Authority in the Wild

#159 - Your Life Looks Perfect. You Feel Nothing. Here's Why. w/ Dr. Margaret Rutherford

The founder who seems fine is often the one who needs this most. I sit down with Dr. Margaret Rutherford, clinical psychologist, author, and TEDx speaker, to walk through Perfectly Hidden Depression, the form of depression that doesn't look like depression at all. It hides behind high performance, emotional control, and the identity of being someone who handles things. And it's disproportionately common among entrepreneurs and founders who have turned perfectionism into a management style. The through-line of the conversation is the framework shared by Dr. Margaret's new workbook that came to life after 30 years of clinical practice? 🟪 Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:01) What is the Perfectly Hidden Depression (04:25) Perfectionism as a Prison (09:45) The 10 Telltale Signs of PHD (16:58) When PHD Traits Become Dangerous (22:12 )The Cost of Loneliness (30:33) From Awareness to Change (33:38) The Compartmentalization Exercise (39:59) Beyond Awareness to Cha 🟪 About Dr. Margaret Rutherford Dr. Margaret Rutherford is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 30 years of clinical experience. She is the author of Perfectly Hidden Depression (November 2019), Perfectly Hidden Depression Workbook (April 2026) the host of the Self-Work Podcast that has over 5 million downloads. Her TEDx talk on emotional transparency has surpassed two million views. She works with high-functioning individuals who carry depression beneath a surface of apparent success. 🟪 Connect with Dr. Margaret Rutherford - PDH Workbook: https://a.co/d/021PCO99 [https://a.co/d/021PCO99] - PHD Book: https://a.co/d/05pmllEo [https://a.co/d/05pmllEo] - Website: https://drmargaretrutherford.com [https://drmargaretrutherford.com] - Self-Work Podcast: https://drmargaretrutherford.com/selfwork/ [https://drmargaretrutherford.com/selfwork/] - TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXZ5Bo5lafA [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXZ5Bo5lafA] - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmargaretrutherford [https://www.instagram.com/drmargaretrutherford] - LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/DrMargaretRutherford [https://www.facebook.com/DrMargaretRutherford] - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drmargaretrutherford [https://www.youtube.com/@drmargaretrutherford] 🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca - Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com [https://www.gabemarusca.com] - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca] - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca] - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca [https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca] - X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabemarusca [https://twitter.com/gabemarusca] - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca [https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca] - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca]

#158 - From $200K to $2M in 5 Months Growth Playbook: We talked Startups, Research, Positioning and Client Acquisition w/ Andrej Persolja

Andrej Persolja built a product with a 4.9-star rating and real clinical proof it worked. He launched in one market and it took off. He then launched to the US and nothing happened. No customers. No conversions. Four years and tens of thousands in ad spend with almost nothing to show for it. He eventually figured out why. Then he ran a structured test. One thing changed. Revenue went up 200%. His cost to acquire a customer dropped by more than half. He left the startup and built a consulting practice around what he learned. He then went on to take another company from $200K to $2M in annual revenue in five months. And in this episode we cover the startup growth playbook, From research to market positioning to client acquisition. This conversation covers: * what he learned about why products stop selling * how he identifies growth levers most teams miss * what customer research actually looks like when it works * and what he did when things were at their worst Enjoy! 🟪 Timestamps (00:00) Intro (00:48) Building his First Startup (05:02) Positioning is Killing Great Products (12:41) What Makes a Product Valuable (16:45) How to Get Your Customers (22:43) The Growth Playbook (26:22) Growth Tests And KPIs (29:28) AI Workflows & Life Design (38:26) Systems, Life and Opportunities (43:09) Connect with Andrej 🟪 About the Guest Andrej Persolja is a positioning strategist and growth marketer from Slovenia who has worked with 100+ tech companies, from early-stage startups to 50M EUR revenue companies. He co-founded 2 startups, including a dyslexic learning app where he discovered the power of positioning after lowering CAC by 52% and doubling growth. He now runs We Fix Boring, helping B2B SaaS companies communicate their value through strategic repositioning. A 2023 YTILI Fellow (U.S. Department of State), NextMBA alumnus (under Philip Kotler and Seth Godin), and keynote speaker at Startup Disrupt, Andrej lives at the crossroads of logic and psychology. 🟪 Connect with Andrej Persolja * Website: https://apersolja.com/ [https://apersolja.com/] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV5Evx39NVsWc1z8ofGBY9g [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV5Evx39NVsWc1z8ofGBY9g] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apersolja/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/apersolja/] * X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/apersolja [https://twitter.com/apersolja] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apersolja/ [https://www.instagram.com/apersolja/] * Newsletter: https://apersolja.com/the-best-positioned-newsletter-in-marketing/ [https://apersolja.com/the-best-positioned-newsletter-in-marketing/] * Nail Your Positioning: https://nailyourpositioning.com/ [https://nailyourpositioning.com/] * We Fix Boring: https://www.founderat.com/andrej-persolja/ [https://www.founderat.com/andrej-persolja/] 🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca * Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com [https://www.gabemarusca.com] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca [https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/] * X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabemarusca [https://twitter.com/gabemarusca] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca [https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca]

