Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love

Jimmy Jenkins, before writing stories and books, earned his law degree from the University of Maryland. After graduating law school, Jimmy undertook a commitment to public service by becoming a criminal prosecutor for several years. Jimmy wrote Green Rush Fever because he felt a need to tell the story about how his family's small farming operation entered the nascent Florida hemp industry in 2019. Aside from his analysis about growing hemp, in Green Rush Fever Jimmy also writes about his family's tradition of having a strong conviction in their faith and a tenacious belief in the power of having the robust loving support of one's family members. "I was working in New York City for over 6 years as a criminal prosecutor when my father got ill. My wife and I decided to move our family to Florida temporarily to take care of him. Having that time with him allowed us to realize that there was a lot of life that I had missed while chasing the brass ring in NYC. I knew I wanted to use my skillset but not chasing that hot-shot trial lawyer lifestyle. I found a really great position as lawyer-editor with a small publishing company in Florida. It was more of a consultant position. And it was like working with friends and assisting them in what they're trying to do."

Orlando J. Gomez is the founder of the video production company Stellar Lense Productions, a video strategy expert specializing in visual storytelling for business, and the online video marketplace COOPT. Orlando has worked with companies like Uber, Dove, and Samsung, as well as small businesses across America to create video campaigns as engaging as your favorite Netflix shows. He is known for a storytelling approach that has successfully established local and national brands, ultimately leading to a higher ROI, brand awareness, and overall success. "That's the stuff that I really enjoy doing for businesses–creating that story-driven scripted content. We still do tons and tons of every other type of video and explainer videos, tutorial videos and training videos. Anything a business needs video related, we do it. But I feel like our real bread and butter, where we excel, is storytelling, where we create content that is engaging and connects deeply with people and ultimately drives them to the businesses that we are trying to market."

Ward Rinehart is an American who lives and works in the Jura Mountains of France. He co-manages Jura Editorial Services, a small business editing and writing English-language publications for international organizations in nearby Geneva, Switzerland, and for clients worldwide. Prior to moving to France, he worked in international health communication for 30 years at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD. "Working as a reporter for a newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts, I learned what was satisfying to me, was to learn something and then be able to use that to help other people understand issues they faced or the concerns they might want to get involved in, and issues that were going to affect their lives."

Guest Dr. Veronique Desaulniers: "I'm increasingly excited about the program that we launched in 2023 and have been expanding ever since: Conquering Breast Cancer with Conventional Treatments and Natural Remedies. The reason I added this aspect of healing breast cancer and supporting women is, because we realized after many years of working with women around the world, along with medical and integrative doctors, that there comes a time in a woman's journey that she may need more support than traditional medicine alone." Dr. Véronique Desaulniers, better known as Dr. V, is the founder of Breast Cancer Conqueror ® and creator of the 7 Essentials System ® . Her signature process has empowered thousands of women in over 65 countries. Dr. V has personally conquered breast cancer twice, which gives her an empathetic perspective to understand other women facing a healing journey. Her first book, Heal Breast Cancer Naturally , was a #1 Amazon Best Seller in 10 categories. In late 2025 she and Dr. Michael Karlfeldt released Breast Cancer Breakthrough: Integrating Conventional & Natural Medicine for True Healing . This combines their decades of clinical experience and dedication to integrative breast cancer healing to transform women's health, mindset and bodies.

