Leaders aren’t just born—they’re built, and sometimes it takes stepping into the unknown to truly make a lasting impact.

In this heartening episode of the Learn-It-All™ podcast, Damon Lembi sits down with David Brint, innovative real estate entrepreneur and transformative former chairman of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. David shares the inspiring story behind his decades-long mission to cure blinding diseases—a journey that began with his own son’s diagnosis. Together, they dig into everything from scaling one of America’s top affordable housing companies to overhauling a nonprofit for long-term success—plus, the hard (and human) lessons of leadership, succession, and impact.

Whether you care about social entrepreneurship, resilient leadership, or the power of personal connection, you’ll walk away with real, actionable wisdom—and hope for a brighter world.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How David turned personal adversity—his son’s diagnosis with a rare blinding disease—into a mission-driven leadership journey.
2. What it takes to grow a nationwide real estate company that applies social impact and economic development to affordable housing.
3. The nuts and bolts of taking over from a legendary founder and why nonprofit leadership needs an entrepreneurial mindset.
4. The secrets behind successful succession planning—how to step in, when to step down, and how to set the next leader up for success.
5. How building the right team and fostering a learning organization unlocks breakthrough growth—for businesses and nonprofits alike.

Timestamps

00:03 – The moment that inspired David’s mission: seeing hope firsthand

01:08 – Why David took the chairman role after 20 years with the Foundation Fighting Blindness

04:05 – From real estate consultant to affordable housing pioneer

06:03 – How the affordable housing industry evolved (and the role of tax credits)

10:32 – Neighborhood transformation: education, childcare, and the Purpose Built Communities model

13:12 – Designing award-winning housing for the visually impaired

14:04 – How vision (and partnership) fuels organizational growth

16:35 – Finding your niche and hiring world-class talent

19:20 – The #1 challenge scaling a mission-driven business

22:23 – How personal adversity led to founding a game-changing nonprofit

26:17 – Leading with transparency: balancing business and nonprofit commitment

27:13 – The entrepreneurial nonprofit: fundraising, venture funds, and risk

30:36 – How to win board buy-in and empower leadership teams

32:52 – Building a high-performing, learning-focused nonprofit (the hard choices)

35:09 – Making the mission tangible: why “science is our product”

38:09 – Raising record-setting funds—by making learning core to the culture

42:44 – Leading so people “don’t want to let you down”—and why passion is contagious

43:45 – The moment a child could truly “see”

47:30 – Succession planning: why knowing when to step down is as important as stepping up

50:01 – Letting go: giving your team ownership, in business and philanthropy

51:45 – How parenting a child with blindness changed David as a leader

About David Brint

David Brint is a transformative leader whose dual careers interweave purpose and business. As co-founder and principal of Brinshore Development, he’s grown the company into one of the top 50 affordable housing developers

Chaos isn't just survival—it's an opportunity.

In this electrifying episode of the Learn-It-All™ podcast, host Damon Lembi welcomes strategic advisor, U.S. Army veteran, and author Kevin Black for a game-changing deep dive on team chaos. Drawing from military history, behavioral science, and his groundbreaking book Strength and Chaos, Kevin reveals why chaos is misunderstood as merely negative—and how leaders can harness it for team growth. The duo unpacks the difference between destructive and constructive chaos, behavioral adaptability, and the “PAR” dynamic that determines whether your team thrives or crumbles under stress. Whether you run a startup or manage a legacy organization, this episode arms you with a practical playbook for navigating—rather than fearing—uncertainty.

From real stories of battlefield improvisation to boardroom breakdowns, you'll reclaim chaos as your competitive advantage.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why chaos isn’t always the enemy—and how rethinking it changes everything
2. The behavioral building blocks that determine your team’s reaction to chaos
3. Kevin’s six-level “control continuum” for diagnosing constructive vs. destructive chaos
4. How leaders can adapt their style to unlock discretionary effort and resilience
5. What disciplined initiative, mission command, and trust look like in high-performing teams
6. Hands-on exercises and tools to unify diverse personalities and create productive power
7. Why critical thinking beats AI shortcuts—even when uncertainty spikes
8. Case studies from military history and business that reveal the consequences of toxic leadership vs. adaptable command

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why chaos is personal—and not just a storm to avoid

00:32 – Meet Kevin Black: Army vet, advisor, author, and chaos expert

01:44 – What makes Strength and Chaos a first-of-its-kind book on chaos

02:55 – Defining chaos: eustress vs. distress, crisis vs. disorder

05:18 – “Mission” vs. “people” behaviors: key drivers in team settings

07:26 – Are CEOs born with ideal behaviors—or is adaptability the real superpower?

