This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing founders@thankz.com with the subject line Founder’s Life.

🌐 Follow A Founder’s Life
• YouTube: @AFoundersLife
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-founder-s-life-podcast/
• Instagram: @afounderslife
• Spotify & Apple Podcast: https://linktr.ee/afounderslife

👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Meredith Hirsh
Website: meredithhirsh.com

Instagram: @WorkingHealthcare

Facebook: @WorkingHealthcare

LinkedIn: @meredithfhirsh

YouTube: @WorkingHealthcare

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meredithfhirsh

Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/working-healthcare/id1746629912

What happens when someone who never planned to work in medicine ends up building a thriving healthcare business?

In this episode, Meredith Hirsh shares her journey from advertising and teaching to becoming CEO of the Hirsh Center for Arthritis and Sports Medicine, a 60-person independent medical practice in Florida.

Meredith opens up about marriage at 21, raising three boys, balancing ambition with motherhood, flipping homes, going back for her MBA in her 40s, and the pivotal moment she realized founders can never fully walk away from their company.

We also discuss confidence, health, yoga, family priorities, and why many aspiring entrepreneurs simply need to believe in themselves and start.

What you’ll learn:

- Why confidence is critical for entrepreneurs
- How Meredith built a practice from scratch
- The reality of balancing business and motherhood
- Why founders must stay close to their business
- How health and mindset fuel long-term success

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/leogestetner

Website

leogestetner.com/leo

Subscribe Now!

youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing founders@thankz.com with the subject line Founder’s Life.

🌐 Follow A Founder’s Life
• YouTube: @AFoundersLife
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-founder-s-life-podcast/
• Instagram: @afounderslife
• Spotify & Apple Podcast: https://linktr.ee/afounderslife

👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Rick Beyer
Website: https://engagewellness.org
Website: https://onepacificfs.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/engagewellness/
Email: rick@engagewellness.org

What happens when an entrepreneur decides success should include health, family, and purpose, not just money?

In this episode, Rick Beyer shares his journey from mergers & acquisitions and large-scale manufacturing with Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler, to building one of Arizona’s top financial services practices, and now leading companies focused on wealth planning and employee wellness.

Rick explains why many founders sacrifice too much for growth, how wellness can become a business advantage, and why the most important returns in life aren’t financial.

We also discuss family leadership, health discipline, staying coachable, and why belief is often the first step to becoming believable.

What you’ll learn:

- Why founders must protect health while building wealth
- How consistency creates scalable businesses
- Why family time is a real measure of success
- The hidden tax and wellness opportunities for employers
- Why belief creates momentum in entrepreneurship

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/leogestetner

Website

leogestetner.com/leo

Subscribe Now!

youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing founders@thankz.com with the subject line Founder’s Life.

🌐 Follow A Founder’s Life
• YouTube: @AFoundersLife
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-founder-s-life-podcast/
• Instagram: @afounderslife
• Spotify & Apple Podcast: https://linktr.ee/afounderslife

👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Richard Crane

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardcrane/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/richcrane

YouTube (Inventing Fire with AI)

https://www.youtube.com/@InventingFirewithAI

Blog (Inventing Fire with AI)

https://inventingfirewith.ai/

Business Website (MILL5)

https://mill5.com/

What does it take to build a company from two people in a room to hundreds across the world?

In this episode, Richard Crane, Founder, CTO, and CAIO of MILL5, shares his journey from engineer to entrepreneur, building a global tech company while embracing difficulty instead of comfort.

Richard talks about scaling a business, the importance of continuously learning (especially with AI), and why many people fall behind by not investing in themselves. He also shares a deeply personal story from his childhood that shaped his work ethic and relentless drive.

What you’ll learn:

- Why comfort limits growth
- How AI is reshaping careers and productivity
- The importance of continuous self-investment
- How early experiences shape entrepreneurs
- Why keeping your circle small matters

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/leogestetner

Website

leogestetner.com/leo

Subscribe Now!

youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing founders@thankz.com with the subject line Founder’s Life.

🌐 Follow A Founder’s Life
• YouTube: @AFoundersLife
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-founder-s-life-podcast/
• Instagram: @afounderslife
• Spotify & Apple Podcast: https://linktr.ee/afounderslife

👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Bart Davis
Website: https://512financial.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartdavis512/

Many founders never planned to become entrepreneurs.

In this episode, Bart Davis shares how a traditional career in accounting at PwC unexpectedly led him into entrepreneurship and eventually to co-founding 512 Financial, a fractional services firm helping companies with finance, accounting, talent, and operational support.

Bart discusses the moment he took a leap from the corporate path, working alongside experienced entrepreneurs to scale and sell businesses, and how that experience ultimately gave him the confidence to start his own company.

We also talk about balancing family life with entrepreneurship, protecting time for what matters most, and why founders must accept that many outcomes will always remain outside their control.

What you’ll learn:
• Why many founders become entrepreneurs accidentally
• The opportunity that led Bart to leave a traditional career path
• How fractional finance teams help businesses scale and exit
• Why protecting family time is critical for founders
• The importance of accepting uncertainty in entrepreneurship

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/leogestetner

Website

leogestetner.com/leo

Subscribe Now!

youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing founders@thankz.com with the subject line Founder’s Life.

