The Authority Company

Dr. Bruce Bailey — meteorologist, 50-year renewable energy veteran, and former head of AWS Truepower — joins Joe Pardavila to break down the real forces shaping America's energy future. They cover why deep-red Texas leads the nation in clean energy, why your power bill is mostly delivery cost (not fuel), the aging grid's $trillions modernization problem, the data center vs. nuclear power fight coming to your town, and Bailey's outlook for the next 50 years.Bruce Bailey's new book, Power Shift: The Hidden Forces That Determine Whether the Clean Energy Transition Succeeds, is available now.What You'll LearnWhy roughly 85% of U.S. renewable energy is built in red states and red districts — and how rural land-lease income drives itWhy public opinion has shifted from climate fear to plain frustration over energy costsWhat actually makes up your electric bill (it's mostly delivery, not supply)How wind, solar, hydro, and battery storage complement each other to manage variabilityEverything that has to align for a single renewable project to get built: developers, landowners, utilities, banks, zoning boards, and permitsWhy local communities push back on data centers and battery storage — and how that differs from renewable energy pushbackThe "rich vs. poor" divide fueling data center oppositionHow data centers are straining the grid and pushing utilities back toward gas powerWhy the U.S. power grid is 40–70 years old and what modernizing it will actually costWhy nuclear power may be poised for a comeback — and why data centers will still win public approval over nuclear in the near termBailey's 50-year outlook for the clean energy transitionChapters00:00 Intro: Meet Dr. Bruce Bailey00:40 Has the climate debate become less polarized?02:33 Why deep-red Texas leads in clean energy03:15 85% of U.S. renewables are built in red districts — here's why04:25 It's not climate fear anymore — it's the energy bill05:03 What's actually driving your electric bill (hint: not supply)06:38 How battery storage has changed the game08:17 The charger-standardization analogy10:00 50 years in the industry — why write the book now11:52 Biggest myths about the clean energy transition14:06 The approval maze: developers, banks, utilities, zoning boards18:35 Local zoning boards vs. scientific complexity21:47 Misinformation: windmills, birds, and data center water fears22:15 The real pushback: rich vs. poor divide on data centers24:09 How data centers are "hijacking" the energy transition25:36 State of the grid: how close are we to another 2003 or 2021 Texas blackout?26:28 Why the grid is dangerously old and needs modernization28:46 Climate-driven extreme weather is straining an aging system30:00 Who's actually fighting to fix this?32:02 Who pays? The affordability dilemma33:20 Optimistic close: what energy looks like in 50 years33:46 The case for a nuclear power resurgence35:27 Pop quiz: nuclear plant vs. data center — which gets approved first?37:02 Outro & where to find the book

Twin brothers. Army veterans. Business partners. Dr. Sterling Carter and Stephen Carter, MBA built a healthcare empire spanning staffing, hospice, and outpatient physical therapy — now scaled to 800+ clinicians across Texas and Oklahoma. In this episode of The Authority Company Podcast, host Joe Pardavila sits down with the Carter brothers to talk about their new book, "The Business of Healing", the moment they decided to build together, why most healthcare practices never scale, the "Sterling Treatment Method," private equity's growing role in healthcare, and what they think 2030 looks like with AI in the mix.What You'll LearnWhy a healthcare practice that depends on one practitioner isn't a business — it's a hobby — and what it actually takes to make it scalableHow the Carters divide roles (mission/compliance vs. contracts/financials) so neither brother is a bottleneckThe military-derived system (standard operating procedures + repeatable training) behind managing 800+ clinicians across two statesWhat the "Sterling Treatment Method" is, why they patented it, and how it keeps quality consistent across every location — the "Chick-fil-A" standardHow to make your practice "bankable" — separating personal and business finances and thinking through exit strategy from day oneThe risks and upside of private equity getting involved in healthcare practicesHow to draft a 20-year legacy statement, using the Carters' own umbrella company (Cartera Health) as the exampleWhere they think AI is headed in healthcare by 2030 — and why the human/patient connection won't disappearTimestamps00:00 Intro: Meet the Carter Brothers00:42 Being Twins & Business Partners02:02 The Origin Story: "Let's Build This Together"04:11 Stephen's Side of the Founding Call05:52 Where the Business Instinct Came From (Mom's Snow Cone Stand)07:41 Launching Carter Brothers Consulting & The Business of Healing09:14 The Scalability Problem in Healthcare10:56 Scalability as a Deliberate Operational Choice11:26 The War Story: Why Non-Scalable Practices Collapse12:30 Dividing Roles: Contracts, Compliance & Legal14:36 Scaling to 800+ Clinicians Across Texas & Oklahoma15:27 The Military Playbook Behind Their Systems15:55 "Built Like Chick-fil-A": Consistency at Scale16:19 The Sterling Treatment Method (and the Patent)18:03 What Actually Makes the Method Different19:21 The Money Gap & Becoming "Bankable"19:38 The Private Equity Problem in Healthcare22:14 Writing a 20-Year Legacy Statement22:29 Cartera Health: The Umbrella Company & the BHAG23:31 Impact Beyond Patients: Employees & Community25:01 2030 Predictions: AI in Healthcare27:07 Stephen's Take: The "Educated Consumer" Era28:41 The Dedication: Honoring Their Father31:51 Closing & Where to Find the Book

