The Worst Advice I Ever Got

In this conversation, Kirk explains why he believes entrepreneurial success comes from adaptability, salesmanship, coachability, and frontline experience, not spreadsheets and analysis paralysis. He shares stories about growing businesses from the loading docks up, surviving major legal battles, pivoting his company during COVID in less than a day, and why he’d take a gritty former athlete over a...

Actor and musician Johnny Sneed (Fever Pitch, Love & Mercy, Outer Range, Painkiller, Parks and Recreation) is joining us on The Worst Advice I Ever Got to talk about the worst advice he’s ever received and why he wishes he never listened to it in the first place. From sharing the screen with Bryan Cranston and Josh Brolin to portraying legendary drummer Hal Blaine in Love & Mercy, Johnny’s...

Chapters (00:00:00) - The Worst Advice I Ever Got (00:01:01) - Best Advice You Ever Got (00:02:57) - The Alternative Paths of Colleges (00:07:01) - Post-College Career: How To Persistence (00:14:23) - How to Deal With No (00:16:59) - Andrew's Advice For People Who Get No

She was told to lead from the back. It sounded thoughtful. Humble. Empowering. It didn’t work. In this episode of The Worst Advice I Ever Got , Manya Whitaker shares how that advice led to confusion, stalled teams, and zero direction… and why real leadership can’t come from hiding in the background. As a college president and CEO, Manya breaks down what actually works: clear direction, visible lea...

Early in her career, Hala Moddelmog was told something that stopped a lot of people before they even start. Women can’t have it all. She heard it at the exact moment she had the chance to step into a top leadership role. And instead of backing off, she decided to go for it anyway. She went on to lead major organizations, build an incredible career, and raise a family along the way. This episode is...

Early in his career, Jamie Mantzouridis was told something that actually made sense. If you want to be taken seriously as a trainer, you need to look the part. So he went all in. He transformed his body, built credibility fast, and started getting results. But the deeper he went, the harder it became to see where the line was between discipline and damage. This episode is about what happens when t...

Early in her career, one comment from a CEO changed how Kacie Lett Gordon showed up at work. And like a lot of bad advice, it worked. She climbed fast, became a senior leader, and checked all the boxes. But over time, that version of success started to cost her. This episode is about what happens when you realize the advice that helped you succeed isn’t something you want to keep. Chapters (00:00:...

What happens when a single test score starts shaping your entire life? This week’s guest, Tyler Zachem, grew up hearing that he should avoid anything involving numbers. Bad math grades. Low SAT scores. All of it pointed him away from finance and toward a career he did not actually want. Tyler shares how that early message boxed him in and how he slowly learned to trust something deeper than a scor...

Sean and JB reflect on the past year and talk about New Years resolutions, and specfically why they are chock full of the worst advice you ever got. 

It’s the first ever holiday panel on The Worst Advice I Ever Got. Sean and JB sit down with four members of the Smith + Howard family of companies to talk through the bad holiday advice that shaped their most memorable seasons. From the pressure to keep the magic of Santa alive, to gift giving lessons that go sideways, to the chaos of Elf on the Shelf, each guest brings a story that starts with go...

Actor, comedian, filmmaker, and college-football-internet legend Josh Mancuso joins us to unpack the classic piece of bad advice: “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” Josh breaks down why that mindset almost boxed him in, how trying lots of things actually moved his career forward, and why it’s never too late to start the project you’ve been sitting on. He talks family, creativity, burnout,...

On the surface, it sounds perfect. Work hard and you will be successful. How could that possibly be bad advice? That is exactly what Ovie Mughelli believed. He carried that idea through high school, college football, and then into the NFL. Hard work was the plan. Hard work was supposed to be enough. Except it wasn’t. Ovie learned the hard truth. Hard work does not speak for itself. Hard work puts...

Roy Keely grew up being told that college was the only path that mattered. The worst advice he ever got was to chase the traditional route at all costs, even when it didn’t fit. He tried to follow it. He tried to force it. It never worked. What did work was everything he learned outside the classroom. Roy built his career through experience, curiosity, and a willingness to step into the unknown. T...

