Living Your Legacy

What happens when a man who spent 23 years leading soldiers through combat is forced to reinvent himself from the ground up?
In this episode of Living Your Legacy, former Army Airborne Ranger and trial attorney Cloyd Smith shares the hard-earned lessons that shaped his journey from poverty and military service to building a successful law firm rooted in purpose. After facing life-threatening injuries, military setbacks, divorce, personal struggles, and the challenge of starting over after retirement, Cloyd discovers that true leadership is forged during life's lowest moments. Through stories from Iraq, law school, entrepreneurship, and the courtroom, he reveals how resilience, discipline, and an indomitable spirit continue to guide every battle he faces today.
Key Takeaways
• Your character is defined during your lowest moments, not your highest achievements.
• Resilience is built by owning mistakes and learning from them.
• Finding meaningful purpose creates motivation that lasts beyond career transitions.
• Trial law and military leadership share the same foundations of preparation, discipline, and adaptability.
• Building a legacy requires fighting for people who cannot fight for themselves.
Notable Quotes
• "Your character is defined at your low points, not your high points."
• "It's going to make you stronger or it's going to break you. So, you have the choice."
• "If you own your mistakes, you can fix them."
• "You have to find something that wakes you up and gets you motivated every morning."
• "The only regrets you'll have are the chances you didn't take."

What if the advice that changed your life came from a garden?
In this inspiring episode of Living Your Legacy, Terrie Nathan, CEO of Strong Girl Enterprises, shares the deeply personal story behind her mission to help people transform challenges through the power of perspective. Growing up in Montana, Terrie struggled with self-doubt and bullying until her grandmother Ruby taught her a lesson that would shape her entire life: water what you want to grow.
Today, Terrie helps leaders, entrepreneurs, and individuals reframe adversity, build resilience, and create meaningful change one person at a time. Through stories, practical wisdom, and powerful insights on emotional intelligence, personal growth, and authentic leadership, she reveals why perspective is more than positive thinking. It's a tool for transformation.
If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about your next step, this conversation offers a fresh lens for moving forward.
Key Takeaways
• Perspective is not positive thinking. It is powerful thinking.
• Emotional intelligence begins with self-awareness and self-management.
• Fear often keeps people trapped inside their comfort zones.
• Authenticity creates deeper connections than trying to fit a mold.
• Lasting impact happens one person at a time through a ripple effect.
Notable Quotes
• “Perspective is a gift we give ourselves.”
• “Water yourself with your words, not the words of others.”
• “Nothing grows without water.”
• “I show up for who I am and you're either going to like it or you're not.”
• “We impact people one person at a time.”

Colleen Marquez never expected her greatest test to arrive just as she was preparing for a new chapter in life. After years of building a successful career in sales, consulting, recruiting, and technology, she was ready to launch her real estate business when tragedy changed everything. In this deeply personal conversation, Colleen shares how faith, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to serving others helped her rebuild after loss, navigate motherhood, and create a business rooted in purpose. From overcoming rejection and adversity to empowering families through real estate, she reveals the mindset, leadership lessons, and personal convictions that continue to guide her journey. This episode explores entrepreneurship, faith-driven leadership, real estate success, personal growth, and what it truly means to build a legacy that impacts others.
Key Takeaways
How resilience is built through life's most difficult challenges.
Why every rejection can become a step closer to the right opportunity.
The role faith plays in reducing fear and creating confidence in business.
How data, technology, and emotional intelligence create a competitive advantage in real estate.
Why authenticity and service are essential for building a meaningful legacy.

Notable Quotes
"I always thought that my no was just one step closer to my yes."
"I'm not the most important person in the room."
"I'm not the smartest person in the room."
"Find a way or make one."
"You can actually use your story of overcoming to bless others."

What happens when a divorced engineer decides to stop playing small and start building a life aligned with his values? In this episode of Living Your Legacy, Jason Diebold shares how a personal reinvention led him into the world of relationship marketing, entrepreneurship, health optimization, and purpose-driven business. Drawing from nearly two decades of experience, Jason reveals why authentic relationships outperform transactional networking and how helping others succeed became the foundation of his own success. He also discusses the future of personalized nutrition, health technology, network marketing, and the lessons that emerged from loss, adversity, and starting over. This conversation explores what it truly means to create wealth through service while building a legacy that positively impacts others.
Key Takeaways
Building genuine relationships creates more sustainable success than transactional networking.
Personal setbacks can become powerful catalysts for reinvention and growth.
Service-oriented leadership is one of the fastest paths to long-term fulfillment.
Health optimization and preventative wellness are becoming increasingly data-driven.
Legacy is built by helping others achieve their goals while pursuing your own.

Notable Quotes
"Ultimately for me, it comes back to helping other people get what they want."
"Even if you're not making millions and millions of dollars, you're already wealthy."
"You're just one step ahead of somebody else that's on the same journey."
"As I learn stuff, I just talk about it with the hopes that it helps impact other people."
"Take care of the people and the pets that you love."

When growth stalls, culture breaks down, and leaders run out of answers, who do companies call? In this episode of Living Your Legacy, Amber Brown shares the journey that shaped her into the transformation executive organizations trust during their most critical moments. From growing up in a hardworking family where she learned responsibility early to leading enterprise-wide transformation and helping businesses navigate disruption, Amber reveals why reinvention is no longer optional. She explores leadership, change management, organizational growth, and the mindset required to thrive in a marketplace defined by technology, AI, and constant disruption. Along the way, she challenges traditional ideas about career success and explains why every leader must learn to reinvent themselves before their business falls behind.

Key Takeaways:
• Why growth problems are often leadership problems in disguise
• How change management has become a critical skill in the AI era
• Why executives must continually reinvent themselves to stay relevant
• The hidden dangers of becoming comfortable after success
• How customer-focused organizations outperform companies obsessed with themselves

Notable Quotes:
• "Your career is a product."
• "You are also what you sell."
• "Growth isn't luck. It can be engineered."
• "You are going to have to reinvent yourself time and time again."
• "The leader can become the thing that's holding the business back."