Pass The Flame: Lessons from Founders, CEOs, and Exceptional People

Elan Gelfand
  • 5.0 (27)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Someone passed the flame to the people you admire. Now they're passing it to you. Every week, Elan sits down with founders, CEOs, and exceptional thinkers to extract the exact mindset shifts, decisions, and habits that got them there. Past guests include Chris Voss, David Meltzer, Keith Ferrazzi, Derek Sivers, and more. If you're ambitious, hungry to learn, and want proof that what you're building is possible, you belong here. Formerly Abundant Thinking.

  1. 3d ago

    Why a 50-Year-Old and a 22-Year-Old Can Be the Exact Same Customer — John Elbing | Ep. 162

    Follow more conversations with founders, ceo's and exceptional thinkers! Nobody cares about your story, they care about whether they can see themselves in it. Storytelling consultant John Elbing has coached over 150 companies on the exact moment a stranger decides you're "for them," often before they understand a single thing you actually do. John breaks down the three-stage framework: recognition, perception, projection. That determines whether someone stays on your page or scrolls past in the first three seconds. He tells the story of a humanitarian water-purification client and why the real problem they needed to solve wasn't "people get sick," it was "trucks get stuck in the mud." He explains why Red Bull no longer bothers advertising its own product, and why most companies fail not because they niche down too much, but because they're too afraid to niche down at all. He also breaks down why targeting a customer's mindset and maturity works better than targeting their age. Connect with John Elbing: Website: https://standpoint.ch/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elbing/Book: Storybuilding: Your Brand From Their Standpoint — https://www.amazon.com/Storybuilding-Your-Brand-Their-Standpoint/dp/1947276654If this episode gave you one idea worth keeping, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it takes 30 seconds and it helps more people find the show.

  2. Jul 28

    Why Adding More Tools to Your Toolbox Is Actually Holding You Back — Alan Stein Jr. | Ep. 161

    Most people think self-improvement means constantly adding more, more tools, more habits, more hacks. Alan Stein Jr. spent 15+ years coaching Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant, and he's convinced that's exactly backwards. Alan breaks down why he's actively removing tools from his toolbox instead of collecting more, and why "you can't pay someone to do your push-ups" applies just as much to AI as it does to physical fitness. He explains why he'd rather do the hard, unglamorous work of getting in shape than lean on a shortcut like a GLP-1 drug or peptides, and why the identity you build in the process matters more than the result. Alan also unpacks his line "emotions are information, not directives," and shares his personal rule for never letting anger or irritation drive his decisions. He closes with a mantra that reframes generosity entirely: a compliment you don't give is an act of selfishness. Connect with Alan Stein Jr.: Website: https://alansteinjr.com/Instagram: https://instagram.com/alansteinjrLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/alan-stein-jrBook: Raise Your Game — https://www.amazon.com/Raise-Your-Game-High-Performance-Secrets/dp/1546082859 If this episode gave you one idea worth keeping, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it takes 30 seconds and it helps more people find the show.

  3. Jul 21

    Every Framework Starts as an Unproven Hypothesis — Peter Winick | Ep. 160

    Peter Winick has had 700+ conversations with the world's top thought leaders, and he's found the same pattern every time: the best ones never built a framework first. They noticed one, tested it against reality, and only trusted it once it held up hundreds of times over. He breaks down how the "Five Avatars" model in his new book, The Thought Leadership Handbook, came from spotting repeat patterns across hundreds of clients, not from theorizing in a vacuum. He explains why he and his co-author obsessed over turning the book's core idea into an equation, a trick borrowed from Chip Conley's Emotional Equations, built to make analytical, left-brain readers actually engage with something as "soft" as emotional intelligence. Peter also gets candid about the paywall behind his own ideas: what he gives away for free in the book, what he only shares with paying clients, and why that's a business model, not a scam. And when Elan pushes him on whether a 22-year-old can ever be a credible expert, Peter doesn't soften the answer, but he does leave the door open wider than you'd expect. Connect with Peter Winick: Website: https://thoughtleadershipleverage.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterwinick/Book: The Thought Leadership Handbook — https://www.amazon.com/Thought-Leadership-Handbook-Experts-Ideas/dp/B0GT1S9QFY If this episode gave you one idea worth keeping, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it takes 30 seconds and it helps more people find the show.

  4. Jul 17

    Keith Ferrazzi: "Don't Keep Score" — Why Real Networking Isn't a Balance Sheet | Ep. 159

    Keith Ferrazzi has spent 20+ years teaching CEO's how to connect better. Keith wrote the New York Times Best Selling book Never Eat Alone. He breaks down the philosophy behind his bestseller Never Eat Alone and why "don't keep score" beats every networking hack, and why he only asks for help once he's overfilled someone else's cup. Keith opens up about growing up ashamed of his family's poverty, watching his mom clean the houses of the doctors and lawyers he'd one day coach as CEOs, and how that shame became the engine behind everything he's built since. He shares the exact experiment his firm ran with Claude, turning 90 employee interviews into a 3-month business turnaround plan in 24 hours, the kind of work that used to take a $2–4M consulting study. And he lays out "thought leadership job hunting": how to land your next role not by applying, but by becoming the person who already interviewed everyone worth knowing in your field. Connect with Keith Ferrazzi: Website: https://www.keithferrazzi.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithferrazzi/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithferrazzi/ Book, Never Eat Alone: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Eat-Alone-Expanded-Updated/dp/0385346654 Book,Who's Got Your Back: https://www.amazon.com/Whos-Your-Back-Relationships-Success/dp/0385521332 Book, Leading Without Authority: https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Without-Authority-Co-Elevation-Collaboration/dp/0525575669 Book, Competing in the New World of Work: https://www.amazon.com/Competing-New-World-Work-Adaptability/dp/1647821959 Book, Never Lead Alone (Teamship): https://www.amazon.com/Never-Lead-Alone-Leadership-Teamship/dp/0063412578 Beyond Connection (8-week cohort): https://www.beyondconnection.com/ If this episode gave you one idea worth keeping, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it takes 30 seconds and it helps more people find the show.

