Next Level Leader

Marty Lass, PGA Head Golf Professional — Edina Country Club • Ferris State University PGA Golf Management Graduate • Respected PGA Leader Marty Lass is a distinguished PGA Professional and seasoned leader in the golf industry, currently serving as the  Head Golf Professional and Director of Golf at Edina Country Club  in Edina, Minnesota, one of the region's premier private clubs. With a career sp...

Angie & Dan Bastian were looking to put aside some money for their kids' college fund when they started a small kettle corn business out of their garage.  Initially selling popcorn at outdoor events, including Minnesota Vikings games, the couple soon took their popcorn to Trader Joe's, Target, and Costco – gaining a crash course in how to operate a business along the way.   Angie retired from bein...

Angela Burk is an award-winning high-tech marketing leader, author, and the fierce voice behind The Real Girls Guide to Over 55 . With three decades of experience scaling companies from scrappy pre-IPO startups to Fortune 500 powerhouses, she's built a reputation for strategic acumen, creative drive, and delivering results that actually move the needle. At Confluent, ServiceNow, NetApp, and beyond...

Beth Kieffer Leonard is a distinguished national leader in the accounting profession, recognized for her trailblazing role as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field.    In this episode, Beth emphasizes the importance of making intentional choices in both her professional and personal life. She believes in the power of leadership to impact people, clients, and communities positively. Her a...

Born on October 17, 1960, Delsing grew up in the North County area of St. Louis. His father, Jim Delsing, was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for several teams, including the New York Yankees, from 1948 to 1960. Jay learned golf at the now-demolished North Shore Country Club near the historic Chain of Rocks Bridge. Delsing attended UCLA, where he played alongside future PGA Tour star...

Tim Johnson is a former NFL Super Bowl champion, Sports Illustrated All-Pro, NCAA Football All-American, and Penn State national champion. Previously named National Faith-Based Leader of the Year by the John C. Maxwell Organization, he serves as senior pastor of Orlando World Outreach Church, president of the Orlando Serve Foundation, and founder of the Fatherless No More initiative. Tim travels t...

Matt Buresh is a fourth generation funeral director in a family business that began in Detroit, MI in 1897. He currently owns and operates six locations in Northeast Michigan as one of the oldest family owned funeral homes at 127 years.  This is his story about facing adversity at a young age and how it helped him to find his calling, define his character and build a foundation for how to care for...

When you are dealt with the extraordinary in life, the people in your corner truly do matter.    Nick Oprish tells his story from growing up in Bloomington, MN to a degree at the University of St Thomas, meeting his wife Melissa and being blessed with 3 beautiful kids and a career in corporate America.     In 2019 his journey took an unexpected turn that made him double down on his determination a...

From bricklayer to the CEO of a thriving National IT Consulting firm, Richard shares his lessons learned through his Forbes published book, "Relationship Equity." His no nonsense, common sense approach to life will undoubtedly inspire you to challenge the way you think.

In 2021, Chandler Withington had a life many would envy. He had achieved his dream of becoming a PGA Head Professional at Hazeltine National, had hosted a victorious Ryder Cup in 2016 and had another Ryder Cup scheduled to return to Hazeltine in 2029. When Chandler suddenly resigned from his position in the fall of 2021, many wondered why. Chandler visits with us to share his perspective on life,...

Ryan French, better known as Monday Q Info on Twitter, is a golf writer and journalist who pride himself on telling the stories of players chasing the top tours in the world and the dedication and sacrifice it takes to get there. French became particularly well-known for his coverage of "Monday qualifiers," which are events held on the Monday prior to a professional golf tournament where golfers w...

In this episode, host Craig Pratt talks with Jeff Mader about his life, career, and motivations.  Jeff Mader retired at the beginning of 2023 from the CIO position at Sun Country Airlines. Jeff started working in IT in 1980. Most significant was his nearly twenty- four years at Target where he progressed to a senior level VP reporting to the CIO. Jeff also served as the first CIO of Imagine Compan...

