Midway Business Podcast

Every leader says they need more time, yet somehow the calendar keeps winning. This episode explores why growth often stalls long before revenue does, and why the real bottleneck may not be your workload at all. If your desk has become the company headquarters for every decision, this conversation might feel surprisingly familiar.
Guest Rachel Davila, Founder of Extra Hands Virtual Assistance, shares why successful delegation is about far more than handing off tasks. She explains how the right support system can help leaders think bigger, build smarter operations, and create room for the work that actually moves the business forward. Sometimes the biggest promotion a CEO can give themselves is removing their name from their own to do list.
To contact Rachael Davila with Extra Hands! Virtual Assistance: rachael@extrahandsva.com or extrahandsva.com
Midway Business Podcast is powered by Elite Benefits of America, helping employers protect resources, empower people, and drive results through smarter employee benefits strategies. Learn more at elitebenefits.net.

Every business runs into obstacles. The difference is that some leaders see resistance as a stop sign while others treat it like another item on Monday's agenda. From sales and entrepreneurship to leadership and even dealing with insurance claims, this conversation explores why so many people settle for just enough while others keep pushing until they find a way through.
If your company has ever lowered the bar because the challenge felt too BIG, this episode will make you think twice. Sometimes the biggest competitor is not another company. It is the voice in your head saying, "Good enough." Because businesses rarely lose overnight. They lose one small excuse at a time.
Midway Business Podcast is powered by Elite Benefits of America, helping employers protect resources, empower people, and drive results through smarter employee benefits strategies. Learn more at elitebenefits.net.

This episode of the Midway Business Podcast features Keith Lewis, Founder of VeraSpark and author of, “Sparking Your Inner Leader.” Drawing from an unusual journey that includes time as both Willie the Wildcat and Benny the Bull, Keith shares leadership insights shaped by decades of coaching executives, teams, and organizations. The conversation explores how leaders influence culture, navigate change, and why self awareness may be more important than many leaders realize.
For executives trying to lead through economic uncertainty, AI disruption, talent challenges, and growing performance pressure, this discussion offers a fresh perspective. It raises an interesting question: are leaders spending too much time reacting to problems and not enough time shaping what they actually want to create? Because despite all the new technology, market shifts, and leadership books, most organizations still discover that the hardest person to lead is often the one staring back from the mirror.
To contact Keith Lewis with VeraSpark: 512-784-2288 or keith@veraspark.com.
Midway Business Podcast is powered by Elite Benefits of America, helping employers protect resources, empower people, and drive results through smarter employee benefits strategies. Learn more at elitebenefits.net.
 

Most leaders spend years chasing growth, hitting targets, and building successful companies, only to realize they are winning the game but not necessarily enjoying it. In this episode, Thomas Edwards Jr., Business and Life Coach and author of The One Up Effect: Gamify Your Life to Win and Have Fun Playing, explores what business leaders can learn from gaming, performance psychology, and human behavior to create stronger cultures, better engagement, and more meaningful success.
The conversation dives into leadership, trust, workplace culture, and why some organizations level up while others keep getting stuck on the same stage year after year. For executives navigating growth, change, and employee motivation, this episode offers a different way to think about business, fulfillment, and building a company where people are excited to keep playing the game.
To contact Thomas Edwards Jr. with The 1up Effect:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/thethomasedwardsjr/ or thomasejr@gmail.com
Midway Business Podcast is powered by Elite Benefits of America, helping employers protect resources, empower people, and drive results through smarter employee benefits strategies. Learn more at elitebenefits.net.

When things are going well, leadership is easy to talk about. The real lessons show up when pressure rises and decisions carry lasting consequences. Guest Jay Jacobson shares lessons from decades of leadership, mentorship, and helping people navigate difficult situations. Drawing from the principles in his book, Lead by Legendary Example, he explores why so many organizations struggle with communication, trust, culture, and leadership development today.
For business leaders, this episode is a reminder that the biggest challenges rarely show up on a spreadsheet. From retaining talent and managing generational shifts to building stronger cultures, this conversation highlights the leadership habits that help organizations adapt, earn trust, and create workplaces people actually want to be part of.
To contact Jay Jacobson with Professional Staffing, LLC:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayscookies or jujacobson@gmail.com
Midway Business Podcast is powered by Elite Benefits of America, helping employers protect resources, empower people, and drive results through smarter employee benefits strategies. Learn more at elitebenefits.net.

This episode of the Midway Business Podcast features Josh Lifrak, author of Win Today: Six Steps to Mental Resilience, Peak Performance, and a Thriving Life, sharing front line insights from working with elite athletes and business leaders. He also takes listeners inside the mindset shifts that helped transform the Chicago Cubs during their championship run. The conversation digs into leadership, culture, mindset, and why so many companies lose momentum once pressure starts showing up.
For leaders trying to navigate uncertainty, remote work, anxiety, and teams running on fumes, this episode delivers a reality check. It exposes why some companies build cultures that thrive under pressure while others keep running in circles through endless meetings, chasing clarity, and trying to make sense of metrics that somehow change every week. The leaders who create connection, simplicity, and accountability before things break are the ones staying ahead while everyone else keeps scheduling another “quick meeting” to figure out what happened.
To contact Josh Lifrak reach out to him on LinkedIn. 
Midway Business Podcast is powered by Elite Benefits of America, helping employers protect resources, empower people, and drive results through smarter employee benefits strategies. Learn more at elitebenefits.net.
 

This episode takes a hard look at why so many companies treat one of their largest expenses alongside payroll and taxes like an afterthought until renewal season shows up with another painful surprise. It challenges the idea that healthcare costs are “just the market” and why leadership and strategy matter more than most executives want to admit.
The conversation also explores why smart companies are rethinking traditional insurance models, challenging rising pharmacy costs, and refusing to accept renewal increases like bad weather reports. For leaders trying to grow revenue while healthcare expenses quietly eat away at margins, this episode opens up a conversation most boardrooms avoid until the panic emails start flying across the company.
Midway Business Podcast is powered by Elite Benefits of America, helping employers protect resources, empower people, and drive results through smarter employee benefits strategies. Learn more at elitebenefits.net.

Most leaders think growth comes from better strategy, but this episode with Zack Zebrowski from Microsoft shows where things actually start breaking down. When roles blur, communication slips, and teams get stretched too thin, even strong ideas lose momentum. The conversation pulls back the curtain on how execution really works when deadlines are tight, priorities shift fast, and decisions are not nearly as polished as they look in leadership meetings.
It also dives into a tension most companies are dealing with right now. Everyone wants more output, faster launches, and bigger results, but fewer leaders want to talk about the strain sitting underneath it all. The companies creating clarity, building trust, and keeping teams moving without burning people out are the ones staying ahead while everyone else keeps holding another “quick alignment meeting” that somehow eats up the entire afternoon.
To contact Zack Zebrowski with Microsoft: ‭708-528-9197 ‬or https://www.linkedin.com/in/zackzebrowski/
Midway Business Podcast is powered by Elite Benefits of America, helping employers protect resources, empower people, and drive results through smarter employee benefits strategies. Learn more at elitebenefits.net.
 

Every leader says they trust their team until something goes sideways and suddenly everyone is back in the weeds. In this episode, John Eby from Toledo Integrated Systems joins the conversation to dig into the gap between what leaders say and how they actually operate when pressure shows up. The discussion challenges the idea that control creates results and instead explores why trust, honest conversations, and giving teams ownership is what keeps companies moving when things get difficult.
At the same time, the episode calls out the reality most leaders are quietly dealing with right now. The workforce has changed, expectations have shifted, and the old leadership playbook is getting exposed fast. Companies that balance accountability with flexibility and keep Customer Experience human continue to pull ahead while others sit through another meeting wondering why employees disengage and customers slowly disappear.
To contact John Eby with Toledo Integrated Systems: ‭419-867-4170 x274‬ or jeby@ttoledo.com, www.ttoledo.com
 

Every company says they want better performance, but most are just running cleaner versions of the same habits that got them stuck in the first place. Good habits can build momentum, but they can also box you in when the business outgrows them. Bad habits are easier to spot, but just as easy to ignore when they have been part of the routine for years. Either way, once something feels normal, it becomes invisible, and that is where most leaders lose control without realizing it.
This episode cuts into that blind spot. It shows how the same pattern that drives discipline and consistency can also limit growth if it goes unchallenged. The real tension is not knowing what is right or wrong. It is recognizing that both good and bad habits will run your business on autopilot if you let them. The leaders who win are the ones willing to question what feels normal before it starts costing them.
For more information about Midway Business Podcast, please contact us at 708-535-3006, butch@elitebenefits.net