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

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...

Robert Taylor Jr. will never forget 12/1/21 and not just because the date reads the same backward and forward. That's the night that Coach Taylor survived a massive cardiac event thanks to "everybody (doing) what they were supposed to do that night perfectly." Rob is a physical trainer who has worked with Olympians and NFL sports teams as well as youth and college athletes. You'd expect him to be...

Did you ever just do what you had to and then found yourself in the middle of a firestorm? That's what happened to Lindsey Graham, better known as "Patriot Barbie," six weeks into the COVID lockdown of 2020. A serial entrepreneur, Lindsey and her husband owned six brick-and-mortar service businesses. Think hair salons, tanning salons, and gyms. The power couple was a pinnacle of their community, a...

The call is coming from the inside ... no, not from inside the house, and no, it's not a scream. The call is the moment when you hear God talking to you. You can choose to ignore the voice, or you can jump in with both feet and follow the path less chosen. It takes some nerve, especially when you're at the top of your game, to muster the courage to walk away from it all, listen to the voice, and w...

If you're a business professional who believes in the notionthat "givers gain," you're probably familiar with Bob Burg. Bob, an entrepreneur and leadership trainer, is known for his "Endless Referrals" sales training classes. He alsoco-authored the book TheGo-Giver with John David Mann. The Go-Giver has sold 1 million copies and has been translated into 30languages. It is listed by Inc. Magazine a...

Well, this is going to be a little awkward. Dan Faulkner, Jr. should be sending you this message since he is my guest host this week and interviewed none other than ... me. 😉 If you've been following my journey for a while, you probably know that I have dedicated my life to learning. My love for personal development began when I first read Og Mandino's classic, The Greatest Salesman in the World,...

Patricia Gagic is a world-renown artist, photographer, and author. Her work has appeared in the Vatican Museum Library, the Société National des Beaux Arts in Paris, and the Whitney Commons Gallery in Toronto, to name just a few, and she has won dozens of awards and recognition of the highest order. Her skills developed young. Patricia picked up her first pencil and started drawing Elizabethan bal...

When we hear the word "intimacy," most of us thinkabout sex. But in reality, intimacy refers to honest connections with others,whether they be with a partner, child, friend, or even God. Dr. Stormy Hill, whom I met while working on my book chapter for  NextLevel Your Life , takes a broad approach to enhancing intimacy. An occupational therapist, mental health and substance abuse specialist, andint...

One day business and health coach Kelli Calabrese thought she had the perfect life — a successful career, a beautiful home, a 25-year marriage, and two great kids. But the next day, her husband came home and told her the marriage was over. He walked out, filed for divorce, and soon after married someone else. It was a huge shock to Kelli, who had spent her marriage trying to be a great wife. "It t...

This episode of Chiseled is intense. If you're exploring your faith or are hard-core religious — whatever your religion — Rob Foy has some deep thoughts about having a "real" relationship with God. Rob is a long-time friend of mine and a real estate agent in central Maryland. He grew up in an Irish Catholic household, but his family stopped attending weekly services around the time he was nine. Fl...

You must be a pretty good comedian if your roommate is Drew Carey, your opening acts are Rosie O'Donnell, Chris Rock, and Sam Kinison, and you’re sharing the stage with Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, and Ellen DeGeneres. That’s how big Steve Rizzo was in the comedy world. But his story is about much more than laughter. In eighth grade, a guidance counselor told him he’d never amount to much. In hig...

"I do not fit into a box. I'm certainly not a typical attorney." Brandy Wilson Edwards was experiencing hardcore burnout. Working as an attorney for many years, she wondered where her passion went. She loved speaking, writing, and helping people live better lives, all activities she did as an attorney. But it wasn't fueling her own sense of fulfillment. So Brandy took a "pause" to figure out what...

Growing up in New York, Jim Poole wrestled, played football, and earned two black belts in martial arts. The downside? A lifetime of head injuries. “I was hospitalized 14 times with concussions,” Jim recalls. “And I was probably knocked unconscious 20–30 times without going to the hospital.” Despite the damage, Jim graduated with honors from two universities and became a successful entrepreneur. Y...

If you know anything about me, you know I love words. I'm an avid reader, a public speaker, and a burgeoning author. Mybook, Better Than You Think, is a study of some of my favorite words and how they shape us and our relationships. I am not alone in this love of language, which is why I really enjoyed my interview with Kevin Eastman for this week's episode of Chiseled. Eastman is the former assis...

As a 9-year-old, Missouri native John O'Leary wasnearly killed while playing with fire. Burned on 100 percent of his body with89 percent covered in third-degree burns, John was not expected to live thefirst night.  But then something happened, call it a miracle. Through thepower of countless people all striving to keep John alive, not to mention thewell wishes from near and far, including Presiden...

Real estate agent Garrett Maroon has never made a cold call,hosted an open house, or bought a lead. He started in real estate in 2014 with just 40 people in his referral database and has since built a business on relationships and referrals only, doing very well selling 550 homes in under nine years. But about seven years after starting his career, Garrett felt that he was dancing around a subject...

I couldn’t be more honored to welcome today’s guest on Chiseled: Brian Buffini. For more than 20 years, Brian has been a coach to me, a role model, a guide in my faith journey — and an all-around good guy. He’s someone I deeply admire, and I’m humbled he agreed to join me on this episode. You’ve probably heard me mention Brian before: he’s the founder of Buffini & Company, the largest business...