasn’t working. What followed was a decision. Rachael chose to take responsibility for what she was feeling instead of explaining it away. That decision
“Find your people… they’ll remind you who you are...” | The Extraordinary Story of Sandy Martinez
Guest: Sandy Martinez →Sandy Martinez didn’t grow up with a roadmap. She grew up watching her parents build a life from scratch, navigating a country, a language, and a system that wasn’t built for them. As a first-generation Mexican immigrant, she learned early that community wasn’t optional. It was survival. But somewhere along the way, that survival instinct evolved into something more intentional. A way of building
“By the End, I Wasn’t Panicking, I Just Believed...” | The Extraordinary Story of Isabelle Cutuli
Guest: Isabelle Cutuli →Isabelle Cutuli didn’t set out to become a leader. In fact, for a long time, she believed she wasn’t one. After years of effort in speech and debate that never quite translated into confidence, she entered college carrying a quiet assumption that no matter how hard she worked, leadership might always stay out of reach. What followed was a complete redefinition of what leadership actually is. Inst
“I Used to Think I Was Superman...” | The Extraordinary Story of Kelly Siegel
Guest: Kelly Siegel →Kelly Siegel has the kind of story that could easily get flattened into grit, hustle, and comeback clichés. But this conversation goes somewhere more honest than that. Kelly talks about growing up around abuse, learning to survive by becoming tough, and then realizing much later that toughness alone was never the whole answer. The deeper shift came when he stopped performing strength and started t
“I Don’t Want to Be On My Deathbed Thinking...” | The Extraordinary Story of Rich Bracken
Guest: Rich Bracken →Rich Bracken knows what it looks like to succeed on paper while quietly falling apart in private. Before he built a career as a keynote speaker and emotional intelligence expert, he was grinding inside a corporate role, overperforming, under-recovering, and ignoring what his body was trying to say. An ER visit for what felt like a heart attack became the moment that forced a deeper question: what
“Don’t Become a Biological Liability...” | The Extraordinary Story of Dr. Adrijana Kekic
Guest: Dr. Adrijana Kekic →“Don’t become a biological liability.” In this episode of Extraordinary Stories, Dr. Adrijana Kekic shares the deeply personal health crisis that changed the direction of her life and work. What began as the story of a high-performing healthcare professional pushing through exhaustion became a reckoning with mortality, identity, and the cost of living disconnected from your own body. Dr. Adrijana
“Don’t be afraid to be yourself...” | The Extraordinary Story of Jasmine Bhatti
Guest: Jasmine Bhatti →Jasmine Bhatti didn’t set out to build a company. She set out to understand a moment that broke her. Caring for her grandmother at home exposed a quiet truth about healthcare: the system asks families to carry more than they understand, and more than they’re prepared for. That experience didn’t just change her career path. It changed how she saw responsibility, care, and what it means to show up f
“I Was Lonely Until I Found the Right People...” | The Extraordinary Story of Jaxson Terrero
Guest: Jaxson Terrero →Jaxson Terrero is focused on understanding life. In a world that rewards certainty, Jaxson is choosing curiosity. From leaving home to start over at college, to sitting alone for weeks while others chased connection, to saying no to what’s expected of him, his story is about learning how to trust your own pace before the world tries to define it for you. The turning point isn’t a big win. It’s q
“Your Desire to Serve Has to Be Bigger Than Your Vanity...” |The Extraordinary Story of Abbie Richie
Guest: Abbie Richie →Abbie Richie didn’t set out to build a company helping older adults navigate technology. In 2017 she was unemployed, searching for something meaningful to do when her in-laws needed help with their phones and computers. One neighbor turned into another. Within months, Abbie realized she had stumbled onto a problem millions of people quietly face: the digital world keeps moving forward, and many ca
“Closed Mouths Stay Hungry...” | The Extraordinary Story of Daniela Santangelo
Guest: Daniela Santangelo →When Daniela Santangelo returned to Phoenix, she saw something most people miss. Talent was everywhere. Builders, founders, and leaders were creating incredible work. But the connections between them were fragmented. Instead of waiting for the ecosystem to mature on its own, Daniela stepped into the role of a community architect, bringing together talent, capital, and community to help Arizona gro
“Trust Your Desires...” | The Extraordinary Story of Bryce Prescott
