The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas

Chris Lambert, creator, host, and producer of the true-crime podcast Your Own Backyard, joins The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas for episode #858. Get to know the podcaster and musician behind a series I absolutely devoured—and one of the main reasons I fell in love with podcasting.

Some people inspire you to listen. Chris made me want to pick up a microphone. So if you’ve been wondering who to blame… we’ve located a person of interest.

His podcast has been featured in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, People, The New York...

Proverbs 30 reveals why humility, asking for help, and knowing your limits are essential to personal growth, faith, and leadership. 

Buy the INCHSTONES journal HERE

In this episode of INCHSTONES on The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, I share the story behind my Pops’ most controversial lesson: “Boy, you are the dumbest person I know.”

I was around 19 or 20 when he said it. And whenever I share those words, people jump to my defense.

But they haven’t heard the rest.

What sounded c...

Greg Glassman, founder of CrossFit and a visionary in functional fitness, joins The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas. This episode honors a legendary coach and entrepreneur whose influence on strength, conditioning, and community has reached far beyond the gym.

There are people who build businesses, and there are people whose ideas become part of other people’s lives.

Greg Glassman belongs in that second group.

His influence lives in the coach who takes the time to teach. The affiliate owner who opens the doors before sunrise. The person wh...

Mia Sundstrom, CEO of the National Institute for Play (NIFPlay), joins The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, bringing the science of play to leadership, innovation, connection, and resilience. An internationally recognized speaker and former NCAA Division I gymnastics captain and coach, Mia helps organizations understand the power of play.

The granddaughter of NIFPlay founder Dr. Stuart Brown, Mia is carrying an extraordinary legacy forward with purpose and a powerful voice of her own. From helping Denver Gymnastics reach a historic Final Four to speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival and World Expo in Japan, she...

Discover how Proverbs 28 connects faith, integrity, humility, and boldness in this episode of The Kelly Cardenas Podcast about godly character and doing the right things for the right reasons. Kelly celebrates his big brother Rob, whose example brings biblical wisdom, servant leadership, and the power of living your beliefs into everyday life.

“You are the greatest, so act accordingly.”

My Pops always said it. My big brother Rob has spent his life showing me what it looks like.

Simple? Yes. Easy? That’s a differ...

Craig Gottlieb, founder of Panther Diamonds, joins The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas for episode #853, bringing a clear promise to diamond shopping: Madison Avenue quality with Diamond District prices. If you’re searching for a diamond engagement ring, fine diamond jewelry, or a trusted person to turn to with your diamond questions, meet Craig.

Buying a diamond should feel exciting. Somewhere between the sparkle, the price tag, and the terminology, it can start feeling like a final exam you forgot to study for.

That’s why knowing the person behind the diamonds matters.

What does it take to build resilient leaders, strengthen organizational culture, and create teams that thrive through adversity? Dr. Gene Coughlin, founder of the Resilience-Building Leader Program (RBLP), joins The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas to explore leadership development, team resilience, and the power of building people.

Leadership isn't about a title. It's about the people who are better because you showed up.

And this week's guest has dedicated his life to that very idea.

Dr. Gene Coughlin is a United States Marine Corps veteran...

What happens when a husband-and-wife team with over 60 years of combined hospitality experience decides to bet on themselves? Meet Chef Aron Schwartz and Pam Schwartz, founders of APS Hospitality Group and Blank Slate in Encinitas, California, who are redefining entrepreneurship, chef-driven dining, and genuine hospitality.

Sometimes the best chapter of your life begins when the original plan falls apart!

On episode #851 of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we sit down with Aron and Pam Schwartz, the husband-and-wife duo who turned decades of experience in restaurants, hotels, wine, and hospitality into a whole new adventure.

Mathew Bowyer became one of the most talked-about figures in the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal, a federal sports betting investigation involving former Los Angeles Dodgers interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and millions of dollars in illegal wagers. But who is Mathew Bowyer beyond the headlines, and what can his extraordinary story teach us about success, failure, accountability, redemption, and rebuilding your life?

Welcome to The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, where we believe everybody has a story, and sometimes the most powerful lessons come from the chapters we'd rather forget.

Mathew Bowyer's...

There’s only one business in the world: the PEOPLE business. In this special crossover episode of INCHSTONES + You Have to Meet My Friends, Proverbs 25 gives us a lesson in leadership, relationships, faith, self-control and why the people will always matter more than the production.

My Pops used to tell me, “Boy, there’s only one business in the world—the people business.”

Turns out, he was right. Again. Starting to get a little annoying, Pops.

This episode is a little different because I smashed two of my favorit...

