The Jeff Crilley Show

When I think about the words to Amazing Grace, "I once was lost. But now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see," I think that just describes so many of us. You could have a great job and a great marriage, but you could be drifting through life. Then you wake up one day and find yourself lost. Karen Michelle is in the studio. She's with Shades of Success, and she helps the lost be found.

Dallas is a very fickle place when it comes to restaurants. We all know famous restaurants that opened, and you couldn't get in for a year. Then, the very next year, they were closed. It takes a very special artist to create a restaurant concept that stands the test of time, and that describes my next guest: Mico Rodriguez. Everybody knows him as Mico.

Every morning at 5 a.m., I begin my day by listening to the great Clayton Neville and his co-host, Sybil Summers, on KLIF. It's a dominant station here in Dallas, and I just finally worked up the courage to invite Clayton into my studio. Let's hear his journey on this episode.

I'm a big fan of the book When God Winks. It was written some 30 years ago. Essentially, the book says God's not parting the Red Sea anymore to prove that he or she exists, but all these little doors that open or don't open, that's God winking at us, saying, "I got you." My next guest is Chef Jennifer Bajsel. She has found her passion, but she has had several reinventions of herself to get there.

I'm so excited about my next guest because he suggests that we're all in a prison of our own making. It could be reliving trauma from the past, or it could be negative self-talk: whatever you're going through, we're all in a prison of our own making. This is a man, Deric Durden, who inspires me. He's a speaker, author, life coach, and my friend.

I'm a big fan of The Andy Griffith Show. If you think about it, that show was set in the 60s, and the biggest problem Opie ever had was maybe getting bullied at school. Now we have all this social media with 24/7 access to the internet, and young people are struggling right now. That's why I have my next guest in the studio: Jenn Brown. She's a certified life coach.

It says in the Bible, "Don't hide your light under a bushel," and unfortunately, I think life has setbacks. We all have this light that glows from us. If you're born a healthy baby, your light is as bright as the sun, but different setbacks can cause us to lose that glow. To get our sparkle back, the great Suzanne Castle is in the studio. She's with the Sparkle Factor.

My baby birds flew the nest a while ago, and I remember how quiet the house was when they left. I'm so proud of my son and my daughter. They both work for me now at Real News. However, there are a lot of parents who work their whole lives, and their whole identity is tied up in their kids. So what happens when the baby birds have flown the nest? That's why I invited my next guest into the studio. Suzy Mighell is an author and speaker, and she heads up Empty Nest Blessed.

This show is all about residential architecture. If you think about it, you can drive through a neighborhood and have a very similar look of a home, and you can drive through another neighborhood and have a completely different style. Styles go in and go out, and then they come back in again. To talk about that today is Larry Paschall, the CEO of Spotted Dog Architecture.

My next guest is on a journey to discover herself, and she's helping others do the same. Dr. Courtney Gowin is a good friend, and we've known each other for several years. Shout out to Dr. Fab Mancini who introduced us. She has been an expert for many years in all things motherhood and babies, and now she's leading mastermind groups around the planet. I'm honored to have her back in my studio.

If you think about the journey of a butterfly, it is a journey of resilience, always starting as a cocoon and then emerging from the cocoon and hopefully soaring. As we look at a lot of young people around the country in different companies, however, they're struggling. It's almost a failure-to-launch situation. To talk about that today is Shelly Rexroat, the author of the upcoming book Uncocooned.

Let's confess that we're all broken people, and sometimes, if you put yourself through this downward spiral of feeling broken and feeling sorry for yourself, you never get out of that funk. That's why you need to bring in somebody like my next guest. She's a Certified Christian Life Coach. Gladys Perez Hilty is in the studio.

I remember when I was in high school in Detroit, Michigan, and the news bug bit me. I knew that I had to go for this with gusto, and I love other people who find their calling early on. That describes my next guest. Kay Van Wey is in the studio. She's one of the top medical malpractice attorneys in the state of Texas.

I think about confidence and showing up to the world with your best self, and so much of that depends on how you show up in the mirror. Are you proud of the person that you're looking at? That's why I invited my next guest in the studio, Dr. Jordi Bostock. She's the author of the bestselling book Change Your Hair, Change Your Life.

There's an old saying in networking that you've got to circulate to percolate. We have a lot of Gen Zs who have 5,000 to 10,000 acquaintances on LinkedIn, and they don't know any of them very well. There's an art to networking, and the queen of networking in America is in the studio right now: the great Shelli Howlett.

It's unique on this planet that mankind has had relationships with horses for thousands of years. There's a special relationship there, and I'm interviewing two of the driving forces behind Equest because the relationship that people of all walks of life have with horses is so therapeutic. Eric Lindh is the CEO of Equest, and Melinda Knowles is the co-chair of their Blue Ribbon Gala.

We're already into September, which means we're just a couple of months away from the holiday season, and that's when all CEOs of all companies start thinking about corporate gifting. That's why I have my next guest back on the show. Melanie Jones is the host of the Beyond the Boardroom podcast, and she's the CEO of MelanCole.

