The Art of Seeing Clearly with Dr. Alison R Tendler

From restaurant floors to healthcare systems, graphic design studios to instructional design labs — Alix Grotewold has never stopped evolving. Alix joins Dr. Alison Tendler to reflect on her unconventional, ever-adaptive career journey and the inner drive that keeps her pushing forward. A fierce competitor—sometimes even with herself — Alix shares what it means to keep reinventing, how she navigat...

Angela Drake’s journey is one of resilience, reinvention, and relentless giving. From a career in beauty to leading Two Men and a Truck, she’s built a life around empowering others—whether through mentorship, community service, or helping people recognize their worth. But her path wasn’t always easy, and a chance opportunity became the golden ticket she almost didn’t take. In this episode, Angela...

Andrea Vetos shares her journey from accounting graduate to leading operations for 23 car wash locations across four states. She discusses fostering workplace culture, breaking barriers for women in leadership, and embracing discomfort as a path to growth. Andrea offers actionable advice on mentorship, conflict resolution, and her golden rule for decision-making: "If it’s not a heck yes, it’s a no...

Angelica Mercado-Ford shares her journey from her early childhood in Jalisco, Mexico, to her life as an educator, artist, and advocate in Sioux Falls. Raised in Nebraska as the eldest of six in an immigrant family, Angelica navigated a world where few people looked like her, which inspired her to be the representation she never had. She discusses her shift from political science to using art as a...

Steffanie Liston-Holtrop shares her journey from growing up on a farm in Alcester, South Dakota, to becoming an entrepreneur and publisher in Sioux Falls. Steff reflects on the work ethic she developed in her youth, her initial dreams of working in New York City, and how she ultimately fell in love with building her business in a community she values. She delves into her passion for helping client...

Theresa Rose shares how clarity, enthusiasm, and divine timing converge to illuminate the path to success. Her journey began with childhood lessons from her entrepreneurial mother, a Mary Kay director, instilling in her a deep appreciation for business from a young age. Despite facing challenges like bullying in middle school, Theresa's resilience and early affinity for business metrics shaped her...

Melissa Hiatt shares her life and career journey, where she discovered a passion for emotional health and organizational systems. Initially pursuing a career in singing, Melissa's path shifted when she met her husband Tim, and found a new calling in supporting individuals and organizations through emotional challenges. Drawing on her background in student services and systems thinking, she emphasi...

Pat Gale shares his journey from Dubuque, Iowa, to a prominent role in the Sioux Falls Community Foundation. Influenced by his father's career in journalism and music, Pat's path took him to the University of South Dakota, where he earned a degree in mass communications and met his wife. His career began at Citibank and flourished at the Community Foundation, where he emphasizes empathy, hard work...

Jael Thorpe is an entrepreneur who's navigated challenges from her upbringing in South Dakota to founding several successful ventures. From childhood entrepreneurship to career shifts, Jael's story reflects the grit and adaptability crucial to entrepreneurship. At the heart of Jael's success is her knack for building cohesive, ego-free teams. Through ventures like Gameday Social, she's shown a wil...

Bill Linsenmeyer grew up in Monroe, MI, amidst a bustling household of eight siblings. From his formative years at a boarding and college prep school in Indiana to becoming captain of his unit, Bill shares his passion for setting goals and the transformative power of visualization. He shares insight into his most valuable lessons and how he overcame obstacles. Bill's career path is dynamic - from...

Terry Liggins has defied the odds and transformed adversity into triumph. Raised as the middle child of a single mother with five siblings in the inner city of Omaha, Nebraska, Terry faced numerous challenges growing up. Yet, he draws strength from the advantage of witnessing his older siblings' experiences, steering clear of repeating their mistakes and focusing on breaking the cycle of poverty....

CEO Tricia Benn shares how her life was shaped by her upbringing on a hobby farm, instilling values of usefulness and hard work. Tricia's leadership philosophy, rooted in teamwork and resilience, stems from her farm adventures and experiences in competitive figure skating, where she learned the importance of setting goals, facing challenges, and embracing uniqueness. Her experiences extend to her...

