Author: Paul Gichia

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Scaling Without Sacrifice

Kyle Rodgers:

Scaling Without Sacrifice

Kyle Rodgers was living the dream—traveling full-time with his wife and daughter—yet stuck working 80-hour weeks, missing out on the very life he built. Everything shifted when he realized the key wasn’t hustling harder, but leveraging smarter.

Bio

Kyle Rodgers is a Two Comma Club award-winning entrepreneur and the founder of Scale Sales Teams, a company that helps business owners grow high-performing, commission-based sales teams without spending a dime on ads.

With over 14,000 entrepreneurs in his online community, Kyle has become a trusted expert in leveraging Facebook groups, Instagram, and Skool to drive high-ticket deals—on autopilot.

Kyle is known for his straight-shooting, value-first approach. Whether he’s speaking on podcasts or leading workshops, he teaches actionable strategies for finding leads, building sales teams, and scaling fast. He’s helped countless entrepreneurs go from overwhelmed solopreneurs to confident team builders using systems that are designed to run without burnout or complexity.

When he’s not teaching others how to generate sales while they sleep, Kyle is living the travel lifestyle he created through his remote business model. He’s not here to pitch a product—he’s here to drop real, business-changing advice you can implement today.

Topics

  • Escaping 80-Hour Weeks as an Entrepreneur
  • How to Leverage Without Paid Ads
  • Digital Door-to-Door Sales and Modern Prospecting
  • Scaling Your Business Through Audience Borrowing
  • Building a Sales Team from Scratch
  • The Emotional Toll of Hustle Culture
  • Traveling Full-Time with a Remote Business
  • How Burnout Can Be a Breakthrough
  • Creating a Commission-Based Team That Sticks
  • Family, Freedom, and Redefining Success

Guiding Questions

  • You were traveling the world—what made you realize you weren’t truly free?
  • How did your experience in door-to-door sales shape your online approach?
  • What was the breaking point that made you rethink how you were working?
  • What impact did your workload have on your family and your daughter specifically?
  • How did you go from DMing one person at a time to scaling your leads exponentially?
  • What was the mindset shift that allowed you to finally delegate and scale?
  • How did one podcast interview lead to a $75K revenue month?
  • What advice do you have for someone with no audience and no ad budget?
  • How do you train your setters to approach audience owners without being spammy?
  • What’s your vision for growing beyond the $2.5M mark—and how will you do it differently?

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The Business of Failing

Russell Nohelty:

The Business of Failing

Russell Nohelty has built seven companies—six of which failed. But what he’s learned about failure, reinvention, and resilience is more valuable than any business plan.

Bio

Russell Nohelty is a USA Today bestselling fantasy and non-fiction author who has written dozens of novels and graphic novels including The Godsverse Chronicles, The Obsidian Spindle Saga, and Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter. He is the publisher of Wannabe Press, co-host of the Kickstart Your Book Sales & Six Figure Author Experiment podcasts, and cofounder of the Writer MBA conference & The Future of Publishing Mastermind. He also co-created the Author Ecosystem archetype system to help authors embrace their natural tendencies to find success. You can find most of his writing at theauthorstack.com. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and dogs.

Topics

  • Redefining failure in business
  • The emotional cost of shutting down a company
  • Entrepreneurial resilience: how to keep going after repeated setbacks
  • What failing six businesses taught me
  • Why some ideas don’t scale—and how to tell
  • The difference between exponential and arithmetic growth
  • Creative burnout vs. structural failure
  • Building and maintaining momentum as a creator
  • Extracting value from failed ventures
  • How to walk away from a project without regret

Guiding Questions

  • You’ve built seven companies—why do you think only one survived?
  • Can you describe the moment you knew Writer MBA had to close?
  • What does failure mean to you now, versus when you were starting out?
  • How do you know when to push through a roadblock vs. walk away?
  • You’ve said that failing businesses can still leave behind valuable assets—can you elaborate?
  • What surprised you most emotionally about ending this latest venture?
  • How do you decide what to build next after a failed project?
  • What role does storytelling play in navigating business success and failure?
  • How do you maintain creative energy after so many reinventions?
  • What advice would you give to a founder going through their first major failure?

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Stroke of Success

Roderick Jefferson:

Stroke of Success

Roderick Jefferson survived a stroke in his sleep, a near-death experience that only 2% of people wake up from. What followed was a dramatic medical emergency—and sparked a radical shift in how he defines success, purpose, and connection.

Bio

Roderick Jefferson is an internationally recognized sales enablement expert, keynote speaker, and author with over two decades of leadership experience in driving revenue growth and productivity. As the CEO of Roderick Jefferson & Associates, he leads a team of award-winning professionals dedicated to helping businesses navigate complexity and define clear paths to success.

