Vivá La Visionary™ Podcast

Coach Bob Shenefelt

Vivá La Visionary™ is about celebrating and elevating the Visionary entrepreneur. This podcast is for and about Visionaries to share experience and wisdom. Being a Visionary can be exhilarating, but also challenging, so diving into the pitfalls, as well as the successes, can really help those on the same journey feel seen and understood. Ultimately we create a platform for Visionaries to unleash themselves and others. Hosted by Coach Bob Shenefelt, who has been coaching Visionaries for nearly 30 years. He is the founder of The Visionary Forum™, iMatter™ and Author of Unscatter the Chatter™.

  1. 2d ago

    Why Most Business Owners Aren't Really Visionaries | Bob Thomas

    Bob Thomas has been at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce for nearly 30 years. Along the way, Bob had to figure out who he actually was as a leader. He realized he was an Integrator. Good at execution, process, and holding things together. What he didn't expect was to find genuine visionary tendencies underneath all of that. Working inside a framework that gave him permission to think bigger changed the way he showed up, both in business and at home. He built something big. But he had to learn how to let it go. What we talked about in this episode: → What the Michigan Chamber actually does (and why most people have no idea) → The 3-3-1 morning practice that keeps Bob focused on what matters most → Why most leaders resist "letting go of the vine" → How visionary tendencies and integrator skills can live in the same person → Why AI is creating more room for humans to do what machines can't The big takeaway: vision is something you practice and build a system around. And it starts with getting honest about what matters most to you, beyond the business. Bob, thank you for being so open in this one. Thirty years in a mission is its own kind of vision. I'm grateful you shared it. *Chapters* 0:00:00 - Welcome to Vivá La Visionary 0:00:22 - Visionary vs. Integrator: Where Bob Lands 0:01:44 - How EOS Unlocked Entrepreneurial Thinking Inside a Nonprofit 0:03:35 - What the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Actually Does 0:07:45 - Not Your Grandfather's Chamber 0:17:02 - What Vision Really Means for Leaders 0:20:26 - How Many Business Owners Are True Visionaries? 0:24:15 - The 3-3-1 Morning Practice 0:27:59 - Letting Go of the Vine 0:38:24 - Why Bob Has Stayed at the Chamber for 30 Years 0:42:05 - The Next Generation, AI, and the Case for Being Human 0:52:26 - Spirit, Surrender, and What Really Drives the Work *Connect with Bob Thomas* https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasbob/ https://www.michamber.com/ ~~~ *Connect with Coach Bob* https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-shenefelt https://www.instagram.com/imatterrevolution https://www.facebook.com/iMatterRevolution https://x.com/iMatterCoachBob 📌 Subscribe for weekly conversations with visionaries, founders, and thought leaders! *Prefer to listen?* Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/4iCo6LWV5VJO15Tz9PTIVo Apple → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1896824840 Want to connect with entrepreneurial Visionaries who share your passion for making a real impact? 🌐 https://www.imatter.com

    1h 1m
  2. May 29

    What Getting Fired at 33 Taught Me About Who I Really Am | Rich Homberg

    Rich Homberg has spent nearly 50 years in broadcasting. He worked his way up through all-news radio in New York, Pittsburgh, and eventually Detroit. Then he got fired. He was 33, running sales for one of the top radio stations in the country, left to chase ownership, and two years later it was over. At 50, he walked away from a VP role at CBS Radio and took over Detroit PBS. He hasn't looked back in 18 years. Things we covered in this episode: → How getting fired at 33 led to a career he'd never leave → What it means to be a visionary who learns to leave the room → Why nonprofits need entrepreneurial leadership more than most companies → How Detroit PBS grew from 67,000 to 81,000 members while losing federal funding → What Rich tells his college students about integrity, plans, and treating people like people Most of us spend years trying to prove we belong in the room. Rich spent the second half of his career figuring out which rooms he needed to walk out of. And that's what made him great at this. Thank you, Rich! You brought a very tangible energy to the conversation; I greatly appreciate you! *Chapters* 0:00 - Welcome & Introduction to Rich Homberg 2:10 - How Rich Got His Start at NBC 5:30 - All-News Radio and the Road to Detroit 8:45 - Why Rich Left CBS to Run Detroit PBS 12:00 - Getting Fired at 33 and What It Taught Him 17:30 - Hiring a Life Coach and the Enneagram Moment 22:00 - What It Means to Be a Visionary Leader 28:15 - Running EOS Inside a Nonprofit 34:00 - Detroit PBS's Five Pillars of Programming 41:20 - Growing Membership During a Funding Crisis 47:00 - Advice for Entrepreneurs and Visionaries 52:30 - Integrity, Plans, and Treating People Like People 57:45 - Final Words and Sign-Off *Connect with Rich* https://www.linkedin.com/in/richhomberg/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/detroitpbs/ *Connect with Coach Bob* https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-shenefelt https://www.instagram.com/imatterrevolution https://www.facebook.com/iMatterRevolution https://x.com/iMatterCoachBob ~~~ 📌 Subscribe for weekly conversations with visionaries, founders, and thought leaders! Want to connect with entrepreneurial Visionaries who share your passion for making a real impact? 🌐 https://www.imatter.com

