There are moments in life when quitting would make complete sense. When the pressure is just too much, and the purpose can’t seem to stay afloat. When the dream you were building suddenly feels impossible to carry alone. And yet, some people keep going anyway. They are called to finish what was started, no matter what it takes.

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, talks with Brenda Lee Cutlip, president of Shelby Joes. Brenda’s husband and business partner “Shelby Joe” passed away as they were building the family business. She talks about faith, perseverance, and what it looks like to keep building, even when that means going it alone.

How did she do it? From early local partnerships to growing regional distribution and future opportunities with larger chains, she explains how trust, relationships, and patience have helped to keep their dreams alive.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-Pressure intensifies when the circumstances become almost unbearable

-Faith can be a stabilizing force when plans fall apart

-Community support often shows up when you least expect it

-Growth doesn’t require certainty, just willingness

-Loss can reshape a dream without ending it

-Listening for peace can matter more than listening to opinions

-Small confirmations can carry you through big uncertainty

-You don’t need a safety net to take a meaningful step forward

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Helpful Links:

Brenda Lee Cutlip, President, Shelby Joes: https://shelbyjoes.com/

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/

Losing a job can unravel more than a paycheck. It can quietly shake confidence, identity, and direction all at once. When work disappears, pressure fills the space it leaves behind. Certainly for the person who lost the position, but in many ways, also for the person who lost the employee.

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, is joined by Kim Pool, a career coach with IntoUSA. With more than 20 years of experience in career development and outplacement, Kim works with individuals navigating layoffs and career transitions while also helping employers support people well during difficult exits.

We talk about what people actually experience after a job ends, like shock, doubt, anger, and fear, and why rushing into applications often backfires. We also discuss how thoughtful employers protect trust and culture by offering career support.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-Job loss often disrupts identity before it disrupts finances

-Panic-driven job searches usually delay progress

-Clarity about values leads to better career decisions

-Confidence grows when people understand what they bring to the table

-Employers influence culture by how they handle transitions

-Career coaching helps people regain direction in addition to finding openings

-Pressure can become a reset point instead of a stopping point

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Helpful Links:

Kim Pool, Intoo USA: https://www.intoo.com/us/

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/

Most business owners are focused on staying visible, staying competitive, and staying in business. What often gets overlooked is whether the digital spaces we rely on every day are actually usable for everyone who needs them. When systems aren’t built with intention, entire groups of people are quietly shut out. That’s not good for business, and it’s not fair.

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, talks with Elizabeth Orley, founder of Elizabeth Ink, a consulting firm dedicated to making the digital world accessible for everyone.

We break down what digital accessibility actually means in practical terms and towards marketing success. We also shed some light on the growing legal landscape around accessibility, the rise in lawsuits, and why overlays and quick fixes often do more harm than good.

Building digital spaces that work for more people isn’t just good compliance or good marketing. It’s good business, done with intention. On purpose.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-Digital accessibility affects websites, social media, video, and AI-generated content

-Accessibility improvements often improve SEO and discoverability at the same time

-Many businesses are exposed to legal risk without realizing it

-Website overlays do not solve core accessibility issues and can create new problems

-Proper headers and alt text help both screen readers and search engines

-One in four Americans lives with some form of disability

-Captions and transcripts improve engagement, and are not just meant for compliance

-Accessibility is becoming a requirement in many states

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Helpful Links:

Elizabeth Orley, Elizabeth Ink: Elizabethink.net

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/

It happens to many of us. Especially if we are high performers. The job is going well. Promotions have come quickly. Responsibility keeps stacking up. And yet something feels off. Energy fades. Health starts sending signals. The work that once felt meaningful begins to feel heavy. That’s where you need to make decisions, and that’s where purpose and pressure collide.

We’re talking about careers, recruiting, and the business of both in this episode of Purpose Under Pressure. Host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, welcomes Izka González, founder of The Hiring Revolution and an international talent acquisition consultant. Izka shares how she moved from Mexico City to Cleveland, built a successful corporate recruiting career, became a Mom, and then an Entrepreneur.

She left her job when she had to leave her job. Plain and simple. She began sharing what she knew about hiring on LinkedIn, helping people understand how recruiting really works and why. And she built a business that bridges the gap between how hiring is perceived, and how it actually functions.

Her message in this episode is that most careers aren’t broken, but they do require adaptation, clarity, and a willingness to challenge limiting beliefs. And they require Purpose, Under Pressure.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-Burnout often shows up physically before we acknowledge it mentally

-Fast career growth without boundaries can quietly become unsustainable

-Financial awareness creates options during moments of transition

-Many job-search struggles stem from mindset before strategy

-Understanding how recruiting works changes how you show up

-Personal branding is about clarity, not self-promotion

-You can’t control hiring outcomes, but you can control preparation

-AI and automation are changing work, not eliminating people

-Saying “no” can be a necessary leadership decision

-Reinvention often begins by using what you already know

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Helpful Links:

Izka Gonzalez, The Hiring Revolution: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-hiring-revolution-6934521483931127808/

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/

Most people carry ideas they never act on. They picture different futures, better careers, bigger impact. But fear, comfort, and uncertainty quietly keep them stuck. Then every so often, someone decides to move anyway. No guarantees. No safety net. Just purpose. They are no different than others. They just weren’t afraid to try. And the won't give up.

Janice Jokkel, business owner, coach, keynote speaker, and founder of The Biz Hive joins host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, in this episode of the Purpose Under Pressure Podcast. Janice talks about early sales leadership at a young age, building a successful family entertainment business, and then firing herself to save it. It's a story about success, burnout, humility, and bold reinvention.

The conversation also dives into Janice’s upcoming book Built to Thrive, her mission to help business owners lead smarter and work less, and the mindset shift required to stop surviving and start building something sustainable.

Foks, if you’ve ever thought about throwing up your hands and giving up, this episode will give you something else to think about. Thrive!

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-Pivoting is required to adapt and to succeed under pressure

-Founder syndrome can quietly become the biggest limitation in a business

-Burnout often shows up before we’re willing to admit it

-Sometimes the best move a leader can make is to fire themselves

-Trusting your team is essential for real growth

-Working harder does not always mean working smarter

-Vulnerability is a leadership skill.

-Surviving and thriving are two very different business outcomes

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Helpful Links:

Janice Jokkel, The Biz Hive: https://thebiz-hive.com/

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/

Many people carry ideas they never act on. They picture different futures, better careers, bigger impact. But fear, comfort, and uncertainty quietly keep them stuck. Then every so often, someone decides to move anyway. No guarantees. No safety net. Just purpose. They are no different than others. They just weren’t afraid to try.

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, has a conversation with Steven Walbolt, President of MDG Flooring America and Kiba Studios.

Steve shares how he left corporate America to bet on himself, his family, and a struggling family business with nothing but faith, determination, and a refusal to quit.

Let this episode serve as a reminder that nothing good comes easy for an entrepreneur. And that pressure doesn’t disappear when success shows up. But more so as an encouragement that acting on your purpose is what the purpose was meant for in the first place.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-The leap into entrepreneurship is simple. That same leap is not easy. There is a difference

Fear evolves into something different after success is achieved;

-Comfort is is never the goal of being an Entrepreneur. Success is measured in Growth

-Delegation is a leadership skill that must be learned

-Systems create freedom.

-Culture outperforms charisma

-True success is measured by people developed.

-Legacy is built through leadership.

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Helpful Links:

Steve Walbolt, President MDG Flooring America/Kiba Studios: https://www.mdgflooringamerica.com/

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/

When pressure hits, it rarely announces itself. Most leaders don’t realize how close they are to crisis until something forces them to face it head-on. There’s a moment when everything feels like it could all fall apart. That moment, when approached on purpose, can be the turning point that keeps everything together and forges a new path forward.

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, welcomes Rod Neuenschwander, co-founder and president of Gift Ology and the Ruhlin Group, and author of From Crisis to Clarity. Rod opens up about losing his longtime business partner, John Ruhlin, and what it meant to rebuild a company and a future in the middle of grief.

Rod speaks candidly about purpose, faith, decision-making, and the clarity that comes only when you refuse to quit, even when the path ahead is nothing like the path that you planned.

This episode challenges leaders to step back and evaluate the cracks forming beneath the surface: the slow leaks, the ignored issues, the assumptions that feel safe until they’re not. It’s an invitation to confront what’s real and to find a way forward that’s focused, honest, and grounded in purpose rather than pressure.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-Crisis often forms quietly long before leaders notice

-Clear purpose becomes an anchor when pressure peaks

-Culture cannot be created in crisis, It has to exist beforehand

-Moving quickly creates clarity faster than planning from a distance

-Most small businesses live only a few decisions away from crisis

-A trusted team becomes the stabilizing force when everything else shifts

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Helpful Links:

Rod Neuenschwander: The Ruhlin Group http://businessonthebrink.com and http://giftologygroup.com

Crisis to Clarity: A Proven Framework to Transform Your Business on the Brink: https://a.co/d/84TWxds

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/

Pressure is a constant companion for anyone chasing excellence on the field, in the office, or anywhere expectations run high. Whether it’s a scoreboard or a bottom line, performance is measured, critics weigh in, and the stakes can be brutally public.

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, sits down with Coach Lee Owens, a sixteen time champion football coach at Ashland University, the University of Akron, The Ohio State Univeristy, Galion High School, Massilon and others along the way. They got together to talk about his new book, Spirit of a Team: Successful CEOs and Coaches Share Their Strategies for Achieving Excellence.

Owens explains why he chose to write it after 45 years in coaching and how lessons from championship football connect directly to corporate leadership and everyday life.

Topics like how recruiting great people, cultivating culture, and maintaining integrity form the foundation of lasting excellence are shared, as well as stories of players and leaders who embodied those principles.

The mark a true leader leaves behind is legacy. For Owens, that legacy lives not in trophies or records, but in the young men and women who grew, learned, and carried his lessons forward.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-True excellence is more than achievement; it’s success with significance.

-Every organization needs a “Tom Brady”, a difference maker who sets the tone.

-The best leaders build culture before chasing results.

-Pressure reveals motivation: if you’re in it for money or recognition alone, it will eventually break you.

-Winning without integrity isn’t winning at all.

-Preparation and belief can narrow the gap between underdog and champion.

-Failure handled well builds resilience that success never could.

-Great teams—and great companies—operate like families built on trust and shared values.

-Legacy isn’t measured in stats, but in lives changed.

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Helpful Links:

Lee Owens: www.coachesplaybook.com

Spirit of a Team: Available on Amazon - https://a.co/d/foPlNbv

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/