• #66. War Stories, Writing Dark Comedies, and Choosing Role Models Wisely with Danny Maher (founder of Veteran TV)
    Aug 11 2023

    Danny Maher was a Marine Lieutenant and is currently the founder of Veteran TV and Irreverent Warriors.

    After fighting in the Afghanistan War, Danny decided he was going to live out his dream of starting a production company.

    In this episode, we talk about chasing your passion, choosing role models, and beating up your high school bullies!

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    Quick note: THIS IS THE LAST EPISODE!!

    Thanks to everyone who listened and enjoyed the show. I hope at least one of youse out there learned something about habits, hobbies, and the hardships of starting a business. I know I did!

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    Show Notes:

    (05:11) - Returning CEO, life in the Marines, and chasing your dreams

    (20:46) - Starting a non-profit for vet suicide prevention

    (31:56) - Military story of being stranded by a helicopter on a night raid

    (54:46) - Beating up his highschool bully and confronting his fears changed him

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    Links:

    * veterantv.com

    * irreverantwarriors.com

    * Youtube and Insta @dannydanceparty

    * His pseudonym: Donny O’Mally

    * https://www.amazon.com/Embarrassing-Confessions-Marine-Lieutenant-Operation-ebook/dp/B010MYG7QE

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    Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

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    1 Std. und 21 Min.
  • #65. Mastering Marketing, Multiple Languages, and a Formula for Adventure with Lauren “The Sherpa of Fun” Petrullo (founder of Mongoose Media)
    Aug 4 2023

    Lauren Petrullo lives the kind of life you wanna live.

    Her dog, Alexander Hamilpup, is a celebrity. She races dragon boats and drinks mysterious Vietnamese herb teas. She even looks like a Disney hero.

    In this episode, we talk about marketing, e-comm, and Facebook ads, as well as traveling, tea, and how to have unique experiences.

    This episode is great for people interested in learning marketing, new cultures, and who love living adventurous lives.

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    Show Notes:

    (03:40) - Laurens Dog, Alexander Hamilpup, is a LEGEND

    (18:20) - How to know if your offer/product is ready for the market

    (33:08) - Recommendations for world travelers

    (57:02) - The “Dollar-to-Fun” ratio for unique experiences and having a good time

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    Links:

    * https://mongoosemedia.us/

    * https://asianbeautyessentials.com/

    * Type “PLAYHARD” at checkout for a limited 20% off discount

    * @laurenepetrullo


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    1 Std. und 22 Min.
  • #64. From Death Row Prison Guard to 40+ Exits, While Still Traveling the World by Motorcycle with Ron Douglas (founder of Mentoring Giants)
    Jul 21 2023

    Ron Douglas has the soul of an adventurer, the heart of a Texan, and enough stories to leave you inspired and left wondering, “How the hell did he do all that.”

    At 18, Ron broke his back and had to learn how to walk again.

    That’s where he discovered grit.

    Then, he worked as a prison guard on death row, where he discovered irony.

    After that, he worked in a junkyard where he discovered his purpose: entrepreneurship.

    Ron was a business coach on Discover Channel’s “Blue Collar Backers” and has exited an incredible 40 businesses.

    Not to mention how he’s traveled the world on a motorcycle.

    This episode is great for people with adventurous spirits and entrepreneurial minds.

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    Show Notes:

    (02:47) - Napoleon Hill mastermind group, Discovery Channel TV star, and breaking his back at 18

    (15:09) - How to gain clarity when setting goals

    (25:54) - Death row prison guard

    (1:00:09) - Future journaling

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    Links:

    * https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-douglas/

    * https://www.mentoringgiants.com/

    * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDgTivLS3k8&t=1819s


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    1 Std. und 22 Min.
  • #63. The Largest Rage Room Company in the US, Dopamine Regulation, and Personal Development with Steven Shortino (founder of iSmash)
    Jul 14 2023

    At 21, Steven opened up his first rage room.

    You know, those places where you go in and break shit. Now, at 26, Steven is the owner of the largest rage room company in the US. They’re opening 1-2 franchises a month.

    In this episode, we talk about personal development, and how health is involved in EVERYTHING you do.

    This episode is excellent for people who feel like they get treated differently because of their age. Also, for those interested in dopamine regulation, transforming themselves by starting a business, and those who need room for their RAGE.

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    Show Notes:

    (06:30) - Opening a rage room and fighting the pandemic

    (20:30) - Looking to end 2023 with 15-20 franchises

    (27:53) - Health impacts everything you do

    (55:00) - Dopamine regulation and ADHD

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    Links:

    * https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-shortino-41183818b/

    * https://ismashusa.com/

    * https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/aw1a09/running_a_very_successful_rage_room/

    * https://open.spotify.com/episode/708LCwBsClaNFKkOsBikFP?si=dc5788761b204b41

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    Quotes I Enjoyed

    “I truthfully don't think that there is a single person on this planet that has worked more hours in this industry.”

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    If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!

    Reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com


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    1 Std. und 15 Min.
  • #61. Learn to Think for Yourself… by Writing with Ryan Love (founder of Love Language Media)
    Jun 30 2023

    At age 7, Ryan Love was given a cane to walk with.

    At age 16, he was 300 lbs. 2 different autoimmune conditions impacted his health and life. Writing is what got him through it.

    At 28, Ryan is a healthy dude with a great copywriting business called Love Language Media.

    In this episode, we talk about Ryan's relationship with his health, writing (and how it vastly improves your thinking), our relationship with faith and religion, and following your talents.

    This was a super fun episode, give it a listen!

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    Show Notes:

    (05:35) - Don’t follow your passion, follow your talent

    (16:00) - Formula for copywriting

    (29:20) - Spirituality as a part of health

    (36:36) - Living with 2 autoimmune diseases

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    Links:

    * https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanalove/

    * www.lovelanguagemedia.com

    * How to Become a Copywriter on Accident

    https://www.lovelanguagemedia.com/blog/how-to-become-a-copywriter-on-accident

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    Quotes I Enjoyed

    “The people that end up in the Jedi master zone, they just don’t stop. Even if they fail a thousand times, it only takes one to succeed.”


    “If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried anything new.”


    “Writing is Thinking. It’s the physical manifestation of thought.”

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    If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!

    Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

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    1 Std. und 5 Min.
  • #60. Running a Business like a Band and Living Life without Any “Stuff” with Chad Passa (founder of Bookkeepers of America)
    Jun 23 2023

    Chad spent 20 years as a rockstar and his whole life as an entrepreneur.

    We talk about the similarities between being in a band and running a business. Oh, did you know I'm in a band? I totally don't mention it in every episode ;)

    As a kid, he did countless odd jobs around the house for money. Until, one day, his parents ran out of money to give him! That’s when he decided to get money from others. No shit, one of his jobs was selling candy from a van.

    We go deep into the minimalist mindset and his decision to sell most of his possessions and live on the road with his wife for 4 years.

    This is a fun one, give it a listen!

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    Show Notes:

    (03:45) - Running a band vs running a company

    (16:20) - What is your “enough”

    (24:00) - Realizing you want to sell everything and live minimally

    (35:25) - Testing your ideas

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    Links:

    * FB: Chad Passa, Chad Passa - Real Estate Investing

    * IG: Chad_Passa, @bookkeepersofamerica, @Lisa.marie.hart

    * https://fireyourbossfridays.buzzsprout.com/

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    If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!
    Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

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    45 Min.
  • #59. Wisdom and Wonder: Generative AI, First Principles Thinking, and Not Taking Yourself Too Serious with Pete Sena (founder of ThinkFWD and Digital Surgeons)
    Jun 16 2023

    What do Starbucks, Viagra, and Netflix have in common? And no, the answer is not “a late night.”

    All 3 used their brand and storytelling abilities to create a category that didn’t exist before. Pretty neat! Today’s guest is an expert in storytelling, branding, and guessing my favorite books.

    We talk about AI as a tool for self-exploration, using stories to communicate your strategy, and how to approach life with a sense of play.

    Check it out!

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    Show Notes:

    (09:35) - How you express your brand story is the difference between breakthrough and mediocre results

    (30:30) - ChatGPT lies… a lot (prompt engineering and hallucinating AI)

    (49:40) - Creative/Artistic thinking vs Scientific thinking – how do you know when to use what

    (52:15) - Approach life with a state of play

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    Links:

    * https://www.petesena.com

    * https://twitter.com/petesena

    * https://www.linkedin.com/in/petersena/

    * Pete’s Pod - Forward Obsessed: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05&nd=1

    * Had to do it to ‘em — check out my brother’s song “pensando en ti”: https://open.spotify.com/track/7KKkueqCLOYJMt09lLQx3s?si=bd76ed4ea5354bc5

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    Quotes I Enjoyed

    “When a company is too big to fail, and they’ve got that dominant market share, innovation is so much more complex because the risk of failure is that much higher.”

    “As a creative professional and a creative entrepreneur, sometimes I’m a little bit of an idea masochist – i like to go through pain and that pain I think is what brings about the journey.”

    “Speak your truth. Do it. Do it with empathy, do it with your core values, but do it.”

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    If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!


    Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

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    1 Std. und 34 Min.
  • #58. Top 3 Social Media Ad Platforms, TikTok vs US Congress, and Life as a Pet Pig Papa with Alex Rossman (founder of Rossman Media)
    Jun 9 2023

    Successful entrepreneurs carry with them an intense, often delusional, level of self-belief.

    It’s essential to the recipe. In any case, there will come the point where that self-belief is put to the test. Be it through a bold claim, a big moment, or whatever.

    There is a time when what you say now must be backed up with your actions.

    Alex Rossman talks about such a moment when landing his first huge client: the San Diego Chargers. Since then he’s landed customers like Nike, Bose, Airbnb, and more.

    We talk about how to land massive clients, how to find your target audience, and more!

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    Show Notes:

    (02:22) - Persistence and finding reasons to persevere

    (19:36) - How to create customer profiles, customer segmentation, and top 3 channels to do social media ads

    (29:11) - What you can do to pull customers like Nike, Airbnb, and Orange Theory

    (49:46) - Writing music and owning a lil piggy

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    Links:

    * rossmanmedia.com

    * @rossylive

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    Quotes I Enjoyed

    “If you’re not growing, you’re dying”

    “Say what you’re gonna do, do it, and provide great results.”

    “The best thing you can do is travel, experience new things, try new foods, meet new people”

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    If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!

    Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com


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    1 Std. und 3 Min.