The GoGedders Podcast

Karen and Julie Ellenbecker discuss starting and growing a family business, visionary and integrator relationship dynamics, what has made them successful and what they have overcome, the importance of giving back to the community and more. 

What a week it’s been! We look back on this past election week and talk about what could come over these next few weeks and what the future looks like

Jackie Hermes, Jenny Weeden and Christina Haidemenos are the Founders of Women’s Entrepreneurship Week in Milwaukee and join us on the podcast this week! We discuss going virtual this year, what people can expect, the state of women’s entrepreneurship, what it is like being a woman in business and more! 

Adapting a global company, the Ryder Cup postponement, running a family business, and the importance of companies being an environmentalist as well as capitalist are all things we talk about on this episode with David Kohler, CEO of the Kohler Company. 
This podcast was shot live as part of The Milwaukee Rotary Club’s Thursday programming. 

 Last February the Young Guns made a very successful debut with an event in Milwaukee, then COVID hit. Since then they have adapted, launched YGTV and have their first online event coming up in November. On this episode I sit down with Paul Neuberger and Andy Weins to talk about the rise of the Young Guns movement, entrepreneurship during COVID, the importance of daily routines, being yourself, building a strong network and much more! 

Steven Olikara joins us today to talk all things election! We go over How Trump rose to power, how COVID has affected his campaign, why the Democrats chose Joe Biden as their candidate, how these last few weeks could play out and what will ultimately happen. Also- remember to go VOTE! 

Hear from Ian Abston and Michael Hostad on the journey to get the Hoan Bridge LIT after four years, how it will help shape the future of Milwaukee and more! 

In a time when every company is grappling to define the feel of their new virtual workplace, we talk to two extremely accomplished CEOs to find out how they are building and maintaining culture, overcoming obstacles and still growing their organizations during COVID.

We talk to Hector Colon, CEO of Lutheran Social Services and Michael Victorson, CEO of M3 Insurance. They have great insight into how to manage remote teams, how to keep morale up, what job searchers should be doing right now, how to build a great team, and their path to leadership.

The presidential election is less than fifty days away, and our country is more divided than ever. On this week’s podcast, John Burke, President of Trek Bicycle, comes on to discuss eye-opening facts that neither candidate is talking about. 

His new book, The Presidential Playbook, presents sixteen nonpartisan solutions to complex problems The United States is facing right now. Today, we’ll go over some of those solutions and discuss with JB firsthand. 

As we all know, there’s a lot of uncertainty in the financial markets right now, and that raises a lot of questions. Is another stimulus package coming? How can the markets be at an all time high despite businesses struggling and unemployment staying at more than double the typical rate? And, of course: How will the November election affect the financial climate? 

Like many small business owners, I had several questions of my own. What’s the right way to approach the initial process surrounding PPP loans? Will there be loan forgiveness, and is there going to be another wave? 

Luckily for us, Jim Popp, CEO of Johnson Financial, came on our most recent episode of the GoGedders podcast to answer the questions above and offer expertise on more financial topics. You’ll learn a lot about what’s happening behind the scenes of the financial industry during COVID, and the info Jim provides is useful for just about anyone.

Looking past everything we’ve all  seen and read in the news, Richie talks to three residents and community leaders of Kenosha about what really happened there, the reactions of the local community and what they’re doing to rebuild Kenosha.

We’re joined by Richie’s good college friend and Kenosha resident Justin Whitehead (Tiger), Nicole Thomsen, Director of 1Hope, and Pastor Roy Peeples. 

A lot of us are struggling with mental health especially with all that is going on right now and all the uncertainty it brings.

For entrepreneurs (and a lot of creatives) it’s especially bad, there was a study done by Michael Freeman in 2015 that came out with the following results. Founders are:

2x more likely to suffer from depression

6x more likely to suffer from ADHD

3x more likely to suffer from substance abuse

10x more likely to suffer from bi-polar disorder

2x more likely to have psychiatric hospitalization

2x more likely to have suicidal thoughts

And when you look into what running a business is it makes a lot of sense. It’s difficult and it’s stressful with high rates of failure and a lot of uncertainty and rejection to deal with along the way. That said it is very rewarding and I wouldn’t change it. We just need to do a much better job taking care of ourselves.

As a lot of you know I had a bad panic attack about 3 years ago that has caused a bunch of lingering anxiety issues that I never had to deal with before. It’s been difficult but forced me to make positive changes for the better.

In this talk I go deep into my story as well as Chuck Swoboda’s (Former CEO of Cree Lighting) story who went through something even more extreme, talk about the relationship with entrepreneurship and anxiety and what we can do to make it better.

For anyone dealing with mental health issues please watch and if you know someone who could benefit pass this along.

Should we go back to school? What legalities do schools need to deal with? What’s it like being an “at-risk” parent with two kids? What’s in been like being an MPS teacher with all the uncertainty? What’s in been like running programs for the Boys and Girls Club and having to adapt? 
With all the uncertainty going on right now I was lucky to be joined by Alana Leffer from Below Vetter, Alyssa Molinski (MPS), Andre Douglass (Boys & Girls Club) and Dena Cerreyn. 

WebsterX (Sam Ahmed), Mag (Enrique Rodriguez), and a number of others put together the first Black is Beautiful Ride on June 20th. There, over 1,000 riders rolled 16 miles through Milwaukee raising over $10,000 to be split between Walnut Way Conservation Corp. and Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT).

