Outstanding Ohioans

This show brings the audience great things Ohioans are doing to make their communities, the state, the region, and the world a better place as entrepreneurs, leaders, historical and popular culture figures.

For episode 57, I had the pleasure of speaking with Scott Schulte, CRNA with the Crystal Clinic. To connect with the Outstanding Ohioans show, here are a few ways:

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I reached out to Scott by invoking Siliko Rule #6, which is to have a conversation if more than 4 texts/tweets are exchanged.  We were discussing Net Neutrality, and had some differing viewpoints.  Our conversation discussed a few political issues, and we agreed to have future conversations as well.  I enjoyed our back and forth and believe hearing multiple viewpoints makes me more well-rounded.

Here were the topics we discussed in our conversation:

• where Scott grew up, his parents, and coming to Ohio 
• consolidation of power
• health care
• government oversight and the free market
• cost of college
• Lake Erie pollution
• Regulation, De-regulation, and the Non-Aggression Principle

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Thank you for taking the time to listen to the show.  Please leave a review on ITunes or Stitcher, or email me at [email protected].  Please refer any recommended future guests to my email.

This show brings the audience great things Ohioans are doing to make their communities, the state, the region, and the world a better place as entrepreneurs, leaders, historical and popular culture figures.

For episode 56, I had the pleasure of speaking with Heather Shumaker, author of It’s OK to Go UP the Slide… Renegade Rules for Raising Confident and Creative Kids & It’s OK NOT to Share… and Other Renegade Rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids

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The two books that Heather Shumaker has written provide great insights and ideas on how to raise children to be responsible, creative human beings with the ability to communicate.  Many of her thoughts counter the current culture of overprotective parents & practices within the school system.  

Here were the topics we discussed in our conversation:

• growing up in Columbus, Ohio
• the background of her mother and father, who both recently retired as educators
• attending the School for Young Children, founded in 1969 in Columbus
• why she structured specific tools & ideas in her books that parents could use
• her two central parenting themes
• street smarts and stranger danger
• sharing
• calendars & clocks
• homework
• recess
• reading
• conflict resolution
• reading for pleasure vs. forced reading
• technology temptation
• kid evaluation/resolution vs. adult intervention
• fairness & justice
• establishing boundaries

Listeners can connect with Heather in the following ways:

• website contact information
• speaking engagements
• Renegade Rules podcast

Thank you for taking the time to listen to the show.  Please leave a review on ITunes or Stitcher, or email me at [email protected].  Please refer any recommended future guests to my email.

This show brings the audience great things Ohioans are doing to make their communities, the state, the region, and the world a better place as entrepreneurs, leaders, historical and popular culture figures.

For episode 55, I had the pleasure of speaking with Seth Cramer, Co-Owner/General Manager of Phoenix Bats Company in Plain City, Ohio.  Phoenix Bats specializes in manufacturing WOOD baseball bats for baseball and softball players of all ages and abilities.

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Baseball has a following from what are commonly called "purists".  These purists love the tradition of baseball, the history of baseball, and the intricacies of baseball.  The resurgence in the use of wood bats at all levels is something the purists enjoy seeing.  

Seth joined the Phoenix Bat team in 2007 representing a venture capital firm in Columbus, Ohio.  Here were some highlights of our conversation:

• his journey from Connecticut to Ohio
• his personal and business influences
• how Seth got involved with Phoenix Bats
• what role does venture capitalists play in business
• the difference between venture capital and angel investors
• the history of Phoenix Bats Company
• the differentiation that makes Phoenix Bats special
• the importance of customer service
• how Phoenix Bats gets involved with tournaments to promote their product
• how wood bats have come back into vogue at all levels, the rule changes to metal bats, the expected future trends, and the benefits to the player that uses wood
• why Division I college baseball has been resistant to using wood bats
• how Phoenix Bats entered a market dominated by Louisville Slugger, what has happened to Louisville Slugger, and new growth opportunities for Phoenix Bats
• how different types of wood serve different styles of hitters
• selection process for wood supplier
• Adam Eaton is a prominent major leaguer using Phoenix Bats
• in-roads being made in foreign markets
• economic impact in the local community and using local suppliers
• Seth's best business advice-sell to the right person, at the right time, at the right amount

To contact Seth and/or Phoenix Bats, here are some ways to do so:

• Phoenix Bats contact info website page
• Seth's phone number is 614.873.7776 or email [email protected]
• Phoenix Bats blog
• how to set up a tour
• YouTube Channel to see some visual footage of the company and product

Thank you for taking the time to listen to the show.  Please leave a review on ITunes or Stitcher, or email me at [email protected].  Please refer any recommended future guests to my email.

