Rewiring The Game

Jade Baranski
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Fortnightly

Most business advice follows a playbook that wasn't made for you. If you’re beating your head against a wall wondering why it’s not working, you aren’t broken. You’re just playing the wrong game. Hosted by Jade, who has built, scaled, and sold three companies. Rewiring the Game is where high-level tactics meet the deeper internal work. We move past "guru" formulas to get honest about the psychological barriers standing between you and the business you actually want.

Episodes

  1. Mentors & Pick Up the Phone

    28 May

    Mentors & Pick Up the Phone

    In this episode of Rewiring the Game, host Jade flips the script to sit down with their OG mentor, creative powerhouse, and longtime friend, Tina Reynolds. Tina is the founder of Uptown Studios, a Sacramento-based design and marketing firm she built from scratch in 1992 with nothing but a single computer and sheer determination. From a chance meeting over a "queer pour" of red wine at a restaurant counter to co-founding activist movements, Jade and Tina trace a 20-year arc of mentorship, role reversal, and unfiltered life lessons. At 77 years young, Tina is proof that staying open to the world is a lifetime gig. Together, they dive deep into the philosophy of saying "yes" first and figuring out the mechanics later. Tina shares the raw reality of navigating major life pivots: coming out in her 40s, learning how to date women, and building an agency focused entirely on social change. From creating a wildly successful drowning-prevention campaign to launching Equality Action Now overnight in response to Prop 8, this conversation explores what happens when you refuse to let complacency win. Whether you are trying to break out of your own "bubble," looking for the discipline to tackle the unglamorous side of business, or figuring out how to pass the mantle of activism to the next generation, Tina’s fierce focus and "livable Bible" provide an authentic roadmap for a rich, full life. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to Rewiring the Game: Meeting the OG Mentor 01:05 The Queer Pour: How Jade and Tina Met at Cafe Bernardo 02:21 The Philosophy of "Yes": Saying Yes and Figuring It Out Later 03:50 Rocking the Boat: Why People Quit Relationships and Business Too Early 07:32 The Freedom to Discover: Navigating the Things You Don't Know You Don't Know 08:09 Pivoting at 40: Bankruptcy, Coming Out, and Rebuilding Uptown Studios 11:16 The Rule of No A******s: Creating a Value-Driven Agency culture 12:25 Pick Up the Phone: The Lost Art of Tribal Communication 16:02 Breaking Down Silos: Seeing Outside the Client's Bubble 21:01 Behavior Change vs. Billboards: Shifting Perspectives in Modern Marketing 22:16 Life Looks Good on You: Turning 15 Drownings into Zero 23:50 Tina's Rewire: Focus Like a Motherfucker on the Unglamorous Admin Work 29:03 The Mechanics of Maintenance: Why the Boring Stuff Keeps You Afloat 29:33 Living Through the AIDS Crisis: Grief, Loss, and the "Condom Lady" Era 33:01 The Prop 8 Heartbreak: Launching Equality Action Now from the Office 36:48 Resisting Complacency: Hateful Rhetoric and Passing the Mantle to the Next Generation 39:18 Tina's Livable Bible: Act with Loving Kindness and Check Yourself Episode Resources: Agency Website: Uptown Studios Follow us: Jade Baranski: Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedIn Tina Reynolds: Instagram, LinkedIn Rewiring the Game: Website, Tiktok, LinkedIn Don't forget: What is your aim, and how are you rewiring your game? If this episode landed for you, send it to someone who needs a reminder to show up, say yes, and have the ovaries to take action. See you in the next one.

