The Matthews Mentality Podcast

Sam Goodwin was wrongfully imprisoned in Syria for 63 days, 27 of them in solitary, while chasing the goal of visiting all 193 countries. He is the founder of SGI Ventures, the author of the bestselling memoir Saving Sam, and an international keynote speaker.

On this episode of The Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews and Sam get into how he was taken at a roundabout in northeastern Syria, how he stayed sane in a cell with no window, how his family in St. Louis got him home through a Lebanese connection, and the three-part framework behind his keynote, Winning Through Uncertainty: lean into gratitude, control what you can control, and treat uncertainty as an opportunity to grow. They also talk about AI, why CEOs hire athletes, and what Sam learned coaching North Korea's national hockey team.

Follow Sam Goodwin:

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-goodwin/

Website: https://www.samrgoodwin.com

Get Sam's Book:

Saving Sam: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sam-goodwin/saving-sam/9781546007746/

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

00:00 Knowing the Finish Line

00:57 Meet Sam Goodwin

03:14 Going to Syria in 2019

03:52 The Road to 193 Countries

07:23 Two Armed Men at a Roundabout

08:49 Go Look at My Instagram

09:29 27 Days in Solitary

11:09 Hostages Count Up

11:40 What I Told 75 Green Berets

13:49 The Hardest Part Was Uncertainty

17:04 Forgiving People Who Aren't Sorry

18:01 Sam, You Eat First

19:50 Parents Waiting in Beirut

21:27 Chipotle, Cheeseburgers, and the ER

22:54 The Three-Part Framework

26:45 Faith When Everything Is Taken

28:04 Winning Through Uncertainty

29:43 The World Belongs to the Curious

30:40 AI, Tractors, and Email

33:21 Why CEOs Hire Athletes

39:10 Running a Company Like a Team

41:37 Suffering, Sacrifice, and Success

46:57 The Family's Side of the Story

49:06 My Sister's College Roommate

49:50 The Ransom Debate

53:51 Six Years in Singapore

56:29 Every Guest Said Just Start

01:00:18 Suck at It Long Enough

01:01:28 Why You Should Visit Taiwan

01:03:32 Get Off the Beaten Path

01:06:35 Rapid Fire

01:09:28 Coaching North Korea's Hockey Team

01:11:47 Closing Thoughts

Private equity is the most secretive industry in finance, and Lee McCabe says that secrecy is now its biggest weakness. Kyle Matthews sits down with the founder of Claymore Partners, a former leader at eBay, Expedia, Facebook, and Alibaba, to talk about how PE firms ran for 20 years on Outlook, Excel, and cheap debt, why about 70% of private equity's value creation came from leverage, and what the firms that win next will do differently.

They also cover why most businesses still aren't built on data, the three numbers every CEO must know, where AI is working today and why it still lacks judgment, the Rotten Strawberry Award and 007 work culture at Alibaba, and Lee's upcoming book, The Trick Is Not Minding That It Hurts.

Follow Lee McCabe:

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

Learn More About Claymore Partners:

Website: https://claymorepartners.com

Learn More About Not Very Private Equity:

Website: https://notveryprivateequity.com

Get Lee's Book:

The Trick Is Not Minding That It Hurts (May 2027)

