Anything But Typical

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 importance of people in shaping both personal and professional success. This episode explores how life’s unexpected turns often lead to the most meaningful opportunities. Key topics discussed & time stamps: • Early life in Walla Walla and farm influences (00:08) • Lessons from Jamie’s grandfather and work ethic (00:10) • Leadership mindset and desire to lead (00:22) • Career pivots and unexpected opportunities (00:25) • International experience in Italy and global perspective (00:32) • Consulting, Starbucks, and business growth strategies (00:38) • Transition into Callaway and Golf Pride (00:45) List of resources mentioned in episode: • Golf Pride • AT Kearney Consulting • Johns Hopkins SAIS Calls to action: • Follow the Anything But Typical Podcast • Share this episode with a friend or colleague

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, discipline, and team-first philosophy that shaped his journey. Tim shares how elite military training—including BUD/S and combat deployments—built the mental toughness and adaptability he now uses as an entrepreneur. More importantly, he reveals how his business was born out of a deeper mission: honoring fallen teammates and supporting Gold Star families. This episode is a powerful conversation on leadership, resilience, entrepreneurship, and what it truly means to put others first—in business, family, and life. Key topics discussed: 00:01:00 – The “heartbeat question” and defining your legacy 00:05:00 – Military upbringing and lessons in integrity and trust 00:09:00 – How Tim decided to become a Navy SEAL 00:18:00 – What BUD/S training is really like (mental + physical) 00:29:00 – Building mental toughness: “30 seconds at a time” mindset 00:33:00 – Combat lessons: adaptability, leadership, and trust 00:38:00 – Transitioning from military to entrepreneurship 00:39:00 – The origin story of Bone Frog Coffee Company 00:41:00 – Starting a business with no experience + finding mentors 00:47:00 – Building during COVID and learning from customers 00:49:00 – Leadership lessons from Navy SEAL training applied to business 00:54:00 – Scaling impact and giving back to Gold Star families Key takeaways: Leadership starts with serving others first, not yourself Mental toughness is built through small, repeatable wins under pressure The best teams are built on trust, accountability, and shared hardship Entrepreneurship requires adaptability, humility, and constant learning Purpose-driven businesses create deeper loyalty and long-term impact Surrounding yourself with mentors accelerates growth significantly Common questions answered in this episode: What is BUD/S training like? BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training) is one of the most intense military training programs in the world, designed to push candidates mentally and physically. It focuses heavily on teamwork, resilience, and mental endurance, with extremely high attrition rates. How do Navy SEALs build mental toughness? Navy SEALs develop mental toughness by breaking overwhelming challenges into smaller time increments (like 30 seconds at a time), controlling their mindset, and learning to operate under extreme stress and discomfort. What leadership lessons come from Navy SEAL training? Key leadership lessons include: Put your team before yourself Adapt quickly under pressure Communicate clearly in chaos Earn trust through consistency and action How do you start a business with no experience? Tim’s approach: Surround yourself with experts and mentors Start small and iterate quickly Listen to customer feedback Stay consistent and adaptable What makes a purpose-driven business successful? A purpose-driven business builds deeper customer loyalty by aligning its mission with impact. In this case, giving back to Gold Star families and honoring fallen heroes creates emotional connection and long-term brand trust. Keywords: Navy SEAL mindset, leadership lessons, mental toughness, entrepreneurship journey, purpose-driven business, startup advice, team culture, business leadership, resilience training, Bone Frog Coffee, veteran-owned business Resources mentioned: Bone Frog Coffee Company – https://www.bonefrogcoffee.com GovX (military & first responder discounts) Calls to action: Visit: https://www.bonefrogcoffee.com Get 10% off your first order Military & first responders: 20% off via GovX Support a mission that gives back to Gold Star families Follow Anything But Typical for more real conversations on leadership & business Social handles: Instagram: @trustbgw Facebook: BGW CPA, PLLC TikTok: @bgw.advisors LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trustbgw/

