Brandon shares his full story — growing up on Grosse Ile, a little island in the Detroit River right on the Michigan-Canada border, hating school from day one and not being able to articulate why, opting into an auto body vocational program his junior year just to get out of the classroom, and ignoring the dent repair guy who came in to do a demo (which he'd later apprentice under after his little brother put a foot-long crease in the bed of his first big-boy truck). From there it was a one-way ticket into paintless dent removal, chasing hailstorms six to eight months a year since 2018, becoming a weather nerd, and eventually building the kind of business where most guys would just put their head down and keep running.

We go deep on what it actually means to "set people free" — the education system that punishes you for thinking outside the box (I share my ninth grade Federal Reserve essay story where the teacher accused me of cheating), the monetary system nobody teaches you about in twelve years of required schooling, why attention is our greatest resource and why the phone used to be attached to the wall and people were free, and the difference between success and fulfillment. Brandon drops one of the best lines of any episode: "Success without fulfillment, you're the ultimate failure." Met billionaires in that exact spot.

We also get into solitude — Brandon's got a cabin in the middle of the woods on his grandpa's old hunting property, off-grid, generator, Starlink, hand-dug well, the whole thing. We talk about the right and wrong ways to use isolation, how it can tip into self-sabotage if you're not careful, and why the people you surround yourself with matter more than almost anything else. I confess I've never seen a movie in a theater by myself in my life and it genuinely broke my brain when someone first suggested it. We talk about fatherhood too — I walk him through the six months of 7am-to-midnight grind I put myself through in 2025 while my wife was pregnant with our second, building the exit ramp out of my job, and why 2026 is actually the best time in history for dads to be present with their kids if they'll fight for it.

If you're someone who's built a business you feel trapped in, or you grew up knowing something was off about the system but couldn't put your finger on it, or you're chasing success without ever asking whether it's going to bring you fulfillment — this one's for you.

Connect with Brandon on Facebook Messenger — just search Brandon Dorton (D-O-R-T-O-N) and he'll be there.

We're also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oou7RXcQ177Fgd2UmCtqO?si=19356ebbcad74d9a&nd=1&dlsi=38d5711d17704412

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-humans/id1795206136

Kristy shares her full story — growing up in an entrepreneurial family, going to school for accounting because her grandpa told her "you learn numbers, you are worth gold," getting rejected from every firm during the era when nobody under a 3.9 GPA could get hired, and ending up working for the family business. She talks about her time as CFO of a manufacturing company in Colorado, the short and miserable detour into corporate America that she only took because she wanted to buy a house, and the two-week vacation where she prayed and heard God say "you're done here" — and then waited until July 1st to actually do it.

We get into the part of accounting nobody talks about — that most clients don't know what's actually wrong, they just feel that something is. The pain isn't usually where they think it is. We talk about the Toyota Way and Kanban systems, why you fall to the level of your systems and not your last revenue benchmark, and the painful moment when she has to tell a client their financials look great but they forgot to account for inventory and they're actually not doing well at all. (She plays good cop when she can. Some days she just has to wear the red shirt.)

We also go deep on AI — why Kristy thinks the doom-and-gloom in the accounting industry is overblown, how PE firms are gobbling up mom-and-pop accounting practices, and why she believes the human element of experience is something AI just can't replicate. Plus we get into the creative side of who she is — her years shooting black and white photography in the LA music industry working with artists on promo and headshot work, why her accounting teacher told her she couldn't like both art and math (spoiler: she does both), and how God speaks to her in pictures and dreams the same way he speaks to me.

On the business side, Kristy breaks down what she actually does — deep dive assessments, building accounting departments that scale with the business, and creating an experience around something most people associate with anxiety and dread. Her retention rate is basically 100% and once you hear how she works with clients you'll understand why.

If you're a business owner who's been letting your sister or your CPA "handle the books" while you focus on the fun stuff — or if you're someone stuck in a corporate role wondering if it's time to bet on yourself but talking yourself out of it for the fifth year in a row — this one's for you.

Connect with Kristy at christybarber.com or christy@christybarber.com — same handle across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

We're also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oou7RXcQ177Fgd2UmCtqO?si=19356ebbcad74d9a&nd=1&dlsi=38d5711d17704412

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-humans/id1795206136

Cori grew up as a devout Jehovah's Witness, spending 70 hours a month in ministry as a pioneer and doing it all with a full heart. But as her kids got older and the mandate to parent from a place of fear grew louder, she and her husband Bronson made one of the hardest calls of their lives — they left, together, as a family unit. What followed was a season of rebuilding from scratch: a new community, a new identity, a new sense of purpose, and a whole lot of beautiful, messy experimentation.

