Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief with Cameron Herold

What does it take to keep a brilliant, unpredictable founder from burning down the very thing he built? In this episode, Cameron Herold sits down with Dr. Jeff McNairy, Chief Medical Officer and second in command at Rythmia , the only medically licensed ayahuasca facility in the world. Jeff gave up his psychology license to help build something the medical world said could not exist. He and founde...

What if the parts of building a $100 million company nobody posts about are the ones you most need to hear? In this recast episode, Cameron Herold drops the highlight reel and tells the truth about scaling. The near-bankruptcy at $100 million. The $9 million fraud. The nervous breakdown on an elevator floor. The stuff entrepreneurs never post about until years later, if ever. Cameron walks through...

What would you risk to build something that’s never been done, like beaming energy from orbit or launching football-field-sized data centers into space? In this raw conversation, Cameron Herold sits down with Joe Yaffe, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer of Cowboy Space Corporation . They dig into the grit, tension, and daily chaos of scaling a $2 billion startup that’s disrupting the...

Are you really wired to scale, or just bracing for endless chaos? Cameron Herold, the relentless "Business Growth Guru," rips open the playbook on what actually drives proven, sustainable hypergrowth in today's world. With stories from building global brands like 1-800-GOT-JUNK and years in the trenches with top COOs, Cameron refuses to let leaders settle for mediocrity. He dives brutally deep int...

How do you actually scale without losing yourself or your team in the chaos? In this conversation, Sivana Brewer sits down with Mara Castro , COO at Twentyeight Health and former Warby Parker trailblazer, to dissect what it takes to build, lead, and sustain high-performing teams in brutally demanding, mission-driven environments. Expect raw takes on leadership, the dangerous myth of “just do more,...

What does it truly take to lead five powerhouse brands… and keep every single customer and franchisee loyal? In this candid conversation, Ankin Laysha, COO of Wellbiz Brands , reveals what most COOs miss about operational scale, brand integrity, and building elite franchise teams that actually deliver. If you think brand consistency is just a checklist and that operations is paperwork, think again...

Ever felt the raw pressure of holding a company’s fate and the founder’s trust in your hands? Lindsay Smith drills into the no-filter reality of the “second in command” role, sitting down with Aaron Getty, President of Joe Taylor Restoration. This is not your average COO conversation. Aaron Getty lifts the curtain on his wild ride from sales rep to running every part of a rapidly scaling restorati...

What if your next big business breakthrough started with owning your own blind spots? This Fan Favorite episode throws you in the trenches with Cameron Herold and SaaS Academy's former COO and current CEO Matt Verlachi, as they go far beyond surface-level business banter. From surviving firefighting chaos to building, selling, and now scaling SaaS Academy, Matt Verlachi exposes the real skills tha...

What happens when you try to build a global movement teaching people how to breathe in an industry exploding with competition? Gary Torrens, co-founder and Second in Command at Soma Breath , sits down with Cameron Herold to reveal what most operators never say out loud. This conversation punches into operational realities: remote chaos, hiring struggles, visionary partner dynamics, and the brutal...

What if everything you know about starting and scaling a bank is wrong? In this Fan Favorite episode, Cameron Herold uncovers the real story behind WIO Bank with former COO Jamal Al Awadhi, a leader fueling the UAE’s platform banking revolution. From Abu Dhabi’s government-driven vision to the ferocious war for top talent, Jamal lays out how to break tradition, lead through chaos, and unlock trans...

Are you secretly running on empty, wondering if burnout is targeting you next? In this episode, Alen Voskanian, COO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Network and author, pulls back the curtain on the raw realities beneath operations leadership. From the constant grind of clinical environments to the personal toll of endless firefighting, Voskanian exposes why burnout hits high performers hardest and how ign...

What do you risk when you run a mission-driven campaign that breaks every rule in politics? Amaryllis Kennedy isn’t just directing the KENNEDY24 presidential campaign. She’s rewriting the playbook on grassroots leadership, digital disruption, and brutal operational honesty. In this Fan Favorite unfiltered episode, Cameron Herold dives deep with Amaryllis on the real strategies behind building a ni...

