Our guest is Steve Hockett, one of Harry’s closest lifelong friends and now literally family. Steve also brings a powerhouse business story. He spent 30 plus years with Great Clips, starting as a franchisee and eventually becoming CEO, including leading the brand through the chaos of COVID.

A few highlights you’ll hear in this episode:

• From franchisee to CEO and the perseverance it took to get there
 • Leadership in a crisis and how Great Clips went from 4,500 salons to 17 open and fought back through communication, clarity, and action
 • Metrics plus brand focus and how one simple framework helped diagnose performance and drive growth
 • Career advice you can use right away, Steve’s “3 Ps” Patience, Performance, Presence
 

Give it a listen and grab a few Golden Nuggets you can use right away.

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.

Season 4 is officially underway! In this episode we kick off the season by looking back at the best moments and top golden nuggets from the past year, with plenty of laughs along the way. 😄

A few highlights from the episode:

• Consistency wins. Doing the program every time beats trying to reinvent it.
 • Want a pay raise? Go back and listen to the episodes on adjustable bases and closing. 💰
• Connection sells. People buy from people they know, like, and trust. 🤝
• Coach the up. Do not avoid the sale when you are in the store. Use it as a chance to teach and get better.
• Tools matter. The phone, financing, Tempur-Pedic, Podium, and using AI as a real tool to serve guests better. 📲🤖

One of our favorite lines heading into the new year: We cannot control the size of the pie, but we can control the size of our piece!

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.

We're proud to release our 60th show all-time and the final episode of 2025! 🥳

Our guest is Missy Friel, Director of Retail Learning, who’s been with Mattress Firm for 16+ years. Missy starting on the sales floor and now helping shape how thousands of Sleep Experts learn, grow, and win.

A few highlights you’ll love:

• Missy’s big belief: Learning is a journey, not a destination 🛤️
• The secret to retention: “Forgetting sows the seeds to its own solution”  and repetition is the cure 🔁🧠
• Her #1 “never cut this” training ingredient: practice/role play (yes, even when it’s uncomfortable… make it fun!) 😅💪
• A look at how AI is amplifying training and speeding up skill-building 🤖⚡

Give it a listen and share it with a colleague or friend. It’s packed with real-world takeaways and plenty of laughs.

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.

Our guest is Tera Starr, one of Mattress Firm’s all-time superstars who:

• Started on the sales floor and climbed all the way to Regional VP of Sales and VP of Learning & Development 🚀
• Shares how role play, clear goals, and “make a friend, make a sale” became the backbone of her success
• Talks about being the first female RVP, leading huge regions, and now shaping the next generation as a professor at Dakota Wesleyan University 🎓
• Drops gold on leadership, hiring, DISC, staying close to the front door, and why AI will never replace a great RSA

If you’re in sales, leadership, or just love a great Mattress Firm success story, this episode is packed with practical nuggets you can use today: from greeting every guest to setting daily goals and coaching your team the right way. 💥

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.

In this episode we sit down with Than Hancock, Chief Sales Officer at Podium, to talk about:

• Why sleep is a leadership strategy and not a luxury 😴
• How “speed is empathy” and why the fastest response usually wins the sale
• Why texting gets 209% higher response rates than phone, email, or Facebook
• How Podium’s AI can be like the best employee you ever hired for under $3/hour
• How to become your customer’s “mattress guy” in their phone – so they text you instead of shopping someone else 📲

Podium has been an incredible partner and Than shares a ton of practical, real-world ideas we can use right now in your stores.

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.

We’re joined by Terry & Sam Utt of Sleep USA, a father–son duo building a winning, values-driven brand across TN, NC, and GA. Short, punchy, and full of takeaways you can use today. ☕️💥

Episode Highlights

• Think Like an Owner: The mindset shift that changed everything for Sam (it can work for you too)...and how it powers five straight years of record sales. 📈
• Culture First: Over-communicate, set clear lanes (the 51/49 rule), and celebrate thoroughbreds. 🐎
• Health & Wellness > Rectangles: Messaging that moves customers and margins. 🛌✨
• Control the Controllables: Focus on experience, lineups, and data—not the headlines. 📊
• Rapid-Fire Fun: From “Thunderstruck” pump-ups to hybrid favorites and family business truths. 🎶

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.

We sit down with industry powerhouse Mark Kinsley (Sleep Summit, The FAM, former Englander CEO) for a fast, fun, insight-packed episode. 🚀

Episode highlights:

• Origin story: From radio DJ to TV anchor to mattress industry change-maker
• “Hybrid” moment: How the term reshaped consumer language and drove real market share wins
• Leadership mantra: Be kind. Be honorable. Be bold.
• Retail gold: Ask more questions—then listen—to sell more beds today
• Event craft: “You win in the transitions”—engineer surprise & delight between every step of the customer journey
• AI, simplified: Become a “prompt boss” to turn AI from toy to tool 📈

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.

 This week’s guest is Cody Crimmins, Mattress Firm's Eastern ND area manager, whose journey from small-town North Dakota to Rookie of the Year is a master class in grit, growth, and heart. From “accidentally” selling his first mattress to leading one of our strongest markets, Cody reminds us that people are always more important than the product we sell. ❤️

Highlights

• Eastern ND wins & warehouse impact — same-day options and smarter routing = more happy guests. 🚚
• “Do the job before you get the job.” Cody’s path from accidental mattress sale to Rookie of the Year & 100K Writer 🏆
• Financing that fits — simple ways to help every guest say “yes.” 💳
• Real-life lessons — turning challenges (and even a broken hip!) into connection, empathy, and results. 💪

Podium Black Friday Prep — Thursday, October 16 at 12:00 PM CT
Fresh holiday-buyer insights, sales strategies, and fun giveaways!
Register here: go.podium.com/QVuYtz

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.

 This week’s show is packed with golden nuggets to help you win with every guest who walks through the door.

✨ Highlights from this episode:

• A big shout-out to Jared Hardy in Minot, ND 👏 – honored with the Eagle Award from the Chamber of Commerce for outstanding customer service. Jared reminded us it’s never just about selling—it’s about listening, caring, and treating people the right way.
• A deep dive into the art of the greeting 👋 – why those first 10 seconds can make or break a sale.
• Practical techniques, creative ice-breakers, and first-question strategies to set the tone and build trust from the moment your guest arrives.

This one’s fast-paced, fun, and focused on helping you make more sale, more friends, and more referrals with better greetings and stronger connections.

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.

Darin Lewin joins us to share how he went from Hartford, South Dakota to co-building Mattress Firm’s largest franchise. His story is packed with lessons in sales, leadership, and the courage to bet on yourself.

Episode highlights:

• ⚡ “Transfer of enthusiasm” — the #1 sales advantage.
• ☎️ Phone still wins: Sell the appointment with energy and clarity.
• 🧭 Follow the steps: Skip the steps, skip the sale.
• 🧱 Value Zone strategy: Never get beat on price—own the narrative.
• 🎓 Recruiting that works: Internship pipeline and promoting from within.
• 👑 Luxury selling lesson: Start at the top and ask for the business.
• 🛠️ Saturday meetings that pay: If it doesn’t help someone earn more today, don’t hold it.

Special thanks to the team at Podium: Where businesses grow, customers connect, and success starts. Find out more here.