Manic Energy Podcast

Manic Energy Podcast
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

Ryan Swor, president and part-owner of Lake Superior Consulting and colleague, Katie Brooks explore the often misunderstood world of energy infrastructure, how it shapes our daily lives, and the passionate, purpose-driven people who keep it all running. Expect stories from the field, honest reflections on leadership and company culture, and a no-BS look at what it takes to deliver safe, reliable energy in an industry under pressure to evolve. This isn’t your typical corporate podcast—this is Manic Energy.

  1. Sep 7

    Behind the Scenes of Talent Recruitment with Anne and Jamie

    Ever applied for a job. Ever hired for one. Either way you have felt what it is like to be on one side of that table wondering what the other side is really thinking. This episode pulls back the curtain on it. Today I am joined by two people who live in that world every single day, our full time recruiters here at Lake Superior Consulting, Jamie Wiggins and Anne Lang. Katie Brooks and I sat down with them in the studio for a conversation that started with their own winding paths into recruiting and turned into one of the most useful conversations we have had about hiring, interviewing, and what it actually takes to stand out right now. Jamie and Anne have a combined career built almost entirely inside two companies, which says something on its own in an industry known for job hopping. We got into how candidates are using AI to generate canned interview answers in real time, how hiring managers can tell the difference between a scripted response and a real one, and why authenticity might be the single biggest differentiator left as AI use becomes normal on both sides of the table. KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS Candidates are increasingly using AI mid interview, typing questions in real time and reading back polished, generic answers. Recruiters can usually tell, and it works against the candidate more than for them. Authenticity is becoming the biggest differentiator in hiring. The people who stand out are the ones willing to give a real, imperfect answer instead of a scripted one. Following up with candidates, even to deliver bad news, builds a company's reputation more than people realize. Ghosting goes both directions and candidates remember who closed the loop. Strong hiring managers think beyond the immediate opening. They consider where a candidate could grow, not just whether every box on the job description is checked today. Pay transparency and posted salary ranges have made compensation conversations less awkward on both sides, though the conversation is still uncomfortable no matter your title. Total compensation now means more than the number. Flexibility, culture, and investment in growth carry real weight, especially for people who value work life balance over a bigger paycheck. Human judgment still catches what a resume or an AI screen cannot. A weak resume with a great in person impression, or a perfect resume that falls apart in conversation, happens more often than you would think. OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "You are not always going to have AI at your fingertips, so I think just being authentic and genuine and having it be more of a conversation is what stands out." "We really want them to speak highly of our company and the interactions they have had with our people, whether or not they get the job." "Good managers are not only thinking about today, they are thinking about what their team is going to look like down the road." "I do feel like our human judgment is what is best when it comes to figuring out if a candidate is a great cultural fit. That is something we cannot replace." CHAPTER MARKERS 07:19 How candidates are now using AI live during interviews, and how recruiters catch it 14:32 What good hiring managers do differently, and the habits that turn candidates off 31:03 How candidates can actually stand out, starting before the interview even happens 44:11 The compensation conversation nobody loves, and why pay transparency is helping 52:19 The bachelorette party story that somehow ended with a Hollywood premiere 58:11 The job offer mix up that still makes Anne double check every offer she sends CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS Jamie Wiggins and Anne Lang are full time recruiters with Lake Superior Consulting. To learn more about Lake Superior Consulting or explore current openings, visit lakesuperiorconsulting.com. Links & Mentions: Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/   🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend! MB01SL9EPKR6YQM

  2. Aug 24

    Better in Our Backyard Is Proof That Reclamation Stories Win Arguments Statistics Can't

