CEOs Unscripted

CEOs Unscripted

By Jane GentryBusinessEntrepreneurshipManagement
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CEOs Unscripted episodes

  • Ex-CIA Officer Is Betting Everything on American Factories

    He went from the CIA, including a year in Afghanistan to dropping out of business school to building companies. Now he's on a mission to keep America the global leader in physical AI.


    In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, host Jane Gentry sits down with Alexander Torrey, founder of AIC, to unpack "physical AI," the trapped capacity hiding inside American factories, and why he'd never bet against American industry.

    Alex explains how AIC acquires and modernizes founder-led original component manufacturers — the "most important Legos in the Lego set" for robotics, autonomous systems, and advanced defense hardware.

    A must-listen for any operator thinking about AI, manufacturing, prioritization, and building enduring value.

    🔑 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

    ✅ What "physical AI" actually means — software that moves matter, not just data

    ✅ Why America's factory capacity problem is about workflow, not workforce ✅ How trapped capacity (sub-50% utilization) hides in the industrial base ✅ Why "what got you here is the constraint" that stops you getting there

    ✅ How AIC protects engineering & quality while killing pockets of inefficiency
    ✅ Why AI is an enablement tool — empower your best people, don't cut heads
    ✅ The "dig sites" method: finding where software drives the most lift
    ✅ Why prioritization and resource allocation separate great operators from the rest
    ✅ Sharpening the axe: thinking through the decision before you pull the trigger
    ✅ Why he refuses to accept that China winning the manufacturing race is inevitable

    💬 A FEW LINES THAT STUCK WITH US:

    "Software used to move data. Now it can move matter." — Alexander Torrey

    "It's not about workforce, it's about workflow." — Alexander Torrey

    "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend four hours sharpening my axe." — Abe Lincoln (quoted by Alex)

    📌 TIMESTAMPS:
    00:00 — Cold Open: An Upbringing That Encouraged Chasing Passions 01:12 — Welcome to CEOs Unscripted
    02:06 — Meet Alexander Torrey: Teach a Person to Fish
    03:47 — Straight Out of University to the CIA
    04:53 — Can You Really Scale Critical-Thinking Education?
    06:43 — Dropping Out of Business School to Build
    07:59 — The Real Trait Behind Successful Founders: Continuous Learning 09:06 — From the CIA to Company Building
    11:57 — Why 2026 Is the Most Incredible Time to Build
    12:39 — Watershed Moments: Is This Bigger Than the Internet?
    14:09 — What Physical AI Actually Is
    15:04 — Software That Moves Matter, Not Just Data
    16:00 — America's Manufacturing Heritage & Where We Lost Our Way
    19:16 — How AIC Works With Founder-Led Manufacturers
    20:00 — Trapped Capacity: It's Workflow, Not Workforce
    21:43 — Legacy Software vs. AI-Enabled Decision-Making
    22:56 — Why SaaS Providers Don't Own the Consequence
    24:17 — AI as an Enablement Tool, Not a Headcount Cut
    25:16 — Keeping Up With the Demand of Physical AI
    26:33 — The Sacred Cows: Helping CEOs Get Past Change
    29:00 — Protecting the Good While Killing Inefficiency
    30:13 — "Dig Sites" & a Competitive Platform for Algorithms
    32:08 — Have You Ever Seen a Team Fail to Change?
    33:17 — Willingness to Change vs. Ability to Change
    36:39 — Enabling Teams to Do More Than Before
    37:17 — Turning the Good Work Into Revenue: Incentives
    38:01 — Comp for the Behavior You Want & Go-to-Market
    41:05 — Why Prioritization Is the Skill Most Leaders Lack
    44:43 — Sharpen the Axe: Think Before You Pull the Trigger
    47:52 — The Big Aha: Why He's Bullish on American Industry
    50:43 — Supply Chain Sovereignty & Outmaneuvering Dependence
    50:53 — Closing Thoughts

    👤 ABOUT ALEXANDER TORREY: Alexander Torrey is the founder of AIC (America's Innovation Corporation), a permanent holding company that acquires and modernizes founder-led original component manufacturers powering physical AI — robotics, autonomous systems, and advanced defense hardware. A former CIA officer and repeat software entrepreneur, Alex is focused on ensuring the US remains the global leader in physical AI.

    🎙️ ABOUT CEOS UNSCRIPTED: Real talk that drives real growth for mid-market leaders. Host Jane Gentry brings unfiltered conversations with CEOs, founders, and executives scaling $10M–$500M businesses. No fluff, no jargon — just honest lessons from leaders who've been where you are.

    👉 Subscribe so you never miss a candid conversation with a trailblazing leader.

    #PhysicalAI #Manufacturing #AI #Reindustrialization #CEO #MidMarket #Robotics #SupplyChain #Entrepreneurship #Leadership

    54 min
  • 13 Years at SpaceX Taught Him How to Move an 1800s Industry | Matt Soule

    How do you bring autonomous vehicles to an industry that hasn't fundamentally changed in 200 years — and get century-old regulators on board?

