The Playhard Podcast

Are you a man but don’t feel like a man because you feel feelings? Feels silly, huh? Well, men struggle to face their feelings and mental health issues head-on. Instead, men tend to bottle them up and save ‘em for “later.” It gets frustrating, exhausting, and leads to severe mental health problems! No bueno. In this episode, our guest Will Doerr gets open about his own struggles with mental health...

If there were one productivity tip I wish everyone could learn, it would be this: getting in the flow state outside of work helps you get in the flow state during work. As Milena puts it, “flow drives more flow.” Milena is the founder of Unhustle, a company that helps clients achieve a LifeWorkPlay balance. Her company has raving reviews from: * Julie Zhou * Adam Weber * Arianna Huffington * and m...

This episode taught me something I once thought to be impossible. How to play video games with healthy limits. Jubal Horton is a Playhard Jedi master or something. Maybe it’s got to do with him coaching healthy lifestyles for a living. We cover the whole arena of work hard//play hard topics:      Panikk Attacks      Is working out a hobby?  &n...

I’m actually kinda mad at Josh rn. Because of him, I spent way too much money on my tea setup. Kidding. Not really, but I’m also not mad - tea is the best! In episode #19 with Josh, we discussed his 7-figure exit and nomadic lifestyle. Now, we go into more habits, hobbies, and mental health. Josh is well-researched in supplements and the art of mindfully making tea. If you're interested in supplem...

Kwaku Farkye has been a part of multiple startups, an accelerator program, and even helped a company get acquired by a $20B giant. As CTO, he’s got a wealth of technical and business knowledge. He joins me today to talk about Navi, his latest venture that connects startup coaches and mentors with founders. We talk about challenges faced by developers, finding mentors for your business, and serendi...

The competitive mind tells us, “there’s so much stuff I NEED to be doing right now” and it leaves you feeling guilty when resting. Jorge Garcia is familiar with this voice. It’s led him to a lot of success. Also, a lot of guilt. In this episode, we talk about healthy ways to handle that guilt, and the different definitions of excellence. This episode is awesome – especially as a fellow Hispanic –...

Stanford sociologist, Michael Rosenfeld, found the #1-way couples meet today is online dating. Koen Geron is riding the wave of this cultural shift like Cody in Surf's Up. Koen is the founder of Hovalo, an outsourced online dating platform. Hovalo manages your profile, matches, and even messaging! We talk about reframing to handle objections, how to block out distractions, and — you guessed it — d...

At age 23, Mark Drager started an ad agency. With 0 experience he went all in. Aaand, it didn’t go well. At first… Fast-forward 15 years, Mark does branding for countless startups, speakers, and coaches — with some big names! In this episode, Mark talks about the easiest type of business to start. He gives me a lesson in branding the podcast, and we even talk business lessons from The Beatles! Thi...

Jeremy Nagel has a bad bad habit — he checks his email first thing in the morning. The man can't stop. He tried everything from app/site blockers to having his wife slap him in the face every morning he was on email. It didn't work. So, he created focusbear.io: the ultimate focus and habit-tracking app. In this episode, we go over Jeremy's 3 companies and the 1 he sold earlier this year. We talk a...

Zach Frantz’s company, Wildland Coffee, makes coffee in a tea bag. Overlanders, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts love coffee but find their usual outdoor coffee methods inconvenient (and heavy). As a lover of the great outdoors, Zach is solving a problem close to him. We talk about narrowing a target audience, competing in the coffee industry, and thinking you know what people want. If you’re inte...

Back in 2013, Kevan sold his first company. They had 20 employees, full manufacturing and distribution warehouses in the US, and were a hit nationwide. He’d barely gotten out of college. Some people are just born for this, and Kevan Sadigh is one of them. In this episode, we talk about his lessons learned from growing both clothing and SaaS based businesses, express some distaste for grind/hustle...

Ben Heymann holds the record for the most random morning routine ever — it involves sharp rocks, no lights, and a jacuzzi. Ben was a Founder at Altitude before selling his soul to the corporate world to learn sales. We talk about his first company (which is questionable for a 16-year-old), starting your day right, and a hobby that’s just as wild as Ben. We also talk about how to find the routine t...

In 2014, while working on a superyacht, Tom sailed past a horrific sight that would change his life — a plastic berg.  Plastic bergs are “icebergs” made of trash. Massive mountains — often miles long — of floating plastic in the middle of the ocean. Gross! Today, Tom Jackson is the CEO and Founder of Honest Ocean, a startup devoted to changing the flow of ocean plastic waste. In this episode,...

