

87:60 by Virtuoso
Rebellion Group
How are the greatest leaders able to recall, leverage, and translate prior experiences into insights for decision-making? Co-hosts BJ Kito & Steve McLoughlin seek to shed light on the experiences that most leaders rely upon (consciously or subconsciously). It's an instinct developed through consistency, focus, and determination -- 24/7, 365 days a year...or, 8760 hours a year. This is the 87:60 podcast.Experience isn’t gained in an instant, progress is seldom made in a day, and success doesn’t just manifest through sheer force. There’s more to success than a 24/7 grind. More than a “why” others can validate. More than intuition, instinct, gut feel… and perhaps a little bit of luck. Visionary leaders and entrepreneurs have an eidetic mind for experiences. It’s here they amass knowledge and instincts to fuel an extraordinary ability to innately forecast outcomes of various scenarios in real time. To see their optimal future reality and identify the decisions that get them one step closer. The 87:60 Podcast digs into how the greatest leaders are able to recall, leverage, and translate prior experiences into insights for decision-making. We ask, what are they able to see in the future that gives them the confidence to “trust their gut” and remain steadfast when others doubt them? And, how do they build a business when the clarity of the way forward is largely held in the cipher of their mind?
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 13, 2025 • 54min
Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Nathan Catapano, Founder, Restore
Restore is a SaaS platform built for restaurants to track and resolve guest issues in real time, whether it’s handling concerns in person, offering rewards through the app, or using insights to improve service. Founder Nathan Catapano is focused on giving restaurant owners a credible, engaging tool that strengthens customer relationships and boosts operational performance. In this episode, Nathan shares how Restore helps hospitality teams respond faster, learn from feedback, and turn guest experiences into lasting loyalty, and why earning credibility with early adopters is key to scaling in the restaurant industry.

Aug 13, 2025 • 53min
Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Massyl Mallem, Co-Founder, PatentPlus AI
PatentPlus AI is automating one of the most time-consuming parts of innovation: patent search. Co-founder Massyl Mallem is pioneering a system that delivers premium-quality search reports in less than 24 hours, giving inventors and startups faster paths to protection and commercialization. We take a closer look at how AI can transform IP research, the impact on global innovation, and what’s next for their market-ready autonomous search platform.

Aug 13, 2025 • 40min
Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Christian Heiden, Founder, Levo International
Levo International is transforming food security with affordable, accessible hydroponic technology. Founder Christian Heiden started the company as a teenager and has since scaled it into a community-driven enterprise producing fresh, local food with 90% less water and faster growth than traditional farming. We talk about Levo’s journey from small pilot farms to statewide expansion and how their model empowers neighborhoods to grow, and own, their food supply.

Aug 13, 2025 • 59min
Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Andrea Shields, Co-Founder, Varda5
Andrea Shields is a physician-entrepreneur and maternal health advocate, co-founding Varda5 to tackle a critical gap in emergency response education: maternal cardiac arrest. Their Obstetric Life Support (OBLS) training is a first-of-its-kind, evidence-based program preparing healthcare teams to save lives in critical moments. In this episode, Andrea discusses the urgent need for OBLS, the challenges of scaling life-saving training, and how innovation in healthcare education can reach underserved communities.

Aug 7, 2025 • 1h 4min
Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Wally Namane, Co-Founder, WheelPrice
Wally Namane, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of WheelPrice, discusses his passion for cars and how it sparked the creation of an innovative marketplace for automotive enthusiasts. He highlights the challenges of counterfeit wheels and emphasizes the need for authenticity. Namane also talks about using AI for fitment tools and enhancing user transactions through cashless methods. With a growing community of car lovers, he explains the importance of strategic branding and storytelling in scaling the business while ensuring customer trust.

Aug 6, 2025 • 54min
Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Emily Wicks and Dr. Sandy Chafouleas, Co-Founders, Feel Your Best Self
Kicking off our Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition series is a duo transforming how we teach kids to handle big feelings, with science, puppets, and a whole lot of heart.Meet Emily Wicks and Dr. Sandy Chafouleas, Co-Founders of Feel Your Best Self.Emily brings a decade of leadership in puppetry arts and education. Sandy is a nationally recognized psychologist and Distinguished Professor known for turning research into real-world impact.Feel Your Best Self is an award-winning, research-backed toolkit that makes emotional wellness fun and accessible, and it’s already being adopted in schools, libraries, and even by the Irish Department of Education.

Jul 30, 2025 • 49min
Shaping Billion-Dollar Brands: Bernt Ullmann
BJ Kito, host of 87:60, sits down with Bernt Ullmann—the strategic force behind global brands like FUBU, Sean John, Jennifer Lopez, and Adam Levine. With over $6 billion in retail sales to his name, Bernt unpacks how he’s helped turn celebrity into enterprise and personality into profit. This episode explores the playbook behind billion-dollar brand launches, the overlooked art of brand longevity, and why staying off-camera might just be the smartest move in the business. A must-listen for anyone serious about fashion, influence, and building brand value that lasts.

Jul 23, 2025 • 1h 11min
Building a Legacy: Meet Tucci Limited’s Founder and Former Pro Ballplayer Pete Tucci
BJ Kito, host of 87:60, sits down with Pete Tucci— creator of the game-chaning Torpedo bat and founder of Tucci Limited. Once a first-round draft pick, Pete shares the journey from pro ball to the garage workbench, where he began building one of the most respected names in baseball bat manufacturing. In this powerful conversation, Pete shares how a career-ending injury led him to redefine success, channeling his pro athlete mindset into building a performance-driven brand from scratch. They talk legacy, obsession, grief, and the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. A must-listen for anyone passionate about sports, business, and building something that lasts.

Jun 12, 2025 • 1h 8min
From Tech to the Olympics: The Leadership Blueprint of US Squash CEO Kevin Klipstein
What does it take to change careers and achieve the impossible? Just ask Kevin Klipstein. After building a successful career at a major sports marketing agency and Sun Microsystems, he made the leap into the nonprofit world to lead US Squash. His ultimate goal: get the sport into the Olympics.Join Virtuoso CEO BJ Kito and Shaping CT's Future Executive Producer Sam Barrett with Kevin Klipstein, President and CEO of US Squash, as they pull back the curtain on his incredible journey to securing a spot for squash in the LA 28 Games. They explore the highs and lows of his transition, the leadership principles he brought with him from the corporate world, and how he has managed to steer the organization with remarkable consistency and vision.This is a deep dive into the mind of a leader who knows how to balance a powerful vision with the day-to-day responsibilities of mentoring a team and growing a sport from the ground up.

Jun 9, 2025 • 1h 12min
From ESPN to the World Stage: Dennis Deninger on the NFL’s Next Era
Join Virtuoso CEO BJ Kito and video producer Tim O’Shea in a forward-looking conversation with Emmy-winning sports producer and professor Dennis Deninger. Fresh off his keynote at Shaping Connecticut’s Future, Deninger dives into how the NFL is preparing for a radically global future—from games in Madrid and London to international fandom, supersonic travel, and AI-enhanced broadcasts. Explore how American football is following in soccer’s footsteps, building grassroots connections abroad, and laying the groundwork for a truly global league by Super Bowl 100.Tune in for a fascinating look at the intersection of sports, technology, and global culture.


