Builders & Doers

Chris Kille is a Boston-based entrepreneur, author, and operations expert with four profitable exits behind him — including a payments business he scaled more than 10x in five years using just one domestic employee and four remote office assistants. After a cardiac event caused by burnout, he founded EO Staff, a premium remote staffing company that places elite virtual assistants into fast-growing businesses. He's the author of The Rise of Virtual Assistants, has been published 100+ times in Forbes and Entrepreneur, and now lives off a dirt road in a 700-person town in Maine — by design.In this conversation, Chris walks us through why he's "self-employed by force" (and bad at being an employee), the credit card processing company he started out of spite, why 97% of business owners never crack $1M, the operational bottlenecks founders almost always neglect (their email and calendar), the difference between A players and C players, why "80% done by someone else is 100% awesome," how to do a five-day time study to find the work you should delete or delegate, why his health scare became the catalyst for selling his most profitable business, and the marginal-gains philosophy that makes a boring business the most valuable one to sell.Find Chris: Instagram @iamchriskilleEO Staff: https://eostaff.comBook: The Rise of Virtual AssistantsBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:55 Door-to-door at 10 — growing up hustling2:21 "I'm very unhireable" — entrepreneur by force2:41 Four profitable exits and counting3:12 The C-player hiring trap and the revenue ceiling4:38 The credit card processing company started out of spite6:54 Out-of-spite as a motivator (and when it's not)9:23 Removing yourself from day-to-day operations10:24 The "business in a box" — what makes a company truly sellable11:09 Why breaking $1M is an operational problem13:13 What AI means for virtual assistants — adapt or replace15:08 Remote vs in-person hiring after COVID17:33 The delegation trap — why founders pull tasks back18:12 "It's not an emergency, no one's going to die"20:13 Building SOPs the right way (show, then teach back)21:01 What to look for after the honeymoon period ends22:17 The 90-day nesting period and zero tolerance for late24:20 The radar problem — small habits that cost you the job27:57 Neurodiversity, output, and choosing your battles on lateness31:27 Specialize: one offer, one avatar, one price point33:29 The bottleneck founders neglect — their email and calendar36:36 Defeated by your inbox by 2pm39:27 Phone on Do Not Disturb for years (and why)44:42 Health scare, burnout, and exercise as a non-negotiable45:36 Marginal gains — the British Olympic cycling story46:55 Boring businesses sell best48:36 The 5-day time study — find what to delete or delegate50:00 Where to find Chris

Angela Cox is an executive coach, founder of Purseda 360, and host of the Leader Unmasked podcast. After more than a decade running lean transformation at Lloyds Banking Group, change management at Barclays, and strategy for a half-billion-pound business at Compass Group, she moved into coaching full-time — bringing the operational rigor of root-cause analysis into a profession she felt was still running on 1980s models. In 2021, after her husband Martin's brain injury, she built Purseda 360 into a formal academy training the next generation of coaches. She's pursuing a doctorate in coaching at Cambridge / King's College London, and runs a national coaching conference whose proceeds fund the Blue Light Bursary — coaching training for NHS, police, and ambulance service leavers.In this conversation, Angela walks us through why operational change leaders make different coaches, the four masks people wear at work (perfectionist, people pleaser, persecutor of self, persecutor of others), the "silent middle" of high-performing employees quietly burning out, why recording sessions destroys the unmasking process, why coaching ROI may be the wrong question (and what the right one is), and how to know when wearing the mask is a conscious choice versus autopilot.Find AngelaLinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelacoxpaseda360/Purseda 360 — https://purseda360.comBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:36 From Lloyds, Barclays, and Compass to executive coaching2:32 Bringing root-cause analysis from transformation into the coaching room3:52 Her husband Martin's brain injury and the legacy that built Purseda 3606:32 What's actually wrong with 1980s coaching models8:29 The pretending pandemic — and why "open culture" rarely is9:30 The four masks: perfectionist, people pleaser, persecutor of self, persecutor of others11:51 The silent middle — high performers quietly eroding12:50 How to surface masking inside an organization13:40 Why she built an academy instead of just scaling her practice15:41 Cambridge, King's College, and the credentialing problem in coaching17:20 Why recording client sessions undermines the work18:02 Integrating psychology and neuroscience without crossing into therapy19:35 The "swimming swan" she saw years before she had words for it20:49 Hiring a coach for your leadership team — what to look for, what to avoid23:10 Coaching ROI is the wrong question — what's the cost of NOT doing it?24:36 The Blue Light Bursary — coaching for NHS, police, and ambulance leavers26:13 The question she asks every podcast guest (that she'd ask herself)27:48 Congruence as a daily reflection practice28:40 Conscious masking vs autopilot masking — why the choice matters30:42 The cost of wearing the mask in your own life31:16 Where to find Angela

Barbara Salopek is an economist, author, and innovation consultant who grew up in Croatia and built her career in Norway. She teaches at BI Norwegian Business School, advises companies on bringing ideas to market, and is the author of an Amazon bestseller on innovation that scored 8/10 with getAbstract editors. Her work sits at the intersection of individual psychology, group dynamics, and the systems that either let innovation thrive or quietly kill it.In this conversation, Barbara walks us through why suffering only makes sense when there's something better on the other side, why 4,500+ mousetrap patents don't equal innovation, the difference between a creative solution and an innovation that actually creates value, why "innovate!" as a top-down command almost always fails, the hidden cost of big players buying every promising small company, why leaders can't ask their teams to change while staying the same themselves, and the simple reframe that turns change from something happening to you into something you choose.Find Barbara: https://barbarasalopek.comOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-salopek/Book: available on Amazon and major retailers worldwideBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:51 The meaning behind suffering — and why all our heroes had hard lives1:21 What science actually says about adversity and creativity2:39 "Better to suffer now for the benefit later" — and why younger generations push back3:09 Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea at age 144:24 Risk-aversion is personal — entrepreneurs as control of one's own destiny5:58 We're learning what we're willing to tolerate6:21 What innovation actually is — value, not just ideas7:10 The 4,500 mousetrap patents that aren't innovation8:18 Signal vs substance — institutions, prestige, and follow-through10:29 Big universities and big consulting — and why hungry small firms still matter11:48 The danger of everyone selling out to the big tech oligarchy12:53 Imposter syndrome and the desire for external validation14:36 The generational shift — from CV prestige to quality of life now15:05 Why a good idea isn't enough — the market has to be ready17:50 Oversimplification, social media, and the danger of using AI in fields you don't know19:30 From idea to product-market fit — what actually has to be true21:18 Functional fixedness and creativity as a survival mechanism22:33 The Croatia / Norway counterexample — adversity isn't the only path to excellence23:06 We are individuals AND part of groups — why innovation frameworks miss this26:05 What leaders should actually do to invite change28:07 Everyday creativity vs scientific creativity — everyone has it30:20 Don't change for change's sake — frame the why30:45 What's the one thing we can stop doing today?33:09 The founder paradox — you can't be the same person at company size 10035:20 You can't ask others to change while you resist change yourself36:00 Small experiments that change team dynamics — who speaks in meetings40:08 Choose change vs change happens to you — the driving seat reframe41:18 Early adopters vs naysayers and why both views have value44:42 High-trust vs low-trust environments (Norway vs Croatia, COVID example)45:33 The long view — climate, AI, and what actually matters46:48 Where to find Barbara

Dr. Torkil Færø is a Norwegian general practitioner and emergency physician with 26 years of clinical experience, the author of five bestselling books, and the writer behind The Pulse Cure — translated into 10 languages and the only book to date dedicated to using consumer wearables for preventative healthcare. After his father died at 73, Torkil realized his own lifestyle had him on track for an even shorter life, so he re-educated himself in preventative medicine, lost 40 pounds, and started experimenting with what heart rate and HRV data could actually tell him about his own body. He's also a longtime travel photographer whose first bestseller was on therapeutic photography.In this conversation, Torkil walks us through what 26 years on the front row of medicine taught him about how much control we actually have over our health, why grip strength predicts how long you stay out of a nursing home, the connection between sunlight and colorectal cancer, how a slice of birthday cake spiked his heart rate for five hours, the difference between Garmin, Whoop, Oura, and Apple Watch, why "junk stress" is the new junk food, what the Blue Zones (and 1800s Native Americans) tell us about longevity, and one breathwork practice you can do invisibly in any meeting.Find Dr. TorkilInstagram @dr.torkilBook: The Pulse CureBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro1:10 26 years as an ER doctor on the front row of life3:25 The one thing the public misses about health4:08 His father died at 73 — the moment everything changed5:30 What he changed (and what wasn't taught in medical school)5:36 Grip strength as a predictor of longevity6:37 The Norwegian study — strength training delays the nursing home by 14 years7:14 The rise of colorectal cancer in younger people — the sunlight connection9:44 The non-negotiables: sleep, movement, sunlight, real food10:14 How wearables changed his understanding of sleep (and wine)11:04 Heart rate variability — the most sensitive biometric you can track13:00 Breathwork in stressful meetings — six breaths a minute, invisibly15:48 Choosing a wearable: Garmin vs Apple vs Oura vs Whoop17:40 We're terrible at judging our internal state19:25 The birthday cake that spiked his heart rate for 5 hours20:32 Discovering food sensitivities through HRV22:00 We're as different on the inside as we are on the outside23:06 What you actually feel when you optimize: clarity, willpower, empathy24:55 Junk stress — the cousin of junk food25:51 VO2 max and why it predicts how long you live27:42 Whoop's edge — AI, journaling, and biological age30:55 The shift from reactive medicine to taking control yourself32:50 Why new tech keeps pointing us back in time35:18 1800s research on Native American longevity — the lifestyle clues37:04 The amputation problem — community as a regulating organism38:35 The Blue Zones: Okinawa, Sardinia, Icaria, Loma Linda40:55 Biohacking, longevity, and the limits of what we can extend42:43 Mitochondria as the actual key to longevity43:30 24 extra years — what the research says you gain from doing it right44:09 The travel photographer side — and the book that started it all46:00 The Pulse Cure — the only book on using wearables for health48:01 The PMS / menstrual cycle insight wearables can give49:09 Where to find Dr. Torkil

Fay Niewiadomski is the founder and CEO of ICTN (International Consulting and Training Network), a strategic intervention and executive coaching firm she's run for over three decades from offices in Beirut, Amman, and New York. A pioneer of strategic intervention in the Middle East, Fay has worked with leadership teams across 40+ nationalities, helping them uncover the values, beliefs, and unspoken rules that quietly shape every decision a leader makes. She describes her work as "non-invasive neurosurgery" — a practice of listening with extreme depth to surface the assumptions, blind spots, and recurrent questions that keep otherwise capable leaders running on a treadmill.In this conversation, Fay walks us through why "artificial intelligence" is a misnomer, the loop of values-beliefs-rules that traps people in their own way, why self-awareness is often just self-congratulation, the difference between cohesion and consensus on a leadership team, the "Impostorella" syndrome, the three life-changing decisions she made the morning her office in Beirut was bombed, and the one Gordian knot every leader should sit with — the line between deliberate cruelty and stupidity.Find Fay: https://www.ictn.com/blog/author/rima/Buy Fay's book: https://a.co/d/07B2cgAPICTN: https://www.ictn.comOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayniewiadomski/Builders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:56 What caught Fay's attention recently1:02 Why "AI" is a misnomer — it's an information synthesizer2:26 The Selfish Gene, biases, and what human intelligence actually is3:49 If we programmed AI to need to survive, would it become intelligent?4:24 Intelligence vs consciousness5:30 Why conscious effort is overrated6:01 Confirmation bias and our model of reality6:37 The real leadership challenge — same language, shared purpose8:07 What "non-invasive neurosurgery" actually means8:50 The "I want to be CEO in 2 years" example — why values block the path9:27 The recurrent question loop people get stuck in10:52 Generational rules and unspoken expectations12:01 Decision-making styles — why fast and slow leaders clash14:38 Leadership is a set of behaviors, not a position15:08 The Impostorella syndrome15:58 Group coaching — what would the company lose if you all disappeared tomorrow?16:30 What gets AI'd vs what makes a human leader17:03 Cohesion vs consensus17:49 Living on shifting sands of uncertainty18:04 Assume you could die tomorrow19:13 If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans20:10 Resilience as doing what's needed knowing you have no control21:17 Constructs, the teapot lid, and dysregulation21:31 Role-swap simulations and the panic that follows23:30 The hospital ER simulation — 17 "patients" killed in round one25:44 Cognitive diversity and the value of being challenged26:00 Why ICTN doesn't give the solution as consultants27:30 The thoughts → feelings → actions → results loop28:50 Self-awareness as self-congratulation29:56 We don't learn from mistakes — we learn from reflection on mistakes30:46 The morning her office in Beirut was bombed31:44 Decision 1: leaving her alcoholic husband33:05 Decision 2: putting her son on a hydrofoil to Cyprus33:53 Decision 3: starting her own business from the rubble36:21 Upon reflection, are you grateful for that experience?36:50 Don't confuse comfort and predictability with a fulfilling life39:12 The Gordian knot every leader should sit with — sadism vs stupidity41:04 The practical first step — your three most difficult decisions42:51 Psychometric profiling and the competent debrief43:28 Where to find Fay44:26 Closing — leadership as a gift, integrity meets credibility

