Krew Ericksen was 18 years old, dead broke, eating hot dog sandwiches, and completely alone in a market after his entire team quit mid-summer. He stayed anyway. That decision, more than any close rate or commission check, is the whole story.

Eight summers later, Krew is loading 50 guys onto a bus to Maryland as the founder of the Coffee squad, a dad to baby Cozy, and one of the most genuinely fun people in the door-to-door industry. But this episode is less about the numbers and more about the invisible stuff: the culture that actually keeps people in the fight, the self-belief that has to come before the skill, and what happens when you stop looking for love and it shows up on a Costa Rica work trip.

Doug and Krew cover all of it. The Meraki brotherhood that shaped him. The solar transition that scared him. The charity tour that quietly became the thing he is most proud of. The Wednesday wiffle ball games that somehow turned into their biggest sales day of the week.

If you have ever stayed when leaving would have been easier, this one is for you.

Timestamps of Key Moments

00:00 — Intro: Eight summers in, 50 guys heading to Maryland, and the man behind the Coffee squad

03:20 — The first summer: hot dog sandwiches, a team that quit, and a manager who left him stranded in the rain

07:00 — The phone call where his dad laughed, hung up, and changed everything

12:00 — What finally brought him back after making $3,000 and getting hosed on his backend

14:00 — Finding Zach, joining Meraki, and the gut feeling that God was pointing him toward the Rocky Boys

18:30 — Knocking during Covid, everyone home, and going from $3K to $33K in one summer

22:00 — Roman candles, broken TVs, and what fun actually does for a sales team

28:00 — "Playfully curious": the mindset shift that takes the pressure off the doors

31:00 — The transition to solar: what changes, what transfers, and why the in-home experience suits him

36:00 — The quiz close and the neighbor strategy: how Krew solidifies deals and kills the cancel before it starts

44:00 — Managing different personality types and what Krew learned running his first office in Jonesboro

52:00 — The bet with his dad, the unforgettable tattoo, and hitting $100K before August

55:00 — Family Day every Wednesday: wiffle ball, Otter Pops, and why it ends up being their biggest sales day

01:04:00 — Recruiting frat presidents, talking to parents, and underselling to overdeliver on campus

01:08:00 — Fear of failure is behind every lack of commitment: how to instill belief before summer starts

01:14:00 — Meeting Jaina: one Vivint account, one bold ask, and the ice skating date he never looked back from

01:18:00 — Becoming a dad: Cozy, the cul-de-sac dream, and accessing a new dimension of love

01:22:00 — The charity tour: 65 special needs kids at a trampoline park and the one who hadn't left his room in four months

01:26:00 — The state of solar, the energy crisis, AI, and why Krew thinks it is ready to blow

01:34:00 — What Krew is most excited about in 2026: Cozy walking, talking, and a great time to be an Ericksen

Follow Doug:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/doug_cartwright/

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Follow Krew:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/krew24/

In this episode of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug sits down with Kenny Cox, one of the most respected leaders in the door-to-door space, for a masterclass on leadership, standards, and what actually earns respect from a team.

This conversation breaks down the harsh truth about leadership: you don’t earn the right to lead by title, you earn it by production. Kenny explains why the best managers are still the best reps, why teams don’t follow words; they follow example, and how most leaders lose their people the moment they stop leading from the front.

The episode also dives into one of the most misunderstood decisions in sales: when to stay and when to leave. Kenny shares why chasing “easier money” almost always backfires, how to recognize a true pull toward change versus a desire for relief, and why the wrong move can reset your entire trajectory.

This one is direct, tactical, and rooted in real experience. It’s about discipline, ownership, and becoming the kind of leader people actually want to follow.

In this episode of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug sits down with Kylee Fronk Allred, a 300-account Vivint rep and one of the top female salespeople in the history of door-to-door, for a conversation that moves far beyond close rates and commission checks into the deeper territory of identity, purpose, and what it actually means to do hard things on purpose.

The episode covers the mental shifts required to reach the top 1%, what it costs a woman to be taken seriously on the doors, and how the grit forged in a summer of selling carries into marriage, motherhood, and postpartum depression. Kylee speaks with rare honesty about losing herself after leaving sales, finding Adam, grieving her father, and the psychedelic experience that finally let her process a loss she had buried under work.

This one is raw, grounded, and deeply human. It is alchemy in the truest sense: a woman who built herself through relentless hard work, comparing notes on what she found when the hustle stopped.

