Business Podcasts - Leadership, Startups & Entrepreneurship

Are you inspired by the courage and strength of our nation's heroes? This week on Acta Non Verba join us in exploring the mission of Debbie Lee, an author, public speaker, political activist and Gold Star Mom who has spent her life honoring our troops and military families. In response to her son's last letter home to "pass on the love, the kindness, the precious gift of human life," she founded America’s Mighty Warriors to provide programs that improve quality of life for our military personnel and their families. Hear her powerful story as she inspires and encourages us all with her dedication to defending our defenders and fighting for freedom. Listen in as she shares her extensive advocacy work, her faith, and the importance of resilience and courage. Lee also stresses the significance of gratitude, kindness, and confronting grief.    You can learn more about Mamma Lee’s mission at https://americasmightywarriors.org   Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to www.marcusaureliusanderson.com. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Working Harder Is Making You Less Effective | Alex Davids Most leaders believe the path to better results is simple: work harder, stay busy, and push through. But what if that mindset is actually making you less effective? In this episode of the Deep Leadership podcast, I sit down with performance expert Alex Davids to explore the neuroscience behind sustainable high performance. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups, Alex explains why our brains weren't designed for constant busyness and how recovery, focus, and intentional space are essential for better leadership. We discuss why so many leaders mistake activity for productivity, how constant distraction quietly drains cognitive performance, and why your best ideas often appear only after you stop trying so hard. We also explore what AI means for the future of leadership and why our uniquely human ability to think deeply may become our greatest competitive advantage. If you've ever ended a day mentally exhausted despite never leaving your desk, this conversation will change how you think about work. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why working harder often leads to worse results• The neuroscience behind cognitive recovery and deep thinking• How constant distraction steals your energy and creativity• Why your best ideas happen when you stop forcing them• How AI is changing leadership and the value of human thinking• Practical ways to improve focus, decision-making, and sustainable performance Connect with Alex Davids: Website: https://nextevolutionperformance.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/high-performance-coach-alexandra-davids-neperform/ Subscribe to Deep Leadership: If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe and share it with someone who wants to become a better leader. Sponsors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cadre of Men⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Farrow Skin Care⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Salty Sailor Coffee Company⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leader Connect⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Qualified Leadership Series⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____ Get all of Jon Rennie's bestselling leadership books for 15% off the regular price today! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of "Founder & CEO," Mike and Patrick welcome Sandra O' Sullivan, Chief People & Operations Officer at Curriculum Associates, to break down the true impact of a Chief People Officer. They cover when to hire one, what great CPOs actually do day-to-day, how they partner with CEOs and CFOs, and why people issues dominate 60 to 80 percent of a founder’s time. If you’re scaling beyond 60 to 100 employees, this episode is your playbook for turning HR into a true strategic advantage.

July 17, 2026: China's Moonshot AI released Kimi K3, their largest AI model yet, and it is already testing close to OpenAI and Anthropic on major benchmarks. Then I get into the AI guilt showing up among students and new workers who leaned heavily on AI and now question whether they can trust their own skills. Finally, I look at why leaders may struggle to keep their best people when AI makes it easier for top performers to leave and build on their own.

"There's 20 fires going on at every moment in the office and you have enough water to put out four."Mark Roberge shares what it takes to build and scale a company, from finding product-market fit to knowing when it's time to grow.He also shares the framework behind his new book, The Science of Selling, and why founders should scale based on their own data, not another company's success.Guest: Mark Roberge, Founding CRO of HubSpot, HBS Professor, and Co-Founder at Stage 2 CapitalConnect with Mark: XLinkedInConnect with Joubin:XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow Grit on: LinkedInX​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

