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Past Episodes

June 6, 2024
Behind the scenes of a 40-year career in jewelry design with Mark Loren

This week, we speak with Mark Loren, founder of Mark Loren Designs. Mark is a goldsmith, silversmith, and platinumsmith who started his gallery in Fort Myers almost 40 years ago.Together, …

May 30, 2024
Saving lives one text at a time with Cope Notes Founder Johnny Crowder

Johnny Crowder likes to say that, in short, he’s a suicide/abuse survivor, TEDx speaker, Billboard-charting heavy metal musician and a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist. He’s also the founder of Cope …

May 23, 2024
How an immigrant who didn't learn English until her 20s became college president with Aysegul Timur

This week we speak with Aysegul Timur, President of Florida Gulf Coast University. Aysegul was named president of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers last summer — the fifth …

May 16, 2024
Liberate yourself from the clutches of hustle with entrepreneur and keynote speaker Taylor Villegas

This week, we speak with Taylor Villegas, founder of Twelve Tables and Sunny Collabs, angel investor, podcaster, keynote speaker, and influencer. Taylor’s companies work with growth-stage startups and established brands …

May 9, 2024
Connections can help your business take off with serial entrepreneur Veronica Swiatek

This week, we speak with Veronica Swiatek, founder and owner of Massage Studio. Veronica owns Massage Studio, with one location in downtown St. Petersburg and another location in South Tampa. …

May 2, 2024
Get passion struck with John Miles

This week, we speak with John Miles, author, podcaster, keynote speaker and entrepreneur. John is the author of “Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your …

April 25, 2024
Leading with courage, conviction and curiosity with Kristen Lessig-Schenerlein and Hannah McGowan

This week, we speak with Kristen Lessig-Schenerlein, founder of Koi Coaching and Consulting, and Hannah McGowan, founder of Hannah McGowan Coaching.   Kristen and Hannah, each with independent coaching consulting …

April 18, 2024
The importance of connections with Michael Westafer, founder and CEO of Roger West Creative & Code

This week, we speak with Michael Westafer, founder and CEO of Roger West Creative & Code. Michael founded the company, a full-service marketing agency, in 2007. The company recently merged …

April 11, 2024
You don't get ahead alone and more leadership insights from nonprofit executive Susie Bowie

This week, we speak with Susie Bowie, CEO, The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. Susie was named CEO of the foundation in March 2023. She was executive director of …

April 4, 2024
The Ups and Downs of the Restaurant Business with Dan Bavaro of Bavaro Hospitality

This week we are speaking with Dan Bavaro, founder of Bavaro Hospitality. Bavaro Hospitality operates five Bavaro restaurant locations and a culinary commissary. The company has more than 200 employees …

« 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 »

Team

Host

Mark Gordon

Mark Gordon is the managing editor of the Business Observer. Mark has been a business journalist and editor for more than 20 years, and one of his passions is writing about leadership. That led to Mark to start writing a leadership column in 2021 in the Business Observer, called Leadership Matters. It also led to the creation of the From the Corner Office podcast in June 2023.

Producer

Read Corley

Read attended elementary, middle and high school in Manatee County. After graduating from Florida State University and navigating the pandemic, Read joined up with his father to create the podcast I 501(c) You - The Podcast for Nonprofit Board Members. As the podcast has grown, Read has created a path producing podcasts for others, including the Business Observer.

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