David J. Moore co-founded 24/7 Media, took it public with $2.5M in revenue, watched it soar to a $1.8 billion valuation — and then rode it all the way down to nine cents a share and a "going concern" opinion before clawing it back and selling to WPP. In this episode of The Authority Company Podcast, David sits down with host Joe Pardavila to unpack the eerie and not-so-eerie parallels between the dot-com bust and today's AI boom, why he believes AI could be more dangerous than a nuclear bomb, and what he'd do differently if he could relive the crash. He also opens up about compartmentalizing grief while running a company as his wife battled cancer, and the foundation and marathon tradition he keeps up in her memory.David's new book, The 24/7 CEO: The Battle for Survival That Helped Build Digital Advertising, tells the full inside story.What You'll LearnHow 24/7 Media grew from 40 employees to 1,200 people in 29 countries — then crashed to 200 employees and a $15M market capThe real mechanical difference between the dot-com bust and today's AI bubble (hint: it's about who can afford to fail)Why David believes unchecked AI could be more dangerous than nuclear weaponsThe one strategic decision he'd reverse if he could redo the crash yearsHow Wall Street's "growth over profit" mindset echoes the Netflix/streaming correction — and why AI may be nextWhich jobs he thinks are more AI-resistant, and where he pushes back on his own optimismHow he led all-hands meetings and kept morale up during two years of declineHow he compartmentalized his wife's cancer diagnosis while running a public company through crisisThe foundation and marathon tradition he's kept alive for 16 years in her honorChapters00:00 – Introduction: 24/7 Media and The 24/7 CEO01:00 – Setting the scene: 26 years since the dot-com boom01:18 – Founding 24/7 Media and the explosive early growth02:29 – IPO days, stock mania, and 1,200 employees across 29 countries03:38 – The crash: from $69/share to nine cents04:51 – Big difference from today: Big Tech can't go out of business06:48 – "AI is more dangerous than the nuclear bomb"08:47 – Looking back: what he'd change about the decline10:37 – Scaling back acquisitions vs. chasing market share11:03 – The Netflix correction and Wall Street's growth-to-profit pivot12:06 – What actually caused the dot-com bust (the IPO window closing)14:00 – Data centers, capital spending, and consumer backlash15:33 – Rich vs. poor: will the market reject AI overinvestment?16:00 – The horse-shoer analogy: progress always has winners and losers17:07 – Which jobs AI can't easily replace (plumbers, masseuses, doctors)18:38 – Pushback: what happens to white-collar, middle-class jobs?19:14 – The cyclical trap: cutting jobs while needing customers20:20 – Workforce "carnage," trade schools, and the road to 203021:03 – Leading through crisis: all-hands meetings and rallying speeches22:33 – Optimism as a choice (and a skill you can build)23:39 – Triathlons as therapy: running through business problems24:51 – His wife's cancer diagnosis while running the company26:20 – The WPP sale, Martin Sorrell's support, and stepping back as CEO28:33 – Returning as CEO after losing his wife29:04 – Starting the foundation in her memory30:06 – Running a marathon every year to fundraise32:21 – How to support the foundation33:18 – Closing and book plug

