The Sea Captain Leadership Podcast

In this episode of the  Sea Captain Leadership Podcast , Phil Bender sits down with Molly Pierce of Track That Advisor — a marketing analytics and benchmarking platform built specifically for financial advisors. Many advisors are collecting data but still unsure what it actually means. This conversation focuses on bringing clarity, structure, and accountability to marketing decisions. In this...

Social Security is one of the most important — and most misunderstood — components of retirement planning. In this episode, host Phil Bender is joined by Thomas Drapala, Registered Director of Strategic Partnerships at Social Security Analysts (RSSA), to unpack the myths, misconceptions, and costly assumptions that lead many Americans to leave meaningful benefits unclaimed. Phil and Tom discuss wh...

On this episode of the  Sea Captain Leadership Podcast , host  Phil Bender  is joined by  Devon Volker  and  Jennifer Goldman , the dynamic leaders behind  My Virtual COO  and new  Affiliate Partners of Sea Captain Performance . My Virtual COO helps businesses stop struggling and start improving by transforming operations into a true growth engine. Thro...

On this episode of  The Sea Captain Leadership Podcast , host  Phil Bender  sits down with  Danny Kenny —leadership and performance coach, behavioral scientist, former college soccer player, and facilitator with organizations such as Inspirecore and the McChrystal Group. Danny’s story is one of identity, resilience, and meaning. After years of defining himself through athletic...

On this episode of  The Sea Captain Leadership Podcast , Phil Bender sits down with  Eric Doherty , President & CEO of  DPE International , a global AI and healthcare consulting firm. Eric’s career has spanned pharmaceutical leadership, medical device commercialization, global business development, and now the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. Rooted in a ch...

The Origin Story Kim and Morgan first met in high school and stayed connected through early career chapters in financial services. Rekroot began as a coaching and consulting firm before evolving into its signature recruiting and recruiter development model. The Four Components of Rekroot’s Work Today: Coaching Consulting Recruiting Recruiter Development & Placement Support Their model is inten...

This podcast features Christian “Boo” Boucousis, a former Australian fighter pilot who’s turned his elite aviation mindset into a framework for high performance and leadership. Boo is now the CEO of Afterburner, and his journey is one of transformation — from being diagnosed with ADHD and a debilitating auto-immune disorder, to becoming a human behavior specialist, strategist, and sought-afte...

This podcast features Jevon Wooden of Bright Minds Consulting.  Jevon is an Bronze Star–awarded Army veteran turned leadership advisor, keynote speaker, and coach. He partners with organizations and entrepreneurs to increase retention, strengthen leadership, and build cultures that drive growth. And now, Jevon is inspired to live a life leading others to be their best version of themselves.&n...

This podcast features Kim and Joe Koenig, who have been married for more than 30 years and have three sons and two grandchildren.  Joe is president of World Wide Technology in St. Louis. He joined the company in 1993 when it was a startup. Today the company is a global technology solutions provider with more than $20 billion in revenue.  Kim holds a Masters in Public Administration and a...

This podcast features Gray Rudd, who along with Josie Secola, spearhead NORA Partners.   Nora Partners is an Operations Consulting Firm that helps financial services firms bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to go.  Key points: The Consulting group works with financial services ensembles and partnerships to refine operations, optimize client experience, and foc...

Elyse Stoner and Angela York discuss how their firm Event Advisors transforms routine Financial Services events into tailored and powerful relationship-building experiences on this podcast. Event Advisors helps create and host client events that are not only lavish, but meaningful. Their philosophy centers around achieving high event ROM - Return on the Moment™ by focusing on what truly matters: y...

Gretchen Hydo is a Master Certified Coach (MCC), keynote speaker, and industry-leading mentor known for helping high-achievers break free from the internal rules and roles keeping them small—so they can lead boldly, live truthfully, and create lasting success. She is also the founder of Gretchen Hydo International. Specializing in business, life, career, and coaches coaching she helps people from...

