Episodes

Fans of #thePOZcast, this is one you have all been waiting for! Gary Vaynerchuk is the CEO of VaynerMedia, five-time New York Times best-selling author, and one of the most defining personalities in the world of entrepreneurship of our time. Gary also happens to hold the spot as one of the most significant catalysts in host Adam Posner’s life. Who, after he was fired from Vayner, led him in the direction of Recruiting and eventually founding NHP Talent and #thePOZcast. This was a special, full-circle episode for the host Adam, and he hopes that those of you that have been fired in the past or have fallen on hard times can take Gary’s words and my progress since my days at Vayner 6 years ago to heart and use it as a motivation to harness your own inner tenacity to drive your life and career forward. Thanks Gary! This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: Gary’s POV on how others can find their own self-awareness. Failure is not finite, especially in your career. Gary “does not play the Glassd…

Randall and Kris are the cofounders of Dugout Mugs®, an officially licensed Major League Baseball bat-themed mug, and accessory company. Randall played in the minor leagues for the Toronto Blue Jays before getting cut from the team and deciding to launch his own company. When he began to create the first Dugout Mug, he knew Kris was the perfect person to launch the business with. Prior to Dugout Mugs, Kris found success in numerous verticals, including real estate, apparel, hard goods, affiliate marketing, strategic partnerships, and more. His specialty is rooted in eCommerce and social media where he’s managed to surpass $40 million dollars in sales online. Together, they’ve created the flagship brand that is Dugout Mugs, with products showcased by some of the most prestigious organizations in the baseball industry. This Episode’s Heavy-hitters: - Kris and Randall take pride in being themselves at all times. Whether it’s on the podcast, grabbing a beer, or speaking on stage, t…

Patrick Montgomery is a combat veteran and founder of the Kansas City Cattle Company, a veteran-owned and operated family business dedicated to producing the finest, USDA-certified hormone-free Wagyu beef. Patrick founded the company in honor of his brother-in-law, also a First Ranger Battalion member, who was killed in action in 2011. Patrick decided not to let the tragic loss become a crutch for inaction and destructive behavior, but rather to serve as motivation to build a dream-worthy of his memory. With the beef shortages caused by the pandemic combined with the recent increase in education around Wagyu beef amongst the average consumer, Patrick and KCCC have hit the ground running with some of the best beef money can buy. This Episode’s Heavy-hitters: - After Patrick went back to school for Animal Science, he interviewed for a security consulting company. When he asked them what they did on the day-to-day and they answered “convince corporate we’re worth paying for” he knew th…

Andrew Parker is the Founder and CEO of Papa, the first and only curated platform of companionship and clinical care for older adults and families. Prior to Papa, Andrew worked as Vice President of Health Systems at MDLive. He was there from the time when there were only around 15 employees and was able to help grow the company to hundreds of employees. Founded in 2017 in Miami, FL, Papa is now available in all 50 states. Papa experienced significant growth in 2021, growing 600% year-over-year. This Episode’s Heavy-hitters: - Andrew and his cofounder personally vetted the first thousand “pals” (the employees assigned to older adults) to be sure that they were the right fit for the job, beyond just the background checks and standard screenings. - Before he left his job at MDLive, Andrew had 10 families using Papa, which helped him build a proof of concept and feel confident when he started building Papa full time. - Andrew credits a great deal of his success to his optimism and d…

Excited to share this installment of the live #thePOZcast, recorded on April 16, 2021. In this series of live-recorded episodes, I introduce you to incredible people from my network. unpack their careers and dig into what value they bring. Joining me on this episode: Dr. Jonathan Fisher: Healing the heart of healthcare, Cardiologist, Mindfulness, Heartfulness & Happiness Facilitator Courtney Seard: Performance Coach & Mindset & Leadership Trainer Justin Roethlingshoefer: Enhancing Conscious Leaders Through Sleep And Energy Transformation - From The NHL to Global Company Enhancer Watch the live video here: https://youtu.be/-bte-y0fNsQ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review/ rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast #thePOZcast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller – the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiters and sellers. Whether you’re doubling down on business development or recruiting talent, Interseller does all the heavy lifting of fin…

(Part 2) To listen to part one: https://thepozcast.com/michael-loeb-a-masterclass-redefining-venture-capital-helping-startups-become-billion-dollar-businesses/ In this special two-part episode of The POZCast, Michael Loeb, Founder & CEO of Loeb.NYC and I cover a ton of ground, focused on what it means to leave a legacy. Michael started his career following his father Marshall Loeb’s footsteps, who was a renowned journalist and editor at Time magazine. Michael favored the business side of the publication and was known as the “launch boy” within the company. Michael had some early successes, helping conceive fun and intriguing products like the football phone, as well as spearheading the growth and reputation of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. After a failed launch attempt with a new periodical section, and after trying to start a different venture within TIME Inc. Michael was shown the door. This began the era of what Michael calls “the most expensive rehire in history.” Mi…

