by Keith Sconiers | Jan 4, 2026
In today’s episode, I had the opportunity to talk with Martin Medeiros, the CEO of The Persuasion Lab. As an experienced attorney and keynote speaker, Martin is focused on helping leaders develop a culture of persuasion, influence, and negotiation expertise in the information age. Drawing on 25 years of experience with deals, disputes, and personal stories, Martin provides attendees at trade shows, association meetings, corporate retreats, governmental organizations, and community leadership gatherings with actionable items and content to dramatically improve their negotiation skills, resulting in increased sales and employee engagement.
What I appreciate about our time together is hearing about Martin’s experience in his first negotiation as a college student and learning the importance of having a clear vision for where we want to go.
To learn more about Martin Medeiros:
LinkedIn: Martin Medeiros
Website: The Persuasion Lab
Follow us on YouTube for the full episode: https://bit.ly/30g3EyR
You can also find the podcast on most popular podcast platforms.
by Keith Sconiers | Nov 13, 2025
In today’s episode, I had the opportunity to have my friend Rob Finkelstein back on the show to talk about the importance of building a professional community or network. In the world of AI, it seems like we are moving further away from building real relationships, which is what is making this skill increasingly valuable in the marketplace.
What I appreciate about our time together is hearing Rob share his thoughts about what people can do to establish common ground with others when networking, and our discussion about the keynote I delivered on The Power Of Relationship.
To learn more about Rob Finkelstein:
LinkedIn: Rob Finkelstein
Instagram: Rob Finkelstein
Website: Rob Finkelstein
Watch The Power Of Relationship Keynote: Keith Sconiers
Follow us on YouTube for the full episode: https://bit.ly/30g3EyR
You can also find the podcast on most popular podcast platforms.
by Keith Sconiers | Sep 28, 2025
In today’s episode, I had the opportunity to talk with Mardica Hicks, the Executive Director of the Children’s Community Clinic. The Children’s Community Clinic began in 2005 with a focus on serving socially disadvantaged children with a holistic, quality, and community approach to healthcare. Today, CCC provides high-quality, compassionate healthcare to children from birth to 21 years of age, from families who are underserved (uninsured and underinsured), regardless of ethnicity, geographic residency, or ability to pay.
During our call, I had the opportunity to learn about Mardica’s journey of growing up in Portland while building a career focused on making an impact for underserved communities. We also discussed how important the work is that she is doing at CCC.
To learn more about Mardica Hicks & Children’s Community Clinic:
LinkedIn: Mardica Hicks
Facebook: Children’s Community Clinic
Website: Children’s Community Clinic
Email: Mardica Hicks
Follow us on YouTube for the full episode: https://bit.ly/30g3EyR
You can also find the podcast on most popular podcast platforms.
by Keith Sconiers | Sep 4, 2025
In today’s episode, I had the opportunity to talk with Ion Craciun of Fee Navigator, an AI-powered merchant statement analysis tool that delivers clarity and confidence to merchant payments professionals, integrated software vendors, financial institutions, and entrepreneurs. During our call, we discussed Ion’s journey of growing up in Romania where he’d work for the government prosecuting business owners for financial crimes to moving to America where he built a successful career advocating for business owners in the payments industry.
What I appreciated most about our time together was hearing Ion’s advice to people thinking about becoming entrepreneurs and how they can prepare themselves and their families to make sacrifices for the level of success they are seeking in business.
To learn more about Ion Craciun:
LinkedIn: Ion Craciun
Website: Fee Navigator
Follow us on YouTube for the full episode: https://bit.ly/30g3EyR
You can also find our podcast on most popular podcast platforms.
by Keith Sconiers | Jul 13, 2025
In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Jedidiah Collins about his journey as an athlete and his transition to entrepreneurship. Jedidiah is a former NFL player, certified financial planner, Amazon best-selling author, and adjunct professor of personal finance at Washington State University. After being cut 12 times, Jedidiah went on to become the #1 fullback in the NFL.
During his journey, Jedidiah realized how unprepared he was to handle money, despite being an Accounting Major. This inspired him to begin studying for the CFP® while in the NFL and was the origin of his financial education platform, Money Vehicle.
Today, Jedidiah invests his time NFL teams and educational organizations across the country teaching principles of success in life and personal finance, empowering others to take control of their money story.
To learn more about Jedidiah Collins:
LinkedIn: Jedidiah Collins
Instagram: Jedidiah Collins
Facebook: Jedidiah Collins
Website: Money Vehicle
Follow us on YouTube for the full episode: https://bit.ly/30g3EyR
You can also find the podcast on most popular podcast platforms.
by Keith Sconiers | Jun 19, 2025
In today’s episode, I had a great conversation with Barry Johnson-Smith, the founder of BJS Consulting, a DEI-focused consultancy dedicated to helping businesses and organizations achieve their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. He launched BJS Consulting after recognizing that many organizations genuinely want to cultivate diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments, but often struggle with effective implementation. Additionally, organizations are sometimes hesitant to fully invest in DEI efforts due to fears of making mistakes.
Barry’s mission is to guide organizations in identifying and overcoming the obstacles that hinder their DEI progress, helping them gain confidence in knowing how to address these challenges. By the end of his engagements, Barry aims to shift organizations’ approach to DEI work from one rooted in fear and guilt to one driven by joy and hope. BJS Consulting offers a variety of services, including DEI trainings, strategy assessments, and content creation, such as blogs and articles.
To learn more about Barry Johnson-Smith:
LinkedIn: Barry Johnson-Smith
Website: Barry Johnson-Smith
Email: Barry Johnson-Smith
Follow us on YouTube for the full episode: https://bit.ly/30g3EyR
You can also find the podcast on most popular podcast platforms.
