Best Ever Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

What if becoming your best ever—at work, at home, and in life—starts with learning how to lead yourself first? Introducing Best Ever, a podcast that explores the real-life stories, mindset shifts, and daily habits of remarkable leaders. Hosted by globally recognized executive coach and bestselling author Scott Eblin, the show features Olympic champions, Fortune 500 executives, entrepreneurial innovators, and community changemakers who lead with clarity, purpose, and heart. If you're ready for inspiration you can act on, follow Best Ever and start writing your best ever story today.

What does it take to win—not once, but over and over again?

Olympic gold medalist and USC Women’s Beach Volleyball head coach Dain Blanton knows. In this episode, Dain joins Scott to talk about the connection between consistency, mindset, and high-performance outcomes. From daily meditation and visualization routines to the importance of technical repetition, Dain shares how he prepares his athletes to perform under pressure—and how those same strategies translate far beyond sports.

Whether he’s coaching a championship team, broadcasting from the Olympic sidelines, or showing up as a dad, Dain brings intention and heart to everything he does. Tune in to hear how self-management, discipline, and empathy shape the lives of world-class athletes, and how you can use those same tools to lead your own team with greater clarity and purpose.

Follow Dain on Instagram: @dainblanton

Explore USC Beach Volleyball: usctrojans.com | @uscbeach

Connect with Dain on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dainblanton/

(02:13) What Makes a Great Coach? Consistency Over Intensity
(06:26) Teaching Athletes to Lead Themselves
(08:14) Meditation + Visualization: Dain’s Daily Edge
(10:32) You Don’t Rise to the Occasion—You Fall to Your Training
(19:05) Coaching Gen Z: Trust First, Then Technique
(24:36) Spotting the Wrong Fit—and What to Do About It
(29:27) What Makes a Great Playing Partner?
(33:22) Winning Olympic Gold: The Moment That Changed Everything
(39:09) Communicating With Truth, Trust, and Adaptability
(46:41) Staying Ahead of Aging With Fitness and Focus
(52:00) Coachable Moment

Ready to have the Best Life Ever? Start here: www.courses.eblingroup.com/p/best-life-ever-course

👉 Connect with Scott Eblin
Website: www.eblingroup.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scotteblin

✉️ Inquiries
For anything podcast-related: hello@besteverpodcast.com
For business or speaking inquiries: contact@eblingroup.com

📬 Get leadership insights and updates
Join the newsletter: www.eblingroup.com/sub

What happens when a Fortune 500 CEO makes self-reflection a daily practice for over 40 years? In this premiere episode of Best Ever, Scott Eblin sits down with Harry Kraemer—former Chairman and CEO of Baxter International, executive partner at Madison Dearborn Partners, and clinical professor of leadership at Northwestern’s Kellogg School—to explore how slowing down, tuning in, and aligning with purpose shapes extraordinary leadership.

Harry shares the four timeless principles of values-based leadership—self-reflection, balanced perspective, true self-confidence, and genuine humility—and how they guided his most pivotal decisions, from leading through crisis to building a global corporate culture rooted in respect and integrity. He opens up about the legacy he’s building beyond the boardroom, why he still goes on silent retreat every December with his father-in-law, and the nightly 15-minute routine that’s changed his life. If you’ve ever wondered how inner discipline creates outer impact, this conversation will leave you inspired and ready to lead yourself first.

Follow Harry Kraemer: harrykraemer.org
Connect with Harry on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/harrykraemerjr/
Support the One Acre Fund: oneacrefund.org

(02:15) Lessons From Grandpa on Purpose and Perspective
(04:40) The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership
(05:45) The Silent Retreat That Changed Everything
(08:30) Can You Learn to Lead With Values?
(13:30) Leading With Humility as CEO
(20:25) Harry’s 15-Minute Self-Reflection Routine
(29:10) Managing Stress With Micro Breaks
(32:30) What Harry Looks for in a Great Leader
(39:12) Redefining Legacy at Every Age and Stage
(45:30) Choosing Where to Make an Impact
(49:51) Harry’s One Best Piece of Advice for Leaders
(57:00) Coachable Moment

