Leadership That Lasts: Juana Bordas on Building Community, Inspiring Others & Leaving a Legacy

What makes someone a great leader? Is it their job title, their success, or the lives they change along the way?

In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, host Nick Elder sits down with Juana Bordas, also known as Tia Juana, to talk about what it means to lead with heart, help others grow, and build strong communities.

Juana has spent decades helping people become better leaders. Her story began when she came to America from Nicaragua as a young child. She became the first in her family to attend college and later joined the Peace Corps. These early years helped shape her love for service, culture, and leadership.

Juana shares why great leaders don't just think about today. They think about the people who will come after them. She explains how generosity, kindness, and strong relationships can help teams and communities grow.

Nick and Juana also talk about the power of mentorship, why young leaders need patience, and how people from different backgrounds can learn from each other.

You'll hear why leadership is not about having the biggest title or making the most money. It's about helping people see what they can become.

Juana also shares lessons from her own life, including why she wishes she had spent more time enjoying the journey and why it's so important to make time for family.

Whether you lead a business, work with a team, or simply want to make a difference, this conversation offers ideas you can use in your own life.

What does it take to become a licensed engineer without going to college? Kevin Rohr did just that, and his story shows what hard work, good habits, and great mentors can help you achieve.

In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, host Nick Elder sits down with Kevin Rohr, a U.S. Army veteran and electrical design professional at Encore Electric.

Kevin grew up on a small farm in Southern Colorado before serving six years in the Army. After leaving the military, he started as a first-year electrical apprentice. Over the next 26 years, he worked his way through the trades, from electrician to superintendent, project manager, and electrical design leader.

Then Kevin took on a new challenge. He wanted to become a licensed Professional Engineer, even though he had never attended college. With years of hands-on experience, help from mentors, and many hours of study, he passed both engineering exams and earned his Colorado Professional Engineer license.

Kevin also shares how he trained for seven marathons and four 50K races while helping raise about $40,000 for charity.

Nick and Kevin talk about the power of daily habits, lessons from military service, and why great leaders do more than tell people what to do. They help people understand why their work matters.

You'll also hear how mentors helped Kevin through tough times, why listening is a key part of leadership, and how small steps can lead to big wins.

Kevin's story is a great reminder that success does not always follow a straight path. With the right people, tools, and effort, new doors can open at any stage of your career.

About Kevin Rohr

Kevin Rohr is a U.S. Army veteran, licensed electrical Professional Engineer, and electrical design professional with Encore Electric. He works on complex commercial projects, including hospitals and healthcare facilities. His career is built on hands-on experience, steady learning, and a passion for helping others grow.

What if you could grow your business, save money, and help people build better lives at the same time?

In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, host Nick Elder sits down with Crystal Ware, founder of DOXA Talent, to talk about a smarter way to hire great people from around the world.

Crystal started DOXA Talent because she saw a problem with the way many companies hire workers overseas. Too often, the focus was only on finding the lowest cost. Crystal wanted to do things differently.

Her company uses a model called "conscious outsourcing." It helps U.S. businesses find skilled workers in countries like the Philippines and Colombia while giving those workers fair pay, stable jobs, and a chance to grow.

Crystal shares how businesses can save on labor costs and use those savings to hire more staff, grow faster, and serve more customers.

She also talks about why global workers should be part of the whole team, not treated like a separate group. Good communication, trust, and respect can make all the difference.

Nick and Crystal explore how AI is changing the way people work and why business owners may need to look beyond their local area to find the right talent.

Crystal also opens up about growing up in Appalachia, facing unfair judgments because of her Southern accent, and building a business that gives her freedom and purpose.

This episode is full of useful ideas for business owners who want to grow while making a positive impact.

Protecting Small Businesses: Cybersecurity, AI & Entrepreneurship with Steve Felsen

Could one cyberattack put your small business at risk? And how can AI help you save time and grow?

In this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, host Nick Elder talks with Steve Felsen, founder of Acceleration Solutions. Steve has spent more than 20 years working in technology. Now, he helps small and medium-sized businesses stay safe online, save money, and find tools that make work easier.

Steve shares how losing his job after a company buyout led him to start a new business. He wanted to use his skills to help small business owners who may not have the money or staff that big companies have.

Nick and Steve talk about why hackers can target even the smallest businesses. Steve shares the story of an auto repair shop that lost $40,000 in a ransomware attack. He also explains how simple steps can make it harder for hackers to get into a business.

They also explore how AI can help business owners save hours of work, cut down on daily tasks, and give their teams more time to focus on what matters most.

Steve shares what it was like to leave the corporate world, build a new network, and become his own boss. He also talks about the value of work-life balance and having more control over his time.

If you own a small business, want to use AI, or are thinking about starting your own company, this episode is full of ideas you can use.

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.