Tom Galido: Heart Transplants, Company Turnarounds, and the Fight to Lead Again

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, Andreas Pettersson speaks with Tom Galido—5x founder, 3x CEO, and heart transplant survivor—about what it really takes to scale businesses and survive life-altering adversity. From collapsing in the CEO seat to rebooting his life during COVID lockdown, Tom shares raw truths about operational risk, startup culture traps, and why resilience is the most undervalued trait in business.

Challenge → A life-threatening heart condition hit just as Tom was leading a turnaround—forcing him to balance hospital stays with board meetings, succession planning, and shielding his kids from fear.

Adaptation → Tom handed off leadership with grace, rebuilt his strength through disciplined recovery, and returned to the trenches—taking another company through rapid growth while uncovering hidden risks others had missed.

Success → A thriving second act as an advisor, novelist, and operator—helping founders scale smarter, raise capital cleaner, and avoid the landmines buried in HR, culture, and leadership.

🔥 60-Second Hot Seat: Tom shares why most startup cultures self-destruct without early intentionality, how founder health and isolation kill more companies than competition, and why MBA programs don’t teach you how to survive 100+ heartbeats per minute while running a board meeting. His top advice? Build networks before you need them—and write your story while you still can.

Think you're under pressure? Tom's comeback will make you rethink resilience, leadership—and what it truly means to live.

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