Escape the CEO Doom Loop

Most CEOs become successful by being excellent operators. Then growth demands a different job. You have to stop solving every problem yourself and focus on the work only the CEO can do. In this conversation, Keith Nichol shares how he made that shift as he built Carrera Capital Advisors, why accountability is a form of care, and how one hard decision can reset the standard for the whole company. I...

Troy Schroeder built Clutch from a couple of people to just shy of 60, doubling the business several times in nine years. He was also the firm's best salesperson. Which made him, in his words, the thing standing in the way. In this conversation, Troy sits down with Glen Dall and John Ninkovich to talk about the trap most growing-company CEOs fall into. The skills that get a company off the gr...

A lot of companies say they care about leadership, then lower the standard when it is time to choose. Barry Conchie does not do that. This conversation gets into what leadership actually predicts, why most teams are built too safely, and why succession planning begins much earlier than most CEOs think. Most leadership conversations stay abstract. This one does not. We talked about hiring mistakes,...

A lot of CEOs think they have a growth problem. What they really have is a leadership problem. David Sokol shares what changed in his business when he stopped being the center of everything, invested in senior leadership, and treated culture like operating infrastructure, not soft stuff. A few lines stayed with me. The ceiling was not demand. It was leadership. The risk was not delegation. It was...

Most CEOs think they have a culture problem. Michael Reddington says it's a conversation problem. Michael is a certified forensic interviewer, president of Quaive, and author of The Disciplined Listening Method . He spent a decade with Wicklander-Zulawski and Associates training law enforcement, HR professionals, and investigators in rapport-based interviewing around the world. Today, he work...

Most CEOs think their CPA only sees the numbers. Pat Fuelling sees the patterns — the warning signs, the blind spots, and the decisions that separate leaders who scale from those who stall. Pat is a partner and executive committee member at Doran Mayhew, one of the top 30 CPA firms in the U.S., and has spent 32 years advising privately held businesses through growth, crisis, and everything in betw...

There is a moment many CEOs remember clearly. Not the first sale. Not the first hire. The moment they realize they are exhausted, isolated, and carrying more than the business should require. In this episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop , Glen Dall and John Ninkovich sit down with Casey Profita, founder and CEO of Gopher Mods, to unpack a fifteen year journey that started in a college dorm room and...

Most CEOs don’t fail because they lack effort, intelligence, or ambition. They get stuck because the business outgrows the way they’re leading. In this episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop , Glen Dall and John Ninkovich sit down with Peter Oxley, a three-time founder, former global CRO, and executive coach, to unpack what really keeps capable CEOs trapped in cycles of overwork, isolation, and stall...

Growth doesn’t slow because CEOs lose ambition or discipline. It slows because success creates complexity faster than structure can keep up. In this episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop, hosts Glen Dall and John Ninkovich sit down with Shannon Susko to explore why growth often becomes harder after a company is working. Shannon shares why: Success is often the hidden bottleneck to growth Capable CEO...

Most CEOs are not stuck because they are bad operators. They are stuck because they are chasing bigger instead of better. This conversation is about the moment when growth stops working, and what replaces it. If you are scaling fast but losing people, clarity, or energy, this episode is for you. 00:00:00 — When growth starts as excitement and turns into strain 00:03:07 — From operator to advisor a...

Most CEOs do not burn out from lack of effort. They burn out from reacting too fast. Dan Hanson is the CEO of Hanson Remodeling, serving homeowners across Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the first ring of suburbs. With a background in business management and philosophy, Dan built the company through hands-on work before shifting his focus to leadership development and long term purpose. Today, his work...

What happens when a CEO realizes he’s the bottleneck in his own business? In this episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop, hosts Glen Dall and John Ninkovich sit down with Philip Chabot, CEO of RSC Mechanical, to talk about the uncomfortable truth every leader faces — when old habits hold back new growth. Phil shares his candid story of stepping into a 500-person family business, struggling with the “...

Carl Saunders was stuck. Four years of flat revenue. Flat profit. Eighty to one hundred hour weeks. Two top performers asking, “Where is the opportunity here?” Most CEOs know that moment. Few know how to climb out. In this episode, Carl shares how he broke the cycle that was burning him out and stalling the company. His story moves from overwork and fear-driven leadership to a system that transfor...