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

00:00 Private Equity's Excel Problem

01:18 Meet Lee McCabe

02:37 What Claymore Partners Does

03:18 Why Businesses Skip the Data

05:41 Your Business on One Page

08:56 The Industries in the Sweet Spot

10:02 Who Actually Hires Claymore

12:19 Leaving Small-Town England

15:28 Joining eBay Before Anyone Knew It

17:44 Data Is the Math of Business

20:58 Expedia and the Job After Next

23:01 The Harvard MBA Problem

25:40 Joining Facebook in 2011

28:18 Done Is Better Than Perfect

29:44 Six Friends and You're Hooked

32:42 The Best and Worst First Job

33:26 Going to Alibaba

34:16 The Rotten Strawberry Award

37:00 Lazy Foreigners and 007

38:54 What Great Leaders Share

41:26 How He Found Private Equity

45:41 PE Ran on Outlook and Excel

48:14 Private Equity's Secrecy Problem

51:07 VC Creates, PE Reduces

54:11 Inside a Claymore Engagement

55:18 I Just Happen to Sell Roofs

59:26 AI Is Not a Magic Wand

01:01:54 What AI Still Can't Do

01:02:53 The Trick Is Not Minding That It Hurts

01:05:15 Work and Life Are the Same Thing

01:06:45 Three Numbers Every CEO Must Know

01:09:48 The AI CRM He Swears By

01:11:28 Advice for Future Founders

01:13:02 Not Very Private Equity

01:15:29 Closing Thoughts

Kyle Matthews interviews performance coach and author Alan Stein Jr., who spent over 15 years in elite basketball and now helps businesses improve performance, culture, and execution. Stein explains his book Next Play and the core idea of letting go of what happened to focus on what is, responding thoughtfully instead of reacting emotionally. Drawing lessons from Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry, he emphasizes mastering fundamentals during "unseen hours," setting high standards, and using consistency as a controllable superpower. They discuss how entitlement, poor decisions, and the wrong inner circle derail talented athletes, and how in business elite basics include active listening, preparation, process focus, and clear definitions of "winning." Stein also outlines leader-driven accountability that becomes team-led, avoiding blame/complaints/excuses, detaching self-worth from outcomes, and protecting daily energy through strong morning and evening routines.

Follow Alan Stein Jr.:

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

X: https://x.com/alansteinjr

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

Learn More About Alan Stein Jr.:

Website: https://alansteinjr.com

Get Alan's Book:

Next Play

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

00:00 Blame, Complain, Excuses

00:58 Meet Alan Stein Jr.

02:09 The Next Play Mindset

03:47 From Sports to Life

05:08 Becoming a Performance Coach

06:42 Breaking into Elite Rooms

08:10 Coaching People, Not Basketball

09:33 Kobe and the Basics

13:01 Why We Leave the Basics

15:42 Early Career Humility

17:31 Persistence vs Stubbornness

20:13 How to Earn Opportunities

22:09 What Sets Kevin Durant Apart

25:03 Talent Wasted by the Wrong Circle

28:08 Listening as a Fundamental

28:51 One Shot, a Thousand Times

34:53 Steph Curry's Standards

36:50 The Math Behind the Process

39:58 When Talent Fails

40:42 Entitlement Kills Growth

42:26 Train Before You Have To

43:22 From the Gym to Keynotes

46:07 Accountability as Love

51:50 Sports Rules vs Office Rules

54:05 If You're Early

56:42 The Unseen Hours

01:01:19 Sustaining Elite Performance

01:04:05 Next Play After a Mistake

01:07:13 Self-Led Accountability

01:09:25 Getting Unstuck

01:12:40 Leading by Serving

01:14:37 Rapid Fire

01:17:52 Closing Thoughts

Alex Smereczniak explains why raising capital is only worth it when speed is critical, trading equity for faster, higher-quality execution, and the value of investor introductions, governance, and choosing the right partners. He shares how he bought WakeWash in college using seller financing, sold it for about 10x, and how that experience led him to leave Ernst & Young to co-found 2ULaundry and LaundroLab, scaling into a venture-backed national franchise platform while grinding long hours and living scrappily. Alex discusses COVID-era board-driven decisions, raising tens of millions including secondary liquidity, and stepping back after burnout amid family and personal crises. He then details launching Franzy, an AI-powered marketplace and resource hub to make franchise ownership more transparent, address broker incentives and lack of regulation, and help people find the right franchise fit.