Bridget Way spent nearly two decades in the trenches of tax season before asking one question that reshaped her entire business: what if doing great work didn't have to mean burning out?A CPA based in the mountains of Colorado, Bridget rebuilt her firm around AI after a disconnected family trip to Utah during COVID convinced her there had to be a better way to work — one where technology creates more capacity while preserving the relationships that make the job meaningful.In this conversation, Bridget and Joe cover:• The funeral story about her grandfather (also an accountant) that reshaped how she saw the profession• Why she calls herself a "QuickBooks desktop warrior" and how cloud accounting changed everything• The panic-call moment in Utah that triggered her shift to boundaries and automation• How she quantified saving 500 hours in year one of using AI• Why she believes AI won't replace small accounting firms — and how she uses it as a "personal assistant" instead• The generational shift in accounting culture (Gen X grind vs. Gen Z boundaries)• How "firing" the wrong-fit clients gave her freedom• What her grandfather — an old-school Enrolled Agent who refused computers — might think of her AI-powered practice todayBridget is the author of Upskill or Out: AI, Small Business, and the New American Dream — part personal story, part practical guide to using AI to build a stronger, more sustainable business.Learn more about Bridget at https://www.upskillorout.com.Chapters00:00 – Intro: Bridget's journey from tax-season burnout to AI-powered firm00:23 – Meet Bridget Way, CPA and author of *Upskill or Out*01:01 – The story of her grandfather's funeral and its impact02:23 – Seeing her grandfather, the accountant, in a new light03:17 – Young Bridget: marketing major turned numbers person04:10 – What is an Enrolled Agent vs. a CPA?05:01 – Confessions of a "QuickBooks desktop warrior"06:12 – The rise of cloud accounting and alternatives to QuickBooks07:01 – Transferable skills and the post-COVID hiring shift07:59 – The Utah trip: the moment everything changed09:36 – Realizing "I don't have to work 16-hour days"09:55 – Changing the business model — and the client fallout11:37 – The AICPA Vegas conference "tech awakening"13:15 – First AI experiment: cleaning up a messy client file14:40 – The automation hack that saves the most time and money16:44 – How she quantified saving 500 hours in year one17:45 – Why AI won't replace small accounting firms18:31 – Using AI as a "personal assistant" to punch above her weight19:30 – Bundling in HR and other adjacent services for clients20:12 – The post-COVID accountant shortage and AI stepping in21:09 – Are Gen Z accountants embracing AI and boundaries?22:34 – AI absorbing the "mundane" work so people don't have to22:54 – Gen X banter: adapting through the pre/post-internet era23:22 – How Millennials and Gen Z reshaped work-life boundaries24:52 – Does tax season still get "crazy" in her practice?25:43 – The ski trip during tax season story26:15 – Handling clients who think "a computer is doing my taxes"27:47 – "You know you've made it when you can fire clients"29:09 – Redefining success: time and presence over the corner office30:27 – "You're less edgy during tax time now" — her kids notice the change32:04 – What would her grandfather think of her AI-powered practice today?33:42 – Where to find Bridget's book and close

Brendan P. Keegan joins Joe Pardavila on The Authority Company Podcast to challenge one of the most common ideas in modern leadership: work-life balance.Brendan is an award-winning president and CEO, investor, board member, and author of Unbalanced on Purpose: Move Beyond the Myth of Perfect Balance and Live With Intention.After raising more than $10 billion in capital, leading over 250,000 people, and helping drive major growth at companies like Merchants Fleet, Brendan brings a clear and practical framework for living and leading with more intention.In this conversation, Brendan explains why balance looks different for every person, every role, and every season of life. He breaks down the “delusion of busyness,” why your goals should drive your schedule, how leaders can protect family time without losing their edge, and why discipline creates more freedom.This episode is a practical conversation for entrepreneurs, CEOs, founders, and high performers who want to build a meaningful life without pretending every area deserves equal time all the time.Learn more about Brendan P. Keegan and other Authority Company authors at: theauthoritycompany.comChapters00:00 - Introduction to Brendan P. Keegan00:43 - Why “Unbalanced on Purpose” challenges work-life balance01:17 - Why everyone’s balance looks different02:47 - What unconscious imbalance looks like03:34 - Choosing family moments without walking away from ambition06:08 - Why goals determine your work schedule07:45 - Brendan’s vacation communication system08:52 - Should leaders expect others to work like they do?10:15 - The investment banker and teacher example11:29 - The delusion of busyness15:04 - Why busyness is really a prioritization issue16:20 - The six circles of connection19:00 - How Brendan prepared his family during a company sale20:38 - The mistake that hurt his health early in his career22:13 - Will pulling back from work make you lose your edge?23:54 - Why discipline creates more time26:37 - What leaders get wrong about working harder28:38 - Grind shaming and judging other people’s goals31:14 - Brendan’s life after running companies33:11 - Building one million fearless leaders34:09 - Closing thoughts