Jake Blanchard has spent his career parachuting into organizations, fixing what's broken and moving on. From an unpaid six-month internship at St. Luke's that turned into a career, to consulting for billion-dollar companies, to now leading OEM sales for a cutting-edge cybersecurity firm, Jake has built a career around solving problems others can't see. In this episode, he breaks down the most common leadership and communication failures he encounters across industries, and what actually separates high-performing teams from stuck ones. He also shares why his best advice to anyone starting out is simple: be a professional at whatever you do, even if it's stocking shelves. 

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:35] Jake’s current projects 

[00:06:27] Growing up in Louisiana, moving to Alaska & losing his accent in speech therapy

[00:11:44] Following a girl to college, switching majors, and landing on supply chain

[00:13:47] The unpaid six-month internship that launched his career

[00:15:36] Why Jake realized he is a great contractor and a terrible employee

[00:17:18] Consulting for UCLA Medical Center & seeing his son for only 70 days that year

[00:22:03] The wake-up call: overweight, burned out, & unable to enjoy being a father

[00:26:20] Running to the stop sign every day and rebuilding his identity

[00:27:36] Getting tapped out by a 15-year-old in jiu-jitsu and deciding to come back

[00:31:00] Why most businesses run like a sitcom built on miscommunication

[00:36:47] The leadership trap: why top-down decision making slows everything down

[00:46:38] The Five S framework & why sustain is always the hardest step

[00:52:21] Setting a minimum standard for yourself and rebuilding self-trust

[00:57:23] What the best leader Jake ever worked for did differently in every one-on-one

[01:01:00] Living & what you are actually trading your time for

[01:07:48] Kaizen, the Toyota production system, and empowering the people doing the work

[01:15:25] Time collapsing: why the best investment is finding someone with the experience

[01:21:50] Final advice: pick a thing and decide to be a professional at it, whatever it is

Jake Blanchard has spent his career parachuting into organizations, fixing what's broken and moving on. From an unpaid six-month internship at St. Luke's that turned into a career, to consulting for billion-dollar companies, to now leading OEM sales for a cutting-edge cybersecurity firm, Jake has built a career around solving problems others can't see. In this episode, he breaks down the most common leadership and communication failures he encounters across industries, and what actually separates high-performing teams from stuck ones. He also shares why his best advice to anyone starting out is simple: be a professional at whatever you do, even if it's stocking shelves. 

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:35] Jake’s current projects 

[00:06:27] Growing up in Louisiana, moving to Alaska & losing his accent in speech therapy

[00:11:44] Following a girl to college, switching majors, and landing on supply chain

[00:13:47] The unpaid six-month internship that launched his career

[00:15:36] Why Jake realized he is a great contractor and a terrible employee

[00:17:18] Consulting for UCLA Medical Center & seeing his son for only 70 days that year

[00:22:03] The wake-up call: overweight, burned out, & unable to enjoy being a father

[00:26:20] Running to the stop sign every day and rebuilding his identity

[00:27:36] Getting tapped out by a 15-year-old in jiu-jitsu and deciding to come back

[00:31:00] Why most businesses run like a sitcom built on miscommunication

[00:36:47] The leadership trap: why top-down decision making slows everything down

[00:46:38] The Five S framework & why sustain is always the hardest step

[00:52:21] Setting a minimum standard for yourself and rebuilding self-trust

[00:57:23] What the best leader Jake ever worked for did differently in every one-on-one

[01:01:00] Living & what you are actually trading your time for

[01:07:48] Kaizen, the Toyota production system, and empowering the people doing the work

[01:15:25] Time collapsing: why the best investment is finding someone with the experience

[01:21:50] Final advice: pick a thing and decide to be a professional at it, whatever it is

Heath Van Patten spent nearly 15 years as a strength and conditioning coach before walking away from an MLS opportunity to start a family in Idaho — and then had to pivot again when the company that brought him here shut down the day after he bought his first home. That forced pivot eventually led him to build three vertically aligned real estate businesses: Next Home Treasure Valley, VIP Commercial, and Vision Property Management. In this episode, Heath shares the lessons that carried over from fitness to real estate, why relationships are the only strategy that actually works long-term, and what it really takes to operate multiple businesses without losing your mind. If you're building a business, navigating a career change, or getting into real estate in the Treasure Valley, this conversation is for you.

