Episodes

Send us a text What if everything your business stands for can begin with one word? In today’s episode of Doing Business with a Servant’s Heart™, host Steve Ramona sits down with branding‑maven Alexandra Watkins to explore how naming isn’t just a marketing checkbox—it’s a profound act of service and impact. Meet Alexandra: she spent 16 years writing advertising copy until a chance discovery revealed her true calling—crafting brand names that don’t just sell, they serve. With a contagious laug...

Send us a text Have you ever felt like life is pulling you in every direction — and the one place it’s hurting most is at home or within yourself? In this episode, I sit down with Cory Carlson — known to many as “Mr. Impact” — to uncover how he’s helping leaders rise again and build legacies that matter in both boardroom and living room. Cory grew up reading stories of resilience (he’s a historical fiction fan). Those stories taught him that even in the darkest moments, people found a way bac...

Send us a text What if your story could ripple out and change lives — not just earn a paycheck? In this episode of Doing Business With a Servant’s Heart Steve and Everett dig into what it really means to publish with purpose. Everett helps us see that becoming an author is more than fame or royalties — it’s claiming authority, amplifying impact, narrowing the gap between your heart and your audience. We begin in the messy, hopeful tension of every would‑be author: “Someday, I’ll write my book...

Send us a text Have you ever felt stuck driving hard toward your goals—only to realize something deeper is calling you? In this episode, Steve Ramona sits down with visionary author and leader Kute Blackson to explore a radical shift: surrender not as weakness, but as the breakthrough to your next level. Kute reveals how he resisted writing his book The Magic of Surrender even though it had already begun writing itself. He walks us through the tension, the mental resistance, and the moment he...

Send us a text “If you have a team, they need to know you care—that’s love.” What if the missing edge in your business isn’t more tactics—but more heart? On today’s episode of Doing Business with a Servant’s Heart, Steve Ramona sits down with Mark, a longtime entrepreneur who blends Sufi spiritual wisdom with business practice. Their conversation begins with the quirky origin of “Heart of Business” (including a story about an erotic photographer and a name change!), then gently opens into ...

Send us a text “Being malleable in God’s hands allows the masterpiece to emerge, even through impurity or pressure.” Have you ever faced something so overwhelming you wondered if you’d ever return to “normal”? In today’s episode, Steve Ramona sits down with Dr. Janet Palmer, whose journey through cancer became the catalyst for a mission: guiding others into the purpose God created them for. From the moment of diagnosis to her decision to pole‑dance in the infusion center—bringing laughter and...

Send us a text What if your body is trying to talk to you — through fatigue, brain fog, skin, even hair — and you’ve been missing the language? In this episode, Barton draws us into the moment when his mother’s health began to slip and how that crisis ignited his mission. From growing up in the Louisiana wilderness to pursuing chemical engineering, he found himself wrestling — literally and metaphorically — with hidden nutritional deficiencies that no standard lab test would reveal. We journe...

Send us a text What if the greatest power in leadership isn’t authority—but service? What if your impact grows when you lead with empathy, not ego? In this episode, Marianna Kinnee joins Steve Ramona to illuminate the heart behind servant leadership. From her two decades navigating Fortune 50 teams to coaching emerging leaders, she walks us through how listening, grace, and alignment of purpose change everything in a culture. Marianna began as a dedicated team member and over time becam...

Send us a text What happens when love becomes your leadership strategy? In this powerful episode, Dr. Dave Schreiner joins Steve Ramona for a raw, human conversation about the soul of healthcare and what it truly means to lead with a servant's heart. Dr. Dave is not just a CEO—he’s a former X-ray tech, track athlete, and Ironman finisher who has spent 35 years in the same small rural town, building deep relationships with the very people he serves. Through his words, we meet a leader who beli...

Send us a text “In order to really serve, you must realize: you are nothing, yet you are everything.” Have you ever wondered how a person’s deepest questions can become their greatest gifts? In this episode Steve Ramona sits down with Josef, a globe‑traveler, spiritual seeker, and podcast strategist, to explore how serving others becomes the gateway to influence, meaning, and impact. Josef’s story begins with a restless question as a young boy under the Austrian sky. That question led him to ...

Send us a text When every setback feels like it’s against you, how do you find hope? On this episode of Doing Business With a Servant’s Heart, Steve sits with Schwarzenegger (Schwartz) — former athlete, survivor, and now servant leader — to explore how suffering can become a launching pad for impact. Schwarzenegger’s life reads like a journey through shadows and light. Born in Brooklyn, raised in the Bronx and Staten Island, he moved through the foster system, gang influence, abuse, ide...

Send us a text Have you ever wondered who leads when no one’s watching? In this episode, two servant‑leaders (and now business partners) dig into what it truly means to go first, to serve first, and how that spirit translates into winning in business and life. Jim sits with Steve Ramona in a raw, honest, and inspiring conversation about how sports, discipline, and preparation shaped who he is today. He shares the backstory of a boy who grew up in struggle but discovered that showing up, doing...

