The Whole Enchilada Podcast

The Whole Enchilada Podcast
The Whole Enchilada Podcast

Welcome to a gathering place created for leaders by leaders. You will find here conversations about starting and guiding organizations, whether for-profit or nonprofit. Our name, The Whole Enchilada, refers to a leadership spirit. These are the brave, buoyant souls who go all in, dreaming of better ways to solve problems. In each episode, host Mitch Santala, CEO of a startup supporting the financial services industry, and his guests target two objectives: offering encouragement and providing insights to those on the sometimes foggy, often risky, and always rewarding path called leadership.

  1. Hard But Worth It - Finale

    03/21/2023 · BONUS

    Hard But Worth It - Finale

    Mitch and Whole Enchilada guest, Kirk Wayman, founder of Ikon Coaching, dive into some carne asada tacos and talk about the finer points of slow-roasted pork. Chicken fajitas get an honorable mention and the piece de resistance: chips and salsa. While dining, Mitch mentions a big reveal at the end of this episode.   Happy and full of carne asada, Mitch tells the story of how he met Kirk through mutual friends and his reputation as executive coach. He likens this kind of coaching to professional sports coaching…with a few key differences. Kirk gets into the history of the industry, and how it was, at one time, only for the elite. But coaching is changing, just like work is changing (hint:  we used to be an agrarian economy) Today is more about humanity and its delivery of its own product: self.  With that evolution, coaching is now broadly available.  Kirk says to be a coach, you have to access something that takes time to curate and gain your scars. He believes that coaching is built on three important pillars.  He goes on to talk about the unique framework Ikon has created and how suspension of conclusions helps to identify and refine beliefs. Mitch chimes in with his own story about an ill-fated trip to Starbucks and how he learned about his own super-secret option C.   Kirk also dispels the myth that coaching is akin to therapy. It’s not, but it can often parlay itself into therapy. When he finds those stuck spots with clients, he refers them out.   Moving on, Kirk says there are three questions you need to create your map, because life is journey, but living well is an adventure.  Mitch talks about how leaders who are early in their careers may start toward something, but not realize that they aren’t doing it wholly and end up lost, asking, “What am I doing?” He equates coaching to a guide to help us locate ourselves.  In the end, there is no easy and coaches will not be your snookie blanket. Leaders enter the chaos and bring order to it.  Finally, Mitch gives his big reveal and the new, evolving future of The Whole Enchilada Podcast. Check out the next generation of leadership content in the Hard But Worth It podcast, linked below. Adios, friends! It’s been fun! Links:  Executive Scheduling Associates www.esasolutions.com  Ikon Coaching www.ikoncoaching.com  Ikon Coaching on YouTube www.youtube.com/@ikoncoaching  About Our Sponsors: Executive Scheduling Associates employs 120 professional schedulers filling the sales calendars of 500 financial wholesalers and advisors across North America. And now we provide short-term services qualifying cold leads and event lists. Ask us for details at www.esasolutions.com.  Subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Follow us: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

    46 min
  2. Second Chance Leadership

    05/02/2022

    Second Chance Leadership

    Before getting into the meat of the episode (no pun intended), the Whole Enchilada Crew dined on six types of sopes while they heard Michael tell the story of the best Mexican food he ever had in downtown Phoenix. Michael then tells the story of his childhood, where he learned early on how to take care of himself. He made the decision to become a chef but made the mistake of taking on too much and burning out quickly. His mistake landed him addicted to drugs and homeless, merely surviving from one day to the next. A brakeless car and a phone call gave him a second chance and the opportunity to work again, although not landing exactly where he expected. On a mission trip in Cambodia, a chance encounter with two men answered the question Michael had been asking since his recovery: how can I help others? He moved to Cambodia in 2016 and hasn’t looked back. He tells a story of leadership with a young man who needed someone to believe in him and how it changed that man’s life. Michael discusses the pandemic and how it changed the course of his mission but didn’t throw him off track. Links: Mama Maria’s Restaurant, Phoenix https://www.mapquest.com/us/arizona/mama-maria-restaurant-402248994 Century 9 Restaurant https://www.facebook.com/Century9Cambodia Michael Kenyon https://www.kenyoncovenant.com About Our Sponsors: Executive Scheduling Associates employs 120 professional schedulers filling the sales calendars of 500 financial wholesalers and advisors across North America. And now we provide short-term services qualifying cold leads and event lists. Ask us for details at www.esasolutions.com.  The Dayton School of Business at Asbury University offers a small-town campus with a big-impact education for future business leaders. Undergraduate studies include accounting, business administration, finance, marketing, and sports management. There’s even an online Dayton Master of Business Administration program. Learn more at www.asbury.edu. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Follow us: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

