What happens when the business that made you successful suddenly stops working?

On this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay sits down with entrepreneur, author, speaker, and AI consultant Ron Szpatura to talk about change, leadership, and why the best time to pivot is before you are forced to.

Ron shares the story of building a successful publishing business that generated millions of dollars over two decades. Then technology and the 2008 economic downturn changed the market. Advertisers pulled back, consumers found information online, and Ron watched the business model that had worked for years begin to disappear.

That difficult experience taught Ron a lesson that now guides his work: what works today may not work tomorrow.

Ron explains why business owners and professionals should look ahead, identify their options, and prepare for change while things are still going well. He also shares why he believes vision is one of the most important qualities of leadership. Great leaders do not simply see things as they are. They see what they could become.

Today, Ron brings that philosophy to Our Future Proof Team, where he helps businesses embrace AI and new marketing tools. He also discusses his revenue-share consulting model and why he prefers having his success connected to the results he helps clients create.

Brian and Ron also explore a powerful question: Can your passion become your source of income? Ron believes finding a way to earn a living doing something you truly enjoy can completely change the way you think about work and success.

The conversation also covers entrepreneurship, taking calculated risks, creating income beyond your own time and effort, investing for the future, and surrounding yourself with people who have vision.

Ron is the author of Future Proof: 10 Simple Steps to Go From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. His mission is simple: inspire, educate, and help people build a better future.

Navigating the healthcare system can feel overwhelming, especially when you or someone you love is facing a serious illness, injury, or complicated medical situation. In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay talks with nurse, case manager, and patient advocate Anne Llewellyn about how patients and families can take a more active role in their healthcare.

Anne has been a nurse since 1978, but even with decades of healthcare experience, she discovered just how complicated the system could be when she became a patient herself. That experience helped inspire her work in patient advocacy.

Anne explains how a patient advocate can help patients and families communicate with doctors, understand medical information, find the right resources, deal with insurance and billing issues, and make more informed healthcare decisions.

She also discusses the growing need for advocates among “solo agers”—older adults who may live far from their children or other family members. An advocate can attend appointments, communicate with family members, research care options, and help make sure important information does not fall through the cracks.

One of Anne’s biggest messages is simple: prepare for your healthcare the way you would prepare for an important business meeting.

Know your medications and why you take them. Keep notes about what your doctors tell you. Know who your doctors are and make sure information is shared between them. Most importantly, stay involved and ask questions.

For Anne, success is not simply solving a problem for a client. It is helping people learn how to advocate for themselves. She shares the story of a patient with a spinal cord injury who eventually learned to handle many of the healthcare issues Anne had once managed for him. Helping someone regain that sense of control is what success means to her.

Anne’s goal is to help more patients, families, healthcare professionals, and employers understand the value patient advocates can bring to the healthcare journey.

What happens when a business owner waits until they desperately need money before looking for funding? According to Sebastian Boyer, “The Approved Guy,” that is often when the worst options become the easiest ones to find.

In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay sits down with longtime friend Sebastian Boyer for a conversation about business finance, leadership, faith, and building a lasting legacy.

Sebastian has spent 15 years in the business finance space, helping business owners prepare and optimize their financial profiles so they can qualify for better funding options. He explains why business owners should think about financing before they need it and shares the dangers he sees with high-cost Merchant Cash Advances (MCAs).

Sebastian also talks about his work helping business owners refinance or restructure expensive debt. Through his Legacy Alliance Group, he brings together professionals in areas including financing, tax strategy, insurance, and estate planning to help business owners keep more of what they earn.

But this conversation goes far beyond money.

Sebastian shares a recent personal experience of investing heavily in his own growth but becoming discouraged when he could not see an immediate return. Instead of staying stuck in that mindset, he turned to his faith. His lesson was simple: focus on what you can control, keep working, trust God with the outcome, and practice gratitude even before you can see the results.

Brian and Sebastian also discuss servant leadership, the importance of continuing to learn, creating multiple streams of income, building strong business systems, and defining success by more than money.

For Sebastian, real success means building a business that can operate without him. That freedom allows him to spend more time with family, serve others, give back to his community, and create something that lasts beyond his lifetime.

Sebastian describes leadership as first being a good student and follower, then becoming a servant leader who helps other people reach their full potential.

What does it take to build a strong personal brand, grow meaningful business relationships, and become a better leader?

In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay sits down with Sheikh C. Ali, founder and CEO of SC Medical Media. Sheikh helps clinicians and healthcare executives build their presence on LinkedIn, grow their digital authority, create valuable business relationships, and position themselves for speaking opportunities.

Sheikh shares his unexpected journey from medical school to entrepreneurship and explains why he decided to focus his business entirely on LinkedIn and the healthcare industry.

The conversation also explores three qualities Sheikh believes are essential for entrepreneurs and executives: self-awareness, focus, and patience. He explains why knowing your strengths can help prevent burnout, why saying “no” is an important part of staying focused, and why meaningful success often takes longer than expected.

Sheikh also shares a practical approach to LinkedIn networking. He explains the difference between your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and what he calls your Ideal Network Profile (INP)—people who may not be customers themselves but can connect you with the right people.

Brian and Sheikh also discuss leadership, mentorship, personal growth, embracing discomfort, public speaking, and the importance of investing in your own skills.

For Sheikh, leadership starts with service. And success is not simply a number or financial goal. It is the feeling that your work is creating an impact beyond yourself.

What if real success is not just about how much you build, but who you become while building it?

