Unlocking Moves

Join me for a very special episode of Unlocking Moves - or "Unlucky Moves" - as my Aunt Barbara called it!

Earlier this year, I used my podcast setup to record an interview with my 94-year-old Aunt Barbara Modisett. My original goal was to record a conversation with her about growing up with my mom (who passed away in 2008) and my grandparents (who I never got to meet) – a conversation I could share with my sons and the rest of my family. But talking to my Aunt B inspired me so much, and brought out such raw emotion, that I decided to share it here as a special episode of Unlocking Moves. This exercise became even more special to me and my family when she passed away a few weeks after we recorded.

In loving memory of Barbara Brown Modisett - 1931-2025.

About Barbara Modisett – Barbara was born March 15, 1930 in Grand Forks, ND and died February 6, 2025 in Chapel Hill, NC. She was married 71 years to the love of her life, John R. Modisett, who preceded her in death by one year. She was a badass aunt, mother, wife, sister, and daughter and was an incurable romantic, who loved woodland gardens, the music of Chopin and moonlight. Her philosophy was "Live each day as though it will be your last, and one day you will be right." Her full obituary, which she wrote herself, can be found here.

About Kurt Wilkin - Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies. He misses his mommy dearly and viewed his Aunt B as his last living connection to her – he now misses her too.

Join us for a very special episode of Unlocking Moves, the show that dives into the pivotal moments in a leader's journey that unlocked their true potential!

This week, host Kurt Wilkin steps into the spotlight solo to celebrate 50 episodes of raw, inspiring conversations with some of the most remarkable entrepreneurs, leaders, and visionaries. Instead of featuring a guest, Kurt reflects on some of the funniest, most surprising, and most powerful moments from previous episodes -- from Bo Burlingham revealing his secret hatred of writing, to Scott Leese sharing his battle with opioid addiction to Jason Bronstad getting schooled on the jiu-jitsu mat by a young girl. You'll also hear unforgettable moments with Tyler Allgaier, Mike Smerklo, Rolf Wilkin, Stephen and Allison Ellsworth, and many more.

Kurt pulls back the curtain to share behind-the-scenes stories, his favorite “gotcha” questions for guests, and some surprising lessons learned along the way. It's the perfect tribute to the Unlocking Moves journey so far and a reminder that real growth happens when we share the messy, honest parts of our story. Whether you've been part of the Unlocking Moves community since day one, or you're just discovering it, this milestone episode is packed with inspiration, laughter, and a whole lot of heart.

About Kurt Wilkin - Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies.

"Don't be an order taker... be a VALUE DRIVER"

Join us for this week's episode of Unlocking Moves, the show that dives into the pivotal moments in a leader's journey that unlocked their true potential! Many leaders only like to talk about their "glory" stories - but host Kurt Wilkin is a firm believer that we learn more from our stumbles and mistakes, our "gory" stories. On this episode, Kurt talks with Nick Moran, General Partner at New Stack Ventures - a VC firm that is shaking up the venture capital industry by investing in "outsiders" who don't fit the mold of a traditional tech target. Nick's story is full of unlocking moves - from being willing to call attention to problems in his first job, to remaking himself after a "meets expectations" performance review, and from realizing he had no network, to starting the first VC-centered podcast over a decade ago. Nick also sheds light on the VC industry and how decisions are traditionally made - either based on resume (did you go to Stanford and work for Google?!) or on traction (how much money have you already made?!). New Stack Ventures does things differently, looking for KILLERS with earned insights who have what it takes to run a great company. For any entrepreneur thinking about raising a VC round, this is a can't miss conversation!

About Nick Moran - Nick is the Founder and General Partner of New Stack Ventures. A former M&A and Product Management professional for Danaher, Nick began angel investing full-time in 2013. In 2014, he launched the first Venture Capital podcast, The Full Ratchet, growing it into one of the largest media brands in venture and the top 0.5% of most listened to podcasts globally. The networks and dealflow generated from the show led to the founding of New Stack Ventures, which focuses on mission-driven founders outside the Bay Area. New Stack has fast become one of the leading seed funds between the coasts. They recently fully deployed their second fund ($42.6M) and launched fund 3, a $100M fund in Q3 of 2024.

About Kurt Wilkin - Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies.

(00:00:00) Intro – Welcome to Unlocking Moves

(00:00:19) Nick Moran’s Journey from Corporate to Angel Investor

(00:09:48) Building a Venture Firm Without Silicon Valley

(00:12:56) Sponsor – HireBetter: Your Strategic Talent Partner

(00:13:06) How Nick Picks Winning Founders

(00:24:15) The Importance of Market Timing

(00:39:40) Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

(00:48:16) Do You Wanna Know Who's Your Mike? Take the Quiz Here

Bo Burlingham has had a storied career writing about some of the best entrepreneurs and greatest companies of all time -- but there's something about Bo that NO ONE knew, maybe not even Bo...until this episode of Unlocking Moves. Bo actually HATES writing!!!

