Inside First

Mike Schmidt was eating well, taking supplements, doing saunas and ice baths, and still burning out. His wellness routine looked good, but the stress of two jobs and a toxic relationship was catching up with him.

Mike joins Brendan Dauenhauer and Punith Upadhya to share his journey from nutrition coaching to burnout recovery, including the food habits he changed and why eating better wasn’t the whole answer. An honest conversation about health, stress, boundaries, and what happens when pushing through stops working.

Greatness starts within.

If you could only pick five personal development habits, which ones would make the cut? Brendan Dauenhauer and Punith Upadhya go head-to-head, drafting the habits that have made the biggest difference in their lives and making a case for every pick.

From reading and working out to visualization, gratitude journaling, and morning walks without a phone, they share the stories behind their choices and how those habits have shaped their confidence, mindset, and daily routines. They also talk about getting past perfectionism, tracking progress without judging yourself, and finding what works for you without trying to change everything at once.

Listen to their picks and decide who built the better list.

Greatness starts within.

What would you do if you stopped following the traditional path and started building a life around what truly matters to you?

Matthew Mitten left his corporate career at Bank of America to pursue entrepreneurship, travel the world, and create a lifestyle built around freedom.

Matthew joins Brendan Dauenhauer and Punith Upadhya to share his journey from corporate finance to becoming a digital nomad, the challenges of building businesses while traveling, and the mindset shifts that helped him take the leap. They also dive into the rapidly changing world of AI, the importance of authentic relationships, building a personal brand, and how technology is creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs. From redefining success to finding the balance between ambition and happiness, Matthew's story challenges us to rethink what we're working toward and why. Because sometimes success isn't about earning more. It's about creating a life you actually want to live.

Greatness starts within.

Being positive around other people doesn’t always mean you’re positive with yourself. What does your attitude look like when nobody else is around?

Brendan Dauenhauer and Punith Upadhya explore the self talk, expectations, and beliefs beneath a positive attitude. Punith shares how an hourly check in exposed negative thought patterns he hadn’t noticed, while Brendan explains why nearly $20,000 spent on a business he never pursued became one of his most valuable investments. From gratitude to self worth, they discuss how changing your perspective can change what you take away from setbacks.

50 properties under management at 25. His secret? Obsession.

Gabe Chase didn’t wait until he had all the answers. He started, learned along the way, and became obsessed with improving his business. But one of his biggest lessons was realizing that growth isn’t about saying yes to every opportunity. On Inside First, Gabe joins Brendan and Punith to talk about starting before you feel ready, finding your focus, and building a business that means more than the numbers.

Greatness starts within.

50 properties under management at 25. His secret? Obsession.

Gabe Chase didn’t wait until he had all the answers. He started, learned along the way, and became obsessed with improving his business. But one of his biggest lessons was realizing that growth isn’t about saying yes to every opportunity. On Inside First, Gabe joins Brendan and Punith to talk about starting before you feel ready, finding your focus, and building a business that means more than the numbers.

Greatness starts within.

What books actually have the power to change the way you think, grow, and approach life?

In this episode of Inside First, Brendan Dauenhauer and Punith Upadhya switch things up by ranking 10 of their favorite personal development and business books. From classics like Rich Dad Poor Dad and Think and Grow Rich to powerful mindset reads like The Power of Awareness and You², they share their personal experiences, biggest takeaways, and the lessons that have shaped their journeys in business and life. But it's not just about reading great books. It's about applying what you learn to create meaningful change.

Tune in to see which books make the S-tier, where Brendan and Punith disagree, and which ones they believe everyone should read.

Greatness starts within.

Courtney Petrovich didn’t start out thinking she would become a designer, let alone build a design firm working on hotels and high-end short-term rentals.

In this episode of Inside First, Courtney shares how she went from real estate investing to discovering a passion for design, and how one short-term rental changed the direction of her career. She talks about going from assembling furniture on the floor of her first paid project to sitting inside a hotel she was designing just one year later.Courtney also breaks down the identity shift that helped her stop thinking like a designer and start thinking like a business owner. She shares what it took to build a team, let go of control, and create a company that could grow beyond her. She also opens up about the story behind Denori Designs, the influence of her parents, and why legacy, storytelling, and intentionality are at the center of the work she creates.

This conversation is about thinking bigger, evolving your identity, and building something that can outgrow the version of you that started it

In this episode of Inside First, Brendan and Punith talk about what it really means to be an effective leader and why leadership goes far beyond simply managing people.

They break down how trust, communication, accountability, and the way you show up can shape the people around you. They also explore what makes someone worth following and why strong leadership starts with the relationships you build.

If you want to become a better leader, strengthen your team, and improve the way you influence others, this conversation is for you.

Most people are only scratching the surface of what AI can actually do.

In this episode of Inside First, Brendan and Punith sit down with Will Hawkins, founder of RitewAI, to talk about how AI is changing the way we work, build, create, and grow businesses. Will breaks down the difference between copilots and AI agents, why delegation is becoming one of the most valuable skills you can have, and how entrepreneurs can use AI to create more time, move faster, and take on things that would have once required entire teams. They also get into the limits of AI, the importance of keeping humans in the loop, responsible use, creativity, and what becomes possible when you stop treating AI like a simple chatbot and start using it as a real part of how you operate.

This conversation isn’t about replacing people. It’s about expanding what people are capable of.