I'm A Car Chick

From a gritty floor of 150 reps to launching her own empire, **Rachel Blatt**, founder and CEO of **Royalty Logistics**, has been shipping cars like candy bars for 15 years. In this high-energy episode, host **Shasta Haddock** dives into the messy, fast-paced world of automotive logistics. Rachel pulls back the curtain on the massive scale of auto auctions, breaks down the hidden operational costs...

Dealerships know they should care about cybersecurity—but usually don’t until something breaks. In this episode, host **Shasta Haddock** sits down with **Stacy Maxwell**, Technology Solutions Consultant at **One Step Secure IT**, to unpack the critical mistakes putting dealership data at risk. Stacy shares her journey growing up in her family’s small-town dealership to managing enterprise tech, br...

Host Shasta Haddock welcomes back the ultimate industry insider to the I'm a Car Chick booth at NADA 2026: Yossi Levi, the creator behind Car Dealership Guy. Following up on their high-traction episode from last year, Yossi shares what it takes to run and scale a massive media property while keeping a tight, hectic schedule. They discuss the importance of getting authentic, diverse voices out to s...

In Part 2 of this fantastic conversation, host Shasta Haddock dives deeper with Sandy Zannino, Founder of Innovative Dealer Solutions. Sandy shares the passionate vision behind her upcoming podcast, Ready Set Auto, which aims to bridge the gap between middle/high school youth and the massive, untapped career paths within the automotive sector. From OEM trajectories to floor plan banking at institu...

Host Shasta Haddock welcomes back a familiar face to the I'm a Car Chick booth at NADA 2026: Scott Simons. Since his last appearance, Scott has taken the ultimate leap from operator to owner, acquiring a dealership in North Carolina. Scott gets raw and real about the "shit-eating grin" that comes with finally owning his own store, even while balancing the stress of three loans and a long-distance...

Host Shasta Haddock brings in the reinforcements at NADA 2026 with Owen Moon and Joe Dallas from Dealer Stream. In this high-energy session, the trio discusses the "art of the hustle" at major industry events, revealing why the best networking often happens after hours. Owen and Joe share the vision behind Dealer Stream’s evolution, focusing on how streaming advertising is moving from a trend to a...

Host Shasta Haddock welcomes first-time guest Kelly Reis, Founder of Arris Corp, to the I'm a Car Chick booth at NADA 2026. A self-proclaimed "car chick" who started in retail in 1999, Kelly has transitioned her years of dealership experience into a niche focus on facility design. She breaks down why a beautiful building isn't enough—it has to actually work for your employees and your customers. T...

Host Shasta Haddock reunites with long-time friend and automotive industry veteran Sandy Zannino, Founder of Innovative Dealer Solutions. In this episode, they trace their history back to the Digital Dealer conference circuits and dive deep into Sandy's latest venture: launching her very own podcast. Sandy pulls back the curtain on how dealerships are consistently overpaying for their technology s...

Host Shasta Haddock catches up with the insightful and always candid Kate Beirowski, the newly appointed VP of Sales for Dealer Image Pro. Recorded live at NADA 2026, Kate shares her transition from a career in Fixed Ops to leading the front-end charge in vehicle merchandising. They discuss the power of end-to-end photography in the modern dealership, the challenges of stepping into a new leadersh...

Host Shasta Haddock is joined by Amy Hitch, Executive Coach at Ascent Dealer Services, for a powerful conversation on the high-stakes world of automotive finance. Amy shares her journey from banking to mastering the F&I office, detailing why it remains one of the most stressful roles in a dealership. They discuss the critical shift from simply "doing the work" to developing people, the importa...

Host Shasta Haddock finally sits down for a long-overdue conversation with April Rain, the "Chief Magic Officer" and Founder of Digital Rain Inc. In this episode, they pull back the curtain on the post-NADA pivot and dive deep into the world of fractional marketing. April discusses why dealerships are often overwhelmed by the "alphabet soup" of vendor reports and how her team acts as the "interpre...

It’s been two years in the making, but Veronica Dunford, co-owner of Women in Automotive (WIA), is back on the show! Recorded live at NADA 2026, Veronica and Shasta Haddock discuss the massive momentum behind the upcoming 2026 annual conference in Austin, Texas. They dive deep into the real mission of WIA: it’s not about "man bashing," but about changing the statistics of why women leave the indus...

In this episode of the I'm a Car Chick podcast, host Shasta Haddock sits down with Laura Fleischer, President of Orange Media Group. Coming from the legacy of the Roman Group (with 37 dealerships), Laura shares her transition from "dealer grandkid" to marketing innovator. We dive deep into why dealerships are sitting on "data gold mines" but are being held hostage by their own tech stacks. Laura r...