This show brings the audience great things Ohioans are doing to make their communities, the state, the region, and the world a better place as entrepreneurs, leaders, historical and popular culture figures.

To connect with the Outstanding Ohioans show, here are a few ways:

• Itunes
• Stitcher
• Your computer
• Facebook
• YouTube

Yes indeed, I am now using the word bureaucrat as a verb.  In this conversation with Angus Macleod, we talked about several topics.  These topics included:

• Leadership philosophies
• Delegation
• what makes working in sports, recreation, and wellness so compelling and fulfilling
• In customer service, strive not to have staff bureaucrat customer requests as much as possible.
• Ownership
• Connection
• Apathy

Thank you for taking the time to listen to the show.  Please leave a review on ITunes or Stitcher, or email me at [email protected].  Please refer any recommended future guests to my email.

For Episode 53 of the Outstanding Ohioans show, I had the privilege of interviewing author Katelin Sullivan, who just had her first book published Once Upon a Stormy Night.  Katelin took the time to meet with me to discuss the process and her background.

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Here were some of the highlights of our conversation:

• growing up on a farm in a large family
• the impact of being homeschooled and the differences she has seen between herself and her peers
• the importance she attaches to faith and family
• the influence of author Stephen Bly
• how she developed her passion for reading and writing
• where she got the ideas for the storyline and setting for her book
• how she got the book published
• what will readers take away from the book?
• is this book going to part of a series?
• her future writing plans
• Purchase the book from Tate Publishing or Amazon

Katelin will be doing a couple of book signing events soon.  Here is the information for the June 4, 2016 and June 18, 2016 events.  You can contact Katelin via email at [email protected]

Thank you for taking the time to listen to the show.  Please leave a review on ITunes or Stitcher, or email me at [email protected].  Please refer any recommended future guests to my email. 

For many of us involved in athletics, we dream of one day coming back to coach at our alma mater.  For Gary Adams, not only did he achieve this dream, he got to be mentored by none other than John Wooden.  His book, Conversations with Coach Wooden:  On Baseball, Heroes, and Life, is a great book talking about his relationship with Coach Wooden and their mutual love of the game of baseball.

Through this book, Coach Adams has written a great legacy piece about Coach Wooden, as well as his outstanding baseball program.

To connect with the Outstanding Ohioans show, here are a few ways:

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Here were some highlights of our conversation:

• Coach Adams grew up in Hamilton, Ohio, where he lived to the age of 14 before moving to California.  
• how him and his twin brother got interested in baseball from their Uncle, who played in the minors
• idolizing future Major Leaguer Joe Nuxhall, who was seven years older, and remains the youngest player to play a major league game ever
• listening to Waite Hoyt broadcast Cincinnati Reds games and becoming an Ohio State fan
• playing baseball at UCLA, and observing John Wooden on campus
• getting hired to coach at UCLA, and how Coach Wooden came to share his office
• specific things he learned from Coach Wooden
• Coach Adams "Sphere of Commitment", based on character, team, academics, career built around family & faith
• what was more important to Coach Wooden than winning?
• Coach Adams and Coach Wooden strongly believed in leading by example
• Coach Wooden's sense of humor and the pigeon story
• what kind of baseball player was John Wooden?
• John Wooden's "unique" baseball job offer
• challenge of writing this book
• Wooden's reaction to a "bean ball" war between UCLA and Arizona State, when ASU was targeting Troy Glaus
• how both coaches became authors upon retiring from coaching
• the kinds of books Gary and his wife Sandra have written
• Gary wants his legacy to be "a normal person who was considerate of others"

Thank you to Gary for sharing his great stories.  I highly recommend his book for anyone who is a baseball and/or John Wooden fan.

For episode 50, I had the pleasure of interview Ryan Hawk, who hosts an incredible, highly rated podcast called "The Learning Leader Show".  Ryan is an amazing business leader who shares his message in many ways.