Send us a text Imagine walking into a room where kindness isn’t optional—it’s the culture. Where today’s customers don’t just get served, they get seen. In this episode, Michael, founder of Our Future is Kind, takes us on a powerful journey showing how servant leadership isn’t just nice—it’s essential for sustainable success. You’ll hear Michael’s story of early career humbling, how the Appalachian Trail taught him lessons in change and gratitude, and why servant leadership begins with listen...

Send us a text Have you ever been in that moment where everything feels lost, the weight overwhelming, the path forward invisible? In this episode Steve Ramona sits down with Marcus Ogden, who once played in the NFL and later lost everything. Marcus takes us into his darkest hours — custodian work, depression, dilapidated housing — and his turning point, the milk‑soaked uniform, the moment he decided he would not stay down. Marcus’s story is heartbreaking. It’s raw. It’s deeply human. Yet it ...

Send us a text Have you ever wondered if you can lead with both strength and a servant’s heart? What if your deepest loss became the catalyst for your greatest leadership? In this episode Steve Ramona sits down with Cara Jean—an energetic servant‑leader who believes that helping others does not diminish you, it amplifies you. Cara Jean opens her heart by sharing what “servant leadership” truly means—not the humility that hides you, but the humility that lets you shine alongside others. She re...

Send us a text Have you ever felt the weight of silence—not just the absence of sound, but the erosion of connection? In this episode Steve Ramona welcomes Rafaele , a champion for those who struggle to hear in noisy rooms, with tinnitus, or who simply feel disconnected in social settings. Rafaele shares the story of how a mother’s hearing challenges due to background noise ignited a mission that changed thousands of lives. She describes the breakthrough of sound therapy, how it retrains both...

Send us a text What if the moment that almost broke you became the moment that built your legacy? In this episode Steve Ramona sits down with Larry and Ethan, a father‑son duo whose lives were suddenly upended by a catastrophic brain bleed when Ethan was seventeen. In the middle of a pandemic, isolated in their home, Larry discovers Ethan cannot feel his left side. That call to 9‑1‑1 becomes the threshold into a battle for survival. Between hospital waiting rooms, surgeries, and two grueling ...

Send us a text What happens when purpose leads, when every challenge becomes a catalyst, and when serving isn’t just nice—it’s the engine of success? In this episode Steve Ramona sits down with Shelly Starks, a powerhouse communicator, coach, and servant‐leader who shows us what it looks like to build not only a business—but a life—grounded in heart, impact, and authenticity. From navigating single motherhood to defining your why, from building tribes of support to transforming struggles into...

Send us a text What if your biggest dream cost you nine months behind bars? When Christelle Biga left Cameroon with a heart full of hope and a suitcase of dreams, she never imagined her first American experience would be in an immigration detention center—accused, misunderstood, and nearly deported. But she made one decision that changed everything: she refused to give up. In this unforgettable conversation, Christelle opens her heart about the day she landed in the U.S., the cruel accusation...

Send us a text What if the darkest moment of your life became the turning point for countless others to find healing? In this heart-shattering and soul-awakening episode, Steve Ramona sits down with Randy Brown, a man who turned unimaginable loss into a powerful calling. Once a college basketball coach at the top of his game, Randy’s world came crashing down with the sudden death of his four-year-old daughter—a tragedy that would be followed by the loss of another child and a personal spiral ...

Send us a text Have you ever wondered what it means to truly lead with a servant’s heart and build bridges that carry your team from chaos to clarity? In this episode, Steve Ramona welcomes Jeff, a neighbor and seasoned business guide from iBridged, to explore how you grow, scale, and transform—by prioritizing purpose over profit. Jeff opens with a vivid image: the Golden Gate Bridge, a symbol of connection and possibility in the face of turbulent waters. Like that iconic landmark, iBridged s...

Send us a text Join me, Steve Ramona, for an enlightening conversation with Dr. Joel Pérez, a thought leader in identity and leadership. Dr. Pérez opens up about his journey as a Mexican-American and the transformative power of embracing one's own identity. Discover how understanding personal attributes like race, ethnicity, and gender can elevate leadership effectiveness and foster a culture of belonging within organizations. Through his story, Dr. Pérez illustrates how leaders can leverage ...

Send us a text What if your business could give you the freedom to live anywhere, serve deeply, and never miss a moment that matters? Nico Leon did exactly that. After selling everything he owned, Nico and his wife left their settled life in North Carolina to live nomadically—running a high-impact consulting firm from cliffsides in Tenerife and coffee shops across Europe. But his journey isn't about travel. It’s about building a life—and a business—centered on purpose, precision, and freedom....

Send us a text What if the most powerful leadership tool is showing up with humility, curiosity, and a servant’s heart? In this episode, Steve Ramona invites leadership expert Shawn Richards onto the mic, unpacking what it truly means to lead with purpose, resilience, and unwavering impact. Shawn surfaces in the conversation as a deeply relatable character—a founder who’s had the “what was I thinking?” mornings, the and-here’s-why-I-can’t-quit breakthroughs, and the tender remorse of not pick...