Today I'm talking with Luke Tipple — shark expert, host of Discovery’s Shark Week, and most recently, founder of the portable ERG machine Whipr.  Luke’s work history is a traveler’s dream. He’s been all over the world researching, filming, and working with sharks and marine animals, and took that experience all the way to the Discovery network to host specials for Shark Week.  

His travel log is impressive, but what I really admire about Luke is that he managed to successfully pursue exactly what he wanted out of life when he was a kid. Growing up, he wanted to be a lot of different things — a pilot, a businessman, and Jacques Couteau, to name a few. And when it came time to decide on his future as a young adult, he just couldn’t see himself taking the traditional business school route. 

So what did he do? Dropped out of business school, became a shark expert, and saw through his childhood vision to become the new-age Jacques Cousteau — an explorer, filmmaker, innovator, and businessman wrapped in one. 

In this episode, Luke and I discuss how our passions fueled our careers, the role that fear and risk-taking play in entrepreneurship, and the value of bringing authenticity to your business. 

Today, I sat down with Brian Mac Mahon — one of the most enthusiastic and genuine people in the startup world. 

Brian is the founder of Expert DOJO, a VC fund that supports startup companies with founders who aren’t taking the traditional route to success. He saw an enormous gap between what startup companies have to offer the world and how often they actually reach their goals. His aim with Expert DOJO is to understand what causes failure within startups, and what he can give to help them achieve their visions. 

In this episode, Brian and I talk about the limitations that new entrepreneurs face in a VC-dominated space. We discuss what it means to be a "Viking" and take real, concrete steps toward your goals, and how to hold yourself accountable for every move you make. And to finish, Brian shares a piece of advice that transformed the way he does business — and changed him for the better. 

Today, I’m talking with my good friend Anna O’Connor. I relate to Anna on a personal level a lot. We both grew up in chaotic, abusive households, and had to learn how to break the habits and behaviors that we were raised around. 

Anna really found her answers when a colleague introduced her to a neuroscience professional. Everything about her life and behaviors clicked, and Anna learned everything she could about psychology and brain science. Now, she's made it her mission to translate those complex ideas into a more accessible and educational platform.

Today, we discuss what it means to build resilience — to break the cycles that are harmful to our wellbeing and combat them with healthier mental habits. Anna tells me the story of her first and most touching success story, and shares her thoughts on what holds people back from finding real happiness and, in turn, real success.

Meet Will Green, one of the greatest copywriters out there. His success is undeniable now, but his path to it was anything but linear. From dropping out of college, to starting his own marketing business, to almost destroying his marriage for a job, Will has spent a lot of his career taking calculated risks. 

In this episode, Will and I talk about the choices that can make or break a career. For Will, those decisions were always between staying in place or moving forward. Now, his decisions didn’t always pan out the way he thought they would at first — he took a job with the biggest marketing firm out there and ended up living paycheck to paycheck in his first few years. But the risk was worth it for Will. As he puts it, “A lot of people are unwilling to look stupid in the short term to look really smart in the long term.” Listen as we talk about choosing your hill, owning failure, and seeing the bigger picture.

To me, Iako Kalili lives the best part of the rock star life. He sees all the shows, goes on tour, attends all the parties and events, but doesn’t have to deal with half the drama — that’s the perk of being head of security for the band Five Finger Death Punch. 

But Iako hasn’t always lived like a rock star. He grew up in Hawai’i, where his parents were prominent influencers in the hula community, yet behind the scenes, he watched many of his family members’ failures for years. At 17, he joined the national guard, and after high school he joined the U.S. Army. Now a 21-year Army veteran, MMA expert, and security guard for the big-names, Iako is teaching his kids about the value of working for everything they get.

Today, I sat down with Iako and asked him all about the road to his personal success. We talk about how manners, respect, and empathy go a long way in understanding other peoples’ missions in life. We also talk about breaking patterns of laziness, and how to make sure our kids find success without having to struggle through life to find it. And as always, MMA (and armor fighting?) is a hot topic in this episode. 

Today I’m sitting down with my good friend Michael White. We became fast friends when we met at an entrepreneur meetup three years ago. After listening to his life story, I was fascinated by his humble and powerful experiences that led him to the success he’s found today. Michael grew up in rural Alabama, and joined the military to break the cycle and stigma of his working poor family. Now a 20-year combat veteran with the Marine Corps and Army, he’s the founder of a major firearms company, and has made a lot of valuable connections through his travels. In this episode, we discuss how his past experiences and knowledge led him to the “right place at the right time,” and he’s now living his ideal life doing cool things with cool people when he feels like it. 

Avin Samtani knows how to make the best of a bad situation. After enjoying a day at the beach with his partners, the travel disaster we all fear the most hit them hard… they were robbed. Instead of shrugging their shoulders and feeling sorry, Samtani and his team spent the rest of their trip problem solving. Now their product has become one of few to make a successful trip to the Shark Tank. Join me for today's talk with Avin Samtani about how great ideas are formed… and how to clear out space in your life to make those ideas reality.

Abe Wagner and Joe Wilk first met on the Midwestern MMA fighting circuit. They became fast friends… and five years ago, they took things to the next level and launched a business together. They developed and launched the BJJ-9000 Jiu Jitsu Accelerator – it’s the gold standard grappling dummy used to practice and demonstrate safe and effective techniques for BJJ and MMA fighters worldwide. Today, their invention is licensed by the UFC and has launched both of these entrepreneurs’ careers to the next level… giving both the freedom to open their dream businesses and focus on what’s truly important.

Rob Allen chose the scariest time imaginable to move 2,000 miles cross-country: March 2020, or the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. He didn’t know what would happen next… But even as the world fell apart, he found a way to adapt and build a thriving business. Today, his agency makes more each month than he used to make in a year. Here’s how he did it.

When Mashon Thomas lost her job in 2017, she was furious. Mad at the company that let her go, sure... But most of all, she was mad at herself. She had built her life on a foundation that was vulnerable, and when that one block was removed, it all came tumbling down. She vowed to never let herself get in that situation again - and with that, Mashon launched a new freelancing business, moved to South America, and started living her dream. Today, she makes more money than ever before... all with the luxury of setting her own hours and traveling the world. Her "secret" is a lot simpler than you might think - and it's one that could help you achieve financial and personal freedom.