In this episode of the Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast, host Jim McCarthy sits down with Greg Oliver and Abigail Garrett of GOA Speakers to unpack the business of booking faith-based speakers, comedians, and artists.

Greg shares how he went from running a massive Christian nightclub in Texas to building a Nashville-based agency that represents some of the biggest names in Christian speaking and leadership, including John Maxwell, Lisa TerKeurst, Scott Hamilton, Lee Strobel, and Willie Robertson. Abigail walks through how GOA leverages social media, email marketing, and content to champion their speakers and grow demand.

They talk about the grind of the early days (including giant long-distance phone bills), how the industry has changed, why COVID nearly wiped out live events, and what aspiring speakers really need to do before they’re ready for representation.

Whether you’re a business owner, a podcaster, or an aspiring speaker, this conversation is packed with real-world lessons on persistence, diversification, and building a reputation over decades.

Timed Highlights:
00:00 GOA Speakers intro: booking music artists and speakers

00:25 Show open: Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast

02:30 Meet Greg Oliver and Abigail Garrett from GOA Speakers

03:32 Launching the GOA Speakers Podcast and why they started it

04:25 How GOA vets speakers and why most inquiries get a no

07:07 Why GOA focuses on faith-based speakers who can also serve corporate events

08:52 Greg’s entrepreneurial journey: janitorial business to Christian nightclub

09:55 Running a 1,000-seat Christian venue with concerts every weekend

13:47 Moving from Texas to Nashville and battling for industry acceptance

21:36 Diversifying with a speakers bureau and merchandising company

24:49 Shifting focus from music artists to speakers and why speakers are easier to book

28:42 COVID’s impact on live events and how merchandising kept them afloat

30:56 GOA’s speaker mix: Bible teachers, athletes, comedians, and more

33:33 How Abigail joined GOA and grew into marketing and PR

41:08 Daily social media and email tactics to keep speakers in front of planners

49:14 Real advice for aspiring speakers on getting stage time and building a platform

54:17 Why publishers, books, and podcasts all matter for speaker demand
01:01:24 GOA’s deeper mission: making an eternal impact through events

Visit GOASpeakers.com to explore their roster of faith-based speakers, authors, athletes, comedians, and leaders.

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****SUBSCRIBE/RATE/FOLLOW the Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast:

www.mmtbp.com

www.instagram.com/mostlymiddletnbusinespodcast

www.instagram.com/jimmccarthyvos

Tiktok: @jimmccarthyvos

__________________________________________________________

Shoutout to Matt Wilson for lending his voice to the new intro of MMTBP.

Follow him and his podcast from which I may have borrowed the *mostly* concept:

https://linktr.ee/mamwmw

___________________________________________________________

If you like Jim's Boston Scallys, click here to shop and order yours!

https://www.bostonscally.com/a/refer-a-friend/redeem/mqgpwi3u0zgm89vaxnv5crzvlolevo82rvcygsn5/1668

___________________________________________________________

***You hear Jim mention it on almost every episode, ME vs. WE and how 2023 will be 1943 all over again….order “PENDULUM:How Past Generations Shape Our Present and Predict Our Future”:

https://a.co/d/7oKK7Ip

_________________________________________________________________

The co-author of Pendulum wrote a myriad of other books and started a non-profit 21st Century Non-Traditional Business School that you should really check out:

Wizard Academy - www.wizardacademy.org

______________________________________________________________________

Curious about podcasting? This podcast (and many others) is produced by www.itsyourshow.co

Jim sits down with legendary live-event entrepreneur Scott Scovill to unpack how a kid who flunked out of college, battled crippling fear of failure, and waited tables at Howard Johnson’s ended up pioneering concert video, touring with the biggest acts in the world, and building Moo TV.

Scott shares the true origin story behind his career, the life-changing U2 moment that set everything in motion, the loss of his mentor that pushed him into entrepreneurship, and why he wrote a self-help book for people who hate being told what to do.

If you’re a business owner, creative, or late bloomer wondering if it’s “too late,” this one will hit home.

Timed highlights:
0:00 Scott’s fear of being told what to do and why he wrote “Tenacious”
1:19 Jim sets the scene: Middle Tennessee Business Podcast and studio talk
3:43 Flunking out, anxiety attacks, and being labeled a “bad student”
5:34 The low point: waiting tables at HoJo’s and the U2 tour bus moment
6:48 Paradigm shift in the dark: “This is what you’re going to do with your life”
9:21 The scalp-shirt tour schedule that changed everything
10:40 Quitting three jobs, leaving college, and the worst plan in music history
11:22 “I was told I couldn’t sing” and the big life shift around 40
13:33 Paper tigers and learning to try despite fear of failure
19:03 Sneaking into U2 shows, getting fined by the union, and almost getting arrested
20:09 Choosing video when video was brand new
21:21 Corporate ballroom grind, panic attacks, and being far from the dream
25:27 Redefining success: loving the ride, not just the goal
27:27 Frustration as fuel and knowing when to walk away from a “good” job
29:09 Getting fired from a rap tour and sneaking back into the stadium
30:39 “I’m yelling at this guy because I’m frustrated with my life” – meeting Pete
31:19 The Rolling Stones opportunity and leaving the safety net
38:12 New York vs Nashville vs LA: honesty, fakeness, and “what can you do for me?”
40:00 Inventing an industry: the birth of Moo TV as a content company
42:14 The call: Lee is gone – carjacking, grief, and devastation
45:00 Keeping a mentor alive by starting a hardware company
46:33 Realizing four years in that Lee was still gone and needing a new “why”
48:38 Hiring for personality, work ethic, and “great hang” over pure skill
50:15 Culture, loyalty, and why Scott turns down offers to sell
55:21 Being proud but not pretending to be perfect
57:22 Fear as fuel and beating it one day at a time
1:00:09 “There is no crisis” and taking the next step
1:01:30 Just take a step: breaking inertia and getting unstuck
1:03:22 What Scott wants next: giving back, speaking, and making music
1:05:18 Consolidation in music, live events, and why Moo TV stays independent
1:10:17 Starting to play music at 45 and opening for big acts in Europe
1:12:01 Where to find Scott and pre-order “Tenacious”

