He had a 9-Figure Exit (Then Almost Lost It All) | Ep. 412 with Steve Salis CEO of Catalogue.co

Daniel and Steve Salis dive into what it really takes to build restaurants at scale, from creating a brand people love to delivering hospitality every single day. Steve explains how restaurants become cultural beacons inside communities, why &pizza was built to recreate the feeling of a local mom-and-pop pizza shop, and how he turned a simple observation inside a Qdoba into a scalable fast-casual pizza concept. The conversation also goes deeper into risk, COVID, personal sacrifice, underdog mentality, and why Steve believes the ability to execute is what separates real builders from people with ideas. Key Discussion Points Steve explains that restaurants are difficult because they require a great brand, great product, great experience, and an extraordinary hospitality model working together consistently. He describes restaurants as cultural gathering places, saying the best ones connect people, communities, and memories far beyond the food itself. Steve shares the origin of &pizza: he wanted to recreate the mom-and-pop pizza shop experience for the modern consumer, using pizza as a conduit for community and belonging. He recalls moving to New York City at 21 as a college dropout, living in a one-bedroom apartment with four other guys, and entering food and beverage just to support himself. Steve explains how opening a tequila taqueria bar during the financial crisis shaped one of his core principles: premium and approachable can coexist. He breaks down his approach to risk through three categories: known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns, arguing that founders need to quantify risk instead of letting fear stop them. Steve says ideas are common, but execution is rare, and what makes him dangerous is his ability to take an idea and actually operate it into reality. He shares how COVID became one of his hardest entrepreneurial moments, with lenders calling about $47 million while revenue collapsed to zero and he was financing payroll. Steve explains why endurance is the most important attribute in business, because when you are going through hell, the only option is to keep moving one day at a time. He reflects on being an underdog from New Hampshire, growing up lower middle income, watching his father lose his business in 2008, and having to fight for everything he built. Takeaways Restaurants are not just food businesses; they are emotional, cultural, and community-driven experiences that must earn attention every day. Risk is not something to avoid blindly. Steve’s framework is to quantify what can be known, prepare for what might happen, and accept that some unknowns are just life. The difference between dreamers and operators is execution. Plenty of people have ideas, but few people can turn those ideas into scalable companies. Premium does not have to mean inaccessible. Steve’s hospitality philosophy is built around delivering extraordinary experiences through premium and approachability. Endurance beats hype, timing, and even talent when the business gets hard, because founders have to survive long enough for the wins to compound. Closing Thoughts Steve Salis’ story is the founder playbook for turning pressure into vision and vision into execution. He built through financial crisis, scaled through category disruption, survived COVID, and kept pushing into what he calls his second act. This episode is a reminder that the restaurant business is brutal, but for the right founder, it can become a platform for culture, community, and legacy-defining brands. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel and Mauricio Umansky trace his journey from growing up in Mexico City, delivering pizzas at 16, and becoming one of the most successful luxury real estate figures in the world. Mauricio reflects on selling the Playboy Mansion, the fascination with luxury real estate, and why success eventually becomes less about money and more about making chess moves that shift an industry. The conversation then turns deeper as Mauricio shares the sacrifices of fame, the loss of privacy, his complicated feelings about reality TV, and how he is now pushing for change in real estate through new organizations, global expansion, AI adoption, and a more collaborative industry model. Key Discussion Points Mauricio shares how his background as a Mexican Jew with Eastern European immigrant roots shaped his early life, identity, and ambition. He reflects on delivering pizzas at 16 and how far that journey has taken him, including selling the Playboy Mansion in the first $100 million residential sale in Los Angeles. Mauricio explains why people are so fascinated by luxury real estate: it gives viewers access to beauty, aspiration, celebrity lifestyles, and the possibility of a bigger life. He describes success as a chess game, saying that at a certain point it is no longer about “enough money,” but about impact, moves, influence, and not being bored. Mauricio breaks down why he launched the American Real Estate Association and why he believes the National Association of Realtors protects itself more than real estate agents. He explains the current real estate downturn through transaction volume, noting that the country has dropped from around seven million annual transactions to roughly 3.6 or 3.7 million. The episode explores how AI could make agents more efficient, allowing top performers to handle more deals, while also potentially eliminating roles for people who do not adapt. Mauricio opens up about the price of reality television, including losing privacy, finding a paparazzi tracker in his car, and always being watched in public. He shares one of the hardest parts of fame: his children were put on reality TV because