Angie & Dan Bastian were looking to put aside some money for their kids' college fund when they started a small kettle corn business out of their garage. Initially selling popcorn at outdoor events, including Minnesota Vikings games, the couple soon took their popcorn to Trader Joe's, Target, and Costco – gaining a crash course in how to operate a business along the way. Angie retired from being a nurse practitioner and Dan from a history teacher and baseball coach to run their company full time. And after years of commitment and sacrifice, the Bastian's sold their business Boom Chicka Pop in 2017 to Chicago-based Conagra Brands for $250 million. In this candid conversation, you will get to learn more about their childhood, what has shaped their beliefs, lessons learned about life and business…Both Angie & Dan have generous hearts and continue to share their time, talents and treasures helping others reach for the stars.
Angela Burk is an award-winning high-tech marketing leader, author, and the fierce voice behind The Real Girls Guide to Over 55. With three decades of experience scaling companies from scrappy pre-IPO startups to Fortune 500 powerhouses, she’s built a reputation for strategic acumen, creative drive, and delivering results that actually move the needle. At Confluent, ServiceNow, NetApp, and beyond, she’s led high-performance teams across corporate marketing, revenue operations, demand generation, and strategic communications - always with the courage to ask the questions no one else will. In midlife, Angela pivoted from the C-suite to consulting and storytelling, channeling her leadership chops into a mission: reclaiming the narrative for women navigating hot flashes, career shifts, hormone havoc, empty-nest chaos, long-distance love, reinvention after divorce, and identity redrawn post-55. Her Substack and forthcoming book blend gritty memoir with expert insight, creating a no-BS guide for women who refuse to shrink. Speaking to a generation that’s held it all together - for kids, partners, and careers - Angela champions the unapologetic pursuit of a life directed on your own terms. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she splits her time between there and Australia. Mom to three boys and stepmom to four more, she’s building a movement for women who want hot takes, true stories, and fearless advice - served with wit, grit, and zero apologies from those who’ve lived it.
Beth Kieffer Leonard is a distinguished national leader in the accounting profession, recognized for her trailblazing role as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field. In this episode, Beth emphasizes the importance of making intentional choices in both her professional and personal life. She believes in the power of leadership to impact people, clients, and communities positively. Her approach to leadership is centered on providing opportunities for others and giving back to the community. This is evident in her service to the University of MN, a co-founder of the Minnesota chapter of the Women’s Business Development Center, several leadership positions within the Jewish community, including past President and Campaign Chair for the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. She also serves on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Born on October 17, 1960, Delsing grew up in the North County area of St. Louis. His father, Jim Delsing, was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for several teams, including the New York Yankees, from 1948 to 1960. Jay learned golf at the now-demolished North Shore Country Club near the historic Chain of Rocks Bridge. Delsing attended UCLA, where he played alongside future PGA Tour stars like Corey Pavin and Duffy Waldorf. He became a two-time All-American and ranks third in UCLA men's golf history with seven tournament victories. He graduated in 1983 with a degree in economics. Turning professional in 1984, Delsing competed in nearly 700 PGA Tour events over 25 years. While he didn't secure a victory on the PGA Tour, he had two runner-up finishes and earned over $3.6 million in prize money. His best finishes were a tie for second at the 1993 New England Classic and the 1995 FedEx St. Jude Classic . Delsing also made significant achievements on the Nationwide Tour, winning twice, and set course records with rounds of 61 and 62 . After retiring from competitive golf, Delsing transitioned into broadcasting. In 2014, Fox Sports added him to its broadcast team, where he contributed to coverage of major golf tournaments, including the U.S. Open . Since 2019, Delsing has hosted Golf with Jay Delsing, a radio show and podcast airing on 101 ESPN in St. Louis. The show features interviews with prominent golfers and sports figures, offering insights into the game and its personalities . Delsing has been inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, recognizing his contributions to golf and the community. He is also deeply involved in youth golf initiatives. In 2005, he helped establish The First Tee of Greater St. Louis, a program aimed at introducing young people to golf and its core values. Through his Jay Delsing Golf platform, he offers corporate entertainment and hospitality experiences, further promoting the sport .
Tim Johnson is a former NFL Super Bowl champion, Sports Illustrated All-Pro, NCAA Football All-American, and Penn State national champion. Previously named National Faith-Based Leader of the Year by the John C. Maxwell Organization, he serves as senior pastor of Orlando World Outreach Church, president of the Orlando Serve Foundation, and founder of the Fatherless No More initiative. Tim travels the globe speaking to thousands in churches, pro athlete facilities, jails and prisons. Johnson is husband to Le’Chelle, and father to Christa, Kayla, Karrah and Shaun.