    59 min
  3. Leading from Physical to Emotional Health

    04/06/2022

    Leading from Physical to Emotional Health

    Physical health and emotional health go together. The show starts out with a controversial dish: the California burrito. Are French fries really appropriate in Mexican food? Isaac does a deep dive into this history of this culinary curiosity. Mitch introduces David, who is not only a friend and colleague, but also Mitch’s personal trainer. David’s history as a cowboy (yes, a real cowboy, with the hat and horses and everything) plays directly into this career path that he chose as a secondary career. The group talks about fitness being more than just being physically strong. David’s commitment is to his clients and their community. Holistic health with accountability and presence will bring about the greatest change. David talks deeply about how physical health can be a component of emotional healing and shares a letter he received from a client who had suffered from 18 years of abuse…and who found that her time at the gym helped her to work through her trauma. David also touches motivational sources (hint: it comes from the person who knows you better than anyone else in the world) and gives a perfect summary of his leadership style when he reminds us about our emotional, mental, and physical strength. Links:  Strong City Strength & Conditioning https://strongcitystrengthandconditioning.com/  Subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Follow us: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

    53 min
  4. Leading in Hard Places

    03/01/2022

    Leading in Hard Places

    If you have been trafficked or suspect trafficking is happening near you, please reach out The Human Trafficking Hotline. Over 200 languages available  888-373-7888 http://humantraffickinghotline.org Show Notes: The Whole Enchilada always starts with really good Mexican food and this month it’s queso. Which brings to mind the burning question of seasons past: white or yellow? Guest Alli Mellon, Executive Director of The Hard Places Community, says it’s white queso all the way. Armed with chips and taquitos, the team takes a dip, so to speak, while Alli explains that her love of queso was born over the tradition of slow meals with friends. She has strong ideas about what should and should not be in white queso and exactly how it should cling to the chips. Mitch introduces special guest, Lanise Santala. Lanise is Mitch’s wife and a friend of Alli’s, who has served with The Hard Places Community on several occasions. Alli begins the conversation with a story that hit her hard when she was serving orphans in Swaziland. It was here that Alli first encountered the horror of human sex trafficking when she met a five-year-old girl who explained her own ordeal in detail. Back in the US, Alli couldn’t shake the enormity of the problem. And thus, The Hard Places Community was born and Alli set her sights on Cambodia, a country notorious for sex trafficking very young children. Alli gives some details about the work they are doing in Cambodia, including their Kids Club program and shares the story of Michael Kenyon, a man who grew up in a hard place and overcame his past to empower Cambodian young men to get out of sex trade industry. The team focuses the conversation back on what “the hard places” means and Alli recalls the story of a ten-year-old boy whose experience, after weeks of patience on the part of the staff, finally led to the arrest of a notorious trafficker in Cambodia. Lanise chimes in to talk about The Hard Place Community’s unwavering commitment to their mission and Alli gives the story of a man who came to the community at age 15 and who is now a senior staff member. Alli says she reminds her staff that when disappointment arrives, it means the job isn’t done yet. She also dives into the importance of self-care and the ways she encourages it with everyone she works with. Links: The Hard Places Community http://thehardplaces.org http://thehardplaces.org/donate https://www.facebook.com/thehardplacescommunity International Justice Mission https://www.ijm.org Dateline NBC: Children for Sale https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4038249 Chab Dai Coalition https://www.chabdai.org Century 9 Restaurant https://www.kenyoncovenant.com/century-9-1 About Our Sponsors: Executive Scheduling Associates employs 120 professional schedulers filling the sales calendars of 500 financial wholesalers across North America. And we now provide short-term services dispositioning event and cold contact lists. Ask us for details at esasolutions.com. The Dayton School of Business at Asbury University offers a small-town campus with a big-impact education for future business leaders. Undergraduate studies include accounting, business administration, finance, marketing, and sports management. There’s even an online Dayton Master of Business Administration program. Learn more at asbury.edu. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Follow us: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