10:19 – How “behavioral drift” creates lopsided teams (and big business mistakes)

11:41 – Decoding the chaos dynamic: PAR (Perceive, Action, Reaction)

13:25 – The control continuum: anarchy, initiative, compliance, resistance

16:25 – Lessons from military teamwork: why decentralization is so hard

19:50 – Comparing battle plans: German blitz vs. U.S. invasion of Iraq

21:32 – How toxic leaders trigger malicious compliance and organizational sabotage

23:51 – Who should read Strength and Chaos—and how to use its frameworks

26:11 – Four levels of constructive chaos: unity, integration, mission command, trust

29:56 – Kevin’s “controlled chaos” war-game workshops for execs

33:06 – What if you’re naturally resistant to chaos and uncertainty?

34:58 – The leader’s real job: turn your team into the rock stars

35:52 – “DOING” acronym: measuring true team performance

38:51 – AI, critical thinking, and the future of adaptive teams

41:40 – The metaphysics of chaos: why it’s inevitable (and how to thrive)

44:44 – Kevin’s favorite leader who crushed chaos: Stonewall...

There’s always a way—and Ursula Mentjes can show you how.

On this episode of the Learn-It-All™ podcast, Damon welcomes Ursula Mentjes: five-time bestselling author, award-winning entrepreneur, and business growth expert. Together, they explore why “accidental salespeople” often outperform the pros, what really drives outsize business growth, and how to dismantle limiting beliefs that hold leaders back. Ursula opens up about her early days in sales, her leap from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, and the mindsets that helped her—and her clients—break through seven-figure ceilings. Plus, she shares actionable tips on hiring, delegation, and leveraging AI as a powerful growth tool.

Straight talk, real stories, and a toolbox of strategy-meets-mindset wisdom—this episode is for anyone ready to think bigger, grow faster, and prove there’s always a way.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. The surprising traits that make “accidental salespeople” outperform even industry veterans
2. Why limiting beliefs—not just markets or experience—are often the main barriers to growth, and how to break through them
3. The step-by-step process Ursula uses to help clients 2x (or 10x) their business
4. Why hiring for attitude and openness can be more powerful than hiring for a résumé
5. The essential role of delegation, trust, and empowering your team (plus how to avoid being the organizational bottleneck)
6. How AI can be leveraged for small business growth, and why leaders can’t afford to resist it

Timestamps:

00:00 – Ursula on “there’s always a way”

00:28 – Meet Ursula Mentjes and her journey from corporate to coaching

01:20 – Why accidental salespeople often succeed

02:15 – Ursula’s early sales lessons and reframing “the numbers game”

04:08 – Advice for finding (and hiring) great salespeople

07:04 – Top traits of high-performing salespeople

08:41 – Rejection and limiting beliefs in sales and leadership

09:09 – Ursula’s NLP techniques for overcoming limiting beliefs

13:15 – Making the jump from corporate to entrepreneurship

21:00 – Lessons in trust and delegation from running a $20M company

23:56 – The reality of launching her own business (and facing new comfort zones)

26:20 – Leadership style, micromanagement, and empowering others

27:39 – Who Ursula coaches and what her revenue model looks like

29:55 – Why mindset matters more than strategy, and the “who not how” approach

33:02 – Real client story: tripling growth with expanded vision and AI tools

35:54 – The most common reasons businesses get stuck

37:18 – Upgrading your team and vision to scale

38:19 – How to depersonalize growth decisions (“what is your business asking for?”)

38:58 – The spectrum of AI readiness—and why it matters

41:21 – Getting leaders excited about custom GPTs and real AI adoption

43:05 – Critical thinking as the ultimate future skill

44:21 – The power of coaching and who you should hire

47:07 – Ursula’s book rec: “One Great Goal” for clarity in action

48:42 – Ursula’s advice: There is always a way.

About Ursula Mentjes

Ursula Mentjes is a five-time bestselling author, award-winning entrepreneur, and sought-after business growth expert who specializes in helping leaders scale to multiple six and seven figures—while working less. A former top sales...