Make It Count ™ with Tanya Waymire

Tanya Waymire
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Make It Count™ is a show about builders. Entrepreneurs. Operators. Investors. Sales leaders. People who move. Hosted by Tanya Waymire, each episode is a direct conversation with high-capacity humans who have done the work—built companies, scaled teams, raised capital, created impact, and carried the weight that comes with it. This is not theory. It’s lived experience. You’ll hear how real businesses are structured. How deals are funded. How culture is shaped. How authority is built. How setbacks are absorbed and converted into leverage. The throughline is simple: clarity creates movement,

  1. Sep 9

    From Engineer to Private Lender: Paul Brown on Risk, Reinvention & Building Forward

    Paul Brown thought he was answering a wrong number. Instead, he was being asked to lend $89,000 in second position on a fix-and-flip—something he had never done before. That unexpected yes became the beginning of a private lending business and a new chapter he never planned. Paul began as a mechanical engineer, spent nearly three decades in global banking and financial services across the United States, Japan and Singapore, and eventually built businesses of his own. Today, he operates private lending, private credit and debt and surplus recovery businesses. In this conversation, we talk about the cost and value of a W-2 career, the risk of building from scratch, how he evaluates deals, why deal flow takes longer than people expect, and what it takes to build businesses that can operate beyond you. Paul also shares the lesson he wants people to carry with them: your mistakes are not your identity, and your worth is not determined by what you produce.

  2. Sep 2

    Tye Patrick (Shay Fox): The Business of Unforgettable — Leadership, Creativity & Living Authentically

    Some people walk into a room and get noticed. Tye Patrick knows how to walk into a room and make everybody else feel seen. I’ve known Tye for more than 20 years, and I’ve watched that gift show up everywhere he goes—from luxury retail and entrepreneurship to producing live entertainment and stepping onstage as Shay Fox. But this conversation went somewhere much bigger than the stage. Tye has built his career around understanding people: what makes them feel something, what makes an experience memorable, how to lead different personalities, and why the person on the other side of the table should matter more than your own ego. We talk about the business behind creating unforgettable experiences, why he considers himself an entertainer and businessman before an artist, and what leading a highly creative team has taught him about communication, accountability and earning respect instead of demanding it. And then we go deeper. Tye opens up about separating his public and private worlds, protecting his peace, refusing to let negativity take up valuable space, and the very personal journey of reconciling his faith with who he knew himself to be. One of my favorite things he says in this conversation: “They walked so I could run. I’m running so you can fly.” This episode is about leadership, creativity, business, faith, identity and having the courage to live authentically—without waiting for somebody else to give you permission. If you lead people, build experiences, run a business, create for a living, or have ever wrestled with who the world expects you to be versus who you actually are, there’s something in this conversation for you. Tye Patrick. Entrepreneur. Producer. Leader. Entertainer. Husband. Father. Friend. And one seriously unforgettable human.

  3. Aug 19

    Beyond the Title | How to Lead Through Change Without Losing Yourself: Dr. Debra Atkisson

    If your answer to “Who are you?” begins with your title, this conversation may hit closer than you expect. Dr. Debra Atkisson brings more than 35 years of experience as a psychiatrist, physician leader and mentor—along with the lived perspective of facing cancer at 29 and being forced to confront her own mortality, faith and identity. We unpack why understanding yourself doesn’t automatically create change, how resilience can become a mask for high achievers and what unaddressed pressure eventually does to the people you lead. Dr. Debra also shares why your value cannot depend on what you produce—and the two words she wishes everyone would claim: “I matter.” Stay through the end. Her story about one teacher, one struggling student and a ripple he never knew he started brings the entire conversation home. If you’re building success without wanting to disappear inside it, press play—and subscribe to Make It Count™ for more conversations that challenge how you lead, live and use what you’ve been trusted with.

  4. Aug 12

    The Psychology of Value: Peter Arner on Real Estate, Reinvention & Seeing What Others Miss

    What if everything you built stayed behind—but the skills that built it came with you? Peter Arner left an established New York career and started over in St. Petersburg before Compass had an office—or another agent—in Tampa Bay. He trusted what he saw, answered the phone when others didn’t and became the founding Compass agent in St. Petersburg. But this isn’t simply a real estate success story. It’s a conversation about what makes success portable. Peter and I unpack how to separate genuine value from a well-told story, why listening beats selling and how relationships outperform cold lead generation. We also get into the judgment required to recognize a real opportunity—not simply one you want to believe in—and why Peter approaches every client as though the first transaction could be the first of ten. Then we get to the deeper why: the family legacy that taught Peter never to take opportunity for granted—and the deeply personal reason he is determined to build something that lasts beyond him. If you’re rebuilding, making a significant decision or trying to create a business people return to and refer, this conversation will challenge how you think about value, resilience, trust and what truly travels with you when you begin again.

