Claim OwnershipCEO Coaching International Podcast
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The CEO Coaching International podcast is designed to help entrepreneurs and CEOs grow their business, develop their people, and elevate their own performance. We'll share what the best of the best are doing as it relates to entrepreneurial success, best practices, leadership, sales, marketing, personal development, and solving the challenges that business leaders face. You'll hear from CEO Coaching International's coaches, leading entrepreneurs, and other experts in a wide range of fields who have value to add to your work. If you're an entrepreneur, CEO, or other business leader, this podcast is for you.
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Guest: Peter Platten, Chief Revenue Officer of Protos Security. Peter joined the company in 2020 and has helped lead its transformation from a $150 million organization to a $750 million revenue firm today. Overview: Private equity doesn't reward incremental thinking. It rewards leaders who can scale under pressure, build systems that outperform, and push past what most teams believe is possible to Make BIG Happen. On today's show, Peter Platten explains his four-move framework to grow fast in a private equity environment. He also discusses how to build teams that overshoot goals instead of simply meeting them and why systems-thinking -- not siloed optimization -- is the real key to exponential success.
Guests: Jerry Vance, the Founder and Managing Partner of Preferred CFO, and Scott Crawford, a Partner at Preferred CFO focused on client prioritization and new business development. Overview: A CEO who's led their company past the "I'll Do Everything" stage needs a true financial strategist at their side to stop surviving and start scaling. But the CEO also needs clarity on what kind of financial expertise their company truly needs at various stages of growth. Paying a full-time CFO to act like a glorified bookkeeper isn't going to accelerate your trajectory. And a "CF-No" who builds a moat around your cash might not share the CEO's bold vision for BIG. On today's show, Jerry Vance and Scott Crawford explore the state of the fractional CFO industry and why forecasting and five-year planning are strategic leadership tools, not just accounting exercises.
Guests: Tim Kreytak, CEO and Co-Founder of Ironside, one of North America's leading analytics and data consulting firms and a multiple Inc. 5000 honoree. Jason Breazeale, Vice President of Technology at Burn Boot Camp, a rapidly growing fitness franchise with nearly 400 locations. Overview: Yes, your company needs to be using AI. But before you start buying subscriptions and upgrading your tech stack, you need to understand what actually drives successful AI integrations: a bedrock of solid data. Without clean, accessible, and trusted data, even the most advanced AI tools will fail to deliver results. On today's show, Tim Kreytak and Jason Breazeale discuss why you need BIG data mastery before AI can help your company Make BIG Happen.
Guest: Jose Vergara, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Jose is a seasoned CEO, president, and operator with deep experience leading organizations across public companies, private equity-backed businesses, family-owned firms, founder-led companies, and partner-owned enterprises. Quick Background: If AI was just a technical problem, the solutions would be simple. Upgrade your tech stack. Hire the best AI experts. Buy more bandwidth. But the true challenge of AI is how it challenges leadership. CEOs who feel the need to "do something" often sacrifice identity and trust for speed. And in their haste, they fail to communicate a clear vision that reduces employees' anxiety around AI and transforms the company's culture. On today's show, Jose Vergara discusses how his 5-step AI roadmap for CEOs can help companies embrace AI, improve productivity, and Make BIG Happen.
1Guest: Randy Wootton, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Randy is a seasoned executive, board member, and advisor with more than two decades of experience leading companies through strategic inflection points, turnarounds, and technology shifts. Randy served 8 years in the Navy before taking senior leadership roles at companies including Microsoft and Salesforce, and working as the CEO of public and private equity-backed companies including Rocket Fuel. Quick Background: No one pauses your climb up the corporate ladder to teach you how to be a great CEO. And yet, once you do earn the BIG job, every decision carries weight, and every mistake gets more expensive. CEOs who accelerate through leadership growing pains often lean on experienced mentors, coaches, and peer groups for expertise that helps them avoid common mistakes and Make BIG Happen. On today's show, Randy Wootton shares the hard-earned secrets of success he's gathered over a career that took him from the cockpit of a Navy jet to the boardrooms of Silicon Valley.
Guest: Dr. Jeff Graham, a physician and the Chief Medical Officer at Wild Health, where he works with high performers to help them extend not just their lifespan but their healthspan as well. Overview: If you ran your business the way many CEOs manage their health, you'd have to call an emergency board meeting immediately. The same successful CEOs who lead with precise data and dashboards often rely on "gut feel" when it comes to their own biology. Or, worse, they brush aside stress, exhaustion, and that funny feeling in their chest as just part of the job. On today's show, Dr. Jeff Graham explains why CEOs who want to perform at a high level over decades need to treat their health as a measurable, optimizable operating system. He also discusses how "precision medicine," recovery, and adaptability can help leaders stay mentally sharp, improve their health, and keep Making BIG Happen.
