Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast

Round Rock Mayor Pro Tem Kristin Stevens joins Bryan Eisenberg to share her deeply personal connection to the city she now helps lead. Growing up in a family rooted in community service, Kristin reflects on her father’s longtime civic leadership, childhood memories of Blue Santa, Meals on Wheels, Frontier Days, Sertoma, and the stewardship values that shaped her career and public service. Kristin...

Jennifer McPeak of Evolve Social Wellness joins Bryan Eisenberg on Rock Solid to explore why recovery, connection, and nervous-system regulation matter as much as working harder. Jennifer shares how her background in marriage and family studies, trauma-informed care, and equine-assisted psychotherapy shaped her approach to creating a wellness space that helps people slow down, reconnect with their...

County Judge Steve Snell joins Bryan Eisenberg on Rock Solid to explain what a Texas county judge actually does—and why the role is more like serving as a county CEO and emergency manager than presiding over a courtroom. Steve shares how Williamson County’s Commissioners Court supports essential services, from transportation, fleet operations, animal shelters, and juvenile justice to public safety...

Bryan Eisenberg sits down with acclaimed photographer David Valdez, former presidential photographer for George H.W. Bush and founder of the Georgetown Photography Festival. David traces his remarkable career from learning photography in the military and documenting urban rebuilding for the federal government to leading photography at Walt Disney World, traveling to 75 countries with Vice Presiden...

In this episode of Rock Solid, Bryan Eisenberg sits down with longtime Round Rock leader Steve Stapp to discuss the bold decision to launch a bank during the 2008 financial crisis. Steve shares why opening a bank when other institutions were pulling back created an opportunity, how a clean slate and decisive execution helped fuel growth, and the entrepreneurial mindset required to move forward whe...

In this episode of Rock Solid, Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Seth Flowers to explore the hidden chaos inside growing businesses. Seth shares his career journey from uniform and facility solutions to insurance, home services, knife sharpening, and his current role as Director of Sales for Citywide Facility Solutions in Central Texas. He explains why he is drawn to solving operational problems, esp...

What happens to your family, home, finances, or business if you don't have an estate plan in place? On this episode of **Rock Solid: The Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast**, Bryan Eisenberg sits down with **Jeff Barnett of Barnett & Leuty** to break down estate planning in Texas—and some of the misconceptions that can create expensive problems for families. With more than 30 years of leg...

What can business leaders learn from a Major League Baseball utility player? A lot. On this episode of Rock Solid, Bryan Eisenberg sits down with former MLB player and Round Rock Express Hall of Famer Matt Kata to talk about the mindset that carried him from professional baseball into banking, coaching, and community leadership. Matt shares what it meant to embrace being a “Swiss Army knife” on th...

What does it take to build a nonprofit that feeds more than 5,000 children every week—without paying a single salary? In this episode of Rock Solid, host Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Monica von Waaden, founder of Hope Austin and Hope Round Rock, to discuss her extraordinary journey from special education teacher and attorney to leading one of Central Texas' most impactful organizations addre...

What makes someone choose Round Rock, Texas over anywhere else? In this episode of Rock Solid , Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Lucia Murguia to explore her remarkable journey—from growing up in El Paso and studying journalism at The University of Texas to building a successful career in engineering business development and becoming one of Round Rock's most passionate community leaders. Lucia s...

What happens when a successful banking executive walks away from corporate America to build a roofing company? In this episode of Rock Solid, Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Lindsay Shappee, co-owner of Family Friend Roofing & Construction, to discuss her remarkable transition from a successful career at JP Morgan into entrepreneurship. Lindsay opens up about burnout, finding purpose, honoring...

What do a rattlesnake bite, building a successful Montessori school, and helping entrepreneurs launch thriving businesses have in common? In this episode of Rock Solid , host Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Shannon Black , Chair of SCORE Austin, entrepreneur, former educator, and business mentor, to discuss what it really takes to start, grow, hire, and eventually sell a successful business. Shanno...

