From Family Values to Business Success: The Story behind XS
The Secret Thoughts of CEO's Podcast
Release Date: 07/29/2024
The Secret Thoughts of CEO's Podcast
Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 142 The Art of Transitions, Maintaining Harmony, and Heritage with Scott Anderson In this deeply revealing episode, Chris Yonker sits down with Scott Anderson, founder and CEO of Doubledare Executive Coaching and a licensed mental health therapist, to unpack the silent epidemic of burnout among entrepreneurs and executives. With personal experience as a serial entrepreneur and trauma-informed therapist, Scott shares the real definition of burnout, why high performers are most susceptible to it, and how to reverse it—quickly and permanently. They explore the...
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Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 141 Balancing Boardrooms and Bedrooms - When You and Your Spouse are in a Family Business Together With Gabriela Embon In this powerful and practical episode, Chris Yonker is joined by transformational coach and author Gabriela Embon to explore what it really takes to sustain a legendary marriage—especially when love and business intertwine. Gabriela shares insights from her journey from engineer to relationship strategist and introduces the Four Pillars of Legendary Marriage from her book Becoming a Power Couple. Together, they dive into boundaries,...
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Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 140 Succession without Sabotage: How to Pass the Baton and Protect Your Culture with Andy Busser In this high-level conversation, Chris Yonker interviews Andy Busser, President and CEO of Pitcairn, a multi-family office with a deep legacy of serving ultra-wealthy families. Together, they unpack what it means to lead a family-owned enterprise, especially as a non-family CEO, and how modern governance, culture, and communication influence business longevity. Andy shares strategic insights and lived experience from both inside and outside the boardroom,...
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Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 139 Leadership Evolution & Strategy with Nicole Van Valen In this inspiring and energizing conversation, Chris Yonker sits down with resilience strategist, author, and former NFL and NBA dancer Nicole Van Valen to explore the real ingredients behind sustainable leadership. From burnout recovery to joyful performance, Nicole shares how leaders can build emotional and strategic resilience in today’s fast-paced business world. They also dive into generational shifts in the workplace, the role of joy in high-performance leadership, and how managers can meet...
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Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 138 Self Awareness & Emotional Intelligence with Stephanie Chung In this electric and eye-opening episode, Chris Yonker sits down with aviation pioneer and leadership strategist Stephanie Chung to unpack what it truly takes to lead in today’s world of diverse teams, generational differences, and ever-shifting business landscapes. Stephanie, the first African American president of a private aviation company in the U.S. and former CGO of Wheels Up, blends boardroom brilliance with neuroscience-backed leadership insight. From building trust through body...
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Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 137 Succession Beyond the Transition: Gaining confidence while strengthening leadership and family relationships with Kristi Baxter In this masterclass-style episode, Chris Yonker and Kristi Baxter deliver a powerful, holistic perspective on the complex realities of succession planning. With decades of experience working with privately held and family-owned businesses—from $1M operations to $10B enterprises—Chris and Kristi unpack the emotional, strategic, and structural dimensions of continuity planning. This session goes far beyond strategy and legal...
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Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 136 What if growth isn't the goal? with Perrin DesPortes In this deeply reflective and energizing episode, Chris Yonker and Perrin DesPortes engage in a rare bidirectional dialogue, unpacking the hidden costs of ambition, the personal reckoning that comes with burnout, and the awakening that’s possible when business success is aligned with inner fulfillment. Perrin, founder of The Next Level Executive, shares his evolution from a high-powered career in dental distribution and M&A to building a purpose-driven coaching practice for healthcare...
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Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 135 Legacy in Limbo: Why So Many Leaders Avoid Succession Planning with Dr. Mohanakrishnan Raman In this eye-opening episode, host Chris Yonker speaks with Dr. Mohanakrishnan Raman, an organizational psychologist and international expert on family business dynamics. With decades of experience consulting Indian family enterprises, Dr. Raman shares how cultural norms, succession planning, and next-gen development intersect in often overlooked ways. The conversation touches on Indian traditions, evolving gender roles, leadership readiness, and the...
