What if the questions you’re asking are actually holding people back instead of moving them forward?

I sat down with my friend Dan Nicholas, one of the most quietly influential humans I know, and what unfolded wasn’t just a podcast… it was a masterclass in leadership, listening, faith, and real transformation.

Dan is the kind of guy who can walk into a room, whether it’s a boardroom, a restaurant, or a recovery meeting, and make every single person feel seen. I’ve watched him lift people who were at their lowest and speak life into CEOs, business owners, and world-class leaders with the exact same heart. And in this conversation, you get to experience why.

We unpack a frustrating (and honestly eye-opening) call Dan had right before recording, one of those conversations where someone talks at you, not with you, and use it as a springboard to talk about something every leader, salesperson, coach, and human needs to hear:

The difference between asking “why” and asking better questions.

In this episode, we get into:

• Why “why” questions often create defensiveness instead of growth
• How tone and curiosity can instantly change the direction of a conversation
• The shift from motivation to true transformation (and why it matters)
• How great leaders build trust without power plays or posturing
• Journaling, gratitude, and the power of “I am” statements
• Leading with the fruit of the Spirit, not pressure, ego, or fear
• How faith, discipline, and obedience unlock purpose in business and life
• The idea of “dream vampires” and how to stop letting them steal your calling
• Why listening, really listening, is the most underrated leadership skill there is

This isn’t theory. It’s lived experience.

We talk sales, leadership, recovery, faith, failure, purpose, and what it actually looks like to help people move forward without shaming them for where they’ve been. If you’re tired of surface-level motivation and ready for conversations that actually change how you show up, with your team, your clients, your family, and yourself, this one’s for you.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast players!

• Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keep-the-change/id1622521488
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xcQk7kNGNOnWuZ14aDkWC

Connect with Bart Nollenberger:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-nollenberger-4949405a/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BartNollenbergerCoaching

What if the way you lead at work didn’t cost you your soul at home?

That’s the question that kept coming up for me in this conversation with Joel Manby. And honestly, it’s one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had on Keep the Change.

Joel’s resume is impressive on paper. Harvard. General Motors. Saturn. CEO of Saab North America at 34. Chairman and CEO of Herschend Enterprises, the company behind brands like Silver Dollar City and Dollywood. But this episode isn’t about titles. It’s about the moment when success stopped being enough and significance started to matter.

In this episode, Joel and I talk about what it really looks like to lead with love without losing results. We dig into his journey from growing up poor in Michigan, to navigating toxic corporate cultures, to discovering a radically different way of leading that actually produced better employee engagement, higher customer satisfaction, and stronger long-term returns.

We talk about Saturn and what made it different. We talk about failure, including a painful startup collapse that left Joel questioning everything. We talk about the phone call that changed his life, when Jack Herschend invited him into a company that believed people came first, not last. And yes, we talk about Undercover Boss, the letters that poured in afterward, and why that experience pushed Joel to write Love Works.

If you’re a leader who’s tired of choosing between results and relationships, this episode is for you. If you’ve ever felt that tension between who you are at home and who work seems to require you to be, this conversation will hit close to home. And if you believe there has to be a better way to lead without becoming someone you don’t recognize, you’ll want to hear every minute of this one.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast players!

• Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keep-the-change/id1622521488
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xcQk7kNGNOnWuZ14aDkWC

Connect with Joel Manby

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-manby-3850b911b/

Connect with Bart Nollenberger:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-nollenberger-4949405a/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BartNollenbergerCoaching

What if the single decision that changes your entire life looks ordinary in the moment. What if the turning point in your career doesn’t feel like a turning point at all until years later. And what if the leader you become is shaped not by victory, but by what you choose to do when no one else is paying attention.

That is the heartbeat of today’s conversation with Chris Martinez CEO of IgniteUps.Ai, and it is one of the most revealing episodes we’ve ever released.

Chris’s story is not a typical automotive success story. It is a blueprint for what happens when hunger meets humility, when bold choices collide with adversity, and when a leader learns to build people just as passionately as he builds numbers. The man has run massive stores, written bestselling books, built technology before the industry knew it needed it, and weathered personal storms that would level most of us. And yet, what he shares in this episode is not about bragging rights. It is about lessons. Real ones. Earned ones. The kind leaders rarely talk about.

This episode is not simply a conversation. It is a masterclass in building something meaningful from wherever you stand today. If you are a dealer, a leader, a salesperson, or someone trying to figure out how to take the next step in your life, the perspective inside this discussion will stay with you long after it ends.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast players!

• Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keep-the-change/id1622521488
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xcQk7kNGNOnWuZ14aDkWC

Connect with Chris Martinez

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjmartinezatx

Connect with Bart Nollenberger:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-nollenberger-4949405a/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BartNollenbergerCoaching