Keep The Change

Bart Nollenberger just got back from twelve days in Lusaka, Zambia — and he came home with a message he can't stop thinking about. Invited to speak to more than two dozen audiences, from children in the slums to recovering men in a treatment center to business leaders and church congregations, Bart realized he wasn't giving twenty different talks. He was giving one. In this episode, Bart...

David Long returns to Keep the Change to talk about his new book, Step Zero — and why winning isn't just about executing the process, but everything that happens before step one. Bart and David break down the three things that separate top performers: attitude, energy, and approach. David also shares his personal journey — building four businesses, walking in faith, life as a grandfather, and...

COVID didn't just inflate paychecks — it gutted a generation of car people. Old dogs cashed out, GSMs got promoted before they were ready, and salespeople learned to take orders instead of build value. Now the margins are gone and a leadership gap is staring the industry down. Bart sits down with John Alcorn — Operating Partner of Dogwood Auto Group (Mazda, VW, Volvo) — for a raw conversation...

Your team isn't underperforming. Your feedback loops are. The best leaders I know aren't failing because they lack knowledge. They're failing because nobody around them is telling them the truth. Their team nods. Their managers agree. Their numbers stay flat. And somewhere in the back of their mind, they already know something's off, they just can't name it yet. That'...

Most leaders are making this mistake daily, and their team already knows it. Drew Tutton has built what most people in automotive only talk about at 20-group meetings and never actually create. Multiple dealerships. Multiple partnerships. A reputation that precedes him across Georgia and Alabama. But what's driven all of it isn't what you'd expect. It started on an airplane. One boo...

What separates thriving dealerships from failing ones? It's not the tools. It's not the leads. It's the culture, and most dealers are building theirs on a cracked foundation. In this episode of Keep the Change, Bart sits down with Wendy Reeves, founder of BDC Angels and EiQ Performance Solutions, and one of the most connected and results-driven operators in automotive for a raw, uns...

Be honest, when's the last time someone actually challenged how you lead? Not your strategy. Not your numbers. You. I didn't know Emer Sanabria before we sat down. Michael Cillo told me I had to talk to him. Within minutes I understood exactly why. Emer spent 20 years in the Marine Corps. He's seen chaos most people can't imagine. And somewhere in the middle of all of it he lea...

A dad watches his daughter lose everything — her strength, her coordination, her independence — over six months. Doctors have no answers. Hope is running thin. Then one night, everything changes. What Brian Robbins did with that moment didn't just transform his family. It became a nonprofit that has now quietly, without fanfare, changed the lives of 107 women who needed a fighting chance. He&...

My guest this week is my oldest son, Ty Nollenberger, and what started as a simple discussion turned into one of the most honest talks I’ve had on this show about discipline, pressure, leadership, risk, and what it really takes to build something over time. We talk about the moments that shape your work ethic. The decisions that force you to grow. And why some people move forward while others stay...

If you’ve ever looked around your business and thought, “Why does it feel like we’re working so hard… but something still feels off?” this conversation is for you. Adam Marburger is one of those rare guys who can talk growth without hype, leadership without ego, and success without pretending the cost doesn’t exist. He’s the CEO of Ascent Dealer Services, a bestselling author, a Brazilian jujitsu...

If you’ve been around this show for a while, you know I love a good solo episode. But this week? I get to sit down with one of the most class-act humans I’ve met in this industry, Rob Ruth from Bob Ruth Ford in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. And I’m telling you… the more conversations we have on Keep The Change, the more I’m convinced this is why I love podcasting. Because you don’t just hear “success.”...

What if the biggest thing holding your business back isn’t your strategy… but your culture? In this episode of Keep The Change , I’m pulling one from the archives with one of my favorite humans on the planet, Euse Mita . He’s the Chairman of Icona Resorts , a former top leader at Half-a-Car, and the kind of leader whose presence just calms the room while still calling you higher. And here’s what I...

Culture isn’t what’s written on the wall. It’s what people feel when pressure hits. In this solo episode of Keep The Change , I go deeper than I usually do. Just a real, honest conversation about what culture actually looks like when it shows up every single day in meetings, in one-on-ones, and in the moments that matter most. If you think culture is a mission statement, a handbook, or a poster in...