    1h 10m
  5. Change Leaders

    02/01/2022

    Change Leaders

    Should the business world’s focus be on returning to pre-pandemic models? Or should we forge ahead with new insights? What’s the impact of The Great Resignation on the future of leadership and how are innovation and culture changing as we rethink how we run our companies? The group talks to Dr. Sandra Gray about these topics and more (including the importance of corn in the Mayan diet) in this episode of The Whole Enchilada Podcast. The Whole Enchilada crew welcomes businesswoman, professor, and Asbury University President Emeritus, Dr. Sandra Gray. Distance kept the group from dining together but that doesn’t mean that Mitch, Gil, Chris, and Isaac (he’s back!) didn’t enjoy various enchiladas. As usual, the conversation devolves into bad jokes and strange reactions to certain foods. Chris gives a lesson on the history of enchiladas and Dr. Gray shares that her love for the Mexican dish came from her Texan college roommate…and that she still has the recipe. Diving into Dr. Gray’s leadership philosophies, Mitch opens by asking about how she sees the business world evolving as we enter year three of the COVID pandemic. Dr. Gray gives a surprise answer when she says that normal isn’t always a good thing. She talks about the legacy that excuses can bring and what can be lost when excuses are made. The group moves on to talk about The Great Resignation and Dr. Gray shares an example of a someone who saw a new solution precipitated by the current situation. She mentions it in reference to Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program. The conversation moves into the strengths and weaknesses of today’s job force and how they were affected by their own parents’ and grandparents’ work ethics. Mitch muses that young, eager graduates are asking more philosophical questions about their futures like, “What does success look like to me?” The topics of measured risk and the downfalls of top-down come up, with a specific question to Dr. Gray about her takeaways on company culture and leadership styles. All four talk about creating a culture of innovation while Chris shares his Mexican Pizza fail. Mitch shares a memory of his son’s time at Asbury University and asks Dr. Gray about her gift for making people feel like they matter and that they are the only one in the room. They also talk about what it means to retire and still be useful and productive. Finally, Gil ends by asking about Asbury’s Dayton School of Business’s motto: training leaders to be the best for the world and Dr. Gray says it’s all about focus: is it on yourself or on the greater good? Links: Harvard Human Flourishing Project https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/ About Our Sponsors: Executive Scheduling Associates employs 120 professional schedulers filling the sales calendars of 500 financial wholesalers across North America. And we now provide short-term services dispositioning event and cold contact lists. Ask us for details at esasolutions.com. The Dayton School of Business at Asbury University offers a small-town campus with a big-impact education for future business leaders. Undergraduate studies include accounting, business administration, finance, marketing, and sports management. There’s even an online Dayton Master of Business Administration program. Learn more at asbury.edu. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Follow us: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

