🎙️ What if your “focus” is just busyness in disguise?

David Wood has coached high performers for decades, but even he once fell into the trap of constant motion with zero momentum. In his third appearance on The 7 Hats, David reveals how founders can stop reacting, start focusing, and turn their work into a game worth winning.

From the pickleball court to the boardroom, David shows how discipline, gamification, and ruthless clarity can double the output of what matters while cutting your stress in half.

Whether you are juggling a million priorities, stuck in the 80/20 guessing game, or secretly afraid to slow down, this conversation will change the way you work, decide, and breathe.

🎩 Summary

This is not another productivity hack. It is a survival system for high achievers.

David breaks down the four levels of gamifying your focus, from your annual "game" to the next 25 minutes, so you can work on what moves the needle instead of just moving. We talk about why most "focus" is actually avoidance, how to identify what really matters, and why containers, constraints, and no-go lists might be the most liberating tools you will ever use.

Along the way, David shares why community has replaced money as his top priority, how pickleball taught him more about mastery than squash ever did, and why speaking up for what you want, even after hearing "no," is the ultimate growth rep.

🎩 Hats Covered

• 🎩 1: The Soul
• 🎩 4: The Entrepreneur
• 🎩 7: The Seeker

💡 Key Takeaways

• 🎩 4: Motion is not momentum. Without a container, you are just kicking the ball around.
• 🎩 1: Saying "no" to the wrong things is saying "yes" to your sanity.
• 🎩 4: Gamify your focus at four levels: year, week, day, 25 minutes.
• 🎩 7: Mastery in sport or business comes from deliberate practice, not random reps.
• 🎩 1: Speaking up, even after a "no," grows you more than the outcome does.
• 🎩 4: If you are still reacting to everything, you are not leading.

👤 Guest Bio

David Wood is a high-performance coach and the founder of Focus.ceo, helping business owners and executives achieve more of what matters in less time. A former consulting actuary to Fortune 100 companies, David blends systems thinking with deep emotional intelligence, guiding clients to clarity, courage, and freedom. He is the author of Mouse in the Room and a former state-level squash player now aiming for the senior pro pickleball circuit.

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:02 – Why community now outranks money for David
• 00:08 – Pickleball, mastery, and translating sport to business
• 00:15 – The power of focus and the problem with "being busy"
• 00:20 – The four levels of gamification: from annual game to 25 minutes
• 00:28 – Why most "focus" is avoidance in disguise
• 00:33 – The 80/20 problem and deciding what matters
• 00:40 – How to stop reacting and start leading your calendar
• 00:45 – Speaking up after "no" and finding the third option in conflict
• 00:52 – Free tools and sliding-scale coaching for founders

✅ Actionables

• Choose your "game" for the next 12 months and what you will not do.
• Set weekly and daily targets before the week starts.
• Gamify your work into 25-minute sprints with specific outcomes.
• Identify your top marketing method and go all in.
• Speak up for what you want, even when it is edgy.

🔥 Quotes

"Without a game, focus is just wishful thinking."
"Motion without momentum is the fastest way to burn out."
"You cannot do everything. And if you try, you will not do anything well."
"Speaking up is a win, even when the answer is no."
"Gamification turns work into something you can actually win at."

🔗 Links

• Focus.ceo – Free Business Assessment
• Mouse in the Room by David Wood

🎁 Special Offer for The 7 Hats Listeners

David is offering a free 10-minute business assessment to help you pinpoint your biggest opportunities and focus areas. The assessment covers productivity, lead generation, conversion, hiring, and more. It will give you a clear view of your strengths and the areas that are costing you time, money, and energy.

After completing the assessment, you can request a complimentary strategy call with David. On this call, he will walk you through a custom plan based on your results. If you mention The 7 Hats podcast when booking, David will also offer a sliding-scale coaching option for those who are not yet in a position to pay full coaching rates.

To get started, visit focus.ceo/quiz. Complete the assessment, select the option for a strategy call, and mention The 7 Hats in your submission.

If you are ready to stop spinning and start winning at what matters most, this is your chance to work directly with David.

