Ruben Gonzalez, four-time record-holding Olympian, bestselling author, and sought-after keynote speaker, returns to Monday Morning Radio for a wide-ranging, deeply practical conversation about perseverance, belief, and the wisdom of following proven leaders.

Ruben’s story is anything but conventional. He didn’t begin competing at an elite level until his mid-20s, and has never used his lack of natural athleticism as an excuse for falling short.

His career — on the luge track and beyond — has been built on desire, discipline, and a stubborn refusal to quit. Now in his 60s, he offers practical strategies for building courage through small daily choices, managing risk intelligently rather than avoiding it, and reframing success not as medals or riches, but as significance — the impact you have on others.

As always, this episode draws out insights that go beyond inspiration, focusing on actionable steps every listener can take to compete at their highest level — in sports, business, and life.

[More details on Cafe Olympia Coaching are available here.]

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Ruben Gonzalez
Posted: December 29, 2025
Monday Morning Run Time: 47:14
Episode: 14.30

RUBEN’S PREVIOUS APPEARANCES:

• Has Anyone Ever Told You That You’re Too Old to Chase Your Dream?

• “Iron Sharpens Iron”

• From Benchwarmer to Olympic Record Holder and Business Champion

This week, hosts Dean and Maxwell Rotbart offer their third annual holiday treat for Monday Morning Radio listeners: a reading of the inspirational adult Yuletide tale, A Christmas Day Miracle, by Dean and Talya Rotbart.

Since the book was first published in 2021, it has become a perennial holiday favorite.

A Christmas Day Miracle tells the true story of one man, Riyaz Adat, on death’s doorstep, his devoted wife, Margaret, and Riyaz’s miraculous survival and recovery. It’s a poignant reminder for people of all faiths of the wonder and power of life’s unexpected blessings. 

This is a once-a-year exclusive presentation you don’t want to miss.

A Christmas Day Miracle is available in a keepsake softcover edition on Amazon for only $9.75. 

Photo: Riyaz and Margaret Adat
Posted: December 22, 2025
Monday Morning Run Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Episode: 14.29

Other books from TJFR Press:

• But I Said I’m Sorry — A book for children 5-11 years old. Highly recommended by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

• The Boy Who Answered the Call of Kilimanjaro: The Adventures of Riyaz — Based on the true story of a Tanzanian boy who sets out on an adventure, walking with two schoolmates more than 600 miles from Dar es Salaam to Mt. Kilimanjaro. (Also available from Amazon in Spanish and French)

• All You Can Eat Business Wisdom: A Monday Morning Radio Anthology of Actionable Advice — Described by Kirkus Reviews as a well-mounted business self-help book that’s actually helpful – and a good read, too.

• Perfectly Ordinary, Yet Extraordinary: Making a Meaningful Difference in the Lives of Others — An inspirational text designed to facilitate the undertaking of homegrown charitable projects.

• September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story — A thrilling and inspiring tale of journalistic dedication — Kirkus Reviews

David Ackert is making a list and checking it twice — but he’s no Santa Claus. The gifts he brings are practical, powerful insights for professionals who want to grow their businesses and advance their careers.

As co-founder and CEO of Ackert, Inc. and its subsidiary, PipelinePlus, David challenges the long-held belief that success depends on building a massive network of connections. In his view, quantity is a distraction. What truly matters is cultivating a small, carefully curated list of 9 to 30 “high-value” relationships — the people who have the greatest likelihood of helping you reach your goals. Everyone else? Send them a Christmas card.

David is the author of The Short List: How to Drive Business Development by Focusing on the People Who Matter Most, an Amazon bestseller and Gold Winner of the 2025 Nonfiction Book Awards.

This week on Monday Morning Radio, he explains how to identify and prioritize the relationships that matter most, how to gracefully prune an overgrown network, and how to create meaningful new connections — even with influential strangers.

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: David Ackert, PipelinePlus  
Posted: December 15, 2025
Monday Morning Run Time: 46:48
Episode: 14.28

POPULAR EPISODES:

• Mega-Bestselling Author Andrew Matthews Captures the Simple Secrets of Success and Resilience

• From Classroom to Boardroom: How Teacher Maria Fraietta Turned a $50 Investment into a $34 Million Juggernaut

• How Terry Rich Turned Elephant Dung to Gold, and How You Can Also Be a Business Alchemist

Ken Lain’s father-in-law, Harold Watters, opened a garden center in semi-arid, mountainous Prescott, Arizona, in 1962.

Six decades later, garden centers aren’t exactly giving e-commerce companies and Big Box home improvement centers much in the way of competition, and countless brick-and-mortar retailers have gone out of business. Yet Ken, his wife, Lisa, and their daughter, McKenzie, have continued to make their third-generation family business, Waters Garden Center, bloom.

Now, the Lains stand at the cusp of an ambitious expansion into new markets. This week father and daughter share the nutrient-rich business strategies that every small enterprise can use to grow its own remarkable success story. 

[Ken and McKenzie Lain will be featured in All You Can Eat Business Wisdom: Second Helpings, coming in 2026. The anthology is the sequel of co-host Maxwell Rotbart’s award winning first edition, All You Can Eat Business Wisdom: A Monday Morning Radio Anthology of Actionable Advice.] 

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Ken and McKenzie Lain, Watters Garden Center
Posted: December 8, 2025
Monday Morning Run Time: 58:42
Episode: 14.27

RELATED EPISODES:

1. Cultivating Big Profits in a Small Market

2. It Was True in 1959, It’s Still True Today: An Educated Consumer Is the Best Customer

3. Dean Guida Bootstrapped His Way to Building a Multinational Enterprise Software Company