What happens when the career you worked so hard to build comes to an unexpected end? For Dr. Sheri Poznanovic, it became the start of a whole new journey.
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, host Nick Elder sits down with Dr. Sheri Poznanovic, founder and CEO of Optin Health and Nutrition in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
After nearly 15 years as a successful pediatric ear, nose, and throat surgeon, Sheri developed a hand tremor that forced her to leave the operating room. It was a hard change, but it also gave her the chance to find a new way to help people.
She went back to school, earned her master's degree in nutrition and human performance, and built a new medical practice focused on helping people take charge of their health before problems arise.
Nick and Sheri talk about what it takes to start over, build a business, and find success in a whole new way.
They also explore why good health starts with simple daily habits like better sleep, less stress, healthy eating, and strength training. Sheri shares her views on weight management, hormone therapy, peptides, and why she believes the future of medicine should focus more on prevention.
Sheri also opens up about the mentors who helped her take the leap into business ownership, the importance of family, and how her idea of success has changed over time.
Whether you're thinking about starting a business, making a career change, or simply looking for ways to live a healthier life, this conversation offers ideas you can put to work.

In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with Pamela Mass, founder of Law Mother, to talk about building a successful business, growing a social media following, and finding the courage to take big risks.
Pamela has spent 16 years helping families protect their wealth and plan for the future. She is also an author and business owner who has built an Instagram following of more than 1.5 million people.
But her path to success was not easy.
Pamela shares how she went from being a trial lawyer to starting her own law firm with a credit card. She faced fear, money worries, and the start of the pandemic while trying to grow her business and raise a family.
She also shares the story of how a simple video she made at 3 AM while on maternity leave got 6 million views. That one video helped change the way she approached social media.
Nick and Pamela talk about why you don't need fancy cameras, perfect videos, or millions of followers to build a strong personal brand. What matters most is showing up, sharing what you know, and making real connections.
They also explore how mentors, good habits, and a strong support system can help business owners handle stress and keep growing.
 

What makes a great leader? For Joe Byrne, it starts with trust, empathy, and putting your team first.
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with Joe Byrne, an aviation leader with more than two decades of experience. Joe’s career started when he joined the United States Navy at 17 and became a structural mechanic. He later continued his aviation career and moved into the world of in-flight internet connectivity and customer support.
Joe shares how taking on jobs outside his comfort zone helped shape his career. One of those opportunities was building a training program from the ground up. What started as a one-person effort grew into a global training team supporting aviation professionals with product installation, maintenance, systems operations, and technology.
But Joe says knowing the technical side of the job was only part of becoming a successful leader. Learning how to lead people was the bigger challenge.
Joe explains why servant leadership, compassion, and empathy have become central to the way he leads. He believes leaders need to build trust with their teams and give people the tools they need to succeed.
One of Joe’s biggest lessons is simple: lead through your team, not around your team.
Nick and Joe also discuss how leaders can communicate a company’s vision in a way their teams understand, why transparency matters during times of change, and how Joe has helped his team navigate a major company merger.
Joe also shares why leaders must stay open to change, keep learning, and become comfortable taking on challenges outside their normal roles.
If you are a new leader, want to become a better leader, or are helping a team through change, this conversation offers practical lessons you can use.
 

What happens when the people who once cared for you suddenly need you to care for them?
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with Colorado author Thomas Denning to talk about his new book, Goodnight Mom and Dad: How Terminal Illness Transformed an Ordinary Family.
Thomas grew up as one of 12 children. He helped his family care for his mother as she faced brain cancer and, years later, helped care for his father through his own terminal illness.
Thomas shares why terminal illness is rarely just about medicine. It can change family roles, create hard decisions, test relationships, and force us to think about what truly matters.
He also shares the story behind his book and why he finally decided it was time to write it. After years of journaling and collecting hundreds of pages of notes, Thomas made writing the book his mission. He wrote every day, set a deadline, and learned to stop asking whether every word was good enough. He simply kept writing.
Nick and Thomas also talk about being present during painful times, caring for aging parents, faith, forgiveness, family, and the power of ordinary moments.
Thomas shares one especially touching story about getting Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman to call his mother just days before she passed away. It became one of those ordinary-yet-extraordinary family memories that stays with you.
As Thomas explains, we often think life has to be extraordinary to be meaningful. But sometimes meaning comes from hundreds of ordinary moments that we only understand when we look back.
Thomas hopes his book can be there for the person sitting in an emergency room late at night, driving to care for a parent, or trying to make sense of a difficult season with someone they love.
ABOUT THOMAS DENNING
Thomas Denning is an author, father, grandfather, writer, and video producer. His book, Goodnight Mom and Dad, shares his family’s experience caring for his mother and father through terminal illness and explores family, caregiving, faith, forgiveness, loss, and what matters most.
 