When you think about the fashion capitals on this planet, you think about Paris, London, and New York. Well, Dallas is making a lot of noise in the fashion scene, and it has for 100 years since Stanley Marcus first brought Neiman Marcus to Dallas. Hazel Hartfield is in the studio. She's with FWD Fashion Group.

I have a confession. I know nothing about fashion. My beautiful bride, Victoria Snee, is the head of marketing for Highland Park Village. She gets to hang out around all these luxury brands, and she dresses me up like a little Ken doll. If I look good, it's all because of my beautiful bride. I confess, I know nothing about fashion, but somebody who knows a lot about fashion is in the studio right now. Annia Louisa is the queen of resort wear.

I love people who are making a difference on this planet, and that perfectly describes my next guest. Namitha Nayak is in the studio. She's the founder of People's Impact Network.

I like to think that I'm a unicorn in my world of podcasting and obviously public relations. I'm attracted to other unicorns, and I met these guys just recently. Alex and David Goldfarb are in the studio right now. They're unicorns in the space of benefits.

This happens every day in America: you're a brilliant entrepreneur, you start a company, and you start hiring people. You might be brilliant at one area of your company. Maybe you're a visionary. Maybe you're an engineer or an operations person, but suddenly the company takes on a life of its own. Many people who run companies in this country have not read a management or leadership book, and so their company is struggling because they lack the knowledge to take it to the next level. That's why I have my next guest on the show, Dr. Alison Schmidt. She is the founder and CEO of Unconvention.

Some 20-plus years ago, I was a proud board member of the DFW Press Club, and it's an iconic organization. They went on hiatus for a few years, but now they're back and have renamed themselves the DFW Press and Media Club. I have an all-star panel talking about that today: Chonnie Richey, JoAnne Asenime, Johnathan Brownlee, and Tommy Cummings.

It's no secret that the restaurant industry is tough. There are a lot of people who think they're going to make a fortune in restaurants, but the margins are razor-thin. There are restaurants so crowded you can't get in for a year, and then the next year they're closed. It takes a certain kind of individual to lead a restaurant concept so that it can stand the test of time. James Gee is in the studio and he is known for amazing concepts, including Al Biernat's and Truluck's.

I think we all have a calling. If you think about what I'm doing right now, I first accomplished 25 years of TV news, and now my calling is helping other people tell their own stories. Jana O’Guin is in the studio. She's the president of Building Families For Tomorrow.

I don't know when no-fault divorce started in Texas, but on its surface it sounds fine. No fault. Right? "Let's make it easy. Let's get through this together." But Jeff Morgan is going through it himself, and he is suing to stop no-fault divorce in Texas.

This show is all about food insecurity, and there are so many hungry people in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Although we come from a very affluent community, there are a lot of people who are really living lunch to lunch here in North Texas. Chonnie Richey is in the studio. She's a good friend, and she's with Independence Garden.

I love people who are leading a movement, and my next two guests are the hosts of the Hidden Money Podcast. They've been around for three years. They just joined our network, and they are on a mission to change the way you look at your own tax situation. We have a great CPA firm, but many CPAs are not really trained to think about taxes, which is so important because you're leaving money on the table. Joining us now are Kevin Schneider and Mike Pine with the Hidden Money Podcast.

I think you'll agree with me that we have a leadership crisis in America. It's not because we don't have strong leaders but because we don't have enough people who care enough to invest in themselves to learn how to be a strong leader. If you talk to any sales department, it's typically led by somebody who is a hotshot salesperson. They got elevated to head up a team, but they've never read a management book. To talk about that today is Charles Heasley. He's the head of the Blue Lion Leadership Group.

I was in TV news for 25 years, and unfortunately, so many of the stories that I was telling were negative. They were sad and depressing, and so somebody has to tell the good news stories out there. That person is Pat Good, and she's in the studio with me today.

If you remember a few years ago, the real estate market was so hot, anybody who could fog a mirror would become a successful realtor, but I think the strong survive. Any time you have a market like we have right now, which is kind of sluggish, that's when the strong survive. That's why I have Haleema Rahim in my studio. She's one of the top real estate agents in North Texas.

I worked in TV news for 25 years, and I think TV news likes to glamorize the sensational. When you hear about the real estate market, you're always hearing about a national number, but I can't think of a better place to call home than DFW. Something like 100,000 people move to DFW every single year, and when they're looking for a new home, they turn to people like my next guest: Will Koberg. He's with the Koberg Real Estate Group.

As an entrepreneur myself, I get to hang around a lot of very successful entrepreneurs. I've known several who have exited their business here in the last couple of years, but that process of selling your company is very difficult. You, as the owner, are too close to it, and so you actually need to bring in some experts, like my next guests. Eli Goldaris and Tim Abbracciamento are with Isagani Yorke Capital Partners.

I think sometimes the most dangerous person you can talk to is yourself, especially if you're telling yourself the wrong story. So many of us beat up on ourselves. When we look in the mirror, we see imperfections, and start beating ourselves up, or you have a bad habit, amplify that, and tell yourself the wrong story. So Val Vidal is back in the studio. We had her on the show about a year ago. She is a meditation and spiritual teacher.

I think anybody of my generation is worried about that phone call from mom or dad that they've fallen, and most people don't make any plans for parenting their parents until after that accident. Because of this, Godwin Dixon is in the studio right now. He's the co-owner of Teresa's House.

We've always heard the expression, "You're a born leader." Well, yes, there are born leaders, but there are also people who need to learn to lead a team. There are so many engineers out there who are great at engineering, but suddenly they're running a company and need to know how to manage and motivate a team. That's why I have this next show scheduled. Please welcome Brandy Schade and Justin McCullough. They are both leadership experts.

I can't think of a time in my adult life when becoming an entrepreneur has been more trendy. Many young people look at the most successful people on the planet and they say, "I'm going to start my own business," but often they need a little bit of help. That's why I invited my next guest into the studio. Once again, please welcome Tracy Irby. She's the director of TWU's Center for Women Entrepreneurs.

It's 2025, so everybody needs to tell their own story, whether it's a personal brand or a corporate brand. You have to learn the special skills of communication, and that's why I invited my next guest on the show. Trudy Hankins is in the studio. She's an entrepreneur, communications coach, and speaker.

If we had a Mount Rushmore of Christmas songs, "Santa Baby" would be on it. I mean, I think about the most iconic Christmas songs of all time. Of course, there's "White Christmas," "All I Want for Christmas," and then "Santa Baby" are all on that Mount Rushmore. Tamar Springer's in the studio. Her father wrote "Santa Baby" in the 50s.

I think you would agree with me that over the last 20 or 30 years, the culture has changed. When I was growing up, you couldn't name a CEO, and now we can all name ten Fortune 500 CEOs. If you're a CEO or an emerging thought leader, you have to learn to be able to present, and you have to work on your personal brand. That's why we have my next guest in studio. Conner Krizancic is in the studio. He's the founder and CEO of SpeakrBrand.

There are a billion business books, and let's be honest, a lot of them are boring. It's a lot of Harvard jargon, and they seem to drag on. I love my next author because she has come up with this amazing book, Carrots Are For Closers, and she was inspired by her dog. Vicki Cravens is in the studio.

When I wrote my book 20 plus years ago, I started thinking about PR people in Dallas-Fort Worth who impressed me, and I included a press release in my book, Free Publicity. It was a perfect public relations campaign, and I have the people behind it in the studio right now: David & Carolyn Alvey. They are with Aardvark Communications.

As long as I can remember, I've been obsessed with excellence. I remember in my TV news days, even though the camera person would be in charge of editing my story, I would edit it myself because I wanted it just right. Now I started this public relations firm and a podcast network, and I'm still obsessed with excellence. That's why I have my next guest on the show. Mike Garabedian is in the studio. He's with Garabedian Properties.

I'll tell you one of the reasons I came to Dallas in the early '90s was because of the television show Dallas. I was watching it up in Michigan, and Dallas just seemed so glamorous. The towers, J.R. Ewing, we all remember this. Well, the Dallas film & television community has never gone away. In fact, it's getting stronger than ever. That's why I have my next guest in the studio - Katie Schuck. She is the film commissioner with the Dallas Film Commission.

We hear a lot about PTSD on the news. What we don't hear a lot about is PTSI. That's post-traumatic stress injury, and there's a big difference. Joining us in the studio is an amazing filmmaker and good friend, Dr. Charlie Powell.

If you've watched the show for any length of time, you know I love to profile entrepreneurs. I love to profile people who are doing something with a purpose, and that perfectly describes my next guest. Bob Gallup is in the studio. He's the Chief Revenue Officer for Smart Start.

I've always been fascinated with charisma and how somebody can come into a room, and the room changes. Part of that is their charm, their grace, and their ability to shine light in. The other part of that experience is their ability to read the room, or in the case of the internet generation, read the Zoom. To talk about that today, a good friend of mine, Melinda Marcus, is a certified body language expert and author of Read the Zoom.

There's an old saying that people don't leave companies, they leave bad bosses. Unfortunately, most bosses in America haven't even read a leadership book. They don't know how to manage a team, and that's why I brought in my next guest, Sally Bryant. She's the CEO of Bryant Group.

Obviously, there are needs all over the state of Texas. The big cities tend to get all the attention because that's where the media markets are. Smaller counties and cities don't get the attention, and often they don't get the funding to meet those needs. To talk about that today is Stephanie Chandler. She is the CEO of Community Well TX.

I think you'll agree that we all have negative self-talk. We tell ourselves the wrong stories. We wake up in fear. Sometimes we can't sleep at night. Well, you need a breakthrough. That's why I invited Dr. Stan Harris back on my show. He's Dr. BreakThrough.