  5. Jul 14

    Winning Is Not Loyal to Anyone — Haley Perlus | Ep. 158

    Most people think pressure is something to survive. Dr. Haley Perlus has spent her career proving it's something you can turn into fuel, if you ask yourself the right question first. Haley breaks down the exact question she asks herself before every high-pressure moment, "How did I earn this?" — and why the answer decides whether that pressure becomes fuel or anxiety. She walks through the difference between anxiety and arousal, the same nervous energy, read two completely different ways, and how that reframe can move you into flow state. She shares the story of her coach betting on her at a junior ski race at age 12, and why she now tells her own clients that "winning is not loyal to anyone". It's not even the best of the best win consistently. And she lays out her rule for showing up on the days you're running on empty: give yourself grace, but never let yourself off the hook. Connect with Dr. Haley Perlus: Website: https://drhaleyperlus.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drhaleyperlus/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-haley-perlus/ Book, Personal Podium: https://www.amazon.com/Personal-Podium-Maximize-Potential-Sport/dp/0988631938 If this episode gave you one idea worth keeping, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it takes 30 seconds and it helps more people find the show.

  6. Jul 7

    Founder of RumChata: Why He Deliberately Tricked Customers Into Thinking They "Discovered" His Brand — Tom Maas | Ep. 157

    Want to have conversations like me? Check out my book Most founders think the secret to a breakout brand is convincing people to want it. Tom Maas built RumChata into a $2 billion liqueur category by getting people to think they discovered it themselves. Tom breaks down the "illusion of discovery" — the marketing technique he learned at Jack Daniel's and used to make RumChata one of the most-talked-about liquor brands on Facebook. He explains why a bartender's offhand comment about cinnamon cereal became the moment that lit the fuse for the whole brand, and why "presence builds preference" not persuasion, is what actually gets a bottle picked up off a shelf. Tom also opens up about going $220,000 into credit card debt at 19% interest after he and his father sank $4 million of their retirement savings into the company, and the moment a stranger slid a $25 million check across the table — and why he said no. Connect with Tom Maas:Website: https://tastes-like-money.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maastmprojects/Book: Tastes Like Money — https://www.amazon.com/Tastes-Like-Money-RumChata-Beloved/dp/1394397151 If this episode gave you one idea worth keeping, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it takes 30 seconds and it helps more people find the show.

  7. Jun 30

    Why Your Partner Either Accelerates or Destroys Your Pursuit of Excellence — Ryan Hawk | Ep. 156

    Nobody teaches you that showing up halfway is an insult to the thing you said yes to. Ryan Hawk has spent 11 years and 690 conversations learning that, and building a show around the people who never forgot it. Ryan reveals why curiosity isn't just a skill, it's the primary way he gives and receives love, and why asking someone about the dedication page of their book opens them up faster than any interview technique ever could. He shares the four-stage learning flywheel that separates people who consume knowledge from people who actually compound it: fuel your intake, run experiments, reflect on what worked, then teach it to someone else. He explains why he refuses to invoice clients until after he speaks, and why telling every room "you don't have to pay me if I didn't crush it" is the forcing function that keeps his standards from slipping. And on his shelf sits a champagne bottle from 2019, still sealed - a daily reminder that the work is always becoming, never arrived. Connect with Ryan Hawk: Website: https://learningleader.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ryanhawk12LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ryanhawk12Pre-Order Ryans Book: The Price of Becoming — https://learningleader.com/BecomingIf this episode gave you one idea worth keeping, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify it takes 30 seconds and it helps more people find the show.

  8. Jun 23

    You're Not Who You Say You Are, You're What You Actually Do — Rehan Rayani | Ep. 155

    Want to have conversations like me? ⁠⁠Check out my book⁠⁠ There's a two-question test that reveals exactly how much your self-belief actually matters. Rehan found the answer after quitting professional soccer, while his childhood teammates are playing in the World Cup. Rehan left home at 13 to pursue professional soccer in France, spending nearly a decade competing at the highest youth and semi-professional level in Europe. He breaks down why he walked away from the sport that had defined his entire identity, not because he couldn't cut it, but because he discovered the difference between "playing with energy" and "working on energy": the moment you stop doing something for love and start doing it as obligation, the game is already lost. He shares the two-question self-belief test that proves only one person's belief in you actually counts, and explains how his real mission, bringing out the best in people was always the bigger driver, and professional soccer was only ever the vehicle. He also unpacks the Jay Shetty concept that stopped him in his tracks: "I am who I think you think I am" and why realizing it was a trap changed everything. Connect with Rehan Rayani: Website: https://rehanrayani.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/rehanrayaniLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/rehan-rayani-2375731b2TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@rehan_rayaniIf this episode gave you one idea worth keeping, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it takes 30 seconds and it helps more people find the show.

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About

Someone passed the flame to the people you admire. Now they're passing it to you. Every week, Elan sits down with founders, CEOs, and exceptional thinkers to extract the exact mindset shifts, decisions, and habits that got them there. Past guests include Chris Voss, David Meltzer, Keith Ferrazzi, Derek Sivers, and more. If you're ambitious, hungry to learn, and want proof that what you're building is possible, you belong here. Formerly Abundant Thinking.

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