🎙 Inventive Journey | Real Stories From the Startup Survival Club

In this powerful episode of The Inventive Journey, Devin Miller sits down with entrepreneur, speaker, and emotional intelligence expert Christopher Salem to discuss a journey filled with chaos, reinvention, business success, addiction recovery, and transformational leadership lessons. Christopher Salem’s story is anything but traditional. From struggling with direction in college to navigating tox...

What do cleaning toilets, surviving corporate layoffs, and building a tech-enabled franchise empire have in common? For Adam Povlitz, they’re all chapters of the same story. In this episode of The Inventive Journey, Adam Povlitz, CEO of Anago Cleaning Systems, shares how he transformed a traditionally “thankless” industry into a scalable, tech-powered business by focusing on the one thing most com...

If you’re an inventor or entrepreneur riding the high of securing a U.S. patent, this episode is your reality check—in the best possible way. Because while a U.S. patent is a powerful asset, it’s also geographically limited. And in today’s global economy, that limitation can become a major vulnerability if not addressed early. We dive into one of the most misunderstood aspects of intellectual prop...

What does it really take to go from high performer… to elite? In this episode of The Inventive Journey , Curtis McCullom shares a powerful and deeply personal story that challenges everything you think you know about success, mindset, and transformation. From his early days as a high school track athlete in Mississippi to becoming the #1 performer in his field—and ultimately walking away from a lu...

What happens when another business files a trademark that looks a little too close to yours? Do you ignore it and hope for the best—or step in before it becomes a much bigger problem? In this episode, we break down the trademark opposition process in a way that actually makes sense for business owners. No legal jargon overload, no unnecessary complexity—just a clear, strategic look at how to prote...

How similar can trademarks really be before you land in legal trouble? It’s a question that seems simple on the surface—but quickly becomes complex once you understand how trademark law actually works. In this episode, we break down the concept of “likelihood of confusion,” the legal standard used to determine whether one brand is too similar to another. And spoiler alert: it’s not about exact mat...

Trademarking your game name and logo might not be the most exciting part of development—but it’s one of the most critical. In this episode, we break down why protecting your intellectual property is essential in today’s competitive gaming landscape. We start with the basics: what a trademark actually is and why it matters. From there, we walk through the full process, including how to conduct a tr...

What if building wealth had less to do with income—and more to do with discipline, structure, and mindset? In this episode of Inventive Journey , host Devin Miller sits down with Axel Meierhoefer , a former fighter pilot, military exchange officer, consultant, and founder of Ideal Wealth Grower, to explore how the principles of military aviation translate directly into smarter investing and long-t...

What if the skills you’ve already mastered in a traditional job were enough to build a profitable, flexible business from home? In this episode of the Inventive Journey Podcast , host Devin Miller sits down with Haylee Gernert , an online business manager who transformed her career from dental office operations into a thriving virtual business. Haylee shares how she leveraged real-world experience...

In this episode of the Inventive Journey , host Devin Miller sits down with Abraham George , a man whose life proves that survival can be transformed into strategy—and strategy into lasting impact. Abraham’s journey begins in the Indian military, where at just 18 years old he was stationed along the Chinese border at 14,000 feet above sea level. While serving as an artillery officer, he narrowly s...

Innovation rarely moves at a single speed. Some industries reward patience, structure, and decades-long planning. Others demand rapid experimentation, constant iteration, and a tolerance for uncertainty. Few founders understand both worlds firsthand—but Larissa Schneider does. In this episode of Inventive Journey , host Devin Miller sits down with Larissa to unpack a career that spans continents,...

Every Big Law attorney eventually faces a defining moment—whether they talk about it openly or keep it quietly tucked away. It’s the point where the partner track feels closer than ever, yet somehow less appealing. Titles loom. Expectations shift. Compensation math stays murky. And the question becomes unavoidable: Is this really what success looks like? In this episode of Inventive Journey , host...

Paige Arnof-Fenn’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t start with a business plan — it started with curiosity, courage, and a willingness to pivot. In this episode of Inventive Journey , Paige shares how she went from Wall Street financial analyst to building a 24-year global marketing firm by trusting her instincts and leaning into what she loved most. Raised in a family of bankers, Paige assumed fina...

