Be Authentic or GTFO!

Tony Whatley didn’t start with investors, connections, or some perfectly mapped-out entrepreneurial journey. He was working three jobs, buried in debt, raising a kid, and building his first online business with $350 and a book on HTML. That side hustle eventually became a massive automotive community he sold for millions. In this episode, Tony and Eric get into what actually separates people who t...

Hiring a virtual assistant is supposed to give you your time back—not cost you thousands, expose your business, or create another job you have to manage. In this Unloaded episode, Eric Oberembt breaks down the mistakes he made hiring and managing a virtual assistant, from overbilling and lack of accountability to losing control of multiple websites and eventually being hit with a ransom demand. He...

Terry Shanahan went from a near-death health scare to building a $27 million real estate portfolio in just 32 months —and he did it without outside investors, partners, or syndication. On this episode of Be Authentic or GTFO , Terry sits down with Eric Oberembt to break down the BRRRR real estate investing strategy, scaling to roughly 200 rental properties, building systems that remove the owner f...

For the first time, Eric hands over the microphone on his own show as William Renken interviews him fresh off Exhale 3.0 in Grand Cayman. They dig into how Eric built an intentional, small-group experience around scuba diving, hard workouts, meditation, protected work time, and the kind of conversations that cannot happen inside some overcrowded “douchebag box” retreat. This episode is about grati...

Most people keep trying to build a different life while thinking, reacting, and operating like the same damn person. Christian Palikuca joins Eric to break down how stress, unconscious patterns, and emotional reactions keep people trapped—and how meditation, awareness, and personal ownership can help you reset your baseline. They dig into the difference between accomplishment and fulfillment, why...

Todd Brandt has spent nearly 50 years behind the microphone, building one of the Midwest's most recognizable radio shows without chasing trends or pretending to be someone he's not. In this episode, Eric and Todd dive into authenticity, career longevity, leadership, handling criticism, building trust with an audience, and why people can always spot a fake. They also talk business partnersh...

Tim Rexius didn't build success chasing money — he built it chasing freedom. After finding himself homeless at 19 and living out of his car, Tim made a decision that would shape the rest of his life: stop waiting for someone else to solve his problems and start betting on himself. In this episode, Tim and Eric dive into entrepreneurship, ownership, sales, leadership, networking, employee empow...

In this episode, Eric and Michael get into the stuff most business owners know is broken but keep ignoring: missed calls, weak follow-up, messy systems, sales that feel too much like pitching and not enough like educating, and the leadership decisions that shape where a company actually goes. They also hit on sports, family, public speaking, and Michael’s “play the next down” mindset — because bus...

Derik Kline built HailTrace by doing what nobody else was willing to do — manually tracking storms while everyone else trusted algorithms. In this episode, Eric and Derik dive into tornado chasing, hurricane survival stories, roofing sales, business consistency, and why companies fail when they rely on things they can’t control. From near-death storm surge moments to hilarious industry stories, th...

Most people spend their lives hiding who they really are. Elijah Muhm did too. Before roofing gave him direction, he was spiraling — drugs, DUIs, bad decisions, no purpose, no future. In this episode, Elijah and Eric get brutally honest about addiction, fatherhood, toxic leadership, self-worth, and the fight to become someone your family can actually respect. This isn’t fake motivation or polished...

Most business owners are looking everywhere except the mirror. Cody Kline breaks down why your team, your market, and your systems are not the real issue. You are. From a failed private equity deal to building Commercial Roofer and scaling Rainforest Partners, this conversation dives into ownership, standards, service agreements, and the discipline it takes to actually grow. If you want a better b...

Victoria Aron didn’t just get sober, she built a career walking straight into chaos and pulling people out of it. From addiction at 19 to becoming a high-level interventionist, she breaks down what it really takes to help someone at rock bottom, and why most people never make it out. This conversation hits hard on identity, authenticity, and the brutal truth about recovery: nobody saves you — you...

What happens when the Best Damn Roofer returns to the show with no script, no agenda, and no filters? Josh Bigger is back — and this conversation goes everywhere. From building a massive following in the roofing industry using outrageous content... to turning that attention into real businesses, marketing agencies, and brand partnerships — Josh breaks down the strategy behind the chaos. But beneat...

