The Corporate Couch: Work Stories I Only Tell My Friends

What if the way you’ve been leading…is exactly what’s holding your team back?

My guest, Robin Ferguson (see her bio below), has spent more than two decades helping high-achieving leaders make a powerful shift, from pressure-filled management to a more intentional, empowering coaching style.

As a Master Certified Coach (the highest credential in the field), Robin doesn’t deal in surface-level advice. She helps leaders cut th...

What do the McDonald’s Happy Meal, Blockbuster Video, and some of the most recognizable brands in America have in common?

Steve Bernstein (bio below).

In this episode, Steve shares a career that started with a childhood idea that turned into one of the most iconic promotions in history and evolved into leading Bernstein-Rein Advertising, helping build powerhouse brands like Walmart, McDonald’s, Hostess, and Blockbuster.

But this is...

In this March edition of It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere, Marc Shaffer and I are back with another happy hour-style conversation where business, life, and Kansas City culture all collide.

We kick things off with Marc rescheduling our recording…for a TV appearance. I’ve officially been bumped. But it leads to a bigger conversation about visibility, promoting causes that matter, and the growing momentum behind Run for the Roses supporting t...

What does it look like to build a global supply chain…before there was a playbook?

That’s exactly what Dan Krouse (see his bio below) did.

In this episode, Dan shares his journey from small-town Indiana to becoming a corporate officer at Hallmark, leading global procurement, logistics, and supply chain operations across a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.

Early in his career, a single conversation led to a 12-year international assi...

What does it take to turn a passion for homebrewing into one of Kansas City’s most recognizable hospitality brands?

In this episode of The Corporate Couch, Jeff sits down with Matt Moore (see his bio below), founder of Martin City Brewing Company, to talk about entrepreneurship, community, and the journey from a single brewpub to a growing family of restaurants and hospitality concepts across the Kansas City metro.

Matt’s story sta...

What does it take to walk into a struggling company, make the tough calls, and turn it into a high-performing business?

That’s the world Charlie Cole (see bio below) lives in.

Charlie is a private-equity-backed CEO who has built a reputation for stepping into complex situations and creating momentum fast. From transforming global consumer brands to scaling AI and SaaS platforms, his career has been defined by high-stakes leadership...

What if the real competitive advantage in business isn’t strategy, hustle, or technology… but simply caring?

In this Special Edition episode, Justin Ricklefs returns to the Corporate Couch to discuss his first book, Give A Damn: The Catalyst for Caring Companies.

Justin shares how the book began as scribbles on napkins during a conversation with his wife in a Colorado saloon and turned into a powerful framework for building stronge...

What happens when a pastor, a public servant, and a nonprofit leader decides to buy a coffee shop?

You get Keith Davenport (see bio below), founder of 030 Holding Company, on a mission to bring more and better jobs to Gardner, Kansas, zip code 66030.

Keith’s journey is anything but linear, from a small-town Illinois upbringing with a graduating class of 49… to pastoral ministry… to higher education… to Johnson County, KS government...

In this February edition of It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere, Marc Shaffer and I pull up a couple of barstools and let you eavesdrop on a conversation that ranges from Kansas City networking rooms to Florida marinas, from Super Bowl parties to superhero costumes.

We kick things off with our new Kansas City business community, “The Table,” a curated group of leaders focused not just on swapping business cards, but actually helping each ...

What do competitive tug-of-war, executive search, career transition, and Kansas City networking have in common?

Gentry Ferguson (see his bio below).

In this episode, Gentry shares a career journey that spans lawn-care entrepreneurship, leadership roles at Garmin and AMC Theatres, a layoff just months before COVID shut down the world, and the bold decision to build what is now Talent Solutions Partners.

We talk about:

• What he ...

What do you get when you combine Division I basketball, 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, a PhD in Organization Development, and a passion for helping small businesses become profitable?

You get Dr. Russ Barnes (see his bio below).

In this episode, I reconnect with my former Manhattan College dorm mate, now retired Air Force Colonel, strategist, author, and founder of Systro Solutions, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership...

What happens when a dream career collides with real life and real priorities?

In this episode, I sit down with Paul Sullivan (see bio below), a longtime New York Times columnist, author, and founder of The Company of Dads, to explore a career journey that spans elite journalism, bestselling books, keynote stages, and ultimately, a bold reinvention.

Paul shares how growing up in a working-class Massachusetts town shaped his ambition...

Do you hate work meetings? Meetings consume more time than any other business process, and yet they’re often the most frustrating part of the workday. According to Rebecca Hinds (see her bio below), that’s not a coincidence. It’s a design problem.

Rebecca is a leading expert on organizational behavior and the future of work, with deep experience at the intersection of research, technology, and real-world execution. In this conversa...

The first It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere of the new year felt less like goal setting and more like catching up with a friend who knows you well enough to keep it real.

In this January conversation, Marc Shaffer and I ease into 2026 by talking about what actually matters when the calendar flips: health, energy, relationships, and letting go of the pressure to start the year at full throttle. We swap stories about holiday parties that got ...

What if being a great leader isn’t about having all the answers, but about how people feel when they’re around you?

In this episode, Jason Young (see bio below) joins me on The Corporate Couch for a wide-ranging, candid conversation about leadership, emotional intelligence, burnout, and why “likability” may be one of the most underrated leadership skills in business today.

Jason shares stories from his early life, formative mentors...

In this powerful episode, Jeff Pelaccio sits down with Seth Deutsch (see his bio below), founder of Samson Partners Group and former President and CEO of multi-billion-dollar divisions at AECOM. Seth shares his unconventional journey from Division I basketball player at Rice University to leading global teams across 80 countries and executing over 70 a...

Frank Keck (see his bio below) believes leadership starts with being fully yourself and laughing a little more along the way.

With over 25 years of experience helping leaders and teams communicate better, Frank blends humor, neuroscience, and real-world insight to show why people thrive when they feel seen, heard, and empowered. In this conversation, he shares how his journey from teaching Dale Carnegie courses to building a speaki...

Rich Chungong’s (see his bio below) story is anything but linear, and that’s exactly the point. A former professional football player, lifelong gamer, and naturally curious builder, Rich has reinvented himself at the intersection of Web3, AI, gaming, and community-driven innovation.

In this conversation, Rich shares how the abrupt pause of the 2020 pandemic forced him to confront a question many athletes and high performers eventua...

Todd Ziegler (see his bio below) has seen the trucking industry from angles most people never do, from stolen loads of six-figure filet mignon to the quiet financial mechanics that determine whether carriers survive or fail. And according to Todd, the biggest issue in trucking isn’t drivers, trucks, or capacity. It’s how long it takes people to get paid and how much it costs them to wait.

Todd is a seasoned C-suite transportation v...