Episodes

What if the biggest thing standing between you and your next chapter isn't your lack of experience, but your willingness to start? In this episode, Tracy sits down with Peter Kalanda to talk about entrepreneurship, digital marketing, and the power of taking imperfect action. Peter shares how his family's journey to America shaped his work ethic, why hospitality became an unexpected foundation for business leadership, and how learning through trial and error gave him the confidence to build his ...

What does it take to stay relevant in an industry that never stops changing? In this episode, Tracy sits down with Mark Weithorn to explore what it means to build a business that evolves instead of becoming obsolete. From commercial photography and advertising to real estate technology and AI, Mark shares how embracing change has shaped every stage of his entrepreneurial journey. Together, they discuss why innovation should solve real problems, not create new ones, how automation is transformi...

What if the secret to better time management wasn't doing more, but creating more space? In this episode, Tracy sits down with Alyssa Wolff to challenge some of the biggest myths around productivity, motherhood, and ambition. Together, they explore why women often feel pressured to constantly improve without ever slowing down, and how that mindset keeps so many moms trapped in overwhelm. Alyssa shares how changing course early in life eventually led her to build a business around helping work-...

What happens when the life you planned no longer fits the person you're becoming? In this episode, Tracy sits down with Dr. Lihn for an honest conversation about divorce, reinvention, and learning to trust yourself through uncertainty. After leaving a decade-long relationship, Dr. Lihn found herself rebuilding nearly every area of her life while navigating single motherhood, personal transformation, and the pressure of starting over. Together, they explore the connection between self-trust and...

Most people think success comes from working harder. Julia Hurley believes it comes from building better systems. In this episode, Tracy sits down with entrepreneur, real estate broker, athlete manager, and author Julia Hurley to talk about the power of consistency, accountability, and creating systems that actually support growth. Julia shares how a simple real estate transaction unexpectedly led to an athlete management company, why she never passes up an opportunity, and how clear goals crea...

What if the heartbreak that nearly broke you was actually the doorway to your biggest growth? In this episode, Tracy sits down with Kathryn Eipl, a psychology-trained coach who turned one of the most painful seasons of her life into the foundation of her work. While completing a thesis on closeness in romantic relationships, Kathryn found herself living the very research she was studying as her engagement unraveled and her future took an unexpected turn. Kathryn shares how heartbreak, major li...

What happens when you leave corporate America, turn down a job at Facebook, and risk everything to build your own business? In this episode, Tracy sits down with Blake, founder of Sew Snip, to talk about entrepreneurship, buying businesses with little to no money down, and the emotional reality of starting over. After leaving a successful tech consulting career, Blake went through two failed businesses before finding opportunity in the fabric industry through creative acquisitions, seller-finan...

In this episode of Brilliant Chaos, we move beyond the traditional "boss at the top" model to explore a more human way of working: shared leadership. I am joined by Simon Mont, founder of Harmonize Consulting, who helps leaders design organizations where power is distributed and the company's purpose acts as the ultimate authority. If you have ever felt like the bottleneck in your own business or struggled with the weight of every decision, this conversation provides the structural and internal...

In this episode, we explore a powerful redefinition of leadership that moves beyond spreadsheets and into the heart of human connection. I am joined by Todd Krause, founder of Silversun Consulting, who shares his journey from the high stakes world of hedge funds and private equity to the boots on the ground reality of a local service business. Todd’s story is not about the prestige of managing billions. It is a story about the humbling and transformative power of leading people with dignity, re...

What if caregiving doesn’t break you… but reveals who you really are? In this episode of Brilliant Chaos, Tracy sits down with Antonio Perez, creator of Escaping the Rabbit Hole, to explore what happens when life hands you responsibility you never asked for—and you choose to meet it with honesty, humor, and heart. Antonio shares his deeply personal journey of becoming an unexpected caregiver to a neighbor who eventually became family. Through dementia, grief, guilt, and love, this conversation...

Most leaders assume inclusive workplaces require compromise. Janet’s experience proves the opposite. When systems are built with clarity, structure, and intention, everyone performs better. In this episode, Tracy explores what inclusive leadership actually looks like in practice through a candid conversation with Janet. What began as a business launched during a deeply challenging season evolved into a model that reshaped how she views people, productivity, and leadership itself. Janet reflect...

What if the belief that you’ve done something wrong is the very thing keeping you stuck? In this episode of Brilliant Chaos, Tracy sits down with Susan Shatzer—14-time bestselling author, award-winning TV host, and legacy-driven leader—whose life began in medical chaos and evolved into a radical redefinition of truth, healing, and personal power. This conversation dismantles binary thinking—right and wrong, good and bad—and invites listeners into neutrality, embodiment, and strategic questioni...