We get into how that journey led her from memorial slideshow videos to chiropractic sales (with a 77% close rate, by the way) to diving headfirst into the world of peptides and holistic longevity — and why she won't sell anything she hasn't first put in her own body. We talk about the difference between research-grade and pharma-grade peptides, why the medical model in America is built to manage decline rather than optimize life, and how Cori is working to make people educated consumers in an industry that's still the wild, wild west.

We also go deep on purpose — what fills the void when a lifelong identity falls away, the ripple effect of just showing up and caring for yourself, and why Cori is convinced she belongs on big stages someday (you heard it here first).

If you've ever felt like you had skills and value but no idea where to aim them — or like your best self is still becoming — this conversation is going to feel like a deep breath.

Connect with Cori on Instagram: @cutecori

We're also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oou7RXcQ177Fgd2UmCtqO?si=19356ebbcad74d9a&nd=1&dlsi=3c58ec8fa2644443
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-humans/id1795206136

Logan and I talk about what it really looks like to quietly build something on the side for eight years while working odd jobs in construction, IT, banking, and customer success — and then bet on yourself when the opportunity finally forces your hand. After his entire department got laid off last October, Logan's wife Catherine gave him four months and one challenge: go all in. Spoiler — he didn't need four months.

Logan shares the origin story of his podcast, Your Morning Drive, which is approaching 500 episodes and has become an unexpected lead engine for Hammerhead Creations — not because he designed it that way, but because two hours of genuine conversation builds more trust than any sales pitch ever could. We talk about the moment he realized he could interview local people doing cool things, and how that simple reframe changed everything.

We also get into the health journey Logan started at the top of this year — inspired by Jelly Roll's appearance on Joe Rogan — beginning with just one mile a day. From 280 pounds, down 30+ lbs, walking in ice, walking in Aruba, posting his Apple Watch screenshots every single day on Instagram. That consistency has quietly inspired people around him to start moving too — which was never the goal, but somehow made it all mean more.

We go deep on obsession as a feature, not a bug — how the people who build things that last are usually the ones who simply can't stop — and we talk about Russell Brunson's Expert Secrets and the idea that you only need to be one chapter ahead of someone to change their life.

And if you want to know what it really means to have a spouse in your corner — listen to what Logan says about Catherine, and what Jimmy says about his wife too. You can only be as successful as your spouse will allow you to be.

If you're building something on the side, stuck in a job that isn't it, or just looking for the nudge to start the one small habit that changes everything — this conversation is for you.

Connect with Logan directly — seriously, he gave out his cell:

📱 770-990-2816

🌐 hammerheadcreations.com 📧 logan@hammerheadcreations.com

📸 Instagram: @LoganALewis | Facebook: Logan Lewis

We're also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oou7RX...

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

We're back on the Better Humans Podcast, and today I'm joined by Yesung Cho — a former high school teacher turned entrepreneur, content strategist, and all-around guy who leads with his heart. Yesung and I talk about what it really looks like to walk away from a decade-long career, a pension, and the expectations of an immigrant family — and bet on yourself instead.

Yesung shares his full story — growing up in Toronto as a Korean-Canadian immigrant, teaching computer science, math, and music for nearly ten years, and then making a hard pivot during COVID when he realized the system he was operating inside of just wasn't going to get him where he needed to go. We get into the late nights covered in drywall dust, flipping houses while his wife Iris was home with their newborn, and the moment she said "I never asked you for that — I just want you to be here." That conversation changed everything.

We also go deep on faith and identity — why Yesung doesn't frame himself simply as "a helper," but traces everything back to a church retreat encounter with Jesus that flipped the script on his high-achieving, rule-following mindset. And I got to share a bit of my own story too — hitting absolute rock bottom, not wanting to be here anymore, and the moment God showed up so undeniably that everything since has been different.

On the business side, Yesung breaks down what he's building now — a content service model for six, seven, and eight-figure business owners who need to get their story out into the world. We talk about personal branding as a digital asset, why founders are their own best marketing, and how AI isn't something to fear — it just amplifies who you already are. We also geek out on music (turns out we both played drums), compare notes on parenting toddlers who are basically the hardest clients you'll ever have, and get into some surprisingly deep territory around how our brains actually experience thought.

If you're a business owner who's been hiding behind your product instead of showing up as the face of your brand — or if you're someone who's been living inside someone else's dream of success and wondering when you get to build your own — this one's for you.

Connect with Yesung on Instagram and YouTube — search yesungc or yesungcho and you'll find him.

We're also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oou7RXcQ177Fgd2UmCtqO?si=19356ebbcad74d9a&nd=1&dlsi=8b2fa13da4e64599

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-humans/id1795206136

Instead of a studio-style interview, I invited two of my close friends into my home for an in-person couch conversation: Kyle Rand and Craig Baltes. We hang out, we’ve done small group together, and we’ve built a lot of life side-by-side (including our D&D livestream, Overworked Nerds). So this one feels less like an “episode” and more like you’re sitting in on the kind of conversation guys usually have when nobody’s recording.

