Founder's Story

Daniel Robbins sits down with Vince Menzione, former Microsoft executive, founder of Ultimate Partner, and author of The Ultimate Partners: Seven Principles for Winning in the Age of Ecosystems, AI, and CoSell. Vince reveals how one early-morning phone call sparked a partnership that ultimately contributed to a company acquisition at 10 times its previous valuation. Drawing on four decades in business, including nearly a decade at Microsoft, he explains why partnerships outperform traditional sales strategies, why most corporate alliances fail after the first meeting, and why trust becomes even more valuable in the age of AI. The conversation explores executive accountability, partnership leadership, the power of in-person relationships, the lessons Vince learned from his immigrant grandfather, and how a devastating bicycle accident inspired him to finally write his book.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Grammy-winning rapper, producer, entrepreneur, and King of Crunk Lil Jon for a revealing conversation about the man behind some of music’s biggest hits. Lil Jon shares the untold stories behind Usher’s “Yeah!”, Ciara’s “Goodies,” “Turn Down for What,” and his legendary appearance on Chappelle’s Show. He reflects on receiving his first million-dollar check, recognizing hit records before anyone else, and performing at the Super Bowl halftime show. But the conversation takes a deeply personal turn as Lil Jon opens up about divorce, meditation, spirituality, fatherhood, and the devastating loss of his son. Through his transformation from party icon to a man focused on peace and purpose, Lil Jon reveals why acceptance, gratitude, and vulnerability have become central to his life.

In this Founder’s Story episode, Daniel Robbins sits down with Gary Yohe, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies at Wesleyan University and a longtime contributor to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). With more than 40 years of research, Gary explains the economic consequences of climate change, why extreme weather risks are intensifying, and whether humanity has passed the point of no return. The conversation explores climate adaptation, misinformation, the attacks scientists have faced, carbon markets, the difference between hope and optimism, AI versus climate change, and how Gary helped shape international climate policy through language accepted by 195 countries.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Rod Yancy, founder and CEO of Oath, to explore entrepreneurship, intuition, mortality, purpose, wealth, and what it means to live intentionally. Rod shares how Oath grew from one market in Tulsa into a national estate planning and financial services company across 35+ markets, but the deeper conversation goes far beyond law and finance. He reflects on resisting his own truth, going to law school by accident, discovering entrepreneurship, embracing intuition after a life-changing trip to India, and building a company rooted in helping people confront mortality so they can live with more meaning.

In this Founder’s Story episode, Daniel Robbins and Kate Hancock sit down with Craig Conover, reality television personality, entrepreneur, author, attorney, and longtime cast member of Bravo’s Southern Charm. Craig opens up about being bullied as a child, living with OCD and ADD, learning to create structure in his life, and turning the things he was once made fun of for into his superpower. The conversation explores reality TV, fame, mental health, relationships, entrepreneurship, Sewing Down South, profitability, personal branding, haters, and Craig’s mission to help kids understand that bullying is not their fault.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, world-renowned violinist, conductor, creator, transcriber, educator, and founder of the Baku International Arts Festival. Dmitry reflects on growing up inside a legendary musical family, escaping the Soviet system, arriving in New York with nothing, studying at Juilliard, building a global career across performance, conducting, transcription, festivals, and cultural leadership, and why music remains one of humanity’s most powerful emotional languages. The conversation explores genius, discipline, reinvention, Soviet-era artistic control, Bach, Shostakovich, Baku, mentorship, legacy, AI, and the “inner fire” that separates human creativity from imitation.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Anita Verma, a top-ranked commercial real estate consultant in Arizona and founder of Camelback Productions, to explore how land, power, AI infrastructure, and storytelling all connect through one central theme: seeing opportunity before the crowd arrives. Anita explains why the most valuable investors look beyond the headlines, how she identifies land in the path of future growth, and why AI cannot scale without the physical infrastructure underneath it. The conversation also covers data centers, power constraints, due diligence, billion-dollar decision-making, Hollywood, film production, South Asian storytelling, and how Anita thinks about impact across both real estate and cinema.

In this Founder’s Story episode, Daniel Robbins sits down with Rich Thomson, founder of Dreamliner and Caprice Capital Partners, to unpack how he went from helping his parents in their family-owned yogurt shops to building one of the leading entertainment transportation companies in the live touring industry. Rich shares why he bought 12 entertainer coaches during COVID when live entertainment was shut down, how that risk turned into a fleet of more than 225 coaches and 70+ trucks, and why direct founder-to-founder acquisitions helped him scale. The conversation covers risk, M&A, profitability, client service, people, logistics, finance, entrepreneurship, giving back, and why being the best matters more than being the biggest.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Tim Arrigo, a master’s-level counselor with more than 20,000 clinical hours, co-founder of Beyond Driven and the Total Breakthrough Academy, and author of The Inside Out Method. Tim breaks down what really kills marriages, why so many men wait until the relationship is on fire before they get help, and how entrepreneurs often bring the same control, pressure, and identity patterns from business into their homes. The conversation explores selfishness, resentment, contempt, forgiveness, emotional intelligence, addiction, trauma, masculinity, divorce, fatherhood, low testosterone, business burnout, and why nearly every external problem begins with an internal one.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Tony Hawk, legendary skateboarder, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and one of the most influential pioneers of vertical skateboarding. Tony reflects on his earliest signature board, choosing skateboarding before it was a real career, risking his house to start Birdhouse during skateboarding’s decline, protecting his name after bad licensing deals, building one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, and landing the 900 after more than a decade of painful attempts. The conversation explores sacrifice, brand integrity, entrepreneurship, obsession, injury, the Olympics, skateboarding culture, and what Tony calls a “steel mindset.”