    I've never made it a secret that I think responsible local development should be a priority, so today I brought in somebody who's spent his whole career fighting for exactly that. Ryan Sistad is the Executive Director of Better in Our Backyard, an advocacy group that started as a scrappy Minnesota operation and has grown into a national force representing nearly 40 mining and energy projects across 15 states. We get into how a guy from Fosston, Minnesota ended up running for Duluth City Council, losing, and turning that loss into the connections that built his career. We talk about the Coca Cola warehouse story that taught him more about economics than his college classes did, why the NIMBY mindset is more complicated than people think, and how his team learned to change minds not by arguing louder but by showing reclamation success stories that actually move people. KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS Responsible development needs advocates, not just regulators. Ryan built an entire career on the idea that industry has to tell its own story before someone else tells it for them. The movable middle matters more than the loud opponents. Roughly 60 to 70 percent of people are paying just enough attention to be persuadable, and that's who Ryan's team actually targets. Reclamation stories change minds faster than economic arguments. Showing what a mine site looks like decades after closure does more work than any jobs statistic. Growth happens when you stop being scared to lose everything. Ryan's biggest strategic leap came from a season where his funding was so fragile that one member leaving could have ended the whole organization. Community concerns are hyper local and specific. Water quality in Duluth, school closures in Hoyt Lakes. You can't run one message for every town. Consistency beats intensity. Posting daily, staying visible, and being predictable earned Better in Our Backyard more trust than any single campaign did. Delegation is its own kind of growth. Ryan talks candidly about what it's like to go from doing everything himself to trusting a team to carry the load. FAVORITE QUOTES If it wasn't grown, it was mined. Success isn't proving somebody wrong. It's all about partnership. It's all about acknowledging concerns, acknowledging risks. If you don't like the way something is done, pick up a shovel and become a part of it. Don't complain about it, don't go oppose it, just try and fix it. CHAPTER MARKERS 01:20 From Fosston to the Iron Range 07:38 The Coca Cola raise that taught him economics 09:52 Losing a city council race and gaining a career 13:11 Why NIMBY is more complicated than people think 19:47 The COVID pivot nobody saw coming 25:59 The reclamation story that changes minds 33:26 Going from five states to fifteen 44:12 What communities actually fear GUEST CONTACT AND LINKS Ryan Sistad, Executive Director, Better in Our Backyard LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-sistad-39771490/ BIOB Website: https://betterinourbackyard.com/   Links & Mentions: Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/   🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend! MB01TH2M4G8FD5B

  3. Aug 10

    How Swiftrok Is Changing Tank Inspection with Austin Lanoue

    Austin walked into Lake Superior Consulting as a CAD intern almost 13 years ago with zero clue about oil and gas. Fast forward through pipeline design, a stint in IT, a relocation to Pittsburgh, project management, and a deep dive into 3D scanning technology, and Austin is now running Swiftrok, a business we spun up out of what used to be a side hobby. Swiftrok inspects underground storage tanks using 3D scanning instead of sending people down into the tank. No man entry, no confined space risk, just better data and a faster answer on whether a tank needs repair, replacement, or nothing at all. It started as a way to help our sister company handle warranty claims. Now it's its own business, four months into a real launch, and Katie and I sat down with Austin to talk about the whole wild ride. KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS Growth happens when you say yes to the hard stuff, even when you don't have the skills yet Integrity means doing what you say you'll do, when and how you say you'll do it Sometimes a hobby needs to become a real investment or it needs to go away Naming a company is genuinely harder than naming a kid Swiftrok replaces manned tank entry with 3D scanning, giving faster, safer, more complete data Roundness and deviation are leading indicators of tank health, not just age Building something brand new means real silence before the phone starts ringing, and that's normal OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "Do what you say you'll do, when and how you say you'll do it." "I don't think I ever said no to one, so I was willing to dive in and figure it out." "You can't just bring something new and have everybody love it." "It's not going to be their hobby anymore." CHAPTER MARKERS 02:29 Meet Austin and the road to Swiftrok 06:33 From CAD intern to full time hire 17:12 The pivot into project management 20:38 What integrity actually means 27:58 Why Swiftrok became its own company 41:14 How the scanning technology actually works 53:23 What's next, one year and five years out YOUR TURN Is there something in your work life right now that's still just a hobby, something you keep dabbling in instead of really committing to? What would it take for you to go all in on it? CONNECT WITH AUSTIN Website: swiftrok.com LinkedIn (Swiftrok): linkedin.com/company/swiftrok/about LinkedIn (Austin): linkedin.com/in/austin-lanoue-3a181467 Email: alanoue@swiftrok.com Phone: 218-213-1971 LINKS & MENTIONS Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/   🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend MB01FNVQBXIRQPK