Guest: Bryce Prescott →Bryce Prescott spent years chasing certainty through religion, self-development, performance, and personal reinvention, only to discover that the real work lives in a far more uncomfortable place: the space between thought and action. In this conversation with Forbes Shannon, Bryce traces the inner tension between wanting to be seen and feeling shame for it, between resisting leadership and realiz
“It's Not What We Achieve, It's What We Overcome...” | The Extraordinary Story of AJ Garboski
Guest: AJ Garboski →AJ Garboski spent most of his life chasing one word: normal. As a kid with a reading disability, he believed the way to become normal was simple: achieve more, work harder, push further. Sports became his proving ground. By high school he was a captain, a leader, and the guy who simply outworked everyone around him. Then everything unraveled. During his first summer after starting college footba
“Adults Are Just the Creations of Kids...” | The Extraordinary Story of Tripp Fusco
Guest: Tripp Fusco →Three years ago, Tripp Fusco found himself living with a group of bird researchers who spent every waking hour talking about birds. What started as a documentary job turned into something deeper. Watching people obsess over what they loved revealed a simple truth: passion is magnetic. That moment sent Tripp on a personal exploration of creativity, community, and the courage to start before you fee
“Teach AI What You Know, Don’t Let It Replace You...” | The Extraordinary Story of Arvell Craig
Guest: Arvell Craig →Arvell Craig has spent more than two decades riding the wave of technological change. From the early days of the internet to chatbots, and now the rise of artificial intelligence, his career has followed one simple instinct: curiosity. What started as fascination with the internet in the late 90s eventually evolved into a deep exploration of how technology can help humans create, solve problems, a
“Find what makes you, and your people will come...” | The Extraordinary Story of Yasmin Rivera Klein
Guest: Yasmin Rivera Klein →Yasmin Rivera-Klein built her life by following a path that looked responsible on paper: finance, accounting, corporate success, the kind of ambition people recognize quickly. But beneath that path was a different instinct, one rooted in community, creativity, and the feeling that success means more when people feel seen inside it. In this conversation with Forbes Shannon and Tomás León, she refle
“I’m Still Moving Forward, Baby...” | The Extraordinary Story of Rashad Armstrong
Guest: Rashad Armstrong →Rashad Armstrong has the kind of presence people feel before they can explain it. He is funny, magnetic, and deeply human, but what makes this conversation land is not just charisma. It is the deeper why beneath it. Rashad talks about loving life, wanting people to feel good around him, and learning how to make others feel welcome, protected, and seen. Beneath the comedy and the energy is a person
“Get Over Yourself...” | The Extraordinary Story of Dave Waltzer
Guest: Dave Waltzer →Dave Waltzer didn’t start out as a connector. In fact, he says he used to hate people. Growing up around scarcity, distrust, and survival-mode thinking shaped how he saw the world. When he moved from Boston to Arizona, that mindset followed him. The shift didn’t happen overnight. It started with a simple moment most people would ignore: answering a knock on the door. That door led him to his firs
“You just have to take action on your ideas...” | The Extraordinary Story of David Hancock
Guest: David Hancock →David Hancock did not set out to become a publisher. He was a successful banker trying to understand why he was good at what he did, until a mentor pushed him toward something that felt far outside his identity: writing a book. What followed was not just a career pivot, but a deeper shift in how he saw authority, service, and the responsibility that comes with having something worth saying. In th
“Judge less and listen more...” | The Extraordinary Story of Beatriz Rosselló
Guest: Beatriz Rosselló →What happens when public life collides with private pain? In this conversation, Beatriz Rosselló reflects on faith, motherhood, public service, and what it cost her family to lead through crisis. From life as Puerto Rico’s first lady to the fear, backlash, and scrutiny that followed, she shares what it means to keep your heart intact when the world is trying to turn you into a symbol. At the cent
“Remember who you are...” | The Extraordinary Story of Rudi Riekstins
Guest: Rudi Riekstins →What happens when the person who looks successful on the outside is quietly falling apart on the inside? In this conversation, Rudi Riekstins shares the moment his life started to change: sitting awake at 4 a.m., staring at a ceiling fan, realizing he could not keep living with the anger, resentment, and emotional chaos that had taken over his life. What followed was not a polished reinvention. It
“Tell Yourself You’re Allowed...” | The Extraordinary Story of Santana Vega Yturralde
