Alex Harris — explorer, mountaineer, speaker, entrepreneur, endurance athlete, and creator of The Munga, a 700-mile nonstop bike race across South Africa.

In this episode of Anything But Typical, Gary Frey and Ben sit down with Alex Harris, a South African explorer whose life has been shaped by curiosity, risk, faith, and the pursuit of what most people would call impossible. Alex shares how a childhood dream of becoming a Jedi and astronaut eventually led him into mountaineering, Everest expeditions, entrepreneurship, ultra-endurance racing, and the creation of The Munga.

From surviving the deadly 1996 Everest season to hearing God speak in a tent at 22,000 feet, Alex’s story is about more than adventure. It is about learning when to push forward, when to turn around, how failure forms us, and why the greatest exploration may be discovering how God uniquely made you.

Book Alex Harris as a speaker: Alex Harris – Texas Speakers Bureau

Learn more about The Munga: The Munga MTB

Follow The Munga on social media: Instagram – @mungamtb Facebook – The Munga YouTube – The Munga MTB Race

When venture capital takes over your family business, you can do everything right — and still lose. Randy Golenberg lived it. He spent 14 years in his family's caulk manufacturing business before private equity involvement triggered its collapse into bankruptcy.

That bankruptcy became the catalyst for his next chapter: building Spark Your Brand from scratch, running it for 25 years, and ultimately selling it to AdCom Group.

In this episode, Randy shares the unfiltered story — from sweeping floors in his dad's factory to negotiating a multi-million dollar exit. No hype. Real lessons on resilience, knowing when to sell, and why "you don't control outcomes, you only control actions."

Randy Golenberg Randy Golenberg is an entrepreneur, brand strategist, and business leader based in Cleveland, Ohio. After rebuilding from the collapse of his family business, Randy founded and grew Spark Your Brand over 25 years. Today, he is part of the AdCom Group, where he focuses on business development, integrated brand strategy, and helping clients create meaningful return on their investment.

LinkedIn: Randy Golenberg Instagram: @JewInThePew Company: AdCom Group

In this episode of Anything But Typical, Gary Frey and Ben McDonald sit down with Ben Kinney, publisher of Business North Carolina, SouthPark Magazine, and North Carolina Tribune.

Ben shares how growing up as the son of a journalist, moving from city to city, and constantly being the new kid shaped his ability to communicate, adapt, and connect with people. What started as a life of transition eventually became a career built around storytelling, leadership, media, and relationships.

The conversation explores Ben’s unexpected path from studying history and planning to become a teacher, to working in advertising sales, to stepping into leadership at Business North Carolina during a difficult season for the company. Ben also talks about the evolution of media, leading through uncertainty, surviving the Great Recession and COVID, and why authentic storytelling still matters in a world increasingly shaped by digital noise and AI.

This episode is a thoughtful conversation about resilience, connection, leadership, and the power of having a real voice in business.

• Gary, Ben McDonald, and Ben Kinney discuss:
• Ben’s childhood moving through Burlington, Winston-Salem, New York City, South Florida, and Charlotte
• How being the “new kid” helped Ben learn communication, adaptability, and connection
• Why Ben originally planned to become a high school history teacher
• How he fell into classified advertising and business media
• What it was like stepping into leadership at Business North Carolina after tragedy
• The challenges of working in a family business
• How media has changed across print, digital, newsletters, podcasts, video, and social platforms
• Why great content still matters, even as distribution continues to evolve
• How Business North Carolina adapted through the Great Recession and COVID
• Ben’s leadership philosophy and the importance of hiring the right people
• Why authenticity, voice, and storytelling still matter in the age of AI
• The value of strong editing, concise writing, and human connection

• Connection is often built through life experience. Ben’s ability to connect with people came from years of adapting to new environments, new schools, and new communities.
• Leadership sometimes begins with simply stepping in to help. Ben did not enter publishing with a perfect master plan. He stepped in when the family business needed him and learned through pressure.
• Content is still king, but distribution has changed. Strong journalism and storytelling still matter, but today’s media companies have to think across print, email, social media, podcasts, video, and digital platforms.
• Survival requires thoughtful reaction. Ben explains that small businesses have to move quickly, but leaders still need to respond with care, perspective, and intention.
• Authenticity creates trust. Ben’s personal writing in The Daily Digest connected with readers because it felt genuine, human, and different from typical business commentary.
• AI cannot replace real storytelling. AI may help generate information, but it cannot replace voice, judgment, perspective, editing, and authentic human connection.

“He knows a lot of folks. He’s got a great sense of humor. And he really can connect people.”

“I always like to talk about myself growing up as my parents and I grew up together.”

“I was always the new kid at every school.”

“It was trial by fire. It was trial by volcanic fire.”

“You gotta kinda react to things in a thoughtful way.”

“But it can’t replace storytelling, and that’s what we’re all doing, is telling stories.”

“The key is be entertaining, be engaging, and have a voice.”

“Good editing is so hard to find.”

LinkedIn: Ben Kinney Business North Carolina: businessnc.com SouthPark Magazine: southparkmagazine.com North Carolina Tribune: nctribune.com Email: bkinney@businessnc.com X/Twitter: @BenKinneyBNC