What if the thing holding your business back isn’t strategy… but communication? Before you scroll past this episode thinking, “Ahhh, culture stuff isn’t my thing,” hear me out, because what we’re really talking about here is profit, performance, and people actually wanting to work with you . In this solo episode of Keep the Change , I pull back the curtain on something most leaders avoid until it’...

What if the car business wasn’t just about cars… but about calling, transformation, and legacy? In this episode of Keep the Change, I finally sit down with someone I’ve been chasing for a while, not because he was hiding, but because he’s been too busy changing lives. Frank Lopes is a 30-year automotive veteran, CEO of Strong30 Automotive, marketing pioneer, leadership coach, and one of the most p...

There’s a moment every leader faces, when waiting is no longer an option. No excuses. No blaming the market. No hiding behind “I’m not ready.” You either step up… or your habits step in for you. In this solo episode of Keep the Change , I share one of the most powerful leadership lessons of my life, through a story I watched unfold up close. It’s the story of my mom, who at 59 years old was sudden...

What happens when a kid who grew up homeless, digging through dumpsters for survival, becomes one of the most respected leaders in the automotive industry? This episode isn’t just a conversation, it’s a reminder that your past doesn’t get to vote on your future. On this episode of Keep the Change , I sit down with Ed Roberts , and fair warning…this one goes deep. Real deep. What we unpack in this...

What if the questions you’re asking are actually holding people back instead of moving them forward? I sat down with my friend Dan Nicholas, one of the most quietly influential humans I know, and what unfolded wasn’t just a podcast… it was a masterclass in leadership, listening, faith, and real transformation. Dan is the kind of guy who can walk into a room, whether it’s a boardroom, a restaurant,...

What if the way you lead at work didn’t cost you your soul at home? That’s the question that kept coming up for me in this conversation with Joel Manby. And honestly, it’s one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had on Keep the Change . Joel’s resume is impressive on paper. Harvard. General Motors. Saturn. CEO of Saab North America at 34. Chairman and CEO of Herschend Enterprises, the compan...

What if the single decision that changes your entire life looks ordinary in the moment. What if the turning point in your career doesn’t feel like a turning point at all until years later. And what if the leader you become is shaped not by victory, but by what you choose to do when no one else is paying attention. That is the heartbeat of today’s conversation with Chris Martinez CEO of  IgniteUps....

What if the biggest breakthroughs in your dealership weren’t hiding in new tech… but in the way you lead your people? That’s exactly where today’s conversation goes and trust me, you’re going to feel this one. In this episode, I sit down with someone who needs no introduction in automotive: David Long . A man whose leadership has shaped careers, transformed dealerships, and sparked movements like...

What if the gap between the leader you think you are… and the leader your people actually experience… is wider than you realize? That’s where we’re going today. I’m Bart Nollenberger, and on this episode of Keep the Change , I’m sitting down with someone who has reshaped the way I look at leadership, purpose, and the quiet battles most leaders never talk about — my friend Bill Goodwin. Bill’s a fo...

What if the biggest breakthroughs in your dealership have nothing to do with inventory, rates, or traffic, but everything to do with you? In this solo episode, I pull back the curtain on the real mistakes managers make and the simple shifts that can completely transform your culture, your people, and your results. Today we’re diving deep into material straight from my upcoming book, “Leadership in...

Ever wondered why some dealerships have record-breaking months while others, with the same tools and talent, can’t seem to sustain momentum? In this solo episode of Keep The Change , Bart Nollenberger breaks down one of the most overlooked profit drivers in the car business: culture . Not the posters on the wall kind of culture, but the real stuff that shows up in how your people communicate, lear...

If you’ve been in automotive longer than five minutes, you’ve probably heard the name Tom Stuker. He’s the guy who literally invented the BDC. The guy who turned phone sales into an art form. The guy who logged 23 million miles training dealerships across the planet And today, he’s on Keep the Change. In this episode, I sit down with the legendary Tom Stuker , founder of Stuker Training, to unpack...