    41 min
  2. The "See No Stranger" Play with Erin Preston

    13 May

    The "See No Stranger" Play with Erin Preston

    In this episode of Rewiring the Game, host Jade flips the script. While sitting down with video producer and documentary filmmaker Erin Preston, Jade shares their raw experiences that shaped their own journey, from the rugged cliffs of a Greek island to the slow-moving villages of post-genocide Cambodia. Together, they explore how seeking out these high-intensity "edge" experiences can redefine a person's nervous system and their entire approach to storytelling. This conversation is a deep dive into the "Transformational Trampoline", the idea that hitting rock bottom or jumping off a metaphorical cliff is often the only way to reach a new plane of existence. Erin discusses her current documentary project, Breaking Ground, which follows the journey of affordable housing in Boulder, and how she navigates the ego-driven world of business while staying true to a "slower is better" philosophy. Whether you’re feeling the itch for something more or struggling to find your center in a high-vibration world, Erin’s "Off Trail" perspective offers a refreshing blueprint for authentic success. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to Rewiring the Game: Meeting the Producer 01:38 The Chocolate Cake Incident: Finding the Edge in Greece 03:19 The "Transformational Trampoline": Jumping into the Unknown 04:54 Breaking the Cycle of Predictable Suffering 07:35 Off Trail as the Right Path: Navigating Healthy Danger 09:38 Vulnerability and Public Storytelling 11:29 Why Stories Matter: Connecting the "Non-Traditional" 90% 14:02 Success vs. Structure: Rebelling Against Business Norms 18:19 Defining the Ego: The "Me-Me" vs. The Collective 20:36 The Counter-Intuitive Truth: Why Slower and Less is Better 23:06 Re-tuning Your Frequency: Staying Centered in the Chaos 24:11 Breaking Ground: A Documentary of Hope and Housing 31:35 Lessons from Cambodia: Resilience, Joy, and Version Jumps 35:30 The Play: "See No Stranger" and Approaching the World with Curiosity Episode Resources: Documentary Project: Breaking Ground: A Community Rises Together Follow us: Jade Baranski Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Erin Preston LinkedIn Instagram Rewiring the game Website Tiktok LinkedIn Don't forget: What is your aim, and how are you rewiring your game? If this episode landed for you, send it to someone who is tired of the "traditional" way of doing things. See you in the next one.

    42 min
  3. From Anti-War Protestor to DOD Lobbyist: My Full-Circle Journey

    29 Apr

    From Anti-War Protestor to DOD Lobbyist: My Full-Circle Journey

    Jade returns for Episode 3 of Rewiring the Game to explore the "cognitive dissonance" of navigating disparate worlds - from staging anti-war protests as a teenager to briefing generals at the Pentagon. Following the purchase of their first tech company at the start of COVID-19, Jade shares how a digital communication platform was transformed into a critical infrastructure for food banks struggling with paper-based social services. This experience served as a bridge into the world of enterprise tech and multi-million dollar government grants. This episode is a deep dive into maintaining authenticity in traditional domains and the power of "holding two truths". Jade discusses their journey as a queer, non-binary leader in the Department of Defense space and how their background in competitive debate taught them to see beyond binary belief systems. Whether you are navigating a massive career shift or seeking to align your personal values with high-level business strategy, this episode provides a blueprint for playing "in the gray" and leveraging human connection to solve broken systems. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to Rewiring the Game: Playing in the Gray 01:33 Purchasing the First Tech Company During COVID-19 02:31 Solving the Social Services Gap: Digital Food Bank Infrastructure 04:01 Transitioning to Software as a Service (SaaS) and Selling 04:31 Entering Enterprise Tech: Working with the Department of Defense 05:50 Authenticity and Pronouns in the Business World 06:40 Briefing the Pentagon: Navigating Cognitive Dissonance 08:50 From Anti-War Protestor to Military Innovation Partner 10:30 Fixing Broken Systems: Streamlining Government Innovation 11:32 Early Life: Bullying, Books, and the Struggle to Fit In 12:30 The Power of Debate: Learning to Argue Both Sides 13:15 College "Subpar Attempt" and the First Marketing Mentor 13:58 Traveling Southeast Asia: Finding a Different Path 14:59 The Thread of Connection: People and Collective Consciousness 16:09 What Humans Truly Want: Relationships, Freedom, and Security 17:34 Embracing the Gray: Moving Beyond Personal Attachments Episode Resources: TiktokLinkedInWebpageDon't forget: What is your aim, and how are you rewiring your game? If this episode landed for you, send it to someone who is tired of the "traditional" way of doing things. See you in the next one.

    19 min
  4. The Tech Evolution: Sell One, Buy Another

    15 Apr

    The Tech Evolution: Sell One, Buy Another

    Jade returns for Episode 2 of Rewiring the Game to deconstruct "The Box" - the traditional business models that often feel more like a cage than a path to success. They share the raw history of their first company, Joy Lab, and the grueling "hamster wheel" of managing 22 employees and 700 projects a year. Jade discusses the pivotal moment they realized they were in a "success rut" and how an ontological shift helped them move from high-volume exhaustion to a streamlined, high-value retainer model. This episode is a deep dive into business architecture and the psychology of the "gray unknown." Jade explains why most high-performers are trapped by what they "don't know they don't know" and how intuition became their greatest scaling tool. Whether you’re stuck in a Groundhog Day loop or looking to transition into a more profitable, less reactive model, this episode provides the blueprint for breaking out of the box and trusting your internal compass. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to Rewiring the Game: Playing in the Gray 00:46 What is "The Box"? Traps, Cages, and Traditional Models 01:30 The Service Hamster Wheel: More Clients, More Problems 02:18 The Groundhog Day of Business: Dealing with Misery 03:00 Seeking a Better Way: Coaches and Personal Development 03:20 Hitting the Million-Dollar Ceiling & The Success Rut 03:45 The Pivot to Retainers: Streamlining for Scale 04:22 The Queer Business Alliance & Meeting Deborah 04:45 The 15-Minute Intuitive Hit: Buying a Tech Company 05:15 High-Volume vs. High-Leverage: Learning from Tech Models 06:35 The Quick Exit: Selling Joy Lab Without a Broker 07:55 Why I’m Sharing These Stories Now 09:15 The Circle of Knowledge: Landmark and the "Don't Know You Don't Know" 10:30 Trusting Your Instinct: When Intuition is Spot-On 11:25 "Busy is a Choice": Moving from Reactive to Intentional 12:10 The Three Slices of the Pie: Comfort, Discomfort, and the Beyond 14:15 Pushing Into the Dark Unknown for Transformation 15:20 The Hairiest Story is Still Coming... 15:50 What is Your Aim? Rewiring the Game Episode Resources: TiktokLinkedinWebpageDon't forget: What is your aim, and how are you rewiring your game? If this episode landed for you, send it to someone who is tired of the "traditional" way of doing things. See you in the next one.

