Built Leadership

James Onyks
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Built Leadership with James Onyks is a podcast about the real, human side of building a business. Hosted by entrepreneur and marketing agency owner James Onyks, each episode features conversations with business owners, founders, and operators about how they got started, where they are now, and the defining moments that shaped them into leaders. This isn’t just about success stories. It’s about the risks, setbacks, decisions, leadership challenges, and personal growth behind the business. Guests share what it took to go from starting out to managing teams, carrying responsibility, overcoming obstacles, and building something that lasts. Because James comes from a marketing background, the conversations also explore how entrepreneurs promote their businesses, find growth opportunities, attract customers, and scale with intention. Built Leadership is for entrepreneurs, aspiring business owners, and anyone interested in the journey behind leadership with the lessons learned, the pressure endured, and the people founders become along the way. P.S I have gone through a few name changes and finally settled on this one and I think its perfect!

  1. Veteran Community Building: Preventing Isolation Through Online Gaming with Stephen Machuga

    3 DAYS AGO

    Veteran Community Building: Preventing Isolation Through Online Gaming with Stephen Machuga

    In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Stephen Machuga, founder of StackUp, a veteran-focused nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting military veterans through gaming and suicide prevention initiatives. Stephen shares the origin story behind StackUp, explaining how his military experience and lifelong relationship with video games shaped the idea of “recreational therapy” as a practical way to help veterans maintain connection, stability, and mental well-being after service. The conversation explores how gaming serves as a critical lifeline for many post-9/11 veterans, helping them stay connected to their “battle buddies” and avoid isolation during difficult transitions back into civilian life. Stephen also discusses the operational realities of running a mission-driven nonprofit for over a decade, including the ongoing challenges of fundraising, donor fatigue, and sustaining impact in an increasingly uncertain economic environment. StackUp website: https://stackup.org

    40 min
  2. Therapy Practice Growth: Outsourcing, HR Systems, and Hiring for Scalable Operations with Andrea Battiola

    4 DAYS AGO

    Therapy Practice Growth: Outsourcing, HR Systems, and Hiring for Scalable Operations with Andrea Battiola

    In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Andrea Battiola, Founder and CEO of Peak Couples & Sex Therapy, a multi-state virtual psychotherapy practice specializing in couples and sex therapy across Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington State. Andrea shares the real story behind building a highly sensitive, regulated healthcare business from the ground up—starting as a solo practitioner and evolving into a CEO managing a growing clinical team and structured organization. She unpacks the operational and emotional realities of scaling a therapy practice, including the shift from working independently to leading employees, and the responsibility that comes with managing both client care and team livelihood. Peak Couples & Sex Therapy website: https://thepeaktherapy.com

    46 min
  3. Bootstrap Business Growth: Scaling Ventures Without Outside Funding with James Burns

    5 DAYS AGO

    Bootstrap Business Growth: Scaling Ventures Without Outside Funding with James Burns

    In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews James Burns, entrepreneur and operator in the veterinary endoscopy and medical device industry and founder of Endoscopy Support Services, Inc. They explore how Burns built a career spanning multiple ventures by applying systems thinking, operational efficiency, and long-term infrastructure building across industries including healthcare, restaurants, and print services. He shares how modernizing legacy processes—such as replacing pen-and-paper workflows with integrated software systems and cloud-based tools—helped scale his core business and improve profitability. A second major theme is his “incubator” approach to entrepreneurship, where he builds self-sustaining businesses alongside partners by trading knowledge for execution, empowering operators, and prioritizing lean, repeatable systems over hands-on management. Endoscopy Support Services, Inc. website: https://endoscopy.com

    58 min
  4. Counseling Center Growth: Growing a Mission-Driven Counseling Organization with Thad Cardine

    5 DAYS AGO

    Counseling Center Growth: Growing a Mission-Driven Counseling Organization with Thad Cardine

    In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Thad Cardine, Executive Director of Shield Bearer Counseling Centers. Thad shares his journey from teaching and nonprofit leadership into scaling one of Texas’ growing faith-based mental health organizations. He discusses how Shield Bearer Counseling Centers expanded from roughly 9,000 to more than 20,000 annual counseling services by transitioning from a contractor-heavy model to an in-house clinical team, improving operational systems, and increasing community partnerships through churches, networking groups, SEO, and Google Ad Grants. The conversation also explores the realities of affordable mental health access, including insurance limitations, counselor-client matching, and removing barriers to care through flexible scheduling and sliding-scale pricing. Shield Bearer Counseling Centers website: https://shieldbearer.org/

