Control or Be Controlled

What if your home could be more than a place to live it could become part of your strategy for building financial freedom and generational wealth? In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED , Darlington sits down with Krystal Hudson , entrepreneur, real estate professional, and founder of Krystal Hudson Design Studio , for a conversation about resilience, entrepreneurship, real estate, design, an...

What if discovering your purpose begins with learning how to experience a deeper relationship with God? In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED, Darlington welcomes award-winning author Marcia McFarland West, author of Perfect Glory: 21 Spiritual Insights for the 21st Century, for a conversation about faith, purpose, divine encounters, and living out a meaningful spiritual life in the modern w...

What happens when the strategies that helped you survive start preventing you from actually healing? In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED, Darlington sits down with Corey Jefferson, U.S. Navy submarine veteran, people executive, leadership coach, and founder of Ester Media Group, for an honest conversation about grief, burnout, resilience, leadership, and learning how to cope with the reali...

What if becoming more productive didn’t mean waking up at 5 a.m., working longer hours, or constantly pushing yourself to do more? In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED, Darlington sits down with Andrew Camp, author and founder of Intrinsic Work, a flexible productivity system designed to help people accomplish more while working less and enjoying life more. Andrew’s approach isn’t about cha...

What if your child isn’t difficult, defiant, or “too sensitive”—but simply wired differently from you? In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED, Darlington sits down with Stefanie Carlstedt, a Human Design coach who helps parents better understand themselves and their children so they can move from frustration and confusion toward greater peace, connection, and confidence. Stefanie believes one...

What happens when we stop giving away our power just to be accepted, avoid conflict, or keep the peace? In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED , Darlington sits down with Christian de la Huerta , transformational coach, award-winning author, TEDx speaker, and longtime guide in personal empowerment and relationships. With more than 30 years of experience helping individuals and couples create...

In this powerful episode, Darlington sits down with Skye Bellarmine , author of the Breaking Solace trilogy, coach, speaker, and survivor of extraordinary adversity. After surviving a near-fatal collision with a wrong-way driver, enduring twelve surgeries, and learning to walk again, Skye faced another battle behind closed doors: twenty years of narcissistic abuse. Eventually, she found the courag...

Today’s guest is Adrian “AJ” Jones , a two-time widowmaker heart attack survivor, former financial-services executive, and founder of MORE® , a career wellness platform helping accomplished professionals redefine success and create more fulfilling lives. After more than 20 years in high-pressure corporate leadership, Adrian experienced two life-changing wake-up calls that forced him to reconsider...

In this episode, Darlington sits down with Ronen Wolf , entrepreneur, speaker, and founder of Senditures , a multi-million-dollar ecommerce distribution company he built from the ground up and continues to actively operate. Ronen brings a perspective rooted in experience—not theory. He shares what entrepreneurship really looks like behind the scenes: the pressure, uncertainty, discipline, leadersh...

In this episode, Harry H. Black, MD, a retired general and trauma surgeon with 36 years of experience, shares the personal health journey that transformed his understanding of chronic disease, cancer, and healthcare. After reversing his own Type 2 Diabetes and later experiencing a recurrence of high-grade prostate cancer, Dr. Black began researching integrative approaches to health, including meta...

In this episode, Darlington sits down with Madelaine Claire Weiss, LICSW, MBA, BCC —a Harvard-trained psychotherapist, mindset expert, and board-certified executive, career, and life coach—to explore how mastering your mind can transform the way you work, lead, and live. Madelaine is the author of Getting to G.R.E.A.T.: 5-Step Strategy for Work and Life and brings decades of experience across psyc...

Pardis Mahdavi joins us for a wide ranging conversation about the future of learning, the broken higher education system, AI, human potential, and the changing relationship between education and work. A renowned author, educator, education futurist, and entrepreneur, Pardis has spent decades working at the intersection of human rights, sexuality, migration, education, and social change. We explore...

