Chiseled - We're all a work in progress - with Rob Commodari

Matt Tyner Sr. grew up a "normal kid in Smalltown U.S.A." In his hometown of Decatur, Illinois, he learned about sports the old-fashioned way, attending local games. But in 1974, while watching ABC's Wide World of Sports, he saw University of Miami play in the College World Series and he knew that's where he wanted to go.  ​ "Since I was in fourth grade, I decided that I either wanted to be a prof...

Many young people dream of performing on big stages. Few get the opportunity before adulthood. For Marie Miller, that dream began at age seven. Raised in a musical family, she spent her childhood performing bluegrass, singing and playing both mandolin and guitar. At 15, her father took her to Nashville. By 17, she had signed with  Curb Records and later earned a No. 1 Christian radio hit with "You...

There's an adage that says when people reveal themselves to you, believe them. I like to add an adjunct to that: when someone tells you who he is trying to become, support him. When Adam Buttorff describes himself as a "heathen," a "SOB," and "depraved," I know he's talking about someone he was. When I hear him describe his love for God and commitment to Christianity, I encourage it. It's no surpr...

Lots of people love their pets, but few turn the loss oftheir dog into a life mission. But that's what Cindy Aronstam did after herbeloved English bulldog Winston passed away. Cindy, a real estate agent in San Diego, hadalways been a dog lover. Her parents had a dog before she was born. She grew upwith them. When she got her first dog of her own, she picked an English bulldogwhom she named Winston...

If you've been listening to Chiseled, you know I have amazing guests who share personal stories of overcoming hardship, living through the paradoxes of faith, and using everything they've learned to help others. Every guest on this show has discovered a purpose in pain or testified about a lesson learned from conquering their own challenges. It's a blessing for me to have interviewed each of them...

Sometimes when I interview someone very affable and professional, I think to myself, "No wonder this guy sold a million books." That's how I think about today's guest on Chiseled, Jon Acuff. Jon is so funny, polished, and purpose-driven that he fills the screen and every room he enters. Some would say, Jon was born winning. He was fortunate enough to grow up the son of a minister in a household wh...

When Miriam McKinney got divorced in the early 2010s, she ended up in a financial hole. Depressed and broke, she wallowed a bit and wondered what to do with herself. But her self-pity didn't last long. As an already successful realtor, Miriam did what she advises her clients to do — invest in real estate. "It's the best long-term investment; it's the best way for wealth. That's what we tell our cl...

At age 21, Ty Nichols was "cooking" as Comcast's top Mid-Atlantic region salesman for 19 months in a row. He was looking to buy property in Panama and create a successful life and career — until he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hanging out with friends he had known since preschool, Ty found himself caught in a massive brawl. Though a bystander, he was arrested and charged with fir...

Rich Bernstein always wanted to get back to his roots. Born into a Jewish family in a rural area up north and originally expecting to become a farmer, Rich ended up in Baltimore, MD, as a pre-med student at Johns Hopkins University. Detouring from that plan, he instead became a highly successful financial analyst and funds manager. Rich then took another unexpected route: he converted to Christian...

When Marc Allen was in his 20s and desperate for cash, a man hired him and his then-girlfriend to help prepare a seminar for 25 paying guests on spirituality and self-improvement. Five minutes before it was supposed to start, the guy bolted. Left with his own bills to pay and a crowd to enlighten, Marc and his partner, Shakti Gawain, gathered together all they had learned about spirituality and pe...

Mary LouKayser is a best-selling author of seven books, a podcaster, educator, writer,and mother of two. She is also a listener of the universe. And when it sendsher a message, she's ready to receive it. But at no time did she expect amessage to tell her that she needed to write a book of poems. However, when her father unexpectedly passed awayand a new person came into her life who had a profound...

Glenn Morshower knew as a child that he wanted to be an actor. It wasn’t just because he watched a friend perform at a local theater—it was because he never treated other people’s doubts as anything more than a challenge. That mindset has carried him through a career spanning more than 250 films and television shows, including 24, Law & Order, NCIS, ER, Baywatch, Star Trek: The Next Generation...