Guest: Santana Vega Yturralde →Most people think communication is about the right words. Santana Vega Yturralde believes it’s something deeper. After years studying neuroscience, coaching athletes, and rebuilding his life through travel and hardship, he discovered that what moves people isn’t language alone. It’s the energy behind it. In this conversation with host Forbes Shannon, Santana explains how communication, leadership
“If It’s Real and There Was Change, Use It...” | The Extraordinary Story of Bree Aesie
Guest: Bree Aesie →Most people think they’re telling a story when they’re really handing you a framework with a bow on it. Bree Aesie has heard it all, thousands of pitches a year. And after six years hosting a podcast with 2 million downloads, she’s landed on a definition that cuts through the noise: a story is a human changing. In this conversation, Bree breaks down what “story worthy” actually means, and why the
“You Need People Who Tell You the Truth...” | The Extraordinary Story of Mayor Corey Woods
Guest: Mayor Corey Woods →What does leadership actually look like when you can never fully turn it off? In this episode, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods talks candidly about the hidden pressure of public service, the loss of anonymity, and the strange reality of always being “on,” whether you’re at the grocery store, on a mountain hike, or stepping off a plane to a flood of messages. Corey describes leadership as a balance betwee
“Why Do We Act Like We Know Sh*t?” | The Extraordinary Story of Forbes Shannon
Guest: Forbes Shannon →Forbes Shannon built his life around being “the guy with the story” until life took that option away. A brain injury ended hockey, scrambled language, and flattened his emotional range into two settings: happy and rage. So he rebuilt himself the only way he could, one sentence at a time, learning how to feel by learning how to write. That recovery turned into a bigger identity shift: the rebrand
“Once You Mix Intuition With Delirious Ambition...” | The Extraordinary Story of Christine Butler
Guest: Christine Butler →Christine Butler didn’t begin her adult life chasing a career. She began it becoming a mother. While most people her age were starting college, she was raising a child, learning responsibility earlier than she ever expected. What started as survival eventually became purpose. Being a mom didn’t limit her ambition. It clarified it. That clarity carried her through teaching, writing, and eventually
“It Takes Less Energy to Think Bigger...” | The Extraordinary Story of Aaron Bare
Guest: Aaron Bare →What if the difference between an ordinary life and an extraordinary one comes down to a single decision: how big you’re willing to think? In this opening episode of Extraordinary Stories, Forbes Shannon and Christine Butler sit down with entrepreneur, speaker, and bestselling author Aaron Bare to explore the mindset behind extraordinary leadership. Aaron has spent decades working with founders,
“Design It for 90 Years and Let It Compound...” | The Extraordinary Story of Joe Rinderknecht
Guest: Joe Rinderknecht →Joe Rinderknecht grew up with a name that meant something. Keeper of the herd. Oldest son. Big shoes to fill. On a cattle ranch where your handshake is your word and your reputation travels faster than you do, legacy is not theoretical. It’s inherited. For years, Joe lived inside that expectation — until a tragedy in his early twenties forced a reckoning. After losing his younger brother and grand
“You don’t have to beat the other side...” | The Extraordinary Story of Carlos Alfaro
Guest: Carlos Alfaro →Carlos Alfaro treats "division" like a skills problem. In this in-studio conversation, the founder of Arizona Talks lays out a grounded, hopeful approach to civil discourse that doesn’t rely on winning, converting, or humiliating the other side. It’s built for real life: neighbors, coworkers, families, and communities that still have to share a zip code after the argument is over. Carlos’ story s
“Everything We Do, We Do to Feel Something...” | The Extraordinary Story of Amir Glogau
Guest: Amir Glogau →“Everything we do, we do with a conscious or subconscious desire to feel something.” Amir Glogau built an empire through 14 successful business turnarounds. From the outside, it looks like strategy, discipline, and execution. From the inside, he says it starts somewhere far more human: emotional intention. In this in-studio conversation with Forbes Shannon and Aaron Bare, Amir traces the arc of a
“Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help...” | The Extraordinary Story of Nick Labinsky
Guest: Nick Labinsky →Nick Labinsky didn’t inherit a company. He earned it. From working at nine years old to becoming a microbiologist, to being mentored by a founder who survived a near-fatal poisoning, Nick’s path to CEO of Premier Research Labs was built through patience, pressure, and responsibility. When his mentor passed away, the weight of carrying the mission forward became personal. This wasn’t about title.