What if AI is making us more productive while actually slowing down true innovation?
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with inventor and technology entrepreneur Trevor Chandler for a fascinating conversation about artificial intelligence, invention, patents, and where technology may be headed next.
Trevor has more than 30 patents across areas including artificial intelligence, robotics, medical technology, language translation, and other emerging technologies. His path to becoming an inventor was anything but traditional. Before building technology companies, Trevor spent years traveling as a musician. He later worked at Microsoft and went on to build companies and intellectual property that led to multiple acquisitions.
Trevor explains why he believes many of today's AI systems are very powerful but are still limited by the information and structures humans give them. He shares his concern that AI can dramatically increase productivity while making people more dependent on existing knowledge instead of exploring completely new ideas.
Nick and Trevor also discuss the enormous infrastructure and energy demands behind today's AI systems. Trevor explains why he believes the industry needs to rethink how AI is built instead of simply building more computing infrastructure to support today's models.
The conversation goes deeper into Trevor's own inventions, including a patented self-improving AI system, a highly efficient language model, medical technology, language translation, and his current work exploring AI systems that can create and test new capabilities.
Trevor also shares how he approaches invention differently. Rather than simply following where technology is going today, he looks for problems that leading technology companies have not yet solved and builds new approaches around those gaps.
The episode closes with a look at one of Trevor's newest areas of research: the connection between biological evolution, emergent systems, artificial intelligence, and machines that may someday be able to develop new capabilities in the physical world.
If you are interested in AI, innovation, entrepreneurship, patents, emerging technology, or the future of computing, this conversation offers a very different perspective on where technology could be headed.
 

What happens when you spend 30 years building a successful career and realize you are ready for something new?
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder talks with Bryan Jepson, a former board-certified emergency medicine physician who made a major career change into financial planning.
After three decades in emergency medicine, Bryan knew he was ready for a new chapter. But simply retiring did not feel right. His career was a big part of his identity, and he still wanted to learn, grow, and make an impact.
So Bryan went back to school in his 50s to study finance. That decision eventually led him to become a financial advisor and fiduciary who helps physicians and other professionals make smarter decisions about their money and their lives.
Bryan and Nick discuss why building wealth is about much more than reaching a certain number. Bryan believes true wealth comes from aligning your money, time, and purpose with what matters most to you.
They also discuss the financial mistakes physicians can make early in their careers. Bryan explains why simple habits like saving early, investing for the long term, staying diversified, and ignoring financial noise can make a huge difference.
The conversation also explores Bryan's personal experience as the father of two adult children with autism. That experience led him to become a Chartered Special Needs Consultant and help families prepare financially for the lifelong needs of a loved one with special needs.
Bryan also shares what he has learned about making a successful career change. One of his biggest lessons is simple: "build it before you break." Instead of waiting until burnout forces a decision, start exploring new interests, building relationships, and developing new skills while you still have options.
Bryan and Nick also discuss why relationships can matter more than resumes, why curiosity helps people grow, and why being willing to fail can open the door to unexpected opportunities.
 

