Founder's Story

Daniel Robbins interviews Rod Khleif about the crash that wiped out $50M of his net worth, the mindset tools that helped him rebuild, and the business mechanics behind commercial real estate syndications. Rod breaks down how he teaches students to take massive action, focus on cash flow, and design their lives with clear goals that push them through fear. Key Discussion Points:Rod explains how Tony Robbins reshaped his mindset around emotional mastery, learning, and giving back, including a pivotal moment watching Tony lead thousands of people during 9/11. He shares why vulnerability and “showing the dirty laundry” is the fastest way to build trust and remove the salesy barrier when leading an audience. Rod reframes failure as a “seminar,” warns against making a business your identity, and says fear regret more than failure. He then walks through why commercial real estate is a team sport, how syndications work, and how operators make money through fees, cash flow, and forcing appreciation by increasing net operating income. Takeaways:Your business is a vehicle, not your identity, and resilience starts when you separate who you are from what happened to you. Set goals with a clear why, because desire is what pushes you through fear, discomfort, and reinvention. Rod’s core lesson is simple: the people who win are not the richest, they are the ones who take massive action and build competence until confidence follows. Closing Thoughts:This episode is a reminder that the biggest comebacks are built on mindset first, strategy second. Rod leaves listeners with urgency to pick a vehicle, start learning now, and prepare for a faster changing future where adaptability matters more than certainty. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel Robbins interviews Minh Nguyen and John Avera of xOrbita about why space is becoming a major commercial frontier and why orbital debris is one of the biggest hidden risks in orbit. The episode explores how xOrbita is building affordable debris detection and smarter collision avoidance systems to help protect satellites and extend mission life. Key Discussion Points:Minh explains why cheaper launches and easier satellite access are driving a major wave of commercial space activity. He shares the story of how a debris strike on a university satellite pushed him to focus xOrbita on orbital safety. John describes how he discovered Minh’s work and saw a way to apply his experience in sensors, edge systems, and detection. Together, they explain why xOrbita is building an intelligence first system that turns debris data into real time maneuver recommendations. Takeaways:Orbital debris is not just a technical problem because it directly affects the economics and reliability of the growing space industry. xOrbita’s approach stands out by focusing on actionable safety intelligence, not just more raw tracking data. The episode also shows how mission driven founders from different generations can build a powerful partnership around a high stakes problem. Closing Thoughts:Founder’s Story turns a complex space infrastructure topic into an accessible and exciting conversation about what it takes to build the future safely. Minh and John make a strong case that solving orbital debris is a critical step toward a bigger human future in space. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel Robbins interviews KeyAnna Schmiedl of Workhuman about the growing fear of AI in the workplace and why leaders must stop treating AI as a workforce replacement strategy. KeyAnna shares a practical, human-centered roadmap for adoption, arguing that people are the true differentiator in a world where companies may all have access to similar AI tools. Key Discussion Points:KeyAnna explains that many organizations are making a foundational mistake by investing heavily in AI technology while barely investing in the people expected to use it, citing a 93 percent versus 7 percent imbalance discussed in the episode. She argues that leaders should involve employees in defining where AI can reduce friction in their day to day work, rather than forcing top down solutions tied to layoffs and short term margin pressure. The conversation also covers how CEOs can move from being “careful” to “thoughtful” with AI by allowing responsible experimentation, learning from real usage, and avoiding overrestrictive policies that slow progress. Daniel and KeyAnna then explore what great culture looks like today, emphasizing transparency, employee voice, and trust building during times of high skepticism. In a powerful personal reflection, KeyAnna shares how authenticity, humility, transparency, and curiosity shaped her leadership journey and helped her grow into a role she once viewed as almost unimaginable. Takeaways:This episode makes a strong case that AI adoption is ultimately a leadership and culture challenge, not just a technology rollout. KeyAnna’s message is clear: organizations that treat people as a cost center will miss the real opportunity, while those that equip and include people will create stronger innovation and better outcomes. Leaders can start immediately by sharing where AI is working, where it is not, and normalizing experimentation across teams. Her framework around thoughtful leadership is especially useful for executives navigating board pressure, layoffs, and uncertainty. The episode also offers a deeply human reminder that curiosity and consistent authenticity can open doors that once felt completely out of reach. Closing Thoughts:This Founder’s Story conversation stands out because it blends practical AI leadership advice with a deeply personal leadership philosophy rooted in trust and transparency. KeyAnna leaves listeners with a more optimistic view of the future of work by showing that the companies that win with AI will be the ones that invest in humans first. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Samyr Laine joins Founder’s Story to share his unconventional path from Olympic athlete to operator inside some of culture’s most influential companies before launching Freedom Trail Capital. He reflects on what it was like working directly with Jay-Z and Will Smith, the discipline and communication patterns that define elite performers, and how those experiences shaped his investment philosophy around authentic talent-driven businesses. Key Discussion Points:Samyr describes how observing Jay-Z and Will Smith revealed a shared foundation of discipline, listening, communication, and clarity of objectives that drives sustained high performance. He explains how his career was intentionally designed as a series of learning environments to minimize weaknesses before entrepreneurship, mirroring the constant improvement mindset he developed as a triple jumper. The conversation highlights his realization that talent-led businesses were often built without rigorous investment thinking, which led to the creation of Freedom Trail Capital to pair authentic talent with strong companies solving real problems. He also emphasizes that celebrity alone does not create successful brands, noting that authenticity, operational excellence, and clear differentiation consistently separate winners from copycat ventures. Takeaways:This episode reinforces the power of designing your career as preparation rather than destination, intentionally stacking skills and experiences that compound over time. Samyr’s story shows that proximity to greatness offers learning opportunities only when paired with humility, curiosity, and disciplined execution. His framework for evaluating talent-driven brands highlights that fundamentals must precede influence, and that consumers quickly detect inauthenticity. Ultimately, his journey illustrates how an Olympic growth mindset can translate directly into business, investing, and leadership. Closing Thoughts:Samyr Laine’s path demonstrates that elite performance principles are transferable across arenas, from track and field to global entertainment to venture capital. His story serves as a reminder that long-term preparation, authentic storytelling, and disciplined communication remain timeless advantages in any field. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Daniel sits down with Bill Harper, Co-founder of BrandBossHQ, to explore why storytelling sits at the center of brand growth and differentiation. Bill shares how his work through BrandBossHQ has helped hundreds of companies clarify positioning, create emotional relevance, and transform attention into measurable revenue. The conversation unpacks practical frameworks founders can apply to build memorable brands, leverage edutainment, and navigate emerging tools like AI without losing strategic originality. Key Discussion Points: Bill Harper explains that story is the foundation of how people relate to brands and that emotional relevance must come before features or benefits. He shares that customers are always trying to achieve something or avoid something, making pain driven messaging especially powerful for attention and conversion. Bill challenges the idea of boring industries by showing how insurance brands differentiate purely through narrative positioning rather than product differences. He outlines a framework for founders to identify one core brand idea, communicate how their solution improves customer circumstances, and structure messaging across the marketing funnel. The conversation also explores edutainment, comedic content, experimentation inspired by Steve Jobs, and the role of AI as a tool for efficiency rather than strategic thinking. Takeaways: A story that triggers emotion earns attention, then features earn trust. Relevance means telling a story your customer recognizes as their own. People buy in two modes, achieving something or avoiding something. Pain avoidance messaging often outperforms pleasure based messaging. A brand is expectation, and expectation is built through consistency. Pick one idea your brand stands for, then repeat it relentlessly. Top of funnel content should excite, not explain. Specs come later. Edutainment is a competitive advantage, even in boring industries. AI can speed up execution, but it cannot replace strategy and judgment. Entrepreneurship is empowering, but it comes with pressure and trade offs. Closing Thoughts: Bill’s core message is simple and ruthless. If you do not earn attention through story, you lose. This episode is a reminder that the brands people remember are not the most innovative. They are the most emotionally relevant, most consistent, and most entertaining while solving real problems. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Karan Yaramada—Founder and CEO of Jade Global—offers a candid, CEO-level perspective on one of the most critical decisions leaders face when scaling their businesses: whether to pursue organic growth or acquisition-driven growth. Drawing from his experience building Jade Global into a global technology and services firm, Karan breaks down the strategic trade-offs between growing from within and accelerating expansion through M&A. The conversation explores when organic growth builds stronger culture, customer trust, and long-term resilience—and when acquisitions can unlock new capabilities, markets, and speed to scale. Karan shares real-world lessons on aligning growth strategy with company purpose, leadership readiness, and operational maturity, as well as common pitfalls leaders overlook when chasing rapid expansion. Designed for founders, CEOs, and growth-minded executives, this episode provides practical frameworks, decision criteria, and leadership insights to help listeners choose the right growth path—or combination of paths—at each stage of their company’s journey. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sergio Giles joins Founder’s Story to discuss why so many people are frustrated with traditional dating apps and how Date Draft introduces a new sports-inspired model to online dating. Drawing from his NFL fandom, Sergio reframes dating as “drafting,” “scouting,” and even “trading,” creating a more interactive, gamified experience that moves beyond endless swiping and repetitive chats. Key Discussion Points:Sergio shares how his own experiences on dating apps revealed a major flaw: users don’t meaningfully interact until after matching, and burnout quickly sets in. That insight led to the creation of the “Trade Room,” a feature that allows users to trade matches and act as matchmakers, adding a social layer to dating. The app assigns members to different “rounds” based on interests and education, using an algorithm to create compatibility tiers. Sergio also discusses the psychological tightrope of building a dating product, balancing innovation with responsibility while avoiding features that could create negativity or defamation. Takeaways:Date Draft positions itself not just as another dating app, but as a new social experience that blends gaming psychology with matchmaking. Sergio believes the future of dating apps must be more interactive, more fun, and less repetitive to reduce ghosting and swipe fatigue. Instead of just asking users to swipe and start over repeatedly, the Trade Room gives them new ways to connect and re-engage. His long-term vision is simple but bold: to be known as the app that changed how people date online. Closing Thoughts:Sergio’s journey highlights how founder insight often comes from personal frustration and pattern recognition. By studying user behavior and reimagining dating through the lens of sports drafts and trades, he’s betting that connection improves when interaction feels dynamic rather than transactional. Whether Date Draft becomes the “fantasy football of dating” or something even bigger, it’s a bold attempt to rewrite the playbook on modern love. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Frank Scarso shares the deeply personal story behind his fall from Wall Street, his battle with addiction, and the three years he was estranged from his wife and children. He reveals how a single moment of clarity sparked his recovery, leading him to build Avanza Capital, an alternative lending platform that has deployed over $250 million to small businesses across 48 states. The episode explores resilience, leadership, private credit, and what it truly means to rebuild your life from nothing. Key Discussion Points:Frank explains that his motivation to rebuild wasn’t money or status, it was simply wanting to “go home” and fix what he had broken with his family. He discusses why entrepreneurship became his path forward after Wall Street, and how Avanza grew from “little drips and drabs” into a national lender focused on speed, service, and human connection in an industry often criticized for being transactional. The conversation dives into the risks and realities of merchant cash advances, why banks overlook small businesses, and how alternative lending fills that gap in hours instead of months. Frank also reflects on how sobriety transformed his leadership style from aggressive and “guns blazing” to empathetic, hands-on, and grounded in mentorship and service. Takeaways:Family can be the most powerful driver of reinvention. Frank’s story highlights the importance of mentorship, surrounding