YOUNG CEO SQUAD

EverChew founder Kirby Kendall joins Justin to discuss building a growing pet brand focused on safer chew time. With a patented pin-locking system, the brand's American-made SafetyChew bully stick holders are designed to secure chews in place without twisting or cranking, helping reduce choking and internal blockage risks. Kirby shares the story behind the innovation and EverChew's mission to keep dogs happily occupied with thoughtfully designed holders and all-natural chews.

Natalie Novak, co-founder of KPS (Kindness Powered Skincare), joins Justin on Contendercast to share her journey from aesthetician to entrepreneur and the mission behind her skincare brand. KPS combines organic ingredients with its proprietary DermaNū Technology across a range of cleansers, moisturizers, serums, masks, and at-home facial kits. The company also offers skin consultations and personalized routine recommendations to help customers find products suited to their needs. Natalie shares the story of building a business rooted in care for people and the planet, with giving back woven into the brand through its support of the Hello Gorgeous! foundation.

Mike Robertson, Senior Vice President of Brand Partnerships at MediaOne, joins Justin to discuss how creative marketing, transparent data, and strategic partnerships help smaller brands compete with bigger budgets. From career pivots and early wins in places larger players overlooked to creating raving fans, Mike shares lessons on turning attention into revenue and measuring what matters. He also explores building a culture grounded in core values, putting people in roles where they thrive, and how reading has shaped his approach to leadership.

Mike Glick, CEO of NIMA Partners, joins Justin to explore the intersection of health technology, consumer goods, and food and beverage. They discuss NIMA's portable, handheld device designed to detect gluten in food and how the company's products aim to help consumers make more informed food choices.

What does it take to think differently, lead boldly, and keep moving forward when even your biggest ideas don't go as planned? In this episode of the ContenderCast, Justin sits down with legendary retail executive Ron Johnson, former CEO of JCPenney, the leader who helped transform Target, and the architect behind Apple's groundbreaking retail stores and Genius Bar. Ron shares lessons from working alongside Steve Jobs, the thinking behind his new book Shop Different, what extraordinary success, and failure, taught him about leadership, and why bringing people along may matter just as much as having a bold vision. They also explore the future of retail in an AI and agentic commerce world, why human connection still matters, and how Ron's definition of leadership has evolved through decades of innovation, reinvention, and resilience.

Lindsay McCormick is founder and CEO of Bite. Kick the tube with Bite Toothpaste Bits to help end the 1 billion toothpaste tubes entering landfill and oceans each year. Lindsay is reinventing toothpaste because it's something we put into our bodies by brushing it into our gums and mouths twice a day, every single day of our lives. Flip the label on your typical toothpaste tube and it is full of chemicals, fillers and unnecessary ingredients, all packaged in plastic that will inevitably end up in a landfill. These tubes are thrown out every year filled with ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan and artificial dyes and preservatives that are harmful to our health. Lindsay is building Bite to provide a healthier, more sustainable toothpaste. Bite is in fully recyclable, and refillable glass bottles. Lindsay joins Justin to unpack Bite's growth and future plans!

After 25 years in corporate marketing, Suzanne Appel turned her entrepreneurial drive into Young CEO Squad, helping kids build real businesses and the confidence to lead. Suzanne joins Justin to discuss her journey as a solo founder and mom, bringing entrepreneurship to more than 300 classrooms nationwide, and exploring AI as a tool for young entrepreneurs. With every kit sold helping fund workshops and scholarships, she's working to ensure opportunity reaches kids in every zip code—one kid business at a time.

Vacation Darts is a lifestyle and apparel brand founded by Joey Coffin, a 36-year-old former Yelp restaurant manager based in Vancouver (originally from Toronto). A "vacation dart" refers to a cigarette that is smoked exclusively while on vacation. The tongue-in-cheek motto behind the brand is that "vacation darts don't count". It is a rule-free mindset representing the permission to drop everyday expectations, enjoy minor indulgences, and not take life too seriously. After printing an initial batch of hats in Toronto in mid-2024 (which sold out quickly and even had people offering to buy the hat right off his head), Coffin launched online sales in February 2025. Joey joins Justin to discuss launching and growing the Vacation Darts brand!

Natalie Heiter is the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Lofty Pops, a fast-growing, Detroit-based handcrafted ice pop brand. She launched the venture alongside her brother and business partner, Philip Stakich, in July 2024. The siblings debuted Lofty Pops with an initial kiosk at the Detroit Zoo in July 2024. Philip brought prior food-truck and operations experience from running Marilyn's Detroit, while Natalie leveraged her background in marketing and advertising. The brand focuses on real-fruit, chef-crafted, and certified USDA Organic ice pops made with zero artificial colors, flavors, or junk. Natalie joins Justin to unwrap this lofty brand!

Cara Brzezicki is the inventor of The Coffee Stopper, a small, reusable silicone accessory that helps prevent coffee from splashing out of takeout lids. It came from one of those everyday annoyances that made Cara wonder, "Why has nobody solved this?" Cara was not a product-development expert when she started. She simply saw a problem, believed there had to be a better solution, and figured out how to bring the idea to life. Since launching, she has learned the hard way about manufacturing, patents, retail, distribution, marketing, and all the persistence required to get a physical product into consumers' hands. The Coffee Stopper has been featured on the cover of Inventors Digest and has been interviewed twice by the producers of Shark Tank. She has also had the product carried by local retailers and pursued wholesale and distribution opportunities. Cara joins Justin to discuss taking new product ideas and converting them into consumer products.