Positive Blatherings Podcast

Jon Goehring spent years behind the mic at Rochester radio stations before leaving it to build StoryTrust Media, a podcast production company built on one idea: your stories build trust with your audience whether you mean them to or not. He joins Fitz at ROC Vox to talk about what radio actually prepares you for, why collaboration beat competition in his business, and how two people running simila...

Sarina Morales spent years as an ESPN anchor and Los Angeles Rams sideline reporter before Bally Sports went bankrupt, she became a single mother, and everything she had built changed at once. She surveyed what came next, found WeTheHobby, and landed in the one place where every thread of her career finally connected. In this episode she gets into the psychological techniques she developed for dra...

Maria Pascucci-Maciejewski spent over 20 years helping others manage perfectionism and anxiety. She launched a national speaking business at 27, wrote a book, delivered a TEDx talk, and coached hundreds of students through the hidden costs of needing to be perfect. In the summer of 2024, it all caught up with her. In this episode she gets into the childhood bullying that became perfectionism, the...

(00:00:00) Welcome to ROC Vox — Introducing Coach Jim Johnson (00:01:03) Getting Cut and Getting Fired — A Humbling Start to Coaching (00:02:45) Becoming a Leadership Junkie — Zig Ziglar Jim Rohn and the Personal Growth Pivot (00:06:06) The One-Hit Wonder Problem — Staying at the Top Is Harder Than Getting There (00:07:03) Lead by Respect Not Fear — The Wrong Way to Lead (00:08:36) Relationships R...

(00:00:00) Cold Open: What is the Eclipse Effect? (00:00:45) Welcome Back and the Non-Conformist Oath (00:03:47) Ella's Five-Year Plan and the 2017 Missouri Eclipse (00:06:00) Building Rochester's Eclipse Task force: 750 Volunteers, No Budget (00:12:00) Co-Chairing the National Eclipse Task Force (00:14:27) The Dreadful Lack of Agency and What To Do About It (00:17:21) Bonding vs. Bridging: The Tw...

Melissa Suchodolski told someone once that getting into construction was "absurd." That was 25 years ago. Today, she runs USC Builds, a 140-person Rochester contracting firm, and a workforce development nonprofit that Governor Hochul wants to replicate across New York State. In this episode, she gets into what it actually looks like to build a company culture most firms won't even try, what it cos...

Chad Marks was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison at 24 years old — and from his cell, he wrote the legal argument that freed thousands. Chad Marks — Rochester native, published author, paralegal, and founder of Blood on the Razor Wire — joins Fitz at ROC Vox to tell the full story: growing up poor on Lyle Avenue, the drug dealing, the 40-year federal sentence, the First Step Act argument tha...

EFT tapping might be the most powerful business tool your competitors have never heard of — and Raeanne Lacatena has been quietly putting it to work with billionaires, burned-out founders, and entrepreneurs who've run out of runway on the grind-and-push model. Raeanne Lacatena — licensed clinical social worker, certified professional coach, reiki master, and five-time #1 bestselling author of The...

Before Peter Conners ran one of America's most respected poetry presses, he was following the Grateful Dead across the country in a van. Conners is the Publisher and Executive Director of BOA Editions — a Rochester-based nonprofit that has quietly won Pulitzer Prizes, national awards, and the respect of the entire literary world for 50 years, while most Rochesterians have no idea it exists. He joi...

Most conversations — at work, across the dinner table, across the political divide — are failing. Executive coach Keith Greer says the reason is simple: we're all addicted to being right. Keith Greer, Executive Coach and leadership development specialist, joins Fitz at ROC Vox for a return visit six years in the making. With 40+ years spanning clinical social work, family therapy, and executive co...

She heard a voice say "pain is coming" — and ten days later, her seven-year-old son was gone. Meg Fitzgerald joins her cousin Scott Fitzgerald at ROC Vox to talk about what happens when you decide grief is going to mean something. In this episode of Positive Blatherings, Meg shares the story behind her new book Don't Miss the Magic — a twelve-year journey through loss, spiritual awakening, synchro...