    31 min
  3. May 22

    The CEO Who Had to Heal Before He Could Lead | Kelly Siegel

    Kelly Siegel grew up on the east side of Eight Mile and Van Dyke in Detroit, with a childhood FAR from easy. But instead of letting that freeze him, he built and scaled NTM into a multi-million dollar IT and cybersecurity firm. He’s written two books and started a podcast. But most important of all… Joy, the thing he pushed down as a child just to survive, has started to come back after all these years. In this episode of Vivá La Visionary, we cover: → Why visionaries keep hitting glass ceilings and how the real obstacle is almost never the business → Why Kelly credits EMDR and IFS therapy with changing the trajectory of his company → How running on fear gets you far but stops working the moment you need to grow → Why systems aren't constraints → What it looks like to let go of an identity you've carried for 34 years There's a line Kelly said that I keep thinking about: "What we don't repair REPEATS." Thanks Kelly, for being so open in our conversation and sharing your story with our listeners! *Chapters* 0:00 - Meet Kelly Siegel 0:48 - Six Years Running on EOS: What the Structure Revealed 1:07 - The Artificial Ceiling and Why You're the Cause 2:30 - The Mirror Is the Only Tool You Need 3:03 - We Are Both the Problem and the Solution 4:42 - Growing Up Poor on Eight Mile: The Origin Story 5:18 - Building a Company on Fear (And Why It Has a Limit) 6:38 - What SYSTEMS Actually Stands For 8:03 - Letting Go of the Vine: Releasing Your Identity 9:12 - Healing Modalities That Moved the Needle 10:31 - Feeling Is Healing: What We Don't Repair Repeats 11:50 - How to Connect With Kelly and Get His Books ~~~ 📌 Subscribe for weekly conversations with visionaries, founders, and thought leaders! Want to connect with entrepreneurial Visionaries who share your passion for making a real impact? 🌐 https://www.imatter.com

    14 min
  4. May 15

    I Built the Company. Then It Didn't Need Me Anymore | Ivan Katz

    Ivan Katz has been in the service business since he was 10 years old. Paper routes. Food service. And then at 23, a landscaping company he would grow for the next 37 years. But somewhere between nearly tripling his revenue and building a team that could finally run without him, Ivan hit a wall. He'd spent two decades being the top sales guy and visionary, but when he finally started stepping back, he didn't feel free. He felt lost. In our episode, we covered: → Why visionaries make dangerous integrators, and what happens when they finally admit it → How Great Lakes grew 3x and what broke in the process → The "CFI" (Crazy F*cking Idea) incubator model Ivan uses to vet new ventures → What it means to lead a culture where field workers and MBAs learn from each other → How to step back from sales without losing your sense of purpose Ivan, thank you for being so open with your story! I’ve seen how you've really taken to heart that the hardest part of building something great is letting other people take it forward. *Chapters* 0:00 - Introduction & Teaser Highlights 0:37 - Meet Ivan Katz and Great Lakes Landscape Design 1:03 - When Did You Realize You Were a Visionary? 2:30 - The Role of the Visionary: Spirit of the Company 4:06 - Managing Your Energy and Finding Outlets 7:14 - What Makes Great Lakes Different from the Competition 10:31 - Why You Should Call the Landscaper First 14:16 - Growing 3x and What Broke Along the Way 18:20 - The Flaming Visionary Problem: Moving Too Fast 19:17 - The CFI Incubator and New Revenue Streams 29:39 - Who Is the Ideal Great Lakes Client? 32:15 - Lessons Learned as a Visionary 38:29 - Personal Turning Point: Embezzlement and 300 lbs 39:14 - Bob's "I Matter" Work and Coaching Visionaries 40:29 - Identity Crisis: What Happens When They Don't Need You 45:52 - What Does Viva the Visionary Mean to You? ~~~ 📌 Subscribe for weekly conversations with visionaries, founders, and thought leaders! Want to connect with entrepreneurial Visionaries who share your passion for making a real impact? 🌐 https://www.imatter.com