Guest: Trey Mauck, founder and CEO of Integrated Insurance Solutions, one of the top one hundred insurance agencies in the United States. Overview: The BIGGEST danger to a company's enterprise value isn't bad strategy. It's unmanaged risk hiding in plain sight. CEOs who view insurance as a "Nice to Have" need to look beyond the line item and start integrating risk management into their long-term growth plans. On today's show, Trey Mauck discusses how strategic risk management protects valuation, reduces disruption, and can become a competitive advantage on the way to Making BIG Happen.
Guest: Saman Samii and Mitch Slater from UBS Wealth Management. Saman and Mitch have guided founders through countless liquidity events and helped them navigate one of the most emotionally charged transitions in business: from business owner to living off the proceeds after your BIG exit. Overview: Sometimes in the life of an entrepreneur, Making BIG Happen is the easy part. Years of meticulous planning and exceptional leadership bring their company to a successful sale. But then they realize that they haven't put the same level of preparation into what happens after the transaction closes and the money hits their account. On today's show, Saman Samii and Mitch Slater discuss how to prepare yourself emotionally, financially, and structurally for the BIG moment when most of your net worth suddenly becomes liquid.
Guest: Kevin Roy, a pioneer in digital marketing and the co-founder and CEO of GreenBanana SEO, a three-time member of the Inc. 5,000 Fastest-Growing Companies list. Overview: If your digital marketing strategy is still focused on improving your company's SEO rankings, you're playing an outdated game. To get BIG in 2026, your company has to be the answer to the questions that customers are asking AI. On today's show, Kevin Roy explains how the rise of AI and large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude is transforming the way businesses attract leads, build demand, and Make BIG Happen.
Guest: Dr. Mario Simon, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Mario is a transformational leader who has a global track record of building companies and helping CEOs unlock breakthrough growth and cultural impact. Quick Background: If you want to 10X your company, start by 10Xing the one indispensable resource that drives everything: the CEO. Your company's culture, its growth trajectory, its resilience, its ability to pivot, its attractiveness to top talent and potential buyers, and ultimately, its legacy, are all a reflection of you. Learning to lead from "the inside out" can help you make the most of that responsibility and Make BIG Happen. On today's show, Dr. Mario Simon explores the three stages of a leader's evolution and how CEOs can transform their mindset and self-awareness into a competitive advantage.
Guest: David Desharnais, a coach at CEO Coaching International. David is a high-impact technology CEO and enterprise operator with over 25 years of experience leading organizations through scale, transformation, and value creation across more than 20 industries. Quick Background: Companies don't stall because their industries are stalling, or because of tariffs, or because of AI. They slow down because the CEO doesn't have a plan to maintain growth through the good and the bad. When your dashboards start blinking red, you need to find ways to plug your company into a broader ecosystem of customers, products, and partnerships that can recalibrate your business' trajectory, no matter what's going on in the rest of the world. On today's show, David Desharnais discusses how CEOs can break out of stagnation and accelerate their growth, as well as how to build a Jim Collins-style flywheel that will keep propelling your company towards BIG.
Guest: Greg Solomon, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Greg is a former CEO who led McDonald's South Africa for 14 years. He quadrupled the size of the business and added 300-plus new restaurants while navigating three ownership transitions, a flat economy, riots, and a global pandemic. Quick Background: Scaling a business isn't just about growth. It's about evolving your systems, your people, and yourself as a leader so that you can keep pace with the opportunities in front of you and create some new opportunities along the way. On today's show, Greg Solomon explains his four-stage model for scaling a business 10X. We also discuss how leaders can reinvent themselves and their companies to stay relevant, keep growing, and Make BIG Happen.
Guest: Michael J. Slater, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Michael is a longtime YPO member who co-founded and served as the CEO of Nik Software, an international software startup in digital photography that he co-founded and led to a $200M+ valuation before ultimately selling to Google. Quick Background: Every great company begins with a dream. But turning that dream into a reality requires more than just vision. It requires a defined process and an inspired team that rallies the whole company around the leader's BIG goals. On today's show, Michael J. Slater explains how his process of "Dreaming Backwards" can establish the principles and strategy CEOs need to Make BIG Happen.
Guest: Sasha Kelberg, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Sasha is a Wharton-trained entrepreneur, CEO, and strategic advisor with over two decades of experience building, scaling, and exiting high-tech manufacturing and export businesses. He has led teams from lab concept to global scale with a leadership style grounded in accountability, continuous improvement, and values-based culture. Quick Background: It's impossible to lead your business with clarity if your identity is fused with your business. And it's impossible to achieve meaningful scale if your connection to the business is concentrating too much decision-making at the top. The best CEOs evolve beyond a start-up mindset as they learn to let go, pivot towards opportunity, and reinvent themselves as both leaders and as people. On today's show, Sasha Kelberg explains why learning to separate yourself from your business is one of the most overlooked keys to Making BIG Happen.
