Skullcandy… he reimagined it.

First week on the job at Skullcandy, Brian Garofalow scheduled a meeting called:

“Teach Brian how headphones work.”

Not a tech guy.

Not an audio engineer.

But a punk-rock marketer turned Silicon Valley founder turned private equity turnaround pro—

And the new CEO of Skullcandy.

What happened next?

He did the unthinkable...

🔥 Partnered with Bose—the supposed enemy.

🔥 Reintroduced Skullcandy to the world with a surprise drop in NYC.

🔥 Built a skate-ramp-in-the-office culture that people actually want to work in.

🔥 Launched the best-reviewed product in years… in just 4 weeks.

Oh—and he’s worn the same green sweater every day for 7 years to reduce decision fatigue.

(Steve Jobs would be proud.)

This episode is a masterclass in brand resurrection, strategic risk, and leadership that doesn't try to fit in.

💬 What brand do you think is overdue for a Skullcandy-style comeback?

-----

Follow Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-garofalow-02b7bb2/

Check out Skullcandy's latest new products: https://www.skullcandy.com/

-----

Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning

Speaking and Training inquires

Subscribe to my Youtube channel

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

“We eat chaos for breakfast.”

That’s the mindset Eldon Schaffer, CEO of TekniPlex, instills across 9,000 employees in 13 countries.

On his first day, they lost one of their top five customers.

Instead of blaming or panicking, Eldon...rallied the team to innovate fast— launching a new product and outpacing the competition in just 150 days.

Since then, they’ve doubled the business and led a sustainability revolution—one egg carton and coffee pod at a time.

🧠 200 Materials Science Experts

🧃 Billions of packaging components

🌎 Unseen, but everywhere

Here’s what stood out:

• “Failure is not fatal.”

• “Comfort zone kills growth.”

• “Strategy is who does what.”

• “Diversity drives better decisions.”

• “Own it. Fix it.”

🎧 Hear the full story on Lead the Team—a masterclass in leadership under pressure, fast decision-making, and what it really means to get everyone rowing in the same direction.

💬 What’s your favorite leadership mantra?

-----

Follow Eldon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eldonwschaffer/

Learn more about TekniPlex: https://tekni-plex.com/en

-----

Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning

Speaking and Training inquires

Subscribe to my Youtube channel

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

What if everything you believed about retirement… was wrong?

Discover vital insights from Derek Coburn—author, wealth advisor, entrepreneur, co-founder of CADRE, an exclusive “un-networking” community for top business leaders, and now of the bold new book, Let’s Retire Retirement.

He challenges the outdated notion that your best years come after your career ends.

Instead, he argues that meaning, purpose, and growth shouldn’t be delayed—they should be designed into your life now.

We unpack:

-Why traditional retirement is broken.

-The dangers of waiting to live fully.

-How to architect a life that blends success and significance.

If you’ve ever thought “I’ll do that when I retire”… this episode will make you rethink everything.

-----

Check out Derek's incredible and timely book here: https://www.derekcoburn.com/

-----

Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning

Speaking and Training inquires

Subscribe to my Youtube channel

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

What if failure unlocks everything?

COO Gaurav Juneja didn’t climb the ladder—he took the hard route no one wanted… and built the ladder himself.

He failed early.

He raised his hand for the toughest projects.

He switched industries.

He even coached squash at Harvard before becoming COO of a national fiber infrastructure company (Consolidated Communications/Fidium Fiber)

🎧 Discover Gaurav's empowering ideas and strategies around:

• A “resume mindset” nearly held him back—and how he replaced it with a legacy mindset.
• The career move that didn’t work out… but built relationships that did.
• His mantra—“Stay calm in the eye of the storm”—guides how he leads under pressure.
• And why success isn’t about the title… it’s about leaving things better than you found them.

Whether you’re leading a company or just trying to figure out your next move—this conversation is a blueprint for transforming uncertainty into growth.

👇 What’s one lesson you learned from something not going your way?

-----

Follow Gaurav Juneja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaurav-juneja-30787733/

Learn more about Fidium Fiiber: https://www.fidiumfiber.com/

Learn more about Consolidated Communications: https://www.consolidated.com/

-----

Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning

Speaking and Training inquires

Subscribe to my Youtube channel

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

How do you revive a 100-year-old brand… without playing it safe?

