Epic Spotlight Podcast

Small, unspoken concerns can grow into major conflicts. Learn how pausing, listening, and asking about another person’s perspective can help turn difficult conversations into a path forward.

In this episode, Dante and Dr. Debra discuss:
Small concerns and escalating conflict
Emotional drivers and the brain’s threat response
Active listening and leadership communication
Emotional intelligence, hiring, and workplace culture
Preparing for difficult conversations

Key Takeaways:
Unaddressed concerns can grow into larger conflicts; raising them early creates a chance to understand what’s really at stake.
When tension rises, a pause and a few deep breaths can help restore space for clearer thinking.
Listening to understand, not simply preparing a response, helps people feel heard and reveals perspectives you might otherwise miss.
Effective hiring looks beyond technical ability to consider emotional intelligence, mindset, values, and organizational culture.
Before a difficult conversation, clarify what you fear, what matters to you, and what outcome you hope to reach.

“We don't listen to understand; we listen to respond.” - Dr. Debra Dupree

About Dr. Debra Dupree: Dr. Debra Dupree, The MINDSET Doc®, is a workplace conflict and leadership expert with more than 30 years of experience in dispute resolution, leadership coaching, and workplace interventions. Using a neuroscience-based approach, she helps organizations address harassment, discrimination, workplace conflict, and mental health challenges while fostering psychological safety, respect, and inclusion. She served for 20 years as a Senior Mentor Mediator with the Department of the Navy and has developed leadership programs including Manager-as-Mediator® and Self-as-Mediator®. A TEDx speaker, international trainer, author, and thought leader, Dr. Dupree also hosts the podcasts Decoding the Conflict Mindset and Hot Topics in the Workplace: When Medical Conditions Flare Up, sharing practical strategies for healthier and more compassionate workplaces.

Connect with Dr. Debra Dupree:
Website: https://relationships-at-work.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debradupree/

Connect with Dante Royster:
Website: https://www.danteroyster.com/
Epic Mortgage Website: Epic Mortgage, Inc. NMLS 1885086
Facebook: EpicMortgage1885086
Epic Mortgage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicmortgage/
“The Ultimate Mortgage Guide” book: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Mortgage-Guide-Secure-Best/dp/1956220631
LinkedIn: Dante Royster | LinkedIn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanteRoyster
YouTube: Epic Spotlight
Email: dante@epic.mortgage

The 9 states that Epic Mortgage is licensed in are: Illinois/Indiana/Michigan/Colorado/Maryland/Virginia/Florida/Georgia/Texas

Show notes by Podcastologist: Francine Poblete

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

We see thousands of headlines, posts, and AI-made clips every day, so how do we know what to trust? Dr. Eliene Augenbraun explains why facts alone rarely change minds, and how context, familiarity, trusted relationships, and interpretation shape what people believe.

In this episode, Dante and Eliene discuss:
Competing narratives and how they shape belief
The personal influence model and social media algorithms
Science as interpretation and Kuhn's scientific revolutions
How media technology changed, from signal fires to online video
AI's risks and uses in science and medicine

Key Takeaways:
The information environment shapes what people believe and what feels true to them. Messages that cross both sides of a divide and make sense within both narratives can help build peace.
We trust what's familiar, and what's familiar spreads through the people we already trust. Modern algorithms are built on this.
Science doesn't hand us final answers. It gives the best current explanation, and that explanation can be overturned when the exceptions pile up.
AI can produce useful insights, but it can also carry biases from the data it's trained on and make mistakes that are difficult to catch because the output sounds so convincing.
Read one in-depth article a day, and vary your sources.

“Everybody could understand it. You just have to find decent sources and read it and ask questions, and, you know, everybody's smart enough. There's nothing. Scientists are no smarter than anybody else. They're just more patient.” - Eliene Augenbraun

About Eliene Augenbraun: Eliene Augenbraun, D.O., Ph.D., is an award-winning journalist, educator, multimedia producer, and science communicator with more than three decades of experience at the intersection of science, medicine, education, and media. A physician and Ph.D. biologist, she has led multimedia initiatives and produced science and health content for organizations including Scientific American, Nature, MIT, Forbes, and leading academic institutions. She co-founded ScienCentral, a pioneering science news organization, and has helped make complex scientific topics more accessible through storytelling, video, podcasts, and digital media. She also teaches medical communications at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and mentors medical and nursing students. Her work has received numerous national and international awards for excellence in science journalism and communication.

Connect with Eliene Augenbraun:
Profile: https://www.forbes.com/health/author/eliene-augenbraun/
Portfolio: https://www.sciencentral.net/video

Connect with Dante Royster:
Website: https://www.danteroyster.com/
Epic Mortgage Website: Epic Mortgage, Inc. NMLS 1885086
Facebook: EpicMortgage1885086
Epic Mortgage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicmortgage/
“The Ultimate Mortgage Guide” book: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Mortgage-Guide-Secure-Best/dp/1956220631
LinkedIn: Dante Royster | LinkedIn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanteRoyster
YouTube: Epic Spotlight
Email: dante@epic.mortgage

The 9 states that Epic Mortgage is licensed in are: Illinois/Indiana/Michigan/Colorado/Maryland/Virginia/Florida/Georgia/Texas

Show notes by Podcastologist: Francine Poblete

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

What if you make it financially but lose something emotionally? Dante Royster looks back on three powerful conversations and runs an honest self-audit on what success is really costing us.

In this episode, Dante discusses:
Financial success vs. real fulfillment
Your calendar as a reflection of your values
Emotional masks and hidden struggles
Listening vs. just hearing
Redefining the scoreboard and building a legacy

Key Takeaways:
Money is a tool, not a destination. Reaching your number doesn't guarantee peace, fulfillment, or a close family.
Want to know what you really value? Look at your calendar, not at what you say.
Winning the game is not the same as realizing you've been playing the wrong one. Keep auditing which game you're in.
"I'm good" is rarely the whole truth. Real connection needs safe spaces, and sometimes it means asking "How are you?" a second time.
Hearing is just noise. Listening builds the relationships that shape our happiness, our health, and the legacy we leave.

“Maybe legacy isn't people remembering what you've accomplished. Maybe it's people remembering how they felt when they were around you.” - Dante Royster

Connect with Dante Royster:
Website: https://www.danteroyster.com/
Epic Mortgage Website: Epic Mortgage, Inc. NMLS 1885086
Facebook: EpicMortgage1885086
Epic Mortgage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicmortgage/
“The Ultimate Mortgage Guide” book: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Mortgage-Guide-Secure-Best/dp/1956220631
LinkedIn: Dante Royster | LinkedIn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanteRoyster
YouTube: Epic Spotlight
Email: dante@epic.mortgage

The 9 states that Epic Mortgage is licensed in are: Illinois/Indiana/Michigan/Colorado/Maryland/Virginia/Florida/Georgia/Texas

Show notes by Podcastologist: Francine Poblete

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

We've never had more ways to communicate and never felt further apart. This conversation unpacks why and what it actually takes to connect again.

In this episode, Dante and Julienne discuss:
Communication vs. genuine connection
Hearing versus listening
Vulnerability as a leadership trait
Communicating under stress and crisis
Storytelling, authenticity, and the 68-draft book

Key Takeaways:
More communication channels haven't produced more connection; they've produced more places to lose each other.
Hearing is reacting to noise while writing your own script; listening is being present without projecting yourself onto the other person.
Two prompts do most of the work in any conversation: "Tell me more" and "Give me some context."
The strongest leaders admit what they don't know, ask for help, and show up without making false promises. Vulnerability and honesty can build stronger connections than trying to appear like you have all the answers.
Waste time to save time. Rushing conversations and jumping to conclusions creates the nightmare you were trying to avoid.
Listening costs nothing, and its ripple effects are usually invisible; the person you heard out may not snap at someone else two minutes later.

“I think listening is about waiting and not filling it with your own voice.” - Julienne Ryan

About Julienne Ryan: Julienne B. Ryan began her professional career at age five through TV commercials, where she learned early lessons like “the teamsters always eat first,” her Social Security number, and how to endorse checks for bank deposit. She later studied psychology to better understand people, conducting her “fieldwork” across various professional roles and navigating countless mergers, reorganizations, and downsizing initiatives. After earning a graduate degree from an Ivy League school, Ryan transitioned into Talent Management, where she used creativity, storytelling, humor, and even snacks to motivate teams despite limited resources. Over time, she discovered that her greatest strength was not applying fancy theories or traditional HR practices, but connecting with people through stories and humor. Encouraged by those she worked with, Ryan shifted her focus toward storytelling and continues to help people find their “true selves in the world of work.” She is also a guest contributor to The Procurement Foundry, LifeBlood, Women in Media, Blended Pledge, and the global storytelling community.

Connect with Julienne Ryan:
Website: https://jryanpartners.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julienneryan/

Connect with Dante Royster:
Website: https://www.danteroyster.com/
Epic Mortgage Website: Epic Mortgage, Inc. NMLS 1885086
Facebook: EpicMortgage1885086
Epic Mortgage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicmortgage/
“The Ultimate Mortgage Guide” book: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Mortgage-Guide-Secure-Best/dp/1956220631
LinkedIn: Dante Royster | LinkedIn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanteRoyster
YouTube: Epic Spotlight
Email: dante@epic.mortgage

The 9 states that Epic Mortgage is licensed in are: Illinois/Indiana/Michigan/Colorado/Maryland/Virginia/Florida/Georgia/Texas

Show notes by Podcastologist: Francine Poblete

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

From 9/11 firefighters to everyday heartbreak, Dr. Suzanne Lachmann shares raw, practical insights on managing trauma in a world that’s more connected and more emotionally isolated than ever.

In this episode, Dante and Dr. Suzanne discuss:
Talking through trauma vs. numbing, distraction, and avoidance
9/11 firefighters, group processing, and cohesive trauma narratives
Stoicism, “I’m fine” culture, and societal expectations of strength
Breakups, heartbreak, and grief as serious forms of trauma
Limits of AI in therapy and the irreplaceable role of human connection

Key Takeaways:
Talking about painful experiences repeatedly, until they lose some of their emotional charge, is one of the most effective ways to reduce trauma’s power.
Trauma is highly individual, shaped by personality, upbringing, biology, identity, and life history, so there is no universal timeline or formula for healing.
Breakups and heartbreak can be as devastating as other major losses and should be treated as real trauma, not minimized or rushed through.
In a distracted, time-starved, screen-driven culture, one of the greatest gifts you can offer someone in pain is focused, uninterrupted time and genuine presence.
AI may offer useful general guidance, but it cannot replicate the depth of individualized understanding that comes from knowing a person's unique history, experiences, and emotional world.

“But the most important thing that you can do in trauma is to continue to talk about it, to talk about it to the point at which it starts to dilute its power.” - Dr. Suzanne Lachmann

About Dr. Suzanne Lachmann: Dr. Suzanne Lachmann is a licensed clinical psychologist, trauma expert, author, and nationally recognized mental health thought leader. Based in New York, she specializes in trauma, grief, relationships, resilience, and personal growth. Since the aftermath of 9/11, she has served as a consulting psychologist for the FDNY, supporting firefighters and first responders through trauma, loss, and recovery. Her expertise has been featured in TIME, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, and Cosmopolitan. Through her clinical practice, writing, and speaking, Dr. Lachmann advocates for authentic human connection and helps individuals and leaders build resilience and emotional well-being in an increasingly complex world.

Connect with Dr. Suzanne Lachmann:
Website: https://www.drsuzannel.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannelachmannpsychologist/

Connect with Dante Royster:
Website: https://www.danteroyster.com/
Epic Mortgage Website: Epic Mortgage, Inc. NMLS 1885086
Facebook: EpicMortgage1885086
Epic Mortgage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicmortgage/
“The Ultimate Mortgage Guide” book: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Mortgage-Guide-Secure-Best/dp/1956220631
LinkedIn: Dante Royster | LinkedIn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanteRoyster
YouTube: Epic Spotlight
Email: dante@epic.mortgage

The 9 states that Epic Mortgage is licensed in are: Illinois/Indiana/Michigan/Colorado/Maryland/Virginia/Florida/Georgia/Texas

Show notes by Podcastologist: Francine Poblete

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.