CEO Coaching International Podcast

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 ...

Guest: Mo Said, the Founder & CEO of Mojo Supermarket, a powerhouse advertising agency that's been named Small Agency of the Year, Strategy Team of the Year, and one of the Best Places to Work.

Overview: Growing and managing a BIG business is an art. For many CEOs, high-level leadership is also a journey of self-discovery. Find that perfect harmony between all your skills and passions and Making BIG Happen will be that much more fu...

Guest: Byron Carlock, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Byron is a distinguished real estate executive with 38 years of experience that spans the full real estate lifecycle from strategy to execution.

Quick Background: COVID, WFH, NIMBYs, and YIMBYs were already accelerating changes to how and where we work and live. Now leaders in the real estate sector are also contending with major political hurdles, higher interest rates, ...

Guest: Kyle Karnes, a coach at CEO Coaching International.  

Quick Background: If you're skipping over Gen Z workers because you "don't want to deal with them," you're letting stereotypes and social media memes cloud your judgment. Gen Z is mission-driven and tech-savvy, and they crave strong leadership that can teach them how to channel their passions into Making BIG Happen. 

On today's show, Kyle Karnes explains why Gen Z may be ...

Guest: Brett Jackson, a coach at CEO Coaching International.  Brett is a seven-time CEO, and two-time COO with 35 years of experience leading software and SaaS companies through scale-ups, pivots, and turnarounds. Before he became a CEO, Brett built deep go-to-market expertise as a VP in product sales and marketing.

Quick Background: You can't always blame sales and marketing when your sales are trending in the wrong direction. And...

Guest: Matt Dunie, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Matt  has founded or co-founded four companies and served as CEO or President five times across the information services and SaaS sectors. He's led businesses ranging from startups to enterprises approaching $400 million in revenue, and he's executed more than 20 acquisitions and exits.

Quick Background: Successful startups and small businesses eventually reach a place where...

Guest: Joanne Starkman, the co-founder of Innersense Organic Beauty, a clean hair care brand that she launched with her husband Greg.

Overview: All successful CEOs pour their hearts into their businesses. But a company that truly lives and breathes your mission can be as BIG as it is rewarding and impactful. 

On today's show, Joanne Starkman discusses how her deeply personal mission to create non-toxic, high-performing hair care pr...

Guest: Rick Stern,  the CEO and founder of Stern Recruiting. Rick is also the former founder and CEO of Nitel, which is a telecom company that he bootstrapped from zero to $180 million in revenue over two decades before he exited through a private equity transaction.

Overview: Now what?

That's the question high-performing CEOs ask themselves after they've reached any major milestone. But after selling your business or retiring, you...

Guest: Dr. Joel Myers,  the Founder and Executive Chairman of AccuWeather. Dr. Myers is considered the father of modern commercial meteorology.

Overview: CEOs often feel like they're making "life and death" business decisions. But, as we saw during the pandemic, when the safety of your customers and employees is at stake, CEOs need reliable data that will help them adapt to the facts on the ground quickly and lead decisively. 

On t...

Guest: Don Yaeger,  a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, a business leadership coach, and a 12-time New York Times best-selling author. Don is the host of the highly rated Corporate Competitor Podcast and National Geographic's Storyteller in Residence. He's also a longtime associate editor for Sports Illustrated and one of America's premier thought leaders on storytelling, leadership, and greatness.

Overview: Your company's tech stack n...

Guest: Chris Braun a coach at CEO Coaching International. Chris is a YPO member who has served as a CEO for 24 years across a diverse range of industries, including franchising, medical devices, power generation, SAS, and specialty plastics. He's also led multiple companies through successful exits and private equity transactions.

Quick Background: Consistent, transparent communication is a hallmark of great leadership. But a CEO i...

Guest: Smith Holland, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Smith served as President & CEO of three businesses, including Crayola, Hallmark Global, and Hallmark Canada, with revenues ranging from $125 million to $2 billion.

Quick Background: No "good" company makes the leap to "great" without exceptional leadership. Where good CEOs just keep the gears turning, great CEOs actually create value by managing a culture that inspires p...

Guest: Brian Mergelas, a coach at CEO Coaching International.  Brian is an accomplished leader with over 25 years of experience in driving growth, innovation, and operational excellence for global technology companies and startups.

Quick Background: As AI usage becomes more and more mainstream, companies that didn't have the foresight to include an AI road map in their last few annual planning sessions are scrambling onto the bandw...

Guest: Jeff Tennyson, a Coach and Partner at CEO Coaching International and the former CEO of Lima One Capital, one of the country’s leading lenders to real estate investors. Jeff is also a former coaching client of CEO Coaching International.

Quick Background: Every entrepreneur dreams of a BIG exit. But having a dream isn't the same as having a plan. To attract an ideal buyer, owners and CEOs need to scale smart, assemble the rig...

Are you ready to achieve the unimaginable this year?

Then register now for the 2025 Make BIG Happen Summit, April 24-27 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel. This year, in addition to our usual lineup of world-class speakers and social events, we’re excited to unveil our exclusive “MBH” program—a full MBA experience distilled into one intensive day. You’ll gain strategies and insights directly from renowned experts like Good To G...

Guest: Chris Stakich, Chief Community Officer at CEO Coaching International. Chris oversees our business forums, in-person events, and communication hubs. Prior to joining the team, Chris was the Chief Experience Officer at YPO where he oversaw 500+ global events, 6,500+ forums, all strategic partnerships, and the member learning strategy.

Quick Background: Learning and leadership growth should always be at the top of a CEO's list ...

Guest: Dina Coker, the founder and CEO of Akcel Partners, a groundbreaking company that specializes in providing outsourced sales talent that is tailored to meet the specific challenges of its clients.

Overview: Making BIG Happen requires a sales strategy that's innovative, adaptable, and capable of sustaining scale. But sales isn't a core competency at all firms -- especially start-ups and companies that are laser-focused on produ...

Guest: Erin Cigich, CEO of Perform[cb], a leading outcome-based marketing firm that helps brands acquire customers on a performance-based model where companies pay only for real results.

Overview: Every BIG starts small. In order to achieve their vision and sustain growth, the CEO has to establish precise, actionable steps that build towards measurable results. Keep the right numbers trending in the right direction every day, month...

Guest: Matt Plitt, President & Chief Executive Officer of Valent U.S.A. LLC, which is part of Sumitomo Chemicals Global Agricultural Operations. Matt is responsible for driving growth across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.

Overview: Every BIG is even BIGGER at a truly global business. Subsidiaries and their holding companies need to synchronize culture and processes to achieve a wide array of goals that impact a huge number of stakeho...