The Playbook With David Meltzer

The Playbook With David Meltzer

Welcome to The Playbook, hosted by entrepreneur, CEO, author and keynote speaker David Meltzer. On the podcast you’ll find a mix of interviews, Q&A, fireside chats, keynotes, and exclusive conversations with the most influential CEO’s, sports icons, and successful entrepreneurs who share their personal and professional play-by-play of the “what”, “why”, and “how” to achieve anything you set your mind to.

Episodes

January 19, 2026 32 mins
In this episode, I explain why your past isn’t holding you back—the meaning you give it is. I share six lessons that help you move from interference to alignment by auditing your influences, owning your energy, and reframing old stories into fuel for growth. When you replace blame with accountability, pressure with practice, and regret with learning, momentum returns. Your past becomes leverage when you let go of what drains you an...
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In today’s episode, I sit down with Shaan Rais, a high-integrity brand builder and event creator who understands how energy, intention, and consistency shape real influence. We talk about why brand is not a logo or a tagline, but the ability to capture your essence through skills, knowledge, and desire. I share how community is built through frequency, why 10 percent of people will love you and 10 percent will never align, and how ...
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In today’s episode, I sit down with Fran Maier, a serial entrepreneur with three decades of experience and the founder and CEO of BabyQuip. After helping scale Match.com as its first general manager and co founder, Fran turned her attention to a new marketplace built around trust, safety, and real family needs. We talk about how BabyQuip grew from a simple vacation rental problem into a national platform, why empowering women opera...
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January 16, 2026 34 mins
In today’s episode I sit down with Richard Pink, second generation steward of the iconic Pink’s Hot Dogs, to talk about how a $50 push cart became an 85 year institution. We cover consistency over trends, building community beyond the counter, and creating experiences people remember long after the meal. Richard shares lessons on employee loyalty, bonuses that matter, word of mouth marketing, licensing without losing quality, and a...
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January 15, 2026 19 mins
In today’s episode, I sit down with entrepreneur and Ambigram founder Lee Brett, a creator turning language, identity, and emotion into wearable art. Lee shares how a brutal trademark battle and personal setbacks led him to build Ambigram, a fashion brand rooted in transformation and perspective. We talk about Ambigrams as design tools, the emotional power of sports branding, and how technology and AI could make personalized words ...
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January 14, 2026 32 mins
In today’s episode, I break down why attention is the engine, monetization is the transmission, and brand is the fuel that makes both go farther for less. I explain why spreading content everywhere weakens results, how to rank platforms by attention density, and why one or two primary channels outperform five distracted ones. I walk through aligning native monetization paths with where people already watch, save, share, and act, in...
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In today’s episode, I sit down with entrepreneur David Royce, Founder and Chairman of Aptive, to talk about building scale without losing control. We go back to his broke college days, the early lessons around equity, and the first year when rapid growth nearly put his business under. We break down how he built four companies over two decades, why cash flow can be more dangerous than failure, and the people strategies that matter w...
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January 12, 2026 34 mins
In this episode, I share six lessons that show why presence always beats performance. Rooms don’t respond to titles—they respond to energy, clarity, and service. I walk through how intention sets the tone, why the first moments matter, and how asking better questions creates alignment without force. I explain why breathing before speaking creates confidence, how to say less and mean more, and why combining data, stories, and lesson...
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January 11, 2026 45 mins
In today’s episode, I share a lesson about lessons: don’t hoard notes, capture only what truly resonates, and store it in a searchable system. From there, I frame leadership as intelligent followership: mentor, teacher, and coach. I break down the energy crisis between who you are and who you want people to think you are, then shift into abundance. Ask for help, find open minds, and create value by giving people more of what they w...
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January 10, 2026 19 mins