    54 min
  6. The Collaborative Leader

    01/10/2022

    The Collaborative Leader

    Jonathan Anderson is the Executive Director of the Good News Rescue Mission in Northern California where he is changing lives by leading collaborative relationships from the heart. He, Mitch Santala, and Gil Moegerle sit down to talk about building reciprocal bonds between people and organizations in the sphere of influencing how homelessness is solved. But first, one seasoned veteran of super-hot pepper sauces schools two not-quite-as-brave souls in the art of seasoning a pollo taco. Can you guess who reaches for the pepper-flavored water and who doesn’t? Pollo tacos are on the menu, but the real star of the show is the array of hot sauces. And we don’t mean hot sauces, we mean hot sauces. Ghost peppers, Scorpions, and the Carolina Reaper make up bases of the condiments, culminating in Jonathan’s favorite, the Mad Dog 357. Despite their pleas for Cholula and Taco Bell sauces, Mitch and Gil try one of Jonathan’s favorites that he says, “is not a risk.” Mitch introduces Jonathan Anderson, the Executive Director of the Good News Rescue Mission in Redding, CA, and asks him about his most dearly held leadership principles. Jonathan talks about how his perception of his position changed over time with the development of his heart. The conversation turns to developing the hearts of others through passion. Jonathan shares his not-so-strategic business model that brings universal truth to your work. He also talks about the collaboration of various approaches and tells a very tense story about an adversarial relationship that turned into an alliance when heart and passion were applied. Gil asks Jonathan more about building collaborative relationships from square one and the realism of mutually beneficial outcomes. There is talk of entitlement on both sides of the relationship and how to break it while preserving self-worth and dignity, with a striking example of a reciprocal relationship between the Good News Rescue Mission and a local business. “It’s better when everyone brings something,” says Mitch, shifting the conversation toward the public image of a local non-profit. Jonathan says that everyone has influence but asks if you have intention with your influence. Finally, the question of the hour is answered: How do we solve homelessness? Jonathan tells a story about a relationship forged between a mentor and a Mission guest…and how two lives were changed by a simple connection. Links: Mad Dog 357 Hot Sauces https://maddog357.com/collections/sauces Secret Aardvark Hot Sauces https://secretaardvark.com Good News Rescue Mission https://gnrm.org A Work of Heart by Reggie McNeal https://www.amazon.com/Work-Heart-Understanding-Spiritual-Leaders/dp/1118103181 Brene Brown https://brenebrown.com About Our Sponsors: Executive Scheduling Associates employs 120 professional schedulers filling the sales calendars of 500 financial wholesalers across North America. And we now provide short-term services dispositioning event and cold contact lists. Ask us for details at esasolutions.com. The Dayton School of Business at Asbury University offers a small-town campus with a big-impact education for future business leaders. Undergraduate studies include accounting, business administration, finance, marketing, and sports management. There’s even an online Dayton Master of Business Administration program. Learn more at asbury.edu. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Follow us: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

    55 min
  7. People Focused Leadership

    12/07/2021

    People Focused Leadership

    Mitch, Gil, and Chris welcome Mitch’s business partner and older sister, Keri Gentry, to the Whole Enchilada Table. After sharing bean burritos and some colorful conversation the team gets down to business talking about Keri’s leadership style, her competitive nature, her desire to empower her employees, and what it’s like to partner with a close family member. Despite Mitch’s skepticism, Keri chose a bean and cheese burrito as her favorite Mexican food. He gives her a particularly hard time about this choice because Keri is not only Mitch’s 50/50 partner in Executive Scheduling Associates, but also his older sister. Chris advises that while a bean and cheese burrito may be basic, there are lots of variations that can occur. Loads of cheese, a little salt, and bottles of Jarrito lead the group to question the proper way of dealing with the, um…metabolic effects of a bean burrito meal. Before they get to the digestive point of no return, Mitch introduces Keri as a great example of an everyday leader. You don’t have to be a famous superstar to be an outstanding leader. Keri’s competitive drive is the topic of conversation when Mitch asks her about how it’s played into her success. Keri talks about her earlier years and why she is the way she is. She also shares how she’s used it in her role at ESA and talks about employees who outperform their leaders. In the end, she says, it’s the moments that matter. Chris dovetails on the conversation to ask Keri how she went from being a top-notch scheduler to making sure her employees are equally successful. The ideas of employee empowerment and finding a better way become hot topics. The team goes back to basics to talk about ESA’s start-up days, including suspect office furniture and non-traditional attire. The conversation turns toward resolving tension, especially when you’re closely related to your business partner. Keri and Mitch both chime in with good ideas, though they admit that wet willies have been doled out a few times. Keri and Mitch both touch on the topic of their business’ purpose (and it’s not just filling calendars) and Chris wants to know how they became so successful despite not putting the company’s needs before employees and clients. Every business has a COVID story and Keri shares ESA’s…and how she led through the pain of temporarily cutting wages by 10%. Finally, prompted by Chris, Keri talks about her leadership legacy and the importance she places on leaps of faith. Links: Jarritos https://jarritos.com/ Heart of Business Hubert Joly https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CNMLDH1/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 La Cocina Economica http://www.lacocinaeco.com/ About Our Sponsors: Executive Scheduling Associates employs 120 professional schedulers filling the sales calendars of 500 financial wholesalers across North America. And we now provide short-term services dispositioning event and cold contact lists. Ask us for details at esasolutions.com. The Dayton School of Business at Asbury University offers a small-town campus with a big-impact education for future business leaders. Undergraduate studies include accounting, business administration, finance, marketing, and sports management. There’s even an online Dayton Master of Business Administration program. Learn more at asbury.edu. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Follow us: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