  4. Jul 27

    Educating the Next Generation of Energy Workers with Tyler Tunic

    Natural gas powers 60% of American homes and makes up over a third of U.S. energy consumption, so I wanted to bring on someone who lives and breathes the workforce side of this industry. Tyler Tunic is Vice President of Industry Engagement and Workforce Advancement with SGA Natural Gas Association, and after 20 years at Lake Superior Consulting, I've watched Tyler go from operator to association leader in real time. This episode gets into what that transition actually looks like, why volunteering your time in this industry pays off in ways you don't expect, and the youth education project Tyler championed that's aimed at getting the next generation excited about energy careers before they ever rule it out. KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS Being of service to your industry, even before you have the title or experience to back it up, opens doors you can't predict Making the leap from operator to association work means learning to communicate differently, but the pride and passion travel with you Culture and communication are inseparable. How employees talk about their work at a cocktail party often reflects how well they've been onboarded and led Associations can offer more than networking. Training, continuing education, and access to shared learning resources are a real part of the value Getting involved and trying to change an industry from the inside beats complaining about it from the outside every time Youth education materials only work when they're built with teachers, tested with real kids, and adjusted based on what actually lands in a classroom The best resources in the world do nothing sitting on a shelf. Getting them into schools and into use takes ongoing effort, not a one time project OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "The best thing you can do is get involved in the industry and help try and change it" "If you don't like something, you can complain about it or you can get to work trying to change it" "You can't just stand there with a PowerPoint for an hour and talk to third graders" "I think it's really cool to see you at work, trying to just show that" CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 Why natural gas still runs your everyday life 01:54 Tyler's path from operator to association VP 12:04 The advice that changed how Tyler shows up 22:01 What SGA Natural Gas Association actually does 34:57 Culture, communication, and the INGAA Foundation youth project 50:57 What good looks like and where energy is headed YOUR TURN This week's check in: where in your own industry have you been complaining instead of getting involved? What would it look like to raise your hand instead? Learn more about SGA Natural Gas Association: https://sganaturalgas.org/ CONNECT WITH TYLER Tyler Tunic: Vice President, Industry Engagement & Workforce Advancement | SGA Natural Gas Association 412.328.6921 | sganaturalgas.org | gmrc.org | Subscribe to SGA email updates Book time with Tyler: https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/f82646d8eb1a4fd28701abffaca15055@sganaturalgas.org?anonymous&ep=signature LINKS & MENTIONS Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/   🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend MB0165A5RX0X7D6

  5. Jul 13

    Inside the Pipeline: Risk Management, Consulting, and a Hidden Crisis

    Ever reconnect with someone years later and realize your paths were more aligned than you ever knew back then? That's exactly what happened when I ran into Missie Hills again, and this conversation ended up going a lot deeper than I expected. Missie and I go way back, though not in the way you'd think. We reconnected through the unlikeliest source, and it turns out she'd actually interviewed with Lake Superior Consulting about ten years ago before life took her in a different direction. Fast forward through 15 plus years in the natural gas industry, from Arkansas to Houston to now joining LSC, and Missie brings a perspective shaped by operating one of the biggest pipeline systems feeding gas straight into New York City. We got into everything from operational risk management to a subject that hits a lot closer to home than people expect. KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS Missie’s path from mechanical engineering to natural gas operations to consulting wasn't planned, but each step built directly on the last Operating a pipeline means managing risk across community safety, employee safety, and environmental responsibility, all at once The companies that do risk management well are the ones that care about their communities first, not just the bottom line Aging infrastructure and rising energy demand are colliding, and the labor shortage in this industry is a real and growing problem A great consultant isn't a vendor, they're a trusted partner who tells you what you actually need, not just what you asked for Missie is a 20 year photography hobbyist who brings an artistic eye to her travels through the national parks Missie’s volunteer work with Red M is opening eyes about human trafficking prevention, and the numbers are more alarming than most people realize OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "It's not that your threshold changes, it's where you go focus your mitigations, because once you know more about your highest risk, you can focus on the next thing." "It doesn't really matter if it's one home or fifty homes. It really matters to that one home." "It's hidden in plain sight. It's right under our noses." "The number one thing that is going to protect your child is building that relationship of trust." CHAPTER MARKERS 01:26 A houseboat trip and a Minnesota national park 03:27 Missie’s path from mechanical engineering to natural gas 06:12 The reconnection nobody saw coming 11:13 What operational risk management really means 19:00 Where engineering logic meets human empathy 22:06 What separates a real consultant from a vendor 25:53 The hobby you wouldn't expect from an engineer 30:09 Missie’s work with Red M and human trafficking prevention 43:30 The future of natural gas and aging infrastructure YOUR TURN This week's reflection: think about a relationship or connection from your past that you assumed was closed. What might it look like to reach back out, and how might your paths align differently now than they did then? CONNECT WITH MISSIE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/missiehills/ Learn more about the organizations Missie mentioned in this episode: Red Card United: www.redcardunited.com Red M: www.joinredm.com LINKS & MENTIONS Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/   🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend MB01XNWGEQTBZIY

