From There to Here

E. Michael Houlihan is an author and life-focused coach.  In this episode, he shares how a childhood injury forever taught him resilience, acknowledging all that was right, loading the problems on the front-end, making life accessible,  the never-ending work of transformation, and the worth in writing a book.E. Michael Houlihan is President of Houlihan Development Company, where he provides leadership coaching for business owners and leaders.  He is the author of the memoir "It's All About the Boots," which recounts his transformative journey from growing up on a tree farm with cowboy dreams, to building a successful career and family, to facing a devastating diagnosis of a rare genetic neurological disease that ultimately changed the course of his life. Through this journey, he discovered that true transformation comes from embracing rather than fighting life's unexpected turns.Houlihan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois and spent his career in the landscape design and construction industries.  He is a passionate advocate for his St. Louis community, and his personal experience with disability has fueled his advocacy work. Reach out to Michael:https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-michael-houlihan/To learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

Rob Gallaher is an entrepreneur who is running multiple businesses simultaneously.  In this episode, Rob talks how his numerous siblings taught him about personality types and group mobilization, doing the best you can, the importance of caring, investing in your financial safety, keeping a stable of stallions, and remembering the humanity in the business.Rob Gallaher is CEO of Gallaher Co.  In 2010, he started his own construction company, and now leads 5 companies across multiple industries.  One of the most powerful lessons he learned is the incredible impact of aligning employee success with company success. That's why he has become so passionate about profit sharing. Through years of implementing and refining these strategies in his own companies, Rob has seen firsthand how it can transform a workplace; fostering collaboration, boosting motivation, and ultimately driving significant growth. He recently put all of this experience and insight into a book, "Profit Sharing: The Power of Shared Success" and launched an online course teaching how to set up profit sharing in.Reach out to Rob:https://profitx.co/https://try.profitx.co/https://a.co/d/3UZGkWbwww.linkedin.com/in/robertgallaherhttps://www.facebook.com/1robertgallaher1To learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

Andy Wiggins is a multi-franchise business owner.  In this episode, he talks about nothing being beneath you, leveraging opportunities, understanding the whole business, growing confidence, doing all the other stuff, helping people achieve their goals, and the promise of changing lives.After 20 years honing his Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service skills in the corporate world, Andy Wiggins decided it was time for a change. He became an entrepreneur and purchased a CertaPro painting franchise.  Andy has worked to build a business that would value its customers, colleagues, and community as much as it valued the bottom line. His well-rounded business acumen and focus on developing his people elevated the business performance and customer experience.Andy is a senior leader and strategic advisor of another family owned franchise, Visiting Angels.  He is also the co-founder of a nonprofit called Hearts and Hope for Uganda, helping to improve the lives of vulnerable communities in that country. When not serving others, he is an avid sports fan, rooting on the St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cardinals, Indiana Hoosiers, and U.S.A. Soccer.Reach out to Andy:https://certapro.com/saint-charles/https://heartsandhope.org/www.visitingangels.com/stcharles/homeTo learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

William Milliken is a home service serial entrepreneur.  In this episode, he talks about going with the flow, partnership selection, aligning incentives, being able to step back, taking action, and we talk about some specifics of dog waste management.William Milliken is the Founder of Swoop Scoop, a multi-million-dollar dog waste removal company that has transformed a simple chore into a booming business serving thousands across multiple states. With a sharp digital marketing background, he’s built several 7-figure home service companies, becoming a go-to expert in creating profitable, recession-proof businesses. As the founder of the Poop Scoop Millionaire community, he’s empowered hundreds of entrepreneurs to launch their own successful dog waste removal ventures. William shares powerful strategies for scaling businesses, digital marketing, and unlocking financial freedom in unexpected industries.Reach out to William Milliken:Website: https://swoopscoop.com/https: www.skool.com/poop-scoop-millionaire/about LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-milliken/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scoopclubnetwork YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Scoop-Start To learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

Dan Curran is a serial entrepreneur and is reinventing publishing.  In this episode, he talks about youthful exposure to diversity and disparity, the acclimation in your 20’s, navigating chaos, the value of advisory support, a positive spin on acquisitions, being in the fetal position, and technology’s capacity in capturing stories. Dan Curran is the Co-Founder of Chapters.io and a serial entrepreneur with a deep passion for the intersection of AI and editorial integrity. He is a staunch advocate for disrupting and re-imagining the publishing industry to democratize access, enabling everyone to share their genius. Dan’s innovative approach leverages AI to streamline the book publishing process, ensuring authors can effortlessly transform their expertise into influential books while maintaining their authentic voice. As a past President and active member of multiple organizations, including the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), Dan has consistently demonstrated his commitment to leadership and innovation. His professional journey is marked by an unwavering optimism and a drive to make publishing accessible for all.Reach out to Dan Curran:dan@chapters.iohttps://www.chapters.io/https://www.linkedin.com/in/currandan/To learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

