I’m actually kinda mad at Josh rn. Because of him, I spent way too much money on my tea setup. Kidding. Not really, but I’m also not mad - tea is the best! In episode #19 with Josh, we discussed his 7-figure exit and nomadic lifestyle. Now, we go into more habits, hobbies, and mental health. Josh is well-researched in supplements and the art of mindfully making tea. If you're interested in supplements, mental health, and tea, this is the episode for you! ----- Show Notes: (05:00) - Tips for interview-based podcasts. (12:00) - Battling Bipolar, Anxiety, and ADHD as an entrepreneur. (56:20) - How to research the right supplements for you. (1:16:00) - Why you’ve been steeping tea wrong your whole life. ----- Links: * https://show.joshboone.com/ * https://nootropicsdepot.com/ * Reputable tea vendors: Adagio.com, Teavire, White2Tea, Verdant Tea, Yunnan Sourcing * Books recommended: The Myth of Normal by Dr. Gabor Maté Awareness by Anthony de Melo The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk ----- Episode Quotes I Enjoyed “You turned a freight train around to go in a different direction.” “How much of the struggle would I have just as an entrepreneur by default, and how much if it is extremely exacerbated by the mental health issues?” “I have yet to not be able to find a tea that somebody likes.” “The bleaker something is the more I like it.” ---- Episodes Like This https://anchor.fm/playhardpodcast/episodes/19--A-7-figure-Exit-Doesnt-Lead-to-Happiness-but-Ill-tell-ya-what-does-with-Josh-Boone-e1m5503/a-a8bjbda ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

Kwaku Farkye has been a part of multiple startups, an accelerator program, and even helped a company get acquired by a $20B giant. As CTO, he’s got a wealth of technical and business knowledge. He joins me today to talk about Navi, his latest venture that connects startup coaches and mentors with founders. We talk about challenges faced by developers, finding mentors for your business, and serendipity. Give it a listen! ----- Show Notes: (15:45) - Problems faced by early-stage developers (27:30) - What to do when habits get broken due to working harder (01:03:00) - If you’re feeling lazy, lean into it ----- Links: * Connect with Kwaku Farkye on LinkedIn * Barking Up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker * The Startup Help Desk podcast ----- Episode Quotes I Enjoyed “Jumping into things I knew nothing about and make my way around it.” “Everything is a startup analogy.” ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

The competitive mind tells us, “there’s so much stuff I NEED to be doing right now” and it leaves you feeling guilty when resting. Jorge Garcia is familiar with this voice. It’s led him to a lot of success. Also, a lot of guilt. In this episode, we talk about healthy ways to handle that guilt, and the different definitions of excellence. This episode is awesome – especially as a fellow Hispanic – to hear about Jorge’s move from Honduras to LA to grow and scale a global company. Give it a listen! ----- Show Notes: (13:30) - Diversity goals of a 99% Latino organization (36:50) - Defining excellence (30:20) - Jay-Z defining excellence (40:00) - Staying innovative while learning to be a methodical planner ----- Links: * helloiconic.com * Twitter and Insta: @jagbolanos * From Good to Great by Jim Collins * https://hbr.org/2001/01/the-making-of-a-corporate-athlete * https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/labs-initiatives/slei ----- Episode Quotes I Enjoyed “A business… is successful when it generates value for others, and at the same time is able to capture a little bit of that value for the company.” “If it doesn’t hurt in the stomach, you’re not setting [the right] goals.” ---- Episodes Like This Luis Gustavo Flores: https://anchor.fm/playhardpodcast/episodes/27--How-to-Grow-a-Startup-Scene-in-Latin-America-with-Luis-Gustavo-Flores-Founder-of-Movitext-e1ok5t9/a-a8k532c ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

Stanford sociologist, Michael Rosenfeld, found the #1-way couples meet today is online dating. Koen Geron is riding the wave of this cultural shift like Cody in Surf's Up. Koen is the founder of Hovalo, an outsourced online dating platform. Hovalo manages your profile, matches, and even messaging! We talk about reframing to handle objections, how to block out distractions, and — you guessed it — dating. Give it a listen! ----- Show Notes: (07:50) - How do people feel that you’re messaging dates for them (12:20) - People’s dating lives “as a business” (21:50) - Tips for entrepreneurs balancing their dating life ----- Links: * hovalo.com * Insta: @koen.geron * YouTube (online dating tips):@koengeron-hovalodatingouts1312 * Cold Turkey – a productivity app * Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

At age 23, Mark Drager started an ad agency. With 0 experience he went all in. Aaand, it didn’t go well. At first… Fast-forward 15 years, Mark does branding for countless startups, speakers, and coaches — with some big names! In this episode, Mark talks about the easiest type of business to start. He gives me a lesson in branding the podcast, and we even talk business lessons from The Beatles! This episode is great if you’re interested in: branding, marketing, challenging yourself, and absolutely sending it in the beginning. Check it out! ----- Show Notes: (26:04) - The easiest type of business to start (30:10) - Mark gives me a branding lesson using my podcast (44:39) - Starting an ad agency with 0 experience (52:09) - Is it impostor syndrome or performance anxiety? ----- Links: * https://www.youtube.com/c/MarkDragerYT * https://www.phanta.com/ * https://www.markdrager.com/ * Insta: @markdrager ----- Episode Quotes I Enjoyed “I get paid to make other people look good.” “This is why it’s so important to nail down what you really want because the expression of what you do really matters.” “Lots of things can work. My way isn’t the only way.” ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