Is TikTok really just a dancing app for teenagers? Not anymore. On this episode of Rock Solid, host Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Round Rock native Ennis Wright, an account executive at TikTok, to uncover how businesses of every size can use TikTok to tell better stories, reach new audiences, and grow. After speaking at the Round Rock Chamber’s Founders Forum, Ennis shares the biggest misconcepti...

Hiring is changing faster than ever—and many businesses aren't prepared. In this episode of Rock Solid , Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Kelly Moreno, Chief Solutions Officer at Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area , to discuss the future of work, workforce development, AI, skilled trades, internships, apprenticeships, and the biggest hiring challenges facing employers today. Kelly shares how...

What does it take to go from an entry-level position to CEO? In this episode of Rock Solid, host Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Kim Pollok, CEO of SWBC Payroll & HR , to discuss her remarkable journey from helping employees through a company shutdown to leading one of the region’s premier payroll and HR organizations. Kim shares powerful lessons on leadership, mentorship, workplace culture, ma...

What does it take to go from a lifelong Round Rock resident to serving your community at the Texas Capitol? In this episode of Rock Solid, Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Caroline Harris Davila to discuss growing up in Round Rock, the values that shaped her leadership, and why community involvement matters more than ever. Caroline shares the story of how she unexpectedly entered public service at j...

What happens when life changes in an instant? In this heartfelt episode of Rock Solid, Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Geneva, founder of Victorious Walk Counseling, TEDx speaker, professional counselor, and EMDR practitioner, to discuss grief, resilience, healing, and the courage to keep moving forward after unimaginable loss. After losing her husband unexpectedly and becoming a widowed mother of...

Michelle Ly wears more hats than most people can imagine. As a Round Rock City Council member, business owner, nonprofit leader, wife, and mother, Michelle has built a life centered around service, leadership, and making a difference in her community. In this episode of Rock Solid, she shares her journey from the daughter of Vietnamese refugees to becoming a respected entrepreneur and one of Round...

What makes veterans some of the best employees a business can hire? In this episode of Rock Solid, host Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Isaac Marquez-Diaz, Veteran Employer Liaison for the Texas Veterans Commission, to discuss how veterans transition into civilian careers, why businesses should actively recruit veteran talent, and the free workforce resources available to employers across Texas. Is...

What happens when a Google finance professional decides corporate life isn’t enough anymore? In this episode of Rock Solid, Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Van Baker, owner of Pink Zebra Moving in Round Rock, Texas. Van shares his journey from working in data center finance at Google to launching one of the fastest-growing moving companies in Central Texas. They dive into: Why Van chose entrepreneu...

Round Rock native Hunter Leatherman joins Bryan Eisenberg on Rock Solid to share his journey from working as a bat boy for the Round Rock Express to becoming Vice President at Frontier Bank. In this episode, Hunter reflects on growing up in Round Rock during its explosive growth, learning the value of community from his banker parents, and why local relationships still matter in today’s business w...

In this episode of Rock Solid , host Bryan Eisenberg sits down with career strategist Candyce Hunt to uncover a powerful truth: many professionals are unknowingly undervaluing themselves—and it’s costing them more than just money. Candyce shares her shocking “$85K vs $175K” salary story that sparked her mission to help others “get off the clearance rack” and recognize their true worth. From naviga...

In this episode of Rock Solid , host Bryan Eisenberg sits down with Trina Martin , founder of Parents for Arts Education, to discuss the growing crisis around arts education—and why it matters more than ever. Trina shares her powerful journey from music marketing to becoming a passionate advocate for fine arts in schools. From her experience speaking at TEDx Round Rock Women to working with policy...

In this episode of Rock Solid, host Bryan Eisenburg sits down with Destin George Bell for a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, resilience, and what it really takes to build a startup from the ground up. Destin shares his incredible journey from moving to Austin with no money and living out of his car, to cold-emailing his way into startup opportunities, building Card.io, and landing a dea...

In this episode of Rock Solid, host Bryan Eisenberg sits down with entrepreneur and former CEO Mathias Ihlenfeld to explore his incredible journey—from arriving in the U.S. with almost nothing to building a $100M global brand. Mathias shares how he helped scale Woom Bikes, disrupting a 200-year-old industry by focusing on one simple idea: designing bikes specifically for kids. But the real story g...