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, Ashley Tison shares the powerful question he returns to over and over again: “If I were given six months to live, what would be my regrets?” Through years of walking alongside entrepreneurs navigating growth, exits, and major life transitions, Ashley has seen how success often gives way to a deeper realization — that time, relationships, and meaning matter more than most people expect. This conversation explores the tension between building something significant and not losing your life in the process. Bullet points of key topics discussed & time stamps: 0:00 – Opening reflection: the question that changes everything 1:12 – Why entrepreneurs eventually start asking deeper questions 2:48 – The hidden cost of building, growing, and chasing success 4:15 – Why founders often realize too late what mattered most 5:42 – Family, experiences, and meaning in the next chapter 7:03 – How the “six months to live” question reframes priorities 8:21 – Why the next chapter people want is often the one they’ve delayed 9:37 – Closing thought: sometimes business conversations become life conversations List of resources mentioned in episode (including sponsors): OZ Pros OZPros.com Annie Dillard quote: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Calls to action: Learn more at OZPros.com Visit trustbgw.com Follow Anything But Typical and BGW on social media: Instagram: @anythingbuttypical LinkedIn: BGW CPA, PLLC

“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 didn’t understand spreadsheets or market cycles. But they knew this: there were opportunities that would have paid well — and their dad said no. They heard late conversations about faith & risk. About whether protecting a client’s long-term future mattered more than protecting their family’s short-term comfort. About what it means to live with your name on the door. And they saw what conviction costs: Discount groceries. Honest family meetings. The quiet weight of doing the right thing. Then they left. One entered Ranger School. The other commanded tanks. Different arenas. Same refining fire. When they came back, it wasn’t to inherit something easy. It was to join something tested. Today, when the three of them sit across from a client, the conversation doesn’t sound like three salesmen competing for airtime. It sounds like three men asking what’s right for the client — & then doing the work to make it happen. To learn more, visit CherryAssociates.com.

“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 early that no one was coming to rescue you. There was freedom in that. By 12, Cathy was holding her first paper paycheck. She hasn’t stopped working since — not always because she had to, but because work meant agency. Motion. A steady sense of “I can handle what’s next.” That assurance followed her from childhood into college, into technology, & into corporate environments where she saw it clearly: systems weren’t failing. The people inside them were carrying too much, alone. Eventually, Cathy did what entrepreneurs do. She chose the harder path & built the solution — Wingspan — from the same instinct that had always guided her: if you want options, you create them. This episode isn’t about hustle or reinvention. It’s about knowing when the instincts that made you strong are asking for something completely new. To learn more, connect with her at WingspanPerformance.com. Entrepreneurship isn’t about escaping where you come from. It’s about carrying what made you — and knowing what to set down. As Wendell Berry wrote, “It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work.”

“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 then, something became clear. The work wasn’t hard anymore. The risk was gone. The challenge had faded. What once demanded everything she had now required very little. In that moment, her future shifted. Not because she failed — but because she succeeded. And she knew that mastery without growth is just another form of standing still. So, she walked away. What followed wasn’t instant clarity. It was friction. Failure. Momentum earned the hard way. Today, Lauren is building technology that handles the prep work she got bored of — so people can focus on the conversations that actually matter. That moment — the quiet realization — is where her story really begins. Connect with her on LinkedIn & learn more at getZinnia.ai Success doesn’t always signal arrival. Sometimes, it’s the cue to begin again. Anaïs Nin said it best: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

“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 was the message underneath. Years of effort reduced to something transactional. Something polite. Something small. That’s when he knew. Not that he needed a new job — but that he needed a different path, one that matched how he works, how he connects, & how he shows up every day. That recognition became direction. What emerged was Wave, a digital business card platform — not just another cool tech tool, but an answer to connections that deserved more than a polite exchange, a quick goodbye — or a toss in the trash. Turns out, George’s “no regrets” isn’t just about risking everything. It’s about paying attention — and taking action — when the truth shows up quietly. To learn more, head to wavecnct.com. Wayne Dyer once said, “Don’t die with your music still in you.” George won’t.

“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, quarters, or wins at all. What he talks about is time — with his kids, with his family, & in life outside the day-to-day grind. It’s not by accident. Dan grew up watching his parents work hard to provide, doing everything right but often letting work take over the life they were trying to build. What he learned wasn’t to chase more. It was to guard the moments work can quietly steal. So he’s intentional about where his energy goes, who gets it, & how not to let “success” quietly replace presence. Because in the end, there are only a few relationships that truly shape a life. And you don’t protect those casually. You give them everything you’ve got. To learn more, connect with him on LinkedIn. Not all legacies are loud. Some are built quietly — right where you are. As Audrey Hepburn once said, “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.”