In this episode Dan O'Dell, a real estate agent in Oakland Park, KS shares with us the importance of building relationships in business and in life. More important than negotiating real estate deals, Dan discusses the importance of negotiating relationships.

Bill Hampton is not from the south, but he got there as fast as he could. At age 24, while moving from Atlanta to Nashville to build his music management and concert promotion business, he tuned into a radio station and heard a "hillbilly" talking about money. And Bill understood every word he was saying. As someone who was making money but never had any, when Bill arrived at his new apartment com...

Dr. Christina Paul felt a calling — help people to live better, healthier lives right up to the end. The root of her dedication, she says, came from what she calls a gift from God to be able to study science and grow up in a household where wholesome living was fundamental. She also spent a lot of time in the critical care units of hospitals encountering patients with life-threatening chronic illn...

You may remember David Sidoni from the 1990s. He was the PatSajak of the tween set (were they called 'tweens' back then?). David had abrief but successful career on TV and in music videos, most notably on thesketch comedy show Roundhouse and as host of Wheel 2000,the kids' version of the game show Wheel of Fortune.  But David decided to put his acting career behind him and gointo real estate.  "As...

Born in a town called St. Paul, Minnesota, you would figure that Matt Birk was destined to be Catholic. And he is. But while he followed the rules growing up, the essence of his religion got away from him as a young man, especially after having been accepted into Harvard University and then winning an opportunity to play professional sports. Matt thought he had it all figured out. But the 15-year...

A.J. Yager's grandfather had a lot to do with where A.J. istoday — a highly successful hypnotherapist, emotion and performance coach basedout of Eden, Utah. "My grandfather was a mentor early in my life," he said. "Hechallenged me to have a self-study course outside of school or sports." When A.J. was a boy and wanted to achieve a goal, his grandfather would makehim read a book, watch a video or l...

If you're a lover of words, you're going to love listening to Thomas Blackwell. Like the water whose molecules change based on how you talk to it, Thomas has a way of making you change the way you think, and more importantly, how you convey it. Thomas is the author of The Liberty of Our Language Revealed, We Bring About What We Talk About. Now a highly successful entrepreneur and public speaker, T...

Greg Kettner got started in comedy on a dare. After watching hockey with his buddies one night, on their way home they passed a pub that was holding an open mic night. After a couple drinks, he got the courage to stand up and tell some stories. The rush was so big, he returned the next week, and kept up the weekly routine until he got a call to become a comedy club emcee. From there, Greg hit the...

Being a pastor’s wife can be lonely. The work is never done, your life is always on display, and there will always be critics. None of that has deterred Heather Reed. Heather pours into her husband’s ministry while building a thriving real estate career—one that has taught her and her husband powerful lessons about what it means to shepherd people well. “All of life is ministry, including business...

Jim DeCarlo has had a very full life. He is the proud son of Art DeCarlo, a champion Baltimore Colts defensive back and end. He lived in Australia for 24 years, lured by the offer to play indoor lacrosse professionally. After 22 years of success in the financial services industry down under, a $19 billion buyout of the firm where he worked as a senior executive proved to be a transformative opport...

The idea of whistling while you work takes on a whole new meaning when talking to Chris Ullman. The four-time international whistling champion was at his job one day when his boss came in and told everyone the staff meeting was cancelled. He turned to Chris and ordered him to follow him next door. So, the government spokesman grabbed his coat and walked over to the Oval Office to whistle for Presi...

This week's episode is the quintessential study in excellence for real estate agents, but you don't have to be an agent to gain insights in how to conduct your own business or life of service. I've known Mike Gandolfo for nearly 20 years. In fact, he's the voice of Chiseled — my announcer and voices my commercial. He also made the cool new intro clip for this podcast. In any case, Mike has been on...

Michael Schiff admits he could have been in thecriminal Hall of Fame by the time he was in 8th grade. Arrested six timesbefore age 16 on drug possession, shoplifting, destruction of property, andother charges, he ended up in a juvenile detention center followed by a rehabcenter followed by a state-run military school. It was there, in 11th grade, that Mike found hisfirst mentor, a football coach w...