Standards, Selection & What It Really Costs to Say Yes | Ep. 3

Faith, Family & Starting Again | Operator Mindset Ep. 9

In this powerful episode of Operator Mindset, Howie Zales sits down with Michael Holden, alongside co-host Jason Elliott, for a raw conversation about crisis, faith, family, health, and the cost of living out of alignment. Michael shares his journey from 25 years in corporate finance and senior leadership to the moments that forced him to rethink what success, security, and providing for his family really mean. From his daughter Catherine’s epilepsy diagnosis, to his own cancer diagnosis, to the transformational experience in Fiji that helped him reconnect with purpose, this conversation is honest, emotional, and deeply human. This episode is about what happens when pain becomes purpose, when fear gives way to faith, and when true leadership starts with the courage to live in alignment.

AI, Cybersecurity & Why Business Owners Can’t Afford to Wait | Operator Mindset

In this episode of Operator Mindset, Howie Zales sits down with Michael Hornby, Founder and CEO of Techmentum, for a practical conversation about cybersecurity, AI, business email compromise, and the risks most business owners don’t think about until it is too late. They discuss why cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue, how attackers are using AI, why platforms protecting themselves does not mean your business is fully protected, and what founders need to start paying attention to now. This is a conversation about technology, risk, leadership, and what it means to operate with clarity in a world where the threats are getting smarter.

The Founder Trap: Building Instead of Leading | Operator Mindset Ep. 6

Founders often start by doing everything themselves. They build the product. They manage the systems. They handle sales, marketing, follow-up, operations, and every small detail in between. At first, that level of involvement feels necessary. It feels responsible. It feels like progress. But eventually, the same skills that helped you start the business can become the very thing holding it back. In this episode of Operator Mindset, Howie Zales sits down with Johanna for a sharp conversation about founder bottlenecks, delegation, automation, AI, and the tension between building the business and leading it. They talk about what happens when founders get pulled too deep into the weeds, why sales and marketing are often the first things they wish they could “clone” themselves for, and how AI can create more capacity when it supports human judgment instead of replacing it. This episode is for founders, operators, and business owners who are trying to scale without becoming trapped inside the machine they built. Because the real advantage is not doing more. It’s knowing what only you should own, what needs to be delegated, and where technology can help create more time for the right decisions. Operator Mindset is live on all platforms.

Stop Waiting. Start Learning. | The Real Cost of Perfection | Ep. 5

At the beginning, waiting feels responsible. You want the right timing. The right setup. The right version of everything. But in reality, that’s what keeps most people stuck. In this episode, Howie Zales sits down with Wendy Van Besien to break down one of the biggest traps in business and personal growth: The illusion of being “ready” They unpack the real shift: From waiting to testing From overthinking to learning through action From fear of failure to fear of staying the same Because growth doesn’t come from getting it perfect. It comes from moving before you are. If you don’t try, you don’t learn. And if you wait too long you miss the moment completely. — Operator Mindset is about building with clarity, speed, and intention. Not perfection. If this episode hits, share it with someone who’s still waiting to start.

His Career Made No Sense… Until It Did | Ep. 4 With Chris Colton

Most people are told to follow a clear path. Chris Colton did the opposite. In this episode of Operator Mindset, we sit down with Chris Colton to break down how curiosity, not structure, became the foundation of his career. What looked like a messy, disconnected path was actually years of skill stacking, learning, and real-world repetition that built something rare. We talk about: • Why curiosity is not a distraction, it’s an advantage • How “random” skills turn into real leverage • The power of skill stacking over traditional career paths • Learning in public and adapting in real time • How AI is changing the way we work and think This episode is for anyone who feels like their path doesn’t make sense yet. Operator Mindset is live on all platforms.