The Jeff Crilley Show

When I got to Dallas in 1992, the news director picked me up at the airport and he says, "Two things you need to know about Dallas-Fort Worth: eating and shopping." It's been 30-plus years since that happened, and that's very true. Eating and shopping are what we love to do here. It's an experience. It's not just going out to get a burger; it's "Are you having an experience?" I can't think of a better couple to have in the studio than Derek and Sheree Simms. They're with The Simms Hospitality Group.

I think my next guest is my brother from another mother. We're both into marketing, and we're both into creating a unique customer experience. That's why I have Giovanni Sanguily in the studio today. He is the owner of GlassHive and TRIdigital Marketing.

At one point I was out on the circuit giving 300 speeches a year in addition to my TV job at Fox Four, so I got to meet some top-notch speakers. I include my next guest as one of those people that I kept bumping into at different events. Elizabeth McCormick is in the studio. She's a keynote speaker. She's a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot, and she's my friend.

I've always had hustle. I grew up in Detroit, and that was a tough place to grow up as a kid. I had a paper route, and I was always hustling to make a little bit of money so any time I run into an entrepreneur, I like to ask the question, "How did this begin?" Often it's a similar story: they started in their childhood. That describes my next guest, Nancy Galvan. She's with Unica Enterprises.

I feel so blessed. My two children, Dallas and Sarah, both work for me. I see them every day, and I'm so proud. I've never experienced a tremendous loss in my life, and I'm incredibly blessed. My next guest lost her daughter. Kristen Utter is in the studio. She's the author of Shatterproof.

If you are an NBA scout, I want you to remember this name: Breckin Riess. He is going to be the next superstar of the NBA. He's eight years old, and he's in my Studio.

Right now, the unemployment rate is hovering around 4%, but we've all driven around and seen people just hanging out. I mean able-bodied people who should be at work, and there's a myriad of reasons why they aren't at work. To explore that is the executive director of Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas, Phedra Redifer.

The film industry has been around for 100 years, but it keeps changing. They keep coming up with new techniques and new ways to make films, and my next guest has created a very affordable way to make very high-quality films. The folks from Aeon Imagery are in the studio.

Fashions come and go, but I think the thing that never goes out of style is looking your best. My next guest knows that, and he preaches it. He's been preaching it for more than three decades. Bob Baumann is on the show. He's the House of Baumann.

My favorite liquor of all time is tequila, so why would I not invite on Tequila Sheela? Sheela Marshall is actually a dear friend. We've known each other for 20 plus years.

I think we're living in a very exciting time when it comes to films. All the truly great movies these days are not being made by those big production companies in Hollywood. They're being made by independent film companies, and that's why I invited my next guest into the studio. The great Nick Rice is in studio. He is a producer, actor, and writer, and he's got a new project that is about to come out.

I can't think of too many cities in North Texas that have such a great reputation. When you say the town of Addison, what do you think about? You think about Kaboom Town. You think about Oktoberfest. You think about all the great meals for weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays that you've celebrated in Addison, and that's why I had to have the mayor of Addison come on the show. It's Mayor Bruce Arfsten!

As you see in the show open, I've reinvented myself. In 2008, I walked away from a very successful journalism career of 25 years to start this in my home, and I've never been happier. My next guest knows a little something about reinventing himself. Dr. Greg Echt is in the studio. He's the founder and managing member of Echt Capital.

As of the last couple of years, when you say diversity and inclusion, it becomes very polarizing. People instantly make up their mind what that means, and so to sort out fact from fiction, I brought in a nationally known expert. His name is Kelvin Goss. He's the creator of the card game "You Played The Race Card".

Remember when travel was fun? Before September 11th, you remember you could just roll up at the airport, breeze on by, and be on the plane in a matter of minutes. I get nervous when I fly, not because of the flight itself, but just the crowds, the people, the noises, and the congestion. And your flight is always delayed. Well, somebody who wrote a book about it is in the studio right now: Brandon C. Blewett. He's the author of How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes.

The energy drink business is a multi-billion dollar business. I remember when I was at Fox Four I needed energy drinks to stay awake, but I remember there was kind of a high and then a crash, and I was worried about the sugar. I was worried about some of those ingredients in there. Well, that's why I invited my next guest into the studio: Bert Vergez. He's the CEO of IDRINQ USA.

As a small business owner myself, I see this story quite a bit. I hang out around other business owners, and they all think that they're running this very successful company that one day they can sell for tens of millions of dollars. Then they get the bad news that they haven't structured their books the correct way, and they're not achieving enough of a profit to get what they hoped they were going to get when they sold. And that's why they bring in guys like my next guest: Robert Gardner, a founding partner of Gardner Wallace Financial Solutions, and Jack Kearney, with Dumas Capital Partners.

I remember when I was growing up, I don't think I could name a single CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Today they have become household brands. Who doesn't know Mark Cuban, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk? And because their personal brand is so important, it's intricately tied into their corporate brand. That's why everybody needs a brand strategist. Serah D'Laine is in the studio. She's a personal brand strategist, a business coach, and an international speaker.