of decisions he and Kyle made, without getting to choose that life for themselves. Mauricio talks about the future of The Agency, including expansion across Europe, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Qatar, and eventually London once he finds the right partner. He closes with a more personal reflection on journaling, learning to understand his emotions, and discovering the power of being truly alone without a phone, book, or distraction. Takeaways Success has a price, and for Mauricio, that price has included privacy, friendships, public judgment, and the emotional weight of exposing his family to fame. At the highest level, business becomes a chess game: the goal is not just money, but influence, impact, and changing the rules of the industry. Real estate is entering a chaotic reset, and Mauricio believes agents must become more efficient, more collaborative, and more willing to adapt to AI. Luxury is changing too; Mauricio sees time, wellness, longevity, mobility, and health as the new status symbols. True solitude is not just being physically alone. It is removing the phone, the noise, and the distractions long enough to understand yourself and create again. Closing Thoughts Mauricio Umansky’s story is not just about luxury homes, billion-dollar sales volume, or reality TV fame. It is about what happens when success gives you a platform, but also takes pieces of your privacy, your friendships, and your family’s anonymity. This episode captures a founder at a turning point: still building, still expanding, still controversial, and still trying to reshape an industry that he believes is ready for a new era. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel and Adam Hagaman dive into the painful early chapters of Adam’s life, including growing up without a father, trying drugs in sixth grade, selling drugs, dropping out of school, and going to jail every year from 18 to 25. Adam explains how a party invitation led him to meet his future wife, the daughter of a pastor, and how that relationship introduced him to faith after years of darkness. The conversation moves from redemption to entrepreneurship, covering door-to-door sales, building businesses, making millions, losing nearly $1 million, and the shift from being a Christian with a business to becoming a Kingdom entrepreneur. Key Discussion Points Adam shares how growing up without his father shaped his identity and pushed him toward the wrong friends, drugs, alcohol, gangs, and selling drugs at a young age. He explains that from 18 to 25, he went to jail every year, but at the time he didn’t see it as a wake-up call; he only thought he had to “do better next time.” Adam tells the story of meeting his future wife at a party, even though he originally thought inviting her was a bad idea, and how her family and faith opened the door to a new life. The turning point came when his wife left with the kids after he chose drinking and friends again, forcing him to realize he was becoming the absent father he promised he would never be. Adam breaks down how door-to-door sales changed his life after 2008, especially after dropping out of high school and struggling to find work without a diploma. He shares his biggest sales lesson: don’t make it about your commission, make it about the person, because when he lowered the price and focused on the customer, his results exploded. Adam explains why success can become a trap if you never define enough, describing how chasing more can pull you away from your family even when you are physically present. He opens up about falling nearly $800,000 to $1 million in debt in 2024, and how that season taught him more through loss than he had learned through years of winning. Adam defines the difference between a Christian with a business and a Kingdom entrepreneur: one includes God in the business, while the other gives the business fully to God and lets Him lead. He shares how he started posting content on December 20, 2023, instead of waiting for January, and grew from zero to over one million followers across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Takeaways Your past does not have to dictate your future, but transformation starts when you stop making excuses and confront who you are becoming. Sales is not about pushing people into what benefits you; it is about understanding the person, solving a real problem, and making the deal good for them. Success without a defined “enough” can become a hamster wheel that costs you the relationships you were supposedly working to protect. Content does not require perfection to start; Adam began with a phone, no microphone, and a willingness to post before he felt ready. Short-form video can become the billboard that leads people into your deeper message, but you have to start before you are confident. Closing Thoughts Adam Hagaman’s story is about redemption, but it is also about responsibility. He went from living for survival and status to building with faith, family, and mission at the center. This episode is a reminder that attention is powerful, but purpose is what gives it direction—and no matter how far someone has fallen, they are not too late, too old, or too broken to start again. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/founders. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Trustpilot rating as of 6/1/2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel and Kat explore the origin story behind Ritual, starting with Kat being four months pregnant and unable to find a prenatal vitamin she trusted. Kat explains how women’s health has been underfunded, understudied, and underestimated, and how that gap became the foundation for a brand built on transparency, science, and trust. The conversation covers venture funding, building while raising three children, the power of starting narrow, the problem with copycat supplements, and why Ritual has invested millions into human clinical studies instead of relying on marketing claims. Key Discussion Points Kat shares that Ritual began when she was pregnant and saw a major gap in women’s health, especially around prenatal nutrition, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. She recalls an investor telling her she could either start a family or start a business, but not both, and explains how that moment became fuel to build Ritual into a nine-figure company. Kat explains why she rejects the idea that women’s health categories are “niche,” arguing that these experiences make up the collective women’s health journey. She breaks down Ritual’s strategy of starting with one product, one price point, and one clear promise, instead of launching everything at once and standing for nothing. Kat shares how customer demand led to major product expansion, including a gut health product that did $30 million in first-year sales. She also explains when Ritual does not simply follow customer requests, using choline as an example of a science-led product customers did not yet know they needed. The conversation goes deep into women’s health research, including postnatal nutrition, breast milk quality, methylated folate, and the problem of studies being run on men or animals while marketed to women. Kat explains why Ritual raised venture capital from the beginning: to build from the ground up, invest in scientists, clinical validation, sourcing, delivery technology, and patented formulations. She opens up about sacrifice, saying she tries to throw guilt out the window and focus on three priorities: health, business, and family. Kat reflects on success, saying she often struggles to feel like she has “arrived” because every milestone leads to the next one. Takeaways Women’s health is not niche, it has simply been underfunded, understudied, and underestimated for too long. Starting narrow can build more trust than launching wide, because focus helps a brand stand for something clearly. In supplements, marketing is not enough; clinical studies, sourcing, safety, and delivery technology are what separate real innovation from private-label copycats. Motherhood and entrepreneurship are not separate lanes for Kat, they are intertwined, and being the customer helped her build for the customer. For founders, guilt can become a trap, so Kat’s framework is choosing the few things that matter most in a given season and accepting the tradeoffs. Closing Thoughts Kat Schneider’s story is about more than building Ritual. It is about proving that overlooked markets are often massive opportunities hiding in plain sight. This episode shows how trust becomes a moat when a founder is willing to build slower, go deeper into science, and solve a problem she understands personally. For anyone building in health, CPG, or women’s wellness, Kat’s message is clear: don’t copy what already exists, build what people actually need.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel and Cylton Collymore dive into one of the biggest questions facing founders right now: what happens when AI becomes essential, but the cost and control of that AI sits in someone else’s cloud. Cylton explains why he believes LLMs are still “book smart, not street smart,” why giving AI agents full access to your computer is like handing your bank account to someone on a second date, and why the future may shift toward local or on-prem AI systems. The conversation also turns personal as Cylton shares how being laid off from Meta after his 50th birthday forced him into Plan A, why Sirsi is his contribution, and why access—not talent—is the real bottleneck holding back the next generation of builders. Key Discussion Points Cylton pushes back on the AGI hype, arguing that LLMs present well but are still limited, comparing them to someone who can pass every quiz but struggles with real-world “street smart” reasoning. He warns founders about giving AI agents full access to their computers, phones, finances, and private data, comparing it to giving a new relationship access to your bank account on the second date. Cylton explains that agentic systems should support human intelligence, not replace it, especially in roles like cybersecurity where human judgment is needed as the “tiebreaker.” He shares the deeper vision behind Sirsi: giving people and companies AI efficiency without requiring them to become AI experts or build an AI company from scratch. The conversation explores why talent is everywhere, from government to Meta to Howard University, and why the future depends on expanding access, encouragement, tools, and visibility for more builders. Cylton opens up about being laid off from Meta in 2023 and realizing that Plan B was not enough, saying that if you have a Plan B, you do not really have a plan. He gives founders a blunt lesson on equity: do not give away shares casually, because equity is not candy, it is a claim on your time, effort, and future money. Cylton explains why he is betting against the purely cloud-centric AI model, arguing that inference costs, token economics, outages, and lack of control will push more AI back to local devices and on-prem systems. He compares token economics to Chuck E. Cheese at trillion-dollar scale, warning that today’s AI usage is subsidized by investor capital and that prices are already shifting upward. The episode closes with Cylton pointing toward a hybrid AI future where frontier cloud models still exist, but daily business AI increasingly runs closer to the user through local hardware and private systems. Shout out to our supporters: Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/founder! #squarepod ○ Please make sure to hyperlink this in the YT/Social/Podcast descriptions Limited Time Offer – Get Huel today with my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code FOUNDER at huel.com/founder. New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering and supporting our show! Takeaways AI agents are powerful, but founders should not confuse convenience with safety, especially when private data, financial systems, and company operations are involved. The next AI advantage may not be who has the best prompt, but who controls their infrastructure, costs, data, and inference layer. Equity is one of the most expensive things a founder can give away, because it represents a claim on years of work, not just a future payout. Access is the real unlock: more people building with better tools could create a much larger economy and surface talent that traditional systems overlook. The current AI land grab is being subsidized, and founders should prepare for a world where token costs, cloud dependence, and AI usage become real operating expenses. Closing Thoughts Cylton Collymore brings a rare mix of government, cybersecurity, big tech, and founder perspective to the AI conversation. This episode is not anti-AI, it is a warning against using AI blindly before understanding the cost, control, and security tradeoffs. His message to founders is clear: use AI, but do not outsource your company’s future to systems you do not control. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel and Kris Fishman explore why compounding pharmacies are suddenly part of the national health conversation, especially as GLP-1s, peptides, and personalized medicine become mainstream. Kris breaks down what compounding actually means, why “one size fits all” medicine is being questioned, and how pharmacies like Wells step in when traditional options are unavailable or not personalized enough. The conversation also covers FDA scrutiny, peptide regulation, Big Pharma tension, operational scale, and the emotional reality of leading a fast-growing healthcare company. Key Discussion Points Kris explains that compounding pharmacies go back centuries and combine active pharmaceutical ingredients to create personalized preparations when standard retail versions do not fit a patient’s needs.  He breaks down why peptides became a major health trend, describing them as amino acid chains that have gained traction through wellness culture, social media, and gray-market demand.  Kris discusses the FDA’s review process and the importance of the upcoming PCAC meeting, where physicians and pharmacists can explain why certain peptides should be available for compounding.  He explains that Wells Pharmacy Network focuses on quality, testing, sterile processes, and transparency, encouraging people to research their pharmacy and understand its safety standards.  Kris shares that the company’s operational unlock came from improving speed, technology, and order fulfillment while maintaining strict quality control.  He talks about the tension with Big Pharma, especially after GLP-1 shortages, and argues compounding exists to help patients where personalized or unavailable options are needed.  Kris says the biggest CEO pressure is not product quality, because he trusts his team, but making sure regulators understand the data, adverse effects, and patient impact behind the products they carry.  He opens up about the personal cost of leadership, including missing much of his children’s lives while building the company, and the tradeoff of trying to provide a better future for them. Takeaways Personalized medicine is growing because more people are questioning whether one-size-fits-all healthcare actually serves their needs.  The biggest misunderstanding about compounding is safety, which is why quality controls, testing, and regulatory transparency matter.  Peptides are popular, but Kris warns that people should avoid gray-market options and work through qualified doctors and reputable pharmacies.  Scaling in healthcare requires both speed and trust, because getting products out quickly means nothing if quality is compromised.  Leadership can create real personal sacrifice, and Kris reflects honestly on the cost of building while raising a family. Closing Thoughts Kris Fishman’s story shows the intersection of healthcare, entrepreneurship, regulation, and personal mission. What started as an industry he did not fully understand became a calling after seeing patients and family members benefit from personalized products. This episode gives listeners a clearer picture of why compounding pharmacies matter, why peptides are everywhere, and why the future of medicine may depend on safer, smarter personalization. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel and Tal trace Tal’s origin story from writing code in elementary school to building Cloudinary with two co founders over decades of friendship. Tal explains why bootstrapping forced discipline and protected culture, how Cloudinary grew product led before “PLG” was a label, and what it means for employees when option value rises without constant dilution from new funding rounds. The conversation then pivots into the AI era, where Tal is actively experimenting with AI assisted coding systems, and where he predicts both huge opportunity and a much bigger roller coaster for founders. Key Discussion Points Tal shares that computers felt like a creative superpower because he could imagine something and make it real, and that drive never left him. He explains how the act of building changed from BASIC and Pascal to orchestrating AI agents, but the core satisfaction is still creation. Tal breaks down why bootstrapping is harder than fundraising, because you must earn revenue fast, spend with discipline, and grow at a pace