ROI’s Into the Corner Office Podcast: Powerhouse Middle Market CEOs Telling it Real—Unexpected Caree...

Brandt Handley
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The road to the middle market CEO corner office is paved with mile markers that guide in surprising, unpredictable, and some might even say “mysterious” ways! But how do you get such a widely coveted position? This is the question often heard during decades of ROI’s executive search interviews, conducted with top-level executives. ROI’s Into the Corner Office podcast is a new inspiration and answer platform which premieres visionary tales of adventure with great endings and highlights, from powerhouse CEOs driving the formidable success of the U.S. economy’s middle market sector. The CEOs behind this impressive growth reveal insights which equipped them to lead their organizations. Showcasing dynamic leadership stories, Into the Corner Office dives into the heart of what informed and formed these CEOs. Guests share their backgrounds, talk about their early years, and explore what shaped them before they were known for their successes in growing, developing, and leading extraordinary mi...

  1. Sep 15

    Megan "The Princess" Gray, Co-Founder & CEO, Fable Beauty & Fable Beard Co.

    As Co-Founder and CEO of Fable Beauty and Fable Beard Co., momtrepreneur Megan "The Princess" Gray has built a multi-million-dollar business while raising three children. Based in Franklin, Tenn., Fable is no ordinary wellness and grooming brand: each scent is developed with a character in mind, and with hundreds of characters across the brands since the company's inception, there's always a new story to tell. What began as a hobby reviewing beard care products on YouTube grew into a passion project, and eventually into Fable Beard Co.—launched by Megan ("The Princess") and her husband and co-founder, Collin Gray ("The Wizard"), out of a desire to create products that actually smelled great. The couple later expanded into Fable Beauty, blending the masculine and feminine sides of their storytelling-driven approach. Megan has since built Fable Beard Co. into a nationally recognized brand featured in Forbes, Inc. 500, The Tamron Hall Show and the AskMen Annual Grooming Awards.

  2. Aug 18

    Peter Katsufrakis, President and CEO, NBME

    Peter J. Katsufrakis, MD, MBA, is president and CEO of NBME. Dr. Katsufrakis previously served as senior vice president of Assessment Programs at the National Board of Medical Examiners and is recognized nationally in the medical education and assessment community, both for his work at the NBME and in past roles advancing professionalism, HIV education, clinical training, and medical education administration. Prior to joining the NBME, Dr. Katsufrakis’s positions included associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of clinical family medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, where he received several teaching and outstanding service awards for his work. He has also served as a clinical associate professor of family and community medicine, at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Katsufrakis is licensed to practice medicine in Pennsylvania and is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and has served many organizations as a member, including the International AIDS Society, the American Academy of HIV Medicine, and the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Student Affairs in many roles on committees and task forces.

  3. Jul 21

    Etinosa Agbonlahor, CEO, DecisionAlpha

    Etinosa Agbonlahor is a behavioral economist and CEO of Decision Alpha, a behavioral firm that helps businesses understand what customers value and turn that into clearer pricing and growth. Passionate about helping people reduce financial stress and live healthier financial lives, Etinosa brings over a decade of experience working across the U.S., Australia, Africa, and the U.K. She has shaped financial wellbeing, engagement, and customer behavior strategies for global financial institutions, private businesses, and venture-backed startups. Her work has been featured in MarketWatch, Morningstar, and other leading platforms, highlighting her focus on how behavior drives healthier financial outcomes. Etinosa is the author of How to Talk to Your Parents About Money, a guide to navigating complex financial conversations.

  4. Jul 7

    Don Barden, Ph.D., CEO, Perfect Plan Consulting

    Don was named one of the Top 30 Most “Transformational Leaders in North America” by John Maxwell and the 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. In 2019, the Department of Defense recognized him with honors from the 75 th US Army Ranger Regiment, and he was named 2020 YMCA Volunteer of the Year. He is certified in Cybersecurity Management from Harvard University and has a Ph.D. in Economics and Organizational Leadership from Columbia International University. He earned his M.B.A. in Global Technology Management and International Business with an undergraduate B.B.A. in Economics and Finance. He resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Don’s work challenges and motivates organizations and leadership teams to think deeply about their beliefs so they can consistently achieve their communication, culture, sales, and management goals. His “unfair advantage” theories are revolutionary in today’s economy, as he leads and builds companies in a way that exposes the myth of modern leadership and communication techniques. Don’s recent work, “Here Come the Girls,” celebrates women in leadership. The study aims to help frustrated organizations transform by awakening their creative energy, thereby paving the way for uncharted production through cultural change. Conquering the highest levels of ethical performance with humor, intellectual capital, and time-tested systems, Don’s lectures engage teams with his highly personal style of steward leadership. His experience with cultural change and record-setting growth has drawn him to corporations that want to tap into his real-world expertise to move their organizations to higher levels of achievement. Don is well known in the financial industry, with sales averaging over $1 billion per year, and his original book, The Perfect Plan, is available in 39 countries worldwide. Don also serves as a Trustee and the past Chairman of the Summit Counseling Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a past board member of the Metro Atlanta YMCA and was responsible for designing their COVID response and post-COVID strategic initiatives. He is a past Board Member of the Sua Sponte Foundation. Additionally, he lectures at Wake Forest University, The Wharton School of Business, and Oxford University (U.K.) Dr. Barden is a frequent instructor at the US Army 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalion / 75 th Regiment’s Leadership and Professional Development Program.

