The Amazing Authorities Podcast
Host: Mitch Carson
Episode: The Empathic Edge: How Melissa Robinson Wein Miller Turns Trauma into Transformational Leadership
Date: November 13, 2025
Guest: Jason Vandiver
(Note: Transcript appears to feature Jason Vandiver; if this is not the correct guest, please provide corrected details.)
Episode Overview
This episode of the Amazing Authorities Podcast features a dynamic conversation between host Mitch Carson and entrepreneur, author, and podcaster Jason Vandiver. The discussion reveals Jason’s insights into entrepreneurship, designing a purpose-driven business, real estate investing, personal fulfillment, and the power of clear goal setting. Jason walks listeners through his journey—leaving a lucrative family business to forge his own entrepreneurial path—and shares practical strategies for building businesses aligned with individual passion and long-term dreams.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Leaving the Family Business: Pursuit of Authentic Passion
- Jason’s Decision: Jason shares why he left his family’s long-standing dealership, valuing personal fulfillment over financial stability and inheritance.
- “I didn't feel right to...do this if it wasn't going to be something I was passionate about. And also, I could see, like, that's what's possible with entrepreneurship, is I should have a business that...lights a fire inside of me and is an extension of myself, and that's what I wanted.” (01:44)
2. Building Purposeful Businesses
- First Venture: After the dealership, Jason created “Goal Crazy,” a goal-setting planner, and focuses on aligning one’s business with a desired lifestyle rather than just financial success.
- “Your business should be the means, not the end. You should design what's the lifestyle you want. That should be the end goal. And now what's going to be the business that'll make that possible?” (04:28)
3. Real Estate Entrepreneurship for Stability and Legacy
- Investments: Jason owns 34 apartment units across several properties, aiming for stable, long-term, conservative returns.
- He avoids heavy leveraging and prefers paying down properties over 20 years, aiming for a debt-free asset to pass to his family.
- “I'm 30 years old right now and I'm on track to have most of my rentals paid off by the time I'm like 45 years old, which to me is really attractive just for kind of what I want to be able to pass down to our kids...” (08:20)
- Resilience during Pandemic: Jason’s high-end tenant selection mitigated COVID-era risks; all tenants paid as agreed.
- “I would say that was blessing from the grace of God...I require that they make at least three times the monthly rent...I don't think it affected the type of people I deal with, as heavy as it may have affected others.” (10:17)
4. The New Book: Dream Driven
- Content: “Dream Driven” is a step-by-step guide to discovering and launching a business that energizes and fulfills the founder.
- Three Parts:
- Identifying your perfect, dream-driven business idea.
- Validating its market potential.
- Launching the business successfully.
- “If you have a giant desire to do it, as long as your desire outweighs the challenges, you're going to do it...I want it to be a dream-driven business. This should be something that attaches to a deep desire. A dream of yours.” (12:32)
- Formats: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle; audiobook to follow. (02:56, 15:21)
- Dreams vs. Goals:
- Dreams fuel meaningful goals; goals aligned with dreams prevent “survival mode.”
- “If you don't have meaningful goals, people end up in what I call survival mode, where they're just working to stay afloat, they're just trying to survive. But when you have dreams, you can have meaningful goals. You can have a purpose.” (14:02)
- Three Parts:
5. Legal and Practical Advice for Startups
- The book provides basic guidance on legal structures but urges professional consultation.
- “Really, like, you need to get legal advice. I'm not the person to get you legal advice.” (15:46)
- Emphasis on action and sales, not just forming entities:
- “Just because you have an LLC, in my opinion...You don't have a business if you don't have paying clients. That's the main goal.” (16:02)
6. Marketing and Scaling: The Power of Lists and Funnels
- Growth Drivers: Jason leverages podcast appearances, his 10,000-person email list, Facebook and Amazon ads, and coaching funnels.
- “Podcasts like this are probably the biggest thing. I'm blessed that I do have an audience of people already using my planner...But podcast is going to be a big place to start and then eventually Facebook ads.” (18:17)
- Ecosystem Approach: The book, podcast, planner, and coaching are interconnected for customer journey progression.
- “The podcast can give them inspiration...The planner can help them really take their...book and bring it to life...then coaching. If they want somebody to walk along that journey with them, I can do that too.” (19:40)
7. Tech Stack and Automation
- Jason favors Go High Level over ClickFunnels for integrating funnels, emails, and automations.
- “Go High Level could put it all under one thing and...it's just made it easy.” (21:10)
- The list is recognized as an asset; earlier, he underestimated its value.
8. Strategic Partnerships and Growth
- Collaborations: Mitch recommends joint ventures and virtual summits to grow lists and reduce acquisition costs.
- “It's a way of collective collaboration where...your lead cost was lower...It's something to look at, Jason, in my opinion.” (26:32)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On leaving family business:
“People might think, like, gosh, that's such a cushy reason to leave something. But...it lights a fire inside of him. And it was so clear I was not going to have that.” —Jason (01:44) - On the relationship between business and life:
“If you don't have goals for all the different areas of your life, then the business is the end and it overtakes your life and you succeed. But you probably don't have the freedom that you so desperately wanted when you started your business.” —Jason (04:28) - On building assets:
“I realized that no, actually my email list of 10,000 people is a really big asset.” —Jason (22:27) - On validation over legal formation:
“Just because you have an llc...you don't have a business if you don't have paying clients. That's the main goal.” —Jason (16:02) - On dreams vs. goals:
“You could set a goal to do anything. But if it's not aiming towards your dream life, there's no meaning.” —Jason (14:02) - On collaboration:
“It's affiliate marketing essentially, but it's a way of growing without spending money on ads...It's something to look at, Jason, in my opinion.” —Mitch (26:32)
Important Timestamps
- 01:44 — Jason explains why he left the family business
- 04:28 — Importance of goal setting and lifestyle design
- 05:42 — Real estate investing as a stabilizing force
- 08:20 — Jason’s conservative real estate strategy and future plans
- 10:17 — Managing pandemic risk with careful tenant selection
- 12:32 — Introduction to Jason’s book, “Dream Driven”
- 14:02 — Differentiating dreams from goals; how dreams give life purpose
- 15:46 — Legal basics in business, value of actual sales over formalities
- 18:17 — Jason’s promotional strategies: podcasts, email list, and ads
- 19:40 — Describing his business ecosystem and customer journey
- 21:10 — Why he uses Go High Level for business automation
- 22:27 — The true value of building a customer list
- 26:32 — Mitch’s advice on collaboration and summits to grow audiences
Conclusion
Jason Vandiver’s episode is a candid masterclass for entrepreneurs seeking both financial stability and authentic happiness. He illustrates the necessity of finding business ideas fueled by genuine dreams, maintaining financial prudence (especially through real estate), and leveraging automation and strategic partnerships for scalable impact. Aspiring authorities will find actionable steps, inspiration, and a reminder: pursue ventures that both feed your soul and secure your future.
For more, check out Jason’s book “Dream Driven” and tune in to his podcast “Goal Crazy.”