Headsmack: Conversations with Misfits

Paul Povolni
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The Headsmack Podcast with host Paul Povolni invites you to listen in on conversations with misfits, mavericks and trailblazers. Join us as we explore the life of difference-makers and those who have stumbled, fumbled and then soared.  Be inspired as they candidly share their journeys and the aha moments that changed everything.

  1. Brandon Triola / "Save the Creatives" Chief Creative Officer. Author

    FEB 2

    Brandon Triola / "Save the Creatives" Chief Creative Officer. Author

    Brandon Triola almost threw away his creative dream before it began. Now he's on a mission to save every creative professional from making the same mistakes he did. As the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Forrest.co, a global brand and marketing consultancy serving B2B tech companies, Brandon has spent the last 15 years building award-winning brands for bestselling authors and publishing giants like Thomas Nelson and Baker. His strategic campaigns have generated millions of dollars in revenue for personal brands and global tech firms. But his journey wasn't always decorated with accolades. After crumpling up multiple scholarship offers to prestigious art schools and battling two mental illnesses as a young creative, Brandon faced a harsh reality: creative talent alone doesn't translate to business success. Through failure, persistence, and hard-won lessons, he transformed his creative career into multiple successful businesses and a multimillion-dollar consultancy. His bestselling book, Save The Creatives: 8 Uncommon Keys for Achieving Abundant Success and Bulletproofing Your Career Against AI as a Creative Professional, has maintained its position in the top 10 of Amazon's bestseller lists for over a month. The book's title came from an unexpected source—his editor pointing at the hat he was wearing during a manuscript review—proving that sometimes our best ideas are right in front of us. In this conversation, Brandon shares the raw truth about caring too deeply for your work, why emotion can be both your greatest asset and biggest liability, and the uncommon keys that separate struggling creatives from those experiencing abundant success. He also discusses his vision for building a creative culture where unlimited PTO isn't just a perk but a reflection of values, and why the future of creativity isn't about competing with AI—it's about becoming irreplaceable. Brandon lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife and four kids, runs a free community for creative professionals, and maintains an above-average jump shot for a 36-year-old dad. Guest Links Get the Book from AmazonForrest.coSavethecreatives.comSend us a text Paul Povolni, the founder of Voppa Creative, has been a creative leader for over 30 years, with clients around the world. He’s led teams in creating award-winning branding and design as well as equipping his clients to lead with Clarity, Creativity and Culture. Headsmack Website

    1h 2m
  2. Mark MacDonald / National Church Branding Strategist / Author

    JAN 26

    Mark MacDonald / National Church Branding Strategist / Author

    Mark MacDonald brings 40 years of ministry, marketing, and communication experience to this powerful conversation about church branding and effective communication. Most churches today aren't known for anything meaningful in their communities. They're speaking a language their audience doesn't understand, building websites that confuse rather than clarify, and creating content that sounds like everyone else. Mark MacDonald, founder of BeKnownForSomething.com and bestselling author, has spent four decades helping thousands of churches across North America cut through the noise and discover their unique thread. In this episode, Mark reveals the exact mistakes churches and businesses make with their websites, why being clever leads to confusion, and how to structure your communication so people actually listen. He shares practical insights on everything from SEO fundamentals to email marketing psychology, and explains why the most important thing you can do is say less so people will listen more. Whether you're leading a church, running a business, or trying to make your message heard in a noisy world, Mark's wisdom will transform how you think about branding, communication, and connecting with your community. Link: https://beknownforsomething.com/ Send us a text Paul Povolni, the founder of Voppa Creative, has been a creative leader for over 30 years, with clients around the world. He’s led teams in creating award-winning branding and design as well as equipping his clients to lead with Clarity, Creativity and Culture. Headsmack Website

    1h 20m
  3. Heather Russo / Wealth Strategist. Founder. CEO at I Am Generation One

    JAN 19

    Heather Russo / Wealth Strategist. Founder. CEO at I Am Generation One

    Heather Russo, wealth strategist and founder of Generation One, transforms how high achievers think about money.  Starting with $25 monthly IRA contributions at 18 and overcoming $217,000 in debt, she discovered that traditional financial advice from experts like Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey was keeping people stuck in cycles of scarcity.  In this powerful conversation, Heather exposes the fundamental flaws in conventional retirement planning, reveals how to identify and plug money leaks most people never see, and shares the mindset shift that took her from financial stability to true wealth.  She breaks down why it's not about side hustles or making more money—it's about flowing your money differently and investing in yourself as your greatest asset.  Whether you're drowning in debt, feel financially stuck despite a good income, or want to break generational poverty patterns, this episode delivers actionable strategies to accelerate your path to financial freedom. Free Gift: https://www.iamgenerationone.com/secret Link: https://www.iamgenerationone.com/offers/2jm5HnJR/checkout Send us a text Paul Povolni, the founder of Voppa Creative, has been a creative leader for over 30 years, with clients around the world. He’s led teams in creating award-winning branding and design as well as equipping his clients to lead with Clarity, Creativity and Culture. Headsmack Website

