Grit Rising

He's the Lights Out XF Welterweight Champion. And on May 16th, he'll be fighting in front of the world as part of a Netflix MMA fighting main event. Jake Babian is the real deal and he's one of our own. Grit Rising host Trent Bryson sits down with the Bryson sponsored fighter to dig into the mindset, sacrifice, and relentless grit it takes to rise to the top of MMA. Because the same discipline tha...

This special episode of the Grit Rising podcast features host Trent Bryson in conversation with his daughter, Alexa Bryson. A current student at UC Santa Barbara and a standout runner on the cross country and track teams, Alexa brings curiosity and a fresh perspective as she interviews her father about the path that shaped his career. Trent reflects on starting his career at Merrill Lynch before r...

Thomas Flohr is a Swiss entrepreneur and visionary in private aviation, best known as the founder and chairman of VistaJet. After building a successful career in asset finance, he launched VistaJet in 2004 to redefine business aviation with a global fleet and a pioneering subscription model. Today, VistaJet serves leaders, innovators, and changemakers in over 180 countries, offering seamless trave...

Ron Earley is a distinguished entrepreneur and sales expert celebrated for building multiple million-dollar companies and generating over $1.4 billion in revenue through ventures like Greywolfe Investing. Known as the "Salesgod," he has closed more than $40 million in high-ticket sales and distilled his winning sales strategies into the best-selling book Closer , a trusted guide for sales professi...

This special Father's Day edition of the Grit Rising podcast features Richard Bryson, whom Trent calls "the greatest salesman he has ever met." Richard is the president and founder of Bryson Financial Group, one of the nation's largest independent insurance brokerages. A former All-American athlete at CSULB, he is also a dedicated community leader and philanthropist. His numerous honors include th...

Adam Nelson is a three-time Olympian and the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the shot put but that's not how the story began. He originally left Athens with a silver medal, only to be named the true gold medalist eight years later after the winner was disqualified for doping. His long-awaited medal ceremony? It happened at the Atlanta airport, next to a Burger King. In this episode, Adam shares the...

Jamie Elias has been a cornerstone of Trivest Partners for nearly 30 years, bringing deep expertise to every aspect of private equity. From sourcing investment opportunities and leading acquisitions to managing fundraising, portfolio oversight, and firm operations, Jamie has seen it all. As a member of the Investment Committee and a board member for numerous portfolio companies, his insights into...

In this episode of Grit Rising, host Trent Bryson sits down with Paralympic legend Chris Waddell to discuss resilience, overcoming obstacles, and pushing limits. From winning 13 Paralympic medals to becoming the first paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro unassisted, Chris shares his journey of grit, determination and redefining success.

The first live recording of the Grit Rising podcast features Tom O'Leary and is proudly sponsored by Entrepreneur Magazine. Tom is the CEO and co-founder of Jet Zero, where he's leading the charge in revolutionizing aviation with a mission-driven mindset. Prior to this, Tom played a pivotal role at Tesla as an early senior executive, serving as Director of Sales and Marketing, and was instrumental...

Tim Berry is the head of manufacturing and quality at Jet Zero. He previously worked at SpaceX on the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Dragon and Starship rocket programs as well as Starlink. After decades of working with rockets, he transitioned to commercial aviation and Jet Zero's mission to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Keith Ferrazzi is a #1 NYT bestselling author, who wrote  Never Eat Alone ,  Who's Got Your Back ,  Leading Without Authority, and his most recently published book Competing in the New World of Work . He's an entrepreneur, Founder & Chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight and an executive team coach to some of the most prominent organizations in the world. He's a thought leader and frequent contributor at...

Henry Cejudo tell us about his inspirational story on his journey to becoming an Olympic gold medalist and transitioning to from wrestling to the UFC. He was known for being the youngest American Olympic gold medalist in wrestling history at the time, winning the 2008 Summer Olympics at age 21. After retiring from wrestling in 2012, he began fighting in MMA and made his UFC debut in December of 20...

Rachel Fine Wilson has more than 10 years of experience in franchised business management with supplemental education companies . She has worked in television for a number of years as well, hosting multiple TV shows for Howard Stern and as a ghost hunter on The Travel Channel . Rachel directed the build-out of the flagship Gigglewaters and was its first General Manager. She built the brand and dro...

Shawn Meaike talks about his entrepreneurial journey and how he works to help the people around him succeed.

Welcome to Episode 17 of Grit Rising! In this captivating installment, join us for an extraordinary conversation with Jonathan Cronstedt, a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and executive leader. Get ready to embark on a journey through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship as Jonathan shares his remarkable story of resilience, growth, and billion-dollar achievements. Jonathan's journey begins wit...

Welcome to Episode 16 of Grit Rising! Join us for an enlightening conversation with Bre Thomas, the visionary owner of Nutrivenience, where nutrition seamlessly meets convenience through plant-based meals delivered throughout Orange County, California. In this episode, Trent and Bre delve into the realms of health, fitness, and diets, discussing the transformative impact of making conscious dietar...

Welcome to Episode 15 of Grit Rising! Join us for a dynamic conversation with Rajeev Kapur, a Global Business and Technology Leader, and CEO known for propelling growth and profits through innovative go-to-market strategies and leadership. In this episode, we dive deep into the realms of entrepreneurship, business leadership, and the transformative power of AI. Rajeev shares his wealth of experien...

Welcome to Episode 14 of Grit Rising! Join us for an authentic and inspiring conversation with Erik Huberman, the Founder of an outsourced CMO company called Hawke Media. We dive into the fascinating world of marketing and entrepreneurship. In this episode, we'll hear about Erik's remarkable journey and how he achieved success in the ever-changing marketing landscape. Learn from his experiences an...

Join Trent Bryson as he sits down with Nancy Giordano, an Exponential Strategist with an impressive career history at some of the most influential ad agencies in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. For over a decade, Nancy has been the Founder and CEO of Play Big Inc., a strategic inspiration company. Her expertise ranges from A.I. to reinventing the internet, and all of her projects have a key co...

Kelly Noonan Gores, a Los Angeles native, started Elevative Entertainment in 2012 with the intention of creating conscious media that informs, inspires, and empowers. Kelly is the writer, director, and producer of HEAL, a documentary about the mind-body connection and the body's innate ability to heal.

Juan Pablo Escobar, now known as Sebastián Marroquín, is the son of drug lord Pablo Escobar. He had different views and intentions on the future that he wanted for himself. After his father's death, he was strong enough to separate himself from the very wealthy but violent lifestyle that his father created and is now living as close to a normal life as possible as an architect in Argentina.

Long Beach Real Estate Broker, Juan Huizar, shares the inspirational story of his journey from Mexico to the U.S. and how hard work and determination played a vital role in overcoming the challenges he and his family faced.

TV host, fitness model, and professional athlete, Lauren Abraham, shares her insane story of battling with drugs, abusive relationships, violence and injuries during her career. 

Liz Dube', a Certified Sex Therapist, Coach and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, loves working with people who want to better understand themselves sexually and feel sexually empowered. She has a private practice in Long Beach, CA as well as an on-line coaching program for women who want to reignite their sexual desire or feeling sexually empowered. She's helped thousands of men, women, and c...

Miles Davis is from Long Beach, California and worked for the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach in 2017 where he got to coach basketball for the first time. Even when the odds seemed to be against him he always found a way to remain positive and inspire himself to chase his dreams. He is now the author of the brand new children's book called, "A Basketball Story" which is based on a true story of...