This edition of the Sea Captain Leadership Podcast features Steve Hunsicker, who has just joined Sea Captain Coaching as a marketing and leadership coach.  He has more than 30 years of experience leading cross-functional teams and partnering with C-suite executives across world-class brands like McDonald’s, Boeing, Burger King, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.    Key points: Ste...

This podcast features Phil and Laurie Baughman discussing the background of and the vision for their newly published book, The Voyage . The Voyage – The Adventure in Your Lifetime   is an inspiring book for anyone who dares to dream of a visionary life filled with purpose, success, and adventure. Through a captivating narrative, readers are invited aboard the journey of a rugged Sea Captain a...

Laird Veatch became the Athletic Director for the University of Missouri in 2024. Before that, he was Athletic Director at the University of Memphis. He originally hails from Manhattan, Kansas, where he went to KState and was Captain of the Football Team. He then went on to the University of Texas and began his administrative career while earning his master's degree.  Laird began working at M...

Ambeka Khadse is the Founder of Flourish Compass , which offers wellness-centered leadership programs that integrate self-management with core leadership skills to drive organizational success.  Key points: Ambeka has over 15 years of talent development experience within Fortune 50 companies, AND nearly two decades in wellness as a yoga practitioner and teacher.  Her experience different...

Claire Myers Vitale spent more than a decade as a recruiter at a Fortune 100 Firm before she put on her entrepreneur hat and began her own firm: Claire Myers Consulting, a boutique recruiting firm headquartered in Sonoma, California. It operates nationwide, placing candidates across a variety of sectors, from Financial Services, Technology to Wine Production. Claire has a real appreciation for con...

Christian Muntean has a rich background in business strategy and leadership and is the author of Train to Lead and the founder of Vantage Consulting. He has guided leaders and organizations through significant transformations toward growth and efficiency. His deep understanding of leadership and organizational dynamics comes from extensive experience in international disaster relief and community...

KState’s Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development, Rob Heil, is our latest guest on the Sea Captain Leadership podcast. Rob grew up in the Kansas City area and went to KState for his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He’s back where it all began.  Key points: Rob started your career at KState as an Athletics Marketing intern and as a Basketball Team Manager, doing tasks such as r...

Thomas is a Business Development Manager at Supporting Strategies. He is a seasoned financial industry professional with over 30 years of experience in business development. His background includes 21 years in retail banking and 17 years in management roles. Thomas builds trust-based relationships with his clients that drive business growth.  Key points: Supporting Strategies provides outsour...

Sarah Carlan is the latest guest on the Sea Captain Way. Sarah is a therapist, leadership coach and career satisfaction mentor who helps her clients rediscover an internal sense of power that cannot be shaken by external events. She holds coaching certifications from Brown University School of Professional Studies and International Coaching Federation.   Key points: Sarah talks about her coac...

Internationally recognized business speaker and stroke survivor Roderick Jefferson is our latest guest on the The Sea Captain Way. He has shared his dynamic voice at a variety of events including keynotes, guest lectures, webinars, podcasts, and domain expertise panels for companies such as American Express, Oracle, Cisco, LinkedIn, Salesforce, SAP, Uber and Zoom. He is also the author of the Amaz...

Tom Schin is the Owner of Build a Better Culture, which helps clients with employee engagement, leadership development, company culture, people strategy and recruiting through one-on-one training or group workshops.   Key points: Build a Better Culture conducts Culture Audits. Tom call himself an “Engagement Engineer.” Strong leaders help drive higher employee engagement, increase productivit...

This latest episode features Sea Captain Coach Ben Miller, a Leadership and Performance Development Coach dedicated to helping his clients unlock their potential and lead with purpose.  Key points: His experience includes building high-performing teams, enhancing client effectiveness and driving measurable outcomes.  Prior to joining Sea Captain Coaching, he was a Managing Partner and Ch...

Phil and Greg are joined by Keith Willis, the President and Founder of Core Management Training, on this episode of the Sea Captain Way. Keith has translated his experience as a Captain in the US Army into being a sales trainer, strategist, and a leadership expert. Key points: Keith has invested his time and energy into understanding how high achievers perform and the strategies they use to achiev...