    59 min
  4. Bob Hamp / Founder Think Differently Academy. Author. Speaker. Coach

    JAN 12

    Bob Hamp / Founder Think Differently Academy. Author. Speaker. Coach

    Bob Hamp is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, author, and founder of Think Differently Academy, and in this episode he delivers one of the most paradigm-shifting conversations ever featured on Headsmack. Blending neuroscience, change theory, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and kingdom theology, Bob explains why most personal growth fails, why religion often produces shallow solutions, and how true life change happens at the level of thought process, paradigms, and the heart—not willpower or behavior modification. You don’t need better thoughts. You need a different thought process. Freedom isn’t fixing your life. Freedom is becoming yourself. Most people are solving the wrong problem. Jesus didn’t come to fix behavior. This episode will mess with your categories—in the best way. This is a conversation about identity, freedom, and learning how to live from the Tree of Life instead of the Tree of Knowledge. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Technical Setup 02:42 Personal Background and Family Challenges 05:43 Exploring the Podcast's Theme and Guest Introduction 11:14 Bob Hamp's Journey and Misfit Experience 17:19 Integration of Faith and Counseling 23:08 Transformational Thinking and Logic 29:04 Kingdom Logic and Its Implications 29:18 The Power of Connection and Faith 30:35 Understanding Kingdom Logic 31:33 The Unseen Forces Around Us 34:28 Tuning into Spiritual Frequencies 34:58 The Pace of Life and Spiritual Connection 39:11 Thinking Differently vs. Thinking Different 43:38 The Impact of Paradigms on Perception 46:48 Tools for Transformative Thinking 54:45 The Tree of Life vs. The Tree of Knowledge 57:30 The Source of Life vs. Knowledge 01:01:25 Understanding Freedom 01:05:26 The Heart's Role in Freedom 01:14:18 Roadmap to True Freedom Guest Link: https://tdacad.com/ Send us a text Paul Povolni, the founder of Voppa Creative, has been a creative leader for over 30 years, with clients around the world. He’s led teams in creating award-winning branding and design as well as equipping his clients to lead with Clarity, Creativity and Culture. Headsmack Website

    1h 20m
  5. Martha Krejci / Creator of Home-Based Revolution. Founder. Author

    11/03/2025

    Martha Krejci / Creator of Home-Based Revolution. Founder. Author

    Martha Krejci transformed from GoDaddy tech executive to million-dollar entrepreneur after a single video changed everything—her daughter's first steps, captured while she sat in another corporate meeting.  As co-founder of Sales-Driven Local and the Martha Krejci Company, she's mastered the art of organic business growth without paid advertising.  In this powerful episode, Martha shares her framework for building sustainable home-based businesses, discusses the mindset shifts required for entrepreneurial success, and reveals her ambitious Invincible Families Project aimed at helping 500 families achieve financial freedom.  From her insights on personal branding to the crucial difference between information and transformation, Martha delivers actionable strategies for anyone ready to break free from corporate constraints and build a business that truly serves. BIO:  Martha Krejci is a business coach, growth strategist, and CEO of both the Martha Krejci Company and Sales-Driven Local, specializing in helping entrepreneurs build sustainable home-based businesses through organic marketing strategies. After spending five years in a leadership position at GoDaddy where she talked to thousands of business owners daily, Martha left corporate life after missing her daughter's first steps to build her own digital agency focused on SEO, website strategy, and content marketing.  Featured in Oprah Magazine, Fast Company, Cosmopolitan, Shape, Huffington Post, and as a regular contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines, Martha achieved her first million dollars in revenue in less than a year using strategies she now teaches openly.  Author of "The Home-Based Revolution" and "The Invincible Family Project," she's currently working with 500 families through her ambitious year-long transformation program, documenting their journey from corporate dependency to entrepreneurial freedom. LINKS: The Avatar Analyzer https://www.igwithmartha.com/avatar Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livinthedreamwithmartha Twitter: https://twitter.com/themarthakrejci IG: https://www.instagram.com/themarthakrejci/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themarthakrejci/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClIlacksGohHcNHu3-myNvg Website: https://withmartha.com/ Send us a text Paul Povolni, the founder of Voppa Creative, has been a creative leader for over 30 years, with clients around the world. He’s led teams in creating award-winning branding and design as well as equipping his clients to lead with Clarity, Creativity and Culture. Headsmack Website