#157 - Why High Performers Burn Out (Harvard Research Explained) w/ Erika Coleman

This is not a "do less" conversation. Erika Coleman built a million-dollar company, lost her mother, and then collapsed on her couch the day she finally finished her to-do list. Then she went to Harvard to figure out what went wrong. In this conversation, we get into: - Why effort is not the same as achievement, and how that confusion creates burnout - The Olympian who won gold by stepping back, and the one who shattered her leg by giving everything - Why your nervous system treats you as the enemy when you push too hard - The Harvard research that proves doing good things can hurt you Erika calls herself a recovering overachiever, and she has built a methodology she calls "even achieving" for people who refuse to stop reaching but want to stop breaking. If you are stuck in the loop of working harder, getting more efficient, and somehow ending up with more on your plate, this episode names what is happening to you and what to do instead. 🟪 Timestamps (00:00) Intro (00:52) It's possible to succeed without sarcifice? (07:14) Momentum Myth (11:36) Do Less Misconception (14:33) Intentional Excellence (19:08) Fear Brain Chemistry (21:54) Pace Like Pro Athletes (26:09) Stop Working to Depletion (31:03) Renegotiate After Overdoing (36:11) Be Your Own Champion (42:42) Small Actions Big Dreams (48:17) Ask for Help to Win (50:18) Harvard Lesson 🟪 About the Guest Erika is a speaker, consultant and recovering overachiever. She believes most successful people are getting accomplishment wrong. Erika founded a million-dollar virtual training company that serviced some of the top organizations in the world. Her curiosity about stress, motivation, and well-being led her to a master's degree in industrial-organizational psychology from Harvard University. Erika imagines a world where no one needs to choose between achieving their goals and building a life worth living. 🟪 Connect with Erika Coleman * TEDx Talk: https://erikastedtalk.com [https://erikastedtalk.com] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-coleman-1591b435/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-coleman-1591b435/] * The Even-Achieving™️ Team Assessment: https://balanceyourteam.com/ [https://balanceyourteam.com/] 🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca * Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com [https://www.gabemarusca.com] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/ [https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/] * X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabemarusca [https://twitter.com/gabemarusca] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca [https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca]