Aaron Parkinson (CEO of Seven Mile Media) sits down with Eric Oberembt in Grand Cayman to talk leadership, scaling, marketing that actually works, and the hard truth about clients, entitlement, and making money. This episode goes straight at the fake guru economy, why Aaron fired 80% of his clients in one day, and the simple “manufacturing fame” strategy that puts you top-of-mind in your market fo...

Most people don’t fail because they lack talent, opportunity, or ambition, they fail because they don’t do what they say they’re going to do. In this solo Unloaded episode, Eric goes straight at the uncomfortable truth: if you didn’t follow through, it wasn’t important to you. Period. From accountability groups and business standards to parenting, leadership, and family boundaries, Eric breaks dow...

You do not need a perfect plan. You need to stop bullsh*tting yourself. Trevor Baxter, owner of CrossFit Elkhorn, sits down with Eric to talk about what actually gets people healthy again. Not hype. Not hacks. Just the truth. Starting is the hardest part, and most people never start because they keep hiding behind “I don’t have time.” They get into why community matters, why coaching matters, and...

This episode wasn’t recorded in a studio, it was recorded in the mountains of the Philippines after a sketchy journey, no sleep, and zero room for panic. Eric sits down with  Adam Patterson from SMA Support Services  during a live, in-person crossover with  F&S Words  to talk about stress. Not the motivational poster kind, but the kind that leaks into your team, poisons culture, and quietly wr...

Tony Gentile went from a Houston Gulf Coast kid who loved cooking and fishing to the chef behind Blue Sushi and Flagship Restaurant Group’s 48‐restaurant machine. He and I break down how he engineered stupid‐level consistency across the country, why prime cost and supply chain are life or death, and how systems can either free your team or choke the soul out of your business. We get into culture,...

This episode is a gut-punch for every contractor who swears they’re “too busy” but still burns half their week on bullshit tasks that should’ve been offloaded years ago. Chris Diroll breaks down how he sold $4M in roofs without paid ads, why Facebook/Nextdoor groups are a goldmine, and how owners sabotage their own businesses by making sales reps do everything except sell. We dig into efficiency,...

Chuck Thokey’s story doesn’t start in success — it starts in a freezer at $10 an hour, lying just to get the job. He went from “learning disabled” classes to aerospace engineering, lost everything after 9/11, and rebuilt his life one sale at a time. This episode isn’t about scripts or systems — it’s about hunger, humility, and the kind of pain that makes you dangerous. Listen to this episode on ot...

Travis Harvego has lived through more pain than most could imagine. Shot by his own father. Abandoned by his mom. Blindsided when his wife came out. But he didn’t fold. He built a multimillion-dollar company and found a way to forgive the people who broke him. This one isn’t about business. It’s about survival, healing, and the kind of truth you can’t unhear. Listen to this episode on other podcas...

He’s one of the most polarizing voices in the roofing industry — depending on who you ask, he’s either the watchdog this business desperately needs or a drama magnet who won’t shut up. But love him or hate him, Dmitry Lipinskiy has made damn sure nobody ignores him. From building and selling his own roofing company to launching  Roofing Insights  and  Directorii , Dmitry’s mission has been clear:...

What happens when a woman who once counseled the dying decides to spend her life making people laugh? Colleen Quinn’s story is raw, wild, and unforgettable. From losing her fiancé just weeks before their wedding, to building the Omaha Funny Bone into one of the Midwest’s most iconic comedy clubs, Colleen has lived at the intersection of grief and joy for over 30 years. In this conversation, Eric a...

What happens when you hit every benchmark of success... but still feel like something’s missing? In this raw and powerful episode, Daniel Ferguson joins Eric to unpack what it means to stop living on autopilot and start showing up with intention. From fatherhood guilt and broken priorities to setting rock-solid boundaries, Daniel shares how writing  Life Recalibrated  helped him shift from being “...

Jim Johnson  built the kind of success most contractors chase... until it nearly broke him. From uncovering  fraud in his own company  to watching his identity crumble under the weight of growth without purpose, Jim opens up about the brutal lessons that forced him to rebuild — not just his business, but his life. We dive into intentional leadership, the danger of skipping foundational work, and t...