Category: Podcast

How to Be Incorruptible with Eric Ries

Most companies eventually give in to the pressure to maximize profit at any cost, but a rare few resist that pull entirely and stay true to their mission for decades. My guest on today’s show is Eric Ries, creator of the Lean Startup method and author of the bestselling book by that name, as well as The Leader’s Guide and The Startup Way. He’s also the founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, the AI research lab Answer.AI, and the legal startup In our conversation, we explore Eric’s new book, Incorruptible, and the mystery behind why companies like Costco and Patagonia manage to resist the corrupting pull of shareholder primacy while so many others don’t. Eric explains the idea of mission guardianship and why structural integrity matters more than culture or stated values alone. We get into why information overload makes deep primary-source learning more valuable than ever, and why an old idea like the low-information diet still holds up.

​Eric also shares his honest take on where AI’s real capabilities stand today separate from the hype and why the timing of a pre and why the timing of a protective decision in a business matters just as much as the decision itself. If you’ve ever built something you care about and worried what might happen to it under pressure, this conversation offers a real answer along with the tools to protect it.

From Vision to Reality with Cameron Herold

Clarity about where you’re headed rarely comes from chasing more. Often it shows up in stillness. My guest on today’s show is Cameron Herold, known as the “CEO Whisperer,” the entrepreneur who grew 1-800-GOT-JUNK from fourteen employees to over three thousand, and who now leads the COO Alliance. This interview originally aired on my marketing-focused podcast, Marketing Speak, but what Cameron shares here is so impactful that it belongs just as much in a conversation about personal growth as it does in one about business.

In our talk, Cameron explains how he sold everything to become a digital nomad and what he learned about presence from Buddhist monks in Bhutan. We talk about his Vivid Vision practice, a written description of the future you want that pulls the people around you into helping you create it, and why he now uses it for his marriage as much as his business. We explore a simple reframe of anxiety. We also get into why unfinished projects quietly drain your energy, and how a simple daily habit of gratitude can transform a relationship.

This episode will shift how you think about vision and presence, and give you a practical way to free up energy for what matters most.

Biohacking Jet Lag, Sleep and Mental Acuity with Andrew Herr

Most people accept jet lag as an unavoidable cost of travel. Andrew Herr didn’t. He is my guest on today’s show, and he is the founder and CEO of FlyKitt.

After leading human performance and biotech strategy efforts for the U.S. military, training Navy SEALs, and being twice named a Mad Scientist by the U.S. Army, Andrew saw firsthand how the right tools and techniques could transform recovery and performance. That insight became the foundation for FlyKitt, which now helps everyone from pro sports teams to leisure travelers arrive feeling sharp and ready.

In this episode, we discuss the surprising role inflammation plays in jet lag and why circadian rhythms are only part of the story. We explore blue light, sleep quality, and what your body actually needs to recover on the road. Andrew shares his favorite performance tools, from kettlebell protocols and polyphenols to glycine, saunas, and the psychology of breaking through self-sabotage. We also take an unexpected turn into the spiritual dimension of peak performance — how a cleaner, less inflamed body becomes a clearer vessel for guidance and living in true alignment.

Whether you travel constantly or simply want to show up at your best, this conversation gives you practical tools to reclaim your energy, sharpen your mind, and step more fully into your purpose. So, without any further ado, on with the show!

The Courage to Be Original with Jay Acunzo

Most people are chasing reach. Jay Acunzo thinks that’s the wrong game.

My guest on today’s show is a keynote speaker, storytelling coach, and author of Break the Wheel. He works with thought leaders, speakers, and business owners to turn real substance into messages that actually land.

In our conversation, we discuss why the loudest voices don’t win the long game, and what it takes to build a personal brand people actively seek out. Jay shares his four-part storytelling framework: align, agitate, assert, invite, and how it turns lived experience into a message that drives action. We also explore the gap between chasing reach and earning resonance, how AI is raising the bar for anyone selling expertise, and why learning to whisper may be the most powerful move you can make in a world that keeps shouting.

This conversation sharpens how you think about your story and gives you a practical way to express it so people actually feel it.

Speak to Sell Your Ideas with Majeed Mogharreban

Your message matters, but only if it reaches the people who need it most. My guest on today’s show is Majeed Mogharrebian,MO-GARABAHN founder of Expert Speaker and author of Expert Speaker: Five Steps to Grow Your Business with Public Speaking. He has spent years helping coaches, healers, and thought leaders turn their stories into speeches that move audiences and grow their businesses.

This conversation originally aired on Marketing Speak, but the wisdom Majeed shares goes well beyond marketing strategy. It speaks directly to anyone with a mission to contribute and a story worth telling.

In our conversation, we discuss why vulnerability on stage is one of the most powerful trust-builders available to you, and how engineering your story with intention creates genuine emotional connection. Majeed shares his Pain Island to Pleasure Island framework and his AI-assisted speech-writing workflow that has brought clients to tears. He also reframes the act of selling from stage entirely: making an offer isn’t greed–it’s serving the people in the room who need what you have.

This episode will shift how you see your own story and give you the tools to share it in a way that genuinely serves others. So, without any further ado, on with the show!