Matt and Jack are co-founders of HeySquibb, an AI research lab modeling human psychology to build digital twins that run your social media. After Matt built an AI therapy clone in 2023 and saw the impact a digital representation of someone could have, the team came together around a bigger thesis: that within a year or two, having a digital twin will be as ordinary as having an email address. They're bootstrapped, fully self-funded, and recently moved six teammates into a four-bedroom apartment in New York City for three months to live, sleep, and ship together.In this conversation, Matt and Jack walk us through how their digital twins reach 76% accuracy on you, why "sounding human" is the hardest problem in AI right now, the four-product roadmap (Persona, Warehouse, Telescope, and the Omega Suite), why they think AI agents will free us to be more human (not less), the ethics of agent-driven social engagement, and what it actually felt like to bootstrap with the bear in their own cave.Find HeySquibb: https://heysquibb.comOn X: @heysquibbBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:47 What HeySquibb is — digital twins to run your social1:34 Matt's 2023 AI therapy clone and the origin story2:14 Can it be a better version of you? 76% accuracy today2:47 What if the data you've put online was already AI?4:00 How long it takes to train your twin4:48 Templates — sound like Mark Twain or Mark Cuban6:14 Why X first, LinkedIn second7:03 A world where bots talk to bots — and what that unlocks7:16 The vision: get offline by being more online8:13 The dark mirror — being intentional with what AI reflects back11:08 The sales prospecting use case13:01 Is using a digital twin "cheating"? The calculator analogy17:59 How the agent actually learns — human-in-the-loop reinforcement19:53 Is AI a net positive for humanity?22:33 The "in or out" choice — and why dioramas always crash23:07 Six guys, four bedrooms, three months in NYC26:14 Bootstrapped from day one — putting your own skin in the game28:50 The moat against the incumbents32:08 The 12-month roadmap: Persona, Warehouse, Telescope, Omega Suite32:50 API risk and staying compliant on X and LinkedIn34:27 The hardest technical problem — keeping agents from going off the rails36:21 Humor and context — the edge cases you can't fully anticipate42:00 Security, privacy, and anonymizing user data43:54 Will AI sterilize marketing for the human race?47:00 Digital twins as snapshots in time — the expat analogy48:23 What if two digital twins have a "child"?52:24 How bootstrapping actually works when the month is looking low54:50 The bear in your cave — the strongest motivator56:30 Where to find Matt, Jack, and HeySquibb

Jon Basford is the founder of Lateral Solutions, a consulting firm that helps founders, CEOs, and nonprofit leaders build the internal operations their growth actually depends on. After a career that took him from law school to association management to the startup world as a fractional COO, Jon now runs operational audits that unpack the gap between what leaders think is working and what their teams already know isn't. He's a champion of what he calls "curiosity as an operating system" — a way of thinking, working, and connecting that he argues is the real foundation of operational excellence.In this conversation, Jon walks us through why founders under-invest in internal operations (and what it costs them), the four-part audit he uses to diagnose an organization, why the word "change" often fails and what to say instead, how micromanagement quietly pushes out your best people, where AI actually helps leaders versus where it's fancy reporting, and the single question every leader should be asking their team.Find Jon: https://jonbasford.comLateral Solutions: https://think-lateral.comBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro — curiosity as an operating system0:36 From law school to fractional COO to operational consulting1:43 Nonprofit vs for-profit — the same dysfunctions2:19 What curiosity looks like in an operating world3:32 Creating a curious culture and "see it, say it, sorted"5:13 The 4-part operational audit5:47 The fastest win — duplicate payments and $0 accounting fixes6:53 The biggest hidden cost — under-investing in internal operations7:56 Why founders can't see what an outsider can10:27 You have to convince leaders there's a problem before you can fix it11:00 Change management and the regression to the status quo12:02 Why the word "change" backfires — and what to use instead13:48 The CEO who couldn't envision video (20 years after he started)14:23 Global expansion, cultural nuance, and rowing the same boat16:39 Multi-generational teams and allowing people to speak up17:58 The burned out founder — 68 hours a week and nothing moves19:16 Why letting go is the hardest part20:13 Where AI actually helps leaders vs fancy reporting21:22 A curiosity KPI: psychological safety as the leading indicator22:14 What CEOs should stop doing today23:29 The human body analogy — 18 quintillion processes you don't manage25:30 Why it's chronic with founders (it's their baby)26:57 The micromanager who thought she wasn't — and the star she lost28:19 Jon's final ask: stop asking how people are doing, start asking what they're seeing30:00 The 500-700% ROI of leadership coaching30:55 Where to find Jon

Dr. Emily Anhalt is a clinical psychologist, co-founder of Coa (the gym for mental health), and author of Flex Your Feelings: Train Your Brain to Develop the 7 Traits of Emotional Fitness. After interviewing 100 psychologists and 100 entrepreneurs, she identified the seven traits emotionally healthy people are working on all the time — and built a practice around helping founders, leaders, and teams treat mental health the way they treat physical health: proactively, consistently, and as an ongoing practice rather than a crisis response.In this conversation, Dr. Emily walks us through why most people go to therapy (it's not what you think), the catch-22 of being healthy in an unhealthy society, why she tells people to strive for agency instead of control, the 7 traits of emotional fitness and why mindfulness is the foundation, how to tell emotional fitness from emotional performance, and one "emotional pushup" you can do today.Find Dr. Emily: dremilyanhalt.comInstagram: @dremilyanhaltBook: Flex Your Feelings — available anywhere books are soldBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:57 Growing up with ADHD in Silicon Valley2:57 What ADHD actually is (and what it's not)3:25 Why everyone now has "ADHD-like" symptoms — the dopamine machine in your pocket4:34 Spectrum vs disorder — when does it become a problem?5:34 Explanation vs excuse — the responsibility you still own6:00 Strive for agency, not control7:17 The catch-22: healthy individuals, healthy society9:44 The pre-modern mind — what did we trade away?11:14 Why emotional fitness is like physical fitness13:30 Why psychology isn't taught in schools15:42 Emotional fitness and the zombie test19:50 Why success doesn't fix unhappiness (Morning Brew and rock stars)22:22 Why people don't change even when they know what to change23:45 The British "stiff upper lip" problem25:31 Emotional pushups — 5 minutes of feeling without judgment27:19 Where and how to feel your feelings appropriately32:26 The 7 traits of emotional fitness37:06 Can you fake emotional fitness? (Steve Jobs, success, and manipulation)40:15 Emotional fitness isn't about being happy all the time43:02 Pharmaceuticals and psychedelics — the "fever" framework47:34 5 days of darkness and the all-or-nothing problem49:09 Writing a book, AI, and the loss of humanity in writing51:20 What she wants readers to walk away with52:07 Dr. Emily's favorite emotional pushup — the text message53:28 Coaching vs therapy — you don't have to wait for a problem56:13 Where to find Dr. Emily

Mitch Weisburgh is an educator, author, and founder of MindShifting, a framework built on three capacities he believes the world urgently needs more of: resourcefulness, resilience, and collaboration. After nearly four decades at the intersection of education and technology, a 2017 email from a university in Niger sent him on a new path: pulling together insights from neuroscience, cognitive science, military strategy, systems theory, and psychology into a single practical framework. He's the author of MindShifting: Stop Your Brain from Sabotaging Your Happiness and Success, and the follow-up Conflict and Collaboration.In this conversation, Mitch walks us through why the human brain is wired against us in modern life, the five limbic responses that hijack our decisions, OODA loops and the Cynefin framework for handling different kinds of problems, why you should never put experts in charge of complex situations, and the one warning sign that tells you your survival brain is running the show.Find Mitch: https://www.mindshiftingwithmitch.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mweisburgh/Book: MindShifting: Stop Your Brain from Sabotaging Your Happiness and SuccessBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:50 The mission: 5 million more resourceful, resilient, collaborative people2:24 The 2017 email from a university in Niger that changed everything5:30 Reading 11 books across disciplines to build the framework8:30 Teaching in Niger and the standing ovation9:47 Optionality, ghosting, and why we've stopped growing11:04 How the human brain actually works12:34 Survival brain vs prefrontal cortex — 2 hundredths of a second vs 2 seconds13:56 The 5 limbic responses: fight, flight, freeze, habits, mimicking16:20 Why your prefrontal cortex just justifies what you've already decided17:50 Confirmation bias is universal, not partisan19:58 Can the brain actually change? Four techniques25:04 Staying resourceful when the odds are stacked against us26:59 OODA loops — the slow loop and the fast loop30:58 Resourcefulness vs resilience — why they're not the same thing31:44 The Cynefin framework: clear, complicated, complex, and urgent problems39:00 Why you shouldn't put experts in charge of complex situations (the COVID example)40:35 Making change feel possible when it seems impossible45:44 The warning sign: when you're absolutely positive, you're probably limbic48:21 Why your brain treats a bear and public speaking the same49:00 Instant vs delayed gratification — evolution working against us50:02 Discomfort as the fuel for growth51:47 Mitch's mission and where to find him

Most companies are letting AI make decisions it shouldn't and missing the simple moves that would actually save them time and money. Peter Swimm has spent 30 years in tech, from Chicago libraries to Microsoft, and he's built a smarter way to think about conversational AI, autonomous agents, and what it really means to own your company's brain.Find Peter: peterswimm.comBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.00:00 Weather and Location: A Warm Welcome00:51 Career Path: From Tech Origins to Product Management06:39 COVID-19: A Catalyst for Change in Work Culture12:43 Communication Tools: Shaping Company Culture19:32 Navigating Remote Work Challenges24:58 Balancing AI Innovation with Practical Needs30:50 Cultivating Curiosity in Teams39:56 Recalibrating Business Aspirations45:54 Surprising Uses of Conversational AI