🎩 Subscribe, share, and let’s keep growing together.

🎙️ What if profit isn't cash, and growth is just a house of cards?

Mike Straza has worn every C-suite hat in the book: CEO, CFO, COO. He learned the hard way that most "profitable" businesses are one invoice away from disaster. This episode strips away the startup gloss and reveals the hard truths behind real sustainability.

Whether you're bootstrapping, scaling, or sitting on a financial time bomb, Mike will shift how you think about money, systems, and sanity.

🎩 Summary

This isn’t another hustle sermon. It’s a masterclass in operational clarity and entrepreneurial grace.

Mike Straza built, scaled, and exited multiple companies. He also hit the wall. He ran two businesses at once, sacrificed his health, and learned that financial illusions don’t pay the bills or preserve your peace. We explore what happens when your P&L looks strong but your bank account says otherwise. When you're hiring for growth but bleeding from the backend. When you’re so busy being the business, you forget to build one.

Mike unpacks why cash flow is not the same as profit, why you should never scale without a margin, and how grace, not grind, is often the founder’s secret weapon.

🎩 Hats Covered

• 🎩 1: The Soul
• 🎩 4: The Entrepreneur
• 🎩 5: The Investor

💡 Key Takeaways

• 🎩 4: Scaling without systems just means scaling chaos
• 🎩 5: Profit on paper means nothing if you can’t make payroll
• 🎩 1: Grace is strategy when you’re your own harshest critic
• 🎩 5: Growth should follow margin, not drive it
• 🎩 1: Self-worth cannot be measured by headcount or hustle
• 🎩 4: Success is not about being needed. It’s about being replaceable

👤 Guest Bio

Mike Straza is a veteran operator and fractional executive who has built, scaled, and sold companies across multiple industries. From running operations for family firms to launching two startups at the same time (not recommended), Mike now consults with founders to help them build resilient, margin-rich businesses. He is obsessed with sustainable growth and allergic to financial illusions.

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:02 – Childhood roots and early entrepreneurial spark
• 00:10 – Launching two startups at once: chaos and clarity
• 00:18 – The ego trap of doing it all yourself
• 00:26 – When profit isn’t cash: the cashflow crisis
• 00:35 – Founder burnout and the unraveling of health
• 00:42 – Making payroll, managing stress, and avoiding VC traps
• 00:50 – Hiring for sales versus staying stuck as founder-led
• 01:00 – Why grace, not grind, is what founders actually need
• 01:10 – Philanthropy, giving back, and sustainable contribution
• 01:20 – Who Mike had to stop being to become who he is

✅ Actionables

• Track your actual cash, not just your profit margin
• Do not scale if your margin cannot handle it
• If you're still the main salesperson, fix that now
• Start saving before the storm, not during it
• Practice grace. Your inner critic is not a strategy

🔥 Quotes

“Profit doesn’t pay the bills. Cash does.”
“Success without sanity isn’t success. It’s just survival.”
“Growth is addictive. Margin is freedom.”
“No one’s coming to applaud you for missing payroll.”
“You care more about your failure than anyone else does. So give yourself a break.”

🔗 Links

• Mike Straza on LinkedIn
• Straza Consulting

If you're chasing growth without a margin plan, you’re not building a business. You’re building a trap. Let Mike show you the way out.

🎩 Subscribe, share, and let’s keep growing together.

What if AI isn’t the disruption… but your outdated belief system is?

Matt Leta has supported giants like Google and Tesla in navigating AI transformation. But behind the frameworks and algorithms is a founder who walked away from everything — company, money, comfort — in search of something deeper. This is a story of reinvention, from burnout to Burning Man, from tech obsession to soul integration.
In this captivating episode, Matt and Yuval explore the human side of innovation, where purpose meets performance, and fulfillment becomes the ultimate system upgrade.

🎩 Summary:

This isn’t just a crash course in enterprise AI, it’s a masterclass in conscious leadership.

Matt Leta shares how being fired from his startup led him on a three-year global journey of self-discovery, plant medicine, and finding his purpose. Along the way, he built an AI agency powered by human-centered transformation, not hype. We unpack why 70% of AI transformations fail (hint: it’s not the tech), how to align your team through vision, not fear, and why founders must debug themselves before upgrading anything else.

Whether you’re scaling a company, questioning your direction, or seeking clarity in the chaos, this one’s for you.

🎩 Hats Covered:

• 🎩 1: The Soul
• 🎩 4: The Entrepreneur
• 🎩 6: The Philanthropist

💡 Key Takeaways:

• 🎩 1: Real disruption begins with inner transformation.
• 🎩 4: AI isn’t the strategy, it’s the tool. Vision is still your edge.
• 🎩 6: Impact starts by solving human problems, not just business ones.
• 🎩 1: Negative self-talk is the deepest code to rewrite.
• 🎩 4: A founder’s role isn’t to fight the future, but to shape it.
• 🎩 6: When people feel part of the mission, transformation sticks.

👤 Guest Bio:

Matt Leta is a global AI strategist, technologist, and author whose work spans Fortune 100 companies and grassroots impact initiatives. From founding a multimedia art startup in Wales to building AI solutions for Tesla and launching a Burning Man-inspired nonprofit in the Dominican Republic, Matt blends deep tech with deep soul. His upcoming book, 100X, redefines what ROI means in the age of AI and life.

⏱️ Timestamps:

• 00:02 – From Krakow to Silicon Valley: Matt’s early path
• 00:10 – Getting fired from his startup
• 00:18 – Traveling the world in search of meaning
• 00:25 – Building an AI agency on the road
• 00:35 – The origin of Future Horizon and the impact work
• 00:45 – Why 70% of AI transformations fail
• 01:00 – Founders must become the system they want to scale
• 01:10 – The AI revolution vs. the soul evolution
• 01:20 – What Matt would tell his 19-year-old startup self
• 01:30 – The spark no algorithm can replicate

✅ Actionables:

• Ask: What problem are we solving—and for whom?
 • Involve your team in the transformation, not just the rollout.
 • Build your AI stack around people, not just productivity.
 • Track your self-talk—what inner code needs rewriting?
 • Create space to upgrade your inner operating system.

🔥 Quotes:

“Transformation doesn’t fail because of tech. It fails because of people.”
“You can’t automate fulfillment. You have to feel your way through it.”
“The best upgrade isn’t to your systems. It’s to yourself.”
“AI is exponential—but so is burnout if you scale without soul.”
“Before you scale your tech, scale your soul.”

🔗 Links:

• LeapGuide
• Matt Leta’s Newsletter (38K+ readers and growing)
• 100X 
• Future Works – Global community for purpose-driven innovation

If you’ve ever wondered whether AI will replace you, this episode flips the script: What if it frees you, once you remember who you are?

🎩 Subscribe, share, and let’s keep growing together.

What if the real startup journey begins after the shutdown?

Alex Bayer built Genius Juice into a national brand... Shark Tank, 4,000 stores, viral LinkedIn fame. Then it all collapsed. In this raw, revealing episode, Alex returns to The 7 Hats to share what happens after the dream ends and real life begins.

Summary:

In this no-holds-barred conversation, Alex Bayer opens up about the burnout spiral, the heartbreak of closing Genius Juice, and the grief of losing his father, both within days of each other. But this isn’t just a story of endings. It’s a blueprint for rebirth.

We dive into the unraveling of a startup built on hustle and hope, the viral callout to KeHE that backfired, and what it means to wear the founder mask until you’re nearly unrecognizable. From therapy and life coaching to yoga and golf, Alex is learning to rebuild not just his career, but his capacity to feel, lead, and live.

Whether you’ve raised millions or you’re on the brink of letting go, this episode is a mirror for every founder who’s quietly crumbling behind their LinkedIn wins.

🎩 Hats Covered:

• 🎩 1: The Soul
• 🎩 2: The Athlete
• 🎩 3: The Servant
• 🎩 4: The Entrepreneur
• 🎩 5: The Investor
• 🎩 7: The Seeker

💡 Key Takeaways:

• 🎩 1: Letting go isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom.
• 🎩 4: A relaunch rarely saves a brand on life support.
• 🎩 1: Burnout isn’t tiredness, it’s depletion of the soul.
• 🎩 5: Pay yourself before the pain makes you pay later.
• 🎩 3: Relationships often break when the business does.
• 🎩 7: Presence is the only real success.

