How to Lead with Happiness, Hope, and Human Connection—Even in Tough Times

If you're a small or medium business owner struggling with team morale, leadership challenges, or just the daily grind of running a business, this episode is for you. In this inspiring conversation, Dr Calvin Lawrence Jr—a seasoned educator, leadership expert, and author of The Happy Leader—shares the powerful case for leading with joy, purpose, and genuine human connection.

You'll learn how to cultivate a resilient and motivated team culture, even during adversity. Dr Lawrence offers deeply relatable insights and real-world leadership strategies that don’t require big budgets—just big hearts. He reminds us that strong leadership is less about titles and more about influence, trust, and consistency.

🔑 In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why relationships are the foundation of strong business leadership
• How to lead a team with positivity—especially when business gets hard
• The power of mentorship (and why it’s a two-way street)
• How to rebuild trust and culture when your team has been let down
• Why failure, handled right, can be your best teacher

Whether you lead a team of two or twenty, this episode will help you step into a leadership style that creates loyalty, resilience, and success—without losing your soul in the process.

Get Dr Lawrence's book here: The Happy Leader

Dr Calvin Henry Lawrence Jr is a nationally respected leadership expert, motivational speaker, and author of "The Happy Leader: Relatable Stories of Influence and Hope". With 41 years of experience in K-12 and higher education, he’s the founder of CalvinLawrenceSpeaks, where he inspires audiences through messages on leadership, mentorship, and purpose. A former teacher, coach, and college dean, Dr Lawrence believes relationships are the foundation of leadership. He holds a doctorate from Baylor University and speaks regularly at schools, conferences, and faith-based events across the US.

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www.calvinlawrencespeaks.net

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Imagine waking up to find your website gone, your email list inaccessible, or your brand’s identity being misused online—and you have no idea how to take it back. That’s the nightmare too many business owners face because they’ve unknowingly handed over control of their digital assets. In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, host Paul Sweeney sits down with Paige Wiese, founder and CEO of Tree Ring Digital, to help you make sure that never happens to you.

Paige draws on over 15 years of experience helping business owners protect their online presence to share eye-opening stories and a simple, effective strategy for taking back control. Whether you're a start-up founder or a seasoned business owner, this episode is your wake-up call—and your game plan.

🎯 Listen now to learn how to:

• Identify the full scope of your digital assets (spoiler: there are more than 200!)
• Avoid common mistakes that lead to losing domains, websites, or social media accounts
• Create a reliable system for documenting logins, licenses, and third-party tools
• Reduce risk during employee turnover or vendor transitions
• Set up brand protection policies that safeguard your business now and in the future
• Use Paige’s free Brand Protection Checklist to start assessing your exposure today

This episode is packed with practical advice you can implement right away to keep your brand safe, your systems organized, and your business growing.

Paige Wiese is the founder and CEO of Tree Ring Digital, a top-ranked Denver-based marketing agency that develops high performance websites and digital marketing strategies for businesses nationwide. With 16 years of industry experience, Paige has seen companies and CEOs struggle to manage and maintain their assets through growth or transition. She has recently developed a proprietary digital asset management service to track and protect companies’ over 200 data points. Paige is a dedicated speaker and mentor on the topics of brand protection and business growth.

Get your free Digital Asset Assessment

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Why should you care about restructuring your business—especially when things seem to be going fine? Because waiting for a crisis to act could be the most expensive decision you ever make. In this episode, turnaround expert James Martin reveals why restructuring isn’t just a last resort—it’s a powerful tool for transforming challenges into competitive advantage.

If you're a business owner navigating market volatility, rising interest rates, or internal growing pains, this episode is essential listening. James Martin shares practical insights that can help you see beyond short-term survival and into long-term strategic transformation—before a crisis forces your hand.

What you’ll learn:

• Why restructuring isn’t just for failing businesses—and how proactive changes can secure long-term success
• How to identify early warning signs that your business may need to pivot
• The importance of strategic alignment with all stakeholders, including suppliers and lenders
• How to build trust-based supplier relationships that foster resilience, not risk
• Lessons from leading companies through 9/11, the 2008 crash, and COVID-19 disruptions
• Why avoiding tough conversations (especially with banks and management teams) can backfire
• And how every business challenge—even a staffing crisis or regulatory change—can become a strategic opportunity

With clear, actionable advice and real-world examples, this episode shifts your mindset from damage control to strategic agility. Don’t wait for trouble to find your business—listen in and learn how to turn challenge into opportunity.

James F. Martin, CPA, is the founder and managing partner of ACM Capital Partners and an internationally recognized expert in corporate turnarounds, having restored or created over $800 million in value for private companies. With more than two decades of experience, he has led organizations through complex restructurings, raised over $500 million in capital, and overseen transactions exceeding $250 million. Martin has served as interim CEO, CFO, and board advisor across a range of industries, delivering strategic renewal, debt restructuring, and operational transformations—even amid major economic disruptions. A CPA with an MBA from Emory University and a finance degree from Florida State University, he is also seasoned in bankruptcy processes, court-appointed receiverships, and ABC assignments.

www.acmcapitalpartners.com

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Work That’s Worth It: How Purpose Transforms Performance with Georgi Enthoven

In a time when attracting and retaining great talent is tougher than ever, especially among Gen Z workers, are you approaching employee engagement the right way? In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, host Paul Sweeney sits down with Georgi Enthoven—entrepreneur, Harvard Business School alumna, and author of Work That’s Worth It—to challenge the traditional mindset around work and purpose.

You’ll discover why building a purpose-driven business isn’t just good ethics—it’s good business. Georgi shares how aligning your business with a meaningful mission boosts engagement, reduces burnout, and attracts top talent who care about making a difference. Whether you're running a small consultancy or a growing enterprise, you’ll walk away with actionable ideas for infusing impact into your business strategy—without compromising income.

This episode is a must-listen for any business owner who wants to thrive in the new era of values-driven work. Learn how to shift your mindset, energize your workforce, and build a company culture that matters.

Get Georgi's book here: Work That's Worth It

Georgi Enthoven is a thought leader, seasoned entrepreneur, and dedicated advocate for impactful careers. She is a distinguished alumna of the University of California at Berkeley, and Harvard Business School, where she earned her master's in business administration. Her career has been anything but conventional; she often describes it as ‘taking the scenic route” (although, the common thread throughout her career is “meaningful contribution”). Having lived in more than half a dozen countries, including South Africa, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico and the United States, she treasures a truly global perspective, including the dynamics of emerging markets.

Georgi believes that capitalism is at its tipping point, and careers going forward will need to demonstrate real, positive impact both in one's own community, or globally. Her (forthcoming) book, “Work That’s Worth It,” promises to be a pivotal resource for individuals seeking to design their career to work for them and the world.

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Why understanding your customer’s values can unlock serious business growth

Are you missing the mark with your customers—and don’t even know it? In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, host Paul Sweeney sits down with marketing strategist and author Chris Peterson to explore a transformative idea: your customers’ personal values—specifically whether they lean conservative or liberal—can dramatically shape how they engage with your brand, products, and messaging.

Drawing from decades of global marketing experience and his book Red and Blue Customers: How to Drive Growth and Manage Risk in Today’s Conservative and Liberal Markets, Chris explains how businesses often impose their own worldview on customers, instead of seeing their business through the customer’s eyes. He outlines how liberal and conservative values influence buying behaviour, innovation adoption, trust, and even geographic marketing strategies. You’ll also learn why most businesses fail when trying to scale beyond early adopters—and how to avoid that trap.

Whether you're launching a new product, trying to improve your messaging, or struggling to connect with a particular market segment, this episode gives you a powerful new lens to understand your audience—and boost your bottom line.

Takeaways include:

• How personal values influence customer behaviour more than demographics
• Why liberal vs conservative thinking impacts innovation adoption
• Easy ways to identify the value makeup of your current customer base
• How to tailor your marketing to align with customer worldviews—without getting political
• What sales and marketing teams can learn from their contrasting value systems

Get Chris's book here - Red and Blue Customers: How to Drive Growth and Manage Risk in Today's Conservative and Liberal Markets

Chris Peterson is the Co-Founder of Lifemind, an AI-agent platform designed for national, local, and regional marketers.

With over 30 years as a marketing pioneer and entrepreneur, Chris has founded two digital marketing agencies, working with both fast-growth start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. In the 1990s, he launched one of the first digital direct marketing agencies, earning recognition from The Wall Street Journal. Publicis Groupe later acquired the agency. Chris later established an early content marketing agency before the term became mainstream, which was then acquired by Rain, a direct-to-consumer advertising agency.

In 2020, Chris discovered Pew research highlighting the deep divide in how Democrats and Republicans perceive the world. This insight led him to explore how political beliefs shape consumer behaviour, and was the genesis for Red & Blue Customers. He and his family live in Milan, Italy.

www.lifemind.ai

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Financial literacy isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a survival skill for business owners. In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, host Paul Sweeney speaks with tax expert and financial educator Michelle Campbell about the hidden financial pitfalls entrepreneurs often face, and how a lack of financial understanding can quietly sabotage your business. Whether you’re avoiding tax obligations out of fear, struggling to understand cash flow, or unsure how to invest while in debt, this conversation is your wake-up call.

Michelle shares not just her professional insights but her personal story of financial recovery — one that began by confronting unopened bills and grew into a mission to empower others through practical financial education. She offers honest, jargon-free advice on tax, budgeting, business planning, and the importance of building emergency savings. Listeners will walk away with clarity, encouragement, and a deeper understanding of how mastering money can mean the difference between thriving and just surviving.