    In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, host Jane Gentry sits down with Matt Soule, founder of Parallel and a 13-year SpaceX veteran, to unpack what building rockets taught him about leading change everywhere else. From battery-electric autonomous rail to the messy human side of transformation, Matt shares the leadership principles behind moving a legacy industry forward.

    This one is a masterclass in mission, ownership, and why the smartest performers build teams instead of protecting turf. Essential listening for any founder or mid-market CEO navigating growth, AI, and organizational change.

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

    ✅ Why a compelling, CLEAR mission is a company's greatest recruiting and execution tool
    ✅ How diffuse ownership quietly paralyzes organizations — and the fix
    ✅ Why job descriptions should be about outcomes, not tasks
    ✅ How AI doesn't break silos — it exposes the ones leadership won't address
    ✅ The comp and org-design problems AI forces to the surface
    ✅ Why "it's not the change people resist, it's the loss" (and how to lead through it)
    ✅ The SpaceX lesson on engaging regulators EARLY to build trust
    ✅ Why every job — even engineering — eventually becomes a sales job
    ✅ How to plan with assumptions and triggers, not rigid annual forecasts
    ✅ The interview tactic that separates real problem-solvers from problem-droppers

    💬 A FEW LINES THAT STUCK WITH US:

    "Learning how to do great discovery is the most underrated skill in business." — Jane Gentry
    "The people who are so good at their job that they eliminate that function — those are the people I want to promote." — Matt Soule
    "It's not the change that people resist, it's the loss." — Jane Gentry

    📌 TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 — Cold Open: Ownership, Discovery & Doing What's Best for the Team
    00:59 — Welcome to CEOs Unscripted
    02:34 — Meet Matt Soule: From SpaceX to Parallel
    04:09 — What SpaceX Taught Him About Leadership & Mission
    05:48 — Mission vs. Clarity: Why Nobody Knows Where the Company's Going
    06:52 — Clear Ownership & a Bias Toward Action
    07:31 — How a Lack of Role Clarity Paralyzes Teams
    08:44 — Outcomes Over Tasks: Rethinking Job Descriptions
    09:45 — Tackle Problems as a Team, Not by Territory
    10:37 — How AI Is Bubbling Up the Silos in Your Org
    13:30 — AI as a Productivity Amplifier (and Turf-Protection Trap)
    13:56 — The Sales vs. Client-Support Story: Codifying Silos
    16:23 — Promote the People Who Eliminate Their Own Function
    16:29 — The CEO's Role as Shepherd of Change
    18:04 — The Incentive for Change in a No-Growth Industry
    19:04 — Every Job Is a Sales Job
    19:56 — Leading With Empathy & Curiosity to Drive Change
    20:32 — It's Not the Change People Resist — It's the Loss
    21:49 — Risk vs. Reward & the Innovator's Dilemma
    23:02 — Helping Your People Take Thoughtful Risks
    25:24 — Why Great Discovery Is the Most Underrated Skill
    26:52 — Knowing When to Be the Gas and When to Be the Brake
    28:46 — Shepherding Change at the Federal Level
    30:59 — The SpaceX Lesson: Engage Regulators Early
    31:40 — Turning Stakeholders Into Internal Advocates
    34:48 — Planning for When Success Starts to Break the Company
    37:52 — Assumption-Based Planning: Thermostats, Not Rearview Mirrors
    40:15 — Cross-Discipline Teams in a High-Performing Company
    40:39 — The Engineer Who Had to Learn Sales
    44:08 — Hiring People Better Than You & Knowing What "Good" Looks Like
    45:15 — Lessons From Working With Elon Musk
    47:52 — Interviewing for True Problem-Solvers
    49:17 — Holding the Tension Between Limited Cash & Big Ambition
    51:23 — Partnership Over Trickle-Down Solutions
    51:34 — Closing Thoughts

    👤 ABOUT MATT SOULE:

    Matt Soule is the founder of Parallel, a company using battery-electric autonomous vehicles to move more freight by rail. An engineer by background, he spent 20 years in aerospace — including 13 years at SpaceX — before launching Parallel to solve for service quality and flexibility in a 200-year-old industry.

    🎙️ ABOUT CEOS UNSCRIPTED:

    Real talk that drives real growth for mid-market leaders. Host Jane Gentry brings unfiltered conversations with CEOs, founders, and executives scaling $10M–$500M businesses. No fluff, no jargon — just honest lessons from leaders who've been where you are.

    👉 Subscribe so you never miss a candid conversation with a trailblazing leader.

    #SpaceX #Leadership #ChangeManagement #AI #CEO #MidMarket #Innovation #Autonomous #Startup #Entrepreneurship

    54 min
  • He Sold Company After Company — This Is What He'd Tell You

    Most business owners wait until they're tired to think about selling. By then, it's too late — and it costs them millions.


    In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, host Jane Gentry sits down with Ryan Frederick, principal of Transform Labs — a serial entrepreneur who has started and sold company after company, and whose latest venture was just acquired (fresh off the deal).

    Ryan and Jane pull back the curtain on what buyers actually want, why a full calendar is a red flag, and the uncomfortable truth about being the bottleneck in your own business. If you're a mid-market CEO who ever plans to sell — or just wants to build a business that could run without you — this is the conversation to hear.

    🔑 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
    ✅ Why you should plan your exit the day you open the doors — not the day you're tired
    ✅ The "full calendar" trap: how being busy signals you're the bottleneck
    ✅ Why you can't sell a business you're still working IN
    ✅ How to get honest feedback (and why your team will never give it to you) ✅ The "mock transaction" test to see if your business is truly sellable
    ✅ How to prep your people and leadership for a successful integration
    ✅ Why culture and values quietly kill more deals than valuation
    ✅ How long you really have to stay on after a sale (it's shorter than the contract)
    ✅ The 30% haircut that hits unprepared businesses at the negotiating table ✅ The emotional side of selling: who are you after the business is gone?

    💬 A FEW LINES THAT STUCK WITH US:

    "You're climbing the ladder, doing activity — but how do you know it's leaning against the right wall?" — Jane Gentry

    "You're not selling the past. The story you're selling is the future." — Jane Gentry

    "We get what we earn. Not what we deserve, but what we earn." — Ryan Frederick

    📌 TIMESTAMPS:
    00:00 — "You Need a Mirror": Cold Open
    00:53 — Welcome to CEOs Unscripted
    02:29 — Meet Ryan Frederick: A Serial Entrepreneur's Story
    04:38 — The High-Risk Reality of Going Out on Your Own
    05:37 — Job Security Is Dead & the Rise of the Influencer Career
    08:35 — Get an Exit Plan the Day You Open the Doors
    11:22 — The Full Calendar Trap: Working IN vs. ON the Business
    14:04 — Ego, Identity & Why Founders Can't Let Go
    17:28 — Surround Yourself With People Who'll Tell You the Truth
    21:36 — Is Your Ladder Leaning Against the Right Wall?
    22:07 — BREAKING: Transform Labs Has Been Acquired
    23:49 — Sell the Future, Not the Past
    24:33 — The "Mock Transaction" Test & Integration Readiness
    25:33 — Prepping Your People & Leadership Succession
    28:30 — How Long You Really Stay After the Sale
    31:15 — Why Deals Die: Culture, Gut & Buyer's Remorse
    35:36 — When Values Kill a Deal (The Company Car Story)
    37:56 — The Emotional Side of Selling: Who Are You After?
    40:52 — Succession Planning: Why Owners Wait Too Long
    45:22 — Breaking the Owner's Delusion & the 30% Haircut
    48:11 — What's Next for Ryan + The Truth About Retirement
    51:43 — Closing Thoughts

    👤 ABOUT RYAN FREDERICK: Ryan Frederick is the principal of Transform Labs (recently acquired) and a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits under his belt. He now spends much of his time traveling the country speaking on AI, and is staying on with the acquiring company to lead integration and growth. 

    🎙️ ABOUT CEOS UNSCRIPTED: Real talk that drives real growth for mid-market leaders. Host Jane Gentry brings unfiltered conversations with CEOs, founders, and executives scaling $10M–$500M businesses. No fluff, no jargon — just honest lessons from leaders who've been where you are.

    👉 Subscribe so you never miss a candid conversation with a trailblazing leader.

    #Exit #MergersAndAcquisitions #CEO #MidMarket #BusinessValuation #SuccessionPlanning #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #ScalingUp #SellingYourBusiness

    53 min
  • This Industrial CEO Using AI in Ways Most Tech Companies Have Not Figured Out Yet

    Most CEOs talk about innovation. Drew Allen lives it.

    From taking his first trip to China at 13, to speaking Mandarin and Portuguese, to attending an AI hackathon hosted by the PayPal Mafia before most CEOs even knew what a large language model was, Drew Allen is not your average CEO.

    As the leader of Grace Technologies, Drew has quietly built one of the most experimentally driven, AI forward, high performance cultures in the industrial electronics space. And in this episode of CEOs Unscripted, he pulls back the curtain on exactly how he did it and what every CEO can learn from his approach.

    This is a conversation about curiosity, experimentation, reinvention and why the CEO who transforms themselves first is always the one who transforms their business.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    ✅ Why being present in the market is the single most underrated competitive advantage in sales

    ✅ The Jim Collins flywheel that has driven Grace Technologies from day one

    ✅ How to build a culture of small scale experimentation so you never have to risk the farm

    ✅ Why Drew runs 50 to 200 experiments at any given time and what he is looking for

    ✅ The AI hackathon that sped up Grace Technologies' AI journey by 12 months

    ✅ How Drew used Claude to build a sales forecasting ensemble model in an afternoon that would have taken a data scientist six months

    ✅ Why you cannot coach drive and what to look for when hiring instead

    ✅ How to find the real bottleneck in your business using the five whys exercise

    ✅ Why transforming your business always starts with transforming yourself first

    💡 Key Insight: "One successful experiment pays for a lot of small failures. If you are having to risk the farm, you are probably not thinking about the problem in the right way."

