episodes / 41

Every conversation.

Each one has a player and my write-up. Press play, or read the short version first.

1. 41Chaniqua (Nikki) IveyF*ck It Let’s Be AwkwardNikki Ivey on the wigs she spent years suppressing, the extra confidence Black women are expected to manufacture, and why sellers should create culture instead of just criticizing it.
2. 40Richard HarrisYou Do YouRichard Harris, a top sales leader, on the day he woke up in the fetal position, what he gained from talking about therapy, and why he gives out his cell number.
3. 39James BuckleyI'm an HR RiskJames Buckley gets real about his past with hard dope, reinventing himself in sales, and why your online colleagues are not your friends.
4. 38Freddie LakerHand Off the Hot PotatoFreddie Laker’s book is on sharing the burden, but he admits he keeps the most stressful work, the 'hot potato', all for himself.
5. 37Ian KoniakPick Your PoisonIan Koniak was a top global performer at Salesforce while hiding a twenty-year sex addiction. This one is heavy, and worth it.
6. 36Amber HollingsworthPut the Shovel DownAmber Hollingsworth became an addiction counselor by accident, then realized her whole family had been the training. This one changed how I think about quitting.
7. 35Hacia AthertonFrom Trauma to TriumphA 600kg horse fell on Hacia Atherton. 117 days to relearn standing, thirty-plus procedures, and a career rebuilt on the psychology of adversity.
8. 34Heather BellRide With The UnexpectedHeather Bell talks burnout, finding the right room, and why her number one hiring criteria is grit. Because you can't teach it.
9. 33Anthony MorellStay GroundedAnthony Morell gets real about dropping his polished corporate image, finding his voice on LinkedIn, and the leading indicators that tell him he's heading for burnout.
10. 32Robert LoCascioLead Your LifeRob LoCascio started LivePerson by sleeping on an office couch and now, 28 years and two new startups later, we get into failure, purpose, and leading your life.
11. 31Meghann MisiakBe Unapologetically YouMeghann Misiak's burnout wasn't being tired. It was her brain switching off at a light switch. We talk about where the job lives in your body.
12. 30Claude SilverIt Doesn’t Have to Be This HardClaude Silver, Gary Vaynerchuk's Chief Heart Officer, once hid being gay at a company where she didn't feel safe. We get into what that costs.
13. 29Ryan BarryDon’t Be an AssholeRyan Barry runs a tech company on a simple rule: don't be an asshole. We talk about fatherhood, ADHD, and what it's like to be the fourth child in your own house.
14. 28Warren ZennaOwn the Seat You ChooseWarren Zenna says burnout is for people who aren't made for the job, and if you complain about your environment, you should do something about it.
15. 27Chris SavageMake a Game You Can WinChris Savage of Wistia talks about the slow start to their now 19 year old company, why 3x growth felt like a failure, and how to play a game you can actually win.
16. 26Ben WiseDrop the PerformanceBen Wise went all in on building an app with AI, got disillusioned by the hype, and now questions what this tech is doing to our actual humanity.
17. 25Natalie MarcotullioLife Isn’t an 800Former track athlete Natalie Marcotullio uses her 800 meter race experience to frame hard conversations, set boundaries, and prioritize what's actually valuable.
18. 24Brandon FluhartyInvite Your MuseMy old LivePerson colleague Brandon Fluharty traces every burnout he's had to one cause: letting someone else's voice override his own.
19. 23Devin ReedTurn Pain Into ProgressDevin Reed turned imposter syndrome into a million dollar sales year, but it took missing his baby's first rollover to learn the importance of boundaries.
20. 22Sam DunningPlay the Long GameAgency founder Sam Dunning gets into his laid back sales style, how burnout gives him eye styes, and the power of having a chip on your shoulder.
21. 21Jamal HamiltonTake ActionJamal Hamilton had a week from hell with a layoff and a family medical emergency. He tells me how he uses small, concrete actions to manage his anxiety and escapism.
22. 20Leslie VenetzDo the WorkLeslie Venetz ran a $750M budget and still had a boss counting her bathroom breaks. We get into hustle culture, a 100-day sober-curious reset, and rest.
23. 19Justin RoweCreate Your Zone of GeniusJustin Rowe crashed hard after working 18 hour days in the restaurant industry. He shares how saying no for the first time changed everything.
24. 18Ché UgwualaPings to PresenceChé Ugwuala’s kids called a family meeting about his always on work culture. We get into setting boundaries, depression, and inpatient care.
25. 17Tas BoberLoud BoundariesTas Bober on escaping tech burnout, saying no to clients, and building her business around a three day work week to protect her mental health.
26. 16Dilara CossetteNot FracturedDilara Cossette on going back to work the day after a family tragedy, leaving toxic cultures, and why vulnerability is a sign of strength, not weakness.
27. 15Jason WidupDefine Yourself FirstJason Widup thought anxiety looked like panic attacks. His looked like catastrophizing five steps ahead, plus decades of daily weed to quiet it.
28. 14David WalshPink Slip → CEODavid Walsh got fired twice, laid off 25 people in one day, and thinks everyone should get fired at least once. We get into the lonely job of being a founder.
29. 13Sam KuehnleThe Human Behind the PipelineSam Kuehnle on the martyrdom trap of hustle culture, prioritizing the human over the leader, and how eczema on his face was a signal to get his life back.
30. 12Jonathan BlandBe UncomfortableJonathan Bland talks about why a little stress is a good thing, how fatherhood destroyed his concept of work life balance, and why his company banned Friday meetings.
31. 11Evan HughesThere's No PlaybookEvan Hughes on losing his mom a month after a VP promotion, the myth of the unshakable leader, and why there's no playbook for grief.
32. 10Mac ReddinDare to be FunMac Reddin of Commsor talks healthy hustle, good versus bad stress, and why fun at work should be an advantage, not an add on like a pizza party.
33. 09Mark HuberSpeak UpMark Huber on losing a friend to suicide, navigating a toxic workplace with a special forces CEO, and why he tells his team when he's going to therapy.
34. 08Tim DavidsonJust Own ItTim Davidson lost his first child to a stillbirth and answered by working more. We talk grief, humor as armor, and what a newborn changes.
35. 07Lashay LewisDo It AfraidLashay Lewis spent a decade tying her self-worth to whatever business she was running. She has a name for it: entrepreneurial depression.
36. 06Bolaji OyejideNeedle in the HaystackBolaji Oyejide on being asked to 4x pipeline, the impossible expectations of venture backed startups, and why marketers are tasked with turning straw into gold.
37. 05Alex BoydFind Your ZenAlex Boyd on moving from manic ambition to a healthier drive, setting boundaries, and why a cold plunge and a Costco wardrobe are his keys to success.
38. 04Mason CosbyWrite Your ObituaryMason Cosby of Scrappy ABM talks playing the long game in business, rooting your life in a purpose outside of work, and that one time he wrote his own obituary.
39. 03Vladimir BlagojevićFind FulfillmentVlad Blagojevic moved to Spain, had a baby, and bought a house all at once. The burnout landed him with level 10 pain, and a whole new perspective on work.
40. 02Anthony KennadaYou're Not AloneAnthony Kennada talks about losing a child, his own heart condition, and the illusion of control while leading a company through a crisis.
41. 01Chris WalkerMental Health in the Revenue RaceChris Walker says revenue leaders need to stop blaming themselves and start looking at the company's cap table, because unrealistic growth goals are a setup.