The Courageous Podcast with Ryan Berman

Bart Berkey believes in doing what most people don’t—remembering names, anticipating needs, and showing up with contagious positivity. A former global exec in luxury hospitality (Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt), Bart took three decades of service experience and turned it into a movement. In this episode, Ryan and Bart talk about the power of “active remembering,” why being kind beats being right, and how the...

Todd Kaplan believes legacy brands should feel as fresh as a track that just dropped. In his first ten months as CMO of Kraft Heinz North America, the former Pepsi disruptor has already launched DJ Mustard’s limited-edition condiment, staged the Oscar Mayer “Wienie 500,” and watched each sell out or go viral in minutes. In this episode of The Courageous Podcast, Todd tells Ryan how his “collaborat...

Alexi Lalas. Naomi Girma. Tim Howard. Landon Donovan. Richard Motzkin has been there representing each of them throughout their careers as their Sports Agent. In this conversation with Ryan, Rich recalls his journey of quitting big-firm law to become U.S. Soccer’s first in-house counsel, and how that leap led to his own agency which began before Major League Soccer even had a name. He explains how...

Dr. Jonah Essers fights insurance red tape with the same rigor he once brought to genetic research at Columbia and Harvard. In this conversation with Ryan, he explains how his blunt LinkedIn posts—naming pharmacy-benefit managers and citing peer-reviewed data—have forced billion-dollar payers to reverse drug denials within hours, delivering treatments that 45-day appeals would delay. He recalls th...

Dr. Christopher Bader has spent a decade mapping the nation’s anxieties through the Chapman Survey of American Fears, and the picture he paints is as revealing as it is sobering. In this episode of the Courageous Podcast, Dr. Bader explains why “corrupt government officials” has topped the list since 2014, how media algorithms amplify our sense of danger, and why withdrawing from public life only...

Kass and Mike Lazerow run companies the way great doubles teams win tennis matches: Kass owns the baseline of operations while Mike roams the net hunting openings -- neither drifts into the other’s court. In their conversation with Ryan, they unpack their new baby of a book; Shoveling $h!t, what they describe as an entrepreneurial love story and deeply personal playbook that distills eight venture...

Jason Schulweis isn’t content cheering equality from the sidelines. One year into his post as Chief Commercial Officer at The Female Quotient, he’s using a revenue playbook rooted in allyship, empathy, and measurable results. In his chat with Ryan, he shares how the role allows him to model hands-on advocacy for his four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. Jason unpacks the business engine beh...

Eric Gibson believes that the future of golf starts where a player's fingers meet the club. As CCO of Golf Pride, he is redefining the grip as 'equipment for the hands.' It's a widely-accepted shift by Tour professionals, as Golf Pride grips were used by approximately 90% of competitors at the 2025 Masters. He tells Ryan why he hires non-golfers to keep ideas fresh and why he supports innovative f...

MJ DePalma sees marketing as an act of human connection, not a numbers game. As Head of Marketing with Purpose at Microsoft, she helped turn the phrase “inclusion is personalization” into a company-wide growth playbook, and a case study in countless business schools.  In her conversation with Ryan, MJ revisits the day Satya Nadella’s growth-mindset culture lured her back to Microsoft, and explains...

Emily Bond turns life-quakes into page-turners, turning chemo rooms into writing rooms and everyday crises into bestselling fiction. In her conversation with Ryan, Emily shares how a surprise Stage 2 breast-cancer diagnosis collided with a two-year-old at her feet, and how she finished her “magical realism rom-com” Sort of Seeing Someone between infusions. She explains the mental trick that kept h...

Picture a weary parent stepping through a hospital door and finding a warm kitchen, a quiet bed, and a team that already knows their child’s name. Katie Fitzgerald, Global President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities, joins Ryan to explain how she is scaling that welcome across sixty-two countries, and sketches a clear plan for doubling the number of families RMHC can house and support wor...

Some people survive disruption; Patrick Leddin reverse‑engineers it for sport. Now he’s teamed with the world’s best‑selling author, James Patterson, to turn chaos into a step‑by‑step field manual.  In this episode of The Courageous Podcast, Patrick explains to Ryan how a college dropout became a Ranger, a CEO, and a Vanderbilt professor. He explains why he quit tenure to write Disrupt Everything...