Timestamps of Key Moments

00:00 — Intro: 300 accounts, Utah summer grit, and the woman behind the number

03:20 — The advantages of being a woman on the doors: knocking late, disarming strangers, and getting away with a little more

07:00 — The disadvantages: earning respect when you look like you're selling Girl Scout cookies

09:30 — Dangerous situations, dog bites, and staying smart in the field

12:00 — Women are underutilized in door-to-door sales

13:30 — The 300-account mindset: short-term goals, no extensions, and non-negotiable weekly numbers

18:30 — The difference between trying it out and being all in

20:00 — Managing your first team: what Kylee would do differently

22:30 — You can't want it more for them than they want it for themselves

24:00 — Mentors who shaped her: brothers, cousins, and the people who were hard on her on purpose

27:30 — No sales books, pure instinct, and the value of 30 Days to Pro

29:30 — Meeting Adam on a dating app while her dad was dying

35:00 — The first date she almost skipped, and knowing on date one

38:00 — Inviting him to the funeral, freaking out, and pulling back at the altar

42:00 — One more summer: qualifying for equity before she closed the chapter

46:00 — When you know, you know, and why she didn't believe that until she did

50:00 — Losing her identity after Vivint and finding it again in motherhood

54:00 — The psilocybin experience that finally let her grieve her father

58:00 — Seeing the energy of God, and what she took from it

01:01:00 — Postpartum: the thoughts nobody talks about and what actually helped

01:07:00 — What husbands can do when their wife is in the deep of it

01:09:30 — "I get to do this": the reframe that lifted the resentment

01:12:00 — Grit from the doors as the foundation for every hard season since

01:16:00 — What lights Kylee up for 2026: coming out stronger on the other side

Follow Doug:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/doug_cartwright/ 

Join the Alchemy Accelerator: https://www.alchemysalescoaching.com/ 

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: @AlchemyPodwithDougCartwright

Follow Kylee Fronk Allred:

IG: @kyleefronk

In this episode of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug sits down with Adam Allred, a 23-year door-to-door sales veteran and co-founder of Ninefold, for a conversation that moves far beyond sales strategy into the deeper territory of identity, worthiness, and what it actually takes to become the best version of yourself.

The episode digs into the psychology behind culture-building, the difference between clean and dirty fuel as a motivator, how to question the stories running your life, and why the most important relationship a man will ever have is the one he has with himself.

This one is raw, real, and deeply human. It is alchemy in the truest sense: two men who have walked through fire, comparing notes on what they found on the other side.

Timestamps of Key Moments

00:00 — Intro: 23 summers in and still storming the beach

03:40 — Identity first: how Adam's teams build vision and why

06:15 — The five whys: peeling back from surface-level motivation to divine purpose

09:00 — Doug's vulnerable admission: dirty fuel, Vivint, and the wound that drove him to the top

12:20 — The two stages of masculinity and why external validation always runs out

14:00 — How Doug uncovered his own unworthiness wound nine years after thinking it was healed

26:00 — Emotions as check engine lights: sitting with pain instead of burying it

28:00 — Carl Jung, Moses, and the cave you're afraid to enter

29:50 — Tara Brach's RAIN framework for actually feeling your feelings

34:20 — The most important relationship a man will ever have

40:40 — Michael Singer on what the best marriages actually look like

43:00 — How Adam met Kylie and the first date on a Harley

46:30 — The psilocybin experience in Costa Rica that made everything clear

53:40 — What divorce really eviscerates, and the night God said "I never wanted you to become what she wanted you to become"

01:00:40 — "Just skip this part": the moment shame lost its grip

01:01:25 — What Adam is building in 2026 and why the cosmic fireside is the real finish line

Follow Doug:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/doug_cartwright/

Join the Alchemy Accelerator: https://www.alchemysalescoaching.com/

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: @AlchemyPodwithDougCartwright

Follow Adam Allred:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/adamallredofficial/

In Episode 67 of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug sits down with Dallas Lobato for one of the most raw and transformative conversations the show has had yet. What begins as a conversation about sales leadership quickly becomes a deeper exploration of grief, identity, responsibility, and the kind of internal transformation that can only come from walking through real loss.

Dallas shares how the loss of his son forced him to confront himself in a way nothing else ever had. The pain didn’t just change him emotionally; it reshaped how he shows up as a leader, a manager, and a man. Instead of hardening, he expanded. Instead of shrinking into survival, he chose growth.

