From Embers To Excellence™

Jennifer has developed her expertise in Talent Strategy & Leadership Professional Development over her exciting 20+ year career as an HR Professional. She’s led international teams across Greater China, Mexico, the U.K., and the U.S. to expand into new markets, managing franchise retailers, and developing key strategic partnerships - all while exceeding business objectives and financial result...

David Shar is the founder of Illuminate PMC and creator of the FTF Burnout-Proof Culture Model. He is a keynote speaker, consultant, and trainer specializing in helping organizations improve their leadership and culture, combat burnout, and design meaningful work. David combines decades of leadership experience with the latest psychological research to help you attract, retain, and motivate top ta...

Krishna Mohan is an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, #1 Best Selling Author, and the President at Genius Visionary Inc. Krishna tells me about his life growing in up in a middle-class family in India. He talks about competing as a Championship-level gymnast and how that influenced his drive and philosophy. He has 3 Master’s Degrees and has worked for several Fortune 500 companies. We talk about his b...

Tigrilla Gardenia is a nature-inspired mentor and leadership coach. In our conversation she tells me about how she began her journey in Miami, FL and experienced a polyethnic childhood. She tells me about earning a degree in music and electrical engineering, afterward entering the high-tech corporate world via RealNetworks and Microsoft in the early days of the internet. We talk about her circus,...

Dr. Marissa was the Winner of the 2020 Excellence in Media Radio, 2016 Lotus Award, 2014 Asian Heritage Award, 2012 Asian Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the 2017 Iconic Women Creating a Better World for All, she is a sought after Global Thought Leader. Her Balance Tools include the 21 Day Fast from Complaining and Balance Tai QiQong, a moving mediation that promotes Inner Peace One Breath at a...

Shannon Huffman Polson is author of The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience and Leadership in the Most Male Dominated Organization in the World (Harvard Business Review Press) and an in-demand speaker who presents to audiences worldwide on leadership and grit. As one of the first women to fly the Apache helicopter in the U.S. Army, Polson led three line units on three different continents before earn...

Dominique "Dom" Brightmon, DTM is an award-winning speaker and certified member with the John Maxwell Team. He is the author of "Going North!: Tips & Techniques to Advance Yourself", "Stay the Course: The Elite Performer's 7 Secret Keys to Sustainable Success" and contributing author for the book, “Crappy to Happy: Sacred Stories of Transformational Joy.” Dom host's the Going North podcast, a...

Dr. Steve Yacovelli is an award-winning author, speaker, and catalyst for inclusive leadership in and out of the workplace. He's an entrepreneur, having founded TopDog Learning Group, LLC in 2008, and a thought leader in leadership, diversity, inclusion and belonging, and change management. We have an amazing conversation about his book "Pride Leadership." We explore leadership through the LGBTQ+...

I visited James “Tip” Tipton at his home in Panama City, FL where we recorded this interview. Tip shares pieces of his story with me. James Tipton was medically retired after 23 years of honorable service in the United States Air Force. He was deployed 13 times during our country’s fight against terrorism. This conversation is filled with revelations concerning life, leadership, battling PTSD, dis...

Ben Baker has had his own podcast www. YourLIVINGBrand.live for over three years now and has recorded over 270 episodes. During that same time, he has guested on nearly 200 podcasts around the world. Ben and I discuss leadership in depth and talk about the importance of diversity when shaping the culture of an organization. More specifically we talk about women in leadership roles and how women an...

John Davis is an internationally known Speaker, Comedian, Author, and Action Hero. John has traveled extensively throughout the world speaking to audiences of all ages and backgrounds in 28 countries and over 4000 live performances. Using his peak performance methods, John has been a Stuntman, fight director, Comedian, College Professor, and Artistic Director. He did all this though he was born wi...

Sean Tyler Foley and I discuss his life growing up, how he became an actor, some of the challenges he faced throughout his life, and his influences which led him to be the man he is today. Tyler discusses how he discovered his passion for helping people find their voice so they can get their message out to the world. We talk about his book, "The Power to Speak Naked", and the importance of empower...

