Pain will always be a part of life. You will always find countless hurdles and roadblocks in your journey, and sometimes they will pull you down and hurt you. But you have to do everything in your power to not stay on the ground and get back up. Hakeem Croom’s story embodies this mindset, which he explores in this conversation with Gary Schoeniger. Before becoming an educator, life coach, author, and speaker, he was shaped by the harsh realities of his hometown Harlem, surrounded by poverty, addiction, and uncertainty. Hakeem shares how basketball became a lifeline for him, pulled him away from the streets, and brought him to Military School that forever transformed his life. Tune in on this story of grit, growth, and grace.

Hello and welcome to another episode of The Entrepreneurial Mindset Project, where I tease out the hidden logic that enables ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things through finding solutions.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Dr. Meena McCullough, a physical therapist who became an unlikely entrepreneur.

Frustrated by the limitations of the medical system, she found herself constantly complaining. Yet she was motivated to take action after a friend challenged her with these simple words, "Put your money where your mouth is."

This pivotal moment challenged her to shift her mindset towards solution-driven thinking in a way that ultimately led her to start her own business.

She began with a simple solution—creating flashcards to help caregivers who worked with patients who were suffering from dementia. Once she saw that her idea actually worked, she was inspired to address larger challenges for those who suffered from chronic pain.

Today, she has a thriving practice of her own, one that is revolutionizing physical therapy.

Dr. Meena’s story is a master class in entrepreneurship: look for problems to solve, try things on a small scale, and continuously learn and adapt. And, rather than taking big risks, she began by experimenting in the margins, after work and on weekends, building prototypes and refining her ideas through customer feedback.

She also described the difficulty of overcoming self-doubt and dealing with negativity as well as the value of persistence, passion, and embracing uncertainty.

What I love about Dr. Meena’s story is the simplicity of it all. Look for problems in your everyday life. Stop complaining and start solving. The ability to identify and solve problems is something anyone can do.

So, without any further ado, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr. Meena McCullough.

Welcome to another episode of The Entrepreneurial Mindset Project, where I tease out the hidden logic that enables ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Rick MacLennan, who happens to be the Chancellor of the Ventura County Community College System. Why am I interviewing a community college chancellor you might ask?

As I have often said, an entrepreneurial mindset confers an enormous advantage to those who understand and embrace it, and Rick’s story provides a great example. Watching his parents transform a struggling service station into a thriving business left an indelible impression on Rick, one that would enable him to thrive within the community college system.

In our conversation, we covered a lot of ground, including the importance of focusing on improving the customer (student) experience, the role of a community college in supporting entrepreneurship within a given community, and the challenges of convincing leadership to adopt new approaches. We also discussed how he embraced an entrepreneurial mindset to transform a modest maker space into a thriving hub of entrepreneurial development that spread throughout the community.

So, without any further ado, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Rick MacLennan.

Today, I’m thrilled to speak with Kathy Boyd and Kim Goodwin, two inspiring leaders from the Orange County Department of Education, who have embraced this entrepreneurial mindset to make a real difference. We covered a lot in this conversation, and I was blown away by their energy and enthusiasm, as well as the innovative ways they’re using entrepreneurial thinking to improve the student experience.

One standout example is their collaboration with a local entrepreneur to create Spyder Lab, a student-run business generating over a million dollars annually for the school district while preparing the next generation of innovators. Even more exciting, the students are asking for more!

Kathy and Kim embody entrepreneurial leadership by piloting ideas on a small scale before going big, collaborating across teams, and pushing boundaries while respecting the necessary guardrails.

Change is a constant force in both personal and professional growth. Join us for another episode of The Entrepreneurial Mindset Project as we sit down with Richard Boyatzis, a renowned psychologist and leading expert in emotional intelligence—an essential aspect of the entrepreneurial mindset. Drawing from his latest book, The Science of Change, and over 50 years of research, Boyatzis explores the five core elements of lasting change. Together, we discuss how his Intentional Change Theory connects to entrepreneurship, emphasizing the power of vision in driving transformation and the pitfalls of conventional goal-setting.

In this episode, we speak with Adam Pearson, co-founder of Fortunato No.4, a family-owned business producing some of the world’s finest chocolate. Their journey—from the streets of San Diego to the jungles of Peru—is an adventure you won’t want to miss.

After losing their family business, Adam, along with his father and brother, had to start over. Selling parts for mining equipment led them to a successful chocolate business serving global customers. Through perseverance, they discovered a rare cacao breed thought extinct. Today, their company produces premium chocolate and supports hundreds of cacao farmers in Peru.

Learn more in Adam’s book, Finding Fortunato. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Adam Pearson.

In this episode, we talk with Jaime Casap, former Chief Education Evangelist at Google. We discuss the evolving nature of learning and work, and why all students need to develop entrepreneurial attitudes and skills.

Jaime challenges us to rethink how we prepare students for today's world, shifting the question from "What do you want to be when you grow up?" to "What problem do you want to solve, and what do you need to learn to solve it?"

Join us for this insightful conversation, and enjoy the episode!

In this episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project, we dive into the extraordinary journey of Bob Kramer, a master bladesmith and founder of Kramer Knives, known for crafting some of the world’s finest cutlery. Bob’s path is anything but conventional—ranging from clown college to oceanography and the culinary arts.

Through undiagnosed dyslexia and a relentless spirit of adventure, Bob’s story is a testament to the unpredictable yet rewarding nature of discovering opportunities and oneself. Join us as we explore how Bob turned his diverse experiences and passion into a remarkable business that redefined an industry.