  5. Jun 16

    Nick Turner, CEO, Dreamdata

    Nick Turner is the CEO of Dreamdata. Nick is a seasoned B2B software leader with nearly two decades of experience building and scaling go-to-market teams, helping companies grow from early traction to tens of millions in revenue. Before stepping into the CEO role, Nick served as Chief Revenue Officer at Dreamdata, where he played a key role in shaping the company’s growth strategy and expanding its presence in the U.S. market. He later transitioned into the CEO seat, leading the company through a pivotal phase of scale and transformation. Under his leadership, Dreamdata recently raised a $55 million Series B round led by PeakSpan Capital—fueling its mission to become the go-to platform for B2B marketers to connect data, attribution, and revenue in the AI era.  In this episode, we’ll explore what it takes to step into the CEO role, how to lead through rapid growth and funding milestones, and Nick’s perspective on building modern go-to-market teams in an increasingly data-driven world.

  6. Jun 2

    Randy Lyman, CEO & Author, The Third Element

    Randy Lyman is a physicist, entrepreneur, and expert in emotional intelligence and service-based leadership. He built the American Dream from humble beginnings, eventually founding multiple 8-figure businesses, including an Inc. 500 company. He discovered that lasting success requires embracing the emotional aspect of being human. Randy’s entrepreneurial journey spans four decades, earning multiple patents and growing his businesses 30x after integrating spiritual principles. He now shares these principles through his book, The Third Element, which offers useful tools and techniques for emotional healing and personal growth. The pivotal moment for Randy came after achieving material success but realizing he was not able to enjoy that success due to being disconnected from his own emotions. This led him to focus on emotional awareness, which changed his approach to leadership and spurred business growth far beyond where planning and hard work alone could have taken him. For Randy, the keys to high performance are authenticity, personal connection, and leading from a combination of strength & vulnerability. The Third Element (#1 New Release in Personal Growth) reveals how unhealed emotional patterns shape our reality and how we can transform them to achieve abundance. Today, Randy shares his principles to help individuals and organizations achieve clarity, connection, and authentic transformation by harnessing emotional intelligence and turning inner healing into outward success. Beyond his professional life, Randy is a craftsman who builds custom motorcycle engines and restores classic cars. His mission is to inspire others to heal, lead, and unlock their full potential by embracing "The Third Element" and their emotional truth.  Website: https://randylyman.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamrandylyman/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamrandylyman1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamrandylyman/

  7. May 19

    Jason Perez, Co-Founder & CEO, Yardz

    Jason Perez is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of YARDZ. As CEO, Perez manages the overall strategic direction of the company as it expands in scope and size. Before establishing YARDZ, Perez founded the Veritas Group, a consulting and management firm that had great success in the mission critical world. Before that, he was the Manager of Southeast Region Construction for Syska Hennessy Group. He also serves on the boards of organizations and is an Ambassador for the Marine Raider Foundation.

  8. May 5

    Paul Idziak, Private Equity Investment Advisor, FM Group, LLC

    A transformation and growth leader at heart, Paul Idziak is a CEO who thrives in complexity and turns bold vision into disciplined execution and scalable results. Like a catalyst for momentum, he does not just grow businesses; he engineers ecosystems where people, process, and performance move in sync. He leads from the front, combining grit with clarity to transform underperforming operations into high-impact, multi-location enterprises. What he brings to the table is a rare blend of private equity acumen, operational rigor, and commercial instinct. He builds strong leadership teams, installs KPI-driven cultures, and creates structures that scale with precision. From due diligence to exit readiness, he aligns strategy with execution, driving profitability, expanding markets, and reducing risk. He operates with urgency, accountability, and a relentless focus on value creation. Over the years, Paul has scaled businesses from the ground up, launching new divisions, expanding across the U.S., Canada, and international markets, and building distributed workforces of 300+ technicians. He has driven 35% revenue CAGR and 110% EBITDA growth, transforming operational performance and positioning companies for successful exits. He has secured tier-1 OEM partnerships, negotiated MSAs, and led high-value projects exceeding $20M while building diversified, resilient customer portfolios. From sourcing more than 100 acquisition targets and supporting approximately $3B in transaction value to executing value creation plans targeting 4X returns, his experience spans the full investment lifecycle. He has improved margins, reduced the cost of poor quality, implemented Lean 6S practices, and built safety cultures, achieving 0 recordables, consistently delivering measurable, repeatable results. His previous experience across Johnson Controls, Siemens, and AWC has further sharpened his leadership approach, strengthening his ability to scale operations, build high-performing teams, and drive consistent enterprise-level impact. What matters most to Paul is building businesses that endure and teams that win long after the strategy is set. He measures success not just by growth, but by the legacy of performance, discipline, and leadership he leaves behind.

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The road to the middle market CEO corner office is paved with mile markers that guide in surprising, unpredictable, and some might even say “mysterious” ways! But how do you get such a widely coveted position? This is the question often heard during decades of ROI’s executive search interviews, conducted with top-level executives. ROI’s Into the Corner Office podcast is a new inspiration and answer platform which premieres visionary tales of adventure with great endings and highlights, from powerhouse CEOs driving the formidable success of the U.S. economy’s middle market sector. The CEOs behind this impressive growth reveal insights which equipped them to lead their organizations. Showcasing dynamic leadership stories, Into the Corner Office dives into the heart of what informed and formed these CEOs. Guests share their backgrounds, talk about their early years, and explore what shaped them before they were known for their successes in growing, developing, and leading extraordinary mi...

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