In Search Of Excellence

Sammy Hagar is one of the most prolific artists in the history of Rock and Roll.  Playing in bands like Montrose and Van Halen, and with a successful solo career that included the rock anthem “I Can’t Drive 55,” Sammy has had 25 platinum albums and has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.  Sammy is also an extremely successful serial entrepreneur and was the first celebrity to create his ow...

The incredible story of Orlando Bravo’s journey from a tuna fishing village in Puerto Rico to the most successful private equity investor in the world, is one of incredibly hard work and a fierce determination to succeed.  When Orlando’s childhood dream of becoming a professional tennis player ended, he went to Brown on a tennis scholarship, was terrified he wouldn't succeed, graduated Phi Be...

Trina Spear is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of FIGS, a healthcare apparel and lifestyle brand that has a current value of $4 billion.  What has grown into a spectacular success started with a simple idea and question – what if we put as much thought into healthcare apparel as we do with athletic apparel?  What if we invented apparel for healthcare professionals by selling fitted, fashionable, cool, a...

David Rubenstein grew up in a modest, blue-collar home in Northwest Baltimore.  He never considered himself a brilliant student or excellent athlete, but he did believe that hard work leads to success.  This drive and work ethic paid off, and today, David is a billionaire businessman and a member of the Forbes 400 list.  David’s journey has taken him from humble beginnings in Baltimore, MD, to Duk...

Randall Kaplan is joined by former professional hockey player Jimmy Carson to discuss his early and long-term success in the NHL, his experiences as a first-generation American, his post-professional life as a father and husband, his success after he retired, his views on being part of the biggest trade in sports history, and much more. Topics Include: The influence of Jimmy’s parents and his ance...

Randall Kaplan is joined by serial entrepreneur and media personality Kevin O’Leary .  Known to many as Mr. Wonderful on SharkTank, Kevin talks about how his unique life experiences made him the successful entrepreneur and investor he is today.  In this episode, Kevin and Randall talk about Kevin’s upbringing and what Kevin learned from his mother about financial independence and investing.  Kevin...

You probably know Chris Voss as the FBI Hostage Negotiator that wrote the best-selling book Never Split the Difference . What you probably don’t know about Chris is that he grew up an average kid in the Midwest.  There was nothing extraordinary about him, he claims.  He wasn’t popular, academically gifted, or notably athletic. But there is one thing that sets Chris apart from the rest, and he is w...

Randall Kaplan is joined by professional NHL hockey player and Olympic athlete Bobby Ryan . They discuss how, at age 10, Bobby and his family lived in hiding under an assumed name for years after his father tried to murder his mother and escaped bail, Bobby’s rise to becoming an NHL All-Star, his battle with alcoholism, his views on why you need to eliminate the takers in your life, and much more....

Randall Kaplan is joined by Ben Sherwood to discuss what is missing from the conversations and books on excellence. They discuss pursuing your dreams when the odds are overwhelmingly against you, the murder of journalist David Kaplan while Ben was sitting next to him in a car during the Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict, canceling the hit sitcom Roseanne in 2018 when he was in charge of ABC Television,...

Randall Kaplan is joined by award-winning journalist Lara Logan to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan, the importance of critical thinking, the pursuit of truth in the age of misinformation, the courage to speak your mind even when it’s unpopular, the fear of reporting from dangerous war zones in times of conflict in locations around the world, the experience of being a sexual assault and rape vict...

Randall Kaplan is joined by Strauss Zelnick to discuss his role as an executive leader in the world of entertainment and media. They discuss what to prioritize when starting a new career, sacrificing security to pursue your dreams, the value of work ethic and grit in the marketplace, and much more. Topics Include: Why your salary shouldn’t be your top priority when starting a new career. The detri...

Randall Kaplan is joined by Anthony Scaramucci to discuss rising through the ranks of global finance as a blue-collar kid from Long Island, balancing the pursuit of our dreams with our personal obligations, what he learned from his 11-day stint as the White House Communications Director for President Trump in July 2017, and much more. Topics Include: Growing up in a blue-collar family. Anthony’s e...

What does it take to become one of the most iconic and successful venture capitalists of all time?  How does a commitment to freedom and trust empower us to think big and drive progress?   Meet Tim Draper .  An early investor in Hotmail, Skype, Tesla, Space X, Twitter, Robinhood, Coinbase, and other industry-disrupting companies, Tim began his venture capital journey at age 27 and never looked bac...

Randall Kaplan is joined by Brad Keywell to discuss what it takes to achieve excellence at the highest level as an entrepreneur.  In this episode, Brad shares with listeners how to out-work and out-hustle the competition, why he channels his entrepreneurial drive into disrupting industries, how he grew Groupon from 124 employees to 5,100 employees in a single calendar year, and much more. Topics I...

Randall Kaplan is joined by global superstar Sharon Stone to discuss what it took for her to achieve excellence in Hollywood as an outsider, how she managed to claw her way back from a crippling brain aneurysm, why being of service goes hand-in-hand with pursuing excellence, and much more.   Topics Include: Growing up dirt poor.  Sharon’s early jobs and experiences as a model.  Challenges as a wom...

Randall Kaplan is joined by Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury to discuss going all-in on your dreams, dealing with setbacks, dedicating yourself to your craft, cultivating the "work ethic is everything" mindset on our path to excellence, and much more.   Topics Include: Following through and finishing what you start.  The relationship between integrity, punctuality, and excell...

Randall Kaplan is joined by American billionaire businessman and philanthropist Sam Zell to discuss daring to be different, finding and capitalizing on opportunities, what it means to go for greatness, and much more.   Topics Include: How Sam’s parents escaped from Poland prior to  Nazi invasion.  What freedom and an opportunity to thrive in the US meant to the Zell family.  Sam’s early success in...

We all have dreams of being successful and achieving excellence in our lives, but we inevitably experience resistance, challenges, and obstacles in the pursuit of our dreams.  In Search of Excellence provides us with the inspiration we need to overcome these obstacles and accomplish our goals by taking us through the stories, routes, and strategies of people from hundreds of different backgrounds...