#156 - Why Solo Founders Earn More Than $1M Agency Owners w/ Scott Proposki

Scott Proposki spent 28 years photographing the White House, National Geographic shoots, and celebrities like Sylvester Stallone and Robin Williams. Then COVID hit, and a 28-year career disappeared in 24 hours. In this conversation we get into: * What actually happens when your identity dies overnight * Why $1 million in sales paid him less than $200K solo * The 3 words from Bill Belichick that restarted his career * Why AI is not the death of photography (or any creative business) This is not a "how I bounced back in 30 days" story. Scott went silent for three years before he could even start rebuilding. That detail matters. If you have ever felt trapped by the business you built, watched your industry shift overnight, or wondered whether scaling is actually worth it, this one is for you. 🟪 Timestamps (00:00) Intro (00:35) Pandemic Shockwave (04:08) Letting Go to Rebuild (11:08) Coaching Room Mic Drop (16:13) Finding Vision Again (22:03) Basement Entrepreneur Mindset (28:30) Celebrity Shoots and Daily Emails (37:02) When Money Runs Out (42:56) Connect with Scott Proposki 🟪 About the Guest Before the pandemic, Scott Proposki spent 27 years behind the camera as an event photographer for National Geographic, The White House, HBO, Microsoft, and celebrities like Robin Williams and Miley Cyrus. He built a seven-figure photography business with 52 team members and over $25M in lifetime sales. Then he lost it all when the world shut down in 2020. Three years of depression, rebuilding, and rediscovering his identity followed. His book Camera Focus became the roadmap that helped him rebuild. Today, Scott teaches photographers how to build unshakeable businesses through the Camera Focus Method. 🟪 Connect with Scott Proposki * The Focus Daily Email: https://scottproposki.com [https://scottproposki.com] * Camera Focus Book: https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Focus-Photography-Teaches-Business/dp/1947341553 [https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Focus-Photography-Teaches-Business/dp/1947341553] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottproposki/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottproposki/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottproposki/ [https://www.instagram.com/scottproposki/] 🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca * Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com [https://www.gabemarusca.com] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/ [https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/] * X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabemarusca [https://twitter.com/gabemarusca] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca [https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca]

#155 - Coaching Google Execs & Interviewing Every Ex w/ Miriam Katz

Miriam Katz coaches executives at Google or Deloitte on public speaking. She also hosts Ex Appeal, a podcast where she interviews every person she's ever been romantic with. In this conversation, we get into: * Why the real fear behind speaking has nothing to do with being polished * How improv exercises expose defense mechanisms we've carried since childhood * What interviewing her exes taught her about herself * Why she believes the stories we tell about ourselves are the biggest obstacle to growth This is not a typical communication episode. Miriam brings the same radical honesty she demands from clients, and the conversation goes places neither of us expected. If you've ever held back from saying what you really mean, this is the one. 🟪 Important Moments: (00:00) Trailer (01:02) Why Speaking Feels So Scary (10:08) Can Comedy Actually Make You Braver? (15:59) The Perfectionism Trap (and the Accent Myth) (21:13) Interviewing Your Exes On a Podcast (27:28) What Years of Dating Really Taught Her (36:44) Where Vulnerability Meets Strategy (40:57) Who Needs a Speaking Coach (Hint: Maybe You) 🟪 About the Guest Miriam Katz is a public speaking coach and the host of the “Ex Appeal” podcast, for which she is interviewing every person she’s ever been romantic with on any level. As a coach, she works a lot with humor as a way to loosen up her clients and allow their natural charisma to emerge. Katz also works as a journalist and ghostwriter, and performs as an actor and improviser. Yes she is busy. 🟪 Connect with Miriam Katz * Free 20 minute mini class / exploratory coaching session: https://calendly.com/miriamkatz/new-meeting-2  [https://calendly.com/miriamkatz/new-meeting-2] * Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ex-appeal-podcast/id1815156860 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ex-appeal-podcast/id1815156860]  * Podcast website: https://www.exappealpodcast.com/ [https://www.exappealpodcast.com/]  * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theexappealpodcast/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/theexappealpodcast/?hl=en]  * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-katz-b53ba828b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-katz-b53ba828b/] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exappeal [https://www.tiktok.com/@exappeal]  * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@exappeal [https://www.youtube.com/@exappeal] 🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca * Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com [https://www.gabemarusca.com] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/ [https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/] * X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabemarusca [https://twitter.com/gabemarusca] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca [https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca [https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca]