Mile High Success Podcast

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.