Liftoff Journeys with Jeanniey Walden

Imagine a world where you can indulge in delicious, wholesome soups, savor exquisite Israeli wines, and explore innovative cheeses and coffee flavors—all in one episode. This isn't just foodie fluff; it's a master class in taste, craftsmanship, and passion that will elevate your sensory experience to new heights. If you're a lover of gourmet foods, fine wines, or unique beverages, this episode is your passport to discovering the stories behind the flavors you crave—and the ones you haven't tried yet.We kick things off with Talia from Manischewitz, revealing how her line of seven soups combines convenience with wholesome ingredients you recognize—think carrots, zucchini, garlic—without preservatives or chemical additives. You'll discover how these soups are designed for everyone—vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free devotees—and why they're perfect for any season, not just chilly days.Plus, get the scoop on how Manischewitz soups arrive at your door via Amazon Prime, making healthy eating easier than ever.Next, we dive into the world of cheese with a fascinating story about Rembrandt's award-winning gouda, a Dutch cheese protected by the European Union, and the small territory in the Netherlands that makes it so unique. Whether you're a cheese connoisseur or just looking to impress at your next gathering, you'll learn how this cheese's rich history and distinct flavor profile—salty, complex, crystal-capped—make it a must-try.Then, we explore the booming innovation in coffee with Lindsay from Java Factory, unveiling their record-breaking quest to release 52 new coffee flavors in 52 weeks—think blueberry shortcake, s'mores, French toast, and peanut butter and jelly. You’ll discover how their flavor development process works, why their coffees contain no added sugars, and how you can indulge in dessert-like beverages anytime, day or night—perfect for the adventurous and coffee lovers alike.Finally, venture into Israel's vibrant wine scene with experts Itay Lahat and Or Nadbach, or Lahat and Tabor winerys (both part of the IWPA) share how Israeli vineyards from the Golan Heights to the Jerusalem Mountains produce wines that balance climate, soil, and tradition. You’ll learn how each vintage tells a story—whether young or aged—and why Israeli wines are making waves internationally. Plus, explore the artistry behind branding and the personal touch they bring to their wineries and celebrate the launch of Tabor's Artisanal wines.  And, as a special surprise we chat with Jojo Anavim in his home studio as he shares his inspirations and love of art.This episode is a feast for your senses, blending culinary storytelling with expert insights and behind-the-scenes secrets. Whether you're a dedicated foodie, a cheese monger, a wine enthusiast, or a curious traveler of taste, you’ll walk away inspired to elevate your next meal, toast, or coffee break. Perfect for anyone craving authentic, innovative flavors that tell compelling stories—don’t miss out on this extraordinary journey.

It's true, you can make your story your path to success! Aaron Golub was born legally blind, and he still walked onto a Division I football field at Tulane, became a team captain, and later signed as an NFL free agent. That isn’t a feel-good headline to us, it’s a blueprint for how identity gets rebuilt through daily reps, honest self-talk, and the decision to stop letting a limitation steer the wheel.We talk through what it feels like to compete at the highest level when other people don’t know what to make of you yet, and how Aaron earns trust the only way that really works: by showing up and performing. He breaks down the difference between external motivation and internal motivation, why “proving people wrong” burns out fast, and how doing hard things consistently is one of the quickest ways to build real confidence that transfers from sports to school to leadership.Then, we zoom out to careers and business in the age of AI. We explore practical advice for displaced workers and new graduates who feel their confidence get shaken by layoffs, uncertainty, and rapidly changing roles. Aaron shares why communication is not just about teams and meetings, it’s about how you communicate to yourself, because that creates clarity and momentum. He also gets specific about entrepreneurship, failure, and building a software product, including how programmatic SEO and long tail keywords can drive inbound leads when traditional “top keyword” marketing feels impossible.If you want a grounded conversation about overcoming adversity, disability awareness, leadership communication, and building a career that adapts, you’ll get a lot from this one. Subscribe to Liftoff Journeys, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you’re putting into action.Support the showSubscribe to our YouTube channelWatch the TV show "Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden"Follow us on XFollow us on InstagramTalk to us on FacebookMeet Jeanniey live - see where she will be next.