    37 min
  8. The Listening Leader

    11/08/2021

    The Listening Leader

    The Whole Enchilada Podcast welcomes guest Jack Burgess of The Difference Consulting. Jack consults with organizations of all sizes to help them create and plan for the futures of their companies. With his artistic background, Jack sees leadership from an entirely new perspective. As always, the team starts out with a Mexican dish, this time breakfast burritos. Gil is perplexed by the size of these savory delights and poses a philosophical question: to binge or to graze The burritos are filled with all kinds of surprises, including ham, bacon, sausage and carne asada, which Chris lovingly calls a Mexican Smorgasbord. Is ham an innovative move? A lateral move? These are the kinds of public service questions the team tackles. Once they have finished their larger-than-life burritos, Jack talks about how he started out drawing on walls (so to speak) and how he has honed his craft to cater to three different types of learners. Jack goes on to talk about the disadvantages of starting with a blank canvas and Mitch likens the conversation to The Whole Enchilada Season 3, Episode 1 where Joshua Johnson talks about low-definition paintings. Jack continues talking about two types of starting points and gives three examples that show how he helps companies determine their problem and create the strategy to fix it. The team has a laugh when grey-haired Jack admits to being “the face of the patriarchy” and the importance of building trust with those you’re working with. Show up, work hard, listen, and adjust. Work, emotional, and rational spaces are all paramount to success. Mitch agrees that silence and listening are not the same thing. Jack and Mitch toss the idea of leadership back and forth as Mitch talks about leading from three different positions…and the benefit of one over the other two. Jack says that the best leadership attributes have two important components and that involving employees in decisions creates ownership of the problem and solution. The team moves to talking about pivoting and looking at a linear path of decision-making from a different perspective and the final conversation revolves around how it’s not necessary to always be the expert…but how vision, power, structure, and resources are all places to consider when creating a plan. Links: The Difference Consulting https://thedifferenceconsulting.com/ Jack Burgess http://www.jackburgessstudio.com/ Joshua Johnson Episode https://www.thewholeenchiladapodcast.com/podcast/episode/f749208d/s3-e1-leading-with-inspiration La Cocina Economica http://www.lacocinaeco.com/ About Our Sponsors: Executive Scheduling Associates employs 120 professional schedulers filling the sales calendars of 500 financial wholesalers across North America. And we now provide short-term services dispositioning event and cold contact lists. Ask us for details at esasolutions.com. The Dayton School of Business at Asbury University offers a small-town campus with a big-impact education for future business leaders. Undergraduate studies include accounting, business administration, finance, marketing, and sports management. There’s even an online Dayton Master of Business Administration program. Learn more at asbury.edu. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Follow us: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

    54 min
5
out of 5
63 Ratings

About

Welcome to a gathering place created for leaders by leaders. You will find here conversations about starting and guiding organizations, whether for-profit or nonprofit. Our name, The Whole Enchilada, refers to a leadership spirit. These are the brave, buoyant souls who go all in, dreaming of better ways to solve problems. In each episode, host Mitch Santala, CEO of a startup supporting the financial services industry, and his guests target two objectives: offering encouragement and providing insights to those on the sometimes foggy, often risky, and always rewarding path called leadership.

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