Fearful Giants

Clay Stelzer

Fearful Giants is a raw, honest look at how fear quietly shapes even the strongest leaders. Executive coach Clay Stelzer sits down with CEOs for unfiltered conversations about the fears they rarely name — failure, vulnerability, being irrelevant, or not enough. This show isn’t about the fear itself — it’s about what happens when we stop performing and tell the truth. With humor, depth, and real coaching insight, Clay and his guests unpack how fear limits creativity and potential — and what becomes possible when leaders remember who they really are: giants.

  1. 5 days ago

    Conviction Over Fear: Building a Law Firm From Zero with Adam Zayed

    If you've been in Chicago and seen an orange Z on any of the billboards along the highways, you already know a little bit about my guest. That Z represents the Zayed Law Offices, and this week I'm sitting down with the guy behind it, my buddy Adam Zayed, award-winning trial attorney and founder of the Zayed Law Offices. Adam represents individuals and families facing life-changing injuries and wrongful death cases. With more than $150 million recovered for his clients and a record of million-dollar verdicts and settlements, he's known for taking on powerful corporations and insurance companies while giving every client dedicated one-on-one representation. He started the firm at 25, straight out of law school. For two years he answered his own phones, stuffed his own envelopes and wore the suit every day, because his uncle told him to take it seriously. But this conversation goes far beyond building a law firm. We get into what he did when the phone wasn't ringing, why he never had imposter syndrome ("I was lawyer man," as Adam explained), and why opportunity for the people on your team may not mean becoming a leader. We also get into what makes the giant in him rise up when fear shows up: making sure he's doing really good for people. In this episode, we explore: - What makes a phone ring? How Adam worked the problem when nobody was calling - The day a federal judge called him back to chambers at 25 (and the nitro it put in his engines) - The attorneys who reported him over one letter "s," a story he'd never told anybody before - Why being really good at your job doesn't mean you'll be a good manager, and the conversation to have before you promote from within - Adam's one piece of advice for any young leader: don't dabble (+ how to avoid the trap of comfort) Connect with Adam Zayed: - Website: https://zayedlawoffices.com/  - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adam-j-zayed-12571918/ Connect with Clay: - Website: https://15sixty.com/  - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claystelzer  Resources Mentioned: - Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - The Predictive Index - Medical Records Corporation: medicalrecordscorporation.com - CaseForge: caseforge.com 🎵 Music License: CMUVN6N0WHFMBOOL

  2. 13 Oct

    Fearful Giants Season 1 Rewind: Highlights and Best Hits

    Fearful Giants Season 1 was an absolute blast with so many great guests. Season 2 is just around the corner with a lineup of amazing leaders ready to share their stories and lessons. Before we get into the season and the guests we have lined up for you there, this episode takes a look back at the impactful moments and inspiring takeaways from Season 1. This highlight reel pulls together some of the moments and insights from this past season's conversations with founders, executives, investors, and leaders. They were willing to talk honestly about fear, identity, and what leadership costs. Each clip comes from a full episode that's waiting for you in Season 1.  If you're new to the show, this is a good place to start. If you've been listening since the beginning, it's a chance to go back to the episodes that stayed with you and catch the ones you missed before we dive into Season 2. Connect with Clay Stelzer: Website: https://15sixty.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claystelzer Email: clay@15sixty.com

