Forged In Fire
Hosted by Nate Pharmer-Eden and Cole Farrell, Forged In Fire is where real entrepreneurship meets raw, unfiltered stories. This isn’t your typical business podcast—we skip the fluff and dive straight into the heat of what it really takes to build, run, and grow a business. From late-night doubts to game-changing wins, we explore the trials, setbacks, and breakthroughs that entrepreneurs experience at every stage of their journey. Whether you’re a seasoned business owner navigating new challenges or someone with a burning desire to launch your first venture, this podcast offers powerful insights and practical lessons for everyone. No sugarcoating—just honest conversations about what it takes to forge success through the fire. Get ready to be inspired, learn from real-world struggles, and gain the tools you need to make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality. This is your front-row seat to the highs, lows, and everything in between. Are you ready to step into the fire? 🔥
Episodes
Episode notes
Olivia Acton is the owner and lead photographer at Olivia Acton Photography, a premier studio based in Janesville, Wisconsin.
In this episode of Forged in Fire, Olivia shares her journey from nursing to entrepreneurship—starting from scratch, signing her first clients, and growing her business into a thriving luxury photography brand. Originally trained as a nurse with a master’s degree, Olivia spent nearly a decade in ...
Episode notes
Today, we’re joined by Rachel Cohen, who takes us through her journey, who transformed her life from being paralyzed to building a thriving real estate career.
Starting as a college athlete, Rachel’s life took unexpected turns, from managing a business with her ex-husband to facing a life-altering injury in 2006. After realizing she had no legacy to leave her children, she pivoted into real estate. Within a year of lear...
Willie Enriquez, a Dominican-Puerto Rican based in Connecticut, has had an entrepreneurial mindset since childhood, earning his first dollars sweeping barber chairs for his father. In high school, he won an entrepreneurship award and later pursued business management in college while working full-time to support his family.
After spending nearly seven years in the healthcare industry, where he developed a strong emphasis on relation...
Eddie Esparza is a real estate investor and the co-founder/CIO of Diversified Equity Partners, where he helps professionals achieve financial freedom through real estate investments. His journey into real estate began at a young age, as he was born into it. His father had a property portfolio, and Eddie and his brother started by working in demolition, which led to them assisting with renovations and managing contractors.
Over time,...
Frank’s journey began in the humble surroundings of Maui, where he took his first entrepreneurial steps by selling spam musubis to fund his passion for fishing. But after high school, life seemed to push him into a conventional path—work or college.
He chose work, diving into the excavation industry and aiming for the top: a blade operator, a coveted role in construction. But everything changed when he moved to Dallas. Thrust into a...
Episode notes
Bill O'Donnell, a retired Air Force veteran, moved from feeling unfulfilled in healthcare to finding purpose and success in financial advising, all through the guiding hand of God. After years of working in roles that didn’t align with his passion, a transformative spiritual moment led him to embrace a new direction. Bill’s journey took him from uncertainty to thriving in a career that now brings him deep satisfaction...
Mel Kaye transitioned from a decades-long corporate sales career to founding his own agency, Life Insurance Safe Zone, after becoming disillusioned with the industry's focus on closing deals. Rejecting traditional hard-sell tactics, he built his business on authenticity, transparency, and putting clients’ needs first, leading to a successful and fulfilling new career.
Mel entered the life insurance industry after a bad personal exp...
In this episode of Forged in Fire, Alison, a business owner and bookkeeper, shares her journey of starting from scratch, signing her first client, and hiring her first employee.
She discusses the challenges of balancing business growth with family life as a stay-at-home mom. Alison emphasizes the importance of delegation and using systems like Asana for efficiency. She also offers advice on overcoming the fear of managing finances a...
In this power-packed episode of Forged in Fire, Jim Pfeifer, a seasoned real estate syndicator and founder of PassivePockets, spills the secrets to his success in the world of passive investing.
From a financial advisor to a real estate mogul, Jim’s journey is full of valuable lessons on avoiding rookie mistakes, building your dream network, and finding the right community to fast-track your success.
With over 15 years of experience,...
