From Facing Death to Building Multimillion Dollar Businesses

Sep 3, 2025

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Episode 39: Troy Munson – https://www.linkedin.com/in/troymunson
– and Daniel Berk – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielberk
– sit down with Scott Leese – https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottleese – for one of the rawest and most vulnerable conversations yet. From surviving nine surgeries and an opioid addiction, to building billion-dollar startups and walking away from easy LinkedIn money, Scott opens up about resilience, authenticity, and the grind of sales. This episode dives into chronic pain, consulting truths, fatherhood fears, and why balance is harder—and more important—than ever. Equal parts battle story and blueprint, it’s a must-listen for anyone chasing success without losing themselves along the way.

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Show Notes:
(0:00) WWE-style intro for Scott Leese
(2:24) Breaking down his consulting scope: sales, ops, recruiting, coaching
(6:09) Authenticity on LinkedIn and walking away from thousands per post
(9:38) Protecting reputation before money changes who you are
(12:00) Scott’s hospital years: autoimmune disease, surgeries, and survival
(14:27) Opioid addiction and going cold turkey at 27
(16:16) From near death to sales: why startups were his lifeline
(20:29) PTSD, chronic pain, and the fear of leaving kids fatherless
(22:10) Fatherhood, health scares, and changing priorities
(25:13) Cold plunges, saunas, and 41 food allergies
(27:00) Grounding rituals and staying even-keeled in business
(33:17) Consulting truths: urgency, feedback, and big-market bets
(39:01) The unicorn that gave him freedom to go solo
(41:20) Lessons he wishes he’d learned earlier about aiming bigger
(42:58) Feeling “almost accomplished” and launching a landscaping biz
(44:33) The comparison trap, stoicism, and keeping perspective
(46:16) Biggest advice: shrink the delta between idea and action
(48:04) How much is a LinkedIn account really worth?
(50:57) Instagram success: $300K in consulting from a new channel

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Links:
• Scott Leese’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottleese
• Daniel Berk’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielberk
• Troy Munson’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/troymunson
• Two Dads in Tech Newsletter – https://twodadsintech.com
• Shop Two Dads in Tech – https://shop.twodadsintech.com
• Listen on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/30GQP8FPJoKpLGpYBahlFP
• Listen on Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-dads-in-tech/id1785662964
• Check out Dimmo – https://www.dimmo.ai