The Matthews Mentality Podcast

Kyle Matthews
  • 4.4 (52)
  • Entrepreneurship

A podcast dedicated to exploring the mindsets, mentality, and motivation of the world's top experts. From athletes and entrepreneurs to CEOs and business moguls, learn what it takes to find success and build a deeper understanding of the mentality required.

  1. 3d ago

    Why Turning Down Shark Tank Was the Best Decision They Made

    Nick Friedman, co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving, joins Kyle Matthews to share how a 2003 summer hustle with a beat-up cargo van grew into a national brand with roughly 200 franchise owners across 40+ states. They discuss the origin of the name and the HUNKS acronym (Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable Service), why customers pay for convenience and clutter relief, and how systems from The E-Myth helped them scale. Nick recounts appearing on Shark Tank’s first episode, dealing with Kevin O’Leary’s negativity, receiving an offer from Robert Herjavec, and turning it down. He explains franchising pros/cons, self-funding for 15 years, culture and accountability, lessons from Undercover Boss, industry headwinds tied to housing, and the company’s giving efforts including domestic violence survivor moves and Tampa hurricane relief.

    1h 5m

  2. May 27

    The Dark Side of Buy Now Pay Later

    On the Matthews Mentality podcast, host Kyle Matthews interviews four-time founder and Kasheesh CEO Sam Miller, who dropped out of college, bootstrapped early companies, achieved three exits, and now leads a fintech platform that lets consumers split purchases across multiple cards with no loans, interest, or credit checks. Miller explains Kasheesh’s origin as a response to predatory buy-now-pay-later lending, its evolution from a browser extension to Apple Pay/Google Pay, and growth to 110,000+ users and $72M+ in transactions. They discuss fundraising challenges, differences between bootstrapping and venture-backed startups, lessons from working in VC, and how consumer usage shifted from discretionary spending to essentials like rent and utilities. The conversation also covers AI’s impact on work, economic warning signs, and Kasheesh roadmap features like Replay, group payments, and rent reporting to credit bureaus.

    1h 34m

  3. May 19

    He Quit Wall Street to Buy a Frozen Yogurt Shop

    In this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews interviews Neil Hershman, CEO of 16 Handles, entrepreneur, franchise operator, Everest summiter, endurance athlete, and business owner. Neil shares how he left a hedge fund career at 23 years old, bought a single 16 Handles frozen yogurt franchise with an SBA loan, and scaled it into a rapidly growing national franchise brand with nearly 80 locations. This episode covers entrepreneurship, franchising, business growth, leadership, scaling a company, SBA loans, franchise ownership, investing, mental toughness, endurance training, and building a successful consumer brand. Topics covered in this episode: How Neil Hershman bought and scaled 16 HandlesGrowing a franchise business from 1 location to nearly 80 storesUsing SBA loans to buy a businessEntrepreneurship and startup lessonsScaling operations and franchise systemsLeadership lessons from business and endurance sportsClimbing Mount Everest and completing ultra-endurance racesBalancing business growth, family, and personal performanceThe future expansion of 16 Handles across the United StatesHow community-driven brands win in today’s market If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, franchising, startups, scaling a business, investing, business leadership, or founder stories, this episode is packed with insights and practical lessons. Follow 16 Handles: Instagram: @16handles Website: https://16handles.com Follow Kyle Matthews: Instagram: @KyleMatthewsCEO TikTok: @KyleMatthewsCEO X: @KyleMatthewsCEO LinkedIn: Kyle Matthews Subscribe for more interviews with entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors, athletes, and high performers.

    1h 6m

  4. May 12

    The Sport America Is Sleeping On

    Kyle Matthews interviews Marc Riccio, CEO of USA Lacrosse, about the sport’s growth, access challenges, and lacrosse’s return to the Olympics in LA 2028 as a medal sport for the first time since 1908. Riccio explains the sixes format (a faster, smaller-sided game akin to rugby sevens) and notes the U.S. women are ranked No. 1 while the U.S. men are No. 2 behind Canada. He discusses obstacles such as high school sanctioning (24 states still not sanctioned), pay-to-play infrastructure, and efforts like “Lacrosse in a Bag” to introduce the sport in schools. Riccio shares leadership lessons from 17 years with the New York Jets, his career path, and how team culture and vulnerability help build championship rosters. 00:00 Move Early Mindset 00:38 Meet Marc Riccio 01:56 Lacrosse Growth Tailwinds 02:37 Olympics Hype And Hockey Comp 04:53 Participation Numbers And TAM 08:02 High School Sanctioning Fight 11:14 LA28 Sixes And Medal Odds 12:07 Lacrosse Origin Story 14:37 Traits Of Great Players 16:54 Team Culture And Leadership 19:41 From Kid Player To Scholarship 22:45 College Grind And Pro Reality 28:40 Breaking Into The Jets 31:01 Parcells Lessons And Decisions 37:04 Belichick Contrast And Media 39:02 Post Jets Career And CEO Life 41:24 Work Ethic And Choices 42:06 Work and Family Balance 42:49 Driven by Insecurity 44:14 From Winning to Legacy 45:33 Access to Lacrosse 47:40 Explaining USA Lacrosse 50:31 Pitch to Parents 52:21 Multi Sport vs Specialize 55:48 Toxic Parent Cultures 01:01:39 Lacrosse Community Magic 01:06:44 Olympics 2028 Journey 01:10:43 Global Growth and Funding 01:14:00 Final Wrap