As they get ready for Black is Beautiful Vol. 2 this Sunday, they come on The GoGedders Podcast to talk about how the ride started, the protests, equality, the Milwaukee music scene and more.

Right now, DJ Shawna is living at the center of the universe. Having been selected to enter the NBA Bubble, DJ Shawna is just one of four DJs in the resort. DJ Shawna told us about the process to get into the Bubble, what it’s like now that she’s there, and the equality movement happening now.

Our military veterans give us so much, selflessly volunteering their precious time, energy, and strength to serve our country. Yet, when they return home from service, they’re often left feeling underappreciated and have to face difficult hardships. Reassimilating into normal life can be tough — whether it’s finding a fulfilling career, coping with PTSD, or just readjusting their state of mind, veterans and their families often feel like they’re going about it alone.

That’s where Operation Finally Home (OFH) comes in. Operation Finally Home is a program that provides custom-built homes for veterans and their families, giving that home to them mortgage-free. The program was specifically created for veterans who had their time in service cut short because of injury. This uplifting gift to our heroes and their families is a fantastic way to show that they’re truly cared for when they return home.

What’s it like to get COVID? Can you get reinfected? How is the virus mutating? Should Schools re-open? Do masks really work? Are outdoor bars OK? Do we need more testing capacity? Would herd immunity work?

With all the questions and information out there right now we are lucky to have infectious disease expert Dr Mary Beth Graham join the podcast.

Danika Tramburg and host Richie Burke break down their first hand experiences with COVID and they aren’t what they expected.

Tune in to learn more about the virus and where we go from here

Should your brand be podcasting? When most people think of podcasting, they see a form of entertainment and don’t immediately see a tool that can be used for business. But Richie Burke, Founder and CEO of GoGeddit Marketing and Media, has embraced audio as the next big consumable medium, building successful marketing strategies with podcasting as the cornerstone. 

This is a recording form ERC Midwest’s “Working Without Waste” podcast. 

Waking up at 3 A.M. every morning, Paul Neuberger is a connection-making, cold-calling machine. He owns four businesses, is the president of a 5th, and is an international speaker. In this podcast Neuberger shares essential information on how to make cold calls and add value to your customers.

The Source Magazine is known by many as “The Hip Hop Bible”, but not many know how this iconic magazine actually started and the man behind it. 
Dave Mays started out by DJing hip hop music on a Harvard radio station that mainly played classical music. He developed a following of listeners and started The Source as a single page newsletter to his mailing list of 1,000. 
How did he end up turning this into a global publication that had a readership of 9 million and overtook Rolling Stone as the #1 music genre magazine in the world? On this episode we dive in. 

Alderman Khalif Rainey says, “Hip-hop brings a voice to the voiceless.” While protests continue around the country, Dave Mays, founder of The Source magazine, and alderman Khalif Rainey talk about how racism, the protests, and hip-hop are all closely connected.

With the backdrop of George Floyd’s murder, the subsequent protests, and push for social change, Richie talks with DJ Hines, Khalif El-Amin, and Greg Marshall about race in America and the need for change.

On this episode, we’ll cover a lot of ground, talking about a wide range of important issues involving race in our city and beyond. Our guests touch on what needs to change in the Milwaukee business community (and the community at large), the moment they realized what race really is, speaking with their kids about race, and much more.

What a crazy week in the podcasting world. Between Joe Rogan signing an exclusive nine-figure deal with Spotify and all of the Call Her Daddy drama going on, it’s certainly been eventful. On this episode, we talk about the growth of the podcasting platform and break down what these new developments mean for the industry. 

In the most personal pandemic-related episode to date, Milwaukee Judge Derek Mosley talks about what it was really like to have COVID-19. From spending over a week in the ICU to experiencing complications associated with his kidney transplant a few years earlier, Judge Mosley gives a rare firsthand account of what it was like to be a Milwaukeean with the virus.

Just two days after the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the safer-at-home order, we talked to five Wisconsin political and business leaders about the decision and the path forward for Wisconsin.

This episode’s featured guests are: 

• Ryan Murray, Partner at The Firm Consulting and former Chief of Staff for Governor Scott Walker
• Waukesha Alderman Aaron Perry
• Creator of “As Goes Wisconsin” Kristin Brey
• Army Veteran and Founder of Green Up Solutions Andy Weins
• Emily Siegrist, US National Guard Veteran, former nurse, candidate for WI State Assembly

Just a day after the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the state’s safer-at-home order, we talked to Darren Horndasch, CEO of Wisconsin Vision, Bryan Gerondale, CEO of Chiropractic Company and Ted Balistreri, co-owner of Sendik’s, about the ruling and how their companies have adapted to COVID-19.

From hiring 200 new grocery store employees to figuring out how to safely conduct eye exams, we discuss the tough decisions these employers have made over the last several weeks.

As a global company, Husco had to adapt and move quickly since COVID-19 hit. In this episode, we’ll go over their initial reaction to the pandemic, switching to mask production, the government’s response, adjustments in the global supply chain, and how they’re rethinking business moving forward. 

In addition to his CEO duties, Austin Ramirez is significantly involved in the Milwaukee community. He and his family spearheaded the development of Saint Augustine Preparatory Academy, and now serve as the school’s main supporters. Austin is also on a number of other boards throughout the city, so we touch on the state of business and how the city of Milwaukee can continue adapting to COVID and rebuild from here on out.