Head Heart & Boots

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, we sit down for a conversation to unpack a fresh perspective on leadership, pressure, and the internal narratives that shape how we show up in business and in life. This episode is less about tactics and more about awareness. It is about recognizing the stories we tell ourselves when things get hard and how those stories either limit us or push us forward...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I dig into something that feels bigger than business but is showing up inside every business anyway: loneliness, disconnection, and the emotional fragility many people are carrying into work right now. We unpack how remote work, constant digital distraction, and the erosion of real face-to-face relationships are reshaping not only mental healt...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I tackle a shift that many restoration companies are starting to feel but may not fully understand yet. The traditional flow of insurance work is changing. Claim volumes are tightening, TPAs are producing fewer opportunities, and customers are becoming more cautious about filing claims due to rising deductibles and policy pressure. That shift...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, we sit down with Johnny Gabe for a raw and deeply personal conversation about redemption, reinvention, and what real leadership transformation looks like over time. Johnny shares his journey from growing up in a violent environment in Philadelphia, surviving being shot at fourteen, and carrying that trauma into adulthood, to building multiple successful h...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I sit down with Andrew Dobson , owner of ServPro Team Dobson , one of the largest ServPro operators in the country with nineteen licenses across multiple markets. Andrew shares the full origin story of how he grew up in a family cleaning business, left a creative path that once pointed toward Pixar, and slowly built a restoration operation gro...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I dig into a simple but surprisingly powerful framework that has been shaping how we think about performance, leadership, and execution. We unpack the equation of focus, faith, and effort, and why missing any one of those variables quietly sabotages outcomes in business, leadership, and personal growth. We explore how leaders often overestimat...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I wrestle with one of the most difficult leadership disciplines to master: staying emotionally grounded when everything around you feels chaotic. We talk candidly about the emotional whiplash of entrepreneurship, how quickly even the best intentions and plans can get derailed by fires, and why reactivity quietly destroys momentum inside growin...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I have one of our most personal and vulnerable conversations to date. We step into a topic that’s often misunderstood, stigmatized, or avoided altogether - alternative medicine and the role psilocybin has played in my own mental, emotional, and relational health. I share my background growing up in a deeply religious environment, my initial sk...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I dig into one of the most overlooked drivers of growth in service businesses: the client experience. Sparked by a frustrating real-world story, we unpack how even well-intentioned teams can slowly erode trust through poor communication, missed expectations, and a lack of follow-through - and why those failures compound over time. We talk cand...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I sit down for a raw, unfiltered look at the last 60 days - the travel, the pressure, the wins we haven’t slowed down to celebrate, and the realities of running two fast-moving companies at the same time. We talk about what it feels like when your business hits a streak of negative momentum, how long it takes to turn the ship, and why even sma...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I sit down with Claire Carreras,  a musician, comedian, fashion entrepreneur, and now co-owner of 1-Tom Plumber Austin to unpack one of the most unexpected and compelling career journeys we’ve ever featured. Claire opens up about a childhood marked by constant relocation across multiple countries, how creativity and performance became her...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, I sit down with Nilo Quiroz and John Villon to unpack their unlikely path from oil-and-gas engineers to running one of the fastest-growing PuroClean and 1-Tom Plumber operations in the country. We get into how early failures shaped their mindset, why putting ego aside became the key to their partnership, and how saying yes —long before they felt ready—hel...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I sit down with Alejandro to unpack what ten years inside one of the toughest jiu jitsu cultures in the country can teach us about leadership, loyalty, and personal growth. We dig into how a broken season in his life led him to a mentor who changed everything, why the Daisy Fresh laundromat became a proving ground for world class competitors,...

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots , Brandon and I dive into what Netflix got right about radical candor and how restoration leaders can use it to build healthier, faster-growing teams. We pull insights from No Rules Rules , share how we’re applying those same principles inside FP Restoration, and talk about how fear of feedback quietly kills trust, growth, and leadership potential. hope yo...