[00:00:18] — Heath’s 3 real estate businesses: residential, commercial & property management

[00:02:44] — Building Elite Fitness: 15 years as a strength & conditioning coach

[00:07:07] — Turning down an MLS opportunity to choose family & move to Idaho

[00:09:00] — Stranded by the business that relocated him

[00:13:40] — Buying a business & building it into a brokerage

[00:14:40] — The hardest part of building a real estate business

[00:16:51] — What separates successful agents from average ones

[00:23:15] — Hiring lessons: slow to hire, quick to fire

[00:28:25] — Managing three businesses: what makes it possible

[00:31:22] — Heath's take on work-life balance

[00:33:46] — Why so many real estate agents fail: the freedom myth vs. the reality

[00:34:28] — Daily habits: 75 Hard, morning workouts, faith & feeding your mind early

[00:36:01] — Closing advice: do hard things, build relationships & don't burn bridges

In this episode, Matthew Byrd sits down in the studio with John Ferrara, the founder and CEO of Juxta, a startup building a GPS alternative that tracks people and assets anywhere on earth, using sensors already built into the devices we carry every day. In this episode, John shares how a simple late-night conversation with his Navy doctor dad sparked the idea, the problem with forcing ideas, and how to make your own luck. Whether you're interested in deep tech, startups, or what it actually takes to build something from the ground up, this one is worth a listen.

[00:00:00] — Intro: What Juxta does

[00:01:41] — Growing up with Navy parents & early exposure to GPS limitations

[00:02:38] — Teaching himself to code at 14 and launching startups

[00:03:06] — Pursuing journalism to become a better communicator

[00:04:52] — The conversation that sparked the idea for Juxta

[00:08:34] — Raising $500K with no customers and dropping out of school

[00:13:19] — You can’t force a startup idea- the 11th attempt

[00:17:44] — Y Combinator: the 0.6% acceptance rate and midnight phone call

[00:20:31] — Raising $5M after Demo Day and what changed

[00:27:52] — How the technology actually works

[00:39:09] — Scaling by area: from a single warehouse to hundreds of square miles

[00:45:23] — Roadmap: robotics, Z-axis tracking, and replacing GPS entirely

[00:57:35] — The long-term vision: Juxta Maps, FEMA integration, and disaster response

[01:03:16] — Biggest lessons learned

The construction industry is experiencing unprecedented demand for BIM, VDC, and reality capture professionals, and there aren't enough skilled people to fill it. That gap is one of the biggest career opportunities available right now, and most people don't even know it exists.

Jacob Hansen stumbled into BIM with zero experience and was leading his own teams within nine months. Today he owns and operates Hansen Consulting Group, helping businesses navigate the complexity of adopting and implementing BIM, VDC, and reality capture on large scale semiconductor, oil and gas, and advanced manufacturing projects nationwide. In this episode he shares how he built his career from the ground up, why technology ends up in a closet when companies skip the education piece, and what it actually takes to make these tools work in the real world.

Whether you're a student figuring out your next step, a professional looking to pivot, or a company trying to get more out of your technology investment — this conversation is for you.

Want to go deeper? Join us at our next conference where industry leaders like Jacob come together to share insights, build relationships, and push this industry forward.

 [00:05:00] — Introduction to BIM & learning on the job

 [00:08:00] — Recognizing the gaps and starting his own business

 [00:10:00] — The hardest part of going out on your own 

 [00:12:00] — Technology adoption is the biggest challenge

 [00:18:00] — Decision paralysis -  too many tools, not enough guidance

 [00:26:00] — The labor shortage - demand is outpacing talent

 [00:33:00] — The remote work problem - get on site, get involved

 [00:41:00] — Leadership lessons - hiring for character over credentials

 [00:45:00] — Why companies fail at technology adoption and how to fix it

 [00:57:00] — The future of BIM, VDC and reality capture

Your personal brand already exists. Did you shape it on purpose?

In a crowded, AI-driven marketplace, knowing who you are, what you stand for, and who you serve isn’t optional. Your personal brand is your greatest competitive advantage.

​

Melinda Hinson has worked with some of the world’s most recognizable companies, including Starbucks, Polaroid, and Welch’s, as well as Forbes Books. Now she helps entrepreneurs and authors shape their brand every day. She shares what personal branding really means, why authenticity beats “pretty,” and how that clarity impacts every other decision.

​

This conversation is for anyone ready to clarify their personal brand and start building something that’s unmistakably their own. 

[00:02:00] — From pre-med to Starbucks, Polaroid, and Forbes Books

[00:04:00] — What corporate taught her, why startup won her

[00:07:00] — Defining a Brand goes beyond the logo

[00:11:00] — Why customer research doesn't always work

[00:20:00] — Personal branding is the AI antidote

[00:25:00] — Niche isn’t enough anymore

[00:31:00] — Build a brand, get unstuck

[00:39:00] — Your personality is your most powerful branding tool

[00:45:00] — Advice for young professionals in a competitive, AI-driven market

The surveying profession has a problem. More people are retiring than entering, and the next generation doesn’t even know the opportunity exists. Michael Hart, one of only 12 Chief Cadastral Surveyors in the nation, is doing something about it.

“As a surveyor you’re like a historian, legal expert, and treasure hunter.”- Michael Hart

In this episode, Michael shares how he fully digitized his department, why he believes technology is the key to reaching the next generation, and how modernizing this critical and historic profession requires equal parts vision, discipline, and a willingness to fail.

If you work in surveying, geospatial, land management, or are searching for a unique career opportunity, this conversation is for you.

[00:02:00] — What a Chief Cadastral Surveyor does and why only 12 exist nationwide

[00:04:00] — The history of land surveying and its role in American property rights

[00:07:00] — Historian, legal expert, and treasure hunter - reframing the surveyor's role

[00:20:00] — Why technology is the key to reaching the next generation

[00:25:00] — The Top Gun effect: using content to make an industry desirable

[00:36:00] — Building the youngest BLM department in the nation

[00:55:00] — How AI and LIDAR are shaping the future of surveying

[01:01:00] — America 250 event & celebrating 158 years of the Idaho Initial Point

[01:03:00] — Advice for the next generation: start before you have all the answers

From blue-collar roots and an ambitious Boy Scout in Utah to ER doctor, tech entrepreneur, and commercial developer who built some of Boise’s and the treasure valley’s most iconic commercial projects, Tommy Ahlquist has built a remarkable life. 

In this episode, he shares the lessons, near-death experiences, and relationships that shaped it all. One phrase that Tommy returns to throughout this conversation is living “arrows out”; this is his principle of living an “others-oriented” life driven by generosity and gratitude. It’s the thread that runs through everything he’s built. 

If you're interested in entrepreneurship, leadership, personal development, or what it takes to build a meaningful life, this one’s for you.

Timestamps

[00:06:00] — Blue-collar roots, life lessons from grandpa & creating meaningful moments for the next generation

[00:13:00] — Earning all 121 Boy Scout merit badges & the mindset it built

[00:19:00] — Why faith and purpose matter before you try to build anything

[00:23:00] — The path to medicine, finding a mentor & lessons from 18 years in the ER

[00:39:00] — Running for governor: why he did it and what he'd do differently

[00:43:00] — Commercial development, Idaho's explosive growth & the $50B Micron impact

[00:51:00] — Tommy's first cardiac event: a 95% blocked artery and a life-saving discovery

[00:53:00] — A heart attack in McCall & the emergency airlift that changed his priorities forever

[01:01:00] — Rapid fire: habits, proudest moments & advice for anyone earlier in their journey

In this episode of The Matthew Byrd Podcast, I sit down with Zach Fuller, a former U.S. Army Green Beret turned cybersecurity founder and entrepreneur. Zach shares his journey from a tech-obsessed kid hacking school networks to enduring one of the most demanding special operations training pipelines in the military. After deploying twice to Afghanistan and confronting the realities of war, purpose, and resilience, he returned home and applied those lessons to build and scale successful businesses before ultimately founding a cybersecurity company focused on protecting modern organizations.

This conversation explores the mindset required to face adversity, lead under pressure, and build something meaningful. Zach also breaks down why cybersecurity is now critical for businesses of all sizes, how attacks actually happen, and simple shifts leaders can make to dramatically reduce risk.