Daniel Robbins sits down with Greg Mohr, founder of Franchise Maven, franchise consultant, and bestselling author, to break down why franchising may be a smarter path for people who want to own a business without building everything from scratch. Greg shares how he achieved financial independence with one franchise, why most people misunderstand franchising as only burgers and fries, and how entrepreneurs can use proven systems to lower risk, replace income, and build sellable assets. The conversation covers franchise selection, territories, semi-absentee ownership, corporate burnout, service businesses, pet care, margins, franchise failures, and Greg’s “Anti-Founder” approach to buying into systems that already work.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Christopher Zook, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Investment Officer of CAZ Investments, to unpack how a vision he wrote down in 1991 eventually became one of the leading alternative investment firms in the world. Christopher shares how Tony Robbins shaped his life decades before they became partners and co-authors, why he does not believe in “manifesting” without work, how ultra-high-net-worth investors think differently, and why private markets, professional sports, diversification, tax efficiency, and purpose matter so much in building lasting wealth. The conversation also explores sacrifice, faith, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, the cost of success, and what Christopher would tell his younger self before starting CAZ.

In this episode of Founder’s Story, Daniel Robbins sits down with Scott Frohman, Founder and CEO of Odyssey Functional Energy, to discuss his journey from Wall Street executive to serial entrepreneur. Scott shares how burnout led him to experiment with functional mushrooms, why he believes the energy drink category has lacked innovation for decades, and how multiple business pivots—from vaping to CBD to functional beverages—prepared him to build what he believes is the future of energy. He also reveals the costly failures that shaped him, why listening to customers matters more than sticking to a plan, and how Odyssey grew into tens of thousands of retail locations without spending money on influencers.

Daniel Robbins sits down with William “Bill” Funk, an attorney with more than 30 years of experience, to talk about one of the most important but most avoided topics: writing a will. Bill explains why people delay estate planning, what can go wrong when someone dies without a will, why choosing the right executor matters, and how families can avoid unnecessary court battles, legal fees, and confusion. The conversation also covers trusts, business ownership, community property, family fairness, unsigned wills, witnesses, and why Bill wrote a book to help people create a simple will without paying thousands of dollars to an attorney.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Brent Freeman, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and author of The Alchemy of Joy, to unpack why achievement, money, and business success do not automatically create happiness. Brent shares how he closed a $10 million deal at 23, became a millionaire on paper, and woke up the next morning feeling emotionally empty. The conversation explores burnout, hustle culture, neuroscience, childhood trauma, meditation, entrepreneurship, money, presence, and the practical tools Brent now teaches to help high performers stop deferring joy for “one day” and start experiencing it now.

Daniel Robbins and Kate Hancock sit down with Charlie Shrem and Courtney Shrem for a raw conversation about Bitcoin’s earliest days, love, chaos, prison, resilience, and reinvention. Charlie reflects on becoming one of Bitcoin’s first major pioneers, helping build the early Bitcoin economy, becoming a founding figure in the Bitcoin Foundation, and then watching everything collapse when he was arrested at JFK. Courtney shares what it was like to meet Charlie during that wild chapter, make the first Bitcoin transaction accepted in a New York City nightclub, stand by him through prison, and rebuild a life together. The episode also explores early Bitcoin culture, Satoshi, Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum, quantum threats, marriage, trust, loyalty, and what it really means to choose the life you have over the life you lost.

