Phoenix Prosperity Podcast

In this episode, Tim Fergestad welcomes Don Fotsch—innovator, entrepreneur, and community builder—who shares his deep insights into building businesses, bootstrapping startups, and strengthening Arizona’s ecosystem for growth and prosperity.
Don opens up about his career journey across tech giants like Apple, PayPal, and AOL, and how his experiences have shaped his focus on applied AI in food, beverage, and battery inspection startups. They discuss the ups and downs of venture funding, why bootstrapping is often a better path, and how Arizona is quickly becoming a powerful hub for "builders" thanks to its unique mix of industries, values, and non-native population.
Don also dives into his work with the Nerd Network—an organically grown, word-of-mouth community of over 500 entrepreneurs and tech minds coming together to help startups scale. Together, Don and Tim explore what it really means to achieve “prosperity for all” and how private-sector leadership is key to driving the future of the Arizona economy.
Whether you’re a founder, investor, or just curious about Arizona’s rapid growth, you’ll walk away inspired by Don’s optimism, his practical wisdom, and his commitment to creating impact through business.
 
----------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!

Eric Keosky-Smith joins Tim to share how a career that started with color terminals in the ’80s led to launching Intel’s Pentium across Europe, then into startups, U-Haul’s multifamily strategy, and now mission-driven business development in Arizona. Eric unpacks the “three legs” of true biz dev—strategy, marketing, and relationships—and why educating beats selling. He gets candid about failures (including four years with no salary), the cost of leaving Silicon Valley without a contact list, and how networking with an open heart can unlock big, boring, billion-dollar opportunities.They also dig into senior-focused innovation: telehealth-enabled affordable housing, fall prediction tech, and the brain-health power of social connection. Eric shares his new purpose: helping the people who help others.
 
----------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!

What if scaling your business starts with expanding your inner capacity? Former CEO-turned-leadership alchemist Brent Perkins joins Tim to explore how agency, presence, and somatic practices create leaders who don’t just perform — they thrive. Brent shares a simple three-part framework for “purpose” (find your gift, grow it, give it away), why capacity restores our agency, and how “osmotic leadership” scales teams and families by modeling wholeness instead of control. They dive into transitions and rituals, parenting with sovereignty, community beyond social media, and the difference between delegating tasks vs. “delegating genius.”
This conversation is a practical, human roadmap for impact-driven, family-focused entrepreneurs who want both business success and deeper fulfillment.
 
----------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!

In this episode, Tim sits down with Gabe Alvarez, the Assistant Director of Player Development for the San Francisco Giants. With nearly two decades of experience, Gabe offers a rare inside look at how professional baseball players are developed, mentored, and supported from rookie leagues all the way to the major leagues.
The conversation covers how Gabe helps structure the Giants’ minor league system, how player development has evolved over time, and why Arizona plays such a pivotal role in shaping MLB talent. They also explore the human side of athletics—how young athletes are taught professionalism, discipline, and even how to manage the fast-paced demands of the sport in the age of social media.
Gabe also shares his reflections on adapting to changes in technology, how he balances the high-performance environment with personal growth for players, and why he still finds the work deeply meaningful after 19 years in the game.
 
---------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!

In this episode of the Phoenix Prosperity Podcast, Tim Fergestad sits down with John Kloian, partner at Gapview, to explore how businesses can overcome the chaos that stalls growth. With years of experience as a CIO and entrepreneur, John shares why he left corporate life to build something lasting, and how his focus on people, processes, and vision helps mid-sized companies move past their sticking points.
John explains how misaligned leadership, unclear vision, and conflicting KPIs can drain up to 40% of a company’s revenue — and what leaders can do to stop it. He introduces Gapview’s holistic model for aligning strategy, people, processes, technology, and measurement to create thriving organizations.
If you’ve ever wondered why your business feels stuck in the “swamp” of mid-sized growth, or how to unlock your team’s true potential, this conversation is for you.
 