    47 min
  5. May 8

    Why Most Visionaries Get Stuck (And How to Get Free) | Dave Feidner

    Dave Feidner grew a family business into a global operation doing hundreds of millions in revenue. He launched a dozen companies and built something most people only dream about... Then investors called and he had to hand it all over. But that didn't break him. He moved back to the US, started consulting with EOS, and built a new chapter helping visionaries do what he had to learn the hard way: get out of their own way. In this conversation, we cover: → The change equation and what it actually takes to stop resisting → Why visionaries get stuck in their identity instead of living their vision → The four eyes of transformational leadership → What the hero's journey looks like for founders and entrepreneurs → How "grow or die" became more than a core value Thank you Dave, for bringing your whole self to this episode and sharing your story! *Chapters* 0:00 - Welcome to Season 2! 0:39 - Meet Dave Feidner: Philosopher and EOS Implementer 3:08 - Dave's Origin Story: Building a Global Business 9:14 - The Board Meeting That Changed His Life 11:07 - How Dave Discovered EOS 14:20 - The Four Eyes of Transformational Leadership 21:01 - The Hero's Journey and Why Visionaries Avoid It 22:03 - All Growth Comes From Pain 25:10 - Entrepreneurship in Detroit 27:35 - The EO Community and the Power of Connection 31:25 - Impostor Syndrome and the "I Am" Statement 36:00 - Aristotle, Friendship, and the Friends of the Good 37:18 - Should Dave Write a Book? 41:30 - The Origin of Viva the Visionary 44:16 - What It Means to Be "Normal" (Maslow Weighs In) 46:12 - Dave's One Experience Share for Visionaries ~~~ 📌 Subscribe for weekly conversations with visionaries, founders, and thought leaders! Want to connect with entrepreneurial Visionaries who share your passion for making a real impact? 🌐 https://www.imatter.com

    47 min
  6. Apr 23

    🎙️ Episode 47: How Visionaries Turn Big Ideas into Action with David Meyer

    In this episode, Coach Bob and David Meyer explore the role of visionaries in driving innovation, building culture, and navigating change. They discuss practical insights on how visionaries can leverage their strengths, embrace technology, and foster growth both personally and professionally. Timestamps: (00:00) - Introduction to the episode and guest David Meyer (01:09) - The purpose of visionaries: solving problems to help communities (03:20) - Communicating your story and defining your unique value (04:08) - Differentiating correlation from causation in purpose and values (05:01) - How marketing aligns with storytelling and empathy (06:35) - Unlocking the power of the VTO in EOS companies (07:57) - The importance of turning your story into actionable brand benefits (09:37) - Recognizing yourself as a visionary and the impact of ideas vs. execution (10:46) - Early signs of being a visionary and the role of ideas (12:16) - The significance of knowing oneself through assessments like Colby (13:32) - Exploring alternative terms for “visionary” (15:02) - Other roles of visionaries: curiosity, culture, and leadership (17:16) - The importance of delegation and trusting your team (18:38) - Opportunities and challenges in using AI and technology (23:44) - The future of visionaries with rapid technological advancements (25:24) - The power of community in the Visionary Forum and EO (27:01) - What “Viva La Visionary” means: progress, innovation, and leadership 🎧 Listen now on Spotify or watch on YouTube 📌 Subscribe for weekly conversations with visionaries, founders, and thought leaders. imatter.com

    30 min

About

Vivá La Visionary™ is about celebrating and elevating the Visionary entrepreneur. This podcast is for and about Visionaries to share experience and wisdom. Being a Visionary can be exhilarating, but also challenging, so diving into the pitfalls, as well as the successes, can really help those on the same journey feel seen and understood. Ultimately we create a platform for Visionaries to unleash themselves and others. Hosted by Coach Bob Shenefelt, who has been coaching Visionaries for nearly 30 years. He is the founder of The Visionary Forum™, iMatter™ and Author of Unscatter the Chatter™.