Own Your Data, Ditch the Feelings with Brooke Furniss

From athletic trainer to one of the most outspoken voices in automotive, Brooke Furniss has built her career on one rule — facts, not feelings. 

In this episode, Tim sits down with Brooke to unpack how a corneal transplant, a detour into DealerSocket, and years inside dealerships led her to build a platform that defends dealers, challenges vendors, and demands truth in an industry full of noise.

What follows is a raw, funny, and powerful look at leadership, humility, and the courage to say what others won’t. Brooke and Tim dive into data transparency, fake dashboards, shiny-object distractions, and why the best leaders are humble enough to learn through pain. This one’s part masterclass, part therapy session, and all heart.

00:00 Tim welcomes Brooke — and sets the tone for an unfiltered conversation

01:03 The unexpected start: from athletic trainer to the automotive world

02:29 How a corneal transplant changed everything

04:06 The DealerSocket years and seeing every side of the business

05:59 Why Brooke walked away from selling and started giving dealers a voice

06:47 Tim on vanity metrics and the only KPI that really matters

07:54 Brooke breaks down the data fight — and why most dealers don’t own theirs

09:45 “Performance over pizzazz”: chasing shiny objects vs. chasing results

12:52 Kickbacks, broken processes, and calling out industry excuses

14:22 What “people first” really means when culture gets tough

16:59 The biggest killer in any dealership: pride

18:18 How true leaders stay humble — and why that’s rare

26:30 Brooke’s message to new leaders: research, resilience, and never losing your voice

Learn more about Brooke Furniss at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookefurniss/

Watch the Facts, Not Feelings podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIY-PixNsvgD1nrRFiw5xoNfU3rY6ojPy

Connect with Tim Cox at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-cox-29065a7/

Listen to more episodes of Tim Talks at https://www.carnow.com/timtalks/