The Flipped Story

What happens when an Emmy-winning Hollywood interviewer decides that the stories on the screen aren’t nearly as interesting as the ones happening inside the people making them? In this episode of The Flipped Story , David Gadarian sits down with executive coach Kenny Rhodes to unpack his massive career transition from Hollywood’s brightest lights to the Socratic method. While Kenny’s career looks...

What happens when your primary superpower is stripped away from you? Historically on The Flipped Story, we have spent our time focusing on traditional business frameworks and market pivots. But this episode marks a completely new type of exploration for the show. David Gadarian sits down with former NFL player and current 5x USATF All-American Daniel Esposito to examine what it takes to completely...

What if the best tool for building psychological safety, creative thinking, and leadership presence has been hiding in plain sight — on the improv stage? Kat Koppett is one of the founding voices in applied improv, the practice of bringing improvisation principles into organizations to develop the human skills that actually drive performance. Her book Training to Imagine is now in its third editio...

What happens when you spend the first quarter of your life engineering a world designed entirely around external security, only to realize you are dying inside? On this episode of The Flipped Story , David Gadarian sits down with Alan Lazaros, CEO of Next Level University, for a masterclass in business and life transformation. Alan was the ultimate high-performer with an elite engineering backgrou...

Eric Levine is a world-class strategist who helped shape how Meta competed with TikTok — then walked away without a plan. His entrepreneur journey from philosophy major to AI entrepreneur runs through Deloitte, Hyperloop, four and a half years at Meta, a scuba diving app, and ultimately StratEngine AI, a platform that builds full business strategy from start to finish using artificial intelligence...

What happens when a "native introvert" who spent years trying to disappear decides to stand up on a comedy stage in a foreign country? In this episode, David Gadarian sits down with speaker and communication coach Bee Baumann to explore the transformative journey from running from anxiety to running toward the microphone. Bee shares how moving from Cambridge, MA, to a tiny German village forced he...

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a career you’re "qualified" for but not "meant" for, this episode is your roadmap. David Gadarian welcomes Laura Berman Fortgang , a bestselling author and pioneer who helped pave the way for the modern coaching industry. While she is now a frequent guest on Oprah and The Today Show , Laura’s journey began with an 8-year grind as an actress and waitress in New York Cit...

Most people think success in the digital world requires feeding the algorithm. Brian Wallace did the opposite: he became the "Human Algorithm." In this episode, David Gadarian explores the life-defining pivots of Brian Wallace, founder of NowSourcing. We trace Brian’s journey from the high-pressure NYC tech scene to a grounded, intentional life in the Midwest. Brian opens up about how a profound p...

“Shortcut to Last.” That was the name of Matt Diamante’s band in the early 2000s. It’s also the perfect irony for a guest who has built a powerhouse SEO agency by doing the exact opposite: playing the long game. 🔄 In this episode, we sit down with Matt Diamante, founder of HeyTony , to explore a journey of pure grit—from driving film trucks for indie horror movies to leading a 15-person marketing...

Walter Rusniaczek knows how to perform. With 30 years in high-stakes sales and a background in stand-up comedy, he’s a master of reading the room. But in this episode, Walter takes us behind the mask to explore a "live flip" driven by a search for actual meaning. From a "feral" upbringing to navigating a metaphysical breakdown, Walter shares a raw, stream-of-consciousness look at what it takes to...

"I realized that being 'nice' was just a way of negotiating against myself." We’re often taught that being "nice" is the key to leadership. But what happens when that narrative starts costing you your time, your peace, and your power? In this episode, David Gadarian sits down with serial entrepreneur and author Danny Goldberg to discuss the "Identity Upgrade" required to reach your true human pote...

What if the most "inefficient" use of your time—sitting with a stranger for an hour—was actually the key to unlocking your greatest potential? Rob Lawless left a high-polish career at Deloitte to bet on human curiosity. 7,476 friends later, he joins David Gadarian to discuss the grit of the "Messy Middle" and his blueprint for authentic connection. In this episode, we explore: The Bus Stop Metapho...

What does it take to move from the front lines of the Army and the oil fields to the "Driver’s Seat" of a multi-division professional powerhouse? In this episode, David Gadarian sits down with Darren Tompkins , Founder & CEO of Vader-Rey . Darren breaks down his purposeful, sequential journey of leaving the "operator" seat to build a business that provides high-stakes talent, engineering, and...

What happens when you stop apologizing for your "glitches" and start charging for your perspective? Sam Mitchell, the voice behind Autism Rocks and Rolls , joins David Gadarian to discuss the journey from the resource room to the CEO's chair. In this episode, we move past the clinical labels to explore the Human Potential of what Sam calls "the worst story alive." Sam shares his "Hulk Hogan" appro...

What happens when you stop running a 100-mile-per-hour race and finally ask, "Where am I actually going?" In this episode, marketing strategist Anthony Neal Macri shares his "flip" from the high-pressure startup engines of Toronto and New York to the intentional restraint of Southern Italy. From managing global scrutiny at Ashley Madison to navigating the future of AI from a quiet Italian beach, A...

How do you walk away from a "safe" corporate career without taking a reckless gamble? Today on The Flipped Story , we talk with Abi Asija, an entrepreneur who flipped the script on the traditional "leap of faith." After 10 years in tech, Abi built a 7-figure land empire by focusing on the "unsexy" world of vacant land and the hyper-logical math of a tapered exit. Tune in to hear from Abi on: The "...

"We die the moment we stop learning. We die the moment where we completely settle." Imagine growing up in a household where education isn't just a career path—it’s a religion. You spend years honing a mind to dissect human behavior at a molecular level, earning a PhD that offers a lifetime of safety within the "Ivory Tower" of academia. But then, the flip happens. [cite: 56] In this episode of The...

In the transition from Media 1.0 to 2.0, the rules of the game have fundamentally changed. We’ve moved from the era of "Broadcast"—talking at an audience from a pedestal—to the era of "Connection," where trust is the only currency that matters. In this episode of The Flipped Story, David Gadarian sits down with Jon Goehring, founder of StoryTrust Media. Jon is a Newhouse-trained journalist who spe...

Can love and compassion actually make a business more profitable? In this episode of The Flipped Story, David Gadarian sits down with international business consultant and TEDx speaker Dr. Bruno Roque Cignacco (PhD) to discuss the radical shift from "cold" corporate logic to the high-performance world of Human-Oriented Business. Bruno shares the specific "Eureka" moment when he realized that tradi...

What happens when your father’s business—your family’s legacy—is suddenly threatened by legal crisis? For Sean Boyle, it was the moment he stopped being an intern and started being a leader. In this episode of The Flipped Story, Sean shares the raw narrative of taking over "The Boyler Room" bar amidst federal legal troubles, and how that high-pressure experience gave him a "Native Empathy" for sma...