The Unshakeables
Episodes
Who’s Running the Shop?: Gretna Machine Shop
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Nubia Perez had a plan for her life — marry abroad, raise trilingual kids and build something global. But when her father fell ill, Gretna Machi...
How to Stop Work From Taking Over Your Life
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Work doesn’t end when the workday does. Even after we close our laptops, our minds keep replaying awkward meetings, looming deadlines, and unfin...
For the Love of Dogs: Cleveland Veterinary Rehabilitation
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There are movies about how a dog can change your life — but for Dr. Laura Surovi and Michael Sivo, it actually happened. Laura had recently buil...
The Business of Early Detection: Breath Diagnostics
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Victor Van Berkel lost his father to lung cancer — the deadliest cancer in the U.S., in part because it’s so difficult to detect early...
Inspiring the Future of Manufacturing: CHAMPION Now!
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Terry Iverson grew up in the family machine tool business, eventually becoming the third-generation CEO of Iverson & Company. But as American manu...
Service as the Foundation: Moore United Construction
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ron and Kelly Moore started in the family business young — Ron in the warehouse, Kelly on the phones. They built careers expecting to take over ...
The Unshakeables is back for Season 3
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Full Court Vision: Round21
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From the basketball court to the corporate boardrooms of the largest global sports brands in the world, to a locker-room–inspired idea that took...
The State of Small Business: Holding Strong Amid Changes
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, Ben sits with Tino McFarland, CEO of McFarland Construction, and Michelle Rockwell, Founding Member & Licensed Customs Br...
“It’s not just innovation, it’s impact”: How AI is revolutionizing healthcare
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Nick Richitt, global co-head of Healthcare Services at J.P. Morgan, sits down with Michael Gao, co-founder of Smarter DX and presiden...
Emergency Care with Compassion: Apogee Care
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Emergency room doctors Kevin Biese and Daniel Arteaga saw a familiar pattern: when older adults were taken into emergency departments, more often than...
Inspiring Creativity & Community: CultureCon
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imani Ellis has always believed community is a superpower. What began as a small gathering in her Harlem apartment grew into The Creative Collective N...
Next Up on The Unshakeables
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Storm Tested: re:3D
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Samantha Snabes never set out to build a typical company. As co-founder of re:3D and a member of the Air Force National Guard, she launched an open-so...
Called to Serve: Mercy Chefs
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Hurricane Katrina hit, Gary LeBlanc did what he knew best—he showed up to cook. But what he found on the ground was far from comforting. Th...
BONUS: Boost Your Resilience At Work
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What can we do to cultivate more resilience at work? Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of The Unshakeables podcast, thinks abou...
Insuring a Family's Future: Elan Flowers
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a sudden health crisis rocked his family, Patrick Hall made an unexpected move: he bought a flower shop. Elan Flowers wasn’t just a creati...
Bionic Breakthrough: Psyonic
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Aadeel Akhtar always knew he wanted to help people, but instead of following the traditional path through medicine, he took a detour that led to somet...
Against all Odds: All Nation Restoration
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Benjamin Haugh was 19, he opened his business, All Nation Restoration—not because he wanted to, but because it was the only option he had. ...
Succession Planning for Small Businesses: Special Topic
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Transitioning your business isn’t something that happens overnight — it takes thoughtful planning to make sure everything goes smoothly. I...
A Culinary Love Letter to Chinatown: Potluck Club
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in New York City's Chinatown, Cory Ng and his friends were entrepreneurial from an early age, selling items like T-shirts, ice cream, and b...
Business of Art: The Entrepreneurial Mindset & Music
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Justin Richmond and Ben Walter, CEO of Chase For Business, for a special conversation about finding success in the music industry through non-tra...
Serving up Success: Sloane Stephens of Doc & Glo
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You may know Sloane Stephens from her prowess on the tennis court. You should also know her for her business savvy. She launched the Sloane Stephens F...