This episode is for every business owner who has ever felt overwhelmed by the numbers — and wants to turn confusion into confidence.

Get Michelle's book here: Bluebird

Michelle Campbell was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and began her educational journey in South Dakota before relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, to continue her studies. During her academic pursuits, she launched a real estate investment firm, marking the beginning of her entrepreneurial path. Over the years, Michelle expanded her ventures into various industries, including horticulture, where she founded an interiorscape company, and logistics, where she established a commercial trucking business. Drawing on the insights and expertise gained across these diverse fields, she transitioned into a career in the financial services industry. Michelle is also the author of Bluebird, a memoir that candidly explores themes of trauma, heartbreak, and the resilience found in life’s struggles. She is also the founder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals through financial literacy and fostering economic stability. She enjoys traveling, cooking, exploring diverse cuisines, organizing, dancing, indulging in spa treatments, and spending quality time with her cherished Pomeranian.

ByMichelleCampbell.com

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Ready to sharpen your e-commerce strategy and stay ahead of the curve?

In this episode, Matthew Stafford joins us to share real-world tips and forward-thinking advice to help business owners thrive in the ever-evolving world of online retail. With years of hands-on experience, Matthew offers a clear perspective on what it really takes to succeed in e-commerce today — and why now is one of the most exciting times to be building online.

You’ll learn:

• Why starting simple can give you a big competitive edge
• The smartest way to use data and customer feedback to shape your store
• Tips for increasing your sales conversion rates
• Why staying focused on the customer experience is crucial

If you’re running an e-commerce business — or thinking about starting one — this conversation will give you the clarity, confidence, and practical tools to move forward with purpose.

Matthew Stafford Over the past three decades, Matthew Stafford has been entrepreneurial and successfully building several businesses across various industries, including Concrete, Brick and Mortar Locations, POD, and Software-based ventures. Matthew Stafford, the Managing Partner of Build Grow Scale and an equity owner of some in-house Ecommerce brands, has knowledge and expertise, enabling him to mentor thousands of store owners through paid Ecommerce groups and live events. His experience has also allowed him to help hundreds of ecommerce brands scale past the million-dollar mark - with many hitting the $10 million mark. To top it off, he's been speaking on stages about ecommerce optimization for the past seven years! In fact, before COVID-19, BGS hosted the largest yearly Ecommerce-focused event in North America - BGS LIVE.

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www.buildgrowscale.com

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What happens when you stop following the rules—and start following your passion? In this inspiring and insightful episode, Stephen Ridley shares how he built a globally recognized music brand, grew an online academy that now teaches over 1.2 million students, and turned personal passion into a thriving, purpose-driven business. Whether you're an entrepreneur or creative professional, Stephen’s story offers a powerful blueprint for building something truly meaningful from the ground up.

What You’ll Learn:

• How Stephen turned live performance into global visibility—and business momentum
• The key to growing a loyal, international audience with emotional connection
• Lessons on authenticity, branding, and standing out in a saturated market
• How Ridley Academy scaled to 40 countries and over a million students
• What it really means to build a brand based on purpose, not just product

Stephen’s journey is proof that building a business with heart can also be smart—and that you don’t need to fit the mold to make a massive impact.

Stephen Ridley is a world-renowned British pianist, composer, and visionary in modern piano education. His journey from a high-flying investment banker to a global musical sensation is as remarkable as his performances. At the age of two, Stephen discovered his passion for the piano, receiving formal training at eleven, but it wasn’t until he left the corporate world that his true artistry flourished. Beginning as a street performer on the streets of London, his raw talent and electrifying performances quickly garnered international attention, propelling him onto some of the world’s most prestigious stages.

Over the past five years, Stephen has toured across 60 countries, amassing a global fan base of over one million people and generating more than 500 million views on social media. His performances have mesmerized audiences from intimate private gatherings to large-scale concerts, including Monaco Yacht Week, London Fashion Week, and Uzbekistan’s largest concert in history, where he played for 28,000 people.

Stephen’s ability to blend classical brilliance with modern showmanship has led him to perform for royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II and numerous royal dignitaries, as well as alongside A-list celebrities such as Anderson .Paak, Sting, and Keanu Reeves. In Russia alone, he performed over 400 concerts, including at Dom Musica, one of the world’s most prestigious music halls, after securing three No.1 chart hits in the country.

Beyond his career as a performer, Stephen is revolutionizing piano education through the Ridley Academy. With a mission to make learning piano accessible to everyone, he has distilled his years of experience into an intuitive step-by-step system, enabling students of all ages—from 5 to 95—to master the piano. Today, over 1.2 million students across 40 countries are benefiting from his unique approach, redefining the way the world learns music.

Stephen is more than just a pianist—he is a global artist, an innovator, and a passionate educator, bringing the magic of music to audiences everywhere.

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