    43 min
  5. Community-Led Brand Growth: Scaling Womaness Through Education with Sally Mueller

    10 MAY

    Community-Led Brand Growth: Scaling Womaness Through Education with Sally Mueller

    In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Sally Mueller, co-founder and CEO of Womaness. Sally shares how her personal experience with menopause led her to identify a major gap in the women’s wellness industry and build a modern brand focused on midlife health. The conversation explores how Womaness transformed menopause from an overlooked and stigmatized category into a fast-growing wellness movement through education, community-building, and consumer trust. Sally discusses the lessons she learned from her decades at Target, the challenges of creating an entirely new retail category, and why understanding the customer through constant feedback became central to the company’s growth strategy. Womaness website: womaness.com

    51 min
  6. Bootstrap Startup Strategy: Scaling Without Venture Capital with Tarun Aleti

    10 MAY

    Bootstrap Startup Strategy: Scaling Without Venture Capital with Tarun Aleti

    In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Tarun Aleti, co-founder of PartRunner, a B2B AI logistics marketplace operating primarily in Mexico that has scaled to approximately $10M in gross revenue with a lean, profit-focused approach. The conversation explores how the company was built without heavy venture capital reliance, instead prioritizing operational discipline, early cashflow generation, and organic growth through referrals and enterprise relationships. Tarun shares how the business validated demand by focusing on real service execution in the early days rather than aggressive marketing spend, and how this foundation helped sustain long-term growth. Business website: https://dev.partrunner.com/en/partners/drivers

    37 min
  7. Sports Ministry Innovation: Scaling a Mission-Driven Soccer Club with Aaron DeLoach

    10 MAY

    Sports Ministry Innovation: Scaling a Mission-Driven Soccer Club with Aaron DeLoach

    In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews Aaron DeLoach, founder of Impact City Football Club (ICFC), a faith-based soccer organization operating across multiple locations in the United States and Haiti. They explore how Impact City FC was built from the ground up through a mission-driven approach that blends sports, faith, and community development, and how leadership decisions are shaped by purpose rather than pure scale. Aaron shares insights on building a multi-location organization while staying rooted in values, including the importance of developing systems that support sustainable growth and maintaining alignment between vision and execution. Impact City Football Club website: https://impactcityfc.com

    57 min
  8. Supply Chain Strategy: Designing End-to-End Product Lifecycle Services with David Schroeder

    4 MAY

    Supply Chain Strategy: Designing End-to-End Product Lifecycle Services with David Schroeder

    In this episode of Built Leadership, host James Onyks interviews David Schroeder, CEO of RelianceCM. They explore how David has transformed a family-owned contract manufacturing business into a modern, system-driven operation focused on serving hardware startups and established brands. David shares how the company is leveraging AI to build real-time operational visibility, allowing teams to identify and correct production issues instantly rather than relying on delayed reporting cycles. He also dives into the importance of intentional, relationship-driven growth—prioritizing a small number of high-quality customers over mass acquisition—and how highly personalized outreach strategies are outperforming traditional marketing channels. Reliance CM website: https://reliancecm.com

    55 min
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About

Built Leadership with James Onyks is a podcast about the real, human side of building a business. Hosted by entrepreneur and marketing agency owner James Onyks, each episode features conversations with business owners, founders, and operators about how they got started, where they are now, and the defining moments that shaped them into leaders. This isn’t just about success stories. It’s about the risks, setbacks, decisions, leadership challenges, and personal growth behind the business. Guests share what it took to go from starting out to managing teams, carrying responsibility, overcoming obstacles, and building something that lasts. Because James comes from a marketing background, the conversations also explore how entrepreneurs promote their businesses, find growth opportunities, attract customers, and scale with intention. Built Leadership is for entrepreneurs, aspiring business owners, and anyone interested in the journey behind leadership with the lessons learned, the pressure endured, and the people founders become along the way. P.S I have gone through a few name changes and finally settled on this one and I think its perfect!

Information

  • Creator
    James Onyks
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © James Onyks
  • Show Website
    Built Leadership