Daniel Robbins sits down with George Dimov, CPA and President of Dimov Tax, to unpack how wealthy people think about taxes, why business owners and freelancers often overpay, and what smart people still miss when it comes to tax strategy. George explains the difference between the “working rich” and ultra high net worth individuals, how billionaires often build wealth through appreciated stock, why borrowing against assets can delay taxable events, and how entrepreneurs can use tools like retirement plans, cost segregation, bookkeeping audits, and proper entity planning to reduce tax liability. The conversation also explores the accountant shortage, AI’s limitations, the future of personal tax services, the coming generational wealth transfer, and why customer experience is still the best growth strategy for a professional service firm.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Sky Mitchell, Founder and CEO of Everwild Nordic Spa & Hotels, to unpack how getting fired 30 days into a senior corporate job became the beginning of her entrepreneurial life. Sky shares how she started with one Airbnb condo in Canmore, refinanced her BMW to fund her first deal, nearly went bankrupt multiple times, and ultimately built a hospitality and wellness real estate platform with hundreds of employees and nearly $1 billion in development. The conversation covers the rise of experience-driven travel, Nordic spas, retail investors, rejection, risk, intuition, family, fundraising, and why Sky believes the future of hospitality sits at the intersection of wellness, nature, and connection.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, global spiritual leader, humanitarian, peace ambassador, and founder of the Art of Living Foundation, shares a powerful message on happiness, silence, emotional resilience, leadership, technology, and the human mind. The conversation explores why so many successful people have money but still cannot sit alone in silence, how meditation helps people manage anxiety and emotional overwhelm, why happiness comes from within, and why humanity must rebuild a sense of belonging with each other and the planet.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Cliff Nonnenmacher, entrepreneur, franchise expert, Co-Founder of Franocity, host of Pursuit of Profit, and co-author of Beyond the Brand. Cliff shares how he started making money at eight years old selling golf balls, launched a food delivery business at nineteen that was doing hundreds of deliveries a day, and eventually built a career across Wall Street, franchising, business acquisitions, and franchise consulting. The conversation covers hustle, fear, execution, buying failed businesses, why franchises fail, what industries he is bullish and bearish on, and how AI, robotics, aging populations, pet care, and the coming wealth transfer could reshape the future of business.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Christopher Mackin, WELLTH Advisor and author of TRUE WELLTH, to explore why wealth is not just financial, but emotional, spiritual, and deeply connected to the way we see ourselves. After 20 years in traditional finance helping wealthy people become wealthier, Christopher felt called to leave the path he had built and redefine wealth around abundance, purpose, silence, service, and alignment. The conversation covers money wounds, childhood programming, burnout, silent meditation retreats in India and Thailand, conscious entrepreneurship, generational wealth, and why the next wave of wealth creation may be about stewardship instead of accumulation.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Peter Murphy, CEO of Pocket Prep, to explore the future of education, AI, bootstrapping, and what it really takes to build a company without outside funding. Peter shares why he worries about the rush to automate everything, especially teachers, how college is changing in an AI driven job market, and why human instructors still matter. The conversation also covers leaving a secure job at Lockheed Martin, building Pocket Prep from an $1,800 bootstrap investment into a multimillion dollar company, navigating platform dependency with Apple, using AI inside education, the emotional weight of being CEO, and why taking care of people became one of his biggest founder lessons.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Vince Molinari, founder and CEO of FINTECH.TV and FinTech Media Group, to unpack a nearly 30 year journey through Wall Street, financial innovation, blockchain, media, and democratized access to markets. Vince shares how his earliest lessons came from failures, why regulated industries require a different kind of entrepreneur, and how FINTECH.TV became one of the few full time studios broadcasting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The conversation explores restricted stock, private securities, digital assets, partnerships, the $50 million TAP acquisition, token based rewards, data ownership, and why founders must be willing to endure pain, pivot constantly, and keep building through failure.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Nicole Eckels, Co Founder and Creative Director of Sapphire Group, Glasshouse Fragrances, and Circa Home, to unpack how she built one of the most recognizable fragrance businesses out of Australia and brought it into the U.S. market. Nicole shares why she still struggles to say she has “made it,” how patience and experience helped her crack America, and why understanding the customer at the deepest level became her advantage. The conversation explores category creation, luxury consumer psychology, speed to market, AI in creative production, the cost of success, motherhood, work life balance, and why Nicole is not chasing an exit but still chasing the next level of growth.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Antony Gordon, keynote speaker, sports and entertainment lawyer, life coach, husband, father, and founder behind Lighthouse Edutainment. Antony shares what he learned advising MrBeast, why he believes social media has created one of the biggest mental health crises of our time, and how pop culture has sold young people false ideas about happiness, fame, love, success, and purpose.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Stephanie Wittels Wachs, co founder and CEO of Lemonada Media, to unpack how unimaginable grief became the foundation for one of the most meaningful companies in podcasting. Stephanie shares how the death of her brother Harris Wittels from a heroin overdose led her first to writing, then to the podcast Last Day, and eventually to Lemonada’s mission to “make life suck less.” The conversation explores addiction, grief, comedy, mission driven media, building a values based company, attracting major talent, navigating acquisition, and why the hardest parts of life can become the work that helps others survive.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Shane Ginsberg, founder and CEO of Street Poller Media, to unpack how a young founder who dropped out of school after eighth grade turned street interviews into a scalable media and advertising business. Shane shares how growing up around business conferences shaped the way he saw education, why he believes real human reactions matter more than ever in an AI saturated content world, and how one early brand video that generated $25,000 in sales helped him realize street polling could become a company. The conversation also explores authenticity, clipping, attention, rejection, going all in, proving people wrong, and what it takes to build at a high level by age 21.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga, to explore the emotional reality behind building one of Silicon Valley’s most iconic social gaming companies. Mark reflects on childhood, his complicated but ultimately repaired relationship with his father, the pressure of taking Zynga public, and the brutal shift from being named Founder of the Year to being publicly criticized as one of the worst CEOs in America. The conversation also dives into his new book, Life at the Speed of Play, why most founders should test demand before building, how AI changes the odds for builders, and why the best product ideas often start as instincts that need discipline, not ego.

Daniel Robbins and Kate Hancock sit down with Daymond John, founder of FUBU, investor on Shark Tank, author, and entrepreneur, for a conversation about branding, risk, reputation, personal legacy, and what it really costs to build success. Daymond shares the story behind his FUBU medallion, how his mother mortgaged her home to help save the company, why reputation matters more than capital or AI, and why CEOs today have a responsibility to control their narrative. The episode also explores Shark Tank, social media, haters, personal branding, health, biohacking, legacy, and why the people behind the scenes deserve more credit than they often receive.

Daniel Robbins travels to Detroit to meet Larry Brinker Jr., a mission driven leader, investor, and builder whose family company has helped shape the city’s comeback. What begins as a story about construction becomes a deeper story about legacy, Black entrepreneurship, community, resilience, and the power of believing in a city before the rest of the world does. Larry shares how his father moved the family and business to Detroit when others were leaving, how Brinker helped restore landmarks like Michigan Central Station, and why his mission is not just to build buildings, but to bring people together.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Suryansh Tibarewal, Co-Founder of EssentiallySports, to unpack how three college students in India turned a $100 domain into a bootstrapped American sports media company doing more than $8 million a year in revenue. Suryansh shares why the company started from pure fandom, how the team discovered the power of U.S. sports audiences, and why the open web became the foundation for their business. The conversation also dives into COVID-era hypergrowth, building a 400-person media organization, the threat and opportunity of AI, audience ownership through newsletters, and why Suryansh now believes building something bigger than yourself is more fulfilling than becoming a solo founder.