“Express Yourself...” | The Extraordinary Story of Nathan Shiya
Guest: Nathan Shiya →“I once used the mountain as an escape. Then I realized it was a mirror.” Nathan Shiya did not start as a mountain man. He started as a city kid running from insecurity, grief, and a lack of self-belief. The outdoors became a refuge. Then it became a classroom. Then it became something harder to ignore: a reflection of who he was and who he could become. In this conversation, Nathan shares the s
“Dream Bigger. Bet on Yourself...” | The Extraordinary Story of Joe Martinelli
Guest: Joe Martinelli →Joe Martinelli was raised by a mother who refused to let fear define her children’s future. After surviving an abusive childhood, she made one promise to herself: her kids would know how to protect themselves. That promise turned into midnight drills, anti-abduction scenarios, and eventually a life in martial arts that Joe never planned—but slowly chose. What began as obligation became identity.
“Hey, No Really — How Are You?” | The Extraordinary Story of Malcolm Marzett
Guest: Malcolm Marzett →Malcolm Marzett grew up in a church in Charleston where “How are you?” never meant “fine.” It meant pause. It meant eye contact. It meant tell me the truth. That early lesson in community shaped everything that followed — from tech summits in Phoenix to advisory calls with global designers and executives. For Malcolm, success has never been about access alone. It’s about how human you stay once yo
“Be extra ordinary...” | The Extraordinary Story of Ryan Foland
Guest: Ryan Foland →Ryan Foland has built a career around helping people communicate with clarity and confidence, but his real edge is more human than tactical. He’s a proud ginger, a sailor, a speaker, an author, and he’s figured out the cheat code most people miss: the fastest way to stand out is to stop being generic and start being specific. In this conversation, Ryan breaks down what actually creates connection
“Don’t Listen to the Noise...” | The Extraordinary Story of Kimberly Fletcher
Guest: Kimberly Fletcher →On 9/11, Kimberly Fletcher’s husband was stationed at the Pentagon. He came home safe. She did not come home the same. What began as patriotism became a deeper question about purpose, responsibility, and what it means to protect the future when history feels fragile. Years later, that question would lead her from a living room in Dayton, Ohio with 26 moms… to 54 invitations to the White House in
“Corporate e-learning is like a 1990s BBC documentary...” | The Extraordinary Story of Ben Lyon
Guest: ben →Ben Lyon is building a company because he’s done pretending the “learning” in corporate learning works. After years inside transformation projects, he watched the same pattern repeat: leaders change the business, then ask employees to absorb the change through long, sterile modules people mute, skip, and forget. So Ben started Molt, a studio and workflow designed to make learning feel alive, curre
"10 Minutes of Focused Care Can Change Everything...” | The Extraordinary Story of Jeff Booth
Guest: Jeff Booth →Jeff Booth has a rare combo: he’s the funny guy at the barbecue, the guy writing the news jokes for a comedy show, and the guy in the boardroom willing to say what everyone else is whispering. In this conversation, Jeff walks right into the tension most leaders live in every day: being liked versus being useful, staying safe versus telling the truth, and shipping something “good enough” versus get
“Know Where You Came From...” | The Extraordinary Story of Tomas Leon
Guest: Tomas Leon →Tomas Leon grew up in Barrio Hollywood in Tucson, Arizona — eight people in an 800-square-foot house, blue-collar parents, first-generation college student. From those humble beginnings, he built a 25+ year career across healthcare, startups, nonprofit leadership, and public-private partnerships. But this conversation is not about titles. It’s about the internal work required to lead without losin
“Confidence Comes After Courage...” | The Extraordinary Story of Keith Mitnik
Guest: Keith Mitnik →Keith Mitnik built a company that powers products around the world. Custom LCD displays. Supply chains. Long sales cycles. High stakes. But his story doesn’t start with confidence. It starts with being pushed off a cliff. At 29 years old, with a baby and another on the way, Keith lost his job. Instead of climbing back into another cubicle, he built a company around himself. No customers. No incom
“If I’m Not Putting 100% Into It, Why Am I Doing It?” | The Extraordinary Story of Makram Jreissat
Guest: Makram Jreissat →Makram Jreissat grew up writing songs at nine years old, rapping in front of 800 of his classmates at thirteen, and selling his own albums door to door. He also grew up feeling the awkward weight of being seen. Proud and embarrassed at the same time. Artist and introvert. Dreamer and operator. Years later, that same kid is building AI systems that connect cameras, microphones, and real-world sens