    🎙️ CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs, no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who have been in the trenches.

    📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.

    #Leadership #CEOsUnscripted #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #MidMarket #HighPerformance #Manufacturing #AIForBusiness


    ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Cold open: The management insight most CEOs overlook

    00:59 Welcome to CEOs Unscripted

    02:33 Meet Drew Allen, CEO of Grace Technologies

    03:44 Drew's backstory and family entrepreneurial legacy

    06:35 What 3M in Asia taught him about business

    08:34 The Toyota Way and being present in the market

    11:24 Why Grace Technologies needed to reinvent itself

    13:27 Building an engineering team from scratch

    14:52 The Jim Collins flywheel and how Drew applied it

    16:40 Balancing instinct with strategy

    17:48 Fire bullets not cannonballs

    19:21 Decision making under pressure

    20:20 Building a culture of experimentation

    22:42 How SpaceX thinks about time vs cost

    23:09 What failing the right way looks like

    25:19 High performance culture and what it really means

    26:40 Removing toxic high performers

    27:33 Why you cannot coach drive

    30:02 Hiring for curiosity over credentials

    31:37 How Drew became an AI forward CEO

    33:29 The AI hackathon that changed everything

    35:48 How Claude sparked a wildfire inside the company

    36:26 Transform yourself before you transform your business

    39:42 Deciding which AI experiments are worth scaling

    42:02 Building a sales forecasting model in one afternoon

    44:31 What the data changed about how he leads

    46:14 Why Drew believes entrepreneurship beats philanthropy

    48:57 Advising and investing in early stage founders

    49:39 Advice Drew gives entrepreneurs at every stage

    51:46 How to find the real bottleneck using five whys

    54:48 Drew's closing thoughts

    55:42 Jane's closing thoughts




    57 min
  • The Inner Journey Every CEO Hides From the World

    Everyone talks about the strategy of being a CEO. Almost no one talks about the inner toll it takes.

    Charbel Zreik went from collecting cans on the street as a refugee from civil war to running companies, then spent years as a full time yoga and meditation teacher after his first CEO seat nearly broke him. Today he teaches at Wharton and works with CEOs on something most leadership conversations completely ignore, the inner journey behind the title.

    In this raw, deeply personal episode of CEOs Unscripted, Charbel sits down with Jane Gentry to unpack the five internal shifts every CEO needs to make to thrive under pressure, without sacrificing who they are to get there.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    ✅ The five shifts every CEO must make to thrive instead of just survive

    ✅ Why risk is not just intellectual, it lives in your body, and how to manage it

    ✅ The nervous system tools Charbel uses including cold plunging, breath work and meditation

    ✅ How to recognize when your ego has been triggered before it takes control

    ✅ The difference between being nice and being kind as a leader

    ✅ Why dropping your attachment to outcomes makes you more effective, not less

    ✅ How to lead with low ego and a clear mission without losing yourself

    ✅ Why nearly 90 percent of founders are unhappy a year after exiting, and how to avoid becoming one of them

    💡 Key Insight: "There is anxiety, but I am not anxiety. There is fear, but I have a choice in how I respond to it."

    🎙️ CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs, no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who have been in the trenches.

    📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.

    #Leadership #CEOsUnscripted #MentalHealth #ExecutiveCoaching #Mindfulness #SelfAwareness #CEOMindset #PersonalGrowth #MidMarket #InnerWork

    ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Cold open: The hidden weight every CEO carries on their shoulders

