The Jeff Crilley Show

We're already into September, which means we're just a couple of months away from the holiday season, and that's when all CEOs of all companies start thinking about corporate gifting. That's why I have my next guest back on the show. Melanie Jones is the host of the Beyond the Boardroom podcast, and she's the CEO of MelanCole.

When you think about the fashion capitals on this planet, you think about Paris, London, and New York. Well, Dallas is making a lot of noise in the fashion scene, and it has for 100 years since Stanley Marcus first brought Neiman Marcus to Dallas. Hazel Hartfield is in the studio. She's with FWD Fashion Group.

I have a confession. I know nothing about fashion. My beautiful bride, Victoria Snee, is the head of marketing for Highland Park Village. She gets to hang out around all these luxury brands, and she dresses me up like a little Ken doll. If I look good, it's all because of my beautiful bride. I confess, I know nothing about fashion, but somebody who knows a lot about fashion is in the studio right...

I love people who are making a difference on this planet, and that perfectly describes my next guest. Namitha Nayak is in the studio. She's the founder of People's Impact Network.

I like to think that I'm a unicorn in my world of podcasting and obviously public relations. I'm attracted to other unicorns, and I met these guys just recently. Alex and David Goldfarb are in the studio right now. They're unicorns in the space of benefits.

This happens every day in America: you're a brilliant entrepreneur, you start a company, and you start hiring people. You might be brilliant at one area of your company. Maybe you're a visionary. Maybe you're an engineer or an operations person, but suddenly the company takes on a life of its own. Many people who run companies in this country have not read a management or leadership book, and so t...

Some 20-plus years ago, I was a proud board member of the DFW Press Club, and it's an iconic organization. They went on hiatus for a few years, but now they're back and have renamed themselves the DFW Press and Media Club. I have an all-star panel talking about that today: Chonnie Richey, JoAnne Asenime, Johnathan Brownlee, and Tommy Cummings.

It's no secret that the restaurant industry is tough. There are a lot of people who think they're going to make a fortune in restaurants, but the margins are razor-thin. There are restaurants so crowded you can't get in for a year, and then the next year they're closed. It takes a certain kind of individual to lead a restaurant concept so that it can stand the test of time. James Gee is in the stu...

I think we all have a calling. If you think about what I'm doing right now, I first accomplished 25 years of TV news, and now my calling is helping other people tell their own stories. Jana O’Guin is in the studio. She's the president of Building Families For Tomorrow.

I don't know when no-fault divorce started in Texas, but on its surface it sounds fine. No fault. Right? "Let's make it easy. Let's get through this together." But Jeff Morgan is going through it himself, and he is suing to stop no-fault divorce in Texas.

This show is all about food insecurity, and there are so many hungry people in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Although we come from a very affluent community, there are a lot of people who are really living lunch to lunch here in North Texas. Chonnie Richey is in the studio. She's a good friend, and she's with Independence Garden.

I love people who are leading a movement, and my next two guests are the hosts of the Hidden Money Podcast. They've been around for three years. They just joined our network, and they are on a mission to change the way you look at your own tax situation. We have a great CPA firm, but many CPAs are not really trained to think about taxes, which is so important because you're leaving money on the ta...

I think you'll agree with me that we have a leadership crisis in America. It's not because we don't have strong leaders but because we don't have enough people who care enough to invest in themselves to learn how to be a strong leader. If you talk to any sales department, it's typically led by somebody who is a hotshot salesperson. They got elevated to head up a team, but they've never read a mana...

I was in TV news for 25 years, and unfortunately, so many of the stories that I was telling were negative. They were sad and depressing, and so somebody has to tell the good news stories out there. That person is Pat Good, and she's in the studio with me today.

If you remember a few years ago, the real estate market was so hot, anybody who could fog a mirror would become a successful realtor, but I think the strong survive. Any time you have a market like we have right now, which is kind of sluggish, that's when the strong survive. That's why I have  Haleema Rahim in my studio. She's one of the top real estate agents in North Texas.

I worked in TV news for 25 years, and I think TV news likes to glamorize the sensational. When you hear about the real estate market, you're always hearing about a national number, but I can't think of a better place to call home than DFW.  Something like 100,000 people move to DFW every single year, and when they're looking for a new home, they turn to people like my next guest: Will Koberg. He's...

As an entrepreneur myself, I get to hang around a lot of very successful entrepreneurs. I've known several who have exited their business here in the last couple of years, but that process of selling your company is very difficult. You, as the owner, are too close to it, and so you actually need to bring in some experts, like my next guests. Eli Goldaris and Tim Abbracciamento are with Isagani Yor...

I think sometimes the most dangerous person you can talk to is yourself, especially if you're telling yourself the wrong story. So many of us beat up on ourselves. When we look in the mirror, we see imperfections, and start beating ourselves up, or you have a bad habit, amplify that, and tell yourself the wrong story. So Val Vidal is back in the studio. We had her on the show about a year ago. She...

I think anybody of my generation is worried about that phone call from mom or dad that they've fallen, and most people don't make any plans for parenting their parents until after that accident. Because of this, Godwin Dixon is in the studio right now. He's the co-owner of Teresa's House.

We've always heard the expression, "You're a born leader." Well, yes, there are born leaders, but there are also people who need to learn to lead a team. There are so many engineers out there who are great at engineering, but suddenly they're running a company and need to know how to manage and motivate a team. That's why I have this next show scheduled. Please welcome Brandy Schade and Justin McC...

I can't think of a time in my adult life when becoming an entrepreneur has been more trendy. Many young people look at the most successful people on the planet and they say, "I'm going to start my own business," but often they need a little bit of help. That's why I invited my next guest into the studio. Once again, please welcome Tracy Irby. She's the director of TWU's Center for Women Entreprene...

It's 2025, so everybody needs to tell their own story, whether it's a personal brand or a corporate brand. You have to learn the special skills of communication, and that's why I invited my next guest on the show. Trudy Hankins is in the studio. She's an entrepreneur, communications coach, and speaker.

If we had a Mount Rushmore of Christmas songs, "Santa Baby" would be on it. I mean, I think about the most iconic Christmas songs of all time. Of course, there's "White Christmas," "All I Want for Christmas," and then "Santa Baby" are all on that Mount Rushmore. Tamar Springer's in the studio. Her father wrote "Santa Baby" in the 50s.

I think you would agree with me that over the last 20 or 30 years, the culture has changed. When I was growing up, you couldn't name a CEO, and now we can all name ten Fortune 500 CEOs. If you're a CEO or an emerging thought leader, you have to learn to be able to present, and you have to work on your personal brand. That's why we have my next guest in studio. Conner Krizancic is in the studio. He...

There are a billion business books, and let's be honest, a lot of them are boring. It's a lot of Harvard jargon, and they seem to drag on. I love my next author because she has come up with this amazing book, Carrots Are For Closers, and she was inspired by her dog. Vicki Cravens is in the studio.