The 7 Hats

🎙️ What if the thing that almost destroyed you wasn't the failure, but the win? Jimmy Feeman didn't set out to build a cookie dough empire. His girlfriend Megan had a recipe she'd been making since she was 16, and she believed there were a lot of people out there just like her. That belief turned into No Baked Cookie Dough. Scoop shops. National retail. Same day delivery. A brand born on a folding...

🎙️ What if the routine that saved millions of lives was born from the one morning everything fell apart? Hal Elrod didn't set out to start a movement. He set out to survive. From losing his baby sister at eight years old to dying for six minutes at twenty, from financial ruin in 2008 to a cancer diagnosis with a 30% survival rate, Hal has been broken open more times than most people can imagine. A...

🎙️ What if the most powerful business strategy you ever learned came from a deck of cards and a $25 birthday party? Steve Cohen didn't stumble into magic. He chased it. From age six, obsessed. From age ten, paid. From a living room in Yorktown Heights to Carnegie Hall, from rowdy four-year-olds to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Steve built something most performers never do: a one-man show with...

🎙️ What if your biggest CPG breakthrough started with stolen jerky in a Ziploc bag? Jason Burke didn’t plan to become a food founder. He just wanted to make healthy snacks that wouldn’t kill his parents. But that side hustle turned into The New Primal. A brand born in a smoky kitchen and built into a national powerhouse through sheer grit, grassroots obsession, and a wild ride of trial by fire. Fr...

🎙️ What if building a billion dollar brand came with a billion dollar bill? Eric Skae knows the cost of growth because he’s paid it, multiple times. From building Arizona Iced Tea's first distribution map to scaling Rao’s during a shareholder battle, and now turning Carbone into the next great CPG empire, Eric has lived through the beauty and brutality of entrepreneurship. This isn’t a story about...

🎙️ What if you stepped away from a rocket ship... just as it was taking off? Ari Raz co-founded Once Upon a Farm, built it brick by brick, and then gave up the CEO seat… to Jennifer Garner and John Foraker. Most founders would cling tighter. Ari let go. Why? Because the title wasn’t worth the trade. And then, he did it again. He took over Coconut Cult, a brand with wild promise and wild problems....

🎙️ What if you bet everything on a chocolate bar and it actually worked? Keith Bearden didn’t just invest in Alter Eco. He bought the whole company. At the exact moment cacao prices exploded 400%, he doubled down on one of the most volatile supply chains in CPG—and made it profitable in year one. From cutting hay on a Tennessee farm to running multi-nationals in Belgium, Keith’s path weaves code,...

🎙️ What if your biggest breakdown became the foundation for your greatest purpose? Matt Paradise didn’t just beat the odds—he rewrote them. Homeless as a teen. Addicted. Near death. Cancer survivor. Today, he’s a national voice for whole wealth —teaching that real financial well-being isn’t about more money…it’s about more meaning. From the streets of Connecticut to boardrooms across America, Matt...

🎙️ What if discipline was your ultimate growth hack? Dave Behar doesn’t just build brands. He builds engines. From global IPs to movement-based platforms, Dave’s playbook isn’t about hype. It’s about clarity, systems, and relentless intention. In this episode, we unpack how a four-sport athlete from San Pedro became a force behind scalable brand ecosystems in media and sport. And why identity, not...

🎙️ What if your worst mistake became your greatest teacher? Jonathan Mast didn’t just build a successful agency. He walked through fire to get there. From small-town scarcity and relentless teasing to serving time in federal prison for white-collar conspiracy, this story isn’t about falling down. It’s about getting back up. With purpose, with clarity, and with a fire to transform. Today, Jonathan...

🎙️ What if your marriage could be your greatest business advantage? Gabriela Embon built her career as a chemical engineer and her life around stability. But beneath the “safe” formula of a thriving career, loving family, and secure home, a quiet void was growing. Her turning point came when she realized she wasn’t meant to live in correction of her past, but in pursuit of her true calling. Today,...

🎙️ What if your “focus” is just busyness in disguise? David Wood has coached high performers for decades, but even he once fell into the trap of constant motion with zero momentum. In his third appearance on The 7 Hats, David reveals how founders can stop reacting, start focusing, and turn their work into a game worth winning. From the pickleball court to the boardroom, David shows how discipline,...