Ready to have the Best Life Ever? Start here: www.courses.eblingroup.com/p/best-life-ever-course

👉 Connect with Scott Eblin
Website: www.eblingroup.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scotteblin

✉️ Inquiries
For anything podcast-related: hello@besteverpodcast.com
For business or speaking inquiries: contact@eblingroup.com

📬 Get leadership insights and updates
Join the newsletter: www.eblingroup.com/sub

What does it take to build a restaurant where everyone has a seat at the table, no matter what’s in their wallet? In this episode of Best Ever, Scott sits down with Maggie Kane, founder and executive director of A Place at the Table, Raleigh, N.C.'s first pay-what-you-can nonprofit café. Maggie shares how a conversation at a Golden Corral sparked a radical vision for dignity, choice, and community and how she turned that vision into a beloved downtown institution. They talk about what it means to lead with empathy, why asking for help is a superpower, and the powerful self-management habits that help Maggie show up with purpose and positivity day after day.

Explore A Place at the Table: tableraleigh.org | @tableraleigh

Follow Maggie on Instagram: @table_mags 

Learn about One World Everybody Eats: oneworldeverybodyeats.org

Mentor café in Boone, NC: farmcafe.org

(01:48) The A Place at the Table Experience
(07:10) The Golden Corral Story That Changed Everything
(10:38) Starting a Restaurant Without Industry Experience
(21:11) Why the “Tip” at Table Is a Donation
(23:56) How 150 Volunteers a Day Keep the Café Running
(26:20) Creating Consistency with a Volunteer Workforce
(33:55) Maggie’s Daily Routines for Energy and Impact
(36:45) Hiking the Camino and Taking Sabbaticals
(47:52) The Power of Asking for Help and Building Community
(50:53) What It Really Means to Love People Well

Ready to have the Best Life Ever? Start here: www.courses.eblingroup.com/p/best-life-ever-course

👉 Connect with Scott Eblin
Website: www.eblingroup.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scotteblin

✉️ Inquiries
For anything podcast-related: hello@besteverpodcast.com
For business or speaking inquiries: contact@eblingroup.com

📬 Get leadership insights and updates
Join the newsletter: www.eblingroup.com/sub

What if the fastest way to transform a team wasn’t about processes or technology, but about creating safety, trust, and genuine connection? In this episode, Scott talks with global digital innovator Donagh Herlihy, whose career has spanned leadership roles at Wrigley, Avon, Bloomin’ Brands, and Subway, and now as an advisor to AI startup Incept. Donagh shares why he starts every morning with gratitude, how “safe to try” experiments fueled billion-dollar innovations, and the leadership shift that comes from treating the executive team as your first team. From the sandwich line to the C-suite, Donagh’s stories reveal how culture change starts with intent—and how to make it stick.

(02:04) From Dublin shipyards to the U.S. tech scene
(04:56) Taking a career step back to get ahead
(09:40) Starting at Subway behind the counter
(13:10) Why fun is a core leadership value
(16:39) Agility as a mindset, not a process
(19:31) Leading a culture transformation at Subway
(23:18) Making gratitude a daily leadership habit
(31:26) “Safe to try”: Experimenting for faster decisions
(36:46) The “first team” mindset for executive leaders
(39:23) Bringing AI to the restaurant industry with Incept
(42:23) How AI changes leadership and self-management
(47:41) Why transformation must start with the CEO
(50:25) Life after the C-suite: Relationships, travel, and community
(52:16) What Donagh’s listening to: NVIDIA, Bill Gates, and big vision

Explore Incept: incept.ai

Connect with Donagh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donaghherlihy/

Ready to have the Best Life Ever? Start here: www.courses.eblingroup.com/p/best-life-ever-course

👉 Connect with Scott Eblin
Website: www.eblingroup.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scotteblin

✉️ Inquiries
For anything podcast-related: hello@besteverpodcast.com
For business or speaking inquiries: contact@eblingroup.com

