The Matthews Mentality Podcast

Real estate developer Mike Nielson, CEO of LivAway Suites and West 77 Partners, explains economy extended stay hotels as a hybrid closer to multifamily than traditional lodging, serving essential-workforce and life-transition guests needing furnished stays from roughly 90 days to six months. He shares how COVID revealed the segment’s resilience when traditional hotels collapsed, inspiring the mission to deliver a cleaner, safer, more consistent product for underserved customers. Nielson details LivAway’s rapid growth since its first 2024 opening—over 100,000 room nights sold, eight hotels open, and additional properties in development nationwide—and credits vertical integration across brand, development, construction, and property management for consistency. He also recounts an early contractor bankruptcy crisis, his contrarian investing roots, a cash-on-cash-focused investor base, and advice on compounding experience and relationships over time.00:00 Why Build LivAway02:08 Extended Stay Explained03:19 Who Stays Here06:41 COVID Proof Demand11:20 Fixing A Broken Product11:58 Vertical Integration Edge14:41 Contrarian Origin Story17:21 Underwriting To Conviction26:28 Investor Mindset Cashflow29:52 Childhood And Football Drive34:48 Doubters As Fuel36:53 Why This Niche Wins37:49 Base Hits Not Home Runs38:31 Nature Versus Nurture40:01 Hard Work Childhood Lessons45:04 Work Smart And Risk46:46 Contractor Bankruptcy Crisis51:24 Paramedic Walk Leadership53:31 Riots And Broken Waterwalls01:00:27 Live Away Growth Vision01:03:35 Compounding Career Advice01:07:29 Final Wrap And Where To Follow

Kyle Matthews interviews Tony Zaccario, president and CEO of Stretch Zone, the largest practitioner-assisted stretching franchise. Zaccario shares his leadership principle “never confuse effort with results,” emphasizing data-driven decisions, franchisee profitability, and removing emotion from business. He recounts joining Stretch Zone in 2016 when it had four locations, becoming CEO at 26 in 2019, navigating COVID across differing state and local rules, and growing the system to about 430 studios in 41 states and Canada with zero closures. They discuss the franchise model’s simple unit economics, a franchisee-first culture, the importance of engaged ownership, work-life tradeoffs, and challenges of scaling teams. Zaccario also describes a 2023 private equity partnership with Princeton and a first-of-its-kind assisted-stretching research study supporting national accounts and marketing claims.00:00 Effort Versus Results00:58 Meet Tony Zaccario02:11 What Is Stretch Zone02:59 From Startup To Franchise04:47 Becoming CEO Pre COVID05:32 COVID Lessons On Brand07:48 Nationwide Growth Story09:18 Systems And Scaling Ops10:05 Career Path To CEO13:10 Why A 26 Year Old CEO18:46 Work Life Balance Reality22:40 Data Driven Leadership25:03 Zero Closures Explained28:02 Great Franchisee Traits29:43 Vetting New Franchisees31:29 Private Equity Deal34:09 PE Backed Growth Changes35:35 Research Study Teaser35:39 Why Research Matters36:51 Study Results And Media Blitz37:44 Turning Data Into Sales39:34 Hardest CEO Decisions42:50 Ambition And Work Ethic46:59 Time Optimization And Dad Life48:40 Recovery Industry Boom50:13 Core Customer And Benefits53:54 CEO Lessons And Loneliness57:27 Culture Speed And Conviction01:00:35 Startup Chaos And Covid01:02:24 Future Success And Legacy01:09:46 Franchise Info And Wrap Up

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 Balance00:54 Meet the Salvi Brothers02:52 Notre Dame USC Rivalry04:56 Starting the Media Business06:26 Entrepreneur Mindset Autonomy08:55 Athlete Identity and Obedience10:16 Walking On at Notre Dame15:26 From Football to Founder Grit16:35 Life After Football Identity Loss21:34 Working With Your Brother23:05 Pivot to Executive House24:47 What Top CEOs Share29:02 Executive Branding and Honesty33:22 Ego Versus Humility34:52 Listening While Leading35:45 Layoffs And Accountability37:43 Bad Leaders And Politicking39:13 Founder Skills And Ingenuity40:09 Hiring A CEO And Keyman Risk41:47 Future Of Executive Media43:24 Booking Big Guests46:25 Breakthroughs And Referrals48:43 Near Quit And Getting Ghosted52:02 Corporate Culture And Social Contract59:41 Relentless Mentality And Trust Moat01:01:08 Pitch And Final Wrap

Entrepreneur and healthcare investor Marcus Whitney joins the Matthews Mentality podcast to discuss his journey from growing up in Brooklyn and dropping out of college to teaching himself to code, becoming a CTO, and eventually co-founding and leading Jumpstart Health Investors, an early-stage healthcare venture firm. He explains why building companies in healthcare is uniquely difficult due to regulation and structural barriers like certificates of need, and why healthcare is now being “flanked” by multiple forces of disruption. Whitney also shares how he helped build Nashville SC from a fourth-division nonprofit into an MLS franchise, why he wrote Create and Orchestrate after experiences with prison entrepreneurship programs and a near-jail moment in his youth, and what jiu-jitsu taught him about humility, resilience, and pain tolerance.00:00 Entrepreneurship Fine Line00:58 Meet Marcus Whitney02:09 Jiu Jitsu Origins02:39 Healthcare VC Focus05:39 Why Healthcare Is Hard07:40 Brooklyn Eighties10:13 Self Belief And Wrestling13:15 College Dropout Lessons15:18 First Kid Turning Point16:08 Learning To Code17:51 First Startup Reality Check21:12 Entrepreneurship Misconceptions22:38 Velocity Hits Healthcare24:04 Nashville Healthcare Edge25:01 Pitching And Portfolio Math27:56 Knowing You Hit It31:40 Nashville SC Ownership34:33 Why He Wrote The Book38:37 Risk And Learning Styles38:53 Writing The Book39:30 Kids And Being Heard39:56 Finding Jiu Jitsu42:12 Competing And Winning Worlds44:21 Training Pressure And Balance46:12 Jiu Jitsu Lessons For Life49:07 Humility And Team Culture52:59 Why Mexico City55:46 Decisive Moves And Safety58:49 Advice To My Younger Self01:00:55 Integrity For Entrepreneurs01:03:00 Message To Brooklyn Kids01:07:47 A Co Founder Who Had My Back01:10:37 Co Founding Nashville SC01:12:32 Hardest Parts And Politics01:15:28 Closing Thoughts And Farewell

On the 100th episode of the Matthews Mentality podcast, Kyle Matthews interviews his brother Clay Matthews, a former Green Bay Packers linebacker and the franchise’s all-time sack leader. Clay discusses life after football with three kids and working outdoors, then recounts nearly taking a commercial real estate internship arranged by Kyle before choosing to pursue the NFL. He reflects on being a late bloomer, walking on at USC, struggling with homesickness and thoughts of transferring, and earning his role through special teams before breaking out as an edge rusher. Clay shares Pete Carroll’s competition-driven culture, the 2009 draft process and Green Bay trading up to select him, his “welcome to the NFL” moment, what made Packers fandom unique, and key Super Bowl XLV leadership and film-study moments shaped by coach Kevin Greene. He also talks mindset, injuries, fame, retirement, NIL/transfer-portal resilience, and off-field stories including Pitch Perfect and fan encounters.

In this Matthews Mentality Podcast episode, host Kyle Matthews interviews Dr. Debra Clary, founder and CEO of the Clary Group and author of The Curiosity Curve (launching with Fast Company in October 2025). Clary shares how she grew up feeling like an underdog and used that mindset to outwork others, beginning her career as a 4:00 AM Frito-Lay route driver in Detroit before moving into leadership roles at major organizations including Coca-Cola, Jack Daniels, Papa John’s, and Humana. She recounts learning credibility through discipline, building trust with backdoor receivers to increase route sales, earning a promotion to manager in nine months, and discovering the “power of a question” after being publicly accused of damaging truck tires that weren’t hers. Clary describes being fired after a corporate shakeup at Frito-Lay, landing at Coca-Cola through a recruiter connection, saving the Papa John’s account by gathering franchisee feedback and securing a video from Coca-Cola president Jack Stahl, then later being hired—and fired—by Papa John’s. After joining Jack Daniels as VP of strategy, she earned a doctorate at George Washington University and later moved to Humana, where she founded and ran a Leadership Institute developing the top 600 leaders, then supported enterprise-wide onboarding and performance efforts under a new CEO. The conversation centers on her 2019 “joke, question, and puzzle” that led her to commission MIT researchers to study curiosity and performance, ultimately prompting her to leave corporate life, start her firm, and build a framework for balancing curiosity and decisiveness. Clary explains the book’s “optimal amount of curiosity” and the four drivers of curiosity—exploration, openness, inspirational creativity, and focused engagement—while also discussing working motherhood, getting help to scale at home, women supporting women in leadership, and the realities of entrepreneurship, including taxes, hiring support, and the long sales cycle before momentum arrived in her third year.00:00 Underdog Mindset02:26 Why Curiosity Matters03:03 The Italy Train Moment05:07 MIT Research Breakthrough06:03 Writing the Curiosity Curve09:16 Growing Up in Michigan12:35 Frito Lay Route Driver15:32 Hacking Route Sales18:21 Union Rules and Weekends19:23 CEO Notices the Spike24:52 From Driver to Manager25:45 Leading Different People33:15 Hard Lessons on Firing35:57 Women in Corporate America37:26 Women Supporting Women39:48 Women Supporting Women40:11 Fired at Frito Lay42:57 Risk Taking Lessons43:32 Reebok Storm Connection44:30 Coke GM to Global45:05 Saving Papa Johns46:30 Calling the President48:05 Leaving Coke Reflection48:59 Hired Then Fired Again50:53 Jack Daniels Lifeline53:18 Working Mom Survival56:15 Family Business Culture57:24 Doctorate Grind59:37 Curiosity as Driver01:02:59 Humana Leadership Institute01:06:19 Called to Entrepreneurship01:09:13 Founder Reality Check01:11:02 When It Finally Clicked01:13:20 Craziest Investor Day01:15:51 Legacy and Curiosity Curve01:18:02 Curiosity Framework01:19:39 Closing and Where to Find

