No Trade Secrets
Everyone sees the most visible part of a founder’s journey: the outcome. But the truth is that few understand the mindset, pressure, and discipline behind it.
This podcast explores the deeper system behind business and life. The beliefs, habits, and decisions that shape growth long before the numbers appear.
Through thoughtful conversations, Jarome McKenzie sits down with founders, operators, and thinkers who have built meaningful things. Together they explore the moments that shaped them, the pressure that forged their discipline, and the mindset behind their success.
Jarome approaches each episode as both a builder and a student. He learns alongside the audience while weaving each guest’s insights into the frameworks he uses with founders and leaders.
The result is an honest exploration of business, leadership, and intentional living. A look at how great builders think, make decisions, and design lives that matter.
Episodes
32 episodes
Play the Swing You Brought - Ep. 31
Every founder chases their "A-game," but the truth is that your peak state is a variable, not a constant. In this debrief, Jarome uses a powerful metaphor from golf - playing the swing you brought to the course today - to dismantl...
From Competitors to Collaborators: A New Playbook for the Hospitality Industry w/ Anton Kinloch (Part 3) - Ep. 30
Welcome back to the powerful conclusion with Anton Kinloch, the visionary force behind Lone Wolf Kingston. In PART THREE, we move from the foundational 'whys' of building a values-driven business to the gritty, in-the-trenches reality of sustai...
Why Your Favorite Restaurant is Struggling, the Truth About Michelin, and the 1% Transparency Rule w/ Anton Kinloch (Part 2) - Ep. 29
Welcome back to another raw and unfiltered conversation with Anton Kinloch, a 25-year veteran of the food and beverage industry. In PART ONE, we laid the groundwork for Anton's philosophy on building authentic community. In PART TWO, we’re pull...
From Kitchen Dreams to Bar Realities, The Art of Researching Your Guests, and Why Hospitality Starts With Your Staff w/ Anton Kinloch (Part 1) - Ep. 28
Anton Kinloch set out to be a chef, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America with a business degree in hand. But his first job behind a bar triggered a massive pivot. He discovered the power of instant gratification - seeing a guest's ...
Listen Before You Lead: Clarity Over Control - Ep. 27
Leadership communication isn't about speaking well or being persuasive; it’s the disciplined practice of understanding before trying to be understood. In this debrief, Jarome dismantles the common misconception that communication is simply the ...
The Two Jobs of a Leader and Generating True Buy-In w/ Erik Berglund (Part 3) - Ep. 26
Welcome back to the finale of our deep dive with communication and leadership expert, Erik Berglund! In PART THREE, we pivot from the foundational principles of influence to the tactical execution that separates good leaders from great ones. Wh...
Cracking the Communication Code, Cultural Nuances, and How to Truly Influence People w/ Erik Berglund (Part 2) - Ep. 25
Welcome back to another powerhouse session with the incredible Erik Berglund! In PART ONE, we laid the groundwork for understanding our internal decision-making frameworks. In PART TWO, Erik shifts from the "what" to the "how," giving us the ta...
Beyond Words: The Three Arenas of Communication and Influence w/ Erik Berglund (Part 1) - Ep. 24
Most leadership problems are just communication problems in disguise. So what if you could master communication by treating it not as a soft skill, but as a sport you can practice and win? In PART ONE, communication expert Erik Berglund unpacks...
The Human Side of AI, Why Money Stops Moving the Needle, and The Power of In-Person Community w/ Michael Greenberg (Part 2) - Ep. 23
Welcome back to No Trade Secrets! We're thrilled to have AI and Operations expert Michael Greenberg back with us. In PART ONE, we laid the groundwork for leveraging automation in your business. In PART TWO, we shift from theory to execution and...
Automating Chaos, Building Custom Tools, and AI Readiness w/ Michael Greenberg (Part 1) - Ep. 22
In the deafening roar of AI hype, it’s easy for founders to feel like they’ve already missed the boat. Michael Greenberg, founder of 3rd Brain Digital Operations and author of The Digital Operations Playbook, is here to tell you that’s...
Your Greatest Moat is a Beginner's Mind - Ep. 21
In the race to adopt AI, most founders are making a critical mistake: waiting for stability or for a perfect understanding before they even start. In this solo reflection, Jarome McKenzie dismantles this fallacy, arguing that the greatest compe...
