Paralyzed from the neck down at 21, and the first thought that ran through his head wasn't fear — it was gratitude that he still had his mind.

Max was snowboarding in Colorado when a fall left him with a C3-C4 spinal contusion. What followed was a recovery built on faith, an almost stubborn refusal to let go of momentum, and a complete rewrite of what he thought mattered. He talks with Anastasija and Khurshid about the accident itself, the mentor who told him "don't let me believe in you more than you believe in you," and why so many of us wait for a crisis before we let ourselves change.

Timestamps:
0:06 – Welcome + introducing Max
0:24 – The accident: paralyzed from the neck down
3:20 – What losing control taught him about the control we think we have
4:14 – The first thought after the injury: gratitude for his mind
8:46 – Khurshid's story: living in the present with a premature son
10:12 – Faith before and after the injury — the prayer the rescuers mistook for a head injury
15:22 – Getting through the hardest days
18:14 – Borrowing belief from the people around you
21:43 – His mission: helping people understand adversity
27:44 – "Don't let me believe in you more than you believe in you"
31:37 – What he used to chase that wasn't worth it
37:46 – Why we wait for a crisis before we change
41:26 – Separating what's actually important
46:03 – His dream: helping people understand their own power
52:15 – Closing advice: define your vision, your why, and your anti-why

About Max:
Max is a snowboarding accident survivor who was paralyzed from the neck down with a C3-C4 spinal contusion and made what he calls a "110%" recovery, going on to run two ultra marathons and complete a half Iron Man. He now works to help people understand adversity, tap into their own potential, and stop waiting for a crisis to make the changes they already know they need to make.

Follow Max: https://www.instagram.com/maxwellkrohn/

Web: https://maxkrohn.com/

More from Beyond the Noise:
🌐 https://btnpod.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btntalks/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-the-noise-podcast/

You get laid off, and instead of falling apart, you smile, then cry the second no one's watching. Years later you finally quit a job you actually like, and somehow that's scarier than any layoff ever was.

Lin Cassie went through multiple rounds of layoffs across two countries, the first as a 20-something in 2008, the last as a design manager in Berlin, before making the strange discovery that walking away on her own terms was harder than being pushed.

She and hosts Anastasija and Khurshid dig into what it actually felt like in the room each time, how she traced her own fears back to her parents', and why she thinks the leadership traits that get rewarded right now might be part of the problem.

About Lin Cassie:
Lin Cassie is a leadership coach and systems consultant who helps leaders and teams navigate the complexity of modern work — from organizational growth and shifting roles to cross-functional collaboration. Her approach starts with cultivating awareness: helping people recognize their habitual patterns and create space to make sense of pressure and uncertainty, so they can respond intentionally rather than react automatically. From there, she expands the focus to the wider organizational system — helping leaders move beyond silos, make better decisions, and build stronger alignment across teams.

🔗 Connect with Lin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lin-cassie-zhen-73215113/

More from Beyond the Noise:
🎥 Full video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/s1e3Vkfjaag
🌐 https://btnpod.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btntalks/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-the-noise-podcast/

What happens when you've done everything right - built a successful career, achieved your goals, and still find yourself completely burned out?

In this episode of Beyond the Noise, we speak with Erika Coleman about the hidden cost of high performance. Erika shares her journey through severe burnout, closing a successful business, rebuilding her life, studying at Harvard, and discovering a healthier definition of success.

Together we explore:

• Why high performers are especially vulnerable to burnout

• The pressure of always doing more

• Identity beyond achievement

• Sustainable success and leadership

• What recovery really looks like

If you've ever wondered why success doesn't always feel the way you expected, this conversation is for you.

—

Connect with Erika Coleman

Website:

https://www.erikacolemanspeaks.com/

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/in/erika-coleman-1591b435

—

Connect with the hosts

Anastasija Lynch

Website: https://anastasijalynch.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasija-lynch-coach/

Khurshid

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/khurshidz/

Beyond the Noise

Website:

https://btnpod.com/

Moving to another country changes far more than your address.

In this episode of Beyond the Noise, Anastasija Lynch and Khurshid Zaynutdinov are joined by leadership coach Piotr Tomaszewski for an honest conversation about relocating with a family, navigating uncertainty, balancing career opportunities, raising children across cultures, letting go of control, and why some of life's biggest decisions don't have to be permanent.

Along the way, the conversation becomes about much more than relocation. It's about uncertainty, expectations, family, courage, and what it really means to start over.

Whether you're considering moving abroad, facing a major career decision, or simply wondering if there's another path available to you, this conversation offers thoughtful perspectives from people who have lived it.

Piotr Tomaszewski
Leadership Coach & Mentor
🌐 https://ptomaszewski.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/pptomaszewski/

Follow Beyond the Noise

🌐 https://btnpod.com/

💼 LinkedIn

What happens when leadership becomes more demanding, more uncertain, and more isolating?

In this episode of Beyond The Noise, we sit down with Bo Balachsan, founder of Leadership Club, a leadership coach, and a product leader, to explore the realities many leaders experience but rarely discuss openly.

As responsibility grows, so does pressure. Decisions become higher stakes, expectations increase, and many leaders find themselves carrying more while feeling less supported.

We discuss:

• Why leadership often becomes isolating
• The hidden pressure of decision-making
• Why are many leaders promoted without being properly prepared
• AI, uncertainty, and the changing nature of work
• Emotional intelligence in modern leadership
• The value of community, reflection, and peer support
• What becoming a parent taught Bo about leading others

This conversation is for founders, executives, managers, and professionals navigating increasing responsibility in a rapidly changing world.

