What do NFL quarterbacks, startup founders, and WNBA expansion teams have in common?

Pressure. Decision making. And the ability to regulate themselves when it matters most.

In this episode of Builders Season 3, I sit down with Alex Auerbach, performance psychologist to the Jacksonville Jaguars, advisor to the Toronto Tempo (WNBA expansion team), executive coach to founders and VCs, and builder of multiple ventures inside and outside of professional sport.

This conversation is about elite performance. Not the Instagram version. The real version.

We unpack high agency, hiring without bias, reframing stress, rest as a strategic weapon, and what it actually means to build a meaningful and maximized life.

In this episode, we explore:

✅ 00:00 – 07:00 Introductions & Finding Your Edge

The episode kicks off with the straight up facts on why job simulations beat a “good handshake,” before we dive into Alex’s background. We discuss his journey from clinical psychology to peak performance work in professional sport, and how he used experimentation and elimination of distractions to build his own ventures.

✅ 07:00 – 10:30 Athletes vs. Entrepreneurs: What’s Actually Different?

Alex breaks down the real similarities between elite athletes and elite leaders - and where the comparison falls apart.

✅ 10:30 – 15:30 High Agency, Self-Regulation & Ownership

We go deeper into internal locus of control- or what we call high agency. Alex explains why elite performers pair extreme ownership with self-regulation, and how the ability to control your thinking, physiology, and emotional response directly impacts team performance.

✅ 15:30 – 29:30 Stagnation vs. Plateaus & The Excitement vs. Stress Reframe

This section is deeply tactical. We unpack threat vs. challenge framing, the “stress is enhancing” mindset, and four ways to reinterpret pressure so it becomes fuel instead of friction.

✅ 29:30 – 37:00 The Pursuit of Excellence & Predicting Success

Alex discusses his personal drive to push human limits and how he transitioned from evaluating 300+ NFL/NBA draft prospects to bringing that same psychological rigour into the corporate world to solve the "fit" issue in executive hiring.

✅ 37:00 – 46:00 Designing Your Leadership Style

From observing polarizing figures like Nick Saban to defining what it means to be a servant leader, we talk about the power of intentional leadership design.

✅ 46:00 – 57:00 Meaningful & Maximized: Redefining Success

We pivot into how he defines success today - meaningful and maximal. We unpack core values, seasons of intensity, and why “having it all” is absolutely possible, but not in equal increments or equal velocity.

✅ 57:00 – 1:01:20 Building a Startup Inside Pro Sports

Alex shares what it’s like advising the WNBA expansion team, the Toronto Tempo. We talk about velocity, visibility, real estate, and what founders can learn from organizations that must launch an MVP that is immediately ready to compete for a championship.

✅ 1:01:20 – 1:09:20 The Tactical Playbook: Hiring Without Bias

This is a must-listen for anyone building a team. Alex breaks down exactly how to use structured interviews, job simulations, and hiring committees to dramatically increase your success rate.

✅ 1:09:20 – 1:21:20 Rest, Burnout & Sustained Elite Performance

We close with something hustle culture still misunderstands: recovery. Stress without recovery leads to breakdown. Stress with recovery leads to growth.

This episode is for the builder who wants to reliably and sustainably perform at an elite level.

Because growth in business and leadership isn’t just about revenue.

• It’s about agency.
• It’s about regulation.
• It’s about hiring well.
• It’s about recovering strategically.

And it’s about building a life that feels meaningful - not just impressive.

Connect with Alex:

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

Builders, this one goes deep. 🎧

In this episode, I sit down with Christian LeFer, CEO of Instant Nonprofit, for a wide-ranging conversation about justice, bureaucracy, leadership awakening, and what it actually means to build impact at the convergence of cause and commerce.

Christian has helped start thousands of nonprofits, redesigned a broken approval process, and built a company rooted in emotional intelligence, culture, and conviction.

This conversation isn’t about charity optics.

It’s about alignment.

Power.

Process.

And learning when to push - and when to pause.

In this episode, we explore:

00:00 – 09:00 | Justice, Special Olympics & Becoming a Builder

Christian shares how growing up with a developmentally disabled sister shaped his deep sense of justice and service.

09:00 – 16:00 | Bureaucracy, 501c3s & The “Love Letter to a Bureaucrat”

Why is starting a nonprofit often harder than starting a business? Christian breaks down the friction inside the 501c3 process and how he engineered dramatically faster IRS approvals by designing applications that made agents’ lives easier.