Fatherhood, Ambition, and the Ethical Obligation to Win w/ Dylan Hendrickson (Part 3) - Ep. 20
Welcome back to the powerful conclusion with Dylan Hendrickson, the former college athlete turned accounting firm founder. In PART ONE and TWO, we explored the intense discipline required to build a business from the ground up while still compe...
Why Profitable Businesses Go Broke and the Power of the 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast w/ Dylan Hendrickson (Part 2) - Ep. 19
Welcome back to the playbook! We're diving back in with Dylan Hendrickson, the strategic mind behind STAXX. In PART ONE, we explored the foundations of Dylan's service-driven mindset. In PART TWO, we shift from philosophy to execution, tackling...
Owning Your Outcome, Serving Your Team, and Starring In Your Role w/ Dylan Hendrickson (Part 1) - Ep. 18
What happens when your identity is tied to being "the guy," and suddenly, you're not? Dylan Hendrickson, co-founder of STAXX, shares the raw lessons from his rollercoaster journey as a D1 football player—from record-breaking starter to the benc...
Meeting Buyer Expectations, Wrestling with Accountability, & The Chameleon Coach w/ Tony Bradberry (Part 3) - Ep. 17
Welcome back to the podcast as we wrap up our incredible conversation with Tony Bradberry, the mastermind behind Gray Matter. In Part 3, the conversation graduates from the tactical mechanics of AI automations to the human psychology of buildin...
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Custom AI Dashboards, The Buy vs. Build Debate, & Sales Momentum w/ Tony Bradberry (Part 2) - Ep. 16
Welcome back to the podcast as we continue our conversation with Tony Bradberry, the innovative force behind Gray Matter. In Part 2, the conversation shifts from the foundational landscape of AI in professional services to the hardcore, tactica...
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Why Your Sales Experience is Your Marketing Superpower w/ Tony Bradberry (Part 1) - Ep. 15
What does it take to transform a half-million-dollar lifestyle business into a scalable, 30+ person agency? For Tony Bradberry, it wasn't about being a better marketer; it was about building a real business. Tony was brought in to install the o...
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The Sale Isn't Complete Until the Cash Hits the Bank - Ep. 14
Most founders obsess over sales and growth, believing more revenue is the cure-all for their financial woes. But what if the cash you've already earned is trapped inside your own business by an inefficient system? In this finance debrief, Jarom...
Why the Ultimate Breakthrough is Believing You Are Capable - Ep 13
In this debrief session, Jarome McKenzie explores the profound mechanics of how belief fundamentally shapes our performance. He argues that confidence is not a prerequisite trait, but rather updated evidence gathered through small, compounding ...
The Gap Between Potential and Proof - Ep. 12
In this debrief session, Jarome McKenzie explores the frustrating gap between internal potential and external proof. As founders and builders, it is common to experience a lag where our visible results do not yet reflect our true capabilities. ...
Why High Performers BECOME Before They Have Proof - Ep. 11
In this debrief session of the No Trade Secrets podcast, Jarome explores the concept of becoming before proof and unpacks why high performers often feel the future version of themselves long before external results ever appear. He reflec...
Building Go-to-Market Communities People Actually Want to Join w/ Paul Jones (Part 2) - Ep. 10
In Part 2, Paul dives deeper into the exact formula for engineering these communities. He introduces the "noble gases" theory of networking, explores the psychological differences in how we build trust through parallel play, and reveals his int...
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Dismantling Corporate Hierarchy and The Power of Shared Experiences w/ Paul Jones (Part 1) - Ep. 9
In a world hyper-connected by technology, we are experiencing a massive loneliness epidemic and wandering through business "connection deserts". Today, we're joined by Paul Jones, founder of Bridgio, who transitioned from guiding whitewater raf...
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High-Performance Teams, Chasing Freedom, & The Ultimate "Why" w/ Ayinde Bakari (Part 2) - Ep. 8
We pick right back up with Ayinde Bakari, VP and Co-Founder of First Mate Logistics, for the conclusion of our conversation. In Part 2, we graduate from the leap of faith and dive straight into the mechanics of scaling. How do you re-align a st...
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The "Deathbed" Perspective, Taking the Leap, & Auditing Your Circle w/ Ayinde Bakari (Part 1) - Ep. 7
What does it take to start a complex logistics company in your early twenties and scale it into a national force? In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, we sit down with Ayinde Bakari, the Vice President and Co-Founder of First Mate Logistics...
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