The Executive Athlete Podcast

In this episode of the Executive Athlete, I sit down with Sean Kanan, Emmy Award winning producer, actor, bestselling author, martial artist, and TEDx speaker best known for portraying Mike Barnes in The Karate Kid Part 3 and Cobra Kai. We talk about his reinvention at 50 after battling a drinking problem and hitting rock bottom, why the greatest changes in life come from being put in a crucible,...

In this episode of Executive Athlete, I sit down with Bronson Kaufus to discuss his journey from NFL defensive lineman to entrepreneur and founder of Young Athlete Society. He reveals what separates elite performers at the highest level, why mindset became his competitive edge after his father benched him sophomore year, and how an injury that doctors said would end his career became the catalyst...

Note:  In the episode intro, Olga is referenced as  Vice President of Sales for High Growth at SAP . Since recording, she has moved into a new role and is now  Group Vice President of Renewals, Digital & SMB Strategy at Cornerstone OnDemand . In this episode of Executive Athlete, I sit down with Olga Gvozdenovic, Group Vice President of Renewals, Digital & SMB Stra...

In this episode of Executive Athlete, I sit down with Jeff Benton, founder and CEO of Paragon Performance Evolution, to explore why coherence, not hustle, not strategy, not even willpower, is the ultimate competitive advantage. We dive into why 90% of our 60,000-70,000 daily thoughts are the same as yesterday (and 70-80% are negative), how heart-focused breathing resets your nervous system in 30 s...

In this episode of Executive Athlete, I sit down with Dr. Goretti Ho Taghva, board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Aesthetic Lab in Newport Beach, to explore how aesthetic medicine has evolved from vanity-driven procedures to a strategic pillar of executive performance and longevity. We dive into why first impressions matter more than we think (milliseconds, not minutes), how metabolic he...

In this episode of the Executive Athlete, I sit down with Hayden McComas, Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned documentary filmmaker and author of The Modern Monk, to explore his dramatic journey from hustle culture burnout to holistic wellness. After selling his business, Hayden embarked on a spiritual sabbatical that nearly destroyed his health. We dive into the health crisis that changed everythi...

In this episode of the Executive Athlete, I sit down with Anna Gudmundson, CEO and co-founder of Sensate, to explore how infrasound resonance technology is revolutionizing stress management and nervous system regulation. We dive into why meditation apps fail mass market users, the science of vagal nerve toning, and how Anna built a company that prioritizes compassion for human struggle over perfec...

In this episode of Biohacking for the Executive Athlete, I sit down with Gold Porter, founder and CEO of Riveter Consulting Group, to explore her unconventional path from Marine paralegal to luxury lifestyle management expert. We dive into how she serves ultra-high-net-worth clients while maintaining her own cutting-edge wellness protocols, the spiritual practices that keep her grounded in a deman...

In this episode of Biohacking for the Executive Athlete, I sit down with Joe Chura, founder and CEO of Go Brewing, to explore his incredible journey from Ford assembly line worker to tech entrepreneur to non-alcoholic craft beer pioneer. We dive into his transformative health journey during COVID, how quitting alcohol revealed clarity he never knew existed, and why he's building a wellness-focused...

In this episode of the Executive Athlete, I sit down with Todd Vande Hei, founder of Stark Health, to explore his remarkable transformation from a sick manufacturing executive to a health optimization pioneer. We dive into how he applied business principles to revolutionize healthcare delivery, creating a team-based approach that treats the human body like the complex system it is. Todd shares his...

In this episode of The Executive Athlete, I sit down with Angel Morgan, Chief Business Development Officer at Cherry Bekaert, to explore the intersection of wellness and sales excellence. We dive into Angel's evolution from a young entrepreneur to a biohacking executive who treats her body as a vessel for peak performance. From discovering that sleep was the key to managing her ADHD and leadership...