Matt J. Louis is one of the nation's leading experts in career transition for members of the military community. He coaches individuals on their transition efforts and advises employers on hiring programs designed to successfully assimilate this valuable talent pool. He is the author of the award-winning and best-selling HarperCollins book, Mission Transition, a practical guide for veterans in career transition, their families, and their employers. His second book, Hiring Veterans, is a practical guide for organizational leaders on how to build programs to successfully assimilate veterans and military spouses. He is a Member of Louis Advisors LLC, a veteran-owned small business, was President of Purepost, Inc. and spent 17+ years at Deloitte where he became a Senior Manager and Practice Leader. Matt is a retired officer, US Army Active Duty and Reserve, 1991 to 2012. He graduated from the Military Academy at West Point and received his MBA at Indiana University – Kelly School of Business. Matt in discussion with Don Hutcheson: "On average, today's transitioning veterans will be unemployed for 22 weeks before they find a job. And when they do, they are simply looking to replace a revenue source. They'll take a job to get any job – and it is usually not the right one. They'll rotate out of that job within the first year and a half, and they'll continue to job hop and job hop and job hop. So much so that by their sixth post-military job, 50 percent, yes, half of transitioning veterans are still not in their optimal career field. I would peg that their sixth job is between three to five years from when they re-entered civilian life. That's alarming." "Why would I raise my right hand and enlist if today's service members are not finding full-time employment? And suicide rates continue to be at unacceptable levels. There is a direct correlation with all of these things."

"One of the many wonderful things about working as a speech language pathologist is that you can structure the work that you do based on your circumstances at any turning point of your life. The setting you work in, the kinds of clients your work with, the specific modalities that you offer, can all be created by you. When my son was born I wanted to be home every evening and on weekends, so I structured my private practice to make that happen. Earlier in my career my schedule and client base was quite different, which was ideal for that time in my life. But whatever the structure of my work, the thing that I really love about practicing speech language pathology is my one-on-one time with kids--there's something beautiful that happens in those moments when I am able to use my passion and expertise to help kids that stutter become happy, healthy, effective communicators and help families better understand how to best support their loved one who stutters." Susie Harder, M.A., CCC-SLP is an experienced, licensed speech-language pathologist and Director of Central Valley Stuttering Center in Clovis, CA. She devotes much of her passion to working with children who stutter. She works in private practice and with schools to help support children and provides workshops and consulting-based support to families and school districts. She is also the founder and CEO of Authorable, a program that turns third through sixth graders into authors, creators, and leaders through real book-making experiences.

Guest: Spann Cordle "What I'd love to do is public speaking. Sure I've been a spokesman. Sure I've made inroads. But I want to get on-stage. I want to travel. I want to speak. I want to show people that if you are determined and you persevere, there is nothing you cannot do–whether you are disabled or able-bodied. It is a mindset. A lot of individuals who are disabled don't have the opportunity to express themselves. I would like to show them how to do it!" Sixty-eight years ago, Spann Cordle's parents made a decision that was ahead of their time. They chose to treat Spann as any other child and equip him to face life's challenges. Born with a disability, he went to elementary school riding a tricycle to strengthen his legs, learned to swim, took driver's ed in high school, and was on the drama team. After being a state probation officer for several years, in 2007 he became a full-time employee at Walmart in northwest Georgia. He has found it to be an excellent opportunity to spread disability awareness by demonstrating his workplace dedication and winning attitude day after day. Walmart has recognized his contributions by making him their spokesperson at other Walmart locations across the country. His hometown of Summerville, Georgia, held a celebration for him and dedicated a new art installation for disability awareness. But the best recognition is from the Walmart customers who stop to talk and tell him that he always provides them with encouragement. Spann strives to do the same for all of the disabled community.

"It was really sort of a Blitzkrieg assault approach where I wrote many, many scripts and emailed everybody I knew, and entered scripts into screenwriting competitions. "While I was living in New York I paid for a pitch fest in L.A. I flew out there to this event where you had five minutes to pitch different companies, like Lionsgate Motion Pictures. It was like speed dating for screenwriters. Eventually, I got one of my scripts into the hands of The Asylum and that eventually became 'Born Bad,' which was a made-for Lifetime TV movie. When they told me they liked that script and they wanted me, well, that was amazing!" Jared Cohn is a film/TV director, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles, CA. He has directed over 50 films that have been produced and distributed by major studios and distributed by major studios and production companies such as Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, Syfy, Lifetime, and many more. His book, 50 Movies Made: Lessons Learned on a Filmmaker's Journey, chronicles his life through the Hollywood trenches and how he achieved his lifelong dream on the other side. In the book, he discusses all areas of the movie making process, from screenwriting and preproduction to production, post-production and distribution. This May 2026 airing of Jared Cohn was originally aired in December 2024. Be sure to visit his website to see what he has been working on recently.

Dr. Cara Lee Barker is an international keynote speaker and visionary artist. She served as an Army nurse during the Vietnam era at Walter Reed Hospital. She has a Master's degree in nursing from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Union Institute and University in Ohio. Her post-doctoral work was completed in Zurich as an International Diplomat and a Jungian Analyst. She was a columnist for HuffPost for five years and is the author of three books: World Weary Woman; The Love Project; and her latest release, Nightlight: My Soul Calling, Body Listening, Heart Speaking. "After I completed my PhD in clinical psychology, I began working in the so called 'human potential movement.' People wanted to dig deeper into who they really are on every level: spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical and social. I loved doing that work and would have done it for free! I did my post-doctoral work in Zurich as an International Diplomat and Jungian Analyst. After reading Carl Jung's book– The Symbolic Life –I quickly realized the vital importance of dreams in helping people discover their inborn talents. I continue to work with clients, which uses my best talents, while I devote an increasing amount of time writing. My favorite life lesson from my very supportive parents: 'Lean into the thing you are trying to resist. Always lean in.'"

"The most powerful lesson I've learned is that self-discovery—learning your strengths and weaknesses–is foundational, followed by a strong education. Be open and ready for opportunities and be willing to take risks. Don't be afraid to dream because dreams do come true." This encore episode is in memory of Delano Lewis, a guest on this podcast in 2015. He was an amazing person with an unforgettable life story. He passed away in 2023. We are taking this opportunity to spread his inspiring story to all our current listeners. Delano Lewis, a former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, rose from segregation-era Kansas to prominence in government, business, and the not-for-profit world. His bestselling memoir, "It All Begins with Self," affirms his belief in the value of family, education, hard work, perseverance, mentors and supporters. His trailblazing career includes top positions at National Public Radio and the Peace Corps.

Ted Dintersmith is a best-selling author, education advocate, and former venture capitalist who believes math has been weaponized—and it's time to set things right. His professional career has been immersed in the world of technology-driven education, giving him a ringside seat to the advances of integrated circuits, robotics, and Artificial Intelligence. For the past fifteen years, he has focused on the world of education, forming an education non-profit, authoring best seller books, and setting a mission to help catalyze and accelerate progress in our schools and equip our children with skills and mindsets that are essential in a world defined by rapidly-advancing innovation. Ted graduated from the College of William and Mary with High Honors in English and Physics and then got a PhD in Engineering from Stanford. In 2012, he was appointed by President Obama to represent the U.S. at the United Nations General Assembly, where he focused on education and youth entrepreneurship. "I was recognized by one of the trade publications as one of the top-ranked venture capitalists in the country for 1995 to 1999 – which were good years to be good at it. I loved every day. But as I got further into it, I realized that a lot of the companies we backed were developing products and solutions to make customers far more productive. And that seems to be a really good thing. "But at a certain point, I realized that if you make a few people really productive, you may be laying off a bunch of others, which gets me to AI and why I am so focused on things today. "As I looked back on my business career, every day was really fun, but I didn't feel a sense of purpose. Now, every day, I feel a deep sense of purpose by fighting for different priorities in schools and fighting for helping kids find their strengths – instead of putting students on the narrow conveyor belt that leads right into the jaws of AI." Recommendation to listeners: "Find the things you love to do. Be resourceful in terms of connecting your passions with ways to support yourself financially. Take chances and be bold. And leverage technology. You will never look back and you are going to be in great shape."

Scott Robison, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces veteran with 23 years of service, is a founding partner of Kingswood Defense Group and Cadet Holdings and the founder of Camp Cowboy, a nonprofit supporting veterans with the use of equine therapy. Scott specializes in consulting for military and commercial sectors, leveraging deep expertise in emerging technologies and defense strategy, and managing rapid acquisition initiatives. When he retired from the Army, he decided that he wanted to do something for those who struggle with issues from military and public service. That resulted in creating Camp Cowboy in Kemper, Texas. It is operated by veterans to provide FREE Equine Assisted Growth Programs to Service members, Veterans, First Responders, Family members and Gold Star Family members. Through equine-based experience, education, and knowledge, they help participants navigate and overcome stressors and a vast multitude of "life's scars," allowing for a reconnected, well-balanced life change for those in need. His military career highlights include leading the Special Weapons Testing Task Force at Fort Cavazos and overseeing over 300 major defense acquisition programs. He has also led counterterrorism efforts in Iraq and counter-drug operations with federal agencies. Robison holds degrees from the New Mexico Military Institute and University of Colorado and certifications from Defense Acquisitions University.

Kahlil Wyche became disillusioned with the restaurant industry when he found himself handling all the responsibilities of a store manager but the chain was only paying him assistant manager wages. "I've always liked money and numbers, so I looked into an entry level position at a bank," Kahlil recalls. "I knew God has His hand on me about 40 days in. I overheard a co-worker who was frustrated with her computer. During my military time and after I'd been certified in some Microsoft software and taken some courses." Kahlil offered to take a look at her computer. He fixed it. The next morning, she offered him a job in the information technology (I.T.) department. He received steady promotions. On weekends he developed a catering business which eventually developed into Catering to Your Whims. He had come full circle back to entrepreneurship and the food business. Kahlil Wyche is an entrepreneur, local marketing and social media expert who has been connecting people and products through technology for 19 years. As founder of Catering to Your Whims, Inc., and KGW Enterprises, he draws on his experience in marketing, sales and business development to create a platform for professionals to promote their work, share their expertise and interact with consumers.

Liz Chism has been an entrepreneur for over 11 years. She started out her entrepreneurial journey by starting a craft brewery with her husband and being the COO and Head Brewer. After that journey ended, she started Systems into Freedom where she is a business operations coach who strategizes with business about how to organize and streamline their operations so they can create freedom through their business. Liz seamlessly fits coaching around helping her husband in his real estate business, running the house, raising their three children, and homeschooling. "It wasn't until my husband and I decided to start a craft beer brewery that I found my passion for organizing, streamlining and strategizing how to go from point A to Point B in the fastest way possible. "My husband and I fell in love with brewing, the science and the art mixture. And we fell in love with the community aspect that it brought, the ability to bring people together. What's interesting is that most people didn't think that I would be the brewer. They always put the male as the brewer and the female as the admin/marketing person. It turned out I had more talent for organizing and operations, repeating success and creating the recipes. In the end I was the brewer and did all the operations. My husband's talents were more of that CEO mentality, that visionary, and he handled the business side. "We ran it for almost five years but ended up closing down in 2018 and filing bankruptcy in 2019. And that's actually when we pivoted. There's a lot of things about the brewery that we liked, but some aspects weren't a match for where we wanted to be and what we wanted to do with life. It was actually a moment where we could redesign our life however we wanted to. "Based on what my husband and I learned while building the brewery, I started a coaching business called Systems into Freedom . It is designed to really help business owners put the systems in place so they will not get burned out. Those systems need to be incorporated into the culture of the business and leverage their employees to become leaders."