If you're dehydrated, the first thing doctors do when you go to the hospital is put an IV drip in you and get that hydration going. Well, now it's become a hot healthcare trend where they will actually come to your home with an IV drip, and it's filled with all kinds of vitamins you might be lacking. I know this because my wife and I are customers of my next guest, Devon Powe. He's with Atelier Infusion.

I know that every parent wants the best for their son or daughter. If I was a young parent and I had a young teenage boy or girl, I would be telling them "Technology! There's a never-ending sea of possibilities. You can go as far as you want in technology." Someone who knows that very much is my next guest, Marvin Harris Jr. He's the chairman of the board of Tech Titans.

My wife is addicted to Evian water, and my big responsibility to keep the house at peace is to order at least two, sometimes three, cases of these two-liter bottles of Evian because she's convinced it's the best-tasting water in the world. But she has not tasted water from Watermill Express, and the CEO, Mike Gallagher, is in the studio right now.

As you know, Dallas keeps growing and growing all the way up to the Oklahoma state line. But there are pockets around Dallas-Fort Worth that are not being developed and they should be. And a guy who is a true genius is in my studio right now - Artemio De La Vega. He is the mastermind behind what will be one of the hottest entertainment districts in Dallas - The Central.

This is a very common tale: everybody makes this New Year's resolution to get in shape, they get a gym membership, and then by February, you can't find a single person in the gym because they've all backslid on their New Year's resolution to get back on track. In studio is a nationally known health coach and a friend, Rob Zschau. He's with REDIGO Health Coaching.

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, "Where is my bank investing my money?" Because they all invest money across the platforms, and they could be investing something in an industry that you don't even believe in. Somebody who's out to do something about it is in the studio right now, Betsy Gray. She's the co-founder of ProLifeFintech.

I started this company in 2008 in my home, and one of the first people to believe in me is my next guest, Jaime Barron, a very successful immigration attorney. And I've watched his career grow from afar, and so, with immigration all over the news, I couldn't think of a better person to invite into the studio than the great Jaime Barron.

It seems like the legacy media only cares about conservatives and liberals. They talk about the Republican Party all the time. They talk about the Democrats all the time, but they don't pay enough attention to a fast-growing movement. It's the Liberty Movement, and joining us from our Austin studios is Peyton Hornberger. She is the Marketing Director for Young Americans for Liberty.

Alright CEOs, listen up! You're gonna love this show! Let's say you're the head of a large organization, and you have a salesperson who's a rockstar salesperson. They happen to have the loss of a loved one or a divorce, and now all of a sudden this rockstar salesperson is just a shell of themself. How do you deal with that? HR's not gonna deal with that. You have to turn to somebody like my next guest, Renee Getz. She's with Marketplace Chaplains.

My show open is familiar to a lot of us. We were climbing some little hill or mountain, and we get to the top and look around and we say, "Is this all there is?" And then we go in another direction. We climb another mountain. That's certainly what I did in my career. And that is very true for my next guest. Aaron Antillon is in the studio. He's a dynamic speaker, he's a coach, and he's my friend.

I'm thrilled about this show! Chonnie Richey is in the studio. She's one of my dear friends and the founder of Independence Gardens. They help get food to underprivileged school kids and communities, and she has a big event coming up on February 20th. It's called The Art of Food!

When you think about our military, we go through boot camp. We put people through a lot of days and days of work to get them ready and steeled for war. But when it's time to leave the military, I think it's something like half a day of reclamation training, and it leaves a lot of veterans frustrated and unable to integrate back into society. That's why I love putting a loving spotlight on some amazing non-profits, and the the folks in the studio today are with Hooves for Heroes: Ruth Shim and Chris Alpert.

They never make movies about people who were born rich, had no adversity, and died rich. Nobody would go see that movie. They see movies like Rocky overcoming obstacles, Million Dollar Baby, and I'm convinced that they're going to make a movie after my next guest. Natalie Nichole is in the studio today. She's an up-and-coming singer-songwriter, best-selling author, actress, and influencer.

I love disruptors, and I love featuring them on my show. If you think about the game of golf, it's been around for centuries, and there haven't been all that many advances when it comes to technology or somebody who is changing the game. Today, Jon Schultz, the CEO of ezLocator, is in the studio with me.

If there's anything good that came from the pandemic (and not a lot good came from the pandemic), it's that we've gotten out in the open that mental health is a real problem across the globe. And you know, years ago, if you were in law enforcement or firefighting, you wouldn't dream of telling anybody that you had a mental health issue because they'd take you off the street. Now, even our first responders are brave enough to say, "I'm wrestling with something," and they have someone to talk to. Two people at the forefront of this fight are in studio right now, Terry Brown and Chris Wyco. They're both with Wild Hub.

