He went from the CIA, including a year in Afghanistan to dropping out of business school to building companies. Now he's on a mission to keep America the global leader in physical AI. In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, host Jane Gentry sits down with Alexander Torrey, founder of AIC, to unpack "physical AI," the trapped capacity hiding inside American factories, and why he'd never bet against American industry. Alex explains how AIC acquires and modernizes founder-led original component manufacturers — the "most important Legos in the Lego set" for robotics, autonomous systems, and advanced defense hardware. A must-listen for any operator thinking about AI, manufacturing, prioritization, and building enduring value. 🔑 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: ✅ What "physical AI" actually means — software that moves matter, not just data

✅ Why America's factory capacity problem is about workflow, not workforce ✅ How trapped capacity (sub-50% utilization) hides in the industrial base ✅ Why "what got you here is the constraint" that stops you getting there ✅ How AIC protects engineering & quality while killing pockets of inefficiency ✅ Why AI is an enablement tool — empower your best people, don't cut heads ✅ The "dig sites" method: finding where software drives the most lift ✅ Why prioritization and resource allocation separate great operators from the rest ✅ Sharpening the axe: thinking through the decision before you pull the trigger ✅ Why he refuses to accept that China winning the manufacturing race is inevitable 💬 A FEW LINES THAT STUCK WITH US: "Software used to move data. Now it can move matter." — Alexander Torrey "It's not about workforce, it's about workflow." — Alexander Torrey "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend four hours sharpening my axe." — Abe Lincoln (quoted by Alex) 📌 TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Cold Open: An Upbringing That Encouraged Chasing Passions 01:12 — Welcome to CEOs Unscripted 02:06 — Meet Alexander Torrey: Teach a Person to Fish 03:47 — Straight Out of University to the CIA 04:53 — Can You Really Scale Critical-Thinking Education? 06:43 — Dropping Out of Business School to Build 07:59 — The Real Trait Behind Successful Founders: Continuous Learning 09:06 — From the CIA to Company Building 11:57 — Why 2026 Is the Most Incredible Time to Build 12:39 — Watershed Moments: Is This Bigger Than the Internet? 14:09 — What Physical AI Actually Is 15:04 — Software That Moves Matter, Not Just Data 16:00 — America's Manufacturing Heritage & Where We Lost Our Way 19:16 — How AIC Works With Founder-Led Manufacturers 20:00 — Trapped Capacity: It's Workflow, Not Workforce 21:43 — Legacy Software vs. AI-Enabled Decision-Making 22:56 — Why SaaS Providers Don't Own the Consequence 24:17 — AI as an Enablement Tool, Not a Headcount Cut 25:16 — Keeping Up With the Demand of Physical AI 26:33 — The Sacred Cows: Helping CEOs Get Past Change 29:00 — Protecting the Good While Killing Inefficiency 30:13 — "Dig Sites" & a Competitive Platform for Algorithms 32:08 — Have You Ever Seen a Team Fail to Change? 33:17 — Willingness to Change vs. Ability to Change 36:39 — Enabling Teams to Do More Than Before 37:17 — Turning the Good Work Into Revenue: Incentives 38:01 — Comp for the Behavior You Want & Go-to-Market 41:05 — Why Prioritization Is the Skill Most Leaders Lack 44:43 — Sharpen the Axe: Think Before You Pull the Trigger 47:52 — The Big Aha: Why He's Bullish on American Industry 50:43 — Supply Chain Sovereignty & Outmaneuvering Dependence 50:53 — Closing Thoughts 👤 ABOUT ALEXANDER TORREY: Alexander Torrey is the founder of AIC (America's Innovation Corporation), a permanent holding company that acquires and modernizes founder-led original component manufacturers powering physical AI — robotics, autonomous systems, and advanced defense hardware. A former CIA officer and repeat software entrepreneur, Alex is focused on ensuring the US remains the global leader in physical AI. 🎙️ ABOUT CEOS UNSCRIPTED: Real talk that drives real growth for mid-market leaders. Host Jane Gentry brings unfiltered conversations with CEOs, founders, and executives scaling $10M–$500M businesses. No fluff, no jargon — just honest lessons from leaders who've been where you are. 👉 Subscribe so you never miss a candid conversation with a trailblazing leader. #PhysicalAI #Manufacturing #AI #Reindustrialization #CEO #MidMarket #Robotics #SupplyChain #Entrepreneurship #Leadership

How do you bring autonomous vehicles to an industry that hasn't fundamentally changed in 200 years — and get century-old regulators on board?