Matt Buresh is a fourth generation funeral director in a family business that began in Detroit, MI in 1897. He currently owns and operates six locations in Northeast Michigan as one of the oldest family owned funeral homes at 127 years. This is his story about facing adversity at a young age and how it helped him to find his calling, define his character and build a foundation for how to care for others. A former athlete and medical student found that God would lead him to the family profession he now treats as a ministry. The path evolved into foster care to continue his mission to give a life, share a life, change a life and save a life.
When you are dealt with the extraordinary in life, the people in your corner truly do matter. Nick Oprish tells his story from growing up in Bloomington, MN to a degree at the University of St Thomas, meeting his wife Melissa and being blessed with 3 beautiful kids and a career in corporate America. In 2019 his journey took an unexpected turn that made him double down on his determination and resilience not only to survive but to make the most out of the next chapter of his life. This is his story of life, love, gratefulness, hope and resilience of the mind and body.
From bricklayer to the CEO of a thriving National IT Consulting firm, Richard shares his lessons learned through his Forbes published book, “Relationship Equity.” His no nonsense, common sense approach to life will undoubtedly inspire you to challenge the way you think.
In 2021, Chandler Withington had a life many would envy. He had achieved his dream of becoming a PGA Head Professional at Hazeltine National, had hosted a victorious Ryder Cup in 2016 and had another Ryder Cup scheduled to return to Hazeltine in 2029. When Chandler suddenly resigned from his position in the fall of 2021, many wondered why. Chandler visits with us to share his perspective on life, family and pursuing a career, along with what he is doing now.
Ryan French, better known as Monday Q Info on Twitter, is a golf writer and journalist who pride himself on telling the stories of players chasing the top tours in the world and the dedication and sacrifice it takes to get there. French became particularly well-known for his coverage of “Monday qualifiers,” which are events held on the Monday prior to a professional golf tournament where golfers who are not otherwise exempt can try to earn a spot in the field. He started a Twitter account, Monday Q Info, which quickly gained a following among golf fans and professionals alike for its timely and accurate information about these qualifying events. Ryan currently hosts several podcasts and runs the Monday Q Info website.
In this episode, host Craig Pratt talks with Jeff Mader about his life, career, and motivations. Jeff Mader retired at the beginning of 2023 from the CIO position at Sun Country Airlines. Jeff started working in IT in 1980. Most significant was his nearly twenty- four years at Target where he progressed to a senior level VP reporting to the CIO. Jeff also served as the first CIO of Imagine Companies prior to joining Sun Country Airlines. He has significant background in retail, transportation, and manufacturing. Jeff received his BS degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato majoring in Computer Science, Finance, and Business Management. He received his MBA from University of St Thomas and completed a Mini-Master of Information Technology also at the University of St Thomas. Jeff’s signature strengths are developing IT leaders, improving IT performance, IT cost rationalization, and business and IT strategy development. Jeff is widely regarded as a top IT leader that has helped to develop many of the people who are currently in executive level IT positions today. Jeff is a very active volunteer leader in the battle against cancer. He chairs the MN Chapter of the American Cancer Society and is co-founder and chair of CIOs Against Cancer. CIOs Against Cancer mission is to fund early stage cancer researchers who have been vetted by the American Cancer Society. Jeff formerly served on the board of United Through Reading, a non-profit organization that supports deployed military families by helping deployed Moms and Dads read bedtime stories to their children at home. He was the board chair for a term. His 12 year tenure on the board concluded at the end of 2021. Jeff lives in Prior Lake, MN with his wife Judy and enjoys boating, hiking, hunting, and anything outdoors. They have one son, Sam who is a medical device engineer working at Boston Scientific.
Nick Hernandez is a St. Paul native who co-founded 3 advisory firms after starting his career at IBM. Alongside his wife, Mary Alice, they have four grown children, three of whom are parents, and six energetic grandchildren. In 2020, he founded Adelante Advisors with Jackie Hartman, a guide service helping people navigate life transitions and find deeper meaning and purpose.
Wade Wyant is a recovering serial entrepreneur and business coach…He has helped multiple businesses significantly increase their revenue and valuations. In this book you will learn the multiple lessons Wade has learned along the way. Key learnings include how to lean into conflict, embrace the grind, make tough decision and it’s all about the team at the end of the day.