_____________________________________________________________________

****SUBSCRIBE/RATE/FOLLOW the Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast:

www.mmtbp.com

www.instagram.com/mostlymiddletnbusinespodcast

www.instagram.com/jimmccarthyvos

Tiktok: @jimmccarthyvos

__________________________________________________________

Shoutout to Matt Wilson for lending his voice to the new intro of MMTBP.

Follow him and his podcast from which I may have borrowed the *mostly* concept:

https://linktr.ee/mamwmw

___________________________________________________________

If you like Jim's Boston Scallys, click here to shop and order yours!

https://www.bostonscally.com/a/refer-a-friend/redeem/mqgpwi3u0zgm89vaxnv5crzvlolevo82rvcygsn5/1668

___________________________________________________________

***You hear Jim mention it on almost every episode, ME vs. WE and how 2023 will be 1943 all over again….order “PENDULUM:How Past Generations Shape Our Present and Predict Our Future”:

https://a.co/d/7oKK7Ip

_________________________________________________________________

The co-author of Pendulum wrote a myriad of other books and started a non-profit 21st Century Non-Traditional Business School that you should really check out:

Wizard Academy - www.wizardacademy.org

______________________________________________________________________

Curious about podcasting? This podcast (and many others) is produced by www.itsyourshow.co

In this episode of the Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast, Jim McCarthy sits down with mediator and veteran civil litigator Tamara Gauldin to explore what it really means to stay neutral in a polarized world. They discuss mediation, control, apologies, faith, parenting, and how our idea of “good” is often a matter of perspective.

Tamara shares how she left corporate America to start her own mediation practice, why she’s more open-minded now than ever, and what she’s learned watching people fight over everything from legal disputes to kids’ toys.

Timed Highlights:
0:00 Leaving corporate America and redefining risk
0:46 Welcome to the Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast
1:00 Flat earthers, moon landing doubts, and belief systems
3:30 Show sponsors and the rise of E-bikes
4:58 Tamara’s cycling background and E-bike skepticism
6:24 Introducing mediator Tamara Gauldin
7:00 Faith, open-mindedness, and evolving beliefs
8:04 Rotating churches, meditation, and embracing different traditions
8:39 Who decides what’s “good”? Shifting paradigms and ideology
9:55 “Think together, not think alike” – the philosophy of mediation
11:50 Control, trust, and what really drives most disputes
13:31 Good vs bad, Super Bowls, 9/11, and subjective morality
15:04 Admitting we don’t know and making informed decisions anyway
16:10 Marriage, conflict, and the power of cooling off
17:41 Why apologies matter more than we think
18:12 The surprising number of people who just want “I’m sorry”
20:00 How many mediations Tamara handles and where she volunteers
20:30 Why mediating between kids can be harder than adults
20:51 Why Tamara won’t mediate for her own family
21:18 Bias, neutrality, and staying fair as a mediator
22:59 From litigator to mediator: Tamara’s 20-plus-year legal journey
24:24 Inside insurance defense and employment law

_____________________________________________________________________

****SUBSCRIBE/RATE/FOLLOW the Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast:

www.mmtbp.com

www.instagram.com/mostlymiddletnbusinespodcast

www.instagram.com/jimmccarthyvos

Tiktok: @jimmccarthyvos

__________________________________________________________

Shoutout to Matt Wilson for lending his voice to the new intro of MMTBP.

Follow him and his podcast from which I may have borrowed the *mostly* concept:

https://linktr.ee/mamwmw

___________________________________________________________

If you like Jim's Boston Scallys, click here to shop and order yours!

https://www.bostonscally.com/a/refer-a-friend/redeem/mqgpwi3u0zgm89vaxnv5crzvlolevo82rvcygsn5/1668

___________________________________________________________

***You hear Jim mention it on almost every episode, ME vs. WE and how 2023 will be 1943 all over again….order “PENDULUM:How Past Generations Shape Our Present and Predict Our Future”:

https://a.co/d/7oKK7Ip

_________________________________________________________________

The co-author of Pendulum wrote a myriad of other books and started a non-profit 21st Century Non-Traditional Business School that you should really check out:

Wizard Academy - www.wizardacademy.org

______________________________________________________________________

Curious about podcasting? This podcast (and many others) is produced by www.itsyourshow.co