In today’s episode, I’m joined by Steev Hodgson, certified ADHD coach and founder of DOSE, an app built to support how an ADHD brain actually works. We talk about why ADHD is so often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or ignored, and how that confusion shows up in emotional regulation, executive function, and rejection sensitivity. Steev shares his own late diagnosis, how coaching thousands of clients sharpened his self awareness, and w...
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January 9, 2026 21 mins
In today’s episode, I sit down with Gary Stokan, president and CEO of Peach Bowl, Inc., to talk about leadership, longevity, and building something that lasts in big time sports. We cover his 47 years across coaching, brand marketing, and bowl season growth, including the frameworks he used to scale the Chick fil A Peach Bowl into a New Year’s Six mainstay. Gary breaks down relationship capital, smart risk taking, and why he put hi...
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In today’s episode, I sit down with Danny Cortenraede, founder and managing partner of InStudio Ventures, to talk about what actually matters when you are building a company and trying to raise capital. We get real about the myth of overnight success, the grind behind it, and why relationships, resilience, and alignment matter more than flashy ideas. Danny shares how he evaluates founders, how deal flow really works in sports and e...
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January 7, 2026 30 mins
In today’s episode, I sit down with Tim Storey, a globally known inspirational voice who has helped millions across 78 countries, from business leaders and entertainers to everyday families, find momentum through adversity. We talk about acting like the champion you already are, shaped by gratitude, discipline, and choosing the right people. I share how my mother’s standards formed my mindset, why success and failure both arrive sl...
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January 6, 2026 30 mins
In today’s episode, I talk through why comfort becomes a trap and how non negotiable behaviors create momentum when life feels heavy. I share how stacking small wins around sleep, movement, breathing, nutrition, and family clears interference and restores clarity. We get into lowering the bar during desperate seasons, creating immediate income before chasing big dreams, and why faith is a predisposition while intention drives resul...
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In this episode, I share the six mindset shifts I see in high achievers who create momentum without waiting to feel ready. I explain why progress beats protection, how imperfect action builds belief, and why curiosity outperforms fear every time. We’ll talk about replacing excuses with solutions, building a growth identity through daily practice, and using simple systems to turn challenges into lessons. This is about taking bold, c...
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January 4, 2026 20 mins
In today’s episode, I break down why consistency alone eventually stalls progress, and how growth actually comes from evolving the behaviors underneath it. I talk through the idea of overnight success taking 17 and a half years, why progress feels painfully slow before it suddenly accelerates, and how most people quit far earlier than they realize. We get into non negotiable behaviors, intentional daily minimums, and why two focuse...
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January 3, 2026 20 mins
In today’s episode, I sit down with James Crook, founder and president of BlinC Games, a universal platform built to organize any game, anywhere, anytime. We talk about how sports, competition, and fatherhood shaped James’s resilience, leadership, and long-term vision. James shares the real story behind building BlinC from the ground up, from sleeping on floors and driving Uber to creating a system that empowers organizers, players...
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In today’s episode, I break down how to stop fighting bad habits and start understanding them. We are not broken people, we are patterned people, and habits live inside loops of triggers, behaviors, and perceived rewards. I walk through how to map that loop, master the pause when fear and uncertainty hit, and replace low yielding behaviors with ones aligned to where you want to be or better. We talk about devotion over discipline, ...
Mark as Played
In today’s episode, I break down how to stop fighting bad habits and start understanding them. We are not broken people, we are patterned people, and habits live inside loops of triggers, behaviors, and perceived rewards. I walk through how to map that loop, master the pause when fear and uncertainty hit, and replace low yielding behaviors with ones aligned to where you want to be or better. We talk about devotion over discipline, ...
Mark as Played
December 31, 2025 45 mins
In today’s episode I share how early morning meetups turned boredom into service and why curiosity beats being interesting. I talk about capturing what resonates and what irritates you then building a simple system to revisit it until the lesson reveals itself. We get into faith and entrepreneurship and why progress takes a thousand steps even when evidence says quit. I explain perceived value versus bottom line how preparation bui...
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