👤 Guest Bio:

Alex Bayer is the founder of Genius Juice, a once high-flying CPG brand built on the power of whole coconut smoothies. Following a viral appearance on Shark Tank and a retail expansion into thousands of stores, Genius Juice closed its doors in 2024. Now, Alex hosts the top-rated CPG Vibes podcast, consults for emerging brands, and shares his hard-won lessons on healing, humility, and honest leadership.

⏱️ Timestamps:

• 00:02 – What shutting down Genius Juice really felt like
• 00:10 – Selling the booth and why it felt like relief
• 00:20 – The public fallout of calling out KeHE
• 00:30 – Burnout, panic attacks, and pretending everything’s fine
• 00:40 – Losing his father and the weight of that double grief
• 00:50 – How yoga, breathwork, and therapy are fueling recovery
• 01:00 – What most founders don’t understand about letting go
• 01:10 – Golf, presence, and flow: rebuilding from the inside out
• 01:20 – Who Alex had to stop being and who he’s becoming now

✅ Actionables:

• Track burnout symptoms, don’t wait until you collapse.
• Reevaluate your margins before you scale.
• Share the truth behind the highlight reel.
• Say yes to help therapy, coaching, and breathwork.
• Ask: “What am I clinging to that’s already gone?”

🔥 Quotes:

“Letting go doesn’t mean failure, it means I’m finally free.”
 “Burnout isn’t a moment. It’s a momentum that spirals.”
 “The booth wasn’t a prop. It was my dream, in storage.”
 “I wasn’t just acting strong, I was acting. Period.”
 “If your business dies, and your soul goes with it, you’ve lost twice.”

🔗 Links:

• Alex Bayer on LinkedIn
• CPG Vibes Podcast
• Genius Dreams Consulting

If your story ever feels like it’s falling apart, let this be proof: it might just be falling into place. 

Subscribe, share, and let’s keep growing together.

When wipes become a movement, what do you lead with—hustle or humanity?

Sam Ne'bel turned a taboo into a trailblazing brand. From yelling down hallways for baby wipes as a kid to co-founding Goodwipes. Now the fastest-growing flushable wipe company in the U.S., Sam’s journey is one of grit, obsession, and reinvention. But behind the bold branding and retail blitz is a deeper story: one of burnout, breathwork, and the shift from doer to leader. This isn’t just about toilet talk—it’s about building a business that doesn’t wipe you out.

Summary:

In this refreshingly candid episode, Sam shares how a lifelong love for cleanliness led to a national hygiene revolution. From frat house meet-cutes to retail shelf wars, Sam walks us through the bootstrapped, butt-wipe-fueled journey of building Goodwipes.

We delve into everything from burnout and breathwork to the realities of trade spend and team-building. Sam opens up about the sacrifices he made in the early years... love, health, even fitness, and how he’s now rebuilding a multidimensional life that goes beyond entrepreneurship.

This episode is a masterclass in turning consumer behavior into category creation, without losing your sanity.

🎩 Hats Covered:

• Hat 1: The Soul
• Hat 2: The Athlete
• Hat 3: The Servant
• Hat 4: The Entrepreneur

💡 Key Takeaways:

🎩 1: You can’t pour from an empty cup or a depleted self.
🎩 4: Creating a category takes time. Years. Even decades.
🎩 3: A team that believes in the mission will carry it farther than capital.
🎩 2: Movement is non-negotiable. Your body keeps the score.
🎩 1: Wellness is leadership. And leadership starts with breath.
🎩 4: Trade spend will drain you if you don’t watch it.