Follow Alex Smereczniak:

X: https://x.com/AlexfromFranzy

Learn More About Franzy:

Website: https://franzy.com

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

00:00 Speed, Quality, Cost

01:39 Meet Alex Smereczniak

02:56 Buying a Business in College

03:07 Seller Financing the Deal

04:54 Lessons from Early Ownership

06:16 Choosing the Right Partners

08:24 What Franzy Does

10:10 Buying vs Starting a Business

11:48 Why Parents Push the Safe Job

14:35 Quitting EY for Laundry

15:57 Selling WakeWash

17:41 EY Reality Check

18:48 Starting 2ULaundry

21:05 No Work-Life Balance

24:31 Scaling and Hiring

26:37 Lessons from Techstars

26:52 Why Raise Capital

29:06 Equity vs Freedom

30:26 Investor Fit and Intros

32:35 The Value of Board Governance

33:32 Planning Through the COVID Shock

35:43 The Layoff Calls

37:04 Secondary Liquidity and Burnout

39:28 A Crisis at Home

43:52 The Sabbatical

49:35 The Franzy Idea

50:33 The Trouble with Franchise Brokers

53:44 What Franzy Lists

55:14 The Good, Bad and Ugly

57:30 Why Franchisee Fit Matters

58:49 From Validation to Scale

01:00:32 Respecting Franchise Owners

01:02:21 Red Flags in Due Diligence

01:03:31 The Quiznos Cautionary Tale

01:05:44 Nature vs Nurture

01:08:37 Loving the Work

01:14:32 Hard Lessons on Hiring

01:15:28 Execution Beats Ideas

01:18:32 Taking the Leap

01:21:18 Defining Success at Franzy

01:25:00 Closing Thoughts

In this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews sits down with Michael Brennan, Chairman and Managing Principal of Brennan Investment Group, co-founder and former CEO of First Industrial Realty Trust, and one of the most accomplished operators in industrial real estate.

Mike's argument is that industrial is the rare property type technology has helped rather than hurt. E-commerce built the warehouses. Data centers absorb land. And robotics and automation are pulling manufacturing back onshore, because once low-cost labor stops being decisive there is less reason to be in Mexico or China. As he puts it, the best news for industrial may still be ahead.

He has earned the right to a view. Mike bought his first building at 22, in October of 1979 — a six-flat and warehouse on the South Side of Chicago for $53,000, with effectively nothing down. He collected rents weekly and was his own janitor. Fifteen years later he helped take First Industrial Realty Trust public and delivered 40 consecutive quarters as its CEO. After leaving in 2008 over a disagreement with the board he started again, and Brennan Investment Group is now the second largest privately held industrial real estate company in the country.

The conversation also covers how Brennan picks markets, why he watches tenants instead of forecasts, where he sees rates going, and how his company ended up as the single stock inside Warren Buffett's wallet.

Topics covered in this episode:

- Why industrial benefited from technology while office and retail suffered

- Data centers, e-commerce, and the reshoring of American manufacturing

- Buying his first building at 22 with effectively no money down

- The Chicago fireman father who pointed him toward real estate

- Taking First Industrial Realty Trust public in 1994

- Delivering 40 straight quarters and the pressure that comes with it

- Why he stepped down from First Industrial in 2008

- Launching Brennan Investment Group at the bottom of the market

- The five industrial facility types and how Brennan picks markets

- Why he watches tenants rather than forecasts to choose locations

- The single trait shared by every great professional he has worked with

- Where he sees interest rates going and what would move them

- The stock in Warren Buffett's wallet, and the phone call that followed

- Sacrifice, work ethic, and what he would tell his 22-year-old self

Mike also explains why he considers the company his only in trust, and why the point of building something is to hand it to the people who helped build it.

Whether you're a commercial real estate professional, investor, entrepreneur, broker, or someone building a business over the long term, this conversation offers lessons from more than four decades in industrial real estate, investing, and leadership.

