What Didn't Kill You? with Michael Silverman

Mike McCabe spent his early teen years up to his 20s around CAD-CAM and tooling work, removing heavy aluminum parts and replacing them with carbon fiber in his first full-time job. Always a hands-on person, he was building homes through his college years while skiing professionally in Freeride Competitions. So he knows a thing or two about hard work...and breaking skis.Mike McCabe is the co-founder, CEO, and Master Builder of Folsom Custom Skis. Turns out that jumping off cliffs in Freeride Competitions for many years while weighing in at 6'2" and 200lbs results in lots of broken skis. This lead Mike on a journey to create hand-built, innovative, and exceptionally durable customized skis that can work for the hardest skiing pro or the most casual skier. Folsom is now one of only two companies in the US that creates a truly custom ski in which every component is hand made and the raw materials sourced internally. In this episode, we had an inspiring conversation about Mike's journey into entrepreneurship, his business model, and how it is for a small organization to put its foot through the door in such a competitive industry. We also talked about his company's principles on how they operate and its unique approach to business that lead him through . Finally, Mike shared the incredible story of how his company had to pivot during COVID and how hard it was for him to be on the verge of losing his company. Some Questions I Ask:We'd love to hear how you got into the ski products business. (1:52)When you started making skis, did you know immediately, like, this is what I want to do? (8:02)How did the improvements you made in the skis translated to the maybe average or even higher-end ski demographic? (13:17)You mentioned running lean. How did you develop the principles for operating that way? (24:10)Does the seasonality of your business ever make you want to think about expanding into summer sports? (35:47)In This Episode, You Will Learn:How Mike decided to focus on the product side of skiing (7:16)Quality over quantity approach. Mike's business model and its possibilities (11:15)How hard it was for Folsom Skis to get into the market (17:23)Reinventing the wheel once a year. Mike's constant effort in rebuilding their system and making it more effective (34:48)An emergency pivot. How did Mike's company adjust to the new reality during the pandemic (37:21)Resources:Folsom Custom Skis websiteFolsom Custom Skis InstagramConnect with Mike:LinkedInEmail: mike@folsomskis.com Let's connect:What Didn't Kill You - InstagramWhat Didn't Kill You - LinkedInWhat Didn't Kill You - WebsiteWhat Didn't Kill You - E-mail ©️ 2021 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved.

Having massive financial success and driving a Bentley a couple of years after graduating from college can be a little confusing without the proper guidance. Douglas Raggio was doing great the first six years after college. Jumping from helicopters to boats every weekend and spending recklessly, he felt he would make that amount of money for a long time. But that is not what happened. Business went wrong. He traveled without scales from living a luxurious life into a humbling experience that led to almost a decade of a painful and self-destructive existence. Today, I'm joined by Douglas Raggio - a serial entrepreneur, a Food & Beverage Investor, and Founder. Douglas is the Founder of Pass The Honey and Bias & Blind Spots. He is also a Forbes Contributor, Steering Committee Member at Naturally San Diego, an Advisor at SOS Hydration Inc, and a Member & Advisor at COMMON LLC. In this episode, we talk about Douglas' journey from having it all to being in debt, to finding success again. He shared what he felt going through the most challenging times of his life and how the myopic perspective of focusing on making it to the next day made it harder to get out of that place. He also talked about the close call that awoke him from almost ten years of a destructive and hopeless lifestyle. We also talked about his new life as a food company owner, the paralyzing decisions, and his new purpose-driven life. Tune in to learn a lot about life and a lot about honey business!Some Questions I Ask:I'd love to start by asking you a bit of your background before becoming an entrepreneur and investor in CPG (1:15)You mentioned your childhood. How did your childhood experience play into your professional and adult life later on? (9:41)It seems like you've gained a tremendous amount of perspective. What kind of work have you put in to get that perspective, if any? (16:42)How have your experiences and your hardships contributed to the entrepreneur and advisor that you are today? (19:04)What's that feel like to have this incredible sort of drive with this one goal versus spending a lot of time, as you described, rudderless? (39:28)In This Episode, You Will Learn:Fueling the ego. Living a luxury life (3:09)How things from our childhood can stick with us (10:30)A close call that changed everything (12:46)What kind of financial advisor Douglas became after his experiences (19:10)Finding a new purpose in the purest, unadulterated honey (24:01)How it feels to come from rock-bottom to general peace (39:47)Resources:Pass The Honey websitePass The Honey InstagramPass The Honey FacebookConnect with Douglas:LinkedInLet's connect:What Didn't Kill You - InstagramWhat Didn't Kill You - LinkedInWhat Didn't Kill You - WebsiteWhat Didn't Kill You - E-mail ©️ 2021 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved.

