Critical Mass Business Talk Show | Orange County‘s Longest-Running Business Talk Show | Hosted by Ric Franzi
We interview solopreneurs to entrepreneurs who are running firms with up to $100 million in revenue. We discuss the real-world topics you are dealing with every day. Learn how other executives have figured out how to overcome them.
Episodes

Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
David Sohn is a business and technology executive who specializes in the creation and harmonization of processes that empower team members to maximize efficiency. Prior to co-founding Helpt he oversaw the global technical support and product content teams for a networking and computer peripheral manufacturing organization that was recently acquired by a Fortune 500 company.
David's 15+ year career in business and technology is enhanced by his insatiable desire for improvement that has resulted in a variety of degrees and certifications.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Kim Kelley Thompson is a business and personal development coach whose specialty is helping people get out of their heads and into action so they can achieve their goals and realize their potential. She brings 32 years of experience as a business owner, sales trainer and coach to develop effective leadership, efficiency and success in individuals and teams.
Kim blends inspiration with practicality as both are necessary to create lasting transformation. She believes that when we become aware of the patterns and habits that are dictating our lives, we can raise our standards and elevate our behavior. We are then able to take the focused, committed action that leads to desired results.
As a multiple business owner, award winning documentary producer, and mom, Kim understands the value of vision, leadership, communication, systems and processes. Having raised four children by herself, while managing a multimillion-dollar event company and starting her own business, Kim has become adept at simplifying the complex and breaking through the mental obstacles that stifle success.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Jon Darbyshire is the Co-Founder & CEO of SmartSuite. In 2021, Jon and his team launched SmartSuite, the work management platform that manages any process, from any industry, on one platform. Now, SmartSuite unites essential elements used to get work done, regardless of company size or type.
In the year 2000, Jon founded Archer Technologies, an enterprise governance, risk and, compliance software, giving business users—not developers—the ability to adapt software to their unique business requirements. Jon and the Archer team built a flexible, award winning platform and solution suite that became the mainstay of governance, risk and compliance teams for some of the world’s most powerful organizations, including 1 in 3 of the Fortune 100. Archer Technologies was purchased by EMC Corporation in 2010.
Throughout his career, Jon has been dedicated to automating everyday, essential business tasks to create smarter, more efficient organizations, no matter what the industry. Prior to Archer Technologies, Jon held leadership positions at both EY and Price Waterhouse, honing his skills in understanding the need to automate and simplify work for the enterprise.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Coach Greg LeFever has over twenty-five years’ experience in the fitness industry. His experience includes Founder / CEO of IMpowered Women's Fitness, Orange County's premier women-only fitness and wellness organization, Founder / CEO of Workplace Wellness Solutions, specializing in onsite employee benefit wellness programs of various fitness, yoga, leadership education, nutrition consultation, and mindfulness. He is also the Founder / President of Empowered Youth Life Style, a nonprofit company focusing on life skills and leadership skills for teens.
Mr. LeFever holds an MBA from Concordia University Irvine, BA with Finance emphasis from Cal State Fullerton, and Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) certification from National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
In 2019, Nicole Sanchez launched a non-profit called The Bella Foundation, named after her 7-year-old daughter Isabella, that helps raise awareness and resources for domestic violence victims. As a young child, Nicole experienced domestic violence firsthand, and believes that one of the most valuable lessons we can teach our own children is to lead by example by helping others.
Nicole's mission is to help women affected by domestic violence get back on their feet, and back in the workforce by providing professional clothing, financial assistance for childcare, and even job placement so they can provide for their children and start a new chapter filled with hope and a future. The driving force behind Nicole's passion for this cause is her daughter Isabella, hence “The Bella.”
In Nicole's words: "I am proud to stand as a role model for my daughter to break the vicious cycle of domestic violence."
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
J. J. Wenrich has been an investment professional for over 20 years, beginning after graduating from the University of Kansas in 2000. He's a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional, founder of the firms Wenrich Wealth and Tax Pros + Investing, and author of the book Teaching Kids to Buy Stocks: Stories and Lessons for Grown-Ups.
J. J. met his wife Jodie—also a financial professional at the time—shortly after graduation and are raising four children together.
J. J. developed his fascination with the financial markets as a child, watching business reports on PBS, one of the few stations available in his small-town Kansas home. Fortunately, he had creative teachers along the way who included personal finance education and stock-picking games in their curriculum.