Zarina Bahadur is the founder and CEO of 123 Baby Box, a subscription box company she launched as a student at UC Irvine after spotting an exhausted mom struggling in a Target baby aisle. She's since grown the business 245% in a single year, closed an oversubscribed $1.2M pre-seed, and been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, and NASDAQ. She's also a Harvard Startup Partners, MasterCard, XRC, and Draper alum.In this conversation, Zarina walks us through the grocery-store moment that sparked the company, how she found product-market fit by surveying moms in Target aisles, why her mentor pushed her to raise twice what she planned, what it was like fundraising as a young woman who wasn't yet a mom, and how the business is now pivoting into early language and literacy with 123 Book Box.Find Zarina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zarinabahadurShop the box: https://123babybox.comBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:36 The Target aisle moment that started 123 Baby Box1:25 Why subscription was the obvious model2:09 Heart-led, not business-led — finding the market4:40 245% growth and the truth about product-market fit6:03 Harvard, MasterCard, XRC, and Draper accelerators7:41 Closing a $1.2M oversubscribed pre-seed (planned for $500K)9:32 Fundraising as a woman — and not yet a mom12:16 Persistence, the common thread in investor no's15:40 "Winners are just losers who never gave up"17:09 Pivoting from diapers & wipes to developmental toys18:23 Retention, the 0–5 age window, and launching 123 Book Box21:39 The Forbes feature that changed everything22:52 The hardest founder decision — letting people go23:34 Equity vs salary and having the real conversation upfront25:44 Supply chain lessons (including tariffs)27:06 The 5-year vision for the company28:18 Will AI personalization reshape subscription?29:39 Why the unboxing experience still wins31:52 What she'd do differently if starting today33:26 Where to find Zarina

Jen Ostrich is an executive coach, Enneagram expert, and founder of Grow Collective. After a career in advertising and brand leadership, she trained at the Hudson Institute and has spent the last decade and a half helping leaders understand the "why" behind how they think, feel, and act. She's certified in Integrative Nine (IEQ9), co-created the Shift Positive 360 feedback process, and hosts The Work of You podcast.In this conversation, Jen walks us through why 95% of the time we're the ones in our own way, how the Enneagram opens the door to your belief system (not just your behavior), and why real leadership change happens at the belief level — not the behavioral one. We also cover transactional vs transformational coaching, the Grow Effect model, and one small practice for leaders who keep repeating the same pattern.Find Jen: https://growcollective.usThe Work of You podcast: https://theworkofyou.comBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:40 From advertising leadership to executive coaching2:35 Hudson Institute: leading from behind and self-as-coach5:38 The hardest person you'll ever lead is you7:14 The leadership gap no one's talking about (EQ vs IQ)8:19 Introducing the Enneagram to skeptical executives9:30 The iceberg: behavior, personality, and the core fear underneath13:16 Removing the "teapot lid" — when personal meets professional18:03 What makes Integrative Nine (IEQ9) different20:54 The Enneagram as a map for growth, not just a typing tool22:31 The biggest misunderstanding: behavior vs motivation24:38 How the Enneagram shapes Jen's coaching style26:17 Sequencing the Enneagram with Shift Positive 36027:39 Spiraling up — are we ever done growing?32:25 Gabor Maté and the courage of public vulnerability33:14 Why traditional 360 feedback often does more harm than good34:39 Evaluate vs evolve: the case for strengths-based coaching39:17 The Grow Effect model — strengths, Enneagram, then 36043:03 What's changed in executive coaching post-COVID45:52 Transactional vs transformational coaching (and where AI fits)49:22 One small practice for leaders stuck in a pattern51:24 The Hoffman Process51:57 Where to find Jen

Fifteen years ago David Price was battling addiction, sleeping on couches, and had no car. Today he runs a thriving insurance agency and mentors hundreds of agents across the country. His path from rock bottom to building a business that grows without him is a masterclass in grit, long-term thinking, and knowing when to stop believing the lies.Find David: youtube.com/@DavidPriceOfficialBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:57 What drew David to insurance in his mid-30s3:10 The three prerequisites 5:33 Resilience, grit, and a rough childhood as a business advantage8:18 Sports as the first turning point — wrestling and building confidence12:10 Being always the new kid and how it built social skills15:38 Why sales was always survival for David17:23 Introvert who leads hundreds of agents19:57 The teacher that changed everything — Miss Krats22:01 Ethical insurance — principles before production24:47 Why David sells final expense life insurance26:40 Long term decisions over short term cash grabs — lessons from recovery31:43 Three traits that separate six figure agents from those who never break through35:28 Scaling from solo producer to running an organization38:14 Leads drove everything — the math equation behind agency growth45:47 Lead flow strategy — quality over quantity and the custom lead portal52:08 From owning a job to owning a business55:39 Time is the real currency57:19 What is next for the Price Group — AI powered CRM and lead innovation59:52 Final message — find the right mentor, have the right attitude, take the right action1:00:41 Where to find David Price

Liz Weber is a certified management consultant, executive advisor, and author ranked among the top 30 global gurus on leadership. After building a career helping founder-led and family-owned businesses navigate succession, strategy, and leadership development, she's become the person owners call when the hard decisions can't wait. In this conversation, Liz walks us through the number one mistake family businesses make with succession planning, how to hold even family members accountable to company values, and what it actually takes to transition from best producer to best leader.Find Liz: https://youtu.be/EzDkMUmbP58Builders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:49 Putting family before the role1:10 Family business working hard for thin margins3:18 The 7am emergency call4:16 When company values get tested by your own son5:53 Why accountability needs an outside voice7:22 Top 30 global leadership guru8:53 Imposter syndrome vs self belief11:26 The mindset shift new leaders miss13:00 Becoming the calm in the storm15:15 Balancing mindset skill and strategy17:47 The number one mistake when promoting from within19:18 From best producer to best leverager of talent20:18 Why cousin Rich should not get the sales role23:59 The first lever Liz pulls when entering a company26:51 Strategic plan as the anchor for leadership27:44 Don't Let Them Treat You Like a Girl32:11 Leadership outlook for 202537:27 One practice to lead more strategically today38:53 Where to find Liz Weber

Veronica Deraleau is an opera singer, Army Reserve veteran, financial coach, and author of Making Money is Simple. After graduating with an MBA and staring down six figures of student debt, she applied commercial real estate underwriting techniques to her personal finances and paid it all off in three years on a starter salary.In this conversation, Veronica walks us through her ARIA money model, the psychology of debt and shame, why outcomes-based budgeting beats cashflow management, and what opera performance training teaches about high performance under pressure.Find Veronica: makingmoneyissimple.comBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.Timestamps:0:00 Intro0:48 Graduating with six figures of debt4:12 The guilt and shame cycle with money5:12 Why personal finance feels harder than it should7:45 Learning from high net worth real estate clients8:49 Outcomes-based budgeting vs. cashflow management9:40 The Money Simple method (SIMPLE framework)11:29 Setting a 5-year target and beating it in 311:37 Military meets opera: singing in the Army Reserve14:07 Stage fright, breath compression, and performance psychology16:50 Why your average matters more than your best day19:01 Losing and finding ourselves: unlearning bad patterns21:05 Going down the wrong road is part of the process25:00 Talent plus reps plus strategic application27:57 The ARIA money model: Awaken, Reframe, Intention, Action29:16 How coaching created clarity32:01 The mental block of dual identities in business and art34:15 Pattern recognition and AI disruption38:55 Advice for entrepreneurs with low financial structure40:45 Why data points keep you sane as a founder42:48 Best purchase under $5043:12 The most expensive mistake that doesn't look expensive43:39 Renting vs. buying44:46 Best scary financial decision46:04 Favorite opera46:08 Where to find Veronica

Karen Alexander, founder of XR Women and co-founder of the Academy of Immersive Arts and Sciences, joins David and Becky to explore why extended reality is approaching a tipping point in adoption. From her unconventional journey out of academia and literature into immersive technology, Karen shares where XR is being quietly adopted across enterprise, education, and healthcare, the real risks companies face, and why the limits of XR are not technological but imaginative. She also discusses the gender gap in XR entrepreneurship, the power of body swapping for empathy training, and her vision for social, creative virtual worlds.LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karenfalexanderWebsite: xrconnected.comXR Women: xrwomen.comAcademy of Immersive Arts and Sciences: academyimmersive.org0:00 - Highlights1:03 - Karen's journey from literature to XR3:07 - What is reality?5:19 - Where XR is headed and the tipping point8:55 - Risks of XR adoption11:40 - Benefits of immersive training15:02 - Haptics, smell, and the senses in VR16:55 - What kids understand about XR that adults miss18:10 - Body swapping and diversity training21:22 - Public speaking training in VR23:40 - Will we live in virtual worlds?30:18 - XR Women and the gender gap33:48 - XR in healthcare42:24 - Dream XR experience with unlimited budget44:10 - Where to find Karen

At 50, John Mitchell was making $200–300K a year and felt stuck. Three months later, he discovered what he calls the full secret of Think and Grow Rich, developed a 12-minute daily technique around it, and within four years had 25x'd his income.John now teaches the Science of Success at the University of Texas (rated a top-5 business school by U.S. News), licenses his methodology to coaches, and wrote the book on it. In this conversation, we unpack the science of the conscious vs. subconscious mind, why 95% of daily actions are unconscious, and how reprogramming your autopilot changes everything from your career to your health to your relationships.This is not a get-rich-quick pitch. It's a framework backed by neuroscience and vetted at the university level. Whether you're a coach, a founder, or someone who feels like there's more in the tank, this one's worth 44 minutes of your time.Learn more: themissingsecret.org0:00 – John's epiphany at 501:00 – Two life goals: money and love2:00 – Discovering Think and Grow Rich3:15 – The book only gives you half the secret4:00 – Income starts doubling5:00 – Teaching at the University of Texas6:00 – How do you create success in your life?8:00 – The two fundamental human problems9:00 – Feeding your desired life to yourself daily10:30 – Why effort doesn't match results13:00 – The snowy night in Dallas that changed everything15:00 – "I don't control the very thing that determines my success"16:00 – The full secret revealed17:00 – Control, confidence, and less stress19:00 – Why willpower fails21:30 – Conscious mind vs. subconscious mind26:00 – Overriding the survival wiring29:00 – Darren Hardy's advice: teach it to coaches33:00 – The brownie story: aware vs. evaluate36:00 – Reading vs. listening to your template38:00 – The 2% vs. the 98%42:00 – Holding his granddaughter and the meaning of it all43:30 – Where to find John and a free 9-minute video

Glenn Gow has coached CEOs for decades and served as a venture-backed CEO for 25 years. In this conversation, we explore the hidden neural pathways that drive CEO behavior, why the habits that got you here won't get you there, and what it actually takes to scale yourself alongside your company.Glenn shares how he helps leaders break through blind spots, reframe success, and build culture through storytelling. We also get into the investor-founder dynamic, AI's impact on coaching, and why the org chart of the future will have humans reporting to AI agents.Glenn's website: glenngow.comThe Scaling CEO: youtube.com/@glenngow10150:00 – The blind spot every CEO has1:10 – What are success patterns?3:15 – Why 60% of venture-backed CEOs get fired5:30 – Showing up with the wrong kit6:00 – How Glenn unlocks self-awareness7:00 – "It's always the CEO's fault"8:30 – The Sheryl Sandberg "and that's on me" story9:50 – Why personal change feels threatening11:30 – 99% of what we do is hardwired12:00 – Communication as the CEO's real job14:10 – Reframing 97% as success, not failure17:00 – Building culture through stories, not values posters21:30 – Prioritization: the three things exercise25:00 – Dopamine traps and the long arc27:00 – AI as a threat to coaching29:00 – Three areas every CEO should deploy AI32:00 – Humans reporting to AI agents35:00 – "ChatGPT is cheap. I'm expensive."37:00 – Value vs. cost in executive coaching39:30 – The investor-founder misalignment42:00 – Glenn's non-negotiables for joining a board