  3. 16 Jun

    When the Business Needs to Work for You with Dave Schneider

    Red Wing Shoe Company has been an American icon for over 120 years. The kind of brand people grow up with, pass down to their kids, and feel something real when they put on. This week I'm sitting down with Dave Schneider, Chief Marketing Officer of Red Wing Shoe Company. Dave leads the global marketing practice for Red Wing, overseeing brand management, digital and traditional marketing, ecommerce, retail experience, and corporate communications across a portfolio of purpose-driven brands. Before Red Wing, Dave held senior leadership roles at top marketing and corporate firms serving brands like MillerCoors, Dell, State Farm, Lowe's, McDonald's, and AT&T. He's been with Red Wing for over 12 years and says he expects to retire there. That alone tells you they are doing something right. But this conversation goes far beyond brand strategy. We get into what that taught him about the difference between commitment and self-sacrifice, why he thinks culture is a two-way street, how Red Wing balances 120 years of heritage with staying relevant, and the leadership definition he's carried for 25 years. In this episode, we explore: - What it actually looks like to contribute to company culture (hint: it’s not just a poster in the break room!) - The two moments Dave's leaders gave him "permission" to step away from work, and what that did to him as a leader - How Red Wing balances 120 years of heritage with staying relevant in a fast-moving world - What Dave means when he says "speed beats perfection" (+ when that rule doesn't apply) - The leadership definition Dave has carried for 25 years and why it still holds Connect with Dave Schneider: - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daveschneider  - Email: dave.schneider@redwingshoes.com  Connect with Clay: - Website: https://15sixty.com/  - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claystelzer  - Email: clay@15sixty.com Resources Mentioned: - Red Wing Shoe Company - Red Wing Foundation - Will Your Wings Campaign  🎵 Music License: CMUVN6N0WHFMBOOL

  4. 9 Jun

    Selling Your Business Without Losing Yourself with Michael Schodrof

    Thinking about selling your business? Most business owners spend years planning what it takes to get there. Almost none of them plan for what happens after they cross the finish line.. The money hits your account, the deal is done, and then... the real fear starts.  In this episode of Fearful Giants, Clay Stelzer sits down with Michael Schodrof, CEPA, CFA, a private wealth advisor and exit planning specialist at Alex Brown, Raymond James, to talk about what business owners really need to know before and after a business exit. 75% of business owners who sell are disappointed with the outcome, and it has nothing to do with the sale price. It has everything to do with identity, preparation, and the personal questions that never get asked before the deal closes. Michael has spent 25 years in financial services working with ultra-affluent individuals and business owners navigating major liquidity events and wealth planning after a sale. In this episode you'll hear about: - The reasons most business owners aren't emotionally or financially ready to exit - The two tracks every business owner needs to be working on before they exit - What exit planning actually involves beyond valuing your business - What happens to your identity, your family, and your wealth after the transaction closes - The one conversation about family wealth few have before the deal is done - How to find and work with a wealth advisor who understands the full picture of an exit Connect with Michael Schodrof: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelschodrof/ - Email: michael.schodrof@alexbrown.com Connect with Clay Stelzer: - Website: https://15sixty.com/ - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claystelzer Resources Mentioned: - Exit Planning Institute - BOSS Events: Business Owner Strategy Summit 🎵 Music License: CMUVN6N0WHFMBOOL

  5. 2 Jun

    From Chasing Safety to Building Legacy with Bobby Achettu

    Building a company from nothing and selling it is the entrepreneurship dream. But Bobby Achettu’s story isn’t just about growth, grit, or a successful exit. It’s about the fear, family, and longing for safety that shaped the whole journey. Bobby came to the United States at four years old. His dad, a qualified engineer in India, started over by sweeping factory floors. Bobby watched that, absorbed it, and built a mindset around it: never give up. What followed was a 13-year entrepreneurial journey building Accelerated Growth Advisors from a storage closet to a successful acquisition by Sikich in 2022. But this conversation goes so much deeper than the exit. In this episode we explore: - Why Bobby's relationship with money was never really about money - How imposter syndrome followed him from childhood into the boardroom, and what he did with it - The formula he's been living his entire career: vulnerability leads to trust, trust leads to accountability, accountability leads to performance - What he had to let go of to fully show up as a leader after selling his company - What legacy actually looks like to an entrepreneur 27 years in Connect with Bobby:  - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyachettu Connect with Clay Stelzer: - Website: https://15sixty.com/ - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claystelzer Resources:  - Sikich - Accelerated Growth Advisors 🎵 Music License: CMUVN6N0WHFMBOOL

