Living Your Legacy

Rudy Mawer
  • 4.8 (16)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

A podcast that brings you closer to the individuals who have built the brands, businesses, and movements that inspire us all. Each episode features an in-depth conversation with one of the dynamic entrepreneurs from all walks of life, offering listeners a front-row seat to their journeys, insights, and expertise. Through candid dialogue, discover how these innovators turned their ideas into thriving enterprises, the challenges they overcame, and the lessons they learned along the way. From behind-the-scenes stories of building their legacies to actionable advice on leadership, marketing, mindset, and more, this podcast is your guide to applying their wisdom to your own path. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned professional, or simply someone hungry for inspiration, These Conversations will deliver the motivation and tools to fuel your ambitions. Get ready to be inspired, informed, and empowered to leave your own legacy.

  1. 2d ago

    How An Immigrant Turned Uncertainty Into Opportunity

    When Katya Borisova leaves Bulgaria for the United States, she carries little more than ambition, determination, and the belief that there has to be more waiting on the other side of uncertainty. Without speaking the language and struggling to find her place in a completely unfamiliar culture, she faces the loneliness, self-doubt, and fear that many immigrants know all too well. But instead of allowing those obstacles to define her future, she begins following opportunities wherever they appear. In this episode of Living Your Legacy, Katya shares how trusting her intuition led her from corporate leadership into entrepreneurship, real estate investing, appraisal services, and even founding a Bulgarian school to preserve culture for future generations. She reveals the lessons she learned about resilience, identity, community, and why some of life's biggest breakthroughs happen when you say yes before you're fully ready. This is a conversation about courage, reinvention, and the power of taking the next step when you cannot yet see the entire path. Key Takeaways • Trust opportunities that appear before the full picture becomes clear. • Self-belief is often built through action, not confidence. • Preserving culture can become a powerful form of leadership. • Entrepreneurship begins by solving problems that matter personally. • Legacy is built through the people you inspire along the way. Notable Quotes • "If something shows up and feels like a stepping stone, you step on it and keep moving." • "I learned to trust my intuition." • "If she can do it, I can do it too." • "You're not good enough. You better tone it down." • "If I can inspire one person, that's enough."

    20 min

  2. 2d ago

    From Pro Soccer Player to Fashion Founder

    What happens when a professional athlete walks away from the dream she spent years chasing and starts over in an industry where she has no experience, no roadmap, and no guarantees? In this episode of Living Your Legacy, Kristin Silvestri shares the defining moments that shaped her journey from professional soccer player to fashion entrepreneur, clothing designer, and owner of The Collective Park City. She opens up about taking bold leaps into the unknown, moving to Los Angeles without a plan, building a fashion brand from scratch, showing at New York Fashion Week, and navigating the uncertainty of launching a retail business during COVID-19. Through stories of resilience, creativity, leadership, and community building, Kristin reveals why success often comes from saying yes before you feel ready. This conversation explores entrepreneurship, fashion design, women's leadership, personal growth, and the mindset required to create a business and life that truly reflect who you are. Key Takeaways Fear is often a signal that growth is on the other side.You do not need all the answers before taking action.Building a business requires resilience, adaptability, and creativity.Fashion can be a powerful tool for confidence and self-expression.Great leaders create environments where their teams can thrive. Notable Quotes "Feeling that fear and just going after it.""Just saying yes without having all the answers.""Fashion is the armor to survive the realities of everyday life.""You have to leap towards those big bad audacious things.""The dream and drive must be there."

