The MaxLife Podcast with Ben Laws

Ben Laws
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

Hosted by Ben Laws, the MaxLife Podcast goes beyond the highlight reel to bring you real, unfiltered conversations with entrepreneurs and high performers. We dive into their journeys—the wins, the struggles, and the game-changing moments that shaped their success. These are raw, free-flowing conversations about business, relationships, health, and the mindset shifts that lead to massive growth. Our mission is to fire you up and inspire action—whether it’s a bold business move, a new habit, or a fresh perspective that changes everything.

  1. 1d ago

    Are You The Problem? The Truth About Scaling Your Business

    📝 Find where you're the bottleneck in your own business.Free 1-page worksheet: https://maxlifecoach.com/episodes/are-you-the-problem-scaling-your-businessMost founders think the ceiling on their business is strategy. It's not. It's them. Executive coach Jerome Wade returns to MaxLife to explain why the owner-operator has a job (not a business), how to build a culture that unlocks elite producers, and how to finally scale by getting out of your own way.We get into why "if you are the problem solver, you are the problem," how to give your people real decision authority ("altitude") and win their hands, head, and heart, the standards that run a company ("you get what you tolerate"), and the most expensive belief a leader carries.Guest: Jerome Wade, keynote speaker and executive coachJeromeWade.com · Epic Leadership Systems · LinkedIn @JeromeWadeFree executive team assessment (30 minutes, his cost). Details at the end of the episode.

  2. 5d ago ·  Bonus

    Your 14-Hour Day is Destroying Your Company's Value

    📝 What's the one thing you're great at that's quietly capping your exit?Free 1-page worksheet: https://maxlifecoach.com/episodes/your-14-hour-day-companys-valueTwo founders can work the exact same 14-hour day and end up in completely different places. One built an asset that compounds and sells without them. The other built a very expensive job.Ben Laws breaks down Pull vs Push: why the work you're best at (your zone of excellence) quietly makes you the bottleneck, how to sort last week into "golden handcuffs" vs your zone of genius, and the simple math that turns a founder-dependent job into a business someone will actually buy.If your company still runs on your excellence, that's the bottleneck between you and a real asset. Getting the founder out of that seat, so the company compounds and sells without them, is the whole thing we do with founders who've already built something real.Learn more: https://maxlifecoach.com

  3. Sep 28 ·  Bonus

    The Money Mindset That Keeps You Broke

    Ben Laws on the money mindset that keeps founders broke: why the number showed up and the feeling didn't.📝 Whose scoreboard are you still climbing?Free 1-page worksheet: https://maxlifecoach.com/episodes/20m-founder-operator-burnoutYou did the right tactical things. You put in the hours. The number showed up and the feeling didn't.This one's for founder-operators in the $10M-$20M range who keep hitting milestones and feel more drained every year. It's not a workload problem. It's an energy problem: the business runs on obligation ambition (I have to) or prove-it ambition (I'll show them), and both spend you down even when you win.In Ben's first solo teaching episode, you'll discover:- The two counterfeit ambitions behind most founder burnout, and the third engine that replaces them- Push vs. pull: how to tell if you're chasing money or money's chasing you- Why wearing the cape is stealing from your team (and makes you the bottleneck every buyer discounts)- Why a $15M business you're free in beats a $20M business you're chained to- The alignment T-chart: the honest exercise to run on your business this weekThe free 1-page Alignment Worksheet (the exact T-chart exercise from the video) is linked at the top of this description.Work with Ben: https://maxlifecoach.com/workSubscribe for weekly teaching for founder-operators who want the business to run without them.

  4. Sep 24 ·  Bonus

    You Are The Bottleneck In Your Own Business

    📝 Which decision are you afraid to hand off?Free 1-page worksheet: https://maxlifecoach.com/episodes/you-are-the-bottleneck-in-your-businessWant a business that runs without you? See how we work together: https://maxlifecoach.com/You are the bottleneck in your own business, and it's not because you lack systems. It's the founder identity that has to change before the thing can run, scale, or sell without you.

  5. Jul 27

    #82: One Minute That Can Change How You Handle Stress with Brett Weinroth

    Stress is inevitable. Living in survival mode isn't. In this episode of MaxLife, Ben sits down with Brett Weinroth, Co-Founder of Paragon Performance Evolution, whose work has helped Fortune 500 executives, Special Forces teams, professional athletes, and family enterprises perform at their highest level—not by working harder, but by mastering their internal state. Together they explore the science of heart coherence, emotional resilience, and a simple one-minute practice that can dramatically change how you respond to pressure, conflict, and uncertainty. Why your nervous system—not your intelligence—often determines your performance under pressure. The surprising difference between managing your time and managing your energy. How difficult emotions can become powerful catalysts for growth instead of obstacles to avoid. The one-minute Paragon Pause that helps you respond with clarity instead of reacting from stress. Guest Bio Brett Weinroth is Co-Founder and Partner of Paragon Performance Evolution, where he works with senior leaders, family office executives, and members of multi-generational family enterprises. His mission is helping leaders navigate the human side of performance—cultivating greater self-awareness, resilience, emotional intelligence, and presence so they can lead more effectively at work, at home, and within their broader systems. Brett works extensively with leaders in the ultra-high-net-worth and family-enterprise space, supporting conversations around succession, governance, communication, leadership development, and family harmony. Drawing from both modern science and timeless principles, he helps individuals, teams, and families navigate complexity, strengthen relationships, and perform at their highest level through periods of growth and transition. Paragon's clients have included family-owned enterprises, family offices, Fortune 500 companies, Special Forces units, professional athletes, leading academic institutions, Global First Ladies, and astronauts. At his core, Brett is passionate about helping people evolve, deepen meaningful connections, and unlock their fullest potential. performanceparagon.com  https://www.linkedin.com/in/bweinroth/  IG: paragon_performance In this episode, you'll discover:

