The Jon Schultz Podcast: The Myth of Overnight Success The Jon Schultz Podcast

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Connect with Ken Traub on LinkedIn
Ken Traub on Twitter

We end up in things that we're good at but not necessarily what our plan was for the future. That reflects the journey of Ken Traub, whose aptitude for tackling challenging concepts initially had his family pointing him into a medical career. Instead, his roundabout path led to business and entrepreneurship.

Today he's the founder of Delta Value Group, but getting there hasn't been a breeze. Microsoft crushing his Voiceover IP startup is just the start of the chaos Ken has experienced. From uncovering fraud at a 200-year-old company dedicated to preventing that very thing to righting the ship and winning back trust, he's not one to shy away from the storm.

In this episode, Ken and I talk candidly about learning from your mistakes. Hear what he considers to be one of his most significant strategic blunders and also what guides him through rough waters. If you are someone who likes righting the ship and driving more value, you'll find a kindred spirit in Ken.

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Dr. Darshan Shah Website
Dr. Darshan Shah LinkedIn

People are living longer lives–shouldn’t those be healthy years? If this is your goal, then you need to follow Darshan Shah, MD, and CEO of Next Health. Darshan’s experience is similar to many of ours: the young workaholic found himself overweight and suffering from chronic conditions like hypertension and pre-diabetes. He realized he needed to change his lifestyle now if he wanted to experience his children’s milestones.

What makes Darshan different is he was an accomplished surgeon when he had his epiphany. His firsthand insight into how the medical system works and what we can do to change led to Next Health, a medical center flipping the script on health care by helping people optimize their health before they’re sick. Using the latest technologies and research, you can gain individualized insights on your health.

Tune in for an insightful conversation about Darshan’s journey to wellness and how he’s using his passion to help others live longer lives to the fullest.

When Matt Higgins,  Author of "Burn the Boats,"  was a kid in Queens, you were likely to find him hawking flowers on a street corner or scraping gum off restaurant tables. Today Matt Higgins is co-founder of RSE Ventures, a prominent entrepreneur, investor, and business executive known as a CBS Shark Tank guest. Hear how having limited choices and making bold moves set the board for his success.

What Matt remembers about his childhood in Queens is the government cheese, food stamps, and a rodent-chewed mattress. But he also had an example of resilience, as his Mother pursued her GED and got into Queens College. Unfortunately, she had health problems that necessitated Matt caring for her rather than enjoying being a teen. His desire to escape poverty led to an epiphany. He became a college student at 16, aspiring to change his family's path.

Over the years, Matt found himself in situations with limited options, but he refused to be boxed in. Never one to let circumstances dictate the end, he controlled his destiny by making himself invaluable. Matt became Press Secretary for the New York Mayor's office, the youngest ever at 26, followed by the COO of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which oversaw rebuilding the World Trade Center. From there, he moved on to several high-profile executive positions, including executive positions with the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets NFL teams.

As Matt says, only you have the full context of your life. The only thing you need to believe is your infinite capacity to figure it out. Tune into this conversation for endless insights on overcoming imposter syndrome, leveraging your skills, and why limiting choice is a good thing.

Baseball is in Aaron Boone's blood. The New York Yankees Manager is a third-generation Major League Baseball (MLB) athlete. As a kid, he remembers rubbing elbows with Hall-of-Famers and All-Stars and wandering the stadiums his Dad played in. He was never pushed into chasing his grandfather or Dad's path, but baseball had his number. In our chat, Aaron shares insights from his decades-long career in and around professional baseball.

Aaron worked his way through college baseball and minor leagues before being called up as a major league player. But it wasn't all smooth sailing. Early on, he bounced back and forth before he landed full-time on the roster.

Operating at this high level required more than talent and physicality. Aaron discusses the mental and emotional growth essential to longevity in professional baseball. Hitting his rock bottom propelled him to have some of the best years of his career as a player. He learned how changing what you focus on can significantly impact what you achieve.

Now Aaron has made the leap to manager. Hear how Aaron maintains his perspective while managing the high-stress stakes of an iconic MLB team. For him, it's all about the process; take action, and the results will come. Entrepreneurs can learn from his focus on developing a strong culture that can withstand adversity.

The world has no shortage of problems. Luckily it has people like Uri Levine, creator of Waze and Moovit, serial entrepreneur, and author, who fall in love with problems and solving them. As a testament to his passion for challenges, "Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution" is the title of his new book.

This podcast tracks Uri's journey from a kid who thought he'd be an engineer because he wanted to build things to a globally successful CEO. Uri doesn't fear not succeeding, thanks to his Dad, who never stigmatized failure for trying out an idea. Uri's inherent curiosity drove him to evolve from software engineer to product manager to entrepreneur, tackling Israel's traffic congestion. But it hasn't always been smooth sailing. Hear firsthand how they believed Google's AI navigation announcement was the death knell for Waze, but the competition spurred investment in the company a month away from running out of cash.

Uri urges aspiring entrepreneurs to not give up because the journey will be hard. He mentioned the many iterations created by Waze trying to solve customers' problems. He encourages entrepreneurs to make decisions with conviction, including the hard ones like firing the wrong fit. When you fail, fail fast; this gives you time to try another approach or strategize something new.

He digs into why entrepreneurs should begin by focusing on a problem, calling it the North Star. Without it, you'll take a longer route and possibly get off-course in your decision-making. Keep asking "who has this problem?" Speak with potential customers and hear their version of the problem so you can work towards finding solutions for them.

The wisdom from Uri Levine shared throughout the podcast affirms that it takes courage, conviction, and many other essential traits to become a successful startup entrepreneur or CEO. Tune in to hear his approach first hand.

Lisa Picard, Partner, Sway Ventures, learned early in life to stop pleasing others and pursue what tugs at her strings: how to influence change. Every act has been an intentional step in exploring how we design a built world that enhances how people work and live.

Lisa felt deeply connected to the outside environment from a young age. She recalls being fascinated with the minute details of cities, like sidewalk widths and the position of a candy store. This interest in cities was something her Mom encouraged her to explore, leading her to study urban design and later real estate at MIT.

She takes us through her journey of losing her parents at a young age, chasing career challenges, and key growth moments. Listen to Lisa's take on the dot-com bubble burst and how experiencing difficult moments like a "great undoing" shapes your outlook.

Lisa believes by finding our edges, we can learn about ourselves and see how far we can go. It's why she changed careers and roles; the challenge of change is essential for growth. She acknowledges that cultivating a solid ground to stand on gives the confidence to tackle those scary steps without fear. As Lisa says, we're often incentivized to keep doing the same thing; yet embracing the potential to grow through challenges can result in rewards beyond measure.

Our discussion includes a deep dive into various aspects of real estate, such as changes in office space design and the support versus surveillance perspectives in the push to get back to the office. We share interests in technology and talk about how AI will revolutionize different systems and optimize decision-making.