Craig is the Director of Partner Security at Aflac — deep in cybersecurity, leadership, and now AI — and he’s also a man of faith who’s walked through real personal restoration and the slow process of becoming who you actually are (not who you’re performing as). Kyle is a full-stack engineer working in AWS and infrastructure, and he’s also living in one of the most intense “life changed overnight” scenarios you can imagine: going from a small household to a family of seven after remarrying — and learning how to lead, parent, and stay grounded inside beautiful chaos.

We talk about the kind of stuff that actually makes men better:

• Why “What do you do?” is a deeper question than people realize — and how work, purpose, and providing value shape identity
• Faith that isn’t performative, and what it looks like to come back to God when you’re in a real personal crisis
• Jesus in Matthew as a table-flipping, authority-carrying King — and how the Sermon on the Mount is both an impossible standard and a blueprint for non-violent strength
• Parenting in a world where we’ve removed most real hardship… and now have to engineer difficulty just to stay human
• Why community matters more than ever as AI accelerates comfort, isolation, and “digital life” to dangerous levels
• The honest reality of modern pressure: screens, stress, responsibility, and trying to build a meaningful life without numbing out

And… in the most painfully real moment possible, we had one microphone die near the end and lost about 15 minutes of what was honestly some of the best conversation. I still published the episode because Kyle and Craig are the kind of men worth listening to — imperfect, grounded, thoughtful, and genuinely trying to live out what they say they believe.

If you’re a husband, a dad, a builder, a believer (or a skeptic), or just someone trying to become a more grounded human in a very synthetic world — this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air.

We’re also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oou7RXcQ177Fgd2UmCtqO?si=19356ebbcad74d9a

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-humans/id1795206136

This is another powerful episode—and one I’ve personally been waiting months to record—featuring the incredible Ann Buoy, known online as The BS Coach and the founder of Buoy Solutions.
 

Ann is one of the most transformational thinkers I’ve ever met. Her story, her clarity, and the work she’s doing with parents is massive. She helps overwhelmed moms and dads stop drowning in the chaos of schooling, re-align their families with their true values, and actually educate their kids—not just “school” them.
 

I first reached out to Ann months ago because every conversation we had completely re-framed how I thought about parenting, learning, and what’s actually required to raise strong, capable, self-led humans. Her brain works differently—in the BEST way—and it was only a matter of time before I begged her to come on the podcast.
 

And the reason I wanted this episode so badly?

Because Ann is doing counter-cultural work that’s genuinely impacting families. She’s helping parents reconnect with their kids, break harmful generational patterns, and build a home environment based on alignment, values, freedom, and real-life education.

And yes… it turns out she really is a Buoy helping parents not drown. 😂⚓️
 

Inside this episode, we unpack:

• Her massive rebrand from Black Sheep to Buoy Solutions

• Why schooling ≠ education—and how parents can reclaim both

• How to raise “Brave Salmon” who swim upstream instead of blending in

• The story of her childhood, what she had to overcome, and why she refuses to pass that pain down

• How parents can create REAL transformation with their kids starting today

• Why her clients experience breakthroughs that literally bring them to tears
 

Ann is the real deal—a genuine, heartfelt, bold, paradigm-shifting human—

and absolutely a BETTER HUMAN. 👏
 

You don’t want to miss this episode. It will change the way you think about education, parenting, alignment, and what your kids actually need from you.
 

🎧 Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oou7RXcQ177Fgd2UmCtqO?si=19356ebbcad74d9a

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-humans/id1795206136

Go follow the show, subscribe to the channel, and let’s keep building something amazing—one better human at a time.

Gary shares his full story — coming to faith as a young man, building a massive college ministry at 20, planting churches, leading one of the fastest-growing churches in America… and then losing everything through an affair: his church, his marriage, his reputation, and even his home. We get into what restoration really looks like, why so many pastors feel trapped behind a “perfect” mask, and why Gary believes authenticity is the missing ingredient in modern church culture.

We also go deep on prayer and how Gary hears from God — not through an audible voice, but through peace, patterns, counsel, and doors opening (and shutting). And we talk about Jesus in a way most people don’t: not just “gentle and mild,” but powerful, authoritative, masculine and tender — the kind of King who can flip tables and still welcome kids into His arms.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from church, skeptical of “professional Christianity,” or like your faith needs something real again — this conversation will hit you right between the eyes (in the best way).

Connect with Gary on Instagram and Facebook — search “Gary Lamb” (you’ll find him fast).
 

We’re also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5oou7RXcQ177Fgd2UmCtqO?si=19356ebbcad74d9a

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-humans/id1795206136