High Stakes Growth – Details, episodes & analysis

Michael Perry (known as "MP") is the founder of Kit (sold to Shopify in 2016) and founder and CEO of Maple – a platform that enables parents to share and manage family responsibilities.

Expect to hear about:

– From Debt to Acquisition: MP’s journey from food stamps and $70K debt to selling his 3rd company, Kit, for millions.

– Hard Truths About Founder Life: MP's candid take on the real costs of entrepreneurship and how it's reshaped his views on time, money, and ambition.

– The Mission Behind Maple: His vision to transform parenting culture in America through his company.

– On Support and Priorities: Why he believes no one is truly self-made, and how being a parent comes before being a founder.

Find MP on:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlperry/ 

Ryan Beltran is the co-founder and CEO of Original Grain, a watch brand that creates unique watches with reclaimed wood, metal, and other materials.

Expect to hear about:

– Breakout Success: How Ryan turned a $10k Kickstarter goal into $390k in 30 days to launch his business.

– Scaling to $100M: The highs, lows, and lessons learned on the road to 9-figure lifetime revenue.

– Growth Tactics: Ryan's advice on building a brand identity, driving LTV, and more.

– Partnership Signals: How to spot brand collaborations that actually boost your revenue.

– Big Bets: Where Ryan is investing in his business to achieve the next $100M in 3 years.

Find Ryan on:
Twitter/X - https://x.com/ryanbeltran
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-beltran/ 

Jacob Peters is the co-founder and CEO of Superpower, a health "super-app" for tracking and improving your health that just raised a $30M Series A.

Expect to hear about:

– The Story Behind Superpower: How his mom’s chronic illness and Jacob's own near-death hospitalization inspired him to start Superpower.

– $30M Series A: Jacob's plan to deploy this capital to put an AI doctor in everyone's pockets within 5 years.

– Building a 150K Waitlist: How creative drops, referral loops, and a viral hoodie campaign helped Superpower explode pre-launch.

– Creating a Movement: How Jacob is turning Superpower into the first healthcare brand people want to belong to through community building.

– Balancing Health and Hustle: Jacob’s reflections on the personal cost of building Superpower.

Find Jacob on:
Twitter/X - https://x.com/J__Cub
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobdpeters/

Extras:

Jacob's Twitter/X thread on tactics he used to build a 150k person waitlist:
https://x.com/J__Cub/status/1873810708573671601

Jacob's personal link to skip Superpower's waitlist, visit:
superpower.com/jacob

Lily Walla is the founder of SPOTS (sold in 2023) and today is the founder and CEO of Auggie, a community and marketplace platform for parents.

Expect to hear about:

– The Founder's Mindset: Lily’s belief in “delusional conviction” as essential for startup success.

– Funding & Growth: How she raised nearly $4M for Auggie and her insights on bootstrapping vs. VC.

– Scaling in Hyper-Growth: Tactics for building systems fast and succeeding in saturated markets.

– Balancing Life & Leadership: Lily's reflections on navigating motherhood while leading a company.

Find Lily on:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-walla-527b082b/ 

Matt Meeker is the co-founder of Bark and Meetup.com, and currently serves as Executive Chairman and CEO of Bark.

Expect to hear about:

– Burning $200M Cash: How Matt successfully led a major turnaround as CEO after a difficult 2022 fiscal year, implementing tough but necessary changes.

– IPO and Fundraising Advice: Why he urges caution on going public and warns against raising capital too early.

– Hiring the Right Leaders: Matt's 495-day search for a CFO and the one quality he values most.

– Customer Experience Lessons: The costly mistake of compromising on quality and what it taught Matt.

– Life as a CEO and New Dad: Surprises of leading a public company and how fatherhood shifted his priorities.

Find Matt on:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattmeeker/ 

The co-founders of Jetset – Forest Bronzan and Leah Lloyd – launch the High Stakes Growth podcast!

Brad Woodgate is the founder and CEO of Joyburst and The No Sugar Company, the two latest brands in Brad's long history in CPG, beginning with Wellnx Life Sciences in 2000. 

Expect to hear about: 

– Bootstrapped from Day 1: Why Brad never raised outside capital, and how each brand he started built the financial foundation for the next one. 

– The No Sugar Bet: How Brad recognized that “no sugar” would be a lasting global health movement, and built a brand to lead it. 

– Disney x Joyburst: The story of how Disney’s executive team discovered Joyburst and made them the official beverage partner for Inside Out 2 and Lilo & Stitch. 

– On Stage with Vanilla Ice: How Brad met Vanilla Ice and created a "Joyburst" song with him, to help Joyburst break into Costco. 

– Founder Advice: How Brad manages his time running 4 companies and his #1 piece of advice for other founders. 

Find Brad on: 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-woodgate-b30b8113/

Henrik Jonsson is the CEO of agood company, a Swedish brand that creates truly sustainable or "circular" phone cases and other products, hitting profitability in 2025 under his leadership. 

Expect to hear about: 

– The Circular Revolution: How agood company turns old phone cases into new ones using a circular model, creating products that are truly sustainable. 

– The Retail Pivot: How agood company shifted from DTC to 85% retail sales after realizing online acquisition wasn’t profitable. 

– Breaking the Premium Myth: Realizing that reports from consumers saying they'll pay more for sustainable products are simply not true, and how agood company adapted. 

– Local Production, Global Scale: The strategy behind opening factories in Texas, South Africa, and India to localize production and enable their circular model. 

– Leadership in Balance: Henrik’s candid take on the emotional rollercoaster of being a first-time CEO, and why sleep, health, and family time are how he stays in balance. 

Find Henrik on:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrik-jonsson-1915378/

Garret Akerson is the co-founder and former CEO (now Chairman) of Kindred Bravely, one of the largest maternity and breastfeeding brands in the U.S. 

Expect to hear about: 

– Origin Story: How Garret and his wife Deeanne started Kindred Bravely after she was expecting and couldn’t find quality maternity clothes. 

– 2018 Crisis: How he saved the business by scaling ad spend and pulling off a make-or-break Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale. 

– Hiring A+ Players Fast: Their unique group-interview process that surfaces top talent quickly and efficiently. 

– 2021 Exit: Why he and Deeanne sold a majority stake to PE, to de-risk and de-stress. 

– Life After Exit: Staying involved in Kindred Bravely and launching a Vistage CEO peer group in San Diego to mentor other founders.

Find Garret on:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/garretakerson/ 

Ian Blair is the former co-founder and CEO of the mobile app builder BuildFire, and today is the co-founder and CEO of Laundry Sauce, a laundry detergent brand.

Expect to hear about:

– BuildFire: How Ian started a mobile app builder that built 15,000 apps and sold it during a SaaS downturn.

– CEO x2: How Ian managed 80+ hour work weeks to run both BuildFire and Laundry Sauce at the same time.

– Betting Big on Detergents: How Ian reverse-engineered his financial goals by choosing a high-LTV, non-discretionary DTC category. 

– Leveraging AI: Why Ian believes AI will unlock efficiency in ad creative and customer research across ecommerce.

– Personal Interests: Ian's obsession with biohacking and love for extreme sports like skydiving, big-wave surfing, and heli snowboarding.

Find Ian on:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianblair44/