More Than Before

What happens when someone you trust betrays you, threatens everything you've built, and leaves you consumed by revenge? In this episode of More Than Before, Nathan Cook sits down with entrepreneur, father, and Christian content creator Run Ze Yu for a powerful conversation about betrayal, success, identity, and finding freedom through surrender. Run Ze shares his journey from growing up as a C...

Nathan Cook shares a reflective solo episode on year-end self-assessment, personal growth, and the gap between setting goals and becoming the kind of person who can sustain them. He ties together fatherhood, health, speaking, and business to show why lasting change usually comes from small, consistent decisions rather than intensity or inspiration alone. This episode is useful if you are looking b...

Unlock your potential with Dorota Cebartowska's inspiring journey from invisibility to leadership! 🌟 In this episode, we dive deep into her transformative story, exploring how she overcame challenges and became a successful leader in Mary Kay, inspiring thousands along the way. Key takeaways: Discover the seeds of success from Dorota's childhood in Poland. Learn how she turned feelings of...

Are you living with intention, or have you slipped into autopilot? Marty Hofmann grew up on an Iowa farm as one of ten kids, learning the importance of hard work, responsibility, and faith. Today, he's an entrepreneur, real estate investor, and author of Kill Complacency . But Marty's pursuit of success came at a cost. His wife once told him she'd considered leaving because even when h...

What do you do when life forces you to start over? Max Konan has had to answer that question more than once. After surviving a traumatic brain injury at just four years old, Max had to relearn how to walk, recognize the people around him, communicate, and navigate life with hearing loss. Years later, he lost his mother, left Côte d’Ivoire for the United States, and found himself cleaning up a nigh...

What happens when you’ve spent your life believing hard work can solve almost anything—and then you face the one thing you cannot fix? In this episode of More Than Before , I sit down with my longtime friend Kiel F. Harvey for a deeply personal conversation about fatherhood, grief, faith, and losing his daughter, Raelin, to Sanfilippo syndrome Type A (MPS IIIA) . Kiel shares his story from growing...

If your business only works because you’re holding everything together, you don’t really have freedom. In this episode of More Than Before , I sit down with Adi Klevit , founder and CEO of Business Success Consulting Group and host of the Systems Simplified Podcast . We talk about Adi’s journey from Israel and Venezuela to building her own company, why entrepreneurs resist structure, and what happ...

What happens when the life you built completely falls apart? Inge Rock shares how people-pleasing, fear of losing love, and years of ignoring herself eventually led to the collapse of her marriage, business, and finances. At one of her lowest points, with only €20 left, she bought a book that changed the direction of her life. In this conversation, we talk about rebuilding after rock bottom, perso...

What if not failing is actually a warning sign? Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid failure. We want to win, look competent, make the right decision, and stay away from anything that might expose our weaknesses. But what if constantly winning means we’ve stopped challenging ourselves? In this solo episode of More Than Before , Nathan Cook shares a lesson that challenged the way he thinks ab...

Who are the five people you spend the most time with—and are you becoming more like them? In this solo episode of More Than Before , Nathan Cook explores the powerful idea that we become like the people we consistently surround ourselves with. From childhood friendships and video games to mentorship, coaching, faith, family, finances, and personal growth, Nathan shares how proximity quietly shapes...

Most people think success comes from talent. Ivan Krcelic knows that's not true. Growing up in Argentina, Ivan wasn't the best tennis player—in fact, he was often the worst player at his academy. While others practiced with teammates, he practiced against a wall. That relentless hunger eventually led him to America, where he built successful businesses, coached elite athletes, and became the found...

How do you know when it's time to move on? For years, Sonal Bahl believed she would spend her career climbing the corporate ladder. Instead, losing her corporate identity forced her into an entirely new path—one that eventually became her life's calling. In this episode of More Than Before , Nathan Cook sits down with executive career strategist, international speaker, and LinkedIn Top Voi...

What if the key to building meaningful relationships isn't becoming more interesting... ...but becoming more interested? In this episode of More Than Before , Nathan Cook sits down with master connector John Rice to unpack a lifetime of wisdom on authentic relationships, faith, personal growth, and why the best connections are never forced. From growing up in Klamath Falls to intentionally mak...