In this Founder’s Story episode, Daniel Robbins sits down with Vera Quinn, President and CEO of Cydcor, to discuss why she believes human-to-human sales still matters in an AI-driven world. Vera shares how a summer door-to-door sales job became the foundation for a decades-long career, why rejection became one of her greatest teachers, and how she rose through Cydcor to become its first female President and CEO. The conversation also explores immigrant work ethic, personal sacrifice, motherhood, ambition, leadership, learning the skills required to become CEO, and Vera’s work with Liberty Children’s Home in Belize.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Jamarri J., founder of Klyno AI, to explore why he believes the future of artificial intelligence should be private, personal, and controlled by users—not locked inside one company, one model, or one ecosystem. Jamarri shares how frustration with endless AI wrappers pushed him to build a unified workspace that brings together models, agents, workflows, tools, and memory. The conversation dives into KlynoBrain, data ownership, AI humanism, being an outsider in the AI world, working all night while holding a day job, and why Jamarri believes the best version of AI is not one giant system controlling everything, but many models working together for people.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Tom Sosnoff, founder of thinkorswim, tastytrade, and LossDog, to unpack the mindset behind multiple massive exits, building companies that buyers still value years later, and why Tom has no interest in slowing down. Tom explains why he hates the idea of work-life balance, why he and his longtime partner Scott never celebrate exits with “high fives,” and why the best companies are built because the founder is obsessed with building—not because they are trying to sell. The conversation also dives into employee pay, wage gaps, tokenized private markets, prediction markets, financial media, daily shows, and why giving employees life-changing checks may be more meaningful than buying any luxury toy.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Raj Toleti, Chairman and CEO of Andor Health, to explore how AI is reshaping healthcare—not by replacing doctors, but by eliminating administrative burden, expanding access to care, and helping clinicians focus on patients. Raj shares why healthcare faces an immediate staffing crisis, how AI reasoning and automation are already reducing thousands of nursing hours, and why profitable businesses with measurable customer outcomes are far more valuable than companies built solely for growth. The conversation also covers entrepreneurship, multiple exits, mentoring young leaders, creating employee wealth, and why Raj believes legacy is measured by the number of lives you change.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Lee Rossey, CTO and Co-Founder of SimSpace, to unpack the new cybersecurity risks emerging from AI agents, cloud coding tools, autonomous systems, and multi-agent environments. Lee explains why people should assume anything they put into an AI system could eventually leak, how AI is changing both offense and defense in cyber, and why the next major challenge is testing whether AI agents can safely act on behalf of companies. The conversation also traces Lee’s journey from 15 years at MIT Lincoln Laboratory to bootstrapping SimSpace, building military-grade cyber ranges, and helping governments and enterprises prepare for a future where automated attackers face automated defenses.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Rana Gujral, CEO of Behavioral Signals, to explore the real frontier of AI: not just what machines can do, but what using them does to human judgment, instinct, trust, and meaning. Rana explains why companies are struggling to get value from AI, why voice deepfakes are making “hearing is believing” obsolete, and why the next leap may not be artificial general intelligence, but artificial general experience. The conversation moves from enterprise adoption and AI consciousness to failure, intuition, turnarounds, employee ownership, and one of the most important questions of our lifetime: what does it mean to be human?

Daniel Robbins sits down with Lukas Kerrebijn, co-founder of RD Dubai, RD Vastgoed, and RD Advisory, to unpack how he went from a 19-year-old intern in Dutch real estate to helping drive more than $750 million in sales before turning 30. Lukas shares the story of his first deal, why he told a seller he was 25 when he was really 19, and how one property viewing with seven investors became the proof point for an entirely new business model. He also explains why Dutch regulatory changes pushed him toward Dubai, how sponsorships in kickboxing, football, and Formula One helped build RD Dubai’s brand, and why his long-term mission is bigger than real estate: building sports complexes and wellness projects that create opportunity for children in Africa.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Brandon Tseng, President and Co-founder of Shield AI, to unpack how a former Navy SEAL turned firsthand combat experience into one of the most important defense technology companies in the world. Brandon shares why ignorance can be an entrepreneur’s superpower, how every investor said no in Shield AI’s early days, and why raising money feels less like celebration and more like signing up for another championship season. The conversation dives into Hell Week, leadership, autonomous warfare, the VBAT’s real-world missions, and why Brandon’s definition of success has nothing to do with becoming a billionaire and everything to do with building something that protects service members and civilians.

Daniel Robbins sits down with John Lunsford, founder of Tethral, to explore one of the most overlooked questions in AI: what happens when agents start communicating with the machines around us? John breaks down why IoT has disappointed for decades, why AI agents could finally make connected devices useful, and why that also introduces serious safety and security risks inside the home. From Uber Teens to anthropology, monarch butterflies, AI instability, and the future of adaptive environments, John explains why the next generation of technology must fit human behavior instead of forcing humans to fit the technology.