In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, host Jane Gentry sits down with Matt Soule, founder of Parallel and a 13-year SpaceX veteran, to unpack what building rockets taught him about leading change everywhere else. From battery-electric autonomous rail to the messy human side of transformation, Matt shares the leadership principles behind moving a legacy industry forward.

This one is a masterclass in mission, ownership, and why the smartest performers build teams instead of protecting turf. Essential listening for any founder or mid-market CEO navigating growth, AI, and organizational change.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: ✅ Why a compelling, CLEAR mission is a company's greatest recruiting and execution tool ✅ How diffuse ownership quietly paralyzes organizations — and the fix ✅ Why job descriptions should be about outcomes, not tasks ✅ How AI doesn't break silos — it exposes the ones leadership won't address ✅ The comp and org-design problems AI forces to the surface ✅ Why "it's not the change people resist, it's the loss" (and how to lead through it) ✅ The SpaceX lesson on engaging regulators EARLY to build trust ✅ Why every job — even engineering — eventually becomes a sales job ✅ How to plan with assumptions and triggers, not rigid annual forecasts ✅ The interview tactic that separates real problem-solvers from problem-droppers

💬 A FEW LINES THAT STUCK WITH US: "Learning how to do great discovery is the most underrated skill in business." — Jane Gentry "The people who are so good at their job that they eliminate that function — those are the people I want to promote." — Matt Soule "It's not the change that people resist, it's the loss." — Jane Gentry

📌 TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Cold Open: Ownership, Discovery & Doing What's Best for the Team 00:59 — Welcome to CEOs Unscripted 02:34 — Meet Matt Soule: From SpaceX to Parallel 04:09 — What SpaceX Taught Him About Leadership & Mission 05:48 — Mission vs. Clarity: Why Nobody Knows Where the Company's Going 06:52 — Clear Ownership & a Bias Toward Action 07:31 — How a Lack of Role Clarity Paralyzes Teams 08:44 — Outcomes Over Tasks: Rethinking Job Descriptions 09:45 — Tackle Problems as a Team, Not by Territory 10:37 — How AI Is Bubbling Up the Silos in Your Org 13:30 — AI as a Productivity Amplifier (and Turf-Protection Trap) 13:56 — The Sales vs. Client-Support Story: Codifying Silos 16:23 — Promote the People Who Eliminate Their Own Function 16:29 — The CEO's Role as Shepherd of Change 18:04 — The Incentive for Change in a No-Growth Industry 19:04 — Every Job Is a Sales Job 19:56 — Leading With Empathy & Curiosity to Drive Change 20:32 — It's Not the Change People Resist — It's the Loss 21:49 — Risk vs. Reward & the Innovator's Dilemma 23:02 — Helping Your People Take Thoughtful Risks 25:24 — Why Great Discovery Is the Most Underrated Skill 26:52 — Knowing When to Be the Gas and When to Be the Brake 28:46 — Shepherding Change at the Federal Level 30:59 — The SpaceX Lesson: Engage Regulators Early 31:40 — Turning Stakeholders Into Internal Advocates 34:48 — Planning for When Success Starts to Break the Company 37:52 — Assumption-Based Planning: Thermostats, Not Rearview Mirrors 40:15 — Cross-Discipline Teams in a High-Performing Company 40:39 — The Engineer Who Had to Learn Sales 44:08 — Hiring People Better Than You & Knowing What "Good" Looks Like 45:15 — Lessons From Working With Elon Musk 47:52 — Interviewing for True Problem-Solvers 49:17 — Holding the Tension Between Limited Cash & Big Ambition 51:23 — Partnership Over Trickle-Down Solutions 51:34 — Closing Thoughts

👤 ABOUT MATT SOULE: Matt Soule is the founder of Parallel, a company using battery-electric autonomous vehicles to move more freight by rail. An engineer by background, he spent 20 years in aerospace — including 13 years at SpaceX — before launching Parallel to solve for service quality and flexibility in a 200-year-old industry.