In this special two part episode of The POZCast, Michael Loeb, Founder & CEO of Loeb.NYC and I cover a ton of ground, focused on what it means to leave a legacy. Michael started his career following his father Marshall Loeb’s footsteps, who was a renowned journalist and editor at Time magazine. Michael favored the business side of the publication, and was known as the “launch boy” within the company. Michael had some early successes, helping conceive fun and intriguing products like the football phone, as well as spearheading the growth and reputation of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. After a failed launch attempt with a new periodical section, and after trying to start a different venture within TIME Inc. Michael was shown the door. This began the era of what Michael calls “the most expensive rehire in history.” Michael would end up continuing to build the idea he had at TIME outside of the company, and ended up building a credit card subscription business called Synapse. …

Matt Randall (CEO) and Maria Goy (COO) are the co-founders of Life by Spot, the tech startup offering a subscription, on-demand injury insurance that protects everyone from athletes and adventurers to families at home. Matt is a seasoned and experienced serial entrepreneur with over 15 years in the startup, ventured-back space, and started his first company at the age of 16. Maria brings a wealth of insurance knowledge and global market perspective to Spot, where she leads operations, strategic product and platform development, and carrier partnerships. Together, these two entrepreneurs have skill sets that bring the perfect balance of risk-taking, organization, and heart to disrupt the world of insurance. They hope to make it a more affordable and honest business and industry, where people can begin to live their life to the fullest, without worrying about unexpected and hefty medical bills. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: - “I have the fondest respect for people that never…

Chrisa Zindros is the Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Executive Coach at the Handel Group®. Through an in-depth process, she helps her clients mitigate bad habits and re-balance their priorities. Throughout her career, Chrisa has worked on building brands and creating business driving initiatives that have positively impacted sales, profit, and employee retention for large and small companies.  Now, as Chief Strategy Officer for Handel Group, Chrisa works closely with leaders from  all divisions to ensure that HG is optimally growing and scaling as a company. Her roster of clients include an international group of serial entrepreneurs, perennial corporate executives, and established individual contributors that hail from  a broad range of sectors including Finance, Entertainment, Fashion, Technology, Nonprofit and Government.   This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: - “The same things that were holding me up at work were holding me up in my personal life” Chrisa reflects on her realizatio…

Please check out a past favorite of mine from 2019, with Jason Wang. I met Jason via Defy Ventures, an in-prison entrepreneurship program that I support. They help current and formerly incarcerated men and women earn a second chance. Jason is incredible and I am confident that you will love his story- check it out ! Thanks Super pumped to introduce my guest today Jason Wang. I first met Jason about a year ago through my work with Defy Ventures. And for those who do not know, Defy is an in-prison program where incarcerated men and women take part in a University-accredited program on well-being, entrepreneurship training, personal development, mentoring, business incubation, financing opportunities, and network development. We will get more to that story in a bit. Jason is a born entrepreneur. At the age of 8, he would buy a box of 300 fortune cookies from his dad’s restaurant for $7 and sell them at school for .25 cents each. He quickly became the “Fortune Cookie King” to his fellow …

Laura Gassner Otting is a professional motivational keynote speaker and Washington Post best selling author. Laura’s 25-year resume is defined by her entrepreneurial edge. She served as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, helping shape AmeriCorps; left a leadership role at respected nonprofit search firm, Isaacson, Miller, to expand the startup ExecSearches.com. She founded and ran the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, which partnered with the full gamut of mission-driven nonprofit executives, from start-up dreamers to scaling social entrepreneurs to global philanthropists. She is the author of Mission-Driven, a book for those moving from profit to purpose. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: - Laura became a member of Bill Clinton’s campaign after she realized law school wasn’t for her. - She dropped out, and then “did what everyone does when they’re in a bad position in life” and “dated a guy that was awful.” Thankfully, this awful guy introduced her to an e…

BEST OF #thePOZcast E48: Max Stossel. I am extremely excited to introduce my guest today Max Stossel. He is an award-winning poet + filmmaker named by Forbes as one of the best storytellers of the year. I had the privilege to experience his poetry first hand this past summer in our sacred space in Vermont to kick off our annual summer outing. His energy and flow and message hit deep inside. My fire was lit. For those of you unfamiliar with Max, his performances across five continents, from Lincoln Center in NY to the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, have been described as mind expanding, profound, emotive, and hilarious all at once. His work has been translated into fourteen languages, won multiple film festivals, and has been viewed over 20 million times online. If you haven't checked them out IDK what you are waiting for. Max Stossel is also the Head of Education for the Center for Humane Technology, an organization of former tech insiders and CEOs dedicated to realigning technolog…