Daniel Robbins sits down with private investigator Tyler Maroney and filmmaker Tucker Tooley to unpack their four-year global investigation into one of the greatest financial mysteries of our time: who created Bitcoin? The team behind Finding Satoshi says its investigation points to two people—Hal Finney and Len Sassaman—and explains the evidence, false leads, interviews, and breakthrough that led them there. They also explore why Satoshi’s untouched Bitcoin fortune matters, why anonymity may have helped Bitcoin succeed, and what its creators might think about the trillion-dollar movement their work became.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Oren Barzilai, Co-founder and CEO of Equitybee, to unpack the hidden world of startup equity and why employees may be losing tens of billions of dollars in unexercised stock options every year. Oren shares how watching early employees at his previous startup miss out on life-changing acquisition payouts inspired Equitybee, why startup employees must understand equity as seriously as salary, and how one employee used the platform to turn an equity opportunity into $5.2 million. The conversation also explores private markets, pre-IPO investing, financial freedom, and why the employees building billion-dollar companies deserve to participate in the value they helped create.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Leo Pareja, CEO of eXp Realty, for a raw conversation about ambition, identity, failure, and the real meaning of success. Leo reveals why becoming the number one agent at Keller Williams left him feeling empty, how the 2008 financial crisis took him from a reported $5 million net worth to negative $1 million in months, and why those experiences completely changed how he leads, raises his kids, and builds companies. The conversation also dives into AI, the possible death of enterprise SaaS, founder identity, content, representation, and why courage is not the absence of fear—it is moving forward while terrified.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Moe Seye to unpack the rise of the 1099 economy, the future of work, and why millions of people may never return to traditional employment. Moe shares how his time at Coca-Cola gave him stability and status, but eventually exposed the founder itch that pushed him to bet on himself. He explains why Silicon Valley still matters, how AI is accelerating the “company of one,” and why independent workers need the same infrastructure that corporate employees have always had: healthcare, retirement, tax support, business structure, and benefits.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Daniel Schlaepfer, President and CEO of Select Vantage Inc., to unpack the hidden mechanics of modern trading, from “free” trading apps and off-exchange market making to funded trader programs, AI, and why human judgment still matters. Daniel shares how a random subway newspaper ad changed his life, how he rebuilt a trading business from the wreckage of a failed firm, and why his company’s regulation-first culture helped create one of the strongest risk and compliance platforms in the industry.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Jack Doohan to explore the pressure, speed, and sacrifice behind Formula 1, and how that world shaped his move into entrepreneurship. Jack explains what it feels like to drive at extreme speed, how he prepares mentally and physically for race day, and what happened after being sidelined just six races into his Formula 1 career. He also opens up about building Meuze with childhood friends, using F1 relationships as an unfair advantage, and why solving a real-world problem in food and beverage technology gives him a different kind of satisfaction than racing.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Steve Salis to unpack the real grind behind building restaurant brands, scaling &pizza to a nine-figure valuation, and surviving the chaos of COVID when his business went from hundreds of millions in revenue to zero. Steve shares how he dropped out of college, moved to New York with no money, opened his first bar during the financial crisis, and later saw an opportunity to reinvent pizza through brand, product, environment, and community. He also breaks down why risk must be quantified, why execution beats ideas, and why endurance may be the most important trait in entrepreneurship.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Mauricio Umansky to unpack the full price of success: from delivering pizzas at 16 to closing more than $5 billion in sales, selling the Playboy Mansion, and building The Agency into a global luxury real estate brand. Mauricio opens up about reality TV, losing privacy, the burden it placed on his children, and why he still believes the exposure helped him build. He also breaks down the chaos in real estate, his criticism of the National Association of Realtors, the launch of the American Real Estate Association, and why AI could reshape the future of agents, transactions, and the entire industry.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Adam Hagaman, Kingdom entrepreneur, minister, and content creator, to unpack his transformation from drugs, alcohol, jail, and dropping out of high school to building businesses, reaching millions online, and using content as ministry. Adam shares how meeting his future wife at a party changed the direction of his life, why becoming the father he never had became a breaking point, and how faith reshaped his view of business, sales, success, and family. He also breaks down how he grew from zero to over one million followers across platforms and why attention has become the new currency.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Kat Schneider, Founder and CEO of Ritual, to unpack how she built one of the most trusted brands in women’s health after struggling to find a prenatal vitamin she trusted while pregnant. Kat shares why she ignored investors who dismissed pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause as “niche,” and why building a long-lasting iconic brand matters more to her than chasing an exit. She also opens up about motherhood, sacrifice, clinical studies, transparency, and why women’s health deserves better science, better regulation, and better products.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Cylton Collymore, founder of Sirsi, to unpack the AI hype cycle, the risks of handing over your digital life to agents, and why the current cloud-based AI model may become too expensive for everyday businesses. Cylton draws from his experience across the State Department, Federal Reserve, Meta, and cybersecurity to explain why AI should support human intelligence, not replace it. He also shares why getting pushed out of Meta became the catalyst for building Sirsi, and why founders need to be careful about equity, investors, and who they allow to claim their time and future.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Kris Fishman, CEO and President of Wells Pharmacy Network, to break down the confusing world of compounding pharmacies, peptides, GLP-1s, and personalized medicine. Kris explains why compounding exists, why peptides have exploded across social media, and how his company is navigating regulation, safety, speed, and demand. He also opens up about the sacrifices of leadership, missing much of his children’s lives while building, and why helping patients feel better became deeply personal for him.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Tal Lev-Ami, CTO and co founder of Cloudinary, to unpack what it takes to bootstrap a developer first platform into a global business while keeping culture, control, and discipline intact. Tal shares how coding became his “art” as a kid, why returning to hands on building through AI agents reignited his creativity, and what founders misunderstand about fundraising, dilution, and long term employee value. They also dive into the future of software, including the “zero person company,” the new reality of ultra low barriers to entry, and why enterprise grade reliability still separates real platforms from vibe coded demos.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Harrison Allen Lewis, founding partner at Jacob Meadow Associates and a three time CIO, to unpack the real leadership lessons that shape great operators. Harrison shares a shocking early story where a manager handed him the keys during a bomb threat, and how that moment rewired his view of accountability. They dive into why transformations fail when plans are not anchored to outcomes and strategy, why silos kill companies, and how Harrison’s career became a chain reaction of saying yes to scary doors.

Daniel Robbins sits down with beauty pioneer Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, to unpack how an immigrant with no English, no credit, and no safety net built a category defining global brand. Anastasia shares the brutal early years in Los Angeles, crying daily from culture shock, and the mindset Romania’s communist era taught her: do not complain, solve. She reveals the moment Oprah made her technique mainstream, how private equity changed the game, and why she personally put $225M back into the company to keep control and protect her legacy.

Daniel Robbins and Nadja sit down with British psychic medium and author Craig Hamilton-Parker for a wide-ranging conversation that spans intuition, prediction, and modern uncertainty. Craig explains how he approaches forecasting, why he tries to be specific, and why he believes free will still shapes outcomes. The episode includes his headline prediction about the LA mayor race, plus broader commentary on geopolitics, AI, and what he believes the next few years could feel like.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Lean Startup creator Eric Ries to unpack what AI is really changing and what it isn’t. Eric explains why faster MVPs don’t automatically mean easier entrepreneurship because competition accelerates too, and incumbents get the same tools. He also introduces the core idea of his new book Incorruptible: companies don’t fail only from bad strategy, they get “corrupted” as they scale, and governance must be designed before it’s too late.