  5. Aug 5

    Building in a Man’s World: Zasil Oviedo on Construction, Real Estate & Trust

    Zasil “Z” Oviedo is not just talking about construction, real estate, and affordable housing — she is building the machine to execute it. In this episode of Make It Count, Tanya Waymire sits down with Z, founder of GO Contracting and co-founder of A3 Creative Partners, for a conversation on building in a male-dominated industry, taking the con out of contracting, and creating work rooted in trust, systems, and family. Z shares how she went from operations and estimating to owning a construction company in DFW, what contractors and real estate investors often underestimate, and why her mission to help house 5,000 people is deeply personal. This conversation goes beyond business. It is about dignity, generational change, affordable housing, and building something big without losing what matters most. Subscribe to Make It Count for conversations with people building lives, businesses, and legacies that actually matter.

  6. Jul 29

    Melissa Collins: The Singer Who Lost Her Singing Voice and Found Her Sound

    Melissa Collins grew up a Kentucky girl through and through — singing before she was 10, offered record label at 11, raised around music, and carrying the kind of voice people do not forget. Her career took her from the hills of Kentucky to Los Angeles, where her debut release was submitted for Grammy consideration in six categories. But then the thing that made her Melissa was suddenly gone. Health challenges caused vocal damage, and for years, she could not sing the way she once had. Then one day, years later, her voice came back. Not just her voice — her range, strength, control, and confidence came back, too. In this episode of Make It Count, Melissa shares the story of losing her voice, finding it again, and stepping into what feels less like a comeback and more like a rebirth. We talk about Kentucky roots, the dream that started young, being offered a record deal at eleven, opening for George Jones, the lessons of Los Angeles, and the new music she is writing now from a healed, honest, stronger place. Melissa also shares what it means to be chosen for the 50 Over 50 project, record at Abbey Road, work with a full orchestra, and head toward performances connected to the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium. This conversation is about music, resilience, faith, joy, second acts, and what happens when the silence does not get the final word. For anyone wondering if the dream is too late, too far gone, or already behind you — Melissa’s story says otherwise.

  7. Jul 22

    Scott W. Klein: The CEO Who Never Led the Same Industry Twice

    Scott W. Klein has led in at least eight different industries, helped grow one company from $12 million to nearly $1 billion, and later helped guide LanguageLine Solutions through its $1.5 billion acquisition by Teleperformance. But this conversation is not just about business wins. On this episode of the Make It Count Podcast™, Scott shares what he learned from more than four decades of leading startups, turnarounds, acquisitions, bankruptcies, global teams, and major transformations. He breaks down his Realtime Transformation approach, why busy work kills momentum, how to create a culture of alignment, and what it really takes to lead people through change. We also talk about the leadership lessons that move beyond the boardroom — family, service, listening, accountability, client satisfaction, and the discipline of knowing where you are going before you start the journey. Scott’s forthcoming book, Leadership for Life, brings those lessons together for business leaders, parents, coaches, community leaders, and anyone who wants to lead themselves and others better. If you have ever wondered what separates activity from real progress, or what leadership looks like when the pressure is high and people are counting on you, this episode is worth your time.

  8. Jul 15

    Jamie Davis, Esq. | DME, Healthcare Real Estate & Life After Corporate

    Jamie Davis, Esq. joins Tanya Waymire on Make It Count to talk about the shift from Fortune 500 legal, compliance, and real estate roles at Walmart and AMC Theatres to building healthcare businesses, DME ventures, behavioral health facilities, and healthcare real estate. This is not a polished “left corporate and everything got easy” story. Jamie talks about faith, timing, being hospitalized with COVID, buying her first fourplex, entering the durable medical equipment space, launching Cornerstone Medical Supply and The DME Launch Pad, and building regulated businesses the right way. She also shares the deeply personal reason behind The Mental Shift Wellness Center and her work in behavioral health after losing her best friend to suicide. If you have built the career, earned the title, and still feel pulled toward ownership, this conversation will meet you there. Jamie brings legal precision, operator grit, and a real heart for serving people — and her next chapter is already in motion. Subscribe to Make It Count for conversations with builders, founders, leaders, and people choosing to do something meaningful with what they’ve been given. Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide, grief, and behavioral health.

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About

Make It Count™ is a show about builders. Entrepreneurs. Operators. Investors. Sales leaders. People who move. Hosted by Tanya Waymire, each episode is a direct conversation with high-capacity humans who have done the work—built companies, scaled teams, raised capital, created impact, and carried the weight that comes with it. This is not theory. It’s lived experience. You’ll hear how real businesses are structured. How deals are funded. How culture is shaped. How authority is built. How setbacks are absorbed and converted into leverage. The throughline is simple: clarity creates movement,

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