Commerce is shapeshifting right in front of us, and if you blink, you might miss the moment everything clicks into place. This special edition of Liftoff Journeys is all about what's really happening at the intersection of retail, media, and AI, and why the smartest leaders in the room are rethinking everything from how customers discover brands to how retailers build entirely new revenue streams.This week I sat down with some seriously plugged-in voices who break down why the traditional marketing funnel is dead (think pinball machines and tornadoes instead), how commerce media is becoming a flywheel for growth rather than just a margin play, and what it actually means to be "AI native" as a brand in 2025. You'll hear from Mark Grether, GM/SVP PayPal Ads, PayPal, Ashley Miles, CEO Co-founder, Franklyn West and Christine Russo, CEO Co-founder, What Just Happened, talk about why some retailers are thriving while others are falling behind, what PayPal's transaction data has to do with the future of advertising, and why customer obsession isn't just a buzzword but the actual engine behind every winning strategy discussed in this episode.Whether you're a CMO trying to future-proof your brand, a retail leader exploring your first media network, or an entrepreneur looking for the signals that separate hype from real opportunity, this one's packed with perspective you can actually use. Tune in, take notes, and get ready to rethink what commerce looks like from here.

What if the way we've been thinking about media, audiences, and even healthcare marketing is fundamentally broken... and the fix is already here?In this special edition of Liftoff Journeys, I'm taking you aboard a mansion yacht in Miami (yes, you read that right) for three back-to-back conversations with some of the sharpest minds in media, healthcare, and advertising. And fair warning: this one's going to challenge a few things you thought you knew.You'll hear from Sean Black, General Manager/SVP, Audience Path US, who believes the traditional approach to audience targeting is outdated and is building real-time, signal-based technology that watches what people are doing right now instead of relying on stale data from weeks ago. You'll sit in on a conversation with Cliff Covey, SVP, Group Director, Digital Activation at CMI Media Group, a healthcare media veteran who's been in pharma for two decades and is genuinely fired up about how AI could transform the way patients and doctors connect at the moments that matter most. And you'll meet Lorenzo Zefferino, Executive Media Leader at Evergreen Trading, a media buying innovator who breaks down why the human element still matters in an AI-driven world, why "win-win-win" is more than just a catchphrase, and why common sense is still the most underrated skill in advertising.This isn't your typical "here's what AI can do" episode. These are real people sharing what they're actually building, what's working, what's broken, and the advice they'd give to anyone trying to keep up in a landscape that changes every six months. Whether you're in media, healthcare, advertising, or just trying to understand where things are headed, this conversation will give you something to think about.Oh, and there may or may not be a story about blue-painted toenails. You'll have to listen to find out.

There's an entire workforce out there, millions of women, who have been told for decades that their career has a ceiling. Francis Tesmer decided that was done. She didn't just talk about it, she built the first ever college degree pathway for beauty professionals in partnership with L'Oréal and then put over $1 million in scholarships behind it so that money would never be the reason someone couldn't walk through that door.Francis is back on Liftoff because every time we talk to her, the impact has grown. Graduates are building bigger businesses, earning more, leading differently, and their daughters are watching. When a woman's child looks at her and says "I believe women deserve jobs at the highest level" because of what she saw her mother do? That's not a career program. That's generational change. Whether you're in the beauty industry or not, this conversation will make you rethink what it really looks like to turn passion into power and who gets left behind when we don't.

I have been looking for someone who lives at the intersection of creativity and business strategy and Paul Kozlowski is exactly that person. He's an award-winning architect and co-founder of Dunn Kozlowski, a firm that's spent nearly 24 years creating spaces that don't just look beautiful, they make people FEEL something. We're talking restaurants where you don't even realize you've been drawn up to the second floor, residences that are a pure expression of someone's personal brand, and hospitality spaces designed to work just as well for a post-yoga lunch as they do for the biggest celebration of your life.But what really got me in this conversation is how Paul thinks about brand in a way most marketers and business leaders never consider. He dropped this 80-20 rule that honestly every business owner needs to hear, and the way he breaks down why most companies get design completely wrong might make you rethink that Pinterest folder you've been building.If you've ever wondered why some spaces just hit different, or why your dream vision might actually be working against you, this is the episode to listen to.

So I've been a little obsessed with Ross Simmonds ever since I came across one of his presentations and this conversation did NOT disappoint. Ross is a global thought leader and entrepreneur who helps brands scale through content, but the way he thinks about content is completely different from what most marketers are doing right now. He says things that honestly make a lot of people in the industry uncomfortable, like that distribution matters MORE than what you actually create, and that the channels most brands are afraid of are exactly where they should be showing up.But it's what Ross said about the person on the other end of the screen that completely shifted my perspective. He has this way of breaking down something we all know deep down but keep ignoring, and once you hear it you won't be able to unsee it in your own marketing.And if you're leading a stretched-thin team right now trying to keep the lights on AND be creative at the same time? Ross shared something his company does every single week that I think every business should steal immediately. You're going to want to hear this one all the way through.

Imagine taking your child to a therapist for help with their behavior, only for the therapist to basically call you a bad parent and tell you it’s your fault they act the way they do? I sat down with Karen Thomas, the founder and CEO of Naturally Recovering Autism, and what she shared about her journey had my jaw drop.This mom spent over a decade and more than $100,000 of her own money researching, experimenting, and figuring out how to help her son recover from autism symptoms, naturally. Spoiler alert: She did it! Her son went from struggling in kindergarten to being a college graduate living independently, and she's helped other parents see incredible results too, including a mom whose nonverbal son started talking and reading within two months of starting Karen's program. This is a mom who refused to accept "there's nothing we can do" and built an entire recovery roadmap from scratch! And she did it all before AI. Whether you're a parent navigating autism, dealing with health challenges in your own family, or just trying to figure things out when nobody has the answers, you're going to feel so seen listening to this. Grab your copy of my new book, The Trust Threshold, available on Amazon https://www.liftoffcompany.com/the-trust-threshold/

Trust is the invisible line between momentum and stagnation. Cross it, and teams move faster. Miss it, and nothing works the way it should.In this episode of the Snarketing Podcast, hosts Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa welcome back their first-ever repeat guest, Jeanniey Walden, for a wide-ranging, candid conversation about trust, leadership, attention, and growth in an AI-shaped world.Jeanniey introduces her new book, The Trust Threshold: Crossing the Line Between Stuck and Unstoppable, and breaks down how her AIR Method (Authenticity, Inspiration, Relatability) applies far beyond business strategy. The discussion spans everything from why attention has collapsed to a three-second window, to how leaders unintentionally create “checklist workers,” to why relatability is a revenue and survival skill, not a soft one.The episode also explores how AI can be used as a thinking partner rather than a shortcut, the danger of performative leadership, and why trust signals show up long before revenue drops. With real-world stories from Fortune 250 brands, startups, and personal leadership moments, this conversation blends practical insight with humor and honesty.Within hours of its release on 2/24, the book hit bestseller! Grab your copy by going to https://www.liftoffcompany.com/the-trust-threshold/

I don't know about you, but 2025 wasn't the best year for me. I lost my mom, my former company liquidated in bankruptcy and most people I know lost their jobs. That had to be more than a coincidence, and after chatting with Letao Wang, now I know why and I am super psyched for this new year- the year of the Fire Horse!All I have to say is THANK goodness Letao didn't listen to his family and chose this path. A conversation you will not want to miss. In this episode of Liftoff Journeys, I sit down with Letao Wang, counselor and award-winning astrologist, to talk about how your life can positively impact many people when you follow the path you are drawn too. Like many of us,  Letao didn't find his career part right away. In fact,  he followed the expected path his family had set for him. He graduated, went into finance, graduated, and stepped into a career that looked stable and successful. But internally, something was missing, and he could feel it.Imagine living according to expectations rather than alignment. That was Letao's reality and a chance spiritual encounter during his Saturn return became the moment that shifted everything. Not because it gave him all the answers, but because it finally gave him permission to ask better questions.He makes everyone who has been in this position before feel really happy as he shares how  how astrology and counseling became tools for Letao not to escape reality, but to understand people more deeply and to help them heal. What I loved most was how authentic and relatable he was about fear, doubt, and the grief that can come with choosing a different path. Best of all, he trusted his inner voice. Trust led to belief and belief led to his business leadership. This episode is for anyone who has ever looked at their life and thought, this should feel right by now. This is your year. Let's do this.Support the showSubscribe to our YouTube channelWatch the TV show "Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden"Follow us on XFollow us on InstagramTalk to us on FacebookMeet Jeanniey live - see where she will be next.

I’m sitting down with Stephen Gee — CEO and co-founder of Blend — expecting him to give me a common story of his background, and at some point he casually says, “I actually went to college to become a volcanologist.”Volcanoes.Lava.Remote islands.No friends. (His words, not mine.)And somehow… that explains everything about how he sees leadership today.This episode of Liftoff Journeys is very much about Stephen’s journey — not the polished LinkedIn version, but the real one where he followed curiosity instead of a title and ended up exactly where he was supposed to be.Stephen walks through how studying volcanoes — systems under pressure, unseen fault lines, sudden eruptions — shaped the way he now spots what’s broken in modern leadership. Why siloed executives feel productive but miss what’s actually building beneath the surface. Why pressure narrows perspective instead of expanding it. And why the most dangerous leaders aren’t the ones who fail — they’re the ones who stop questioning.We laugh a lot in this conversation. About awkward rooms. About walking into spaces where you have no idea what anyone does. About realizing, decades into your career, that the most growth happens when you’re willing to say, “I don’t know — tell me more.”And we also get real about:how Stephen accidentally found his way into the human side of leadershipwhy community and cognitive diversity matter more than playbookshow Blend was built by intentionally breaking industry boundariesand why curiosity — not certainty — is what actually makes leaders betterWithout trying to, this conversation brings The AIR Method™ to life:Authenticity — being willing to admit what you don’t knowInspiration — letting unfamiliar perspectives reshape your thinkingRelatability — realizing no one’s path is as linear as it looksIf you’ve ever wondered how someone really ends up where they are — or if you’ve felt that quiet nudge that says there might be more growth outside your usual lane — this journey will stick with you.Because sometimes the very thing that seems like a detour…turns out to be the training ground for everything that comes next.