What does it take to build one of the most powerful real estate companies in the world?In this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Hamid Moghadam — Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Prologis — shares how he went from immigrating to the United States as a teenager to leading the world’s largest logistics real estate company.Under Hamid’s leadership, Prologis grew into a global powerhouse spanning nearly 1.3 billion square feet across 20 countries, with an estimated 3% of global GDP flowing through its facilities annually We discuss:How Prologis became the largest logistics real estate company in the worldThe 42-year journey from startup to S&P 100 CEOSurviving the Savings & Loan crisis and the 2008 Global Financial Crisis\Time Stamps:00:00 112 Earnings Calls & the Habit That Built a Career: Responsiveness00:55 Meet Hamid Moghadam & Prologis: The Logistics Real Estate Giant03:18 Why Vegas? Transitioning from CEO to Executive Chairman04:46 Industrial Real Estate 101: What Really Happens Inside Warehouses07:28 Growing Up in Pre-Revolution Iran & Early Education Abroad12:16 MIT at 16, Stanford MBA, and the Revolution That Changed Everything15:08 Starting Over in America: Loss, Rejection, and Landing the First Job20:58 Founding AMB: Bootstrapping, Early Deals, and Building a Reputation25:37 Why Industrial Won: Funds, Cycles, and the Road to Going Public33:30 IPO Reality Check & Leadership Lessons: Work-Life Balance to ‘Enduring Excellence’43:06 Three Phases of Leadership: Paranoia, ‘Scared & Not in Control,’ and What Comes Next46:38 Stage 3 Growth: Building a Real Management Structure47:13 Betting on E‑Commerce: Exiting Retail & Doubling Down on Logistics49:39 Surviving the GFC: Stock Crashes, Leverage Shock & Raising Equity53:27 The Prologis Merger: The Phone Call, Fast LOI & Analyst Doubts55:30 Napa Dinner Secrecy: The Awkward Investor Encounter57:56 Hardest CEO Moment: 2008 Layoffs and Hypergrowth Whiplash59:53 CEO Reality Check: Bad News, Imperfect Info & Personnel Calls01:01:19 Culture as the Moat: Survivor Bias, Team Accountability & Consistency01:03:24 Merging Cultures: Values First, Then Structure (AMBs vs Prologis)01:06:20 Biggest Leadership Mistake: Backing the Wrong Leader Too Long01:08:13 Stepping Down After 42.5 Years: What He’ll Miss (and Won’t)01:12:19 The Responsiveness Habit: Email, Respect & No Out‑of‑Office01:14:23 Work, Family & Partners: Weekends, a Great Spouse, and Co‑Founders01:17:26 Advice for Entrepreneurs: Find White Space in a More Efficient Market01:19:11 Next Frontier: Data/AI in Real Estate—A ‘Bloomberg of Goods’01:22:17 How to Build a Portfolio Today: Supply Constraints & Fortress Locations01:24:21 Closing Thoughts: Social Media, Mentoring Limits & Final Thanks

