Inside the Lion's Den: A Business and Leadership Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Adrian Koehler, the founder of Take New Ground, shares his journey from nursing to leadership coaching in this engaging interview. He explains how his experiences in healthcare, spiritual communities, and philanthropic work shaped his approach to coaching entrepreneurs and business leaders. Adrian's unique background, which includes working with prison inmates and trust fund kids, gave him valuable insights into human behavior and personal growth.

Throughout the conversation, Adrian emphasizes the importance of key leadership qualities such as personal responsibility, adaptability, and the ability to ask for help. He stresses that great leaders need to be both confident in their opinions and open to feedback. Adrian also highlights the importance of creating a work environment where team members feel valued and can grow personally and professionally. He suggests that retaining top talent is about ensuring that working with you helps people become the best version of themselves.

In this episode, we'll cover:

-Adrian Koehler's journey from nursing to leadership coaching

-The importance of personal responsibility for entrepreneurs

-Balancing confidence with openness to feedback as a leader

-Focusing on results and reality rather than intentions

-The power of storytelling in leadership and business

-Creating a work environment that fosters personal growth

-A three-part feedback method to giving and receiving effective feedback

-The "Revenant process" - a leadership deep dive retreat

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode87

CONNECT WITH ARYEH:

Apply to Work with Me

Instagram: @aryehthebusinessman

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom

Join me inside: Solution Advisory: Investment for Wealth Coaching Program

Shaun’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance and adaptability. He shares how he navigated the ups and downs of his career, from losing a promising internship during the dotcom crash to building and selling successful businesses. His candid reflections on past mistakes and learning experiences offer valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs.

The episode dives into the entrepreneurial journey of Shaun Clark, CEO and co-founder of HighLevel Software, as we explore Shaun's path from his early ventures to the creation of HighLevel, a CRM and marketing automation platform.

Shaun discusses how they identified an underserved market - marketing agencies - and built a solution tailored to their needs. He emphasizes the importance of listening to customers and letting them drive product development, a strategy that has been key to HighLevel's success.

In this episode, we'll cover:

1. Adaptability is crucial: Shaun’s success came from pivoting when initial ideas didn't work, always being open to new opportunities.

2. Customer-driven development: HighLevel's growth is attributed to closely listening to customers and building features they actually need.

3. Strategic investment: Even when profitable, taking on outside investment can provide valuable expertise and position a company for future growth.

4. Maintain company culture: As the company grew, Shaun found it better to nurture existing talent rather than always bringing in experienced outsiders who might not fit the culture.

5. Empowering others: Shaun finds fulfillment in helping small businesses and entrepreneurs achieve their goals, which drives HighLevel's mission.

For listeners interested in entrepreneurship, software development, or building customer-centric businesses, this episode offers a wealth of practical advice and inspiration. Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale your business, Shaun Clark's journey and insights provide valuable food for thought.

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode86

CONNECT WITH ARYEH:

Apply to Work with Me

Instagram @aryehthebusinessman

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom

Join me inside: Solution Advisory: Investment for Wealth Coaching Program

Today I’m going to talk about a mistake that I see people make again and again in not just their businesses but in other areas of their lives as well. I see people who spend a lot of time and effort preparing, learning, and educating themselves on what they need to do, but then not actually doing the things they’ve learned. I think a lot of times people actually get confused and mistake the gaining of knowledge of the application of that knowledge. When learning gets mistaken for action, people are often confused about why they didn’t get the results they were looking for, but they fail to realize that they actually didn’t put their learning into action. This applies heavily in the business world but also application to areas of life such as relationships. You might know exactly what steps you need to take to be a better spouse or partner, but if you’re not changing your behaviour, you’re not going to see results. In this episode I’ll share more about how I see this play out in people’s lives and what you should do about it if you catch yourself in the position of learning but not doing.

In this episode, we'll cover:

-Why educating and preparing yourself is not enough

-You need to start doing the thing

-Why you might not be getting the results you’re hoping for

-How this principle applies to other areas of life

-Why imperfect action is better than “expertise”

-Expect to make mistakes

-The doing is the learning

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode77

CONNECT WITH ARYEH:

Apply to Work with Me

Instagram

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom

On today’s episode we have Anthony Trucks, a former NFL player and author of Identity Shift and founder of the Shift Method. Anthony shares with us his background and history, and some interesting lessons that you can get out of it for personal growth, business growth, or any of your relationships. Anthony talks about growing up in foster care, his adoption, and how he made the decision to alter his thinking in order pursue college and a football career. He shares his insights on how hardships in life help form intangible skills that can transfer to a successful business and life. He also discusses his Shift Method and how recognizing that you’re not where you want to be in life can trigger a shift in your identify, and help form a plan and the discipline for success.