    1h 19m

  5. May 5

    HOTWORX Founder: A Casual Conversation Built An 800-Location Empire

    Kyle Matthews interviews Stephen Smith, founder and CEO of HOTWORX, a 24-hour infrared fitness studio franchise that has grown to over 800 locations since opening its first studio in 2017 after a Jamaica conversation sparked the “yoga in a sauna” concept and a patented infrared fitness sauna. Smith explains HOTWORX's model—app-based access and booking, isometric sauna sessions (30 minutes) and HIIT sauna workouts (15 minutes) using cycling, a total body trainer, and a patented dual-tank rower—plus the claimed benefits of heat, infrared energy, and “3D training.” He shares his entrepreneurial path from opening Bodyplex at 22 to Planet Beach franchising, key franchising lessons, scaling practices like one coach per 50 locations, a “10/10 work ethic” hiring rule, and the launch of Diet Trax and AI-driven TrainingTRAX with Body Vision and 90-day challenges, while targeting 2,000 locations by 2030. 00:00 Work Ethic Filter 00:48 Meet Stephen Smith 02:41 Scaling to 800 Studios 04:13 What Is HOTWORX 06:28 Infrared Training Science 08:38 Jamaica Lightbulb Moment 09:55 Early Entrepreneur Roots 12:29 Bodyplex Leap of Faith 15:52 Golds Gym Lessons 17:30 Planet Beach Franchising 18:51 Franchisor Playbook 21:46 Work Life Balance Debate 23:15 Motivation and Football Mindset 26:30 From Fitness to Tanning 27:25 Reinventing Planet Beach 28:24 Naming HOTWORX 29:11 Launching the First Studio 29:46 Turning Customers into Franchisees 31:23 Scaling with Coaches 33:22 Ambition and Growth Mindset 34:30 Diet Trax to TrainingTRAX 36:44 Gamified 90 Day Challenges 37:15 Body Vision and AI Coaching 39:32 AI for Operations 41:11 Exit Plans and IPO Talk 41:57 Workations and Balance 42:52 Advice for Younger Self 45:30 Wild Entrepreneur Stories 49:14 Wrap Up and Where to Find HOTWORX

    51 min

  6. Apr 28

    Deb Liu Says Not Doing AI is like Refusing to Use Excel

    Kyle Matthews interviews Deb Liu, former Facebook senior executive who built the first mobile ad product, created Facebook Marketplace, and launched Facebook Pay, later serving as CEO of Ancestry and now co-founding Ember AI to bring AI-driven enterprise back office automation. Deb explains how Ember identifies workflow “hotspots” where human time is trapped in routinized tasks—often in procurement/invoicing and customer service— then re-orchestrates systems securely for leverage and insight, arguing “fast eats slow” in AI adoption. They discuss practical AI fluency for non-technologists, using multiple models to reduce hallucinations, and concerns about job impact. Deb shares why she started Women in Product, notes a gender gap in AI adoption, recounts her path from Stanford to PayPal and Facebook, reflects on growing up as an immigrant child in South Carolina, and discusses leadership, intentionality, family, and her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. 00:00 AI Is the New Excel 00:46 Meet Deb Liu 01:58 What Ember AI Builds 03:15 Back Office Quick Wins 04:27 AI Leverage in Practice 08:05 Jobs Fear and Up skilling 10:59 Stop Saying I Don't Do AI 13:28 Why Women in Product Started 16:20 Closing the AI Adoption Gap 18:34 Who Wins the AI Race 20:34 From Civil Engineering to PayPal 25:04 Growing Up as Outsiders 28:51 Rocket Fuel and Belonging 35:23 Adversity and Tiger Mom 37:01 Asian American News Column 37:39 Driven to Leave Town 38:23 Teaching Kids Adversity 40:53 Family Tech Boundaries 44:41 Inside Facebook Marketplace 48:44 Finding Your Voice 51:26 Perfectionism and Growth 56:41 From Meta to Ancestry 01:00:54 CEO Doubts and Learning 01:03:50 Leading Through Lockdown 01:05:33 DNA Breakthroughs at Ancestry 01:06:40 Privacy and Genetic Risk 01:10:59 Mammogram Wakeup Call 01:11:40 Diagnosis And Early Biopsy 01:13:02 Risk Factors And Fear 01:16:13 Treatment And Recovery 01:17:56 Building Ember AI 01:21:18 Intentionality At Work 01:24:30 Habits And New Commitments 01:29:16 Career Stall During Motherhood 01:35:14 60 60 Marriage Framework 01:39:11 Motherhood Penalty Reality 01:42:21 Rapid Fire And Wrap Up

