Hidden Foundations
Hidden Foundations explores how childhood environments shape the leaders, performers, and high achievers we admire today. Each week, I sit down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and operators to uncover the early family dynamics, money conversations, sibling roles, and first adversities that forged their resilience and ambition.
This show isn’t about polished success stories, it’s about the real scenes at home that built their operating system long before the world noticed. As a father of two daughters, I started this podcast to understand what actually helps kids develop grit, confidence, and long-term success.
If you’re a parent, founder, coach, or anyone curious about human performance, these conversations break down the hidden patterns that drive lifelong growth. We dig into emotional environment, childhood influence, and the habits that shaped today’s top performers.
New episodes every week. This is where high performance begins, at home.
Episodes
20 episodes
Ed O’Brien on Family Secrets, Money & Building With Integrity | Hidden Foundations Ep. 20
What shapes an entrepreneur who refuses to sacrifice integrity? For Ed O’Brien, it started with childhood money pressure, a complicated father-son relationship, family secrets, and early lessons in responsibility.In this episode of Hidden F...
Matthew Rehrig on Type 1 Diabetes, Gym Ownership & Fatherhood | Hidden Foundations Ep. 19
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall is joined by Matthew Rehrig, a gym owner, father, and Type 1 diabetic, to unpack the pressure behind building a business while managing a relentless health condition. Matt shares how 2015 changed e...
Ari Simmons on Becoming a World Champion and Chasing the Olympics | Hidden Foundations Ep. 18
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall is joined by Ari Simmons, a world champion epee fencer, coach, and Olympic hopeful, to explore what elite sports really build inside a person. Ari shares how he went from being kicked out of fencin...
Amjad Pervez on Escaping the Army, Deportation, and $500M Real Estate | Hidden Foundations Ep. 17
Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes conversations about sexual violence, forced marriage, honor violence, prostitution, deportation proceedings, depression, war, family trauma, and difficult cultural practices.A...
Jeff Pelaccio on Losing His Mom, Corporate Layoffs, AI & Reinvention | Hidden Foundations Ep. 16
Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes conversations about childhood loss, Alzheimer’s, physical discipline, career instability, and difficult family memories.Jeff Pelaccio’s foundation was shaped early by loss, lo...
Victor Tabaac on Getting Arrested, Getting Sober, and Building Companies | Hidden Foundations Ep. 15
Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes conversations about drug dealing, addiction, recovery, family illness, and difficult life choices.In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Victor Raymond-Tabaac, a...
William Brandmeyer on Youth Sports, Recovery, and Building Resilience | Hidden Foundations Ep. 14
Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes conversations about addiction, recovery, suicide, family pressure, and difficult personal patterns.In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with William “Bill” Brandmeyer, ...
Shawn Edwards on Black Cinema, Sarah Rector, and Kansas City
Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes conversations about racism, slavery, desegregation, death threats, and difficult parts of American history.In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Shawn Edwards, Kans...
Peter Groverman on Grovara, AI, and 15 Years to Overnight Success | Hidden Foundations Ep. 12
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Peter Groverman, founder of Grovara, to explore the long entrepreneurial road behind building a global B3B trading platform. Peter shares how early exposure to his father’s box facto...
Alexandra Bojarski-Stauffer on Architecture and Triathlons | Hidden Foundations Ep 11
Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes sensitive conversations about alcoholism, suicide threats, family instability, and difficult parent-child dynamics.In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Alexand...
Doug Taylor on Taylor Chip, Faith, Grit, and Starting From Scratch
Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes sensitive conversations about childhood adversity, trauma, addiction, abuse, faith, business stress, and difficult family experiences.In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sit...
Suchit Bachalli on Empathy, AI, and Building Unilog | Hidden Foundations Ep. 9
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Suchit Bachalli to explore how family, education, entrepreneurship, and early sales experience shaped the way he leads today. Suchit shares how he built Unilog brick by brick with hi...
Sara Faubion Stipkovits on Chaos, Conflict, and Reading the Room | Hidden Foundations Ep. 8
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Sara Faubion Stipkovits to explore how childhood chaos, hard work, and early responsibility shaped the way she reads people, negotiates conflict, and parents today. Sara shares how g...
Widell and Boschetti on Risk, Trust, and Building a Design Firm | Hidden Foundations Ep. 7
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Barrett Widell and Christina Boschetti of Widell and Boschetti to explore how two very different childhoods, careers, and creative paths became one business partnership. What started...
Dr. Kavin Mistry on Longevity, Primal Health, and the Power of Giving
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with Dr. Kavin Mistry, a board-certified neuroradiologist, to explore the hidden connection between childhood, longevity, health, and legacy. Dr. Kavin shares how growing up ac...
Candice Shum on Family Business, Grit, and Leading Culligan KC | Hidden Foundations Ep. 5
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with Candice Shum of Culligan Water in Kansas City to explore what it means to inherit, lead, and grow a third-generation family business. Candice shares how her grandfather bu...
Archie Menezes on Rock Bottom and Resilience | Hidden Foundations Ep. 4
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with Archie Menezes to explore the life experiences that shaped his resilience, leadership, and entrepreneurial mindset. Archie shares how a head injury ended his banking caree...
From ACL Injury to Top Real Estate Agent | Hidden Foundations Ep. 3
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with Andrea Desy Edrei to explore how childhood exposure to business, years of dinner-table dealmaking, and a major ACL injury at NYU helped shape the way she leads today. What...
Kortne Ford: Built by Pain, Driven by Purpose | Hidden Foundations Ep. 2
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with former MLS soccer player Kortne Ford for a powerful conversation about childhood trauma, physical abuse, grief, resilience, career-ending injuries, faith, and purpose. Kor...
Peanut Allergies Are Preventable? So Why Are Kids Still at Risk? | Hidden Foundations Ep. 1
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with Meenal Lele to explore how her son’s severe food allergies changed the course of her life and career. Meenal breaks down food allergy prevention, peanut allergy prevention...