The episode dives into what it really means to lead with depth instead of ego, why true authority comes from internal stability rather than title, and how facing fear head-on creates a different caliber of sales culture. Dallas also breaks down how personal responsibility, emotional maturity, and disciplined self-reflection became the foundation for the kind of sales teams he now builds and leads.

This conversation isn’t just about sales strategy. It’s about alchemy, turning pain into purpose, ego into service, and loss into leadership.

Timestamps of Key Moments

00:00 — Intro: Why Dallas’ leadership stands out in the sales world

02:40 — Early identity, ambition, and what originally drove him

07:15 — The moment that changed everything

12:30 — Grief, ego, and the internal collapse that led to rebuilding

18:45 — The difference between managing people and truly leading them

23:10 — How personal tragedy reshaped his approach to responsibility

29:20 — Fear, control, and the illusion of certainty

34:50 — Building teams from emotional strength, not insecurity

40:15 — Why high performance requires emotional depth

46:30 — Culture: accountability without shame

52:00 — Transforming pain into purpose

57:40 — The leadership philosophy he lives by today

01:03:00 — What he wants his legacy to actually be

Follow Doug:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/doug_cartwright/ 

Join the Alchemy Accelerator: https://www.alchemysalescoaching.com/ 

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AlchemyPodwithDougCartwright

Follow Dallas Lobato:

• IG: @dallaslobato

In Episode 66 of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug sits down with Alex Hall, one of the most influential women in the door-to-door industry, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, self-awareness, and what happens when you stop performing for love and start leading from wholeness.

Alex's path into sales wasn't the typical one. A marine biology major who discovered climate change in college and knocked doors for free to pass environmental legislation in Florida, she stumbled into solar because someone was finally willing to pay her to do what she'd been doing for nothing. From there, her analytical background and natural organizational instincts launched her through corporate roles at some of the biggest solar companies in the country, eventually leading to two companies of her own.

The episode goes deep on what separates real leaders from people who just watched a leader work, why the best teams blend healthy masculine and feminine traits, and how getting clear on your core values is the single biggest unlock for recruiting with abundance instead of scarcity. Alex also breaks down the three skill sets every top performer needs to develop before stepping into management, and why most companies unknowingly build around a shaky leadership foundation.

Timestamps of Key Moments:

00:00 -- Intro: why Alex is at the top of the list of influential women in door-to-door

01:55 -- Leadership as a lifelong pattern: bead boxes, team captain, and parents who led by example

04:40 -- Marine biology, microplastics, and knocking doors for free before anyone would pay her

08:10 -- Top rep, only female, and the analytical edge no other sales admin had

13:10 -- How to spot real experience vs. someone who just watched a manager work

14:35 -- Victim mindset, ownership, and the red flags that never fail

18:30 -- The masculine/feminine performance matrix and why the healthiest teams need both

24:20 -- The origin of Shut The Fluff Up and what "no fluff" consulting actually means

27:30 -- The three skills top performers need before becoming leaders

31:00 -- Core values as a recruiting and decision-making superpower

37:00 -- The Hoffman Process: self-worth, high standards, and the "worthy of love if" pattern

39:30 -- Doug's vulnerability: how his dad's pride became a pattern that nearly broke his relationships

46:40 -- Going back for her MBA when everyone said she didn't need it

48:30 -- Having her first baby and becoming a hundred times more urgent as a CEO

52:30 -- Accessing a new dimension of love

56:30 -- The League Fiber: 500+ reps, 43 states, and the vision to become the Vivint of fiber

01:02:00 -- 2026 is the year she does it all

Follow Doug:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/doug_cartwright/

Join the Alchemy Accelerator: https://www.alchemysalescoaching.com/

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AlchemyPodwithDougCartwright

Follow Alex Hall:

IG: @iamalexandrahall

In Episode 65 of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug sits down with Talin Mortensen, Divisional at Moxie Pest Control, for a conversation about what it takes to fully capitalize on the door-to-door opportunity—and the mentors, mindset shifts, and hard lessons that got him there.

Talin's path into sales started from rock bottom: a broke college shot putter at BYU, fresh off his mission, with borrowed money and no marketable skills. Desperation became direction when he drove to Atlanta with $1,800 of student loan money and no choice but to figure it out.

The episode goes deep on growing from rep to leader—the biggest mistake first-time managers make, why brutal honesty upfront is the most compassionate thing you can do for your team, and how "all pain stems from mismanaged expectations" can transform the way you lead.