    16 min
  5. The NRA, The Queer Mafia, and the Art of Connection: Why I don't buy the "us vs. them" narrative.

    1 Apr

    The NRA, The Queer Mafia, and the Art of Connection: Why I don't buy the "us vs. them" narrative.

    Jade introduces the debut episode of Rewiring the Game, a podcast designed for those who thrive in the "gray" and are ready to challenge traditional binaries of right and wrong. This inaugural episode explores Jade’s personal evolution from a "righteous" activist in her 20s to a serial entrepreneur who has successfully built and sold three companies. She shares a profound somatic breakthrough that shifted her perception of reality from intellectual theory to a deep, physical sense of universal connectedness. Jade delves into the intersection of existential growth and business strategy, arguing that because businesses are built by people, they inherit all the bias, insecurity, and need for love that humans carry. She discusses her "playbook" approach to coaching, moving past surface-level sales tactics to address the deep-seated mindset issues - like the belief that one doesn't deserve money or authority - that create success ceilings. Whether you are a high-performer hitting a wall or a seeker looking for "plays" to navigate a newly regulated industry, this episode sets the stage for a journey of intentional transformation. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to Rewiring the Game: Playing in the Gray 00:48 The "Why": Why This Podcast and Why Now? 01:05 Eight Out of Ten: Why Most People Won't "Get" You 01:30 Finding Your Tribe: Comfort in the Gray and Doing the Work 02:20 Opening New Doors: The Lens of a New Reality 03:00 Somatic vs. Intellectual: A Body-Led Breakthrough 04:05 Moving Beyond Separation: Your Pain is My Pain 04:45 The Breakdown and the Trampoline: Evolution Through Connection 05:30 From Righteous to Related: Befriending the "Other" 06:55 Why Existentialism Matters in Business: No Tech Without People 07:45 The Facade: Why You Can’t Hide Who You Really Are 08:25 The Ideal Client: Success, Fulfillment, and the Traditional Wall 09:20 Breaking the Ceiling: Moving Beyond Mismatching Business Models 10:00 Running the Plays: No Correct Playbook, Just Experiments 11:00 Synchronicity in Action: The Micro Healing Center Miracle 12:15 Facing the Fear: Risk and Regulation in New Industries 13:10 Tactics as Band-Aids: Why Mindset is the Real Work 15:00 Foundational Proof: Building, Scaling, and Selling Three Companies 15:45 "Gently Shake the World": The Power of Unspoken Connection 17:00 The Aim: Learning from Experts to Apply New Plays 17:35 Closing: Don’t Waste the Moment Episode Resources: Tiktok LinkedIn Episode Webpage Don't forget: What is your aim, and how are you rewiring your game? If this episode landed for you, send it to someone who is tired of the "traditional" way of doing things. See you in the next one.

    18 min
  6. Rewiring the Game: You Found Your People

    Trailer

    Rewiring the Game: You Found Your People

    If the "proven" frameworks feel like they’re crushing your soul, you aren't broken, you just haven't found your people yet. Join 3-time founder Jade for Rewiring the Game, a show built for the 2 out of 10 who are done with the standard business manual. We’re trading generic frameworks for real-world plays and the deep mindset work required to actually move the needle. Follow the show to stop playing by the old rules and start rewiring the game.

    1 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

About

Most business advice follows a playbook that wasn't made for you. If you’re beating your head against a wall wondering why it’s not working, you aren’t broken. You’re just playing the wrong game. Hosted by Jade, who has built, scaled, and sold three companies. Rewiring the Game is where high-level tactics meet the deeper internal work. We move past "guru" formulas to get honest about the psychological barriers standing between you and the business you actually want.

Information

  • Creator
    Jade Baranski
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jade Baranski
  • Show Website
    Rewiring The Game