Join us for this week's episode of Unlocking Moves, the show that dives into the pivotal moments in a leader's journey that unlocked their true potential! Many leaders only like to talk about their "glory" stories - but host Kurt Wilkin is a firm believer that we learn more from our stumbles and mistakes, our "gory" stories. On this episode, Kurt continues his conversation with legendary business journalist and author, Bo Burlingham. In this episode, they cover Bo's early career at Inc. Magazine, where they made entrepreneurs and new companies the focus of their storytelling, rather than focusing on established and already successful businesses. This led him to covering some of the biggest household names of today (think Apple, Microsoft, Domino's Pizza...) but before anyone knew about them. They also covered his transition into co-authoring books about business, including Small Giants and The Great Game of Business. Bo's journey closely follows the path of many entrepreneurs: you make choices out of necessity, and you don't always end up where you thought you'd go! Bo's story is inspirational -- and applied to anyone.

About Bo Burlingham - Bo was Editor-at-Large for Inc. Magazine for many years, and the author of five books, including The Great Game of Business, Finish Big, and Small Giants. Check out the full details of his long and illustrious career in business journalism here: https://boburlingham.com/about-bo/

About Kurt Wilkin - Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies.

(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:31) Welcome Back: Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneurship & Unlocking Moves(00:05:04) Inside Fidelity: How Business Changed Bo’s Radical Views
(00:06:25) Breaking Into Inc. Magazine: The Opportunity of a Lifetime
(00:14:08) Creating the Inc. 500 List & Spotlighting Future Giants
(00:17:26) How Inc. Magazine Sparked the Entrepreneurial Boom
(00:23:58) Sponsor – HireBetter: Your Strategic Talent Partner
(00:24:10) Jack Stack’s Radical Business Model & The Great Game of Business
(00:35:09) Small Giants: Why Purposeful Growth Beats Fast Growth
(00:36:17) Building Evergreen Companies: Lessons for Longevity
(00:39:43) Bo’s Unlocking Moves: Pivotal Career Moments
(00:50:09) Do You Wanna Know Who's Your Mike? Take the Quiz Here

How did Rick Girard go from Playboy photoshoots to being a recruiting and hiring guru?

Join us for this week's episode of Unlocking Moves, the show that dives into the pivotal moments in a leader's journey that unlocked their true potential! Many leaders only like to talk about their "glory" stories - but host Kurt Wilkin is a firm believer that we learn more from our stumbles and mistakes, our "gory" stories. On this episode, Kurt talks with Rick Girard, the Founder and CEO of Intertru - and creator of the HireOS methodology. Rick started out as a "starving artist" dreaming of being a photographer for Playboy (for the art, of course!!), but seized the opportunity to join his cousin's recruiting firm in Idaho for the snowboarding (and a regular paycheck!). In this wide ranging conversation, Kurt and Rick discuss the "broken" recruiting industry, how to hire A Players for your business, and the biggest interviewing mistakes entrepreneurs make. You're gonna love this episode...the people episode!

About Rick Girard - Rick is a value driven leader whose purpose is to positively impact every entrepreneur's business, ensuring they align with the strongest people for business success. His HireOS is the solution for leaders to win the strongest people by annihilating "best practices" in hiring with humanistic, evidence-driven, non-biased, and time-efficient experience. He's the author of Healing Career Wounds and the host of Hire Power Radio.

About Kurt Wilkin - Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies.

(00:01:18) Introduction: Welcome to Unlocking Moves

(00:02:10) Unconventional Beginnings: From Playboy Photography to Recruiting

(00:03:14) Meet Rick Girard: AI & HireOS Recruiting Innovator

(00:09:38) Sponsor – HireBetter: Your Strategic Talent Partner

(00:09:51) Breaking the Mold: From Resume-Slinging to Strategic Hiring

(00:11:44) The HireOS Method: Healing Career Wounds & Beyond

(00:16:11) The Three Pillars of Interviewing: Pain, Desire & Impact

(00:20:03) Avoiding Costly Hiring Mistakes: Evidence-Based Interviews

(00:23:38) Culture & Core Values: Building Teams That Thrive

(00:26:22) Hiring Archetypes: Why 'Resume, Ralph' Stands Out

(00:27:47) Unlocking Moves: Pivotal Career Transitions

(00:29:46) Wildest Interview Stories: Tales from the Front Lines

(00:31:03) The One Interview Question You’re Never Asked: Mastering Interviews

(00:34:13) Higher Power Radio: Expanding Hiring Insights

(00:35:48) Wrap-Up: Wanna Know Who's Your Mike? Take the Test Here

How did this "Small Giant" of business journalism get his start? Would you believe his start including getting arrested at a radical rally in 1969?! And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

