The Playhard Podcast

Danny Maher was a Marine Lieutenant and is currently the founder of Veteran TV and Irreverent Warriors.  After fighting in the Afghanistan War, Danny decided he was going to live out his dream of starting a production company.  In this episode, we talk about chasing your passion, choosing role models, and beating up your high school bullies! ----- Quick note: THIS IS THE LAST EPISODE!! Thanks to e...

Lauren Petrullo lives the kind of life you wanna live. Her dog, Alexander Hamilpup, is a celebrity. She races dragon boats and drinks mysterious Vietnamese herb teas. She even looks like a Disney hero. In this episode, we talk about marketing, e-comm, and Facebook ads, as well as traveling, tea, and how to have unique experiences. This episode is great for people interested in learning marketing,...

Ron Douglas has the soul of an adventurer, the heart of a Texan, and enough stories to leave you inspired and left wondering, “How the hell did he do all that.” At 18, Ron broke his back and had to learn how to walk again.  That’s where he discovered grit. Then, he worked as a prison guard on death row, where he discovered irony.  After that, he worked in a junkyard where he discovered his purpose...

At 21, Steven opened up his first rage room. You know, those places where you go in and break shit. Now, at 26, Steven is the owner of the largest rage room company in the US. They’re opening 1-2 franchises a month. In this episode, we talk about personal development, and how health is involved in EVERYTHING you do. This episode is excellent for people who feel like they get treated differently be...

At age 7, Ryan Love was given a cane to walk with.  At age 16, he was 300 lbs. 2 different autoimmune conditions impacted his health and life. Writing is what got him through it.  At 28, Ryan is a healthy dude with a great copywriting business called Love Language Media. In this episode, we talk about Ryan's relationship with his health, writing (and how it vastly improves your thinking), our...

Chad spent 20 years as a rockstar and his whole life as an entrepreneur. We talk about the similarities between being in a band and running a business. Oh, did you know I'm in a band? I totally don't mention it in every episode ;) As a kid, he did countless odd jobs around the house for money. Until, one day, his parents ran out of money to give him! That’s when he decided to get money fro...

What do Starbucks, Viagra, and Netflix have in common?  And no, the answer is not “a late night.”  All 3 used their brand and storytelling abilities to create a category that didn’t exist before. Pretty neat! Today’s guest is an expert in storytelling, branding, and guessing my favorite books. We talk about AI as a tool for self-exploration, using stories to communicate your strategy, and how to a...

Successful entrepreneurs carry with them an intense, often delusional, level of self-belief. It’s essential to the recipe. In any case, there will come the point where that self-belief is put to the test. Be it through a bold claim, a big moment, or whatever.  There is a time when what you say now must be backed up with your actions.  Alex Rossman talks about such a moment when landing his first h...

What a world we live in.  Adults are finding out they have ADHD through TikTok! During the pandemic, Mark Cann was diagnosed with ADHD. He decided to get checked due to a video hitting too close to home.  After the diagnosis, Mark create Hyypa, a company dedicated to offering resources and education for adults with ADHD. We talk about how ADHD presents itself in adults, how Mark got a government g...

Tyerra is on a mission to inspire and empower women to become catalysts for success.  She’s a really balanced, centered individual who consciously sets the time for rest, recharging, and self-care. All important things that are easy to ignore!  In this episode, we talk about filling your cup after being stressed, removing negative habits, and learning to say no. Be sure to listen to this episode a...

Are you dreaming of white sandy beaches and Caribbean getaways? You will be soon. This next guest runs a company that helps you escape the task of not being yourself and gives you a ticket to freedom through self-expression at Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival. This holiday sounds sick. It’s like Mardi Gra but x1000. We talk about being yourself, life in Trinidad, running a business that’s seasonal,...

No Grind, No Glory. Those are the words Bhavik “Baav” Dhanak lives by.  He started a print shop at age 16, and now runs an online and brick-and-mortar custom imprint store!  Baav started watching YouTube videos for screenprinting, then quickly realized he was better off posting content himself. Now, he’s one of the top screen printing YouTubers out! Check out this episode if you’re interested in t...

