Adeptus On Air

Today on Adeptus On-Air host Mike Hoffman chats with Octavian Cristea, a Romanian entrepreneur and former game developer who founded an alternative music platform designed to move beyond algorithm driven recommendations. Octavian explains how most major platforms rely on shallow behavioral metrics to predict what users want, often reinforcing addictive and repetitive content rather than meaningful...

Today on Adeptus On-Air host James Walker chats with Nicole Magagnin, founder of Growth Grabber, a public relations strategist who helps leaders and brands turn visibility into meaningful impact.   Nicole shares how a life-altering diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome in her twenties forced her to step away from her career and confront a long recovery marked by uncertainty and rebuilding. She explains...

Today on Adeptus On-Air host Mike Hoffman chats with Stephen Shortt, a business consultant, advisor, and author who specializes in family business succession and leadership development. Stephen shares how growing up in two family businesses nearly led him to walk away after conflict and exhaustion reached a breaking point at his own kitchen table. He reflects on the moment he realized he did not w...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Toby Richardson, an Australia based tour operator, pilot, writer, stand-up comedian, and filmmaker whose work centers on adventure, travel, and deliberate living. Toby shares how earning his commercial pilot license just before the world shut down forced him to rethink his path and led him toward building an off-road tour business in some of th...

Today on Adeptus On-Air host Mike Hoffman chats with Kim Depole, a New York City based interior designer known for integrating mindfulness into her design practice. Kim shares how her career began as a creative director before burnout led her to move to Japan, recalibrate her life, and eventually fall in love with interior design. She reflects on learning through trial by fire when she was unexpec...

Today on Adeptus On-Air host Mike Hoffman chats with Dave Schultz, a former Korn Ferry Tour professional golfer and current General Manager of the Fargo Country Club. Dave shares what it took to spend a decade chasing the PGA Tour, committing fully to the grind of qualifying school, international travel, and learning how one round can determine an entire season. He reflects on coming close to earn...

Today on Adeptus On-Air host James Walker chats with Bullseye the Clown, an award winning humanitarian performer and anti-bullying advocate who transformed his own painful childhood into a mission of healing. He explains how years later a spontaneous decision to join a humanitarian clown trip to Russia after his father’s death changed the trajectory of his life and revealed the emotional power of...

Today on Adeptus On-Air host Mike Hoffman chats with Ashley Priore, a leadership strategist, CEO, and lifelong chess champion who began competing in tournaments at just four years old. Ashley shares how growing up as the youngest of four in Pittsburgh led her to learn the game by watching her siblings, quickly turning curiosity into competition. She reflects on being one of the only girls in many...

 Today on Adeptus On-Air host Mike Hoffman chats with Dean Simone, an American actor, screenwriter, filmmaker, and musician whose career spans television, film, and live performance. Dean shares how a single high school play in South Jersey led him to move west within a year and pursue acting professionally, turning beginner’s confidence into real opportunity. He reflects on earning his SAG card,...

Today on Adeptus On-Air host James Walker chats with Maggie Mills, an author, ghostwriter, and writing coach who helps aspiring writers turn intimidating ideas into finished books. Maggie shares how many people carry the dream of writing a book for years but feel overwhelmed by the size of the task, and how breaking the process into manageable pieces helps build confidence and momentum. She explai...

Today on Adeptus On-Air host Mike Hoffman chats with Jason Brown, an American born international DJ, producer, entrepreneur, and the grandson of James Brown. Jason shares how his path into music was not direct, beginning with a degree in film production and work on the James Brown biopic before feeling called to pick up DJ decks instead of a camera. He reflects on the surreal experience of watchin...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Ashley Greene chats with Emily Beecher, a life coach who works with women navigating periods of uncertainty, burnout, and major life transitions. Emily shares how many women arrive at a point where their lives look right on paper but feel disconnected internally, often after years of meeting expectations that no longer fit. She explains how changing values, neurodiver...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host James Walker chats with Rita Wilkins, an interior designer and author known as the Downsizing Designer who helps people rethink their relationship with space, belongings, and lifestyle. Rita shares how a visit to her son in Senegal shifted her understanding of happiness, abundance, and what truly matters, leading her to downsize from a 5,000 square foot home to an 867...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Gherkin Picklewater, a theatrical clown, producer, and performer based in the San Francisco Bay Area whose work blends physical comedy, storytelling, and social commentary. Gherkin shares how an early fascination with circus and performance led him to train at the Clown Conservatory at the San Francisco Circus Center and spend years developing...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Bee Baumann, a stand up comedian, communication coach, writer, and speaker who helps people use humor to regulate anxiety, build confidence, and connect with others. Bee shares how moving from the United States to Germany led her to rethink her voice, her identity, and the role humor played in her life and work. She talks about struggling with...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Kurt Ellenberger, a pianist, composer, author, and longtime music educator whose career spans performance, teaching, and writing. Kurt reflects on growing up in a musical household and how early exposure to both classical and jazz traditions shaped his curiosity about how music works beneath the surface. He shares how his career evolved from pr...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host James Walker chats with Dan Esposito, a former NFL player and national champion sprinter who rebuilt his health after years of chronic pain and physical decline. Dan explains how his experience with inflammation, diet, and lifestyle breakdown pushed him to question conventional explanations for pain and healing. He walks through how chronic pain develops over time, wh...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Sandra Cavanaugh, a coach, teacher, and author who has spent decades helping people recognize and trust their creative intelligence. Sandra shares how her work with actors, business leaders, educators, and individuals with special needs shaped her belief that creativity is not a talent reserved for a few, but a core part of being human. She exp...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Julie Piekarski, an actress best known for her role as Sue Ann Weaver on The Facts of Life and her early years as a Mouseketeer. Julie reflects on growing up in front of the camera and how her family’s steady foundation helped her navigate fame at a young age without losing her sense of self. She shares what it was like working alongside legend...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Jayson Johnson, an award-winning writer, director, and producer whose work spans short films, feature development, and collaborations across major networks and independent platforms. Jayson shares how early experiences watching television with his family sparked a curiosity about the people behind the screen and eventually led him into radio, T...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host James Walker chats with Ivy Dieujuste, a Temple University senior majoring in accounting and finance and the latest recipient of the James E. Walker Scholarship. Ivy shares what it feels like to navigate college as a first-generation student while balancing a demanding academic workload, work responsibilities, and the pressure to plan for life after graduation. She re...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Shannon Malone-DeBenedictis, a two-time Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker whose work spans Disney Plus, Netflix, National Geographic, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Shannon shares how her path into nature filmmaking was unexpected, beginning as a self-described city mouse before being pulled into the world of wildlife storytelling through h...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Tim McLoone, a New Jersey Hall of Fame inductee, musician, restaurateur, and founder of the nonprofit Holiday Express. Tim shares how music has always been the throughline of his life, from early piano bar gigs and years on stage with legendary artists to the moments during the pandemic when playing became a form of personal survival. He reflec...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host Mike Hoffman chats with Simmy Kustanowitz, an Emmy-nominated executive producer whose career spans hit shows from Total Request Live to Impractical Jokers. Simmy describes how live television shaped the way he thinks under pressure and how that mindset carried into years of creating unscripted moments built on authentic reactions. He reflects on the cross-generational...

Today on Adeptus On-Air, host James Walker chats with Teri Pruitt, a Broadway wardrobe professional who has spent over 25 years bringing some of theater’s most iconic productions to life, including 18 years with Wicked. Teri shares how an unexpected audition in junior high sparked a love for theater that carried her from Kansas to some of the country’s most respected regional stages. Teri reflects...