PODCAST · business
Anything But Typical
by Gary Frey & Ben McDonald
Gary Frey & Ben McDonald host round table conversations discussing entrepreneurship, leadership, and success on your own terms.
Episodes
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180: From Overthinking to Impact: The MindRev Journey with Matt Zinman
In this engaging interview, Matt Zinman shares his journey from entrepreneurship to developing the innovative MindRev app, designed to combat overthinking and burnout. Discover insights on leadership, resilience, and the power of self-kindness, along with practical strategies for mental…
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179: Kim Coleman: Using Laughter to Shift Your Mindset
Kim Coleman: Using Laughter to Shift Your Mindset What if laughter wasn’t just a reaction to something funny, but an intentional tool for changing your mindset, strengthening culture, and navigating difficult moments? In this episode of Anything But Typical, Gary and Ben sit down with Kim…
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178: Christian Klender | From Motor Sports to Watches
Christian Klender’s career has taken him from software engineering and professional motorsports to building Watches of Charlotte. In this episode of Anything But Typical, Christian shares how he broke into racing, helped build McLaren’s presence in Charlotte, and eventually made the jump into...
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177: Built Through Constant Change: William McKee on Entrepreneurship, Technology & AI
William McKee didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur. His path moved through engineering, technology, philosophy, travel, teaching, and eventually into building Knowmad Digital Marketing. In this episode of Anything But Typical, William McKee joins Gary Frey and Ben to share how curiosity,...
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176: From Race Car Driver to Team Owner: Erin Vogel on Leadership & Women in Motorsports
**Episode Summary:** Erin Vogel, semi-retired sports car racing driver and founder of AE Victory Racing, shares her journey from growing up in a family of racing pioneers to becoming a team owner on a mission to create opportunities for women in motorsports. She discusses overcoming imposter...
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175: David Wurtzbacher — Building a People-First Business
David Wurtzbacher — Building a People-First Business What does it really look like to put people first while building and scaling a business? In this episode of Anything But Typical, Gary and Ben sit down with David Wurtzbacher, Founder and CEO of Ascend, to talk about leadership…
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174: From Corporate Banking to Physical Copper: Allen Cates on Trust, Failure & Reinvention
From Corporate Banking to Physical Copper: Allen Cates on Trust, Failure & Reinvention Allen Cates’ entrepreneurial journey has taken him across countries, industries, and some incredibly difficult business lessons. Growing up in Canada, Australia, England, and the United States taught him how to...
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173: Building EarthKind: Integrity, Innovation, and Knowing When to Let Go with Kari Warberg Block
Brief Summary Kari Warberg Block joins Gary Frey and Ben McDonald to share her anything-but-typical journey from growing up in an entrepreneurial family to founding EarthKind, a nationally recognized plant-based pest-prevention company. Kari discusses the near-death experience that changed the...
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172: Alex Harris: Redefining Impossible Through Everest, Faith, Failure, and The Munga
Alex Harris — explorer, mountaineer, speaker, entrepreneur, endurance athlete, and creator of The Munga, a 700-mile nonstop bike race across South Africa. Brief Summary In this episode of Anything But Typical, Gary Frey and Ben sit down with Alex Harris, a South African explorer whose life has…
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171: Randy Golenberg on Finding a Way, Rebuilding After Loss, and Loving the Work
When venture capital takes over your family business, you can do everything right — and still lose. Randy Golenberg lived it. He spent 14 years in his family's caulk manufacturing business before private equity involvement triggered its collapse into bankruptcy. That bankruptcy became the…
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170: Ben Kinney on Storytelling, Business Media, and Building Trust
In this episode of Anything But Typical, Gary Frey and Ben McDonald sit down with Ben Kinney, publisher of Business North Carolina, SouthPark Magazine, and North Carolina Tribune. Ben shares how growing up as the son of a journalist, moving from city to city, and constantly being the new kid…
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169: The Journey of Leadership, Growth, and Culture at One Digital with Mark McLean
Discover the story of Mark McLean’s impressive journey from early influences to leading a multi-billion-dollar company. Learn how culture, relationships, humility, and strategic growth propel organizations through transitions and challenges. Main topics: Building a career in insurance and…
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168: Embracing Authenticity, Branding, and Referrals with Stacey Brown Randall
In this episode, Stacey Brown Randall shares her inspiring journey from business failures to becoming a trusted referral expert, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and intentional branding. Discover her tactics for building meaningful relationships, protecting your IP in the age of AI…
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167: Building a Business Rooted in Love, Not Profit with Stephen Phelan
In this episode, hosts sit down with Stephen Phelan, Chief Spiritual Integration Officer at Faith-Driven Entrepreneur, to unpack a powerful idea: what if business wasn’t just about profit—but about people? Stephen shares the story behind Movement Mortgage and how a bold vision during the 2008...
