Kevin D’Anna didn’t have a "typical" path to success. His early chapters were written in the shadow of an alcoholic father and a childhood spent moving between 27 different homes. By age 18, he was facing his first DUI; by his third, he was sitting in a jail cell realizing he had built the very bed he was lying in.

The turning point wasn't a sudden stroke of luck—it was a book and a choice. He realized that he was his own biggest problem. Once he took ownership of his life, he didn't just find sobriety; he found his calling as a leader.

He went from bartending to running a Hertz counter, eventually buying a collision center and nearly doubling its revenue in three years by focusing on the one thing most owners ignore: the people.

Today on I’m Up He See’s Me I’m Down, we sit down with Kevin to discuss:

• The moment he realized alcohol was stealing his potential

• How to transition from a "technician" to a true CEO

• Why he’s now on a mission to give Think and Grow Rich to an entire generation of kids

This isn't surface-level motivation. This is a story about the grit required to rebuild from the ground up.

AI is moving fast. Most companies are moving faster than they should.

In this episode, Mike sits down with Tia Christopher, founder and CEO of The Orange Peel Collaborative, to break down what responsible AI actually looks like inside a real business. This is not a conversation about hype or tools. It is about leadership, accountability, and the decisions companies are making right now that will either build trust or destroy it.

Tia brings a grounded perspective shaped by her experience as a US Navy veteran and a 100 percent disabled veteran. After navigating layoffs and career transitions, she built a company focused on helping organizations implement AI with intention, not urgency.

They get into the real issues leaders are facing today. Why most companies are adopting AI without clear policies. The growing divide between enterprise tools with strict guardrails and more open experimental platforms. And the long term risk of prioritizing speed and cost savings over people and culture.

This conversation also goes deeper into something many leaders avoid. The human impact of AI. Tia makes a strong case for reskilling over layoffs and explains why ethical leadership is not optional in a technology driven world.

If you are a founder, executive, or operator trying to navigate AI without compromising your values, this episode will challenge how you think about growth, risk, and responsibility.

We’ve all seen it: the superstar hire who looks perfect on paper but starts drowning within six months.

They have the degree. They have the experience. They have the "Midwest work ethic" Dustin DeBoer and I talked about. So what went wrong?

On the newest I’m Up He See’s Me I’m Down, Dustin explains that productivity isn't just about effort—it's about alignment. When you ask a natural visionary to manage minute details, or a natural supporter to make cold, hard executive decisions, you are asking them to "mask" their true selves.

That mask is heavy. It leads to burnout, errors, and eventually, departure. Dustin’s work in leadership consulting proves that when you align a person’s role with their God-given wiring, productivity doesn't just improve—it becomes effortless.