Nick Hernandez is a St. Paul native who co-founded 3 advisory firms after starting his career at IBM. Alongside his wife, Mary Alice, they have four grown children, three of whom are parents, and six energetic grandchildren. In 2020, he founded Adelante Advisors with Jackie Hartman, a guide service helping people navigate life transitions and find deeper meaning and purpose.

Wade Wyant is a recovering serial entrepreneur and business coach…He has helped multiple businesses significantly increase their revenue and valuations. In this book you will learn the multiple lessons Wade has learned along the way. Key learnings include how to lean into conflict, embrace the grind, make tough decision and it's all about the team at the end of the day. 

Chase Pettey is most known as an adventurer and lover of life. His love for adventure and helping others lead him to launch Adventure For All, an innovative nonprofit creating opportunities for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities or as they say exceptionalities!    Chase didn't become who he is today by chance. He became who he is by the obstacles and challenges he was...

Brian Eder is your classic Minnesotan…Raised inn Stillwater and went to St. Johns in Collegeville, MN to play Football for the legendary coach John Gagliardi.    One of the great gifts from his college experience was meeting his wife Greta. They have two beautiful daughters and a beautiful home on the east side of the Twin Cities. When he's not helping multiple charities across the Twin Cities he'...

Marc Mero (born July 9, 1960) is an American former amateur boxer and professional wrestler, as well as a motivational speaker. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under his real name and with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Johnny B. Badd. Today, Marc Mero contributes much of his ti...

Raising Men Lawn Care Service is the union of an ordinary yard maintenance service and the commitment to establish an inspiring program to keep our youth (girls & boys) on a positive path while learning and understanding their value in society. RMLCS provides free lawn care to our elders, those who are disabled, single mothers and our veterans, who do not have the time, resources and/or money to t...

Thomas Mendoza joined NetApp in 1994 as Vice President of North America sales. He served as its President from 2000 until 2008, when he became Vice Chairman.   He helped establish the culture that allowed NetApp to be ranked #1 in Fortune Magazine 's "100 Best Companies To Work For" in 2009, as well as being a co-recipient with NetApp CEO, Dan Warmenhoven of the  Morgan Stanley  Leadership Award f...

Brian Souza is CEO and founder of ProductivityDrivers - an innovative corporate training company that specializes in building world-class, high performance teams and organizations. Souza is also the author of The New York Times Bestseller,  The Weekly Coaching Conversation . As a respected thought leader in how to build high performance teams, coaching, leadership, and sales, Souza is highly sough...

Tommy Angelo is an Oakland, California professional poker player, writer, and coach. Angelo was a career musician in the 1980s, performing rock and country on drums and piano. In 1990, he became a full-time professional poker player. Since then has since written 150 magazine articles, written and produced 60 poker-training videos, and written and published four books on poker.   https://www.tommya...

Elli's House is a 501(c)3 nonprofit serving homeless & runaway women involved in human trafficking in the city of Detroit. Our mission is to abolish sex trafficking in the city of Detroit through building relationships, offering safe shelter, and providing education. ​ Elli's House was founded in 2017 by Deb Ellinger, a native Detroiter. While working with teen girls who were consistently running...

John Collopy is one of the real estate industry's most influential leaders. With 40 offices in and 1,200 agents in Minnesota and Wisconsin ReMax Results is one the largest Real Estate firms in the country.    John takes us through the highs and lows of his personal and professional life…His journey is filled with self-discovery and awareness on who he was and what he wants to be. John opens his he...

Clark Hodge escaped the confines of a corporate high-tech career to found and lead Chase the Music, a non-profit. Chase the Music gives children battling critical conditions hope, strength, love, and joy through the power of music. Very personal, original musical experiences from soloists to orchestral. From didgeridoo to dance. From bedside to auditorium. The shared experience of a Chase the Musi...

From an idyllic childhood outdoors (mostly on the golf course) to a runaway career in tech sales for EMC, Tim's life took a big turn in 2008. Realizing more income wouldn't bring more happiness, Tim chartered into unknown territory, visiting hundreds of schools as a children's book author and connecting kids to food with a Farm Truck. Ultimately, he began an overnight camp for a different experien...