Control or Be Controlled

What if the greatest risk in life isn’t failing—but reaching the end of it with too many dreams left unlived? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Joy - Yafit Pascal , a Design Thinking coach, transformational speaker, women’s empowerment facilitator, and dance improvisation instructor, for a powerful conversation about breaking free from autopilot and intentiona...

What if a promise could be more powerful than a goal? Today, we’re joined by Matthew Cossolotto , author, speaker, coach, and “The Empowerment Pro,” whose personal transformation began with a promise he made to his dying mother 25 years ago. His promise was simple: finish the book she had encouraged him to write and dedicate it to her memory. Matthew kept that promise—and that commitment became th...

AI is moving faster than most businesses can keep up with—but the biggest challenge isn’t always the technology. It’s knowing where to start, what actually matters, and how to implement AI without losing the human side of business. Today, we’re joined by Heather McLean , U.S. Air Force veteran, CEO, and AI strategist. After 20 years leading logistics and IT operations in the Air Force and senior l...

What happens when you leave behind a 35-year corporate career and give yourself permission to try something completely new? In this episode, we’re joined by Nancy Dillingham Marks , a fused glass artist and founder of Glass Arts Collective , who discovered her creative passion later in life after years working in corporate roles. Nancy’s journey began with something simple: a single glass art clas...

What happens when you stop fighting your diagnosis and start understanding yourself? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Reza Ghaemi , author of Bipolar Is My Superpower: How Acceptance Changed My Life and host of The Rez Podcast , for an honest conversation about bipolar disorder, acceptance, recovery, stigma, faith, and rebuilding a meaningful life after diagn...

What if your shopping habits are revealing more about you than you realize? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Dr. Tejvir Sekhon, a marketing professor and consumer psychology researcher, to explore why we buy things we believe will make us happier, more successful, healthier, or more fulfilled. Dr. Sekhon explains how consumption can become a shortcut for answ...

What if your body isn’t working against you, but trying to tell you something? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Dr. Roopa Chari, an Internal Medicine physician and Functional Medicine doctor with more than 25 years of experience helping women understand the changes that can happen during midlife. Dr. Chari explains why women over 45 may experience stubborn we...

Today’s guest is Rick Cobello , a former Chief Information Security Officer for New York State, enterprise IT executive, cybersecurity advisor, professor, and author of The Shady Side of Saratoga . With more than four decades of experience working inside Fortune 5 companies, government agencies, healthcare organizations, and law enforcement, Rick has seen firsthand how trust, technology, and compl...

What if the problem you’re trying to solve isn’t actually the real problem? In this episode, Carine Colemonts takes us inside the difficult decisions that leaders, founders, executives, and high-achieving women face when the stakes are high and the easy answers aren’t enough. With more than 14,000 one-on-one coaching sessions and eight years as a Platinum Master Results Coach with Robbins Research...

What do you do when the world tells you that your future is limited—but you refuse to give up hope? In this episode, we’re joined by David Ebel , author, award-winning photographer, international speaker, disaster responder, and a man whose life story is a powerful testimony of faith, resilience, and hope. David’s journey began under extraordinary circumstances. After being born with serious birth...

What does it take to stop playing small, turn adversity into an advantage, and build a business on your own terms? In this episode, we’re joined by Jordan Mendoza , Founder & CEO of Blaze Your Own Trail Consulting, author, keynote speaker, and host of the top 1.5% ranked Blaze Your Own Trail podcast. Jordan has built a powerful personal brand by mastering organic content and strategic storytelling...

What if lasting transformation begins not with more willpower, but with learning how to renew your mind and retrain your brain? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Dr. Laurette Willis , Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, international speaker, author, and founder of PraiseMoves® and the W3 Sisterhood, for a powerful conversation about faith, neuroscience, addiction...

What happens when the identity that helped you survive is no longer the identity you need to live? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Michael N. Fineman, father, husband, author, speaker, and leadership strategist, for a powerful conversation about identity, authenticity, fatherhood, faith, and the hidden cost of always trying to be strong. Michael was on his o...

In this episode, we’re joined by Adam Glezer , one of Australia’s most recognisable consumer advocates and the founder of Consumer Champion. Since launching Consumer Champion during the pandemic, Adam has helped everyday Australians recover millions of dollars from some of the country’s biggest corporations, often on a no-win, no-fee basis. His work has exposed the tactics corporations use to dela...

What if sobriety doesn’t mean missing out, but discovering a bigger life? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Teresa Bergen, author of Sober Travel Handbook , to explore how people can travel, socialize, and experience the world without putting their sobriety at risk. Teresa shares practical strategies for navigating airports, weddings, business events, family g...

What can an Irish traditional music session teach us about belonging, respect, confidence, and navigating unfamiliar communities? In this episode, we’re joined by Tara Connaghan , a professional Irish fiddle player, podcaster, author, educator, tour guide, and arts manager who has dedicated her work to something most people rarely talk about: the unspoken etiquette of Irish traditional music sessi...

In this episode, Darlington sits down with Dr. Stephanie Zwonitzer, DNP, CRNP , a nurse practitioner and sexual health specialist who is working to make conversations about sex, hormones, and wellness more open, informed, and practical. As the founder of Revive Institute of Sexual Health , Dr. Z specializes in hormones and sexual medicine, helping patients understand issues that are often misunder...

What if building wealth isn’t just about making more money—but changing the way you think about it? Today, Matt Morizio , entrepreneur, licensed financial advisor, man of faith, husband, father of eight, and founder of Reconstructing Wealth , joins us for a powerful conversation about money, identity, risk, faith, and the choices that create a truly wealthy life. Before becoming a wealth advisor,...

Most organizations think they have a leadership, productivity, or culture problem—but what if the real problem is the invisible system underneath it? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , we sit down with Dr. Frank Douglas , healthcare and pharmaceutical executive, entrepreneur, educator, and creator of Safe Haven Dialogues, to explore how stress, discrimination, and unfair workplace syste...

What if you could build a massive audience without spending a fortune on advertising? Today, we’re joined by Dan Shinder , founder of Drum Talk TV , who has organically built a following of nearly 1.5 million people and an average annual reach of around 100 million since 2013—all without paying for ads, boosting posts, or relying heavily on SEO. Dan has turned his passion for music into a global m...

Politics has become an “us vs. them” battle—but what happens when we step back, question the narratives, and start looking at the facts? In this episode, Darlington sits down with Ross “Yergz” Yerger , a historian, political scientist, intelligence professional, former U.S. Secret Service Special Agent, and host of Up The Middle: Politics for the Rest of Us . After spending 21 years in the U.S. Se...

What if what you eat influences far more than your physical health? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Dr. Will Tuttle, internationally bestselling author of The World Peace Diet , former Zen monk, composer, concert pianist, and longtime advocate for plant based living, spirituality, meditation, and compassion for all life. Dr. Tuttle’s extraordinary journey ha...

What happens when you step outside the world you know and enter a place where the rules of ordinary life no longer apply? Today, we’re joined by Sarah Marshall , novelist, former U.S. Navy service member, engineer, technology leader, traveler, and longtime Burning Man participant. Having attended Burning Man more than 20 times , Sarah has experienced the event not simply as a spectator, but as a c...

Most people think great public speaking is about confidence, expertise, and having something important to say. But what if the biggest mistake speakers make is making the presentation about themselves? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington Ogbuka sits down with Peter George , award-winning author of The Captivating Public Speaker and public speaking coach, to explore what separa...

What happens when fear stops being something you avoid and becomes the doorway to discovering who you really are? In this episode of Control or Be Controlled , Darlington sits down with Kelly Keefe, transformational speaker, author, and empowerment coach, for a powerful conversation about fear, confidence, spiritual awakening, purpose, and taking back control of the story you tell yourself. Kelly’...