YES, BRAND with Hersh Rephun

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Lori Asbury, founder of CMO Co, to talk about what it really takes to build, scale, and sustain a marketing agency in a constantly shifting landscape. With over 25 years in media, branding, and marketing leadership, including senior roles at HGTV, Lori brings a rare blend of corporate experience and entrepreneurial grit. But her journey w...

Award-winning and bestselling author Aaron Ryan joins YES, BRAND to talk storytelling, creativity, and the imagination behind his prolific body of work. Based in Washington with his wife, two sons, and a lively mix of pets, Aaron has written nearly 40 books across genres, from sci-fi thrillers and dystopian sagas to children’s stories and faith-driven narratives. His titles include the bestselling...

In this episode of the YES BRAND Podcast, Hersh Rephun sits down with Rob Harrison, a British military veteran turned sales entrepreneur and founder of Magnified Academy. After 12 years in the military, Rob faced a crossroads familiar to many veterans: follow the expected path into structured employment or take a leap into the unknown. Choosing freedom over familiarity, he built a new life in the...

In this episode of the YES BRAND Podcast, Hersh Rephun sits down with Amanda Johnson, also known as the “Story Oracle,” to explore the transformative power of storytelling in personal branding, healing, and human connection. Amanda shares how she helps individuals uncover their “sacred code” by examining both the magic and the mess of their life experiences. Through story literacy and narrative me...

On this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Anna VanAgtmael, founder of Wandering Roots, a company that hosts adventure retreats for women around the world and helps entrepreneurs create profitable retreats of their own. Anna’s path didn’t start with wanderlust. She built a successful 13-year career in molecular diagnostics, even helping launch a lab from the ground up. But after a...

Ideas are cheap. Execution is where things get real. On this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Vladimir Baronov , executive coach to founders and technical leaders, and a three-time founder with exits in fintech and spacetech. Vladimir lives at the intersection most people avoid: business vs. technical strategy vs. execution thinking vs. doing He’s built companies from zero to on...

Ron Netanel joins Hersh Rephun to break down what it really means to “think like a big brand” and why most entrepreneurs are playing the wrong game. Drawing on decades inside eight-figure and billion-dollar companies, Ron explains the critical shift from small business tactics to big brand strategy. He unpacks the difference between branding, marketing, and advertising, and why confusing them stal...

Union of insight and execution. No fluff. Just better systems. On this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with process and systems expert Errol Allen , a former corporate insider who made a bold move at 53 to bet on himself and build a consulting business rooted in clarity, structure, and results. Errol doesn’t chase shiny strategies. He fixes what’s actually broken. From ADT to GEICO...

This week on the YES, BRAND Podcast , Hersh Rephun sits down with Leahanne Hobson , and let’s just say…this one covers ground. Leahanne has led strategy for heavyweights like IBM, Avaya, and Lucent, and went on to found Alinea Partners, now a top global channel consultancy helping companies navigate AI, security, and constant market change. But this isn’t just about big logos and big tech. It’s ab...

AC² — Building a Business, a Brand, and a Family Legacy In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with sisters Amoura and Avery Carter, better known as AC², founders of AC Creative Collective. From the jump, it’s clear this is more than a business story. It’s about trust, timing, and the decision to bet on yourself, and each other. Amoura brings the structure. With a background in edu...

This episode? It’s not about dogs. It’s about trust, protection, and what it really means to feel safe in your own life. Meet Graham Bloem . South African-born. Straight-talking. Zero fluff. Founder of Specialty Dog Training® , where “man’s best friend” gets an upgrade to “family’s first line of defense.” With 25+ years in the game and $20+ million in revenue , Graham isn’t training pets. He’s bui...

What do you do when your hometown is wiped out… and hope goes with it? If you’re Ron Ladner , you build a restaurant. Not because it’s a smart business move. Because your community needs a place to feel human again . Ron grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, cut his teeth in software, built and sold a company… and then came home. After Hurricane Katrina , he and his wife Laura opened Shaggy’s . N...

In 2006, our guest’s son was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. After remission, a second diagnosis, PNH, led to a bone marrow transplant. In the middle of it all, Make-A-Wish sent their family to Scotland to play The Old Course. That trip became more than a memory. It became a lifeline. During treatment, her son and husband would mentally replay every shot from that trip to get through the pain. Tha...