What if one of the most powerful tools for dementia and Alzheimer’s care isn’t another complicated technology—but music, memory, and human connection? Neuroscience advocate and The Day By Day Project founder Kaylie Glenn is changing the conversation around dementia, memory care, senior living, and brain health through the innovative Memory Disco™ Program.

And here’s the part that makes her story even crazier…

Kaylie started this journey at 14 years old.

Yep. Fourteen.

While most of us at 14 were trying to figure out who liked us, what shoes were cool, and ho...

Proverbs 19 gives us a powerful lesson about stress, wisdom, trusting God, letting go, and learning to walk through life a little lighter. 

In this INCHSTONES episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we break down Proverbs 19 and one of the simplest lessons my Pops ever taught me: “Boy, the only reason you’re stressed is because you’re carrying things you weren’t designed to carry.”

Thanks, Pops. Super helpful. 

Meanwhile, I’m over here carrying tomorrow, next Tuesday, everybody else’s problems, three imaginary...

You Have to Meet My Friends with Kelly Cardenas is an unscripted podcast series about friendship, relationships, entrepreneurship, leadership, success, and some ridiculously interesting people. It’s part of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas and quite possibly the least professionally produced interview concept in podcasting.

Here’s the format:

I call my friends.

That’s it.

No scheduling. No pre-interview. No prepared questions. No publicist. No idea if they’re going to answer.

Very cutting edge.

They usually have no clue they’re about to be on a podcast...

What does Proverbs 11 teach us about expanding our capacity for success, relationships, leadership, business, wealth, and the blessings God has for our lives? My Pops used to tell me, “Boy, don’t shrink your thinking”—and Proverbs 11 might be one of the clearest biblical blueprints I’ve ever found for building a foundation strong enough to think bigger, live bigger, and handle more.

Yesterday, a friend told me about a phone call that happened because of one relationship—and that conversation could lead to a $25 million investment capable of shifting the landscape of one of the most...

Madeleine Simmons is a nationally respected trial attorney, equity partner, public servant, and advocate who has personally recovered more than $100 million in settlements and verdicts for her clients.

On The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas #844, Madeleine brings the kind of perspective that can only come from standing for people when the stakes are real—and choosing service, leadership, and justice as a calling.

Madeleine is an equity partner with Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, a City Councilwoman for the City of Brookhaven, and Past President of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association.

Her résumé is e...

What if there were something that could give you the benefits you’ve been searching for—with ZERO SIDE EFFECTS? What if that “product” was wisdom, and Proverbs 8 tells us it’s readily available to every single one of us?

In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we break down Proverbs 8 and one of the most powerful promises in the Bible: the value of wisdom.

We spend our lives searching for things that promise a better life—more success, better relationships, stronger leadership, financial prosperity, clarity, confidence, influence and peace.

But almost every...

Focus, discipline, faith, and wisdom are the difference between being good and becoming the best—and Proverbs 5 gives us a powerful blueprint for knowing what deserves our attention, who we should listen to, and how to stay focused on God’s purpose.

Start your Inchstones journey click here

In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we unpack the hidden cost of success, the danger of distraction, and why you may not actually want the result you say you want.

A woman once told me she wanted my job.

So I de...

Eliot Davis shares his powerful story of mental health, depression, PTSD, and anxiety—and why it’s okay not to be okay. In this conversation, Eliot talks about struggling in silence, finding peace through pain, and using your resources to begin healing and helping others do the same.

There are some conversations we avoid because they’re uncomfortable. Eliot Davis believes those are often the conversations we need the most.

After experiencing his own struggles with mental health and seeing the impact those struggles can have on the people around him, Eliot turned his pain into p...

Todd Pierce of Riding High Ministries joins Kelly Cardenas for a powerful conversation about God, transformation, faith, relationships, prison ministry, horses, identity, and what it really takes to become the person God created you to be. Based in Idaho, Todd has spent decades using horses, ministry, and authentic relationships to help people discover freedom, purpose, healing, and a deeper relationship with God.But this isn't just a conversation about ministry.It's about transformation.What happens when God starts changing you instead of simply changing your circumstances? What can horses teach us about trust? What does spending time with people...

What if the life you’re nostalgic about is actually the life you’re living right now? In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we talk about nostalgia, sports, family, relationships, Proverbs 31, and the strange way we can spend so much time looking back at the good old days that we completely miss the good day we’re standing in.

My mama used to tell me, “I am praying for your wife. You need a Proverbs 31 woman in your life.”

I didn’t fully understand it then.

Forty years later, I get it.

Las Vegas sports reporter and News 3 Las Vegas anchor

Alexa Belcastro joins The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas to talk Las Vegas sports, the Las Vegas Raiders, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Aces, UNLV, sports broadcasting, and the human stories behind the biggest games in Southern Nevada. A Las Vegas native who chased her dream of sports broadcasting across California, Montana, Colorado, and Nashville, Alexa has come full circle—back home covering the teams and athletes she grew up watching.

Alexa covers some of the biggest sports stories in Las Vegas, including the Raiders, Golden Knights, Ac...

Amanda Vega is a marketing strategist, entrepreneur, fractional CMO, and technology and culture expert who has spent more than 30 years helping brands, founders, and organizations find their voice, build communities, and create movements. From her early days on the AOL team to earning an MBA from Columbia University, building and selling two agencies, and now working at the intersection of emerging technology, genomics, precision health, and personalized wellness, Amanda Vega has lived through—and helped shape—the evolution of the internet, marketing, business, and human behavior.

In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, Amanda and Kell...

Order "INCHSTONES - the VIBE within journal

Click Here

Proverbs 25 Inchstones is a powerful lesson on gratitude, focus, patience, self-control, and recognizing love when life doesn’t give you what you want, when you want it. In this deeply personal story, Kelly Cardenas shares the childhood moment when he received the “wrong” roller skates—and how that embarrassing reaction ultimately taught him one of life’s most important lessons: it’s not that we lack focus; we’re often focused on the wrong thing.

All I wanted were the black leather roller skates with the fat...

What drives someone to serve their community as a Reserve Peace Officer in San Diego County? Craig Gottlieb joins The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas to share the passion, purpose, courage, and commitment behind serving as a reserve law enforcement officer.

Attend the open house click here

Craig Gottlieb’s story is about more than wearing a badge—it’s about community service, leadership, sacrifice, responsibility, and the decision to serve others. His passion for being a Reserve Peace Officer offers a powerful look at what it means to step up, protect your community, and make an imp...

What does it mean to “work your land”? It means stop comparing yourself to other people, stop chasing what God didn’t give you, and start faithfully working the assignment, purpose, and opportunities right in front of you. Proverbs 21 reminds us that God’s plan, God’s timing, wisdom, diligence, and obedience matter more than our striving.

Buy Inchstones - The VIBE within journal

In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we unpack what my mom meant when she would always tell me, “You’re beautiful. Don’t ever compare yourself to anyo...

Joaquim Harris is a Cabrillo High School Class of 1989 graduate, former professional basketball player in Europe, and longtime varsity football and girls basketball coach whose extraordinary life journey includes surviving kidney disease and receiving a kidney transplant. In this powerful episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, Kelly reconnects with an old friend and honors a man whose story is a testament to resilience, perseverance, leadership, and the power of never giving up.Some people leave an impression on you long before you realize just how meaningful their story will become.I went to school with Joaquim Harris. I...

There’s power in the name.

In this full keynote from Day of Excellence, Kelly Cardenas delivers a powerful message about identity, insecurity, confidence, and the incredible transformation that happens when you understand—and fully embrace—the name you were given.

What if the things you’ve spent your life trying to hide aren’t actually weaknesses?

Kelly challenges the audience to fall in love with their insecurities—because when you stop being ashamed of the things you see as flaws, you discover something powerful: most people were never thinking about them in the first pl...

Young MC

The Man Behind the Music That Made the World Bust a MoveSome songs become hits. Some songs become memories.And then there are songs that become part of the language.“Bust A Move” is one of them.

Listen to the new single "I'm on one"

In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we honor Young MC — Marvin Young — a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum artist, songwriter, performer, and genuine pioneer of hip-hop whose music helped bring rap into the center of popular culture.In 1990, Young MC made history when “Bust A Move” won the Gram...

Moshe Engelberg, PhD, is the author of The Amare Wave: Uplift Your Business by Putting Love to Work, a leadership expert, executive coach, speaker, and founder of ResearchWorks who has dedicated his career to transforming the way people lead, work, and connect. His groundbreaking Amare Way philosophy challenges traditional business thinking by showing how love, authenticity, belonging, purpose, trust, and relationships can become powerful drivers of leadership, culture, and business performance.

I met Moshe on an airplane—and within minutes, I knew I had met someone I needed to know.

This conversation is about something we...

You Have to Meet My Friends is built on one simple rule:

They don't know they're on the podcast... until they're on the podcast.

This episode features HEALTHTAC buyers and vendor partners Scot Sandel owner of Prosper Life Care, Alex Nault from Hireology and Kaylie Glenn founder of Day By Day Project

No green room. No makeup. No media training. No "Can you send me the questions first?"

Just real people, real conversations, and the beautiful chaos that happens when you throw preparation out the window and let...