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Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 134 Navigating Change: Insights for Family Business Leaders with Dr. Barrett C. Brown In this powerful episode, Chris Yonker is joined by global executive advisor and developmental strategist, Dr. Barrett Brown, for a profound and eye-opening conversation about what it really takes to lead in today’s ever-accelerating world. With experience working across six continents and coaching C-suite executives through high-stakes transformation, Dr. Brown brings hard-earned wisdom about the inner capacities required for high-impact, conscious leadership. ...
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Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 133 Navigating Legacy and Wealth in Family Business with Jason Smith In this powerful episode, host Chris Yonker sits down with Jason L Smith, founder of JL Smith Group, author of The Bucket Plan, and a nationally recognized financial advisor. Jason opens up about being fired by his own father, building a purpose-driven business from the ground up, and the holistic philosophy that now guides his wealth management firm—which oversees more than $4 billion in assets. Jason also shares deeply personal stories about resilience, raising grounded kids, and how...
info_outlineDavid Vanderveen has a successful 30-year track record in beverage and technology-leading disruptive change, at both private and public companies.
Since September 2022, he has been the CEO of Nirvana Water Sciences and has worked with a team of industry beverage, functional beverage, and supplement experts to transform the brand, product portfolio, go-to-market strategy, and execution of the business. During this time, Nirvana has launched a new brand, Nirvana SUPER™, and its wellness extension, Nirvana SUPER Pro™, winning the Best Functional Beverage awards from both Zenith and BevNet.
In February 2023, Nirvana completed its first acquisition, Alder Creek Beverages, a pristine spring water source and manufacturing partner for Nirvana. In June of the same year, Nirvana completed a joint venture with Inspire Health Alliance to develop wellness beverage shots as part of a new supplement protocol for customers undergoing orthopedic surgeries.
From 2002 until 2015, David served as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of XS World Wide, a company with a portfolio of energy drinks and sports nutrition products. The brand was a strategic partner with the Amway Corporation, and XS became the fastest-growing business segment and category for the world’s largest direct seller. XS reached annual sales of over $400 million dollars, with product distribution in more than 60 countries. XS was sold to Amway in 2015, where David served as Vice President and Global General Manager for the XS Brand, with maximum earn-out through 2018. The brand continues to grow.
After leading the transition of XS to an Amway-owned brand, he served as the Chief Operating Officer at NewAge Beverages Corporation, then one of the fastest-growing healthy beverage companies in the world, where he helped double shareholder value during the global pandemic.
Post-COVID, David brought his insight and leadership skills to It Works, a trendsetting affiliate-driven nutrition company with a suite of products designed to empower people to transform their bodies and lives. As the President of It Works International, he has helped to reorganize, rebuild, and inspire growth in the business in 23 global markets, while living and working from Paris.
In addition to his history of disruptive international business development, David serves as an advisor to RX3 Growth Partners, a private equity firm that partners with consumer brands and other leading investment firms, to maximize value by leveraging its unique influencer base of athletes, celebrities, and thought leaders.
What You’ll Learn
● The importance of integrity.
● How to apply core values to succeed in business.
● The value of taking risks.
● How to balance work and family life.
Timestamps
· [05:00] The importance of integrity.
· [07:15] David’s core values.
· [11:31] Finding his calling.
· [16:55] Starting at Amway.
· [22:03] The impact of family in business.
· [26:51] David’s mission at Amway.
· [31:10] Creating credibility.
· [33:31] David’s socks.
· [34:37] Balancing work and family.
· [42:36] Navigating risk.
Memorable Quotes
· “The one thing we take with us are our values.” – David Vanderveen [06:21]
· “Great companies prevail over time beyond a person or a product because they operate from core values.” – David Vanderveen [36:12]
· “what’s not negotiable is who you’re with and the values you operate around.” – David Vanderveen [38:14]
Websites