When Success Costs You Your Life: Reclaiming Your Identity, Motivation, and Family With David Taylor- Klaus
The Story Engine Podcast
What happens when the success you’ve worked so hard to create slowly pulls you away from the people and the life that matter most? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with David Taylor-Klaus, MCC, to explore the hidden cost of defining ourselves by what we do—and what it takes to reconnect with who we are beyond our accomplishments. David shares the deeply personal story of reaching a breaking point during Hurricane Katrina, when he realized he had become so disconnected from himself that he could no longer keep his struggles silent. That moment ultimately led him...
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The Questions That Reveal What’s Really Driving You With Ken Proctor
The Story Engine Podcast
What if the biggest obstacle in your business isn’t the problem you’re trying to solve—but the question you haven’t been willing to ask? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with executive coach and Vistage chair Ken Proctor to explore the power of asking better, tougher questions. Ken shares how his own failures taught him that leaders don’t necessarily need more answers—they need someone willing to challenge them, uncover their blind spots, and help them see what’s really driving their decisions. We dive into the “ghosts” that can quietly shape the...
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From Losing $21 Million to Building Businesses That Don’t Need You With Tom Matzen
The Story Engine Podcast
I’ve built a lot of businesses over the years, but some of my biggest lessons came from the ones that went painfully wrong. In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with serial entrepreneur Tom Matzen, who has built 94 businesses, taken companies public, built franchise models, and experienced both enormous wins and multimillion-dollar losses. We dig into one of the most painful chapters of his career: turning a company valued at $21.4 million into $10 million in debt in just six months after stepping away from the business and trusting the wrong person. Tom shares what...
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What If Your Greatest Success Is Being Driven by an Unhealed Past With Bryan Post
The Story Engine Podcast
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the patterns that quietly shape how we lead, love, and live—and this conversation with Bryan Post took that exploration somewhere much deeper. Bryan has spent nearly 30 years working with families, adopted and foster children, parents, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and high-performing executives. His central message is powerful: when we experience stress, we don’t simply become stressed—we can actually regress emotionally, allowing old fears, traumas, and survival patterns to take control. In this episode, we unpack his “Fear to Love” methodology and...
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From Self-Hatred to a Life Built Around Human Connection With Jennifer Hill
The Story Engine Podcast
What happens when the traits you spent your life fighting become the very things that allow you to serve others? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Jennifer Hill, a self-described former “asshole” who has transformed decades of misunderstanding, broken relationships, self-hatred, and personal development into what she now calls her superpower: human connection. Jen shares the brutally honest moment when someone finally told her that her behavior was hurting people—and how that confrontation started a decades-long journey of learning to understand herself,...
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What If the Things Making You Sick Are the Things You Don’t Know to Look For With Dr. Torrie Thompson
The Story Engine Podcast
In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Torrie Thompson to unpack one of the most frustrating experiences in health: doing everything “right” and still feeling terrible. We talk about the hidden toxins in our homes, products, and environments that can quietly accumulate over time—and why so many symptoms that we’ve been taught to accept as “normal” may actually be signs that something deeper is going on. From scented trash bags and household chemicals to mold, heavy metals, environmental toxins, and gut issues, Torrie explains why her approach starts...
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Risk, Resilience, and Reinvention: How to Turn Life’s “Terrible Gifts” Into Your Next Chapter With Tom LeNoble
The Story Engine Podcast
What happens when the challenges you’ve spent years trying to overcome become the very experiences that shape who you’re capable of becoming? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Tom LeNoble, a former executive at companies including MCI, Palm, Walmart.com, and Facebook, who has been given six months to live three separate times and has lived with metastatic cancer for the past fourteen years. Rather than allowing those diagnoses to define his life, Tom has built his philosophy around three powerful principles: risk, resilience, and reinvention. We dig into...
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What If the Last 3% Is Hiding Outside Your Analytical Mind With Barry Goldstein
The Story Engine Podcast
In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Barry Goldstein, a longtime music producer and creative collaborator who has spent more than 40 years exploring how music can magnify mission, unlock creativity, and help us move through the blocks that keep us from our next level. We dive into the idea of the “last 3%”—that frustrating gap between knowing you have something great and actually being able to fully express its potential. Barry explains why solving that final piece doesn’t necessarily require more effort, more analysis, or more information. Sometimes, it...
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What If the Biggest Problems in Your Business Are Actually a Sign You’re Out of Alignment With Esther Wildenberg
The Story Engine Podcast
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about alignment—not just as a personal-growth concept, but as something that directly affects how we lead, build businesses, make decisions, and live our lives. In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Esther Wildenberg, an executive coach, entrepreneur, consultant, and AI business owner who has spent more than 20 years helping leaders recognize when they’ve drifted out of alignment and find their way back. Esther describes alignment as the place where our purpose, passion, heart, identity, and actions are working together—and...
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From “Behind Zero” to Playing a Bigger Game: How to Stop Letting Your Past Define Your Future with Markus Kaulius
The Story Engine Podcast
What if the very experiences you’ve been trying to leave behind are actually the things that qualify you to play a bigger game? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Markus Kaulius, a multi-exit entrepreneur, investor, author, and longtime student of personal development, to unpack the beliefs, habits, health, and faith that have shaped the man he is today. Markus grew up poor, in a broken family, and describes himself as starting “behind zero”—but instead of seeing that history as baggage, he learned to recognize it as the source of his work ethic,...
info_outlineWhat if fear, stress, and even pain weren’t enemies to overcome—but powerful allies?
On this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Akshay Nanavati, founder and author of Fearvana. Akshay has built his life and mission around transforming our relationship with negative emotions—teaching us how to channel fear, struggle, and discomfort into fuel for growth, clarity, and resilience.
Drawing from his own extraordinary experiences, including life-threatening adventures and personal battles, Akshay shares his process for reframing fear and using it as a compass instead of a roadblock. Whether you’re a high achiever facing burnout or simply someone looking for more courage in daily life, this episode offers a blueprint for turning struggle into strength.
⏱ On This Episode
[02:14] – Why high performers struggle with fear, stress, and self-sabotage
[05:06] – The science of reframing “negative” emotions into productive energy
[07:38] – Akshay’s personal story: a time when Fearvana helped him in life-or-death situations
[10:41] – How embracing fear builds resilience instead of draining energy
[13:22] – The mindset shift that turns pain into purpose and clarity
[16:08] – Practical exercises for using fear as a tool in business and life
[19:47] – Kyle and Akshay discuss how to reframe failure as training, not defeat
[23:11] – Why fearlessness is a myth—and why fear itself is essential for growth
[26:40] – Closing insights: how to live a bold, aligned, and purpose-driven life with Fearvana