What does it take to keep building businesses for 20 years? For Jeremy Ostermiller, it comes down to finding work you love, hiring the right people, thinking bigger, and never being afraid to pivot.
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with entrepreneur Jeremy Ostermiller to talk about the lessons he has learned over roughly 40,000 hours as an entrepreneur.
Jeremy started his first business at 15 and later built Altitude Digital from just $500 into a digital media company that generated more than $250 million in revenue before a successful merger. Today, he is chairman and co-founder of Edison Interactive and is building consumer brands including Death Before Decaf and Steel Town Garage.
Jeremy shares why entrepreneurs should stop waiting for the perfect idea and instead find an industry they truly care about. He explains why your first idea probably will not look anything like the business you have six or eight years later—and why that is a good thing.
Nick and Jeremy also dig into one of the hardest parts of growing a company: people. Jeremy shares what he looks for when hiring, why optimism matters to him, and how his leadership style has changed from micromanaging to managing, coaching, and ultimately leading.
They also discuss building businesses that can make money around the clock, finding mentors and strong peer groups, learning from travel, creating companies that can cross borders, and looking for opportunities with room for exponential growth.
One theme runs through Jeremy's entire story: keep moving. When you reach a dead end, find another way around.
Jeremy Ostermiller is an entrepreneur, investor, chairman and co-founder of Edison Interactive, and the entrepreneur behind Death Before Decaf and Steel Town Garage. He has been named Colorado Technology Association's Entrepreneur of the Year and recognized by the Denver Business Journal as a 40 Under 40 honoree.
 

What does it really take to build a company, take risks, and keep moving when self-doubt shows up?
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with Dana Hawthorne, founder of Modernize and a longtime technology entrepreneur. Dana has built three technology services companies, successfully exited two of them, and grown Modernize to around 80 people.
Dana shares how his career started in recruiting and how asking questions helped him learn the technology business from the inside. He talks about the mentors who shaped his career, why relationships have played such a big role in his success, and why entrepreneurs need to understand what they are good at—and hire people who are better at everything else.
Nick and Dana also dive into artificial intelligence and where Dana believes the technology is heading. Dana explains why privacy, security, and control of company data could become much bigger concerns as businesses adopt AI. He also shares the work being done through Modernize and Deployed around private AI systems and regulated industries.
The conversation gets personal as Dana talks about one of his biggest challenges: self-doubt. His approach is simple—keep moving. Dana believes entrepreneurship requires taking ownership of outcomes, becoming comfortable with risk, and continuing to push beyond your comfort zone.
They also discuss the difference between being an entrepreneur and being a leader, why Dana considers himself a “zero-to-one” builder, and why great mentors can change the direction of a career.
Dana closes by sharing why he remains optimistic about technology, skilled people, and the opportunities ahead.
 

What does it take to keep moving forward when life seems stacked against you?
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with veterinarian, entrepreneur, author, and speaker Patrick Kalenzi.
Patrick’s journey began in Uganda, where he faced poverty and serious challenges from an early age. He survived polio, experienced violence and hardship, and worked to pay his own school fees. Through determination and education, Patrick earned his veterinary degree and eventually made his way to the United States.
Starting over was not easy. Patrick cleaned houses and delivered newspapers while working toward becoming a licensed veterinarian in America. Today, he owns Rock Creek Veterinary Hospital and Rock Creek Pet Spa Grooming in Colorado.
Patrick shares how his grandfather became one of the greatest influences on his life. His grandfather taught him about courage, wisdom, hard work, and believing that difficult circumstances do not have to define your future.
Patrick also talks about the “silent angels” who appeared throughout his journey—people who offered help, encouragement, or an opportunity at just the right time.
You’ll also hear the story behind Patrick’s memoir, Tears Run Dry: A Memoir of Courage Through Racism and Tribalism. What began as a few pages written for his unborn son became a book designed to share Patrick’s story and encourage others not to give up.
Now, Patrick is thinking about his next challenge: using his success to change other people’s lives. He wants to inspire people, support his employees, create opportunities, and show others what may be possible when they keep moving forward.
 