  6. 26 May

    Finding Purpose Through Grief with Brian Floriani

    What do you do with the hole left behind when someone you love dies? Brian Floriani planted a seed in it. Brian is the founder of Bernie's Book Bank, a literacy nonprofit he named after his father Bernie who passed away in 2005 on the same day as his Grandma. Brian delivered two eulogies in one day, and it left him thinking about what his own eulogy might say one day and what that meant about his purpose and how he lived his life.  What started as a dream to make books and literacy more accessible has grown into a metro-scale children's book bank model now serving 315,000 children across Chicago, Milwaukee, and the Florida Suncoast.. To date, Bernie’s Book Bank has placed 31 million books into the homes of under-resourced children. The goal: 20 million children served annually by 2045. Brian is also the founder of Buku Branded, a social enterprise that uses branded products to fund literacy work, giving 100% of profits to literacy causes across the country. Brian’s perspective on finding purpose and how to carry a massive mission without letting it carry you is one I believe every leader needs to hear. In this episode, we explore: - How losing his father and grandmother on the same day in 2005 redirected his entire life - Why eulogies aren't about success, they're about significance, and the three questions Brian asked himself that changed everything - The dark side of chasing legacy when identity gets tangled up in the mission - How Brian navigated stepping back from leading the organization he founded - His brother Little Bernie's final words before choosing to end his life on a ventilator, and what they reveal about the only real choice any of us have Connect with Brian: - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianfloriani - Website: berniesbookbank.org Connect with me, Clay: - Website: https://15sixty.com/ - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claystelzer 🎵 Music License: CMUVN6N0WHFMBOOL

  7. 19 May

    Butter, B******t, and Building a Billion-Dollar Brand with Lindsay Brady

    What does it actually take to go from chasing titles at a publicly traded company to leading one of the most beloved food brands in the world, and feeling truly happy and fulfilled? In this episode of Fearful Giants, Clay Stelzer sits down with Lindsay Brady, President of Ornua Foods North America, the company behind Kerrygold butter and cheese. Lindsay has spent more than two decades building and leading major food brands at ConAgra, Campbell Soup, Tyson Foods, General Mills, and Heinz. Before Ornua, she led a billion-dollar portfolio at ConAgra. Today, she's guiding Kerrygold through its next bold chapter of growth, and calling this the happiest and healthiest chapter of her life. In this episode we explore: → How winning became a fear-based pattern, and what it cost her before she noticed → The mentor relationship that changed everything (and why the 7 Habits hit differently at 35) → What it took to go from intense competitor to leader who leads with empathy and abundance → Why purpose is what gets you out of bed on a Wednesday when your body says no → The systems, rituals, and mindset shifts that got her to happy and healthy Connect with Lindsay Brady: → LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsayobrady/ Connect with Clay:  → Website: https://15sixty.com/  → LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claystelzer    Resources Mentioned: → The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey → Ornua Foods → Kerrygold  🎵 Music License: CMUVN6N0WHFMBOOL

  8. 12 May

    The Two-Part Recipe Every Fulfilled CEO I Know Is Living

    The happiest, most fulfilled leaders I meet all have two things in common and once you see the pattern, you can't unsee it. In this solo episode of Fearful Giants, Clay Stelzer breaks down what he calls "the recipe" - a two-part formula he keeps noticing in CEOs and leaders who are deeply grounded in their work and their lives. He shares the personal story of losing two major clients in three weeks early in his coaching career, the scarcity spiral that followed, and the unexpected practice that pulled him out of it. In this episode we explore: The two ingredients every fulfilled leader has in common Why Gay Hendricks' "zone of genius" matters more than zone of excellence, and how to tell which one you're operating in Helping someone the way you needed to be helped, and why it's such a powerful antidote to a scarcity mindset A practical recipe for getting out of a rut - useful whether you're a CEO, a founder, or just a human having a rough week Why "the world shows up when you show up" isn't woo - it's a real practice If this episode resonates, share it with a leader who could use a reset. And don't forget to hit follow or subscribe wherever you're listening for more honest conversations about the human side of leadership. Connect with Clay:  Website: https://15sixty.com/  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claystelzer  🎵 Music License: CMUVN6N0WHFMBOOL

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About

Fearful Giants is a raw, honest look at how fear quietly shapes even the strongest leaders. Executive coach Clay Stelzer sits down with CEOs for unfiltered conversations about the fears they rarely name — failure, vulnerability, being irrelevant, or not enough. This show isn’t about the fear itself — it’s about what happens when we stop performing and tell the truth. With humor, depth, and real coaching insight, Clay and his guests unpack how fear limits creativity and potential — and what becomes possible when leaders remember who they really are: giants.

Information

  • Creator
    Clay Stelzer
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Clay Stelzer
  • Show Website
    Fearful Giants