On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Podcast, host/producer Lisa D. Smith talks with clean energy executive Jared Schoch, founder and chairman of TurningPoint Energy and author of "Solar Coaster: The Untold Story of the Solar Industry, One Man's Journey Leading with Soul" (Regalo Press, November 10, 2026). Jared has spent more than two decades in the industry and has managed more than 3 gigawatts of projects representing over $5 billion in solar and energy efficiency investments. The conversation starts with what a gigawatt means in terms of homes, then looks at why solar took so long to take hold in the U.S. From there it moves to how AI data centers are straining the grid, why Jared says solar and wind can be built faster than gas or nuclear, and how battery storage is changing what solar can do. They also cover small solar plants near cities, agrivoltaics, what happens to old batteries, why crypto and data center companies are asking for solar, and what the dot-com crash can teach us about a possible AI bubble. Along the way, Jared explains why he says the industry has to adapt to survive and why it takes purpose as well as profit. He also shares that he isn't making money from the book. He says every dollar he earns earn goes to charity, supporting environmental causes, poverty relief, education, and spiritual growth. Jared will be back on Big Blend Radio in November to go deeper on the book. Visit & Pre-order: https://SolarCoasterProject.com
September is National Preparedness Month, and getting your paperwork in order is part of being ready. Estate planning attorney Lauren Corman joins Lisa D. Smith on Big Blend Radio to break down wills vs. trusts, how to avoid probate, powers of attorney and health care directives, protecting a business, and the everyday details families overlook, like titling assets and storing passwords. In this conversation: - Wills vs. trusts, and why California probate is costly and slow - Protecting founders, startups, and business owners - Naming successor trustees and backups - Why a trust only works if your assets are titled in it - Guardians for your kids, handwritten wills, and the no-contest clause - Originals, safe deposit boxes, and documenting your belongings - Health care directives, passwords, and digital accounts About Lauren T. Corman: Lauren is the Managing Attorney at the Corman Law Offices, a boutique estate planning firm serving individuals, families, and business owners in Santa Cruz, San Jose, and the greater Bay Area. She is a California Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. 📥 FREE ESTATE PLANNING CHECKLIST: Download it at https://www.cormanlaw.net. It appears in a popup on the home page, and no email is required.
In honor of World Tourism Day, we're at Tiffany's Bed & Breakfast in Bismarck, Arkansas with innkeeper Tiffany Bertram for this Big Blend Radio Success Insider — a stop we make every year, and one that happens to sit right on the historic Jefferson Highway. Tiffany takes us through her whole path into hospitality: a hotel management degree from UNLV, working her way up from housekeeping to general manager, and a career that carried her through six cities and multiple hotel brands before she and her husband Bob bought a Hot Springs-area bed and breakfast twenty-some years ago — a purchase she almost talked herself out of ("No one would go there"). We get into what actually separates a bed and breakfast from an Airbnb, the daily headaches of online travel agencies, and how AI is already reshaping the back end of small hospitality businesses. Tiffany also shares one of her favorite guest story (the couple with no TV in their room), and her hospitality-adjacent dream job. Plus: the history behind Hot Springs' bathhouses, gangsters, and 4,000-year-old spring water. Tiffany answers our 10-question Success Insider Q&A too — check it out here: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/getting-to-know-innkeeper-tiffany-bertram Learn more about Tiffany's B&B: https://www.tiffanysbedandbreakfast.com/
Happy Global Company Culture Day! Company culture isn't what's written on your website or printed on a poster — it's how your people feel walking in the door on a Sunday night. On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Supervision Matters" Podcast, HR and organizational culture expert Rita Sever joins Lisa D. Smith to break down what culture actually is, how it's built (and eroded), and why it has to be intentional from day one. Rita walks through the three components of a healthy culture — Mission, Vision, and Values; how the work gets done; and how people are treated — and shares the story of a NASA janitor who told President Kennedy he was "helping put a man on the moon." Rita is the author of two books — "Supervision Matters" and "Leading for Justice." Links: 🌐 Rita's website: https://supervisionmatters.com 📖 Supervision Matters Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/supervision-matters-magazine 🎙️ Supervision Matters Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/supervision-matters-podcast-with-rita-sever
When does a workplace issue need a manager's coaching — and when does it need a lawyer? On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "California Employment Law" Podcast, San Diego employment attorney Ward Heinrichs sits down with Bernadette Jones, CEO and co-founder of Visionova HR, to map out where coaching ends and legal exposure begins — outdated handbooks, shadow AI in the workplace, the "keys to the kingdom" risk of one employee holding all the access, and what at-will employment actually protects (and doesn't) in California. LINKS & RESOURCES: - Visionova HR: https://www.visionovahr.com/ - Ward Heinrichs' Employment Law Office: https://bestemploymentattorneysandiego.com/ - Connect with Ward on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ward-heinrichs/ - California Employment Law Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/california-employment-law-magazine - More California Employment Law Podcast episodes: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/california-employment-law-with-ward-heinrichs