The Authority X-Factor Podcast

In this episode of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, Kelly Schuknecht sits down with Joel Salomon, a finance and mindful money expert who walked away from managing a $700 million portfolio to help others achieve true financial freedom. Joel shares his transition from the intense world of hedge funds to becoming a prosperity coach who believes that the numbers in your bank account are deeply tied to the abundance in your mindset. Joel reveals how his unique Authority X-Factor combines rigorous financial strategy with deep mindset work, a pairing rarely found in the world of traditional investing. By bridging the gap between spiritual entrepreneurs and the technical world of finance, Joel provides a roadmap for anyone looking to increase their net worth without losing their soul. In this episode, you’ll discover: Joel’s Authority X-Factor and the specific moment he realized he was meant for a different mission The literal "board-breaking" experience that convinced Joel to return his investors' money and shut down his hedge fund Why traditional financial advice often fails to account for the "belief score" of an investment The specific technique Joel uses to help clients move from low-vibration fear to a state of empowerment How a simple shift in how often you check your bank account can drastically change your relationship with money Joel also explains why he co-authored a book specifically designed to help couples eliminate money-related conflict and prevent divorce Resources: Schedule your Breakthrough Blueprint Call: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/fa93ee09/appointment/8774948/calendar/2407980 Salaurmor Website: https://www.salaurmor.com/ Social media links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-salomon/ Joel's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoelProsperitySalomon SaLaurMor's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejoelsalomon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joelprosperitysalomon/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joelprosperitysalomon The Nine Money Rules Millionaires Use by Joel Salomon: https://www.amazon.com/Money-Rules-Millionaires-Use-Unconventional/dp/0999280422 Mindful Money Management by Joel Salomon: https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Money-Management-Memoirs-Manager-ebook/ Infinite Love and Money by Joel Salomon and Molly Singh: https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Love-Money-Financial-Practical-ebook/ Connect with Kelly Schuknecht: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyschuknecht • Buy Unlocking Your Authority X-Factor on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0el8IVIm • Website: https://twomilehighmarketing.com | https://kellyschuknecht.com Subscribe to The Authority X-Factor Podcast on your favorite platform and leave a review if this episode added value to you!

In Episode 8 of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, Kelly Schuknecht sits down with Leah Leaves, founder of Alderaan Enterprise, whose career began in technical journalism and evolved organically into one of the most specialized fractional operations practices in the agency world. Leah has been solving the same problem for over a decade: marketing and advertising agencies that are brilliant at the creative work and completely overwhelmed by the operational infrastructure required to sustain it. This episode covers the full arc of her career from solo contractor to fractional COO to building a team of embedded operations leaders, the burnout that came from taking on too much, and the journalism-trained framework that turned out to be the secret architecture behind everything she does.

In Episode 7 of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, Kelly Schuknecht sits down with Ramona Cedeno, founder of FiBrick and a capital readiness expert with over 20 years of experience as a CPA and Certified Financial Planner, to explore what it looks like when passion for financial freedom becomes a full-blown authority platform. Ramona’s path from the Dominican Republic to Fortune 500 finance to building her own fractional CFO practice is a story of deliberate reinvention, hard-won visibility, and a commitment to making financial literacy accessible to everyone, from startup founders to New York City students. This episode covers how Ramona conquered a lifelong fear of public speaking, built a book out of a Columbia University challenge, and why she believes financial freedom is as much about mindset and self-worth as it is about numbers.

In this episode of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, Kelly Schuknecht sits down with Ben Cash — co-founder and CEO of Reason One, a certified B Corp digital agency specializing in healthcare and nonprofit digital transformation — to unpack what it really means to build authority through specialization rather than just declaring it. Ben came to the agency world through an unlikely door: a bachelor’s, master’s, and half a doctorate in trombone. No business degree, no roadmap — just a musician who discovered that coding and web design scratched the same creative and collaborative itch as playing in an ensemble. What followed was two decades of reinvention, from generalist agency to mission-driven specialist, from project runner to business builder, and from purpose-adjacent to genuinely purpose-driven. The turning point came when Ben’s twin daughters went through congenital health challenges, forcing him into the healthcare system in a deeply personal way. That lived experience collided with Reason One’s B Corp values and their growing work in healthcare digital — and suddenly the niche wasn’t a positioning strategy. It was personal. It was the moment, as Ben describes it, when purpose, passion, and expertise all pointed at the same thing. This episode covers the full mechanics of how Ben built what he calls the expertise flywheel — a deliberate system where every client, every hire, every investment, and every piece of content deepens the agency’s authority in a specific vertical. It also gets honest about the harder lessons: underpricing good work for too long, the discomfort of getting into rooms where you don’t have all the answers, and the ongoing challenge of learning to get out of your own team’s way. A candid, thoughtful conversation about what it takes to go from doing the work to leading the expertise — and why raising your prices might be the most strategic thing you do this year.

In Episode 2 of The Authority X-Factor Podcast, Kelly Schuknecht sits down with Beth Trejo, CEO of Chatterkick — a fully remote social media agency of about 20 people serving clients across the country — to unpack the story behind one of the most human-centered agencies in a space that too often chases vanity metrics over real relationships. Beth didn’t come from the agency world. She came from PR and a Chamber of Commerce, where she spent three years asking business owners one simple question: ”How can I help?” The answers she collected became the blueprint for Chatterkick. She launched the business without planning to — a conversation with a friend led to a business idea, a leap of faith, and six or seven clients within the first month. What makes Beth’s story particularly compelling is what she built around her business, not just within it. Starting a company while pregnant, navigating a complicated pregnancy, and showing up to industry conferences as often the only woman in a sea of male agency owners, Beth built Chatterkick with a deliberate cultural mission: eliminate the barriers she faced so that the people who come after her don’t have to fight as hard. This episode covers the real mechanics of thought leadership — from Beth’s ”go three times deeper” content strategy to her philosophy that speaking is either free or extremely expensive, and why both ends of that spectrum are valid. Beth and Kelly also get candid about the chaos of early hiring, the opportunity cost of staying in the weeds too long, and what it actually takes to transition from doing all the work to leading the people who do it. A practical, honest, and energizing conversation about building authority, building teams, and building a business on your own terms.

In this solo debut episode, Kelly Schuknecht introduces The Authority X-Factor Podcast and the philosophy behind it — that the world doesn’t need more content, it needs more human connection and lived experience shared with intention. Kelly spent years as the person behind the person — the invisible force helping others become recognized experts and thought leaders in their fields. The realization that she could step out of the shadows and into her own spotlight became the catalyst for her business, her book, and now this podcast. Holding the proof copy of Unlocking Your Authority X-Factor in her hands as she recorded this episode, Kelly shares that your hard-earned story and experience have massive value — when you’re willing to share them. She defines the Authority X-Factor as the unique intersection of career path, lived experience, and specific skills that transforms someone from a replaceable service provider into a trusted, influential authority. Every episode of this show goes behind the scenes with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts who have unlocked exactly that — exploring the moments they decided to step into the spotlight and the impact they’ve made since. This episode is a clear statement of intent: this podcast is for the quietly ambitious professional who is ready to stop being invisible and start being influential.