Jason Feifer has turned pattern-spotting into a super-power: on the page, on stage, and on LinkedIn’s daily feed.  In his conversation with Ryan, Jason, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur magazine, author of Build for Tomorrow , host of the million-download podcast Help Wanted , and writer of the 65-thousand-subscriber newsletter One Thing Better , breaks down how he turns vague ambitions into clear,...

After a 30 hour flight to Kathmandu, Len Forkas, joins The Courageous Podcast before his daunting task of climbing Mount Everest to help raise awareness and funds for kids battling cancer. Len is the Founder of Milestone Towers, a Seven‑Summits contender, and Chairman of the foundation, Hopecam. In his conversation with Ryan, Len traces the moment his eight‑year‑old son asked, “Am I going to die?”...

Aaron Starkman’s award shelves are overflowing, but it’s the process behind the honors that truly fascinates him. Currently leading Rethink as Global Chief Creative Officer, Aaron guided the fiercely independent agency to become the most awarded in the world, clinching Independent Network & Agency of the Year at Cannes, The One Show, the Andys, and more in 2024. His creative direction has spurred...

As former Global Head of Marketing at TikTok, Nick Tran transformed the company from an upstart app into a global cultural phenomenon, earning it Ad Age’s Marketer of the Year in 2021. A marketing executive with a knack for steering high visibility brands, he also drove revivals at Hulu, Samsung, and Taco Bell, always aiming to keep companies culturally on point.  Now, he’s stepping into a new cha...

Why settle for corporate ‘mission statements’ when you can spark a movement? Thomas Kolster has made it his life’s work to help Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, and governments discover exactly who they can help their audiences become. As the founder of the Goodvertising Agency, a recognized global thinker at the intersection of marketing, business, and sustainability, and author of two provocati...

What happens when a star chemical engineering student from India becomes one of the world’s most lauded marketers? In this episode of The Courageous Podcast, Raja Rajamannar reveals how a serendipitous moment shifted him from scientific problem-solver to “accidental marketer,” igniting a diverse career that has spanned financial services, consumer-packaged goods, and healthcare at powerhouses incl...

Agnelo Fernandes didn’t set out to become a CEO in the hospitality industry, but his background in finance and marketing gave him the perfect foundation to lead courageously with strategy, and heart. Now, as CEO of COTE Hospitality, Agnelo is focused on inspiring his team, elevating guest experiences, and fostering a people-first culture. In this conversation with Ryan, Agnelo shares the power of...

When a high-flying tech sales career left him drained and unfulfilled, Tim Perreira realized it was time for a drastic change. Throughout his rise to President’s Club accolades, top-tier leadership roles, and hefty stock options, he buried stress and anxiety until it pushed him to an alarming low point. Now, Tim is certain that genuine toughness begins with raw vulnerability—and a willingness to a...

Co-founding one of the world’s most successful ad agencies, Anomaly, would be a dream moment for most—but for Jason Deland, it has simply been part of his journey. In this conversation with Ryan, Jason shares how his father’s no-nonsense mantra, “What’s really going on here?”, has fueled his relentless approach to business and beyond. He breaks down the grit and guts behind building one of today’s...

Fear. It can flat out paralyze us. It can halt us in our tracks and make us feel small unless we stand up and face it head on . That is exactly what Michelle Poler decided to do as the creator of the “100 Days Without Fear” challenge. Michelle has tackled everything from cliff-diving to diving with sharks to conquering deeper fears of rejection and judgment. In this conversation with host Ryan Ber...

Picture an era when advertising didn’t just sell products—it shaped culture. That’s the legacy Ron Berger helped build, from co-founding the 700-person agency MVBMS with Tom Messner, Barry Vetere, Louise McNamee, and Bob Schmetter to penning era-defining taglines like “Time to Make the Donuts” and “Subway Eat Fresh.” In this episode, Ryan reconnects with his former boss to explore how Ron helped l...

From assembling elite teams at Ford Motor Company and Sun Microsystems to navigating the high standards of Bridgewater Associates, Steve Fitzgerald has honed the craft of leadership—yet every other day, you’ll find him carving through fresh powder in the Rocky Mountains. As a seasoned HR leader, startup advisor, and board member, Steve has spent three decades weaving together people and profits, c...

Marian Salzman is a celebrated global thought leader, trendspotter, and author credited with popularizing “metrosexuality” and helping launch the worldwide #GivingTuesday movement. Over three decades, she’s guided top brands through cultural transformations and now serves as Senior Vice President at Philip Morris International, championing a smoke-free future. In her conversation with Ryan, Marian...