Today, I'm joined by Jason Mendelson, retired partner of world renowned venture capital firm, Foundry Group, and current Executive-in-Residence with the Colorado Attorney General's Office. In addition to his many successes as a VC over 20 years, Jason is a startup founder, attorney, professor, author, and musician. He's also a lifelong learner, teacher, and incredible human being who spends so much time giving back to society. Jason is also known by his musical alter ego Jace Allen on Spotify - be sure to check him out via the links below!In this episode, we discuss Jason's journey from a tough childhood growing up in Detroit with music as his outlet to becoming an attorney, entrepreneur, venture capitalist and all around creator. He shares his experiences from personal and professional challenging moments, the lessons learned, and the wisdom acquired. We talked about how it is to deal with the constant reminder of frustration and the role of education in the investment business. He spoke openly about his victories and defeats, the epiphany that would change his life at age 40, and his first love, music. To learn more about Jason's journey of discoveries, awakenings, and relentlessly seeking fulfillment, tune in to Episode 22 of  What Didn't Kill You.Some Questions I Ask:Over 300 companies funded many billions of dollars raised by Foundry Group. You are recently retired, but I would love to understand the backstory on how you guys got started? (1:14)Do you recall any notable failures or missteps? And how that shaped the foundry group mentality or investing ethos? (11:17)When you think about betting on people, I imagine it's a complex mental model to develop. What do you think about that? How do you evaluate initially? (15:40)How would you encourage your students to appreciate the difference between learning something in a textbook versus going out in the world and starting to apply it? (27:04)What does music do for you that your previous professional pursuits have not? (36:10)In This Episode, You Will Learn:From an investor perspective, if you believe in the CEO, there are still things to do even if a company is not working (11:59)When time passes, we learn to trust all of our senses when it comes to choosing the right people to invest in (16:14)There is more data available about how to run a company than on how to be a good investor (27:17)The only way to deal with egos in the VC business (30:56)The benefits of taking more risks in life (54:37)Resources:Jace Allen MusicPissed off At You (Official Video) by Jace AllenBook: Jason Mendelson, Brad Feld - Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture CapitalistBook: David Epstein - Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized WorldSpotify - Jace AllenConnect with Jason:LinkedInTwitterFacebookSpotifyLet's connect:What Didn't Kill You - InstagramWhat Didn't Kill You - LinkedInWhat Didn't Kill You - WebsiteWhat Didn't Kill You - E-mail©️ 2021 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved.

Having a respectable job title and making good money out of it, living in a cozy apartment in a cool and upcoming part of town, driving a luxury vehicle, and wearing fine clothes would sound like graduating from a great university and getting an MBA paid off. For most people, that would sound like a successful life, and they might be right. But when my guest got there, she looked around didn't like what she saw. So took the leap into a totally different pursuit! Today's guest is Lauren Gibbs, Olympic Medalist, Bobsled World Champion, Corporate Speaker, and Director of Internal Sales at Parity. Lauren has a Bachelor's Degree in Public & Private Sector Organizations, Business, Entrepreneurship from Brown University and an Executive MBA from Pepperdine University. She won the Olympic silver medal in Bobsled in South Korea in 2018 and the 2020 International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Championship in Germany. In this episode, Lauren shared the story of why she decided to abandon a comfortable life and an excellent corporate job to become an elite athlete. We talked about succeeding in life, ticking all the boxes of society's expectations and personal realization. She also spoke about how hard it was to become an Olympian, her fears, frustrations, and how it was for her, who hates losing more than enjoys winning, committing to something regardless of winning, tying, or losing.To learn more about Lauren's journey of sacrifice, dedication, discipline, and chase for happiness and fulfillment, tune in to Episode 21 of  What Didn't Kill You.Some Questions I Ask:How did you arrive at the Team USA Bobsled team? And what brought you there? (0:47)Did you face a lot of friction or pushback from your circle when you sort of made these life choices? (5:22)You've been around the world competing, and you've actually won a World Championship, haven't you? (9:58)What's next in the Olympic journey? Are you focused on winning another one? (26:40)Did you start public speaking before that TEDx talk and before bobsled, or they started together? (41:21)In This Episode, You Will Learn:When climbing the corporate ladder is not good enough (1:55)Finding something worthy of leaving behind a comforting life (4:26)There are only two gold medals for ten of the most talented, hard-working, deserving women. (10:42)About training and preparation for competition, worrying about what others are doing won't affect what they're doing, neither what we are doing (18:55)Taking action, even with smalls things, in the direction we want to go is crucial (22:01)Resources:From Boardroom to Bobsled: The Courage to Become an Olympian | Lauren Gibbs | TEDxPasadenaBook: David Epstein - Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World Connect with Lauren:LinkedInInstagramLet's connect:What Didn't Kill You - InstagramWhat Didn't Kill You - LinkedInWhat Didn't Kill You - WebsiteWhat Didn't Kill You - E-mail©️ 2021 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved.