Follow Michael Brennan:

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

Learn More About Brennan Investment Group:

Website: https://www.brennanllc.com

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

00:00 Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation

01:19 Meet Michael Brennan

02:31 What Is Brennan Investment Group

04:01 Five Facility Types Explained

05:11 Key Markets and Strategy

07:04 First Building at 22

10:03 Finding and Financing the First Deal

13:51 Early Career Work Ethic

17:45 Meeting His Future Wife

20:27 Jesuit Education and Character

25:18 Scaling to First Industrial

26:34 The RTC Days

30:00 Going Public in 1994

36:02 Public vs Private Life

38:26 Stepping Down as CEO

41:04 Starting Brennan Investment Group

44:21 Market Selection Strategy

45:37 Learning From Tenants

47:03 Scaling Brennan Investment Group

49:20 Building the Team

50:21 The Trait That Matters Most

52:14 LP Appetite and Product Types

54:05 Strategic Plan and Operations

58:54 Real Estate Cycles

01:04:30 Interest Rates and Technology

01:07:09 Sacrifice and Work Ethic

01:12:50 Building Brennan's Legacy

01:14:27 His Daughter's Husband Joins

01:16:21 Parental Influence and Motivation

01:19:52 Character and Painful Moments

01:20:48 Teaching Work Ethic

01:22:07 Advice to His Younger Self

01:24:16 Reading Recommendations

01:26:01 The Stock in Warren Buffett's Wallet

01:31:39 Closing Thoughts

In this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews sits down with Jennifer Fisher, founder and Chief Brand Officer of Jennifer Fisher Jewelry, founder of Maedyn, and author of Trust Your Gut.

The New York Times called her the Queen of Hoops. Jennifer spent ten years as a wardrobe stylist, starting out on commercials, before making a single piece for herself — a gold tag with her son's name on it, created after years of fertility setbacks because nothing on the market felt like her. She wore it on set, made one for Uma Thurman, and Uma chose to wear it on the cover of Glamour without telling her first.

She has lived with a desmoid tumor, a soft tissue sarcoma, since she was 30, at a point when nobody was certain how to treat it. Twelve rounds of chemotherapy shrank it. Turning 50 and living with Hashimoto's, she later read her way into an anti-inflammatory approach to food that became her signature salts, her cookbook, and Maedyn, the lifestyle and media platform she now runs alongside the jewelry business.

The conversation also explores bootstrapping for almost 20 years before taking on Centric Brands, a roughly $3 billion licensing company, as a manufacturing partner; the surge in demand COVID produced; how she gets her jewelry onto the people who wear it; and what gold prices and tariffs are doing to the business right now.

Topics covered in this episode:

- The New York Times naming her the Queen of Hoops

- Ten years styling commercials before she made any jewelry

- Making the first gold tag for her son after years of fertility setbacks

- Uma Thurman wearing her piece on the cover of Glamour

- Living with a desmoid tumor since the age of 30

- Twelve rounds of chemotherapy while building the business

- Why she wants people in the office rather than remote

- Bootstrapping for almost 20 years before any outside partner

- Why COVID created a surge in demand for the brand

- Partnering with Centric Brands to scale manufacturing and wholesale

- How she approaches getting jewelry onto celebrities

- Hashimoto's, inflammation, and rethinking how she eats

- Where the name Maedyn came from, and what it is now

- What rising gold prices and tariffs mean for a jewelry business

- Her husband coming in to run the company

- How her family, and the tumor, still shape what drives her

Jennifer also explains why the biggest decisions in her career came from listening to herself rather than the people telling her to go another way, and why she kept going through the stretches when nothing went to plan.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, founder, creative, or someone interested in fashion, branding, health, or building a consumer business, this conversation offers a close look at the decisions behind Jennifer Fisher Jewelry and the woman who built it.

Follow Jennifer Fisher:

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

Learn More About Jennifer Fisher Jewelry:

Website: https://jenniferfisherjewelry.com

Learn More About Maedyn:

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

Get Jennifer's Book:

Trust Your Gut

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

00:00 Rihanna Walks In

01:01 Meet Jennifer Fisher

02:35 A Day in the Life

03:57 Remote Work vs the Office

11:24 Work Ethic From Family

14:10 Money Loss and Anxiety as Fuel

18:13 Living With a Desmoid Tumor

21:46 The Jewelry Origin Story

24:24 Queen of Hoops

25:59 The Anti-Inflammatory Shift

28:10 Styling Career and Hustle

30:53 Founder Mom Tradeoffs

35:32 Raising Hardworking Kids

38:35 Always-On Sacrifices

40:36 Bootstrapping, Then Partners

42:19 The COVID Demand Surge

44:58 Scaling With Systems

48:15 The Celebrity Seeding Strategy

51:04 Trusting Her Gut

53:45 New Lines and Menswear

54:13 The Maedyn Origin Story

58:03 Adversity and Mindset

01:01:00 Advice for Starting Out

01:02:09 Being a Female Founder

01:04:45 Mentorship and Giving Back

01:08:50 Defining Success

01:10:07 The Nicest Thing Anyone Did

01:11:00 Praise From Anna Wintour

01:12:40 Fashion Favorites

01:13:56 Her Husband as CEO

01:16:11 The Rihanna Amex Story

01:18:13 Gold Prices and Tariffs

01:21:09 Trends and Lab Diamonds

01:23:32 The Long-Term Vision

01:27:16 Family, Motivation, Perspective

01:30:50 Closing Thoughts

In this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews sits down with Dr. Andre Martin, organizational psychologist and Chief Experience Officer at LEAD3R, to break down why even talented executive teams struggle to align and what separates teams that consistently perform at a high level.

Andre explains the idea of "collective confidence," the shared belief that a team can succeed together, and why that confidence often needs to exist before the results show up. Drawing from his experience coaching CEOs and executive teams and working at companies including Google, Nike, Target, Mars, and Disney, Andre shares what he has learned about trust, leadership, culture, hiring, and team performance.

The conversation explores why executive teams lose alignment, how self-interest can undermine trust, and why leaders need precise, shared language around strategy and priorities. Andre also explains how companies can avoid the "telephone game," where a clear strategy at the executive level becomes increasingly distorted as it moves through an organization.

Topics covered in this episode:

- Why executive teams struggle with alignment

- What "collective confidence" means and why it matters

- How Andre coaches CEOs and executive teams

- Lessons from working at Google, Nike, Target, Mars, and Disney

- Why trust is the foundation of high-performing teams

- How self-interest can weaken executive team performance

- Why leaders need precise, shared language around priorities

- How the "telephone game" distorts strategy inside organizations

- Andre's "Wrong Fit, Right Fit" framework

- How to tell the difference between a hard season and the wrong job

- Why companies should hire for how people work, not just what they have accomplished

- Common hiring mistakes and better questions to ask candidates

- Why belief can come before a team's winning streak

- How leaders can intentionally build collective confidence

- Using low-stakes wins to create momentum

- "Borrowed brilliance" and learning from the strengths of others

- Identifying and using each person's "zone of genius"

- Why teams should train and develop together

- Common blind spots for CEOs and executive teams

- Why leaders may need to "re-recruit" their teams as strategies change

- The importance of modeling culture through everyday behavior

- Why leaders should recognize the process, not just the outcome

- How to escape a victim mindset and take ownership

Andre also shares why great teams are not built simply by putting talented individuals in the same room. Alignment, trust, belief, and clarity have to be developed intentionally, especially when an organization is changing direction or navigating a difficult period.

Whether you're a CEO, executive, entrepreneur, manager, or someone trying to build a stronger team, this conversation offers practical lessons on leadership, organizational culture, hiring, trust, and creating teams that believe they can win together.

Learn More About Dr. Andre Martin:

Website: https://www.wrongfitrightfit.com

Books:

Collective Confidence

Wrong Fit, Right Fit

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

In this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews sits down with Stuart McWhorter, Tennessee's Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and newly named Deputy Governor, to break down why Tennessee has become one of the country's most competitive destinations for businesses, jobs, and investment.

Stuart gives an inside look at how Tennessee recruits companies, supports existing businesses, and competes with other states for major economic development projects. From taxes and regulation to workforce development, infrastructure, logistics, and quality of life, he explains what companies are actually looking for when deciding where to invest billions of dollars and create thousands of jobs.

The conversation also explores the growing push to bring manufacturing and critical supply chains back to the United States, why economic development has become increasingly tied to national security, and how Tennessee is positioning itself for the next generation of American growth.

Topics covered in this episode:

- Why companies are relocating and expanding in Tennessee

- What Tennessee's Commissioner of Economic and Community Development actually does

- How states compete to land major economic development projects

- Why Tennessee's tax and regulatory environment attracts businesses

- The importance of workforce development and access to talent

- How site selection consultants influence corporate relocations

- The role incentives play in attracting new companies

- Why existing business expansions matter just as much as relocations

- Starbucks' plans to create approximately 2,000 jobs in Nashville

- LG Chem's $3.5 billion investment in Clarksville

- Orano's $4 billion nuclear fuel project in Oak Ridge

- Korea Zinc's $6.5 billion investment and the importance of critical supply chains

- Why bringing manufacturing back to America is becoming a national security issue

- Infrastructure, power, water, roads, and TVA's role in economic development

- The opportunities and misconceptions surrounding data centers

- How Tennessee coordinates across government agencies to move projects forward

- What happens when Tennessee loses a major business deal

- Stuart's transition from venture capital and business into public service

- The values behind Tennessee's continued population and economic growth

- Why Stuart believes one word defines what people are searching for when they move to Tennessee: hope

Stuart also shares the realities behind the headlines of billion-dollar economic development announcements, including the years of planning, infrastructure investment, negotiations, and collaboration required to turn a potential project into real jobs and economic growth.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, business leader, investor, real estate professional, or simply interested in why companies and people continue moving to Tennessee, this conversation offers an inside look at the strategy behind one of America's fastest-growing business environments.

Learn More About Tennessee Economic & Community Development:

Website: https://tnecd.com

Follow Stuart McWhorter:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-mcwhorter

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

In this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews sits down with Dr. Daryl Gioffre, board-certified chiropractor, gut health and longevity specialist, and bestselling author of Get Off Your Acid and Get Off Your Sugar.

Dr. Gioffre shares how his career evolved from chiropractic care into a deeper focus on gut health, inflammation, nutrition, and longevity. After his father's battle with esophageal cancer and his own health struggles involving root canal infections and mold exposure, Daryl began searching for the underlying causes of chronic health problems rather than simply treating symptoms.

The conversation dives into the gut microbiome, acid reflux, sugar addiction, chronic stress, mold toxicity, inflammation, and the everyday habits that Dr. Gioffre believes can have a major impact on long-term health.

Topics covered in this episode:

- Why Dr. Gioffre believes gut health is foundational to overall health

- His father's esophageal cancer diagnosis and how it changed his career

- The common misconceptions surrounding acid reflux and stomach acid

- Why chronic stress can have such a significant impact on digestion

- The "acidic lifestyle" and how anxiety, chemicals, inflammation, and digestive stress affect the body

- Dr. Gioffre's "WMD" framework for foods he believes can negatively affect gut health

- Breaking the cycle of sugar addiction

- How to identify hidden sugars and problematic ingredients on food labels

- Dr. Gioffre's personal experience with mold toxicity

- Root canal infections and the health issues he experienced

- Symptoms that may be connected to poor gut health beyond digestive problems

- Why he believes in "test, don't guess" when addressing gut issues

- Probiotics, yogurt, kombucha, and supporting the microbiome

- Hydration, minerals, and choosing the right water

- Why timing your meals can matter, including avoiding food before bed

- Detoxification and building healthier daily habits

- The "less is more" approach to improving your health

- The story behind Get Off Your Acid and Get Off Your Sugar

- Purpose, motivation, and creating lasting lifestyle changes

Dr. Gioffre also explains why he believes quick fixes rarely address the root cause of chronic health problems and shares practical strategies people can use to become more intentional about nutrition, hydration, stress, sleep, and gut health.

