Dan Sigmond has seen a great deal in his time with the FBI. He and I discuss his pursuit of financail fraud the the crooks who commit it. Some the crooks are idiots, Sigmond says. Some, however, are brilliant. Sigmond tells us what to look for, how to defend ourselves, and the most common mistakes businesses make. Show Sponsors: Mason Hills Farms -…

On this week's KIR, Cam Marston wonders if he could do the same thing for fifteen years and know, just know in his bones, that it would pay off. ----- I’ve just watched the documentary on Steve Martin called "Steve! A Documentary in Two Pieces." I’ve always liked Steve Martin. What caught my attention the most is that he did his standup act for fif…

Lauren Fernandez - Full Course - can spot a restuarant that's destined to make it. Her years of experience in the industry as an owner / operator and as a promoter has given her the insight. Today she works with owners of small restuarant concepts to get them launched big and fast by helping the owners make smart growth decisions and avoid the pitt…

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston hypothesizes on what a parenting podcast from him and his wife would sound like. ----- My wife and I sat together at the beach last week laughing as we retold stories and reminded ourselves of the humor of parenting. Especially as Gen X parents. We decided to compose a social media post together. The date …

Chris Lawrence has focused on the human capital space helping organizations identify, build, financially assess, implement, and manage outsourced recruiting and consulting solutions. His perspective gives a good view of today's workplace and workforce needs. We discuss how the workforce needs have evolved since the Great Recession and what he predi…

Shadrick Toodle hand-made t-shirts to wear to support his kids' sports teams. Other parents wanted them, too. Today he's selling promotional clothing for teams across his hometown area and well beyond. His presence at events is a big deal. Kids and parents want photos with him. He's a celebrity. And it all transfers into more and more and more sale…

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston has some observations about the NCAA tournament. The old guys are winning, and he likes that. ----- Someone in my family is not pleased right now. As I write this Wednesday, I don’t know who. Last night the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team took on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the NCAA tournament. My…

Tony Tejas stumbled on his salsa recipe one night making something quick for a friend. Today Tony's Tejas Salsa can be found across the southeast. Tony is working on vegan soups and stews, too. His goal is to simply make the world a better place and his food products are how he's doing it - healthy food, fresh ingredients, no preservatives. He's a …

On this week's Keepin' It Real, Cam is searching for a message and if he hears one, he WILL obey. ----- I think there is someone or something out there trying to send me a message. A few things have happened lately that seem, well, like there is a message coming or attached but I don’t know what it is. First, storms rolled through a few months ago …

Adam Sealey is the principal at Baldwin Prepatory Academy where he oversees the training and development of high school students and readying them to enter straight into the workplace. With enthusiastic support from corportate sponsors, Adam and Eric West - Career Technical Education Coordinator - are on the forefront of developing the skills emplo…

There's a grocery store Cam goes to when he's in a hurry. It's NOT the one closest to his house. That one is full of memories. Full of roots. ----- I saw him see me. He turned and headed my way. “Cam,” he said. “How’s you mother?” “Well,” I said. “She passed away two years ago.” I saw you at her funeral, I wanted to say. I remember talking to you. …

I met Jill Schlesinger at a conference years ago. We chatted back stage and got along. On my next trip to New York City she took me around the CBS Studios and and introduced me to some of the national personalities you would recognize on TV. She was interested, kind, nice, and generous when she didn't need to be. Her path to journalism is non-tradi…

On today's Keepin' It Real, Cam shares something he saw last weekend that made him feel a little bit better about things. ----- I'm in Starbucks. It's Saturday. It's Noon. I'm in Tuscaloosa at the corner of Bryant Drive and 8th Avenue. Sororities across the street disgorging young ladies for their morning cups of honey-dew latté with extra chai, ex…

When we last checked in with David Morris, president of QB Country, he was busy training his "bread and butter" client - middle and high school quarterbacks. Now in eleven cities, he's now taken many of those young QBs into the college and pro levels and they're staying close. Any any given moment in the offseason, David is training quarterbacks wh…

On this week's Keepin' It Real, Cam shares a story he's kept quiet for fourteen years. It's time to get it off his chest. ----- I’ve just boarded my flight. I’m headed home. Sitting here, a memory has resurfaced. Many years ago, deplaning in Chicago, I took a call from a young man. He’d studied my work and asked me to mentor him. He wanted to trave…

After a degree from LSU in landscape design, Catherine Arensberg wondered if that career was her calling. She evaluated her options, tried a few things, then doubled down on the parts of landscape designe she enjoyed the most. At the same time she developed a social media profile and grew it relentlesly. Today she's as busy as she wants to be with …

Cam's phone has been ringing. It's a lot of his small business friends and they're experiencing similar things. They're feeling pressure. They're feeling squeezed. ----- When an orange is squeezed, orange juice comes out. We know this. We know that sun and good soil and water and maybe some fertilizer help that orange develop that juice. We know th…