Anthony Trucks is a former NFL player, American Ninja Warrior, business owner, author, speaker, and Identity Shift Coach. His Shift Method has helped thousands of people reprogram themselves from the inside out and align their life vision with their ideal identity. It is Anthony’s passion and life’s mission to pass along the knowledge that took him 30+ years to learn. As the founder of “Dark Work” and creator of the “Dark Work Experience” Anthony teaches people how to access the power of their identity through Dark Work, tap into their full potential, and Make Shift Happen!

In this episode, we'll cover:

-Anthony’s early life from foster care to the NFL

-How Anthony made the decision and mental shift to pursue college and a football career

-Recognizing your intangible skillset earned through the crucibles of life

-What Anthony didn’t know he didn’t know going into the NFL

-Coming to the realization you’re at the bottom in order to shift and progress forward

-Planting the seeds of change and allowing the world to water it

-Anthony’s Shift Method and the goal of being in the Zone of your identity

-Why doing things that feel out of character will get you to the place and to the person you want to be

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode76

CONNECT WITH ARYEH:

Apply to Work with Me

Instagram

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom

Have you ever reached a goal or earned a reward that should have been exciting but actually you ended up feeling a little bit disappointed? If you have, good news – you’re normal. As it turns out, there is a clear psychological explanation for this, known as negativity bias. Negativity bias often occurs when we have an expectation that isn’t met as fully as we hoped it would be. You’ve probably experienced this with something as simple as buying a new item that you just had to have and feeling your dopamine levels increase, only to feel a bit disappointed later when you realize that item didn’t quite bring you the happiness you expected. In this episode, I’ll share some of my own career background and, specifically, a story of a time when my expectations were exceeded, and a story of when my expectations fell short, and I felt disappointed even though I had earned a great reward. Through these examples in my own life, I’ll give you an understanding of what negativity bias is, how it is likely affecting your life and your business, and how you can fight against it to continue moving forward and celebrating your successes.

In this episode, we'll cover:

-Why good businesses are exceeding your expectations, not just meeting them

-The psychology of making people feel happy

-Why you need to understand the psychology behind your own reactions

-Why I felt disappointed by a 2000% return

-Negativity bias and how it makes success feel disappointing

-The relationship between your expectations and your feelings

-The influence of negativity bias on your life and your business

-Why celebration matters

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode75

CONNECT WITH ARYEH:

Apply to Work with Me

Instagram

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom

Today I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tim Calise, who is a business coach, investor, and advisor to over 15 privately held businesses with annual revenues from $250,000 to $10,000,000+. Tim’s background is really unique but his story and experience lends practical advice no matter where you are in your business journey. In our conversation we talked through how Tim got started in the business world and looked at some of the most interesting parts of his career. From starting a campus snack delivery service and then raising over $325 million for a hedge fund in his early twenties to working for years as the VP of business development at gym launch, Tim has experience in many aspects of the business and truly understands what a business needs to be successful.

One of the things that Tim is really interested in is the concept of non linear functions and growth in business and helping others apply this to their businesses. In the last few years, Tim has turned his attention to partnering with businesses with revenue under 3 million per year to help them double their revenue and quadruple their cash flow within 24 months. Tim shared that having conversations with business owners and helping them problem solve is really what gets him excited. Tim’s expansive knowledge of the business world - everything from marketing to franchising to selling - means that you will almost certainly gain something of value from listening to our conversation.

In this episode, we'll cover:

-Tim’s background and exposure to business as a kid

-Tim’s college businesses and his first lessons in business

-Tim’s start in the investment world

-Non-linear growth in business

-Knowing which stage in a business you’re best at

-Tim’s business journey post 2008

-Gym Launch’s unique business model

-What Tim wishes he knew from the beginning

-Tim’s mindset shift from the beginning to now

-Your business needs a storyteller

-Why Tim loves partnering with smaller businesses

-The problem with big consulting firms

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode74

Apply to Work with Me

Instagram

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom

Will Nitze is the founder and CEO of IQBAR, a brain and body nutrition company. I reached out to Will because I actually like and use his product. We had a really insightful conversation where he shared in-depth about his journey to starting IQBAR and all of the big steps in between brainstorming his product to where he is now.