    1h 11m
  6. Marty Neumeier / Brand Strategist. Author. Designer. Legend

    10/12/2025

    Marty Neumeier / Brand Strategist. Author. Designer. Legend

    Marty Neumeier is the internationally recognized author who literally wrote the book on brand strategy. His work The Brand Gap has been read by 25 million people, and Zag was named one of the top 100 business books of all time. After decades helping giants like Apple, Google, and Adobe build legendary brands, he's now disrupting the publishing industry itself with a bold new approach to bringing stories to market. In this episode, Marty dismantles the myth that companies own their brands. The truth? Your brand lives in the minds of your customers, and they decide everything. He explains why marketing directors can't do brand strategy, why most brand extensions fail, and how the AI revolution is creating an urgent need for authentic human connection. We also dive deep into his fascinating new novel Octavo, a Renaissance thriller featuring Leonardo da Vinci that's being published using a radically different model inspired by Silicon Valley venture capital principles. This conversation will challenge how you think about brands, creativity, technology, and the future of human relationships in an increasingly artificial world. BIO: Marty Neumeier is an internationally known writer, designer, and educator whose mission is bringing design principles to a world in transition. Since 1985, he has worked with creative companies like Apple, HP, Adobe, Google, and YouTube to build their brands and foster innovation. In 1996, he founded Critique Magazine, the first journal on design thinking. After writing eight influential books on brand strategy, including The Brand Gap (read by 25 million people) and Zag (named one of the top 100 business books of all time), he co-founded Level C, a brand mastery program. Now based in Mexico, he's writing thrillers in his spare time, including his latest novel Octavo, a Renaissance murder mystery featuring Leonardo da Vinci that's being published using an innovative Silicon Valley-inspired model. LINKS: martyneumeier.com (Personal)liquidagency.com (Company)martyneumeier.substack.comlevelc.orgSend us a text Paul Povolni, the founder of Voppa Creative, has been a creative leader for over 30 years, with clients around the world. He’s led teams in creating award-winning branding and design as well as equipping his clients to lead with Clarity, Creativity and Culture. Headsmack Website

    1h 32m
  7. Kevin Murphy / Artist Entrepreneur

    08/02/2025

    Kevin Murphy / Artist Entrepreneur

    Kevin Murphy went from barely graduating high school in the Bronx to painting the cover of a Rolling Stones album and building a global art education empire.  Founder of Art Academy Schools and Evolve Artist, Kevin shares the raw, inspiring journey behind his evolution from construction worker to internationally recognized fine artist and educator. In this conversation, Kevin unpacks how tenacity, clarity, and brutal commitment created a career that changed his life—and now changes others.  If you’re an artist (or a dreamer) wrestling with doubt, this one’s for you. 5 Key Takeaways Why grit beats talent every timeHow to go from broke to booked solidWhy most art education fails creativesHow to build an art business that scalesThe power of burning your plan BGuest Bio: Kevin Murphy is an internationally recognized artist, illustrator, and founder of Art Academy Schools and the online education platform Evolve Artist. Raised in a working-class family in the Bronx, Kevin left a stable union construction job to pursue art—a journey that led to high-profile commissions including the Rolling Stones’ Bridges to Babylon album cover. Over the decades, Kevin has worked with top brands like Sega, LucasArts, and National Geographic and has since transitioned to mentoring the next generation of artists through a groundbreaking fundamentals-based curriculum taught in over 20 schools worldwide. Link: https://lp.evolveartist.com/headsmack/ Send us a text Paul Povolni, the founder of Voppa Creative, has been a creative leader for over 30 years, with clients around the world. He’s led teams in creating award-winning branding and design as well as equipping his clients to lead with Clarity, Creativity and Culture. Headsmack Website

    1h 28m
  8. Bill Harper / "Brand Boss" CEO. Chief Creative Officer

    07/28/2025

    Bill Harper / "Brand Boss" CEO. Chief Creative Officer

    In a world where everyone’s shouting, silence equals irrelevance. Bill Harper knows this better than anyone. With over 36 years in the brand and marketing trenches — and more than $2.5B in client revenue to prove it — Bill has cracked the code for challenger brands to dominate markets already flooded with competition. In this episode, Bill shares the power of positioning, why no one buys the best product, and how to win by saying what no one else dares to. From Geico’s edutainment to Liquid Death’s anti-boring playbook, this is a masterclass in market disruption. His takeaway? Stop talking about yourself. Solve a specific problem. Say it with conviction. Then use AI to scale the message — not to create it. If you’re ready to stop playing safe and start making waves, this is your blueprint. --- Guest Bio: Bill Harper is a veteran brand strategist and founder of BrandBossHQ, where he helps small and midsize businesses crush larger competitors through his Challenger Brand Domination Plan. Over his 36-year career and five agencies, Bill has helped more than 500 brands generate over $2.5 billion in new revenue by combining strategic storytelling, marketing insight, and AI-powered tools. A former art director turned educator and keynote speaker, he’s on a mission to level the playing field for SMBs by showing them how to think differently, say something bold, and become unforgettable. Link: http://www.brandbosshq.com/ Send us a text Paul Povolni, the founder of Voppa Creative, has been a creative leader for over 30 years, with clients around the world. He’s led teams in creating award-winning branding and design as well as equipping his clients to lead with Clarity, Creativity and Culture. Headsmack Website

    1h 3m
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About

The Headsmack Podcast with host Paul Povolni invites you to listen in on conversations with misfits, mavericks and trailblazers. Join us as we explore the life of difference-makers and those who have stumbled, fumbled and then soared.  Be inspired as they candidly share their journeys and the aha moments that changed everything.

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