ABOUT THE PODCAST BREAKING THE BARRIER
Will You Like This Podcast?
What does it actually look like to build a business without leaving your faith at the door?
This is your first look at Breaking the Barrier, real conversations with proven entrepreneurs and founders on leadership, failure, and the practical wisdom behind building with conviction.
Welcome to Breaking The Barrier Podcast
LISTEN ON
SUBSCRIBE TO THE BREAKING THE BARRIER PODCAST
AND NEVER MISS AN EPISODE!
EPISODESEPISODE 4
From $1M/Day Losses to $300M Sale: Culture Without HR, 7-Question Filter, Your Idea Is Just an Idea
WITH SPECIAL GUEST JEFF SCHIEFELBEIN
Jeff sits down with Nick Madden to break down why culture and strategy are not separate things, the 7-question filter he uses before committing to any business opportunity, and what backward planning from a 3-year vision actually looks like in practice.
Jeff draws from his experience helping lead an energy consulting firm through a turnaround that ended in a $300M sale, co-founding Undivided Life, and taking ownership stakes in organizations where his skills, network, and faith could have an outsized impact. We also hear what it cost him, personally and professionally, to refuse a client on the grounds of faith and why he has no regrets.
EPISODE 3
Built From Nothing: Raising Millions, The Cheat Plan, Working in Chaos
WITH SPECIAL GUEST BOB HOGAN
As co-founder of Presidio, the first pro-life health insurance company in America, Bob Hogan is building a values-aligned alternative in one of the most complex and regulated industries in the country. Bob sits down with Nick Madden to unpack 100+ failed pitches, constant course correction, and what it takes to execute under pressure when nothing goes to plan.
EPISODE 2
No Investor, No Playbook: The Non-Negotiable for Success, People Over Everything, Execution to Win
WITH SPECIAL GUEST FLIP HOWARD
Flip Howard sits down with Nick Madden to break down what actually drives long-term business growth without overcomplicating it. Flip explains why taking action beats waiting for the perfect strategy, how the right people can transform or break a company, and why most entrepreneurs overthink instead of simply executing better than their competition. Flip draws from his experience building Lucid Private Offices, a coworking company to 29 locations across four states, starting with a $25,000 takeover and no outside capital, and growing it over two decades through multiple industry shifts. We also hear how his Faith has guided him through it all.
EPISODE 7
The Risks No One Sees: Slave Labor, AI-Driven Crime, Redeeming Capital
WITH SPECIAL GUEST DAVID NICCOLINI
David Niccolini sits down with Nick Madden to explore a side of business few founders never see. After being invited to a founder table that included former Secret Service and U.S. Senate security leaders, David co-founded Torchstone — a risk-mitigation firm that's hit the Inc. 5000 multiple times — and later co-founded Evidentity, a data company that traced forced labor through global supply chains to more than 100 companies on the S&P 500.
EPISODE 1
700+ Employees and Constant Growth: No-BS Buddies, Forgiveness Mindset, Developing Potential
WITH SPECIAL GUEST TIM LYONS
Tim Lyons sits down with Nick Madden to break down what actually makes a leader effective when the stakes are high. Tim explains why every organization needs skeptics (and how to use them), how to build a set of “no-BS buddies” for real feedback, and why a “personal board of directors” might be the most underused tool in an entrepreneur’s life.
Tim draws from decades at Haggar Clothing, including serving as President, where the brand’s core product was sold in roughly 4,000 retail doors and operated at nearly $500M in annual revenue.
EPISODE 5
The Executive Reset: Mastering the Discipline of the "3:30 Stop"
WITH SPECIAL GUEST JEREMY ARANDA
Professional burnout is often the result of a lack of structural discipline rather than a heavy workload. In this episode, Nick Madden and Jeremy Aranda introduce the "3:30 Stop" challenge, a practical exercise in time-blocking that forces leaders to end meetings early to review the day and plan for the next. By creating this strategic margin, executives can transition from high-intensity work to being fully present for their families, ensuring their personal lives don't become a "sacrifice" to their professional success. The discussion centers on how intentional structure and the "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" philosophy actually accelerate organizational growth.
EPISODE 6
From Fired to Founder: AI Disruption, 1 Billion Views, Building Media Company
WITH SPECIAL GUEST ROB KACZMARK
Nick Madden sits down with Rob Kaczmark to discuss the unexpected journey from getting fired from Catholic radio to building Spirit Juice Studios — a media company that now generates over 1 BILLION views and produces thousands of videos every year.
Rob shares the behind-the-scenes story of the early failures, financial sacrifices, creative risks, and leadership lessons that shaped the company over nearly two decades.
EPISODE 8
The Addictions No One Talks About: Pride, Money, The Solo-Hero Trap
WITH SPECIAL GUEST SCOTT WEEMAN
Scott Weeman sits down with Nick Madden to break down the addictions hiding inside ambition. Over the last decade, Scott built Catholic in Recovery — pairing the 12 steps of recovery with the sacraments — and in this conversation he names the patterns founders rationalize most: pride, the need for control and information, and money. He and Nick get honest about why a high tolerance for risk makes founders 'a little bit more susceptible to addictive behaviors,' why no one recovers on a winning streak, and how the first three steps ('I can't, God can, I oughta let him') translate surrender into something a leader can actually use.
EPISODE 9
Leading When It's All on Fire: The Abyss, Your Alpha, Real Freedom
WITH SPECIAL GUEST ROB HAYS
Rob Hays sits down with Nick Madden to unpack what it takes to lead when everything is on fire. Hays took over as CEO of the publicly traded Ashford Hospitality Trust in April 2020, furloughing 93% of nearly 13,000 associates and defaulting on $4.5 billion in mortgages within a weekend. He walks through the virtue of order, detachment from outcomes, and unreasonable hospitality, arguing that the humans, not efficiency, are your real edge, and that work itself is the material of your sanctity.
BREAKING
>>
THE
>>
BARRIER
>>
BREAKING >> THE >> BARRIER >>