“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 — struck him from behind. The impact shattered his spine. Doctors gave him a 1–2% chance of ever walking again. In that instant, his future was rewritten. Not by the accident — but by the decision he made next. Dean didn’t put his faith in percentages. He put it in belief — in himself & what persistence could unlock. Months of grueling rehab followed. Pain. Setbacks. Uncertainty. And then, miraculously, steps. One year later, Dean crossed a half-marathon finish line. Not alone, but alongside two unlikely partners: the surgeon who helped him walk again & the driver who hit him. Together, they raised nearly $100,000 for spinal cord injury patients — turning trauma into hope & recovery into something bigger than self. Dean could have stopped at survival. Instead, he chose impact. Connect with him at DeanOttoSpeaking.com Strength doesn’t always look like winning. Sometimes, it looks like getting back up — and bringing others with you. As Albert Camus wrote, “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”

“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 place like that. You either solve problems… or you get swallowed. That wiring became his operating system. So, when he launched his first company in his early 20s, he didn’t seek the easy path — he sought a bigger arena. “Forget local,” he said. “I’m building for the U.S.” No connections. No warm introductions. Just hunger, a laptop, & LinkedIn. And his pitch wasn’t polite — it was legendary: “Give me the project nobody wants. The ugly, neglected, impossible one. If I don’t deliver, you don’t pay me.” All the risk on him. All the upside for them. That’s how a kid from Lima ended up solving Perl script nightmares for Bank of America… & earning a reputation as the one-man A-team you call when everyone else slinks away. Today at Equals 11, the stakes are higher — Salesforce chaos, global teams, stalled initiatives — but Kenneth’s ethos hasn’t budged: Run toward the hard. De-risk it for the client. Solve — don’t whine. If you’re the kind of person who gets stronger when the work gets messy, this episode is for you. Connect with him through Equals 11. Kenneth doesn’t quote Churchill — he proves him right: “Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”

“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 educators; the path was predictable. So, when it came time for a career, accounting felt “right.” Until he looked around & thought, “I can’t imagine working with these people for the rest of my life!” So, he pivoted — to Computer Science, to late nights, to challenges that made him feel alive. Then came the moment that set his trajectory: the CEO of a global media distributor handed him a mandate & a budget — build the entire digital music platform from scratch. No roadmap. No safety rails. Just overheating servers & a cliff-steep learning curve. Jim didn’t say yes for glory. He said yes because he saw a way to serve — the company, the team, the people who’d never know his name but would rely on his work. That’s still his compass at Equals 11. If stories of leaders who build quietly & serve deeply make you feel alive, connect with him through Equals 11 Jim reminds us of what Albert Schweitzer wrote: “The only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought & found how to serve.”

“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 economy unraveling, & a business idea that couldn’t wait for permission. It wasn’t perfect timing; it was purpose knocking early. When her one-to-one financial coaching couldn’t reach enough people, she rebuilt the model—bringing financial education into workplaces & later onto military bases with the USO. That pivot became her pattern: find the gap, build the bridge. So when business owners began coming to her not just for answers but for direction, she created spaces to think differently—to set bold goals, make smart moves, & scale with clarity, courage, & connection. Today, she helps business owners do what she’s always done—move forward, even when the path isn’t clear. Not with ten-year dreams, but ninety-day wins. Progress, not perfection. Because growth doesn’t come from having it all together—it comes from showing up anyway. To learn more, connect with her through North 12 Partners or Birthing of Giants. Shay reminds us what Amelia Earhart said best: “The most effective way to do it is to do it.”