Goutam Challagalla is a professor at IMD Business School, where he directs the Strategy Governance for Boards program. His new book, Clean Winners, studied hundreds of companies and found that the vast majority are approaching sustainability backwards: putting it at the center of strategy instead of using it as an engine for customer value and innovation.The conversation started with a single quote from activist investor Terry Smith that changed Goutam's thinking: "Any company which thinks it has to define a purpose for Hellmann's Mayo has lost the plot." From there, we got into why the same mistake companies made with digital transformation is now happening with AI, why you should design for customers who care least about sustainability, and what Sustainability 2.0 actually looks like after the current backlash plays out.Goutam's book is Clean Winners, co-authored with Frédéric Dalsace: ⁠https://store.hbr.org/product/clean-winners-sustainability-strategy-that-puts-customers-first/10822Connect with GoutamLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/goutam-challagalla-161118bb/⁠Timestamps:0:00 – Cold open0:58 – The Terry Smith quote that changed everything3:02 – Unilever: from poster child to cautionary tale4:50 – "Not one person out of a thousand could name their favorite brand's purpose"5:50 – Lifebuoy: the one time brand purpose actually worked6:48 – Why you can't scale purpose across 300 brands7:18 – The wrong question: "How do I become more sustainable?"8:07 – You don't need an AI mindset, a digital mindset, or a sustainability mindset9:07 – Sustainability, AI, and digital are enablers, not the center10:14 – The four mindsets: operators, strivers, enthusiasts, resonators11:36 – Why enthusiasts invest heavily and get worse results12:03 – "Ask not what you can do for sustainability, but what sustainability can do for you"13:02 – Undesired outputs: the real zone of innovation14:10 – John Deere: 65% fertilizer savings through precision AI16:17 – Healthier soil, lower cost, and no farmer cares if you call it "sustainability"17:06 – The compliance trap: one CSO spends 90% of her time on it18:08 – 18,000 regulatory changes in one year18:52 – Big Four consultants making more on compliance reporting than advisory19:18 – The pendulum swung too far: passion, regulation, and the correction20:47 – Green, blue, gray: why customer segmentation is the key22:02 – Green customers are never more than 10% of the market22:43 – "If you design for the greens, it will never scale"23:16 – Win with the grays: the counterintuitive move23:54 – Three pathways to resonance: product, usage, and strategic25:05 – "We made the mistake of thinking our goals should be the customer's goals"26:04 – Usage resonance: P&G's 10-minute laundry cycle26:36 – Autonomous mining trucks: zero accidents, 24/7 operations, pay-per-haul29:07 – AI theater vs. AI value: the same trap as sustainability theater30:25 – The one question boards should be asking but aren't32:04 – Why you don't need sustainability to attract talent32:36 – How the CSO role needs to evolve34:50 – The dot-com analogy: this is a correction, not an ending37:03 – Supply chain resilience: the cocoa crisis and Kit Kat's pricing problem39:10 – "What's the one thing to do Monday morning?"39:23 – Follow the money: strategy is where you invest, not what's in your documents40:25 – The hidden gem: East West Seeds in Thailand42:00 – Closing: don't let politics color your business vision

Nik Kinley has spent 35 years studying human behavior, from prison therapy rooms to Fortune 500 boardrooms. He's assessed over 1,500 senior leaders, coached CEOs of national banks, heads of national security, and Formula One team managers, and written nine books on leadership. In this conversation, Nik breaks down how childhood wires your leadership instincts, why "power corrupts" is a dangerous myth, and what's really happening inside organizations as leaders rise higher and hear less truth.Nik's latest books include "The Power Trap" and "Rewriting Your Leadership Code: How Your Childhood Made You the Leader You Are and What You Can Do About It," both informed by his research program at IMD Business School.Connect with NikWebsite: https://nikkinley.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkinley/0:00 – Cold open0:50 – Nik's journey: sales, prison, boardroom3:03 – Assessed 1,500 leaders: royalty, criminals, Formula One4:20 – What extremes taught him about human nature5:10 – "We are far more products of our environment than we believe"6:50 – Authorship vs. accountability: a critical distinction8:22 – The poor performing employee problem10:10 – Nature vs. nurture: what the research actually says12:07 – Under pressure, you run on automatic12:59 – Emotional regulation: 60-70% genetically inherited15:37 – How your parents' conflict style shaped yours17:03 – Every time you rely on instincts, you're gambling blind19:24 – Darwin got mistranslated: fitness means adaptation20:00 – "Adapting is not enough. Being agile isn't enough."21:00 – The HR industry's 50-year mistake24:05 – Why caring less matters than your people feeling cared for25:55 – Private equity and getting the team right quickly28:03 – Nik's model for behavior change (and why he hates simple models)29:58 – Why coaching should show results in 2-3 sessions31:20 – Context is the #1 driver of behavior change32:06 – What brainwashing research teaches us about employees33:45 – Teenage boot camps: why change doesn't stick35:18 – What forensic psychotherapy taught him about leadership36:02 – "The Power Trap" and why power doesn't corrupt38:08 – Confidence vs. denial: the entrepreneurial tightrope39:06 – Low narcissism and overconfidence actually help performance41:05 – When success tips into self-destruction42:18 – People stop telling you the truth as you rise44:37 – Leaders become less empathetic on every metric47:05 – The halo effect: why we overestimate leaders49:50 – CNN, social media, and the rise of image management52:10 – Cancel culture's residue on information flow53:30 – The perfect storm: power, pressure, and performance theater55:00 – Strategic drift: the real leadership crisis56:40 – Where to find Nik's work57:12 – Closing

Minyang Jiang (MJ) is the Chief Strategy Officer at Credibly, where she runs marketing, sales, tech innovation, and corporate strategy. Before FinTech, she spent nearly a decade at Ford Motor Company launching commercial vehicles with $95M budgets, and before that worked in human rights. She's the youngest member of Credibly's C-suite and a fiction writer who draws on Rilke for leadership inspiration.In this conversation, we talk about what it really takes to break into industries where you're an outsider, why no one makes space for you at the leadership level, how to spot AI theater in companies, the difference between productive and toxic conflict, and why cognitive offloading might be the most important personal decision of the AI era.MJ shares the Wharton framework she teaches her team for human-AI collaboration, her honest take on why her startup didn't work out, and the one question the best manager she ever had asked in a performance review.Follow MJ on LinkedIn and Medium.—0:00 – Intro and MJ's career journey1:00 – Ford vs. Credibly: big company vs. FinTech2:34 – Being the youngest (and only woman) in the C-suite5:52 – How much should you know about the product you sell?7:08 – Speaking the language of your customer9:14 – Selling trust, not mechanics10:24 – The skeleton key: switching industries without starting over13:11 – Should leadership be comfortable or challenging?16:02 – Self-determination theory: competence, autonomy, relatedness19:50 – Short-term gain, long-term loss20:55 – How to spot a healthy vs. toxic workplace25:22 – Productive conflict and the Harvard Everest simulation28:01 – Rotating the conscientious objector role29:05 – How to close a heated meeting well30:40 – Uncurb: entrepreneurship, failure, and honest investor conversations34:04 – Entrepreneurship is dealing with your insecurities on a timeline36:07 – How to spot AI theater in companies39:30 – Agentic commerce and the human-AI interface42:22 – Tasks that should never be fully automated44:09 – The Wharton framework: where AI adds value vs. where humans do46:34 – Lightning round: metrics, servant leadership, Fortune 10 budgets48:47 – Rilke, The Panther, and what shaped her thinking50:06 – 30-day playbook for responsible GenAI transformation51:52 – Cognitive offloading and the search for meaning

At 22, Sarah Mae Selnick was cold calling billionaire real estate developers from a boutique brokerage in Manhattan with zero experience and no idea what she was doing. By 24, she had put together the largest single transaction in Brooklyn's history: a deal worth over a billion dollars.Now she's the founder of Source Forward, a company using AI and building data to help commercial real estate owners in New York City tap into energy incentives and sustainability technologies they're leaving on the table. She also leads a decarbonization task force alongside major utilities and technology providers, drafting policy recommendations for NYSERDA.In this episode of Horizon Search, Sarah Mae talks about what NYC brokerage taught her about persistence, why "no" really means "not right now," the shiny object trap that nearly derailed her startup, and why energy costs are about to hit real estate owners harder than most of them realize.Source Forward: https://sourceforward.orgSarah Mae on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahmayselnick—Horizon Search is a podcast by Horizon Search Institute exploring how leaders, founders, and researchers are navigating the forces reshaping industries and institutions.Subscribe for new episodes. Learn more at https://horizonsearch.org—0:00 Cold calling Jonathan Gray at 220:50 How she got into NYC commercial real estate2:07 Persistence and goldfish memory4:17 The Vonnegut rule: New York vs. California5:30 Why phone calls still beat email6:15 The blind spot in commercial real estate8:12 How Source Forward uses AI for building owners8:55 Shiny object syndrome and founder focus10:30 How her co-founder snapped them back on track11:55 Scaling a small team with AI14:06 The billion-dollar Brooklyn deal at 2415:40 Leading a decarbonization task force17:05 NYC's climate goals and the UN SDGs17:43 Moonshot: becoming the household name in building energy19:13 Green tech trend: big building data for everyone20:25 What real estate owners underestimate about energy costs21:15 Favorite NYC spot for inspiration21:57 Where to find Sarah Mae

Chris Brisson talks about accidental entrepreneurship, human-first messaging, and where AI is taking sales.He shares how he went from selling rims and tires on eBay to building software, what he learned from a stagnant business he had to reinvent, why most companies get SMS wrong, what “texting is the sacred place” really means, how AI agents are changing lead qualification and booking, what scaling a remote-first company has taught him, and why distribution is often the real bottleneck for founders.This is a strong episode for founders, operators, marketers, and anyone thinking seriously about messaging, growth, and building in the AI era.Connect with Chris:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbrisson/Curious how AI is changing SMS and sales workflows? Visit https://www.salesmessage.com/Timestamps:00:00 From selling rims and tires on eBay01:03 Accidental entrepreneurship and early lessons02:14 What he’d tell his 19-year-old self02:39 From first exit to product builder04:45 The “death of Call Loop” and starting over06:26 Pre-selling Sales Message before building it08:25 Why most companies get SMS wrong09:29 “Texting is the sacred place”11:39 SMS vs WhatsApp vs social DMs13:40 Open rates, RCS, and modern messaging15:20 AI filtering, inbox changes, and the future of text17:19 AI agents, speed-to-lead, and scalable conversations20:49 Will AI end up talking to AI?23:35 AI schedulers and replacing the messy middle26:08 Lessons from scaling a remote-first company30:30 Resilience, sacrifice, and not chasing money33:05 Why distribution is the hardest part35:31 Built-in audiences, integrations, and growth43:17 Who inspires him right now45:21 The best advice he ever received46:41 Where to follow Chris

Most managers were promoted because they were good at the work, not because they were trained to lead people.In this conversation, Laura Ashley-Timms explains why so many “manager as coach” programs fail, why accidental managers are quietly draining productivity, and why the best leaders stop trying to be the fixer, solver, and solution giver.We talk about operational coaching, purposeful inquiry, coachable moments, the STAR model, the bottleneck effect, and what it really takes to build managers who create better performance through others. Laura also shares the story behind a major London School of Economics-backed study that found dramatic gains in management capability, retention, and ROI.A sharp episode for founders, operators, executives, HR leaders, L&D teams, and anyone trying to lead without becoming the bottleneck.The Answer Is a Question by Laura Ashley-Timms and Dominic Ashley-Timms, available via Amazon and other retailers: https://a.co/d/0gmY9gONConnect with Laura Ashley-Timms: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-ashley-timms/Connect with Dominic Ashley-Timms: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-ashley-timms/For more on STAR Manager, visit: https://www.starmanager.global/podcastTimestamps:00:00 Brilliant managers don’t have the answers01:00 Why this is a management operating system problem01:53 Why “manager as coach” training often fails04:03 The real cost of coaching confined to sessions04:33 The accidental manager problem06:43 Why most leadership programs aren’t properly measured07:55 Operational coaching as a mindset shift09:21 Why managers become fixers and bottlenecks10:18 How asking questions gives managers time back11:29 AI, management, and developing others12:13 What a coachable moment looks like15:54 Purposeful inquiry vs polite questioning16:53 “Helpful” questions that steal accountability17:49 How managers stop being fixers20:49 Why high performers struggle to scale21:14 The manager-on-holiday test22:02 The STAR model explained24:23 Putting leadership impact under academic scrutiny27:12 The 74x ROI result31:33 What actually drives the ROI33:42 Why management development moves at a glacial pace35:57 Transformation, not just another training program40:04 Why first-wave champions matter44:28 A three-question starter kit47:12 The “marriage saver” question48:05 What to say when you don’t know the answer53:29 Laura’s closing message for accidental managers54:10 Resources and where to find Laura