“Maybe. Who’s to say what’s good or bad?” | The Extraordinary Story of Derrick Mains
Guest: Derrick Mains →Derrick Mains walks into the studio as “the systems guy,” the process fixer, the one who can rebuild an organization from the studs. But the real story starts way before operations and keynote stages. It starts with a man who didn’t realize he was intelligent until adulthood, because the environment that raised him treated curiosity like a threat and “the future” like something you didn’t plan for
“Healing Has to Be Experienced...” | The Extraordinary Story of Dana Herrera
Guest: Dana Herrera →On paper, Dana Herrera had everything. The house. The kids. The marriage. The career in regenerative medicine. And she was miserable. In this deeply human conversation, Dana shares the moment that changed everything: learning that her father had taken his own life. His death became an initiation. A mirror. A confrontation with the way she had been taught to perform for love, to achieve for valida
“Why Not Just Feel That Way the Whole Way Through?” | The Extraordinary Story of Vincent Serpico
Guest: Vincent Serpico →Vincent Serpico has lived through every tech revolution since the Commodore 64, and somehow he’s still excited, still curious, still building. In this conversation, he traces the thread from a 14-year-old kid teaching himself to code, to a founder who’s built hundreds of software applications, to an operator who opened Arizona’s top rage room for a reason that has nothing to do with trends and eve
“Never Distrust Your Imagination...” | The Extraordinary Story of Dr. Eddie Kornegay
Guest: Dr. Eddie Kornegay →“I had a first-class, world-class experience as a child… and then I had to learn how to be Black in Kinston, North Carolina.” Dr. Eddie Kornegay’s life starts between two worlds. Raised globally on military bases, riding bikes in France and seeing a bigger version of life early, he then returns to the segregated South, where dignity was the social currency and faith held the community together. H
“Long-Form Makes People Human Again...” | The Extraordinary Story of Brady Edwards
Guest: Brady Edwards →Brady Edwards has seen the internet from the top of the mountain, and he’s honest about what that view costs. From child actor to YouTube obsessive to directing during MrBeast’s most parabolic era, he lived inside the machine that holds attention at scale. But this episode isn’t about flexing numbers. It’s about what happens to a human when the pace is relentless, the stakes are undefined, and the
“Community Carried Me When I Couldn’t Carry Myself...” | The Extraordinary Story of Alex Koupal
Guest: Alex Koupal →Alex Koupal spent years doing everything “right” on paper: strong career, travel, athlete identity, high performance. Behind it, she was quietly falling apart. Chronic pain. A life built on fear and expectations. A version of wellness that looked disciplined from the outside, while her body was begging to be listened to. The turning point wasn’t one dramatic moment. It was a long rebuild. Divorce
“Health Can Add Years, Money Has to Match...” | The Extraordinary Story of Byron Ovenstone
Guest: Byron Ovenstone →Byron Ovenstone thought he had time. Time to let cricket carry him. Time to spend like the next paycheck was a personality trait. Then a fractured back turned into a career-ending warning, and the people he thought were his “network” disappeared the moment he stopped being useful. At 23, he’s forced into the most honest question a person can face: who are you when the thing that made you you is go
“Communication is the response that you get...” | The Extraordinary Story of Michael Mahoney
Guest: Michael Mahoney →Michael Mahoney doesn’t talk about mindset like it’s a poster on a gym wall. He talks about it like code. In this conversation, the CEO of Upgrade Academy breaks down what he calls the “native language” of the subconscious, and why most of us keep trying to change our lives using the wrong inputs. The thread running through the whole episode is simple: the way you communicate shapes the reality yo
“There’s Too Much Content and Not Enough Contact...” | The Extraordinary Story of Helen Christoni
Guest: Helen Christoni →Helen Christoni built a successful career inside the beauty industry. She helped shape brands, marketing, and the very products people put on their skin every day. She was an ultra marathoner. A Boston qualifier. Healthy by every visible metric. Then her bones started breaking. In her early 40s, Helen went through early menopause without realizing it. Severe osteoporosis. Two broken hips. Ribs f
