50. Chaos-Proof Leadership | What to Do When Everything’s On Fire

{Best of 2025} Empowering the Next Generation & Challenging the Education System with David Spellmon, CEO of Positive Archer

We’re taking a little holiday break to rest, reset, and reflect – but in the meantime, we’re counting down your favorite episodes of 2025! This one took the top spot. Thank you for listening, sharing, and being part of the Changemakers Collective this year. It’s no secret that many kids are slipping through the cracks of the education system, but with the right engagement, we can turn this ship around. In this episode, David Spellmon Jr. shares how his organization, Positive Archer Solutions, solves this problem through hip-hop music. Yes, you read that right: David connects with students through music to build social and emotional learning skills to set them up for success in school and in life. This episode is an incredible case study on turning your passion into purpose and using it to solve a problem and maximize impact. David Spellmon Jr. is an education advocate and Founder of Positive Archer Solutions [https://positivearchersolutions.com/], which creates student success by focusing on the whole child by incorporating Hip Hop Pedagogy, social and emotional learning, service learning, and building social capital. Through speaking, program facilitation, and workshops, David brings an innovative approach to improving academic and behavioral outcomes for students and improving school climate. Some key takeaways from this episode include: * How David’s upbringing in a military family taught him the power of connection across cultures * The lightbulb moment that cued him into using hip-hop as educational curriculum * David’s mission to create more connection to our students in the educational system to boost literacy rates * Behind the scenes of creating and monetizing your own educational framework * Why it’s our job as entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership. Connect with Us:  * Website [http://www.silverbackventures.org] * Silverback Ventures LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/silverbackventures] * Scott Woods LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-woods-9689b21/] * Steff Thomas LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-thomas-8274b225/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SilverbackVentures]

{Best of 2025} Be a Problem Solver, Not a Problem Identifier | Cultivating a Problem-Solving Mindset in Your Business

We’re taking a little holiday break to rest, reset, and reflect – but in the meantime, we’re counting down your favorite episodes of 2025! This one took the top spot. Thank you for listening, sharing, and being part of the Changemakers Collective this year. Anybody can point out problems and call out what’s not working, but fewer people actually take the time to meaningfully solve those problems. In this episode, we discuss the importance of being a problem solver, not a problem identifier. This includes the necessity of leadership humility, which involves listening to team members, embracing their ideas, and sharing decision-making authority. We also offer insights on effective hiring practices to build a dynamic team aligned with your organization’s values. If you’re ready to stop being the bottleneck in your business by empowering your team to solve problems as they see them, this episode is for you! In this episode, we cover: * How you as the business owner might be discouraging problem-solving * Teaching your team how to take responsibility for problems they notice * Coaching your team vs. consulting for your team * Learning not to hold on too tightly to all the decision-making in your business * Interview questions to help you build your problem-solving team * Encouraging collaboration among team members to increase creative problem solving You started your business to make an impact in the world, but now you’re too busy and burned out on the day-to-day operations to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you to accelerate their growth through servant leadership. Connect with Us:  * Website [http://www.silverbackventures.org] * Silverback Ventures LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/silverbackventures] * Scott Woods LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-woods-9689b21/] * Steff Thomas LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-thomas-8274b225/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SilverbackVentures]

{Best of 2025} Career Choices in an AI Economy | A Gen Z Job Search Story with Kailyn Kelly

We’re taking a little holiday break to rest, reset, and reflect – but in the meantime, we’re counting down your favorite episodes of 2025! This one took the top spot. Thank you for listening, sharing, and being part of the Changemakers Collective this year. What happens when your dream job isn’t hiring, AI’s doing half the work, and your degree feels outdated before your student loans kick in? In this episode, we sit down with recent college grad Kailyn Kelly to talk about the job hunt in the age of automation, and how today’s young professionals are making big choices in a fast-changing world.  Kailyn Kelly is a digital content producer at Novice Studios who blends sharp marketing instincts with a Gen Z superpower: knowing how to make AI work for people, not the other way around. A Clemson grad and natural connector, she’s passionate about creating space for curiosity, creativity, and growth - in work and in life. Some key takeaways from this episode include: * Career paths are not linear, and that is okay.  * Informational interviews are underrated and invaluable. * The environment you work in matters as much as (if not more than) the salary. * You don’t have to have it all figured out… at 22 or at 42. * AI is changing everything, but there’s power in learning how to work with it, not fear it. You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership. Connect with Us:  * Website [http://www.silverbackventures.org] * Silverback Ventures LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/silverbackventures] * Scott Woods LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-woods-9689b21/] * Steff Thomas LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-thomas-8274b225/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SilverbackVentures]

51. How to Scale Without Losing Yourself | Keeping Identity, Vision & Impact as You Grow

Growth can be intoxicating… until it threatens the very thing that made your business meaningful in the first place. In this episode, we unpack what it looks like to scale without losing your identity, whether you’re transitioning leadership across generations, bringing in a partner or investor, or simply expanding your reach. We talk about impact thesis vs. revenue thesis, how to communicate culture shifts, and how to let how you go to market evolve without compromising why you’re in business at all. Some key takeaways from this episode include: * Why identity loss happens when scaling (and how to avoid it) * The difference between pivoting and losing your identity * How a clear impact thesis protects culture during transitions * Real‑world challenges of family business succession * What to communicate (and when) to your team during big change You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership. Connect with Us:  * Website [http://www.silverbackventures.org] * Silverback Ventures LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/silverbackventures] * Scott Woods LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-woods-9689b21/] * Steff Thomas LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-thomas-8274b225/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SilverbackVentures]

50. Chaos-Proof Leadership | What to Do When Everything’s On Fire

When you’re the leader, everyone’s looking to you – even when you’re barely holding it together. You can’t avoid the storm, but you can prepare for it. In this episode, we’re getting real about what happens when the pressure ramps up, the team’s looking at you for answers, and you feel like everything’s on fire. From stress-testing your business to slowing yourself down in the middle of chaos, we’re sharing how we’ve learned (the hard way) to stay strategic and grounded when things feel anything but calm. Some key takeaways from this episode include: * Why “fighting fires” isn’t a strategy, and how real firefighters can teach you something * The self-awareness shift that keeps leaders from spiraling under pressure * How your calm (or chaos) sets the tone for your team’s trust * Tactical ways to pressure-test your business and prepare your people * What we’ve learned from real-life breakdown moments – and how to lead through them You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership. Connect with Us:  * Website [http://www.silverbackventures.org] * Silverback Ventures LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/silverbackventures] * Scott Woods LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-woods-9689b21/] * Steff Thomas LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-thomas-8274b225/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SilverbackVentures]