109. From Rant to Resolve: How Unity Became His Purpose
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
Release Date: 11/12/2025
120. Building Something That Holds: Loryn and Edo Nalic on Partnership, Perseverance, and Belonging from Balkan Treat Box
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s The Point?, I sit down with Loryn Nalic and Edo Nalic, partners in life and work and the force behind Balkan Treat Box, Telva, and the Ridge Room in St. Louis. Their story isn’t just about building award-winning restaurants. It’s about displacement, resilience, trust, and what happens when two people commit to solving problems together instead of letting adversity define them. Edo shares what it was like growing up in Bosnia during war, fleeing to Germany, living with uncertainty, and eventually coming to the United States alone. Loryn reflects on a very...
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119. From Survival to Self-Respect: Jason Van Ruler on Healing Old Patterns
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, I sit down with Jason Van Ruler for an honest conversation about healing, responsibility, and the quiet work of becoming someone you can respect. Jason shares parts of his story that began in instability—growing up in a chaotic environment, learning early how to survive, and internalizing beliefs about worth that followed him into adulthood. Like many of us, he found himself repeating familiar patterns, even when they no longer served him. We talk about the turning point that came when Jason realized that awareness alone wasn’t enough. Wanting change...
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118. The Secure Leader: How Attachment Shapes Trust, Leadership, and Purpose with Dr. Jaime Goff
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, host Bill Ellis sits down with Dr. Jaime Goff, founder of The Empathic Leader, LLC and author of The Secure Leader, for a powerful conversation on how our earliest emotional experiences quietly shape the way we lead. Drawing from her background in psychology, higher education leadership, and executive coaching, Dr. Goff explains how attachment patterns formed in childhood influence trust, control, communication, and emotional regulation in adulthood—especially in leadership roles. She shares personal stories from her own journey, including growing up...
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117. From Experiments to Empowering Creatives: Kacper Staniul on Purpose, Curiosity, and Building What Matters
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, I talk with Kacper Staniul, founder and CEO of MyArchitectAI, about how purpose often reveals itself not through a single calling—but through curiosity, experimentation, and the discipline to keep building. Kacper’s journey began far from startups and artificial intelligence. As a university student in Poland studying materials science, he admits he had little sense of direction. What changed everything was exposure to the internet and the realization that learning wasn’t limited to formal education. That discovery sparked curiosity, and curiosity...
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116. The Fight Within Us: Gavin Lance Topp on Purpose, Sobriety, and Becoming a Man
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, I sit down with Gavin Lance Topp, a former professional boxer whose life has been shaped as much by the battles outside the ring as the ones inside it. Gavin’s story is a powerful exploration of purpose, identity, and the fight within us all. Growing up in Australia and moving often as a child, Gavin found structure and validation in boxing. What began as an outlet for rage and energy became a disciplined pursuit that carried him from amateur fights to becoming the Australian Junior Middleweight Champion and eventually earning a world ranking. But as...
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115. From Struggle to Sustainability: How Purpose Takes Shape with Vanessa Thompson
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, I’m joined by Vanessa Thompson, whose story is a clear reminder that purpose doesn’t usually arrive fully formed. More often, it takes shape slowly—through struggle, uncertainty, and hard-earned clarity. Vanessa shares her journey through seasons of instability and questioning, moments where the path forward wasn’t obvious, and how those experiences ultimately reshaped how she thinks about work, success, and sustainability. We talk about how easy it is to chase outcomes without pausing to ask whether the life we’re building is actually...
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114. Painting the World Our Children Will Inherit: Purpose, Art, and Community with Cbabi Bayoc
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point, I sit down with artist Cbabi Bayoc, a painter, muralist, illustrator, and author whose work is rooted in one powerful idea: painting the world he wants his children—and all of our children—to thrive in. Cbabi shares how his art has always been about people. Faces. Emotion. Community. From his early days studying at Grambling State University to drawing caricatures at Six Flags, he learned to observe humanity closely, to listen, and to let people teach him through their reactions. What could have been discouraging moments became lessons in humility,...
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113. Grit, Grace, and Becoming: How Tracy Spears Found Strength Through Truth, Belonging & Leadership
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
When you sit down with someone who has lived a big life, you can feel it instantly. That’s exactly what happened in today’s conversation with Tracy Spears—author, speaker, leadership coach, and co-founder of the Exceptional Leaders Lab. Her story is one of grit earned the hard way, grace discovered over time, and the lifelong work of becoming who we actually are. Tracy’s journey begins in a trailer park in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where early messages about work ethic, worthiness, and performing for belonging shaped her worldview. She openly shares how one sentence from her father in third...