Daniel Robbins talks with retired pharmacist turned author Chuck Knueve about the long, brutal road to diagnosing his son with Cushing’s disease and why he wrote Surviving Cushing’s Disease: A Young Man’s Journey at 73. Chuck explains how the condition mimics common illnesses, why testing happens too late, and how a 20-year delay can leave permanent damage even after treatment. He shares the practical red flags, why families must advocate hard, and the moment he chose to tell the story so others can get an earlier diagnosis.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Shawn Zhang, CTO and co-founder of Sanas, to unpack the real human problem behind “accent translation.” Shawn shares how COVID made college feel pointless without people, how a friend working in a Nicaragua call center was punished for his accent, and how that moment became the spark to build Sanas. They also talk backlash, founder pressure, unknown unknowns, Silicon Valley energy, and what happens when a startup goes from zero to $62M in revenue in two years.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Daniel Lubetzky, founder of KIND and Shark Tank investor, for a raw conversation about fear, identity, and what it means to build instead of destroy. Daniel shares how being the child of a Holocaust survivor wired him for existential worry and pushed him to collect skills so he would not be “expendable,” plus why magic and languages shaped his ability to lead. He breaks down the real reason KIND became a juggernaut, product, culture, and “AND thinking,” and he offers a practical framework for living through chaos: be a builder with curiosity, compassion, creativity, and courage.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Brandon Card, CEO and co-founder of Terzo, to expose a massive enterprise blind spot: companies are committing billions through contracts but tracking the truth in SharePoint folders and 95-slide decks. Brandon shares how he lived the pain at Microsoft, managing $100M+ deals while customers couldn’t even find their own contracts, and why legacy CLM tools were built for lawyers, not finance and procurement. They unpack the Terzo origin story launched on March 13, 2020, why humans-in-the-loop is mandatory for financial accuracy, and why Brandon believes AI models aren’t fully under control yet.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Sam Tabar, CEO of WhiteFiber (Nasdaq: WYFI) and Bit Digital (Nasdaq: BTBT), to unpack how he keeps spotting wave-level technologies before they become mainstream. Sam shares how growing up in a lower-income household fueled a primal drive to create security, why he sees technology as “a proxy for magic,” and how Bitcoin’s evolution mirrors the early internet. They break down Bitcoin as a store of value, Ethereum as programmable money, why AI infrastructure will be a defining business of the decade, and the one thing Sam fears most: loss of freedom through AI-enabled control.

Daniel Robbins sits down with television legend Maury Povich to go beyond the catchphrase and unpack what the Maury era actually built: the blueprint for modern reality TV and viral culture before the internet existed. Maury shares why “you are the father” became a badge of honor, how his team never got faked on air, why Rikki Lake forced daytime talk to evolve, and why AI is now creating content so real it fooled his own family. They also dive into love, aging, Montana solitude, comedians as cultural mirrors, and the unlimited possibility moment that launched his entire national career.

Daniel Robbins interviews John Witchel, CEO and co founder of King Energy, on why solar did not “lose,” it simply needed the right business model. John breaks down the split incentive problem in multi tenant buildings and how King Energy solves it by renting rooftops from landlords and selling power to tenants at a discount. They also unpack why solar and batteries are now cheaper than fossil fuels, why energy price increases are forcing action, and how John built his 10th startup by speaking the customer’s language instead of selling ideology.

Daniel Robbins interviews celebrity trainer and ex ballerina Monique Eastwood about what “real” transformation actually takes beyond the Men’s Health headlines. Monique explains that the secret is not three exercises or a quick routine, it is consistency, body awareness, and training the way real life moves, multi directional and core led. She also shares how she built a global business organically through years of training Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, and Anne Hathaway, then scaled her impact with a raw, studio style app that makes her method accessible to everyone.

Daniel Robbins sits down with restaurateur, entrepreneur, and Creatures of Habit founder Michael Chernow to unpack the real mechanics of resilience, recovery, and momentum. Michael shares how 11 years of addiction nearly took his life, why asking for help became the best day he ever lived, and the one rule he believes you must do perfectly: get back up. They also go deep on exits, building a personal brand as a “fail proof” asset, and why habits, not motivation, determine everything.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Harry DiFrancesco, founder and CEO of Carda Health, to unpack why U.S. healthcare rewards sick care instead of prevention and how Carda is rebuilding recovery at home. Harry shares his personal mission shaped by his father’s heart disease, the shocking stat that 90% of heart patients never access rehab, and how Carda uses AI as an “invisible engine” to unburden clinicians while improving outcomes. They also debate GLP-1s, behavior change, and why building a resilient company feels a lot like running 100 miles.

Daniel Robbins sits down with author and Scribe Media CEO Eric Jorgenson to unpack how he “curates, not writes” books that feel like mentorship from the world’s most consequential thinkers. Eric explains why he built a book on Elon Musk’s thinking, why purpose is Musk’s real unfair advantage, and why the next massive wave may be AI plus biology, CRISPR, and nanotech. They also dive into the collapse and rebuild of Scribe, why books are becoming even more valuable in an AI era, and why writing one great book can be the lighthouse that changes your entire life.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Ashley Parker Angel to unpack what fame really costs, why success can still leave you financially exposed, and how identity can get hijacked by attention. Ashley shares the behind the scenes realities of O Town, Broadway, and the constant pressure of peaks and valleys, plus the personal trauma that forged his resilience early. The conversation turns into a full founder pivot story, from burnout and health scares to building High Level Science with a world renowned cardiologist and landing in over 1,000 GNC stores through a bold “Making the Brand” tour.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Miami hospitality icon David Grutman, founder of Groot Hospitality, to break down how relationships, details, and relentless “value add” turned him into the city’s ultimate connector. David shares how he built Miami’s pull by controlling the full experience for influential guests, why the goal is never to “keep score,” and what it takes to create restaurant and nightlife moments people can’t stop filming. They also dive into his new book Take It Personal, the stress behind the scenes, and why his proudest legacy is his family.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Mark Manson to unpack why the internet hijacks our attention, amplifies anxiety, and makes it harder to choose what actually matters. Mark breaks down how he built a content empire by spotting platform shifts early, why he “viciously curates” his feeds, and how to handle hate without spiraling. They also go deep on purpose, AI companions, and why the real skill of this era is pruning your life down to what you value most.