“When I grow up, I want to be a bubble bather.” At three years old, my daughter didn’t know what a career was, but she knew exactly what mattered to her: helping people, having fun, and creating happiness. That moment stayed with me. What’s remarkable is that those same values have guided every chapter of her life since, through different paths, different choices, and now, working alongside me at Liftoff Enterprises. In this relaunch episode of Liftoff Journeys, I sit down with longtime friend and collaborator Steve Olenski (aka The CMO Whisperer) to share the true origin story of this podcast and why it’s coming back now. We talk about the quiet moments that define us, the trust it takes to honor who we are at our core, and how easily that trust gets disrupted as we grow up and “get practical.” This conversation also introduces the heartbeat behind my upcoming book, The Trust Threshold: the idea that growth doesn’t come from reinventing ourselves, but from crossing the invisible line between self-doubt and self-trust. This episode sets the tone for everything Liftoff Journeys is about:real stories, real people, and the moments that shape us long before success has a name. If you’ve ever wondered whether the things that lit you up early in life still matter, this journey starts here.

Send us a textIn this heartwarming episode of Liftoff Journeys with Jeanniey Walden, we bring you full-length, unfiltered discussions from the live TV set of the nationally broadcast show Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden. These conversations—featuring Michelin star Chef Joey Sergentakis, entrepreneur and cancer survivor Maureen Brody, and globally renowned artist Christopher Radko—are only available here on the podcast, giving you an exclusive deep dive into their inspiring stories and unique perspectives.Chef Joey Sergentakis: Crafting Joy Through FoodJoey Sergentakis, a Michelin star chef, shared his journey from humble beginnings in his family’s kitchen to achieving one of the highest accolades in the culinary world. On the TV set, Joey opened up about the emotional connections that food can create and how the simplest dishes can bring people together. In this extended podcast version, Joey shares exclusive stories about the power of food to connect people—a conversation you won’t hear anywhere else.Maureen Brody: Turning Challenges Into TriumphMaureen Brody, an inspiring entrepreneur and cancer survivor, shared her emotional journey on the live set of Liftoff. She discussed how her battle with cancer shaped her entrepreneurial mindset and gave her a renewed sense of purpose. In the podcast’s extended discussion, Maureen delves deeper into how resilience, paired with a strong sense of community, drove her success. she shares highlights from her wellness and skin care line, fmaking this conversation a true must-listen.Christopher Radko: Capturing the Magic of the HolidaysKnown around the world for his iconic holiday ornaments, Christopher Radko shared his passion for art and tradition during the show. Here on the podcast, you’ll hear even more about the deeply personal stories behind his artistry. Christopher offers insights into how his creations reflect love, nostalgia, and the magic of the holiday season—proving that art can be a powerful way to inspire joy.Why This Episode Is SpecialWhat makes this episode so unique is that these conversations were filmed for the Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden TV show, which reaches over 85 million households a month. But here on the podcast, you’re getting the extended discussions with insights and details you won’t hear anywhere else. It’s your exclusive backstage pass to meaningful stories that inspire, uplift, and connect with the things we love most.Key TakeawaysJoey Sergentakis: Follow your passion and let food become a vehicle for joy and connection.Maureen Brody: Resilience and community can transform adversity into powerful opportunities.Christopher Radko: Creativity and tradition bring meaning and magic to the lives of others.Tune In NowDon’t miss these exclusive, in-depth conversations with Chef Joey, Maureen Brody, and Christopher Radko. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at their lives, only available on Liftoff Journeys with Jeanniey WaldenSupport the showSee what we look like; subscribe to our YouTube channelWatch the TV show"LiftOff with Jeanniey Walden" Follow us on TwitterFollow us on InstagramTalk to us on FacebookMeet Jeanniey live - see where she will ...