Daily Influence
Discover a world where everyone’s influence matters. Welcome to Daily Influence, co-hosted by Brian Smith, founder and managing partner at IA Business Advisors and author of the 'I in Team' series, along with IA Business Advisors Partner Gregg Brooke Koleno. Each day, Brian and Gregg craft episodes designed to elevate your influence and transform it into a force for positive and responsible influence. Every episode is a journey through real-life experiences, transformative concepts, and powerful tools that help you FIND, BE & BUILD Your Influence. We aim to help you radiate your unique influence, find balance, celebrate victories, and shape your reality. The podcast highlights the art of leading yourself and those around you, remaining humble and composed, learning effectively, and embracing true diversity. Whether you tune in during your morning coffee, mid-day break, or your evening wind-down, Daily Influence is your daily dose of inspiration and upliftment, relevant to your everyday life. The goal is not just to influence you but to equip you with insights you can share within your sphere of influence. Join Brian and Gregg as they explore the principles and practices that align with IA Business Advisors' S.M.A.R.T. Management Consulting Methods, offering practical advice and thought-provoking discussions. Remember, it’s not just about being part of the team; it’s about finding the ‘I’ in every team. So, listen, learn, share, and expand your influence with Daily Influence. Tune in and discover how to make your influence matter, every day.
Episodes
In this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno is joined by Dr. Angela Brooks — an educator, leadership coach, and well-being advocate who has dedicated her life's work to helping leaders and organizations thrive from the inside out.
Dr. Angela shares her inspiring journey from a naturally empathetic child to an award-winning principal and transformational leader. She unpacks how social and emotional well-being is...
In this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno welcomes Arlene Martin, Vice President and SBA Business Development Officer at Busey Bank. With nearly 40 years of experience in business banking, commercial lending, and SBA financing, Arlene shares her inspiring journey of balancing a high-level career while navigating personal challenges, including caring for her husband through a liver transplant and her mother throug...
In this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Erin Wilson, founder of The Law Office of Erin M. Wilson LLC. Erin shares her powerful journey from aspiring psychologist to dedicated family law attorney, driven by her passion to help families and children navigate life's most challenging transitions.
Together, they discuss how responsible influence, integrity, and compassion can reshape the legal fi...
In this inspiring episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Steve Spiro, founder of Halotherapy Solutions, a company revolutionizing respiratory wellness. Steve shares his incredible journey from corporate America and tech startups—including being part of the founding team at Audible.com—to building a business with heart and healing at its core.
Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Halotherapy Solutions...
In this inspiring episode of Daily Influence, we welcome Elissa Kalver, founder and CEO of WeGotThis.org, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that no one faces cancer alone. Diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2021, Elissa turned her personal challenge into a powerful movement, creating the first nonprofit gift registry for cancer patients. She shares the story behind her mission, the impact of small acts of kindness, and how ...
In this empowering episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Jorie Houlihan, a leading voice in the ADHD community and founder of the ADHD Transformation Café. Diagnosed at the age of 49 after decades of being misunderstood, Jorie shares her personal journey of discovering her ADHD, the struggles she faced, and how she transformed that diagnosis into a mission to uplift and empower women navigating similar...
In this episode of Daily Influence, Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Sarah Wallace, a leader in customer experience strategy and passionate advocate for positive change. With over 20 years of experience, Sarah has led 400+ workshops across 22 industries, helping businesses align customer experience with success. Beyond her professional work, she serves as President of the Board at Resilience, Chicago’s largest standalone rape cri...
In this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Megan Schwan—CEO of Sidekick Accounting Services, certified Profit First professional, and solo mom of four—for a powerful conversation about financial empowerment, entrepreneurship, and resilience. With over 20 years of experience and a passion for helping women and minority-owned businesses thrive, Megan shares her journey from bookkeeping in high school ...
In this episode of Daily Influence, Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Jillian Bernstein, founder of Wellness Extension, to explore how small, intentional moments of gratitude can transform workplace culture. Jillian shares her journey from economics to HR leadership, her passion for holistic employee well-being, and how she helps companies implement meaningful benefits and policies that truly support their teams. From launching gl...
In this episode of Daily Influence, Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Jillian Bernstein, founder of Wellness Extension, to explore how small, intentional moments of gratitude can transform workplace culture. Jillian shares her journey from economics to HR leadership, her passion for holistic employee well-being, and how she helps companies implement meaningful benefits and policies that truly support their teams. From launching gl...
Success isn’t about grand, dramatic moments—it’s about the power of small, consistent actions over time. In this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with writer, speaker, and chief storyteller Carla Birnberg to explore how steady daily effort leads to transformational results.
Carla shares insights from her journey, from fitness and leadership to storytelling and social impact, emphasizing why consistenc...
In this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno welcomes Jonathan Barnes, a seasoned corporate communications and public affairs executive currently serving as Client Success Manager at the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation. With over 25 years of experience, Jonathan shares his journey from journalism school in Atlanta back to his roots in Delaware, and how his passion for service, laughter, and team collaboration shapes...
In today’s heartwarming episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg Koleno reconnects with her dear friend of over 20 years, Lily. From their first meeting in Israel to a lifelong friendship built on kindness and resilience, Lily shares profound insights on what it means to be a human first—above all else.
Through her inspiring acts of service, from reuniting lost pets in times of crisis to bringing joy through ice cream for displaced fa...
What if your biggest life pivots held the key to your purpose? In this heartfelt episode of Daily Influence, Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Andrea Hecht—certified life coach, writer, and host of The Next Chapter (Her)—whose journey from Wall Street to teaching, motherhood, and coaching was shaped by a profound life event: witnessing 9/11 firsthand.
Andrea shares how that moment became a catalyst for rediscovering her voice and ...
In this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Michelle Saward—an industry leader who has built a thriving real estate organization of over 1,700 agents and closed more than 2,000 career sales. But beyond the numbers, Michelle’s journey is a testament to resilience, responsible influence, and the power of belief in oneself and others.
Michelle shares how she navigated setbacks, from starting over after...
In this episode of Daily Influence, Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Andre Johnson, Fund Manager at the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation, whose journey from higher education and corporate recruiting to nonprofit leadership is grounded in one powerful principle—connection. Andre shares how active listening, authentic relationships, and leading by example have shaped his mission to support entrepreneurs, build sustainable partnershi...
In this inspiring episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg Koleno sits down with Erin Bradley—entrepreneur, author, and host of the Pursuing Freedom Podcast—to explore her transformative journey from burnout to breakthrough.
Erin shares how overcoming early financial struggles and the chaos of a feast-or-famine business life led her to discover the power of authenticity and well-designed systems. Learn how she redefined success by...
In this powerful episode of Daily Influence, Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Melissa O’Dell, the Illinois Executive Director of Defy Ventures, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping currently and formerly incarcerated individuals build pathways to financial independence. With over 20 years in this work and a decade at Defy, Melissa shares her journey from law school aspirations to leading transformative reentry programs that ...
In today’s episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg Koleno sits down with Valerie Johnson, a trailblazer in Montana’s luxury real estate scene. Discover how Valerie transformed her journey from a licensed assistant to a producing agent and now a valued partner at one of the state's top-performing teams.
Drawing from her personal experiences—navigating major life transitions, overcoming postpartum challenges, and supporting a f...
In today’s episode of Daily Influence, we welcome Nicki Sutherland, Executive Director of Gratitude Generation, an organization dedicated to empowering the next generation to lead with kindness, gratitude, and purpose. Nicki shares the inspiring story of how a simple desire to teach children about gratitude sparked a movement that now connects families, businesses, and individuals in meaningful acts of service.
We explore the tr...
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