🎙️ ABOUT CEOS UNSCRIPTED: Real talk that drives real growth for mid-market leaders. Host Jane Gentry brings unfiltered conversations with CEOs, founders, and executives scaling $10M–$500M businesses. No fluff, no jargon — just honest lessons from leaders who've been where you are.

👉 Subscribe so you never miss a candid conversation with a trailblazing leader.

#SpaceX #Leadership #ChangeManagement #AI #CEO #MidMarket #Innovation #Autonomous #Startup #Entrepreneurship

Most business owners wait until they're tired to think about selling. By then, it's too late — and it costs them millions. In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, host Jane Gentry sits down with Ryan Frederick, principal of Transform Labs — a serial entrepreneur who has started and sold company after company, and whose latest venture was just acquired (fresh off the deal). Ryan and Jane pull back the curtain on what buyers actually want, why a full calendar is a red flag, and the uncomfortable truth about being the bottleneck in your own business. If you're a mid-market CEO who ever plans to sell — or just wants to build a business that could run without you — this is the conversation to hear. 🔑 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: ✅ Why you should plan your exit the day you open the doors — not the day you're tired ✅ The "full calendar" trap: how being busy signals you're the bottleneck ✅ Why you can't sell a business you're still working IN ✅ How to get honest feedback (and why your team will never give it to you) ✅ The "mock transaction" test to see if your business is truly sellable ✅ How to prep your people and leadership for a successful integration ✅ Why culture and values quietly kill more deals than valuation ✅ How long you really have to stay on after a sale (it's shorter than the contract) ✅ The 30% haircut that hits unprepared businesses at the negotiating table ✅ The emotional side of selling: who are you after the business is gone? 💬 A FEW LINES THAT STUCK WITH US: "You're climbing the ladder, doing activity — but how do you know it's leaning against the right wall?" — Jane Gentry "You're not selling the past. The story you're selling is the future." — Jane Gentry "We get what we earn. Not what we deserve, but what we earn." — Ryan Frederick 📌 TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — "You Need a Mirror": Cold Open 00:53 — Welcome to CEOs Unscripted 02:29 — Meet Ryan Frederick: A Serial Entrepreneur's Story 04:38 — The High-Risk Reality of Going Out on Your Own 05:37 — Job Security Is Dead & the Rise of the Influencer Career 08:35 — Get an Exit Plan the Day You Open the Doors 11:22 — The Full Calendar Trap: Working IN vs. ON the Business 14:04 — Ego, Identity & Why Founders Can't Let Go 17:28 — Surround Yourself With People Who'll Tell You the Truth 21:36 — Is Your Ladder Leaning Against the Right Wall? 22:07 — BREAKING: Transform Labs Has Been Acquired 23:49 — Sell the Future, Not the Past 24:33 — The "Mock Transaction" Test & Integration Readiness 25:33 — Prepping Your People & Leadership Succession 28:30 — How Long You Really Stay After the Sale 31:15 — Why Deals Die: Culture, Gut & Buyer's Remorse 35:36 — When Values Kill a Deal (The Company Car Story) 37:56 — The Emotional Side of Selling: Who Are You After? 40:52 — Succession Planning: Why Owners Wait Too Long 45:22 — Breaking the Owner's Delusion & the 30% Haircut 48:11 — What's Next for Ryan + The Truth About Retirement 51:43 — Closing Thoughts 👤 ABOUT RYAN FREDERICK: Ryan Frederick is the principal of Transform Labs (recently acquired) and a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits under his belt. He now spends much of his time traveling the country speaking on AI, and is staying on with the acquiring company to lead integration and growth. 🎙️ ABOUT CEOS UNSCRIPTED: Real talk that drives real growth for mid-market leaders. Host Jane Gentry brings unfiltered conversations with CEOs, founders, and executives scaling $10M–$500M businesses. No fluff, no jargon — just honest lessons from leaders who've been where you are. 👉 Subscribe so you never miss a candid conversation with a trailblazing leader. #Exit #MergersAndAcquisitions #CEO #MidMarket #BusinessValuation #SuccessionPlanning #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #ScalingUp #SellingYourBusiness