Guest: Rod Reynolds, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Rod is a seasoned global executive and three-time CEO who's led major operations across Canada, the UK, and Asia Pacific. Rod is also a world-class endurance athlete. He has completed over 15 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events, including two World Championships. He represented Canada at the 2024 World Triathlon Championships. Rod also participates in long distance (up to 100 miles) mountain trail running races. Quick Background: Every elite organization is powered by talent, especially in the CEO's chair. But talent alone won't get your company to BIG. Sustainable growth requires a disciplined approach to performance, accountability, and resilience. Some of the very best leaders sharpen these skills through elite training and a commitment to excellence in and out of the office. On today's show, Rod Reynolds explains how CEOs can assemble a high-performance team and how physical discipline can build the resilience executives need to Making BIG Happen.
Guest: Scott White, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Scott is a seasoned CEO, Chairman, and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building and leading high-growth companies in the real estate and finance industries. He is also a bestselling author and a sought-after motivational speaker on happiness, positivity, and performance culture. His insights help executives build thriving teams, enhance workplace fulfillment, and unlock their personal and professional potential. Quick Background: At the start of every day, CEOs have a choice. They can bring all their personal and professional baggage into the office and lead from a place of fear and frustration. Or they can choose to lead from a place of positivity and rally the troops around an inspiring vision for success. On today's show, Scott White explains why the perspective we choose isn't a soft skill -- it's a leadership superpower that's essential to Making BIG Happen.
Guest: Brenda Jacobsen and Andy Harris, Managing Directors at STS Capital Partners, where they guide entrepreneurs and CEOs through the intricate and often emotional journey of selling their businesses. Overview: Selling your business may be the single most important financial event of your life. And the process is far more complex, emotional, and impactful than most CEOs realize. CEOs who truly care about the businesses they built need to find more than just the right fit for a sale. They need to work through a strategic process that will maximize the company's value, protect their teams, and secure their legacies as founders. On today's show, Brenda Jacobsen and Andy Harris discuss what it takes to prep your company for sale, how to balance running the business while navigating the exit process, and the critical decisions that determine whether you just get a deal done or Make BIG Happen for the future of your family and your company.
Guests: CEO Coaching International's Mark Moses, Don Schiavone, Craig Coleman, and Christopher Larkins. Quick Background: CEOs who want to get to BIG need to answer four questions: What do you want? How do you get what you want? What could stand in the way of you getting what you want? How do you hold yourself accountable? If you combine specific answers with actionable strategy, then tariffs, AI, new competitors, and new disruptions are nothing more than manageable variables. And while other companies "wait and see," you'll be making consistent progress toward your BIG goals. On this classic episode, CEO Coaching International leaders discuss their Wall Street Journal bestseller Making BIG Happen and how our system can help CEOs grow their companies through uncertainty and adversity.
Guest: Ken Eissing, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Ken has served as President, COO, General Manager, or Advisor in the Technology, Media, Telecom, and BPO Financial Services industries in public and private entities ranging from Fortune 100 to less than $20 million businesses. Quick Background: Is your sales team consistently clearing the bar, month after month? Great. Then it's time to raise the bar. Left to their own devices, even the best salespeople will take the path of least resistance to hitting their targets and getting paid. This misalignment between what's good for your people and what's good for the business will eventually lead to a plateau -- and that's the last place you want to be with competition rising, tariffs looming, and AI disrupting. The CEO needs to keep every piece of the sales process -- from what you're selling to the quality of the team doing the selling -- on an upward trajectory that drives the whole company towards its long-term goals. On this classic episode, Ken Eissing discusses six ways CEOs can assemble, manage, and motivate a top sales team that will drive fast growth and Make BIG Happen.
Guest: Dan Smytka, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Dan has global expertise in growing and leading multibillion-dollar businesses with marquee brands such as General Electric, Carrier, and Goodyear Tire and Rubber. Dan has also led businesses in Asia and Europe where he cultivated a reputation for generating profitable growth, building high-performance collaborative executive teams, and executing strategies to expand profit margins and deliver sustainable results. Quick Background: CEOs started 2025 with a long list of unknowns ranging from AI and interest rates to tariff turbulence and global conflicts. Six months later, questions about the world and the pace of change in business still outnumber definitive answers. But the best CEOs know that where there are challenges there are always opportunities. And if you have courage, vision, strategy, and a team of A-players, your company will be nimble enough to adjust on the fly and strong enough to grow through any obstacles. On this classic episode, Dan Smytka discusses specific strategies that will help you keep moving products, delivering services, expanding your profit margins, and Making BIG Happen even when the going gets tough.
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