The combination of two decades of professional experience AND two decades of parenting were the inspiration for him to become an advocate for simplified financial education. He regularly hosts free personal finance classes for teenagers and young adults in his community, and worldwide via Zoom.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Carl Orsbourn is a global retail executive and board member whose experience spans across blue-chip companies (BP-owned ampm), disruptive start-up ventures (Kitchen United & Juicer Pricing), and restaurants (Alfa Co). His knowledge of operational excellence, business development, and change management together with his ability to traverse industries and disciplines is admired by his diverse extensive network. Carl has been recognized as a Power Player by Nations Restaurant News and Business Insider for his thought leadership in supporting restaurants to adapt to the challenges and opportunities offered through digitization, technology, and automation.
As Head of Retail at ampm, Carl was responsible for repositioning the branded food & beverage offering while achieving record growth through $1.3 billion in retail sales and growing the network to over 1000+ franchise locations.
At Kitchen United, Carl established the operating model and led operations & customer success by working closely with restaurant partners, such as ChickFil’A and SweetGreen. As COO and co-founder for Juicer Pricing, Carl is building the operating model for dynamic pricing solutions for restaurants, shaping the path for improved profitability through automated intelligence. As a non-executive board member for Alfa Co., Carl advises this leading restaurant group in Saudi Arabia towards a greater digital footprint and further off-premise success.
Carl is a sought-after speaker at events across the world. He hosts 'The Monday Minute’ podcast and appears as a guest at many others. He is a frequent contributor to Forbes, Nations Restaurant News, and RestaurantOwner.com.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Sunday Oct 23, 2022
Sunday Oct 23, 2022
Chase Barr is the President and CEO of ATTAC Group Inc. Chase’s resume includes 17 years of specialized leadership, development, training, and implementation of programs for development of troops, staff, and clients up to the C-Suite.
Chase has led many top-level Executive Searches for Fortune 100-1000 firms throughout California and the US, within Finance & Accounting, Information Technology & Engineering, Human Resources, Administration and Operations. Chase partners with his clients to understand the need behind the need to ensure a true transparent understanding of the voice of the customer. Chase is also a Value-Added Associate (VAA) and Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst with TTI Success Insights and has a strong coaching background with leaders and staff alike.
Chase served as a Canvassing Recruiter in the USMC; which led him to recruiting after the Corps. He has led over 350 combat operations as a Squad Leader and Team Leader, ensuring the training, development, and mentorship of all personnel and bringing every Marine home who served under his leadership in combat.
Recently ATTAC has been growing through being a strategic partner for large State, County and City government recruiting contracts. Chase built and trained a diverse cross functional team of industry experts and local talent to assist in filling 1200+ positions to date, through the Covid Pandemic. One of his biggest strengths is building strong teams that communicate, understand the mission, and work cohesively in one accord.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Sunday Oct 23, 2022
Sunday Oct 23, 2022
Newly-published author Barbara Fulmer (Ditch Your Career Plan, 2022) has taken her years of corporate experience and consolidated the knowledge and insight she's gained to deliver practical, actionable advice that will help you take the next step on your career path.
Barbara founded her career consulting and coaching business, Performance At Work in 2009, out of a deep passion for inspiring people to perform at the optimum level of their abilities. Barbara is an energetic mentor with a collaborative style and the ability to motivate others to achieve their highest ambitions.
Barbara's unique experience has come from the last 25 years working with thousands of employees and leaders as head of performance development for industry titans such as Toshiba and Jenny Craig/Nestle a division of United Healthcare.
As a business development professional, her clients included Disney, PayPal, Qualcomm, LinkedIn, Salesforce, Herbalife, Illumina, Wells Fargo, Samsung, Ross Stores and more. Barbara has entertained and inspired audiences as a successful keynote speaker, stand-up comedian, and now in her new book, Ditch Your Career Plan.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Tuesday Oct 18, 2022
Tuesday Oct 18, 2022
Mark Tacconelli's unwavering commitment to innovation and results, combined with a dedication to customers’ needs, led him to successfully innovate new products with several company’s product portfolios while transforming many into product category leaders. A prominent thought leader, Mark’s extensive experience in information technology affords him a unique insight into the technological changes ushering in the fourth industrial revolution.
