The Smoke Trail

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 22 – From Comfort LA to Jamaica Vibes with Mark E. Walker

Guest Bio:  

Mark E. Walker is a Jamaican-born entrepreneur and conscious leader who transitioned from running Comfort LA, an organic soul food empire in Los Angeles, to creating a healing retreat in Jamaica. Known as the “Chicken Man” for his health-conscious wings and juices, Mark served celebrities like LeBron James and Oprah while building a vibrant team culture. After a throat cancer diagnosis, he shifted to a slower, intentional life in Jamaica, renovating a cliffside villa to offer a...

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 21 – Empathy vs. Compassion 

Host Bio:

Smoke Wallin is a serial entrepreneur, conscious leader, global M&A deal maker, and host of The Smoke Trail podcast. Having navigated personal trauma through spiritual awakening, Smoke studies traditions like Buddhism, Christianity, and mysticism. His journey—from childhood challenges to leading global businesses—fuels his mission to share tools, truths, and stories for seekers, blending leadership with spiritual growth to inspire transformation.

Setting:

Recorded in the serene embrace of Sedona, Arizona, where the red rocks radiate...

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 20 – Changing Your Trajectory with Smoke Wallin

Host Bio:  

Smoke Wallin is a serial entrepreneur, conscious leader, global M&A deal maker, and host of The Smoke Trail podcast. Having navigated personal trauma through spiritual awakening, Smoke studies traditions like Buddhism, Christianity, and mysticism. His journey—from childhood challenges to leading global businesses—fuels his mission to share tools, truths, and stories for seekers, blending leadership with spiritual growth to inspire transformation.

Setting:  

Recorded in the breathtaking embrace of Beaver Creek, Colorado...

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 19 – Unleashing Collective Genius: The Buy-In Advantage with Dave Garrison

Guest Bio:

Dave Garrison, Chief Engagement Officer of GarrisonGrowth, is a visionary leader and trusted advisor who enhances client profitability and satisfaction by fostering team alignment and motivation. As a former CEO at the forefront of the mobile internet revolution, Dave brings a unique perspective, informed by his roles as an independent board member across numerous organizations, including Ameritrade, where he mentored the CEO to drive billions in shareholder value. Quoted in The New York Times, USA Today, an...

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 18 – Waking Up in South Africa with Rob Hersov: Love Conquers All

Guest Bio:

Robert Hersov, 64, is a South African/UK entrepreneur and private investor based in Cape Town, with a career spanning over 30 years in the US, Europe, and the UK. Grandson of AngloVaal founder Bob Hersov and son of its former leader Basil Hersov, Rob worked at Goldman Sachs, served as Rupert Murdoch’s chief of staff at News Corp, sat on Richemont’s main board, and was CEO of Telepiu in Milan. He founded Marquis Jet Eu...

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 17 – Audience Q&A 2.0 with Smoke Wallin

Host Bio:

Smoke Wallin is a serial entrepreneur, conscious leader, global M&A deal maker, and host of The Smoke Trail podcast. Having navigated personal trauma through spiritual awakening, Smoke studies traditions like Buddhism, Christianity, and mysticism. His journey—from childhood challenges to leading global businesses—fuels his mission to share tools, truths, and stories for seekers, blending leadership with spiritual growth to inspire transformation.

Setting:

Recorded in a serene hotel room in Vancouver, Britis...

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 16 – Audience Q&A 1.0 with Smoke Wallin

Host Bio:

Smoke Wallin is a serial entrepreneur, conscious leader, global M&A deal maker and host of The Smoke Trail podcast. Smoke has navigated personal trauma through spiritual awakening, studying traditions like Buddhism, Christianity, and mysticism. His journey—from childhood challenges to leading global businesses—fuels his mission to share tools, truths, and stories for seekers, blending leadership with spiritual growth to inspire transformation.

Setting:

Recorded in the vibrant energy of a park in Pre...

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 15 – Trekking Back to Nepal: Roots of Success to Significance with Rob Follows

Guest Bio:

Rob Follows is the founder and chairman of STS Capital Partners, a global M&A firm, and a conscious leader dedicated to philanthropy and spiritual growth. A Canadian entrepreneur, Rob sold his marketing services business in 1996, leading to a transformative hiatus at Nepal’s Kopan Monastery, where he learned meditation and purpose-driven living. As a YPO member and mentor, Rob’s journey from corporate success to significance inspires others to balance business with impact...

