The Bigger Stage w/ Matt Stone

Matt Stone Enterprises
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The Bigger Stage w/ Matt Stone is a conversation series about leadership, relationships, and the stories that expand influence. Matt Stone sits down with CEOs, founders, leaders, and creatives to explore the human moments behind growth—how trust is built, how visibility changes responsibility, and how storytelling becomes a leadership skill as stakes rise. This show is for entrepreneurs and leaders stepping into bigger roles, bigger audiences, and bigger impact—who want to lead with clarity, credibility, and connection, not performance.

  1. Jul 11

    The Night I Walked Off a TEDx Stage | Bobby Umar (5x TEDx Speaker)

    Bobby Umar has done TEDx five times. In this episode, he breaks down how to actually get accepted, what makes a talk land, and the leverage move almost nobody makes after the applause dies down — plus the night he walked off the TEDx stage mid-talk and why he did it on purpose. SHOW NOTES: He walked off the TEDx stage mid-talk — slides broken, screen blank, audience watching. Then he went back out and delivered the talk that became one of his best. Bobby Umar has stood on the TEDx stage five times, coached founders and executives on how to turn their story into stage-ready authority, and built a 25-year speaking career out of four careers that didn't fit. In this episode, he walks through what actually gets a TEDx application accepted, why most pitches get rejected, how to mine your own life story for the idea worth pitching, and the three-part framework almost no one completes: land it, deliver it, leverage it. You'll hear: What separates a TEDx idea that gets accepted from one that gets ignoredHow to turn your life story into a pitch-ready TEDx conceptWhy the application itself is where most people lose the opportunityThe full story of the night Bobby walked off a TEDx stage — and whyHow to build buzz around a talk before it's even liveWhere founders should be putting their energy beyond TEDx in 2026Bobby Umar is a 5x TEDx speaker, Inc. Magazine Top 100 Leadership Speaker, and two-time LinkedIn Top Voice with 1,000+ keynotes across four continents. Connect with Bobby Umar:Website: https://raeallan.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyumar/Substack: https://substack.com/@bobbyumar

    The Night I Walked Off a TEDx Stage | Bobby Umar (5x TEDx Speaker)

  2. Jun 27

    Jeremy Sirota — The Lawyer Who Worked His Way Into Music (Suno, Merlin, Warner)

    From tech lawyer to Warner, Meta, and CEO of Merlin — now Chief Commercial Officer at Suno. Jeremy Sirota on never being the smartest person in the room, the book he'd never talked about, and why AI can't help you if you've got nothing to say. FULL DESCRIPTION  "I've never been the smartest person in the room. So I've always had to pull at something else." Jeremy Sirota has a career that refuses to sit on a straight line. Tech lawyer at Morrison & Foerster. Record exec at Warner Music. Global licensing deals at Meta. CEO of Merlin, where he took annual revenue from $900M to $1.8B. Now Chief Commercial Officer at Suno, one of the most-watched generative AI music companies on the planet. But he didn't talk his way in — he worked his way in. The through-line was never the title. It was a way of operating: build the room where genius happens instead of trying to be the genius in it. It took his ten-year-old daughter cutting him off mid-lecture — "Dad, no more TED Talks today" — to make that click. In this conversation, Jeremy gets into the class that nearly ended his law career, the book he'd never talked about publicly until now, why he keeps a "captain's log" of half-formed ideas, the "make this worse" game he uses to break a room open, and the one thing AI can't do for you: have something to say. For founders, operators, and builders working the move from operator to authority to icon — this one's worth your time. — Guest: Jeremy Sirota, Chief Commercial Officer at Suno Host: Matt Stone

    Jeremy Sirota — The Lawyer Who Worked His Way Into Music (Suno, Merlin, Warner)

  3. Jun 13

    He Pitched a Fintech Startup at a Funeral. It Worked. | Ricky Michel Presbot, Co-Founder of Ualett

