In this episode of Business, Finance & Soul, Shaun Enders sits down with Pete Sacco—entrepreneur, data center builder, and self-described modern-day mystic—to talk about what happens when high performance meets inner work.

Pete shares the turning point that changed his life, the framework he calls Commit, Learn, Do, and why his book Living in Bliss is ultimately about building a life rooted in presence, purpose, and prosperity (for yourself—and for others).

From there, the conversation expands into the frontier: AI as "electricity," decentralization, the future of identity, robotics, and why the next era may not diminish our humanity—but amplify it. Pete also breaks down leadership in the modern world: culture, motivation, vision, and the rituals that keep leaders grounded when everything speeds up.

If you've ever felt like success and fulfillment were two separate paths, this episode is your reminder: you can be both.

• Pete's transformation story and the origin of Commit, Learn, Do

• Defining "bliss" for leaders in high-pressure environments

• Why meditation is a leadership tool (and where it can lead)

• AI's pace of change and what it means for identity and purpose

• Decentralization: workforce, energy, finance, and cloud infrastructure

• Robotics, caregiving, and the future of "work"

• The belief Pete would erase: your worth = your productivity

• Building a personal brand in the AI era

• Pete's website: www.petesacco.com

• Book: Living in Bliss: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Bliss-Achieve-Balanced-Existence/dp/1636803725/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

https://www.youtube.com/@Businessfinanceandsoul

www.BusinessFinanceAndSoul.com

00:00 – Intro / Pete's background: technologist + modern-day mystic
02:45 – The turning point and Living in Bliss
06:15 – What "bliss" means for leaders
09:05 – The CEO shift: culture + motivation
14:40 – Rituals for grounded leadership (meditation)
17:08 – Consciousness, connectedness, and "unmeditating"
22:15 – AI, identity, and the future of work
32:30 – Decentralization: energy, cloud, currency
42:20 – Robotics and real-world adoption
52:00 – The belief Pete would erase
54:35 – "My job is to love you" (the story)
56:30 – Where to find Pete

In this solo episode of Business, Finance & Soul, Shaun Enders breaks down why meaningful success in life, business, money, health, and relationships almost always unfolds over years, not weeks or months. Drawing from personal experience in entrepreneurship, investing, parenting, and athletics, Shaun explains how discipline compounds, why modern life is engineered against patience, and how learning to sit comfortably in the delay can change your future.

If you're building something that matters and wondering why it feels slower than expected this episode will help you reframe timelines, trust the process, and stay committed to the long game.

🎯 Topics include:

• Delayed gratification vs instant gratification

• Long-term thinking in business and finance

• Discipline, compounding, and consistency

• Parenting, investing, and life goals

• Why the payoff takes time

00:00 – Welcome & The Arc of the Payoff
Why success often shows up in waves, not straight lines

02:25 – Wrestling, Trauma, and Learning Delay Early
How sport and adversity taught long-term thinking

04:30 – Delayed Gratification Is Compounding in Disguise
Good decisions vs. bad decisions over time

06:05 – Indulgence Today Is a Tax on the Future
Diet, discipline, and conscious tradeoffs

08:00 – Discipline vs. Distraction
Two simple questions to audit your daily behavior

10:15 – Social Comparison and Financial Drift
How lifestyle creep quietly derails long-term goals

12:20 – What If the Goal Takes 10 or 20 Years?
Why timelines matter less than direction

14:25 – Journaling, Vision, and a Decade-Long Payoff
Living a reality imagined ten years earlier

15:18 – Staying in Discomfort Without Tapping Out
Delayed gratification isn't waiting—it's doing

17:05 – Parenting, Business, and Invisible Payoffs
Why some rewards don't show up for decades

19:20 – The Long Game vs. the Now Game
Saving vs. spending, building vs. reacting

20:15 – The Five-Year Payoff Myth
Trusting the work before the reward

21:00 – The 30-Day Delayed Gratification Challenge
A practical exercise to build pride and confidence

https://www.youtube.com/@Businessfinanceandsoul

www.BusinessFinanceAndSoul.com

www.CallTSG.com

When the pandemic hit, Ben Albert lost his job, his identity, and his direction. One small action, opening his laptop and messaging strangers on LinkedIn, changed everything.

In this episode, we break down how to rewrite your internal narrative, why resilience beats talent, and what it really means to be "valuable before visible." Ben shares the real reason some creators break through while others stay stuck, plus practical tools for reinvention, storytelling, and building meaningful relationships.

If you're ready for a mindset shift or need the spark to start your next chapter, this one's for you.

00:01 — Ben's turning point: Losing his job and the moment he opened his laptop to reinvent his life.
02:00 — Reaching out to strangers: How LinkedIn became his lifeline.
04:05 — Reinvention & identity: Why we must rewrite our story at different stages of life.
05:30 — Good habits vs. bad habits: The power of "disintegration."
10:18 — What successful people share: The truth about resilience and doubling down on strengths.
13:11 — "Valuable before visible": Ben's philosophy and the Taylor Swift example.
18:07 — Networking myths: What most people get wrong.
19:21 — Introverts & anxiety: Tools for showing up when you're nervous.
23:04 — Reframing fear: "What's the worst that could happen?"
28:28 — Why some creators break through: Consistency, differentiation, and momentum.
31:42 — Showing up fully: Why performing for small audiences matters.
37:08 — Replacing his income in one year: How Ben built momentum brick by brick.
46:18 — What makes a great guest: Listening over scripting.
50:26 — Crafting your personal story: The Lighthouse & Foghorn method.
55:53 — The one question to ask daily: "What's awesome about that?"
58:03 — What drives Ben today: Travel, freedom, and building a life he loves.

Connect with Ben Albert:

https://realbusinessconnections.com/

Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-business-connections/id1537115928

https://open.spotify.com/show/6GIUXbsHXx0OSgPFED1sg8?si=3dce5e380e0e4a43&nd=1&dlsi=517b62461e8a4f83%20

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/realbenalbert/

Connect with Shaun:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunenders/

Transition Staffing Group www.CallTSG.com

www.BusinessFinanceAndSoul.com

If you are enjoying Business, Finance and Soul, please leave a 5 star review on Apple and Spotify.

In this episode, Shaun talks with Kira Shishkin, Founder & CEO of informed.now, a text-based news concierge that keeps you informed without draining your energy. They dig into what's broken in our current news ecosystem, how bias is often intentional, and why going straight to primary sources changes everything. Kira also shares his framework for evaluating ideas, teams, and timing, what founders get wrong when pitching investors, and how to protect your attention like a superpower in an age of noise and AI hype.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why our "information diet" is broken and how informed.now works

• How primary sources help cut through bias and sensationalism

• Kira's process for testing ideas before building a business

• What most founders get wrong in investor pitches

• Simple questions to decide what's actually worth your time and attention

Timestamps (Key Moments):

• 00:01 – Welcome & why Shaun invited Kira

• 02:50 – Growing up in Ukraine & Israel and seeing information wars up close

• 07:35 – How informed.now stays neutral and focuses on primary sources

• 27:58 – Kira's framework for evaluating ideas, teams & timing

• 50:12 – AI: what's overhyped and what we're underestimating

• 58:40 – A pivotal setback that shaped Kira's resilience

Connect with Kira:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirashishkin/

Informed.now

Connect with Shaun:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunenders/

www.BusinessFinaceAndSoul.com

www.CallTSG.com

In this powerful conversation, Shaun Enders sits down with Roy Osing, the audacious former TULUS executive who grew a company to over $1 billion in sales and author of Be Different or Be Dead.
Roy shares his unfiltered take on what it means to stand out in today's business world and why most companies fail because they try to copy rather than create.

Together, they break down what differentiation really means, how leadership drives customer experience, and why execution, not ideas wins every time.

If you're an entrepreneur, executive, or anyone building a team, this episode is a masterclass in being bold, authentic, and unforgettable.

02:10 – The Power of Differentiation
Why "being the only one who does what you do" is more valuable than competing on price or product.

06:45 – The $1 Billion Growth Story
Roy walks through how audacious strategy and relentless execution helped scale a company past $1B in annual revenue.

12:20 – The 4 Pillars of Audacious Leadership
Breaking down the framework behind bold leadership and how it drives performance.

17:55 – From Copying to Creating
How most organizations kill creativity by imitating competitors—and what to do instead.

23:40 – Building a Customer-Obsessed Culture
Why customer experience is a company's ultimate differentiator.

29:00 – Sales as a Strategic Force
Why sales can no longer just "close deals" it must align with the brand mission and differentiation strategy.

33:15 – Execution Over Ideas
Roy's philosophy on why great execution beats great ideas every time.

37:40 – The Career Takeaway
How individuals, not just companies can "be different" to build fulfilling, standout careers.

41:00 – Roy's Final Challenge to Listeners
Stop waiting for perfect conditions, start executing on your difference today.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/osSuuKFtlDY

Connect with Roy Osing:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/royosing/

https://www.bedifferentorbedead.com/about_the_author

Connect with Shaun Enders

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunenders/

www.BusinessFinanceAndSoul.com

www.CallTSG.com

Shaun welcomes John Knowlton, a multi-generational wealth architect and author, to discuss building a billion-dollar firm and redefining success through personal purpose and family values. John shares insights on strategic business growth, the importance of delegation, and integrating faith with financial stewardship to foster an abundant mindset.

00:00 Introduction to John Knowlton
01:59 Redefining Success After Reaching Goals
04:10 Inputs Over Outputs in Redefined Success
07:09 Scaling a Firm: From 125M to 1B
10:10 Commitment and Accountability in Growth
15:15 The Art of Radical Delegation
19:57 Scaling Systems: Beyond Small Firm Thinking
25:40 Faith, Business, and Wealth Perception
31:36 Family Governance and Financial Openness
37:09 Early Financial Education and Engagement
43:08 Money as a Force for Good
46:51 Introspection, Setbacks, and Future Vision

• Redefine success by aligning with unique personal purpose, moving beyond transactional achievements.
• Implement rigorous time studies to identify and allocate resources to high-impact opportunities like mergers and acquisitions.
• Overcome delegation challenges by avoiding both micromanagement and abdication, focusing on "radical delegation" for leverage.
• Structure business for growth by reverse-engineering organizational charts of larger firms, identifying needs for middle management.
• Foster family governance by openly discussing finances and values, building shared decision-making, and promoting intergenerational wealth stewardship.

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vY2CQ71Cy3Y

Connect with John:

https://www.joinc12.com/chairs/john-knowlton/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-knowlton-516b828/

Connect with Shaun:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunenders/

www.CallTSG.com

Transition Staffing Group

Doug Crowe shares his powerful story of reinvention after losing everything in 2008, highlighting how purpose, mindset, and authentic relationships drive success in a world of constant change and AI.

• From Ruin to Reinvention: Doug Crowe rebuilt his life and business after the 2008 real estate crash, launching 500+ #1 Amazon books.
• Mindset Over Mountains: Overcoming significant debt and depression required a shift in mindset, focusing on possibility and service.
• Humanity in the AI Age: Emphasizes the irreplaceable value of authentic relationships and human experience in a technologically driven world.

00:00 Reinvention After the 2008 Crash
03:04 Managing Debt and Mindset
08:02 Developing Self-Belief and Pivoting
12:49 Humility, Authenticity, and Relationships
18:10 Sharing Your Vulnerable Story
24:35 Human Connection in a Digital Age
29:54 Authentic Personal Branding
36:19 AI: Integration, Not Replacement
40:38 AI: Integration, Not Replacement
42:23 Uncovering Hidden Stories
45:58 The Power of Curiosity
47:33 Daily Questions for Growth
50:08 Beyond Financial Currency
51:57 Setbacks as Stepping Stones
55:04 Connect with Doug Crowe

• Doug Crow's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedougcrowe/
• Website: https://dougcrowe.com/

• Reflect on your current processes and identify areas where AI could be integrated to enhance, not replace, human efforts.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunenders/

www.BusinessFinanceAndSoul.com

www.CallTSG.com