The Sean Trace Show

I sat down with Amani Roberts, a fractional artist manager, professional DJ, author, and music professor based in Las Vegas, to unpack the fear, low self-worth, and perfectionism that hold creators back.  We talk about how to build creative courage, why there’s no such thing as overnight success, and how a growth mindset turns every “no” into fuel. Amani shares practical advice on how to monetize...

What happens when your 10-year-old daughter decides your podcast needs a K-pop makeover? You say yes. 😂 In this episode of The Sean Trace Show, Ailani decided I needed a completely different look, and apparently that meant transforming me into a K-pop star. But underneath the ridiculous makeup, this episode became about something much bigger. Life is short. We spend so much time working, planning...

When retired Navy SEAL officer Marty Strong sat down with me, we got into why so many of us wait for a crisis before we start improving ourselves.  Marty has also managed high net worth portfolios, worked in counterterrorism consulting, and served as a CEO, so he brings a rare perspective on leadership under pressure. We talk about the biggest mistakes leaders make when the heat is on and why smar...

I sat down with ultramarathon runner and bestselling author Dean Karnazes, and he completely shifted how I think about motivation, fear, and personal growth.  Dean has run over 300 marathons across all seven continents, and he shared the mindset that keeps him going when everything hurts. We talked about why so many people believe they're too old, too fragile, or too late to chase a big dream...

I sat down with Kelly Leonard, the legendary creative executive behind Second City, the theater that launched Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and Stephen Colbert. We dig into the real origins of "Yes And," tracing it back from a social worker teaching immigrant kids in Chicago all the way to boardrooms and FBI hostage negotiators. Kelly breaks down why our default setting as humans is to say no,...

For a long time, staying busy made me feel like I had control. Five podcasts in a day, constant projects, always working, it felt like I was moving forward. Then I slowed down and realized something uncomfortable: being busy and making progress are not the same thing. And when the work stopped, some of the anxiety I had been outrunning came right back. I’m still figuring this out. For now, the goa...

I’ve always believed that some of the best leadership lessons come from places you wouldn’t expect, and in this conversation, I got to explore that idea with retired deputy fire chief and author Frank Viscuso. We talked about what firefighters can teach us about fear, pressure, teamwork, and leadership and why staying calm in a crisis isn’t simply something you’re born with. Frank explains how tra...

I sat down with retired Navy SEAL senior chief Kris "Herge" Hregdovic, and this conversation cracked me wide open in the best way.  We start with a story about my daughter and a moment on a train in Bangkok that taught me what it really means to fight the good fight  He breaks down why so many men wait until they're completely broken before asking for help. We also get into servant...

I sat down with Rich Keller, a former corporate branding executive who walked away from a thirty-year career on the spot to help people discover their identity in a single word.  Rich breaks down why so many of us stumble when someone asks "tell me about yourself," and how conflating what we do with who we are quietly steals our confidence, our resilience, and our sense of purpose.  We t...

I sat down with naturopath and anti-inflammation expert Cynthia Blancaflor, and this conversation cracked something open for me.  Cynthia grew up watching diabetes and heart disease take her family one by one, until she discovered a deep gut detox technique from a Chinese medicine master that healed her own sciatica in two weeks.  Now she's built a program, Self-Care Blueprint, that's he...

I sat down with Lisa Woodruff, founder of Organize 365 and author of The Paper Solution and Escaping Quicksand, to talk about why so many of us feel exhausted before the day even starts.  We got into the invisible workload that runs every household, the 20 to 40 hours a week it actually takes to keep a family functioning, and why treating your home like a business with real systems changes everyth...

In this episode, I sit down with Glenn Freesman, founder of Digital Speaker Agent and the force behind the Two Hands, Two Meals, Two Lives movement, for a raw conversation about resilience, reinvention, purpose, artificial intelligence, and paying it forward.  Glenn shares how losing nearly everything at 13 pushed him to sell 500,000 soft pretzels, help save his family’s home, and build a lifelong...

