The Culture Matters Podcast

"Happiness is three things: something to do, someone to love, something to look forward to." - Dermot Desmond Entrepreneur, investor, activist, and the chairman of Invest Africa Rob Hersov has made his triumphant return to the show and if you listened to Rob's first appearance on The Culture Matters Podcast way back in episode 801, then you know that we are about to deep-dive business with a guy who knows his stuff.  During this discussion, Rob and Jay are digging into the inspiration provided by and amazing accomplishments of Rob's wife, Dr. Katie Hersov, and her work as the CEO and co-founder of Medikidz, the value in treating everyone from the richest billionaires to the people who put gas in your car the same with respect and dignity, and why creating networks of like-minded and driven people will help you reach your full potential.  Just as with the last conversation, this one has proven to be a trust master class and we hope you get all the value you can out of it with the one and only Rob Hersov.

"There was once a wise, spiritual master who was the ruler of a small but prosperous domain and who was known for his selfless devotion to his people. As his people flourished and grew in number, the bounds of this small domain spread and with it the need to trust implicitly the emissaries he sent to ensure the safety of its ever more distant parts. It was not just that it was impossible for him personally to order all that needed to be dealt with: as he wisely saw, he needed to keep his distance from, and remain ignorant of, such concerns. And so he nurtured and trained carefully his emissaries, in order that they could be trusted.Eventually, however, his cleverest and most ambitious vizier, the one he trusted most to do his work, began to see himself as the master, and used his position to advance his own wealth and influence. He saw his master's temperance and forbearance as weakness, not influence, and on his missions on his master's behalf, adopted his mantle as his own - the emissary became contemptuous of his master. And so it came about that the master was usurped, the people were duped, the domain became a tyranny; and eventually it collapsed in ruins." - Friedrich NietzscheThe founder and owner of Guardian Roofing and Siding and one of our favorite returning guests, Robert Frehafer, is back on the show after far too lengthy of an absence.  Robert is a vociferous man of Christian faith and that is what is being used as the cornerstone of today's discussion.  Robert and Jay are looking into what the "Holy Spirit" means to Robert and how it has affected his life inside and outside of business, how Robert's tumultuous early life and the subsequent decisions and actions of those around him didn't deter him from living his life according to his Christian beliefs, and what it means to him to see the successes of his children as they continue to make their own way in the world.  It's always a pleasure to have Robert on the show and we hope you enjoy this discussion on today's episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"I'm no prophet. My job is making windows where there were once walls." - Michel FoucaultFounder of Duffin Media and Duffin Coaching, host of the "Your Message Received" podcast, and a frequent and favorite returning guest of the show John Duffin and we've got the man with the golden pipes back to get into leadership, culture, and everything in between.  John and Jay are digging into the work that is going into John's upcoming book, The Hyper-Authenticity Business Blueprint, and why he felt called to write it, why it is important to drop your armor in order to receive or distribute information properly when you're in a business setting, and the work that it requires to not feel "less-than" around others.  John's easy-going style and copious amounts of knowledge and insight always make these conversations some of our favorites and its no different on today's episode of The Culture Matters Podcast. 

"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." - Søren KierkegaardIf you've been listening to this show for any length of time, then you must be familiar with today's guest.  Chief Victory Officer at the Center for Victory and Executive Coach and the Director of Learning and Development of Top Contractor School Eric Guy has returned for another go around with The Culture Man and, as always, we think you're in for a treat!  Eric and Jay are digging into some of the lessons and observations Eric has made over the last year or so through mentoring and encouraging small business owners, the importance of buying into your employees so that they can buy into the vision of the company, and why you can't lead (or parent) well from a place of fear.  Eric brings a lot of good insight and information every time he is on the show and today is no different on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

Steve Sims was a mentor, strategist, advisor, loving father, and author of the books Go For Stupid: The Art of Achieving Ridiculously High Goals and Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen and, unfortunately, he passed away recently after a hard-fought battle with cancer.  To honor his life, we are taking this opportunity to re-release the last time that Steve was on the show and to put his words and thoughts back into the world.  During this discussion, Steve and Jay dig into using your past experiences to help others achieve their goals, why even what appears to be the smallest of gestures can lead to big things, and why showing up is so important in all aspects of your life.  Steve was a good friend and someone who was admired by everyone at Culture Matters.  His loss will be felt by all he knew and all he influenced without ever having met them personally.  Please join us in celebrating the life of this extraordinary man and enjoy this conversation with the one and only Steve Sims.

Steve Sims was a mentor, strategist, advisor, loving father, and author of the books Go For Stupid: The Art of Achieving Ridiculously High Goals and Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen and, unfortunately, he passed away recently after a hard-fought battle with cancer.  In his honor, we are taking this opportunity to put his own words back into the world.  In the very first season of The Culture Matters Podcast back in 2019, long before we knew exactly what this show would become, Steve was gracious enough to share his time with us and lend his voice to this passion project turned exploration in all things culture.  In this first interview, Steve shares some of his experiences in early life that allowed him to become the man he would ultimately become, what perseverance and belief in yourself can lead you to, and why service to others should always be at the forefront of your endeavors.  Steve was a good friend and someone who was admired by everyone at Culture Matters.  His loss will be felt by all he knew and all he influenced without ever having met them personally.  Please join us in celebrating the life of this extraordinary man and enjoy this conversation with the one and only Steve Sims.

"The very fact that a general problem has gripped and assimilated the whole of a person is a guarantee that the speaker has really experienced it and perhaps gained something from his sufferings. He will then reflect the problem for us in his personal life and thereby show us a truth." - Carl JungMichael Allosso is an acclaimed public speaker, self-awareness expert, and director and he has made his triumphant return to The Culture Matters Podcast after far too long an absence from our airwaves.  For today's discussion, Michael and Jay are taking a look back at Jay's recent interview with Dr. Jordan Peterson at the TAG 2025 event in Atlanta, Georgia and what made that such a strong interview and what it means to establish yourself when you are speaking in public, the benefits of giving positive affirmations to people and how that can affect not only the person receiving those affirmations but also the person giving them, and why great speakers and leaders delete the word "just" from their vocabulary.  There is never a dull moment when Michael is on the show and today is no different on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Mission: Eliminate the friction of clients and agents doing business together."The founder of All Things Insurance Group and one of our favorite returning guests, Pete Fournier, is back with us again to take us through some of the factors that make ATIG the success that it is.  Pete and Jay are digging into how the changing landscape of doing business in 2025 can lead to contention between agents and clients, what it has been like for Pete to go from being the person that advises customers to their best insurance options to the person who is advising and leading the next generation of insurance professionals into the future, and the fact that when you make the decision to become an entrepreneur and lead others professionally that at the end of the day, the burden of responsibility lands on you and that you have to be able to handle it.  As always, Pete is bringing his unique take on business, insurance, and leadership and giving it all to our listeners on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Luck will follow you in the coming year.""What is lost will soon be found.""You will soon be recognized for your unique talents.""The day is near where you will share your talent with the world."- P.F. Chang's fortune cookiesGood friend of the podcast and the president of Concourse Land Transfer LLC Scott Rutkay is back again for another go around with Jay Doran The Culture Man and we are bringing the energy in today's discussion!  Scott and Jay are digging into what the word "no" can do in terms of understanding that you are able to pick and choose the things that you want to be a part of and the things that you are going to take the time to prepare for, the uncertainty of the future and knowing that what might be good for you today might not be good for you tomorrow, and why it is so important to pay attention to the people and things that you have to and making sure that you are prioritizing those things properly.  As always, it was a pleasure to have Scott on the program today and we hope that you enjoy this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Don't be a dick and treat people like they want to be treated and you'd be surprised what they do for you and your business."Founder of Meleeo, author of an upcoming book, entrepreneur, speaker, and business consultant Brian McNally is joining us on the show today for a great conversation about motivation, success, and so much more.  Brian and Jay are digging into Brian's journey through starting his own company and what the highs and lows looked like to make it the success that it became, believing in your ability to hire the right people and to train them the right way so that they will be successful and help your company find success, putting your goals in place and working doggedly to achieve them, and finding the motivation for self-improvement and making a lifestyle that you lead intentionally by making good choices and sticking to them.  Brian is an incredibly motivating individual and we're very grateful to him for sharing his story on this edition of The Culture Matters Podcast.