Last episode, I was graced by an incredible discussion with JIllion Potter. Today, I'm joined by her incredible wife, Carol Fabrizio, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at the USA Gymnastics Team, Leadership Coach, and Changemaker. Carol has a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor's degree from USC Gould School of Law. We share an affinity for that school as it is also my alma mater. Besides being a Certified Professional Coach, Carol previously spent 9 years at Vail Resorts, ultimately rising to the level of VP, Communications and Marketing Operations.In this episode, we had an enlightening conversation about Carol's professional and personal challenges, achievements, lessons learned, and evolution. Everything from what it's like to watch one's spouse go through chemotherapy to navigating the challenging but rewarding professional experience she has taken on with USA Gymnastics. She shared her experiences performing at the highest level in top companies, her vision on what communication and marketing used to be, what it is about now, and what we can expect to be in the future. We also talked about how the pandemic affected the athletic community and the benefits and disadvantages of moving the Olympic Games to 2021 from both the athletes and communication department perspectives. To learn more about leadership, personal growth, resilience, and self-compassion, tune in to Episode 20 of What Didn't Kill You.Some Questions I Ask:The USA Gymnastics Team had tremendous success on the field. But the organizational and cultural aspects needed to change. How do you think about balancing continued success with making these shifts? (6:00)How does the business of gymnastics and specifically USA Gymnastics get affected by something like the Olympics moving? (10:03)What were some of the biggest leadership lessons you learned in that role that you take into your current one? (23:33)How do you walk away from any situation satisfied with I'm doing enough, executing things correctly, showing up every day the way I want to? (29:08)How do you go about doing your job at a high level when your spouse faces serious health issues? (40:36)In This Episode, You Will Learn:Creating a healthy work environment where people can speak without fear of being punished in any way (4:45)How the pandemic affected the USA Gymnastics team and the athlete community in general (7:37)What communication and marketing used to be vs. what is about now (16:46)Feedback is not about true or false; it is a data point that helps us to be more strategic on how to interact with people (25:44)How being aware of our feelings can help us (39:17)Connect with Carol:LinkedInLet's connect:What Didn't Kill You - InstagramWhat Didn't Kill You - LinkedInWhat Didn't Kill You - WebsiteWhat Didn't Kill You - E-mail ©️ 2021 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved.

Joining me today is Jillion Potter, olympian, cancer survivor, mom, and now executive at EY. We had a fantastic conversation about her journey into becoming a member of the American Rugby team, participating in two World Championships, and becoming a Team USA member in the Rio 2016 Olympics after defeating cancer for the second time. Jill shares so much great wisdom, including how we can help ourselves in times of adversity and remembering that we always have a choice about how to respond.In this episode, Jillion and I take a walk through her life experiences and what she could take from them to grow and become stronger. She explained how a rare accident during her early years in rugby helped her deal with cancer diagnose many years later. We talked about the importance of embracing uncertainty, self-compassion, and not getting hung up on the outcome. Jill is the epitome of strength and grace while facing incredible odds and I'm honored to have had her on the show!To learn more about Jillion's fantastic story of bravery, resilience, and determination, tune in to Episode 19 of  What Didn't Kill You.Some Questions I Ask:I'd love to start out by asking you how did you become an Olympian? (1:20)When you broke your neck, was that the first major challenge you had to overcome and return to the sport? (7:19)When in your athletic journey did the cancer diagnosis initially come? (10:07)And so, you start going through chemo; how far out is this goal of being at the Olympics? (18:00)What was the reception from the International Rugby community with you there (after defeating cancer)? (28:24)In This Episode, You Will Learn:A rugby accident that helped to deal with more severe problems years later (3:51)A poor judgment that could have led to a catastrophe (10:35)You have to be at your best when things are at their worst (15:29)Focusing on the things we can control (17:21)How amazingly supportive the rugby community can be (19:30)The power of embracing uncertainty and accepting impermanence (35:39)Connect with Jillion:LinkedInInstagramFacebookTwitterLet's connect:What Didn't Kill You - InstagramWhat Didn't Kill You - LinkedInWhat Didn't Kill You - WebsiteWhat Didn't Kill You - E-mail©️ 2021 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved.