Leading In The Dark

Nick Akers & Mike Hess

Mike Hess, founder and executive director of the Blind Institute of Technology, joins Leading In The Dark for a powerful conversation about leadership, disability inclusion, workforce development, and challenging assumptions inside modern organizations. Born blind and shaped by a decades-long career in enterprise technology, Mike shares how his lived experience influenced his leadership philosophy, why companies continue to overlook an incredibly capable talent pool, and how BIT is helping people with disabilities build meaningful careers in tech across the globe. This episode explores servant leadership, imposter syndrome, innovation through adversity, organizational culture, and the difference between hiring someone out of charity versus recognizing the real business value they bring. It’s a conversation about leadership, perspective, and building organizations that truly put people first.

Nick Akers & Michael Hofer

Michael Hofer, CFO of Navajo Transitional Energy Company, joins Nick Akers on Leading In The Dark for a conversation about leadership, mergers & acquisitions, artificial intelligence, and navigating transformation inside large organizations. Michael shares lessons from leading through private equity-backed growth, global integration projects, operational restructuring, and large-scale organizational change. The discussion explores how leaders communicate vision during uncertainty, align teams around value creation, and balance short-term performance with long-term strategy. The episode also dives into the real-world impact of AI inside businesses today—from contract analysis and predictive maintenance to improving operational efficiency and supporting employee performance. Additional topics include: * Private equity leadership dynamics * Change management and communication * AI adoption in business operations * Energy infrastructure and increasing demand * The future energy mix and sustainability * Leadership lessons from global executive roles Michael also discusses the unique perspective of working within a Native American-owned enterprise and the long-term thinking that comes with generational stewardship. 🎧 Listen to this episode of Leading In The Dark for practical insight on leadership, innovation, and transformation in modern business.

Nick Akers & Kristen Duhr

What does it take to re-home over 1,100 dogs a year? In this episode of Leading In The Dark, Nick Akers sits down with entrepreneur Kristen Duhr — founder of Home 2 Home Canine Orphanage and multiple dog-centered businesses across the St. Louis region. Kristen shares: * How she built a foster network capable of handling 40+ dogs in a single day * The operational realities of rescue logistics * Why training dogs is really about training humans * The problem with pain-based training methods * Missouri’s overpopulation challenges * Her upcoming 2026 surgical center focused on spay/neuter, dentals, and heartworm treatment This conversation goes beyond rescue work. It’s about leadership, discipline, systems, and building scalable compassion. If you care about entrepreneurship, impact, or the intersection of structure and heart — this episode delivers.

Nick Akers & Chris Edwards

In this episode of Leading In The Dark, host Nick Akers sits down with entrepreneur Chris Edwards to unpack a full Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition journey—from corporate finance to consulting, through acquisition, exit, and back to startup life. Chris shares how he acquired a flooring business through a self-funded search, scaled it through operational improvements, and ultimately exited with a remarkable return. More importantly, he opens up about the emotional side of ownership: managing inherited culture, navigating seller dynamics, leading through turnover, and redefining purpose after a successful exit. Now building a new business from scratch, Chris reflects on the lessons that shaped his leadership philosophy—and why mastering organic growth is critical before the next acquisition. This episode is a must-listen for aspiring searchers, operators, founders, and anyone wrestling with what comes after success.

Nick Akers & Garth Fasano

In this episode of Leading In The Dark, Nick Akers sits down with Garth Fasano, President and Co-Founder of RaYnmaker, to explore a leadership journey shaped by entrepreneurship through acquisition and rapid technological disruption. Garth shares how acquiring a traditional outsourced sales business forced him to confront a hard truth: the core business model was on borrowed time. What followed was a bold decision to pivot—shutting down a call center and rebuilding the company as an AI-powered autonomous sales platform for small businesses. This conversation dives into: * What searchers and ETA entrepreneurs often underestimate after closing * How to evaluate risk when technology is changing faster than your timeline * Why small businesses may have a unique advantage in adopting AI * The leadership mindset required to act before disruption becomes inevitable A candid, thoughtful episode for founders, operators, and leaders navigating uncertainty—and deciding when to take their biggest swing.