Mike Wu’s résumé looks like the classic prestige path: USC, investment banking, Sony, Harvard Business School, BCG, and then entrepreneurship. But in this conversation, he explains why that neat story looked much cleaner on LinkedIn than it felt in real life.We talk about career searching versus status chasing, what his failed search fund taught him about risk and timing, how HireFrame emerged from a real hiring problem, why offshore staffing succeeds or fails on context, how founders should think about delegation, and what AI is changing in global work.This is a sharp episode for founders, operators, hiring leaders, and anyone trying to build something real behind the optics.00:00 LinkedIn vs reality01:00 Meet Mike Wu02:00 USC, parental pressure, and choosing business05:30 What elite résumés can hide07:41 Search funds explained11:10 When the search fund failed14:35 How HireFrame started17:21 The real gap in offshore staffing21:11 Athena, AI, and executive assistants23:41 Training global SDR talent26:41 Delegation with Loom + LLMs30:08 Trust and remote hires31:42 Scaling HireFrame in the AI era33:44 What founders have to unlearn35:47 Risky bets that changed the company37:33 The hardest thing in business38:29 The future of global work in 203040:41 Where to find MikeConnect with Mike:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikewulnkd/

At 18, Alex found himself homeless in Japan for a week during finals. Years later, that same ability to stay calm in chaos shaped how he approaches startup life: uncertainty, pressure, constant fires, and the discipline to keep moving anyway.In this episode, we talk about the real lessons behind startup growth: what law school taught him about contracts and business, how he helped revive a SaaS that had stalled, why he spent months talking directly to users, what he learned from losing money on ads before they worked, and why CAC:LTV matters more than vanity metrics. We also get into hiring, team alignment, founder motivation, and why learning to fail may be one of the most valuable skills in business.If you enjoy conversations on startups, entrepreneurship, growth, and first-principles thinking, subscribe and share the episode with someone building something real.00:00 Hook: homeless in Japan at 1800:58 The Japan story and learning to handle chaos04:41 What law school taught him about business08:05 Is college worth it for entrepreneurs?09:58 What the company does and how he got involved11:58 Stuck at $25K MRR and what changed14:02 When to listen to user feedback and when to ignore it17:29 The “one lever” rule for startup growth21:03 What he learned from running ads23:44 Why adding friction improved CAC28:18 Losing $35K before ads started working31:11 Team alignment, transparency, and incentives35:14 Hiring for intelligence and coachability35:52 What keeps him motivated40:06 Why failing is part of the process41:51 “We are becoming” and the closing reflectionConnect with Alexhttps://x.com/[email protected]

Howard Pearl explains how CARS returned over $600 million to nonprofits, why donor trust and operational transparency matter so much, how respect became his core leadership principle, what drove extremely low turnover, why mission-driven work broadened his worldview, and what first-time CEOs need to hear about confidence, discipline, and doing the work.This is a strong episode for founders, operators, nonprofit leaders, and anyone trying to build teams that perform without losing their humanity. Timestamps00:00 Leadership begins with respect01:00 How CARS returned $600M+ to nonprofits08:05 Taking over as interim CEO and scaling with data 13:14 How nonprofit work broadened his worldview18:02 Business, service, and political broadening23:29 Building low-turnover culture through respect 30:01 Can respectful leadership work in competitive environments?31:20 Ethics, fraud, and “there’s no victimless crime”36:07 Acquisitions, SaaS, and operational alignment 42:30 Speak to people in a way that shows respect49:19 Advice for first-time CEOs50:25 Where to follow Howard Pearl Connect with [email protected]

In this episode, speaker-coach and former educator, Danny Brassell, breaks down why great communication is rarely about “more information” and almost always about better stories, better structure, and one clear next step.Danny walks through his 5C process for high-converting talks and pitches: start with clarity on who you serve (because “if your audience is everybody, your audience is nobody”), then connect, teach content strategically, give one call to action, and finish with an emotional close. We also get into practical (and surprisingly ethical) persuasion: why “choice is confused and cause you to lose” , why “crocodile tears” stories backfire long-term , how to build a “story bank” fast , and how a single safety story (“Two Finger Joe”) drove a measurable behavior change. If you’ve ever been “liked” on stage but didn’t convert, this one will fix your mental model.Connect with Dannyfreestoryguide.comSubscribe for more conversations like this.Timestamps0:00 Stories sell 1:02 Danny’s “Pivots” origin story5:21 Why one-shot training doesn’t work6:33 “Location, location, location” in a speech7:48 Ninja strategy: study 45-second award speeches 9:56 Consistency beats talent 12:12 “Stories we tell ourselves” + the 5C setup 13:08 The 5C framework begins17:15 Vulnerability over bragging 17:48 Choice kills conversion22:01 Avoid “crocodile tears25:15 “Stop selling, start serving” 29:39 Build a story bank 31:49 “Two Finger Joe”41:44 Nervous? Tell the audience 49:28 Closing

In this episode, I sit down with Lou DePaoli, President at General Sports Worldwide, for a masterclass in sports business, fan growth, and revenue strategy.Lou shares lessons from decades across professional sports, including how he helped teams improve business performance, why ticket demand drives everything else, and how smart operators use supply, pricing, timing, and storytelling to build long-term value.We also get into:🟢 launching an AHL team from scratch🟢 the “sellout creates demand” strategy🟢 why giving tickets away can hurt long-term growth🟢 running two teams in one market (NBA + NHL)🟢 why the NBA became a superstar entertainment machine🟢 hiring, leadership, culture, and mentoring in sports🟢 why reputation matters in a surprisingly small industry🟢 soccer growth in North America and the storytelling opportunity around the World CupIf you’re a founder, operator, marketer, investor, or sports executive, this conversation is packed with practical strategy.Connect with Lou DePaoliGeneral Sports WorldwideClubhouse CareersTimestamps00:00 Hook: supply, demand, and sellout strategy00:58 Intro + Lou’s 30+ years in sports02:00 Turnaround principles across hockey, basketball, and baseball02:33 NBA TMBO: inside the league office consulting model03:21 What it takes to launch an AHL team from scratch05:30 Storytelling, brand positioning, and family-friendly hockey07:28 Early failure: ESPN, an empty arena, and a hard lesson10:50 Why “papering the house” hurts long-term revenue13:16 MLB revenue strategy: inventory, pricing, and timing15:03 Sellouts vs. steady attendance (the job interview answer)16:34 Consistency vs. strategic demand concentration19:43 Ticket revenue, sponsors, TV ratings, and the flywheel22:11 Running the Hawks and Thrashers in the same city26:48 Why the NBA wins at celebrity, storytelling, and star power28:45 Why Lou pivoted into consulting and mentoring30:37 Best sports towns in America (why Pittsburgh stands out)32:14 What makes General Sports Worldwide different36:09 Hiring for teachability, chemistry, and hidden talent39:54 Why sports is a small business and reputation is everything42:36 The Clubhouse: mentorship, careers, and talent pipelines45:57 What success looks like now + international growth strategy47:53 Soccer in North America, World Cup tailwinds, and storytelling51:16 Sporting side vs. business side: Lou’s core framework53:56 Where to find Lou + closing

Elijah (Legacy Way Holdings) joins us for a candid conversation on what happens after building and selling a business, why exits are more emotional than most founders expect, and how he transitioned into multifamily real estate investing and syndications.We talk about founder identity, faith and decision-making, the practical realities of raising capital, how syndications work, why operator integrity matters, and the mindset shifts that helped him move from being “owned by the business” to building toward more freedom.In this episode, we cover🟣 The emotional side of selling a business (and the identity crisis risk after exiting)🟣 The four questions every entrepreneur should ask before starting something new🟣 Faith as a decision-making compass in business🟣 “Bullets vs. cannonballs” investing strategy and why it matters🟣 Why Elijah prefers apartment buildings and multifamily syndications🟣 Housing ethics, serving both investors and tenants, and trust in real estate🟣 How he raised $1M, what worked, and lessons from early fundraising🟣 SOPs, social media restraint, coaching, and masterminds for founder growthConnect with Elijahlegacywayholdings.comIf you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe and share the episode with a founder, operator, or investor who’s thinking about exits, real estate, or building with more intention.Timestamps00:00 Cold open: business exits, identity, and investor principles01:01 From being owned by a business to owning apartments02:34 The turning point: service business to real estate03:50 Taxes, passive investing, and the transition04:44 What to think about before selling a business05:03 The emotional reality of selling a business06:54 Four questions before starting the next thing09:05 Faith as a decision-making compass12:13 The pistachio analogy for taking action13:05 Bullets vs. cannonballs investing strategy15:38 Why apartments vs. other asset classes17:28 Spicy question: profiting from housing18:58 Two customers: investors and tenants21:24 Raising $1M: how Elijah approached it22:15 Masterminds, networking, and learning to raise capital23:23 First raise lessons: false yeses and skin in the game24:38 What real estate syndication is26:34 “No tenants, toilets, or termites” + tax benefits27:33 Why syndications can be “ripe for fraud”28:20 Everything is gameable: critical thinking and trust30:01 One practical step toward freedom: SOPs31:31 Social media, the “visual diet,” and restraint33:26 Coaching, identity, and “we’re only becoming”34:10 Kids, technology, and screen-time limits35:09 Masterminds, accountability, and ongoing education38:06 Closing thoughts + where to follow Elijah

Alexander Harmsen joins me to break down how AI can improve financial outcomes without fully replacing humans, why personalization is where the real value is, and how he’s building in one of the hardest regulated categories.We also talk about founder resilience, product iteration, growth strategy, compliance as a moat, and why great businesses are bought, not sold.In this conversation, we cover:🟢 AI as a financial “second opinion” and personalization at scale🟢 Why most value from AI may come from experts in your pocket🟢 Building in regulated markets and working with regulators🟢 30,000 users, growth loops, partnerships, and media strategy🟢 Founder psychology, plateaus, and staying in the game🟢 Acquisition lessons from building and selling a prior companyIf you enjoy conversations on AI, entrepreneurship, fintech, and building durable companies, subscribe and share the episode.https://portfoliopilot.com/Timestamps:00:00 AI, personalization, and founder lessons (cold open)01:05 Intro and Alex Harmsen background01:14 From aerospace to personal finance03:23 Why he entered fintech after Iris Automation05:14 AI should enhance, not fully replace, financial decision-making06:32 Psychology, confidence, and why they do not target traders09:41 “Experts in your pocket” and personalization at scale10:22 Portfolio Pilot as a financial second opinion11:35 Consumer vs advisor go-to-market14:51 The WebMD analogy for finance16:39 Innovating without overstepping compliance19:46 Is there any area AI cannot touch24:33 How they got to 30,000 users29:45 Partnerships as the growth engine31:09 Why they are becoming a media company (diversification.com)32:00 Founder resilience and “the startup dies when you give up”34:01 Building a feedback machine and talking to users daily38:19 M&A lessons and “great businesses are bought, not sold”40:59 Partnership-first approach with potential acquirers46:43 How a drone can fly on Mars50:45 Mars navigation without GPS54:19 Early validation with landing pages and pricing signals56:38 Getting early paying customers and prepay57:12 “Hundreds of contracts” and integration lessons59:38 Next moonshot and robotics/fine motor control01:02:00 Real GDP, industry, and where software fits01:03:00 Where to follow Alex and try Portfolio PilotThe Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.

