Leadership Lowdown

On this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Andreina Leal-Carrillo, CEO and Co-Founder of The Repair Tech, shares how she unexpectedly followed in her family’s entrepreneurial footsteps. Despite growing up watching the sacrifices and hard work that came with running a business, Andreina was convinced it was not the path for her, until life had other plans. It’s a candid conversation about entrepreneurship,...

On this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Pam Covarrubias, Founder and Leadership Coach at Café con Pam, shares the full-circle moment that shaped her purpose. After leaving corporate life and building her own path, Pam found herself helping immigrant entrepreneurs and Spanish-speaking business owners who reminded her of her own family’s journey and the support she wished she could have given her mother...

On this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Cindy Lin, CEO and Co-Founder of Hey Social Good, shares an eye-opening perspective on sustainability and why so many businesses struggle to get started. Cindy explains that the challenge is often not a lack of desire, but a lack of knowledge, resources, and clear direction. It’s a motivating conversation about leadership, education, and helping businesses take m...

On this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Joe Seriale, owner of Joe’s Diner in Phoenix, shares the unexpected journey that led him from studying electrical engineering to building a career in the restaurant industry. From working restaurants since childhood to a memorable clash with a chef that changed his perspective, Joe reflects on the moments that helped him realize where he truly belonged. It’s a ca...

What if the hardest day of your life turned out to be the one that changed everything? Aaron Frazier, VP of Sales and Marketing at American Technology Specialists, found his turning point after a grueling day of labor in the Arizona heat. That moment pushed him to recommit to his education and completely redirect his path. Tune in for a conversation about perspective, perseverance, and how one sma...

On this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Richelle Hopkins, Reverse Mortgage Advisor with Reverse Richelle, shares the importance of trusting the process. Richelle reflects on guiding clients through uncertainty, helping them see a clearer path forward, and the privilege of being part of such meaningful life transitions. It’s a heartfelt conversation about trust, patience, and supporting others as they m...

On this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Maresa Friedman, Director of Influencer Marketing at The Executive Cat Herder, shares why great leaders need to stay curious and open minded. By taking the time to truly understand people, especially emerging talent like Gen Z, Maresa highlights how powerful results can come from listening, observing, and trusting new perspectives. It’s an insightful conversation...

This week on Leadership Lowdown, Inez González Perezchica, Principal of Tendiez Consulting, reflects on building a career without a blueprint. She reframes the question entirely: not "what do you want to be," but "what's next?" One step, one reputation, one right decision at a time. If you've ever felt behind because you didn't have it all figured out, this conversation will reframe that for you....

What's the most expensive thing a nonprofit can do? Ask for too little. This week on Leadership Lowdown, Neal Sneller, Executive Director of Meals on Wheels of Prescott, talks about why fear around big funding requests costs organizations more than rejection ever would. He's learned to tell the story clearly, trust the community's generosity, and ask for what's actually needed. Bold, but not reckl...

On this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Danielle Rickert, Owner of Sir Speedy Prescott, shares why caring is the one thing you cannot teach. Danielle talks about building a team that genuinely loves what they do, thrives on customer appreciation, and takes pride in delivering great experiences every day. It’s a motivating conversation about culture, hiring with intention, and creating an environment wh...

On this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Marc Erpenbeck, President of George Brazil Plumbing and Electrical, shares why protecting a company’s legacy matters. Marc talks about honoring the values the business was built on, choosing to remain independent in an industry increasingly shaped by private equity, and ultimately transitioning the company to an employee owned model. It’s a thoughtful conversatio...

Watching your parents work that hard leaves a mark. For Anna Lam, it became the entire foundation of how she leads. This week on Leadership Lowdown, Anna Lam, Founder and CEO of Penguin Payment Advisors, shares how growing up watching her family build a life through sheer effort shaped her commitment to serving small and family-owned businesses with transparency and honesty. In an industry not exa...

This week on Leadership Lowdown, Marcy Maslov, Founder of e-Factor!®, shares how mentorship and resourcefulness shaped her entrepreneurial journey. After being laid off from corporate life, Marcy sought guidance from organizations like the BBB, SCORE, and the SBDC, leaning into coaching, training, and good old fashioned door knocking long before social media made connection easy. It’s a motivating...