Andy Mecs, President of Chicken of the Sea, didn’t just inherit a legacy—he reshaped it.

But not by chasing trends.

Not by copying the competition.

And definitely not by playing defense.

Instead, he made a series of bold moves that most would’ve avoided—

And in the process, turned a fading favorite into a rising force.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

The unexpected career moment that changed everything

How he rebuilt trust—and a team—during the Great Resignation

Why zigging while others zag became his leadership edge

🎧 What happened inside Chicken of the Sea is bigger than tuna.

💬 What’s a time you bet on a harder path… and it paid off?

-----

Follow Andy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-mecs-b132486/

Learn more about Chicken of the Sea: https://chickenofthesea.com/

-----

Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning

Speaking and Training inquires

Subscribe to my Youtube channel

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Warehouse Unrest. 3 AM. T-shirt soaked in sweat. Alone.

That’s where Joe Perkins, now COO of Carolina Handling, found himself early in his career —after pushing team productivity too far, too fast.

💥 His team walked out.

But instead of doubling down, Joe went back in—this time with humility.

Together, they rewrote the rules. Built a new plan. And blew past the goals he thought were impossible.

Joe went from player to coach, from telling to asking, and from forklift seller to logistics innovator.

You’ll learn:

🚫 Why “telling” doesn’t work

🧠 How to get teams to own strategy

💪 The 2 traits every employee needs

🎯 Why goal-setting needs to evolve—or fail

📬 And why his team now sends him postcards of their dreams

“Pour into your people.”

That’s Joe’s mantra—and after this conversation, you’ll never forget it.

💬 What’s one lesson that changed the way you lead?

-----

Follow Joe on LinkedIn:

Learn more about Carolina Handling: https://www.carolinahandling.com/

-----

Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning

Speaking and Training inquires

Subscribe to my Youtube channel

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Flex. Adapt. Win.

That’s the playbook for Ananta Islam, CEO at Körber Supply Chain Americas, who’s scaling a global operation with one mission:

Build teams that trust, strategies that empower, and a culture that moves at the speed of change.

Here’s what stood out in our conversation:

👉 Why leadership must flex across generations—even down to emojis

👉 The underrated power of self-awareness (and surrounding yourself with people who challenge you)

👉 Turning strategy into a daily practice, not a dusty PDF.

👉 Every company needs to “Find Their A”—and what that really means.

What’s one belief or behavior you had to flex to become a better leader?

-----

Follow Ananta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ananta-islam-89580aaa/

Lean more about Körber:

Körber Group website: https://www.koerber.com/en/

Körber Business Area Supply Chain: https://koerber-supplychain.com/

Körber LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/k%C3%B6rber/

Körber Business Area Supply Chain LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/koerber-supply-chain/

-----

Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning

Speaking and Training inquires

Subscribe to my Youtube channel

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Lifeline in a War Zone 📡

Nicole Robinson, President of DataPath, shares the harrowing moment when her team’s satellite system—the world’s largest fleet of defense-certified terminals—helped civilians escape to safety....

...in the middle of a war. ⚠️

This wasn’t luck. It was leadership.

And for Nicole and her team, saving lives isn’t a one-time story—it’s the mission.

Every.

Single.

Day.

Imagine being stranded in the middle of a jungle. A desert. A ship at sea.

No cell towers. No Wi-Fi.

But the mission can’t wait—and lives are on the line.

That’s where Nicole and her team come in—building invisible lifelines that deliver connection, hope, and survival.

In this episode:

✅ The satellite launch that changed everything.

✅ How one employee’s awakening redefined impact.

✅ Why real leadership starts by challenging culture.

If you believe leadership is about more than metrics—if you believe purpose drives performance—this one’s for you.

Have you ever lead in a crisis?

🎙️ Check it out now on Lead the Team podcast, ranked in the top 2% globally

-----

Follow Nicole on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-robinson-a7a825b/

Learn more about DataPath: https://datapath.com/

-----

Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning

Speaking and Training inquires

Subscribe to my Youtube channel

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter