Walk On

Michael welcomes Rochester TV legend Ginny Ryan to the latest episode of Walk On Podcast Season 4.

Ginny served as a reporter and news anchor at WHAM 13 for 35 years before signing off and transitioning to a community relations career with Canandaigua National Bank. Ginny is a member of the New York State Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and recipient of the Keeper of the Flame award from the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She is now Dire...

Michael welcomes Genevieve Ledoux, Emmy award winning founder of STAR FOREST, a multimedia adventure for children and families, to the latest episode of Season 4.

Genevieve’s expansive background - from classical music training to rock bands to producing award-winning children's content - gives her a unique perspective on creating engaging, innovative musical experiences that resonate across generations.

Michael and Genevie...

Michael welcomes Sarah Smith, a multi-hyphenate talent who founded the Atlanta Digital World Summit and is President of Solution Road, Inc. (a multi-media consultancy) and produces a podcast to the latest episode of Season 4

Michael and Sarah discuss career arcs, storytelling, saying yes when asked, championing Atlanta, and so much more. 

Walk On is a podcast about the journey of finding passion in a life of purpo...

Michael welcomes Valerie Knoblauch, the long-standing leader of Visit Finger Lakes, to Season 4 of the podcast. 

Visit Finger Lakes is Ontario County New York’s tourism agency. And Val has been on the cutting edge of promoting the Finger Lakes from seasonal curiosity to a leading year-round tourism destination

Michael and Val discuss what makes the Finger Lakes special, career transitions - including retirement - and ensuring teams t...

Michael welcomes Eileen Nebhut, founder and CEO of Venus Rising, an image consulting business that works with people who see their style and/or wardrobes as obstacles to their success

Eileen’s interest in style began early in life, navigating the challenges of being unusually tall and learning how to incorporate scale, proportion and femininity into her style in order to feel confident.

Michael and Eileen discuss personal brands, sty...

Michael welcomes Hope Breen, creator of ROC the City with Hope onto the final episode of Season 3. 

Hope is a Producer on 92.5 WBEE Bee Morning Coffee Club, a Rochester, NY and Finger Lakes Tourism Influencer and marketing pro.

ROCthecitywithHope started in 2017 when Hope was finishing up her Associate's Degree from Monroe Community College in Travel & Tourism. Her internship to graduate had her volunteering over 80 hours at...

Michael welcomes Mohamed, “Mo” Massaquoi, Managing Principal at VESSOL to the latest episode of Season 3. Mo is a former NFL player, an organizational psychologist and speaker. He is passionate about helping organizations overcome resistance to change, unlock growth opportunities, and strengthen teamwork.

Mo was selected in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns and played five seasons in the league. Today, h...

Michael interviews Lakeshia Poole, founder of Jack of All Trade Media to episode 15. In addition to being a former colleague of Michael, Lakeshia is a noteworthy author, public speaker and storyteller!

Michael and Lakeshia discuss her life as an author and passion for storytelling - and empowering others to find their own voice!

Walk On is a podcast about the journey of finding passion in a life of purpose and t...

Michael welcomes Declan Duggan, Senior Vice President of Sales for BERO to Season 3. Declan is a multi-hyphenate beverage industry evangelist, podcast host, entrepreneur and more. He loves the challenges presented by launching a new brand and is a driving force behind BERO, which is a Premium Craft Non-Alcoholic/Near Beer led by co-founders, celebrity Tom Holland and John Herman, CEO. 

Michael and Declan discuss the changi...

Michael welcomes Laura Gibson-Lamothe, Executive Director of the Georgia Fintech Academy to the first episode of Season 3. In addition to being Michael's friend and colleague through the payments processing industry, Laura is a seasoned banking executive, retired three-sport college athlete, and now the shaper of future professionals looking to build careers in the fintech industry.  

Michael and Laura discuss her car...

Michael tries something different in this "recap episode," sharing personal reflections on the first two seasons of the Walkon Podcast. He reflects upon insights from several guests, while also providing a personal update on his journey to purpose. This is a chance to learn about Michael the person, not just the host, and to reflect upon your own reaction to the first two podcast seasons. 

Walk On is a podcast ab...

Michael welcomes Cheryl D'Cruz Young, Senior Client Partner, Sustainability Leader at Korn Ferry to the final podcast of season 2. In addition to being Michael's colleague at Brown University's ACT Executive Leadership and Performance Coaching program, Cheryl is a global citizen, born in Kenya as the youngest of five children. She relocated to London because her family had British citizenship when she was two-months ...

Michael welcomes friend and fellow entrepreneur EJ Stern to the 5th episode of Walk On Podcast Season 2. EJ founded the Fractional Law Firm CMO, a first to market company offering fractional marketing services to small and midsize law firms. They’ve grown rapidly, hiring their 7th full-time employee after just 18 months, and are serving more than 20 law firms across the US and Canada. 

EJ and Michael cover a range of topics from the...

Hope Ferdowsian (MD, MPH) is a practicing physician, professor of medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and president and co-founder of Phoenix Zones Initiative. As part of Phoenix Zones Initiative, Hope is building an Institute for Universal Rights, Health, and Justice. And She authored the book “Phoenix Zones: Where Strength is Born and Resilience Lives.”

Hope's journey and resulting insights ...

Whitney Marshall, owner of Whitney Marshall Coaching, joins the podcast to discuss career transitions, finding your passion, and overcoming negative self-perception and the wiring from family and corporate roles to live a fulfilling life. 

Whitney is a Certified Professional Coach on a mission to cultivate and nurture more genuine and generous leaders. She comes to this work from a remarkable career in corporate social res...

Sharon Goldmacher, Founder, President & CEO of communications21 joins the podcast to discuss leadership, entrepreneurship and the confidence to try new things

Listen today, if you are looking for deep insight from a successful entrepreneur on how to build a company, find your leadership style, and the importance of taking chances.

Learn more about Sharon and her firm here https://www.c21pr.com/ 

Walk ...

Season two kicks off with Erin Barbeau, Senior Director, Sales Performance at FIS. What an energetic, fun and insightful conversation. This emerging corporate leader shares her insights on finding your voice at work, paying it forward, and investing time and treasure in organizations growing women in the workforce. 

We also fit in a little conversation about sports, travel, and finding passion outside the office. 

Michael interviews noteworthy Finger Lakes winemaker Kelby James Russell for the final episode of season one. Kelby recently launched Apollo's Praise winery after successfully leading winemaking at Red Newt Cellars and his eponymous Kelby James Russell brand. He graduated from Harvard University, participated in the glee club and returned home to the FLX in 2009. He is a Wine Enthusiast “40 Under 40 Tastemaker” and co-chairs t...

Season one, episode four of the Walk On Podcast features an interview with Anna Ruth Peiffer who founded Alloy in 2012 (then known as ARPR), with just a laptop and a small family loan. In its first decade of business, the marketing communications agency grew to over $10M USD, acquired a unit to expand creative and technical offerings, and became sought after by global software brands. 

In 2022, Anna Ruth sold her majority ...