What happens when the life you've worked so hard to build no longer feels like the life you're meant to live? This week, Nathan Cook sits down with entrepreneur and CEO Brittney Hall for an honest conversation about success, burnout, entrepreneurship, marriage, family, faith, and building a business that aligns with your values. After building multiple seven-figure businesses, Brittney realized th...

What happens when someone spends decades helping people build wealth, only to discover that money alone can never create fulfillment? In this episode of More Than Before, Nathan Cook sits down with Chad Hufford, founder of Veritas Wealth Management, author of Forging Financial Freedom , and host of The Blue Collar Millionaire Show . Chad shares lessons learned from growing up in Alaska, how a near...

What happens when you survive something only 8% of people survive? In this episode of More Than Before, Nathan sits down with longtime friend Jim Boyle for a conversation about leadership, adoption, faith, purpose, resilience, and what it really means to make a difference. Jim shares his incredible journey from growing up as an adopted child in Chicago to becoming a corporate president, servant le...

Success doesn’t always look the way we imagined it would. In this powerful episode, Nathan sits down with Mindee Hardin — entrepreneur, speaker, and author — to talk about the hidden realities behind building a nationally recognized company while losing herself in the process. Mindee opens up about: Building a nationally recognized brand from scratch The pressure of trying to “have it all” as a mo...

What if the key to success isn’t working harder… but staying curious? In this episode, Nathan Cook sits down with Randy Matheny, founder of Intentional Espresso, to unpack the mindset behind entrepreneurship, resilience, faith, and community. Randy shares his journey from growing up in a difficult home environment to building a thriving coffee business from just $5,000. Along the way, he opens up...

What happens when the identity you’ve built your entire life around… no longer fits? In this powerful episode of More Than Before , Nathan sits down with Andi Simon —a corporate anthropologist, award-winning bestselling author, and expert on human behavior—to explore one of life’s most overlooked transitions: 👉 Who are you beyond what you do? From growing up in a family-run business to becoming a...

Most people don’t realize it… They’re living out patterns they didn’t choose. In this episode, Nathan sits down with Bernii Godwin to explore how trauma, neuroscience, and environment shape the way we think, act, and lead. This conversation dives deep into: Why you repeat the same behaviors How your brain tricks you into staying stuck The role of safety in personal growth What real leadership actu...

Success isn’t always what it seems. In this episode of More Than Before , Rebecca Faust shares her journey from high-achieving perfectionist to living a life of alignment, courage, and purpose. After experiencing burnout, anxiety, and the loss of her mother at a young age, Rebecca began to question everything she thought success was supposed to be. This conversation dives into: Why high achievers...

🔥 Episode Summary Shane Hanno’s story is one of transformation—from addiction and anger to purpose and peace. After years of alcohol abuse, broken relationships, and identity struggles, Shane reached a breaking point that forced him to confront everything. What followed wasn’t self-help… it was a complete shift in identity, faith, and direction. This episode dives into: Addiction and identity Bre...

What happens when a woman stops hustling to prove herself and starts living from the truth that she is already worthy? In this episode of More Than Before , Nathan sits down with Tina Townsend — Vice President of the Martin County Chamber of Commerce, Head of Sales and Client Relations for Alpha Omega Leadership, event emcee, wife, mom, and a woman deeply committed to serving others with faith, gr...

What if rebuilding community starts with something as simple as saying hello ? Nathan Cook sits down with leadership mentor and nonprofit founder Chip Webster to talk about microvalidations —small actions that affirm someone’s humanity and reconnect us in a divided culture. After decades developing CEOs and leading executive groups, Chip’s mission has shifted toward something bigger: helping peopl...

What does it look like to live “svelte”—not just in business, but in life? CPA, author, and entrepreneur Duane Deason joins Nathan Cook on More Than Before to share how global childhood experiences shaped his identity, how operational discipline can protect families (not just profits), and why becoming “more than before” starts with redefining success. Duane grew up across South Africa, Saudi Arab...