that preserves culture. He explains the upside of founder control, the board remains the founders, allowing them to design the company’s path, values, and hiring standards. Tal describes a hidden employee benefit of bootstrapping, option value can grow with revenue without the repeated dilution and preference complexity of venture rounds. He shares a hard learned go to market lesson, moving too far upmarket too quickly lowered win rates and created lottery quarters, forcing a return to a healthier range before expanding again. Tal explains why the barrier to starting companies keeps dropping, first cloud enabled Cloudinary, now AI agents enable coding, marketing, and selling, making “zero person companies” plausible. He pushes back on the idea that everything becomes a race to zero price, arguing that enterprise grade reliability, compliance, and the cost of mistakes create a durable moat. Tal describes the co founder operating system that kept them together for 30 years, weekly conversations, honest venting, and deep understanding of when to push and when to back off. He closes with a grounded view on entrepreneurship, it is a little crazy, rules keep changing, and not everyone should be a founder, but impact is possible as an employee too. Takeaways Bootstrapping is a strategy, not a flex, it buys control and cultural consistency, but demands early revenue and relentless discipline. AI will make building cheaper and faster, but it will also make competition faster, and real moats will come from reliability, trust, and execution in complex environments. If you go upmarket too soon, you can trap yourself in “lottery quarters,” so watch win rate as closely as deal size. Three co founders can be a strength because it creates a balancing mechanism, especially when conflict or pressure rises. The future may reduce scarcity, but humans will still need purpose, meaning, and a way to feel impactful, even if robots do more of the work. Closing Thoughts Tal Lev-Ami is a rare blend of builder and long game operator, someone who scaled without losing the craft and then returned to hands on creation through AI. This episode is a reminder that the best companies endure because they earn trust, not because they raise the biggest round. In an era where anyone can ship fast, Tal’s message lands hard: the real edge is building something that keeps working when the stakes are high. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel and Harrison Allen Lewis break down why the best leadership lessons often come from terrible management, and why clarity beats charisma in modern organizations. Harrison explains his operating model for transformation: define the outcome, anchor a strategy to that outcome, then build a plan that the business can own. They also explore career leverage, mentorship, fear as a signal, and why great CIO work is less about tools and more about aligning people, incentives, and accountability. Key Discussion Points Harrison shares the grocery store story that stuck with him: he thought he was trusted with the keys, then learned later it was an escape during a bomb threat, which taught him accountability the hard way. Daniel and Harrison discuss why many companies promote or place people without matching strengths, and why the better approach is doing change with people, not to people. Harrison explains the transformation chain: outcome first, then strategy, then plan, and why starting with a plan creates chaos. They unpack differentiation in the AI era, where tools are everywhere, and the edge is understanding value, willingness to pay, and the unique properties of your tools. Harrison calls out silos as a major failure point, where people show up as their function instead of as business owners solving a shared problem. He shares his worst CIO moments: being asked to execute a doomed plan, or being the new leader who tells the uncomfortable truth and becomes the most hated person for a month. Harrison describes the loneliness of leadership and how he leaned on reciprocal mentors and peers as a sounding board. He argues EQ will matter more, but AI can increase effective IQ by offloading minutiae into a knowledge base so leaders can operate at a higher level. Harrison closes with his butterfly effect story: a Kroger manager handing him an application changed everything, and his father’s rule became his compass: say yes unless you have a good reason to say no, and fear is not a reason. Takeaways The best leaders are transparent and candid, and they treat people as capable adults who can handle the truth. If your plan is not anchored in strategy and your strategy is not anchored in outcome, your transformation is already failing. Silos destroy momentum, and alignment happens when teams solve one business problem together instead of defending their department badge. Fear is often a signal that an opportunity is real, and saying yes can create the career path you never could have planned. In the AI era, differentiation comes from value creation and tool mastery, not from having access to the same software everyone else has. Closing Thoughts This episode is a masterclass in practical leadership, the kind built in stores, boardrooms, and crisis moments, not in slogans. Harrison Lewis shows that transformation is not a tech upgrade, it is a human alignment problem anchored in outcome, strategy, and accountability. If you are leading change right now, this conversation will give you a cleaner playbook and a better mindset for the hard days. Proton VPN is offering our listeners 70% off a two year plan when you go to ProtonVPN.com/FOUNDER Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel and Anastasia Soare start with Romania, identity, and the immigrant experience, then trace her journey from arriving in the US in 1989 to building one of the most globally recognized beauty brands in the world. Anastasia explains how she went from an esthetician job to renting one room and one chair in Beverly Hills, betting on an overlooked idea: eyebrows. She shares why curiosity and mastery mattered more than “manifesting,” how trust built her celebrity relationships, and why she sees ABH as a legacy she will never stop building, alongside her daughter. Key Discussion Points Anastasia shares how hard the first six months in LA were, crying daily because she left family, community, and certainty behind and arrived with no language or security.  