    01:05 Welcome to CEOs Unscripted

    02:40 Meet Charbel Zreik, CEO and founder of DHA Laboratory

    02:58 The story behind his name and his namesake saint

    03:53 From civil war refugee to food stamps to Cornell, Charbel's backstory

    05:33 The people who believed in him before he believed in himself

    07:14 Becoming an observer of CEOs and the inner journey nobody talks about

    08:44 The breaking point that started it all, his first CEO seat in 2014

    10:33 The five shifts to inner mastery as a CEO

    12:34 Why all five shifts happen concurrently, not in order

    12:51 Shift one, leading from a safe body

    14:55 Becoming a master of your own nervous system

    15:32 The practices Charbel uses daily, meditation, breath work, cold plunging

    17:04 The special forces technique of naming what you feel

    18:49 Why young leaders catastrophize and how to break it down step by step

    20:20 What to do when you feel completely frozen

    21:13 Shift two, leading with an open courageous heart

    22:29 Why high performers become critical of others without realising it

    23:57 How your nervous system silently affects everyone in the room

    25:37 Shame, change and why being the change agent makes you a target

    26:59 The difference between being nice and being kind as a leader

    27:26 Shift three, a present and centered mind

    28:30 Why the mind never stops solving problems, even at 4am

    28:55 Dropping attachment to outcomes and committing to the process instead

    30:43 How heavy planning actually creates more presence, not less

    31:45 Jane's calendar confession and the cost of moving too fast

    33:29 Jane's nighttime notebook trick for quieting a racing mind

    34:24 Shiny object syndrome and constant mental movement

    36:35 Charbel's nightly checkout ritual to tell his mind it is done for the day

    37:57 Why you have to experiment to find what actually works for you

    38:35 Shift four, leading with low ego and mission orientation

    39:23 The 90 percent statistic on founders who regret how they exited

    39:58 Knowing your personal ego triggers and catching them in real time

    41:32 Jane's story of one-upping a network president and catching herself

    42:28 Why naming the trigger disempowers it instantly

    43:10 Why fewer people tell the truth the higher you climb

    44:39 The CEO who insisted ego never gets in the way, and what happened next

    45:55 Succeeding without sacrificing who you are

    46:01 Shift five, leading a highly disciplined lifestyle

    47:32 Why none of these shifts happen without daily and weekly rituals

    48:30 Charbel's simple parting advice, ten minutes of quiet to start every day

    49:13 Jane's closing thoughts

    51 min
  • He Sold His Company for Twice What He Expected. Here's Exactly How He Did It

    Most founders spend twenty years building their business and about twenty minutes preparing to sell it.

    The result? Millions left on the table. Bad deals. Regret. And in too many cases, starting all over again when they should be retired.

    Jonathan Sherrill has been on every side of a business exit. He helped his father sell. He ran a company for private equity. He built his own company from scratch and sold it for twice what he expected. And then he wrote a book about all of it called The Extraordinary Exit.

    In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, Jonathan sits down with Jane Gentry to share the unfiltered truth about what it really takes to get an extraordinary exit, and why most founders are completely unprepared for what comes after.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    ✅ The critical difference between building a company for income and building one for wealth

    ✅ The full advisory team you need before going to market and why most founders skip half of them

    ✅ Why the emotional preparation for selling is just as important as the financial preparation

    ✅ What happens when an unsolicited buyer approaches you and why it almost never ends well

    ✅ The seven levels of why exercise that reveals the real reason founders want to sell

    ✅ Why ego and pride destroy more deals than bad financials ever will

    ✅ What to do if your deal falls apart and why it is not the end of the story

    ✅ How to know if you are emotionally ready to sell before you ever go to market

    💡 Key Insight: "If you think growing a business means you can sell one, you are in for a rude awakening. It is a whole different world."

    ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Cold open: I had no idea you could sell a company for a multiple until I lived through it

    00:55 Welcome to CEOs Unscripted

    02:35 Meet Jonathan Sherrill, author of The Extraordinary Exit and founder of Waypoint Founders

    03:15 Jonathan's backstory: small town Florida, metal roofing, private equity and his own exit

    04:38 What was different about the second exit vs the first

    05:06 Learning the exit world from the inside out while working for private equity

    06:33 Building a company from day one with the intention to sell it

    08:16 Building for income vs building for wealth, the trap most founders fall into

    09:22 Why being too important to your own business will kill your deal

    09:55 The full advisory team you need before going to market

    13:18 Who is the quarterback of the deal and why it matters

    14:52 What Jonathan did differently the second time around

    16:19 Why bad advisors cost founders millions and how to avoid them

    18:50 Do not wait until you are exhausted to start preparing to sell

    19:11 The stat that should scare every founder: most are unhappy within 18 months of selling

    21:09 The exit why exercise and why your first answer is probably not the real reason

    23:32 The emotional void that hits after a great exit and why founders are not prepared for it

    25:07 How the book The Extraordinary Exit came to be

    27:26 What Waypoint Founders actually does and who it is for

    30:56 The seven levels of why exercise explained

    33:49 Why learning from other founders is the whole point

    35:09 Do not let a friend who sold one company be your only advisor

    36:43 What makes deals fall apart and what you can do about it

    38:24 If you are not coachable do not waste money on great advisors

    39:56 How ego and pride destroy deals worth tens of millions of dollars

    41:19 It takes ego to build a company, just do not let it be your downfall at exit

    42:18 The exit readiness assessment on the Waypoint Founders website

    44:10 How to connect with Jonathan Sherrill and get the book

    44:44 The unsolicited buyer trap and why it almost never ends in your favour

    46:26 What Jane has seen happen to founders who got bad advice

    47:52 Jonathan's closing thoughts on what he genuinely cares about

    48:09 Jane's closing thoughts

     

    🎙️ CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs, no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who have been in the trenches.

    📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.

    📖 Book Mentioned: The Extraordinary Exit by Jonathan Sherrill

    #ExitStrategy #BusinessSale #CEOsUnscripted #FounderLife #MergersAndAcquisitions #PrivateEquity #BusinessGrowth #WealthBuilding #MidMarket #Entrepreneurship

    50 min
  • The First 90 Days Mistakes That Quietly Destroy CEO Careers

    Most incoming CEOs walk through the door ready to prove themselves. Ready to make big moves. Ready to show results fast.