In Part 2 of this deep dive, host Shasta Haddock and Erin Duke, Co-Founder of Auto Lot Impact, tackle the "missing generation" of automotive technicians. Erin explains why the industry is seeing a massive gap in 40-to-50-year-old techs and how the consolidation of 2008 drove a whole generation of talent into other industries. They also pivot to the digital side of the business, discussing the vita...

Host Shasta Haddock is back for her first recording post-NADA 2026, and she’s starting with a heavy hitter. Meet Erin Duke, Co-Founder and Director of Dealer Success at Auto Lot Impact. In this episode, Erin shares her incredible "trial by fire" journey—from being a service advisor to receiving the manufacturer’s "stay in business" letter during the 2008 consolidation. They dive deep into the curr...

Host Shasta Haddock kicks off Day 2 at NADA 2026 with a high-energy session featuring Michelle Phelps and Thomas Mancuso from Podium. In this episode, Thomas (not Scott!) breaks down the massive shift in dealership technology—moving away from generic, "canned" AI responses to intelligent AI agents that actually understand context. He introduces "Jerry," Podium’s AI agent that lives and interacts i...

Host Shasta Haddock goes global at NADA 2026 with Matthias Stoever, a visionary joining the show all the way from Hamburg, Germany. Matthias shares his unique perspective on the differences between the European and American automotive markets, the universal challenges of digital transformation, and why data is the international language of success. They discuss the rapid evolution of AI tools in t...

Host Shasta Haddock is joined by Heidi McMillen, Chief Revenue Officer at OttoMoto, live from the Authenticom booth at NADA 2026. In this candid and high-energy conversation, Heidi shares what it’s really like to be in charge of the money, the employees, and everything in between. Drawing from her 25 years of experience married to a car dealer, she discusses the versatility required of women in th...

Host Shasta Haddock sits down with Ashley Cavazos, a powerful voice in the automotive industry, live from the floor of NADA 2026. Ashley discusses her mission to empower women and bridge the gap in leadership within dealerships. They dive into the importance of mentorship, building a strong "girl gang" in a male-dominated field, and how intentional leadership can transform dealership culture. Whet...

Host Shasta Haddock is joined by the industry’s favorite duo, Fred Lennartz and Lou Ramirez of Car Guy Coffee, live from the floor of NADA 2026. Known as the "Certified Solutionaries," Fred and Lou break down why 2026 is officially the year of collaboration in the automotive world. They discuss moving past the "vendor vs. dealer" stigma, the energy of a record-breaking Las Vegas show, and why the...

Host Shasta Haddock welcomes Courtney Doll from CP Handheld Technologies to the booth at NADA 2026 for a deep dive into the "clean data" side of the dealership. Courtney explains how CP Handheld helps automotive controllers move from manual headaches to seamless, automated inventory reconciliation. They discuss the critical importance of being "audit-ready" for floor plan inspections, how GPS loca...

Host Shasta Haddock sits down with Todd Smith, CEO of QoreAI and a lifelong "car guy," live at NADA 2026. Todd shares the pivotal moment in late 2024 when he realized AI agents were about to change everything—moving beyond simple chat to actually "using" computers to fill out forms and navigate sites. They discuss his new book, The Intelligent Dealership, and why the foundation of any AI strategy...

Host Shasta Haddock is joined by the one and only Michael Cirillo, host of The Dealer Playbook and a leading voice at ASOTU, live from the Authenticom booth at NADA 2026. Despite years of collaboration, this marks Michael’s first official appearance on the I’m a Car Chick podcast. In this candid conversation, Michael challenges the industry to drop the "negative vendor stigma," reminding everyone—...

Host Shasta Haddock welcomes back "four-timer" guest Matt Raymond, founder of Bow Tie Auto Solutions, live from the Authenticom booth at NADA 2026. In this high-energy reunion, Matt tackles the biggest misconception in the industry: that you can "set and forget" your BDC. He breaks down why a true partnership beats a standard vendor relationship every time, the importance of "showing up" for your...

Host Shasta Haddock welcomes Dimitrius Naylor, the "Equity King" and CEO of Dimitrius Naylor Consulting, to the I’m a Car Chick podcast live from NADA 2026. In this high-velocity episode, Dimitrius breaks down why the service drive is the most underutilized goldmine in the dealership. He dives into the "Service-to-Sales" transition, explaining how to identify high-equity customers and why the "equ...