AZ Local Legends

💚 NEW EPISODE! 💚

His uncle knew he’d make it to the NFL before he did 🏈 👀

In MTN 108, JJ Birden, former NFL wide receiver, keynote speaker and author, was just 17 when his Uncle Sonny told him he’d play in the NFL someday- and asked JJ to promise him his first NFL touchdown.

Years later, JJ got to keep that promise.

💫 A great reminder that sometimes it takes one person in your corner to change what you believe is possible.

📍 This episode was filmed on location at Brooklyn V’s Pizza in Gilbert!

🎥 Hear more from JJ about beating the odds, his NFL career & the lessons that shaped his life beyond football in MTN 108 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pVxwZg5MkAM

Who are you without the job title? ✨

For Kevin Curtis, former NFL player and college football coach turned owner of 7 Orangetheory franchises in Arizona, football was something he did—not who he was.

That distinction mattered when it was time to walk away from the game.

➡️ The discipline, work ethic and willingness to be coached stayed with him long after football ended—but so did the person underneath all of it.

And that gave Kevin something solid to build his next chapter on.

A good reminder: your career is part of your story, not your whole identity
💚

Thank you to our partners of this episode:
• PlumbSmart
• Duenas Eden Cravatta Law
• Amy Richardson - Savvy Realty Group

🎥 Hear more about Kevin’s journey from the NFL and college football to entrepreneurship in MTN 107 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p9gdK_548rU

From coaching athletes to changing lives through fitness 🏈💪

For Kevin Curtis, former NFL player and college football coach turned Orangetheory franchise owner, changing careers didn’t mean leaving behind what he loved most about coaching.

He spent years helping athletes grow, adapt and reach new levels in football.

Now, that impact can look like helping a member gain the strength to keep up with her grandkids- and completely change her quality of life 💚

💫 And in a new chapter of his career, those are the wins that continue to drive him.

🎥 Hear more about Kevin’s journey from the NFL and college football to owning seven Orangetheory Fitness studios in MTN 107 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p9gdK_548rU

Still learning to let go? 👀

For Gretchen Seeck, Founder of Haus of GS, being a work in progress means learning to trust divine timing…

Even when she’d really prefer things to happen exactly when and how she wants them 🥲

➡️ She knows she can’t control everything—but that doesn’t mean letting go always comes easily.

For Gretchen, it’s about recognizing when she’s holding on too tightly, and learning to trust what comes next.

🎥 Hear more from Gretchen about sobriety, personal growth & building a life that actually fills her cup in MTN 107 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p9gdK_548rU

She’s surpassed every dream in her notebook 💚

While in treatment, Gretchen Seeck, Founder of Haus of GS, kept a notebook where she wrote down what she calls her “bare minimum dreams” for the next five years.

Today? She’s surpassed every one of them.

➡️ Not because she stopped dreaming once she got there—but because she kept going, kept doing, and kept pushing the ceiling a little higher.

Maybe the life you want is more possible than you think ✨

🎥 Hear more from Gretchen about her journey through sobriety, mental health & building Haus of GS in MTN 107 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p9gdK_548rU

Are you thinking too small? 👀

Looking back, Cynthia Sassi, Founder of Fabulous Arizona, says there’s one thing she would tell herself when she was starting out:

💡 Think bigger… sooner.

Early in her career, Cynthia watched other people build major media companies and wondered if they had something she didn’t.

That self-doubt kept her thinking smaller for longer than she’d like.

➡️ Luckily, she eventually realized: there was no reason she couldn’t build something big, too.

And that's exactly what she did ✨️

🎥 Hear more from Cynthia about building Fabulous Arizona, expanding into new markets & what she’s learned along the way in MTN 107 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p9gdK_548rU

💚 NEW EPISODE! 💚

How does a shy person end up in media? 🤔

For Cynthia Sassi, Founder of Fabulous Arizona, building a business meant becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.

She realized quickly:

➡️ Sometimes the skills you need to grow aren’t the ones that come naturally…and waiting until you feel confident enough can keep you stuck.

Because confidence doesn’t always come first. Sometimes you build it by doing the thing anyway.

📍 MTN 107 was filmed on location at Craft 64 in Scottsdale!

🎥 Hear more from Cynthia about growing Fabulous Arizona, expanding into new markets & building a career in digital media in MTN 107 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p9gdK_548rU

Becoming an empty nester changes how you see your home 🏡

After nearly 20 years in real estate, Amy Richardson of Savvy Realty Group has found herself connecting with a particular group of clients:

Downsizers and empty nesters.

And now, she’s experiencing that transition firsthand.

With her youngest heading off to college, Amy is considering leaving the home where she raised her kids for 18 years—their safe space, and hers.

➡️ Downsizing can make perfect sense on paper. Emotionally? It’s a whole different story.

And because Amy is navigating it herself, she understands how to help others through it, too 💚

Thank you to the partners of this episode:
• Amy Richardson, Savvy Realty Group
• Brewer’s Air Conditioning & Heating
• Contemporary Dental Concepts
• Duenas Eden Cravatta
• Tutor Doctor Chandler Gilbert Ahwatukee
• Vero Chicago Pizza – Ahwatukee
• Foothills Golf Club

🎥 Hear more from Amy about downsizing, navigating today’s Arizona real estate market, and what buyers and sellers should know in the full episode of MTN 106 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bqqK8u8b1qY

Is waiting for mortgage rates to drop a mistake? 🏡👀

Amy Richardson of Savvy Realty Group says there’s something Arizona homebuyers should consider before sitting on the sidelines waiting for lower rates…

➡️ If rates come down, you may not be the only buyer who’s been waiting—and increased competition could mean higher home prices.

A lower rate doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the better deal.

✨ Sometimes when the market shifts, the advantage can shift right along with it.

🎥 Hear more from Amy about navigating today’s Arizona real estate market and what buyers and sellers should be paying attention to in the full episode of MTN 106 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bqqK8u8b1qY