Despite Impossible

Today's guest is Nick Jones, a husband, father, bother, and son. He is also the vicepresident for community wellness at Nationwide Childrens' Hospital in Columbus, OH. He is someone trying to make this a better place for children. This is Nick's story.

Today's guest is Jeff Chambers and adventurer, a father of three teenagers, and a human eager to change the word. He is also the founder & ceo at Lumin Digital, a digital banking platform designing the future of how humans interact with their credit union. This is Jeff's story.

Jodie Schanhals joins us on this episode of Despite Impossible. She's a self-described "force to be reckoned with" and President at MeetingMaker. A tool for verifying meeting attendance by geolocation. The solution  is comprised of a lovely mix of several years of recovery, IT, mobile app design, tracking and geolocation experience. This is Jodie's story.

Today's guest is Kelly Botti, President and CEO at TruMark Financial Credit Union in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. She weaves her love for Taylor Swift and 90s rock into everything she does. 

Today's guest is Chuck Fagan, President and CEO of PSCU, a payments partner organization to credit unions. Leveraging digital technology, PSCU supports 2,400 financial institutions, representing more than 7.7 billion transactions annually. He says where credit unions own the member relationship, PSCU is there to play an important role.  This is Chuck's story.

Today's guest is Chase Bonhag, CEO and co-founder of FirstIgnite, an AI-driven platform simplifying the process for universities to craft compelling marketing content by analyzing complex research data and publications. This helps speed up the process of getting research data into the hands of experts who can turn it into new products and processes that impact our world. This is Chase's...

Today's guest is Clark Sweat, Chief Operating Officer for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Married his sweetheart, is a farm owner, and he's a guy that likes to play with dirt. This is Clark's story. To learn, and donate, visit:  https://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/

Today's guest is Jeff Russell, President & CEO at Delta Dental in Iowa. Father, music lover, not a dancer, and he happens to be the co-founder and operator of Catalyst Ridge Wines, a winery in Oregon. This is Jeff's story. To learn more, visit: https://catalyst.wine

Today's guest is Mark Zook, President and CEO at Maps Credit Union in Salem, Oregon. He's known for being a builder in the industry and says it's important as a leader to be a generalist, not a specialist, so he can ask "the whys." He leads by being kind and curious. 

Today's guest is Miche Rayment, Founder and CEO at The Hire Effect. She reminds us that becoming masterful at fostering and growing an effective culture and hiring takes intention and patience. This is her story. To learn more about Miche, visit  https://thehireeffect.com/  

Today’s guest is Linda Armyn, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer at Bethpage Federal Credit Union, the largest credit union in New York state and my alma mater. Linda is a dear friend and a huge fan of the Irish rock bank U2, which might rival my Dave Matthews Band fandom. This is her story.

Today’s guest is Pierrette Dagg, the director of Technology Impact Research for Merit Network at the University of Michigan. Her work aims to bridge the gap between academic scholarship and practical application to impact technology and information equity positively. This is her story.

Today’s guest is Mike Lawson, the mastermind behind CUBroadcast, a video-driven journal keeping credit union professionals up to date with the most important news in our industry. If you are not a credit union junkie, no worries! This interview is about the art of storytelling. This is Mike’s story. To learn more about Mike, visit  www.cubroadcast.com

Today's guests are Bonnie Fahoome and Kiana Wenzell, Co-Executive Directors of Design Core Detroit, whose goal is to champion design-driven businesses and their role in strengthening Detroit's economy. Fun fact: we recorded this on Bonnie's birthday! These are their stories.

Today’s guest is Gregg Hammerman, Founder and CEO of Larky, a digital geolocation platform empowering financial institutions' banking platforms. Gregg is a serial entrepreneur and a dedicated father. He currently serves as the Board chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County. This is his story.

Today's guest is Vince Kadlubek, co-founder of Meow Wolf, an arts and entertainment company with experiential exhibits in Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Denver. He creates immersive and interactive experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration. This is his story. To learn more about his organization, visit:  meowwolf.com

Today's guest is Dr. Monica Merritt, Superintendent of Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. She has also been recognized as Michigan's 2023 Superintendent of the Year.  Monica attributes her strength to the many lessons she learned from her father, Herman Boone – football coach at TC Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., whose story was portrayed in the Disney movie Remember the Titans....

Today's guest is Linda Bodie, an analytical dreamer, innovator, and passionate advocate for all those who don't  fit the mold. She is also the CEO & Innovator at Element Federal Credit Union in West Virginia. And, during the 2023 Governmental Affairs Conference, Linda is receiving the Outstanding Individual Achievement accolade at the illustrious Herb Wegner Memorial Awards. This is...

Today’s guest is Cynthia Hutchison, a loving mother, advocate, volunteer, and author. She is also the chief executive officer at the US Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and a World Economic Forum fellow. 

Today’s guest is Maysoon Zayid. An American actress and comedian, of Palestinian descent, she is known as one of America’s first Muslim female comedians. She started her career by appearing on the popular soap opera As the World Turns, and for guest appearances on Law & Order, NBC Nightly News, and ABC’s 20/20. She also happens to have the most watched TED Talk in 2014 . 

Today’s guest is poet Dr. Samuel Augustus, a self-described alchemist, a father, with a little dash of wizardry, and someone who loves being creative and believes deeply in helping people. He also has an acute eye for solving problems that may seem insurmountable. To learn more about his work, visit drsamuel.com  

Today’s guests are Gerrard and Racheal Allen. They are the founders of Centric Place, an office and event space with a mission to provide a welcoming workspace for all. Racheal is also the CEO & Principal Strategist for Operations School, a non-profit incubator for Black-owned businesses. To learn more visit: https://www.centricplace.com/  

Today’s guests are Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas. They are the hosts and force behind the wildly successful HGTV show “Bargain Block.” We are lucky they took a moment to record this episode while in the midst of the show’s third season, where they restore properties in need of love and transform them into affordable, stylish starter homes for first-time homebuyers. Keith is a savvy designer, while E...

Lori's passions can be summarized as being a fierce advocate for human safety and security, non-profits addressing these social causes, and her children. She is also the Executive Director at First Step Michigan. A non-profit with a mission to eliminate both domestic and sexual violence and to provide comprehensive services to individuals and families impacted by these crimes. To learn more,...

Today's guest is Liz Webb, a dedicated retired teacher who consistently finds inspiration in the arts. She also happens to be my mother. Let's learn more about Liz’s journey.