The Inspired Stories Podcast

🎙️ From Slumberland Motel to 700-Employee Family: Sean Riley's Journey Building People-First Hospitality Culture In this deeply inspiring episode, Sean Riley, CEO of Main Course Hospitality Group, shares his remarkable journey from teacher working summer job at 19-room Slumberland motel earning $4,000 annually with wife running everything to general manager navigating savings-and-loan crisis w...

🎙️ From Accidentally Shot to Faith-Based Accounting: Katie Cox's Journey Building Dublin's Most Compassionate Tax Firm In this deeply inspiring episode, Katie Cox, owner and enrolled agent at Katie Cox & Company, shares her remarkable journey from childhood dreams of FBI special agent inspired by Miami Vice to leaving a 25-year partnership during COVID to build a faith-based boutique t...

🎙️ From Busing Tables at Cousin's Italian Restaurant to Leading Forbes Five-Star Coast: Scott Pinocci's Culinary Excellence Journey Scott Pinocci, Director of Food & Beverage at Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, shares his journey from busing tables at his cousin's Northern Italian restaurant to leading one of only 14 Forbes Travel Guide triple five-star properties worldwide...

🎙️ From COVID Layoff to Leading 84-Year Hospice Legacy: Jeff Thorne's 30-Year Networking Journey Jeff Thorne, President and CEO of Our Lady of Peace Hospice and Home Healthcare, shares his journey from discovering healthcare leadership through college career center informational interviews to COVID layoff recovery in three months, culminating in leading Minnesota's largest no-charge hospic...

🎙️ From Sexual Assault Survivor to Real Estate VP: Anna Jane Stanley's Journey Building Community-Focused Development in Mississippi In this deeply inspiring episode, Anna Jane Stanley, Vice President at Bellamare Development, shares her remarkable journey from planned law school path to events manager creating revenue streams from scratch at Mulberry Vicksburg, then general manager driving op...

🎙️ From Vegas Bartender to Philly Hospitality Director: Dana Canalichio's Journey Building 14 Bars and Restaurants Across Philadelphia In this inspiring episode, Dana Canalichio, Director of Operations at FCM Hospitality, shares her remarkable journey from college bartending discovering it was her happy place to managing Ghost Bar at Palms Casino Las Vegas (hottest lounge in the world when Rea...

 🎙️ From Nearly Losing Life Savings to Building $4 Billion Venture Firm: Seth Levine's Journey Through Foundry and Redefining Capitalism In this deeply inspiring episode, Seth Levine, partner at Foundry and co-author of Capital Evolution, shares his remarkable journey from investment banking through the internet bubble burst to co-founding a Boulder-based venture capital firm that almost didn&...

🎙️ From $2 Million Exit Mistake to Helping 100+ Businesses Scale Through Private Equity Strategies In this inspiring episode, Joe Carter, Founder of Twin Flame Group, shares his journey from scaling his first business to 12 retail locations in three years but leaving $2 million on the table due to owner dependency gaps, buying mom-and-pop landscapers achieving private equity exit in 18 months vers...

🎙️ From Sales at the Cavaliers to Sobriety and Success: Taylor Evans's Journey Building Rust Belt Recruiting In this deeply inspiring episode, Taylor Evans, founder and president of Rust Belt Recruiting, shares his remarkable journey from sports industry sales with the Cleveland Cavaliers through personal crisis to building a thriving manufacturing recruiting firm. Through candid stories about...

🎙️ From Calgary Winters to Arizona Sunsets: Lloyd McBean's Journey Transforming Las Sendas Golf Club In this inspiring episode, Lloyd McBean, Executive Director and Managing Partner at Las Sendas Golf Club, shares his remarkable journey from becoming the youngest head golf professional in Alberta at age 21 to transforming a near-bankruptcy Arizona golf course into a top 10 Phoenix destination....

🎙️ From Law School Food Network Therapy to Leading Hawaii's Farm-to-Table Restaurant Empire: Sara Connery's Journey In this inspiring episode, Sara Connery, CEO of Handcrafted Restaurants, shares her remarkable journey from law school student who cooked to cope with stress while joking "restaurants have lawyers? That's what I want to do!" She earned her bar admission in Hawai...

🎙️ From Ugandan Refugee Dishwasher to Award-Winning Chef: Karim Lakhani's Extraordinary Journey In this inspiring episode, Karim Lakhani, Executive Vice President of Food & Beverage and Procurement at Northwood Hospitality, shares his remarkable journey from losing everything overnight when Idi Amin expelled 80,000 Ugandan Asians in 1972. He landed in Regina, Saskatchewan at age 12 with hi...

🎙️ From Beige Food Palette to Fourth Generation CEO: Ryan Wilson's Journey Leading Lawry's 90-Year Legacy Ryan Wilson, fourth generation CEO at Lawry's Restaurants, shares his journey from eating only "shades of beige" until college, to training in Michelin-starred Italian restaurants, to becoming CEO July 2020 when all restaurants shut down during COVID. Through stories abou...

