Most people mask their rough edges to get ahead.

Brian Burkhart helps you figure out what you've been masking — and why stopping might be the best business decision you ever make.

In this episode of The Pattern-Seeking Entrepreneur, Jonathan Domsky sits down with Brian Burkhart — best-selling author, founder of SquarePlanet, and Northwestern University professor — to explore why perfection is forgettable, and why the thing you've been coached to hide might be your most powerful asset.

Brian has spent decades helping leaders find the words for who they already are — and the courage to say them out loud. He's coached 10 Shark Tank teams, over 40 TED talks, and hundreds of C-suite leaders.

In this episode, Jonathan and Brian explore:

• Why perfection is forgettable — and what to strive for instead
• The difference between masking who you are and adjusting how you communicate
• How Brian's 10-step framework, rooted in Aristotle and Socrates, works for any message, any audience, any stage
• What it really means to stand for something — and what it costs when you do
• The tension between authenticity and adaptability, and how to navigate it with integrity

Timestamps: 00:00 - Why authenticity matters in a mask-driven world 01:20 - Brian's early realization of thinking differently 03:49 - Communicating with courage: honest humor and real boundaries 05:47 - Standing for something over conformity 09:10 - Peeling back layers to reveal authentic core values 12:52 - Perfection is boring — art stands out 16:25 - The gift and challenge of colorblindness 19:09 - Communicating with neurodivergent and nonlinear thinkers 22:49 - When to adapt and when to hold your ground 27:22 - The real costs of making waves 33:12 - The myth of the perfect script 40:22 - The evolving scoreboard: joy, nature, and simple pleasures 43:01 - Money as freedom, not status 45:48 - Visualizing future success: courtroom wins and coming home 52:39 - Self-awareness as the key to breaking through 57:31 - The 10-step framework rooted in ancient rhetoric

Resources & Links:

• Square Planet
• Nikita Gill — "The Truth About Art"
• Brian’s 10-step framework for masterful presentations
• More about Brian

Connect with Brian Burkhart:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianburkhart

Website: squareplanet.com

Connect with Jonathan:

· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/business-personal-growth-coach/

· Website: https://untangled-coaching.com/

· YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePattern-SeekingEntrepreneur

The most powerful productivity tool in history is here. And most people have no idea how to use it.

Not because they're not smart enough. But because nobody has built the bridge between what AI can do and how real people actually work.

My guest today is building that bridge.

Jeremy Robb is Chief Learning Officer and Founder at RobbClan, helping SaaS companies scale through learning systems that train not just the human — but the AI agent alongside them.

In this conversation: why neurodivergent minds may be uniquely wired for the AI-augmented workplace. Why conflict is one of the most underrated tools in any team. And how one process went from six weeks to two days.

If you've ever wondered whether AI is going to make you more valuable or less — this one's for you.

In this episode:

00:00 - AI's transformative power in productivity

01:26 - Jeremy's story: thinking differently since childhood

07:39 - How Wayfinder onboards roles with AI

09:36 - Supporting neurodivergent minds with AI

12:50 - Burnout, autism discovery, and resilience

20:39 - Conflict and open communication

22:35 - Six weeks to two days

27:45 - Designing environments for neurodiverse minds 33:21 - Vision for an AI-augmented future

36:35 - Funding and fear slowing AI adoption

48:56 - Discovering your genius with AI

Resources & Links

• RobbClan
• Wayfinder Platform

Jeremy Robb is a Chief Learning Officer specializing in scaling SaaS organizations through strategic learning systems. He reduced customer time-to-value from six weeks to two days and built onboarding programs that accelerate adoption and revenue impact.

Jeremy has held leadership roles at ServiceNow, Abnormal Security, and NetBrain Technologies, and is founder of RobbClan Productions, where he advises startups on scalable onboarding ecosystems. He brings deep expertise in AI-driven enablement and human-centered design, with a particular passion for accessibility and neurodivergent inclusion.

Based in San Diego, Jeremy is a husband and father of two autistic sons — an experience that informs everything he builds.

Connect with Jeremy Robb

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

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@leadershipinlearning?si=VJLmzqvENPmWFw9a

Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ODvPkTzFeazW1DE15m22C?si=j8d-PcNkSnKUJXJagTesjQ

Website: https://www.robbclan.com

Connect with Jonathan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/business-personal-growth-coach/

Website: https://untangled-coaching.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePattern-SeekingEntrepreneur

Every struggling business is missing one of three things.

Revenue. Efficiency. Or happy people.

That's it.

Not the wrong tech stack. Not the wrong org chart. Not the wrong market. One of those three things — or some combination of them — is what's actually broken.

In this episode of The Pattern-Seeking Entrepreneur, host Jonathan Domsky speaks with e-commerce operator and digital product builder Paul Bates. Paul has spent seven years applying a simple three-variable equation across businesses doing $60M–$150M in revenue—and it works every time.

What sets him apart isn’t just spotting the real problem beneath the symptoms, but cutting through noise, politics, and blame to focus on what actually matters.

They explore how he thinks, the strengths and challenges of that mindset, and how he’s designed his work and life around it.

If you’re someone who sees what’s broken before others do, this episode is for you.

In this episode, Jonathan and Paul will explore:

Timestamps:

00:37 - Feelings vs. fixing: why the distinction matters01:33 - Social cues, emotional intelligence, and relationships02:56 - Autism strategies and the art of reading others04:07 - Paul's superpower: seeing through emotional noise to financial reality05:21 - What's really hiding beneath surface-level business problems06:16 - Team communication and data flow breakdowns07:13 - Turning vague issues into specific, solvable problems08:00 - Curiosity-driven learning and hands-on building09:43 - Paul's consulting focus: from product to problem solving10:25 - Complex data migration and systemic bottlenecks11:49 - Why vague project scopes destroy client alignment13:56 - Why service providers fear asking the right questions15:05 - Technical accuracy vs. energetic presence in team leadership16:25 - Building teams with contrasting strengths18:13 - Managing conflict through real-time, safe conversations20:24 - Adjusting rhythm and environment for peak productivity23:35 - Slowing down to create space for quality29:13 - The core business framework: dreamer, driver, analyst30:25 - Three metrics that actually matter: revenue, efficiency, happiness32:19 - Using AI and mental models to optimize decisions33:14 - Minimizing energy drains for personal sustainability37:04 - Envisioning fulfillment in relationships, startups, and purpose40:39 - Gratitude, anticipation, and daily reflection as life gauges45:33 - Embracing vulnerability and chaos for breakthroughs52:45 - The walk that revealed his coaching purpose53:20 - Final reflections and how to connect with Paul Bates

Paul Bates is an e-commerce operator who focuses on translating digital technology into real business outcomes. He's led significant revenue expansion through digital innovation and built high-performing teams by treating them like startups—empowering ownership and creating environments where strong operators thrive.

Connect with Paul Bates

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

Email: paulhbates@hotmail.com

Connect with Jonathan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/business-personal-growth-coach/

Website: https://untangled-coaching.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePattern-SeekingEntrepreneur