Join us for this week's episode of Unlocking Moves, the show that dives into the pivotal moments in a leader's journey that unlocked their true potential! Many leaders only like to talk about their "glory" stories - but host Kurt Wilkin is a firm believer that we learn more from our stumbles and mistakes, our "gory" stories. On this episode, Kurt talks with Bo Burlingham about his background and path to becoming one of the most well-known business writers of the last 50 years. When Bo was a member of the Students for a Democratic Society and cutting his teeth with anti-war demonstrators in Paris, France in the late 60's, it was hard to imagine that he would later become an Executive Editor for Inc. Magazine, covering some of the most important entrepreneurs in history. His path included some key, pivotal decisions - what type of person did he want to be? In this conversation, he and Kurt uncover some of the key moments in his path - taking a job out of necessity with Fidelity Investments helped him see that business wasn't the "root of all evil" as he had previously believed. Strap in for a fascinating conversation - and be on the lookout for Part 2, where we will dive even more into Bo's career!

About Bo Burlingham - Bo was Editor-at-Large for Inc. Magazine for many years, and the author of five books, including The Great Game of Business, Finish Big, and Small Giants. Check out the full details of his long and illustrious career in business journalism here: https://boburlingham.com/about-bo/

About Kurt Wilkin - Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies.

(00:00:00) The Radical Beginnings of Bo Burlingham

(00:01:23) Welcome to Unlocking Moves – Featuring Bo Burlingham

(00:02:13) Interviewing the World's Greatest Entrepreneurs

(00:03:32) Why Bo Never Became an Entrepreneur

(00:07:06) The Truth About Business – A Radical Shift

(00:13:42) From Protester to Business Journalist – A Wild Journey

(00:14:05) Sponsor – HireBetter: Your Strategic Talent Partner

(00:22:29) Choosing a New Path – Escaping the Underground

(00:26:32) Becoming a Journalist – A Career Unexpected

(00:30:28) The Indictment That Changed Everything

(00:40:32) A Four-Day Job That Led to an FBI Warrant

(00:50:26) Learning to Tell Stories That Matter

(00:55:10) The Power of Small Giants in Business

(01:02:45) The Evolution of Entrepreneurship – Lessons from a Career

Join us for this week's episode of Unlocking Moves, the show that dives into the pivotal moments in a leader's journey that unlocked their true potential! Many leaders only like to talk about their "glory" stories - but host Kurt Wilkin is a firm believer that we learn more from our stumbles and mistakes, our "gory" stories. On this episode, Kurt talks with Rob Adams - Executive Partner at Alumni Ventures and seasoned venture capital investor - about the venture capital industry's relationship to entrepreneurship. Rob cut his teeth as a tech entrepreneur in the 1980s, and came to a realization that a combination of preparation, visualization, and motivation can help you achieve your goals. Rob's experience and vision led him to teaching, and ultimately creating and running the University of Texas' Venture Labs. This episode is full of insights on venture capitalism and its relationship to entrepreneurial success. Kurt and Rob also discussed Rob's latest interest -- creating a No-BS approach to health and longevity -- to help others cut through the noise around those topics.

About Rob Adams - Rob is an Executive Director with Alumni Ventures, where he founded both Congress Avenue Ventures and Ring Ventures, venture funds focused on the University of Texas and Texas A&M communities. He has been active in the venture business for 30 years and previously he was on the faculty of The University of Texas where he taught entrepreneurship in the MBA program and was the Director of Texas Venture Labs. He’s a former software executive, entrepreneur and institutional fund manager. He has served on many corporate boards and has founded or financed more than 300 companies and raised significant amounts of capital in both public and private markets.

About Kurt Wilkin - Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies.

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:04:37) Rob's Background, Alumni Ventures and Who are they funding?