Daniel Robbins interviews Dr. Jennifer Posa, former Chief Wellbeing Officer of the CIA, on what resilience really means inside high performing organizations. She explains why wellbeing is not “wellness,” how leaders can use data to treat culture as a performance strategy, and why the human machine partnership will define the next era of work. Dr. Posa also shares the leadership behaviors she saw in the best executives, including self awareness, judgment, and a bias for smart action, plus the simple moments that build trust fast.

Daniel Robbins sits down with CBS News contributor and Do Good Crew founder David Begnaud to explore how storytelling can become real world action. David shares the teacher who changed his life with one question, how covering Hurricane Maria reshaped his view of journalism, and why he left the disaster cycle to build a mission driven media company focused on shared humanity. They also unpack why trust is becoming the most valuable asset in an AI era and how vulnerability is the storytelling advantage most people avoid

Daniel Robbins sits down with Thomas Aronica, founder and CEO of Biller Genie, to unpack how a decade of hearing “why do I have to do the work twice” turned into a fintech that automates accounts receivable for businesses. Thomas shares how the idea sparked from years building payments infrastructure for software companies and seeing SMBs struggle to connect payments to QuickBooks. They also dive into the brutal founder moments behind the scenes, including raising money right as COVID hit and being 90 minutes from not making payroll before an investment landed.

Daniel Robbins talks with creator Gabriel DeSanti, who’s building the world’s longest resume by job shadowing real workers and documenting what careers actually look like. Gabriel shares the most intense job he’s done, cleaning a hoarding apartment in a hazmat suit while roaches fell from the ceiling, and explains why the series is really about the people behind the work. They also break down how he built his voice after a decade of experimentation, why brand deal income is a roller coaster, and how his new startup Staj turns job shadowing into a marketplace so anyone can test a career before committing years to it.

Daniel Robbins interviews British fashion designer Georgie Crossley, founder of GeeGee Collection, on how she bootstrapped a handmade womenswear brand during COVID using Instagram promotions, friends as models, and relentless obsession with craft. Georgie explains why fast fashion pushed her toward traditional artisanship, how physical retail creates a deeper customer connection than e commerce, and why she has chosen slow growth over outside funding so she can protect quality, individuality, and control of the brand’s direction.

Daniel Robbins sits down with bestselling author Nir Eyal to unpack why limiting beliefs feel like facts and how they quietly drive anxiety, procrastination, and self sabotage. Nir explains the difference between facts, faith, and beliefs, why the brain is wired for safety not flourishing, and how labels can become limits that shape behavior and even biology. They walk through Daniel’s real time spiral around business uncertainty, and Nir teaches a practical method to catch the fear early and replace it with a more useful belief tool.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Alex Blackwood, co founder and CEO of mogul, to unpack how fractional residential real estate investing is opening the institutional playbook to everyday investors. Alex explains why AI cannot magically “find deals” when the best real estate data is gated and messy, but why agentic workflows can compress closing operations from twenty hours a week to thirty minutes. They also dive into looming wealth transfer, supply constraints, and why mogul positions itself as a transparent, high conviction platform where investors can buy shares in homes, earn dividends, and participate in appreciation.

Daniel Robbins sits down with David Walsh, founder and CEO of Limelight, to break down the rise of B2B creator partnerships and why LinkedIn is becoming the highest leverage channel for founders and brands. David shares how building in public drove roughly 90 percent of Limelight’s revenue, why most creators price wrong because LinkedIn is still the wild west, and what brands actually want from creators right now. They also go deep on marketplace cold start, why top of funnel storytelling matters more than selling, and how Limelight aims to become the system of record for B2B creator programs.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Kandace Swaisland to challenge the most common entrepreneurship myth: that scaling means growing as fast as possible. Kandace argues scaling really means doing more with less, and that sustainable growth is about credibility, systems, and readiness for the barriers that show up later, especially compliance and governance requirements. The conversation dives into why digital transformation fails when companies skip strategy and process mapping, why software amplifies chaos, and how Kandace helps small to mid-sized businesses break through structural and compliance barriers to win enterprise clients and larger contracts.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Deepali Vyas to unpack why “performance problems” are often fit problems, and why the most dangerous leader is the “almost right” one. Deepali breaks down talent market fit as the alignment between a person’s wiring and a company’s stage, pressure, and reality, not the résumé or big brand logo. They also go deep on the future of work, from portfolio careers and fractional leadership to why most companies are skipping the ROI layer of AI adoption and will likely overhire after they overcut.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Dr. Bryce Appelbaum to unpack a performance lever most people ignore: the eye brain connection. Dr. Bryce explains that vision is not just about seeing letters on a chart, it is how the brain processes focus, tracking, and convergence, and it impacts reading, sports, productivity, and even sleep. He shares practical habits and exercises you can start immediately, including a near far focus drill to delay bifocals, plus how ScreenFit helps people reduce symptoms from heavy screen use.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Martin Jensen and John Ramos to break down what prop firms are, why they’re exploding, and what most traders get wrong when they choose one. Martin explains Prop Firm Match as a vetted comparison platform designed to protect traders from the worst-case scenario: earning a payout and not getting paid. John adds the trader’s view of prop firms as a lower-barrier path to leverage skill without risking large personal capital, while the founders share how they built trust through objective metrics and nearly ten thousand verified reviews.

Daniel Robbins interviews Leah Solivan about building TaskRabbit through the Great Recession, helping shape the gig economy, and navigating the emotional and operational reality of selling a company to IKEA. Leah also shares her perspective as a founder turned investor on VC incentives, fundraising dynamics, and what it takes to build category defining companies that ride real inflection points.