Talin also opens up about the two-hour meeting that kept him from walking away from the industry entirely, what increasing your inner capacity to handle discomfort actually looks like, and why the person you become is the real ROI. They close with reflections on spiritual alignment, investing early, and why 2026 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet.

Timestamps of Key Moments

00:00 – Intro: why Talin is someone who's truly taken advantage of the opportunity

01:45 – Shot put, a mission in Baltimore, and being really, really broke

04:15 – Joining the track team because his dad said never quit

07:20 – How shot put earned him a scholarship at BYU

09:30 – Trying e-commerce, flipping, and cleaning before finally saying yes to sales

12:00 – Driving to Atlanta with borrowed money and no choice but to succeed

15:45 – First two days: zero deals, 250 doors—then everything clicks

18:30 – The August blues and why rookies always underperform their best month

20:20 – The lightbulb moment: seeing the job as a long-term play

22:00 – The meeting that almost sent Talin to real estate instead

25:00 – Managing for the first time: why tactics without relationships fall flat

27:00 – "All pain stems from mismanaged expectations"

28:30 – The pre-season meeting where you walk your team through everything that will go wrong

31:00 – Aggressive inputs, patient outputs: the KPIs that eliminate fear

33:30 – What Doug's coaching unlocked: understanding your inner capacity

39:30 – The mentors who shaped Talin: his dad, Coach Thompson, Hayden Sharp

44:00 – What it looks like when someone believes in you more than you believe in yourself

47:00 – "A leader will save more lives than a surgeon" — Peter Drucker

49:00 – Why leadership is a spiritual pursuit

51:00 – What's got Talin fired up for 2026: his team, his faith, and an investment goal bigger than his old income goals

53:00 – Compound interest, time, and why the best is still ahead

Follow Doug:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/doug_cartwright/

Join the Alchemy Accelerator: https://www.alchemysalescoaching.com/

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: @AlchemyPodwithDougCartwright

Follow Talin:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/mortensen_talin

In Episode 64 of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug sits down with Clayton Nelson for a powerful conversation about finding your path, taking massive risks, and discovering what you're really capable of.

They start with the wild story of how they met at a meditation retreat where Clayton had no idea what door-to-door sales even was. What follows is a journey from college football ending with no clear next step, to betting $5,000 he didn't have on a retreat, to hearing one sentence that would completely change his trajectory: "You can work for four months and make enough money to do whatever you want the rest of the year."

From there, the episode dives into Clayton's first year in the field—the brutal first two weeks, the mental warfare of getting knocked down over and over, and the moment everything clicked. He shares what it took to go from wanting to quit to finishing his rookie season with 91 deals, the power of having people invest in you when you're struggling, and why stretching yourself beyond what feels comfortable is the only way to grow.

Clayton also opens up about transitioning from individual rep to leader, training for an Ironman with zero swimming experience, and why his 2026 theme is all about testing his limits. Doug and Clayton close with reflections on surrender, trust, and the full-circle moments that remind you you're exactly where you're supposed to be.

Timestamps of Key Moments

00:00 – Intro and the cosmic story of how Doug and Clayton met

03:30 – The meditation retreat, Danny Miranda, and the $5,000 bet Clayton made

06:10 – "I'm meant for more" – Clayton's intention and Doug's promise to help

08:15 – Breakfast the next morning: "Have you ever heard of door-to-door?"

10:30 – Clayton's first reaction: "Hell no, I'm not knocking doors"

13:10 – Why Clayton said yes and the leap of faith that followed

16:00 – The brutal first two weeks: self-doubt, crying, and almost quitting

18:00 – The mental shift that changes everything in door-to-door

22:00 – Race Tanner's story and why sharing struggle creates connection

25:00 – Chase Vocally, Maxwell Callum, and the power of mentorship

31:30 – Writing your pitch every night to an instrumental song

36:20 – Finishing year one with 91 deals and what it taught him

41:15 – The difference between being a rep and becoming a leader

49:40 – When people depend on you, failure isn't an option

50:30 – California vs Texas: why they're two completely different jobs

56:55 – Clayton's 2026 theme: "Stretch" and training for an Ironman

01:00:10 – "I know I'm meant for something great"—testing your limits

01:01:10 – Becoming the person you've never been to get what you've never had

Follow Doug:

IG: @doug_cartwright

Apply for Alchemy Sales Coaching: HERE 

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: HERE

Follow Clayton:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/claytonnelson_/ 

Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2209130/follow 

In Episode 63 of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug Cartwright reconnects with his former high school coach and mentor, Benjamin Ohai, for one of the most profound conversations in the show's history. What begins as a conversation about elite athletics transforms into an unforgettable exploration of consciousness, ego death, and what lies beyond.