📬 Get leadership insights and updates
Join the newsletter: www.eblingroup.com/sub

What if success in business didn’t require burning out, but instead came from building intentionally, listening deeply, and surrounding yourself with people who make you better? In this episode, Scott talks with serial entrepreneur and investor Scot Wingo: founder of five companies, three-time successful exit, and driving force behind the Triangle Tweener Fund. From growing up with a mainframe computer in his living room to leading coast-to-coast operations, Scot shares how curiosity, grit, and systems thinking have shaped his journey. He opens up about scaling from startup to $80M+, building teams of “go-to” people, and creating a personal operating rhythm that keeps life at home and work in harmony.

(01:52) Growing up with a mainframe in the living room

(04:15) Founding five companies and three successful exits

(06:38) The Triangle Tweener Fund: Investing in homegrown talent

(10:22) Scaling from startup to $80M+ without burning out

(14:07) Building a team of “go-to” people

(19:34) Personal operating rhythms that keep life in balance

(25:10) Lessons from leading coast-to-coast operations

(31:46) Why listening is the ultimate leadership skill

(36:58) Balancing founder ambition with intentional growth

(43:25) What Scot’s listening to: music, podcasts, and more

Check out the Triangle Tweener Fund: tweenerfund.com

Explore Get Spiffy: getspiffy.com

Connect with Scot on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/

Ready to have the Best Life Ever? Start here: www.courses.eblingroup.com/p/best-life-ever-course

👉 Connect with Scott Eblin
Website: www.eblingroup.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scotteblin

✉️ Inquiries
For anything podcast-related: hello@besteverpodcast.com
For business or speaking inquiries: contact@eblingroup.com

📬 Get leadership insights and updates
Join the newsletter: www.eblingroup.com/sub

What if the setbacks you face early in life are the exact fuel you need to build a legacy of lasting leadership? In this episode, Scott talks with Ziff Davis CEO Vivek Shah about the power of personal vision, bootstrapped ambition, and the habits that keep him grounded as a leader of 4,000+ people. From stacks of rejection letters to transforming a single tech site into a billion-dollar portfolio, Vivek shares how strategic self-management laid the foundation for exponential growth and how he leads with clarity, confidence, and heart.

(02:04) Vivek’s leap: Leaving Time Inc. to buy Ziff Davis
(03:36) Scaling from 50 employees to 4,000
(06:42) Why vision alone wasn’t the goal — and what really drove the deal
(10:47) The grind: rejection letters, temp jobs, and relentless effort
(17:32) Fortune Americas: How 24-year-old Vivek invented something big
(19:28) Confidence vs. calculated risk: How he bootstrapped bold ideas
(27:04) Lessons from journalism icon John Huey
(29:29) Vivek’s high-leverage routine: squash and the roles that matter most
(34:00) Proportionality: Taking bad news in stride and keeping perspective
(37:32) Reality + hope: Connecting the dots in uncertain environments
(46:58) Pattern recognition as a strategy superpower
(49:36) What Vivek’s listening to: Podcasts, R.E.M., and deep cuts

Check out Ziff Davis: ziffdavis.com

Connect with Vivek on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vivekshah2/

Ready to have the Best Life Ever? Start here: www.courses.eblingroup.com/p/best-life-ever-course

👉 Connect with Scott Eblin
Website: www.eblingroup.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scotteblin

✉️ Inquiries
For anything podcast-related: hello@besteverpodcast.com
For business or speaking inquiries: contact@eblingroup.com

📬 Get leadership insights and updates
Join the newsletter: www.eblingroup.com/sub

What if the most powerful leadership strategy in a tech-saturated world is as simple—and as challenging—as listening? In this episode, Scott talks with Dr. Cynthia Horner, Chief Medical Officer at Amwell, about what it takes to lead 3,000+ clinicians in a virtual-first healthcare company without losing the human connection. From her work building a hospital in post-war Sierra Leone to her efforts transforming care delivery through AI and virtual tools, Cynthia shares why active listening, humility, and compassion are still the most high-impact tools a leader can use.