To connect with the show, here are a few ways:

• Itunes
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Here were some highlights of our conversation:

• growing up in Centerville, Ohio with two amazing parents and two brothers...he was given space to grow and learn
• the impact of his football coaches
• his thoughts on youth sport specialization vs. year-round competition
• why he attended Miami University to play football, and why he transferred to Ohio University
• what he learned about himself competing against Ben Roethlisberger
• his professional football experience, and challenging transition from professional athlete into the business world
• In his current work, why he embraces nervousness, anticipation, and competition
• "Don't follow your passion, have your passion follow you"
• why the podcast medium is gaining in popularity, and the profile of podcast listeners
• Developing his avatar for his podcasting platform
• how he prepares for a conversation
• how prospecting is important in sales and podcasting
• developing your platform and leveraging it 
• his personal philosophy of leadership
• People who "Kiss Up" & "Kick Down"
• the importance of routine and 5-minute journaling
• "My success only follows the success of my customers", and why referrals are so valuable

Connect with Ryan at http://learningleader.com/ and https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12

Here were some of the resources mentioned during this interview:

• Get Real Selling-Your Personal Coach For REAL Sales Excellence by Keith Hawk
• Drive:  The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
• The Gift of Failure:  How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go so Their Children can Succeed  by Jessica Lahey

For episode 49 of the show, I wanted to reflect on where we are as a show and where we are going.  I am so thankful for the great guests I have had the privilege of having a conversation with.  

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For starters, we have a new logo for the show, designed by Miami University graduate David Allen Burns ('16).  I knew David from working with him at the Miami University Rec Center, where he did an outstanding job helping to run our aquatic operations.  Thank you David!

As intended, the purpose of this show is to share the great success stories of Ohioans doing remarkable things in their communities of varying sizes.  Through the wide range of guests, the common traits I have heard are the following:

• great personal values and great role models
• high belief & hope
• monster impact and love of serving others
• humble with great self-esteem
• commitment to quality
• leaders in their community
• desire to leave a great legacy
• pride of place

Moving forward, here are my goals in the future development of the show:

• keep talking to unique, interesting people, giving them another platform to share their remarkable stories
• develop a set schedule for show releases
• involve the audience more
• improve the production quality of the podcast
• grow the audience
• partner with great sponsors with high value and purpose

Thank you for your continued listening & support!  

For episode 48 of the Outstanding Ohioans show, I had the pleasure of interviewing Larry Slocum, Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor, whose personal mission is to provide guidance for parents & teachers on how to stay calm in the middle of chaos.  

To listen to the show, click on one of the following:

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• On your computer

Here are the highlights of our conversation:

• growing up in Fremont, Michigan as one of 7 children
• how he found role models in Boy Scouts and Young Life
• how he developed a passion for helping youngsters by helping raise his younger brother Jeff
• meeting his wife at Western Michigan University, in a very unique setting
• getting into teaching and not being able to find a stable position
• his career pivot into the insurance business, and the keys to success that Larry learned
• after 25 years, he sold the insurance business and had another career pivot to Conscious Discipline, based on his three desires to teach, music, and work with children
• new research on the heart, such as from heartmath.com and the importance of breathing
• when you have chaos, use pictures
• the problems with spanking
• his role with the Oxford Farmer's Market
• giving children choices with your directives
• Larry's daily routine is focused on:  healthy diet; exercise; prayer & meditation
• "decisions are power"
• On his tombstone, Larry wants it to say "He was calm", because his calmness manifests itself onto others
• Larry can be reached at 513.505.5238, or you can subscribe to his weekly newsletter by emailing him at [email protected]

Thank you for listening, have a great day!

For episode 47 of The Outstanding Ohioans show, I had the great pleasure to interview Dan Robinette, Sales Manager for Umbra Sunglasses and an aspiring chemistry teacher.

To listen to the show, click on one of the following:

• Itunes
• Stitcher
• Like "The Outstanding Ohioans" on Facebook
• On your computer

During our conversation, here were some of the topics we discussed:

• Growing up in Dayton, Ohio and how he developed a fondness for the outdoors
• the influential people who shaped his life
• how he came to grow in his religious faith
• why he is drawn to being outside facing the "challenge" of nature
• what he got out of his time at Miami University
• the story of how he met his wife in 2009
• his occupations post-Miami and decision to visit Turkey
• how his work in Turkey connected him to his current role with Umbra Sunglasses via Marvin Wilson
• what makes the Umbra product so unique, including the name itself
• his alternative pathway Ohio offers to becoming a teacher
• His legacy challenge:  Raise his children to have a greater impact on the world than he has had
• how to contact Umbra Sunglasses