At 6 years old, a young Chris Joyce sold seeds door to door, which he got from a Spiderman comic book. Fast forward to today, he’s founded 24 companies across: Health High tech Manufacturing Consumer goods His products have sold in 11,000 stores globally and his tech product users are in 148 countries! We discuss how to start a company from scratch, patterns he’s noticed from failed startup founde...

Pouya Haidari trained thousands of entrepreneurs and sales professionals, helping them generate $100M+ in sales.  He has 11 years of experience spanning 7 different industries, and it really shined on this episode. We talk about how he’s built and hired for high-performing sales teams, investing in himself annually, and defining success for his life. We get into a fun conversation about longevity...

As a D3 basketball player, Brandon knew his problem from very early on: Sportswear is boring.  Anyone can come along and slap a logo on a dry-fit tee and make their own brand. To truly separate himself from the pack, he knew he had to differentiate. Big time. So he made his clothes asymmetrical. In this episode, we talk about how he journals every day of his founder journey, hearing feedback on th...

Zach Starin is passionate about empowering people to pursue their passions.  He's a founder of Collectibles Showcase, a vertical SaaS company serving rare collectibles dealers. Think coins, baseball cards, etc. Collectors are wildly passionate about what they’re collecting. Zach’s set out to make that process as efficient and effortless as possible. In this episode, we talk about finding your...

At 20, Michael was the #1 club promoter in LA for his age bracket.  He leveraged his network, club-promoting company, and stand-up comedy skills to star in the 1988 short film The Dirk Diggler Story (which later became Boogie Nights). After that, Michael knew he wanted to make films, but didn’t have the means. So, he made the means. He started a company to fund his movies, and that company has don...

James is the founder and CEO of Cue, Radio.co, Podcast.co, and Matchmaker. FM. We talk about how to manage multiple teams under one roof, how to keep the lines of communication open through remote work, and how to stay focused with so many different brands. He’s a super down-to-earth, hard-working, knowledgeable guy. True founder through and through. My favorite part is towards the end when we tal...

Water makes up 60% of the human body and we can’t go more than 3 days without it. It’s essential for life, yet how we access, process and filter water is based on old (and aging) infrastructure. This infrastructure represents a $trillion$ dollar problem that Riggs sets out to solve with Origin Clear! We talk about what Origin Clear is doing to solve the problem, his upbringing as a “corporate brat...

Everybody hates writing cover letters. This much is true. But nobody hates cover letters more than Jonah Peake. Jonah hates cover letters so much, he created a site that leverages ChatGPT to write them for you. This episode is great for those curious about how to turn an AI idea into a full-fledged product. We also talk about how his habits changed with having a baby, cognitive biases, and trackin...

Seth Erickson is one cool-ass dude. First of all, he runs an agency that helps customers with Design, Branding, and Storytelling. He's really mastered the art of telling stories, including writing a book on the subject called How To Hack Humans. Catchy Title. He is a marketing master who's got some epic hobbies: jiu-jitsu, scuba diving, and more! Oh, and he's also a rave DJ who, back in the 2000's...

What's up, everybody! This episode is different. I interviewed myself.  I did this so the listeners could get to know me better. I answered questions like: why am I doing the show? what am I up to? and, of course, what are my habits and hobbies? I talk about making money from one of my hobbies, my morning and night routines, and I even go through the closing questions at the end! Enjoy my tho...

Steven Pemberton is back! In this episode, we talk about Steven’s pivot and how it impacted his business. We also talk about Steven’s incredible mindset. He’s a very giving and open-minded person. Not because he wants something from others, but out of serving the good of others. It’s hard to come by people like that – and it’s led to great success. If you like mindset shaping, helping others, and...

I live my life with these 5 values: Integrity, Curiosity, Courage, Respect, and Discipline. A set of values acts as your north star. A guiding light during dark times. Kyle Gillette, founder of Blue Collar Business Coaching and author of Sage Leadership, talks about establishing values. He even includes an exercise on how to really test them! We also discuss the difference between habits and goals...

We're all motivated by different things. Some of us by money. Others the fame. One of the most powerful motivators in the world is proving your haters wrong. Even if it's all in your head. In this episode, Stefan and I talk about active listening skills, a growth mindset, and even Cuban salsa dancing! Give it a listen! ----- Show Notes: (03:26) - Podcasting tips (06:20) - Active listening skills l...