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112. Healing Our Relationship With Nature: Purpose, Restoration, and Hope with Tim Christophersen
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point, I sit down with Tim Christophersen, one of the world’s leading voices in nature restoration and conservation, to explore what really drives us as humans and how we find meaning in our relationship with the natural world. Tim’s journey is a powerful human story of growth, purpose, and responsibility — and it’s bigger than politics, bigger than hot-button climate debates, and deeper than soundbites. Tim shares how his love of nature began as a young boy walking through forests in Germany with his grandfather, quietly building the foundation for a...
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111. Finding Meaning Through Resilience and Kindness with Noemi Beres
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point, I sit down with Noemi Beres, a woman whose life story is a powerful reflection of resilience, kindness, and purpose. From growing up in Hungary in a modest but deeply loving family, to becoming an entrepreneur, connector, and creative force, Noemi shares what keeps her going and how she discovered what truly matters. Noemi opens up about her childhood, shaped by hardworking parents and the strong values of Eastern Europe. She shares how her family’s history — stories of survival, perseverance, and hope — gave her the foundation to keep going, even...
info_outlineDiscovering meaning and purpose by choosing connection over division — how one leader turned a moment of frustration into a nationwide movement for unity.
After three decades in high-powered business and private equity, Adam Mizel found himself yelling at the TV in 2020, watching the world unravel. That moment sparked an unexpected transformation—from executive to bridge-builder. Today, he’s the co-founder and CEO of US United, a growing movement focused on creating unity through human connection, community action, and service.
In this episode of What’s The Point, Bill Ellis and Adam talk about what it really means to find purpose after success. Adam shares how his background in business and philanthropy shaped the foundation for US United, an organization inspiring people to reconnect across divides through conversations, service, and kindness.
They discuss how National Unity Day (recognized by the National Day Registry) invites us to step outside our personal and social media bubbles and connect with people from different backgrounds—and why unity starts at the grassroots level, not in politics or media.
Adam also opens up about the challenges of leading a movement for connection in a divided world, the lessons learned from partnering with Sheriff Chris Swanson, and how seemingly small actions—like a kind word, a coffee shared, or a civil conversation—can restore hope in our culture.
Whether you’re a business leader, a community builder, or just someone searching for more meaning in your life, Adam’s story reminds us that purpose isn’t about profits—it’s about people.
Connect with Bill:
- bill@billellis.com
- www.billellis.com
- www.brandingforresults.com
- IG - @wcellis
- Facebook - @CoachBillEllis
- Facebook - @bill.ellis
- LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis
- Book: Women Who Won
Links for This Episode:
Email adam@un-united.org
Website(s) us-united.org
SOCIAL MEDIA INFO:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammmizel/
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/USUnitedOrg
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/us_united_org/
What’s The Point? is a podcast hosted by Bill Ellis, featuring real conversations with people who’ve figured out what matters—their purpose. Each episode explores what motivates them and how they find meaning in what they do.
Quick Episode Summary:
00:00 – Welcome and introduction: from business success to calling for unity
01:00 – The moment that changed everything: yelling at the TV during 2020
03:00 – Why Adam decided to act instead of complain
05:00 – The founding of US United and its mission to build bridges
07:00 – Escaping our bubbles: how connection rebuilds empathy
09:00 – The Sheriffs Unity Network and grassroots leadership
11:00 – Creating National Unity Day and what it represents
13:00 – Why unity must start with everyday people, not politicians
15:00 – The power of one act: the Flint, Michigan story that inspired the movement
18:00 – How Adam met Sheriff Chris Swanson and co-founded US United
20:00 – Simple ways anyone can start building unity
23:00 – Lessons from Princeton: “In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity”
25:00 – The Five-Mile Rule: how small, local actions create national change
28:00 – Running a nonprofit with a business mindset
31:00 – The 30 for US Program and how it brings people together
35:00 – What sports, music, and food teach us about unity
37:00 – Shaquille O’Neal’s wisdom on respect and connection
41:00 – How to avoid “I’m right, you’re wrong” conversations
45:00 – Changing minds through storytelling instead of argument
48:00 – Why US United matters—and how to get involved
54:00 – The personal transformation behind the mission
59:00 – What’s the point? Why unity is worth fighting for