Rami Cassis has hired four CEOs. He replaced three of them. In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, the Monaco-based investor and founder of Parabellum Investments sits down with Jane Gentry to share the unfiltered truth about what separates great CEOs from expensive mistakes and why emotional intelligence matters more than any MBA or sector experience ever will.

If you hire CEOs, aspire to be one, or are already in the seat, this conversation will make you rethink everything.

In this episode, you'll learn: ✅ Why CEOs who come from sales are dangerously optimistic with forecasts ✅ The subtle client signals most CEOs completely miss until it's too late ✅ The difference between managing UP vs. managing DOWN and why it destroys cultures ✅ Why "wartime CEOs" and "prosperity CEOs" are completely different animals ✅ What the first 60-90 days in a new CEO role should actually look like ✅ The single number every CEO must have an iron grip on ✅ Why being NICE is not the same as being KIND and why it matters enormously ✅ How a culture of fear silently kills your best performers

💡 Key Insight: "The way you deliver something is just as important, if not more important, than what you actually say."

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Cold open: Why hiring a great CEO is as hard as hiring a great salesperson 01:00 Welcome to CEOs Unscripted 02:35 Meet Rami Cassis, Parabellum Investments, Monaco 03:06 Rami's backstory: Egypt, France, Australia, oil & gas, and beyond 05:41 What Parabellum Investments actually does 07:07 What Rami looks for when hiring a CEO 08:08 The three painful reasons his CEOs failed 08:44 Mistake #1: Consistently missing forecasts and why sales CEOs are the worst offenders 10:44 Mistake #2: Failing to read the room with clients 12:47 Why EQ is rarely in the top 3 things we interview CEOs for 13:41 Wartime CEOs vs. prosperity CEOs, which one are you? 17:18 Why emotional intelligence is hard to measure but impossible to ignore 19:38 The self-awareness paradox, the higher you climb the blinder you get 21:26 Is EQ innate or learned? Jane and Rami debate 22:46 Delivery matters as much as content, maybe more 23:54 The difference between being NICE and being KIND as a CEO 25:31 Mistake #3: Managing up but not down and the culture of fear it creates 27:41 Signs you have a culture of fear (Jane's tell-tale meeting test) 29:13 Autonomy vs. accountability, where CEOs get the balance wrong 31:17 When you trust too much, the costly CTO technology mistake 33:39 Why major decisions need an outside voice with no dog in the fight 35:26 What counsel would you give a brand new CEO? 36:35 First 60-90 days, listen, observe, resist the urge to act fast 38:34 It's okay not to know and why admitting it builds more trust than hiding it 39:42 The unprepared sales leader who won his team over with one apology 40:47 Play to your strengths and outsource your weaknesses 41:40 The numbers every CEO must know cold 42:33 Why a 13-week cash flow forecast is non-negotiable 44:25 How do founders know they're in a turnaround situation? 44:33 The financial warning signs of a business in trouble 46:41 Cut marketing or double down? Jane and Rami respectfully disagree 47:22 Why a strong CFO is every CEO's most important co-pilot 48:42 What Jane did differently during COVID and why it worked 49:24 Asking for opinions doesn't mean you have to take them 50:33 Rami's final thoughts and what he hopes others take from his mistakes 51:08 Jane's closing thoughts 🎙️ CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs, no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who've been in the trenches.

📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.

🔗 Connect with Jane Gentry: [LinkedIn] 🔗 Connect with Rami Cassis: [LinkedIn]

#Leadership #CEOsUnscripted #EmotionalIntelligence #PrivateEquity #CEOMindset #BusinessGrowth #MidMarket #Turnaround #ExecutiveLeadership #ScalingUp