Daniel Robbins talks with Mandy Morris about why emotional intelligence is misunderstood and why most high achievers are trying to think their way out of a problem happening in their bodies. Mandy explains that we are feeling beings that think, and that burnout is often a nervous system and belief system issue, not a lack of hacks or discipline. She also shares practical resets from the transcript, including body scans, breath patterns, and bilateral stimulation, plus the story behind building the soFree app to help people shift out of fight or flight in under two minutes.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Bob Nienaber, founder and CEO of BenefitRFP, to break down what founders and executives misunderstand most about retirement, taxes, and executive compensation. Bob argues that the biggest threat to long term wealth is not income, it is taxes, and he shares how pre tax saving, smarter distribution planning, and properly structured plans can dramatically change outcomes. The conversation also explores why nonqualified plans exist, when smaller companies should consider them, why “cheap” phantom stock often backfires, and what Bob learned from exiting businesses.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Wombi Rose, the co founder and CEO of Lovepop, to unpack how a naval architect turned paper engineering into a company built on human connection. Wombi shares the exact moments from the transcript that changed everything, from testing cards in Boston Public Garden to a single customer story that revealed Lovepop was not paper, it was emotion. He also walks through the Shark Tank experience, the million dollar sales surge, and why physical, meaningful relationships may matter even more as AI and social media reshape how people connect.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Stephen Fishbach to unpack what reality TV contestants are actually chasing and why “jungle reality” like Survivor is its own psychological universe. Stephen explains that the experience is real, but producers are expert storytellers who shape chaos into a three act narrative without writing a script. They also dive into Escape! his new novel, which explores what happens when someone tries to reclaim past glory and fights for control of their own story.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Jake Chapman of Marque Ventures to explore how venture capital, geopolitics, and national security now collide. Drawing from the transcript, Jake explains why investing in defense tech is really about predicting where the world is headed, not just reacting to today’s conflicts. The conversation also spans founder mistakes, the realities of selling into national security, the rise of the space economy, and why some of the smartest entrepreneurs may be veterans building with first hand experience.

Daniel Robbins talks with Steven Lovett about the hidden gap between operational excellence and true strategic thinking. Drawing from the transcript, Steven argues that many leaders are trapped by efficiency, optimization, and legacy systems that keep them focused on today instead of tomorrow. He explains why the first step toward strategic intelligence is often a disruptive one: deconstruct the current model, challenge the calendar, and rebuild how decisions get made.

Daniel Robbins sits down with John Glaser for a wide ranging conversation on rebellion, reinvention, leadership, and a life built far outside the conventional path. Drawing directly from the transcript, John reflects on getting expelled from high school, hitchhiking from Alaska to Panama, going to clown school, and eventually becoming a leading voice in digital health and an executive in residence at Harvard Medical School. The episode becomes a deeper meditation on love, family, courage, meaningful work, and why the journey itself matters more than the applause at the end.

Daniel Robbins speaks with Hervé de Malliard, the builder behind Maison MGA, about what China taught him firsthand in the 1990s: clear vision and “Speedy Gonzales” execution. Hervé explains TechBio as the shift from mass biotech production to engineered, personalized medicine where hardware, software, robotics, and AI loop directly with the patient. The conversation also tackles the promise of curing major diseases alongside the ethical limits society must define as technology gets powerful enough to extend life dramatically.

Daniel Robbins talks with Rod Khleif about losing $50M in the 2008 crash and how he rebuilt by treating failure as a “seminar,” not an identity. Rod shares what he learned from spending years around Tony Robbins, especially the power of vulnerability, emotional mastery, and goal setting that creates real momentum. They also dig into why commercial real estate opportunities are surfacing again, and how syndications and cash flow can become a practical vehicle for long term wealth.

Daniel Robbins speaks with Minh Nguyen and John Avera of xOrbita about the fast growing space economy and the orbital debris problem threatening it. Minh shares how a high school research journey turned into a company after learning debris can destroy years of satellite work in seconds. John explains how his defense and engineering background helped shape xOrbita’s intelligence first approach to safer collision avoidance in orbit.

In this Founder’s Story episode, Daniel Robbins sits down with KeyAnna Schmiedl, Chief Human Experience Officer at Workhuman, for a candid conversation on AI anxiety, trust, leadership, and what companies are getting dangerously wrong about transformation. Drawing from insights shaped by Davos and her leadership experience at Workhuman, Mozilla, and Wayfair, KeyAnna explains why organizations overinvest in technology while underinvesting in people, and why that imbalance is stalling real progress. The episode also explores thoughtful leadership, culture-building in times of skepticism, and the personal leadership principles that helped KeyAnna rise while staying authentic.

In this episode of Founder’s Story, Daniel Robbins sits down with Samyr Laine, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Freedom Trail Capital, whose journey spans Olympic competition, Harvard and Georgetown education, leadership roles at Roc Nation and Westbrook, and now venture investing. The conversation explores lessons from working alongside Jay-Z and Will Smith, the mindset of elite performers, and how Samyr built a fund focused on talent-led businesses that prioritize authenticity, real problem solving, and strong fundamentals over hype.

In this episode of Founder’s Story, Daniel sits down with Bill Harper, known as the $2.8B Brand Builder, to unpack why brands win or disappear. Bill argues that story is not a nice to have, it is the entire mechanism of persuasion. From emotional relevance and pain avoidance to edutainment, category positioning, and why AI cannot replace strategy, this conversation is a masterclass in how modern brands earn attention and convert it into growth.

In this episode of Founder’s Story, Karan Yaramada shares the unfiltered truth behind building Jade Global from zero to over $100M in revenue without raising capital. From leadership mistakes and culture stress to acquisition discipline and AI agents, this conversation dives deep into what it really takes to build a company that lasts 20+ years.