Episode 14: "Not Playing Around" with Zineb El Ouazzani

Guest: Zineb El Ouazzani (Zi) – Moroccan former child tennis prodigy turned pro at 31 after a 12-year hiatus, CEO, and YPO speaker whose reinvention through adversity inspires leaders. Watch her YPO talk at YouTube and read more at Medium.

Setting: Recorded at the YPO Global Leadership Conference in Washington, DC, April 2025, amidst >1,000 CEOs, where Smoke and Zi coached LAB speakers, their bond forged in Istanbul’s transformative talks.

Summary

Smoke and Zi connect at the YPO...

The Smoke Trail: Season 1, Episode 13 – Finding Christ, Facing Evil With Love with Chris Clements

Guest Bio:

Chris Clements is a former CEO and third-generation leader of a major Arizona beverage distribution business, now a partner at STS Capital, where he guides entrepreneurs through mergers and acquisitions. Raised in a spiritually diverse family—blending Armenian Anglican, Southern Baptist, and Episcopalian influences—Chris’s faith journey was shaped by his grandmother’s devotion to Jesus and his father’s legacy of stewardship and charity. After a rock-climbing accident, a traumatic brain injury, and the sudden loss...

Episode 12: "Embodiment of Love - Making Dignity Moves" with Elizabeth Funk

Guest: Elizabeth Funk – Social entrepreneur, former tech executive (Yahoo, Microsoft), and founder of Dignity Moves, which builds interim housing to end unsheltered homelessness. Her contagious optimism drives systemic change, learn more at dignitymoves.org.

Setting: Recorded at Dignity Moves’ first site, 33 Gough in San Francisco, a vibrant example of hope amidst urban challenges.

Summary

Smoke sits with Elizabeth Funk at 33 Gough, Dignity Moves’ pioneering San Francisco site, to explore her journey from t...

The Smoke Trail S1 E11 A Mystic Dialogue from Sedona with Ivan Rados

Episode 11: "A Mystic Dialogue from Sedona" with Ivan Rados

Guest: Ivan Rados – Mystic, artist, and author of 12 books, including Health is All About Consciousness and The Mystery of Love, whose teachings on self-acceptance and infinite awareness have guided Smoke and countless others. A healer who points to the inner truth, reachable at ivanrados.com and intronaut.com.  

Setting: Smoke in Sedona’s vortex energy, Ivan beaming in from his space, their teacher-student bond igniting a cosmic conversation.

Episode 10: "Cultivating Awareness for Heart-Mind Coherence" with Danielle "Dani" Brooks

Guest: Danielle "Dani" Brooks – A coach specializing in emotional healing and personal transformation, integrating plant medicine and practical tools to help clients uncover their true selves. She has a background in nutritional therapy and has been on a spiritual journey since her early twenties, inspired by "Autobiography of a Yogi" at age 24.

Setting: Smoke  and Dani in Sedona’s tranquil environment connecting for a deep dive into awareness and healing.

Summary

In this...

Episode 9: "Dropping Stones, Finding Paths" with Steve Hershberger

Guest: Steve Hershberger – Serial entrepreneur, writer at The Chosen Path Substack, and founder of Amplify Flow (amplifyflow.co), whose four near-death experiences reshaped his journey from victimhood to purpose. A decades-long friend of Smoke from their dot-com days.
Setting: Smoke in Sedona’s radiant calm, Steve beaming in from his space—old pals syncing up for a soul-deep chat.

See the Full Pre Episode Q&A on Smoke’s Substack here

Summary

Smoke welcomes Steve with brotherly warmth, their entrepreneurial roots setting...

Episode 8: "From Cult to Consciousness" with Olivia "Liv" Fisch

Guest: Olivia "Liv" Fisch – A leadership coach, spiritual guide, and author whose path from a cultish childhood to empowering high achievers shines through her work at https://www.oliveyahfisch.com/. There, she offers “human medicine” to awaken purpose and presence, a mission sparked by her multi-year YPO friendship with Smoke.