In this conversation, Greg Styan breaks down why burnout is often disguised as hustle and how social comparison quietly drains your agency. We unpack the “insta fantasy” loop, how to step off the treadmill, and the practical systems Greg uses to build clarity and consistency without burning out.Discover🟣 Burnout disguised as hustle, and the trap of social comparison🟣 The “insta fantasy” loop of scrolling, wanting, and feeling behind🟣 Journaling to connect the dots and reset your priorities🟣 The Eisenhower Matrix and why urgent rarely equals important🟣 Boundaries that protect family, hobbies, and real recovery🟣 Two phones and notification rules that stop your day getting hijacked🟣 Lifestyle levers that actually move the needle: caffeine, alcohol, sleep, anxiety🟣 Why most coaches never build a sustainable business, and how to avoid the Coach TrapConnect with Greghttps://www.coachtrap.co.uk/https://uk.linkedin.com/in/gregstyanhttps://www.instagram.com/thecoachtrap/https://open.spotify.com/show/1viztu12iLX7neu35oBT71https://open.spotify.com/show/2FOEFyn3s56akFDbdKkp0Dhttps://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-coach-trap-7261006277982482433The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.Timestamps0:00 Intro1:05 Burnout disguised as hustle1:38 Social comparison theory2:15 The “insta fantasy” loop3:35 The Eisenhower Matrix11:24 Journaling and “joining up the dots”12:26 Boundaries, hobbies, and identity beyond work12:29 Two phones and protecting focus19:37 Caffeine, matcha, alcohol, and anxiety20:06 Screen time, meditation, and regaining calm21:37 Notifications off, Do Not Disturb rules23:03 Digital detox and taking a month off social media26:03 Future of coaching and Neuralink26:28 The Rod Stewart lesson27:17 Thinking time and the Prince Charles story30:03 Where to follow Greg

In this conversation, Lloyd James Ross (author of Money Buys Happiness and host of the Money Grows on Trees podcast) breaks down what money is actually for, and why being “time rich” is the real win. We talk about inner vs outer scorecards, the Focus Funnel, and the practical steps that create options, leverage, and breathing room.Discover🟢 Why money amplifies what’s already there, and why more is not always better🟢 Inner scorecard vs outer scorecard, and why status spending often replaces self-belief🟢 What “time rich” looks like in practice, including how to build more white space into your calendar🟢 The laws of elimination, definite purpose, leverage, and priority🟢 The Focus Funnel approach, eliminate, delegate, automate🟢 How to escape the golden handcuffs with cash, leverage, and a side hustle before you quit🟢 The story behind earning the ClickFunnels Two Comma Club Award, and what it validated🟢 Why content is a million dollar business, and how AI is reshaping solo entrepreneurshipConnect with LloydInstagram: @lloydjamesrossBooks: Money Buys Happiness, Money Grows on TreesThe Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Fridayhttps://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - Money Buys Happiness, the bold title and the pushback04:04 - Money as an amplifier, and why more is not always better06:22 - Inner scorecard vs outer scorecard and wealth signaling10:45 - What “time rich” means in practice13:00 - “The busy man has no time to make money” and the laws of time15:14 - The Focus Funnel, eliminate, delegate, automate15:46 - Working in Abu Dhabi, culture, work ethic, and incentives19:53 - The Four Hour Workweek moment that changed everything21:31 - Themed days and building a calendar with more white than green23:17 - Cash, leverage, and the golden handcuffs24:46 - Side hustle first, then jump when it costs you to stay25:39 - Two Comma Club, ClickFunnels, and building the funnel30:52 - Three habits that reshape your finances and behavior33:19 - Treating content like a business and scaling production39:54 - AI, decentralization, and the return of the solopreneur48:30 - Parting advice, ask who, not how

In this conversation, Adam Coughlin (Co-founder of York IE) breaks down why the “soft” stuff (storytelling, empathy, presence, and clear communication) is quickly becoming the hard advantage in company-building. We unpack how a journalism mindset helps founders translate complexity, why being present is the emerging superpower in the AI era, and York IE’s pragmatic model that pairs investing with an execution layer that takes real work off founders’ plates.Discover🟣 Why modern communication fails, and the simple “get in their shoes” fix that makes it land🟣 The 3 value levers behind almost every product or service: save time, reduce risk, make money🟣 How to build culture across a global team, and why remote work debates are really about outcomes🟣 Why founders burn out trying to do 10 things at once, and how to prioritize without regret🟣 York IE’s operator-first approach: investing plus execution support that removes bottlenecks🟣 The “singles, not grand slams” strategy for building optionality and manufacturing liquidity🟣 What a 90% startup survival rate actually means, and the practical choices behind itConnect with Adamhttps://york.iehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcoughlin/The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday. https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - Intro01:03 - Journalism to entrepreneurship, and the “storytelling” skill that transfers everywhere02:28 - Intentional communication and why you lose control once you hit send04:40 - Gatekeepers vs personal brands, and why the individual is the new institution08:35 - Conviction, iteration, and making the best decision with imperfect data09:33 - Building culture across a global team and remote work as outcomes, not process13:14 - The 3 value levers and the fundamentals humans share across cultures23:37 - Phones, AI, parenting, and “presence” as the differentiator27:20 - What investors really bet on, people and markets31:15 - York IE’s advisory model: taking execution off founders’ plates32:23 - Singles vs home runs, and manufacturing liquidity35:24 - Founding York IE, co-founder trust, and decision-making37:35 - 90% survival rate and pragmatic fundraising strategy40:23 - One book every founder should read41:12 - Where to follow Adam

In this conversation, Derrick Chevalier (author of “Evolve or Be Slaughtered”) breaks down what “evolved negotiation” really means and why most popular rules break the moment reality gets messy. We unpack when splitting the difference is smart, why negotiating “issues” is a trap, and how to reframe price, cost, and value so you stop haggling numbers and start shaping outcomes. Along the way, Derrick shares real stories from the field, including how he negotiated a cabin purchase from $65K to $30K by shifting attention from price to liability and certainty.Discover🟢 Why “never split the difference” is incomplete and how to decide when splitting works🟢 The cook vs baker model and when strict rules create a negotiation “brick”🟢 Why BATNA can be a false safety net when you do not know what’s on the other side’s sheet🟢 The three-part lens that changes everything: price as numbers, cost as liability, value as benefit over liability🟢 How to lower resistance without lowering price by surfacing hidden liabilities🟢 How to flip power dynamics by making the other party want to guide youConnect with Derrickhttps://h-c.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-chevalier-6323272/The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday. https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps01:09 - Why rigid negotiation rules backfire03:50 - Cook vs baker and when rules help or hurt06:44 - BATNA and what’s missing from your plan08:11 - Measuring outcomes by the data you did not have walking in10:24 - The “tree” story and finding the real issue13:55 - Cabin deal case study: from $65K to $30K18:30 - Redefining price, cost, and value23:06 - Becky’s sales story and ethical leverage32:56 - “Evolve or Be Slaughtered” and the Van Gogh analogy40:55 - SNUF framework and universal principles46:47 - Coaching, value, and why most pricing conversations fail58:26 - Where to follow Derrick

In this conversation, Nunzio Presta (Founder of BuyAndSellABusiness.com, Rothwell Capital, and Pallet Connect) breaks down the micro-M&A world and the truth behind “entrepreneurship through acquisition”. We unpack why the sub-$5M enterprise value market is heating up, how to choose the right business using his “personal niche” framework, and the three pillars that make a small business genuinely sellable long before you ever think about exiting.Discover🟢 Why the micro market (under $5M EV) is exploding and how average deal sizes shifted over time 🟢 The 3 tailwinds driving ETA right now: operators, immigrants/foreign investors, and baby boomer exits 🟢 The “personal niche” test for choosing a business you can actually run (passion, skillset, monetization) 🟢 The “Switzerland Structure” and why buyers pay a premium for self-sufficient operations Connect with Nunziohttps://rothwellcapital.com/https://palletconnect.com/X: @NunzioPresta The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - Intro01:35 - The origin story of BuyAndSellABusiness.com03:06 - Why the micro-M&A market was ignored04:14 - The 3 tailwinds driving ETA right now05:13 - What “micro market” means (under $5M EV)06:05 - The “personal niche” framework for choosing the right business06:35 - Village Wealth acquisition and why it made sense08:12 - The biggest misconception about buying a business11:10 - Finding upside “under the hood”14:01 - Independent thinking and founder conviction18:38 - What makes a small business truly sellable19:44 - The 3 pillars of sellability20:51 - The “Switzerland Structure” and removing single points of failure23:30 - COVID story: saving a legacy pizzeria37:46 - Pallet Connect: modernizing an overlooked industry42:45 - Where to follow Nunzio#TheBDPodcast sition #BuyingaBusiness #MicroMAndSearchFund #MergersAndAcquisitions #ETA

In this conversation, Salvatore Tirabassi (Managing Director of CFO Pro+Analytics) breaks down the modern CFO role as something far bigger than accounting. He explains why great finance leaders act as the “chief data officer” for the business, how to build a true single source of truth, and what happens when teams walk into meetings with dueling numbers. We also dig into real-world examples like inventory costing in QuickBooks, tariffs and margin distortion, investor due diligence, and how founders can avoid expensive mistakes by tightening their systems, reporting, and narrative early.Discover🟢 Why the CFO is increasingly the head of data (and what “single source of truth” actually means)🟢 How small finance setup decisions quietly create bad pricing, bad strategy, and chaos in fundraisingConnect with Salvatorehttps://cfoproanalytics.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/stirabassi/The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - The CFO as “Chief Data Officer”01:15 - Why Sal started CFO Pro+Analytics02:33 - Building a single source of truth through finance07:48 - “The taxman shows up” and why founders get blindsided09:18 - Pitfalls of scattered data across teams09:39 - The CAC argument that happens in every company12:04 - QuickBooks inventory traps and margin distortions12:34 - Tariffs, average cost accounting, and bad pricing decisions14:25 - A deal that tested him and what he learned20:30 - Scaling a CFO services firm without losing quality23:25 - Rory Sutherland’s “doorman” story and the power of intangibles34:01 - What real due diligence looks like (and why it’s painful late)36:01 - The “finance story” you must align on before fundraising38:47 - The #1 finance mistake he’d fix everywhere42:31 - Bringing global experience into executive finance work49:53 - Execution intelligence vs pedigree51:51 - Where to learn more (and tools/calculators on the site)#TheBDPodcast #CFO #Finance #StartupFinance #FractionalCFO #DataAnalytics