Connect with Bo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/borderlessbo/
Leadership Club: https://www.leadershift.club/
Leadership Club LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadershift-club/

Connect with the hosts
Anastasija Lynch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasija-lynch-coach/
Khurshid Zaynutdinov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khurshidz/

If you enjoyed this episode, follow Beyond The Noise and share it with someone who might benefit from the conversation.

What happens when productivity becomes more important than humanity?

In this episode of Beyond The Noise, we sit down with Scott Shepherd, Founder of Wildward Institute and host of the Hopeful by Nature podcast, to explore leadership, community, mental health, decision-making, and the growing disconnect many people feel from themselves, each other, and the world around them.

Drawing on more than 15 years of experience in outdoor, environmental, and experiential education, Scott shares lessons from working with schools, conservation organisations, government agencies, and refugee communities.

Together, we discuss:

• Why despondence may be a bigger challenge than burnout

• What outdoor leadership teaches us about decision-making and consequences

• The difference between power over and power with

• Why workplace culture often overlooks basic human needs

• The connection between nature, wellbeing, and leadership

• How community creates resilience, belonging, and hope

This conversation is for leaders, founders, professionals, parents, and anyone navigating an increasingly disconnected world.

Guest:
Scott Shepherd

Founder, Wildward Institute
Host, Hopeful by Nature Podcast

Website:
https://www.wildwardinstitute.net/

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn:

Listen to Hopeful by Nature:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033hSHBTnQghtWI68ktJNk

—

Beyond The Noise is hosted by Anastasija Lynch and Khurshid Zaynutdinov.

Connect with the hosts:

Anastasija Lynch
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasija-lynch-coach/

Khurshid Zaynutdinov
https://www.linkedin.com/in/khurshidz/

Most people only see the final decision.

They don’t see the pressure behind it.
The competing agendas.
The negotiations.
The personalities involved.
Or the human side of power.

In this episode, we speak with Zarina Bakenova — executive leader, board director, and former senior government & external relations executive across organisations including Mastercard, Shell, and major international ventures in Central Asia.

We explore:
• how high-stakes decisions actually get made
• what happens behind closed doors between business and government
• influence, negotiation, and stakeholder management
• executive presence under pressure
• being underestimated in leadership environments
• why preparation matters more than confidence alone

A grounded conversation about leadership, complexity, pressure, and the reality behind important decisions.

Guest:
Zarina Bakenova
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zarina-bakenova-a772b73/

Referenced in this episode:
“Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg

Hosts:
Anastasija Lynch
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasija-lynch-coach/

Khurshid Zaynutdinov
https://www.linkedin.com/in/khurshidz/

Beyond the Noise Podcast

What happens when people no longer feel safe to speak honestly at work?

In this episode of Beyond the Noise, we speak with Dr Chris Whitaker, coach, disability and inclusion specialist, and co-founder of Purple Advantage - about psychological safety, leadership blind spots, workplace culture, fear, communication, and the hidden emotional cost of constantly adapting yourself to fit into systems.

This conversation goes far beyond disability inclusion.

We explore the human side of leadership:

• fear in workplaces

• emotional safety

• diversity of thought

• invisible pressure

• communication under discomfort

• belonging

• workplace culture

• resilience

• why silence is often misunderstood by leaders

Dr Chris Whitaker shares insights from his work helping organisations create more inclusive environments and why small shifts in leadership behaviour can have a profound impact on people and performance.

Guest:
Dr Chris Whitaker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drwhitaker/

Purple Advantage:
https://www.purpleadvantage.com/

Book referenced:
Disability: The Basics — Tom Shakespeare

Hosts:
Anastasija Lynch
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasija-lynch-coach/

Khurshid Zaynutdinov
https://www.linkedin.com/in/khurshidz/

Beyond the Noise is a podcast exploring leadership, psychology, pressure, identity, decision-making, resilience, and the human side of ambition.

Most leaders believe they’re making rational, well-thought-out decisions.

In reality, many decisions are shaped by stories that were never fully questioned.

In this episode of Beyond the Noise, Anastasija Lynch and Khurshid sit down with strategist and advisor Dina Vince to explore how hidden narratives influence leadership, strategy, and decision-making.

They discuss why questioning is one of the most underrated leadership skills, how assumptions quietly shape outcomes, and what happens when leaders step back and challenge the story they’ve been operating from.

This conversation is for leaders, founders, and professionals who want to think more clearly, make better decisions, and lead with greater awareness.

What you’ll learn:

• Why leaders often operate from unexamined assumptions
• How stories influence decision-making and strategy
• The role of questioning in clear thinking
• Why success frameworks don’t always transfer
• How to create space for better decisions

Connect with Dina Vince:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinavince/Website: www.dinavince.com

About the hosts:

Anastasija Lynch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasija-lynch-coach/Khurshid Zaynutdinov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khurshidz/

At one point in this conversation, a CEO says something that sounds extreme but is probably not as uncommon as we think.

That moment opens up a much bigger discussion.

In this episode, we sit down with Dali Gamha (founder and CEO of Psynarios) to explore what actually drives behaviour at work and why so much development doesn’t translate into real change.

We get into:

• why people believe they’re being rational when they’re not
• why patterns repeat, even after training
• and what sits underneath behaviour in high-pressure environments

A grounded conversation about how people actually operate at work, beyond the surface.

Connect:

Dali Gamha
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dali-gamha/

Psynarios
https://psynarios.com

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/psynarios/

Beyond the Noise:

Anastasija Lynch
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasija-lynch-coach/

Khurshid Zaynutdinov
https://www.linkedin.com/in/khurshidz/