 
--------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!

In this episode, Tim Fergestad sits down with legendary Arizona music promoter Stephen Chilton, the founder of Psyko Steve Presents and owner of the iconic Rebel Lounge in Phoenix. Stephen shares how he began booking punk rock shows as a teenager and gradually grew into a leading force in Arizona’s live music scene.
He opens up about the 10-year journey of The Rebel Lounge, how the pandemic disrupted the entire industry, and how he helped bring live music back post-COVID. Stephen also highlights how local venues like his support up-and-coming artists, the economics of mid-tier concerts, and what keeps the Rebel Lounge buzzing.
Plus, hear fascinating stories about legendary acts that once played the Rebel’s historic predecessor — the Mason Jar — including Metallica, Nirvana, and Rage Against the Machine.
 
--------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!

Episode Summary:In this eye-opening conversation, Tim sits down with cybersecurity expert and CEO of CISO Global, David Jemmett, to uncover just how vulnerable our digital world really is. David shares staggering facts about the global cost of cybercrime, why education and awareness are the most powerful forms of protection, and how proactive security is the only path forward.
From ransomware threats and global hacking operations to AI’s role in cyber warfare, David breaks it all down in a way that’s both informative and urgent. You’ll hear real-life examples of companies brought to a standstill—and how quick action can make or break recovery.
He also offers guidance for anyone considering a career in cybersecurity and how business leaders can start protecting themselves today.
 
--------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!

On this episode of the Phoenix Prosperity Podcast with Tim Fergestad, branding expert Emily Soccorsy shares how true connection happens when brands lead with authenticity. Emily is the co-founder of Root + River, a brand strategy and content firm that helps leaders uncover the soul of their brand and communicate it with clarity.
Emily’s journey began as a journalist, where she honed the skill of asking deep questions and uncovering the real story. Over the years, she transitioned into PR, corporate communications, and eventually co-founding her own firm. Along the way, she developed her philosophy of intrinsic branding — the belief that a brand is not a made-up character or slogan, but the lived expression of what an organization truly believes.
 
 
--------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!

In this episode of the Phoenix Prosperity Podcast with Tim Fergestad, we sit down with Aram Chavez, Chairman of Morphos AI and lecturer at Arizona State University. Aram opens up about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the lessons learned from “crying into his pillow,” and how those challenges shaped his approach to business and leadership.
Aram shares the exciting work happening at Morphos AI, a company building deep AI infrastructure to make data storage and search more efficient. He explains how their “easy button” approach could make advanced AI tools accessible to small and mid-sized businesses that usually can’t afford the resources larger companies rely on.
Beyond technology, Aram also talks about his passion for impact-driven work, including his nonprofit Tontozona, which provides camps and scholarships for underserved youth. He emphasizes the importance of teaching leadership, sacrifice, and problem-solving to the next generation through real-world startup experiences.
 
--------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!

In this episode, Tim sits down with Amy Looper, a high-performance resilience coach, to explore how adversity can become the catalyst for deep personal transformation. Amy shares her own powerful journey from burnout and chronic health challenges to a thriving coaching practice that helps high-achieving women build strength through struggle.
Drawing from her background in cybersecurity sales and her certifications in trauma-informed resilience coaching, Amy unpacks what resilience really means—not just grit or pushing through, but building the internal tools to adapt, grow, and thrive in uncertainty.
You’ll hear how Amy stepped away from corporate life, embraced entrepreneurship just before COVID-19, and turned some of life’s toughest seasons into the foundation for a mission-driven business. She and Tim discuss the pillars of resilience, the biology of stress, the power of emotional regulation, and why confidence is built—not born.
 
--------------------------------------------- Interested in being part of this? Please visit our guest invitation page where you can learn more and fill out a brief questionnaire to get started: https://phoenixprosperitypodcast.com/guest It’s going to be enlightening and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I’d love for you to be a part of it!