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166: Leadership, Humility & the Journey from Farm Fields to Global Business with Jamie Ledford
Brief summary of show: Jamie Ledford, President of Golf Pride, shares his journey from growing up in Walla Walla, Washington, to leading a global brand. Through stories of farm life, mentorship, international experiences, and career pivots, Jamie reflects on leadership, humility, and the…
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165: From Navy SEAL to CEO with Tim CruickShank
Brief summary of show: What can Navy SEAL training teach you about leadership, business, and life? In this episode of Anything But Typical, Gary and Ben sit down with retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Tim Cruickshank, founder of Bone Frog Coffee Company, to break down the mindset…
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164: The Power of Relationships in Business and Life with Ashley Tison
Episode live date: March 10 Name of show: Anything But Typical Podcasts Episode number and title: Episode 164: The Power of Relationships in Business and Life with Ashley Tison Brief summary of show: What if the most important business question has nothing to do with business? In this episode,...
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163: Doing Business the Right Way with Joe III, Joe IV, & Ben Cherry
“It’s not about us.” – Joe Cherry IV Long before Cherry & Associates was a three-man team, it was a father at 39, staring down the risk of starting over. New city. Commission-only real estate sales. Kids who could sense that the math at the kitchen table didn’t quite add up. Joe Cherry III’s sons...
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162: Behavioral Performance In Business with Cathy Maday
“I’ve been poor before. That doesn’t bother me.” – Cathy Maday Cathy didn’t grow up around startup jargon or leadership books. She grew up on the Bad River Indian Reservation in northern Wisconsin. Work wasn’t a phase. It was how you made things possible. You did chores, took odd jobs, & learned...
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161: Breaking Out of Sleepwalking At Work To Succeed On Your Own with Lauren Goodell
“I closed the biggest deal of my life playing Candy Crush on my phone over Zoom… I could do this in my sleep at this point.” — Lauren Goodell One moment, Lauren Goodell was operating at the highest level — thriving in corporate tech, leading the room, closing deals most people never touch. And...
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160: How a $5 Gift Card Led to Starting His Own Business with George El-Hage
“I’d like people to say this guy lived life with no regrets.” – George El-Hage There are moments in life when something small reveals something big. For George, it was a note on his desk praising his performance… along with a $5 Tim Hortons gift card. It wasn’t the amount that bothered him. It…
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159: When Your Passion Project Becomes More Successful Than Most Small Businesses with Daniel Hearl
“It’s the fleeting moments of bliss — being connected to your family in a real, meaningful way.” – Daniel Hearl Dan has a big job. Really big. He leads a 300+ person sales organization inside a Fortune 100 company. It’s not what he talks about most. In fact, he rarely talks about titles…
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158: The Journey From Never Walking Again to Running a Half Marathon with Dean Otto
“Belief isn’t a feeling — it’s a decision.” – Dean Otto One moment, Dean Otto was living life on his terms — an avid cyclist, athlete, & high-achieving leader. And then, everything changed. On what should have been a routine morning bike ride, an F-150 — a truck weighing more than two tons —…
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157: Solving The Ugly Problems Nobody Wants with Kenneth Lopez
“I like to solve problems, & I never give up.” – Martin Kenneth Lopez Most founders talk tough. Kenneth grew up in a place that required it. Lima, Peru — beautiful on the surface, unforgiving underneath. Corruption. Precarity. An environment built to break entrepreneurs. There’s no help desk in a...
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156: Getting Past Safety to Solve Early Tech Adoption with Jim Marascio
“I think if I’m gonna be remembered some way, it’s for the way I’ve served & helped others.” – Jim Marascio Seven-year-old Jim dreamed big — Notre Dame quarterback, Heisman, NFL Hall of Fame. But he grew up in Augusta, ME, where you chose something steady & respectable. His parents were…
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155: Helping CEOs Move Beyond Hurdles to Scale with Shay Prosser
“Entrepreneurship is scary as well as compelling in a weird way.” – Shay Prosser That’s the quiet admission of someone who’s lived the tension of building something that matters—between fear & purpose, risk & reward—and kept moving anyway. Shay started in chaos: a newborn on the floor, the…
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154: How Japanese Philosophical Values Have Led To A Life Of Purpose with Mark Fujiwara
“I don’t give advice to my kids. I lead by example.” – Mark Fujiwara Mark’s compass isn’t a slogan on a wall—it’s lived. Born to a Japanese father and Chinese mother, he grew up between two worlds that both valued humility, presence, & community. ✨Wabi-sabi: embrace the cracks & fill them with...
