Second Life Leader

Entrepreneur and speaker Stephen Linton joins me to unpack what it really takes to climb out of the bottom—and why most people misunderstand what drives success in the first place. It’s easy to look at successful people and assume luck, timing, or some hidden advantage. What you don’t see is the frustration, setbacks, and years of uncertainty behind the scenes. In this episode, Stephen and I break...

Entrepreneur and leadership pioneer Robert White joins me to unpack what happens when success doesn’t just slow down—it collapses all at once. Most business conversations celebrate scale, status, and wins. This episode goes in the opposite direction. Robert White built one of the largest leadership training companies in the world, with operations across Asia and the U.S. He had the house, the jet,...

Call center entrepreneur Richard Blank joins Doug Utberg to unpack what it really takes to build—and survive—25 years in one of the most volatile industries in business. This isn’t a clean success story. It’s a conversation about attrition, lost clients, rebuilding from zero, and making the decision to keep going when quitting would be easier. Richard shares how he built a call center in Costa Ric...

Storytelling strategist and pitch expert Donna Griffith joins me to unpack how leaders, founders, and professionals can take control of their narrative during moments of chaos—and why the ability to rewrite your story may be the most valuable skill in the AI era. Most conversations about disruption focus on technology. This one focuses on something more human: how people interpret change, adapt to...

Psychologist and relationship specialist Dr. Sage Breslin joins me to unpack a question many successful people quietly ask themselves: Why do I keep attracting the same destructive personalities? Most conversations about narcissistic relationships focus on blaming the narcissist or shaming the person who stayed. This episode does neither. Dr. Breslin and I walk through the deeper dynamics behind w...

Marine veteran and recruiting entrepreneur Bob Howard joins me to unpack a simple but brutal metaphor: “If you get dead, walk it off.” It’s a line Marines joke about with each other — part dark humor, part survival mindset. But it’s also an accurate description of what career transitions often feel like. In this conversation, Bob and I walk through the realities behind one of the most misunderstoo...

Healthcare executive and leadership author Jim Carlo joins me to unpack a deceptively simple idea: leadership isn’t granted by a title — it’s earned through trust. In many organizations, the path to management still looks the same. A strong individual contributor performs well, gets promoted, and suddenly finds themselves responsible for leading people without any real preparation for what leaders...

Renan Delonier joins me to unpack what happens when you stop talking about AI as a buzzword—and start putting it into real factories with real consequences. Most conversations about artificial intelligence live in demos and slide decks. This one lives in production environments, broken trust, failed deployments, and hard-earned iteration. Renan is the CEO and co-founder of OSS Ventures, a venture...

Executive producer and creative entrepreneur Diane Strand joins me to unpack a question most operators overlook: What if the arts teach the exact skills leaders need to survive volatility? We talk about discipline, rejection, resilience, visibility, and why creatives may be better prepared for uncertainty than most executives realize. From auditions and rehearsals to launching seven- and eight-fig...

Wellness entrepreneur and former Mr. America Dr. Chris Zaino joins me to unpack what happens when your body collapses—and how that crisis can become the catalyst for a completely different life. At 23, Chris had just won Mr. America. Magazine covers. A fitness career taking off. His identity was built on physical strength and appearance. Then he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Autoimmune. I...

BrainChip CEO Sean Hehir joins me to unpack where artificial intelligence is actually headed—and why the dominant “everything in the data center” narrative is incomplete. Most AI conversations fixate on massive models, GPU farms, and trillion-dollar infrastructure bets. This episode shifts the frame. Sean and I explore the structural reality that power consumption, latency, and grid constraints ar...

Investor and entrepreneur Kevin Steuer joins me to examine whether Main Street investors can compete in a market dominated by algorithms—and whether competing is even the right goal. Most investing conversations reduce themselves to slogans: “Just buy index funds” or “Learn to trade like the pros.” This episode does neither. Kevin and I unpack the uncomfortable reality that nearly 90% of U.S. equi...

Entrepreneur and EOS implementer Sid Joshnani joins me to unpack what really happens when a business grows fast, becomes dangerously dependent on one client, and nearly collapses under its own fragility. Most business stories skip the middle — the sleepless payroll nights, the rejected credit cards, the clients who stretch payments while you carry 35 salaries on your back. This episode doesn’t. Si...