Bio

Oliveyah Fisch (aka Liv) is a master coach, #1 best-selling author, and expert in driving impactful change for individuals and teams. With over 15 years of experience, Liv empowers professionals and organizations to enhanc...

Luke Wallin is a writer, teacher, artist, and musician. He was born in Mississippi in 1943. He taught Philosophy, Literature, and Creative Writing, and has written 11 books, winning numerous awards. Luke has been Fulbright Teaching Fellow at University College Dublin, Senior Research Associate at the Center for Policy Analysis, taught Philosophy at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, Creative Writing in Spalding University's MFA program, and is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Visit @ lukewallin.com.

Episode 7: “Deep in the Woods with Luke Wallin”

Guest: Luke Wallin – Novelist, songwr...

Summary of Episode 6: The Smoke Trail with Justin Breen

In Episode 6 of The Smoke Trail, Smoke hosts Justin Breen, a visionary entrepreneur and connector, for an hour-long, high-energy dialogue that kicks off with laughter and a nod to crying’s healing power. From Sedona, Smoke sets an intention to share his journey’s lessons—blending spirituality, leadership, and modern integration—inviting Justin, a kindred “quick start,” to dive in raw, skipping preamble. Justin, aligning with this, quotes Wayne Dyer—“If you knew who walked beside you…you could never experience fear or doubt”— framing their talk as a gift-s...

"Making an impact is usually provoked through circumstance, experience, and emotion. When my son was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss, I could have never then known that my inner activist would be unleashed."

- Shireen Hafeez, Founder DKC

The Issue

Data from the National Deaf Center is clear: the deaf/hard of hearing community is unemployed, underemployed, and underpaid at an alarming rate. These trends are exacerbated in the tech sector. Despite having no intellectual disabilities, many potential deaf/hard of hearing employees fall prey to the “school to couch” pipeline, often due...

Summary of Episode 4: The Smoke Trail Deep Discussion with Dr. Michael Brabant

In Episode 4 of The Smoke Trail, Smoke hosts Dr. Michael Brabant, an coach specializing in psychologically safe environments for transformation, for a rich, hour-long conversation blending spirituality, leadership, and personal growth. From Sedona, Smoke credits Michael’s nudge as the catalyst for launching the podcast, setting an intention to explore deep topics—spirituality, leadership, trauma healing, and higher power—fearlessly yet respectfully, aiming to inspire listeners through authentic experiences. Michael aligns, intending to serve the moment authentically, fostering a “1-degree shift” toward heart-opening and soul co...

Summary of Episode 3: The Smoke Trail with Jack Maxwell

In Episode 3 of The Smoke Trail, Smoke hosts Jack Maxwell, a seasoned TV host and actor, in a heartfelt conversation set against Sedona’s serene backdrop. Smoke opens by affirming the podcast’s intent: sharing wisdom for high performance, perfect health, and bliss, drawing from his own journey of clearing shadows to find peace. Jack, inspired by Smoke’s transformation, recounts his path from a tough South Boston childhood—marked by poverty, fatherlessness, and sexual abuse—to a celebrated career, including hosting Booze Traveler. 

Jack shares...

For more Q&A with Sarah go here to Smoke’s Substack

Summary of Episode 2: The Smoke Trail with Sarah Fruehling

In Episode 2 of The Smoke Trail, Smoke Wallin welcomes Sarah Fruehling, M.A., MCC, BCC, an executive coach and former trauma therapist, for a deep, reflective conversation. Recorded outdoors in Sedona, the episode begins with Smoke setting the intention: to explore authentic stories of high-performing individuals who’ve faced their shadows, offering listeners insights into resilience and consciousness. He praises Sarah’s work coaching global CEOs, noting her rare opportunity here to share h...

Summary of Episode 1: Launch of The Smoke Trail

In the inaugural episode of The Smoke Trail, host Smoke Wallin introduces the podcast as an extension of his personal journey toward "awakening consciousness." He frames it as a platform to explore profound topics in-depth, share lessons learned, and engage with guests, building on a year of sharing "tidbits from the trail" and writing poetry to communicate big ideas.

Smoke begins with a candid overview of his life: a successful entrepreneurial career, leadership roles (including 22 years with the Young Presidents’ Organization, YPO), a fulf...