If you're looking for one of the funniest and most insightful conversations with Brandon Collins, comedian, creator of Drunk Black History, podcast host, screenwriter, and producer, you're in the right place. In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, Brandon shares the stories behind his incredible journey in stand-up comedy, creating one of New York's most celebrated live comedy experiences, building successful podcasts, and using humor to educate, entertain, and bring people together.Some conversations make you laugh. Others make you think. This one does both.Brandon is the brilliant creator and host of Drunk Black History, the...

Donate to the new theater project here

What does it take to build a legendary career that lasts more than two decades? In this upcoming episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, hip-hop icon, songwriter, producer, actor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Karl “Dice Raw” Jenkins shares the mindset, discipline, and purpose behind his incredible journey from the music world to making a lasting impact beyond the stage.

Dice Raw is a modern-day phenomenon whose career spans music, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and community leadership. Known as a longtime creative force connected to The Roots, Dice has...

YahZarah, a captivating singer/songwriter, enchants audiences with her mesmerizing voice, electrifying stage presence, and unique perspective as an art heroine. Her music spans across a wide range of genres, including soul, rock, pop, hip-hop, and jazz. Praised by fans and critics alike, she is often compared to the likes of Janelle Monae, Erykah Badu, and Bilal, drawing inspiration from legendary figures such as Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, and Lenny Kravitz. Her latest album, "The Ceremony," showcases her fiery rock and soul sound, creating an immersive live concert experience with its otherworldly synthesizers, powerful drums, and dynamic strings. She...

You Have to Meet My Friends is built on one simple rule:

They don't know they're on the podcast... until they're on the podcast.

The VIBE Room Tickets click here

No green room. No makeup. No media training. No "Can you send me the questions first?"

Just real people, real conversations, and the beautiful chaos that happens when you throw preparation out the window and let authenticity take over.

Sometimes they answer.
Sometimes they don't.
Sometimes I get humbled by voicemail.
But every...

WARNING ‼️ This is a LIVE recording in NYC so there is city noise in the background. Tell me if like it!!! ‼️In this Proverbs 20 Bible study, Kelly Cardenas explores biblical wisdom for self-control, emotional intelligence, Christian leadership, and developing a sober mind. Discover practical Proverbs 20 principles that will help you navigate conflict, make wiser decisions, strengthen your faith, and lead with peace—one Inchstone at a time.Have you ever reacted before thinking… and wished you could rewind the moment?I know I have.Growing up, whenever my temper started to get the best of me, my Pops would smile, chann...

Read the Instructions | Proverbs 13 Wisdom That Could Save You Years of Frustration

Have you ever ignored the instructions because you thought, "I've got this," only to realize later that the mistake was completely avoidable? In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we're diving into Proverbs 13, where timeless biblical wisdom teaches us why following instructions, seeking wise counsel, staying humble, and applying what we learn can transform every area of our lives.

I have to confess something...

When Brooklyn and I moved to Carlsbad, our kids were little enough to sleep in...

The Secret My Mama Taught Me That Changed Everything | Proverbs 9, Wisdom, Presence & The Power of Looking Forward

Have you ever spent so much time looking forward to something that, when it finally arrived, you barely experienced it?

I know I have.

This episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas is one of the most personal conversations I've had with you. While reading Proverbs 9, I realized something my Mama had been teaching me my entire life.

She always said, "Always have something to look forward to."

For years, I thought...

You Have to Meet My FriendsI had an idea recently that felt either incredibly brilliant… or like the beginning of a mild public humiliation.Honestly, the jury is still out.So here’s what I started doing:I go live on my podcast, scroll through my phone, randomly call my friends, and they have absolutely NO idea they’re about to be on a podcast.No warning.No prep.No “Hey, do you have a few minutes?” text.Just me out here risking lifelong friendships for content 😅The series is called *You Have to Meet My Friends* and somehow it has turned...

What if freedom isn't found by getting more... but by paying closer attention?

On this special Fourth of July episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, I share one of the most personal conversations I've had during my morning time with God. What started as a simple question—"What is freedom?"—turned into a life-changing reminder that shifted my perspective from everything I thought I needed to everything God has already done.

This episode explores the powerful difference between listening and paying attention, why one is free while the other comes with a cost, and how...

NFL, SEC Football, Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators, Nashville SC, and the art of sports storytelling all come together in this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas. If you've ever wondered what it takes to uncover the stories behind the biggest moments in sports—and why the best reporters seem to find what everyone else misses—you're going to love this conversation.Sports have always been about more than a scoreboard. They're about people. They're about resilience, preparation, pressure, and purpose. That's exactly why I wanted to sit down with Julian Mininsohn, Sports Anchor and Reporter for WKRN News 2 in N...