What if your biggest business failure turned out to be your most valuable leadership lesson? In this episode of The Inventive Journey , host Devin Miller sits down with Robert White , a seasoned entrepreneur, trainer, and executive coach whose career spans decades, continents, and more than a few hard-earned wake-up calls. Robert’s story isn’t polished for headlines—it’s honest, uncomfortable, and...

Yuri Cataldo’s journey is proof that innovation favors the adaptable. Trained at Juilliard and Yale Drama School, Yuri began his career designing for Broadway and film. When the 2008 financial crisis disrupted the arts, he pivoted — teaching, waiting tables, and launching a bottled water startup from rural Indiana. Through storytelling-driven marketing and early digital testing, the brand landed i...

Entrepreneurship rarely starts with a perfectly crafted business plan — and Luis Derechin’s journey proves it. In this episode of Inventive Journey , Devin Miller sits down with Luis to unpack more than 40 years of real-world entrepreneurship , beginning with a childhood hustle selling Mexican candy across borders and evolving into multimillion-dollar businesses, venture-backed tech, and global wo...

Every entrepreneur has a moment that changes everything — and for Trapper Roderick , that moment happened on a rooftop in high school, sheeting a house while his dad was out of town. That early taste of responsibility sparked a lifelong love of building… even if his path took a surprising detour along the way. In this episode, Trapper walks through his remarkable journey: 👉 learning construction...

When Jacob Dean looks back on his career, the through-line isn’t a straight path — it’s a steady climb built on curiosity, discipline, and the courage to rethink what success should look like. Raised in Northeast Ohio in a family of educators, Jacob grew up with a traditional definition of stability: find a good job, work hard, and build a dependable life. Entrepreneurship wasn’t part of the conve...

Discover how entrepreneur Jon Stamell built a multimillion-dollar agency, consulted CEOs, and now leads AI innovation to uncover the motivations behind customer behavior. From Detroit to global trade shows to pioneering psychographic AI, Jon’s journey is a masterclass in reinvention, curiosity, and strategic thinking. ⭐ Learn the biggest mistakes he made, the insights he gained, and his best advi...

In this episode of The Inventive Journey , host Devin Miller interviews Kristie Jones , a sales strategist who turned her early experiences in athletics, hospitality, and SaaS leadership into a consultancy helping startups build strong sales foundations. Kristie shares why waiting tables taught her more about sales than any corporate role, how she navigated multiple reorganizations, why startups m...

🎙️ Overcoming Trauma Through Art — Lisa Lappi In this deeply moving episode, artist and creative storyteller Lisa Lappi opens up about losing her father at 17, navigating grief and addiction, rebuilding her life through creativity, raising a family through military deployments, and becoming an award-winning artist. Lisa discusses trauma, recovery, education, military family life, and the power of...

✨ Creative Roots to Fractional CMO — Denine Harper In this Inventive Journey episode, Devin Miller talks with Denine Harper about her unusual and inspiring career path. From early motherhood to 3D animation, Manhattan agency life, the .com boom and crash, and the shift into brand marketing and fractional CMO work — Denine’s story is packed with lessons on resilience and reinvention. Great for fou...

🚀 In this Inventive Journey episode, Richard Turcott walks us through his path from Liberal Arts major to seasoned marketer, dot-com operator, CMO, and now small-business consultant. Learn how clarity, fundamentals, and internal collaboration shaped his career—and why he now empowers small businesses through Collaborative Growth Partners. 🌟 Topics include marketing fundamentals, clarity of custo...

🎙️ From broadcast dreams to corporate healthcare to a purpose-driven agency, Jaime Ellithorpe shares how mindset, marketing, and intentional systems built a reliable LinkedIn pipeline. ✨ Highlights: quitting without “the moment,” finishing one system, side-hustler strategies, and her Triple-M framework. 🔗 Guest: 540strategies.com • jaimeellithorpe.com ➡️ Be a guest: inventiveunicorn.com 🛠️ Paten...

🎙️ Join Devin Miller on The Inventive Journey as he chats with Jeremy Ames , a former teacher-turned-real-estate-entrepreneur who discovered success through adaptability, mentorship, and self-awareness. 👨‍🏫 From Teaching to Entrepreneurship: Jeremy began his career path in education, but quickly realized the classroom wasn’t where his long-term passion lay. After navigating early uncertainty, he...