    And that urgency is exactly what gets them in trouble.

    In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, Jane Gentry sits down with Neill Marshall, Chairman of Health Search Partners in Texas, who has spent years studying and recruiting top healthcare executives. Neill has quietly compiled one of the most valuable playbooks in leadership, a deep body of research on what separates CEOs who gain immediate traction from the ones who quietly lose the room before they ever had it.

    This is not a theoretical conversation. It is drawn from real patterns, real executives and real consequences.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    ✅ The biggest misconception incoming CEOs have about their first 90 days

    ✅ Why symbolic actions in week one matter more than any strategy document

    ✅ How micromanagement in early days creates a culture of fear that outlasts your tenure

    ✅ What boards should actually be asking CEO candidates before making the hire

    ✅ Why focusing too much internally in the first 90 days can be just as dangerous as ignoring it

    ✅ The questions every new CEO should ask key stakeholders before making any assumptions

    ✅ Whether you can go back and course-correct if you already blew your first 90 days

    💡 Key Insight: "90 days passes at the speed of light when you are new in that role. Letting that feeling cause you to move fast can cause you to make foolish choices."

    ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Cold open: Are CEOs as self-aware as they think they are?

    01:04 Welcome to CEOs Unscripted

    02:40 Meet Neill Marshall, Chairman of Health Search Partners

    03:58 Neill's research on what makes CEOs succeed in their first 90 days

    07:10 Why the first 90 days can launch you or break you

    09:31 What CEOs think the first 90 days is about vs. what it actually is

    10:16 What boards expect from a new CEO in the first three months

    12:20 What are symbolic actions and why they matter more than you think

    13:53 Do employees actually buy in or just go through the motions?

    14:39 Authenticity is not a 30 day act, it has to be consistent

    16:27 How new CEOs drive culture from day one without realising it

    17:20 A story from Neill's research that sticks with him

    19:50 What happens when decision rights are stripped from leadership teams

    21:22 The hidden cost of micromanagement on your leadership team

    22:49 Why self-awareness shrinks the higher you climb

    23:38 Neill's research finding: not a single micromanager made it past 90 days successfully

    25:00 Jane's story about her father's retirement party and what great leaders leave behind

    27:12 Jane's experience being told to fire an executive and why she didn't

    29:29 When boards are listening to the wrong people in the organisation

    30:41 Why the pressure to move fast causes the most costly first 90 day mistakes

    32:01 What does "doing good" actually look like and why boards rarely define it clearly

    33:28 What boards should be asking CEO candidates about their first 90 day plan

    35:19 Can a CEO focus too much internally in their first 90 days?

    36:40 The financial CEO who could not speak any language other than numbers

    39:12 Bringing the outside world in to your organisation and why it builds massive goodwill

    41:56 How much pushback do CEOs actually give when coached on this?

    42:55 The EVP who told Jane "their paycheck is their inspiration"

    44:44 Decisions every incoming CEO should make before they even start

    46:12 The questions new CEOs should be asking key stakeholders on day one

    47:52 Treat your biggest account like a prospect, never assume the relationship is healthy

    48:34 Does a strong first 90 days actually shape a great six year tenure?

    49:29 What Neill wishes more people asked him about this topic

    49:58 Can you go back and fix a bad start if you are already in the role?

    50:29 Where to find Neill's articles and research on LinkedIn

    51:14 Jane's closing thoughts

    🎙️ CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs, no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who have been in the trenches.

    📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.

    #Leadership #CEOsUnscripted #NewCEO #First90Days #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessGrowth #MidMarket #CEOMindset #CompanyCulture #BoardGovernance

    53 min
  • The Brutal Truth About Why Most CEOs Fail (From Someone Who's Watched It Happen) | CEOs Unscripted

    Rami Cassis has hired four CEOs. He replaced three of them. In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, the Monaco-based investor and founder of Parabellum Investments sits down with Jane Gentry to share the unfiltered truth about what separates great CEOs from expensive mistakes and why emotional intelligence matters more than any MBA or sector experience ever will.

    If you hire CEOs, aspire to be one, or are already in the seat, this conversation will make you rethink everything.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    ✅ Why CEOs who come from sales are dangerously optimistic with forecasts
    ✅ The subtle client signals most CEOs completely miss until it's too late
    ✅ The difference between managing UP vs. managing DOWN and why it destroys cultures
    ✅ Why "wartime CEOs" and "prosperity CEOs" are completely different animals
    ✅ What the first 60-90 days in a new CEO role should actually look like
    ✅ The single number every CEO must have an iron grip on
    ✅ Why being NICE is not the same as being KIND and why it matters enormously
    ✅ How a culture of fear silently kills your best performers

    💡 Key Insight: "The way you deliver something is just as important, if not more important, than what you actually say."

    ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Cold open: Why hiring a great CEO is as hard as hiring a great salesperson

    01:00 Welcome to CEOs Unscripted
    02:35 Meet Rami Cassis, Parabellum Investments, Monaco
    03:06 Rami's backstory: Egypt, France, Australia, oil & gas, and beyond 05:41 What Parabellum Investments actually does
    07:07 What Rami looks for when hiring a CEO
    08:08 The three painful reasons his CEOs failed
    08:44 Mistake #1: Consistently missing forecasts and why sales CEOs are the worst offenders
    10:44 Mistake #2: Failing to read the room with clients
    12:47 Why EQ is rarely in the top 3 things we interview CEOs for
    13:41 Wartime CEOs vs. prosperity CEOs, which one are you?
    17:18 Why emotional intelligence is hard to measure but impossible to ignore
    19:38 The self-awareness paradox, the higher you climb the blinder you get
    21:26 Is EQ innate or learned? Jane and Rami debate
    22:46 Delivery matters as much as content, maybe more
    23:54 The difference between being NICE and being KIND as a CEO
    25:31 Mistake #3: Managing up but not down and the culture of fear it creates
    27:41 Signs you have a culture of fear (Jane's tell-tale meeting test)
    29:13 Autonomy vs. accountability, where CEOs get the balance wrong 31:17 When you trust too much, the costly CTO technology mistake
    33:39 Why major decisions need an outside voice with no dog in the fight 35:26 What counsel would you give a brand new CEO?
    36:35 First 60-90 days, listen, observe, resist the urge to act fast
    38:34 It's okay not to know and why admitting it builds more trust than hiding it
    39:42 The unprepared sales leader who won his team over with one apology
    40:47 Play to your strengths and outsource your weaknesses
    41:40 The numbers every CEO must know cold
    42:33 Why a 13-week cash flow forecast is non-negotiable
    44:25 How do founders know they're in a turnaround situation?
    44:33 The financial warning signs of a business in trouble
    46:41 Cut marketing or double down? Jane and Rami respectfully disagree 47:22 Why a strong CFO is every CEO's most important co-pilot
    48:42 What Jane did differently during COVID and why it worked
    49:24 Asking for opinions doesn't mean you have to take them
    50:33 Rami's final thoughts and what he hopes others take from his mistakes
    51:08 Jane's closing thoughts

    🎙️ CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs, no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who've been in the trenches.

    📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.

    🔗 Connect with Jane Gentry: [LinkedIn] 🔗 Connect with Rami Cassis: [LinkedIn]

    #Leadership #CEOsUnscripted #EmotionalIntelligence #PrivateEquity #CEOMindset #BusinessGrowth #MidMarket #Turnaround #ExecutiveLeadership #ScalingUp

    52 min
  • This CEO's Entire Strategy Fits on One Slide, And It's Pure Genius

    What if your entire company strategy fit on one slide? Jamie Church, CEO of Best Buy Medical, did exactly that and delivered growth in the process.


    In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, Jane Gentry sits down with Canada's top medical supply distributor CEO to unpack how radical simplicity, obsessive customer focus, and authentic leadership culture can outperform any complex strategy.

    If you're a mid-market CEO drowning in complexity, this episode will change how you think about strategy, people, and growth.

    In this episode, you'll learn:
    ✅ The 3-priority strategy that drove growth, and why less is more
    ✅ How to actually operationalize "customer centricity" (not just say it)
    ✅ Why Jamie puts himself in every single new hire's onboarding — from warehouse to exec
    ✅ The "legends and heroes" culture framework that keeps long-tenured talent committed
    ✅ How to roll out strategy like a change management initiative (most CEOs miss this)
    ✅ Why your network is the most valuable career asset you'll ever build
    ✅ What it's really like working with private equity and what to ask before you say yes

    ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
    00:00 — Cold open: Growth with zero breakdowns, here's how
    00:54 — Welcome to CEOs Unscripted
    02:29 — Meet Jamie Church, CEO of Best Buy Medical
    03:07 — Jamie's 20-year career path & how network got him here
    04:06 — Why Jamie left McKesson to run a mid-sized company
    05:41 — What drew him to Best Buy Medical's culture & mission
    07:08 — Culture as competitive advantage in healthcare distribution
    07:54 — Why Jamie keeps strategy to just 3 priorities
    08:19 — The 3 priorities: Customer Centricity, Innovation & Sustainability 08:39 — The growth story, how long & what drove it
    09:58 — Investing in people, sustainability & domestic partners
    11:12 — Involving the leadership team in strategy for the first time
    12:11 — What "customer centricity" actually looks like in practice
    13:40 — Legends & heroes: recognizing the people who go above and beyond
    14:03 — How Jamie onboards every single new hire personally
    15:46 — Why a strong culture self-selects out bad hires quickly
    16:01 — Town halls, micro-meetings & keeping the whole org aligned
    17:14 — Jane's "sneak test": walking the floor to check strategy alignment 18:59 — Milestone recognition programs & why personal notes matter
    21:28 — The power of peer recognition over top-down praise
    24:26 — What Jamie means by "network" and why it's everything
    27:08 — Your network is your most valuable career asset
    28:33 — The right way to build a network: give before you ask
    30:45 — Building strategy with a leadership team of 8, all promoted from within
    32:25 — The one-slide strategy: Jane's reaction says it all
    33:12 — How often the leadership team checks in on progress
    34:44 — Remote workforce, bi-weekly rhythms & full-team alignment days 36:15 — Change management in action: the Calgary DC move story
    37:31 — Why every strategy rollout is a change management initiative
    38:17 — What ACTUALLY broke during growth (the answer may surprise you)
    40:54 — The "slingshot effect" pulling back to leap forward
    42:30 — Keeping it simple is harder than it sounds
    43:37 — What to know before taking a CEO role in a PE-backed company 45:21 — Rapid fire: best book, 5X CEO by Tabo Godstream
    46:34 — Worst advice Jamie ever received
    47:53 — Smartest person in his phone & why
    48:33 — What to do when you feel stuck
    49:08 — Jane's closing thoughts 🎙️

    CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs — no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who've been in the trenches.

    📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.

    #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #CEOsUnscripted #CompanyCulture #ScalingUp #MidMarket #CustomerCentricity #EmployeeEngagement #PrivateEquity #SimplifyToScale

    50 min
  • What Actually Drives 6X Growth? This CEO's Answer Will Surprise You

    What if your entire company strategy fit on one slide? Jamie Church, CEO of Best Buy Medical, did exactly that and delivered 6X growth in the process.


    In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, Jane Gentry sits down with Canada's top medical supply distributor CEO to unpack how radical simplicity, obsessive customer focus, and authentic leadership culture can outperform any complex strategy.

    If you're a mid-market CEO drowning in complexity, this episode will change how you think about strategy, people, and growth.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    ✅ The 3-priority strategy that drove 6X growth and why less is more
    ✅ How to actually operationalize "customer centricity" (not just say it)
    ✅ Why Jamie puts himself in every single new hire's onboarding — from warehouse to exec
    ✅ The "legends and heroes" culture framework that keeps long-tenured talent committed
    ✅ How to roll out strategy like a change management initiative (most CEOs miss this)
    ✅ Why your network is the most valuable career asset you'll ever build
    ✅ What it's really like working with private equity and what to ask before you say yes

    🎙️ CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs — no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who've been in the trenches.

    📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.

    ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 — Cold open: 6X growth with zero breakdowns here's how

    00:54 — Welcome to CEOs Unscripted
    02:29 — Meet Jamie Church, CEO of Best Buy Medical
    03:07 — Jamie's 20-year career path & how network got him here
    04:06 — Why Jamie left McKesson to run a mid-sized company
    05:41 — What drew him to Best Buy Medical's culture & mission
    07:08 — Culture as competitive advantage in healthcare distribution
    07:54 — Why Jamie keeps strategy to just 3 priorities
    08:19 — The 3 priorities: Customer Centricity, Innovation & Sustainability 08:39 — The 6X growth story — how long & what drove it
    09:58 — Investing in people, sustainability & domestic partners
    11:12 — Involving the leadership team in strategy for the first time
    12:11 — What "customer centricity" actually looks like in practice
    13:40 — Legends & heroes: recognizing the people who go above and beyond
    14:03 — How Jamie onboards every single new hire personally
    15:46 — Why a strong culture self-selects out bad hires quickly
    16:01 — Town halls, micro-meetings & keeping the whole org aligned
    17:14 — Jane's "sneak test": walking the floor to check strategy alignment 18:59 — Milestone recognition programs & why personal notes matter 21:28 — The power of peer recognition over top-down praise
    24:26 — What Jamie means by "network" and why it's everything
    27:08 — Your network is your most valuable career asset
    28:33 — The right way to build a network: give before you ask
    30:45 — Building strategy with a leadership team of 8, all promoted from within
    32:25 — The one-slide strategy: Jane's reaction says it all
    33:12 — How often the leadership team checks in on progress
    34:44 — Remote workforce, bi-weekly rhythms & full-team alignment days 36:15 — Change management in action: the Calgary DC move story
    37:31 — Why every strategy rollout is a change management initiative
    38:17 — What ACTUALLY broke during 6X growth (the answer may surprise you) 40:54 — The "slingshot effect" pulling back to leap forward
    42:30 — Keeping it simple is harder than it sounds
    43:37 — What to know before taking a CEO role in a PE-backed company 45:21 — Rapid fire: best book, 5X CEO by Tabo Godstream
    46:34 — Worst advice Jamie ever received
    47:53 — Smartest person in his phone & why
    48:33 — What to do when you feel stuck
    49:08 — Jane's closing thoughts


    #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #CEOsUnscripted #CompanyCulture #ScalingUp #MidMarket #CustomerCentricity #EmployeeEngagement #PrivateEquity #SimplifyToScale



    50 min

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