I sat down with retired Navy SEAL Thom Shea for a conversation that hit me harder than I expected.  We got into why so many of us quit long before we actually reach our limits, and Thom broke down the four excuses that quietly sabotage every person's potential.  We talked about why practice and repetition matter more than talent, why modern comfort has made us softer without us even realizing...

Today was one of those days where anger completely took over. A project my wife and I had worked on for months got canceled, and I found myself furious, exhausted, and thinking about the absolute worst ways to deal with conflict. Including, apparently, wondering whether dueling people is still legal in 2026. But the more I thought about it, the more I came back to one idea: Anger is fuel. Don’t le...

I sat down with Ann Grady, bestselling author and resilience expert. Ann opens up about raising her son Evan, who lives with autism and severe developmental delays, and how that journey reshaped everything she understands about adaptability.  We dig into the real difference between enduring hardship and actually being resilient, why your brain treats uncertainty like a tiger attack, and how learne...

What happens when you achieve the career, money, and success you thought would make you happy and still feel empty? In this episode of The Sean Trace Show, I sit down with Dr. Karthik Ramanan, a former Wall Street professional turned naturopathic physician and emotional health mentor, to explore the hidden cost of high performance. We talk about his journey from working 12 , 14 , and even 18 hour...

In this episode, I sit down with leadership development expert and Q Works Group CEO Michael “Clegg” Clegg to explore why being busy isn’t the same as being productive. We unpack how unclear priorities, weak boundaries, and the habits we quietly tolerate can drain our energy and keep us trapped in a “default future.” Clegg shares how a devastating accident in 2023 forced him to reassess his life,...

I had no idea how much the vestibular system could affect the way we move, think, react, and navigate everyday life until this conversation with master figure skating coach and vestibular training specialist Sheila Thelen. We talk about the connection between balance, brain health, cognitive performance, reaction time, aging, sports performance, and independence and why Sheila believes these abili...

Communication isn’t something you’re either naturally good or bad at, it’s a skill you can actually train. In this conversation with Jenn Alex, I wanted to understand why communication breaks down so easily, even when everyone involved thinks they’re being clear. We talk about why people say yes when they really mean no, how assumptions create unnecessary mistakes, and why trying to sound smart ca...

I sat down with Jaclyn Wilson, a fifth-generation cattle rancher from the Sand Hills of Western Nebraska.  Jaclyn helps run Flying Diamond Beef, a ranch homesteaded back in 1888, and she broke down why the "simple country life" people romanticize is actually one of the most dangerous and misunderstood professions out there.  We talked about the wild misconceptions people have about Ameri...

In this episode of The Sean Trace Show, I sit down with developmental psychologist Christia Spears Brown to explore how children learn stereotypes, recognize differences, and absorb bias from the world around them. Christia explains that children notice race, gender, skin tone, and appearance much earlier than many parents realize. The real issue is not that kids see differences, but how they begi...

I sat down with strategy and culture expert Jeroen Kraaijenbrink to ask the question that's been on my mind for years: why do so many leaders pretend everything is fine when it's clearly not?  Jeroen calls it the ostrich effect, and he breaks down why organizations have quietly made dishonesty the rational choice.  We get into his PACE framework, purpose, awareness, connection, and energ...

Why do so many successful people achieve everything they thought they wanted and still feel dissatisfied? In this episode of The Sean Trace Show, I sit down with Zen teacher, executive coach, author, and mindful leadership expert Marc Lesser to explore the relationship between mindfulness, business leadership, happiness, and the human mind. Marc shares lessons from spending ten years at the San Fr...

In this episode of The Sean Trace Show, I sit down with speaker and belief disruptor Drenda Thomas Richards to uncover the hidden beliefs and stories that keep us stuck. We explore how subconscious beliefs can influence our confidence, fuel self-sabotage, and make us afraid to pursue change even when we already have the skills to move forward. Drenda explains why fear of judgment often begins in c...

I sat down with Luke Lloyd, founder of Lloyd Financial Group, and this conversation hit way deeper than money.  We got into why so many people feel lost even with more access and connection than ever, and Luke broke down how studying money is really just studying people. We talked about the Roman Empire's economic collapse, Napoleon Hill's philosophy on belief and procrastination, and wh...