Namastir The Podcast: Recent Episodes
Blair Lewis
Part Namaste. Part Pot-Stirrer. A podcast that celebrates the relentless pursuit of both personal & professional growth.Conversations with industry leaders who never stop focusing on growth.Namastir. Not Everyone's Path to the Top is Given.
Mark Fenner comes on the show to talk about how he and Rise Performance Group help business owners scale their businesses up.
Discussions range from the financial and mental constraints around business owners and the challenge of overcoming them. The end goal is to to get them to stop working in the business, so they can work on the business.
https://coaches.scalingup.com
Justin Gimelstob shares his life in three acts: tennis star, TV commentator and producer, now President of FBR Group, an insurance-based financial solutions provider.
Justin shares how a once seemingly charmed life can unwind in just five minutes. It is a story of ascension, free-fall, and ascending again.
Jonathan Stark, winner of both the French Open and Wimbledon doubles, two-time All American tennis player at Stanford and four-time Davis Cup player, comes on the show to discuss Netflix's "Break Point" episode 3: "California Dreaming".
We discuss coaching, player's diets and the mental game of playing each point as if its the last.
Barry King, Davis Cup champion in 2011, helps break down episode 5, "King of Clay" from the Netflix hit, "Breaking Point".
Jim Grabb had a 13 year career on the ATP Tennis Tour. Jim achieved the #1 ranking in the world in doubles and peaked at #24 in singles. Jim brings his experience as a winner of two Grand Slams in doubles: French and U.S. Open to the Namastir Podcast to help break down what it is like playing on clay and dealing with the high expectations of being among the world's very best.
Two-time Grand Slam winner and former #20 Men's Singles and #1 Men's Doubles player in the world, Richey Reneberg comes on the show to break down episode 2 of Netflix's "Break Point".
Richey discusses the parallels between today's top stars trying to take down Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokokovic to his career trying to unseat Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and the inconquerable, Andre Agassi.
Alex O'Brien, US Olympian, US Open Doubles Champion, CEO of BOC Bank and all around great guy comes on the show to break down S1:E1 of Netflix's breakthrough new show, "Break Point".
"The Maverick" features an in depth look at the most talented player of his generation, Nick Krygios.
Is he a savant or a knucklehead? Will he live up to expectations, or always leave his fans wanting?
Poplar Forest Fund's CEO and Founder, Dale Harvey, talks with Blair Lewis about why right now is the time to be heavily weighted in true value stocks.
Dale also talks about being born to manage value portfolios, who he immolated in the space and why he doesn't style drift.
Other topics include being an effective manager, how to frame your thinking when becoming an entrepreneur and the disconnect between how people should invest and how they actually do invest.
Tony Drake, CEO and Founder of Drake & Associates, an RIA in the Greater Milwaukee area, discusses reaching the point of needing a COO and working to integrate them into his firm. Tony is joined by new COO, Mark Flatow.
Brent Donnelly, President of Spectra FX Solutions and author of, "Alpha Trader" and, "Art of Currency Trading", discusses his attraction to currency trading and the mindset needed to succeed in a field that is both art and science.
Former Attorney General of Nevada, best-selling author and "futurist", George J. Chanos.
Blair and George discuss the need to radical change led by the millennial generation to help society navigate the tsunami of technological changes ahead and keep us from slipping into a dystopia.
Blair sits down with John Keavey, Founder of Career Connections to discuss the state of recruiting. From pacing to process and good to bad, John and Blair share the perspective of two Executive Recruiters within the financial services industry.
Richard Bernstein and John McCombe discuss leaving successful careers to seek out greater success together at Richard Bernstein Advisors. www.rbadvisors.com
We discuss topics such as:
- Learning from failure to achieve greater things.
- Having mentors along the way and returning the favor to future generations
- Motivating team members to achieve by giving them autonomy
- Letting go of set expectations and recognizing opportunity as it presents itself
- Importance of hiring to minimize your weaknesses
- Staying in your lane
Darwin Partners co-Founders, Michael Bartolotta and Michael Sorrentino discuss how they are creating a different type of wealth management firm to purposefully stand out from the pack.
Shawn Sparks, Founder and CEO of Triad Partners comes on the show to discuss being an entrepreneur and building a company around the core principal of adding value to the businesses and lives of their Advisor clients.
With a motto of, "Do Business, Do Life", Triad Partners seeks to not just grow their client-partners's revenues but also their quality of life.
The leadership group of EA Buck comes onto the podcast to discuss what it takes to grow and scale nationally. CEO, Katie Buck. COO, John Urosevich. CSO, Michael Cottet.
Value Add. Differentiating services and products. Hiring. Screening. Training.
David DeCelle visits with Blair from his home office in St. Petersburg, FL to talk about his strategies for staying in a Growth Mindset.
Model FA works as a consulting partner for Financial Advisors who want to grow and scale their businesses by creating efficiencies in operations and marketing.
Jo Allison calls into the Namastir studio to discuss her new book, "Storied and Scandalous St. Louis: A history of Breweries, Baseball, Prejudice and Protest.
Blair and Tennessee Jet explore Side B of his new acoustic album, "South Dakota".
Philosphy, Theology, Love, Loss, The Meaning of Life.
Tennessee Jet stops by the studio to go through his new album, "South Dakota" song by song. In this first discussion, TJ talks about recording this song on tape and during the Covid lockdown and how he strove to capture the mood of the time.
Songs highlighted:
- South Dakota
- Run Towards the Dyin'
- Josephine
- Numb
Blair sits down with six-time, Auckland, New Zealand Photographer of the Year to discover his talent for shooting portraits both in and out of studio. Ilan is known for his unique perspective and ability to have his photos tell the complicated story of the subject's life.
This conversation is Part One of their discussion. Part Two is interactive with Ilan walking through some of his most famous photos which won enough gold medals and national awards to officially be considered a Grand Master.
Michael Ledoux answers to no one but himself, but can still stay on his deadline. A prolific artist who definitely marches to his own drum, Michael cuts a path to notariety in his own style.
Evan Cutts sits down with Blair to discuss how he got into mixed martial arts and his goals of winning in the UFC.
From his start in a street fight on top of the Southlake Town Center parking garage, to recently raising the Welterweight champions belt, Evan Cutts is on a mission to rise through the ranks of professional mixed martial arts.
Michael Sorrentino, Chief Investment Officer of www.investwithdarwin.com joins Blair on the Namastir Podcast to discuss cryptocurrency. Who should invest? What should you expectations be from investing in this new venture? How should you invest? What are other ways to invest in the technology without the volatility of the currency itself?
Texas State University professor, and unabashed Larry McMurtry Super Fan, Mark Busby stops by the Namastir studio to discuss what makes Larry McMurtry Texas' greatest author.
Most famous for "Lonesome Dove", Larry McMurtry published 32 novels, won one Pulitzer Prize for literature, won an Oscar for the screenplay to, "Brokeback Mountain" and wrote the screenplays for some of the most decorated films in cinematic history, such as, "Terms of Endearment", and "The Last Picture Show".
Dr. Elko has worked with some of the largest and most successful companies and sports teams in the world. His client list includes the University of Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and the U.S. Olympic Team.
Blair and Kevin sit down to discuss how training your brain and its self-talk provides the key to achieving and appreciating success.
Bruce Frankel is the Executive Director of DRC Solutions in Fort Worth, TX.
Bruce has made working with the homeless population his life's work and during that time our approach to improving the lives of our homeless in America has changed radically.
Blair sits down with Assistant Professor of History, Civil War Era, from Southern Methodist University to discuss the Civil War.
Topics include why taxes played a role in the North winning the war, how the war changed the way we view death in America and many, many more topics.
Stephanie Parker, Chief Science Officer of LandBack Ag is on a mission to help restore the earth's soil and improve the quality and health of the foods we eat.
In a world focused on profit, the quality of food has gone down while quantity has gone up to feed our world's growing population. At what cost?
Blair explores the risks: health, GMO, taste, nutritional value, and global climate change. Our very future is at risk.
Cindy Brewer, of Dallas, TX, began painting as therapy from dealing with the pain of addiction caused by a loved one. What began as a healthy distraction grew into a multiple-award winning career.
Cindy sits down with Blair in her Dallas studio and talks about her artistic process, her surprise as people started being willing to buy her paintings and her continued focus to bring light out of darkness.
Blair sits down with the great, Ron Hall: New York Times Best Selling Author, Screenwriter, Philanthropist, Art Dealer.
Ron has completely changed the landscape of his life through his work with the homeless community in the Dallas - Ft. Worth Area. Once driven only towards financial success, now Ron shares his story of hope, patience and love with the world in order to improve the lives of the homeless and the services our community provides them.
Ron's book, "Same Kind of Different as Me" spend a whopping 2.5 years on the New York Times Best Seller list and was made into a feature film starring Renee Zellweger and Greg Kinnear.
Blair joins Theresa Roemer in her 3,000 sq ft closet to discuss a life shaped by tragedy and incredible accomplishment. Theresa shares stories of her abusive childhood, finding herself through physical fitness and fighting her way to the top of the social scene in Houston, Texas and beyond.
Alex O'Brien, 1999 U.S. Open Men's Doubles Champion. 4 time All-American Tennis player at Stanford University, 2 time State Champion in High School and Olympian in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia joins Blair for an interview on his storied career.
Alex shares stories of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Serena and Venus Williams, John McEnroe and many others in the walk down memory lane from some of American tennis's best years.
Christian Palmaz sits down with Blair to discuss being the son of a great inventor and his family's pursuit of achieving perfection with their Napa Valley wines.
Do you need further convincing? The Palmaz family built a friggin 20+ story winery inside a mountain. I will repeat this because it is some J.R.R. Tolkien shit. They hollowed out a mountain in order to build a technologically superior wine making facility inside what is essentially fortress.
Listen. Subscribe. Repeat.
Do not be fooled by Drew Kennedy's kind demeanor or his thoughtful music. Drew was raised to be a Wall Street tycoon or perhaps someone more akin to Jason Bourne, but rejected that life path to accept a calling into the arts, more specifically, a Texas Country Singer-Songwriter.
Listen as Blair and Drew discuss his childhood that began in the suburbs of Philadelphia, then to the small town of Hanover, PA and on to his schooling at an all-male college, Hampton-Sydney College to play baseball. Against all odds, Drew discovers a talent for creating music and sharing life's stories through song like the troubadours before him.
Blair speaks with Mike Cameron, the Co-Founder, President and Head Distiller of Devil's River Whiskey from their new downtown San Antonio headquarters. Mike shares his family's Kentucky heritage and how his love of distilled spirits was cultivated at a young age, which led him to co-found Rebecca Creek, then later follow his love of whiskey by founding Devil's River Whiskey.
It's no easy feat battling local liquor laws, a pandemic and changing people's whiskey buying habits, but Devil's River continues to grow in sales and notoriety while keeping special attention on being respectful to the environment and continuing to be innovative with new products like their 2020 launch of Devil's River Coffee Bourbon which won the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Armed with two hits, "Don't Mess with Texas" and "Texan", Bradley Banning speaks to the pride he has in being from Texas, but that is a small part of his story.
Bradley sits down with Blair to discuss life and his increasingly important search for meaning and fulfillment. Listen as Bradley talks about leaving home to study the music business at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, then taking the "safe" route by getting a job within a music studio.
Like many before him, Bradley learned the safe route can end in defeat as well. So, Bradley sets forth on the path he was destined to choose all along and gets up on the stage to sing his own songs.
Bradley's journey includes early success with a hit song, heartbreak, a conversion, and now working to define his career going forward.
Chris Balanciere, Namastir's first returning guest, sits down with Blair in The Garage to discuss the upcoming election and offers a black perspective.
Emily Jones comes into The Garage to talk with Blair about becoming a pioneer for women in sports broadcasting.
Emily and Blair discuss underrated restaurants and ballplayers and along the way she gives her opinion on great margaritas, why church is important, being starstruck by Troy Aikman and her friendship with Mike Leach.
Emily gets the Barbara Walters treatment towards the end as she shows her soft side while discussing her relationship with her father and how that shapes the parenting of her two kids.
In 2004, 19 year old, Private First Class, Michael Yandell, a U.S. Army Bomb Disposal Specialist, was sweeping a stretch of Baghdad Airport Road, or "Route Irish" as the U.S. military called it, when he and his partner encountered a recycled abandoned artillery shell casing. Rather than risk continued potential exposure to sniper fire, they opted to take this shell casing back to base and dispose of it safely.
Within minutes, both soldiers knew something had gone terribly wrong.
What followed this incident continues to shape Rev. Dr. Michael Yandell's perspective on life. Michael recently finished his PhD in Theological Studies at Emory's Laney Graduate School in Atlanta, GA. Michael's focus was on the topic of moral injury.
Listen as Michael sits down with Blair Lewis to share what led him to Iraq shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the growing disillusionment he felt about the righteous high ground he once felt so certain in.
Michael's story has a redemptive arc as he searched for meaning in a world that felt increasingly meaningless. Rather than abandon the faith he was raised with, Michael was able to transform the way he experienced God by adapting the perspective commonly known as Liberation Theology.
An episode I like to call, "With all of this shit, there's got to be a pony in here somewhere!"
Casey and Katie Sundt stop by The Garage to talk about the wild times Casey had in the early 1990's when he lived in NYC and Hollywood. Casey bartended some of the most popular bars of that era and came in contact with notorious characters and famous people.
The overriding theme seems to be learning to laugh in the face of hardship and horror.
This episode is here simply to amuse. We have had some heavy subjects in the first month of Namastir, so I offer this one up simply to give you a few funny stories for you to chew on during your day.
Bryce Moen was inspired during graduate school at the University of Texas to become a philanthropist. He learned quickly that without the money to donate in order to sit on a Board of Trustees, he could do little more than volunteer. Then fate intervened.
Bryce and his wife Sara became confronted with the difficulty of raising a child with a speech disorder when their daughter, Chandler, was slow to speak as a toddler and became frustrated with their inability to communicate with their second born.
In search of answers, Bryce turned to a colleague at work who had a child with similar struggles and was introduced to the sticker shock of what it costs to put someone into speech therapy sessions even if it was just once or twice a week. So, in 2020, Bryce created "Chandler Speaks", an charitable organization that is designed to provide the funding for families that don't have the financial resources to provide speech therapy to their children.
https://www.chandlerspeaks.org
Casey Sundt had a front row seat as Head Bartender for Planet Hollywood and House of Blues in the early 1990's in both New York City and then later in Los Angeles.
Casey left with no money (as you can hear in the entire conversation on the Namastir YouTube Channel), but a whole lot of stories.
Here, in Casey's Tight Five, you hear stories of him getting told off by a Rock God, getting a bad tip from a very cocky Jack Nicholson and get an insight into the man who raised Casey when it is time to put grandma in a home.
If you like this sample, find your way to the Namastir YouTube channel and check out the Casey Sundt Storytelling episode.
Dr. Randy Brown of Ft. Worth, Texas is a man of conviction. Blair sits down with Dr. Brown to explore what it means to seek the heart of God.
When God speaks, Dr. Brown acts. Action is Randy's covenant and it has led to many adventures:
- Re-imagining a California summer camp he worked with as a young man, Camp Opportunity, for economically challenged children, and bringing it to Texas.
- Starting a mentoring program for school-aged boys in the Como neighborhood of Fort Worth, "Dr. Brown's Mighty Men",
- Creating a private school for marginalized children in Fort Worth, The Rivertree Academy.
Randy talks of how he learned to listen for God's instruction and, perhaps more importantly, made the commitment to act upon receiving direction with confidence that it will thrive if it is indeed from God.
If you have ever struggled to have a relationship with God and to know how to follow God's direction, Randy's story may provide some insight, but be prepared to act.
Chris Radford, President of AE Wealth Management, the wealth management division of Advisors Excel, comes on the Namastir Podcast to discuss how the son of a furniture salesman became the President of one of the 10 fastest growing Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firms in the country.
Chris focuses on "We" rather than, "I" when discussing the topic of success and when asked to point to how he builds effective times, Chris discusses the importance of listening to, and caring for, your employees in order to get "buy in".
Blair has Chris walk him through his childhood aspirations, how he found financial services, and when "the light came on" that he could lead an organization at its highest level.
What emerges throughout the conversation is that Chris does not fit the ego-centric model of leadership, but rather approaches it from the perspective of servant leadership.
Lance Marshall, Co-Head Pastor of First United Methodist Church, Fort Worth, sit down to discuss how life has worked in mysterious ways for Lance.
From a childhood that set Lance on a trajectory for corporate success, to an adulthood of disillusionment with the trappings of the "American Dream", Lance reveals how he got to where he is now:
- Husband,
- Father of 4 (including 3 recently adopted siblings)
- Co-Head Pastor of a 10,000+ member downtown church,
- two-time cancer survivor,
- son,
- friend,
- video gamer and,
- amateur sommelier.
Lance is a man of many passions, and storytelling is certainly one.
Recently named to the Blair Lewis's "Top 10 Most Interesting People List", Lance's pursuit of happiness is never dull.
Kellee Webb, Chief Human Resources Officer of Cenikor, stops in to discuss the journey from small town girl with limited prospects to becoming Houston Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business in 2020.
Kellee opens up about struggling to break free from family and social pressures in the small town she grew up in and her unpredictable path into Human Resources that began by taking a one day temp job filing paperwork after being fired for the first time.
Kellee's story is one of overcoming abuse and hardships and learning to rely on her work ethic as well as the support of her husband Ron and the friends they made along their journey.
Ever competitive, Kellee discusses how her pursuit of happiness involves running half marathons, CrossFit training and her recent interest in power-lifting. Not one to waiting for something to materialize, Kellee blazes a path in life that she hopes inspires other people to overcome hardships.
Andrew and Brittany Dowdy sit down with Blair to discuss the tragic story of the death of their first born, Addison Phoenix after 21 days of life.
Pressure breaks pipes or creates diamonds.
Some studies show a divorce rate as high as 80% when a marriage experiences the death of a child. Andrew and Brittany are committed to being in the 20% that makes it.
The Dowdy's have learned to celebrate the life of Phoenix in a multitude of ways: a CrossFit Memorial WOD, pictures and books inside their home and many other ways both large and small, public and private.
This is a story of love, tragedy, dedication, recovery and healing, told within the context of a global pandemic and the recent birth of their second child, Nixon Hawk.
Shane Taylor sits down with Blair on the heels of Shane’s retirement from JP Morgan, to reflect on his career, the work ethic that helped him succeed, and the importance of mentors for career advancement.
Success was not a given for Shane growing up in a rough area outside of St. Louis, MO. Hear how Shane focused on finding joy in work and the paycheck that came with it.
Shane’s love of family, good wine and a job well done come through in his anecdotes.
Shane shares what’s next in his post-retirement life and not surprisingly, it's a new career in sales. Shane has recently begun a new career as a realtor in Southlake, TX.
Oh, and the movie where time isn't linear that Blair can't think of: Arrival, based on the book, "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang.
Joseph Silvas, father of 5, sits down with Blair to discuss leaving the safety of a corporate job and striking out on his own to create a mortgage recruiting firm during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joseph began his career in commercial real estate, then followed a calling to become a Methodist Pastor. While those dreams didn't work out, fate intervenes and during pastoral training he meets Blair Lewis, whom he would later joined to help launch Global Recruiters of Mid-Cities.
After helping the successful launch of Global Recruiters of Mid-Cities, Joseph goes through an excruciating divorce, experiences starts and stops in the recruiting industry and eventually builds a loyal enough following to allow him to strike out on his own and become his own boss.
Joseph's pursuit of happiness always involves mentoring the lives of others and sharing his faith in Jesus Christ.
Oh, and the Biblical name Joseph can't come up with: Abraham burying his wife Sarah as told in Genesis 23.
Chris Balanciere sits down with Blair to discuss his experience growing up as a young Black man in West Texas and finding his voice as an activist.
Chris brings up the confidence instilled in him by his mother, the longing for a relationship with his estranged father, and the serendipitous meeting that reunited Chris and his father when Chris was a young adult.
Blair and Chris explore the hurt unwittingly caused by the words and actions of white friends, such as "all lives matter", and the importance of education and good role models for today's youth.
While Blair and Chris have different perspectives, they seek to model how people from different backgrounds can put aside feeling uncomfortable and work together for a better world in which everyone has an equal opportunity to pursue their happiness.