As one of four adopted siblings, all with different biological parents, Kerri Tietgen shares her journey through the lens of authenticity and self-discovery. Growing up as the only Asian American in a small community, she navigated the challenges of not physically matching her siblings and the absence of representation. Despite these hurdles, Kerri embraced her uniqueness, owning her identity with...

Life coach Lynn Gillette shares her inspiring journey from an educator and mother to a passionate advocate for self-coaching. Discover how Lynn turned life's challenges into opportunities, and found her true calling through a transformative webinar. Lynn discusses the power of changing your inner dialogue, celebrating life, and stepping into empowerment. She shares practical strategies to overcome...

As Owner and Operator of McDonald's franchise locations, Jordan Hartshorn shares his journey from starting in a location in Aberdeen, SD, to becoming the owner of 18 locations across the Midwest. Influenced by his dad's guidance and legacy, Jordan emphasizes the importance of family dynamics in business. He discusses the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, highlighting the value of partne...

As we bid farewell to 2023 and set our sights on 2024, it's a moment of reflection and learning on today's episode of "The ART of Seeing Clearly." Join us as we revisit insightful conversations with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries who graced our podcast last year. These nuggets of wisdom are more than just stories – they're actionable insights that can shape your business and life...

Coleen Liebsch courageously shares her journey of self-discovery, unveiling the harsh reality of domestic violence she encountered as a child. Battling with feelings of inferiority and a desire to stand out, she found refuge in being average at everything, using it as a shield against the fear of failure. Coleen's accidental entry into telemarketing, driven by a fascination with numbers, opened un...

How does an Italian-born Psychologist end up owning and running not one, but four successful restaurants? Riccardo shares his incredible journey, how he overcame rejection, explored and worked in a variety of medicine-related fields, and wound up in Sioux Falls, SD. He discusses his philosophy on customer service and why saying thank you every day to every single staff member matters. He shares hi...

Tamien Dysart admits he's in love with self-learning. An avid fan of John C Maxwell, Dysart takes everything he's learned and applies it to the companies and people he mentors and coaches. His goal is to impact millions of people. Learn how Tamien has leveraged his mindset, hard work, and determination into many successful ventures and accomplished many goals to "author his own life". He explains...

Erica Beck's career has been all about serving the community and its people, whether in the public or private sector. As Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Sioux Falls, Erica shares the importance of mentors, her passion and vision for the City, and how her role fulfills her. She discusses how to have the hard conversations, empowering leaders, and the silver lining of crisis situations. Erica also o...

Debbie Frisch is a mother, foster mom, spiritual director, volunteer, community activist, and philanthropist. Having fostered over 50 children, she took her gift and passion to the next level, founding HelloBaby, a play center oasis in one of the most economically challenged areas on Chicago's south side. Debbie shares how the plans for HelloBaby came together, why play is the work of childhood, a...

Mark Boundy admits, that if a recruiter looked at his resume they might barf. After dropping out of one college program, he had to "sell" his way into the program he wanted. Literally, he learned to sell by begging his way back into college. Mark then went on to work in a variety of unrelated industries and now owns his own consulting firm. Mark discusses how to look for commonalities in every rol...

Most of Tina Greenbaum's friends are retired. But she doesn't. She loves learning and wants to ensure when she gets to the end she can say, "I did it." Her leadership coaching program and methodology combine over 40 years of research and learning. From sports and energy psychology to neuroscience, spirituality, and mind/body connection, Tina uses her gifts to provide executive leaders with the too...

Trisha Dohn and her team are on a mission to create JOY, health, financial, mental, and physical well-being for companies and their staff. By preventing a health crisis, companies can save on healthcare costs, and improve productivity, culture and morale, and overall quality of life. While Trisha never envisioned herself as an entrepreneur, her passion and drive changed over time and she found her...

Author, Speaker, Trainer, and CEO Melissa Johnson rejoins our podcast to discuss her second book: Lifelong Learner: Notes, Reflections, and Discoveries. She admits she's a great starter, having worked 27 jobs before the age of 40 and where she knows she doesn't always excel, what to do when there's a big "but..." in your life, why curiosity is key, why no one wears a white hat in tough situations...