Muddy Waters, Clear Vision

Trility Partners
  • 4.5 (4)
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  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Welcome to Muddy Waters, Clear Vision – the podcast that dives deep into the journeys of Louisiana's most successful entrepreneurs. We'll traverse their humble beginnings, celebrate the coaches and leaders who guided them and explore their unique leadership styles. Together, we'll uncover the muddiest moments of their careers – the challenges that turned into blessings, the obstacles that transformed into stepping stones. Our guests will pass on their hard-earned lessons to the next generation of entrepreneurs and discuss the enduring impact they aim to make. As we navigate the waters of their

  1. Ep.63 Aussie Roots, Southern Growth: Stephen Keighery on Community-Driven Real Estate Investing

    4H AGO

    Ep.63 Aussie Roots, Southern Growth: Stephen Keighery on Community-Driven Real Estate Investing

    1/ On Muddy Waters, Clear Vision, Stephen Keighery shares his journey from Bondi Beach, Australia to thriving in Louisiana real estate. Never had a "real" job, always chased entrepreneurship. 2/ The Robert Kiyosaki effect: Attending a seminar in 2000 changed everything for Stephen Keighery! The "cash flow quadrant" opened his eyes to business ownership & investing. Cassette tapes & books galore.3/ Started in marketing consulting for small businesses. Saw a disconnect—university taught big corp marketing, but small businesses need tactical solutions. So he wrote the books colleges still use! 4/ Serendipity alert: A cold call about selling his books led to a garage meeting, business partnership, and ultimately an IPO on the Australian Stock Exchange. Who says garage startups are just for Silicon Valley? 5/ Leadership lessons: “Stephen Keighery says the best leaders are LAZY & INCOMPETENT (really!).” Not about slacking off—it’s about DELEGATING and empowering your team’s expertise. 6/ Muddy moments: Losing his mother at 19, delivering her eulogy. Learned resilience & emotional intelligence—always focus on outcomes, even when life gets rough.7/ Real estate in New Orleans: Stephen Keighery buys distressed properties, revitalizes neighborhoods, and brings them back to life. Vacant since Katrina? He’ll jump in and fix it. Hit 50 deals last week 8/ While others pulled back in a tough market, Stephen Keighery went CONTRARIAN—grew his business, hired, and doubled down. “When everyone else is scared, it’s the time to accelerate!”9/ “Help First.” Community matters. Stephen Keighery went from knowing NO ONE to running meetups, joining investor networks, and connecting thousands—even became a director of the Real Estate Investors Association. 10/ Fun fact: His standard for crawfish étouffée is Chimes in Baton Rouge—though everyone says “my grandma’s is best!” A gumbo of Aussie grit & Louisiana soul.11/Takeaway: Be a go-giver, not a go-getter. Lean into tough times. Use your DIFFERENT perspective. Build community and always help first.12/ Ready to scale up and impact more of the South—“just expand it, 10x it,” says Stephen Keighery.

    30 min
  2. Ep.62 Military Discipline Meets Entrepreneurship: Kiel Harton’s Approach to Leadership and Growth

    APR 7

    Ep.62 Military Discipline Meets Entrepreneurship: Kiel Harton’s Approach to Leadership and Growth

