Success Beneath the Surface
This podcast is aimed at helping CEOs dig beneath the surface to find new pathways to increased profitability. Deborah Fell from Chief Outsiders, will seek to challenge and inspire leadership teams and provide immediately actionable solutions to unlock growth.
Episodes
When surgeons stop your heart during surgery, who keeps you alive? That's where Chet Czaplicka comes in.
This Detroit native went from ICU nurse to building the world's largest perfusion company—but not the way you'd think. After seeing post-op cardiac patients in the ICU, Chet asked one simple question: "What exactly do you guys do?" That curiosity launched a 42-year career.
Perfusionists are the people who become your heart and l...
What if the very challenges dividing our society could become the force that brings us together? In a thought-provoking episode of Success Beneath the Surface, Brett Howroyd, President of ActOne Group, shares a counterintuitive perspective on how economic pressures are creating unexpected unity across generations in the workplace.
As the leader of a 65-year family-run staffing organization, Brett has a unique vantage point on workf...
What happens when personal tragedy becomes professional purpose? In this powerful episode, Christine Verini, CEO of CancerCare, shares her extraordinary 30-year journey from mixing chemotherapy as a pharmacist to leading one of the nation's most impactful cancer support organizations. Sparked by her sister's inflammatory breast cancer diagnosis at 28, Christine has dedicated her entire career to helping cancer patients and their fa...
This conversation will challenge everything you think you know about leadership identity. Deborah Fell sits down with powerhouse CEO Ticki Favaroth, a faith-driven leader who has mastered the art of showing up authentically while building multiple successful enterprises.
Ticki doesn't mince words: "People don't get to choose my life" - and in this r...
What if I told you the most successful CEOs I've interviewed this quarter share one counterintuitive trait? They don't try to be the smartest person in the room. From architecture to military leadership to digital transformation, the pattern is unmistakable.
Looking back at this quarter's most listened-to episodes—featuring Jonathan Moody (Moody Nolan), Rear Admiral Brian Luther (Navy Mut...
In this powerful commentary episode, Deborah Fell reflects on her recent conversation with Jeff Grass and the stark reality facing mid-market businesses today. Drawing from hundreds of CEO conversations, she reveals why some companies thrive during crisis while others struggle for years—or don't survive at all.
The Three Types of Companies in Crisis:
...Deborah Fell sits down with Jeff Grass, CEO and co-founder of Hungry Marketplace, to explore how exceptional leadership and company culture can turn a 95% revenue loss into a thriving business.
Jeff shares the remarkable story of how Hungry Marketplace—a food tech platform connecting local chefs with corporate clients—not only survived the COVID-19 pa...
There's a fundamental difference between being busy and being effective. You can have a team that hits every activity metric and checks off every box—but if revenue isn't growing, are they really succeeding?
This week's commentary explores a powerful shift: moving from loyalty-based cultures to accountability-based ones. It's the difference between re...
Twenty years ago, when Carolyn Lagarmasini launched her association management company as fully virtual, industry veterans said it was impossible. Today, her company spans 13 states with 26 employees, and COVID proved she was decades ahead.
"I once had a coach who said, the minute you start to shrink, you die," Carolyn reflects. Her story embodies this philosophy: jumping off cliffs without knowing where you'll land, seeing broken ...
Deborah Fell reflects on one of the most powerful leadership insights from her conversation with Jonathan Moody: the radical humility of a CEO who built his success by recognizing he didn't need to be the central force driving everything. When Jonathan became CEO of Moody Nolan in January 2020, just before the pandemic, he made a crucial decision to create an executive team structure rather ...
Jonathan Moody, CEO of Moody Nolan—recognized by Fast Company as one of the world's most innovative architecture firms—reveals the decade-long succession journey that positioned him to lead just before the pandemic struck.
"More time is better," Jonathan reflects on the gradual handoff from his father—a process filled with strategic "sink or swim" moments and culminating i...
In this week's commentary, Deborah Fell explores the wisdom from her conversation with Rear Admiral Brian "Lex" Luther on leading through change. "The balance of leadership is hard," Deborah notes, "with internal issues, external forces, and human complexity creating cloudy challenges." Yet Lex's transformation of Navy Mutual reveals a fundamental truth: you can't lead if no one follows.
Deborah Fell sits down with Brian "Lex" Luther, whose distinguished naval career equipped him with the unique perspective that revolutionized Navy Mutual.
"The principles that guide a naval officer—discipline, strategic thinking, and unwavering commitment to mission—translate remarkably well to corporate leadership," shares Luther. "At Navy Mutual, we didn't just implement changes; we navigated a complete organizational transformat...
In last week's conversation with Ryan Frederick, Principal of Transform Labs, we explored the delicate balance between expertise and humility. Ryan shares how the companies that failed in his experience often stumbled due to assumption-driven leadership rather than curiosity-driven validation.
"I think there's a lot to be said in approaching thing...
Deborah Fell connects with Ryan Frederick of Transform Labs about strategic technology implementation. Ryan positions his firm as independent advisors rather than product reps, ensuring "our advice to clients is in the best interest of the client."
Ryan captures the uncertainty many CEOs face with a compelling metaphor: "It's almost like being in ...
Welcome to our curated collection of the most impactful conversations from the first quarter of 2025. This playlist features transformative discussions with leaders who have mastered the art of building thriving organizations through unconventional wisdom and authentic leadership.
Join ...
Welcome to the 100th episode of Success Beneath the Surface. This is a podcast where we dig into what lies beneath the surface of a CEO's success, your success, and insights deeply rooted at times in family, beliefs, or a drive that's just always been there. Our top downloaded episodes include Lessons from Navy Seal Kyle Buckett, number 57, who challenges the notion of leadership from the top, and gives life-saving reasons to build...
This commentary features Carl Satterwhite, President and Owner of RCF Group. This segment focuses on the evolving workplace landscape. Carl shares his unique observations on post-pandemic challenges, multigenerational workforces, and the often-overlooked phenomenon of "culture creep." His remarkable business philosophy—Making Others Realize Extra (MORE)—has powered RCF Group's expansion to 50 states and 22 countries. At the same ti...
Deborah welcomes Carl Satterwhite, President and Owner of RCF Group, a unique commercial furniture, architectural interiors, and facility services company operating in all 50 states and over 20 countries.
Carl shares his remarkable journey from managing "all the other stuff" at Procter & Gamble to building a continuously evolving business by listening deeply to client needs. His story is of faith, visi...
In a world obsessed with ROI and KPIs, the most valuable asset might be sitting across from you at lunch. This bonus conversation between Deborah Fell and Harold Green reveals something we often overlook in our digital-first world.
What stands out in this conversation is the genuine human connection that developed between two professionals who met...
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