• What separates elite performers from everyone else
• Why quitting once makes quitting easier the next time
• How mental toughness is built through adversity
• Why cybersecurity is a leadership responsibility today
• The importance of purpose, belief, and conviction when building anything meaningful

If you're building a company, leading a team, or working to strengthen your mindset, this episode offers powerful lessons from war, business, and life.

00:00 – Introduction: From Green Beret to Cybersecurity CEO

02:30 – Protecting the Backbone of the American Economy

05:00 – Growing Up Hacking Computers

08:30 – Discovering Entrepreneurship Early

11:30 – Choosing the Path to Special Forces

15:30 – The Mental Battle of Elite Military Training

19:00 – Combat Lessons From Afghanistan

23:00 – Transitioning From Military to Business

28:00 – Building Multi-Million Dollar Real Estate Companies

32:00 – Launching a Cybersecurity Company

36:00 – How Cyber Attacks Actually Happen

41:00 – Why Humans Are the Weakest Link in Cybersecurity

On this episode of the Matthew Byrd Podcast, we sit down with Michael Blood, founder of Matraex, a Boise-based software development agency that has been building custom web and mobile applications for over 25 years

Michael’s journey started as a student programmer at Boise State — and within months, he quit to freelance on his own. Since then, he’s scaled teams up to 15 people, launched international offices, built software that’s still running decades later, and adapted through every wave of technological change — including today’s AI revolution

This conversation dives deep into:

AI & The Future of Programming

• How tools like Claude are doubling (or tripling) developer output
• Why many programming roles may shrink — but creators and “AI architects” will thrive
• The difference between vibe coding and intentional architecture
• Why AI won’t replace what humans value most

Creativity, Art & The Physical/Digital Bridge

• Why QR codes still excite him (yes, really)
• Blending the physical and digital worlds in creative ways
• Why he’s moving back toward human connection in an increasingly digital world

Entrepreneurship Lessons from 25 Years in Tech

• “Break things fast — then fix them.”
• Why filling the pipeline is always the challenge
• Hiring passionate people over degrees
• The importance of humility and adapting your communication style

Mindset Shifts That Changed Everything

• The power of stress-free productivity and getting things out of your head
• “They’re probably doing the best they can.” — a principle that reshaped his leadership
• Why relationships outlast businesses

Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

• Do what you love — seriously
• Don’t stay stuck in something you hate
• Your network and the people you build with are the real long-term value

This episode is honest, thoughtful, and refreshingly grounded. It’s not hype about AI taking over the world — it’s a practical look at how technology is evolving, how careers will change, and why creativity and authenticity still matter most.

If you're:
• A founder navigating AI disruption
• A developer wondering about the future of your role
• A creative thinking about how tech intersects with art
• Or someone early in your career trying to figure out your path

This one’s for you.

Drop your thoughts in the comments:
How are you using AI in your work — and do you think it replaces or amplifies human creativity?

Like & Subscribe for more conversations with founders, innovators, and builders shaping the future.

CHAPTERS:

In this episode, Matthew Byrd sits down with Boise-based tech founder Michael Blood, owner of Matraex, a software development agency building custom web and mobile apps for founders and businesses. Michael shares how a student programming job at Boise State pushed him into entrepreneurship fast, why he built a 25-year career around custom solutions across wildly different industries, and what he learned the hard way about leadership, communication, and keeping a pipeline full.

The conversation goes deep on the real impact of AI on software development. Michael explains how tools like Claude Code are changing output, team size, and the future of paid software platforms, plus why authenticity, human connection, and “creating with your own mind” matter more than ever. They also talk productivity systems (Getting Things Done), why people should do what they love, and why your relationships will outlast any business model.

00:00 – Welcome & Intro to Michael Blood

02:00 – From Student Programmer to Entrepreneur

05:00 – Quitting Early & Moving Fast

08:30 – Scaling Up to 15 Employees (and Back Down)

12:00 – College, Dropping Out, and Going Back

16:30 – Do What You Love

20:00 – Building Custom Software Across Industries

25:00 – QR Codes & Bridging Digital and Physical

30:00 – Technology vs. Human Connection

35:00 – How AI Is Changing Software Development

42:00 – Will AI Replace Developers?

50:00 – The Boise Tech Ecosystem

55:00 – Leadership & Communication Lessons

1:00:00 – Productivity Systems & Breaking Things Fast

1:07:00 – Final Advice: Relationships Matter Most