“Community Is the Antidote to Loneliness...” | The Extraordinary Story of Richard Naha
Guest: Richard Naha →Richard Naha thought he was building companies. What he was really building was community. After growing up in Detroit and building a career in real estate and development, Rich found himself in Mexico City for a consulting assignment that changed his life. In a culture where landlords insist you stay for dinner and strangers walk you two blocks just to make sure you arrive safely, he experienced
“You Don’t Need Anything...” | The Extraordinary Story of Paul Kirchhoff
Guest: Paul Kirchhoff →Paul Kirchhoff has lived enough lives to make most people suspicious. Catholic-raised Texan. Burner. Nature kid who’s hiked basically everything hikeable near the Grand Canyon. Tech builder. Adventure architect. And somehow, none of it reads like a brand. It reads like a person who’s learned how to hold contradictions without needing to explain them away. The turning point is simple and sharp: on
“Your Phone Becomes Your Reality...” | The Extraordinary Story of Dean Donlon
Guest: Dean Donlon →Dean Donlon lives at an unusual intersection: Shark Tank–level entrepreneurship and the evolving world of longevity science. But beneath the red light beds, cold plunges, and biohacking trends, his message is simpler and more human: if you don’t focus on yourself, what’s the point of building anything? In this conversation, Dean opens up about dropping habits that were quietly hurting him, learni
“Sometimes We Want the Wrong Things...” | The Extraordinary Story of DJ Linders
Guest: DJ Linders →DJ Linders spent 20 years in Coast Guard search and rescue, lowering himself into dark water at night while helicopters disappeared overhead. He thought the hardest part of his life would be those moments. It wasn’t. It was learning how to build a business, be present for his daughters, and redefine what success actually means. After retiring, DJ became a nurse practitioner and eventually launche
“Do Not Put That Diagnosis On.” | The Extraordinary Story of Dr. Greg Eckel
Guest: Dr. Greg Eckel →Eight years ago, Dr. Greg Eckel was a physician who believed in healing. Then his wife was diagnosed with a rare, rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease. Within months, she could not speak or feed herself. Within 18 months, she was gone. What followed was a crash course in humility, grief, and a question that would redefine his life’s work: Why do we accept decline as inevitable? In the mi
“If You Take An Action, You Got A Chance...” | The Extraordinary Story of David Thomson
Guest: David Thomson →David Thomson didn’t come up through the polished lanes of education. He came up through chaos, dyslexia, poverty, and a home where strength mattered. By 16, he left school with zero qualifications. By choice, he joined the army to build discipline, then climbed into financial services and discovered something that quietly changes lives: you can earn your way out by learning how to talk to people.
“My Daughters Wish I’d Stop Going Into War Zones...” | The Extraordinary Story of Rick Stilgenbauer
Guest: Rick Stilgenbauer →Rick Stilgenbauer has spent 25 years in policy and politics, from serving as state chief of staff for Senator John McCain to walking into bomb shelters in Ukraine during wartime. But at home, he’s just a father whose daughters would prefer he chose a safer line of work. That tension between global responsibility and personal presence sits at the center of his story. Rick didn’t plan on a career i
“How Do You Instill a Sense of Curiosity?” | The Extraordinary Story of Satish Nandapurkar
Guest: Satish Nandapurkar →Satish Nandapurkar doesn’t see himself as extraordinary. He sees himself as lucky, curious, and willing to work. From winning math competitions as a kid of immigrants in Oklahoma to entering MIT at 16, serving as one of the youngest Air Force officers at 20, and standing at the forefront of financial technology, his story is less about talent and more about mindset. The throughline is simple: curi
“Where Does an Apple Come From?” | The Extraordinary Story of Ryan Tregaskes
Guest: Ryan Tregaskes →“The responsibility of the American farmer is huge.” Ryan Tregaskes grew up walking cotton fields at eight years old. Today, he’s the CEO of a nonprofit helping companies decarbonize their supply chains through regenerative agriculture. On the surface, it’s carbon credits and climate conversations. Underneath, it’s about responsibility, stewardship, and a widening disconnect between people and th
“Life Is One Big Math Problem.” | The Extraordinary Story of Tom Schneider
