Born to Be Great

Most entrepreneurs spend years building a business but almost no time preparing to sell it. In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick sit down with Mac Lackey, a six-time founder who has successfully exited multiple companies and now helps entrepreneurs maximize the value of their businesses before a sale. Mac shares lessons from decades of entrepreneurship, discusses the realities of a...

What if the life you’re chasing isn’t actually the life you want? In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin sits down with Kevin Dahlstrom to discuss success, fulfillment, identity, and designing a meaningful life.} Kevin shares lessons from decades of entrepreneurship, rebooting his life at the height of his career, and learning that money and achievement alone don’t create happiness. This conv...

What happens when the dream you've chased your entire life suddenly ends? In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin sits down with John Malecki to discuss the journey from getting cut 13 times in the NFL to building a thriving business and content brand online. John shares lessons on resilience, identity, entrepreneurship, content creation, and why documenting your journey can create opportuniti...

What separates good leaders from elite ones? In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick break down leadership lessons from some of the greatest figures in sports, including Tom Brady, Mike Krzyzewski, Kirby Smart, and more. They explore how championship-level leaders build trust, motivate teams, and create cultures that drive performance both on and off the field. This conversation dives...

What does it really mean to stay ready? In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick sit down with the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history and a Super Bowl champion to break down the mindset behind preparation, leadership, and winning at the highest level. Ian shares his journey from being a fifth-string quarterback to becoming a record-breaking starter, along with lessons learned...

What separates average operators from elite leaders? In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick sit down with Brendan Keegan — CEO, investor, and multi-exit entrepreneur — to break down what it takes to build and scale successful businesses. Brendan shares lessons from leading turnarounds, raising billions in capital, and developing leadership teams that drive long-term growth. This conv...

What are you actually capable of if you remove your limits? In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick sit down with James Lawrence, known as the Iron Cowboy, to explore what it takes to push beyond physical and mental boundaries. James shares lessons from completing 100 Ironmans in 100 days, along with insights on discipline, suffering, endurance, and why most people settle far below th...

Talent will get you noticed. Adversity will define you. In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick sit down with NFL quarterback Will Grier to explore the reality behind success, setbacks, and staying mentally strong under pressure. Will shares his journey from being a starting quarterback at Florida, navigating public controversy, transferring schools, and rebuilding his career at West...

You weren’t supposed to make it—and that might be your biggest advantage. In this episode of Born to Be Great, Edgar Jones shares the story behind his “64”—the number he was given in the NFL because no one expected him to last—and how that underdog mindset shaped his life and leadership. This conversation explores identity, self-awareness, leadership, and the internal stories that drive performanc...

Elite athletes aren’t just competing on the field anymore. Many are building businesses and investing while still playing. In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick sit down with NFL quarterback and Rose Bowl MVP Sean Clifford to talk about football, entrepreneurship, and the evolving business of sports. Sean shares stories from his time at Penn State, winning the Rose Bowl, launching o...

Sports are no longer just games. They’re becoming one of the fastest-growing investment ecosystems in the world. In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick break down the massive capital flowing into sports, from stadium developments and private equity investments to media rights, sports betting, and real estate. Justin shares the announcement of the Sporting JAX stadium project and expl...

You don’t get to choose your obstacles — but you do get to choose what they make of you. In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick sit down with Caleb Sloop — cancer survivor, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Seek Coffee — for a powerful conversation about faith, perspective, and building something meaningful from adversity. Diagnosed with stage four eye cancer at age two, Caleb lost his...

You don’t find your purpose by chasing noise. You find it by sitting in silence long enough to hear your own voice. In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin sits down with Danny Miranda for a powerful conversation on meditation, spirituality, suffering, identity, and the journey to alignment. Danny shares how building a top 1% podcast, studying Wayne Dyer, practicing deep meditation, and ultima...

What does it take to leave a skyrocketing career at a billion-dollar defense startup to serve your country? Matt Weiss made that exact choice, and it shaped everything about how he leads today. In this episode, Matt shares his unconventional journey from rejecting Goldman Sachs and joining Anduril as one of their earliest employees, to walking away from it all to become a Marine Corps Intelligence...

Greatness isn’t luck. It’s built through discipline, obsession, and long-term execution. In this episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick sit down with Michael Brandt, founder of Ketone-IQ, to explore what it takes to build elite performance — in business, athletics, and life. Michael shares lessons from Shark Tank, building military-grade performance products, marathon training, and scaling a...

Greatness isn’t talent. It’s standards, habits, and discipline. Justin and Nick sit down with elite strength coach Lewis Caralla to break down what it really takes to build winners — on the field and in life. This episode explores discipline, accountability, unfair workouts, mentorship, mental toughness, and why winning is built through daily habits, not highlights. Coach Lew shares lessons from h...

You don’t build generational success by accident. You build it through relationships, resilience, and long-term thinking. Nick turns the mic on Justin for a deep dive into his family’s five-generation business legacy, the realities of building and selling a national food company twice, and the mindset required to survive pressure, failure, and uncertainty at scale. This episode explores co-packing...

You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your standards. In the first episode of Born to Be Great, Justin and Nick kick off 2026 by breaking down what actually creates winning. Not motivation, not hype, but standards, preparation, and consistency over time. Using a powerful coaching clip as the foundation, this episode dives deep into why average is the enemy, how elite...

In this episode, we break down the real lessons 2025 taught - what worked, what didn’t, and what most people are too honest with themselves to admit. Not in theory. In execution. We talk about the mistakes that quietly cost time, energy, and momentum... and how to actually apply those lessons instead of repeating them with a new calendar year. If you listen to this episode and apply what you learn...

This episode is about the season where winners quietly pull ahead. While most people slow down, coast, or get comfortable, this is your chance to create real distance. I break down why this window matters, how to take advantage of it, and what separates the people who talk about greatness from the ones who actually build it.

On this episode of Born to Be Great, we dive into the journey of Mac Hereford—from walk-on at Alabama to breakout content creator and entrepreneur. Mac shares the championship principles he learned from Coach Nick Saban, how he applies them to storytelling, and why the best businesses are built the same way great teams are built. Get ready for practical wisdom, behind-the-scenes stories, and a pow...

In this inspiring episode of Born to Be Great, we sit down with Chris Malleo, author of The Chair Leader, for a deep and empowering conversation on what it truly means to lead without limits. Chris shares his journey of transforming adversity into opportunity — and how belief, courage, and silent connection can move people more powerfully than words ever could. Together, we explore how to lead fro...

What if the next conversation you have could change your life? In this episode of Born to Be Great, we dive deep into intentional networking — not just shaking hands or swapping contacts, but growing into the kind of person who naturally attracts opportunities, because you lead with value, purpose, and heart. This is about becoming so valuable that when you show up for others, it always comes back...

In this episode of Born to Be Great, ex-NFL tight end Tommy Hudson shares his journey from Arizona State to the NationalFootball League — but this conversation goes way beyond football. We dive deep into what it means to become your best self through faith, discipline, mindset,and the unseen hours of hard work. Tommy opens up about the challenges, the sacrifices, and the spiritual grounding that s...

In this episode of Born to Be Great, we dive deep into “The Outlier Mindset: Playing to Win” with Dr. Julie Gurner — a leading expert in high performance and mindset mastery. If you’ve ever felt like you’re stuck below your potential or off track from your goals, this conversation is your roadmap back to elite performance. Dr. Gurner breaks down how outliers think differently, move differently, an...