In this episode of the Forged in Fire Podcast, we’re joined by Jonathan Chambless, Founder & CEO of LV8RLABS. He shares his vast knowledge of Asset & Risk Management, focusing on how blockchain technology is revolutionizing industries.
With over a decade of experience in CRE Management & Development, Jonathan discusses his journey from Mid-Rise Portfolio Manager to Commercial General Contractor, and his commitment to dec...
Nate Pharmer and Cole Farrell discuss the importance of setting clear goals and tracking progress in business. They emphasize the need for a documented plan, including the "why" behind goals, and the significance of tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as revenue and marketing effectiveness. They highlight the importance of flexibility, using a hypothetical golf ball business to illustrate how to pivot strategies in resp...
David Creel is known as The Blindspot Coach and is the Founder of The HOPES Tribe. He guides and inspires people to achieve greatness and become the person God created them to be. His one-line business plan is "Be Curious, Not Judgemental." His life motto comes from Zig Ziglar, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want." His mission in life is to give people hope, encour...
In this episode of Forged in Fire, Nate and Cole dive deep into the power of mindset and how it plays a crucial role in setting the foundation for success—whether you're a real estate investor or just someone looking to level up in life. Get ready for an action-packed conversation filled with strategies for personal growth, goal setting, and the importance of understanding your MINS (Most Important Next Steps).
Key Takeaways:
- Sta...
Matthew Baltzell knows a thing or two about real estate and getting things done. He hosted Real Estate Journeys, a Top 400 Business Podcast with 114 episodes, and built up a portfolio of 743 units along the way. He previously worked as an Asset Manager at Boardwalk Wealth, a private equity firm out of Dallas.
Now, as the founder of CAP X MEDIA, he helps real estate investors raise capital through podcasting and smart marketing stra...
Matthew Schneider serves as the CEO of Building PropTech Inc, with an entrepreneurial journey spanning roles such as a fiction novelist, to leading small-cap and derivative trades in the stock market.
Matthew has 5 years in capital markets and 4 years in real estate tokenization, with proficiency in Building Information Management, investments, AI, blockchain, and asset securitization.
He has engaged investors, innovators, and indu...
In this episode, co-hosts Nate Pharmer and Cole Farrell welcome Brian Harness, founder of KC Web Designs, as he shares his inspiring journey from Kansas City, MO, to San Antonio, TX, and his evolution from freelancing to running a full-fledged digital marketing agency. Brian delves into his passion for building and creating, the lessons he learned through trial and error, and how a drive to solve problems led him to web development...
Domingo Valadez is an ex-Google Product Strategy Lead, seasoned real estate investor, and host of the Groundbreakers podcast, where he interviews entrepreneurs and real estate operators about their journeys and current deals.
He has syndicatedtwo deals himself, building an investor base of over 3,000 accredited and non-accredited investors. After experiencing firsthand the complexities and pain points that syndicators often face—fr...
Ray Sensenig, founder and president of Sensenig Coaching and Consulting, LLC, and the chairman of P.I.E. W.O.R.K.S. It’s an honor to stand here today and share a bit about my journey and what it’s like to lead in both the coaching world and the P.I.E. W.O.R.K.S. community.
Being in a position where I guide others through their financial challenges and business decisions is a privilege that I take seriously. At Sensenig Coaching and ...
Louis P. Kassa III is the Chief Executive Officer/President of The Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Hepatitis B Foundation and B+Labs. Philadelphia. Kassa is also the co-founder of the HatchBio Fund, a 50 million dollar venture capital fund.
He previously served as State Director and Chief Operating Officer at VisionQuest National, Ltd, an national behavioral health company. In 2020, Kassa was named ...
Emma went from stay-at-home mom of 6 to a multimillionaire in less than 5 years. In 2022, she hit a huge goal by retiring her husband early on real estate investing.
She has partnered on almost 1,000 apartment units and sponsors a free commercial investing club to help other investors expand their portfolios.
As co-founder and president of Rise Capital Investments, a boutique private debt and equity
fund, Emma has raised several milli...
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