The Branding Laboratory

This conversation between host and Nate Fochtman cuts straight to the intersection of personal transformation and professional leadership. Nate — a 17-year solopreneur in the adult beverage space, 3 years sober, and the founder of Free Mind Group — shares how his lived experience (rock bottom, sobriety, two divorces) became the operating system for how he coaches founders today.

The episode explores why culture problems almost alway...

What if your burnout isn't a productivity problem — it's a design problem?

In Episode 87 of The Branding Laboratory, we sit down with Stefanie Carlstedt, a human design business coach and manifesting generator who spent years following every marketing tip, guru strategy, and morning routine she could find — only to lose herself completely in the process. She built a big business. Then she burned it down. Not because of failure, but ...

What if the pressure you're running from is actually the thing that's supposed to build you? Alex Bolowich — elite mental performance coach and son of a legendary college soccer coach — spent four years at Creighton playing through injuries, online harassment, and a nervous system that shut down under pressure. That experience became his life's work.

Key Topics Covered

• Why mental performance isn't therapy — it's a trainable skill...

You're putting in the work — the content, the social posts, the funnel. So why does marketing still feel like pushing a boulder uphill? In this episode, Deevo sits down with Kelly Schuknecht (Two Mile High Marketing) to get honest about what's really going on when marketing stops feeling light.

Topics Covered

• The 4-question framework for annual marketing reflection
• Why messaging confusion is the root cause most founders miss
• The ma...

What does it really take to build a business rooted in who you are — not just what you sell?

In this episode, host Deevo, Chief Experience Officer and Brand Storyteller, sits down with Scott Hogan, Founder of SaltWrap Company and author of Built from Broken, for a raw and reflective conversation that goes far beyond business strategy.

Scott opens up about the early injuries and personal struggles that shaped his path — and how his mo...

What does it take to build a brand from nothing—no inherited network, no industry experience, no AI buzzword on your pitch deck? Jennifer Millard, five-time founder and Maine Entrepreneur of the Year, chose to bet on water. Canned, local, and rooted in one of America’s most beloved states. This episode is a masterclass in conviction.

Key Topics

• The Rising Tides thesis and how Maine Love revives idle breweries
• Raising $2.2M without...

In this episode of The Branding Laboratory, host Deevo, Chief Experience Officer of The Brand Storyteller and Fusion Creative Brands, sits down with Charlie Sells, Founder of Clarity Over Everything, to explore the core principles of business growth and brand momentum.

From understanding your unique identity to cutting through complexity, Charlie shares actionable strategies for entrepreneurs who want to scale their business effect...

In this thought-provoking episode of The Branding Laboratory, host Deevo, Chief Experience Officer of Brand Storyteller and Fusion Creative Brands, sits down with Aleksandra Ceho, Founder and Principal Astrologer of Astrologer Royale, for a powerful conversation on identity, timing, and courageous reinvention. Aleksandra shares the bold story of walking away from her career as a kinesiologist in January 2010 with no backup plan—cal...

Join Deevo, Chief Experience Officer of The Brand Storyteller, on The Branding Laboratory as he sits down with Kat Halushka, business strategist and visibility expert. In this episode, they explore the powerful intersection of values, leadership, authenticity, and personal development, revealing how entrepreneurs can leverage their voice to grow their business. Kat shares her journey from Belarus to Canada and how she discovered th...

n this episode of The Branding Laboratory, host Deevo, Chief Experience Officer at The Brand Storyteller, sits down with Mark Wojcik, Founder and CEO of The Wojcik Group and a veteran talent acquisition strategist.

Together, they explore why human connection continues to outperform automation in recruiting and leadership, even in an AI-driven world. Mark shares hard-earned insights from his journey through sales failure, recruiting...

In this episode, Chief Experience Officer Deevo of The Brand Storyteller sits down with Cam Beaudoin, Founder of The Frequent Speaker & Accessibility Consultant to unpack how to build a personal brand that is rooted not just in visibility, but in truth, values, and lived experience. This conversation goes beyond tactics and titles—diving into the emotional and strategic realities behind modern entrepreneurship, public speaking,...

Most people think growth problems are about strategy, tactics, or effort.

They’re not.

In this conversation with Lidia Axe, we talk about the part of business most people avoid looking at — the story underneath it. The patterns you keep repeating. The ceilings you keep hitting. The way your past quietly shapes how you show up as a leader, a creator, and a business owner.

Your business isn’t separate from you. It’s a reflection of ...

In this episode of The Branding Laboratory, host Deevo (Chief Experience Officer for The Brand Storyteller) sits down with Hollis Carter, the visionary CEO and co-founder of Baby Bathwater Institute. Moving beyond the rigid structures of traditional corporate leadership, Hollis shares his unique journey as a lifelong entrepreneur who turned a "scratch-your-own-itch" experiment into an elite, one-of-a-kind community for high-level f...

In this insightful episode, Deevo sits down with Reggie Gaither, Senior Vice President at Southern First Bank and a master of relationship-driven leadership. With over twenty years of experience in commercial banking, Reggie reveals how he successfully integrates his authentic self into a corporate environment.

As a brand storyteller, Deevo guides the conversation through the nuances of building trust, the power of a "connector" mi...

In this episode of The Branding Laboratory, host Deevo, Chief Experience Officer for The Brand Storyteller, sits down with dynamic founders Justin Guarini and Kim Walsh Phillips of the Elite Speakers Network.

The conversation explores their transition from the heights of Broadway and marketing agency success to creating a powerhouse business that turns speakers into high-earning authorities. They dive into the "easy yes" offer stra...

In this episode of The Branding Laboratory, host Deevo sits down with Kim Coleman, a professional comedian, speaker, and certified Laughter Yoga facilitator. The conversation moves beyond the stage to explore how laughter serves as a vital tool for healing and resilience. Kim opens up about her journey through a challenging divorce, describing it as a "dark season" that eventually forced her toward self-awareness and personal trans...

This episode of The Branding Laboratory features host Deevo, Chief Experience Officer for The Brand Storyteller and Fusion Creative brands, in a fascinating conversation with Dr. Austin Zelan, a highly successful 27-year-old entrepreneur.

Austin, known for his meteoric rise, tackles the core challenge faced by many creatives: balancing innovation and discipline within structured business systems. He argues that processes don't hinde...

This episode of The Branding Laboratory, hosted by Deevo, Chief Experience Officer for The Brand Storyteller, dives deep into building authentic, high-quality business relationships over simply chasing high volume. Devo and his guest, digital marketing architect Jason Wright, founder of Intentionally Inspirational, discuss the philosophy that trust is a system, not a tactic.

Jason advocates for a "quality over quantity" approach, em...

In this episode of The Branding Laboratory, host Deevo sits down with Hannah Balliet of Ugly Mug Marketing to dismantle the modern obsession with vanity metrics. They explore a hard truth: why clarity must always precede creativity, and how businesses burn cash by launching ads before nailing their brand messaging.

Hannah reveals why beautiful design means nothing without robust backend sales systems and follow-up processes to suppo...