Will’s story is not only full of great tips for anyone else starting or running their own company, but it’s also really inspiring to see how hard he worked to even get this company off the ground. When he was in his mid 20s, he spent an entire year working evenings and weekends to research, plan, and design his product. As all of this was going on, he realized there wasn’t really a road map for this kind of thing. He had no idea how to manufacture a product or do any of the other important things that come with starting a company. Will shared really openly about this process and how he figured out his own roadmap and processes to creating and manufacturing his product. Will also shared how, after launching the IQBAR crowdfunding campaign, he used consumer feedback to really help his product evolve into what it is today.

In this episode, we'll cover:

-Will’s background story pre IQBAR

-Why Will decided to start a brain food company

-The roadmap to starting a company (does it exist?)

-Why a great product isn’t enough for a successful business

-The three things you need to focus on for a successful business

-How listening to your consumers can help your product evolve

-Marketing your product to your consumers

-How Will used reverse engineering to design IQBAR

-Using unit economics and consumer desires to create the best possible product

-How Will moved forward with creating prototypes and eventually finding a co-packer to take him on

-Using crowdfunding sites to fund your product

-The benefits of selling on Amazon

-Challenges and logistics of getting product into stores

-Where Will sees IQBAR going in the future

-The question you should be asking about your business every year

-The importance of optionality in your business

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode73

Resources:

Apply to Work with Me

Instagram

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom

My guest today is Dan Macklin, cofounder of SoFi, a multi-billion dollar publicly traded company, and the CEO of Salary Finance Inc. We talk about what it takes to grow a multi-billion dollar company, what it takes to raise capital, and the pitfalls and challenges along the way. We discuss shifting roles from co-founder of one company, to CEO of another, moving from the corporate to the start-up world, and the links of financial stress on a person’s well-being. Dan has some great anecdotes and advice for anyone trying to grow their own company.

Daniel Macklin is the co-founder of Social Finance Inc. ($20+ billion IPO), and CEO of the United States arm of Salary Finance Inc. He holds a B.A. in Business Economics from University of Durham in England, and an M.S. in Management degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Dan has been featured on Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal. He is also an angel investor, guest lecturer at Stanford University, Tottenham Hotspur devotee, and future Amazing Race contestant.

In this episode, we'll cover:

- Dan’s work history and education before he co-founded SoFi

- Tips for raising money and pitching to investors

- Advice and things to avoid for your first three years of a new business

- Dan’s decision process in leaving a company he founded and deciding what to do next

-  How Dan got involved with Salary Finance Inc

- How Salary Finance Inc works and its challenges for the future

- Financial stress and its links to your overall wellness

- Making the move from the corporate to the start-up world

- Role differences and similarities between a founder and a CEO

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode72

Resources:

Apply to Work with Me

Instagram

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom

In today’s episode I am interviewed by Jim Pfeifer from the Passive Investing from Left Field podcast. We talk about looking for sponsors who are making money for you, not ones who are making money off of you, and how to find and vet the right sponsor for you. We discuss how sometimes passive investment turns out to be active ones, and how asset managers can help with that. We also talk about different metrics and how to cater them to align with your investment strategy. This interview is full of tips and information to help you invest your money intelligently allowing your wealth to accumulate so you can focus on what matters, which is your business and your mission.

Passive Investing from Left Field is a community focused on networking and education to help people invest passively and think differently. They interview syndication sponsors, passive investors and others who will share their passive investing journey as they pursue financial freedom. They are building a community of investors who are interested in acquiring real assets that produce real cash flow.

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode71

Connect with Aryeh:

Apply to Work with Me

Instagram

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Carson Tate, the founder and managing partner of Working Simply and the author of Work Simply and Own It, Love It, Make It Work. Carson is a business coach and consultant and works with executives all over the country to help them and their employees be more productive while finding purpose and fulfillment in their work.

In this conversation, Carson shared the importance of the culture of a business and why employee fulfillment is essential for a business to prosper. As business owners and team leaders, there are a number of things you can do to ensure your team members have the tools they need to succeed in their roles while still working toward your business goals. Carson shared some great tips on how to achieve this simply by considering how you communicate with your team members and by giving employees autonomy to create their own workflow systems and processes. Listening to this episode should convince you that you can value personal employee autonomy and fulfillment without compromising on the professional needs and goals of your business.

SHOW NOTES: https://insidethelionsdenpodcast.com/podcast/episode70

Apply to Work with Me

Connect on Instagram

Future Fund | The guilt-free flexible plan to build financial wealth + freedom