To The Top: Inspirational Career Advice

In a candid conversation from his Miami office, veteran tech executive Dave shared insights from his journey from IT consultant to running companies with thousands of employees. A former wrestler and Division I athlete, Dave's path has been anything but conventional - from managing a help desk at 24 to leading multiple successful exits and navigating the volatile crypto space. Known for interviewing every single employee when he jo...

Jared and Jordan Schmidt are brothers who disrupted the cutlery industry by making high-quality, beautifully designed knives affordable. They share the life and career lessons they learned through their journey that led from a concept to a successful company. You can find Schmidt Bros knives in over 10,000 retail locations across the country. 

In this episode we discuss: 

• How to spot a...

This interview explores the journey of Albert Chow, co-founder of Silk & Snow, a Canadian sleep & lifestyle company that started as a mattress-in-a-box business. Chow discusses how his immigrant parents and blue-collar background influenced his business approach, particularly his focus on supply chain transparency and quality manufacturing. Through organic growth and without outside fundin...

This is the story of Amir Loloi, the founder of Loloi Rugs, one of the largest rug companies in America. It traces his remarkable journey from arriving in Dallas as a 16-year-old Iranian immigrant in 1976, barely speaking English, to building a 650-person company that has transformed the rug industry. Through early jobs at Burger King and driving an ice cream truck, to spending 25 years learning the rug business before starting his...

Dan Martell is the bestselling author of “Buy Back Your Time” and a growth coach for business leaders.

He is also the founder of Martell Ventures, a portfolio of companies that makes over $100M in revenue.

After spending time in jail and rehab at the age of 17, Dan turned his life around.

He taught himself to code, founded and led 3 tech companies to exit, and has invested in over 60 startups.

Dan was named Forbes Top 10 Business P...

Coach Jon Gruden won a Super Bowl as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He previously led the Oakland Raiders to prominence, and hosted Monday Night Football. He's currently joined Barstool Sports and has a YouTube channel called Gruden Loves Football where he breaks down game previews and interviews NFL players and coaches. In this episode we discuss:

-the traits of a Gruden Grinder

-why it's important to be a lifelong le...

Dwayne Cowan is the President of the Residential HVAC business at Trane Technologies. He earned his degree in biological engineering from the University of Georgia and his MBA from the Arizona State University. For nearly 20 years he's led teams in the HVAC industry both at Thermo King and now Trane -- which is widely known as the leader in the HVAC industry. In this episode we discuss:

-the importance of preparation 

-why the best...

Mark Matson is a financial expert and investment advisor. As the founder and CEO of Matson Money, his firm has $8.6B in assets under management while serving 35,000 families nationwide. Mark published his book, Experiencing the American Dream: How to Invest Your Time, Energy, and Money to Create an Extraordinary Life. During our interview, we discuss:

-Why money can't buy happiness

-The misconceptions we've been taught about The Am...

Richard Krulik is the CEO of Briggs & Riley, a well established luggage brand that has been in existence for over 30 years. Richard and I discuss the rich history including:

-how he onboards new employees to create a better culture at work

-why good companies are built on trust

-how to prepare in advance of chaos, or as he says "fly the plane"

-how his father led by example

-what he hopes his team would say about him as a leader

-w...

Tessa West is a professor of psychology at NYU. She's the author of Jerks at Work and Job Therapy: Finding Work That Works For You. Tessa's TED Talk -- The Problem With Being "Too Nice" at Work has nearly 800,000 views. In Job Therapy she provides a science-backed handbook that will help you better understand your relationship with your job and how to improve it. She also discusses the most common reasons why people are frustrated ...

Kim Scott has worked in leadership roles at companies like Apple and Google. She is also a best-selling author as her book, Radical Candor, is one of the most beloved business books of the last decade. In Radical Respect: How to Work Together Better -- she details how organizations that optimize for collaboration and honor everyone's individuality are often more successful, joyful places to work.

In this episode we discuss:

-Why it...

Dan Harris was an award-winning ABC Journalist who anchored Nightline. He's widely known for having a panic attack on national TV. Through a lot of inner work, he published 10% Happier about his traumatic experience and how he was able to rehabilitate himself which included practices like meditation. Dan's TED Talk on self-compassion has eclipsed 3 million views. We discuss his work including:

-What he learned about himself through...

Brianna Wiest is the best-selling author of The Mountain Is You, 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think, and The Pivot Year. Her books have been read by millions of people and she is widely recognized for her wisdom of navigating life's challenges. In this episode we discuss The Mountain Is You including:

-the definition of self-sabotage

-the ways you can recognize self-sabotage

-how we can begin to course correct

-the signi...