In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay sits down with entrepreneur, coach, author, and longtime personal growth student Whitney Kell for a conversation about business, leadership, spirituality, communication, and turning life’s triggers into opportunities for growth.

Whitney shares lessons from more than 25 years of coaching and entrepreneurship, including her experience helping build a health company that grew from roughly $5 million to $2 billion. Along the way, she discovered that business success alone was not enough. For Whitney, lasting success requires knowing what you want to feel when you reach the top.

She explains why she wants to help people move from being “material millionaires” to “spiritual billionaires.”

Whitney also shares a powerful lesson she learned during the fast-growth years of her business. When problems began taking over her attention, a mentor drew a small black dot on a large white piece of paper. Whitney immediately focused on the dot. The lesson was simple: we often focus on the one thing going wrong while ignoring everything around it that is going right.

Brian and Whitney also discuss communication and leadership. Whitney explains how her leadership style has changed from telling people what to do to asking better questions. Today, she believes great coaching and leadership are about helping people discover answers for themselves.

The conversation also explores Whitney’s upcoming book, Triggered, her thoughts on radical responsibility, active listening, sobriety, personal growth, meditation, money, and why our biggest triggers can sometimes become our greatest teachers.

For Whitney, success today is about much more than money. It is about staying happy, balanced, grounded, and connected to her spirituality—even when life gets difficult.

What does it take to grow from working directly with children to leading a team of 27 people—without losing sight of the families you serve?

In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay sits down with Rachel Herrick, BCBA-D, founder of Jumpstart Interventions in Plantation, Florida.

Rachel shares her journey from Canada to South Florida, where she spent 10 years teaching in the Broward public school system. Her work with children on the autism spectrum inspired her to go back to school, become a board-certified behavior analyst, and eventually open her own clinical practice.

Rachel and Brian talk about the patience required when working with children with autism and why small wins can have a big impact. Rachel also shares how her role has changed as Jumpstart Interventions has grown and why business owners need to stay flexible as their companies evolve.

The conversation also explores Rachel’s leadership style. She explains why she has learned to combine caring with direct feedback, set high expectations for her team, and make accountability an important part of serving children and families.

For Rachel, success is about more than growing a business. It is seeing a child make progress that changes life for an entire family—whether that means eating together at a restaurant, joining a soccer team, making friends, or participating more fully in the community.

Rachel also shares what is next for Jumpstart Interventions, including plans for a larger space and exploring a homeschooling model that could provide additional support to South Florida families.

What makes a strong leader? For Ty Richardson, it starts with knowing what you do well, building the right team, and being willing to learn when things do not go as planned.

In this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay sits down with Ty Richardson to talk about leadership, business, resilience, and success.

Ty shares his journey from growing up in Trinidad and Tobago to starting his career with American Airlines at just 17 years old. His career took him into banking, international leadership, Silicon Valley, entrepreneurship, coaching, consulting, and finance.

Along the way, Ty experienced both big wins and difficult setbacks. He explains why those low points became some of his most important lessons.

Ty also shares why leaders should focus on their strengths instead of trying to be great at everything. He talks about surrounding yourself with people who bring different skills to the table and creating a workplace where people feel free to think, grow, and make decisions.

Brian and Ty also discuss persistence. Ty explains why constantly changing direction can keep people from building something strong. Sometimes, success means staying with the process long enough to learn, improve, and get through the difficult parts.

Ty also opens up about a business experience that taught him an important lesson about accountability: leaders cannot outsource ownership. When something goes wrong, the leader must take responsibility, learn from it, support the team, and move forward.

Today, Ty's definition of success is less about money or big deals and more about impact. For him, success means making a positive difference in the lives of other people and in the community.

The conversation also explores Ty's work in finance and coaching, his community leadership in South Florida, and his goal of finding a healthy balance between business, service, and enjoying life.

Ty Richardson is an entrepreneur, finance professional, consultant, and strengths-based coach. His career has included leadership roles with American Airlines, banking and credit union leadership, entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley, marketing and consulting, executive coaching, and capital advisory work.

At the time of the interview, Ty was also serving as interim president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber and described leadership roles with the Housing Authority, Tower Club, and Chamber.

What if AI could help you save hours every week, grow your business, and give your team more time to focus on what matters?

On this episode of the South Florida Leaders Podcast, Brian Fay sits down with Leslie Barreto Tate, founder of Everyday Digital and an AI integrator who helps small businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals put AI to work in practical ways.

Leslie’s path into entrepreneurship was not planned. After more than 15 years working in project management, executive support, and operations, she was impacted by corporate layoffs while pregnant. She eventually returned to corporate life, but this time she had a plan. She began building her own business after hours, using AI to help her do work that would normally require a much larger team.

When another layoff came in October 2025, Leslie was ready. She already had clients waiting for her, and Everyday Digital quickly grew into an AI agency with its own team.

Leslie shares why her approach to AI is “human first, AI-powered.” Instead of simply adding new technology to a company, she starts with its leaders, their goals, and the people who will actually use the tools. She explains why employee buy-in and training can be just as important as the AI itself.

Brian and Leslie also discuss the challenges of moving from employee to entrepreneur, servant leadership, building a team, and Leslie’s definition of success: impact.

That mission also led Leslie to help create AI Soul Circle, an in-person community designed to help women in business and corporate careers better understand and use AI.

Looking ahead, Leslie wants to grow her agency, create opportunities for talented professionals, and take AI education from dozens of people at a time to thousands.

To learn more about Leslie and Everyday Digital, visit EverydayDigital.ai. You can also connect with Leslie on LinkedIn or email her at Leslie@everydaydigital.ai.