Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie Seeker sits down with Shay Wheat, Certified Event Producer™ and CEO of Grace & Ease Productions. Shay shares her powerful journey from managing apartments and doing network marketing to producing multi-million dollar events for powerhouse names like Dr. Oz and Lisa Nichols.

We dive into how events became her ultimate business-building tool, how she pivoted to virt...

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie Seeker sits down with Miguel Adao, CEO of Voler Systems, to explore what it means to be a truly global leader. With a career that’s taken him across eight countries, five languages, and leadership roles at Pepsi, HP, VMware, and more, Miguel shares how cultural intelligence has shaped his leadership philosophy and career path.

Now based in Sunnyvale, California, Migue...

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie sits down with Bryce North, founder and CEO of Don’t Be A Little Pitch, a bold media and branding company headquartered in Manila, with global reach. Bryce shares how he went from startup founder to media magnet — landing deals on Dragons’ Den, scaling companies across 40+ countries, and raising over $600K through crowdfunding — all by mastering the power of storytel...

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes Jamie sits down with Daniel Woodroffe, the visionary behind dwg., a landscape architecture firm based in Austin, Texas (and now London) that's on a mission to reshape urban environments through art, ecology, and purpose-driven design.

Daniel shares his journey from growing up in England to launching a globally respected firm that transforms overlooked and often toxic urban s...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, Jamie sits down with Claude Burns, Founder and CEO of Office Libations, to unpack his journey from serving in the U.S. Navy to building one of the fastest-growing companies in workplace hospitality. Claude shares how the lessons learned aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and his experience with elite Navy teams shaped his leadership style and business values. From launching cr...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, host Jamie Seeker sits down with Ryan Teicher, CEO of REDCOM Design & Construction, to explore the unique path he’s taken across family business, corporate leadership, and now steering a legacy company into a more sustainable and scalable future. With over 25 years of experience in the construction and real estate world, Ryan shares candid insights into what it takes t...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, host Jamie Seeker sits down with Evan Williams, CEO and Co-Founder of Riverview Systems Group, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based live event production company with a 38-year track record of staging unforgettable experiences for major global brands like Google, Apple, and Cisco.

Evan shares the unlikely blend of theater and accounting that led to his success, how he kept his team...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, host Jamie Seeker talks with award-winning architect and sustainability leader Scott Rodwin. From starting his firm after spontaneously quitting a job in 1999 to building a nationally recognized design/build company, Scott shares how community, collaboration, and bold thinking have shaped his journey.

He opens up about:

• The early days of hustling for projects
• How he built...

In this emotional and eye-opening episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, host Jamie Seeker sits down with Derek Du Chesne, co-founder and CEO of Better U, a telehealth company offering at-home psychedelic therapy. Derek shares his deeply personal journey—from achieving outward success to hitting rock bottom after a mental health crisis. He opens up about how a single ketamine therapy session saved his life, shifted his...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, Jamie Seeker sits down with Jill Gustavson, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Topaz Services, LLC — a hospitality contact center that’s grown from a bootstrapped startup into a nationwide operation serving over 80 hotels.

Jill shares her remarkable 40+ year journey, beginning in the early days of tech publishing, where she started her career at Byte Magazine in the...

In this high-energy episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, Jamie Seeker sits down with Cody Romness, co-founder of Allegiate, a strength training gym bringing college-level athletic structure and performance to everyday people. From the football field at USC to the startup world at Patreon, Cody’s path has been anything but ordinary.

He shares how the athlete’s mindset of grit, discipline, and team dynamics has shaped e...

In this heart-centered and thought-provoking episode, host Jamie Seeker speaks with Ari Drosman, founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Resurface Group, a mental health and addiction treatment organization designed specifically for people who don’t fit into traditional systems—what Ari calls “the outliers.”

Ari shares how his path into psychology began unexpectedly, sparked by a powerful moment of connection with a client during his...

In this episode, Levi King shares his entrepreneurial journey, the mindset shifts that helped him succeed, and the sacrifices he made along the way. From cold-calling businesses in his 20s to raising $200M in venture capital, Levi opens up about the grit, resilience, and personal growth required to build multiple successful businesses.

🔹 Key Themes & Takeaways:

1️⃣ The Mindset of an Entrepreneur

• Grew up in r...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, host Jamie Seeker sits down with Jeff Wenninger, a retired LAPD lieutenant with over 33 years of experience. Jeff shares his journey from overcoming dyslexia and a speech impediment to becoming a leader in one of the most demanding police forces in the country.

Jeff’s path to law enforcement was unexpected—after a negative encounter with police as a college student, he shif...

In this episode, Jamie Seeker sits down with Paul Ladensack, a seasoned architect with over 30 years of experience designing spaces that go beyond function—they tell stories, honor history, and serve communities. As a principal at CCBG Architects, Paul has led a variety of award-winning projects, including cultural, religious, commercial, and residential buildings.

Paul shares insights on balancing creativity with functionality, how...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, host Jamie Seeker interviews award-winning architect Tessa Bradley about her journey in sustainable architecture, Passive House design, and the challenges of being a female business owner in the industry. Tessa shares her philosophy on solving complex problems with simple, efficient design, why Passive House is the future of sustainable living, and how she built her firm i...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, host Jamie Seeker sits down with Kody Landals, a USMC veteran and founder of Reimagine Roofing, to discuss how he’s transforming the roofing and solar industry. Frustrated with unreliable roofing companies while working in solar sales, Kody decided to create a more transparent, efficient, and customer-focused roofing company. In just a few years, he’s scaled Reimagine Roof...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, Jamie Seeker sits down with Lance Cayko, a multi-talented entrepreneur, architect, professor, podcast host, and co-founder of F9 Productions. Lance shares his journey from growing up on a North Dakota farm to becoming a leader in the architecture and design industry. He dives into how getting laid off pushed him to start his own firm, the importance of discipline and inten...

In this episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, Laura Wilson, founder of Natural Pilates, shares her incredible journey of immigrating to the U.S. with just $100 and turning her passion for movement into a thriving Pilates business.

From discovering Pilates while working in a physical therapy office to building multiple studio locations, launching an online fitness platform, and developing a teacher training program, Lau...