    1/ Ever heard of a "customer service business disguised as home inspections and pest control"? That’s how Kiel Harton describes his company—and that's just the start of his unconventional journey. 2/ Kiel Harton didn't even consult his family before joining the military. Literally walked into a recruiter’s strip mall, asked for a medical job, got redirected from the Marines to the Navy to the Air Force office—and finally landed in the Army.3/ His assignment: Fairbanks, Alaska. Picture negative 70 degrees. Your car won’t even start unless plugged in—to a pole. Extension cords snap. “Life is what you make of it,” Kiel Harton says; mindset is everything. 4/ Returning from service, Kiel Harton saw his friends making bank in real estate, so he pivoted from chemical engineering at LSU to selling homes. His secret? If someone else could, so could he. That first year: nearly $100k earned. 5/ But the entrepreneurial path wasn't about the money. "[If you're just in it for cash, it's not worth it. Get a job and crush it there.]" Kiel Harton's true driver: creating good careers for others and building community from the inside. 6/ Flash-forward: Kiel Harton franchised his company (HDMK), grew to 10 locations, and once did 820 inspections in a year. Yes, that’s about 3-4 every single day. Sleep? Optional. 7/ How did military leadership shape him? “[Early on I was] very direct, very hardcore, not a lot of empathy.” Years—and many books—later, his philosophy is, “Meet people where they’re at. Ask. Listen. Understand.”8/ Hardest lesson? Friendships don’t always translate to business partnerships. Closing a company felt like failure—and losing identity. His advice: When it’s time to pivot or even shut down, it’s not quitting. Sometimes, that’s the bravest move. 9/ What’s next? Disrupting Jamaica(!) where nobody does inspections. After a two-year battle with red tape, Kiel Harton's opening the first franchise there—and building tailored inspection software for the industry. 10/ Wisdom from Kiel Harton: “Everybody abuses the time they have. If you have an idea—just DO it. Don’t put it off.” Grit, growth, serving others—and not being afraid to break new ground (or freeze a little in Alaska). Follow for more real-life journeys from the front lines of entrepreneurship!

    31 min
  3. Ep.61 Stirring Change: Katie Jenkins Champions Jobs for Adults with Disabilities

    MAR 31

    Ep.61 Stirring Change: Katie Jenkins Champions Jobs for Adults with Disabilities

    1/ Meet Katie Jenkins: a Baton Rouge native who went from juggling 4 college jobs to running a thriving therapy center for kids with autism AND launching a coffee shop that employs adults with disabilities. Her superpower? Believing in people before they believe in themselves.2/ Katie Jenkins didn’t grow up dreaming of being a business owner, but her dad saw her relentless go-getter spirit early on (and yes, he STILL works post-retirement—entrepreneur genes run deep!).3/ To pay for college, she waited tables at a country club. Her dad’s advice? “Make every connection you can, smile, and have all these people remember you—they're the influential people in the community.” This is how networking is REALLY done.4/ One table at a time—literally—she fell in love with special needs work after nannying for a child with cerebral palsy and then meeting a family at the club who got her into applied behavior analysis. It wasn’t the plan, but it became her passion.5/ She spent 10 years working in the field, eventually running a clinic. Then, COVID hit. The business model imploded. Katie Jenkins worked herself into panic attacks trying to keep up while raising two toddlers.6/ At her lowest, her husband said: “If you're going to have panic attacks, have them for your own business.” The spark. The leap. And then… an unexpected call: space was available if she wanted to open her own clinic. A literal prayer answered.7/ She opened Grace Therapy Center in 2021. Within months, it BLEW UP. Waitlist for 5 years straight. The hustle was scrappy—they ran the clinic out of a church worship space, transforming it every weekend like a pop-up for 45 kids!8/ Fast forward: Now Grace has THREE locations and 140 employees (up from 60 just a couple years ago). Her secret? Hiring passionate college students and maintaining a 1:1 therapist-to-kid ratio. If you believe you can do better, you WILL.9/ Not stopping there—her passion project: opening Stir, a coffee shop employing adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “If we can staff with 80% disabled adults, ANY business can do 5-10%.” BIG vision, bigger impact.10/ Next to STIR, she launched the Strides nonprofit—helping find meaningful, safe employment for adults with disabilities. She wants to end the post-COVID isolation for so many who are at home and just need that ONE opportunity.11/ Her leadership style? Empowering. “Katie Jenkins: I look for the best in people and I’m crazy enough to say, ‘This is what you can do,’ before you even believe it. Then I pull it out of you.”12/ What drives her? “Our community deserves it. People love to complain about Baton Rouge. But you can DO something and make it better.” Less talk, more impact.13/ Her advice to her younger self and every dreamer out there: “Buckle up. You have no control. But trust your gut—you’re making a bigger difference than you know.”14/ If you’re in Baton Rouge, go grab your Friday morning coffee at Stir—you might leave with more than just caffeine; you’ll leave INSPIRED.#Inclusion #Leadership #Entrepreneurship