🎙️ What if profit isn't cash, and growth is just a house of cards? Mike Straza has worn every C-suite hat in the book: CEO, CFO, COO. He learned the hard way that most "profitable" businesses are one invoice away from disaster. This episode strips away the startup gloss and reveals the hard truths behind real sustainability. Whether you're bootstrapping, scaling, or sitting on a financial time bom...

What if AI isn’t the disruption… but your outdated belief system is? Matt Leta has supported giants like Google and Tesla in navigating AI transformation. But behind the frameworks and algorithms is a founder who walked away from everything — company, money, comfort — in search of something deeper. This is a story of reinvention, from burnout to Burning Man, from tech obsession to soul integration...

What if the real startup journey begins after the shutdown? Alex Bayer built Genius Juice into a national brand... Shark Tank, 4,000 stores, viral LinkedIn fame. Then it all collapsed. In this raw, revealing episode, Alex returns to The 7 Hats to share what happens after the dream ends and real life begins. Summary: In this no-holds-barred conversation, Alex Bayer opens up about the burnout spiral...

When wipes become a movement, what do you lead with—hustle or humanity? Sam Ne'bel turned a taboo into a trailblazing brand. From yelling down hallways for baby wipes as a kid to co-founding Goodwipes. Now the fastest-growing flushable wipe company in the U.S., Sam’s journey is one of grit, obsession, and reinvention. But behind the bold branding and retail blitz is a deeper story: one of burnout,...

When discipline meets purpose, how high can you climb? Borja Cuan grew a digital marketing empire from humble dreams of owning a pizza shop. But it wasn’t easy, an immigrant kid, gritty entrepreneur, and disciplined leader, Borja discovered early on that success wasn't built overnight, but forged through daily, disciplined choices. This is his story of scaling a $230 million business without sacri...

What if the life you're living isn’t really yours? Mark Collins thought he was chasing a dream, but he was really running from himself. Introverted military kid turned rockstar dreamer, Mark’s quest wasn’t for fame. It was for identity. This is the story of how he faced fear, dismantled false beliefs, and rewired his life for purpose—from the inside out. Summary: In this intimate episode, Mark Col...

When your brain breaks… what do you rebuild first? Dan MacQueen was 28. Sharp. Ambitious. Living his dream life in London. Then came the headaches. One minute, he was riding the Tube to work. The next? Total darkness. A cyst on his brain. A surgery gone wrong. A coma. He couldn't walk, talk, or even smile when he woke up. This is the story of how one man fought back from the brink—and discovered a...

When success costs your soul, what comes next? Matt Gerlach built a million-dollar consulting firm. Big clients. LA life. Porsche in the driveway. But beneath the wins? A collapse in slow motion. Two hospital visits. Panic attacks. Spiritual exhaustion. This is the story of how one man stopped running... and rebuilt from the inside out. Summary:  In this deeply vulnerable episode, Matt Gerlach ope...

Success nearly killed her. Roxanne Chaput was chasing corporate glory until her SUV plummeted 90 feet off a frozen cliff. What flashed before her eyes wasn’t a highlight reel, it was a haunting question: “Am I living the life I chose... or the life I was told to want?” She survived. But she didn’t return the same. Summary: In this raw, soul-waking episode, Roxanne Chaput joins Yuval to unpack her...

What does it take to change the entertainment industry forever? Today, we dive deep into the incredible journey of Larry Namer, the visionary entrepreneur who built E! Entertainment Television from the ground up, turning a two-million-dollar startup into a multi-billion-dollar empire. From Brooklyn cable splicer to Hollywood mogul, Larry’s story is about reinvention, resilience, and seeing opportu...

What if scaling your business meant working less while making more? In this episode, Jeremy Shapiro, entrepreneur and mastermind leader, shares the key to thriving—not just surviving—in business and life. From his early entrepreneurial days to building scalable companies and guiding business owners, Jeremy reveals the mindset, strategies, and frameworks you need to design a business that supports...

Do you ever feel like the world is designed for extroverts? What if embracing your introversion was the key to becoming an exceptional leader? In this episode, we dive deep with Stacey Chazin, an expert in introverted leadership, to uncover how quiet strengths can be a game-changer in business and life. 📝 Episode Summary In this insightful episode, I sit down with Stacey Chazin, founder of iFacto...

In this conversation, Jim Marshall shares his journey from a curious child in New York City to a human development engineer and the creator of Septimics. He discusses the importance of understanding human behavior and relationships, the development of his 35 scales, and how these tools can help individuals clarify their purpose and improve their interactions with others. The conversation emphasize...