What if the breakdown that nearly ended your life was actually the beginning of your truest one? In this episode of Brilliant Chaos, Tracy sits down with Nid — a former London city lawyer turned soul guide — whose life was radically reshaped after a traumatic brain injury forced her to stop everything she thought defined success. Once immersed in high-pressure legal culture, Nid’s body eventually said no. What followed was not a comeback built on hustle or discipline, but a complete surrender ...

Most women are taught to be agreeable, accommodating, and quiet about what they really want. Michelle learned the hard way that shrinking yourself to keep the peace eventually costs you everything. In this episode, Tracy sits down with Michelle, a coach and speaker who helps women break free from people-pleasing, self-abandonment, and the patterns that keep them stuck in relationships, work, and life. Michelle shares her journey of realizing that being “nice” was not the same as being aligned, ...

Most people think transformation begins with a plan, a strategy, or a fresh start. For Ly, it began on a beach in Hawaii during a picture-perfect moment she couldn’t feel. That moment cracked her open and forced her to face a truth she had been avoiding: she was existing, not living. In this raw and hope-filled conversation, Tracy sits down with Ly, an international bestselling author, high-performance coach, and founder of the G3 Mastermind, to talk about the moment she stepped out of silence ...

Most women are told to “wait until things calm down” before chasing their dreams. Dr. Liz DeFinis is living proof that waiting is the fastest way to stay stuck. In this powerful episode, Tracy sits down with Dr. Liz DeFinis—speaker, coach, occupational therapist, and business mentor for high-achieving moms—to talk about building a life and business in the middle of real-world chaos. Liz shares why most moms underestimate their own brilliance, the truth about marketing and sales that no one tal...

What if the secret to building a successful business wasn’t discipline, strategy, or hustle… but play? In this episode, Tracy sits down with artist, dad, and accidental entrepreneur Paul Pape, who built a thriving custom design studio from his basement in Nebraska—long before 3D printers were in every garage—and proved once and for all that the “starving artist” narrative is a lie. Paul never set out to be a businessman. In fact, he openly admits he hated the rigid way business is usually taug...

Most leaders are told to “push through,” “stay strong,” and “leave emotions at the door.” Debbie Simmons believes the opposite, and your humanity is your greatest leadership asset. In this episode, Tracy sits down with CEO, author, and trauma-informed leadership mentor Debbie Simmons, a woman who has led through unimaginable loss, nonprofit pressure, and the relentless demands of caregiving. Instead of breaking, she built a faith-rooted, practical framework that helps women lead from peace, not...

What if the most powerful tool in the world wasn't locked in a lab—but sitting in your pocket, waiting to be used? Michael Todasco led innovation at PayPal with no budget, uses AI to parent and interpret emergency medical data, and now publishes under an AI pen name to raise money for charity. This isn't hype. This is what happens when you put intelligence in the hands of real people. In this episode, Michael breaks down why AI isn't magic (it's math), why constraints breed creativity, and how t...

Most gurus will tell you to dream bigger, launch more, and hustle harder. Paul Sokol says the opposite—and his results prove it. In this episode, Tracy sits down with automation legend and operations strategist Paul Sokol (yes, the guy who literally wrote the Infusionsoft Cookbook) to talk about what actually separates successful businesses from the chaos: boring systems, relentless habits, and the guts to commit to one source of truth. Paul breaks down why In-N-Out's 6-item menu crushes most en...

What happens when the person who believed in you most dies—and your partner doesn't know how to fill that void? Katie Rössler, licensed therapist and entrepreneur, knows firsthand. After losing her mother (her biggest cheerleader), she found herself spinning—redirecting all her need for validation onto her husband, wrapping her identity into her business, and collapsing every time he asked a logical question about her next big idea. In this raw, vulnerable conversation, Katie walks us through th...

What if the most strategic thing you could do for your business is lead with your heart? Katie Smetherman-Holmes, bestselling author and brand strategist, is rewriting the rules of business by bringing empathy and emotion back into leadership. She's built Brand Studio Creative while managing chronic migraines—and she's here to destroy the myth that scaling has to mean sacrifice. In this conversation, Katie shares what it's really like to run a business when some days you can only give 20% (and w...

What if the systems that save your life don't come from textbooks—but from breakdowns, addiction, and radical honesty? Nikki Torres-Langman is a force of nature. Recovering addict. International keynote speaker. Creator of the BADASS framework and Unbrickable—a resilience program that launched at Yale and uses Lego bricks to teach what most people are too afraid to talk about. Her story starts at seven years old. By 21, she was bedridden with a broken back and a prescription for OxyContin. For 1...

This isn’t another highlight-reel podcast. Brilliant Chaos is for the ones building empires between doctor’s appointments, dance recitals, and deadline hell. The Carepreneurs, misfit leaders, and chaos-driven builders who are tired of pretending life is linear. In this episode, host Tracy Hoobyar—resilience strategist, systems architect, and founder of Core Impact and System Chicks—shares the story behind Brilliant Chaos and what it really means to build a business that bends, not breaks, when ...