Mark is the Senior Director of Engineering and Product Management where he leads the strategy, engineering development, and product management activities for OpenText’s Salesforce and Oracle products and related technologies.
Mark is acting Board Member and financial advisor at Magique Beauty, a premium online beauty essentials manufacturer. Additionally, Mark serves as President at Kellogg Terrance Condominium Association, nonprofit association serving 220 residential homeowners.
Prior to OpenText and Magique, Mark served as Vice President and CTO for Soluziona USA, a technology services and implementation company, and as a member of the executive management team. Mark was also Vice President of Applications Development and Product Management at Scantron Corporation. Additionally, he was a member of the executive management team.
Mark held various positions at FileNet (an IBM Company) as a technical leader and Sales Engineer. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo and a Master of Business Administration with concentration in Information Technology from University of California, Irvine.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Tuesday Oct 18, 2022
Tuesday Oct 18, 2022
Rami Lazarescu is the founder and CEO of HappinessAssurance.com and Ampro Vacations Inc., which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Rami is the winner of one of the nation’s highest awards - The Excellence Award for export bestowed by the President of the United States! A few years ago, Rami was nominated for the White House Trade Advisory Committee.
Rami was interviewed on national radio about his unique vacations plan and it was broadcasted to 141 radio stations. After due diligence investigation, the prestigious Forbes published an article about Rami titled: “Vacations: Making the Impossible, Possible!”
Other articles about Rami have been published by Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, Reuters, The Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News, Yacht Vacations Magazine, Woman’s Today, and many others.
Rami is married and has three kids.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Wednesday Oct 12, 2022
Wednesday Oct 12, 2022
Born in Cairo, Egypt, Asbasia Mikhail, immigrated to the States with her parents as toddler in the early 1970s and grew up in Southern California. Having excelled in the sciences and having a passion to help others, she chose a career in medicine. She has been practicing Emergency Medicine for the last 25 years but about 5 years ago, she chose to pursue her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
While still working full-time as an emergency physician and directing two nearby urgent cares in the area, Asbasia also runs her own Online Personal Styling business known as The Stīl Trust (pronounced style) which is an all-female-run business. She created this online platform for busy, style minded women who wanted to look and feel their best but just didn't have the time or maybe lacked the know-how to elevate their style.
Asbasia's goal is to get women to look and feel their best while taking the struggle out of figuring out what to wear and providing confidence in every outfit!
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Saturday Oct 08, 2022
Saturday Oct 08, 2022
Nema Daghbandan is the CEO of Lightning Docs and a Partner with Geraci LLP. His practice encompasses all facets of real estate transactions, primarily representing lenders, brokers, and loan servicers.
His practice revolves around the preparation of documents and providing compliance advice to mortgage professionals related to nationwide commercial, residential, construction, and multi-family loan transactions. He also provides advice on documentation related to loan transactions, including servicing agreements, spread agreements, secondary market documents, leases, lien releases, procurement agreements, intercreditor agreements, and subordination agreements.
Mr. Daghbandan also possesses a deep expertise in loss mitigation and advises mortgage professionals in the management of defaulted loans and the remedies available to creditors.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Saturday Oct 08, 2022
Saturday Oct 08, 2022
Dr. Carrie Perry earned her Ph.D. in Media Psychology from Fielding Graduate University. Her academic background and employment experience includes all aspects of Mass Mediated Communications including print, digital, and film. She has been a teacher, stockbroker, professor, and entrepreneur.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdown, Carrie’s focus turned toward home, specifically, the kitchen. Thoughts of “now is a good time to do something different” she started cooking, canning, and baking. Lots of baking. With encouragement of friends and family, Sweet Talk Desserts was born.
With baking experience that spans about 40 years, her desserts include, pies, cakes, jellies, and caramel apples. Her promise is that she sells “love in every bite.”
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Saturday Oct 08, 2022
Saturday Oct 08, 2022
Frank Arellano is the CEO and founder of Revolv3, a fintech SaaS platform out of Laguna Beach, CA. Frustrated by the lack of subscription management payment systems that could minimize false declines and maximize first pass payment approvals, he built his own.
Frank started his career with startups, then lead as an executive at Ingram Micro and Experian for over 20 years. Now backed by Rosecliff Ventures, he intends to reshape the recurring payment market. On the weekends you might find him jamming with one of his bands at a local wine festival, or a concert.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning