The Aaxelera Podcast

Episode 4: Dr. Sage Breslin

Dr. Sage Breslin, Ph.D., is the founder of the Sage Wisdom Institute and creator of The ROSE System (Restoring Old Soul Empowerment). Known as America's Narcissist Recovery Expert, she joins Monty for a conversation about the intersection of clinical psychology, spiritual practice, and recovery from narcissistic relationships. We cover her path from trauma psychologist to women's empowerment specialist, the bone marrow cancer diagnosis that became her "divine two-by-four," what soul retrieval actually looks like in practice, her pro bono work with veterans through Give an Hour, and her core message to any woman recognizing herself in this story: you are not alone, and it is not your fault. Connect with Sage: Website: https://sagewisdominstitute.com [https://sagewisdominstitute.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sage-breslin-phd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sage-breslin-phd/] Sage Wisdom Institute on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sagewisdominstitute [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sagewisdominstitute] ----------------------------------------

Episode 3: Tom Scarda

Tom Scarda, CEO of The Franchise Academy and author of The Magic of Choosing Uncertainty, joins Monty to talk about franchise matchmaking and the mindset shift from employee to owner. We cover how he assesses fit, why he turns away 40% of prospects, the difference between mastering a category and inventing one, the lessons from his own franchise journey (from running multiple Maui Wowi locations to losing nearly everything on a meal-prep concept that was years too early), what's actually hot in franchising right now, and his 3 Seconds of Guts challenge for anyone stuck in the comfort zone. Connect with Tom: Website: https://tomscarda.com [https://tomscarda.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/findafranchise/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/findafranchise/]

Episode 2: Shelly Smith

Shelley D. Smith is the Founder & CEO of Premier Rapport, Inc.  an internationally recognized workplace culture consultancy specializing in helping organizations detect cultural dysfunction and build high-performing teams from the inside out. With over 35 years of executive leadership experience, six published books, guidance spanning 58+ companies, and certifications from Cornell Business School, Predictive Index, and Emotional Intelligence (EQi), Shelley has earned her reputation as the Creator of the Culture Inquiry and developer of the proprietary IMPACT® Model. In this conversation, Shelley traces her journey from the formative lessons learned at her parents' auction house, through 14 years at Marriott International where "treat your employees right and everything else falls into place" became her operating philosophy, to the burnout and disengagement she experienced as COO of a hotel franchise, the catalyst that led her to launch Premier Rapport in 2009, in the heart of the recession. She walks us through her Hydration Framework for diagnosing and restoring workplace culture, how she conducts listening tours at every level of an organization, and why converting your most resistant employees into cultural champions is the key to lasting transformation. Shelley also shares the story of a five-year manufacturing engagement that turned around safety records, retention, and employee engagement across 200+ employees and all shifts. We close with a forward-looking discussion on how COVID permanently elevated the conversation around culture, why AI, when implemented correctly, may actually restore the human connection we've been losing, and what the workforce will look like as we approach 2030. Connect with Shelley D. Smith: Website: https://premierrapport.com [https://premierrapport.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleydsmithpremierrapport/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleydsmithpremierrapport/] Latest Book: THIRSTY: Restoring Organizational Flow When Relationship-Culture Runs Dry in the Workplace — available on Amazon All Books: https://premierrapport.com/shelleys-books/ [https://premierrapport.com/shelleys-books/] Keynote Speaking: https://premierrapport.com/services/keynote-speaker/ [https://premierrapport.com/services/keynote-speaker/]

Episode 1: Alison Godfrey

What happens when you co-found a cold fusion research lab funded by DARPA, get hand-selected by Bill Gates to lead a team of physicists and electrochemists, and then lose your voice behind a 5-year NDA? Alison Godfrey has lived one of the most extraordinary careers you've never heard of. From co-founding Energetics Technologies in Israel with Sidney Kimmel, to running cold fustion experiments that produced 25x excess energy output, to building a stealth research lab in a converted Air Force parachute repair facility in Lubbock, Texas — her story sounds like science fiction. But it's real. Now a PCC-certified executive coach and lecturer at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, Alison works with biotech startups, Fortune 500 leaders, and PhD founders making the leap to CEO. In this episode, we talk about cold fusion breakthroughs, imposter syndrome at the Gates Foundation boardroom table, why you should stop trying to fix people, and what it means to walk the edge between vision and reality. This is the conversation that made me rethink how I approach leadership, energy, and the future. Connect with Alison: LinkedIn: Alison Godfrey [http://linkedin.com/in/alisongodfrey/] Email: alisonAgodfrey@gmail.com [alisonAgodfrey@gmail.com]