High Stakes Growth

Steven Sashen is the co-founder and CEO of Xero Shoes, a barefoot-inspired footwear brand doing about $70M in annual revenue. Expect to hear about: – From Stand-Up to Start-Up: What Steven learned as a professional stand-up comedian and how solving his own running injuries led to Xero Shoes. – Shark Tank: Why he turned down Kevin O’Leary’s $400K offer for 50% of the company, and how this experienc...

Aaron Zagha is the CMO of Newton Baby, one of the largest DTC baby sleep brands in the U.S., known for its innovative baby mattresses, cribs, and more. Expect to hear about: – From Banking to Ecom: How Aaron went from M&A to e-commerce after two failed startups, and found his calling in data-driven marketing. – Bootstrapped Growth: Why Newton Baby scaled to 8-figure sales without outside fundi...

Brad Woodgate is the founder and CEO of Joyburst and The No Sugar Company, the two latest brands in Brad's long history in CPG, beginning with Wellnx Life Sciences in 2000.  Expect to hear about:  – Bootstrapped from Day 1: Why Brad never raised outside capital, and how each brand he started built the financial foundation for the next one.  – The No Sugar Bet: How Brad recognized that “no sugar” w...

Henrik Jonsson is the CEO of agood company, a Swedish brand that creates truly sustainable or "circular" phone cases and other products, hitting profitability in 2025 under his leadership.  Expect to hear about:  – The Circular Revolution: How agood company turns old phone cases into new ones using a circular model, creating products that are truly sustainable.  – The Retail Pivot: How agood compa...

Dr. Andrew Hughes returns to the "Human Thread" series to help Forest and Leah tackle one of marketing’s most delicate frontiers: emotion. Where’s the line between resonance and manipulation? Together, they unpack how emotion captures attention, why overload leads to burnout, and how brands can use emotion responsibly in an always-on digital world. Expect to hear about: The Amygdala Effect: How em...

Nick Saltarelli is the co-founder and co-CEO of Mid-Day Squares, a functional chocolate brand doing $40M in annual revenue across North America. Expect to hear about: – Family as Cofounders: The journey of building with his wife and brother-in-law, and why weekly therapy was non-negotiable. – Starting with Constraints: Why they made a self-imposed rule to not use Facebooks ads in year one and stil...

Jenny Casson, a two-time Olympic rower with team Canada, and Manuella Widjaja, a former YC startup operator, are the co-founders of Daylilie, a new apparel brand rethinking bras for broad-shouldered women. This episode is part of "The Climb," our series featuring founders in the early stages of building their brands. Expect to hear about: – Meet-Cute to Cofounders: How a cold DM about fit surveys...

Tiana Ravden is the founder and CEO of Eroe, a lingerie brand that keeps sweat stains off your clothes with an innovative, patented bra design that's been 10 years in the making and launched February 2025. This episode is part of "The Climb," our series featuring founders in the earliest stages of building their brands. Expect to hear about: – The DIY Spark: How Tiana cut up a T-shirt and slipped...

Wylie Robinson is the founder, former CEO, and Chairman of Rumpl, an 8-figure brand that makes performance blankets and sleeping bags for the outdoors. Expect to hear about: – Frozen Van Epiphany: How a night stranded in the Sierras inspired the idea for Rumpl. – Kickstarter Launch: Turning a “sleeping bag blanket” prototype into $250K of preorders in 30 days. – Co-Founder Split: Why diverging vis...

Abdul Altaf is the 21-year-old co-founder of Yay Nuts, a Gen Z snack brand doing $250K in monthly revenue one year after launch. This episode is part of "The Climb," our new series featuring founders in the early stages of building their brands. In this episode, expect to hear about: – First Hustles: How Abdul went from Amazon bans, eBay flips, and vending machines to spotting a gap in the snack a...

Chase Fisher is the founder, former CEO, and current Brand Evangelist of Blenders Eyewear, an 8-figure sunglasses brand born in San Diego. Expect to hear about: – The Early Hustle: How Chase started Blenders by selling shades out of his backpack, opening up about just how hard the early days really were. – Buying Out His Cofounder: Why their visions split, and how going solo unlocked 300% growth o...

Dr. Andrew Hughes returns to the "Human Thread" series to help Forest and Leah unpack one of the most urgent questions in modern life: why can’t we focus anymore? From brain chemistry to platform design, we explore how attention is being hijacked — and what that means for marketers, brands, and human beings. Expect to hear about: The Brain on Distraction : How TikTok and Instagram reshape neural p...

Garret Akerson is the co-founder and former CEO (now Chairman) of Kindred Bravely, one of the largest maternity and breastfeeding brands in the U.S.  Expect to hear about:  – Origin Story: How Garret and his wife Deeanne started Kindred Bravely after she was expecting and couldn’t find quality maternity clothes.  – 2018 Crisis: How he saved the business by scaling ad spend and pulling off a make-o...

Ian Blair is the former co-founder and CEO of the mobile app builder BuildFire, and today is the co-founder and CEO of Laundry Sauce, a laundry detergent brand. Expect to hear about: – BuildFire: How Ian started a mobile app builder that built 15,000 apps and sold it during a SaaS downturn. – CEO x2: How Ian managed 80+ hour work weeks to run both BuildFire and Laundry Sauce at the same time. – Be...

Rob Fraser is a former Canadian national team cyclist and current founder and CEO of Outway, a fast-growing DTC sock brand doing 8 figures in annual revenue. Expect to hear about: – Pro Cycling to Start-Up Life: How Rob’s athlete mindset helped him build a business from scratch. – Co-Founder Buyout: Why Rob took on $150K in debt to buy out his cofounder and regain control of his company. – Name Ch...

Taylor Offer is the co-founder and former CEO of apparel brand Feat, doing over $50M in lifetime sales, and is now building his new startup in stealth, backed by a16z. Expect to hear about: – College Hustle: Launching Feat from campus with $300 and a pop-up table. – Betting on Influencers Early: Moving to LA and striking deals with Logan Paul, Aly Raisman, and The Chainsmokers. – Hitting Burnout:...

Adam Schwartz co-founded TeePublic (acquired by Redbubble) and is now co-founder and CEO of Parable, helping enterprise orgs uncover and fix operational inefficiencies through AI-powered analysis. Expect to hear about: – Bootstrapping to $20M+: Why Adam focused entirely on supply-side growth at the start of TeePublic—and how it quietly paid off. – The Exit Decision: How he knew it was time to sell...

Michael Perry (known as "MP") is the founder of Kit (sold to Shopify in 2016) and founder and CEO of Maple – a platform that enables parents to share and manage family responsibilities. Expect to hear about: – From Debt to Acquisition: MP’s journey from food stamps and $70K debt to selling his 3rd company, Kit, for millions. – Hard Truths About Founder Life: MP's candid take on the real costs of e...

Ryan Beltran is the co-founder and CEO of Original Grain, a watch brand that creates unique watches with reclaimed wood, metal, and other materials. Expect to hear about: – Breakout Success: How Ryan turned a $10k Kickstarter goal into $390k in 30 days to launch his business. – Scaling to $100M: The highs, lows, and lessons learned on the road to 9-figure lifetime revenue. – Growth Tactics: Ryan's...

Jacob Peters is the co-founder and CEO of Superpower, a health "super-app" for tracking and improving your health that just raised a $30M Series A. Expect to hear about: – The Story Behind Superpower: How his mom’s chronic illness and Jacob's own near-death hospitalization inspired him to start Superpower. – $30M Series A: Jacob's plan to deploy this capital to put an AI doctor in everyone's pocke...

Lily Walla is the founder of SPOTS (sold in 2023) and today is the founder and CEO of Auggie, a community and marketplace platform for parents. Expect to hear about: – The Founder's Mindset: Lily’s belief in “delusional conviction” as essential for startup success. – Funding & Growth: How she raised nearly $4M for Auggie and her insights on bootstrapping vs. VC. – Scaling in Hyper-Growth: Tact...

Matt Meeker is the co-founder of Bark and Meetup.com, and currently serves as Executive Chairman and CEO of Bark. Expect to hear about: – Burning $200M Cash: How Matt successfully led a major turnaround as CEO after a difficult 2022 fiscal year, implementing tough but necessary changes. – IPO and Fundraising Advice: Why he urges caution on going public and warns against raising capital too early....

The co-founders of Jetset – Forest Bronzan and Leah Lloyd – launch the High Stakes Growth podcast!