Chase Pettey is most known as an adventurer and lover of life. His love for adventure and helping others lead him to launch Adventure For All, an innovative nonprofit creating opportunities for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities or as they say exceptionalities! Chase didn’t become who he is today by chance. He became who he is by the obstacles and challenges he was faced with starting at a young age. On today’s episode we hear about the life that guided Chase to launch such an amazing nonprofit at just 29 years old. His passion and intention for Adventure For All’s mission isn’t anything short of inspiring. Learn more at Adventure for All #ImagineThePossibilities
Brian Eder is your classic Minnesotan…Raised inn Stillwater and went to St. Johns in Collegeville, MN to play Football for the legendary coach John Gagliardi. One of the great gifts from his college experience was meeting his wife Greta. They have two beautiful daughters and a beautiful home on the east side of the Twin Cities. When he’s not helping multiple charities across the Twin Cities he’s helping families build a life plan at Voyage Wealth Architects (voyegewa.com). Brian is an action oriented leader who believes our greatest gift is the opportunity to help others. That mindset along with a passion for the game of golf inspired him to launch Birdies 4 Brians - (b4bmn.org). This group of passionate leaders have made massive contributions to the the community and continue to raise awareness for those suffering from Brain injuries.
Marc Mero (born July 9, 1960) is an American former amateur boxer and professional wrestler, as well as a motivational speaker. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under his real name and with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Johnny B. Badd. Today, Marc Mero contributes much of his time to the nonprofit organization he founded in 2007, Champion of Choices. Learn more at THINKPOZ dot ORG
Raising Men Lawn Care Service is the union of an ordinary yard maintenance service and the commitment to establish an inspiring program to keep our youth (girls & boys) on a positive path while learning and understanding their value in society. RMLCS provides free lawn care to our elders, those who are disabled, single mothers and our veterans, who do not have the time, resources and/or money to take care of their yards. Raising Men Lawn Care Service is a 501(c)(3) organization. Visit WeAreRaisingMen dot com to learn more.
Thomas Mendoza joined NetApp in 1994 as Vice President of North America sales. He served as its President from 2000 until 2008, when he became Vice Chairman. He helped establish the culture that allowed NetApp to be ranked #1 in Fortune Magazine’s "100 Best Companies To Work For" in 2009, as well as being a co-recipient with NetApp CEO, Dan Warmenhoven of the Morgan Stanley Leadership Award for Global Commerce —the first time the award had been co-presented to two individuals. Mendoza retired from NetApp in 2019 and currently serves on the Boards of VAST Data, UiPath, Varonis, ServiceSource, and Arxan. He previously served on the Boards of Infoblox, NetScreen (acquired by Juniper Networks), and Rhapsody Networks (acquired by Brocade). Mr. Mendoza also serves on the Justin Tuck RUSH Foundation for Children's Literacy. Mendoza frequently speaks on corporate culture and leadership to a wide variety of audiences which have included major Universities such as Stanford University (where he has been a guest lecturer since 1997), Notre Dame, Harvard and United States Military Academy as well as to diverse groups such as the United States Marine Corps, keynotes at Oracle World and numerous other industry events. Charities that Mr. Mendoza has been significantly involved with include the Pat Tillman Foundation, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the Navy SEAL Foundation and Justin Tuck’s RUSH Foundation for Children’s literacy. Mendoza holds a BA from Notre Dame and is an alumnus of the Stanford Executive Program (SEP). In September 2000 Notre Dame named (was not named before) their business school the Mendoza College of Business after an endowment from Tom and Kathy Mendoza.
Brian Souza is CEO and founder of ProductivityDrivers - an innovative corporate training company that specializes in building world-class, high performance teams and organizations. Souza is also the author of The New York Times Bestseller, The Weekly Coaching Conversation. As a respected thought leader in how to build high performance teams, coaching, leadership, and sales, Souza is highly sought after as a keynote speaker and management consultant by top companies and organizations worldwide. Clients include SAS, Google, Boeing, In-N-Out Burger, ServiceNow, StateFarm, American Eagle Outfitters, AstraZeneca, and AbbVie just to name a few. Souza and his work have been featured in dozens of magazines and newspapers around the world including The European Business Review, Fast Company, and Success Magazine. His first critically acclaimed book, Become Who You Were Born to Be (Random House, 2007), has been published in multiple languages around the world. https://www.productivitydrivers.com/homepage
Tommy Angelo is an Oakland, California professional poker player, writer, and coach. Angelo was a career musician in the 1980s, performing rock and country on drums and piano. In 1990, he became a full-time professional poker player. Since then has since written 150 magazine articles, written and produced 60 poker-training videos, and written and published four books on poker. https://www.tommyangelo.com