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153: Nonprofit Leadership, Foster Care, and Creating Impact with Susanna Kavanaugh
“I don’t take no for an answer, & I’m kind of a warrior for kids in foster care.” – Susanna Kavanaugh That line doesn’t come from a podium. It comes from a mom who’s loved, lost, & chosen to love again. At 18, Susanna placed a child for adoption, a wound so deep it could have ended her story....
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152: Early Adoption of New Technologies with Rob Norris
“You have an opportunity to take your natural skills and put ’em in a place that they aren’t naturally found.” – Rob Norris That’s not advice. That’s a dare. Because it’s easy to keep your talents where they stack neatly, to stay in the aisle with the labels facing forward. Safe. Predictable....
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151: Former KGB Spy Jack Barsky Returns For Part 2
“I am staying.” – Jack Barsky Three words on a dirt road. Three words that ended one life & cemented another. Three words that turned a mission into a calling. Because by the time Moscow ordered this KGB agent home, Jack wasn’t just a spy with a cover story. He was a college valedictorian, a...
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150: Lessons From KGB Spy Jack Barsky
“I became an American & said goodbye to them [the KGB].” – Jack Barsky Sounds like the opening line of a spy thriller. Except this one’s real. For a decade, Jack lived undercover in the U.S. as a KGB agent. His mission wasn’t excitement. No tuxedos. No martinis. Just the discipline to disappear —...
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149: Changing Course to Find Your True Calling with Ryan Monk
"I thought my calling was to be a Catholic priest." – Ryan Monk It wasn’t a whim. Ryan devoted years — undergrad, master’s, a year of theology in seminary — to answering what he believed was his life’s purpose. But somewhere along the way, a quiet unease began to grow. His head said priesthood…
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148: Using Data and AI In Business with Andrew James
“That’d be impossible… unless?” – Andrew James How do you respond when life throws a punch? If you’re like most people, when you hit a wall, you just push harder—longer hours, more stress, hoping brute force will somehow get you through. If you’re like Andrew, you stop. Take a breath. And then…
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147: Growing, Running, And Selling On Your Terms with Ron Weatherly
“It’s me just wanting freedom… freedom to make my own choices & live life on my terms.” - Ron Weatherly Ron didn’t start his waterproofing company, Dry Pro Foundation and Crawlspace Specialists, with a business plan, angel investors, or even a clue how to fix a foundation. He started with a...
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146: Serving Your Way To Success with David Amigo
"I’m not in charge… & it’s a really nice feeling.” – David Amigo Most entrepreneurs chase control. David finds peace in letting go. Because when you’ve been a factory scab at 11, a product manager slinging cookies in your 20s, & a minority owner pushed out of your own family’s business — you…
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145: How Curiosity Can Lead to Fulfillment with Behdad Jamshidi
"Business… is the best way for me to reach my full potential & see who I can become." – Behdad Jamshidi (Bee) Growing up doing math drills at the kitchen table, Bee didn’t dream. Structure, discipline, grit—that was his operating system. When he became an engineer, it wasn’t out of passion. It…
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144: The Accidental Entrepreneur Journey with Austin Palmer
"Vanilla is a great flavor." – Austin Palmer Austin may have raised some eyebrows as a kid at 31 Flavors, but he’s always known one thing: flashy doesn’t equal better. So, whether he’s picking ice cream or building financial portfolios, his approach is the same: Simple. Steady. No sprinkles...
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143: Peak Performance Strategies From Professional Sports with Carlos Salum
“I take people as a story… I can see their higher self before they can.” – Carlos Salum Carlos grew up under Argentina’s military dictatorship—surrounded by uncertainty, but also by entrepreneurs, poets, and principled people who knew how to thrive despite it. That tension didn’t crush him. It...