After waiting too long to pay his restaurant bill, Aman Narang thought there had to be a better way. His first idea—a mobile payment app—flopped.But that failure revealed a much bigger opportunity.Restaurants were struggling with outdated software that many owners hated. Payment systems were expensive, unreliable, and trapped on servers hidden in back offices. Replacing them cost time and money.But that’s exactly what Aman and his co-founders set out to do: create an entirely new POS system for restaurants—from scratch.They worked from an unfinished basement, answered customer calls on their own phones, crashed their first restaurant on day one, survived years of rejection from investors—and eventually grew Toast into a business that generates more than $2 billion in annual revenue.In this episode, Aman shares how a failed product became a billion-dollar company.What you'll learn:How to know when it's time to pivotWhy investors rejected Toast again and againHow to convince customers to replace mission-critical softwareWhy Toast intentionally stayed small before scalingThe leadership lesson Aman learned after almost breaking the companyHow Toast survived COVID after restaurants shut downWhat founders should look for when choosing a co-founderTimestamps:11:25 — The frustrating restaurant experience that inspires Toast15:41 — The first product fails—and reveals a bigger opportunity16:43 — Building Toast: “We grossly underappreciated what it would take.”26:05 — Why nearly every investor said “No.”32:31 — Toast’s disastrous first launch: writing credit card numbers by hand34:18 — Pitching hundreds of restaurant owners before finding believers38:08 — Why customer obsession beats competitor obsession44:17 — Bringing in a new CEO: “We need to rethink how we do things here.” 52:31 — The biggest lessons from building a $2 billion companyThis episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Casey Herman. Our engineer was Kwesi Lee.Follow How I Built This:Instagram → @howibuiltthisX → @HowIBuiltThisFacebook → How I Built ThisFollow Guy Raz:Instagram → @guy.razYouTube → guy_razX → @guyrazSubstack → guyraz.substack.comWebsite → guyraz.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Elizabeth Stone is the Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) at Netflix, where she oversees Engineering, Product, and Design. Since her first appearance on the podcast two years ago—which remained my second-most-popular episode for more than a year—she has expanded her role to lead product, in addition to engineering. Before Netflix, Elizabeth was VP of Science at Lyft, Chief Operating Officer at Nuna, an economist at Analysis Group, and a trader at Merrill Lynch.In our in-depth conversation, we discuss:1. Why “systems thinking” is now the most important skill she looks for2. How to manage the flood of AI-generated output without losing quality or signal3. How Netflix thinks about AI fluency as a universal expectation rather than a level-specific skill4. What “excellence as an operating system” means—Brought to you by:WorkOS—Make your app enterprise-ready, with SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and more: https://workos.com/lennyMercury—Radically different banking, now with Command: https://mercury.com/command?utm_source=lennys&utm_medium=sponsored_newsletter&utm_campaign=26q3_brand_campaign—Episode transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/netflix-cpto-on-ai-and-the-future—Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0—Where to find Elizabeth Stone:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-stone-608a754—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction(02:25) AI and role confusion: the storming phase before the forming phase(07:36) How roles have changed in the past two and a half years(11:55) Will functions survive? The case for craft specialism(13:26) What Netflix is hiring more of—and less of(17:22) Why systems thinking is the rising skill across every function(20:20) Is the design process dead?(22:08) Skills trending down(28:33) AI fluency and Netflix’s career ladder overlay(31:00) AI use cases beyond coding(35:12) Netflix’s AI history(38:36) Excellence as an operating system(41:11) The pillars of the excellence OS(46:41) The keeper’s test—and why it’s mostly a positive conversation(50:21) Attracting top talent in the age of frontier AI labs(52:54) Junior talent, craft mastery, and the mentorship question(56:25) Where engineering goes in 5 to 10 years(59:45) The future of entertainment: beyond film and TV(1:02:18) AI in Hollywood: Netflix’s creator-enablement position(1:06:15) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• How Netflix builds a culture of excellence | Elizabeth Stone (CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-netflix-builds-a-culture-of-excellence• Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• The design process is dead. Here’s what’s replacing it. | Jenny Wen (head of design at Claude): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-design-process-is-dead• Claude Code: https://www.anthropic.com/product/claude-code• Claude Cowork: https://www.anthropic.com/product/claude-cowork• Netflix’s “Keeper Test” and Why You Need It | Lorne Rubis: https://www.highlights.lornerubis.com/2015/08/the-netflix-keeper-test-and-the-courage-to-take-it• Innovation for Filmmaking, By Filmmakers: Why InterPositive Is Joining Netflix: https://about.netflix.com/en/news/why-interpositive-is-joining-netflix• InterPositive: https://weareinterpositive.com• Netflix Prize: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix_Prize• Quarterback on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81482895• The Bill Simmons Podcast on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/82186214• Spencer Pratt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerpratt• Salman Rushdie’s Substack: https://salmanrushdie.substack.com• Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81911351• Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com• Tour de France: https://www.letour.fr/en—Recommended books:• Thinking in Systems: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557• Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster: https://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-Disaster/dp/0385494785• Liar’s Poker: https://www.amazon.com/Liars-Poker-Norton-Paperback-Michael/dp/039333869X—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