Christian Ray Flores has lived several lifetimes in one. From growing up as a refugee in Chile to becoming a pop superstar in Eastern Europe, Christian’s journey spans continents, industries, and reinventions. Today he is a high-performance coach, entrepreneur, media founder, and philanthropist helping leaders pursue success that actually means something. In this conversation, Christian shares how...

In this energetic conversation on the YES, BRAND Podcast , Hersh sits down with Nadja Fromm , Corporate Breakup Coach and Startup Strategist, to talk about what it really takes to leave the 9-to-5 behind and build a business that reflects who you are and how you want to live. With more than 20 years of experience helping professionals navigate career transitions, Nadja has made it her mission to h...

What if the very thing capping your income, confidence, and impact isn’t strategy… but something you learned at seven years old? In this episode of the YES, BRAND Podcast, Hersh sits down with Curtis McCullom, mindset strategist and creator of the LGET Mindset™ framework: Learn, Grow, Expand, Transform. Curtis works with CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs who are successful on paper but still hitti...

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh sits down with visionary entrepreneur Eric Malka for a candid conversation about brand building, legacy, and what it really takes to scale with integrity. Eric brings more than 30 years of experience in the luxury branded consumer-packaged goods arena. He is best known as the co-founder of The Art of Shaving, the brand that redefined men’s grooming and turned a...

On the latest YES, BRAND podcast, Hersh sat down with T Keaton Woods, who calls herself a “soul personal trainer.” Stay with me. T works with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs, the dreamers gutsy enough to say, “I’m going to make something new.” She sees soul as your source code. Not religious. Not woo. Just the core programming that drives how you live and create. And like any code, it can ge...

Hate “sales”? Get the icks when it’s time to make the offer? That actually makes sense — because your real job isn’t to sell. It’s to connect, serve, guide, and create trust with the right people. The problem isn’t your offer. It’s that most sales models force you into performance instead of relationship — pitching instead of listening, persuading instead of aligning. In this episode of YES, BRAND...

The real comeback isn’t to your old life — it’s to your true one. Rachel Gaddis didn’t just change careers — she changed her relationship with purpose. After a late ADHD diagnosis, a battle with breast cancer, and a full career reset in her 50s, she built a practice around helping others navigate reinvention without losing themselves. Hersh talked with Rachel about what real change looks like — no...

Gabriel de la Rosa is a Principal at Intelligent Relations. Across his 14+ years in Marketing and Communications, he has helped startups and Fortune 500 companies be featured in the best publications in the world. Key Highlights of the Episode: Gabriel Delarosa, a principal at Intelligent Relations, shares his insights on the fundamentals of communication and exposure in 2024, emphasizing timeless...

Hello! Meet Mike Adams, a serial networker (1,000+ events!) and introducer with 30 years of experience in sales and marketing at HP, Apple, Zoom, and many other tech companies.   He loves connecting people, especially in real life. You're gonna enjoy Hersh's conversation with Mike on this special Season 7 episode of YES, BRAND! A little bg:  To help track high-value,  IRL introductions , Mike crea...

A good number of our Season 7 guests are artists: they're also successful businesspeople who founded and have grown their companies, in some cases over decades. In addition to SC Pictures, Stewart Cohen's dominion includes media licensing via SuperStock and its ever-expanding archives. Frame life in its best light : Working your way through Stewart Cohen ’s portfolio of commercials and stills for...

"Simon is one of the most genuinely humble leaders I've had the pleasure of speaking with," says host Hersh Rephun of Simon Stillwell, who specializes in sales strategy and management, bringing extensive business experience from his work as both a board member and executive leader across multiple companies. Simon has navigated acquisitions from both sides, guided organizations through sale readine...

When I sat down with Morgan DeNicola , Executive Director of the DeNicola Family Foundation among other things, I knew I was talking to someone who doesn’t just talk about global issues—she goes out and gets her boots dirty. Morgan is the Vice Chairman of the Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI), the organization that works with Congress, the State Department, the UN, embassies, and young people to spark...