Built Leadership

Veteran Community Building: Preventing Isolation Through Online Gaming with Stephen Machuga

In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Stephen Machuga, founder of StackUp, a veteran-focused nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting military veterans through gaming and suicide prevention initiatives. Stephen shares the origin story behind StackUp, explaining how his military experience and lifelong relationship with video games shaped the idea of “recreational therapy” as a practical way to help veterans maintain connection, stability, and mental well-being after service. The conversation explores how gaming serves as a critical lifeline for many post-9/11 veterans, helping them stay connected to their “battle buddies” and avoid isolation during difficult transitions back into civilian life. Stephen also discusses the operational realities of running a mission-driven nonprofit for over a decade, including the ongoing challenges of fundraising, donor fatigue, and sustaining impact in an increasingly uncertain economic environment. StackUp website: https://stackup.org [https://stackup.org]

Therapy Practice Growth: Outsourcing, HR Systems, and Hiring for Scalable Operations with Andrea Battiola

In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Andrea Battiola, Founder and CEO of Peak Couples & Sex Therapy, a multi-state virtual psychotherapy practice specializing in couples and sex therapy across Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington State. Andrea shares the real story behind building a highly sensitive, regulated healthcare business from the ground up—starting as a solo practitioner and evolving into a CEO managing a growing clinical team and structured organization. She unpacks the operational and emotional realities of scaling a therapy practice, including the shift from working independently to leading employees, and the responsibility that comes with managing both client care and team livelihood. Peak Couples & Sex Therapy website: https://thepeaktherapy.com [https://thepeaktherapy.com]

Bootstrap Business Growth: Scaling Ventures Without Outside Funding with James Burns

In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews James Burns, entrepreneur and operator in the veterinary endoscopy and medical device industry and founder of Endoscopy Support Services, Inc. They explore how Burns built a career spanning multiple ventures by applying systems thinking, operational efficiency, and long-term infrastructure building across industries including healthcare, restaurants, and print services. He shares how modernizing legacy processes—such as replacing pen-and-paper workflows with integrated software systems and cloud-based tools—helped scale his core business and improve profitability. A second major theme is his “incubator” approach to entrepreneurship, where he builds self-sustaining businesses alongside partners by trading knowledge for execution, empowering operators, and prioritizing lean, repeatable systems over hands-on management. Endoscopy Support Services, Inc. website: https://endoscopy.com [https://endoscopy.com]

Counseling Center Growth: Growing a Mission-Driven Counseling Organization with Thad Cardine

In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Thad Cardine, Executive Director of Shield Bearer Counseling Centers [https://shieldbearer.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]. Thad shares his journey from teaching and nonprofit leadership into scaling one of Texas’ growing faith-based mental health organizations. He discusses how Shield Bearer Counseling Centers expanded from roughly 9,000 to more than 20,000 annual counseling services by transitioning from a contractor-heavy model to an in-house clinical team, improving operational systems, and increasing community partnerships through churches, networking groups, SEO, and Google Ad Grants. The conversation also explores the realities of affordable mental health access, including insurance limitations, counselor-client matching, and removing barriers to care through flexible scheduling and sliding-scale pricing. Shield Bearer Counseling Centers website: https://shieldbearer.org/ [https://shieldbearer.org/]

Community-Led Brand Growth: Scaling Womaness Through Education with Sally Mueller

In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Sally Mueller, co-founder and CEO of Womaness [https://womaness.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com]. Sally shares how her personal experience with menopause led her to identify a major gap in the women’s wellness industry and build a modern brand focused on midlife health. The conversation explores how Womaness transformed menopause from an overlooked and stigmatized category into a fast-growing wellness movement through education, community-building, and consumer trust. Sally discusses the lessons she learned from her decades at Target, the challenges of creating an entirely new retail category, and why understanding the customer through constant feedback became central to the company’s growth strategy. Womaness website: womaness.com [http://womaness.com]