What does it really take to sit in the second seat and do it with drive, grace, and guts? In this episode, Lindsay uncovers the journey and mindset of Stanton Hill, the Chief Financial and Operating Officer for the National Society of Black Engineers. From his unexpected path into leadership to the high-stakes pivots required during a crisis, Stanton Hill reveals the nuts and bolts (and the emotio...

What if cutting half your team could be the secret to explosive growth? In this Fan Favorite episode, Cameron Herold sits down with Benjamin Surman, COO of Somewhere (formerly Support Shepherd), a company that rocketed from $1M to $25M and is still hungry for more. The conversation tackles the real-world, often-unspoken operational questions: When do you fire instead of hire? Where’s the hidden ma...

What happens when a regulated fintech meets the wild swings of crypto and then gets acquired by a Web3 giant? In this no-fluff conversation, Cameron Herold sits face-to-face with Sung Choi, COO of CoinMe, just months after their high-stakes Polygon Labs acquisition. They get blunt about what it really takes to survive in crypto, how to lead through M&A chaos without losing your best people, an...

What if the best leaders are the least visible? In this episode, José Mejia pulls back the curtain on how a Venezuelan teen with just $120 became a transformational COO, unpacking what it really means to be the “Merlin” behind the CEO. This intimate conversation unlocks how true leaders create common ground, give permission to execute, and wield vulnerability as a superpower, especially in high-s...

Ever felt that urge to take total control, only to realize it throttled your team’s growth and your own sanity? Claudine Ripert, COO and co-founder of Critical Control, and COO Alliance member , joins this fierce, truth-telling conversation about leading a fast-scaling restoration business through chaos, disaster, and family dynamics. You’ll hear what it really takes to balance everyday emergencie...

What happens when you set out to break every rule in one of America’s most traditional sports, and people flock to watch? In this Fan Favorite episode, Jared Orton, President of the Savannah Bananas , unpacks how a no-name baseball team triggered a movement by making fun non-negotiable and burning down industry norms. Discover how relentless experiments, cultural friction, player resistance, and p...

What happens when you’re the glue holding a global mission together, but the glue starts to crack? In this electric conversation, Sivana Brewer digs into the trenches with Skye Blanks, COO of the International Council for Small Business , an entrepreneur, and a relentless global operator. They expose the raw truth behind cross-border team dynamics, the weight of relentless travel, and the personal...

What would your workplace look like if every single leave of absence became a chance to build legendary loyalty and turbocharge retention? Sivana Brewer sits down with Taylor McLemore, COO at Tilt , for a conversation that slices through HR noise and exposes the uncomfortable truth: most companies fumble leave policies and lose their best people as a result. This episode unpacks the hidden costs (...

Ever wondered why one song can instantly give you chills… while another makes you feel nothing at all? In this episode, Selina Meere, COO of Trevanna Tracks , pulls back the curtain on the invisible system behind the music you feel in films, ads, and media. From navigating complex rights and scaling music operations for global brands to leading without a playbook, this conversation dives deep into...

Ever worried you’re missing your shot at breakthrough growth because your leadership team is stuck in old patterns? This episode is a raw look inside the mind of Sheldon Cummings, former Chief Operating Officer at Mailchimp and current President and General Manager at Smarsh , who’s steered brands across continents and navigated acquisition into one of the world’s most powerful tech companies. Cam...

What if the biggest thing holding your company back… is how you’re thinking about what’s possible? In this episode, David J. Lee, Global CFO and COO of WEBTOON , breaks down a radically different way to approach growth, leadership, and innovation. From scaling a global storytelling platform with 155 million users to partnering with visionary founders, David shares how elite operators think beyond...

What if the key to scaling your business wasn’t more people, but ruthless focus combined with relentless speed? Cameron Herold teams up with Sean Kim, the former President and Chief Product Officer at Kajabi (ex-Amazon, ex-TikTok) and the current Chief Product Officer at HighLevel , to crack open the playbook that turns chaos into proven, compounding wins. Inside this conversation: why leaders who...

Ever wonder why some COOs quietly double revenue while others burn out cleaning up someone else’s mess? Cameron Herold unpacks the “second in command” reality with Rick Marini, serial entrepreneur, private equity veteran, and former COO powerhouse at iconic brands like Grindr . They dive into the realities most leaders dodge: gutting toxic teams, the cost of misaligned culture, and the real career...