Stick to Your Vision: Nerdwax
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Don Hejny toured with big country artists, he had a sweaty problem: his glasses would not stay put on his nose. Annoyed at constantly having to a...
From Earrings to Entrepreneur: Nickel & Suede
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kilee Nickels never set out to be a CEO, but when her first pair of custom-made earrings became a huge hit, she knew she had to turn her passion into ...
Protecting Your Business from Fraud: Special Topic
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a previous episode of The Unshakeables, Ben spoke with Kilee Nickels of Nickel & Suede about a near $20,000 scam. In this bonus episode, Ben co...
The Widow Who Disrupted Champagne (with Ben Walter)
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford is joined by Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and the host of "The Unshakeables" podcast, to explore the story of the trailblazing Wi...
Bootstrapping Clean Energy: Vessyll
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A few years ago, Zahra Hargens-Illiff discovered batteries light her up. She built her own battery prototype in her garage and hit the VC circuit. But...
On the Right Foot: Esquivel Designs
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
George Esquivel started making shoes for himself and some friends, up-and-coming musicians in Southern California. Soon, Hollywood came calling. And i...
Jamie Dimon: America’s Strength in Small Business
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Unshakeables is back for Season 2 — and it’s kicking off with an episode you absolutely won’t want to miss. Listen in as Ben Wal...
The Unshakeables is back for Season 2
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Unshakeables, Season 2, featuring new interviews with small business owners who share their make-or-break moments and the resilien...
A Fresh Perspective: Fresh Bloom Bins
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The idea for Fresh Bloom Bins struck Tia Johnson like lightning on a hot summer day. After struggling with a dirty trash can and a teenager reluctant ...
Delivering Success: Haus of Logistics
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Quanetta “Q” McNeal loves two things: people and logistics. When she had the chance to combine these interests and launch her own company with her...
Sowing Seeds for the Future: Sabanto
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Craig Rupp left Iowa in the 80s, he never wanted to step foot on a farm again. A whirlwind career as an engineer took him to some of the biggest ...
Next Up on The Unshakeables
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Empowering Veterans for Success: Warrior-Scholar Project
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Transitioning to civilian life after years of military service can be daunting. Some veterans pursue higher education, while others explore business a...
An Unshakeable Mindset: Live from Atlanta
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Unshakeables returns with a special episode. Join Ben as he sits with Jay Bailey, CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, and Dr....
A Vision for the Future: DEZI Eyewear
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Desi Perkins launched her YouTube and Instagram profiles to focus on makeup-and people LOVED it. And when she launched a line of sunglasses with a maj...
Stretched to Their Limits: Rock 'Em Socks
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rob Starkman’s sophomore year was not a typical college experience. He spent most days chugging energy drinks and sweating over fabric dyes in his d...
Building From the Ground Up: NNG Capital Fund
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 2008 Global Financial Crisis was hard for almost everyone. Fuquan Bilal remembers it like it was yesterday. As founder of NNG Capital Fund and a r...
It Started With an Allergy: Partake Foods
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Denise Woodard found out her daughter Vivi had severe food allergies, she went into super mom mode. She looked for food that was nutritious and f...
Wired for Success: Doc Watts Electric
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It can be tough to start a business. And if you’re a young family on the brink of the birth of your first child, it can be even tougher. Yet George ...
Burning Both Ends of the Candle: Bonita Fierce Candles
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa Gallardo’s childhood smelled like dark-roast coffee and lavender Fabulosa. As an adult, she found it difficult to find fragrances that made ...
Losing Everything... Twice: The Auto Firm
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Vega always loved cars. It started with a $500 car in high school and led to a custom detailing and modification business. Until one day, a bus...
Rebuilding After a Blaze: Luna Gourmet Coffee & Tea
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In March 2020, while the entire world was shutting down, Doug and Jason Barrow, brothers and owners of Luna Gourmet Coffee & Tea, had other proble...
Introducing: The Unshakeables
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
These are The Unshakeables, daring small business owners facing crisis points and sharing the stories of how they got through it. Hosted by Ben Walte...