In this thoughtful and inspiring episode, Bart sits down with Lisa Burch, founder of YTT Design Solutions, a woman‑owned civil and geotechnical engineering firm headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Lisa shares her journey from a technically curious kid fascinated by drafting and problem‑solving, to becoming a civil engineer dedicated to building infrastructure that quietly supports everyday life. She opens up about the personal challenges that led her to start her own company, the meaning behind YTT (“Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”), and why community, stewardship, and long‑term thinking drive every decision she makes. This conversation reveals the unseen work that keeps communities functioning and the mindset required to build something that lasts.

Major Takeaways / Learnings

• Engineering is problem‑solving at scale. Civil engineers use math and science to make communities safer, healthier, and more functional.
• Great infrastructure is invisible. If it’s done right, people never notice — until something goes wrong.
• Careers can start with curiosity. Early interests in drafting, Legos, and building often signal engineering potential.
• Entrepreneurship isn’t always planned. Lisa started her firm during a period of personal upheaval, choosing action over fear.
• Speed and adaptability matter. Small, nimble organizations can innovate faster than large, rigid ones.
• Community creates purpose. Lisa’s work is deeply rooted in serving Cedar Rapids and the people who call it home.
• Trust beats marketing. Long‑term client relationships and word‑of‑mouth fuel sustainable growth.
• Design for the future. Stewardship means building infrastructure that serves generations, not just today’s needs.

Memorable Quotes

“Engineering is solving problems.”

“If I do my job right, you’ll never know I was there.”

“I bury most of my best work underground.”

“You can do anything — you just have to take the first step.”

“Yesterday, today, and tomorrow guide every decision we make.”

“Community is everything.”

Why It Matters / How to Use It

This episode highlights the quiet leadership behind the systems we rely on every day. Lisa Burch’s story reminds listeners that meaningful impact doesn’t always come with recognition often, it comes from care, discipline, and long‑term thinking. For entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone facing uncertainty, her journey shows how resilience, service, and commitment to community can turn challenges into purpose. Whether you’re building a business, raising a family, or shaping a city, this conversation offers a powerful reminder: the work that matters most is often the work no one sees.

In this deeply human and inspiring conversation, Bart sits down with Dr. Eric Fishon — author, educator, disability advocate, and nonprofit leader — to explore the lived reality of unseen disabilities and the power of advocacy, empathy, and inclusion. Dr. Eric shares his journey from a successful corporate career in customer experience and organizational culture to discovering his diagnoses of narcolepsy, chronic fatigue, ADHD, anxiety, and depression later in life. What followed was not an ending, but a reinvention. Through his Doctor Disruptor platform, Xtermigator Kids, and his work with the Invisible Disabilities Association, Dr. Eric is helping individuals and families understand that disability is not inabilityand that different is, in fact, beautiful.

Major Takeaways / Learnings

Unseen disabilities are real — even when others can’t see them. Validation can be life‑changing.

Diagnosis brings clarity, not limitation. Knowing what you’re dealing with opens the door to tools, accommodations, and self‑compassion.

It’s okay to not be okay. Giving yourself grace is a critical step toward healing and growth.

Advocacy often begins with personal struggle. Dr. Eric turned his own challenges into a mission to help others.

Accommodations are not special treatment — they’re access. Education and workplaces still have work to do.

Helping others creates purpose and fulfillment. Service can be as powerful as medicine.

Technology and AI can be equalizers. The right tools help people with limited energy amplify their impact.

Disability does not define your ceiling. With support, inclusion, and understanding, potential expands.

Memorable Quotes

“It’s okay to not be okay.”

“Disability is not an inability — it can be your greatest superpower.”

“Those letters after your name mean nothing if you’re not helping someone behind you.”

“Helping others gives a high no medicine can replace.”

“Never forget where you’ve been — and turn around to help someone else get there.”

Why It Matters / How to Use It

This episode is a powerful reminder that many of the struggles people carry are invisible, and that empathy, awareness, and inclusion are leadership skills, not extras. Dr. Eric Fishon’s story offers hope to anyone who has felt misunderstood, dismissed, or alone in their challenges. Whether you’re living with an unseen disability, supporting someone who is, or leading a team, this conversation encourages you to ask for help, give grace, and use your experiences to lift others. It’s a call to redefine success, not by what we overcome alone, but by how we help others rise with us.

In this intellectually rich and surprisingly practical conversation, Bart sits down with Dr. Mike Orkin, distinguished statistician, professor, consultant, and author of The Story of Chance: Beyond the Margin of Error. Dr. Orkin explains how probability, randomness, and risk quietly shape our everyday decisions — from business and investing to gambling, medicine, and life itself. Through accessible examples involving dice, casinos, startups, lotteries, and leadership, he breaks down why luck feels powerful in the short term but fades in the long run, how skill changes outcomes, and why most people misunderstand chance entirely. This episode bridges mathematics, business strategy, and human behavior in a way that’s eye‑opening, grounding, and deeply useful.

Major Takeaways / Learnings

Luck dominates the short run — skill dominates the long run. Repeated decisions reveal predictable outcomes over time.

The Law of Averages explains why randomness eventually stabilizes. Outcomes converge toward probability with repetition.

Expected value (EV) matters more than single outcomes. Winning once means nothing if the long‑term math is negative.

Positive EV isn’t enough — risk management matters. Over‑betting can destroy even the best strategies.

The Kelly System teaches sustainable growth. Betting or investing a fixed fraction prevents catastrophic losses.

Most people confuse correlation with causation. We’re wired to see patterns that don’t actually exist.

Luck is a group phenomenon. In lotteries and mass events, someone wins — but your odds don’t improve.

Better decisions come from understanding uncertainty. Awareness of chance leads to smarter, calmer leadership.

Memorable Quotes

“Luck disappears in the long run.”

“The important probability isn’t that you win — it’s that someone wins.”

“Expected value tells you what happens over time, not today.”

“Positive odds don’t protect you if you bet everything.”

“Most people don’t understand the basic laws of chance.”

“Good strategy beats good intentions when uncertainty is involved.”

Why It Matters / How to Use It

This episode helps listeners make better decisions in an unpredictable world. Whether you’re starting a business, investing, leading a team, or navigating life’s uncertainty, Dr. Mike Orkin’s insights reveal how understanding probability reduces fear, improves judgment, and prevents costly mistakes. The conversation reframes luck not as magic or destiny, but as math — and shows how patience, discipline, and sound strategy create sustainable success. If you want to think more clearly, take smarter risks, and stop being fooled by randomness, this episode delivers timeless wisdom you can apply immediately.