🎙️ From Housekeeper at 16 to Senior HR Manager: Abigail Flynn's Journey Through Hospitality Without a Degree Abigail Flynn, Senior HR Manager at Olympia Hospitality, shares her journey from starting as housekeeper at age 16 for Mahaney family-owned Inn by the Sea to becoming general manager at 24, then leading HR for 40-property portfolio across 2,000+ employees—all without finishing college....

🎙️ From Trinidad to 286% Sales Goal Achievement: Janelle Cash's Journey Through Cancer, Caribbean Separation, and Building Government Hospitality Partnerships Janelle Cash, Senior Sales Manager Government Travel at Placemakr, shares her journey from Trinidad separated from mother age three to sixteen, accidentally falling into hospitality sales, to actualizing 286% of goal before joining tech-...

🎙️ From Mexico City Engineer to Global Amusement Ride Leader: Dr. Jay Luis Aguilar's Journey with Chance Rides In this inspiring episode, Dr. Jay Luis Aguilar, Global Vice President of Business Development at Chance Rides, shares his remarkable journey from dreaming of designing roller coasters as a child in Mexico City to leading business development for a 65-year-old amusement ride manufactu...

🎙️ From Bussing Tables with Dyslexia to James Beard Winner: Bobby Stuckey's Journey Building Frasca Hospitality Group In this inspiring episode, Bobby Stuckey, founder and partner of Frasca Hospitality Group, shares his remarkable journey from starting as a struggling dyslexic bus person in 1983 to becoming a three-time James Beard Award winner leading multiple acclaimed restaurants across Col...

🎙️ From Accidentally Joining HP to Malcolm Baldrige Excellence: Teresa Roche's Public Service Journey Teresa Roche, Chief Human Resources Officer at City of Fort Collins, shares her journey from accidentally falling into HR at Hewlett-Packard in 1981, to building 90% internal senior leadership bench at Agilent, to leading 2017 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-winning city government dis...

🎙️ From Vietnamese Boat Refugee Family to First-Generation College Graduate: Kevin Nguyen's Journey at Bennett Thrasher In this inspiring episode, Kevin Nguyen, Financial Reporting and Assurance Senior at Bennett Thrasher, shares his remarkable journey from being raised by Vietnamese refugee parents who arrived by boat in the 1970s to becoming the first in his family to earn a college degree....

🎙️ From Eight Startups to Venture Capital Leadership: Toph Day's Journey Building Indiana's Most Active Early-Stage Investment Firm In this inspiring episode, Toph Day, CEO of Elevate Ventures—the #1 most active seed and early-stage venture capital firm in the Great Lakes region (top 10 in the U.S., top 20 globally)—shares his remarkable journey from serial entrepreneur who started eight c...

🎙️ From Litigation Refusal to "Father of Senior Living Law": Paul Gordon's 50-Year Journey Shaping Industry In this inspiring episode, Paul Gordon, Senior Housing and Care Practice Leader at Hanson Bridgett LLP, shares his remarkable 50-year journey from refusing hospital healthcare law pressure as young litigator wanting first couple years trial experience to accepting 15-20 percent...

🎙️ From Waiting for Phone Calls to Digital Brokerage Innovation: Mike Ehrle's Journey Through Benefits and Investment Tech In this inspiring episode, Mike Ehrle,  Managing Partner at Lumity and CEO/Founder of Finparency, shares his remarkable journey from nearly being fired six months into United Health Group sales role for waiting for phone to ring instead of pounding pavement, learning marke...

🎙️ From Chief Osceola to Fast Casual CEO: Chris Gannon's Journey Building Bolay Fresh Bold Kitchen In this inspiring episode, Chris Gannon, CEO and Co-Founder of Bolay Fresh Bold Kitchen, shares his remarkable journey from representing Florida State University as Chief Osceola to launching a 100% gluten-free fast casual restaurant brand with his father in the West Palm Beach area. Through cand...

🎙️ From Billionaire's Estate to Family Restaurant Empire: Sydney Grims' Journey Building Philadelphia Hospitality In this inspiring episode, Sydney Grims, COO and Partner at Grims Hospitality Group, shares her remarkable journey from managing high-profile events for billionaire Ron Perelman in New York including Pharrell Williams appearances to sacrificing a loving relationship and leaving...

🎙️ From Nearly 12 Years Homeless to Director: Chad Carbone's Journey Transforming Lives at Bridge House Ready to Work In this deeply inspiring episode, Chad Carbone, Director of Outdoor Operations at Bridge House Ready to Work in Boulder, Colorado, shares his remarkable journey from struggling with addiction and experiencing nearly 12 years of homelessness to dedicating his life to helping oth...