Check out Amwell: business.amwell.com

Connect with Cynthia on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cynthia-horner-m-d

Ready to have the Best Life Ever? Start here: www.courses.eblingroup.com/p/best-life-ever-course

👉 Connect with Scott Eblin
Website: www.eblingroup.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scotteblin

✉️ Inquiries
For anything podcast-related: hello@besteverpodcast.com
For business or speaking inquiries: contact@eblingroup.com

📬 Get leadership insights and updates
Join the newsletter: www.eblingroup.com/sub

How do you lead through chaos, adapt across vastly different fields, and still prioritize presence at home? In this episode of Best Ever, Scott Eblin sits down with Craig Mullaney: Army Airborne Ranger, Rhodes Scholar, bestselling author, and now Chief of Staff at the world’s largest photonics company, Coherent.

Craig shares lessons from leading troops through a deadly firefight in Afghanistan, what he’s learned about influence from his time at Meta and Brunswick Group, and how being a father of four helps him lead better in the boardroom. From the power of sleep and community to piano recitals at 46, this is a conversation about living a full-spectrum life with clarity, intention, and humility.

Get your copy of The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education by Craig Mullaney here.

Follow Craig on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/craig-mullaney

Learn more about Coherent: coherent.com

(06:54) The Link Between Self-Management and Leadership
(12:31) Lessons from a Deadly Firefight in Afghanistan
(20:36) Leading Without Being a Technical Expert
(24:01) Craig’s Advice for Leaders on Social Media
(30:36) The Drive Behind Craig’s Diverse Career
(34:52) Routines That Keep Craig Grounded and Present
(38:09) Learning Piano at 46 and the Power of Humility
(40:51) Modeling Leadership at Home with Four Sons
(44:35) Final Reflections on Democracy and Legacy

Ready to have the Best Life Ever? Start here: www.courses.eblingroup.com/p/best-life-ever-course

👉 Connect with Scott Eblin
Website: www.eblingroup.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scotteblin

✉️ Inquiries
For anything podcast-related: hello@besteverpodcast.com
For business or speaking inquiries: contact@eblingroup.com

📬 Get leadership insights and updates
Join the newsletter: www.eblingroup.com/sub

What if leading through uncertainty starts not with control, but with connection? In this episode of Best Ever, Scott sits down with Lara Lee—Fortune 50 executive, former Harley-Davidson and Lowe’s leader, and now an award-winning board director—to explore how culture, strategy, and execution come together to drive transformation. From revitalizing Orchard Supply Hardware to helping shape Harley-Davidson’s legendary customer community, Lara shares how focusing on people and purpose creates lasting results. She also unpacks the personal mantra that guides her leadership and how it can serve as a framework for any leader navigating today’s brittle, anxious, and nonlinear world.

(02:14) Early sparks: Growing up a “citizen of the world”

(07:11) What inner work really means for leaders

(09:20) Cultivating equanimity and “imperturbability”

(12:46) Journaling, reflection, and learning patterns over time

(20:39) Why she studied Chinese before it was “cool”

(22:40) Lessons from Harley-Davidson’s customer culture

(29:16) Designing growth with psychology and purpose in mind

(36:08) Walking into a turnaround at Orchard Supply Hardware

(41:31) Why culture was the lever that moved everything

(46:57) Moving from execution to creating conditions as a board leader

(47:47) The Blue Angels lesson: Why boards should “fly loose”

(52:17) Advice for navigating your own next big career transition

(54:16) Lara’s personal mantra for leadership and life

(58:42) What Lara’s reading: governance, history, and big ideas

Explore Lara’s consulting work: creative-renewal.com

Connect with Lara on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laralivingstonelee/

Ready to have the Best Life Ever? Start here: www.courses.eblingroup.com/p/best-life-ever-course

👉 Connect with Scott Eblin
Website: www.eblingroup.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scotteblin

✉️ Inquiries
For anything podcast-related: hello@besteverpodcast.com
For business or speaking inquiries: contact@eblingroup.com

📬 Get leadership insights and updates
Join the newsletter: www.eblingroup.com/sub