Finding Peak with Ryan Hanley: the podcast for founders and executives beating burnout, mastering delegation, and leading with clarity — real conversations on leverage, AI, and peak performance.
Site
RSS
Spotify
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
I was 17 years old. Kitchen table my mom bought at a garage sale. I hand-wrote 17 letters to college baseball coaches with a message no teenager should have the nerve to send: my family is broke, whoever gives me the most money, that's where I'm going.
George Mack calls what happened at that table high agency. Three wheels: clear thinking, bias to action, disagreeability. This episode breaks down why high agency is not a trait you're born with. It's a state you access. And the fastest path to that state is what I call Easy Mode.
I also make the argument that most people are using AI backwards. They're speeding up hard mode. That's the low agency move. The real play is building an AI layer that protects your zone of genius so you can operate at full high agency by default.
Ryan Hanley is the host of Finding Peak, author of the forthcoming book Easy Mode, and founder of the PEAK coaching framework for founders and executives generating $10M+ in revenue.
If this episode connected with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. That's the best way to support this work.
We are facing an epidemic of intellectual laziness. Leaders are handing over their creative output to machines. They are letting their problem-solving muscles atrophy. This is a massive mistake.
Ryan Hawk joins me to break down the real cost of outsourcing your thinking. We dig into why curiosity is the ultimate competitive advantage. We cover the brutal truth about excuses and how they soften your character. We get into why being coachable is the single most intoxicating trait a leader can possess.
If you want to build long-term success, you cannot be closed off to feedback. You need truth tellers in your corner. You need to pay the price of becoming.
Ryan Hawk is the host of The Learning Leader Show and author of The Price of Becoming. He has interviewed hundreds of the world's most brilliant minds on leadership and high performance. He is one of the sharpest thinkers I have had on this show.
Subscribe to his Mindful Mondays newsletter at learningleader.com.
Follow Ryan Hanley:This show is part of the Unplugged Studios Network — the infrastructure layer for serious creators.
👉 Learn more at https://unpluggedstudios.fm.
Ex-Google Chief Evangelist: 90% of Companies Optimize AI Wrong
Episode 428
Thursday, April 9, 2026 • Duration 54:55
I help founders & executives generating more than $1M in revenue find their Easy Mode. Start here: https://ryanhanley.com/subscribe
If you are using AI to optimize for conversion rate, return on ad spend, or time-to-hire, you are pointing a self-driving car at the wrong address. And it’s going to take you there really, really fast.
In this episode of Finding Peak, I sit down with Nicolas Darveau-Garneau, former Chief Evangelist at Google and author of "Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai." Nicolas has advised over 1,000 CEOs on digital transformation, and his conclusion is staggering: 90% of companies are optimizing the wrong KPIs.
We break down the $15 Billion mistake companies make with AI, why Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is the only metric that actually matters, and how a simple mindset shift helped a local gym owner turn a $200K business into a $1.2M powerhouse without adding more members.
Whether you run a Fortune 500 company or a Main Street bakery, this conversation will completely change how you deploy AI in your business.
In this episode, we cover:
👉 The $15 Billion AI mistake most companies are making right now
👉 Why optimizing for conversion rate is killing your long-term profit
👉 How to use AI to predict the future (and why you must get comfortable with forecasts)
👉 The exact strategy a gym owner used to 6x his business by targeting 55-year-olds
👉 How to build a limitless testing organization that your competitors can't catch
👉 Why brand building is no longer just for massive corporations
** Connect with Nicolas Darveau-Garneau **This show is part of the Unplugged Studios Network — the infrastructure layer for serious creators.
👉 Learn more at https://unpluggedstudios.fm.
How I Built a $1B Business – Cameo CEO Steven Galanis
Steven Galanis is CEO and cofounder of Cameo, valued at over $1 Billion. Cameo is an innovative marketplace allowing fans to book personalized video shoutouts from celebrities. He has been recognized as one of "Hollywood's Top Innovators" by The Hollywood Reporter, named to Crain's Chicago Business "40 under 40" and Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year for the Midwest Region.
Today, Steven Galanis gave us an insider's look at building a revolutionary marketplace platform that disrupted the celebrity engagement industry. From their entrepreneurial journey to the platform's remarkable 500% revenue growth during the COVID pandemic, this episode offers a glimpse into the strategic thinking and core values that propelled Cameo's success.