  6. Jun 29

    How We Built a Real Strategic Plan Starting From Bar Napkins and Happy Hours (Dave Hokanson PART TWO)

    We've been doing strategic planning for a couple of decades now. And I'll be honest, for most of that time, I didn't even know that's what we were calling it. It was happy hours and bar napkins and whiteboards and somebody saying "can you email that photo out?" And somehow that turned into running a company. This episode is part two of my conversation with Dave Hokanson and Katie Brooks about how strategic planning has evolved at Lake Superior Consulting and now Manic Energy. We get into the real stuff: what it looked like when we were just guessing, what it cost us when we kept doing the same things and hoping for different results, and what we're actually doing differently now. Dave's been with LSC long enough to watch the whole evolution, and Katie's been deep in the communication and rollout side of it. This one is a ground-level look at what strategic planning actually feels like from inside a growing company. KEY THEMES + TAKEAWAYS Strategic planning started informally for us, complaints at happy hour turning into ideas turning into action, and it worked until the company got too big for that to scale. The difference between an ideal and an objective matters more than most people realize. If you can't measure whether you got there, it's probably an ideal, and chasing it will always feel like you're behind. "Measure backwards" is a concept from Dan Sullivan that I keep coming back to. Looking at how far you've come matters as much as where you're going. The value/effort matrix changed how we prioritize. Easy wins first, big bets when you're ready, and some things just live in the money pit forever. Asking "what should we stop doing?" was probably the most useful question we added to our planning process this year. People had answers. Real ones. Hope is not a strategy. I've said it a lot and I believe it more every year. The goal right now is to get our entire direction down to something as simple as "will it make the boat go faster?" so every person in our organization can use it to make decisions every single day. OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "Hope is not a strategy. Hope is not a good business plan." "What happens to a horizon as you approach it? It's still a horizon." "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." "I want somebody to get better and really good at strategic planning and delivering results, and then they should probably be doing my job." "We went from investing nothing to investing a lot of time, energy, and thought. And we're planning on it paying dividends." CHAPTER MARKERS 0:37 From bar napkins to business plans 7:33 When strategy was a secret 8:11 The publicly traded company education 15:18 Ideals vs. objectives and measuring backwards 18:51 The value/effort matrix 31:13 Defining the market, the customer, and the plan 40:56 Will it make the boat go faster? YOUR TURN What's one thing your team is spending real time and energy on that probably belongs in the money pit? And what would open up if you stopped doing it? LINKS & MENTIONS Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/   🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend MB01YQZZIKYT4AJ

  7. Jun 15

    The Deal That Fell Apart and Came Back Together with Dave Hokanson (PART 1)