Whether you're interested in gut health, longevity, nutrition, acid reflux, reducing sugar, or simply improving your everyday habits, this conversation offers a deeper look at Dr. Gioffre's approach to understanding what is happening inside the body and making sustainable changes.

Follow Dr. Daryl Gioffre:

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

Get Off Your Acid Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getoffyouracid

Learn More About Dr. Daryl Gioffre:

Get Off Your Acid: https://www.getoffyouracid.com

Dr. Daryl: https://www.drdaryl.com

Use code MATTHEWS15 for 15% off all Get Off Your Acid products at:

https://www.getoffyouracid.com

Get 15% off gut testing kits at:

https://www.drdaryl.com/labs

Use code: MATTHEWS15

Get Dr. Gioffre's Books:

Get Off Your Acid

Get Off Your Sugar

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

n this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews sits down with Payam Zamani, founder and CEO of One Planet Group, CEO of Buyerlink, entrepreneur, investor, and author of Crossing the Desert.

Payam shares his incredible journey from fleeing religious persecution in Iran as a teenager to arriving in the United States as a refugee with just $75 in his pocket. Less than 11 years later, he and his brother had built an early online automotive marketplace and taken the company public at a $1.2 billion valuation.

But Payam's story goes far beyond financial success. After navigating the dot-com crash, divorce, family illness, and the loss of much of his wealth, he began rethinking the relationship between business, purpose, faith, and fulfillment. Those experiences ultimately shaped his philosophy of "spiritual capitalism," the belief that companies can pursue profitability while creating meaningful value for employees, customers, communities, and society.

Topics covered in this episode:

- Payam Zamani's escape from religious persecution in Iran

- Being smuggled out of the country at 16 years old

- Arriving in America as a refugee with $75

- Starting over and building his first technology company

- Taking an early online automotive marketplace public at a $1.2 billion valuation

- The dot-com crash and losing much of his wealth

- Why money alone failed to create fulfillment

- The philosophy behind spiritual capitalism

- Building One Planet Group without outside capital

- How Buyerlink connects consumers with automotive dealers and service providers

- Turning around Inspirato by cutting roughly $45 million in expenses and reaching profitability

- Leadership, humility, and putting people ahead of short-term profits

- Work-life balance and the sacrifices behind entrepreneurship

- Gratitude for America and the opportunities it gave his family

- Concerns about social media, young people, and the loss of spiritual grounding

- Writing his memoir, Crossing the Desert

Payam also shares why he believes business can be a powerful force for good, why leaders should think beyond maximizing shareholder value, and how some of the most difficult periods of his life ultimately reshaped his definition of success.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, executive, or someone navigating adversity in your own life, this conversation offers powerful lessons on resilience, leadership, faith, gratitude, and building businesses with purpose.

Follow Payam Zamani:

LinkedIn: Payam Zamani

Learn More About One Planet Group:

Website: https://oneplanetgroup.com

Learn More About BuyerLink:

Website: https://buyerlink.com

Read Payam's Book:

Crossing the Desert

https://crossingthedesertbook.com

Follow Kyle Matthews CEO:

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo

X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo

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

00:00 America as Hope

00:39 Meet Payam Zamani

02:32 Life and One Planet

04:02 Buyerlink Explained

06:30 Growing Up in Iran

08:38 Persecution and Survival

14:57 Decision to Escape

16:26 Smuggled Through the Desert

19:56 U.S. Embassy Breakthrough

22:42 Landing in America

27:56 Starting Over in California

30:03 First Tech Venture

32:23 Dot-Com IPO Reality Check

36:25 Crash, Divorce, and Faith

38:57 Work-Life Balance

42:17 Spiritual Capitalism Begins

43:13 Greed Versus Community

43:47 Spiritual Capitalism

45:09 One Planet Breakthrough

47:04 Unicorn Doubts

48:43 Writing Crossing the Desert

52:24 Memoir Truths Revealed

57:49 Inspirato Turnaround Playbook

01:04:20 Rapid Fire Reflections

01:07:26 Youth, Screens, and Faith

01:13:35 Closing and Daughter's Music