If The Public Only Knew- Behind Every Success, a Story Worth Telling

About Ari Rastegar: Ari is the CEO and Founder of Rastegar Property Company, a real estate investment firm dedicated to helping high-income individuals and institutional investors generate stable income and sustainable wealth. Guided by a clear mission—to make institutional-grade opportunities accessible to everyday investors—Ari leads with both expertise and empathy, believing that financial growth and personal fulfillment should go hand in hand.

With investments spanning 38 cities, 13 states, and seven asset classes, Ari and his team have developed over 3.5 million square feet of real estate across the United States. His work and insights have been featured in leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The New York Times.

Ari’s philosophy is simple yet powerful: invest wisely and live the life of your dreams. He combines a disciplined investment approach with a passion for empowering clients to take control of their financial future so they can build wealth, preserve their legacy, and live with confidence.

In this episode, Gary and Ari Rastegar discuss:

• Lessons from early struggles and how humble beginnings shaped his entrepreneurial grit
• How personal development and self-awareness fuel business success
• The mindset required to turn setbacks into opportunities for reinvention
• Defining fulfillment beyond financial success and learning to lead through introspection

Key Takeaways:

• True success begins with building yourself first. Once your inner foundation is strong, business growth often follows naturally.
• Failure isn’t a dead end—it’s the training ground where resilience, clarity, and creativity are born.
• There’s deep power in self-awareness. When you confront your own flaws and triggers, you gain the freedom to shape a healthier, more meaningful life.
• Wealth loses its value without fulfillment; the real victory is finding peace, purpose, and growth in every season of life.

“Keep going. No matter what it is, keep going. If you make a fortune, keep going. If you lost it all, keep going.” — Ari Rastegar

Connect with Ari Rastegar: 

Website: www.rastegarcapital.com & https://arirastegar.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arirastegar/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rastegar & https://www.instagram.com/rastegarproperty 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ari_Rastegar 

X: https://x.com/arirastegar 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Failure-Turn-Missteps-Success/dp/1544523211

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Mike Manazir: Mike Manazir has a passion for stories, leadership, big ships, fast jets, thundering Harleys, and one woman: Kelly, his bride of more than forty years. 

He is a graduate of Top Gun and commanded an F-14 squadron, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, and a Carrier Strike Group. Mike retired as a Two-Star Admiral and is now an executive with a Fortune 100 aerospace and defense company.

He mentors a leadership style based on heart and trust that champions inclusion. Mike believes that if you have one or more people looking to you to show the way, you are a leader. He wants to help you be the best leader you can be, so you can Lead to Win.

In this episode, Gary and Mike Manazir discuss:

• Leadership growth through humility, connection, and personal evolution
• Persistence in the face of setbacks and redefining success through resilience
• Emotional influences that shape ambition, confidence, and identity
• Lifelong learning and reinvention from military command to corporate leadership

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace personal and professional failures as training grounds by analyzing what went wrong, applying those lessons immediately, and using each setback to sharpen focus and emotional endurance.
• Lead others effectively by practicing daily gratitude, recognizing individual strengths, and communicating how every person contributes to something larger than themselves.
• Transform imposter syndrome into a source of motivation by sharing your vulnerabilities openly, mentoring others, and using self-doubt to stay curious and continually improve.
• Carry the discipline, focus, and precision developed in high-pressure environments into every leadership role by connecting authentically with people and leading through empathy rather than authority. 

"The secret to leadership is you lead with your heart and not your title." — Mike Manazir

Connect with Mike Manazir: 

Website: https://mikemanazir.com/

Book: Learn How to Lead to Win: https://www.amazon.com/Learn-How-Lead-Win-Leadership/dp/B0BRYWHZPY

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemanazir/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/manazirmike

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikemanazir/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikemanazir/

For more great content, sign up for Gary’s free Patreon channel- https://www.patreon.com/FA_Masterclass/home 

Or his LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7206743428141895681/

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About Garr Russell: Garr Russell is a lifelong entrepreneur whose journey began in the fifth grade and evolved through grit, reinvention, and faith. After overcoming personal setbacks and rebuilding from bankruptcy, he founded a successful credit counseling company that helped countless families restore their financial health and achieve homeownership. In 2016, a single family camping trip inspired his next chapter—transforming a personal frustration into what would become the nation’s largest RV rental management franchise. Known as the “Chief Fire Starter” of Fireside RV Rental, Garr has grown a multi-state franchise network built on the principle of turning other people’s liabilities into assets. Today, he combines his passion for business, ministry, and mentorship to inspire entrepreneurs to see challenges as divine opportunities for growth and impact.