I remember after doing TV news for 25 years, I think I was in something of a rut. I wasn't getting the joy I would get in the early days of TV news, and I finally had to leave TV news to start this public relations firm and podcast network. I'm so overjoyed that finally, maybe God pushed me and I took that leap. It's dangerous to take that leap, but my next two guests can talk about getting Zesty. Dr. Alex Golden and Megan Blacksmith are in the studio.

If you're a child with dyslexia, you can get bullied at school. You can certainly go into a downward spiral of self-pity and regret. But my next guest has turned it into a superpower. Now he's teaching people of all walks of life, all over the planet, that you can turn whatever you see as a possible setback into your superpower. Dylan Smith joins me today and D is for Dyslexia, is the name of his company.

It says in the Bible to love thy neighbor, but if you look at the business world, it's more like "do unto others before they do it to you." Monday through Friday can be a difficult time in the dog-eat-dog business world. But two people who are making a profound difference here in Dallas-Fort Worth are in the studio right now: Noel Sinaga and Phil Carlson. They're both with an organization called Christian Businessmen's Connection.

There's an old saying. It's not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you get up. My next guest knows this story very well and now that's what she's doing with her life. She's helping entrepreneurs get up after suffering a setback. Sharontine Bottley is in the studio and she's with Portfolio Academy.

I remember when I took my job at Fox 4 in the early '90s. I got off the plane and the news director said, "There's only two things you need to know about Dallas-Fort Worth: food and fashion." And if you can combine the two of them, you've really got a winner of an event. So joining me now are two of the driving forces behind Food in Fashion: Jessica Gohring and D'Andra Simmons.

There's an old saying: if you want to see how successful a city is, look for the cranes. Not the birds, but the cranes that are putting up buildings. When I drive through Dallas-Fort Worth and up into Frisco, you see cranes to your right and to your left, but to make sure that everybody gets an opportunity for those very lucrative jobs, I brought into the studio Tammy Pierce. She's the CEO and founder of United Black Contractors.

I am a proud member of EO Dallas. That stands for Entrepreneurs' Organization, and we love to bring sponsors on our show. A long-time sponsor is FBFK Law. Joining us now is Mackey Culbertson. He's one of the rising stars over there.

Most of the businesses started in America are started by small businesses, and the lifeblood of every small business in America is a good banking relationship. That's why I invited my next two guests into the studio: Tyler Pope and Kyle Harger. They're both with Texas Security Bank.

We're taping this on a fortuitous day for my next guest because this is World Cancer Day, in which we educate people on the different ways that people can put themselves at risk. And something that's new to me, I just learned this, is that there is a link between bras and breast cancer. C.J. Grace is in the studio. She is a former BBC journalist, she's a comedian, she's a self-help author, and she's my friend.

Immigration has been all over the news. You can't watch a single television station without seeing something about what Trump is doing these days, and that is causing a windfall for the people who are involved with immigration and helping people become legal. And I think we can all agree that everybody wants legal immigration. Luis Rojo is in the studio. He's with Rojo Steele.

I've had a chance to interview a lot of immigration attorneys recently on my show, but this next guest is the managing partner of Tidwell, Swaim, and Farquhar. They've been around since 1978. That's amazing!

I'm seeing these articles all over the place about how large, small, and midsize companies are bringing in etiquette experts to teach younger employees how to communicate. Let's be honest: I'm a baby boomer, so I'm a talking generation, and Gen Z is a texting generation. Some of the basic soft skills that you need to be successful in life are not being taught in colleges. Sometimes the parents are not teaching these things, and so that's when you bring in a guest like my next guest, Julie Jones. She's with Today's Professionals Consulting & Development.

Well, I don't know about you, but it's frustrating to me. I wake up every morning and see another headline about another cybersecurity hack. It doesn't matter if it's the largest bank in the country or the federal government, but everybody is vulnerable to these attacks. To talk about that today, Mary Hamilton, she's the CEO of Mad Data.

In my TV career, I had a chance to work with some amazing videographers, and I have so much respect for that craft. They always say a picture speaks a thousand words, and if that's true, then a video speaks 10,000 words. Let's talk today to a brilliant videographer. Her name is Cai Ranáe, and she's with Cai Ranáe Visuals.

Well, I have been blessed. To date, I have been employed for 40-plus years, and I've never received that dreaded letter from the IRS saying, "You're being audited." But if I did, I would get a pro to come in and help me with that, and that describes my next guest. Fabian Cruz, founder of Cito Tax, is in the studio.

I love it when people find their purpose. For 25 years of my life, I was a television reporter telling stories and not always the happiest stories; sometimes I was covering crimes. Now I get to put a spotlight on people doing amazing things, and I'm so proud to have my next guest on the show because she also has a passion for helping people. Chelsea Debrah is a family nurse practitioner, and she's the owner and CEO of Orchid Wellness.

I have to confess, I think I've led such a blessed life that I've not known tremendous tragedy, and by that I mean a significant death of a loved one. I can't even imagine what it feels like to lose somebody that close to you, but my next guest knows that very well. Francine Ivey is in the studio. She's a kingdom coach.