The NFL attracts elite athletes. Chancellor Moody and Timaje Porter think they have what it takes. Timaje is preparing for NFL Day where scouts will look him over. Chancellor is preparing to join a college football team where he expects his skills to shine. They both have lots of support in their corner, they're doing the work to ready themselves f…

Mardi Gras ended Tuesday for Cam. Immediately following Mardi Gras is the beginning of Lent and Cam struggles with what sacrifices he should make. ----- Lent. I struggle with Lent every year. How much suffering is enough to prepare my soul for the Easter arrival of the Lord? Is there enough? Who knows. There’s always someone suffering more; someone…

Nick Bloom is an economist at Stanford. He began studing work from home trends long before they became a thing with Covid. Nick gives me the final word on whether work from home is profitable for companies, how it impacts creativity, and what most organizations are doing now that employees are insisting on a work from home environment. He also shar…

On this week's Keepin' it Real, Cam Marston has thoughts about this upcoming weekend. Mardi Gras is on us down here in Mobile, and that leads to some tough decisions. ----- Dry January ended last week. Dry January followed soaking wet, sodden to the bone December. I’ve never done Dry January before and after sodden December, I needed to give it a t…

Amy Morin made a name for herself with a blog that caught fire followed by a Ted Talk that caught fire. In both instances she wrote and spoke about what mentally strong people DON'T do. Avoid these pitfalls, she says, and you'll deal with life's inevitable adversity much better. In today's show I ask her to apply this mental framework to work, busi…

What do you call it when your certain plans are suddenly upended? They're changed with no warning? You call it a God-stop. On this week's Keepin' It Real, Cam shares his experiences with them. ----- A friend told me a story about how he had applied for a job a long way from home. His potential new employer had said they were going to make a very at…

When huge chemical containers are cleaned at chemical plants, what happens to the left over hazardous sludge? What's done with the excess from some cosmetic overruns? What about those piles of tires we used to see stacked up behind old tire shops? Ted Reese is president and CEO of Cadence Environmental Energy. His company destroys wastes that conta…

Cam spent Monday evening at a big party for a small group of twenty-one year olds. To say the least, times have changed. Here's what he saw. ----- A moment after midnight on March 4th, 1990, I stood on a barstool and declared loudly to the packed bar that I had just turned twenty one years old. I was in Boulder, Colorado. A moment later the bouncer…

Are electric car batteries an environmental disaster like some would have you think? Or are they God's gift to planet earth as others would have you think? I speak with Maria Caballero, President of E-Mobility, a division of TERREPOWER and John Boyer, President of TERREPOWER, a division of BBB Industries. TERREPOWER takes used EV batteries and rema…

My real name is Charles. But Chuck and Chas live inside me. Chuck was trying to get out this week. Chas had to try to keep in under control. ----- An icicle hangs from the roof of my house. I’m looking at it but still can’t quite believe it. Icicles are very rare here. Usually reserved for the freezer door that was left open overnight. A winter sto…

Aaron Beam says it was his boss' drive for weath that put pressure on him to fudge the numbers. Aaron admits he liked the wealth that Healthsouth had generated for him, too. But that moment in his boss' office when things got heated about missing the quarterly numbers, Aaron says he should have said No. His inaction in that moment has shaped his li…

Storms blew through Monday night. It was tough weather. I survived. My daughter? It was the aftermath of the storm that nearly broke her... ----- My favorite oldest daughter is upset. “I just can’t deal with this. It’s just too much,” she keeps saying. She’s leaving for a bit. She needs to get out of the house. “I’m going to Starbucks,” she says. “…

Dr. Kevin McGarry is the CEO of iLeading 360. His research has put him at the forefront of understanding, managing, and guiding the Millennial generation. The focus of much debate over the years, the Millennials remain the most vexxing generation in the workplace today. With a background in leadership in financial services, McGarry's research has l…

On New Years Eve, I watched a conversation in my kitchen that was exactly as I hoped it would be. ----- A friend called this past fall. He said, “The Holy Spirit told me to call you and tell you the Holy Spirit wants you and me to make a podcast together. Will you help me?” My goodness. What do you say to that but “Sure. I’ll help you.” The podcast…

The workplace is permanently changed by Covid. Getting team members to return to the office during the work week will require new tactics including mandatory days in the office and a new office design upon arrival. Rebecca Swanner should know. She designed her company's new Los Angeles workspace with the new hybrid work arrangements in mind. She ru…

Childcare was in a crisis before the pandemic. Too many kids. Too few spots. Many people who wanted to work were forced to stay home and care for young children and this burden impacted females much more so than males. Not much has changed since. In fact, it may have gotten worse. Many of the grants and subsidies offered during the pandemic are no …