Carla McCall spent years believing the worst advice she ever got: “Don’t laugh so much.” It came early in her career and it came from someone she thought she had to listen to. The message was simple. Fit in. Blend in. Tone it down. Carla did the opposite. Today she is the Managing Partner of AAFCPAs, a top firm known for innovation, inclusion, and a culture that actually values people for who they...

When Ripley Rader was told to trust consultants and experts instead of her own instincts, she almost lost sight of what made her brand special. Instead, she doubled down on her vision—building her company from a $100 Shopify template into one of fashion’s fastest-growing names. In this episode, Ripley shares how trusting herself over “the pros” became her biggest competitive edge. She talks about...

Mehrnush Saadat grew up with one message: to be somebody, you had to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. She followed that path into real estate law, even merging her firm with a larger one, but found herself burned out, in pain, and questioning everything. A herniated disc, a New Year’s Eve epiphany, and her passion for plant-based health led her to launch Sober ish , a cannabis and non-alcoholic b...

Joy Youell was told to ‘become an expert.’ Starting college at 14, she was pushed toward hyper-specialization and a life of academia. But a detour working with the UN in Sudan—and the realization that expertise alone can isolate rather than connect—changed her path. Joy shares how leaving the pursuit of being the expert opened the door to curiosity, leadership, and a life defined by usefulness, no...

Sam Reese, CEO of Vistage, shares how the worst advice he ever got—‘separate work and family completely’—shaped years of overwork, ego, and missed moments. In this candid conversation, Sam reflects on burnout, regret, and the shift from compartmentalization to integration, showing why being a whole person matters more than playing separate roles.

Leroy Hite turned ‘fancy firewood’ from a laughable idea into a luxury brand. In this episode, he shares how faith, grit, and one bold decision—selling his house to save his business—transformed Cutting Edge Firewood into a national success.

Chris Cleveland, Head of School at Wesleyan, looks back on the worst advice he ever got: “Do what makes you happy.” On the surface, it sounds harmless—even good. But in this episode of The Worst Advice I Ever Got , Chris explains how chasing happiness alone can lead to shallow choices, and why purpose, responsibility, and faith create something deeper and more sustaining. It’s an honest conversati...

Kyle followed that rule for years, becoming a decorated airline pilot by shutting his feelings down. But eventually he realized the truth: every decision we make, whether in the air or on the ground, is fueled by emotions. Suppressing them doesn’t make us stronger, it makes us weaker. In this episode, Kyle shares how unlearning that advice changed his career, his relationships, and his entire appr...

“The worst advice I ever got was, exercise more and eat less. ” Sammy Williams shares how that advice, repeated over and over, became a damaging mantra that pushed him toward unhealthy extremes and left him battling shame around his body. What sounds simple on the surface was actually harmful, and it took years for him to unlearn it. In this episode, Sammy opens up about his journey to rebuild a h...

What happens when the world tells you, “You don’t have to be smart if you’re pretty” ? In this episode, Teresa Caro opens up about the dangerous advice she got early in her career—and how it fueled her drive to prove her worth beyond appearances. From shifting life stages to reinventing herself through every chapter, Teresa shares hard-earned wisdom on: Breaking free from superficial expectations...

What happens when the person you admire most tells you you’re not good enough? For John Follis, it was a college professor who pulled him aside and said: “You suck at advertising. You should quit.” At 20 years old, chasing a new dream, those words almost knocked him off course. In this episode, John shares how he pushed past that moment, built resilience through setbacks—including getting fired fo...

In The Karate Kid, the bad advice was “show them who’s boss.” For Matthew Eyers, it wasn’t a movie—it was the real message he was given early on. In this episode of The Worst Advice I Ever Got, Matthew unpacks how that mindset shaped his choices, why it led to more harm than good, and what he’s learned about leading with something stronger than ego.