Charge Forward Podcast

• A Year of Charging Forward: Amazing Lessons One Guest at a Time (Part 3)

  Thank you for sharing in our journey in the Charge Forward Podcast. Let me first say that I apologize that we have missed you the past 4 weeks. I took a pause due to the recent loss of my Best Friend, Hero and Mentor, my Dad James M. Cripps. He was a guest 4 times in our first season and I wish he could join us again as he loved the podcast. To our fans: Thank you for hanging in there with us during this difficult time. Jim Every conversation this year pointed to a simple truth: real progress happens when we choose people over shortcuts and purpose over applause. From an 84-year-old owner who turned down a massive buyout to protect 500 employees, to a Dog groomer who says no to unsafe cuts because “humanity over vanity” comes first, the season became a map for building a life you’re proud of.Featured Guests & Highlights:Larry Schmittou – Nashville Legend & Business owner who keeps turning down a massive buyouts to protect 500 employees.Jordan Grubbs – A fresh voice redefining leadership through empathy and consistent action whild building your brand.Nick Hiter – Building brands with integrity and reminding us that confidence is earned daily.Clayton Geiser – Data visionary proving structure and creativity can grow any business. (Please keep Clayton and his in your prayers)Eddie Knight – Helping business owners create lasting financial freedom through smart financial planning.Holly Hartley Davis (Groom Garage) – “Humanity over Vanity” — where passion meets purpose for your pets.Clarence Darkwa & Johnnie Robinson – A powerful story of immigration, perseverance, and leading with gratitude.Tim Leeper – Building business is one thing but taking up the mission to fight for those who can't is his purpose. Kylan's light the fight to end the wrongs by Private Prisons. James & Melissa Smith – A marriage built on faith, family, grit and the love of great cars.Elmer Richardson & James Cripps – Veterans working to help other veterans and to hold evil doers accountable.Grant Burrow – From court to classroom, teaching leadership through discipline and heart.Zade Morgan – Young entrepreneur / Special Operator who is now helping others like him adjust and be able to enjoy life with family again.Dr. Michael Meighen – Regenerative medicine, peptides, and the science of true healing.William Arnold – A wrongful conviction overturned - resilience personified.Rhiannon Hiter – The heartbeat behind every great team, leading with grace and balance.Every guest brought a lesson in courage, purpose, or reinvention.If one story, one insight, or one spark made you better this year—mission accomplished. New episodes every Thursday.Subscribe, review, and keep charging forward with us. Follow & Subscribe to the Charge Forward Podcast: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/chargeforwardpodcast New episodes drop every Thursday! Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: Charge Forward Solutions – Merchant Services Sense Development – Executive & Data Services Sense-Leads – Wholesale Lead Services HitLab Studios – Podcast Production Rosemary Salazar – Virtual Assistant Services

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• A Year of Charging Forward: Amazing Lessons One Guest at a Time (Part 2)

   Thank you for sharing in our journey in the Charge Forward Podcast. Let me first say that I apologize that we have missed you the past 4 weeks. I took a pause due to the recent loss of my Best Friend, Hero and Mentor, my Dad James M. Cripps. He was a guest 4 times in our first season and I wish he could join us again as he loved the podcast. To our fans: Thank you for hanging in there with us during this difficult time. Jim In this second milestone recap, we continue to highlight the people who charged forward in real life. People who rebuilt identity, protected marriages, scaled impact, healed bodies, honored legacy, and stepped into bigger purpose. Twelve months of conversations where real change happened in real time. Featured guests and signature takeaways: Colby Jubenville, PhD (Professor & TedX Speaker) - Leadership begins with the story you believe about yourself and the talent you develop inside others. Jill and Miles Reidelberger (Crossfit Wild Things & Wild Things Animal Hospital) - Marriage first, business second. Protect connection, schedule intimacy, set boundaries that honor your spouse.Virgil Herring (Golf Coach & TedX Speaker) - Plans shift, forgiveness frees the next chapter, and mentors show up right on time for those who stay in motion.Ron Hickland (CTD Bowling) - When rare opportunity disappears, ownership becomes the path. Grit and courage still scale niche dreams.Janis Lasmanis (Corsair Detail) - Immigrate the right way, do the right thing, and tell clients the truth even if it stings & be a man of honor.James Cripps and Don Smith: Veteran Claims, Event in service, current diagnosis, nexus letter. Clarity that unlocks life changing VA benefits.Chris Nevil: Fly Route Nashville - Drone perspective transforms coaching, safety, and decision making in sports.Quinton Horner (Wagon Wheel Title) - Work Ethic, Health and Great FathersAnna DiCarlo (Unseen Harmony & La Belle Naturelle) - From energy healing to clean beauty products, lymphatic drainage and reiki energy therapy.Steve & Brianna Price (Libertas Cryo & Radiant Roots Coaching) cryotherapy and red light therapy, the mission is simple: reduce inflammation, recover faster, extend healthspan.El Lagutin (Shares his Dad's legacy) - Hard work, humility, and impact passed forward across generations.Jessica Quinn (Quintegrity Land design) - Going from employee to finding your way in business for yourself. Relationships are critical with vendors, suppliers and clients.Jeremy Qualls - (Executive Director of the Williamson County EIC) - Teen Innovators - National championship level entrepreneurship high school program, solving real problems like drink spike detection, proving courage has no age limit.Brandon Hurst (Manufacturing IT & ERP Director) - Shares his insights on AI and simple use of how everyday people can use it to solve real world problems. Larry Schmittou kicks us off next week in part 3 👉 New episodes every Thursday.Subscribe, review, and keep charging forward with us.📲 Follow & Subscribe to the Charge Forward Podcast:🌴 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/chargeforwardpodcast💡 New episodes drop every Thursday!📣 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:💳 Charge Forward Solutions – Merchant Services📈 Sense Development – Executive & Data Services📈 Sense-Leads – Wholesale Lead Services🎥 HitLab Studios – Podcast Production🌟 Rosemary Salazar – Virtual Assistant Services