George Hammer, Chief Content Officer of IBM, is a marketing leader at the intersection of data and creativity. Prior to joining IBM, George was the SVP of Content at Digitas where he oversaw campaigns for clients such as Accenture, HP, GE, LEGO and American Express. He also worked at Discovery Channel where he led the brand's content efforts for its digital channels. He spent the earlier part of his career launching a new media startup and working in agencies as well as consulting. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: - George practiced Improv Comedy early in his life so he could better connect with people, as he moved schools a lot. Now, he uses it in his career as a warmup to team meetings and to help with content creation. - A lot of consulting is about applying something that works in one industry and seeing how it can add value being applied in another. - One of the best things George learned doing Improv was to not be embarrassed-- and it has helped him feel comfortable trying, and…

Mark McNally is a serial entrepreneur with a broad base of experience scaling companies from startup through multinational establishment. Mark’s first startup went public on the Nasdaq at the age of 24 reaching around a $4 billion market cap as the 3rd most successful IPO of 1999. Mark’s journey has crossed 14 startups that have raised over $300 million and has seen over $5 billion in exits. These startups pioneered their days from machine learning and e-commerce to healthcare and consumer products. Now, Mark is the Founder and Chief Nobody @ Nobody Studios, where he’s taking his experience building companies to usher in a new era of innovation and growth. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: - During the IPO of 1999, Mark learned a lot about leadership in startup and investment culture. He witnessed first-hand how the chaotic nature of the dot-com bubble led good people to make bad decisions, and was the most senior member of his company that was not charged with stock fraud or any o…

“Never give up. Never quit.” Retired United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne is a recalibrated warrior, motivational speaker, actor, author and an advocate for veterans and amputees. Despite losing portions of both arms and legs from an IED while on active duty in Afghanistan, Travis continues to overcome life’s challenges, breaking physical barriers and defying odds. In September 2013, Travis and his wife Kelsey founded the Travis Mills Foundation, a nonprofit organization, formed to benefit and assist post 9/11 veterans who have been injured in active duty or as a result of their service to our nation. The Travis Mills Group LLC was started shortly after, where Travis consults with and speaks to companies and organizations nationwide inspiring all to overcome life’s challenges and adversity. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: - In those immediate moments after Travis was critically injured by the explosion of an IED, he tried again and again to refuse me…

Bert Miller currently serves as Chairman of Protis Global, ace Talent Curators, President/CEO of MRINetwork, as well as co-founder of BCC co., a digital consultancy. Bert’s expertise in search and recruitment dates back to 1995, when he co-founded Protis Global, an award-winning search and recruitment firm specializing in the F&B, CPG, Cannabis, and Hospitality industries. Protis Global has built some of the most iconic brands in the CPG space, generating over $75M in permanent placement fees. Bert is an active speaker, mentor, advisor, and investor. He hosts the MRINetwork Podcast and his video podcast series, Beyond the Bottom Line. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: - Bert’s company, Protis Global, was started with money that Bert got from calling in cash advances on his credit cards. - Don’t touch things twice. Bert learned early on in life from simple tasks like roofing with his father that efficiency is key in doing a job and saving the valuable asset that is time. - Not all gro…

Tara Wells is an Emmy-winning producer, writer, entrepreneur and cannabis industry pioneer who brings more than a decade of experience working on the frontlines in the cannabis space. She is one of the first female founders in the cannabis sector and specializes in premium online shopping, cannabis delivery and cannabis lifestyle brands. In 2011, Wells co-founded Ganja Goddess, a curated-online cannabis delivery service in California. Tara was awarded a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Competition Program for her work on CBS’s The Amazing Race and remains an avid advocate for women entrepreneurs in the cannabis space. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: - Tara got into the Cannabis industry after she decided to add some cannabis plants to her tomato garden. She started making tinctures and brownies-- and was convinced by a dispensary owner she met at Burning Man to start selling her edibles at his shop. - Another one of the most powerful experiences Tara had with Cannabis was watchi…

Chukky Okobi is an 8 year veteran of the National Football League and a Super Bowl winning champion with his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Today he’s an emotional intelligence and integrative psychology professional, using his psychology expertise not only as a Keynote & Motivational speaker, but mainly as a mental performance coach for venture capitalists, startup founders, entrepreneurs, and current/former pro athletes. Chukky Okobi has the personal experience to guide other ambitious corporate leaders to recognize that Success is Simple...if you know the Basic Instructions of Mind Mastery. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: - Chukky made the decision he was “going pro” at age 7-- he just didn’t know what sport he would go pro in until he played football at age 13 and decided it was “way easier than it looked on TV.” - Chukky’s dad didn’t know he played football until he was in college and his mother was so busy she barely had time to notice either. - Chukky had to seek out and “col…

Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, a global partner marketing agency and the recipient of numerous industry and company culture awards, including Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards two years in a row. He is the author of the global bestselling book “Performance Partnerships” and the WSJ & USA Today Bestseller, “Elevate.” His newest book “Friday Forward” is based on learnings from his highly successful newsletter, and is in stores now. Check it out! https://www.amazon.com/Elevate-Beyond-Limits-Success-Yourself/dp/1492691488 . This Episode’s Heavy-Hitter’s: - Robert started out as a pretty risk-averse person earlier in his career-- which led him to launch Acceleration Partners to hedge some of that risk while still remaining part of startup culture. - Figuring out his core values was central to Robert’s life and career. The experience was so powerful that he decided to make a course that helped others enact that same change in their lives. - A big part o…

Karson Humiston is the Founder & CEO of Vangst, the cannabis industry’s recruiting platform. Since launching in 2016, Vangst has connected thousands of people with jobs at leading cannabis businesses around the world. Karson was featured on the 2018 Forbes 30 under 30 list and Vangst was featured in Entrepreneur’s 100 Brilliant Companies of 2018. Prior to founding Vangst, Karson founded On Track Adventures, a student travel organization based out of St. Lawrence University. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitter’s: - The idea for Vangst hit Karson at a canna-conference, where she started printing business cards under the company’s first name, Gradujana. - When she started recruiting for Vangst, Karson actually went through the interviewing process at a recruitment firm and recruited the person interviewing her to work for Vangst.Cannabis sales soared during the pandemic, and it seems like the industry is recession proof. - Entrepreneurship started early for Karson-- she ran a golf ball cleaning…

Zach Nadler is the Co-Founder and CEO of VaynerSpeakers, which is a disruptive speakers bureau built to deliver impactful speakers that inspire audiences. VaynerSpeakers was founded alongside Gary Vaynerchuk and they have built a selective roster of premiere industry talent. Prior to VaynerSpeakers, Gary was one of Zach’s many clients at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) where he represented prestigious talent including the likes of Grammy award winning musicians, CEO’s of fortune 500 companies, even Presidents and Nobel Peace Prize recipients. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: - We all missed out on what would’ve surely been a great moment-- a speaking engagement where Gary Vee was slated to speak at the same event as Tom Brady, but was derailed by COVID. - Zach doesn’t often get star-struck, but when he does he drops his phone at the bank after getting a voicemail from Bo Jackson. - A HUGE part of being a speaking agent is picking the right fit between speaker and audience, and the same g…

Jerome Ternynck is a recognized leader in the recruiting technology industry. He has had three successful exits over 30 years of building global businesses and award-winning software, including SmartRecruiters. As an entrepreneur with his heart in recruiting and soul in technology, Jerome is on a mission to connect people to jobs at scale. He argues that the ability to hire exceptional talent is the true sustainable differentiator for any business to compete, especially when nearly 80% of CEOs see hiring for key skills as their major threat. He wrote bestseller Hiring Success to pack decades of experience working with high growth and Fortune 500 companies into actionable insights forCEOs to compete for the best talent. Jerome currently serves as Founder and CEO of Silicon Valley-based SmartRecruiters, a global talent acquisition suite rated as the most strategic provider by industry analysts. He dedicates personal time to connecting people with jobs as well, having started the Rev…

Amit Pandhi is the CEO of Velocity Snack Brands (VSB), a data and digital driven better-for-you snacking platform that seeks to acquire, incubate and grow a portfolio of iconic brands in the salty snacks, sweets and nutrition bar category. VSB’s first acquisition was Popchips, one the leading better for you snack brands in North America. Prior to joining VSB, Pandhi served as President and CEO of Arctic Zero, a low-calorie ice cream, bootstrapping the brand from inception to being in over 18,000 doors. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: - Amit’s long haul of bootstrapping Arctic Zero eventually led to him being able to exit via an acquisition of the brand, which gives him a unique insight into acquiring other snack brands now through VSB. - Amit doesn’t play favorites but still lets us in on what his favorite snacks are right now in the VSB portfolio. - Breaking down the fundraising game, Amit explains his perspective that once you get into fundraising, your focus is on that more so th…

John & Jessica Waller are the husband and wife team behind Humble Nut Butter, a line of distinctly different savory spreads made with premium-quality simple ingredients. The two met when they each moved to Chicago and eventually would start Humble Nut Butter in Minneapolis. Before that, John worked for companies like Groupon and Intellegentsia Coffee, while Jessica spent her early career in marketing and development roles in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: - Humble Nut Butter was born out of a personal need; Jessica started experimenting with her own nut butter recipes after being bored of the options on the marketplace. - Though the product idea came from Jessica, John took a risk in leaving his job that met her idea for a product, enabling them to grow the business together.Work-life balance is tough and tends to blend together; but it’s also giving John and Jessica’s kids a look into their family business. - Jessica and John are based just fi…