The Worst Advice I Ever Got

What happens when a single test score starts shaping your entire life?
This week’s guest, Tyler Zachem, grew up hearing that he should avoid anything involving numbers. Bad math grades. Low SAT scores. All of it pointed him away from finance and toward a career he did not actually want.

Tyler shares how that early message boxed him in and how he slowly learned to trust something deeper than a score. He takes us inside his curiosity for investing, private equity, and entrepreneurship, and explains how following that instinct opened the doors that ended up defining his life.

In this conversation, we talk about the danger of letting labels decide your future, the difference between being good at math and being good with numbers, and why your career should expand instead of narrow when you are young.

If you have ever felt limited by a grade or a comparison, this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air.

Listen to Tyler’s story on The Worst Advice I Ever Got.

Sean and JB reflect on the past year and talk about New Years resolutions, and specfically why they are chock full of the worst advice you ever got. 

It’s the first ever holiday panel on The Worst Advice I Ever Got. Sean and JB sit down with four members of the Smith + Howard family of companies to talk through the bad holiday advice that shaped their most memorable seasons. From the pressure to keep the magic of Santa alive, to gift giving lessons that go sideways, to the chaos of Elf on the Shelf, each guest brings a story that starts with good intentions and ends with a hard earned lesson.

This special episode is funny, honest, and full of moments every parent and holiday host will recognize. A perfect way to wrap up the year with real stories from real people who learned the hard way that holiday advice is rarely as simple as it sounds.

Happy Holidays from The Worst Advice I Ever Got.

Actor, comedian, filmmaker, and college-football-internet legend Josh Mancuso joins us to unpack the classic piece of bad advice: “A jack of all trades is a master of none.”

Josh breaks down why that mindset almost boxed him in, how trying lots of things actually moved his career forward, and why it’s never too late to start the project you’ve been sitting on. He talks family, creativity, burnout, mascots, viral videos, and chasing a dream on your own terms.

If you’re feeling stretched thin, pulled in twelve directions, or just trying to remember what month it is, this episode is the perfect reset.

A great listen for creatives, multi-hyphenates, sports fans, and anyone figuring out their next move.

Tune in and enjoy this special re-release as we get ready for the big holiday episode of The Worst Advice I Ever Got.

On the surface, it sounds perfect. Work hard and you will be successful. How could that possibly be bad advice? That is exactly what Ovie Mughelli believed. He carried that idea through high school, college football, and then into the NFL. Hard work was the plan. Hard work was supposed to be enough.

Except it wasn’t.

Ovie learned the hard truth. Hard work does not speak for itself. Hard work puts you in the room, but it does not guarantee anyone will notice you once you get there. If you do not advocate for yourself, someone else will gladly take the opportunity you hoped your effort alone would earn.

Ovie eventually became the highest paid fullback in the league and a Pro Bowler, but only after he learned when to speak up, when to ask for the chance, and how to be ready when that moment arrived.

In this episode, he breaks down why effort alone is a trap, why silence can stall your career, and why confidence plus preparation is the real equation for success.

If you have ever believed that working harder would automatically get you where you want to go, Ovie’s story will open your eyes.

Listen now on The Worst Advice I Ever Got.

Roy Keely grew up being told that college was the only path that mattered. The worst advice he ever got was to chase the traditional route at all costs, even when it didn’t fit. He tried to follow it. He tried to force it. It never worked.

What did work was everything he learned outside the classroom. Roy built his career through experience, curiosity, and a willingness to step into the unknown. Today he is the founder of Firm Studio, where he helps companies reclaim their product strategies and build technology with intention instead of guesswork.

In this episode, Roy talks about the moment he realized that the “safe path” was not actually safe at all, why doing the work beats talking about the work, and how he created a life and career that made sense for who he is instead of who he was expected to be.

If you have ever questioned the traditional blueprint for success, Roy’s story will speak directly to you.

Listen now on The Worst Advice I Ever Got.

Carla McCall spent years believing the worst advice she ever got: “Don’t laugh so much.” It came early in her career and it came from someone she thought she had to listen to. The message was simple. Fit in. Blend in. Tone it down.

Carla did the opposite. Today she is the Managing Partner of AAFCPAs, a top firm known for innovation, inclusion, and a culture that actually values people for who they are. She has been recognized as one of the most powerful women in the accounting profession and has built a career by leading with authenticity instead of fear.

In this episode, Carla shares how she learned to trust her voice, why humor became her superpower, and why shrinking yourself is never the path to real leadership.

If you have ever felt pressure to tone yourself down or play it safe, this conversation will stay with you.

Listen to Carla’s full story now on The Worst Advice I Ever Got.

When Ripley Rader was told to trust consultants and experts instead of her own instincts, she almost lost sight of what made her brand special. Instead, she doubled down on her vision—building her company from a $100 Shopify template into one of fashion’s fastest-growing names.

In this episode, Ripley shares how trusting herself over “the pros” became her biggest competitive edge. She talks about the myth of the expert, the power of failure, and why every woman deserves a little “delusional self-confidence.”

Hosted by Sean Taylor
Produced by JB
Presented by Smith + Howard

Mehrnush Saadat grew up with one message: to be somebody, you had to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. She followed that path into real estate law, even merging her firm with a larger one, but found herself burned out, in pain, and questioning everything. A herniated disc, a New Year’s Eve epiphany, and her passion for plant-based health led her to launch Sober ish, a cannabis and non-alcoholic bottle shop redefining what success looks like. In this episode, she shares how health, happiness, and authenticity matter more than any title

Joy Youell was told to ‘become an expert.’ Starting college at 14, she was pushed toward hyper-specialization and a life of academia. But a detour working with the UN in Sudan—and the realization that expertise alone can isolate rather than connect—changed her path. Joy shares how leaving the pursuit of being the expert opened the door to curiosity, leadership, and a life defined by usefulness, not titles.