In this engaging conversation, Fredrik Haren, a creativity explorer, shares his insights from traveling to over 70 countries, including his experiences in Bhutan and the unique perspectives on creativity he encountered. He discusses the importance of curiosity, the common threads that unite humanity, and the role of technology and AI in shaping our future. Haren emphasizes the need for balance between inspiration and creation, and how understanding different cultures can enhance our creative processes. The discussion also touches on the evolving nature of identity in a globalized world and the challenges we face in addressing societal issues.Discover🟣 There are more similarities between professions than geographical locations🟣 Sweden's creative success stems from a blend of confidence and doubtConnect with Fredrikhttps://www.fredrikharen.com/Pre-order on AmazonThe World of Creativity: A Journey Across 37 Countries to Discover the Secrets of Creative Mindshttps://a.co/d/ahSaVqxThe Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - The Role of Mistakes in Creativity02:02 - Cultural Connections and Human Similarities05:07 - The Journey of a Creativity Explorer07:53 - Reflections on Sweden and Global Mindset11:01 - The Balance of Confidence and Humility in Creativity14:03 - Sweden's Unique Approach to Creativity17:33 - Viking Wisdom: Learning from Others18:44 - The Myth of Creativity: A Personal Journey21:36 - The Idea Book: Engaging with Creativity22:39 - Curiosity: The Key to Creativity27:31 - Ideas Island: A Haven for Creatives32:59 - Global Identity: Beyond Borders35:30 - AI and Creativity: A New Frontier40:29 - The Balance of Comfort and Challenge47:50 - Inspiration vs. Creation: Finding Balance#TheBDPodcast #humanconnection #culturalidentity

From cultivating tobacco in rural Greece to becoming an award-winning data & AI executive and global keynote speaker, Dora Boussias has spent 30 years proving that you can be the captain of your own ship. In this conversation, she shares how she navigated immigration at 17, built a business-minded tech career at companies like GE and Stryker, and now helps data & AI leaders (especially women in tech) design careers with clarity, confidence, and purpose. We explore human-centered leadership, why digital transformation is really about people and culture, and how to future-proof your career in the era of AI.Connect with Dora🟢 https://doraboussias.com/🟢 https://www.linkedin.com/in/doraboussias/🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday: https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 – Immigrant roots & early grit03:40 – Finding her path into IT & data07:30 – Burnout, reset & creating CLEAR MAP11:55 – Bringing generative AI into career programs16:40 – Skill gaps, mindset gaps & mid-career traps21:30 – Data storytelling and influencing executives26:10 – Human-centered leadership in a changing tech landscape31:20 – How mid-career pros can regain agency34:40 – What AI is good at (and terrible at)40:40 – AI as a magnifying mirror of culture & values44:45 – Advice for people worried about being replaced & where to find Dora

They had the perfect resumes. The elite MBAs from Columbia Business School. The foolproof plan to skip the startup grind and buy an existing, successful company.They thought it would be easier. They were wrong.This is the untold story of what happens after you launch a search fund. It’s a journey through brutal ups and downs, deals that can die in a thousand different ways, and the realization that you’re jumping on a train moving 200 miles per hour without being the original operator.In this episode, former Goldman Sachs investment banker Zach Krumholz and ex-Bain engineer Rafa Caldas get honest about their acquisition journey.Discover:🟣 The single biggest misconception that lures people into buying a business🟣 An ex-Goldman banker's three levers to dramatically increase your company's valuation🟣 The seller red flag that makes them walk away from a deal instantly🟣 How to take over an existing team in the first 100 days without destroying company cultureConnect with Rafa and Zach:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafaell-caldas/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-krumholz-20421959/https://www.premierworlddiscovery.com/https://www.afcvacations.com/[[email protected]@longhpartners.comConnect with your PERFECT coach at coachfinder.ai🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 – Intro01:22 – The Brutal Reality We Never Expected02:10 – The #1 Thing Most Buyers Miss03:12 – The Myth: Why Buying a Business is Harder Than Building One07:39 – Forging an Unbreakable CEO Partnership10:54 – Ex-Goldman Banker’s Tip to Instantly Increase Your Company’s Value13:46 – The Seller Motivation That Makes Us Walk Away Instantly15:23 – The Corporate Habit Most Startups Hate (But Secretly Need)16:42 – How to Take Over a Company Without Destroying It20:03 – The Framework for Making Tough Calls in an Uncertain Economy21:44 – We Changed Role, Industry & City All at Once (How We Survived)23:54 – Rapid Fire: Deal Breakers, Bad Advice & Big Predictions25:31 – This Trend Will Dominate M&A (And How to Prepare NOW)28:48 – Our Real Legacy Beyond Financial Returns30:05 – The “Magical Experience” of Running Our Dream Company32:44 – From Columbia MBA to Co-CEOs: Did We See This Coming?35:31 – A Warning to MBA Students: Don’t Waste This Opportunity

What do Spotify, Google, and AI venture studios have in common? Kal Amin has been at the center of all three, shaping global operations and building companies that balance growth with integrity.From Spotify’s shift to mobile-first, to Google’s early “focus on the user” mantra, to leading Sounder.ai and now 1848 Ventures, Kal shares candid lessons on scaling, fundraising, and staying true to mission while navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.Discover:🟢 Why Spotify’s success hinged on going mobile-first🟢 The cultural DNA differences between Google’s Silicon Valley roots and Spotify’s Scandinavian design ethos🟢 The hidden value of “outsider insights” and non-traditional backgrounds in tech🟢 Why founders should prioritize progress over perfection (and make decisions fast)🟢 How to think about monetization earlier than most startups do🟢 What it really takes to scale teams and culture across continents🟢 Why conviction and resilience separate the founders who “go the distance”Connect with Kal:✦ https://1848ventures.com✦ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalamin/🔗 Discover the ideas, tools, and ventures shaping tomorrow’s leaders:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe/Timestamps:0:00 – Intro0:20 – Spotify’s Early Lessons: From Piracy to Mobile-First2:00 – Google vs. Spotify: Different DNAs, Same Obsession with the User5:20 – Outsider Insights: From History Degree to Tech & Venture9:05 – Lessons from Sounder.ai: Progress over Perfection11:00 – Fundraising Reality: Why Rejection is the Norm13:00 – Owning a Restaurant and Running a Venture Studio14:00 – 1848 Ventures’ Focus on SMBs and AI-Native Solutions16:00 – Portfolio Companies: Travel Tech, Construction Tech, and Acquisitions18:00 – The Hard Realities of Acquiring a Business20:00 – The Silver Tsunami: Aging Owners and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition22:00 – Frameworks for Validation and Monetization Readiness24:00 – Why Founders Need to Think About Monetization Earlier25:00 – Balancing Ads and User Experience at Spotify & Flipboard27:00 – Designing a Better Content Ecosystem28:00 – What Separates Founders Who Go the Distance30:00 – Culture at Scale: Swedish Team vs. American Team32:00 – Early Stage Conviction: Finding Green Lights Others Miss34:00 – Unlearning Corporate Habits to Survive Zero to One36:00 – What Kal Would Tell His 25-Year-Old Self at Google38:00 – The Value of Coaching and Advisors for Founders42:00 – Why Great CEOs Don’t Go It Alone44:00 – The Next 25 Years: AI’s Compounding Effect46:00 – A Future of AI-Enabled Homes, Health, and Work47:00 – Where to Find Kal

What if the financial system judged your future by your past—even if you had none? Millions of smart, capable people are denied credit not because they’re irresponsible, but because they’re “invisible” to traditional banks.Andrew Endicott co-founded Petal, a fintech that reimagined credit access for people with limited histories. From raising hundreds of millions in equity and debt, to creating cashflow underwriting now powering other banks, Andrew shares the inside story of building—and backing—the next wave of financial inclusion.Discover:🟣 Why millions of responsible people get locked out of the credit system🟣 How “cashflow underwriting” works (and why banks said it was impossible)🟣 The painful reality of raising from 100+ investors before hearing “yes”🟣 How to know when to push through rejection vs. when to pivot🟣 The overlooked risks—and the biggest opportunities—in fintech today🟣 Why intensity of conviction is more valuable than pitch-deck polishConnect with Andrew:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewendicott/Connect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman/🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday: https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe/Timestamps:0:00 – Intro0:20 – Why I Started Petal: Seeing the Gap in Credit Access2:42 – Credit Histories Shape Your Entire Life4:54 – Managing Risk While Raising $700M+ in Equity & Debt8:53 – Cashflow Underwriting: A Different Way to Assess Risk12:55 – Fundraising Reality: 100 Investor Pitches for a $3.3M Seed17:03 – Facing Failure and the Founder’s Burden20:15 – Why Coaching, Mentors & Peer Support Are Critical24:05 – Mindset Shifts: From Lawyer to Banker to Entrepreneur to Investor33:28 – Resilience vs. Pivot: Knowing When to Hold ’Em and When to Fold ’Em39:53 – Why We Named Our Fund “Gilgamesh”43:35 – Overlooked Risks in Fintech: Regulation, Partnerships, Capital Intensity45:46 – The New Wave of Fintech: AI, Stablecoins & Beyond50:15 – What Investors Really Look For in Founders

When was the last corporate event that truly changed how you think or work?Most are forgettable — bland keynotes, lukewarm coffee, awkward networking. But Daniel Curtis, former chef turned global events leader for brands like Google and LinkedIn, knows how to make them unforgettable.His secret starts with one question: Why are we here?In this episode, Daniel shares his framework for creating events that resonate, inspire action, and turn attendees into advocates. He proves that purpose beats budget and famous speakers every time.Discover:🟢 What separates a great event from a transformative one🟢 How to craft a roadmap that equips your audience to excel🟢 A framework to align content, experience, and purpose🟢 Using Stoic principles to build crisis-proof eventsConnect with Daniel:https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielemc3/https://emc3.com/https://www.instagram.com/emc3london/?hl=enConnect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 - Intro01:04 - From Kitchen to Corporate: A Journey of Transition03:38 - Evolving from Concierge to Corporate Events06:54 - The Shift from Logistics to Content Strategy09:45 - Transformative Events: Purpose and Engagement12:11 - Navigating Executive Friction in Event Planning14:49 - Adapting to Virtual Events During COVID-1918:16 - Taking Risks: Moving to America for Growth21:33 - The Challenges of Event Management24:19 - Philosophy's Role in Business28:51 - Balancing Authenticity and Audience Needs31:06 - Insights from the YPO Community34:30 - Memorable Events and Their Impact35:57 - Sustainability in the Events Industry38:20 - The Importance of Purpose in Event Planning#EventMarketing #CorporateEvents #ExperientialMarketing #BrandStrategy #Leadership #B2BMarketing #EventProfs #MarketingStrategy #Sustainability #Entrepreneurship #BusinessPodcast #CrisisManagement #EventPlanning #MarketingTips #AudienceEngagement #TheBDPodcast

They say leadership costs. Your health, your relationships, your peace of mind. You’re told the hustle is the only way to the top, even if it leaves you burned out, empty, and wondering, "Is this it?".You've been lied to.Steve Baue was a high-flying VP who paid that price. He had the first-class tickets, the international meetings, and the title most people dream of. He also had a breakdown at 30,000 feet that made him realize his success was hollow and his soul was crying out for help.Discover:🟣 The 4 Pillars of Burnout-Proof Health🟣 Why a Vacation Won't Fix You🟣 Escaping the "Mimic" Trap Leaders Fall Into🟣 The Hustle Culture LieConnect with Steve:https://stevebaue.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebaue/Connect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:0:00 - Intro1:04 - My First Leadership Role Was a Disaster3:48 - The Lesson I Learned From a Hypocrite Boss 5:28 - Why Most Leaders Are Just Mimicking Others 6:21 - The Great Lie: "Leaders Are Born, Not Made" 9:29 - Why Do We Underinvest in Our Most Crucial People? 11:42 - Coaching vs. Training: What Actually Works? 13:19 - The Fine Line Between Authenticity and Influence 15:36 - From Global VP to Burnout Victim: My Story 18:11 - The 4 Pillars of Mental Health You're Ignoring 22:07 - Burnout Isn't a Workplace Problem, It's a "Yes" Problem 22:27 - Your Brain on Burnout is a Phone in Low-Power Mode 24:31 - The Hustle Culture is a Trap 26:06 - The Italy Trip: Crying in First Class 29:58 - The Mid-Life Crisis Conversation with My Wife 35:22 - 6 Days After Quitting, I Got Cancer 40:36 - The Critical Difference Between a Coach and a Counselor 45:31 - Rapid Fire: Best Leadership Book?46:37 - The #1 Mental Health Hack48:19 - The "Step-Down Meeting" Every CEO Needs to Have 50:31 - The Underrated Power of a Safe Space#LeadershipDevelopment #Burnout #MentalHealth #CEO #ExecutiveCoaching #CareerChange #AuthenticLeadership #HustleCulture #Entrepreneurship #Mindfulness #CorporateLife #Success #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipTips #Motivation #TheBDPodcast