    31 min
  4. Ep.60 Overcoming Setbacks: Chris Rinaudo’s Insights on Business, Family, and Personal Growth

    MAR 26

    Ep.60 Overcoming Setbacks: Chris Rinaudo’s Insights on Business, Family, and Personal Growth

    1/ Meet Chris Rinaudo — small-town kid from St. Francisville, LA, who never saw himself as an “entrepreneur.” Instead, he’s just someone who dove into business and life, learning by doing and adapting along the way.2/ After dreaming of being a doctor, Chris Rinaudo realized LSU had other plans (and a LOT of distractions). He switched gears, joined the Navy, became an aerospace physiologist, and learned the art of reinvention.3/ Military life instilled discipline, but it was corporate America at Shaw Group that forced Chris Rinaudo to unlearn old ways, adapt to new cultures, and start seeing the world differently.4/ Bet big, sometimes fall hard. Chris Rinaudo’s first “breakout” moment building post-Katrina housing fizzled. Then came an oil spill, a wild road trip, and—after a printer-in-the-truck hustle—a big BP housing contract. Never a dull moment!5/ Entrepreneurship is muddy. Chris Rinaudo thought he was losing it all with Baton Rouge Cargo, but tough times built resilience. Living through real anxiety and reaching out for help (hello, Italian Yoda) turned it around.6/ On leadership: Don’t just grind from the front. Chris Rinaudo learned that scaling a business means hiring people who think for themselves, empowering them, and sharing the “parable of the oranges” (look it up, it’s gold!).7/ Real talk—sometimes families try to do EVERYTHING for a loved one in need. Chris Rinaudo learned (the hard way) that bringing in expert caregivers isn’t just smart—it lets families focus on loving, not burning out.8/ Growth isn’t linear. Chris Rinaudo jumped from stone to stone, sometimes backwards, but always looking for the next step forward. That’s the “Muddy Waters, Clear Vision” mantra.9/ His wisdom to younger self (and all of us): You don’t have to lead from the front. Build teams who challenge you, teach them to think for themselves, and invest in their growth.10/ Whether it’s scaling Moore Care for senior citizens or supporting employees, Chris Rinaudo’s story is proof: resilience, asking for help, and letting go of ego are the real keys to fulfillment.Share with a friend who needs a dose of gritty inspiration—and remember, it’s OK if the vision’s not always clear. Just keep moving forward!#Entrepreneur #Leadership #GrowthMindset #BusinessJourney

    39 min
  5. Ep.59 Turning Life’s Losses Into Lessons: The Carey Ourso Interview

    MAR 19

    Ep.59 Turning Life’s Losses Into Lessons: The Carey Ourso Interview

    1/ Meet Carey Ourso: He went from broke baseball coach to owning 14 Jani-King, franchises and powering a movement grounded in faith, hope, and community. But the path wasn’t easy. 2/ “All of the tragedies have really directed me to where I am today... No matter what life has dealt you, you can still do this because I'm living proof.” 3/ Carey Ourso isn’t shy about the pain: divorce, loss of two spouses, a brain bleed, his third wife's battle with cancer — every setback became fuel for his next victory. 4/ When his barber suggested writing a book, Carey Ourso was skeptical. But the heartbreak of losing his wife sparked ‘Victory Shadow,’ a raw, honest look at how to win despite tragedy. 5/ The book turned into more than a business manual — it became a beacon of hope. Readers reach out saying: “I now know I can make it through what I'm going through because you did.” 6/ Carey Ourso’s 3 pillars of success: Serve othersDuplicate yourselfMultiply your businessHe credits serving a homeless woman with unlocking his biggest business blessing. She prayed for his success — he became the biggest Jani-King, franchisee in the world. 7/ “I went from leading a team to being the team... to building a team bigger than I ever imagined.” Whether coaching or business, Carey Ourso learned leadership is about elevating others. 8/ Legacy advice to his younger self? “This is less about you than what you think. Keep giving, keep serving.” 9/ Faith is the core. Carey Ourso leaned into his beliefs during adversity. “If you pray for small things, it’s kind of insulting to the big God we have. Pray big prayers.” 10/ With his daughter now running day-to-day operations, Carey Ourso is passionate about the #CareyGMovement — empowering business owners to think bigger, serve deeper, and live freer. 11/ If you’re in the mud, remember Carey Ourso’s story: You’re just one big prayer, generous act, or hard pivot away from your next breakthrough. #entrepreneurship #leadership #faith #businessgrowth