I’ll be real. Finance used to feel like the boring side of business. But the deeper we’ve gone, the more I’ve realized the numbers tell the story. In this one, Chris and I sit down with Jim Emerich of Backbone CFO to talk about how to turn financial chaos into clarity, and clarity into growth. Jim breaks down what most owners get wrong about money, how to build incentive comp that actually pays, a...

I’m Chris, and in this episode Brandon and I talk about what year-end planning really looks like when you stop chasing perfect dashboards and start leading with purpose. We unpack what worked for Floodlight this year, how we intentionally ran lean to leap ahead, and why your team’s buy-in depends on more than KPIs. What We Cover [00:01:12] Planning Q4 like an investor and how we turned red months...

In this episode, Brandon and I wrestle with a tough reality: what happens when disagreement turns into dehumanization, and free speech no longer feels safe? I share how one of my posts spiraled into thousands of views and heated comments, leaving me questioning how we’ve arrived at a place where words can provoke violence, and why leaders often stay silent. Brandon brings a veteran’s perspective o...

In this one, Chris and I talk fitness, sleep, supplements, and how to keep your body in the game while leading in the restoration industry. Late-night emergency calls, unpredictable schedules, and high-stress jobs can wreck your health if you don’t have a plan. We share how morning training, sleep tech, diet balance, and smart supplementation keep us sharp so we can show up strong for our teams an...

Brandon and I get real about extreme ownership in leadership - not theory, but the daily behaviors that drive results. We cover how to move a struggling team member without micromanaging, why cadence beats intention, and how sales management tools like PDI and golden hours create momentum. If you lead in restoration, construction, or home services, this is your playbook for execution. WHY YOU SHOU...

What’s up, friends! This week Brandon and I are coming to you from our brand-new HHB studio: vaulted ceilings, windows to the world, and a backdrop so good it deserves a tattoo. And for our first show in this space, we went big. We sat down with David Gonzalez and Mark Mushlitz from K4K Construction ,  guys who are pioneering 3D printed concrete homes. Yes, literally printing houses. This isn...

AI isn’t just hype, it’s already changing how service companies capture leads, close deals, and keep customers happy. In this episode, Chris and Brandon dive into the most practical, boots-on-the-ground conversation we’ve ever had about AI for the trades. Our guest, Nick D’Urbano , CRO and co-founder of Distance , brings a wild career path, from Deloitte M&A to running growth for Victoria’s Se...

If you're mid-career and wondering why the grind feels heavier, or you're trying to make peace with a shift in your role - this one’s for you. I finally understood what was really happening in my brain. That realization gave me clarity, and confidence. [00:05:27] Crystallized vs. fluid intelligence: Once you know which one you’re operating from, you stop competing with 25-year-olds. [00:07:02] The...

Ever wonder what it really takes to build an M&A machine inside the restoration world? This week, we sit down with Jeff Moore , the guy leading the charge at ATI Restoration, to get into the weeds on what he’s learned after buying 40+ companies in five short years. We dig into: Why culture eats EBITDA for breakfast 44:00 The million-dollar HR screwup that still makes Jeff cringe 08:25 Why...

In this episode, we get into the weeds with David Obert and Aaron Brunko to figure out what’s actually driving the dip in claim volume, and what it means for us on the ground. Spoiler: It’s not just the weather. We break down six key contributors, from deductible creep to increased competition, and dig into how AI, estimating, and people power are reshaping the game. Check it out: [00:08:00] Why c...

Some people build their businesses one fire at a time. Sadiq Isu builds with the end in mind, and it shows. Brandon and I sat down with Sadiq to talk about what it looks like to lead with clarity. He’s an immigrant who bought, built, and sold restoration companies, and did it on purpose. No scramble, no guesswork. Just steady, strategic growth with people and legacy at the core. This isn’t theory....