Patent attorney and former chemist Josh Goldberg joins me to unpack how intellectual property strategy determines whether innovation gets funded—or quietly dies. Most startup conversations focus on product, growth, and pitch decks. This episode focuses on what founders often ignore until it’s too late: protection. Josh shares why he left drug formulation chemistry to go to law school, and how he n...

Jazz musician and humanitarian Rick DellaRatta joins me for a different kind of conversation — one that steps outside traditional business failure narratives and into culture, conflict, and human consciousness. Rick is the founder of Jazz for Peace , a movement that began as a poem written on the morning of 9/11 while he watched the attacks unfold from less than a quarter mile away. That moment la...

Executive leader and transformation strategist Victoria Pelletier joins me to talk about what happens when success stops feeling like success — and why growth requires stepping into discomfort intentionally. Most career narratives celebrate upward mobility, titles, and financial wins. This episode looks underneath that surface. Victoria and I unpack the transition from chasing validation and statu...

Speaker, author, and entrepreneur Danny Brassell joins me to unpack what happens when collapse isn’t theoretical — it’s personal. Most conversations about success start at the breakthrough. This one starts at the bottom. After falling victim to a real estate scam that wiped him out financially, Danny had two options: define himself by the loss or rebuild from it. What followed wasn’t a cinematic o...

Leadership advisor and author Greg Morley joins me to unpack what it actually takes to rebound from setbacks—and why resilience isn’t an individual trait as much as a relational one. Most conversations about adversity focus on grit, mindset, or personal toughness. This episode doesn’t. Greg and I explore what happens after layoffs, career pivots, health crises, and identity shifts—and why the peop...

Physician, healthcare entrepreneur, and founder Dr. Vivek Aranki joins me to unpack why most real success is built through failure—and why the willingness to iterate beats chasing innovation for its own sake. Most business conversations treat failure as something to avoid, minimize, or hide. This episode reframes it as a required feedback loop. Vivek and I explore how meaningful progress—especiall...

After losing his business in the 2008 financial collapse, Doug Thorpe didn’t pivot to another startup or chase the next trend. He went bankrupt — and then built a nonprofit to help hundreds of people find jobs in one of the worst labor markets in modern history. In this episode of Second Life Leader , Doug Thorpe joins Doug Utberg to unpack what actually happens after economic collapse — personall...

Entrepreneur, author, and former telecom executive Roy Osing joins me to talk about what it really means to survive getting the s**t kicked out of you—and why meaningful differentiation is the only durable way back. Most business conversations focus on growth tactics or recovery platitudes. This episode doesn’t. Roy and I walk through the reality of being demoted, sidelined, and underestimated—the...

Entrepreneur and martial arts instructor Gary Engels joins me to unpack what it really means to rebuild when everything is stripped away—and why modern resilience requires more than grit. Most stories about reinvention soften the edges. This episode doesn’t. Gary and I walk through what happens when loss is not metaphorical but literal: a house fire that destroyed everything he owned while raising...

Healthcare innovator Neal Shah joins me to unpack how artificial intelligence is being used against patients—and how it can be used to fight back. Most conversations about AI in healthcare focus on efficiency, cost savings, or shiny tools. This episode goes deeper. Neal Shah and I examine how insurers have quietly weaponized AI to deny care at scale—and why patients are losing not because they’re...

Executive coach Tracy Meyer joins me for a conversation most leadership shows avoid: what happens when life doesn’t politely wait for your business calendar. After losing her father shortly before our originally scheduled recording, Tracy and I talk openly about grief, disruption, and how leaders navigate loss without retreating into performance, denial, or toxic professionalism. This episode isn’...

Staffing entrepreneur Bill Kasko joins me to unpack what it actually takes to survive—and adapt—through decades of economic shocks, technology shifts, and human volatility. Most business stories compress time and smooth the edges. This one doesn’t. Bill and I walk through his 21-year journey building Frontline Source Group across recessions, oil crashes, collapsing hiring markets, pandemic shutdow...