From Walk-On Football Players to Interviewing Billionaire CEOs | Salvi Brothers

Kyle Matthews interviews Will and Chris Salvi, brothers and Notre Dame football alumni who built Salvi Media and Executive House, an executive media platform behind the Emmy-winning CEO Series, CEO Roundtable, and other C-suite verticals. They discuss how they started by making videos for service businesses with little experience, why entrepreneurship appealed over traditional jobs, and how walk-on football shaped persistence, shared struggle, and identity—along with the difficult transition after sports, including depression and teammates’ struggles. The conversation covers evolving from an agency into a media brand, how they vet guests, why many CEOs are competitive, the importance of executive visibility and internal communication, and why honesty (especially in layoffs) and caring for employees, customers, and community ultimately benefits shareholders. They also share setbacks like being ghosted, financial stress, and their focus on relationships, content, and community in B2B.

00:00 CEO Stakeholder Balance

00:54 Meet the Salvi Brothers

02:52 Notre Dame USC Rivalry

04:56 Starting the Media Business

06:26 Entrepreneur Mindset Autonomy

08:55 Athlete Identity and Obedience

10:16 Walking On at Notre Dame

15:26 From Football to Founder Grit

16:35 Life After Football Identity Loss

21:34 Working With Your Brother

23:05 Pivot to Executive House

24:47 What Top CEOs Share

29:02 Executive Branding and Honesty

33:22 Ego Versus Humility

34:52 Listening While Leading

35:45 Layoffs And Accountability

37:43 Bad Leaders And Politicking

39:13 Founder Skills And Ingenuity

40:09 Hiring A CEO And Keyman Risk

41:47 Future Of Executive Media

43:24 Booking Big Guests

46:25 Breakthroughs And Referrals

48:43 Near Quit And Getting Ghosted

52:02 Corporate Culture And Social Contract

59:41 Relentless Mentality And Trust Moat

01:01:08 Pitch And Final Wrap