    1h 45m

  7. Apr 21

    Secret Service Polygraph Expert: How To Get Anyone To Tell You The Truth

    Kyle Matthews interviews Brad Beeler, a retired U.S. Secret Service special agent and prolific criminal polygraph examiner who served on President George H.W. Bush’s protection detail and was named Special Agent of the Year for work combating crimes against children. Beeler discusses polygraph accuracy and how it works, emphasizing preparation, baselining, and that people “beat the examiner” rather than the instrument. He shares practical deception-detection and communication tactics (yes/no questions, delays, qualifiers, overreactions, body-language mismatches, and reading feet) and warns about confirmation bias and false confessions. Beeler recounts cases including a “king of counterfeit” investigation, Olympic protection in Beijing, polygraph work, and a transformative homicide confession, and explains his book “Tell Me Everything” as a communication blueprint for trust and truth. 00:00 Truth Odds Explained 00:38 Meet Brad Beeler 01:34 Polygraph Dad Story 02:54 Car Sales Tactics 05:25 Everyday Lie Tells 05:45 Yes No Questions 12:56 Polygraph Book Origins 16:38 Why Secret Service 17:38 Hiring Marathon 19:08 How Polygraphs Work 23:18 Beating The Polygraph 26:31 Counterfeit King Case 34:01 Beijing Olympics Detail 37:24 Crimes Against Children 40:55 Online Grooming Risks 41:53 Extortion And Cyber Tips 42:39 Triple Homicide Breakthrough 44:36 Respectful Interrogation Tactics 45:48 False Confessions Risks 47:15 Confirmation Bias Lessons 53:05 Why People Commit Crimes 57:06 Facing True Evil Cases 01:01:58 Secret Service Career Phases 01:02:53 Sniper Threat Investigation 01:08:00 Presidents And World Travel 01:11:23 Protection Risks And Complacency 01:12:49 Reading People And Body Language 01:16:56 Honeybee Confession Story 01:20:47 Closing Thoughts And Where To Follow

    1h 22m

  8. Apr 14

    After 30 Rejections… This One Meeting Changed His Life | Michael Burcham

    On the Matthews Mentality Podcast, host Kyle Matthews interviews Dr. Michael Burcham, who launched, scaled, and sold three healthcare companies and later founded the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. Burcham recounts being rejected by 30 Nashville investors before flying to New York for his first trip and securing $10M at Rockefeller Center, then building Therapy Physics by consolidating outpatient rehab practices and ultimately selling at a high multiple. He shares lessons from growing up on a rural Mississippi farm, mentors who pushed him toward college, and how he built financial skills with an MBA. The conversation covers exits, post-sale challenges, scaling models, work-life tradeoffs, grief after losing his son, writing The Mask, common founder mistakes, his role at Shore Capital Partners, and his upcoming book, Blood, Sweat and Equity. 00:00 Walk Through The Door 00:38 Meet Dr Michael Burcham 01:23 Rejected In Nashville 03:08 Rockefeller Center Yes 07:02 The Rehab Rollup Pitch 08:50 Mississippi Farm Roots 11:20 Teacher Changed Everything 14:33 From Ole Miss To HCA 17:21 Should You Get A Masters 23:47 Launching In Denver 27:22 Exit Mechanics Explained 29:45 Life After The Sale 32:41 Imposter Syndrome And Drive 35:07 Buying Paradigm Health 37:03 Fixing Culture and Model 38:51 Fulfillment Helping Founders 41:07 Narus Health from Loss 42:33 Grief into Leadership 44:43 Founder Mistakes to Avoid 46:24 Joining Shore Partners 48:25 Work Life Balance Truths 55:02 Founder Abyss and Glass 56:13 Blood Sweat Equity Book 58:42 Wild Founder Stories 01:09:10 Final Takeaways and Wrap

    1h 10m
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4.4
out of 5
52 Ratings

About

A podcast dedicated to exploring the mindsets, mentality, and motivation of the world's top experts. From athletes and entrepreneurs to CEOs and business moguls, learn what it takes to find success and build a deeper understanding of the mentality required.

Information

  • Creator
    Kyle Matthews
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    119
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Kyle Matthews
  • Show Website
    The Matthews Mentality Podcast

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