Karina Anderson's story–from a violent upbringing in Denmark to finding her true purpose in South Africa–is a testament to resilience, spiritual enlightenment, and the power of trusting one's journey. "More and more I realized that if I can do this, maybe more can do this. And I started writing down the first pieces of my story, which is about how you navigate challenge and how you turn. "That's why I say I am an alchemist. I'm an alchemist in my own journey, turning lead to gold, regardless of how tough it looks. This is the moment you want that challenge. This is where heroes and heroines are born. "Everything I've achieved on this journey has been because I've listened. I have shown up. I've been called to go. And, I've learned to trust the process. I know this because I do it every day and I've done it since I arrived here in South Africa." Intuitive Depth Coach, Alchemist and Change Specialist, Karina Anderson goes to places where most do not dare venture. Together with her Team of Change Agents, she helps switch on lights in some of the darkest corners of the human experience. Her work has taken her from prisons to boardrooms. As the Founder of SmilingOne and Circles of Change Academy, she has spent 17+ years honing a unique change recipe in the homeland of her heart–South Africa, and turning personal adversity into impactful change.

Otto E. Stallworth, Jr, MD, MBA, an anesthesiologist and then a cosmetic surgeon, was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1940s, fifties and sixties. He crossed the Alabama state line for the first time at sixteen to attend college and was the first college graduate in his family. This was followed by a medical degree at 24 and later an MBA outside of medicine. He has had several businesses, including Oh Yes! Management and Hollywood Fries Restaurant. In 2022, he began the Stallworth Oh Yes! Foundation, which has awarded four-year full scholarships to students at Howard University and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, his alma maters. He published his memoir in 2023. Look soon for his first murder mystery. "When I got into med school, it was even better than anything I could imagine. Every day was a new adventure because you learn about all these different diseases and study the human body. Studying all of this was very intriguing. As a child I just wanted to have this skill to be able to help people. You see someone that is sick and think about if you could cure them or help them get cured or give them the right advice–that seemed like an amazing and very powerful thing."

Sarah Ohanesian is a keynote speaker, productivity strategist, and former Chief Marketing Officer who now helps high-performing professionals and teams do their most important work…without burning out. Her keynotes and workshops leave audiences energized and equipped to eliminate busywork, prioritize high-impact tasks, and make real impact. Sarah is the co-founder of Super Productive, a neuro-inclusive productivity consulting company, where she helps teams cut through the chaos by building clear workflows, organizing projects in tools like Asana, and making sure everyone knows what to do and when to do it–so the most important work actually gets done. You'll walk away from this episode with a truly fresh perspective. " I had been thinking about Productivity. I have been a student of productivity. I love productivity. I do podcasts about productivity. I read about productivity. I just love it so much. And at the same time, everyone I was talking to, when I would say 'Hi. How are you?' they would answer, 'I'm busy. I'm stressed out. I'm burned out. I'm overwhelmed.' It was like every person I'm talking to is feeling this way. So what can I do about it? And I had this idea, maybe I should start a productivity company. I had no idea what that actually meant. I just thought I have an idea. And a few people said to me, it's a good one. And I had one person say to me, 'What if you did?' I will say that moment changed everything."

Courtney Bagby Lupinin, CEO and Founder of Little Red Management, is the go-to talent manager for reality TV stars from shows on ABC, CBS, MTV and Netflix including The Bachelor Franchise, Big Brother, Love is Blind, and the Circle. She began her career in the corporate sector at Oracle in San Francisco, managing internal communications and events. A yearning for the celebrity side of influencer marketing led her to Los Angeles where she volunteered her time and built relationships within the reality TV world before taking the leap to launch Little Red Management in 2019 at the age of 25. Courtney has also activated partnerships for huge brands including Disney, FOX, Hallmark, Nike, Adidas, Amazon, and more. "I don't remember who told me this, and I wish I did because I feel like it was the best advice I've ever learned. It was to figure out how you can help those people who you want to work with and bring something to the table for them, but don't expect something back. "At this time I wanted to do side things that would help me meet people and build my resume. One thing I did was volunteer for a nonprofit event called Reality Rally, which is held every year and all the reality TV stars come to that event to support their cause. I tweeted some of the stars from Survivor, Big Brother and other reality TV shows and volunteered to manage their social media in the off-season. And people accepted. That was super helpful because then when the event came along, I could meet them in person and they knew who I was. "Another thing I did was to go after a contestant on The Bachelor who I really wanted as a client. I would tweet at her every time I was in L.A. and ask her to get brunch with me. She would always respond, telling me that she couldn't do it–but she would still respond. One time I left her a message to meet me at The Grove that day, which is a fancy mall in L.A. She didn't respond to that, but I ended up running into her there that afternoon. She totally knew who I was from the emails and tweets I had sent her. We sat down together and I asked her all sorts of questions. "I had tried to reach out to some talent agencies and even social media agencies at the time, but no one would respond to me. So, it turned out for me that my best way of learning was from the talent themselves! "Nowadays I own my own talent management business, and I always respond to anyone who wants career advice and tips on how to get into the business because I know what it is like to be so hungry for industry information."