What does it take to lead great people in a world where technology keeps changing?
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with IT leader and educator Jadd Miller to talk about leadership, technology, artificial intelligence, and the power of moving with intention.
Jadd has spent more than two decades working in IT. His career has taken him from infrastructure engineering and project management to leading software development teams. Along the way, he learned that great leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about helping other people do their best work.
Jadd shares why leaders should take time to understand their people, learn what they are great at, and then get out of their way. As he puts it, a leader's job is to clear the path, not build walls.
Nick and Jadd also talk about what it means to lead as an introvert. Jadd explains why introverts do not need to become extroverts to become strong leaders. Instead, they can learn to manage their energy, listen closely, and act with intention.
The conversation also explores artificial intelligence and the future of work. Jadd sees AI as a powerful tool, but not a replacement for human judgment. People still need to guide the technology, check its work, test the results, and understand the business problem they are trying to solve.
They also discuss cybersecurity, data, servant leadership, and psychological safety. Jadd explains why people need room to take reasonable risks, make mistakes, learn, and move forward without fear.
One idea ties the whole conversation together: move with intention. Know where you want to go, help your people succeed, and make sure the work you are doing creates real value.
Jadd Miller is an experienced IT leader with a background in infrastructure engineering, project management, software development leadership, business integration, and technology strategy. To connect with Jadd, search for Jadd Miller on LinkedIn.
 

What happens when people are afraid to admit mistakes at work? Problems get hidden, teams stop learning, and businesses can miss chances to grow.
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder talks with Marianne Boone, founder of Front Range Leadership Development. Marianne spent nearly four decades leading large global teams and helping struggling teams improve their performance. Today, she uses those lessons to help leaders build stronger teams and better businesses.
Marianne explains why psychological safety is so important. When people feel safe enough to speak up, share ideas, and talk openly about mistakes, teams can learn faster. That can lead to better problem-solving, stronger innovation, and improved performance.
Marianne also shares the Boone Framework, her approach for helping businesses understand where they are today and where they want to go. The framework focuses on benchmarking performance, opening dialogue, operationalizing improvements, neutralizing blockers, and creating a culture of evolution.
Nick and Marianne also talk about why failure can be an important part of innovation, how leaders can get employees more involved in development, and why personal and professional growth are closely connected.
Marianne shares the career decision that changed her life and helped her discover her passion for leadership. She also discusses her upcoming first book, Creator’s Kindergarten, which explores self-awareness, personal growth, and creating the life you want.
If you lead a company or team and want people to communicate more openly, learn from mistakes, and keep growing, this conversation offers practical ideas you can put to work.
 

What happens when you take over the family business and suddenly have to prove you can lead it your own way?
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with James Phifer, president and owner of ACCU, to talk about leadership, family business, community management, failure, and building a strong company culture.
James grew up around the community management business. His father started the company in 1970, and James began by doing hands-on jobs like picking up grounds, deadheading flowers, and moving trash cans. He eventually became a community manager, worked his way through the company, became president in 2015, and later purchased the business from his father.
James shares why his relationship with his father helped prepare him to lead. One important lesson was being allowed to try things, make mistakes, and then take responsibility for fixing them.
That lesson became an important part of James' own leadership style.
James also opens up about one of the hardest parts of his career: taking over a company where many employees had known his father for years and some questioned whether James could successfully lead it. He explains why setting expectations early, making tough business decisions, and betting on himself helped him move through the transition.
Nick and James also discuss the changing community management industry. James explains what community managers actually do, why the career can be challenging but stable, and why he believes locally owned companies can offer something different from businesses backed by private equity.
One of James' biggest leadership lessons came when he realized he had become the bottleneck in his own company. Trying to solve every problem himself was limiting the company's growth. Learning to trust his team, let other people make decisions, and allow them to learn from mistakes changed the way he led.
The conversation ends with a look at artificial intelligence and how ACCU is experimenting with new tools to improve the work experience for community managers while still understanding that customers may not always be ready to replace human interaction with AI.
It's a conversation about learning from failure, trusting people, leading through change, and having the courage to keep moving forward.
About James Phifer
James Phifer has spent decades working in community management and now leads the family-owned ACCU. He worked his way through the business before becoming president in 2015 and eventually purchasing the company from his father.
James is passionate about company culture, employee retention, community management, developing leaders, and finding new ways to improve the experience for both employees and customers.
 