    16 min

  3. 2d ago

    From Cardiac Surgery to Reinventing Herself

    After spending more than a decade in the high-pressure world of cardiac surgery, Lauren Velkoff appears to have built the life she was supposed to want. She follows the rules, checks every box, and rises through one of the most demanding careers in healthcare. Yet beneath the success, something feels missing. In this powerful conversation, Lauren reflects on resilience, reinvention, leadership, and the courage required to step beyond expectations. From navigating life inside operating rooms to launching Lanna Beauty Bar, coaching others through transformation, and creating a new vision for her future, she shares the mindset shifts that changed everything. Along the way, Lauren explores what it means to trust yourself, embrace uncertainty, and keep moving forward when the path ahead is unclear. For entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, and anyone facing a major life transition, this episode offers a raw look at growth, self-discovery, and the resilience required to build a legacy that is truly your own. Key Takeaways Resilience is a skill that can be developed through intentional action.Growth happens when you choose progress over safety and comfort.Major career success does not always equal personal fulfillment.Self-discovery often begins when you stop living by other people's expectations.Leadership starts with treating people with respect, empathy, and integrity. Notable Quotes "I am my own driving force when it comes to that. I built the resilience.""I continue to challenge it in many ways just to see how close I get to falling on my face and getting back up.""Once you get so far out there, there is no going back to shore.""I'm not deep enough, but I can't see the shoreline.""Treat others as you want to be treated."

    19 min

  4. 2d ago

    From Foster Care Statistics to Entrepreneurial Success

    Alexia Ramos/Reichel grows up being told she will become another statistic. Raised in the foster care system, surrounded by abuse, neglect, homelessness, trafficking, and constant adversity, the odds are stacked against her from the beginning. Yet instead of accepting the future others predict for her, she makes a different decision. In this emotional episode of Living Your Legacy, Alexia shares how education, resilience, entrepreneurship, and an unbreakable belief in herself help her transform pain into purpose. From earning licenses in real estate and cosmetology to building Diamond Redd Artistry LLC, she reveals how every setback became fuel for growth. Along the way, she discusses breaking generational curses, overcoming self-doubt, investing in personal development, building a business as a single mother, and creating opportunities for other aspiring entrepreneurs. This is a powerful conversation about survival, self-worth, entrepreneurship, and the mindset required to rewrite your future when the world has already written you off. Key Takeaways Your past does not determine your future.Education is one of the most powerful tools for changing your life.Entrepreneurship can become a pathway to freedom and healing.Breaking generational curses starts with personal responsibility.Every setback can become fuel for future success. Notable Quotes "We're not following statistics. We're breaking those.""I want to break generational curses.""Believe in yourself. Say positive affirmations to yourself daily.""Every day there's a chance to learn.""Never give up and always invest in yourself."

    17 min

  5. 2d ago

    How a Marketing Entrepreneur Saved a Family Business

    What happens when the business you never planned to join becomes the one you're called to protect? In this episode of Living Your Legacy, Cheri Martinen, owner of Bancorp Insurance, shares the journey from running a successful marketing company to stepping into a family business that spans multiple generations. She opens up about entrepreneurship, leadership, company culture, and the responsibility that comes with carrying forward a legacy built by her father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Along the way, she challenges common misconceptions about insurance, explains why financial education matters, and reveals how putting people first has shaped both her business and her mission. From sales and customer service to community impact and long-term business growth, this conversation delivers practical lessons for entrepreneurs looking to build something that lasts. Key Takeaways Why understanding insurance as a financial product changes everything.How a strong company culture leads to better customer experiences.The role sales skills play in entrepreneurial success.What motivated Cheri to take over her family's insurance agency.Why education and trust are critical in building long-term client relationships. Notable Quotes "Insurance is a financial product.""People aren't educated on the insurance product, so you don't know what you're buying.""My staff is extremely important to me in taking care of them so that they can take care of our customers.""Ideally, they never use my product.""If it's a brand new business, man, you got to sell stuff."

    19 min

  6. 4d ago

    From Landfills to Roads: The Garbage Revolution

    Benjamin Horvat, founder of Lewis Structures LLC, is building a groundbreaking solution that could redefine waste management, construction, and environmental sustainability. Instead of seeing landfills as permanent dumping grounds, he sees them as the future source of construction materials. In this episode of Living Your Legacy, Benjamin reveals how his patented MSWagg technology transforms municipal solid waste, cosmetic waste, and plastic waste into lightweight construction aggregate stronger than traditional gravel. As he launches his first production facility in Wisconsin, he shares the challenges of scaling a waste-to-materials business, overcoming regulatory resistance, reducing microplastics contamination, and creating a circular economy solution with massive environmental impact. Key Takeaways How municipal solid waste can be transformed into construction-grade aggregateWhy microplastics contamination may become one of the biggest environmental crisesThe process behind turning garbage into lightweight gravel for roads and concreteHow innovation and patents helped secure long-term market control through 2039Why landfills could eventually become valuable construction resources Notable Quotes “The landfills of the future can be a source of construction.”“We are a wonderful solution for reducing microplastics contamination in society.”“You’ve created the seventh aggregate of the USA.”“Anytime when you are making aggregate out of microplastics, you're removing it from the environment.”“The landfill material dumped all across the world can be put under roads as a construction aggregate.”

    15 min

  7. 4d ago

    From Army Intelligence to Fighting for Children

    After growing up in poverty in rural South Dakota and surviving a childhood shaped by domestic violence, Darshann M. Wienick refuses to let children become collateral damage in the family court system. In this emotional episode of LIVING YOUR LEGACY, the former U.S. Army intelligence linguist, family law attorney, therapist, and founder of Child-Centered Advocacy reveals how witnessing her husband’s devastating child custody battle changed the course of her life forever. Darshann opens up about trauma-informed family law, high-conflict custody disputes, coercive control, and why California’s family court system is failing children. She shares the mindset that helped her overcome anxiety, adversity, and burnout while building a mission-driven legal practice designed to protect families and create lasting reform. Key Takeaways Growing up in poverty and chaos can fuel resilience and purposeTrauma-informed family law can radically change child custody outcomesHigh-conflict custody battles often prioritize control instead of childrenRadical self-compassion and forgiveness create long-term strengthBuilding a nonprofit became Darshann’s solution to helping families who cannot afford legal support Notable Quotes “Someone’s got to do something.”“I focus the rest of my life on fighting for kids in family court.”“I have learned how to fail.”“Be fearless. Fall flat on your face. Get back up. Keep fighting.”“Children are more important than patents.”

    18 min

  8. 4d ago

    From Trauma to Building a Healing Boutique

    Growing up surrounded by generational trauma, mental health struggles, substance abuse, and instability, Cassandra Wilson refuses to let her past define her. In this episode of LIVING YOUR LEGACY, the founder of Inkeri Boutique shares how entrepreneurship became her path to healing, empowerment, and renewal. From running her fashion boutique out of a garage to opening a brick-and-mortar space in Pittsburgh, Cassandra reveals how she transformed pain into purpose while building a brand rooted in confidence and community. She opens up about resilience, breaking toxic cycles, overcoming adversity, and why she believes fashion can become a healing experience. This is a raw conversation about mindset, identity, mental health, entrepreneurship, and creating a legacy that inspires others to rebuild their lives. Key Takeaways • How Cassandra turned childhood trauma and substance abuse into entrepreneurial fuel • Why Inkeri Boutique was built to be more than a fashion brand • The mindset shift that helped her break generational cycles • How opening a brick-and-mortar store changed her purpose and confidence • Why healing, empowerment, and community are central to her business philosophy Notable Quotes • “You are not bound by your past. You are forging your own future.” • “This business is saving my life.” • “The cycle ends with me.” • “I want it to be healing. I want it to be grounding.” • “Our past does not define us. It equips us.”

    18 min
See All (191)

4.8
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

A podcast that brings you closer to the individuals who have built the brands, businesses, and movements that inspire us all. Each episode features an in-depth conversation with one of the dynamic entrepreneurs from all walks of life, offering listeners a front-row seat to their journeys, insights, and expertise. Through candid dialogue, discover how these innovators turned their ideas into thriving enterprises, the challenges they overcame, and the lessons they learned along the way. From behind-the-scenes stories of building their legacies to actionable advice on leadership, marketing, mindset, and more, this podcast is your guide to applying their wisdom to your own path. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned professional, or simply someone hungry for inspiration, These Conversations will deliver the motivation and tools to fuel your ambitions. Get ready to be inspired, informed, and empowered to leave your own legacy.

Information

  • Creator
    Rudy Mawer
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    191
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Rudy Mawer
  • Show Website
    Living Your Legacy

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