🌐 Follow A Founder’s Life
• YouTube: @AFoundersLife
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-founder-s-life-podcast/
• Instagram: @afounderslife
• Spotify & Apple Podcast: https://linktr.ee/afounderslife

👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Dave Grebetz
LinkedIn: Dave Grebez

How do you go from working factory jobs and climbing cable poles to building and selling a successful company?

In this episode, Dave Grebetz shares the real story behind founding ClearCom, growing it into a profitable recurring-revenue business, and eventually exiting after decades of perseverance.

Dave talks about the early side hustles that shaped his entrepreneurial mindset, the moment he realized he needed to change his life, and the challenges of building a business during recessions and personal tragedy. He also shares how losing his first wife to cancer reshaped his priorities and how health, discipline, and resilience became the foundation for his next chapter.

This is a conversation about grit, long-term thinking, and staying true to your “why.”

What you’ll learn:
• Why side hustles often shape future entrepreneurs
• The power of recurring revenue in building a scalable company
• How to survive recessions and difficult business cycles
• The mindset required to persevere when advisors say quit
• Why entrepreneurs must stay connected to their deeper purpose

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/leogestetner

Website

leogestetner.com/leo

Subscribe Now!

youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing founders@thankz.com with the subject line Founder’s Life.

🌐 Follow A Founder’s Life
• YouTube: @AFoundersLife
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-founder-s-life-podcast/
• Instagram: @afounderslife
• Spotify & Apple Podcast: https://linktr.ee/afounderslife

Connect with today's guest:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradswineheart/
Oxford Advisory Group: https://oxfordadvisorygroup.com/

What happens when everything you’ve built disappears overnight?

In this episode of A Founder’s Life, Bradley Swinehart shares the deeply personal story of rebuilding after a hurricane destroyed his family home — and how that experience reinforced the mindset required to succeed as an entrepreneur.

Bradley’s journey spans construction work, sales and marketing, and eventually leadership in the financial advisory world. Today, he serves as Chief Growth Officer at Oxford Advisory Group, helping families better understand retirement planning and financial strategy.

This conversation dives into resilience, discipline, family support, and the mentality required to keep moving forward when life or business knocks you down.

Bradley also shares practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, including why marketing is often the real engine behind a successful business and why determination matters more than having the perfect idea.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Bradley’s unconventional path into finance and entrepreneurship
• Lessons from losing everything in a hurricane
• Why resilience defines entrepreneurial success
• The importance of family as a support system
• Discipline and mindset in health, business, and life
• Why marketing is critical for every business
• Balancing work, family, and personal well-being
• Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/leogestetner

Website

leogestetner.com/leo

Subscribe Now!

youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing founders@thankz.com with the subject line Founder’s Life.

🌐 Follow A Founder’s Life
• YouTube: @AFoundersLife
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-founder-s-life-podcast/
• Instagram: @afounderslife
• Spotify & Apple Podcast: https://linktr.ee/afounderslife

👤 Connect with Today’s Guest
Website: http://www.leffcommunications.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/ ⁨@lefffield⁩

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmleff/

What does it really take to build a business that lasts?

In this episode of A Founder’s Life, Scott Leff shares the honest, unfiltered journey of building a B2B content agency over 16 years, from freelancing without a plan to leading a 28-person team serving global clients.

Scott breaks down the realities most founders experience but rarely talk about: uncertainty, saying yes before you’re ready, learning through failure, and figuring things out as you go. He also dives into the importance of health, agency, and building a life that works alongside your business.

If you’re building something or thinking about it, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth, success, and the entrepreneurial path.

In this episode, we cover:
•Why most entrepreneurs “fall into” business
•The power of saying yes (and when it backfires)
•Lessons from failed and unprofitable projects
•When to say no — and even fire clients
•The role of failure in long-term success
•Why agency and control matter for mental health
•Balancing work, family, and personal life
•The importance of learning from others

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/leogestetner

Website

leogestetner.com/leo

Subscribe Now!

youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing founders@thankz.com with the subject line Founder’s Life.

🌐 Follow A Founder’s Life
• YouTube: @AFoundersLife
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-founder-s-life-podcast/
• Instagram: @afounderslife
• Spotify & Apple Podcast: https://linktr.ee/afounderslife

👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Darren Lauda

LinkedIn: Darren Lauda

Email: daren@outsetops.com

Website: https://www.outsetops.com

In this episode, Darren Lauda shares his unconventional path from joining the U.S. Army after high school to building a successful career in enterprise software and launching his AI forecasting company, Outset.

Darren opens up about the early years of his career in software sales, working his way from receptionist to executive leadership at major technology companies. He also shares a deeply personal moment when a voicemail from his young son forced him to reevaluate his priorities and completely rethink how he approached work, health, and family.

We discuss entrepreneurship, leadership, fitness, discipline, and why founders must learn to fail fast and iterate quickly.

What you’ll learn:

• Why entrepreneurship always takes longer than expected

• The dangers of putting career ahead of family

• How Darren rebuilt his health and fitness after years of neglect

• Why forecasting is critical for scaling companies

• The mindset founders need to move quickly and learn from failure

⏱️ CHAPTERS

0:00 – From Army Service to Software Sales

1:05 – Building a Career in Enterprise Software

4:28 – The Voicemail That Changed His Priorities

8:05 – Health, Fitness & Personal Discipline

14:58 – Advice for Entrepreneurs: Fail Fast

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/leogestetner

Website

leogestetner.com/leo

Subscribe Now!

youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1