    29 min
  6. Ep.58 How Ancient Wisdom Shapes Modern CEOs: Lessons from Samurai and Lost Civilizations

    MAR 10

    Ep.58 How Ancient Wisdom Shapes Modern CEOs: Lessons from Samurai and Lost Civilizations

    1/ Meet Don Schmincke: didn’t plan on being a leadership guru. He started as a bored high school dropout in Baltimore, was dragged back by the cops to finish, and somehow wound up at MIT pushing the boundaries of electrical engineering and early AI.2/ The secret? “No plan. There still isn’t a plan.” Don Schmincke has always followed what fascinated him—even if it meant experimenting on his new “favorite species”: humans.3/ 🔍 His curiosity led to funding self-guided expeditions across the globe: “Every year I would fund an expedition or two...there was never any plan, just the pursuit of learning something new.” From tribes in Bhutan to African cultures, he chases what makes humans tick.4/ Happiness isn’t just a metric—it was the national strategy in Bhutan! Don Schmincke tells a wild story of meeting Sherpas who looked at our “space shuttles and skyscrapers” and replied, “But you don’t look happy.” Oof, modern life called OUT.5/ What did he do with all this? Became a guide for CEOs, using what he learned in the wild to help leaders adapt & thrive. “Corporations are just different tribes—with their own belief systems and cultural rules.”6/ The most powerful leadership skill? Learning how to LOSE.“Winners are the ones that know how to lose. Fall down 7 times, get up 8. Never stay down.”7/ Failure isn’t the end. It’s the secret ingredient. Before their story makes it to the books, every accomplished entrepreneur knows: it’s a string of failures strung together by relentless persistence.8/ Why don’t business books tell you this? Don Schmincke calls out the industry: “35,000 management books published every year…but the same issues have been around for 700 years.” Maybe it’s time we STOP looking for easy checklists and start embracing the messy stuff.9/ “Leadership is unsafe. It’s uncharted waters. Winning comes from relying on things that really work—even if they’re hard, messy, and counterintuitive.”10/ His best advice? Trust is great—until it’s not. “There’s a point when trust becomes stupid. Test, don’t assume.” Ouch, but true for any business leader.11/ Generosity matters—but be smart about it. Give when it betters the world, but don’t let yourself get burned: generosity is a spectrum, not an on-off switch.12/ In the end, Don Schmincke’s biggest impact comes from teaching—learning, sharing, questioning, and helping others grow. “When a student comes back years later and says, you changed my life—that makes it all worth it.”If you’re a leader, aspiring change-maker, or just a fellow human, remember: keep getting up, stay curious, and don’t wait for a plan to start exploring.What failures have taught YOU the most?

    37 min
  7. Ep.57 Designing Your Future: Entrepreneurial Wisdom and Impact with Jeff Hoffman