In this episode, Gary and Garr Russell discuss:

• Early entrepreneurial sparks and how formative experiences shape business instincts
• Creative ways to build scalable ventures using shared economy principles
• Personal resilience during financial, emotional, and spiritual trials in business
• Shifting from self-driven ambition to purpose-led, legacy-minded leadership

Key Takeaways:

• When a plan fails or life throws a curveball, pause long enough to notice the opportunity hiding inside it—the idea that feels like a loss today might be the seed of your next breakthrough.
• Instead of chasing ownership, focus on creating systems that manage and multiply what already exists around you; leveraging other people’s assets can unlock scale without the stress of capital.
• True recovery begins the moment you stop numbing the pressure and start telling the truth—to your spouse, your team, or yourself—and that courage can pull you out of the darkest chapters of entrepreneurship.
• Building a company that endures means shifting from hustling for personal wins to mentoring the next generation and structuring your work around values that outlive your own career. 

"Just because you bump into a roadblock doesn’t mean you’re headed in the wrong direction. It means that, hey, here’s a hurdle that I need to figure out." — Garr Russell

Connect with Garr Russell: 

Website: https://garrrussell.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrrussell/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garr.russell

For more great content, sign up for Gary’s free Patreon channel- https://www.patreon.com/FA_Masterclass/home 

Or his LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7206743428141895681/

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About Kasim Aslam: Kasim Aslam is an entrepreneur and business strategist who has built and scaled multiple successful ventures — including six 7- and 8-figure businesses with three exits. He’s the Co-Founder of Driven Mastermind and Pareto Talent and the co-author of HIRE: The Proven System for Finding Top Remote Talent. With a proven record of driving transformation and sustainable success, Kasim combines strategic vision with hands-on execution to help founders and teams reach their next level.

In this episode, Gary and Kasim Aslam discuss:

• How Kasim built and sold the world’s #1-ranked Google Ads agency
• What he learned from managing $100 million in ad spend and thousands of businesses
• The future of work and why AI will reshape the global labor force
• Kasim’s mission to help others through his FREE FOREVER community and the HIRE book

Key Takeaways:

• Kasim grew his Google Ads agency to handle $100 million in ad spend before selling it for a low eight-figure sum.
• Many high-status professions, like dentistry or law, can struggle, while “unsexy” trades such as septic or stone masonry can quietly generate major profits.
• His mission now centers on teaching entrepreneurship and helping people build sustainable, meaningful work through better talent acquisition.
• Once you “crack talent,” you’ll never have to master another business skill again.

"We can help bridge [economic challenges] by teaching people entrepreneurship. And so I buy businesses, I build businesses, and all of those businesses are built around a hopeful end result of providing meaningful work to people, both domestically and internationally." — Kasim Aslam

Connect with Kasim Aslam: 

Website: https://kasimaslam.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasimaslam/

For more great content, sign up for Gary’s free Patreon channel- https://www.patreon.com/FA_Masterclass/home 

Or his LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7206743428141895681/

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About Andrew Ira Kolikoff: Andrew is the founder of The Secret Sauce Society and a trusted advisor to leaders seeking transformational growth. He specializes in helping leaders create better journeys and greater profitability by elevating their people, teams, culture, and customer experiences with a passion for meaningful connections to sustainable success. Andrew empowers businesses to thrive through purpose-driven leadership.