    #82: One Minute That Can Change How You Handle Stress with Brett Weinroth

  6. Jul 13

    #81: Freedom Lives Inside Structure with Barry Friedman

    Most people think freedom means having fewer rules. Barry Friedman believes the exact opposite. After growing up in chaos—including periods of homelessness and living out of a car—Barry found something that gave him control for the first time: juggling. That obsession became a four-time World Championship, appearances on the biggest stages in the world, and a career entertaining audiences for more than three decades. But the greatest lesson wasn't about performing. It was discovering that discipline creates freedom, mastery beats talent, and one honest conversation can completely change the course of your life. In this episode, you'll discover: How a single afternoon at summer camp transformed Barry's life—and why one moment of encouragement can change someone's future. Why mastery, discipline, and structure create more freedom than talent ever will. The surprising lessons Barry learned from performing alongside legends like Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, and Jay Leno. How honesty, integrity, and intentional relationships became the foundation for a meaningful life after a chaotic childhood. Guest Bio Barry Friedman spent 34 years as one half of The Raspyni Brothers — four-time World Juggling Champions and six-time main stage TED performers who opened for virtually everyone in the late '80s and '90s. He spent a period of his childhood living in a car — and while that chapter eventually closed, one day at summer camp showed him that life would never suck again. Barry is the author of I Love Me More Than Sugar and has lived sugar-free for over a decade. He's been with the same woman for 40 years (38.5 of them married), moved to the mountains for 18 years to raise their son, and has been a senior staffer with the ManKind Project, participating in over 100 weekends across the country initiating boys and men into their full humanity. In 2011, Barry created The ShowBiz Blueprint, the gold standard in business education for professional entertainers, with over 450 alumni and a Net Promoter Score of 98.8. He's also a licensed ham radio operator (AI6M) who once held a Morse Code certificate at 35 words per minute — which, yes, is genuinely crazy fast. He lives in Morro Bay, California with his wife Annie and their doodle, Molly. He is a firm believer that freedom lives inside of structure. IG @barryjuggled @showbiz_blueprint https://www.linkedin.com/in/raspyni/

    #81: Freedom Lives Inside Structure with Barry Friedman

  7. Jul 6 ·  Bonus

    MaxLife Mini: Successful but Miserable

    Watch the full conversation: https://youtu.be/hRiH6CxVmu0 Full show notes + free worksheet: https://maxlifecoach.com/episodes/the-science-behind-inner-masteryYou hit the number. You built the thing. And somewhere along the way, the success started to feel like a cage.In this clip from the MaxLife podcast, Joey Klein tells the story of the $80 million client who had everything, the estate, the family, the prestige, and broke down crying in her own library. It's the clearest picture of what he calls the "beautiful prison": outer success built on inner turmoil, where you finally get the money and the win, and wake up to the same emptiness you were trying to escape.He unpacks why what you wake up to every morning is the real measure of your success, and how to train your inner state instead of chasing the next outcome.If you're successful on paper but quietly miserable, this one's for you.Chapters:0:00 The $80M estate, and the breakdown1:54 The "beautiful prison"2:35 What you wake up to is your real success8:30 Training your inner state instead of chasing outcomes

  8. Jun 29

    #80: Why Hard Isn't Better with Ret Taylor

    Ret Taylor spent 35 years chasing success. From building companies and climbing mountains to running ultramarathons and achieving goals most people only dream about, he mastered the art of doing hard things. Then, 18,000 feet up on Denali, he realized something that changed everything: The life he had built was driven by a story he created as a scared 10-year-old boy sitting in a Greyhound bus station. In this episode of MaxLife, Ret shares the moment he stopped rowing against the current and started following what he calls his "Honest Yes." Why achievement often becomes a substitute for security The surprising downside of being great at hard things How childhood experiences quietly shape adult ambition Why some forms of success leave us feeling empty The difference between forcing life and allowing life How to identify your "Honest Yes" Why alignment often feels easier than achievement Check out the worksheet for this episode: https://maxlifecoach.com/episodes/why-hard-isnt-better  Guest Bio Ret Taylor is a former founder and CEO who spent over 20 years building companies around the world while chasing a version of success that looked right from the outside. Underneath it, he was driven by a deeper need to prove he had escaped the scarcity he grew up in. He got good at winning games he didn’t actually care about. But there was always a knowing that it wasn’t actually him. After climbing Denali and selling his company, Ned, he stopped ignoring that and walked away from the life he had built to return to the work he had always known was his. Today, he works with founders, executives, and high-performers who have built lives that work but don’t feel like their own. Through challenge, nature, and rites of passage, he helps them tell the truth about their life, let go of what isn’t theirs, and make decisions they can actually stand behind—even when it costs them. He lives in Boulder, Colorado and spends as much time as he can in the mountains. Website: rettaylor.com Instagram: @rettaylor_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rettaylor

    #80: Why Hard Isn't Better with Ret Taylor
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About

Hosted by Ben Laws, the MaxLife Podcast goes beyond the highlight reel to bring you real, unfiltered conversations with entrepreneurs and high performers. We dive into their journeys—the wins, the struggles, and the game-changing moments that shaped their success. These are raw, free-flowing conversations about business, relationships, health, and the mindset shifts that lead to massive growth. Our mission is to fire you up and inspire action—whether it’s a bold business move, a new habit, or a fresh perspective that changes everything.

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