In this episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop , hosts Glen Dall and John Ninkovich sit down with former tech CEO turned coach Matt Dion. Matt shares his unfiltered story of success, burnout, and reinvention through the 2008 financial crisis. He explains how ego and overwork trapped him in a cycle of stress — and how mentorship, structure, and self-awareness helped him escape it. Whether you’re a fou...

In this episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop , Glen Dall and John Ninkovich sit down with Josh Barney, Vice President of JJ Barney Construction. A former attorney who left the courtroom for concrete, Josh shares the story of joining his fourth-generation family business, the challenges of stepping into a future CEO role, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. Josh reflects on transitioning lea...

At 28 years old, Richard Bryan was thrown into the CEO seat of his family’s 100-year-old car dealership group — a business losing millions and on the brink of collapse. With 400 employees and 16 family shareholders depending on him, survival became the only goal. In this episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop, Richard shares how he led under immense pressure, the pivotal role his mentor “Frank” playe...

In this episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop , hosts Glen Dall and John Ninkovich sit down with Shawn Verlinden, CEO of Auch Construction. Shawn shares his journey from project manager to CEO of a 100+ year-old construction firm, and how building leadership rhythms transformed his company’s culture and growth trajectory. Shawn explains how letting go of daily tasks was the best move he made, how da...

Burnout, Bad Hires & Bulldozing Through the Doom Loop What happens when you hit rock bottom in the CEO seat—8 figures in debt, team trust eroding, and no clear way out? In this episode, Glen Dall and John Ninkovich sit down with Anthony Stayman, who shares the brutal truth of trying to do it all—CEO, head of sales, firefighter—and what finally helped him escape the Doom Loop. They unpack: What...

What does it really take to lead a century-old family business into its next era of growth, without losing yourself in the process? In this episode, Glen Dall and John Ninkovich sit down with Matt McDonell, CEO of MJS Packaging, to explore his journey from family member on the sidelines to full-time sales leader and, ultimately, CEO.  Matt opens up about the weight of leadership, the discipline of...

When your company’s growth slows, the instinct is to work harder, move faster, and push your team harder. But what if that’s exactly what’s keeping you stuck? In this episode, Michael Guthrie, experienced CEO, breaks down why even the most successful leaders can get caught in the CEO doom loop, and how to break free. We unpack: How growth plateaus actually start (and why it’s rarely market conditi...

In this episode, Glen and John sit down with Bill Costello, CEO of Streeter Custom Builder, for an honest and insightful look at what it really takes to transition from doing the work—to leading the people who do. From running operations to stepping into the CEO seat, Bill’s journey is filled with the tough mindset shifts and real leadership lessons that define a high-performing company. Whether i...

In this episode, Glen and John sit down with Lauren Carson, President of ARC Abrasives, to unpack her raw and insightful leadership journey. From inheriting operations without a playbook to becoming the type of leader who attracts top talent and drives bottom-line results—Lauren shares what it really takes to lead a legacy manufacturing company into the future. This conversation is packed with rea...

Becoming the Coach I Needed: Glen’s Story | Escape the CEO Doom Loop Podcast “I wish I could go back and coach myself when I was CEO.” That’s the core of Glen’s purpose—and in this episode, you’ll hear why. From the weight of lonely decisions to years spent without clarity on strategy or people, Glen unpacks what it really felt like to lead without a coach—and how that fuels the work he does today...

In this powerful second episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop , co-host John Ninkovich opens up about his personal leadership journey—from working behind the counter of a family business at age nine to running a company, losing it all, and rebuilding with purpose. John sits down with Glen Dall to share the real story behind why he became a CEO coach—and why the most valuable lessons don’t come from...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Escape the CEO Doom Loop — hosted by Glen Dall and John Ninkovich , two seasoned CEO and leadership team coaches who've been in the seat and lived to tell about it. In this launch episode, Glen and John get personal. They share what led them to coaching, why they’re launching this podcast now, and why so many successful leaders eventually find themselves in...