The Winning Balance

What happens when a massive $122 million land deal goes completely rogue? In this episode, M&A broker and private equity investor Josh breaks down how a corrupt escrow officer hijacked $26.5 million of his capital, and the high-speed FBI race that recovered it in under 72 hours. We also unpack his 15-year career closing over 200 business acquisitions totaling $400 million, revealing the struct...

What happens when a two-man plumbing operation evolves into an $85 million multi-state trade empire? In this episode, I sit down with Ben Jordan, one of the owners behind Action Plumbing, to dissect the exact moments that took his business from a localized contractor shop to a corporate heavyweight. We pull back the layers on Ben’s absolute masterpiece of personal transformation: shedding an aston...

Tax strategist Madison is on a mission to help high-earners stop funding the government’s crusade and start building their own legacy. In this focused masterclass, Madison breaks down advanced, domain-specific strategies that go far beyond standard depreciation, detailing how custom corporate structures and privately-owned qualified plans can legally protect up to 75% of your active income. In thi...

Are you too heavily exposed to a single asset class? In this solo masterclass, I break down what I’ve learned from spending six figures on my own education to discover how the top 0.01% of investors manage their wealth. I share my personal wake-up call when I realized my own net worth was 97% real estate heavy, prompting me to check my pride, eliminate emotion, and intelligently diversify my portf...

Jaylon Vickers is the founder and CEO of MVP Cleaning, a company on track to hit $2 million in annual revenue by scaling aggressively into the commercial cleaning space. A former walk-on football player at BYU, Jalen applies that same "earn your spot" grit to the business world. In this episode, Jalen shares: The Tech Sales Transition: Why he walked away from a comfortable tech salary to...

Burnout, and the "Dumb Kid" Success Story Joe is more than a veteran of the Utah tech scene—he’s a founder, a father of four, and a marathon runner who recently transformed his life by losing 65 pounds . After serving as a key early employee at Simple Nexus and witnessing its rise to a $1.2 billion valuation , Joe stepped out on his own to found Social Coach . In this episode, Joe shares...

London Lazerson has over 10 million followers and billions of views, but his greatest pivot wasn’t a viral trend—it was an ego death. After reaching the peak of TikTok fame, London realized he was playing a character that didn’t fit his life as a husband and father. In this raw and unfiltered conversation, he joins Tanner to discuss the transition from "viral experiment" to authentic entrepreneurs...

What happens when a multi-million dollar partnership reaches its breaking point? For David and Francisco, it was the catalyst for creating Copa Capital Partners —a hard money lending firm built on the radical idea that ethics and family values should drive every financial decision. In this episode, the team behind one of Utah’s most successful lending platforms pulls back the curtain on building a...

Kelly Thayer is a legendary entrepreneur, storyteller, and "connector" who transformed a 1979 video camera into a multi-million dollar marketing empire. In this episode, Kelly opens up about: • The Scraper Mentality: Being fired for "misusing a phone" to build Utah’s first wedding video business. • Duplicating Millions of video tapes. • The Public Market Crash: Navigating a $14M public company thr...

Joey Webb is more than a successful insurance agency owner—he’s a husband, father of four, and an Ironman finisher who believes that time is our most valuable currency. In this episode, Joey opens up about: Building from zero: The reality of starting a business in a new state with no customers. The "Glass Ball" theory: How to prioritize family and faith when business gets heavy. Facing f...

"Things are never as good as they seem, and they're never as bad as they seem." I’ve respected what Alex Bean has built from the outside looking in for a long time—not just because he co-founded a massive company like Divi, but because of how he’s kept his family at a high regard through it all. In this episode, Alex and I sit down to talk about the "burn the boats" moments...

Jaden Connor is more than a high-achieving real estate investor and realtor—he’s a husband, a new father, and a master of the "lean and mean" business model. After mastering the grit of door-to-door sales, Jaden stepped out on his own to build a seven-figure life centered on ethics and intentionality. In this episode, Jaden shares: • Why true success is about running a lean operation wit...