    Millions of people drive, deliver, and hustle to power the American economy — and most of them are invisible to the financial system that's supposed to serve them. Ricky Michel Presbot, co-founder and CEO of Ualett, decided to do something about it. In this episode, Ricky shares how a failed early venture, a cab ride from JFK, and a chance encounter at a funeral led to the creation of a bilingual fintech platform now serving gig workers across the United States — with a $150 million credit facility to grow nationwide. We go deep on the idea of the "multi-hustler economy," why niche is the X factor for any business, what Ricky learned driving Uber for three months before building his product, and why the company's central value isn't "believe in us" — it's "we believe in you." This is a story about trust, dignity, and building something for people who've been left behind. Topics covered: The cab ride from JFK that revealed a $150M opportunityWhy the gig economy is everyone's economyThe "multi-hustler" — a new category beyond the gig workerHow Ualett works (and why it's not a predatory cash advance)The funeral pitch that started everythingBuilding company values from a mentor relationshipWhy going to the field is non-negotiable before building a productWhat "we believe in you" actually means as a business modelConnect with Ricky: Ualett — https://ualett.com LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricky-michel-presbot-14964472

    He Pitched a Fintech Startup at a Funeral. It Worked. | Ricky Michel Presbot, Co-Founder of Ualett

  4. May 30

    He Bet His Career on a "Boring" $100 Trillion Problem — Duncan Barrigan

    What do you do when the most important problem you can solve is also the least glamorous one? Duncan Barrigan spent 8 years helping build GoCardless into a global payments unicorn — then walked away to tackle something most founders walk right past: getting businesses paid. Not sexy. Not shiny. Just a $100 trillion problem that's been solved the same way, by humans, for 6,000 years. In this conversation, Duncan breaks down why accounts receivable is actually a communication and negotiation problem (not a payments problem), how he brought a real cowboy and horse to lasso the Wall Street Bull for Lunos' launch, and what it really means to build a company around three values: curious, courageous, and relentless. We also get into the identity shift that hit when he left a CXO role at a billion-dollar company, moved to New York in January, and had to rediscover who he was before Lunos existed. If you're a founder choosing between the bold idea and the safe one — this one's for you. —— TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — Cold open: the horse that got stopped at the Manhattan border0:23 — Introducing Duncan Barrigan & Lunos1:48 — Lunos or Lunos? The definitive answer3:05 — The $100 trillion problem hiding in plain sight5:03 — The epiphany: it's not a payments problem6:20 — Moving continent, quitting his job, and starting in January8:29 — London vs New York startup culture12:33 — The stifled entrepreneur: Pokémon cards & astronaut dreams14:17 — Space cowboys & bright pink: building the Lunos brand17:35 — The Wall Street Bull stunt (and the Guardian article)21:57 — Curious, courageous, relentless: the three values29:33 — Good mistakes vs bad mistakes (poker & Napoleon)32:15 — The identity crisis before Lunos existed33:49 — What kind of company does he want to build?38:03 — Building self-awareness as a founder40:53 — What's coming next: the agent-to-agent network43:36 — Flying planes, barrel rolls & personal challenges46:29 — Who should work with Lunos? —— CONNECT WITH DUNCANLunos: lunos.ai CONNECT WITH MATT STONE & THE BIGGER STAGEWebsite: thebiggerstage.comYouTube: youtube.com/@thebiggerstage —— The Bigger Stage is for founders whose reputation is stronger than their messaging. New episodes drop every other Saturday.

  5. May 16

    The Bears Fan Who Hated His Job

    Pat Miller spent 20 years on the radio under a name that wasn't his. He went on the air as "J Pat". He was forced to cheer for the Green Bay Packerswhile his actual loyalty stayed with the Chicago Bears and Cubs. Heprogrammed a country station he didn't connect with. And the wholetime, he was getting really good at being someone else. In 2018 he walked away. No six-month runway. No clients lined up.Just a hunch that life was too short to build someone else's dream —the line that later became his TEDx talk. Two years later, on March 18, 2020, the world shut down. The nextday, Pat went live on LinkedIn and hosted a show he called SmallBusiness Rally Point. 90 days later, it was a community. Today,the Small Business Owners Community (SBOC) is a membership, anannual conference that's drawn Mel Robbins, Mike Michalowicz, andSahil Bloom, and a daily show called Businessing with Pat Miller. This conversation is about what it actually takes — on the inside —to step out of a professional identity you spent two decadesconstructing. About how a strength becomes a hindrance. About"chiseling your way out" toward who you actually are. And aboutexcavating the room you wish you could walk into when you realizefounding a business is the loneliest job in the world. If you're building on your own, this one will land. CONNECT WITH PATLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpatmiller/SBOC: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BusinessingShow THE BIGGER STAGEConversations with founders excavating the story underneath whatthey've already built. The shift from operator to authority to icon,captured on camera. Hosted by Matt Stone. Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@thebiggerstageLearn more: https://thebiggerstage.com