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• A Year of Charging Forward: Amazing Lessons One Guest at a Time

  One year. So many unforgettable stories. In this milestone episode, host Jim Cripps looks back at the first season of the Charge Forward Podcast—pulling powerful moments, hard-won lessons, and practical takeaways from the guests who shaped our journey.Featured guests & signature takeaways:Bobby Hopkins — Career pivots done right: write the goal, work backward, take action. Plus, his brilliant “text-a-letter” safety code for parenting.Valerie Kemp, CPA — Tax planning as a team sport: align your advisors, build strategy over chaos, and believe there’s enough success for everyone.James Cripps (My dad) — The veteran who proved Agent Orange was used stateside. Courage, evidence, and advocacy that changed lives.Kate Joyner — Founder of Outdoor Women of Nashville: community, confidence, and making the outdoors accessible to every woman.Troy Sandifer & John Hughes (Hustle Recovery) — Beating the odds in recovery with urgency, family support, and systems that work.  Helping rebuild lives, relationships and hope. Jason Lewis — Leaving the “punch clock” for entrepreneurship: betting on yourself and building a business you’re proud of.Jamie Steelman — Turning loss into life-saving purpose through an annual blood drive—why donating matters more than you think.Josh Gifford — The “figure-it-out gene”: stacking skills, embracing new challenges, and owning the next chapter.Nick Hiter — Confidence is the memory of previous success: practice it, build it, live it and be UnStoppable!Carissa Oki & Amber Watering (Home Front Builders) — Resilience, energy work, and rebuilding belief after major life changes "One Home at a Time".Bob Learn (“Mr. 300”) — From doubt to dominance: the power of a partner who believes in you and the habit of thinking bigger.Bill Wilson (Mr. Murfreesboro) — Radical honesty in recovery, faith, and choosing the man you become—day by day.Colby Jubenville, PhD — Purpose, Performance, and becoming the Person your goals require by working the "Framework".If one insight from one guest helped you level up—mission accomplished. Thank you to every guest, and to you for listening, sharing, and applying these lessons in your own life.👉 New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe, review, and keep charging forward with us.📲 Follow & Subscribe to the Charge Forward Podcast:🌴 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/chargeforwardpodcast🎙️ Podcast Page: https://chargeforwardsolutions.com/podcast📘 Facebook: facebook.com/chargeforwardpodcast📱 TikTok: tiktok.com/@chargeforwardpodcast🐦 X: x.com/ChargeForwardX📱 Instagram: instagram.com/chargeforwardpodcast🎥 YouTube: Charge Forward Podcast Channel💡 New episodes drop every Thursday!📣 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:💳 Charge Forward Solutions – Merchant Services📈 Sense Development – Executive & Data Services📈 Sense-Leads – Wholesale Lead Services🎥 HitLab Studios – Podcast Production🌟 Rosemary Salazar – Virtual Assistant Services 

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• 🎙️From Overworked to Empowered: Valerie Kemp’s Journey to Balance & Freedom (Part 2)

