GRASP Confidence Podcast

She Saw Jesus in Her Backyard, Sherry DePerno's Healing Encounter
↳ Connect with the host, Tara LaFon Gooch on all platforms
 
Sherry DePerno is the President & CEO of Advanced Tool Inc., a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, and a woman who had everything the world said would make her happy and still hit rock bottom.
In this episode, Sherry opens up about the moment she wanted to die, the mystery illness doctors couldn't explain, and the morning in her backyard when God appeared to her in a vision, spoke to her, and healed her instantly. She shares why she kept it a secret for over a year, what finally pushed her to write her book Tell Them Anyway, and the hard truth every high-achieving leader needs to hear: no amount of success will ever fill a God-shaped hole.
If you're a CEO, entrepreneur, or leader chasing the next win, next award, or next milestone...this conversation will stop you in your tracks.
 
In this episode, you'll learn:
→ What it really looks like to hit "the top of the ladder" and find it empty
→ Sherry's visual encounter with God and the healing that followed
→ Why she hid her testimony for over a year and what changed her mind
→ How to stop chasing achievement and start leading from surrender
→ The one phrase that turned her journal into a published book
 
About Sherry DePerno:
Sherry DePerno is President and CEO of Advanced Tool Inc., a global leader in industrial cutting tools. A multi-award-winning entrepreneur, mentor, and keynote speaker, she is also the founder of ALS of Utica, supporting patients and families affected by ALS. She is the author of Tell Them Anyway and has been married to her high school sweetheart, Rob, for more than 30 years.
 
📖 Get Sherry's book, Tell Them Anyway: tellthemanyway.com
 
 
🎧 Loved this episode? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share your biggest takeaway, it means the world!
 
What does GRASP stand for?
Gratitude. Responsibility. Action. Sight. Purpose.
These five pillars are the foundation of authentic, confident leadership and every episode is designed to help you embody them more fully in your life, business, and calling.
 
🎙️ Not subscribed yet? Join thousands of high-performing leaders who tune in weekly for powerful conversations with world-class guests; real stories, mindset shifts, and actionable insights you can use immediately.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If today's episode moved you, a quick review helps us reach more leaders like you. Thank you!
 
🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon/Audible | iHeartRadio
 
Follow Tara: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook
 
🚀 Ready to elevate your brand? Tara's agency, Best Branding Solutions, helps leaders and businesses build a brand presence that's as powerful as their vision. Let's grow together.
 
💛 Share the love — send this episode to someone who needs it, or post it on your favorite platform. We rise by lifting others.

Confidence Gets You In the Room. Capacity Keeps You There.
↳ Connect with the host, Tara LaFon Gooch on all platforms
 
Nobody warns you that success has a weight to it. More responsibility, more visibility, more people watching how you carry things and somewhere in the climb, the confidence that got you here stops feeling like enough for what's here now.
In this solo episode, I'm breaking down what it actually means to be built to hold; not just confident, but capable of carrying more without cracking under it. Confidence gets you in the room. Capacity is what lets you stay there. And that's exactly what the GRASP Method builds in you:
 
Gratitude loosens your grip. When you trust God with what He's already given you, your hands open up to receive more instead of white-knuckling everything out of fear.
Responsibility is where capacity gets tested. It's the decision to own what's in front of you instead of outsourcing the outcome to your circumstances or the people around you.
Action is where capacity gets proven. You don't grow it by thinking about it; you grow it one obedient step at a time, even when the fear hasn't left yet.
Sight is what anchors it all. This is where I get into the science; your brain's reticular activating system, and how getting clear and specific about what you want actually trains your brain to start scanning for the evidence of it, everywhere.
Purpose is where capacity finds its "why." When you know what you're carrying it for, you can carry more of it; because purpose doesn't make the weight lighter, it makes you stronger underneath it.
 
I bring in Scripture along the way, including 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 and Philippians 1:6, because capacity like this isn't something you manufacture on your own. It's something God builds in you.
If you've ever felt like you don't have room for one more thing, this episode will reframe what room actually means and Who it comes from.
 
 
🎧 Loved this episode? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share your biggest takeaway, it means the world!
 
What does GRASP stand for?
Gratitude. Responsibility. Action. Sight. Purpose.
These five pillars are the foundation of authentic, confident leadership and every episode is designed to help you embody them more fully in your life, business, and calling.
 
🎙️ Not subscribed yet? Join thousands of high-performing leaders who tune in weekly for powerful conversations with world-class guests; real stories, mindset shifts, and actionable insights you can use immediately.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If today's episode moved you, a quick review helps us reach more leaders like you. Thank you!
 
🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon/Audible | iHeartRadio
 
Follow Tara: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook
 
🚀 Ready to elevate your brand? Tara's agency, Best Branding Solutions, helps leaders and businesses build a brand presence that's as powerful as their vision. Let's grow together.
 
💛 Share the love — send this episode to someone who needs it, or post it on your favorite platform. We rise by lifting others.

You Think You Have More Time. This Brain Surgeon Sees What Happens When You Don't.
↳ Connect with the host, Tara LaFon Gooch on all platforms
 
In this episode, I sit down with neurosurgeon Andrew Brunswick, the honest and reflective voice behind itsbrainsurgery on Instagram, where he shares raw, unfiltered mindset reflections often recorded right from his car after a long day. Andrew has spent years in the operating room, sitting with patients and families in the moments where life and death hang in the balance, and it has shaped the way he sees everything, from an ordinary Tuesday to the people sitting right next to him.
We talk about what it really means to live present instead of on autopilot, and why it so often takes losing something to finally appreciate it. Andrew opens up about a guitarist who lost feeling in his hand and what it taught him about gratitude for the body most of us take for granted. He shares the story of a patient whose entire identity was shaped by a single hormone, and the haunting question she asked him before surgery: "Will I still be me after this?" We also talk candidly about phone addiction, the way social media hijacks our attention, and how much of our lives can slip by on routine while we assume tomorrow is guaranteed.
Andrew shares some powerful reflections from his years in practice, including:
"I watch people run out of time for a living."
"How much of who I am is just cortisol, a title, and a full OR schedule?"
"We don't only lose the time when we're on the device, we lose the time around it too."
If you have ever caught yourself sleepwalking through your own life, distracted from the people who matter most, or waiting for someday to finally live with intention, this conversation is your wake up call. It's a beautiful reminder that gratitude isn't something we wait to feel. It's something we choose, today, before time runs out.
 
Connect with Andrew:
Instagram: @itsbrainsurgery
Podcast: It's Brain Surgery
Newsletter: The Mind Gym 
 
🎧 Loved this episode? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share your biggest takeaway, it means the world!
 
What does GRASP stand for?
Gratitude. Responsibility. Action. Sight. Purpose.
These five pillars are the foundation of authentic, confident leadership and every episode is designed to help you embody them more fully in your life, business, and calling.
 
🎙️ Not subscribed yet? Join thousands of high-performing leaders who tune in weekly for powerful conversations with world-class guests; real stories, mindset shifts, and actionable insights you can use immediately.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If today's episode moved you, a quick review helps us reach more leaders like you. Thank you!
 
🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon/Audible | iHeartRadio
 
Follow Tara: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook
 
🚀 Ready to elevate your brand? Tara's agency, Best Branding Solutions, helps leaders and businesses build a brand presence that's as powerful as their vision. Let's grow together.
 
💛 Share the love — send this episode to someone who needs it, or post it on your favorite platform. We rise by lifting others.

20,000+ Views, a Book Deal, and a New Job: Inside Nia Luckey's Breakthrough Year
↳ Connect with the host, Tara LaFon Gooch on all platforms
 
This episode is a big one for me. Nia Luckey is back for her third time on the show, and honestly, every time she comes on I get a little emotional, because I've watched this woman go from rock bottom — burnt out, finishing her second degree, not even sure what was next — to giving a TEDx talk that hit over 20,000 views, landing a book deal with a major publisher, getting promoted, and now she's stepping into a TV appearance too.
We sat down and just talked through the whole two-year journey. Not the highlight reel version — the real one. The four to six months she and her husband spent vetting coaches before they found me. The moment she said yes to "the scariest option possible" even though there was no guarantee it would work. The anxiety before rehearsals. The start-stop-start of writing a book while also starting a brand new job.
What got me the most in this conversation was when Nia said working together gave her "borrowed confidence" — that she could lean on someone who believed in the goal until she believed in it herself. That's exactly what this work is supposed to do. It's never about me having all the answers. It's about walking a path with someone until they can see it clearly enough to walk it on their own.
She also said something I haven't stopped thinking about — that there's a "trust recession" happening in the coaching industry right now. Too many people taking on clients they were never equipped to actually help. So she shares the three questions she now tells everyone to ask before they hire a coach, and honestly, I think every person considering coaching needs to hear that part.
This isn't just a success story. It's a real look at what it costs, what it takes, and what's possible when you find the right person in your corner. If you're sitting on a goal you haven't said out loud yet, this episode is for you.
 