She explains how life under communism trained her for entrepreneurship, constant problem solving, adapting daily, and finding solutions without expecting help.  Anastasia describes why she chose brows, using art, architecture, and the golden ratio to create a repeatable technique that made faces look balanced and lifted.  She recalls being told she was crazy by her husband, landlord, and community, but her mindset was simple: what do I have to lose if I believe in this.  The Oprah moment in 1998 became the turning point, her “Oscar moment,” because Oprah understood the concept and broadcast it to the world before social media existed.  She explains how celebrity relationships grew over decades, including working with Jennifer Lopez from early in her career, and why trust is everything at that level.  Anastasia shares her partnership with private equity in 2018, then reveals she personally invested $225M to maintain majority control when the firm exited after COVID disruption.  She describes ABH as pure legacy, saying she will never “retire,” because innovation and building products with her daughter is her purpose.  She explains product innovation as a loop of consumer insight, social signals, and chemistry advances, sharing how formulas like brow pomade became possible only when labs could make them waterproof.  Anastasia credits her daughter for pushing ABH onto Instagram in 2012 to educate customers digitally and reduce constant travel, which later fueled massive growth in retail. Takeaways Immigrant grit is transferable, the same mindset that helped Anastasia survive scarcity became the mindset that helped her build a brand under pressure.  You do not need a huge dream to start, you need obsession with mastering one craft, and for Anastasia that craft was brows.  Success is easier to achieve than to maintain, and long term winners keep working like rent is due even after the brand is iconic.  If you want to win as a founder, leave ego behind, ask questions, admit what you do not know, and learn directly from customers.  Legacy is a decision, and Anastasia’s $225M reinvestment shows how founders protect what they built when outside capital priorities shift. Closing Thoughts Anastasia Soare’s story is proof that category creation starts with conviction before the market agrees. She did not follow a trend, she created one, then defended it with craft, discipline, and decades of trust. This episode is a reminder that the American Dream is not a vibe, it is endurance, humility, and the willingness to bet on yourself twice, even after you’ve already “won.” Episode Sponsor: Thank you to our amazing sponsor, Shopify, who has changed my life. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at SHOPIFY.com/foundersstory Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel and Guest Host Nadja interview Craig Hamilton-Parker about how he developed his psychic practice, how he distinguishes intuition from opinion, and why he believes prediction is about probability, not destiny. Craig shares a bold call on the Los Angeles mayor race, then zooms out to discuss broader global tensions and what he sees as an approaching “pressure window” in the coming years. They also explore AI, consciousness, and Craig’s belief that periods of instability can trigger deeper questions about meaning and identity. Key Discussion Points Craig explains his background and how his work evolved from early experiences into public-facing predictions, plus the responsibility that comes with making specific calls.  He shares his prediction that Spencer Pratt will be the next LA mayor, and the conversation examines why “off-script” authenticity can outperform traditional political playbooks.  Craig outlines how he thinks about major world events as shifting probability paths, emphasizing that timing can be difficult and outcomes can change with collective decisions.  They discuss current geopolitical flashpoints and Craig’s view of a heightened risk period that could peak around 2028, while still leaving room for de-escalation and course correction.  On AI, Craig takes a tool-based view, arguing that it can amplify or destabilize humanity depending on how people use it, and he believes human meaning-making still matters most. Takeaways Predictions, in Craig’s view, are probability maps, not fate, and the most constructive stance is preparation without fatalism.  People respond emotionally during uncertainty, which is why authentic, unpolished voices can rise fast in politics and media.  If you consume prediction content, keep discernment: treat it as one input, not a replacement for decision-making and personal responsibility.  AI may accelerate output and misinformation at the same time, making verification, calm thinking, and trusted relationships even more valuable. Closing Thoughts This episode is less about “believing or not believing” and more about how humans seek certainty in chaotic times. Craig Hamilton-Parker leaves listeners with a challenge: stay curious, stay grounded, and don’t outsource your agency to fear—whether it comes from news cycles, algorithms, or predictions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.