  What happens when a successful CPA realizes her business is running her instead of the other way around? For Valerie Kemp, a realization at her 1st employeer's funeral . He was an old school accountant, after decades of working holidays and endless hours for clients, only a handful showed up to honor him. In that moment, she made herself a promise: “I will not live—and die—that way.” Fast forward to today, and Valerie has transformed both her business and her life. In this candid conversation with host Jim Cripps, she shares the strategic decisions, mindset shifts, and leadership lessons that allowed her to reclaim her freedom while building a stronger, more focused firm. 💡 In this episode, you’ll learn: Why selling off payroll services—a “sacred cow” she once thought untouchable—was the most liberating decision her firm ever madeHow empowering her team through weekly knowledge-sharing sessions created both confidence and better client outcomesThe power of shifting from transactional to strategic client relationshipsWhy letting go of control isn’t weakness—it’s the key to scaling sustainablyPractical insights on recent tax legislation, including misconceptions about HR.1 (the “Big Beautiful Bill”) and its provisions for overtime and tipsFor the first time in 20 years, Valerie experienced a tax season where she could watch March Madness without a laptop by her side. That small moment symbolizes the bigger transformation: building a business that serves her life instead of consuming it. Her story is a powerful reminder that professional success and personal fulfillment aren’t mutually exclusive. With courage, clarity, and the right strategies, you can have both. 👉 Ready to Charge Forward with a healthier, more balanced approach to business? Don’t miss this inspiring episode. Contact Valerie Kemp CPA🌐 https://vkdcpa.com/📘 https://www.facebook.com/VKDCPAfirm📱 https://www.instagram.com/vkdcpa/☎️ 615-792-1766📲 Follow & Subscribe to the Charge Forward Podcast:🌴 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/chargeforwardpodcast🎙️ Podcast Page: https://chargeforwardsolutions.com/podcast📘 Facebook: facebook.com/chargeforwardpodcast📱 TikTok: tiktok.com/@chargeforwardpodcast🐦 X: x.com/ChargeForwardX📱 Instagram: instagram.com/chargeforwardpodcast🎥 YouTube: Charge Forward Podcast Channel💡 New episodes drop every Thursday!📣 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:💳 Charge Forward Solutions – Merchant Services📈 Sense Development – Executive & Data Services📈 Sense-Leads – Wholesale Lead Services🎥 HitLab Studios – Podcast Production🌟 Rosemary Salazar – Virtual Assistant Services 

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• 🎙️From Overworked to Empowered: Valerie Kemp's (CPA) Journey to Balance & Freedom

   🎙️From Overworked to Empowered: Valerie Kemp’s Journey to Balance & Freedom What happens when a successful CPA realizes her business is running her instead of the other way around? For Valerie Kemp, a realization at her 1st employeer's funeral . He was an old school accountant, after decades of working holidays and endless hours for clients, only a handful showed up to honor him. In that moment, she made herself a promise: “I will not live—and die—that way.” Fast forward to today, and Valerie has transformed both her business and her life. In this candid conversation with host Jim Cripps, she shares the strategic decisions, mindset shifts, and leadership lessons that allowed her to reclaim her freedom while building a stronger, more focused firm. 💡 In this episode, you’ll learn: Why selling off payroll services—a “sacred cow” she once thought untouchable—was the most liberating decision her firm ever madeHow empowering her team through weekly knowledge-sharing sessions created both confidence and better client outcomesThe power of shifting from transactional to strategic client relationshipsWhy letting go of control isn’t weakness—it’s the key to scaling sustainablyPractical insights on recent tax legislation, including misconceptions about HR.1 (the “Big Beautiful Bill”) and its provisions for overtime and tipsFor the first time in 20 years, Valerie experienced a tax season where she could watch March Madness without a laptop by her side. That small moment symbolizes the bigger transformation: building a business that serves her life instead of consuming it. Her story is a powerful reminder that professional success and personal fulfillment aren’t mutually exclusive. With courage, clarity, and the right strategies, you can have both. 👉 Ready to Charge Forward with a healthier, more balanced approach to business? Don’t miss this inspiring episode. Contact Valerie Kemp CPA🌐 https://vkdcpa.com/📘 https://www.facebook.com/VKDCPAfirm📱 https://www.instagram.com/vkdcpa/☎️ 615-792-1766📲 Follow & Subscribe to the Charge Forward Podcast:🌴 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/chargeforwardpodcast🎙️ Podcast Page: https://chargeforwardsolutions.com/podcast📘 Facebook: facebook.com/chargeforwardpodcast📱 TikTok: tiktok.com/@chargeforwardpodcast🐦 X: x.com/ChargeForwardX📱 Instagram: instagram.com/chargeforwardpodcast🎥 YouTube: Charge Forward Podcast Channel💡 New episodes drop every Thursday!📣 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:💳 Charge Forward Solutions – Merchant Services📈 Sense Development – Executive & Data Services📈 Sense-Leads – Wholesale Lead Services🎥 HitLab Studios – Podcast Production🌟 Rosemary Salazar – Virtual Assistant Services 

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