👤 Guest Bio:

Sam Ne'bel is the co-founder of Goodwipes, a hygiene brand rewriting the rules of the bathroom aisle. What began as a college joke turned into a mission and then a movement. From bootstrapping out of his parents’ house to landing shelves in Target, Walmart, and Kroger, Sam is proof that conviction (and clean butts) can move markets. When he’s not building a billion-dollar brand, you’ll find him breathworking, spearfishing, or just trying to live a cool life outside of work.

⏱️ Timestamps:

• 00:02 – Sam’s childhood obsession with wipes
• 00:12 – Meeting his co-founder in a fraternity bathroom
• 00:24 – Early entrepreneurial grit and the festival circuit
• 00:35 – Turning down a franchise to bet on Goodwipes
• 00:45 – The slow burn of building a bootstrapped brand
• 01:00 – When burnout hit, and what filled his cup again
• 01:10 – Fitness, therapy, breathwork, and boundaries
• 01:20 – Why trade spend nearly wiped them out
• 01:30 – Retail expansion, validation, and Kroger lessons
• 01:40 – From doer to leader: Sam’s inner transformation
• 01:50 – The 10-year vision and the power of cool hobbies

✅ Actionables:

• Block time every day to move, no matter what.
• Track trade spend like your life depends on it (it does).
• Find a hobby that has nothing to do with business.
• Schedule a break, not just meetings.
• Revisit your role: Are you leading, or still doing?

🔥 Quotes:

“Sacrifice is not a sustainable strategy.”
“You can’t be interesting to others if you’re not interesting to yourself.”
“We didn’t just create a brand—we created a category.”
“Wipes were never the joke. They were the revolution.”
“Success is getting to cheer on someone doing your old job 10x better.”

🔗 Links:

• Goodwipes Website
• Follow @goodwipes on Instagram
• Sam’s Hygiene Revolution Tour (Coachella, Stagecoach, more)

If you think wellness ends with the gym and starts with your hustle, Sam’s story will challenge everything you believe. Because success doesn’t mean staying clean, it means not losing yourself in the mess.

Subscribe, share, and let’s keep growing together.

When discipline meets purpose, how high can you climb?

Borja Cuan grew a digital marketing empire from humble dreams of owning a pizza shop. But it wasn’t easy, an immigrant kid, gritty entrepreneur, and disciplined leader, Borja discovered early on that success wasn't built overnight, but forged through daily, disciplined choices. This is his story of scaling a $230 million business without sacrificing soul or connection.

Summary:
 
In this insightful episode, Borja Cuan shares how immigrant resilience, lessons in hospitality from the Ritz, and relentless discipline became the building blocks for his successful digital marketing agency, Four15 Digital.

We explore Borja’s journey from childhood dreams of pizza entrepreneurship to managing millions in ad spend, uncovering the vital role discipline played not just in business but in every facet of his life. Borja opens up about his rigorous routines, cold plunges, and 5 AM workouts, revealing how discipline isn’t just about motivation, but the systems that sustain you.

This episode is a masterclass in creating a business and life that doesn’t just succeed, it thrives.

Hats Covered:

• 🎩 1: The Soul
• 🎩 2: The Athlete
• 🎩 3: The Servant

Key Takeaways:

• 🎩 1: Discipline isn't about doing more, it's about becoming more. 
• 🎩 2: Your body isn't separate from your success; it is the foundation. 
• 🎩 3: Employees come first, clients will follow. 
• 🎩 1: Motivation fades, discipline sustains. 
• 🎩 2: Bookend routines (morning and night) determine your productivity. 
• 🎩 3: Real connections can't be built remotely; they require presence.

👤 Guest Bio:

Borja Cuan is the founder and CEO of Four15 Digital, a leading digital marketing agency managing over $230 million in ad spend. Raised by immigrant parents, Borja's path from hospitality intern at the Ritz in Madrid to marketing innovator showcases how discipline, relationships, and service form the bedrock of lasting success.

