Founder's Story

Daniel Robbins interviews Dr. Jennifer Posa, former Chief Wellbeing Officer of the CIA, on what resilience really means inside high performing organizations. She explains why wellbeing is not “wellness,” how leaders can use data to treat culture as a performance strategy, and why the human machine partnership will define the next era of work. Dr. Posa also shares the leadership behaviors she saw in the best executives, including self awareness, judgment, and a bias for smart action, plus the simple moments that build trust fast.

Daniel Robbins sits down with CBS News contributor and Do Good Crew founder David Begnaud to explore how storytelling can become real world action. David shares the teacher who changed his life with one question, how covering Hurricane Maria reshaped his view of journalism, and why he left the disaster cycle to build a mission driven media company focused on shared humanity. They also unpack why trust is becoming the most valuable asset in an AI era and how vulnerability is the storytelling advantage most people avoid

Daniel Robbins sits down with Thomas Aronica, founder and CEO of Biller Genie, to unpack how a decade of hearing “why do I have to do the work twice” turned into a fintech that automates accounts receivable for businesses. Thomas shares how the idea sparked from years building payments infrastructure for software companies and seeing SMBs struggle to connect payments to QuickBooks. They also dive into the brutal founder moments behind the scenes, including raising money right as COVID hit and being 90 minutes from not making payroll before an investment landed.

Daniel Robbins talks with creator Gabriel DeSanti, who’s building the world’s longest resume by job shadowing real workers and documenting what careers actually look like. Gabriel shares the most intense job he’s done, cleaning a hoarding apartment in a hazmat suit while roaches fell from the ceiling, and explains why the series is really about the people behind the work. They also break down how he built his voice after a decade of experimentation, why brand deal income is a roller coaster, and how his new startup Staj turns job shadowing into a marketplace so anyone can test a career before committing years to it.

Daniel Robbins interviews British fashion designer Georgie Crossley, founder of GeeGee Collection, on how she bootstrapped a handmade womenswear brand during COVID using Instagram promotions, friends as models, and relentless obsession with craft. Georgie explains why fast fashion pushed her toward traditional artisanship, how physical retail creates a deeper customer connection than e commerce, and why she has chosen slow growth over outside funding so she can protect quality, individuality, and control of the brand’s direction.

Daniel Robbins sits down with bestselling author Nir Eyal to unpack why limiting beliefs feel like facts and how they quietly drive anxiety, procrastination, and self sabotage. Nir explains the difference between facts, faith, and beliefs, why the brain is wired for safety not flourishing, and how labels can become limits that shape behavior and even biology. They walk through Daniel’s real time spiral around business uncertainty, and Nir teaches a practical method to catch the fear early and replace it with a more useful belief tool.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Alex Blackwood, co founder and CEO of mogul, to unpack how fractional residential real estate investing is opening the institutional playbook to everyday investors. Alex explains why AI cannot magically “find deals” when the best real estate data is gated and messy, but why agentic workflows can compress closing operations from twenty hours a week to thirty minutes. They also dive into looming wealth transfer, supply constraints, and why mogul positions itself as a transparent, high conviction platform where investors can buy shares in homes, earn dividends, and participate in appreciation.

Daniel Robbins sits down with David Walsh, founder and CEO of Limelight, to break down the rise of B2B creator partnerships and why LinkedIn is becoming the highest leverage channel for founders and brands. David shares how building in public drove roughly 90 percent of Limelight’s revenue, why most creators price wrong because LinkedIn is still the wild west, and what brands actually want from creators right now. They also go deep on marketplace cold start, why top of funnel storytelling matters more than selling, and how Limelight aims to become the system of record for B2B creator programs.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Kandace Swaisland to challenge the most common entrepreneurship myth: that scaling means growing as fast as possible. Kandace argues scaling really means doing more with less, and that sustainable growth is about credibility, systems, and readiness for the barriers that show up later, especially compliance and governance requirements. The conversation dives into why digital transformation fails when companies skip strategy and process mapping, why software amplifies chaos, and how Kandace helps small to mid-sized businesses break through structural and compliance barriers to win enterprise clients and larger contracts.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Deepali Vyas to unpack why “performance problems” are often fit problems, and why the most dangerous leader is the “almost right” one. Deepali breaks down talent market fit as the alignment between a person’s wiring and a company’s stage, pressure, and reality, not the résumé or big brand logo. They also go deep on the future of work, from portfolio careers and fractional leadership to why most companies are skipping the ROI layer of AI adoption and will likely overhire after they overcut.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Dr. Bryce Appelbaum to unpack a performance lever most people ignore: the eye brain connection. Dr. Bryce explains that vision is not just about seeing letters on a chart, it is how the brain processes focus, tracking, and convergence, and it impacts reading, sports, productivity, and even sleep. He shares practical habits and exercises you can start immediately, including a near far focus drill to delay bifocals, plus how ScreenFit helps people reduce symptoms from heavy screen use.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Martin Jensen and John Ramos to break down what prop firms are, why they’re exploding, and what most traders get wrong when they choose one. Martin explains Prop Firm Match as a vetted comparison platform designed to protect traders from the worst-case scenario: earning a payout and not getting paid. John adds the trader’s view of prop firms as a lower-barrier path to leverage skill without risking large personal capital, while the founders share how they built trust through objective metrics and nearly ten thousand verified reviews.