    Twenty years of working alongside someone teaches you things you never expected to learn. This episode is one I've been wanting to do for a while. Dave Hokanson is my business partner, and we've been working together for almost two decades, but somehow there were still pieces of his story I'd never heard. So Katie Brooks and I sat down with him to dig into how he got here, from a kid fixing snowmobiles in his driveway to where we are today running LSC together. Dave's path wasn't a straight line. Mechanical drafting, a summer at Marvin Windows throwing two by fours at hurricane test windows, then back to school for industrial engineering right here in Duluth. He landed at LSC as employee number six after four rounds of interviews, and what followed was almost a decade in the field on massive pipeline projects, then nine years embedded with a client before coming back to LSC full time. We also got into the harder stuff. What it actually felt like buying this company together. The deal that fell apart on a Friday night and somehow turned into the deal that worked. What ownership means when you're young and don't fully understand what you signed up for. And what we're hoping this company looks like long after we're not the ones running it. KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS Dave's early influences, his dad's work ethic, the family machine shop background, and how that shaped his approach to every job since The reality of being an embedded consultant for nine years and what that taught him about relationships and trust The story of our management buyout, including the moment the original deal fell through and how that turned into something better What it actually feels like to have skin in the game as an owner, even when you don't fully understand it yet Why employee ownership matters to both of us and what we're working toward for our team Why growing a company profitably is so much harder than just growing it OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "Read the user manual. Figure it out yourself." "There's no real way I can go manufacture that situation with integrity. It's got to come to you." "It doesn't matter how small it is, it's still a piece of the business and ownership in the business." "The energy we put into it is going to be relative to the benefit we get out of it." "I think it's really important to have perspective on what success looks like, because you can only say I just want to survive for so long before you need a vision and a plan." CHAPTER MARKERS 01:03 Dave's early years and the pull toward mechanical things 03:22 Marvin Windows and the hurricane test lab 05:27 Becoming employee number six at LSC 13:31 Nine years embedded and what it taught him about trust 24:29 The buyout, the Friday night call, and how it almost didn't happen 40:00 The Freeze and Nichols conversation and rethinking legacy 51:38 What's ahead for LSC and the people behind it YOUR TURN This week's reflection: think about someone you've worked alongside for years. Is there a piece of their story you've never asked about? What might you learn if you did? LINKS & MENTIONS Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/   🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend MB01LWIBQH0ANYK

  8. Jun 1

    Operating in the Unknown: Business Lessons from the OR with Dr. Cyrus Press

    What happens when the person who knows your hunting stories, your late-night bourbon debates, and your family inside and out also happens to be one of the sharpest business minds you know? You stop taking it for granted and start recording. This week, Katie and I sat down with Dr. Cyrus Press, my brother-in-law and one of the people I've learned the most from over the years. Cyrus is a practicing orthopedic surgeon specializing in shoulder and elbow disorders, 13 years deep in private practice in Northern Virginia. He flew the family up to Duluth for spring break, because apparently we've fully convinced him that this is the Saint Lucia of the North. What I didn't expect was how much this conversation would mirror everything we talk about on this show. Talent retention, partnership friction, building systems, figuring out your real why. He's living all of it, just in scrubs instead of a boardroom. KEY THEMES + TAKEAWAYS The private practice model in medicine is under real pressure, and the parallels to running any small business are striking Nobody trains doctors to run companies. Cyrus built his business instincts entirely on the fly, and that curiosity became a serious edge Pay gets people in the door. It doesn't keep them. People stay where they feel like they matter The "moving walkway" of career specialization: you don't plan to become a shoulder surgeon. You just keep making one good decision at a time AI is leveling the doctor-patient conversation, not replacing it. The more informed the patient, the better the outcome Partnership is one of the hardest things in business. You're never really rowing in perfect sync, but the ones who keep trying to are still winning The future belongs to robotics for precision and biologics for healing without cutting OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "Surgery is most of the time the last option. The goal is to make them better." "I have had zero business training. I've learned it all on the fly." "The only ship that doesn't float is a partnership." "When that synergy happens between a doctor and a patient, that's when the outcomes are the best." CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 Welcome to the Chaos 03:17 Why Shoulders? 08:09 The Moving Walkway 17:12 Private Practice vs. The System 25:37 Running a Business Nobody Trained You For 36:59 The Meeting After the Meeting 49:21 Robots, Biology, and What's Next YOUR TURN Where in your career are you still on the moving walkway, trusting the path even when you can't see exactly where it's taking you? CONNECT WITH CYRUS Personal website: www.cyruspressmd.com Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics bio: https://www.cfaortho.com/our-doctors/11/Cyrus_M._Press,_M.D. Email: cpressmd@cfaortho.com Links & Mentions: Lake Superior Consulting – https://www.lsconsulting.com/   🔥 If this episode sparked something for you, please follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Ryan Swor, president and part-owner of Lake Superior Consulting and colleague, Katie Brooks explore the often misunderstood world of energy infrastructure, how it shapes our daily lives, and the passionate, purpose-driven people who keep it all running. Expect stories from the field, honest reflections on leadership and company culture, and a no-BS look at what it takes to deliver safe, reliable energy in an industry under pressure to evolve. This isn’t your typical corporate podcast—this is Manic Energy.

Information

  • Creator
    Manic Energy Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Manic Energy Podcast
  • Show Website
    Manic Energy Podcast

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