They’re coming for your idea.Before you’ve even built a prototype, before you’ve written a single line of code, corporate giants and patent trolls are laying landmines designed to seize your life’s work. That NDA you think is protecting you? It could be worthless.In this episode, we interview Austin Bonderer — a patent attorney listed on nearly 700 patents who has never lost an appeal to the patent board. He’s a former patent examiner and worked with tech giant Foxconn in China, seeing firsthand how the global innovation war is fought.Discover🟢 Why NDAs often fail and what to do instead🟢 How patent trolls destroy startups and how to avoid them🟢 When to patent, where to patent, and how fast you need to move🟢 What happens when someone steals your idea and wins🟢 How big tech uses patents as weapons, and what founders can learn from itConnect with Austinhttps://bondererpatents.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-bonderer-a0b08b3/Connect with Becky on CoachFinderhttps://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-haymanThe Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - Intro01:06 - The Real Reason Patents Exist02:01 - Why China Was Forced to Embrace Intellectual Property03:00 - Inside Foxconn: Lessons from Apple's iPhone Supplier06:03 - The #1 Mistake That KILLS Inventions Instantly06:41 - WARNING: Your NDA is a Legally Worthless Trap07:43 - Why Methods Are Easier to Patent Than Products08:33 - How Aspirin & Botox Hacked the Patent System10:40 - Execution vs. Idea: What a Top Lawyer REALLY Believes13:44 - My Secret to an Undefeated Patent Appeal Record15:31 - The Shocking Truth of How Long a Patent ACTUALLY Takes18:22 - "TOAST": How the Supreme Court Annihilated Software Patents25:10 - Why VCs and Big Tech REFUSE to Sign Your NDA29:23 - How "Patent Trolls" Brought BlackBerry to Its Knees33:38 - Apple vs. Samsung: Inside the "Mutually Assured Destruction" Patent Wars36:56 - The Global Patent Trap: Your US Patent is Worthless Overseas41:28 - The Billion-Dollar Idea I Invented But Never Patented43:52 - Are Patents Hurting or Helping Innovation? The Final Verdict46:51 - Rapid Fire: Underrated Advice, Weirdest Patent & More

Is your website stuck at a 1-2% conversion rate? You’ve changed the button colors, tweaked the headlines, and followed all the standard advice, but nothing moves the needle.The fix might not be where you think it is.Matthew Stafford discovered that most business websites aren't broken; they're just asking the wrong questions and ignoring the simple psychological triggers that make people buy. After his own $15 million business collapsed, he was forced to learn what truly works, not from gurus, but from raw data.Discover🟣 A 2-word change for your checkout page that can lift revenue up to 17%🟣 The post-sale question that reveals your website's biggest problems🟣 Why making your website "easier" to use can actually hurt sales🟣 The "Thermostat" mindset that caps your income—and the habit that raises it.Connect with Matthewbuildgrowscale.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewstafforddotcomConnect with Becky on CoachFinderhttps://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-haymanThe Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - Intro01:45 - How My $15,000,000 Business Vanished03:23 - Surviving the 3-Year Struggle After Failure05:10 - Your Mental "Thermostat" is Capping Your Income06:50 - #1 Habit to Raise Your Financial Thermostat08:36 - Motivation vs. Unbreakable Discipline09:03 - Why High-Performers Really Hire Coaches11:44 - Stop Making This #1 Coaching Mistake17:25 - One Word You Must Eliminate Now18:41 - Your Website's "Restaurant Menu" Flaw20:02 - A Million-Dollar Thank-You Page Question22:50 - Two-Word Change Boosted Revenue 17%25:28 - Are Your Brand Colors Killing Sales?27:29 - When My Gut Instinct Was Always Wrong32:14 - Using AI for Your 90-Day Growth Plan34:16 - Leading "Supercharged" Teams in the AI Age38:14 - The Future of eCommerce Isn't Traffic39:02 - Daily Habits for 7-Figure Growth40:00 - Where to Find Matthew Online

A war, a wildfire, a new tariff. Any one of these can happen overnight and wipe your business off the map. Your single supplier just went dark, your inventory is gone, and your customers are looking elsewhere. Game over.But it didn't have to be this way. You could actually build a business so resilient it was nearly invincible. Supply chain veteran and CEO Kerim Kfuri has spent over 20 years developing the exact playbook to make your operations "disruption-proof".Discover🟢 How to build alternative supply chains so one point of failure can't sink your business🟢 The "Just in Case" inventory strategy to ensure you're never out of stock when competitors are🟢 A framework for risk mapping to identify and neutralize threats before they strike🟢 Why transparent communication is the ultimate tool for navigating any business crisisConnect with Kerimhttps://kerimkfuri.com/https://theatlasnetwork.com/https://supplychainupsanddowns.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerimkfuri/Connect with Becky on CoachFinderhttps://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-haymanThe Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - Intro02:14 - From Wall Street to a Pandora's Box of Fraud03:26 - The Tariff Lie: How YOU Are Paying for the Trade War08:03 - Acts of God: When Wildfires & War Break the World12:06 - The "Disruption-Proof" Playbook for Any Business15:36 - Are Tariffs a Negotiation Tactic or Economic Suicide?17:54 - The Unbeatable Industries with an Unbreakable Moat21:26 - The Next China: Why Africa & South America Are the Future26:44 - Rise of the Robots: AI, Automation & The End of Human Labor29:10 - Why We're All Just Berry Pickers in a Digital World31:15 - The Single Most Important Skill for Leading Through Chaos36:29 - A Real-Life Example of Dodging a $1M Supply Chain Bullet40:38 - This AI Tool Will Build Your Entire Business Plan in Seconds45:32 - The 500 People It Takes to Make Your Morning Coffee49:57 - How Taylor Swift's Consistency Makes Her a Logistics Superhero52:21 - Final Thoughts & Where to Find Kerim

You're about to make a catastrophic hiring mistake. And you won't even see it coming.The system is broken. The "perfect" resume is a lie, the charming candidate is a master of deception, and the very process you trust to build your team is secretly filtering out your best potential hires.We brought in talent expert Megan Juliano, a recruiter who has seen every trick, every lie, and every red flag from both sides of the table. She’s not here to give you recycled HR tips. She's here to share the dark psychology of hiring and reveal why your best hire might be the person with zero experience, and why the most impressive backgrounds can be a trap.Discover🟣 How to tell if a candidate is being honest or just telling you what you want to hear🟣 The counter-intuitive reason you should hire inexperienced talent over seasoned veterans🟣 The secret selling points your company has that you’re ignoring🟣 The one non-negotiable perk top talent demands that costs you nothing🟣 How your own slow hiring process is screaming, "This is a bad place to work!"Connect with Meganhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-juliano/https://www.instagram.com/megafied2.0/https://linktr.ee/MeganLustigConnect with Becky on CoachFinderhttps://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-haymanThe Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - Intro01:58 - The "Charming Blagger" vs. The Brilliant Mind: Who Are You Actually Hiring?03:11 - The Resume Writer's "Half-Truth" That Destroys Candidate Trust05:25 - Why Startups Should NEVER Hire From Big Companies07:55 - The Untapped Goldmine: Hiring The "Inexperienced"09:03 - Your Company's Secret Selling Points You're Ignoring11:30 - Is Your Hiring Process The Ultimate Red Flag? (Candidates Think So)15:38 - From Corporate Chains to Entrepreneur: A Recruiter's Leap of Faith21:05 - The 5-Person vs. 20-Person Startup: A Hiring Minefield23:01 - Confession of a Recruiter: "I've Gotten It Wrong So Many Times"27:14 - The Perk That Top Talent Demands (It's Non-Negotiable)32:47 - The Great Deception of In-Office Work35:33 - The One Book Every Leader MUST Read38:15 - The "Friday Rule": A Simple Trick to Keep Your Best Candidates From Ghosting You

They told him he was just a kid who saw puzzles in everything. Now, the government is paying for his education, IBM is pushing him into their highest partner tiers, and researchers with PhDs are calling him "Doctor."What happened in between?A 90-day system. A radical obsession with patterns. A decision to treat his life like a series of focused, high-stakes experiments.In this episode, Dr. Malcolm Adams shares the unorthodox playbook he used to achieve post-doctoral expertise in five industries, from aerospace to AI, without a traditional path. He didn’t just read the books by Buffett and Hill; he lived them in 90-day sprints.Discover🟢 The 90-Day Learning System.🟢 How to win contracts by building your business around their requirements🟢 The critical difference between being qualified and being eligible🟢 Why treating your personal brand like a business is crucial for successConnect with Malcolmhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/malcolmadams/Connect with your PERFECT coach at CoachFinder.aiThe Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - Intro02:31 - The 90-Day Experiment That Changed Everything04:02 - Using Warren Buffett's Playbook to Build My Empire05:21 - How I Became a "Doctor" to PhDs Without a Degree07:31 - The Government Is Paying Me to Go to School09:35 - From Quietly Working to a U.S. Senate Commendation12:08 - Using AI to Solve America's Food Crisis14:52 - My Unfair Advantage: Co-Developing Products with IBM20:18 - Why Society is Addicted to Escapism & Failure22:08 - Politicians Aren't Running Simulations, And It's Costing You26:24 - The Simple Heuristic That Exposes Incompetence30:49 - How to Build a Future-Proof Career from Nothing36:23 - A Moonshot Idea to End Food Insecurity41:19 - The Tool I Can't Live Without42:41 - The Book That Saved My Life

Betsy Pepine dismantled every box they tried to put her in: the family pressure to become a doctor, the soul-crushing corporate job she wasn't passionate about, and the infuriating "slap in the face" of being judged by her gender instead of her grit. What happens when you trade a safe path for one you're passionate about? What does it take to find power in failure and embrace discomfort as a growth strategy?Discover🟣 The Visionary vs. The Operator: Why you need both to scale any business🟣 The daily habit Betsy does to ensure profound change in her life🟣 How to instantly spot if someone truly has a growth mindsetConnect with Betsyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/betsypepine/https://www.betsypepine.com/https://www.tiktok.com/@gainesvillerealtorConnect with your PERFECT coach at CoachFinder.aiThe Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday.https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps00:00 - Intro1:12 - "I Wasn't Passionate": The Truth About Her Pharma Career2:22 - The Visionary vs. The Operator: Why Most Businesses Fail4:30 - Lessons from an Icon: How Sara Blakely's Father Engineered Her Success6:32 - I'm Most Comfortable Being Uncomfortable9:36 - Is Change For Change's Sake a Bad Thing? 11:15 - Rejecting The "No": Barbara Corcoran's Shark Tank Story 14:00 - Hiring for Growth: The One Interview Question That Reveals Everything 17:05 - Breaking Family Chains: The Pressure to Be a Physician 20:15 - It's a Slap in the Face: Being the "Token Female" 23:10 - Underdog or Not: A Hard Truth 29:43 - A Hand Up, Not a Handout: A Better Model? 31:20 - Why is Affordable Housing an Unsolvable Puzzle? 38:23 - The Case for Multi-Generational Living 40:04 - How a House Changes a Family's Entire Future 42:40 - Rapid Fire: Life-Changing Books, Mantras & Investments 44:34 - Redefining Success: Then vs. Now 45:04 - Breaking Your Own Boxes: The Next Step