⏱️ Timestamps:

• 00:01 – Introduction: Borja’s immigrant roots and early dreams 
• 00:08 – Hospitality lessons from the Ritz 
• 00:15 – How pain and suffering became Borja’s superpower 
• 00:23 – The role of resilience in leadership and entrepreneurship 
• 00:30 – Discipline as a system, not motivation 
• 00:37 – Bookend routines and morning discipline 
• 00:45 – Why Borja champions the hybrid work model 
• 00:52 – Building a $230 million agency through referrals 
• 01:00 – The hardest leadership lesson: putting employees first 
• 01:07 – Firing clients to protect culture 
• 01:15 – The 21-year-old Borja he’d hire today 
• 01:20 – Closing question: Who did Borja stop being, and who did he become?

Actionables:

• Establish a morning and evening bookend routine for consistent productivity. 
• Practice discipline daily especially when no one’s watching. 
• Evaluate your company culture: Are your employees truly first?

Quotes:

“Pain and suffering is my superpower.”
“You can't control external events, but you can control how you respond.”
“Discipline is doing what you hate as if you love it.”
“If every client was easy, everyone would be in business.”
“When you live disciplined, you feel freedom.”

Links:

• Borja Cuan's LinkedIn
• Four15 Digital Website

If your success is heavy to carry, Borja’s story is your blueprint for creating disciplined freedom.

Subscribe, share, and let's keep growing together.

What if the life you're living isn’t really yours?

Mark Collins thought he was chasing a dream, but he was really running from himself. Introverted military kid turned rockstar dreamer, Mark’s quest wasn’t for fame. It was for identity. This is the story of how he faced fear, dismantled false beliefs, and rewired his life for purpose—from the inside out.

Summary: In this intimate episode, Mark Collins shares the pivotal moments that reshaped his identity, from fleeing small-town expectations to redefining success through Life Mastery.

We follow his path from garage floors in Torrance to CEO-level impact, uncovering how fear, imposter syndrome, and identity lies nearly derailed his life and how a shift to living “by design” restored it. Mark reveals the mindsets, character traits, and daily practices that helped him rebuild his life with intention and service at the core.

Hats Covered:

• 🎩 1: The Soul
• 🎩 3: The Servant
• 🎩 4: The Entrepreneur

Key Takeaways:

• 🎩 1: You’re either living from who you were created to be, or from your past.
• 🎩 4: If success is your identity, every failure feels like proof you’re not enough.
• 🎩 3: Relationships don’t heal with time; they heal with truth and consistency.
• 🎩 1: Imposter syndrome thrives when your identity is unexamined.
• 🎩 4: A business that serves your life creates freedom, not another job.
• 🎩 3: Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s the path to authentic leadership.

👤 Guest Bio:

Mark Collins is a Life Mastery coach, author, and entrepreneur who helps high achievers stop living from old identities and start designing lives that align with their true purpose. Drawing from his own transformation, Mark equips clients with systems for clarity, character, and calling.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:02 – Intro: Military kid, nomadic life, and early independence
00:10 – Escaping a life of expectation: “I’m going to be a rockstar”
00:18 – Garage-floor living and early business failures
00:25 – How fear of failure and identity lies almost defined his life
00:33 – The shift: From self-doubt to Life Mastery
00:38 – Imposter syndrome and proving worth through hustle
00:45 – Achievement vs. fulfillment
00:50 – The role of character in aligning with purpose
00:56 – Mark’s core traits: Tenacity, vulnerability, compassion
01:01 – Routines that build consistency and energy
01:08 – Rebuilding relationships through truth and service
01:15 – Spiritual identity and faith as a foundation
01:19 – Closing: Who did you have to stop being to become who you are now?

Actionables:

• Create your “I Am” identity statement
• Track one character trait daily for 30 days
• Evaluate your morning/evening bookends, do they reflect your purpose?

💬 Quotes:

• “You're either living from who you're created to be—or from what your past told you.”
• “When I know who I am, I can’t be an impostor.”
• “We master our business, but we manage ourselves. That has to change.”
• “Stillness isn’t weakness—it’s where clarity lives.”
• “The worst place to walk became the best, because if I can walk here, I can walk anywhere.”

🔗 Links:

• Mark Collins’ Website
• Email: [email protected]
• Book: Life Mastery: Living Life by Design

If your success looks good on paper but feels heavy to live, this episode is your sign to stop performing and start becoming.

🎩 Subscribe, share, and let’s keep growing together.

When your brain breaks… what do you rebuild first?

Dan MacQueen was 28. Sharp. Ambitious. Living his dream life in London. Then came the headaches. One minute, he was riding the Tube to work. The next? Total darkness. A cyst on his brain. A surgery gone wrong. A coma. He couldn't walk, talk, or even smile when he woke up.

This is the story of how one man fought back from the brink—and discovered a mindset that can't be broken.

Summary: In this riveting episode, Dan MacQueen walks us through the day his life changed forever—a sudden brain hemorrhage, four weeks in a coma, and a fight to reclaim basic functions most take for granted.

But Dan didn't stop at recovery. He rewired his mindset. From strapping on a splint with unbearable pain to walking the chaotic streets of South London, he reframed every struggle into strength. His story is a blueprint for resilience, built one painful, purposeful step at a time.

Hats covered:
• Hat 1: The Soul
• Hat 2: The Athlete
• Hat 3: The Servant
• Hat 4: The Entrepreneur
• Hat 7: The Seeker

Key Takeaways

🎩 1: Resilience is built by keeping promises to yourself, especially when no one's watching
🎩 2: Your brain needs recovery routines as much as your body
🎩 3: Identity rebuilds one tiny risk at a time (say goodbye to the bathmat)
🎩 4: Adversity can be your compass, not just your setback
🎩 1: It’s not “Why me?”...it’s “Try me”
🎩 7: Faith in the process grows stronger with every step taken, blind

👤 Guest Bio:

 Dan MacQueen is a resilience speaker and mindset coach who defied the odds after a life-threatening brain hemorrhage left him unable to walk, talk, or smile. Today, he inspires others to rewrite their limits, find power in perspective, and build mental toughness through daily choices.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:02 – Dan’s life before the hemorrhage: Europe, love, and tech
00:50 – Sudden blindness on the Tube
01:20 – Misdiagnosis and emergency brain surgery
02:10 – Waking from a coma, unable to walk or speak
03:00 – The painful process of physical rehab
03:45 – Lessons from the floor: mindset in action
04:30 – Relearning to walk on South London’s busiest streets
05:00 – The 3 horsemen of motivation
05:50 – Second brain surgery and emotional collapse
06:30 – Refusing to surrender to despair
07:15 – Routines, cold showers, and the power of self-discipline
08:00 – The moment the bathmat became a turning point
08:40 – Why the cane got left behind
09:20 – Daily habits that transformed his mental game
10:00 – Who he had to stop being—and who he became

Actionables:

• Track one small promise to yourself for 30 days
• Ask: Where am I lying to myself in the name of “comfort”?
• Challenge yourself with a discomfort ritual—cold showers, early wakeups, or exercise

Quotes:

• “The worst place to walk became the best, because if I can walk here, I can walk anywhere.”
• “Discipline isn’t about motivation. It’s about doing the thing anyway.”
• “I kept the promise. I wasn’t the next one out of the sauna.”
• “This didn’t happen to me... it created me.”

🔗 Links:

• Dan MacQueen’s Website
• Follow Dan on LinkedIn
• Instagram: @macqueendan

If you’ve ever doubted your strength... if you're one hard moment away from quitting—this episode is your proof: your mindset is your superpower.

Subscribe, share, and let’s keep growing together.

When success costs your soul, what comes next?

Matt Gerlach built a million-dollar consulting firm. Big clients. LA life. Porsche in the driveway.

But beneath the wins? A collapse in slow motion.

Two hospital visits. Panic attacks. Spiritual exhaustion.

This is the story of how one man stopped running... and rebuilt from the inside out.

Summary: In this deeply vulnerable episode, Matt Gerlach opens up about the identity that made him successful, and nearly killed him.

Raised in a world that didn’t understand his sensitivity, Matt spent decades wearing masks: high-performer, entrepreneur, achiever. But the pressure to conform broke him.

He didn’t pivot. He surrendered. Yoga, therapy, self-parenting, and stillness became the tools of his reinvention. Today, he helps others burn brighter without burning out.