Water is something we all need, but most people do not think about it as an investment opportunity. Steve Kloos does.
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with Steve Kloos, Partner at Burnt Island Ventures, to explore the growing world of water technology and venture capital.
Steve has spent much of his career working with technology, early-stage companies, and climate-focused investments. Today, he helps find and support companies that are building new ways to solve water problems.
Steve explains why water is such a large and important market and why changing climate conditions are creating an even greater need for new solutions. He shares examples of companies using AI to inspect sewer pipes, LED technology to disinfect water, new ways to reduce water waste in commercial kitchens, and creative business models that provide free drinking water.
Nick and Steve also dig into the investment side of the business. Steve explains how his team reviews hundreds of companies each year and what they look for before deciding to invest. At the early stage, the founder and team matter a lot. Steve looks for entrepreneurs who truly understand the problem they are solving, listen to customers, test their ideas, and can adapt when things do not go as planned.
They also discuss how Burnt Island Ventures evaluates risk. Steve shares how the team builds different possible outcomes for an investment and looks closely at the market, growth potential, pricing, competition, customer demand, and possible exits.
The conversation also explores the water challenges facing Colorado and the West. Steve explains why the issue is bigger than a short-term drought and why new technology, better water management, and entrepreneurship may all have an important role to play.
For investors, entrepreneurs, and anyone curious about where innovation may be headed next, this episode offers an inside look at an industry most people rarely think about.
Steve Kloos is a Partner at Burnt Island Ventures and has a PhD in chemistry. His career has included work in membrane technology, General Electric, venture capital, climate investing, and water technology. Burnt Island Ventures specializes in investing in water-focused technology companies.
 

What happens when you stop limiting your career to one industry, one country, or one way of doing things?
In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with Tyson McDaniel, an architecture, engineering, and construction professional with more than 20 years of experience.
Tyson has worked on major projects connected to organizations such as NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon. He has also helped create standardized processes that have saved organizations millions of dollars.
But Tyson’s story is about much more than buildings and projects.
Tyson shares how a mentor he met when he was just 15 years old helped shape his career and his approach to working with people. That relationship lasted for decades and taught Tyson lessons about construction, communication, marketing, and understanding what clients really need.
Nick and Tyson also talk about Tyson’s international experience. After spending two and a half years in Taiwan, Tyson saw how ideas and systems developed in the United States could be adapted to help organizations in other parts of the world communicate and work better.
Now, Tyson is working toward an even bigger goal: developing an international architecture and engineering firm that can serve clients around the world.
Throughout the conversation, Tyson shares an important idea behind his success. Instead of limiting himself to one country, language, or industry, he has continued to build on what he already knows while stepping into new opportunities.
For Tyson, the best new opportunities often allow him to bring three to five past experiences with him. That gives him a strong foundation while still allowing him to learn something new.
This conversation is a great reminder that your past experiences do not have to stay in the past. They can become the building blocks for your next opportunity.
 
 

What does it take to build a successful real estate career when you start during one of the toughest housing markets in history?
On this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with Jesse Laner, co-founder of C3 Real Estate Solutions, to talk about Jesse’s path from growing up in a small community in Alaska to building a successful real estate business and investment portfolio in Northern Colorado.
Jesse entered real estate during the 2008–2009 housing crisis. Instead of seeing a bad market as a reason to stay away, he saw an opportunity to learn. He brought the same mindset he had developed as a college basketball player into his new career: work hard, keep learning, and put in the time.
Jesse shares why he believes real estate professionals need to balance finding new business with building long-term relationships. Rather than always chasing the next deal, he encourages agents to take care of past clients, build trust, and create a business based on repeat and referral relationships.
Nick and Jesse also dive into real estate investing and the shift from active income to passive income. Jesse explains why his early focus was on building equity and growing his net worth, and why cash flow can become more important later when an investor wants to rely less on active income.
They also discuss mentorship and one of Jesse’s biggest lessons: relationships are capital. A relationship Jesse formed when he was just 12 years old eventually became an important friendship and business relationship decades later.
For Jesse, success is not something anyone builds completely alone. Mentors, friends, partners, clients, and unexpected relationships can all change the direction of your life.
If you are building a real estate career, investing for your future, or simply looking for a more sustainable way to grow your business, this conversation offers practical lessons about hard work, patience, investing, mentorship, and the power of relationships.