Jackie retired from Miami Dade Fire Rescue as a Captain/Paramedic after more than 30 years of service. We begin our conversation with Jackie telling me about her life growing up and how her family moved from Cuba to Puerto Rico and then to Miami, FL. She tells me about what inspired her to become a firefighter and the importance of not just being mentored but mentoring as well. We talk about Jacki...

Mike "Hoppy" Hopkins retired from Orange County Sheriff's Office with more than 30 years in law enforcement. Much of his career was spent working in or leading the EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) Team, the Clandestine Lab Team, Dive Team, and undercover narcotics. Hoppy shares with me about his childhood growing up in south Florida, playing sports, diving, boating, and fishing. Ultimately, he b...

Chief Washington is a veteran of the United States Air Force and a 30 year veteran of the fire service. He shares some of his family's history and lessons learned that helped build him into the man he is today. He is a very accomplished chief officer that has spent his career shaping one of the largest fire departments in the state of Florida. We discuss some of the leadership lessons that he taug...

Tom “Bull” Hill is a retired firefighter who is well known in the state of Florida and around the country for “The March of the Bull.” His march from the Zero Mile Marker in Key West, Florida to Tallahassee (Florida’s capital) served so many purposes and helped so many people beyond what is known to the public. Bull and I talk about many different topics: firefighter cancer, PTSD, substance abuse,...

Jo Terry discusses the loss of her husband, Chip Terry. Chip Terry was a father, husband, son, brother, coach, and firefighter who worked for the City of Covington for nearly 30 years. He, along with many other first responders, struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Injuries. This has lead many to alcoholism, drug addictions, high divorce rates, and sadly, suicide. Unknown to everyone, including hi...

Being caregivers at heart, Hugh and his wife Jackie decided to become Certified IASIS Micro Current Neurofeedback Providers and open Mended Minds, which is dedicated to helping those who suffer from symptoms associated with neurological disorders or deficits. Mended Minds uses the IASIS MCN Neurofeedback system which helps to balance the brainwave activity that aggravates conditions such as PTSD,...

Chief Rick Segrest is a retired battalion chief with 35 years in the fire service. He is co-owner of Firesled Functional Fitness and Training and co-inventor of the Firesled and the Punisher. During his time in the fire service he held several ranks as well as managed a diverse amount of responsibilities. His career started in 1981 as a firefighter, five years later he was promoted to Engineer (dr...

Chief Watts and I discuss his time in the fire service and his experiences as he moved up through the ranks. He discusses some of his most valuable lessons as a young firefighter and how his time in each rank shaped his approach to leading the Maitland Fire Department. Chief Watts is extremely humble and gracious as he provides background on some of the lessons he has learned throughout his career...

Software Generated Transcript; may contain spelling and grammatical errors Today I am talking with Lieutenant paramedic, Andre Perez. He is a 22 year, well, almost 22 year veteran of orange County fire rescue getting hired back in April of 1999. I think you did have some previous [00:01:00] fire department experience before coming to orange County. I did. I did. Yep. I worked at a small department...

Mauro Porcelli is a retired Orlando Fire Department firefighter and author of "Surviving the Firehouse." In this episode we discuss his 25 year career in the fire service that began with the Marion County Fire Department. We discuss his amazing book that has become a tool that fire chiefs use to prepare their newly hired firefighters for life in the fire department. Mauro shares his experiences gr...

Patrick Fitzgibbons is the host of the popular criminal justice podcast CJEvolution. He authored the book "EVOLVE," and is a retired law enforcement officer. He served his community for 23 years as he worked his way up the ranks holding multiple leadership positions. He also served in the US Army in the 82nd Airborne. In this episode Patrick shares a great deal with me regarding his leadership phi...

Tanya Schmell is a retired police sergeant and currently works to provide first responder resiliency, wellness and peer support training. We discuss her current roles and how she is working toward mitigating first responder suicide. Our conversation covered multiple topics surrounding mental health in the public safety community including overcoming the stigma surrounding asking for help. Tanya te...

Austin Horan retired from FDNY as a Deputy Chief after 37 years of faithful service. We talk about his humble beginnings as a poor Irish kid from the Bronx, getting his work ethic from his father, and learning to be a plumber as a young man. Austin shares advice he received from mentors coming up through the ranks that helped shape his career. He tells me about the three confirmed miracles in his...