SoccerSam Fantauzzo built Salvatore's Pizza from a high school home economics project into 35 Rochester locations — then lost his memory and had to learn everything over again. Salvatore "SoccerSam" Fantauzzo, CEO and founder of Salvatore's Pizza, joins Scott Fitzgerald at ROC Vox for the season opener of Positive Blathering. Sam tells the full story: a grandfather who never stopped loving Rochest...

In this episode of Positive Blatherings, Scott sits down with Stacey Steinmiller, founder of Radical Evolution, to explore the power of personal growth and self-awareness. Stacey shares her inspiring journey from running her own therapy practice to launching a thriving coaching business. Learn how embracing self-responsibility, managing reactions, and overcoming resistance can transform your busin...

David Autovino gave me the impression of someone who accidentally fell into performing and just kept doing it. It's because, for David, performance seems effortless, but he works as hard at his craft as any successful performer. David graces the stage, the screen and the booth but doesn't stop there - he shares his knowledge with people who want to improve their acting or voice chops. He's the rea...

Scott Grates is a self made success story. I was fortunate to meet him when he was a guest on Uptown Girls podcast, a show produced at ROC Vox about marketing and success, hosted by Martina Barley. I immediately liked Scott's approach to business and life in general, so I asked him to Blather with me. His latest book, Referrals Done Right, is a master class in relationships. When you think of Refe...

I'm an audiobook aficionado and sometimes I don't know what to listen to. I will scan Audible for hours just trying to decide on a book to listen to. One day I decided to take a chance on an author I had never heard of and knew nothing about. The book is called "The Life We Bury" and I loved it. It enticed me to look into the author, Allen Eskens. A former attorney from Minnesota who went from law...

Episode 109 was with Ryan Dacko and we discussed the wildly popular Jaws Obsession Podcast and his quest to write The Book of Quint. It has been written, it was self-published and then was picked up by a small but visionary publisher. He found an agent with his passion for this story and now the rest will soon be history. Ryan Dacko GETS SHIT DONE. Hang out with us for an update on The Book of Qui...

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Chris Wilmot, a man with an incredible journey in both the film and sobriety communities. We shared our experiences in the film industry, our personal struggles, and the importance of gratitude in overcoming life's challenges. Chris, whose family has a rich history of political involvement and success, showed us how these experiences have shaped who...

In this fascinating episode, we explore the unconventional journey of artist and photographer James Christopher Knight. From Rochester to Boston, Los Angeles, Paris, and back to Rochester, James shares his experiences in the arts, communications, filmmaking, and playing in rock bands in LA. We discuss the importance of following our passions, the evolution of music formats, the cathartic nature of...

In the film Jaws, Matt Hooper tells Mayor Larry Vaughn that sharks are a "Miracle of Evolution", in that all they do is swim, eat and make baby sharks. Today's Blathering guest is a miracle of evolution because Ryan Dacko has evolved over and over again. His latest evolution has given us The Jaws Obsession Podcast and The Book of Quint. The latter being a derivative work of Jaws as the backstory o...

Anthony Caruso has an interesting story about life, recovery, art - and his perspective on joy is inspiring. Join us as we Blather about how Anthony found his way to a new life through art and recovery. You can find him on social media platforms and also www.artofrecovery.me

Jowita Bydlowska is no stranger to struggle. She has harnessed her struggles into her writing. In this Blathering, I have a candid conversation about her first book, Drunk Mom - her writing style, living as a single mom and author, plus why she believes her most recent book "Possessed" lives up to its name. I highly recommend her books = her writing style is honest, raw and addicting. You can find...

David Stack is an introvert who turned his shyness into a popular YouTube Channel, Stack's Urban Harvest. Listen as Dave and Fitz talk about Regenerative Gardening, making something out of nothing and his dedication to helping others. I am grateful to have been close friends with David for 20 years! Find David here: https://www.youtube.com/c/StacksUrbanHarvest

David Ackroyd spent a career in the New York State Education system starting out as a teacher and retiring in administration. Dave looks back on a career full of joy and "warm and fuzzy" moments as an educator.

Bobby Newman is one example of how it is more than possible to turn a life around. Bobby discusses his life in and out of jail, in recovery and giving back to children. Find more about Bobby Newman at newmaninterventions.com