Smart people learn from their mistakes. Wise people learn from other people’s mistakes. Most founders never get that chance.
Over the last year, Roman L. Binder sat down with more than fifty founders and asked about the moments they rarely share. Not the wins. Not the highlights. The breakdowns that forced real change.
In this episode, Roman distills the most consistent patterns from those conversations so you can:
• Spot the warning signs before success pulls you in the wrong direction
• Understand why identity collapses before money does
• See how avoidance often hides behind hard work
• Learn what actually changes when things hurt enough to force honesty
• Shortcut lessons most founders only learn after burning out
These are not motivational stories. They are field notes from real founders who hit rock bottom and rebuilt with clarity.
Host: Roman L. Binder, The Nomad CEO
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Some founders break under pressure. Others rebuild into something far stronger. Wes Towers chose the second path.
In this episode, Roman L. Binder unpacks how Wes transformed a divorce, a collapsing business, and the fear of AI disruption into the most profitable year of his career.
You will learn how to:
• Turn personal chaos into strategic clarity
• Niche down in a way that multiplies demand
• Use AI as an amplifier instead of a threat
• Win higher value clients with sharper positioning
• Rebuild confidence when everything feels unstable
By the end, you will see why reinvention is not about starting over. It is about choosing who you want to become next.
Guest: Wes Towers, founder of Omnific Design
Host: Roman L. Binder, The Nomad CEO
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Most people stay on autopilot until something shatters the routine. For David Capablanca, it was a five centimeter brain tumor and a two week prognosis. Surviving it rewired how he saw time, money, and risk.
In this episode, Roman L. Binder breaks down the blueprint David used to rebuild his life so you can:
• Start trading safely with a two thousand dollar account
• Follow a real path to mastery without online noise
• Protect yourself from beginner level losses
• Use AI to speed up research with smarter judgment
• Apply near death clarity to accelerate your growth
By the end, you will see why this conversation is not about trading. It is about changing your life before life forces you to.
Guest: David Capablanca, host of The Friendly Bear Podcast
Host: Roman L. Binder, The Nomad CEO
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Most people let adversity define them. James W. Keyes used it as fuel.
Born into extreme poverty with no safety net, he worked his way from nothing to the corner office, ultimately leading 7-Eleven and Blockbuster while becoming a pilot, author, and builder of one of the most unconventional careers in modern business.
In this episode, Roman L. Binder unpacks the principles that powered James’ rise so you can:
• Turn hardship into strategic advantage
• Build confidence that holds up under pressure
• Use knowledge as leverage in any environment
• Strengthen faith so fear loses its grip
• Reinvent yourself even when the world feels unstable
By the end, you will have a clear blueprint for mobility, resilience, and long-term growth.
Guest: James W. Keyes, former CEO of 7-Eleven and Blockbuster, author of Education Is Freedom
Host: Roman L. Binder, The Nomad CEO
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Most men never expect the moment when everything they built begins to crumble. Jake Thompson hit that moment hard, the kind of collapse that forces you to question who you are without the title, the success, or the momentum you once carried with ease.
What he did next is the reason his story matters.
In this episode, Roman L. Binder takes you inside the reset that rebuilt Jake from the ground up. It is raw, practical, and filled with the exact moves that can pull a man out of the fog and back into his life. You will learn how to:
• Rebuild confidence when doubt takes over
• Find purpose when your old identity no longer fits
• Create direction instead of waiting for motivation to return
• Turn setbacks into structured progress
• Compete with the version of yourself you are tired of being
This is not feel good theory. It is a blueprint for any man who has ever felt lost, stuck, or uncertain about the future.
Guest: Jake Thompson, performance coach and founder of Compete Every Day
Host: Roman L. Binder, The Nomad CEO
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Rock bottom can break you or rebuild you. For former NFL player Marques Ogden, the breaking point came on a curb, covered in spoiled meat, bankrupt, jobless, and stripped of the identity he spent his life building.
What happened after that moment became the foundation of the man he is today.
In this episode, Roman L. Binder unpacks the mindset and tools that helped Marques rise faster than most people recover in a lifetime. You will learn how to:
• Break out of overwhelm and reclaim direction
• Rebuild confidence when identity collapses
• Replace anxiety with structure, clarity, and purpose
• Recover from financial failure without shame
• Create momentum even when you feel like you have nothing left
By the end, you will understand the difference between staying stuck and rising stronger.
Guest: Marques Ogden, former NFL athlete, keynote speaker, and performance coach
Host: Roman L. Binder, The Nomad CEO
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You’re leaving money on the table—not because your product sucks, but because you never learned how to ask.
Referrals are the highest-converting leads in business, yet most founders rely on luck. Brandon Barnum turned asking into a science. His three-step system transformed broke single-dad survival mode into a $200K income and later, a 5-million-user platform.
In this episode, Roman L. Binder breaks down Brandon’s referral playbook so you can:
• Turn happy clients into active promoters
• Automate referral follow-ups without sounding pushy
• Build a business that scales through trust, not ads
By the end, you’ll know exactly how to make your clients sell for you.
Guest: Brandon Barnum — CEO of HOA.com, author of Raving Referrals, and founder of Refer.com
Host: Roman L. Binder — The Nomad CEO sign up for more stories here https://www.thenomad.ceo/subscribe
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Alan Lazaros: From a totaled Honda to a life built on purpose What does it take to turn a near-fatal crash and a wired-shut jaw into a global mentorship brand? In this conversation Alan walks through the exact moments, habits, and mindsets that transformed a hollow six-figure hustle into Next Level University. In this episode you will learn
• The ICU revelation that exposed the gap between status and legacy • How a single self-audit erased eighty percent of hidden drains • The three daily habits that multiplied audience, impact, and income • Alan’s four-step reset you can use to realign health wealth and relationships • Why consistency beats talent and luck every time Chapters 00:00 Intro and crash story 04:10 Writing the hospital vow 09:30 Self-audit and color-coding life 15:05 Quitting engineering and moving home 20:45 Building a podcast from thirteen listeners to one thousand episodes 27:10 The three daily habits that drive the flywheel set 41:55 Audience q 47:20 Key takeaways you can apply today Connect with Alan Next Level University resources and coaching → https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/ Enjoyed the conversation? Subscribe to the Nomad CEO newsletter for weekly founder stories and actionable growth tactics → https://www.thenomad.ceo/subscribe
Like, share, and comment with your biggest insight. See you next week.
In this episode we unpack:
• Why Eric quit a safe job to serve “everyday” clients • The real cost of perfectionism and how he broke free • His three-lane leadership model that keeps growth on track • The power of equity partners to multiply momentum • How stepping down as CEO can boost both freedom and firm value
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🎓 Eric’s resources
Get the book “Don’t Retire, Graduate” + workbook → https://dontretiregraduatebook.com Listen to the Don’t Retire, Graduate podcast (new every Thursday)
Chapters
00:00 Intro and pivotal moment 03:30 Serving clients most advisers ignore 07:20 Accidental CEO and first hires 11:45 Partners vs plateaus 16:10 Building systems that run without you 21:40 Technology, AI, and the next chapter 25:55 Preparing Gen-2 leadership 30:40 Key takeaways you can use today
When a lawsuit threatened to destroy everything he built, Ethan King didn’t panic—he pivoted. With no team left and no budget for help, he taught himself automation and stacked AI on top of every system—from marketing to fulfillment.
The result? He doubled revenue with half the team and turned his automation-first strategy into an international bestseller.
If you’re a founder stretched thin and drowning in operations, Ethan’s story is your roadmap to scaling smarter, not harder.
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