The conversation explores the fundamental nature of entrepreneurship, revealing Steven Galanis' belief that entrepreneurs are born with a unique mindset, and delves into how Cameo navigated critical challenges like the Brett Favre incident and post-pandemic market shifts. Through candid insights, Steven Galanis also shares how core values like 'Roll out the Red Carpet' have been instrumental in shaping the company's culture and driving its unprecedented growth.
Ryan discusses how his business was struggling due to high costs and inefficient practices. He introduces three first principle strategies that transformed his business without the need to cut staff.
The first strategy is zero-based budgeting, inspired by Elon Musk, which involves justifying every expense from scratch. The second principle is the no meeting rule, which drastically reduces unnecessary meetings, improving productivity by giving the team more time to focus on actual work. Finally, Hanley emphasizes sales efficiency by focusing on improving the closing rate of current leads rather than acquiring new ones, which significantly increases profits and team morale.
Takeaways:
• Adopt zero-based Budgeting
• Implement the no-meeting rule:
• Prioritize sales efficiency
Sound Bites:
• "We canceled every single meeting and only added back the ones that were absolutely necessary."
• "Shorter meetings lead to more productivity and efficiency because you're forced to get to the point."
• "Not only were we making more money, but our customer feedback scores went through the roof."
Kelly Roach is a business strategist and founder of Kelly Roach Coaching who transforms entrepreneurs into seven-figure CEOs by combining Fortune 500 business principles with cutting-edge marketing strategies. Her expertise comes from rising to become the youngest VP at a Fortune 500 company, where she led over 100 team members to record-breaking sales during the 2008-2010 economic downturn, while her philanthropic work includes bringing clean drinking water to those in need and co-founding The Courageous Brand leadership program for young girls.
Today, Kelly Roach shares her journey from growing up near the poverty line to becoming a successful entrepreneur. She highlights the power of leveraging your unique strengths and mastering time management. Kelly discusses the significant role that faith and family have played in her life, encouraging listeners to integrate faith into their businesses for hope and resilience during tough times.
She also emphasizes the importance of being intentional about the life you want, considering the costs of your dreams, and ensuring your goals align with your core values. Kelly Roach advises focusing on your strengths while seeking support to address your weaknesses, and stresses the critical need for radical honesty with yourself to achieve success both personally and professionally.
🎯 Takeaways:
Integrating faith into business and its importance.
The role of time management and discipline in achieving success.
Navigating the balance between exploiting strengths and addressing weaknesses.
This show is part of the Unplugged Studios Network — the infrastructure layer for serious creators.
👉 Learn more at https://unpluggedstudios.fm.
5 Ways To Rewire Your Brain For SUCCESS - John Assaraf
John Assaraf discusses the concept of how our brain is programmed with limiting beliefs and the potential for change through understanding neuroplasticity. He explains that beliefs are nothing more than reinforced patterns in the brain, which can be deactivated and replaced with empowering ones through deliberate repetition and action.
John delves deeply into the science of sympathetic resonance, highlighting the importance of aligning thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and actions to manifest desired outcomes. He emphasizes the significance of setting clear vision and goals, accompanied by a detailed plan and the execution of the "Law of GOYA" (Get Off Your Ass), to foster personal development and achieve success.
Ryan Hanley adds to the conversation by sharing his personal experiences with negative financial conditioning and the role of mindset in overcoming such challenges.
🎯 Takeaways:
Destroy limiting beliefs
Align thoughts, emotions, and actions to manifest outcomes
Foster personal development and achieve success
💬 Sound Bites: “This habitual belief creates what you do. But more importantly, it deletes and distorts anything and almost everything that doesn't match with that belief."
"If I have a belief that is limiting me, can I deactivate that pattern?”
"If I could wave a magic wand, I could design the life of my dreams, what would it look like?"
🔗 Connect and Discover:Book:
This show is part of the Unplugged Studios Network — the infrastructure layer for serious creators.
👉 Learn more at https://unpluggedstudios.fm.
Mark J Kohler's EXPERT Analysis Of Trump's Tax Cuts Plan
How can we take advantage of Trump's tax plan? Mark J Kohler is here to explain several key tactics, and it's not what you think. 🧐
Mark J Kohler is the founder of Main Street Tax Pro, and brings his decades of expertise in tax and legal matters, as well as Main Street business operations, to the show.