In this episode, Gary and Andrew Ira Kolikoff discuss:

• Authentic leadership rooted in service and influence
• Personal values and upbringing are shaping professional direction
• Building meaningful relationships to create long-term success
• Balancing personal growth with professional achievement

Key Takeaways:

• Instead of focusing on what you can get out of a meeting or relationship, deliberately shift your mindset to how you can serve and support the other person, which transforms both the quality and longevity of your connections.
• Build a consistent practice of daily networking by intentionally meeting new people and offering introductions or resources, because proactively helping others creates compounding opportunities that lead to lasting success.
• Take time to clearly define who you want to be and what values you want to embody, then align your actions and decisions with that vision so your professional path reflects your authentic self.
• Treat your behavior throughout the process of achieving results as just as important as the results themselves, since people remember how you show up, especially in difficult times, more than the final outcome. 

"Leadership is not the exercise of authority, it’s the exercise of influence, and what more powerful way is there to influence somebody than through love, listening, understanding, kindness." — Andrew Ira Kolikoff

Connect with Andrew Ira Kolikoff: 

Website: https://kolikoff.com & https://thesecretsaucesociety.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kolikoff/

For more great content, sign up for Gary’s free Patreon channel- https://www.patreon.com/FA_Masterclass/home 

Or his LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7206743428141895681/

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Kerry Siggins: Kerry Siggins is the CEO of StoneAge, a fast-growing, employee-owned manufacturing and technology company based in Colorado. In 2023, she was honored as EY Entrepreneur Of The Year as well as Colorado’s CEO of the Year. StoneAge has earned recognition from Outside Magazine and Inc. Magazine as one of the best workplaces in the country. A highly engaging speaker, Kerry presents globally at companies, universities, and industry events. She is also the host of Reflect Forward, a widely followed leadership podcast, and contributes regularly as an author and blogger for outlets such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, Authority Magazine, and BIC Magazine. Her personal blog attracts thousands of readers each month, and she recently published her first book, The Ownership Mindset: A Handbook for Transforming Your Life and Leadership.

In this episode, Gary and Kerry Siggins discuss:

• Overcoming personal challenges and setbacks throughout life and career
• Transitioning from self-doubt to leadership and growth
• Building company culture and driving innovation in business
• The role of ownership, feedback, and leadership philosophy in success

Key Takeaways:

• Real transformation begins when you stop assigning blame to your past, your environment, or the people who hurt you, and instead make the conscious decision to fully own your choices and take responsibility for the direction of your life.
• The opportunities that end up defining your career often come when you take a leap into something you feel unqualified for, because it’s your willingness to learn, adapt, and push beyond fear that creates growth and opens doors you didn’t think possible.
• In moments of crisis or uncertainty, leadership is not about pretending to have the answers but about gathering your team, inviting their expertise, and showing humility so that together you can build credibility, resilience, and solutions that last.
• Sustainable success comes from aligning bold innovation with a mission that benefits everyone involved, because when you create a vision that empowers others and shares in the rewards, you unlock both personal purpose and long-term collective growth. 

"You cannot lead others if you don’t lead yourself." — Kerry Siggins

Connect with Kerry Siggins: 

Website: www.stoneagetools.com & www.kerrysiggins.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins-166b66/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUkUm5NWErHdI2o-v9jqB0A/featured 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerry.siggins/ 

Book: The Ownership Mindset: https://www.amazon.com/Ownership-Mindset-Handbook-Transforming-Leadership/dp/1637554346

For more great content, sign up for Gary’s free Patreon channel- https://www.patreon.com/FA_Masterclass/home 

Or his LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7206743428141895681/

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Nick Jonsson: Nick Jonsson, widely recognized as the World’s #1 Thought Leader on Executive Loneliness, is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author, and transformational coach ranked among the Top 3 Coaches Worldwide by SpeakIn in 2025. He is a Certified Master Coach and Professional Certified Coach with multiple accreditations, specializing in Executive, Life, Team, and Sober Coaching. His journey from corporate success through loneliness and burnout to recovery is captured in his bestselling book Executive Loneliness and reflected in his founding of peer and men’s groups. A top 2% Ironman triathlete and honored mental health campaigner, Nick empowers leaders globally to turn isolation into authentic growth.

