Pain Points

In this episode, Kyle Arsenault sits down with Alborz Bozorgi, better known as Al, Co-Founder of Twipes, to discuss entrepreneurship, product development, hiring, and what it really takes to grow a startup! Twipes started in 2015 with an unexpected conversation about clogged toilets. That conversation sparked an idea to create a wet wipe designed to break down properly after flushing. Nearly five...

In this episode, Maggie Shea sits down with Chris Anselmo, author of the Hello, Adversity newsletter and rare disease advocate, for a personal conversation about disability, career changes, self-advocacy, workplace accommodations, and learning how to move forward when life looks nothing like you expected.  Together, Maggie and Chris discuss:  Chris's journey from Northeastern to becoming a rar...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Laura Azzarella, PHR, MS HRM, an experienced HR professional and leader in the Buffalo HR community, to talk about employee relations, leadership, data, AI, and how the role of Human Resources continues to evolve.  Laura's path into HR was not exactly planned. A first-generation college student originally studying media production, Laura found an HR...

In this episode, Maggie Shea sits down with Christopher Musialowski, career and life coach and founder of Own Your Path Coaching, to talk about career changes, burnout, work-life balance, and why so many professionals reach a point where they start asking, "Is this really what I want?"  Chris knows that feeling firsthand.  His own career took him through banking, government, nonprofit le...

In this episode, Maggie Shea sits down with Ashley Gerhard, CPA, Partner at Sixt Gerhard & Associates CPAs, for a conversation about accounting, entrepreneurship, leadership, succession planning, and the realities of advising small business owners through some of their biggest decisions.  Ashley’s path to leadership was anything but linear. She began as a math major, transitioned into accounti...

In this episode, Maggie Shea sits down with Tina Hassler, Managing Partner at Sandhill Investment Management, for an insightful conversation about career growth, financial planning, leadership, and why relationships will always matter more than market headlines.  Tina shares her journey from starting her career in Finance during the 2008 financial crisis to helping lead one of Western New York&#39...

In this episode, StaffBuffalo recruiter Sam Spizuoco sits down with Russell Bassarath, Professional Development Manager at the Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT), to talk about workforce development, career transitions, and the life-changing impact of education.  Russell shares his own journey from teacher to leader at BCAT and explains how the organization helps both youth and adult st...

In this episode of the Pain Points Podcast, Maggie Shea sits down with Kay Devealt, better known as the Palsy Power Chick, keynote speaker, disability advocate, and founder of Palsy Power Chick Innovations.  Kay shares her incredible journey from growing up with cerebral palsy to becoming a nationally recognized advocate for inclusion, accessibility, and workplace equity. She opens up about the ba...

In this episode of the Pain Points Podcast, Lauren Lewis sits down with Mary Czopp, Chief Communications and Development Officer at Child and Family Services, for a conversation about the evolving needs of families, the power of storytelling, and the life-changing work happening across Western New York.  For more than 150 years, Child and Family Services has been helping children, families, and in...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Patti Stephen, President of Buffalo Prep and CEO & Co-Founder of C3 Community, for a conversation about leadership, educational equity, workplace culture, and what it means to truly help people thrive.  Patti shares her incredible journey from joining Buffalo Prep nearly two decades ago as a part-time special events coordinator to leading one of Wes...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis visits Say Yes Buffalo and sits down with Collin Gehl, Chief Human Resources Officer, for a conversation about career growth, nonprofit leadership, workforce development, and the importance of helping people see what is possible for themselves.  Collin shares his journey from earning an English degree at UB to finding his way into human resources through nonprofit wor...

In this episode, Maggie Shea sits down with David Herer, former CEO of ABC-Amega, for a conversation that spans generations of business, international expansion, family dynamics, and what it really takes to lead through uncertainty.  David shares the incredible story of how his family business started during the Great Depression and eventually evolved into an internationally recognized company ser...

