Elevation Nation

Parker and Sam dive into the challenges of winter, exploring how the cold and darkness can trigger boredom and anxiety. They discuss the value of mindfulness and embracing boredom, while questioning how constant stimulation affects our ability to relax. The episode wraps up with shoutouts to elevators making an impact in the real world.

Elevator no. 191: Sophia (Phia) Gladieux is a Penn State University Field Hockey alumna who has achieved a multitude of accolades and awards. Phia recently had the honor and privilege of competing in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.  Outside of sports, Phia has used her platform to speak about the truths of anxiety and burnout as a high-level athlete. She hopes to help inspire the next gene...

Parker and Sam reflect on their personal experiences and reflections after attending the Discover EY conference in Atlanta. They share insights on the energy and professionalism of the young attendees, the importance of self-reflection after achieving milestones, and the need to recalibrate one's goals.

Elevator no. 192: Jonah Brown is a filmmaker, photographer, and traveler from Michigan who specializes in a wide variety of projects and personal work in the commercial, narrative, and travel spaces.

Parker and Sam return to the pod after holiday break. They share their hot takes for 2025, focusing on social media trends, the rise of authenticity in communication, and the evolving landscape for young adults.

Elevator no 190: Eitan Miller is the Founder of Boundless Creative a boutique video production company helping businesses and nonprofits share their stories.  With an emphasis in documentary-style brand storytelling videos, Eitan has worked with clients from Barclays to Vogue to Amazon across the US and London. Eitan's work has won numerous awards, been profiled in Business Insider, and Boundless...

Sam and Parker reflect on 2024, discussing their personal and professional growth, achievements, and the evolution of Elevation Nation.  They share insights on setting goals and the importance of consistency in the lessons learned throughout the year.

Elevator no. 189: Donovan Taylor Hall is a youth empowerment advocate and mental health educator. Helping kids build positive relationships with themselves, he is driven by the idea that kids who feel better do better. Through social emotional learning, educational psychology, and positive youth development, Donovan has created programs and curriculum that aims to help young people become their ow...

In every interview of Elevation Nation, Sam and Parker ask each elevator a book recommendation that they have for the nation. Sam and Parker recap what they are currently reading and how its helping them elevate.

Elevator no. 188: Vin Infante is a mental performance coach and psychotherapist with over a decade of experience supporting entrepreneurs, execs, and organizations by optimizing their human capital to reach their potential in life and business. Chapters 02:45 - The Vision of Impacting a Billion Lives 05:54 - Vin's Journey in Mental Health and Therapy 09:10 - The Limitations of Traditional Therapy...

In the spirit of Spotify Wrapped, Parker and Sam reflect on goal setting for this year and how they are approaching their intentions for 2025.

Elevator no. 187: David Argasinski is a former professional tennis player who lives by the core values of discipline, work ethic, and mental fortitude. From the pro circuit, to coaching and mentoring others, David is now translating that pursuit to the business aspect of tennis while looking to inspire and bring a change to the next generation. 

Parker and Sam reflect on Thanksgiving traditions, the importance of gratitude, and the personal growth that comes from embracing challenges.

Elevator no. 186: Natalie Barbu is a content creator and entrepreneur, known for her expertise in social media strategy and branding. She is the founder of Rella, which helps people  combines the automation of content planning with the power of project management. A VC-backed startup, Rella has raised over $1M.  Natalie has built a strong personal brand with over 400K followers across platforms. S...

Sam and Parker reconnect after a week off from Fortitude in 15. In this episode they share a transformative experience at a concert, highlighting the power of music to inspire introspection and connection.

Elevator no. 185: Dexter Zuang is the founder of Money Abroad, an online education platform that helps high-performers design their independent money path. Starting his career in San Francisco, he has lived and worked across Southeast Asia and Latin America for the past 6 years. He has 10+ years of experience building products and teams at public companies (Dropbox) and scaling startups (Xendit)....

Elevators 183 & 184: Justin Leusner and Ben Wasserman are building TDAY Sports, which they call "Gen-Z's ESPN".  Justin, a 21-year-old student at Penn State University, is the founder and CEO of TDAY Sports, which connects millions of Gen-Z sports fans monthly and offers ROI-driven social media services through TDAY Production. Ben, a Penn State graduate, manages partnerships at TDAY Sports, b...

Parker and Sam discuss recent election and the importance of resilience in young people. They share insights from their experience at Camp Collab, emphasizing the need for community and the role of camps in fostering growth and resilience among youth. 03:13 - Reflections on the Election 05:58 - Insights from Camp Collab: Building Resilience 09:05 - The Importance of Camp and Community 11:55 - Elev...

Elevator no. 182: Daniel Kramer is the Head of Business Development for JUUCE, a portable charging company dedicated to enhancing charging accessibility nationwide. Driven by a passion for innovation and a strong commitment to customer experience, Daniel is focused on building meaningful relationships to further the growth of JUUCE. Together with the JUUCE team, he is focused on expanding the comp...

On this Halloween Fortitude in 15, Parker and Sam share their perspectives on the wild week ahead in the United States.

Elevators no. 180 & 181: Quinn Caputo and Bennett Kramer are the founders of QB Ventures. Back in November 2023, they ventured into entrepreneurship by purchasing their first business together - a dog grooming business based in New Jersey. Bennett and Quinn met while studying abroad in Barcelona. After graduating from the University of Texas and Ohio State University, respectively, they have b...

Fortitude in 15 replay from March 9, 2023: Parker comes across a very interesting article in the Wall Street Journal titled "Is this it? When Success Isn't Satisfying" by Rachel Feintzeig that left us asking the question... Does success equal happiness?

Elevator no. 178: Steven Rofrano is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ancient Crunch. Steven and his team are building the FritoLay of real food focused on developing classic snacks "how they are supposed to be". Their products consist of no seed oils, fully organic ingredients, and are traditionally prepared.  Their first product MASA Chips launched in July '22 and reset the tallow-fried snack industry....

Rachel Yaffe, a beloved and incredible person passed away on October 11. Sam and Parker reflect on her incredible spirit, mental fortitude, and the impact she had on those around her. Rachel joined Elevation Nation as elevator no. 2 back in November 2020. At the 10 minute mark of this episode, you can hear the episode that we recorded called  “Cancer Changed My Life for the Better”. Elevation Nati...

Parker and Sam discuss the importance of changing environments to foster creativity and productivity. They share their personal routines and preferences, highlighting the balance between comfort and the need for new experiences. 01:54 - Changing Environments for Creativity 06:00 - The Power of Reflection and Introspection 09:56 - The Importance of Routine vs. Creativity 12:27 - Elevator Shoutouts