Hats covered:
• Hat 1: The Soul
• Hat 3: The Servant
• Hat 4: The Entrepreneur

Key Takeaways

🎩 1: Burnout often follows success, not failure
🎩 4: High achievement without authenticity is unsustainable
🎩 3: Healing starts when you stop performing and start connecting
🎩 1: Your body will whisper before it screams, listen early
🎩 4: A business that serves your ego will eventually devour your life
🎩 1: Stillness isn’t weakness, it’s where clarity lives

👤 Guest Bio: Matt Gerlach is a former CPG consultant turned transformational coach. After building a 7-figure business, and nearly destroying himself in the process... Matt walked away from it all to rebuild a life aligned with who he really is. Today, he mentors high achievers ready to trade burnout for authenticity.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:03 – Matt’s early life and feeling "different"
00:12 – Emotional trauma, fear, and people-pleasing
00:24 – Corporate success… and collapse
00:30 – Panic attacks and ER visits
00:33 – The million-dollar firm that made him miserable
00:38 – Yoga, self-parenting, and finding stillness
00:49 – Letting go of money to find meaning
01:00 – Building a life around coaching and cooking
01:05 – What he had to let go of to become who he is today

Actionables:

• Notice the success that secretly hurts to live
• Reflect on what identity you’ve been trained to wear
• Ask yourself: what would I do if I weren’t chasing approval?

Quotes:

• “Maybe this isn’t who I am… just who I was trained to be.”
• “Your body will shut you down if you don’t shut down your ego.”
• “I don’t have anxiety anymore... not because life’s easy, but because I finally listen.”
• “I’m not here to teach from elevation, I teach from experience.”

🔗 Links:

• Matt Gerlach's Website
• Follow Matt on Instagram
• [email protected] 

 
If your life looks great on paper but hurts to live, this episode is for you. Subscribe, share, and let’s keep growing together.

Success nearly killed her.

Roxanne Chaput was chasing corporate glory until her SUV plummeted 90 feet off a frozen cliff. What flashed before her eyes wasn’t a highlight reel, it was a haunting question:

“Am I living the life I chose... or the life I was told to want?”

She survived. But she didn’t return the same.

Summary:

In this raw, soul-waking episode, Roxanne Chaput joins Yuval to unpack her journey from burnout and near-death to spiritual teacher and modern-day shaman. Raised by empowered women and called by ancestral whispers, Roxanne teaches why most entrepreneurs don’t burn out from failure, they burn out from success built on the wrong blueprint.

Key Takeaways:

• Purpose without action is just a dream

• Burnout often means you succeeded at building a life you never truly wanted

• Fear is a mask—behind it lives sadness, regret, or an unlived truth

• We are multi-dimensional beings, wired for congruence, not compromise

• Real healing begins with presence—not control

Bio:

Roxanne Chaput is a healer, shamanic practitioner, and spiritual guide. Through her platform The Illumination Retreat, she helps leaders reclaim their voice, realign with their soul, and step into conscious creation.

Timestamps:

00:00 – The cliff that changed everything

06:00 – Childhood, angels, and ancestral whispers

09:00 – Conversations with the dying

18:00 – The dream that wouldn’t stop

27:00 – Realignment after survival

32:00 – What blocks entrepreneurs from flow

39:00 – Congruence, intuition, and the lies we tell

46:00 – Silence as a strategy

55:00 – Generational trauma and ancestral healing

1:00:00 – Who did you stop being?

Actionables:

• Journal: “Am I living a life I chose, or one I inherited?”

• Take 10 minutes in silence and notice what your soul whispers

• Write down one decision today that feels aligned in mind, heart, and body

Quotes:

"You didn't just find your purpose, you embodied it."

"Purpose without action is just a dream."

"Fear is often just sadness in disguise."

"The mind can lie. The body never does."

"Leadership begins when your intuition gets a seat at the table."

Links:

• Roxanne’s site: The Illumination Retreat

• Connect with Roxanne on IG: @roxanne_chaput

If you’re running on fumes, or feeling like success came at the cost of your soul, this episode might just save you. Subscribe, share, and step into your seeker era.