In this episode, Gary and Nick Jonsson discuss:

• Climbing the corporate ladder and realizing success can feel empty
• Isolation, silence, and avoidance during personal and professional crises
• Recovery from addiction and rediscovering purpose through support systems
• The power of empathy and connection in transforming lives and leadership

Key Takeaways:

• Chasing professional success without vulnerability or honest conversations can lead to destructive isolation, so it’s critical to build trusted relationships and openly share struggles before they spiral.
• Ignoring emotional pain often manifests in physical or behavioral breakdowns, and recognizing those warning signs early is a chance to intervene and seek help instead of letting them escalate.
• Joining supportive communities and practicing accountability not only accelerates recovery from addiction or burnout but also normalizes the journey and shows that growth is possible for anyone.
• Turning personal adversity into purpose-driven action, such as advocacy or mentoring, can transform painful experiences into meaningful impact while also sustaining long-term fulfillment. 

"All I needed was, again, that empathy, feel listened to, feeling understood, and then the problem was solved." — Nick Jonsson

Connect with Nick Jonsson: 

Website: https://www.nickjonsson.com/

Book: Executive Loneliness: https://www.nickjonsson.com/executive-loneliness-book

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-jonsson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonsson.nick/

For more great content, sign up for Gary’s free Patreon channel- https://www.patreon.com/FA_Masterclass/home 

Or his LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7206743428141895681/

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About K'lee Terrazas: K'Lee Terrazas is the founder of Legal Lead Sharks, where she partners with law firms to drive client acquisition and build the systems that support sustainable growth. With 15+ years in sales and marketing, she leads a team that specializes in Google Ads—but focuses just as much on what happens after the lead, helping law firm owners go from click to signed case with precision. She also co-founded Intake EQ, a modern intake solution using AI Voice Agents that sound freakishly human, designed to solve the persistent bottlenecks in lead follow-up and conversion. Alongside her husband Jason, she launched PayLynx Global to support law firms with backend automation like payroll, HR, and compliance.

In this episode, Gary and K'lee Terrazas discuss:

• Evolution of digital marketing across industries
• Role of Google Ads and SEO in client acquisition
• Importance of conversion tracking and optimization
• Impact of AI and automation on business growth

Key Takeaways:

• Many law firms already invest heavily in agencies, yet because conversion tracking is often misconfigured or ignored, both businesses and Google’s AI remain blind to which campaigns actually generate real cases, causing massive waste in advertising spend.
• Highly competitive legal keywords can cost from $75 to $500 per click, which makes it critical to focus not only on budget but on precise targeting, account activity, click-through quality, and timing strategies to avoid being outspent by larger firms.
• New startups without large amounts of capital are better served by using social media to validate their product and gain proof of concept first, since attempting Google Ads without an expert-level strategy almost guarantees losing money to competitors.
• Businesses across all industries risk losing significant revenue because over 60% of first calls are missed, which is why AI-driven intake systems that answer consistently and empathetically can transform expensive leads into profitable long-term clients. 

"If you're not in the ads and you're not in the map pack, you're not getting the call, just plain and simple." — K'lee Terrazas

Connect with K'lee Terrazas: 

Website: https://legalleadsharks.com/ & intake-eq.com

Legal Lead Sharks Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@LegalLeadSharksPodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-lee-terrazas-9366b31b4/

For more great content, sign up for Gary’s free Patreon channel- https://www.patreon.com/FA_Masterclass/home 

Or his LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7206743428141895681/

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About Rick West: Rick West is the husband of one, father of three, Grandaddy of two, and a friend to many. He is an experienced CEO and serial co-founder with a focus on technology, innovation, and consumer packaged goods. After nearly two decades leading in the retail industry across the United States, Hong Kong, and Thailand, Rick stepped into entrepreneurship more than sixteen years ago and has since launched and bootstrapped multiple ventures. 

As the co-founder of Field Agent—later rebranded as Storesight through its expansion into AI-driven data visualization—he pioneered the use of mobile technology to transform in-store research, moving from disposable cameras to millions of crowdsourced photos, shopper insights, and ultimately virtual store walks powered by machine learning. Today, Rick continues to build at the intersection of data, retail, and AI while serving as a speaker and mentor, inspiring others with lessons learned from scaling startups, navigating global markets, and creating businesses that work while you sleep.

In this episode, Gary and Rick West discuss:

• Evolution of mobile apps as tools for gathering shopper and retail insights
• Shifts in consumer research methods from in-person visits to digital participation
• Application of AI and machine learning in analyzing retail environments
• Expansion of scalable data platforms into new industries and markets

Key Takeaways:

• Engaging everyday shoppers through mobile apps to collect photos and data directly from store shelves enables businesses to replace expensive, outdated research methods with faster, scalable, and more authentic insights, providing real-time visibility into retail conditions.
• Combining quantitative data (e.g., shelf photos) with qualitative shopper feedback (e.g., pricing perceptions, alternative purchase choices) empowers decision-makers to move beyond compliance checks and develop marketing and distribution strategies based on a deeper understanding of consumer behavior.
• Transitioning from reports based on months-old data to near real-time intelligence allows companies to react to shelf changes, competitor actions, and pricing shifts within hours or days, offering a significant advantage in making high-stakes retail decisions.
• Expanding AI-powered analysis from broad shelf-level trends to SKU-level visibility, and applying these insights to industries beyond retail (such as quick-service restaurants and service venues), demonstrates how advancing technology can unlock new growth opportunities and competitive advantages. 

"You're not talking in months and days, you're talking hours and days, and so you're making more informed, relevant decisions because you have not real-time, but near real-time data." — Rick West

Connect with Rick West: 

Website: https://storesight.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01/

For more great content, sign up for Gary’s free Patreon channel- https://www.patreon.com/FA_Masterclass/home 

Or his LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7206743428141895681/

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About Ryan Hogan: Ryan Hogan is a serial entrepreneur, Naval Officer, and founder of Talent Harbor, a recruiting firm transforming how businesses hire top sales talent through a modern Recruiting as a Service model. Prior to Talent Harbor, he co-founded Hunt A Killer, an immersive murder mystery subscription company that scaled to $55 million in revenue, was ranked #6 on the Inc. 5000, and recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. His entrepreneurial journey began with ventures like WarWear and the nationwide zombie race series Run For Your Lives, experiences that sharpened his ability to spot opportunities, learn from setbacks, and build scalable businesses. 

A 15-year U.S. Navy veteran, Hogan served as both an enlisted aircrewman and a Surface Warfare Officer, carrying forward the discipline and leadership skills that now anchor his approach to business. Today, he is passionate about helping small and mid-sized companies secure high-impact sales leaders, hosting conversations that amplify entrepreneurial insights, and mentoring others navigating the challenges of growth and team building.

In this episode, Gary and Ryan Hogan discuss:

• Entrepreneurship is shaped by resilience, pivots, and learning from failures
• Struggles and breakthroughs in finding the right product–market fit
• Lessons on growth, scaling, and avoiding burnout
• Building success by focusing on people, recruiting, and relationships

Key Takeaways:

• Before you commit serious money, validate demand by running small, low-cost tests, because assuming “if you build it, they will come” can trap you with wasted inventory, financial strain, and a delayed path to true opportunity.
• Sustainable growth requires resisting the temptation to expand too quickly and instead prioritizing operational discipline, financial oversight, and profitability first, since scaling without these foundations can turn rapid success into crippling bankruptcy.
• Every failure carries forward into future success if you reflect and adjust, so rather than fearing mistakes, use them as a playbook for smarter decisions the next time, just as early missteps fueled the leap from an event collapse to a $55M subscription business.
• Industries often cling to outdated models that no longer serve today’s businesses, so by questioning norms like steep recruiter fees or rigid contracts, you can design services that are more accessible, more trusted, and ultimately more competitive for clients. 

"The people that are most successful in entrepreneurship are able to let go of their idea very quickly and follow the market signals, follow the feedback that they’re getting, and iterate as fast as possible." — Ryan Hogan

Connect with Ryan Hogan: 

Website: https://talentharbor.com/

Email: [email protected]

Show: Confessions of an Implementer: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/confessions-of-an-implementer/id1740510216

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanehogan/

For more great content, sign up for Gary’s free Patreon channel- https://www.patreon.com/FA_Masterclass/home 

Or his LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7206743428141895681/

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.