Therapist Esther Perel wants us all to build stronger relationships at work. Her coveted advice is the centerpiece of her books, TED talks and podcast “Where Should We Begin?” During the pandemic, she launched a conversational card game. In 2025, she joined host Jeff Berman to talk about why she released another edition, Where Should We Begin? At Work, designed specifically for coworkers. They also go deep on why stronger relational intelligence is essential for businesses, how AI is rewiring our brains, and more.Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every founder is being told to build an AI company. Alex Hormozi says almost all of them will be gone within months, that the best move is the exact opposite of what the market is saying, and that in a world of AI the only moat left will be reality and your reputation. Alex Hormozi is a entrepreneur, investor and author. He is the co-founder of Acquisition.com, a portfolio of 16+ companies generating over $250 million a year, and the author of the $100M series: '$100M Offers', '$100M Leads' and '$100M Money Models', whose 2025 launch sold 2.9 million copies in a single day and broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling non-fiction book in history. He explains: ◼ Why the practical businesses, like plumbing, are the real opportunity, not the ones built on top of AI models ◼ Why delegating your hardest thinking to a machine makes you weak ◼ Why reality and reputation are the only moats AI can't erode ◼ Why revenue retention matters more than marketing or sales ◼ Why marrying his wife Leila was the best financial decision he ever made, and how the right partner changes your odds ◼ He opens up about one of the hardest years of his life, in the same year he made more money than ever The views expressed are those of the guest, and this conversation is intended for general informational purposes only. This podcast and its associated materials should not be used as a substitute for professional financial, legal or business advice. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:12 How To Use AI As An Entrepreneur 00:04:40 Where Will Value Come From In An AI World? 00:06:52 How To Generate Great Ideas In The Age Of AI 00:08:16 Why Long-Term Thinking Wins In Business 00:13:18 Why Most Businesses Never Reach $10 Million 00:18:10 How To Price Your Product Or Service 00:19:27 The Biggest Hiring Mistakes Founders Make 00:22:44 Why Starting Feels So Hard 00:25:13 What Alex Would Do Differently Starting Again 00:30:10 What To Do When You Feel Uncertain In Business 00:33:15 Why Alex Delayed Starting His Business 00:35:59 The Lessons Alex Learned From His Father 00:39:16 How To Know If Entrepreneurship Is Right For You 00:41:02 How To Beat Decision Fatigue 00:42:29 Is It Easier To Start A Business Today? 00:44:08 Ads 00:46:07 Is Doing Hard Things Always Worth It? 00:46:52 How To Succeed As A Content Creator 00:49:19 How Alex Is Adapting His Content For The Future 00:52:24 Why Credibility Is Your Biggest Competitive Advantage 00:55:42 The Value Equation Explained 01:01:17 Why Delayed Gratification Pays Off 01:03:48 How To Know You're On The Right Path 01:04:35 Does Your Business Need To Be Scalable? 01:09:09 Why Unscalable Businesses Can Be Great Opportunities 01:10:41 How To Know When It's Time To Quit 01:11:35 Ads 01:12:35 Why Self-Awareness Is A Business Superpower 01:17:04 Stop Planning And Start Doing 01:19:55 How To Incentivise People And Find The Right Audience 01:23:01 Business Ideas You Could Start Today 01:26:03 Why You Should Sell

In this edition of The Random Show, Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose reunite over tequila to talk Zen retreats, learning to rock climb at (almost) 50, mortality and grief, why you should stop saying "one day," AI predictions , and much more. Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by:Incogni, which removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft: Incogni.com/Tim (use code TIM at checkout and get 60% off an annual plan)Wealthfront high-yield cash account: Wealthfront.com/Tim New clients get 3.30% base APY from program banks + additional 0.75% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance). Terms and conditions apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 1/30/26 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB, which creates a conflict of interest. Individual experiences and outcomes will differ. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value.Timestamps[00:00:00] Start.[00:00:24] A tequila toast, and getting "taxed" by alcohol as you age.[00:02:18] Toaster at 15: a late-night health scare.[00:06:01] Losing Om Malik, and finding out on retreat.[00:08:03] Matt Mullenweg, Antarctica, and gratitude.[00:09:34] Coming to terms with our limited time on Earth.[00:14:37] Five days of silence and the koan "Mu."[00:15:20] Kevin's micro-insight and a plug for The Way.[00:27:25] Rock climbing after 40, and a Yosemite goal.[00:29:18] Michael Eckert and finger-strength training.[00:30:40] The Nug, Abrahangs, and a travel training kit.[00:32:57] Free Solo and climbing with a fear of heights.[00:37:53] The Blade Itself, and a friend lost in a plane crash.[00:39:19] A2 protein and Pioneer Pastures.[00:40:34] Maui Nui venison and the nitrate question.[00:43:48] deltaG ketones: what they are and the catch.[00:45:42] Ketones, dementia, and verbal fluidity.[00:46:29] Pre-grieving a parent's decline.[00:48:33] Training not to die: the one bike I can stand and the Norwegian 4×4.[00:51:10] Something beats nothing: saunas, treadmills, and Duolingo chess.[00:53:04] The MM120 anxiety study — and a small-world surprise.[00:56:17] Psilocybin, LSD, and dementia case reports.[01:01:28] Neutonic toothpicks and Kevin's AI-powered home.[01:06:12] Spooky AI personalization and investment autopsies.[01:17:38] Values cards, contractual bonds, and dark information.[01:23:25] 360 reviews and child-rearing.[01:24:54] Wispr Flow, Shokz, and my recording rig.[01:29:32] The "big three" and where AI goes next.[01:44:40] Let your winners run; buy the company, not the product.[01:51:08] Digg's relaunch, 5-Bullet Friday, and parting thoughts.*DISCLAIMER FROM TIM FERRISS: I am not an investment adviser. Nor is Kevin Rose. All opinions are mine alone. Or his. There are risks involved in placing any investment in securities or in Bitcoin or in cryptocurrencies or in anything. None of the information presented herein is intended to form the basis of any offer or recommendation or have any regard to the investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of any specific