Lauren Lewis sits down with Darnell Epps, founder of Thurgood, for a conversation that is both inspiring and incredibly real.  Darnell shares his journey from growing up in New York City, facing early challenges, and eventually working his way to Cornell and Yale Law School. But what makes his story stand out is what happened next. Instead of following a traditional legal path, he made a decision ...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Christine Mathieu, B. Msc., CMC®, Wealth Coach and Certified Money Coach at Note Advisors, for a conversation that goes way beyond numbers and into how we actually think and feel about money.  Christine shares her journey from spending 20 years as a financial advisor to shifting into wealth coaching after realizing something important – logic alone does...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Sheri Scavone, CEO of the WNY Women’s Foundation, for a conversation that is honest, eye-opening, and incredibly relevant right now.  Sheri shares her journey from healthcare and public health into nonprofit leadership, and how that path led her to focus on advocacy, data, and driving real change for women and families across Western New York.  They get...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis visits ACSI and sits down with James Brand, President, and Kristen Huffcut, Senior Relationship Manager, to discuss the complexities of retirement plans and why many employers struggle to manage them.  ACSI is a third-party administrator (TPA) specializing in retirement plan compliance, administration, and support for small and mid-sized businesses. Their team helps c...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Carmelo Morreale, Owner and Partner of Metrodata Services, a nationally accredited pre-employment screening company based in Buffalo, NY.  Carm shares his journey from starting as an intern in 2009 to eventually purchasing the company with his business partner in 2022. What started as “just a job” turned into a career rooted in accountability, complianc...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Angela Hall, PhD, CFP, Senior Advisor at Note Advisors, for a refreshing and honest conversation about financial literacy, career pivots, and making money conversations less scary, and a lot more human.  Angela shares her nontraditional path into finance, starting her career in biology and education before finding her calling as a financial advisor. Wit...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Christina Pearl, Corporate Director of Communications at Horizon Health Services, for an inspiring conversation about purpose-driven work, mental health advocacy, and the power of connection.  Christina shares her journey of returning to Buffalo after college, finding her way through nonprofit board service, and ultimately building Horizon’s communicati...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Amy Gurske , Founder of sayhii , for a powerful and deeply human conversation about burnout, fear, self-worth, and what happens when you finally choose your health over expectations. Amy shares her journey from spending 17 years in corporate America, to hitting a breaking point that led to a life-changing decision she calls a “midlife resign.” From glas...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Justin Cuviello and Kyle Cuviello , brothers and co-owners of Care Team Solutions , a national healthcare staffing agency based in Buffalo, NY. Their story is packed with grit: from taking a leap of faith after careers in pharmaceutical and software sales, to launching a staffing firm from scratch, to growing through COVID, and surviving the steepest do...

This week, Lauren Lewis sits down with Brittany Frey , Co-Founder of Hays Frey PR, for an honest, funny, and powerful conversation about crisis communications, entrepreneurship, and navigating life when everything feels upside down. Brittany shares her full story — from agency grind, to in-house roles, to losing her job during COVID, to launching a PR firm in the middle of a lawsuit, raising young...

In this episode, Lauren Lewis sits down with Candice Miller, Founder and Principal of Miller Advisory Group, to unpack her journey from finance and law firm operations to building a thriving business development consultancy for legal professionals. Candice shares how she found her niche helping law firms modernize their operations, use data more strategically, and adapt to emerging technologies li...

In this episode, Maggie Shea sits down with Tom Murdock , Clinical Professor at the University at Buffalo School of Management , to unpack his nontraditional career journey — from corporate consulting to higher education — and how he’s helping shape the next generation of entrepreneurs in Western New York. Tom shares how his early passion for economic development led him from Deloitte Consulting i...

In this episode, Maggie Shea sits down with HeatherJackson - Fassari , Owner of Interlink CFO , to discuss the realities of leaving corporate America to launch a business from scratch — and the Pain Points that come with entrepreneurship, growth, and trust. Heather shares her story of stepping out of a 20+ year career in corporate finance and operations to build a fractional CFO firm from the grou...