  6. May 2

    Ask Two People This Question To Find Your Real Values — with John Durso

    Leadership consultant John Durso shares a deceptively simple exercise that reveals what your values actually are — not the ones on your website. Most leaders can't actually name their real values. They list the words on their website — honesty, integrity, loyalty — and call it a day. John Durso says those aren't values. They're table stakes. In this episode, John walks Matt through a deceptively simple exercise that reveals what your values actually are: ask one or two people who know you well to describe you in one word, then ask them to tell a story that backs it up. What comes back is rarely what you'd predict. John's wife described him as "unstoppable." Matt's two people landed on "charisma" and "generous." And the magic of the exercise isn't just learning what others see in you — it's that the word they choose tells you what they value most, which is critical leadership intel. John spent over 22 years in retail banking working with hundreds of small businesses and nonprofits across the greater Philadelphia region. Today he runs Brilliant Business Strategies, helping community banks, credit unions, nonprofits, and small businesses build stronger leadership, healthier cultures, and better team performance. In this conversation: - Why "honesty" and "integrity" don't count as real values- The one-word exercise — and why the story matters more than the word- How perception becomes reality inside your company- What Disney's Winnie the Pooh casting reveals about hiring for values- How a new leader can use this exercise in their first 30 days If you're a founder or CEO stepping into a bigger role — whether that's a hypergrowth season, a succession moment, or a move into thought leadership — this is foundational work. The kind serious leaders do at the start and return to when things get complicated. CONNECT WITH JOHN DURSOWebsite: brilliantbusinessstrategies.comLinkedIn: search "John Durso Brilliant Business Strategies" CONNECT WITH MATT STONE & THE BIGGER STAGEThe Bigger Stage helps founder-CEOs make the operator-to-icon transition.Website: thebiggerstage.comLinkedIn: search "Matt Stone Bigger Stage" Subscribe wherever you listen for more conversations with leaders stepping onto bigger stages.