Today’s guest is Pat Pearson , a clinical psychotherapist, executive coach, keynote speaker, and bestselling author with more than 30 years of experience helping people unlock their highest potential. Pat works with entrepreneurs, sales professionals, direct sales leaders, and executive teams, helping them develop the mindset, emotional intelligence, resilience, and performance strategies needed t...

Today’s guest is Michael Dugan , author of Turning Snowflakes Into Diamonds and creator of the Becoming Diamond Framework . With more than 20 years of experience teaching people how to perform under pressure and over 20,000 hours as a professional trainer for one of the world’s largest automotive groups, Michael has spent his career helping people develop the emotional strength, communication skil...

Matthew Meehan, CEO of Shield Advisory Group, joins us alongside his business partner Luigi Rosabianca, known as “The Professor,” for a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, raising capital, business growth, and what it really takes to build a successful company. Matthew brings nearly two decades of Wall Street experience, while Luigi combines backgrounds in law, architecture, political scie...

What if changing your life starts with something as simple as changing the way you breathe? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Amanda Russo, known as The Breathing Goddess —a Breathwork Detox Facilitator, Mindset Mentor, podcast host, and family law paralegal—to explore how awareness, breathwork, and intentional mindset shifts can help us navigate grief, major...

Today’s guest is Maxwell Ivey, known around the world as The Blind Blogger —a serial online entrepreneur, accessibility expert, speaker, writer, and founder of The Accessibility Advantage . Maxwell has spent nearly two decades educating businesses and audiences about the importance—and powerful benefits—of accessibility. His journey is anything but ordinary. From carnival owner and amusement park...

Sometimes, the people we think we are helping end up changing us. Today, I’m joined by Jody Zarn, an author, corporate trainer, and TEDx speaker whose life was profoundly changed by an unexpected friendship with a man experiencing homelessness. One chilly November morning, Jody bought a cup of coffee for a man named Leroy. What seemed like a small act of kindness became the beginning of a two-year...

What if the animals we believe we rescued are actually rescuing us? Today, I’m joined by Holly B. Gutwillinger , an award-winning author, podcaster, creative, and MFA student whose work explores the emotional connections between people, animals, creativity, and the stories that shape our lives. Holly’s debut novel, North of Broken & Furever Home , launched on February 14, 2026. Told through a uniq...

What does traveling to 160 countries, filming in war zones, documenting extreme cultures, and witnessing some of the world’s darkest realities teach you about humanity, faith, and yourself? Today, I’m joined by Craig D. Forrest , an award-winning television director, documentary filmmaker, author, media professor, and global storyteller whose career has taken him across six continents and more tha...

What happens when a 30-year Hollywood veteran looks at the entertainment industry and decides it doesn’t need to be saved—it needs to be reinvented? Today, I’m joined by Scott Hadley Morgan , an award-winning writer, producer, and director who has spent decades working across Hollywood, technology, finance, and emerging media. Mentored by industry legends and having written for and worked with maj...

What happens when a healthcare professional who knows the system from the inside suddenly has to navigate it as a caregiver for someone she loves? In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED , Darlington sits down with Tiffany Auvil , a registered nurse, functional medicine health coach, caregiver coach, and author of The No BS Guide for Caregivers: How to Survive the Healthcare Maze . Tiffany spe...

What does spending years underground on nuclear alert teach you about negotiation? Quite a lot. In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED , Darlington sits down with Philip Danielson , the Negotiation Professor, attorney, negotiation coach, and author of The Bold Negotiator . Philip spent years in the U.S. Air Force as a Minuteman III launch officer , sitting sixty feet underground on alert over...

What if you could build wealth through real estate without needing a massive amount of money, following complicated guru strategies, or waiting years before buying your first property? In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED , Darlington sits down with Larry Fiero , a real estate investor with more than 38 years of experience who bought his first rental property as a high school senior. Larry...

What if the thing you’ve spent your entire life running from is the very thing you eventually have to face to become free? In this episode of CONTROL OR BE CONTROLLED , Darlington sits down with Allicia Johnson Niles , author, speaker, educator, and leadership development professional whose life was profoundly shaped by the murder of her father while he was serving in the U.S. Navy. Growing up in...