In this engaging episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, host Kyle Matthews sits down with UFC Hall of Famer and former Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin. They discuss Griffin's storied career, including his time on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, his legendary fight against Stephan Bonnar, and his championship victory over Rampage Jackson. Griffin shares insights into his transition from fighter to Vice President of Athlete Development at the UFC Performance Institute, where he now helps shape the next generation of fighters. This candid conversation also touches on the challenges of making weight, dealing with injuries, and the psychological aspects of fighting, providing a comprehensive look at the life of a professional MMA fighter.00:00 Pushing Limits and Greed00:45 Introducing UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin00:57 Inside the UFC Performance Institute01:27 Forrest Griffin's Role in Athlete Development02:38 Expanding UFC's Global Reach05:06 Challenges and Strategies in Training10:40 Forrest Griffin's Early Life and Career18:40 Transition from Football to Fighting34:12 Joining the Ultimate Fighter40:21 The Legendary Fight with Stephan Bonner41:36 Randy Couture and the Bonner Fight41:57 Mental Toughness in the Ring43:04 The Keith Judian Fight and Lessons Learned45:06 Winning the UFC Contract47:56 Becoming a UFC Champion55:06 The Challenges of Defending the Title01:01:52 The Evolution of MMA and Training01:07:56 Life After Fighting01:10:54 Forrest Griffin's Legacy and Reflections

In this episode of the Matthews Mentality podcast, host Kyle Matthews interviews Piotr Tomasik, the co-founder and COO of TensorWave. Piotr shares the journey of founding TensorWave, an AI cloud and compute company based in Las Vegas, which aims to provide high-performance cloud infrastructure for modern AI workloads. The discussion covers Piotr’s background, his previous ventures, and the importance of building a robust tech community in Las Vegas. The conversation delves into the technical aspects of AI infrastructure, the impact of AI on various industries, and the challenges and opportunities present in the AI computing sphere. Piotr also reflects on the lessons learned from his entrepreneurial journey and offers insights into the dynamics of fundraising and building successful startups.00:00 Introduction to AI Infrastructure Challenges00:45 Meet Piotr Tomasik: AI Innovator02:15 Building a Tech Community in Las Vegas04:51 The Impact of California's Tax Policies on Tech06:23 The Role and Vision of Tensor Wave13:15 Future of AI: Predictions and Implications16:47 Piotr's Journey: From Bay Area to Las Vegas20:31 Early Career and Entrepreneurial Beginnings25:51 Lessons from Founding Influential33:37 The Relief of Financial Success33:55 The Role of Family Support35:06 Navigating an Acquisition36:36 The Intensity of Startup Life37:30 The Drive Behind Entrepreneurship40:13 The Evolution of TensorWave43:34 The Future of AI and Power53:43 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs55:07 Reflecting on the Tech Industry56:23 Closing Thoughts and Future Plans

In this episode of Matthews Mentality, join host Kyle Matthews as he reconnects with his former USC teammate, Owen Hanson. Their conversation takes a deep dive into Owen's incredible life story that spans his days as a football player, becoming a notorious international bookie, and later a drug lord, to spending nearly a decade in federal prison. Discussing his motivations, the adrenaline rush, and the void he tried to fill with illegal activities, Owen shares pivotal moments including laundering money, his arrest, and subsequent quest for redemption. Now, focusing on rebuilding his life, Owen details his journey of creating a successful protein ice cream brand and his dedication to speaking with young people about the real consequences of his past actions. This candid and gripping interview is a testament to the capacity for change and second chances.00:00 Introduction and Early Life01:03 College Years and Athletic Pursuits01:54 Transition to Underground Operations02:28 Life in Federal Prison and Redemption05:37 Reflecting on Childhood and Family12:01 The Rush of Adrenaline and Illegal Activities31:43 The Rush of Camaraderie and Adrenaline32:18 Transition to Real Estate and Economic Downturn32:58 Becoming a Bookie: The Start of a New Venture33:50 The Rise of Online Sports Betting34:34 Indictment and Legal Troubles34:55 From Bookie to Cartel Connections35:53 International Expansion and Cartel Involvement38:31 The Cartel's Trust and High-Stakes Operations45:45 The Australian Cocaine Operation55:45 Reflections on Power and Happiness01:00:13 Prison Realizations and True Friendships01:03:39 Money Laundering Through Gambling01:05:13 The Big Lie and the Lost Money01:06:18 Confrontation and Desperation01:08:08 The Cartel's Pressure and Ingenious Solutions01:12:38 The Arrest and Life in Prison01:15:11 The Road to Redemption01:21:34 Building a New Life with Ice Protein01:29:31 Reflections and Lessons Learned