ElevatePolk Podcast

Nate and Chrissanne are joined on this week's episode by Mario and Patty Medina, the owners of Cigar Life. Mario and Patty share some of the intricacies of their transition from corporate careers to entrepreneurship, and the added "bonus" of starting a business with your spouse!  This was our first live-streaming episode (you can watch the video here ). You won't want to miss this discussion about...

Check-in with Nate and Chrissanne for this conversation with Lakeland's Mayor, Bill Mutz. The three of them take a deep dive and explore the reality of overcoming challenges, growing as leaders, and creating company cultures that put people first. As Mayor Mutz reminds them throughout the show,  "It comes down to the last 10% of the work you have to do to succeed." You'll enjoy some never-before-h...

Chrissanne and Nate don't have a guest this week, but their lively conversation about the  importance of "showing up" in business (and in life), is an episode worth listening to! They sprinkle golden nuggets of advice on how to show up, why it's important and where to focus energy and time to truly maximize the results of the way in which you show up.  Pro tip: Listen to the entire episode to find...

It’s 5 o’clock here on the ElevatePolk podcast and the owners of Happy Hour Scones, Edie, Jackie and Amy are bringing the booze, but not how you would quite expect it! Listen in to these emerging entrepreneurs as they share the story of how their delicious cocktail-inspired scones came to be. These fun sisters join Chrissanne and Nate, with special thanks to Vickie, Nate's mom, and Chrissanne's fr...

In this week's episode, Lora Gardner, shows up as what can only be described as a beacon of hope for those who are going through a hard time while navigating the roads of entrepreneurship. During their time together, Chrissanne, Nate & Lora discuss the amazing details of her journey as she created her company, Perfect Day Productions. Lora is an excellent example of an entrepreneur who perseveres...

All you need is a sword, a guild, and a dream! Well, that’s according to Sittadel Co-Founders Joshua Sitta and Trafenia Flynn-Salzman. Nate and Chrissanne had the pleasure of speaking with these two longtime friends about their quest to become business owners and how they’ve built their kingdom, Sittadel. Listen in to learn more about their journey and also enjoy some free marketing tidbits from C...

Chrissanne and Nate are excited to welcome the team from Union Hall - Sam Houghton and Parker Duncan. In this episode, they share some of the trials of trying to keep a music venue alive during a pandemic. They talk about their creative survival skills and some exciting news about their upcoming reopening. Listen to learn about their partnership with a local restaurant, some cool new additions to...

Nate and Chrissanne wanted to celebrate some of their past guests and the incredible stories, wisdom, and messages they’ve shared with us. They decided to recap for their newest audience members the last four episodes but don’t worry, they still discuss entrepreneurship as usual! and The Easter egg hunt leaves us with a special highlight reel of season two. These will become a series of recaps eve...

When it comes to entrepreneurship stories in Polk County, this conversation that Nate and Chrissanne have with Rut Patel is a must listen! In this episode, they talk about Rut’s journey from India and how he refused to let language (or anything) stop him from achieving greatness. Grab a pen and paper, because you’ll want to write down Rut’s own personal wisdom on building your business (and yourse...

Chrissanne and Nate chat with Jack McHugh the owner of Molly McHugh’s Irish Pub, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! They discuss the McHugh’s family journey from Ireland to Lakeland, the legacy of his father, and how it came to be that the youngest son chose to take over the family business. Listen in to learn how Jack is leading downtown Lakeland's revered Irish pub through COVID-19 and how he's...

Chrissanne and Nate talk about the term "White Space" and the role it plays in business as well as in the context of entrepreneurial ecosystem building. If you're considering where you might expand your business, or what other opportunities might exist that you haven't yet tapped into within your industry or market, this episode will inspire you to think about how you can stretch and grow into new...

Chrissanne and Nate meet with Chad McLeod - a local entrepreneur and elected official - a man with many hats. Erin, his wife knows him as husband and his three children know him as Dad, the City of Lakeland knows him as Commissioner and his brother Joe knows him as his business partner in their Public Relations Firm. This episode covers a lot of ground! From the importance of Public Relations and...

Chrissanne and Nate are excited to introduce the ElevatePolk Podcast audience to Isom Morris, an emerging tech entrepreneur and owner of FitLyfe Fitness. Listen as they chat about how this young professional discovered entrepreneurship after a pivot from football. Isom shares the role that the City of Lakeland's Police Athletic League played in his life as he developed as a young leader in the com...

Nate and Chrissanne are joined by LaTrice Moore - the Entrepreneurship Coordinator and Business Administration professor at Polk State College. They discuss the fundamental traits of entrepreneurship, opportunities for growth within the local Polk County ecosystem for entrepreneurs of color, and how important the culture of entrepreneurship is in helping entrepreneurs in Polk County start to see a...

On the last episode of Season 1, Rob said goodbye to the show as the permanent co-host, and Chrissanne introduced the new direction the show would be taking. In this episode, Chrissanne introduces Nate the Great Kendrick to the show as the new co-host.   The two dive in to Nate's entrepreneurial journey and the lessons learned along the way. You'll never guess how Chrissanne and Nate almost met in...

In this episode Rob and Chrissanne share some important announcements and wax philosophical on the origins of success and whether it’s simply a matter of hard work or if the conditions for success also play a role in an entrepreneur’s journey.  The Quitter by Robert Service When you're lost in the Wild, and you're scared as a child,     And Death looks you bang in the eye, And you're sore as a boi...

Rob and Chrissanne discuss the best ways to cope with what life throws at you. 

When it comes to phosphate mining, Tip Fowler has had a front row seat to the evolution of mining in our county and the region overall.  Tip shares with us some of the history of phosphate mining, what phosphates are used for, how old mines are converted into lavish resorts and what the future of the industry might look like.  From rocks to urine, join us for a fascinating glimpse into an industry...

A veritable grab bag of conversation and some obscure trivia. Also, will Rob and Chrissanne's friendship survive?  Listen and find out!

Are there things you are afraid to talk about? Do you worry that even though your beliefs might seem measured and reasoned, they might just be used against you and could harm your business or personal life? In the age of social justice, one false move can cost you everything. What's worse, there is rarely a clear path toward redemption.  Chrissanne and Rob discuss the overall concept of "cancel cu...

After taking some time off to relax and contemplate the future of the podcast, we are ready to get back full swing.  Our goal is to highlight the best of our community, to hopefully make you laugh a bit (even if it's at Chrissanne's expense) and build a stronger community overall. We appreciate your support and make sure to subscribe to get our new weekly episodes. 

After taking a week off to plan our response to recent events in our community and our nation overall, we want to share with you some principles that we believe will put all of us on a better path forward. We don't have all the answers and there is an assortment of problems affecting all of us these days. It is our hope that we can resolve these problems and build a better tomorrow for our communi...

Why does Rob despite the move Frozen?  What do you think of  #LoveRedBug?  And we all know that at Publix, shopping is a pleasure... but the reason why just might surprise you. Tune in and test your knowledge of Polk County fun facts and trivia. 

William "Bill" Braswell, Chairman of the Polk County Board of County Commissioners,  joins us to discuss the Polk CARES program and what the county is doing to help businesses during the COVID-19 recovery process. Comm. Braswell also shares with us a bit about his evolution from the Air Force, to an airline captain and ultimately to farming blueberries in Auburndale.  If you would like to learn mo...