yourself with smarter people, setting attainable short-term goals, and understanding risk before taking on capital. He emphasizes that funding is a tool, not a crutch, and that discipline, caution, and hard work are critical for small business survival. Above all, resilience, humility, and service define long-term success more than any financial metric. Closing Thoughts:Frank’s journey proves that rock bottom is not the end—it can be the beginning. From living on the street to leading a nine-figure lending platform, his story is a reminder that redemption is possible, leadership evolves through adversity, and sometimes one sentence can change the trajectory of generations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mina Haque shares her unconventional path from running her own law firm to leading one of the most iconic restaurant brands in the world. The conversation explores how entrepreneurial problem-solving prepared her to transform a legacy company, how nostalgia and modernization can coexist, and why resilience matters more than virality in today’s economy. Key Discussion Points Mina explains how being an entrepreneur trained her to operate without a playbook, constantly solving problems and building from scratch, skills she now applies in leading Tony Roma’s global transformation. She discusses the privilege and responsibility of stewarding a 54-year-old brand that spans five continents, balancing nostalgia with modernization through smaller footprints, delivery channels, and digital engagement. At Davos, she introduced the concept of neuroplasticity to frame change as a catalyst for growth, arguing that leaders must design adaptable environments where teams can rewire and learn. She also reflects on unlearning purely mechanical legal thinking to embrace the human and relational side of franchising and long-term partnerships. Takeaways Transferable skills from entrepreneurship, especially problem-solving and adaptability, are powerful assets in corporate leadership. Legacy brands win through resilience, not just rapid growth or social media virality. Modernizing does not mean abandoning identity; it means evolving the delivery while protecting the core story. Change requires leaders to understand both neuroscience and culture, creating systems that support adaptation rather than resist it. Continuous learning, from Davos panels to conversations with younger generations, is a leadership discipline. Closing Thoughts Mina Haque’s leadership philosophy blends law, entrepreneurship, neuroscience, and global brand strategy. Her mission is not just to grow Tony Roma’s, but to position it as a resilient brand built for the next fifty-four years. This episode is a masterclass in adaptability, legacy thinking, and leading through transformation in an unpredictable world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sunaina Sinha Haldea joins Founder’s Story to challenge the dominant startup narrative that the ultimate goal of entrepreneurship is a clean, lucrative exit. Drawing from multiple acquisitions, board experience, and decades advising founders and investors, she explains why businesses must be built to last—not just to sell—and why exits often bring unexpected grief, identity shifts, and psychological challenges founders rarely anticipate. Key Discussion Points Sunaina explains that engineering a successful exit requires holding two opposing truths at once: building a company as if it will last decades, while quietly preparing for the right moment to hand it over to the next steward. She warns against founders obsessing over exit checklists or valuation targets, noting that market cycles change and businesses built only for sale often collapse when conditions shift. The conversation also explores how SaaS, AI disruption, and venture pressure have intensified the risks of chasing growth without profitability or durability. Beyond strategy, Sunaina dives into the emotional reality of exits, describing them as a form of grief and identity loss that must be consciously acknowledged rather than ignored. She introduces the concept of “upper limit theory,” explaining why many founders unconsciously sabotage themselves after success and why mindset work, coaching, and learning to sit with discomfort are essential for navigating life after liquidity. Takeaways Founders should build businesses with real profitability, strong unit economics, and lasting value—even if the goal is an eventual exit. Fixating on a specific dollar amount can trap founders in a “deferred life plan” that drains resilience when challenges arise. Successful exits require emotional preparation, not just financial readiness, and the work doesn’t stop once the deal closes. True longevity—personal and professional—comes from aligning intrinsic purpose with disciplined execution. Closing Thoughts This episode reframes exits not as an endpoint, but as a transition that demands maturity, self-awareness, and intentional growth. Sunaina’s perspective offers founders a rare, honest look at what happens after success—and why building something that lasts may be the most powerful exit strategy of all. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel interviews Siddhartha Kunti on Founder’s Story to explore whether scent can become a digital medium, like sound or video. Siddhartha shares the moment that sparked his shift from AI surgical planning into olfactory innovation, why smell is uniquely tied to emotion and memory, and what it could unlock in healthcare, education, wellness, and immersive consumer experiences. Key Discussion Points:Siddhartha explains how a Japan distillery tour triggered his obsession with decoding flavor and aroma using AI pattern recognition, leading him to analyze hundreds of beverages and massive molecular datasets. He breaks down why smell has taken so long to digitize, pointing to its complexity, the millions of molecules involved, and the human variability in perception shaped by culture, environment, and biology. He discusses the idea of building an “LLM for scent” by combining molecular data with subjective human labeling across global populations. The conversation expands into real world implications, from COVID’s impact on mental health through smell loss, to Alzheimer’s detection through body odor changes, to scent driven therapy like recreating a loved one’s smell in everyday life. Takeaways:Smell is treated as the forgotten sense in education, yet it silently drives memory, emotion, appetite, attraction, and wellbeing. Digitizing scent requires both objective chemistry and subjective human experience, making AI essential for identifying patterns at scale. The next wave of consumer and healthcare innovation may include scent enhanced experiences in retail, gaming, wellness, and hospitals, not just entertainment. Siddhartha’s work argues that the future of technology is not only smarter, but more human and sensory. Closing Thoughts:This episode reframes scent as a frontier technology, not a novelty, and highlights why the most powerful innovations often start as ideas that sound ridiculous until they suddenly become obvious. Siddhartha’s journey is a reminder that entrepreneurship is sometimes about giving a language to something humanity has always felt, but never fully understood. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jo Ann Brechtel joins Founder’s Story to share the story behind A Messenger of the Light, a book born from profound loss and an unexpected discovery. She explains how, after her son Warren’s sudden death, she found a notebook filled with his artwork, dated and signed pieces, and personal spiritual writings that expressed his belief in “the light within us.” Jo Ann describes turning grief into purpose by compiling his words and art into a book meant to bring hope, faith, and strength to others. Key Discussion Points:Jo Ann recounts receiving the shocking notice of Warren’s death and traveling to California to close his apartment, where she discovered his notebooks of art and handwritten reflections. She shares how Warren’s creativity showed up early, from gazing at Christmas lights as a toddler to making stage shows and films, then later working at KTLA and dreaming of creating stories that help others. The episode explores how writing the book became therapeutic, helping her process grief and preserve Warren’s legacy for his friends, colleagues, and future readers. Jo Ann also reflects on learning new sides of her son, especially the depth of his faith, his devotion to prayer, and his belief that obstacles are meant to be removed, not feared. Takeaways:Jo Ann’s message is that grief can become a bridge to meaning when you give it somewhere to go, and for her, that place was the page. She encourages anyone experiencing loss, darkness, or self doubt to write, because putting words to pain can turn memories into strength. Warren’s philosophy throughout the episode centers on perseverance: you are not at fault for failing, but you lose when you stop trying. Above all, the “light” is portrayed as something we carry within us, and when we live in a way that makes others feel seen, safe, or happy, we are already doing something that matters. Closing Thoughts:This conversation is a portrait of love, legacy, and resilience through faith. Jo Ann’s book keeps Warren’s spirit present through his art and words, and her hope is that readers will feel uplifted, motivated, and reminded that even in darkness, the light within you can be called on and shared with others. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Founder’s Story, Sunaina Sinha Haldea breaks down what founders need to think about years before an exit is even possible. From building businesses that can survive cycles and disruption to navigating the emotional grief that comes after selling, this conversation explores exits as both a financial and deeply human transition. Key Discussion Points:Sunaina explains why engineering a business purely to sell is dangerous, and why founders must instead build companies designed to last for decades. She walks through how acquirers actually think, including the metrics that matter, the difference between venture and private equity capital, and why profitability questions always come due. The conversation also dives into the emotional side of exits, reframing selling as a form of grief and a real identity shift that founders must consciously process. Sunaina introduces “upper limit theory,” explaining why many successful exits lead to self-sabotage if founders do not recalibrate their mindset and sense of self-worth. Takeaways:Building to last is the most reliable path to a successful exit. Chasing a specific exit number often creates a fragile business and a deferred life plan. Founders must prepare not only financially, but psychologically, for what comes after selling. Sustainable businesses attract buyers naturally, while resilient founders invest in mindset, purpose, and long-term impact beyond money. Closing Thoughts:This episode challenges the idea that exits are the ultimate goal of entrepreneurship. Sunaina’s perspective reframes success as building enduring value while staying grounded through massive transitions in wealth, identity, and purpose. For founders thinking about exits, this conversation offers clarity, realism, and uncommon wisdom. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This Founder’s Story episode features Julian Metcalfe, the founder behind Pret A Manger and itsu, sharing hard earned lessons from decades in food and retail entrepreneurship. He explains why founders should focus less on prestige and more on solving real customer problems, building trust, and obsessing over product quality and detail. Key Discussion Points: Julian pushes back on romantic founder mythology and redirects attention to what actually matters, which is serving customers exceptionally well and building something useful. He explains that most great businesses are not built on new inventions but on making existing products meaningfully better through care, taste, design, and discipline. He describes founder life as demanding, unpredictable, and never boring, requiring adaptability and emotional resilience every day. He also shares the four internal values he believes drive great teams and founders: wanting to grow, building trust, taking pride, and truly caring. Takeaways: Julian emphasizes that anyone can become a founder, but not everyone is willing to accept the responsibility and consistency required. Money and status symbols like luxury travel or cars are poor motivators compared to pride in product and customer delight. True satisfaction comes more from seeing teams grow and gain confidence than from personal purchases. He also offers a candid warning that business success often comes at a relationship cost, and founders must actively protect family and personal connections. Closing Thoughts: This episode delivers a grounded, no hype view of entrepreneurship from someone who has built globally recognized brands. Julian Metcalfe’s message is simple and sharp: build trust, care deeply about your product, stay honest, and never confuse status with real success. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Julia Arpag, the founder of Aligned Recruitment, joins Founder’s Story to explain how hiring actually works behind the scenes in today’s AI-driven job market. She shares why most resumes disappear into a black hole, how recruiters and founders really find talent, and why networking, LinkedIn optimization, and human connection still outperform every automated system. Key Discussion Points Julia argues that most people should stop applying for jobs entirely and instead focus on relationships, manual outreach, and visibility. She breaks down exactly how recruiters search LinkedIn, what makes a profile instantly compelling, and why candidates must clearly communicate their value instead of hiding behind vague titles. The conversation also explores how AI has increased noise in both hiring and sales, making authentic human skills more valuable than ever. Takeaways Jobs are not disappearing, but the path to landing them has changed dramatically. Candidates who rely on resumes and automated applications are losing, while those who optimize their LinkedIn presence, prepare their personal “brag book,” and build real connections continue to win. Julia emphasizes that AI is a tool, not a shortcut, and the future belongs to adaptable, human-first professionals who know how to sell themselves with clarity and confidence. Closing Thoughts This episode offers a reality check for anyone frustrated with today’s job market. Julia Arpag’s insights reveal that despite all the noise around AI, hiring still comes down to people, relationships, and clarity. For job seekers and founders alike, the message is simple: stop chasing systems and start showing up where real decisions are made. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Yarin Gaon joins Founder’s Story to explain why the leap from $1M to $10M is where most companies stall or die. He unpacks the “adolescence stage” of business, where founders must decide what they are actually scaling, and why the hustle logic that got you to traction stops working once you have a team, multiple revenue streams, and limited capital. Key Discussion Points:Yarin explains that founders hit $1–2M and assume they have “made it,” but after replacing the founder’s role, most of these businesses are still not attractive to sophisticated buyers. The real danger comes when founders try to scale everything: more products, more customer types, more revenue streams, without choosing a clear direction. He argues the missing ingredient is clarity, not tactics, and that most “tactical problems” like rising CAC or churn are symptoms of upstream strategy decisions that were never made. His solution is a planning system modeled on private equity, built around creating simple one page sources of truth for strategy, finances, and operations. Takeaways:Yarin’s core message is that growth should start with subtraction. Before adding new offers or segments, founders should identify where profit actually comes from, because sales and profit are not the same thing. He also reframes success metrics, saying revenue is too generic to guide decisions and founders need a sharper metric tied to what they are truly building. For founders aiming for a life changing exit, he explains that private equity typically starts paying attention around $2M EBITDA, which often means building a $10M to $20M revenue business depending on margins. Closing Thoughts:This episode is a wake up call for founders who feel stuck after early traction. Yarin shows that the path to scale is not more hustle, it is more clarity, better filters, and the discipline to say no. He also shares his free Clarity Playbook and why he believes planning is the highest leverage work a founder can do before scaling what they have built. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shalin Shah joins Founder’s Story to explain why declining testosterone levels represent a global health crisis and how outdated myths, regulations, and delivery methods have held back effective treatment. He shares the science behind testosterone as a core metabolic hormone, the FDA approval of KYZATREX, and why oral therapy marks a paradigm shift in how men (and women) can age healthier, longer lives. Key Discussion Points:Shalin explains how testosterone sits at the foundation of metabolic health, influencing the brain, heart, muscle, bone, and even cellular energy. He breaks down the biggest myths around testosterone, including fears about heart attacks and prostate cancer, and explains why modern clinical data has disproven them. The conversation also explores why injections fail to match the body’s natural hormone rhythm and how oral therapy better mirrors daily physiology. Finally, Shalin discusses why consumer-driven healthcare and telemedicine are accelerating access to testing and treatment. Takeaways:This episode reframes testosterone replacement therapy as a legitimate, evidence-backed medical intervention rather than a stigmatized shortcut. Shalin emphasizes that testing is the first step, education is critical, and hormonal health must be layered on top of sleep, diet, stress management, and exercise. His core message is clear: testosterone therapy isn’t about chasing youth, it’s about restoring health, vitality, and longevity. Closing Thoughts:Shalin Shah’s perspective challenges decades of misinformation and positions testosterone as one of the most powerful biomarkers of overall health. This conversation invites listeners to rethink aging, advocate for better testing, and consider how modern medicine can help add life to years, not just years to life. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Founder’s Story, Daniel Robbins sits down with Manoj Gupta to unpack why modern hiring fails so often and how AI agents are reshaping how companies evaluate talent. Manoj explains how ACHNET’s AI agent, iJupiter, unifies resumes, interviews, and assessments into a single system that helps leaders make clearer, faster, and less biased hiring decisions. Key Discussion Points Manoj breaks down the real hiring disaster most companies ignore: nearly half of employees leave within one to two years because they were never the right fit to begin with. He explains how fragmented systems, gut instinct, and rushed decisions force leaders to stitch together incomplete signals under pressure, creating costly mis-hires. ACHNET was built to solve this by designing hiring around clarity first, not speed or volume. The conversation dives into how AI agents conduct structured interviews, evaluate candidates consistently, and rank talent objectively while keeping humans in control of the final decision. Manoj argues that AI doesn’t remove the human element but removes inconsistency, fatigue, and bias from early-stage evaluation. The result is faster hiring without sacrificing quality, and a level playing field for candidates who would otherwise be filtered out. Takeaways Manoj reframes the future of hiring as a mindset shift rather than a technology shift, where clarity replaces time as the marker of quality. He explains why speed and quality are no longer trade-offs when evaluation is designed correctly from the start. For candidates, honesty and evidence of real outcomes matter more than resume fluff in an AI-evaluated world. The episode makes a compelling case that AI agents will not replace humans in hiring but will fundamentally change how humans make decisions. Closing Thoughts This episode offers a rare inside look at how AI agents are already transforming enterprise hiring from the ground up. Manoj’s perspective challenges long-held assumptions about interviews, resumes, and decision-making, pointing toward a future where people are placed where they actually belong. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this Founder’s Story episode, Dr. Robert Lustig connects the dots between physical illness, mental health disorders, and societal unrest, arguing they all stem from a single neurological breakdown. He introduces the concept of the “hostage brain,” explaining how chronic stress, dopamine overload, and environmental changes have disabled the brain’s natural brakes, leaving the amygdala in a constant state of threat. Key Discussion Points Dr. Robert Lustig explains that today’s physical illness, mental health disorders, and societal breakdown are not separate crises but the result of a single neurological failure centered in the brain’s fear system. He introduces the concept of the “hostage brain,” where chronic stress and dopamine overload keep the amygdala permanently activated, destroying resilience and emotional regulation. According to Lustig, the four natural brakes on fear—reasoning, memory, intuition, and social safety—are all failing at once due to modern environmental forces. The conversation explores how ultra processed food, social media, and profit-driven technology amplify cortisol and dopamine while depleting serotonin, leaving people anxious, reactive, and disconnected. Lustig distinguishes pleasure from happiness, arguing that real well-being comes from connection, purpose, and service rather than stimulation or consumption. Takeaways This episode reframes mental illness and societal unrest as biological outcomes of environmental design rather than personal failure. Chronic dopamine stimulation lowers serotonin, increases stress damage, and erodes resilience. True happiness cannot be purchased, consumed, or scrolled into existence—it is built through connection, purpose, service, mindfulness, sleep, movement, and real food. Lustig emphasizes that purpose must extend beyond profit, stress must be actively reduced, and human connection must be restored if individuals and societies are to heal. Awareness is the first step, because problems cannot be solved until they are properly understood. Closing Thoughts Dr. Lustig’s message is clear: the crisis is not who we are, but what we have built around ourselves. Healing the brain requires changing the environment, not numbing the symptoms. This conversation challenges listeners to rethink pleasure, technology, success, and connection—and to reclaim the conditions that allow humans to thrive. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this recorded episode of Founder’s Story, Aurora Winter joins Daniel Robbins to deliver a masterclass on storytelling, neuroscience, and why the right words at the right time can change the trajectory of a business, a book, or an entire career. Key Discussion Points Aurora shares the moment she realized storytelling wasn’t a “nice-to-have” but a revenue-defining skill—when seven carefully chosen words took a business from stalled to $3 million in a single week. She explains how the brain processes messages in three stages, why most founders mistakenly start with logic, and how pattern interrupts capture attention without triggering fear. The conversation explores why stories sell while data merely informs, how credibility and authority function neurologically, and why books, podcasts, and YouTube are becoming critical legacy assets as AI reshapes discovery. Aurora also dives into imposter syndrome, fame versus service, myth-busting as a messaging tool, and why practicing your message may be the highest-ROI activity a founder can do. Takeaways This episode reveals that attention isn’t disappearing—it’s becoming more selective. Founders who lead with emotion, story, and clarity outperform those who rely on features and facts. Messaging must first hook the reptilian brain, then establish social proof and authority, before delivering substance. Books function as intellectual passports that unlock stages, media, and trust. Story structure is not fluff—it is strategy. And ultimately, the most powerful messages emerge when founders shift the spotlight away from themselves and onto the people they serve. Closing Thoughts Aurora Winter reminds us that businesses don’t fail because ideas are weak—they fail because the message never lands. In an era where anyone can create content, the founders who win will be the ones who choose their words with intention, practice relentlessly, and understand that a single message can quietly change everything. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.