  7. Apr 18

    Kate Joynt: The Founder Who Bet Everything on a Plug You Didn't Know You Needed

    Kate Joynt co-invented a product nobody was searching for. Then one influencer post took her Amazon sales from 25 a day to 800 — and EZ Outlet landed in Home Depot. Full Show Notes Kate Joynt is the founder and CEO of EZ Outlet, an electrical outlet extender now sold at Home Depot, on Amazon, on Walmart.com, and featured twice on NBC's Today Show. She didn't come from consumer products. She came from real estate, enterprise tech sales, and a lifelong fascination with inventions that started with a kid-invention show on Nickelodeon. When her co-founder Tony made an offhand comment one day — "wouldn't it be cool if you could just plug something into the original outlet and pull the power up here, above the couch?" — Kate's ear was already primed for it. What followed was years of prototyping, UL certification, factory sourcing, tooling and molding investments, and a brutal early period of paying for clicks that weren't there. Because nobody was searching for "electrical outlet extender." The category didn't exist yet. Then one influencer posted one video. Sales went from 25 a day to 800 in an hour. Home Depot followed. But the part of this conversation I keep coming back to isn't the wins. It's Kate describing her business as a "glass bubble" — fragile, vulnerable, something she had to protect through years where investors told her to keep going but nobody wrote a check until she didn't need one. It's her honesty about the stress that doesn't show up in pitch decks. And it's the specific, hard-won wisdom she has for the next founder standing where she was five years ago. If you're an operator with an idea you keep almost-pursuing, or a founder in the messy middle of building something real, this episode is for you. In this conversation: What EZ Outlet actually is, and why the problem it solves is so universal • Why it took years to get to market and what "overnight success" really looks like • The conversation that sparked the idea, and why Kate's ear was ready for it • Working with a co-founder who's your polar opposite • How she found engineers, factories, and a buying agent without a manufacturing background • The shocks of UL certification and consumer product compliance • Why pay-per-click failed and one influencer post changed everything • Getting on NBC's Today Show — twice • The copycat problem, the safety stakes, and protecting the brand • The emotional toll of being all-in on one product • Why investors only fund you once you don't need them • Three pieces of advice for the next generation of founders About Kate Joynt Kate Joynt is the founder and CEO of EZ Outlet, a patent holder, and an ETL-certified entrepreneur. Her background spans a decade in real estate and enterprise technology sales. Find EZ Outlet at Home Depot, on Amazon, on Walmart.com, and occasionally on HSN. EZ Outlet website: https://ezoutlet.com/ Kate Joynt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katejoynt/ About The Bigger Stage The Bigger Stage is a podcast for founder-CEOs making the leap from operator to recognized authority. Hosted by Matt Stone, founder of The Bigger Stage. Learn more at thebiggerstage.com. If this episode landed for you, the best thing you can do is share it with one founder who needs to hear it — and leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It's how more people find the show.

  8. Apr 4

    Kevin Nolan: I Was Never a Painter. I Was an Entrepreneur.

    He built the largest painting company in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Then he let go. Kevin Nolan on identity, succession, and the happiest chapter yet. Kevin Nolan started with a paintbrush, a roommate, and a college student's ambition. Forty years later he'd built the largest residential painting company in Southeastern Pennsylvania — and done something most founders never manage. He actually let go. In this episode, Matt Stone sits down with Kevin for a wide-ranging conversation about what an entrepreneurial life really looks like across four decades. The 17 years Kevin spent grinding in the dark with no business plan, just payroll on Friday. The Zig Ziglar moment at 37 that changed everything. How he found his CEO and CFO hiding on his own paint crews. And what those final 18 months felt like — staying quiet in meetings he used to run. In September 2024, Kevin retired. He says it felt like rocks coming off his shoulders. This is a conversation about identity, legacy, and the courage it takes to step into something new. In this episode: Why Kevin says he was never a painter — even when he was paintingThe Zig Ziglar line that launched his "second entrepreneurial seizure" at 37How John (an Eagle Scout from Sherwin-Williams) became his CEO 30 years laterThe 20-foot KPI wall — including profit — that every employee could seeWhat emotional intelligence looks like inside a trades businessThe Wally story: why great leaders run toward conflict, not awayWriting the final chapter of his career — before it happenedSeptember 2024: retirement and the rocks off his shouldersRunning a marathon in all 50 states — and what that taught him about businessGraduating 2,300th out of 2,600 at Villanova. And why he's glad he did.Resources mentioned: Organizational Muscle by Kevin Nolan — https://a.co/d/0gywqBSTGood to Great — Jim CollinsEmotional Intelligence — Daniel GolemanThe E-Myth Revisited — Michael GerberHow to Win Friends and Influence People — Dale CarnegieHow to Stop Worrying and Start Living — Dale CarnegieConnect with Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinjnolan1/ Connect with Matt: Website: thebiggerstage.com Email: matt@mattstone.co

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The Bigger Stage w/ Matt Stone is a conversation series about leadership, relationships, and the stories that expand influence. Matt Stone sits down with CEOs, founders, leaders, and creatives to explore the human moments behind growth—how trust is built, how visibility changes responsibility, and how storytelling becomes a leadership skill as stakes rise. This show is for entrepreneurs and leaders stepping into bigger roles, bigger audiences, and bigger impact—who want to lead with clarity, credibility, and connection, not performance.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Stone Enterprises
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Matt Stone Enterprises LLC
  • Show Website
    The Bigger Stage w/ Matt Stone