Vroom Vroom Veer with Jeff Smith Vroom Veer Media

Luis Báez is a Revenue Enablement Strategist + Sales Coach dedicated to serving executives and sales leaders at businesses.



In 2017, after years of working in some of the biggest Silicon Valley startups (think LinkedIn, Google, Uber, Tesla, and more), Luis began to teach impassioned business owners how to scale their revenues and impact by creating and selling high-end offers. During that time, he was also invited to speak about leadership and personal branding at business schools across the country including Stanford, UC Berkeley and Bard.



Luis Baez Vroom Vroom Veer Stories



Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the South Bronx; live in public housing and went to public schools; first in his family to graduate high school



Came out after graduating High School and his mom was very loving and supportive; others in his circle took more time to come around



Went to college at Wheaton College in Massachusetts on a scholarship; he definitely struggled mightily just put his head down and finish with a degree; started with pre-med but changed to sociology and Spanish



Went down the Law Degree track and worked for a judge in New York before he realized that he didn't really want to be a lawyer; a friend suggested business, sales, and marketing



Took a job on the East Coast working sales and earned his Account Executive Title; the company later gave him a promotion offer or severance and he took the severance to move to the West Coast



First landed a job at LinkedIn because he was using that platform to try to find a job; then he was recruited to work at Google; the Google job landed him in the hospital with burn out



Worked at Uber for 6 months; but knew right away that it was not a good fit for him; about the same time Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and he need to focus some time helping with relief efforts from the states



About this time he started doing more consulting and teaching and is now giving away a free course called Flex and Flourish



Show Summary



In this episode of "Vroom Vroom Veer" hosted by Jeff Smith, the podcast explores the intriguing and tumultuous journey of Luis Báez, a former Silicon Valley insider turned sales coach and revenue enablement strategist.



The episode kicks off with a vibrant introduction by Tim Paige, who sets the stage for a discussion about steering away from a scripted life to embrace more authentic and fulfilling paths. Jeff then welcomes Luis Báez to the show, complimenting his polished online presence and probing into what excites him currently in his business. Luis talks about his latest venture, Flex and Flourish, a course designed to lay out his sales strategies and playbooks, which he promotes during the interview.



Luis shares his humble beginnings, born in Puerto Rico and raised in the South Bronx during a tumultuous era marked by drug epidemics and gang violence. He outlines his remarkable educational journey, becoming the first in his family to graduate from high school and college, navigating the cultural transitions at Wheaton College, and the inherent struggles linked to his identities as a person of color and an out gay man.



The conversation transitions into his professional life, detailing his initial aspirations in medicine and law, eventually finding his niche in sales and marketing. Luis discusses his moves through some of Silicon Valley's most prominent companies, including LinkedIn, Google, Uber, and Tesla, each experience contributing to his skill set but also to his understanding of corporate cultures and personal limits.



Personal stories of overcoming discrimination and establishing his worth in challenging environments weave through the narrative, showing Luis's resilience and strategic acumen. The interview takes a deeper dive when discussing his decision to move to California on a whim, taking a severance package and leaving his job without a clear plan, which he describes as a true "veer" moment.

Phil Newton takes that overworked, underpaid person and helps them to move to a stage of being unHustled. Phil works with clients to free up their time, focus their offer, find their most fabulous clients and facilitate a world-class experience for their clients. In essence, he helps people earn more while working less. As the owner of an investment company, Phil knows what it means to work himself to death, and why it’s so important to find a way to work smarter and enjoy life more. He’s put together a system to help business owners and high performers hone in on their zone of genius, work smart and make more money. He’ll share insight with audiences, offer ideas and advice, and generally engage your listeners. His story of working himself into his deathbed - quite literally - will resonate with listeners. Then they’ll walk away with hope and tips to unHustle.
Phil Newton Vroom Veer Stories

Wasn't always in the "unhustled" zone; what it was like working in an unhealthy stressful job?
His parents told him "Yes, you can get can a new fishing rod, you will have to earn money to buy it; so he did
Lessons from Phil's deathbed; when the the priest asked him if he wanted his last rights he was offended and angry; which helped him decide to get better and change his life
His boss told him there was NOT a job to come back to on his "death bed"; again Phil was angry; he wanted the satisfaction of quitting that job!
Learned he already knew how to use investment strategies like options to make money from home on the internet; during his recovery he went all in on honing those skills
Suddenly, other people were asking how he made money with investments; turns out people were willing to pay him for the answers as well
Now, Phil doesn't need to work with anyone he doesn't really like; he has a d******d filter that he uses to weed out folks that misbehave

Phil Newton Connections
Phil's Welcome Page

Kyle Duford is an executive specializing in crafting outstanding experiences for global brands. A former magazine editor, he also spent a bunch of his career with a focus on the fashion, outdoor and sports industries through the eCommerce and digital lens. Kyle's unique blend of design, branding, and digital best practices lends itself to creating and leading some of the foremost brands.



Kyle Duford Vroom Vroom Veer Stories



Grew up in Allentown PA 45 mins northwest of Philly; really poor; had no money he bolted at 18; mom made sure there were presents under the tree on ChristmasWent to college in Boulder CO; his whole family left home about the same time so there was no home to return to; never finished collegeAge 23 chased a girl to Minneapolis MN; worked in a coffee shop for a while; he was over-weight and miserable in a bad relationshipLost 100 pounds training for a triathlon on Catalina Island; started a magazine (American Tri); like a runner's world for triathlon; suddenly everyone was doing a triathlon The magazine shook the tri world; they were bought by a competitor for not a lot of money; but he got a job out of the deal and ended up being the editor and chief1997 in cafeteria of University of Colorado there are two cute girls; he ends up engaged to the cuter one who happens to be Billy Graham's granddaughter; through weirdness and no cell phones or emails they lose each other for 21 years Devastated and depressed his buddy tries to cheer him up; suggests a Johnny Cash concert; a light bulb goes on; Johnny Cash is friends with Billy Graham! Kyle has a chanceHe gets on the bus he talks to Johnny they talk about his fiance; never gets a chance to ask for help in reconnecting; he doesn't see her again for 21 years; gets married and has 2 kidsAfter his first marriage ended he went to Hawaii to ride his bike and figure out what's next; he hears/sees the one that got away on CNN; they reconnect on Facebook and end up married with a blended family



Connections



Website

Brieanna Lightfoot Smith is a Business Coach and Brand Strategist. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, she transformed her passion for affirming teenage girls into 4 published books and turned those books into a curriculum-based program. Now she teaches other women how to get paid for their passion.



Brieanna Lightfoot Smith Vroom Vroom Veer Stories



Grew up in Arlington TX and studied journalism in college in Missouri; had published 100+ articles when she graduated



Moved to New Orleans dating her future husband; was getting offers for jobs but turned them into freelance business gigs for newsletters, websites and social media



When she left New Orleans she was married and had her first child; she was offered a fulltime job and decided to take it



She knew when it was time to quit that full time gig when she passed out in her car when pregnant with her oldest



She shut down her business in 2018 to be a full time mom and give her self some rest; restarted the business in 2021



Had to streamline her business to fit into her life as a mom and wife and stopped working with clients that took to much work



Now she primarily works helping other moms run their business and make them fit into their lives without moving towards burnout



Connections



Website

James Divine says "There once was a little boy whose mom told him he could be anything he wanted…a policeman, a doctor, a lawyer, even President! He exceeded all her expectations and became a music teacher. He married his HS sweetheart, is father to 4 and grandpa to 10."



James retired from full time teaching but still teaches band part time at a charter school. The rest of his time is spent speaking, training, writing, podcasting, and performing. And often holding hands and eating pizza and cannoli.



Now for the boring, adult stuff…



James earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s College in Maine and received my music education from the Army School of Music, graduating from the basic, intermediate, and advanced courses over a span of ten years, serving in Virginia, Japan and Colorado. He retired from the Army Band in 2006. He earned a teaching license from Western Colorado University and completed a master’s in music education at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. James believes in the value of life-long learning! He just doesn't like standardized testing.



James Divine Vroom Vroom Veer Stories



Grew up in Virginia and his father was abusive to his mother which James witnessed; mom took James and his sister to Italy to get away



Spent a couple of years in Italy and mostly had a great time with lots of Italian relatives; but was sexually abused by a family friend



That abuse continued in Virginia when he returned; and finally ended when the abuser left; that was when James was old enough to be angry about it



He carried that rage into high school and realized that he needed to find a way to forgive his abuser not to excuse the abuse but for his own well being



Joined the Army Band and was in the Army active duty 10 year and the National Guard for another 10 years



After his miltary time, he worked on being a full time sax player; that can be challenging to make end meet; he took a band teacher position and realized he really loved teaching



Taught band for many years before retiring again; but missed teaching and is now back at it half-time along with public speaking



Connections



Website (JamesDivine.net)



JazzySaxman.com

Glen Williams is a 26 year veteran police officer/detective. He developed PTSD, many of the related negative behaviors, became divorced, and bankrupt. Three years alone in his cabin, taught him how to rebuild himself, to communicate, and he started over. He now has a good relationship, he is a published author, is in a documentary, and he travels and speaks to mostly cops about relationships and trauma. Bridging the Gaps we have created in our lives.



Glen Williams Vroom Vroom Veer Stories



Started going to college in Colorado, majored in party and had a rather low GPA; transferred to Utah to try to avoid most of the parties



Wanted to get a job in Federal Law Enforcement, but after completing the very lengthy application process was disqualified for diabetes



Decided to work in local law enforcement instead and did that for 26 years



After an trying CPR on a child having the child not make it, was lucky that his Lieutenant let him go away and process that and not worry about the report right away



Glen, like most law enforcement officers was experiencing trauma at a very high frequency; seeing a dead body became "no big deal"; it's a big deal and traumic



Not knowing about PTSD, he shut down and just used more work as an escape so he didn't have to "think" about the the trauma



Shiloh his service dog let's him know when his blood sugar is both high and low and does a better job than the glucose monitor



Connections



Website