Daniel Robbins interviews Leah Solivan about building TaskRabbit through the Great Recession, helping shape the gig economy, and navigating the emotional and operational reality of selling a company to IKEA. Leah also shares her perspective as a founder turned investor on VC incentives, fundraising dynamics, and what it takes to build category defining companies that ride real inflection points.

Daniel Robbins talks with Mandy Morris about why emotional intelligence is misunderstood and why most high achievers are trying to think their way out of a problem happening in their bodies. Mandy explains that we are feeling beings that think, and that burnout is often a nervous system and belief system issue, not a lack of hacks or discipline. She also shares practical resets from the transcript, including body scans, breath patterns, and bilateral stimulation, plus the story behind building the soFree app to help people shift out of fight or flight in under two minutes.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Bob Nienaber, founder and CEO of BenefitRFP, to break down what founders and executives misunderstand most about retirement, taxes, and executive compensation. Bob argues that the biggest threat to long term wealth is not income, it is taxes, and he shares how pre tax saving, smarter distribution planning, and properly structured plans can dramatically change outcomes. The conversation also explores why nonqualified plans exist, when smaller companies should consider them, why “cheap” phantom stock often backfires, and what Bob learned from exiting businesses.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Wombi Rose, the co founder and CEO of Lovepop, to unpack how a naval architect turned paper engineering into a company built on human connection. Wombi shares the exact moments from the transcript that changed everything, from testing cards in Boston Public Garden to a single customer story that revealed Lovepop was not paper, it was emotion. He also walks through the Shark Tank experience, the million dollar sales surge, and why physical, meaningful relationships may matter even more as AI and social media reshape how people connect.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Stephen Fishbach to unpack what reality TV contestants are actually chasing and why “jungle reality” like Survivor is its own psychological universe. Stephen explains that the experience is real, but producers are expert storytellers who shape chaos into a three act narrative without writing a script. They also dive into Escape! his new novel, which explores what happens when someone tries to reclaim past glory and fights for control of their own story.

Daniel Robbins sits down with Jake Chapman of Marque Ventures to explore how venture capital, geopolitics, and national security now collide. Drawing from the transcript, Jake explains why investing in defense tech is really about predicting where the world is headed, not just reacting to today’s conflicts. The conversation also spans founder mistakes, the realities of selling into national security, the rise of the space economy, and why some of the smartest entrepreneurs may be veterans building with first hand experience.

Daniel Robbins talks with Steven Lovett about the hidden gap between operational excellence and true strategic thinking. Drawing from the transcript, Steven argues that many leaders are trapped by efficiency, optimization, and legacy systems that keep them focused on today instead of tomorrow. He explains why the first step toward strategic intelligence is often a disruptive one: deconstruct the current model, challenge the calendar, and rebuild how decisions get made.

Daniel Robbins sits down with John Glaser for a wide ranging conversation on rebellion, reinvention, leadership, and a life built far outside the conventional path. Drawing directly from the transcript, John reflects on getting expelled from high school, hitchhiking from Alaska to Panama, going to clown school, and eventually becoming a leading voice in digital health and an executive in residence at Harvard Medical School. The episode becomes a deeper meditation on love, family, courage, meaningful work, and why the journey itself matters more than the applause at the end.

Daniel Robbins speaks with Hervé de Malliard, the builder behind Maison MGA, about what China taught him firsthand in the 1990s: clear vision and “Speedy Gonzales” execution. Hervé explains TechBio as the shift from mass biotech production to engineered, personalized medicine where hardware, software, robotics, and AI loop directly with the patient. The conversation also tackles the promise of curing major diseases alongside the ethical limits society must define as technology gets powerful enough to extend life dramatically.

Daniel Robbins talks with Rod Khleif about losing $50M in the 2008 crash and how he rebuilt by treating failure as a “seminar,” not an identity. Rod shares what he learned from spending years around Tony Robbins, especially the power of vulnerability, emotional mastery, and goal setting that creates real momentum. They also dig into why commercial real estate opportunities are surfacing again, and how syndications and cash flow can become a practical vehicle for long term wealth.

Daniel Robbins speaks with Minh Nguyen and John Avera of xOrbita about the fast growing space economy and the orbital debris problem threatening it. Minh shares how a high school research journey turned into a company after learning debris can destroy years of satellite work in seconds. John explains how his defense and engineering background helped shape xOrbita’s intelligence first approach to safer collision avoidance in orbit.

In this Founder’s Story episode, Daniel Robbins sits down with KeyAnna Schmiedl, Chief Human Experience Officer at Workhuman, for a candid conversation on AI anxiety, trust, leadership, and what companies are getting dangerously wrong about transformation. Drawing from insights shaped by Davos and her leadership experience at Workhuman, Mozilla, and Wayfair, KeyAnna explains why organizations overinvest in technology while underinvesting in people, and why that imbalance is stalling real progress. The episode also explores thoughtful leadership, culture-building in times of skepticism, and the personal leadership principles that helped KeyAnna rise while staying authentic.

In this episode of Founder’s Story, Daniel Robbins sits down with Samyr Laine, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Freedom Trail Capital, whose journey spans Olympic competition, Harvard and Georgetown education, leadership roles at Roc Nation and Westbrook, and now venture investing. The conversation explores lessons from working alongside Jay-Z and Will Smith, the mindset of elite performers, and how Samyr built a fund focused on talent-led businesses that prioritize authenticity, real problem solving, and strong fundamentals over hype.