This episode of The Winning Balance Podcast is a little different — it’s just me. I’ve been hesitant to share this because I know I still have a lot of room to grow… but looking back at how far I’ve come, I realized it would be selfish not to. I went from a failed business and $40,000 in credit card debt to becoming a top 0.5% income earner for my age — and a lot of that came down to three habits...

Mitch Matthews first became known for one of the most iconic catches in BYU football history — but his story goes far beyond the Hail Mary. In this episode of The Winning Balance Podcast, Mitch shares the journey from college football and the NFL to building Flow House, a wellness experience designed to help people tap into flow state through sauna, cold, breathwork, and meditation. In this episod...

David Doty is a former Wall Street finance pro turned Utah operator who’s built a portfolio of restaurants, bakeries, and commercial real estate — all while learning (the hard way) what “balance” really looks like at home. In this episode, David shares: How he went from JP Morgan + Goldman to buying a frozen yogurt shop (two weeks into law school) The real story behind scaling from 1 location to 1...

Jeff Mendez is a business leader, investor, and relentless believer in one core truth: the company is just a platform — you are the asset. In this episode of The Winning Balance Podcast, Jeff breaks down how he built transferable skill sets that allowed him to win across industries, long after any one “stage” was gone. In this episode, Jeff shares: • Why “human life value” is the real advantage —...

Josh Romney joins The Winning Balance Podcast to talk about building real success without losing your family in the process. From Harvard Business School to real estate and mortgage leadership — and raising eight kids — Josh breaks down what “balance” actually looks like when your career is demanding and your priorities are bigger than business. This episode gets practical about entrepreneurship,...

Curtis Marshall has helped build Dental Intelligence into a category-leading platform — and he’s done it while keeping family at the center. In this episode of The Winning Balance Podcast, Tanner Litchfield sits down with Curtis to talk entrepreneurship, leadership, parenting, and why “work-life balance” is the wrong goal. You’ll hear how Dental Intelligence started inside a dental office, the piv...

Most guys chase money and call it success. Parker Vassau built a life around something bigger. In this episode of Winning Balance, Parker shares how door-to-door sales became a vehicle to build real wealth — without sacrificing faith, family, or who you become in the process. From missions and rejection to marriage and long-term vision, this conversation breaks down what an abundant life actually...

What if 2026 is the year your career changes everything? In this conversation, Blake Erickson breaks down what real scale actually means — and why most people confuse it with growth. He shares the origin of scaling.com , why “realistic goals” limit performance, and how exponential goals force better decisions. You’ll hear:• Why scale is about systems and people, not just revenue • How standards an...

Dr. Nicholas Howland is more than a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon — he’s a storyteller, speaker, and host of The Naked Patient podcast. He’s also stepping into new roles as a cast member on Writer’s Island and the author of his upcoming debut, The Atheist’s Prayer. In this episode, Nick shares: Why transformation is about more than just the physical How his patients (and his o...

At just 27, Alex Mashburn has already lived through failures that would make most people quit. Instead, he used them as fuel to build a path in real estate and the wedding venue business. In this episode, Alex opens up about: How early missteps shaped his approach to entrepreneurship The lessons he’s learned buying and operating wedding venues Why persistence and family remain his non-negotiables...

Michael Perry is the founder of The Perry Group, Utah’s #1 real estate team—and the first team in the state to sell over 1,000 homes. Beyond leading the top team, he’s also flipped high-end homes and built a reputation as one of the sharpest voices in real estate. In this episode, Michael opens up about becoming a new father to Scarlett, what that’s done to reshape his perspective on life and busi...

Ben Kjar was born with Crouzon’s syndrome, but instead of letting life define him, he became Utah Valley University’s first NCAA Division 1 Wrestling All-American, an international speaker, and a powerhouse real estate investor with nearly 100 multifamily rentals and multiple storage complexes. In this episode, Ben shares how he turned obstacles into a platform, the story behind adopting three chi...

Dillan Lewis is the founder of Summit Home Loans, one of Utah’s biggest mortgage and finance brokerages. He’s an expert in financing both residential and commercial real estate and is deeply passionate about building a powerful network. But behind the success is a dad of three who lives for time with his family. In this episode, Dillan shares why bold leaps matter more than perfect timing, how his...