“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 gold. ✨Ichigo ichie: the sacredness of one moment. ✨Kaizen: one small improvement, every day. ✨Ikigai: doing work that gives life meaning. Those ideas shaped not just his mindset—but how he leads. In boardrooms, he’s the calm in the storm. In life, he’s the guy who turns struggle into connection. As a wealth advisor, speaker, & founder of Sanctuary 88, he doesn’t preach balance—he models it. He builds spaces where honesty is strength & leadership begins with stillness. Because in a world obsessed with hustle, Mark reminds us that the rarest power is peace. The kind that leads quietly, listens deeply, & lifts everyone in the room. If you’ve ever needed a reminder that leadership can sound like silence… Connect with Mark through Sanctuary 88 & markfujiwara.com. Lao Tzu said, “To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” Mark listened.

“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. Instead, it fueled her purpose—to shoulder the ache of kids in broken systems & fight to change their stories. Years later, she & her husband fostered a little boy, loved him for nine months—then watched him leave. The heartbreak dimmed her fire, & she swore she’d never do it again. But conviction has a way of roaring back. And when it did, Susanna swung the door wide open. From babysitting “just for a weekend” to launching Least of These Carolinas, she kept saying yes. Yes to heartbreak. Yes to risk. Yes to kids who need more than a trash bag to carry their lives in. She hasn’t just built a nonprofit. She’s built a movement—by refusing to stay quiet when the system says no, & by relentlessly saying yes to kids who just need a champion. Get involved at LOTCarolinas.com. Susanna proves what Albert Schweitzer said: “Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even the smallest act of caring has the potential to turn a life around.”

“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. Comfortable. Rob refused the shelf. He dropped sales skills into technology. Made early websites usable before usability was a word. Turned the chaos of employee benefits into a platform big enough for Aflac. Even saw the promise of blockchain before most people could spell it. That’s what he does: He takes complexity, makes it human, & builds businesses from the translation. Every entrepreneur faces a moment where their skills feel out of place. Rob shows us that’s not a weakness. It’s the opportunity. To learn more, connect with Rob on LinkedIn & Launch Key. Rob’s story reminds us to create bravely—to place your gifts where the map says “not here.” Or, as George Bernard Shaw put it: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

“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 successful corporate executive, a father raising a little girl who’d stolen his heart. Piece by piece, he had built a life in America. Not perfect. Not easy. But real. A life that didn’t come from forged documents or coded radio signals. One built like any other—by late nights, failed ventures, second chances, & love discovered. So, when the KGB told him to run, he stayed. He chose the life he’d built over the life he’d been assigned. And that’s the real story here. Jack’s tales of espionage may make headlines, but it’s the everyday work of building something that lasts — a business, a family, a future — that defines his legacy. And it’s exactly what defines yours. To stay—to keep building, to redefine yourself again & again—that’s what sets you apart as an individual & an entrepreneur. Ready for more? Connect with him at JackBarsky.com. Jack proves what C.S. Lewis said best: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

“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 — and never get caught. And he did it so well that he not only avoided capture — he built a whole new life. A college valedictorian. A corporate exec. A family man no one suspected. Until one day, the story broke on 60 Minutes. That’s when Jack faced the choice every entrepreneur knows too well: – Start over. – Reinvent yourself. – Risk failing again & again. He wrote a book that flopped until he rewrote it from scratch. He gave speeches so bad he wanted to “jump in a lake”… and kept at it until Microsoft put him on stage. He built a business that went nowhere — and had the guts to kill it when no one showed up. Every failure became fuel. Every dead end, a redirection. This isn’t just a peek into espionage. It’s a raw look at resilience, reinvention, & the grit it takes to survive when the plan collapses. Winston Churchill said it best: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Connect with him on LinkedIn

"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 but his heart whispered his gifts might belong in a different kind of service — one with a family at the center & a new way of walking alongside people in their most important moments. So, he traded vestments for brick dust, late-night restaurant shifts, & finally, law school — chasing a career that could both provide for his young family & serve others. Then 2008 hit. The economy tanked. A Big Law offer disappeared. And that mortgage, those babies… they were staring him down. Ryan took one last leap of faith — starting from a borrowed desk in a warehouse. Little by little, he built his own law firm on three values you can’t fake: humility, gratitude, & joy — the kind that shows up in grief, uncertainty, recessions, pandemics, & all the moments in between. If you’ve ever wondered whether changing course can bring you closer to your true calling… Connect at monklegal.com Joseph Campbell said it best of journeys like Ryan’s: “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”