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142: Building Canada's Largest Snowboarding Brand at 24 with Perry Gladstone
“I want to know what I'm capable of… but I'm not an adrenaline junkie. I just want to know how far I can take it—because I want to know what my greatest potential is.” – Perry Gladstone At 8, Perry was selling comic books at flea markets. At 15, he opened a skateboard shop that pulled in $100K…
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141: Retiring at 27 To Pursue Entrepreneurship
"If I can be good about business, & I can do my business well—but then also care about my people & have that noticed in the marketplace—that’s way more important to me." – Greg Lafferty At 27, Greg seemingly had it all: the pedigree, the projects, the prestige of a big job at NASA. But what he...
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140: When Kindness Is A Strategy In Business with John Hall
“So, it's not just about your business growth. It's also about … creating value & meaningful relationships.” – John Hall In third grade, John launched a lunch brokerage business. By college, he was building a student housing empire. And today? He’s a keynote speaker, investor, & co-founder of...
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139: From Soviet Russia to Transforming Lives with Natalia Worthington
“I believe that the more my clients know I care about them, the more I can nudge them toward success.” – Natalia Worthington Natalia wasn’t supposed to be here—literally. As her parents rode a bus to make a life-altering decision, her father had a change of heart. That choice sparked a life…
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138: Addiction, Feeling Stuck, And Transforming Your Life with Robbie Shaw
“One sip of alcohol literally leads to prison...there’s nothing in between anymore.” – Robbie Shaw For years, Robbie tried to outmaneuver the consequences of addiction—until the day the truth hit him like a bus. No more negotiating, no more "just one more time." His choices were death, jail, or...
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137: Breaking The Scarcity Mindset with Dan Flaherty
“If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not doing the job correct.” – Dan Flaherty With a career that has ventured from the disciplined halls of corporate American to unconventional sales & management consulting, Dan’s story comes with a powerful lesson: Growth comes from embracing calculated risk,...
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136: Helping Chick-Fil-A, Lowe's, and More Create Brand and Purpose with Jamey Boiter
“People don’t manage people. People lead people.” – Jamey Boiter Growing up, Jamey was blessed by a father that didn’t just raise him. He led him. In doing so, he gave Jamey a blueprint for servant leadership that would shape his entire career. From an early passion for architecture to pivoting...
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135: Empowering Employees and ESOPs with Don Baker
"I’m not a greedy guy. I don’t chase money—it follows me." – Donald Baker What does success look like to the average entrepreneur? For most, it’s all about wealth. For Don, it’s about impact. From the beginning, he’s sought to empower his employees & do the right thing, no matter the cost.…
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134: Master Class In Leadership with Jay Woelkers
"Everyone you meet is somebody's hero—even though you don't think they are." – Gerard "Jay" Woelkers Born into a family of 15 children, Jay learned at a young age what it means to serve. At 18, he joined the Navy, starting as an E1—the lowest rank—and rose to O6 over 39 years, commanding…
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133: No Clients, No Calls, No Problem with Billy Austin
“So, this is a story I like to tell. We're in the office. The phone's not ringing. It's just a regular workday. We're just sitting there, & I said, ‘Well, I'm going to go out and find some work.’” – Billy Austin What happens when an engineer from Charlotte, NC buys an engineering firm in 2007…
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132: Designing The Second Half of Your Life with Lloyd & Linda Reeb
"The essence of an entrepreneur is you can build whatever you want — come up with an idea for goodness' sake & get started!” – Lloyd Reeb At 16, Lloyd did just that – he got started. When he overheard his dad say, "Our kids will never be able to afford a house at the beach," he didn’t accept it....
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131: Two Cultures Creating Greater Success Together with Klar Ventures
"We just try to do good work & have that lead to the next introduction." – Justin Cunningham What happens when a former investment banker & food allergy app creator joins forces with a corporate operations expert who left Berlin, Germany, for Disney (yes, Disney!) to bring big ideas & investment...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Gary Frey & Ben McDonald host round table conversations discussing entrepreneurship, leadership, and success on your own terms.
HOSTED BY
Gary Frey & Ben McDonald
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Anything But Typical have?
Anything But Typical currently has 179 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Anything But Typical about?
Gary Frey & Ben McDonald host round table conversations discussing entrepreneurship, leadership, and success on your own terms.
How often does Anything But Typical release new episodes?
Anything But Typical publishes regularly with 179 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Anything But Typical?
You can listen to Anything But Typical on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Anything But Typical?
Anything But Typical is created and hosted by Gary Frey & Ben McDonald.
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