Kari (Granger) Zeller is a battle-tested leadership consultant.  In this episode, she talks about raising strong women, finding the through-line, the paradox when you are in charge, the understanding of being, the reality on the field, and unlocking a system’s intelligence.Kari Zeller (formerly Granger) is an authentic leader and combat veteran known for her ability to seamlessly transition her expertise from the battlefield to the boardroom. As the Founder and CEO of TGN Consulting, she has spent over two decades guiding companies—including Fortune 100 firms, healthcare systems, and governmental organizations—through pivotal transformations. Kari is renowned for her ability to mobilize workforces by reducing friction and gaining traction in order to execute in new strategic directions, while aligning leadership behaviors with enterprise priorities to ensure sustained value creation. Her hallmark is unlocking systemic value that impedes progress, enabling executives and boards to drive breakthrough results.Reach out to Kari Zeller:https://www.tgn-consulting.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kari-zeller/To learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

Anthony Ebel is the General Manager at Skydive Chicago, the premier skydiving drop-zone.  In the episode, he talks about the focus from a skydive, navigating first encounters, having a calm mentor, seeing the sharp corners, pushing the limits, and following your passion while building a family.Anthony Ebel is the General Manager and Safety & Training Advisor for Skydive Chicago (SDC).  SDC is a premier skydiving facility globally, putting on premium events, setting world records, and innovating in the industry.  He was introduced to skydiving at a young age, and even with a college degree and exposure to traditional work, Anthony was consistently drawn to the skydiving community.  In his 20 year career, he literally lived in a tent while working his way from the bottom to now running the drop zone.Reach out to Anthony:https://skydivechicago.com/(815)433-0000 info@skydivechicago.com3215 E 1969th Rd, Ottawa, IL 61350 www.youtube/@skydive_chicagoTo learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

Alan Franks is a financial planner, author, and speaker.  In this episode, he talks about childhood experiences that inspired change, the singular education from owning a business, the value of mentors, scaling forward and back, and building the guidebook for others.Alan Franks is an author, speaker, and a fee-based CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ who provides holistic financial planning services nationwide. Unlike many financial advisors who prioritize selling products, Alan takes a client-centered approach, helping individuals and families define their lifestyle goals and then reverse-engineering a tailored financial plan to achieve them. His focus on cost-effective, tax-advantaged strategies empowers clients to realize their dreams as quickly and efficiently as possible.Specializing in serving professionals, executives, and business owners, Alan helps his clients live their fullest lives through thoughtful and strategic financial planning.Website: empowered-money.com/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alanfranks/Instagram: @frankly_financialBook: https://a.co/d/3JFMWavTo learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

Bill Sawalich is a commercial photographer.  In this episode, he talks about capturing the moment, the challenge of creating, hobby jobs, empathy from the lens, being present, technology evolution, the rising culture of ads, a dissolving ecosystem, and just doing what you want to.Bill Sawalich is a St. Louis-based photographer specializing in editorial and corporate portraiture. A longtime magazine writer and educator that has taught commercial photography at the University of Missouri St. Louis for 11 years. Former editor of Digital Photo and contributing editor to Outdoor Photographer and Digital Photo Pro magazines. Current writer/editor of Art + Math photography newsletter at artandmath.substack.com. Chief photographer at Barlow Productions in St. Louis.Check Out Barlow Productions:https://www.barlowpro.com/To learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

Coleman Swisher is a co-founder of Boldr Futures and is a Valuation Advisor.  In this episode, Colman talks about lifestyle differences, questioning norms and constructs, impacts from elite coaching, just-in-time learning, the education from a small business, the pitfalls of extraction capital, and we do a deep dive with lessons learned from acquisitions and integrations.Colman Swisher, CEPA, transforms growing businesses into market-ready enterprises that command premium valuations. As Co-Founder of Boldr Futures, he combines deep operational expertise with certified exit planning to help business owners maximize enterprise value and create perpetual optionality. Colman's methodology—the Legacy Multiplier framework—systematically builds the four drivers of premium valuations: growth capacity, risk resilience, strategic clarity, and operational independence. Before co-founding Boldr Futures, Colman served as VP of Strategy and Chief Information Officer for the largest radiopharmaceutical logistics company in the U.S. There, he led the transformation efforts that increased enterprise value from $4M to $20M over three years—a 5x valuation increase achieved through systematic operational improvements, leadership development, and strategic positioning. He then orchestrated the company’s buy and build strategy, completing a series of M&A integrations using his 90-day integration playbook to increase revenue 4x in 2 years. To learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/