Cassie Petrey is the woman behind some of the most iconic artists' social media marketing including Backstreet Boys, Camila Cabello and Britney Spears. She is the co-founder of Crowd Surf, a leading marketing and music management firm. She's a fan girl whose admiration for the Backstreet Boys led her at age 12 to create a newsletter that reached fans worldwide — then years later she helped seal the band's decades-long superstardom by re-introducing them to next-generation fans. Cassie is a social media and artist management Hollywood powerhouse. She and her co-founder of Crowd Surf, Jade Driver, have been named to power lists in Variety, Billboard, and Forbes' annual "30 Under 30" feature. In 2022, the company launched its non-profit Career Development Program — a first-of-its-kind, no-cost educational series for people aspiring to work in the music business. "I worked fulltime the whole time I was at Middle Tennessee State University studying Music Business. I had been fortunate enough to get a job as a college rep at Warner Music Group my freshman year. I was doing that when, a couple months into college, I discovered a website called MySpace. I went to my boss and said, 'Hey, why don't big bands use MySpace? You only see small, local and college bands using it. I think major label artists should use it, too.' And she said, 'I don't really know what that means, but pick an artist. I'll connect you with their manager, and we'll figure out how you can manage their MySpace page.' "I was scared to ask her if I could do that or not, but I'm really glad I did because if I didn't, I wouldn't have been one of the first to market in this lane that has become so huge. I thought social media was going to be big, but I didn't think it was going to get to where it is now! "Looking back on it, it didn't seem such a big deal to me at the time, but a record label vice president, letting an 18-year-old come in and do all this work for their clients on MySpace and more? That's taking a certain level of risk, and I appreciate her taking that risk on me."

Dr. Sonia Palleck: "I love dentistry. I love working with my hands. It's quite artistic and very challenging. It also requires you to have a lot of compassion and good communication skills. I felt it tapped into a lot of things that I was gifted with. "The reason I went into dentistry was to become an orthodontist. My siblings and I all had braces. We had terrible crooked teeth. What the orthodontist did for me was really life changing. It gave me a lot of confidence. It gave me the ability to smile, to show up, and to speak my mind without fear or self-consciousness. I thought this was an amazing thing to do for people, and that's what I chose. "Orthodontics is an amazing profession. It is possibly the best of the 10 areas of dentistry. I'm biased, but I absolutely adore what I do. I feel like I change people's lives on a daily basis. I get to interact with people of all ages, but especially young people, which is invigorating and rejuvenating. And I get to problem solve and use my mind. That is just a beautiful way to spend each day." Sonia Palleck was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She went to school at Western in London, Ontario and graduated from Dentistry in '93 and Orthodontics in '99. She pioneered the use of digital orthodontics in practice and has lectured all over the world to share her knowledge with others. Sonia has written the "Leave the Little Light On" book series, designing and painting all the book covers, and editing and self-publishing her contribution to the world. Through these books she is a special advocate for love.