Roderick is the author of the Amazon bestselling book, Sales Enablement 3.0: The Blueprint to Sales Enablement Excellence, which offers practical strategies for developing effective sales enablement programs. He is also a founding member of the Sales Enablement Society and serves on multiple advisory boards, including Capella University, Autobound.ai, Visionyze, and Selleration Inc.

Throughout his career, Roderick has held executive leadership roles at prominent companies such as Netskope, Marketo, Oracle Marketing Cloud, Salesforce.com, and PayPal, where he has consistently demonstrated his ability to bridge internal organizations and empower sales teams to exceed expectations.

As a sought-after speaker, Roderick has delivered keynote presentations across the globe, sharing his insights on sales enablement, leadership, and business transformation. His dynamic and engaging speaking style has made him a favorite at conferences and events worldwide.

Topics

  • Reframing Success After Near-Death
  • Building a Life Around the 4Fs: Faith, Family, Friends, and Fun
  • Stroke Recovery and the Power of Mindset
  • Self-Care for High Achievers
  • The Invisible People: Practicing Empathy Daily
  • Life-Work Balance: A New Approach
  • Integrating Purpose into Public Speaking
  • Redefining Masculinity Through Vulnerability and Reflection
  • Why Fun is Essential for Fulfillment
  • Creating Reflection Rituals for Sustainable Growth

Guiding Questions

  • Can you take us back to the day everything changed for you?
  • What was it like realizing you had a stroke—and that you’d flatlined?
  • How did your near-death experience shift your definition of success?
  • You mention the “4Fs” — how did that philosophy come to life for you?
  • What changes did you make in your daily routine after recovery?
  • Tell us more about your “Stroke of Success” keynote — what’s the core message?
  • How do you practice self-care now that you’ve rebalanced your life priorities?
  • What’s your approach to recognizing and uplifting the “invisible people”?
  • How did that vision of your mother shape your outlook on purpose and service?
  • What would you say to someone chasing success at the cost of their health?

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Reclaiming My Masculinity

John Lombard:

Eight Days to Clarity

John Lombard once lived behind layers of addiction, identity confusion, and emotional numbness. His turning point came when he confronted his deepest regrets and began a radical journey toward healing and clarity.

Bio

John Lombard is a transformational storyteller, sales coach, and author who brings a rare blend of raw honesty, emotional depth, and strategic brilliance to every conversation. Less than a year ago, John was suicidal—wrestling with chronic pain, gender identity, bipolar disorder, and the weight of a life marked by trauma, disability, and deep emotional isolation.

Born with hereditary spastic paraparesis, a degenerative neuromuscular condition, John has navigated life with limited mobility, incontinence, and the eventual transition to a wheelchair. Following a period of homelessness after COVID and a near decision to pursue aid-in-dying, he spent eight days in silence that would reshape everything. Through confronting lifelong pain, rewriting his inner narrative, and asking himself two pivotal questions—“What the f** is wrong with me?”* and “Why do I want to die so badly?”—John experienced a profound transformation.

Out of that darkness came not only survival, but clarity. He began taking personal responsibility, processed 44 years of pain, and started writing the book that would thank the people who saved his life—and hopefully, help others save their own. Today, John combines that lived experience with his expertise in sales and personal branding to coach others toward purpose, authenticity, and impact.

Clients describe him as magnetic, fierce, and deeply empowering. Whether he’s breaking down a sales strategy, challenging a limiting belief, or holding space for personal growth, John shows up all in. His mission? To help people stop hiding, start healing, and turn their truth into transformation—for themselves and the people they serve.

Topics

  • Why men suppress emotional pain and how to feel it safely
  • Addiction as a symptom, not a root cause
  • Rebuilding identity after gender de-transition
  • How radical honesty breaks addictive cycles
  • Reclaiming masculinity in a shame-driven culture
  • The role of regret in healing
  • Spirituality and recovery: what worked and what didn’t
  • How setting meaningful goals supports sobriety
  • Coaching others after personal transformation
  • Masculine expression vs. performative masculinity

Guiding Questions

  • What sparked your decision to confront everything during those four days?
  • Can you describe what those four days felt like from the inside?
  • How did your views on masculinity shift throughout your journey?
  • What did you discover about the connection between addiction and identity?
  • What role did regret play in your healing process?
  • What does “radical honesty” mean to you, and how did it help?
  • How has your faith influenced your recovery and your coaching work?
  • How do you help others find meaningful goals to anchor their healing?
  • What was the most surprising thing you learned about yourself?
  • What message would you give to someone who feels broken beyond repair?

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When Pain Won’t Quit

Kyle Gillette:

When Pain Won’t Quit

Years of chronic pain and dead-end diagnoses left Kyle disillusioned and searching. But the limitations he faced ultimately led him to a deeper strength.

Bio

Kyle Gillette helps business owners who feel like they are on an island in a state of SOS (stressed out, overwhelmed, and stuck) shift to more financial freedom, enjoy their business again, and to delegate with confidence.

Kyle has diverse experience running four businesses and a non-profit during his career. He has multiple coaching and behavioral assessment certifications and is the creator of the Leadership BLUE Print. Where his clients learn to (B)e Self-Aware Leaders, (L)ead with Accountability, (U)se a Growth Mindset, and (E)mpower Others.

When he’s not working, Kyle loves doing CrossFit, hiking, mountain biking, or cross-country skiing with family and friends. He also dabbles in woodworking projects from time to time.

Topics

  • Living with chronic pain without a diagnosis
  • When doctors don’t have answers: navigating medical disappointment
  • Faith and unanswered prayers in hard seasons
  • Muscle testing and alternative health approaches
  • How to stay persistent through long-term suffering
  • Parenting while managing invisible limitations
  • Mindset as a tool for survival and growth
  • The link between food sensitivities and chronic pain
  • Identity and masculinity when your body doesn’t cooperate
  • Building empathy through suffering

Guiding Questions

  • What first tipped you off that something wasn’t right with your body?
  • How did your condition affect your ability to connect with your kids?
  • What was it like going from doctor to doctor with no clear answers?
  • Can you explain how muscle testing played a role in your healing?
  • What emotions came up when the pain returned after a period of relief?
  • How did your faith evolve during this journey?
  • You mentioned mindset—how has it helped you stay grounded?
  • What has chronic pain taught you about empathy and connection?
  • How do you handle physical tasks today that most people take for granted?
  • What would you say to someone currently battling pain with no diagnosis?

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When Life Forces Reinvention

Diane Carson:

When Life Forces Reinvention

She was told she’d never run again. Instead, she ran farther than she ever had before—and discovered her true strength when she stopped.

Bio

Diane Carson is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience as a Promotional Product Advisor, PR Consultant and Certified Marketing Consultant specializing in marketing strategy. Her journey in the field has been nothing short of remarkable, spanning diverse roles that showcase her adaptability and expertise.

From her distinguished tenure as the Pro Consul at the British Consulate General in St Louis, where she orchestrated personal appearances and media interviews for esteemed personalities, including Prince Charles (now King Charles!), to her role as the Special Events Director for a major department store, where she even stepped into the shoes of Frosty the Snowman at Breakfast with Santa when needed, Diane has truly worn many hats.

With a track record of more than three decades as the owner of a marketing company and promotional products distributorship, Diane has been a driving force behind the growth of businesses and entrepreneurs. Her focus on highly targeted promotional marketing programs and strategic marketing has been instrumental in helping clients to succeed.

As a Certified Marketing Consultant (CMC) and the President/Owner of Promo Xpertz LLC, Diane collaborates with small businesses and entrepreneurs, guiding them to select memorable and useful branded items within their budget. With nine years at the helm of Promo Xpertz LLC and an additional eighteen years as Co-Owner of a full-service marketing agency, she has a wealth of experience in creating and implementing effective marketing action plans.

Diane’s professional journey also includes a decade with Dillard’s Department Stores as the Director of Wedding Registry for the Midwest Division, with responsibility for thirty-five stores, where she significantly increased sales and maintained the #1 Wedding Registry store for four consecutive years. She also spent eight years as the Publicity & Special Events Manager at Stix, Baer & Fuller, coordinating events and publicity for authors and celebrities in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Throughout her career, Diane’s strengths have shone through in her outstanding organizational and administrative skills, strong motivational abilities, enduring professional relationships, and a commitment to high-quality standards. Today, as the owner of Promo Xpertz LLC, Diane continues to bring creativity, dedication, and a strong work ethic to her clients, Taking their brands “Beyond the Bland”!

Topics

  • Starting a business after 50
  • Navigating career loss and identity
  • The power of female friendships in reinvention
  • Building a business with zero startup knowledge
  • Pivoting business models after failure
  • The emotional roller coaster of entrepreneurship
  • Getting support from SCORE and other free resources
  • What happens when your business partner leaves
  • Creating a sustainable solo business after loss
  • Rebuilding confidence through community

Guiding Questions

  • Take us back to that moment when you lost both your job and your marriage—what was going through your mind?
  • How did your corporate experience help or hinder your leap into entrepreneurship?
  • You call yourself an “accidental entrepreneur”—what does that mean to you?
  • What was it like to build a business with no plan and no money?
  • Can you share the story behind the dime in your first direct mail campaign?
  • How did you know it was time to pivot your business model?
  • What did the experience with SCORE teach you about asking for help?
  • How did your support system (or lack thereof) shape your journey?
  • What was the turning point that helped you believe, “I really can do this”?
  • If someone is in their 50s or 60s and feels like it’s too late to start over—what would you tell them?

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Stroke of a Pen

Margie Dunki-Jacobs:

Stroke of a Pen

Margie made a life-altering decision to chase fulfillment, even if it meant risking her daughters’ college education. What followed was a collapse of confidence, finances, and family—but also the start of something new.

Bio

Meet Margie Dunki-Jacobs, a dynamic renowned speaker, bestselling author, and breakthrough success mentor. She has dedicated her career to empowering others to unlock their full potential. With a unique blend of wisdom and wit, she inspires audiences worldwide to embrace the transformative power of positivity and step into a higher level of success.

Topics

  • Walking Away from Stability: Why Fulfillment Sometimes Costs Everything
  • Real Estate Dreams and Reality: What They Don’t Tell You
  • How to Rebuild After a Massive Personal and Financial Loss
  • What a Job Doesn’t Define—And What It Does
  • Listening to the Whispers: When Purpose Won’t Leave You Alone
  • Navigating Guilt and Failure as a Parent
  • Why Failure Might Be Your Greatest Teacher
  • Coming Back Without Shame: Humility, Faith, and Second Chances
  • The Pressure of “Having It All Together” and What Happens When You Don’t
  • Faith in Rock Bottom Moments: Prayers, Provision, and Perspective

Guiding Questions

  • What made you realize you were no longer fulfilled in your career?
  • Can you take us into the moment you decided to walk away from your job—and what was at stake?
  • What did those early real estate investing days look like for you?
  • How did your identity as a mom shape the pressure you felt during that season?
  • What was it like to lose so much—and how did you keep going?
  • Tell us about the moment when you felt like you couldn’t go on anymore.
  • How did the opportunity to return to the university come about?
  • What did it feel like to watch your daughters graduate on your birthday?
  • After coming back, what changed in the way you saw your work and your worth?
  • What advice would you give someone who feels pulled toward something new but is scared to lose what they already have?

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Four Goodbyes, One Mission

Debbie Simmons:

Four Goodbyes, One Mission

What happens when life shatters your deepest dreams? Debbie’s story is a testament to resilience, faith, and the unexpected ways purpose can emerge from heartbreak.

Bio

Debbie Simmons is a community activist, businesswoman, wife, mother to 9 adopted children, and, most importantly, a devoted follower of Christ. Her boots-on-the-ground experience, hard-earned wisdom, and faith-centered approach will help you build your business or non-profit, family or life legacy. Her inspiring testimony of living “love without regard to risk” empowers you to boldly walk through the doors God is opening for you with no worries.

Debbie is not a coach, she is a builder. She will inspire you to build the business, family, and life legacies that you have dreamed. Debbie will teach you how to be an Impact Player for the Kingdom both now and for eternity.

Professional Experience

Debbie Simmons has always ventured beyond the conventional, bravely exploring paths few would consider. From a career in mechanical engineering to graduating from seminary, and ultimately founding Anchor Point, she has followed God’s calling with unwavering faith. As CEO and Founder of Anchor Point, Debbie leads a mission-driven organization dedicated to helping families thrive through counseling, education, and community support.

Her journey has been shaped by her deep relationship with God, which began in her elementary years and has guided her through every chapter of her life. Whether through her faith-driven leadership at Anchor Point, her advocacy for adoption as a mother of nine, or her work empowering Christian business owners, Debbie’s mission is clear: to inspire others to build businesses, families, and legacies that honor God.

Through this newest venture, she extends this mission, equipping individuals with wisdom, strategies, and biblical principles to navigate both business, family and life with faith and purpose. Her journey is a testament to God’s meticulous preparation, and she invites others to join her in the courageous pursuit of building a lasting legacy.

Topics

  • Navigating the Journey from Grief to Purpose
  • The Role of Faith in Overcoming Tragedy
  • Transforming Personal Loss into Community Impact
  • Adoption After Loss: Building a Family Through Foster Care
  • Founding a Ministry: From Personal Pain to Public Service
  • Helping Others Heal: Leading Grief Support Groups
  • The Power of Asking “How” Instead of “Why”
  • Building Resilience: Steps to Becoming Unstuck
  • Faith-Based Leadership in Non-Profit Organizations
  • Living Your Legacy: Making an Eternal Impact

Guiding Questions

  • Can you share the moment you realized you were carrying quadruplets?
  • How did you cope with the loss of your four sons?
  • What led you to shift from asking “why” to “how”?
  • How did your faith influence your healing process?
  • What inspired you to start adopting children from the foster care system?
  • Can you tell us about the founding of Anchor Point and its mission?
  • How do you help others move from being stuck to thriving?
  • What challenges did you face in starting a ministry after such a personal loss?
  • How has your experience shaped your approach to leadership and service?
  • What advice would you give to someone currently facing a profound loss?

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Behind Closed Garage Doors

Jenny Burba:

Behind Closed Garage Doors

From subtle red flags to emotional manipulation and financial strain, she endured more than she understood in real time. This is the story of waking up inside your own life—and learning how to rewrite the ending.

Bio

Life threw me curveballs that could have broken me—teen motherhood, the heartbreak of a late-term pregnancy loss, and the devastating loss of my husband. But with faith as my anchor, I weathered every storm.

Today, I’m a proud mom of 12 incredible children—5 boys and 5 girls of my own, ages 25 to 3, a bonus son and daughter from my 2nd husband, both in their early 20s, and 2 (soon to be 3) granddaughters. I am a graphic designer, and owner of a thriving crafts and gifts business. After 14 years as a homeschooling mom, I’ve learned that resilience isn’t about avoiding life’s challenges—it’s about rising through them.

God blessed me with a second chance at love with an amazing man who embraced my children as his own. Now, I’m passionate about helping others who’ve walked similar paths.

If you’re wondering if you’ll ever see sunshine after the storm… If you’re questioning whether your story can have a beautiful next chapter… If you’re ready to transform your pain into purpose…

I’m here to tell you: it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

Let’s connect and journey forward together. ✨

Topics

  • The hidden signs of emotional abuse in young marriages
  • Reclaiming your identity after years of control
  • The impact of financial manipulation in toxic relationships
  • How motherhood shaped (and saved) her choices
  • When “keeping the peace” costs too much
  • Gaslighting and memory: how subtle abuse rewrites your story
  • Breaking cycles: what her kids taught her about healing
  • Why emotional abuse doesn’t always look like abuse
  • Navigating guilt, faith, and personal responsibility
  • The long road from survival to self-worth

Guiding Questions

  • What were some of the early signs that something in your relationship wasn’t right?
  • How did becoming a mom so young affect the decisions you made in your marriage?
  • In what ways did you feel controlled—and how did you justify it at the time?
  • How did financial dynamics play a role in the power imbalance?
  • Were there specific turning points that made you begin to see things more clearly?
  • What did “keeping the peace” look like in your daily life?
  • How did the experience affect your relationship with your children?
  • What have you come to understand about emotional abuse that you didn’t recognize while you were in it?
  • How did you begin the journey of rediscovering who you are?
  • What would you say to someone who suspects they may be in a similar situation?

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Fired My Ninth Doctor

Jess Wilson:

Fired My Ninth Doctor

What do you do when your doctor stops listening? Jess Wilson learned the hard way that standing up for yourself in the medical world isn’t optional—it’s vital. Her story is a crash course in medical self-advocacy, especially for women.

Bio

Jess is a remote branding and headshot photographer with over 20 years of experience, helping solopreneurs save time and money while capturing professional images that elevate their brands—all from the comfort of their own space.

As a mom, grandmother, fire wife, and thyroid cancer survivor, Jess brings a unique, compassionate perspective to her work, making photo sessions not only professional but also fun and stress-free. Her journey is one of resilience, creativity, and heart.

Topics

  • How to advocate for yourself in a doctor’s office
  • Why “just lose weight” isn’t a diagnosis
  • The emotional toll of not being believed
  • Learning to doctor-shop without guilt
  • Integrating holistic and traditional medicine
  • Medical gaslighting and how to recognize it
  • What every woman should track about their health
  • Getting second (and third) opinions: When and how
  • Pushing back on prescriptions with confidence
  • Why your health is worth the fight

Guiding Questions

  • What was the moment you knew your doctor wasn’t listening?
  • How did you build the confidence to push back?
  • What advice would you give to someone who feels dismissed by their doctor?
  • How do you prepare for a medical appointment now?
  • Can you describe what “doctor shopping” looked like for you?
  • Why do you think so many women struggle with medical self-advocacy?
  • How do you balance holistic approaches with modern medicine?
  • What role did research play in your healing journey?
  • What did it feel like to finally be heard by a provider?
  • What’s the one thing you wish every patient knew before walking into a doctor’s office?

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