This week on Leadership Lowdown, Alison Schmitt, Chief Client Officer at LT marketing agency, shares what it truly means to live and lead with aligned values. She opens up about the importance of ensuring your personal and professional principles match, and how acting with integrity, unity, and boldness shapes both culture and results. It’s a thoughtful conversation about values-driven leadership...

What does it actually mean to lead with empathy? Not as a buzzword, but as a daily practice? This week on Leadership Lowdown, Jim Triggs, President and CEO of Money Management International, shares how leading from lived experience shapes culture in a way that retention numbers don't lie about. His call center teams average 12 years of tenure, and he'll tell you exactly why. If you lead people and...

New episode out now! On this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Gregg Cantor, President and CEO, and Rachel Cantor Walker, Vice President of Operations at Murray Lampert, share what makes their work truly rewarding. From seeing clients bring their newly finished spaces to life to building a strong sense of camaraderie within their team, they reflect on the moments that make all the hard work worth it. It’...

This week on Leadership Lowdown, Ville Houttu, Founder and CEO of Privv, reflects on what truly makes an entrepreneur. Ville shares why resilience is the common thread among founders who succeed, whether that grit is something you are born with or something that gets sharpened over time. He talks candidly about tenacity, learning through experience, and how mentorship and momentum continue to shap...

This week on Leadership Lowdown, Lindsey Rushing, President of Peerless Plumbing, shares how creating a positive, supportive culture keeps her team motivated and engaged. From celebrating wins to learning from mistakes, Lindsey explains why accountability and encouragement go hand in hand. By ending tough conversations on a high note and recognizing great work, she has built an environment where p...

This week on Leadership Lowdown, Travis Gepson, General Manager and Integrator at Compressed Air Power, shares why culture cannot be forced, only lived. Travis explains how true culture evolves through everyday actions, leaders modeling core values, and showing up consistently with integrity. When values are lived without compromise, culture becomes something you can feel, own, and build upon toge...

This week on Leadership Lowdown, Dean Trostle, Owner of Auto Partners, shares his people first philosophy on building a strong company culture. Dean explains why hiring good people, treating them fairly, and truly understanding their needs creates an environment where teams want to show up, succeed, and serve customers well. For him, culture is not a buzzword. It is the foundation of a business th...

This week on Leadership Lowdown, Rizpah Bellard, President and Lead Agriculturalist at Nova Farming, shares her mission to expand how young people think about agriculture. Rizpah explains how education can open doors to countless career paths within the industry, all rooted in a greater purpose of feeding communities, creating opportunity, and nourishing people around the world. She also talks abo...

This week on Leadership Lowdown, Kendra Riley, Owner of Dawning PR, shares how a desire for flexibility and purpose led her to take the leap into entrepreneurship. From recognizing a growing need for PR support to launching her own business in 2013, Kendra reflects on the courage it took to step away from a traditional nine to five and build something on her own terms. It’s an inspiring conversati...

Building something meaningful doesn't happen by accident. It happens through courage, clarity, and staying true to who you are. In this week's Leadership Lowdown, Raji Brar , Chief Operating Officer of Countryside Corporation , shares her family's journey from working in the fields to building a thriving multi-brand business employing over 500 people across the Central Valley. Raji opens up about...

Great leadership doesn’t always come from having all the answers. Sometimes, it starts with curiosity and the courage to ask, “What if?” On this week’s Leadership Lowdown , Bethany Mok , Manager of Advancement for the Cardinals Foundation, shares how fresh perspectives can help shift stagnant cultures and inspire new ways of leading. Bethany talks about rethinking mentorship and how some of the mo...

Doing things the right way from the start isn’t always easy, but it can become one of a business’s greatest strengths. In this week’s Leadership Lowdown, Glenna Gates, Owner of Spherion Staffing, shares how embracing compliance, auditing, and prevention helped create consistency, protect trust, and give her peace of mind as a leader. She also reflects on the early days of entrepreneurship and the...