(00:11:00) How Rob and Kurt Met thru Ron Kesler and Rod Kurtz

(00:12:06) Sponsor: HireBetter

(00:12:18) Meeting with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs

(00:15:51) What drew Rob Adams to go to academics

(00:20:38) A Good Hard Kick in the Ass - Business Porn

(00:25:01) Navigating High Valuations: Strategies for Startup Funding

(00:26:07) Rob Adams Unlocking Moves (and some Bloopers)

(00:30:07) Faith, Visualization, and Opportunity: Unlocking Career Potential

(00:32:07) Choosing Potential Over Pay: An Unlocking Move

(00:35:21) Rob Adams in longevity space - Lifespan.agency

(00:42:15) Top 3 tips from Rob Adams

(00:45:47) Rob's secret to a younger physique - Sleep and Cold showers

(00:49:30) Immigrant Instincts

(00:52:12) Like and Subscribe to Unlocking Moves

(00:52:38) Outro

(00:52:51) Wanna know Who's Your Mike? Take the Quiz Here

Join us for this week's episode of Unlocking Moves, the show that dives into the pivotal moments in a leader's journey that unlocked their true potential! Many leaders only like to talk about their "glory" stories - but host Kurt Wilkin is a firm believer that we learn more from our stumbles and mistakes, our "gory" stories. On this episode, Kurt has a raw and open discussion with Eric Hui, the founder and CEO of Terracea, an outerwear company that has you covered in all types of harsh weather. Eric's entrepreneurial journey started literally from scratch - with no real experience or network - but a great idea that filled a gap in the market. He talks about his entrepreneurial journey from Hawaii to Boston - including many missteps along the way. He covers the stubbornness required to start a company, developing a tolerance for risk, making (and thankfully SURVIVING) terrible hires, and maintaining a hyper focus on his vision. If you're thinking about starting a company, this episode provides a ton of phenomenal advice on what to do... and what NOT to do.

About Eric Hui - Eric is the founder of Terracea, and manages all aspects of the business - from day-to-day operations to long-term strategy. He works with a talented team of people, and views each day as a new learning opportunity. More importantly, he embraces the challenges that come with launching an exciting outerwear business.

About Kurt Wilkin - Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies.

Time Stamps:

What does it take to make “big” happen?

In this episode, Kurt Wilkin visits with serial entrepreneur, mortgage industry innovator, Iron Man athlete, and CEO coach to CEO coaches, Mark Moses. Mark shares how early challenges - including his father's bankruptcy - shaped his entrepreneurial motivation, growing multiple successful businesses, writing multiple best-selling books, and eventually founding CEO Coaching International, which has coached over 1,000 entrepreneurs and CEOs worldwide.

Join Kurt as he learns several key themes from Mark’s journey, including:

Mark Moses is proof of the importance of making bold decisions, maintaining resilience through challenges, and continuously upgrading talent to match company growth ambitions. His story illustrates how personal setbacks can be transformed into professional motivation and success.

About Mark Moses: Mark is the author of the international bestselling books “Make BIG Happen” and “Making BIG Happen” and is the CEO and Founding Partner of CEO Coaching International, which has coached more than 1,000 of the world’s top high-growth entrepreneurs and CEOs in over 60 countries.

About Kurt Wilkin: Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies.

About HireBetter: ⁠HireBetter⁠ is the award-winning strategic talent partner for entrepreneurial, growth-minded, middle-market companies that need the right solutions to thrive and scale. Recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Executive Recruiting Firms, HireBetter supports organizational growth and change by developing effective talent strategies and building world-class leadership teams.

To learn more, visit ⁠www.HireBetter.com⁠

Tune in to Unlocking Moves to find out! Unlocking moves is the show that dives into the pivotal moments in a leader's journey that unlocked their true potential! Many leaders only like to talk about their "glory" stories - but host Kurt Wilkin is a firm believer that we learn more from our stumbles and mistakes, our "gory" stories. On this episode, Kurt has a deep conversation with Ty Hagler, a former world-class kayaker turned innovator, designer, and entrepreneur. Ty shares the lessons he learned while his attention was divided between training for the Olympics and trying to break into the industrial design field. I'm a huge believer in learning lessons from our biggest setbacks - Ty embodies that! He had to go all in on athletics to realize that he didn't actually want to keep pushing in that direction. Now, he's a total badass leading Trig - his design consulting firm, and creating space for other designers to thrive with his venture studio. Creativity, iteration, and innovation are huge themes in this episode!

About Ty Hagler - Ty's 20-year journey as a designer, innovator, and entrepreneur has had many surprising twists and turns. His start as a world-class kayaker led to building an in-house innovation department at Home Depot. He started an award-winning design consulting business, Trig, which has been responsible for bringing multiple breakthrough products to market, most recently the Couplet Care bassinet.

About Kurt Wilkin - Kurt is a connector - of dots, ideas, and people. For the past 30 years, he has advised high-growth companies, starting his career with Ernst & Young, and today in his roles as chairman of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. He's a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and CEOs build their companies.