Guest: Tom Schneider →Tom Schneider has lived a life that shouldn’t make sense on paper: fractional CFO, turnaround guy, acquisition strategist, comedian, musician, four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, and WSOP Player of the Year. But the thread tying it together is simple and deeply human: he’s obsessed with making better decisions, and he cares about the people inside the math. Tom breaks down poker as a
“Nothing Is Real.” | The Extraordinary Story of Dan Sloan
Guest: Dan Sloan →Most leaders don’t realize they’re not listening. They’re loading a response, building a case, or trying to sound smart. Dan Sloan names the trap without shaming it, then walks straight into the deeper thing underneath it: the stories we tell ourselves to feel safe. Dan shares the identity pattern he uncovered in the last year, the constant pressure to prove he was the smartest person in the room
“Just Be Real With Me...” | The Extraordinary Story of Austin Jack
Guest: Austin Jack →Austin Jack has spent his life on the behind-the-scenes side of power, the part most people never see: the moment someone has to ask directly for what they want… and then stop talking. In this conversation, Austin opens up about how he went from a fourth-grade student council campaign to advising organizations and leaders on the hardest skill in business and life: making a clear ask without hiding
“On Our Wedding Night, I Slept on the Couch.” | The Extraordinary Story of Casey Caston
Guest: Casey Caston →Casey Caston thought he was living the dream. College romance, beach walks, fancy dinners, a love story that felt like it was already framed on the wall. Then they got married… and on their wedding night, he slept on the couch. What followed was three years of fights so loud their neighbors could hear them, two people convinced the other person was the problem, and a relationship drifting toward d
“I Wanted Just To Build Stuff...” | The Extraordinary Story of Mayor Doug Nicholls
Guest: Mayor Doug Nicholls →Doug Nicholls is the kind of leader who’d rather be called “Doug” than “Mayor.” He didn’t grow up chasing a title. He grew up watching his dad take naps on the floor in front of a box fan, watching his mom turn canned goods into dinner, and learning the quiet math of responsibility: take care of your people, even when it’s hard. The turning point isn’t the spaceport, even though that’s the headli
“I am powerful. I am strong. I am loved. I am safe.” | The Extraordinary Story of Craig Goldberg
Guest: Craig Goldberg →Craig Goldberg built a life around frequency, vibration, and nervous system regulation, but the real story here is simpler and more human: what happens when you stop treating stress like your personality and start treating it like a signal. Craig isn’t selling calm. He’s describing a way back to yourself when your brain won’t stop scanning for threats. The turning point is personal, and he tells
“Why Is This So Complicated?” | The Extraordinary Story of Chris Rawlinson
Guest: Chris Rawlinson →Chris Rawlinson has built his life around a simple frustration: why do we make everything harder than it needs to be? Growing up dyslexic, he often had to read things two or three times just to understand them. That irritation with unnecessary complexity never left. From intimidating wine menus to broken classrooms to confusing AI prompts, Chris keeps coming back to the same instinct: make it more
“If DNA Can’t Even Tell You You’re Dead or Alive…” | The Extraordinary Story of Naveen Jain
Guest: Naveen Jain →“If DNA can’t even tell you you’re dead or alive… how will it ever tell you, are you becoming healthier or sicker?” Naveen Jain starts this Extraordinary conversation with a question that snaps you awake. Then he keeps going. This is an episode about curiosity as a discipline, and leadership as the willingness to challenge what everyone else treats as settled. The turning point is personal. Nave
“It's Common People that Do Uncommon Things...” | The Extraordinary Story of Chris Jester
Guest: Chris Jester →Most people spend their whole life planning for “someday” … and then someday shows up with a curveball. Chris Jester led a mapped-out life, until he and his wife quit their jobs, sold everything, and left to travel the world. Two weeks into that trip, they found out she was pregnant, and the plan got real... The turning point is the moment they chose to keep going anyway. Chris tells the story of
“You Had Something That I’ve Never Had...” | The Extraordinary Story of Ricardo Rosselló
Guest: Ricardo Rosselló →Ricardo “Ricky” Rosselló is a scientist who stepped into politics to change the fate of Puerto Rico, then found himself living through a public collapse most leaders only fear in private. In this conversation, Ricky walks through the whiplash: taking office in a fiscal crisis, navigating Hurricane Maria, hitting real economic progress, then getting hit by a scandal narrative that spread faster
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