    MAR 3

    Ep.57 Designing Your Future: Entrepreneurial Wisdom and Impact with Jeff Hoffman

    1/ “Every day, I try to learn one new thing I didn't need to know.”This is Jeff Hoffman’s “info sponging”—20 mins daily outside your field sparks innovation. Stay curious, keep ideas fresh, fight tunnel vision.2/ As a 24-year-old CEO, Jeff Hoffman wasn’t a business prodigy—he knew how to LISTEN and make people feel heard.Consensus management > barking orders. Leadership starts with real communication.3/ Leave your echo chamber!Healthcare exec? Go to a banking conference. Jeff Hoffman credits his wildest ideas to learning from OUTSIDE his industry. That’s cross-pollination for the win.4/ “Being an entrepreneur is like jumping off a cliff and trying to build an airplane on the way down.” ✈️Excited by the unknown? You might be wired for entrepreneurship. Terrified? Maybe not.5/ FAILURES were his biggest teachers.Jeff Hoffman’s first internet startup (“Virtual Shopping”) tanked because he never ASKED customers what they wanted.His lesson? “The only opinion that matters is the one who pays you for it.”6/ We all take advice from people who care, but aren’t qualified.“We get advice from proximity, not relevance,” Jeff Hoffman says. Listen to people who’ve DONE what you want to do. Not just friends & family.7/ Early business success left him… empty. The real fulfillment? Using that “platform” to serve others—mentoring, building youth homes, funding education.Impact beats cars and cash every time.8/ What’s Jeff Hoffman’s ideal legacy? That he helped young people see new paths, and changed lives for good.Success ≠ money. It’s the freedom to give back.9/ Want a more epic life? Jeff Hoffman’s advice: leave each day with actionable steps to design the future you want—not settling for “default.”If you found this inspiring, share it. 🧡#Startups #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Learning

    38 min
  8. Ep.56 Lessons from the Mortgage Industry: Ryan Larussa’s Muddy Waters Clear Vision Experience

    FEB 12

    Ep.56 Lessons from the Mortgage Industry: Ryan Larussa’s Muddy Waters Clear Vision Experience

    1️⃣ "We're blessed to be a blessing."Ryan Larussa opens with a principle: Always lead AND reach back to bring others along. Leadership is about serving, not just winning. 🙏2️⃣ When the market crashed in 2008, Ryan Larussa lost 60-70% of income overnight, team size shrank from 35 to 5, and everything seemed to crumble. His takeaway? You can’t control the market, but you CAN control your mindset and actions.3️⃣ What saved him?COACHING & MENTORSHIP.He credits steadfast mentors, coaches, and a strong small group for keeping him afloat. "A coach can help you get back on track quicker," he says.4️⃣ Success isn't solo."When you're at the top, everyone wants to knock you off. When you're at the bottom, few reach down to pull you up."Build relationships—your future depends on them.5️⃣ Scarcity vs. Abundance:Growing up with little, Ryan Larussa learned giving isn’t just about money. Serve with your time, talents, and resources. “When you serve others, it always comes back tenfold.”6️⃣ REAL TALK for leaders in dark places:Isolation is REAL. Journaling, gratitude walks, and transparency with trusted peers are Ryan Larussa's tools to fight the loneliness that comes from high expectations. Don’t settle for “I’m fine”—dig deeper.7️⃣ FOCUS ON THE GAIN, not the GAP.We tend to obsess over what’s missing rather than how far we’ve come. Celebrate wins, however small. Share the journey.8️⃣ Legacy > Transactions“Fifteen years from now, nobody will remember my mortgage numbers. But they'll remember the impact I made and the relationships I forged.”Lead with integrity, faith, and a servant’s heart.🔑 TAKEAWAY:Surround yourself with mentors. Serve even when it hurts. Invest in relationships. Leave a legacy that outlives your job title.👏 Tag a leader who’s lifting others as they climb!#Leadership #Mentorship #Legacy #AbundanceMindset #BusinessWisdom

    30 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Welcome to Muddy Waters, Clear Vision – the podcast that dives deep into the journeys of Louisiana's most successful entrepreneurs. We'll traverse their humble beginnings, celebrate the coaches and leaders who guided them and explore their unique leadership styles. Together, we'll uncover the muddiest moments of their careers – the challenges that turned into blessings, the obstacles that transformed into stepping stones. Our guests will pass on their hard-earned lessons to the next generation of entrepreneurs and discuss the enduring impact they aim to make. As we navigate the waters of their

Information

  • Creator
    Trility Partners
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Trility Partners
  • Show Website
    Muddy Waters, Clear Vision