Jeremy Nagel has a bad bad habit — he checks his email first thing in the morning. The man can't stop. He tried everything from app/site blockers to having his wife slap him in the face every morning he was on email. It didn't work. So, he created focusbear.io: the ultimate focus and habit-tracking app. In this episode, we go over Jeremy's 3 companies and the 1 he sold earlier this year. We talk about good habits and focus tactics. Finally, we talk about why you should avoid email in the morning. This episode is great if you’re interested in: focus strategies, morning routines, running multiple companies at once, ADHD, prioritization, and cross-country skiing. ----- Show Notes: (13:13) - Entrepreneurship wasn’t the original path (24:09) - How to track and organize 3 different companies (30:44) - Emails are evil in the morning (38:44) - Connecting to your heritage with hobbies ----- Links: * focusbear.io ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

Zach Frantz’s company, Wildland Coffee, makes coffee in a tea bag. Overlanders, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts love coffee but find their usual outdoor coffee methods inconvenient (and heavy). As a lover of the great outdoors, Zach is solving a problem close to him. We talk about narrowing a target audience, competing in the coffee industry, and thinking you know what people want. If you’re interested in: coffee, branding, outdoors, ADHD, and pivoting, you’re going to love this episode! ----- Show Notes: (10:50) - Competition in the coffee industry (14:20) - Attracting the right customer (35:35) - Thinking you know what people want (38:25) - If you’re trying to convince people your product is worth it as a small company, listen to this ----- Links: * https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachfrantz/ * https://www.wildlandcoffee.co/ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb5zpo5WDG4 * Ramping Your Brand by Dr. James F Richardson ----- Episode Quotes I Enjoyed “If I have a problem, and I haven’t seen a solution I like there’s probably at least 1m ppl in the US that have that same problem” “I’m basically selling to myself versus me being the creator selling to someone else” ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Send any feedback to armand@playhardpodcast.com

Back in 2013, Kevan sold his first company. They had 20 employees, full manufacturing and distribution warehouses in the US, and were a hit nationwide. He’d barely gotten out of college. Some people are just born for this, and Kevan Sadigh is one of them. In this episode, we talk about his lessons learned from growing both clothing and SaaS based businesses, express some distaste for grind/hustle culture, and the importance of family. Give it a listen! ----- Show Notes: (15:00) - The key to his first company’s nationwide success (23:20) - Lessons on growing a company, processes, and what to optimize (37:50) - Benefits of being co-founders with your brother (42:00) - Standup comedy, mission statements, and memes — they’re all related! ----- Links: * Insta: @kevan * reservewithrex.com * https://www.danmartell.com/leverage/ ----- Episode Quotes I Enjoyed “If it’s gonna make you money, speed that up. If not, don’t worry about it.” “Memes are the most efficient way we’ve come up with to exchange ideas and information — for better or for worse” ---- Other Episodes Like This https://anchor.fm/playhardpodcast/episodes/2--The-Man-with-the-Tan-Zeke-Berg-e1fecn3/a-a7hrcrf ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Send any feedback to armand@playhardpodcast.com

Ben Heymann holds the record for the most random morning routine ever — it involves sharp rocks, no lights, and a jacuzzi. Ben was a Founder at Altitude before selling his soul to the corporate world to learn sales. We talk about his first company (which is questionable for a 16-year-old), starting your day right, and a hobby that’s just as wild as Ben. We also talk about how to find the routine that’s right for you. Give it a listen! ----- Show Notes: (03:25) - Selling vape juice in high-school (09:35) - What conversations lead to pivoting (18:55) - Using entrepreneurship skills in a corporate job (21:26) - Ben’s morning routine (41:15) - Animal flow ----- Links: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLYZ-3beDeI * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2a4LrHunsI * Insta and Twitter: @ben-heymann FACT CHECK: Why do pirates wear eyepatches? https://www.childrensmuseum.org/blog/why-did-some-pirates-wear-an-eye-patch#:~:text=The%20answer%E2%80%94courtesy%20of%20the,could%20fight%20in%20the%20dark. ----- Episode Quotes I Enjoyed “When the body moves, the mind grooves.” ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Send any feedback to armand@playhardpodcast.com

In 2014, while working on a superyacht, Tom sailed past a horrific sight that would change his life — a plastic berg.  Plastic bergs are “icebergs” made of trash. Massive mountains — often miles long — of floating plastic in the middle of the ocean. Gross! Today, Tom Jackson is the CEO and Founder of Honest Ocean, a startup devoted to changing the flow of ocean plastic waste. In this episode, Tom talks about his passion for cleaning ocean plastic, as well as how to hire employees devoted to your cause and how hobbies impact your focus. If you're interested in social responsibility, cleaning ocean plastics, and environmental protection, you’re going to love Tom’s takes! ----- Show Notes: (10:40) - Super-yachts, plastic bergs, and the birth of Tom’s passion (15:45) - How to hire people just as passionate as you are (28:20) - Surfing, habits, and daily routines (34:40) - Focus tips to be high performing (even when living on a tropical island with ADHD) ----- Links: * https://honest-ocean.com/ * Tom@honest-ocean.com * Insta: @jacko * Had to throw it in ;) a link to the Red Hot Chili Pipers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpSgveTDtso ----- Episode Quotes I Enjoyed “As a startup, if you’re not going forward, if you’re sitting in neutral, that’s failure zone.” “People think being an entrepreneur is a super sexy thing. In a startup, it’s really hard.” “I don’t think people talk enough about the failures and the grit it takes to then go and do it again.” “If you hang around four idiots, you’re the fifth one.” ---- Episodes like this Mavis Herrera - Recycling plastic into fashion https://anchor.fm/playhardpodcast/episodes/3--Saving-the-World----So-She-Can-Backpack-Across-It--with-Mavis-Herrera-e1gn4kk/a-a7mr6vi ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Send any feedback to armand@playhardpodcast.com