He delves into the implications of Trump's proposed tax cuts, providing insights into their impact on small business owners and everyday operators in the U.S. Mark and Ryan also unpack the contrasting narratives presented by various political sides and discuss ways to navigate through the often polarized information landscape.
Donald Trump's latest tax relief proposal has sparked intense debate about the future of income tax policies and their impact on everyday Americans. The internal revenue service (IRS) guidelines could see significant changes, while tax preparation experts weigh in on potential implications. Dive into this comprehensive analysis of how financial literacy plays a crucial role in understanding these proposed changes.
🎯 Takeaways:
The Trump tax cuts aim to benefit Main Street America and are backed by tariffs and efficiency.
Small business owners should think globally and seize broader opportunities.
AI enhances human-driven business activities by automating routine tasks.
💬 Sound Bites:
"We're gonna use tariffs, and we're gonna use Doge... to create efficiency in the government."
"AI is like your superpower because now all of these other tasks that take away our resources and energy can now be automated."
This show is part of the Unplugged Studios Network — the infrastructure layer for serious creators.
👉 Learn more at https://unpluggedstudios.fm.
Branding Expert's Secret to Business Success in 2025 - Sara Connell
Sara Connell is a bestselling author and founder of Thought Leader Academy where she helps coaches, writers and entrepreneurs become successful, published authors and in-demand speakers. She has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The View, FOX Chicago, TEDx, The Today Show, and Katie Couric.
Today, Sara Connell shares her 2025 forecast, discussing trajectory forecasting, demand forecasting, and key shifts in the stock market and social media marketing. She delves into the current “trust recession” and explores strategies to transform it into a trust ascension by mastering cognitive science and long-term relationship building.
They discuss the shift from Simon Sinek’s “It’s all about your why” to “It’s all about your who,” emphasizing the rising importance of personal branding and genuine human connections. Additionally, Sara highlights the role of micro content, AI, and market research in fostering trust, alongside the power of long-form, unscripted content and user-generated content.
🎯 Takeaways:
The future trend emphasizes the importance of personal connection over just the reason behind products or services
Utilize personal brand and real, unscripted stories to build genuine connections and overcome the "trust recession"
Emphasize building long-term relationships and trust rather than relying on short-term tactics
💬 Sound Bites: "What does this particular moment call us forth to become masterful in?"
"We are moving from Simon Sinek's it's all about your why to it's all about your who."
This show is part of the Unplugged Studios Network — the infrastructure layer for serious creators.
👉 Learn more at https://unpluggedstudios.fm.
In this episode of Finding Peak, Ryan dives deep into the fascinating world of habits and how to break the bad ones using the principles around the 3 steps habit loop. Inspired by the habit loop concept popularized by Charles Duhigg, Ryan explains how our daily behaviors are controlled by cues, routines, and rewards. He emphasizes that understanding these habit triggers is crucial for lifelong learning and self-actualization.
Ryan also explores the limitations of willpower and why traditional wisdom and willpower only get us so far. He introduces a new perspective on study motivation and the psychology of willpower, supported by findings from social psychology and cognitive science. Ryan provides actionable steps to increase willpower and practical tips on how to get more willpower by hacking the brain's chemistry and forming tiny habits.
For those struggling with habits to reduce anxiety, this episode offers insightful advice on rewiring your brain to enjoy positive habits that serve you well in the long run. Join Ryan as he challenges you to take control of your habits and change your life with a simple, overlooked strategy that doesn’t heavily rely on willpower.
Don't miss the seven-day habit breaker challenge at the end, where Ryan encourages you to identify your triggers, replace them with positive routines, and celebrate small wins—all crucial steps to master the habit loop and achieve self-actualization. Be sure to share your progress and comments, embracing the spirit of this transformative journey!
🎯 Takeaways:
This show is part of the Unplugged Studios Network — the infrastructure layer for serious creators.
👉 Learn more at https://unpluggedstudios.fm.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
💬 Sound Bites:
"People either go crazy leaning into their weaknesses and they just feel like a failure all the time because they're actually not operating in their zone of genius."
"You can give anyone the blueprint to make millions of dollars. But most people that make millions of dollars ends up losing it all because it wasn't anchored in truth."
"And anything that's worth anything in your life is going to come with immense sacrifice, and that's what makes it worthwhile."
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to Finding Peak with Ryan Hanley, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