16:00 – 24:00 | High EQ as Competitive Advantage

We explore why emotional intelligence is not a “soft skill” but a strategic lever. From turning refunds into raving fans to listening without defensiveness and validating customers instead of hiding behind policy, Christian shares how empathy builds trust — and how trust compounds into long-term advantage.

24:00 – 31:00 | Breakdown, Shadow Work & The Inner Rebuild

This is the chapter most founders don’t talk about. Business strain. Relationship strain. Identity strain. Christian opens up about the personal collapse that forced him to confront unresolved trauma, self-talk, and misalignment. Out of that awakening came a powerful leadership principle: as within, so without.

31:00 –37:00 | Culture as a Safe Container

Why does safety fuel creativity? We unpack how vulnerability - done intentionally -strengthens teams, and how building a culture of acceptance creates the psychological safety required for innovation.

37:00 – 44:00 | Wealthy Leadership: Throttle Up vs. Throttle Back

Christian reflects on the shift from grinding harder to allowing space. We explore persistence versus patience, structure as a path to freedom, and optionality as a true form of wealth.

44:00 – 51:00 | Conviction, Discourse & Leading in a Fractured World

The conversation widens to culture and society. Christian shares his views on free speech, capitalism, and institutional trust — and why leaders can’t afford to retreat from difficult conversations. Wealthy Leadership isn’t just about revenue; it’s about participating in shaping the world you want to live in.

51:00 – 1:02:00 | How Nonprofits Fit into Smart Business Strategy

We break down what a 501c3 actually is and how nonprofits can strategically complement for-profit companies.

1:02:00 – End | Process Over Tools & Building Anti-Fragile Systems

We close with a discussion on why process is king. Christian shares how clear articulation of strategy drives alignment, and why systems that grow stronger under stress -inspired by Antifragile - are essential for long-term resilience.

This episode is for Builders who:

• Want to integrate impact into their business model
• Care about culture as much as cash flow
• Feel the tension between force and flow
• Believe leadership is both internal and external

This is a thoughtful, grounded conversation between two operators who believe business can be both profitable and principled.

🔗 Connect with Christian LeFer:

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/InstantNonprofit

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instantnonprofit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instantnonprofit

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

Builders, this one goes deep. 🎧

In this episode, I sit down with Eric Berman - Founder/CEO of Speakeasy Mastermind- for a wide-ranging conversation about ownership, follow-through, community, and what it actually means to build success that lasts.

Eric has been building companies since the early days of the internet. He’s helped scale platforms, worked alongside names like Brian Tracy and Jack Canfield, lived through near-IPO highs and market-crash lows, and spent decades inside the agency world.

This conversation isn’t about hype. It’s about what you learn when you’ve been in the arena long enough to see the patterns.

We talk about the invisible cost of agency life, why most entrepreneurs underestimate follow-through, and how community becomes a strategic advantage, not a “nice to have”- as the game gets more complex.

In this episode, we explore:

00:00 – 13:00 | Becoming a Builder & The Crash

Eric’s early path into entrepreneurship, why building from nothing lit him up, and the reality of the "IPO that never happened"- being weeks away from a massive exit and watching it disappear.

13:00 – 24:20 | Resilience & The Pivot

How to navigate the aftermath of a market crash. We unpack resilience, identity, and why skills can’t be taken away, even when money can. Plus, how Eric pivoted to working with legends like Brian Tracy.

24:20 – 36:00 | “I Am Responsible”

The mindset that changed how Eric leads, navigates setbacks, and builds trust with clients and teams. Radical ownership as a leadership unlock.

36:00 – 48:00 | The Agency Trap

The realities of service businesses, capped upside, and the moment Eric realized he’d been climbing the “wrong ladder”. Why the agency model often traps founders in a cycle of revenue without asset value.

48:00 – 52:30 | Follow-Through as a Superpower

Why high follow-through is rarer than vision - and why it quietly separates builders who scale from those who stall.

52:30 – 59:30 | Asset Equity & Redefining Success

Why Eric is shifting from clients to partners, plus a candid look at fatherhood, presence, and how his definition of success has evolved.

59:30 – End | Speakeasy & The Power of Community

How Speakeasy Mastermind was born, why entrepreneurship is lonelier than we admit, and why in-person community matters more than ever in an AI world.

This episode is for Builders who:

• Are successful - but questioning the game they’re playing

• Feel the tension between growth and alignment

• Want leverage, ownership, and freedom- not just revenue

• Know community matters, but haven’t found the right room yet

This is a grounded, honest conversation between two operators who’ve seen enough cycles to know what actually matters.

🔗 Connect with Eric Berman:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericberman/, https://www.instagram.com/ericbberman