In this episode, you'll learn:
How a TEDx talk on trust in technology outperformed niche-topic averages by 10x
The behind-the-scenes journey from TEDx talk to landing a publishing deal
Why "you can't want something for someone more than they want it for themselves"
A three-question framework for vetting any coach or mentor
What it means to regain your sense of self while chasing a big career goal
 
If you're ready to become the next version of yourself; in your career, your confidence, or your calling you know where to find me.
 
 
🎧 Loved this episode? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share your biggest takeaway, it means the world!
 
What does GRASP stand for?
Gratitude. Responsibility. Action. Sight. Purpose.
These five pillars are the foundation of authentic, confident leadership and every episode is designed to help you embody them more fully in your life, business, and calling.
 
🎙️ Not subscribed yet? Join thousands of high-performing leaders who tune in weekly for powerful conversations with world-class guests; real stories, mindset shifts, and actionable insights you can use immediately.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If today's episode moved you, a quick review helps us reach more leaders like you. Thank you!
 
🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon/Audible | iHeartRadio
 
Follow Tara: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook
 
🚀 Ready to elevate your brand? Tara's agency, Best Branding Solutions, helps leaders and businesses build a brand presence that's as powerful as their vision. Let's grow together.
 
💛 Share the love — send this episode to someone who needs it, or post it on your favorite platform. We rise by lifting others.

Don't Be a Guru, Be a Disciple
↳ Connect with the host, Tara LaFon Gooch on all platforms
 
He's driven over $2.8 billion in enterprise value advising Fortune 500 C-suites on AI strategy and digital transformation. But behind the boardroom results is a man who refuses to leave his faith at the door.
In this episode, Ashish Bhatnagar; enterprise transformation leader, published author, and founder of The Sound Mind — shares the 1987 dream that shaped his life's mission to "build remarkable lives through teaching, equipping, and mobilizing." We dig into why 70% of AI projects never make it to production, the difference between economies of scale and economies of growth, and why Ashish believes mindset must come before skill set and skill set before tool set. Then the conversation shifts: Ashish tells the story of leading a senior VP to Christ through a three-and-a-half-hour whiteboard conversation, and unpacks why he refuses to separate his faith from his work, even in rooms full of Fortune 500 executives.
If you've ever felt like your success and your faith live in separate rooms — or you're leading a business and wondering how AI, strategy, and purpose actually fit together; this episode will challenge you to rebuild on a stronger foundation.
Listen now, and learn more about Ashish's work at ashishbhatnagar.com and thesoundmind.org.
Ashish Bhatnagar is an enterprise transformation leader, trusted C-suite advisor, and published author who has driven over $2.8B in enterprise value across 150+ transformation projects. With 20+ years of experience spanning roles at TCS, Kyndryl, Amazon Web Services, IBM, and Accenture, he helps organizations navigate digital transformation, AI strategy, and operational excellence at scale — work that has generated results like $522M in strategic partnership ARR at AWS and $180M in synergies from a $2.1B healthcare integration.
Ashish holds an M.Sc. in Technology Management and Corporate Finance from Columbia University and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Maharaja Sayaji Rao University, India. He is the author of four business books, including Beyond Tomorrow: Customer Obsession in Strategic Partnerships, The DNA of Customer Obsession in the Age of AI, and The Great Recalibration: The Guide for the Indispensable Human.
Beyond the boardroom, Ashish writes and speaks from a faith-driven foundation, with a mission to build remarkable lives through teaching, equipping, and mobilizing lives that have a positive impact. He is the author of three Christian books — Awakened for Purpose, Don't Waste the Wait, and The Sound Mind — and hosts the YouTube ministry channel @bridgebuildersministries.
Learn more at ashishbhatnagar.com and thesoundmind.org.
 
 
🎧 Loved this episode? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share your biggest takeaway, it means the world!
 
What does GRASP stand for?
Gratitude. Responsibility. Action. Sight. Purpose.
These five pillars are the foundation of authentic, confident leadership and every episode is designed to help you embody them more fully in your life, business, and calling.
 
🎙️ Not subscribed yet? Join thousands of high-performing leaders who tune in weekly for powerful conversations with world-class guests; real stories, mindset shifts, and actionable insights you can use immediately.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If today's episode moved you, a quick review helps us reach more leaders like you. Thank you!
 
🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon/Audible | iHeartRadio
 
Follow Tara: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook
 
🚀 Ready to elevate your brand? Tara's agency, Best Branding Solutions, helps leaders and businesses build a brand presence that's as powerful as their vision. Let's grow together.
 
💛 Share the love — send this episode to someone who needs it, or post it on your favorite platform. We rise by lifting others.