Ben shares his journey from growing up in primitive 1950s Hawaii to becoming one of BYU's greatest wrestlers—undefeated in WAC competition with a record of 180-9. But the heart of this episode centers on Ben's 2017 near-death experience during a West Nile virus infection, where he encountered something that shattered his understanding of reality and fundamentally changed who he is.

This conversation explores the psychology of world-class performance, the intangible quality that separates elite athletes from everyone else, the terror of ego dissolution, Carl Jung's concept of the shadow self, and how facing your deepest fears can paradoxically make you more courageous. Ben's story will challenge your assumptions about success, identity, and what truly matters in the fourth quarter of life.

Timestamps of Key Moments

02:00 – Growing up in primitive 1950s Hawaii before statehood

06:10 – "I hated it": the love-hate relationship with wrestling and hard things

09:13 – The breakthrough moment: winning the Five Counties tournament as a junior

11:27 – "The subconscious only believes what you've done, not what you say"

16:06 – Hal Simone: the transformative junior college coach

21:03 – How great coaches believe in you more than you believe in yourself

22:17 – BYU wrestling career: 180-9 record, avenging every single loss

24:07 – Breaking the mental block: yelling "Fuck" and tapping into flow state

26:02 – What separates athletes who "have it" from those who don't

30:03 – Raising NCAA champions through the baby steps philosophy

35:58 – The two-hour flight to Houston that saved his life

40:58 – The near-death experience begins: "I wasn't afraid—I WAS fear itself"

42:31 – The mirror: being forced to confront the shadow self

43:49 – The worst part: believing it's forever with no escape

45:19 – "You never existed—your family was fake": the ultimate terror

47:13 – Discovering others had the exact same experience

50:03 – Carl Jung's shadow: the breakthrough that reframed everything

53:14 – How losing ego made him dramatically more courageous

58:37 – Synchronicity and second witnesses: "Psalm 35" tattooed on her ribs

01:03:10 – The fourth quarter: savoring sunrises and rediscovering wonder

01:06:10 – "You're not going to find a depressed person who's grateful"

Follow Doug:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/doug_cartwright/

Join the Alchemy Accelerator: https://www.alchemysalescoaching.com/

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Follow Benjamin:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/benjamin8675309

In Episode 62 of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug Cartwright sits down with Steven Warner for a wide-ranging conversation about what really separates high performers in door to door sales and in leadership.

We start with a story from Washington, DC that turns into a bigger theme: momentum matters, and energy is transferable. Steven breaks down the pressure of growing up in a family of killers in the industry, the anxiety of starting with a $4,000 loan and an engagement on the line, and the simple truth his brother told him that changed everything: when you’re happy, you sell.

Timestamps of Key Moments:

00:00 – Intro and the DC story that turned into a breakout week

 03:30 – Growing up in a door-to-door family and the pressure to perform

 06:10 – Engaged, broke, anxious: starting with a $4,000 loan and no backup plan

 08:15 – “When you’re happy, you sell” and why energy drives results

 10:30 – Sales as a transfer of energy and staying enthusiastic when it’s hard

 13:10 – The four traits that separate reps who win from those who quit

 16:00 – Entitlement vs gratitude and why outsiders often outperform locals

 18:00 – The solar boom, temptation to leave, and the 5-year question that changed everything

 22:00 – Loyalty, partners, and choosing the right people over shiny opportunities

 25:00 – Reputation as currency: what people say about you when you’re not there

 31:30 – Leadership growing pains and why hard conversations can’t happen over text

 36:20 – Ego, humility, and scaling through complementary partnerships

 41:15 – Investing mindset: the donut shop, capital deployment, and long-term thinking

 49:40 – Why AI won’t replace sales, leadership, or face-to-face trust

 50:30 – Beating distraction: phones, focus, and protecting your edge

 56:55 – Work ethic vs skill: what can’t be taught

 01:00:10 – Door to door as a personal development container and life accelerator

 01:01:10 – What Steven is most excited about heading into 2026

Follow Doug:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/doug_cartwright/

Join the Alchemy Accelerator: https://www.alchemysalescoaching.com/ 

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: @AlchemyPodwithDougCartwright  

Follow Steven:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/thestevenwarner/