A Root-Cause Approach to Your Health with Dr. Izabella Wentz

The root cause of chronic illness isn’t always where conventional medicine looks for it. My guest on today’s show, Dr. Izabella Wentz, is an integrative pharmacist who has spent over a decade helping thousands of people find their way to remission from conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and IBS. Her New York Times bestselling books have become go-to resources for people who’ve been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told their symptoms are just part of getting older. Her newest book takes on IBS and IBD with the same root-cause lens.

In our conversation, we discuss the link between unresolved trauma and autoimmune disease, and how the stress response can quietly drive chronic illness. Dr. Wentz walks us through EMDR and neurofeedback as tools for rewiring the nervous system. We also explore the spiritual side of healing, touching on intuition, soul contracts, and taking radical ownership of your health.

If you’ve ever sensed that your body is trying to tell you something your doctors aren’t hearing, this episode gives you a framework to start listening.

Boldness Is a Superpower with Fred Joyal

Boldness isn’t a personality trait you’re born with, it’s a skill you can build, one uncomfortable moment at a time. My guest on today’s show, Fred Joyal, originally appeared on my Marketing Speak podcast, and his insights felt so relevant that I wanted to share them here on Get Yourself Optimized. Fred actually grew up so shy he could barely make a phone call, yet went on to co-found 1-800-DENTIST, building it into a billion-dollar business over 30 years. He’s also a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, speaker, and comedian who has performed for audiences of thousands.

In this conversation, Fred shares how he transformed his relationship with fear and rejection, and how he now teaches others to do the same. We discuss why boldness and confidence are two very different things, how to shrink the group of people whose opinions actually matter to you, and why perfectionism is really just fear in disguise. Fred also breaks down practical exercises for expanding your comfort zone gradually, how to stop stacking regrets, and why the moments you hesitate are often the ones that define you.

This episode will give you a fresh take on fear, rejection, and what it really means to show up for your own life.

Surviving Death with Rosemary Thornton

Death is often treated as the ultimate mystery, something feared, avoided, or pushed to the edges of conversation. Yet those who cross that threshold and return sometimes bring back a radically different perspective on life, suffering, and what waits beyond the veil.

My guest on today’s show is Rosemary Thornton, a historian and author who has written extensively on architectural history. After decades of research and writing, her path took an unexpected turn following an NDE near death experience that transformed her understanding of life, healing, and the spiritual world.

In our conversation, Rosemary shares what happened when she bled to death in an emergency room and found herself in a place that felt more real than ordinary life. We explore the divine presence she encountered who described humanity as the “image and likeness” of the Original, the angels she continues to experience guiding her life, and the miraculous healing that followed when her cancer disappeared without medical explanation. Rosemary shares how gratitude and miracle lists can sharpen spiritual awareness, and why paying attention to everyday signs can open the door to profound guidance.

This episode opens a powerful window into what awaits beyond this life and offers a deeply reassuring reminder that love, meaning, and connection endure far beyond the body.

Why Your Brain is Sabotaging You with Dr. Don Wood

Unresolved trauma doesn’t just live in your mind. It lives in your body, quietly driving inflammation, suppressing immunity, and blocking your ability to heal. My guest on today’s show is Dr. Don Wood, founder of the Inspired Performance Institute and creator of the The Inspired Performance Program (TIPP), a breakthrough approach that clears trauma at the neurological level, often in a single session.

Dr. Wood’s journey began with his wife’s childhood trauma and took a critical turn when his daughter was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and a rare autoimmune lung disorder that doctors said had no cure. That personal crisis became the catalyst for a decade of research and a method now helping thousands reclaim their health and performance.

In our conversation, we discuss how unresolved trauma creates chronic inflammation. We explore why conventional therapy often falls short, the difference between capital T trauma and the small t trauma, which he calls emotional concussions, and how the brain can be primed to heal itself rapidly. We also cover the role of brainwave states, memory reconsolidation, and powerful aftercare tools like hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

This episode opens up a fascinating new lens on how trauma shapes health, performance, and the patterns we can’t seem to shake. So, without any further ado, on with the show!

Reboot Your Nervous System with Dr. Amy Albright

There’s a difference between thinking your way through life and receiving your way through it. When the nervous system is braced—over-efforting, looping, scanning for danger—intuition gets muffled. But when safety is restored, something else becomes available: clarity that feels less like “figuring it out” and more like being guided.

My guest on today’s show is Dr. Amy Albright, a trailblazer in human potential who integrates neuroscience, Chinese medicine, leadership strategy, and spiritual intelligence. She works with everyone from high-performing executives to individuals navigating major life transitions, helping them build success that stays aligned with what matters most.

In this conversation, we explore her unprompted spiritual awakening at 18, how the body signals safety (and what happens when it doesn’t), and why “busyness” can become a subtle form of disconnection. We talk about accessing information beyond memory, what Dr. Albright means by thought forms, and how shifting attention changes what you can perceive. She also shares a simple three-step process for establishing safety, reconnecting to the “all that is,” and allowing real inner recalibration to take place.

This episode invites you back into coherence—so you can feel steadier, listen cleaner, and move through life with less force and more flow. So, without any further ado, on with the show!