Have you tried acid? Some people listen to Hendrix, others play in the woods. This next guest took acid and watched 8 hours of TED talks, inspiring him to host a TEDx event. Luis Gustavo Flores is a Founder, and fellow podcast host. We get into some wild topics, like the acid trip that led to a TEDx event, why it’s not wise to group Latin America together as a whole, and buying a plane. ----- Show...

OK, Boomer! Remember when that was a thing? In this episode, we get into the generational gaps in the workplace, smashing corporate traditions, and why people leave companies. Today’s guest is Ken Schmitt, a Practical Optimist, and the Founder of Turning Point Recruiting Company. Ken has 25+ years of experience as a recruiter and 15+ years as a Founder. This episode is great for people looking to...

This guest and I have known each other since middle school, so you're either going to love or hate the episode. I'm ok with that. Darren Asaro is an App Developer, Business Builder, and Indie Hacker. Darren talks about creating an app that gets 50k downloads per day, having copycats steal his style, and being unimpressive at music. Maybe you should code something for that…  ;) Enjoy! DIS...

Steve’s coolness can be boiled down to this one quote from the show: “Surfing is so much better than not surfing.” He went to college to be a middle school history teacher but that doesn’t pay. So, he became a CEO instead. Pretty natural transition if you ask me. Business owner, CEO, and “World's Greatest Dad”, Steve Walker talks about life as the youngest of 4 brothers, unleashing the monster wit...

Want to hear bad advice? “Spend your whole life getting good at one thing.” If you’re like me, you value variety in skills and experiences. This advice feels you’re doing life wrong. Today’s guest, Noah Scott, is here to show you it can be a beautiful path! Noah started selling soap and went on to create a fashion line, complete with a fashion show. Then he opened the #1 short-film studio in LA. A...

Breaking the Law: a great ‘80s song but a horrible business practice. Charles Brecque (@charlesbrecque) is the Founder and CEO of Legislate, an end-to-end contract management platform that creates lawyer-approved contracts without the need for a legal team. No more operating without contracts in place because they, “take too long to get done.” We talk about fundraising and hiring, building a safet...

This guest wore a suit and bow tie while I wore a hat and t-shirt. Guess who's a professional in public image. Armand Uno (@thenameisuno) sits down with Master of Media and Prince of PR, Tom Garrity (@tom_garrity) to talk about PR strategies, winning an Emmy, and working with UFO encounter groups. ----- Show Notes: (12:25) - The 4 different audiences in a crisis (16:12) - PR tips for bootstrapping...

Even the best motorcyclists crash. Same goes for Founders. This next guest explains, beautifully, his crashes and how he bounces back! Armand Uno (@thenameisuno) sits down with Founder and Motocross Menace, Charles (Carlos) Fry to talk about efficiency hacks, the most important metric to track, and some extra-spicy parts of being a Founder. ----- Show Notes: (09:50) - Successful vs Unsuccessful Fo...

Ah yes, the question we love to ask, “What is happiness?” I’ll tell you what it’s not… getting what you want. Armand Uno (@thenameisuno) sits down with Founder and Adventurer, Josh Boone, to talk about imposter syndrome, the pitfalls of high expectations, and romanticizing degenerate habits. Oh, and the secret to happiness (hint: it's not working your @ss off). ----- Show Notes: (07:10) - Impostor...

We humans have 3 deep core desires that are always on our minds, whether you think about ‘em or not. Armand Uno (@thenameisuno) sits down with Founder and Psychologist turned Marketer, Ibrahim Omar to talk about finding your purpose, intentional actions, and how those 3 desires impact all of our decisions. Give it a listen! ----- Show Notes: (06:10) - Consistency and why it works (12:30) - Life ha...

Hold on to your popcorn, Listener. In fact... get rid of it. Throw that buttery badness away. Armand Uno (@thenameisuno) sits down with Founder and fitness coach David Hernandez to talk about his quest to end obesity by stopping stress eating. We cover topics ranging from your relationship with food, narrow encounters with death, and the clever (not) nicknames you get growing up as a Hispanic kid....

Armand Uno (@thenameisuno) sits down with 2x business owner Jenna Zeng to talk about accidentally becoming an entrepreneur (twice), the right way to fail, and her glory days as a gym membership canvasser. Jenna had a newborn RIGHT as she started her second company, StaffNet. She is a “quitter by nature” but taught herself to have a fighter's mindset. In the show, we talk about how you can stop qui...