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Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief with Cameron Herold

Second in Command with Cameron Herold

Welcome to the “Second in Command” Podcast hosted by Cameron Herold, brought to you by the COO Alliance, where top-level COOs share their insights, tactics, and strategies that made them the Chief Behind the Chief.

Cameron Herold founded the COO Alliance with one simple goal in mind: to provide COOs with the same professional development and growth opportunities CEOs have enjoyed for many years. COO Alliance is the world's leading network for the Second in Command.

Cameron Herold is a top business consultant, best-selling author, and speaker. He’s the mastermind behind hundreds of companies’ exponential growth and he’s touched thousands of businesses indirectly through his work.

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  • 21 episodes
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  • English

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  • Tuesday · 51 min

    Ep. 605 - Applied AI Labs COO Mike Fedorov - Autopilot Is the Enemy of Excellence

    Most operators never learn to fight autopilot, the quiet enemy of excellence. In this episode, Lindsay Smith sits down with Mike Fedorov, COO of Applied AI Labs. With 26 years in operations and supply chain, as a former Accenture Director and Mars operations leader, Mike built his reputation staying on-site, in the detail, close to where the work breaks. He shares his philosophy that a COO's first job is to keep the lights on, and the second is to keep them on better, explaining why flat structures are replacing layers of management, how AI works best as a coordination layer, and the defining power of mentorship in his career. Sponsored by: STS Capital Partners - Your expert guides on the journey to an Extraordinary Exit™. To learn more about STS Capital Partners and how they achieve maximum value by Selling to Strategics™, complete the inquiry form here: https://stscapital.com/coo-alliance/ Timestemped Highlights 00:00 The Future of Flat Organizational Structures 01:44 What Applied AI Labs Does 02:38 The COO's Real Job: Keep the Lights On, and Better 05:11 A COO Who Watches Two Operations at Once 08:08 Scaling After Excelling: The Contractor Approach 09:18 Why Flat Structures Are Replacing Layers of Management 11:01 What Big Companies Get Right About Operations 12:45 Nimbleness vs. Routine: Autopilot as the Enemy of Excellence 16:06 How AI Actually Helps Operations: The Coordination Layer 18:44 AI as a Copilot, Not a Replacement 20:06 AI in Recruiting: What Works and What Fails 27:34 Defining Moments: The Power of Mentorship 30:52 How to Find and Structure Mentorship 38:55 What's Next for Applied AI Labs 43:55 Personal Growth: Knowing What You Don't Know About the guest Mike has 26 years of experience in operations and supply chain, as a former Accenture Director and, before that, leading operations planning and execution for Mars. He has run and turned around operations for some of the most complex and demanding companies in the world, and has saved major clients that were ready to walk. He leads engagements the way he has always worked: on-site, in the detail, close to the people who know where the work breaks. Operators trust Mike because he has done their job. Mentioned Resources Mars Accenture About the Co-Host Lindsay Smith is an experience-driven growth strategist and former Chief Strategy Officer. She previously scaled a new region without a traditional sales team or bloated marketing budget by turning relationships, culture, and execution into revenue. She is the author of No One Needs Another Company Mug, Stop Branding, Start Experiencing, and helps leadership teams use experience as a competitive growth lever. Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance – The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command, Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Claim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi

  • August 25 · 43 min

    Ep. 604 - FAN FAVORITE | Former ActiveCampaign President Sameer Kazi - The Financial Skill Most Leaders Skip

    How do you walk into a company of nearly 800 people as its first-ever president and win over the ones who wanted your job? We are bringing this one back because it keeps landing with second-in-command leaders. Cameron sits down with Sameer Kazi, the first president in ActiveCampaign's history, who joined a fast-growing company of nearly 800 people and had to earn trust from day one. Sameer traces his path from employee 200 at ExactTarget through the Salesforce acquisition, KKR, Bessemer, and running Cheetah Digital, then unpacks how he split responsibilities with the CEO, why he brings non-finance leaders close to the numbers, and how he decides with incomplete information. If you are stepping into a senior seat or scaling a business without losing its edge, this one is worth the revisit. Listen now. Sponsored by: This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, Next Level Growth. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment Timestamped Highlights 02:35 Employee 200 at a "tiny little company" called ExactTarget 03:15 Filing an S-1 in 2008, right as the markets fell apart 03:50 Why the growth never actually slowed down 05:37 The years between Salesforce and ActiveCampaign 08:50 Walking into KKR and asking, "Barbarians at the Gate?" 10:38 The boardroom lesson from a business with declining growth 12:38 What an MBA is actually good for 13:38 Reading Salesforce's income statement before SaaS was cool 14:48 The 54% lever that only works while growth holds 15:52 Quitting his job to raise money with twins on the way 16:32 Why ActiveCampaign came looking for him 19:23 Why the role was never about empire building 21:46 Winning over the people who wanted his seat 25:11 How you know when you know enough to decide 26:24 What ActiveCampaign really does 34:47 Why every non-finance leader should learn the numbers 37:25 The advice he would give his 21-year-old self About the Guest Sameer Kazi was serving as President of ActiveCampaign at the time of this recording, the first person to hold that title in the company's history, reporting to founder and CEO Jason VandeBoom. A veteran SaaS operator, he was an early executive at ExactTarget (employee 200) through its acquisition by Salesforce and ran EMEA operations from London. He later served as interim CEO of Simply Measured and CEO of Cheetah Digital, and worked alongside investors including KKR and Bessemer. He holds an MBA and describes himself as a sleeves-rolled-up, sweat-the-details operator. Sameer is now the Chief Executive Officer at Pantheon Platform. 🔗 LinkedIn Mentioned Resources ActiveCampaign Salesforce, formerly ExactTarget Simply Measured - acquired by Sprout Social Cheetah Digital - now Marigold KKR Bessemer Venture Partners Experian Silversmith Capital Partners True Cisco Zapier 1-800-GOT-JUNK Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World's Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron's book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Claim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi Note: This Fan Favorite episode is a recast of one of our most impactful interviews, still packed with insights for second-in-command leaders. Whether it is your first listen or a revisit, there is timeless value inside. The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. Sponsored by: This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, Next Level Growth. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment

  • August 18 · 37 min

    Ep. 603 - Stemple Creek Ranch GM Conner Hackett - How to Turn One Product Into Five Revenue Streams

    What does it really take to turn a single-family ranch into a thriving, multi-stream meat company that families and top chefs trust? In this episode, Lindsay Smith sits down with Conner Hackett, General Manager of Stemple Creek Ranch, to unpack how a small California ranch grew into a multichannel meat company without ever cutting corners. Conner shares why culture and purpose matter more than technical skill, how one ranch became farmers markets, direct-to-consumer, events, and ranch stays, and what it actually takes to build a resilient local food system that keeps the dollars pointed back at the people on the ground. If you lead operations and want a real playbook for scaling with legacy and integrity intact, this conversation delivers. Listen now. Sponsored by: Genius Network - An exclusive community for highly successful entrepreneurs, connecting you with top-tier leaders, strategic insights, and powerful relationships to help you grow your business faster and smarter. Learn more: https://www.geniusnetwork.com/ Timestamped Highlights 00:17 - How a fifth-generation rancher ended up leading a meat company 01:14 - Why he walked away from a finance internship at Merrill Lynch 03:14 - What it is really like to join a company whose culture is already built 04:28 - The complex work of turning whole animals into a real business 07:11 - The hidden hurdle most small producers underestimate 09:49 - Why the meat company only works if it serves the rancher first 10:52 - How Stemple Creek builds fierce loyalty one customer at a time 15:27 - What actually happens behind the booth at a world-class farmers market 24:04 - The most defining moment: getting the whole team under one roof 26:16 - Wearing every hat as GM, and the surprise he did not expect 30:01 - Why the why matters more than the technical skill set 31:52 - The weight of legacy, and the moment it flipped for him 37:50 - The direct-to-consumer bet that could define the next chapter About the Guest Conner Hackett is the General Manager of Stemple Creek Ranch, a fourth-generation family ranch near Tomales, California that raises grass-fed beef and lamb and has grown into a multichannel meat company. A fifth-generation rancher himself, Conner came up in agriculture, worked in the Bay Area meat and restaurant world, and founded his own consulting business before joining Stemple Creek, where he now leads finance, marketing, and operations for the meat enterprise. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Integrate Consulting Merrill Lynch Leopold Conservation Award About the Co-Host Lindsay Smith is an experience-driven growth strategist and former Chief Strategy Officer. She previously scaled a new region without a traditional sales team or bloated marketing budget by turning relationships, culture, and execution into revenue. She is the author of No One Needs Another Company Mug, Stop Branding, Start Experiencing, and helps leadership teams use experience as a competitive growth lever. 🔗 Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World's Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron's book: Second in Command, Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Claim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold and co-hosted by Lindsay Smith. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. Sponsored by: Genius Network - An exclusive community for highly successful entrepreneurs, connecting you with top-tier leaders, strategic insights, and powerful relationships to help you grow your business faster and smarter. Learn more: https://www.geniusnetwork.com/

  • August 11 · 49 min

    Ep. 602 - FAN FAVORITE | ElevenLabs Lead of Operations Victoria Weller – Why Great Operators Never Wait for the Answer

    What does it take to go from astrophysics to running operations at one of the fastest-growing AI companies in the world? In this Fan Favorite episode, Cameron Herold sits down with Victoria Weller, former Chief of Staff and now Lead of Operations at ElevenLabs, to revisit one of the show’s most fascinating conversations. Victoria’s path is rare: astrophysics, space medicine, quantum encryption, and Palantir, before landing at the AI voice company reshaping how the world listens. She breaks down what a Chief of Staff really does at an early-stage startup, how she cleared SOC 2 compliance in seven weeks, and why ElevenLabs grew so fast. They also get into voice cloning, deepfake safeguards, and surprising use cases across hospitals, transit, and accessibility. Whether you want a COO seat or you are building functions from nothing, Victoria’s story is a masterclass in figuring it out fast. Listen now. Sponsored by: Redirect Health - Affordable healthcare benefits designed to make traditional insurance optional, with 24/7 access to primary care and Rx support that helps businesses reduce costs while keeping employees covered. Learn more: http://www.redirectcoo.com/ Timestamped Highlights [00:00:44] – The ElevenLabs mission, and why an EPUB can become an instant audiobook [00:02:55] – Munich to Edinburgh to Berlin to New York: a career across four countries [00:04:06] – What actually happens to an astronaut’s blood in zero gravity [00:07:54] – Lasers, quantum encryption, and the pivot toward tech [00:13:06] – Cameron asks the big ones: aliens, and are we living in a simulation? [00:19:12] – What ElevenLabs is really building, explained simply [00:20:50] – How context lets an AI voice sound genuinely sad or genuinely happy [00:28:12] – The accessibility use cases the team never saw coming [00:31:03] – Cloning a late loved one’s voice, and the compliance behind it [00:33:16] – Stopping deepfake voice scams: watermarks and the AI Speech Classifier [00:38:31] – What a Chief of Staff actually does, and why it feels like a SWAT team [00:40:32] – Does a great Chief of Staff work themselves out of a job? [00:47:07] – The advice Victoria would give her 21-year-old self About the Guest Victoria Weller is the former Chief of Staff and now the Lead of Operations at ElevenLabs, the AI voice company behind lifelike text-to-speech and voice cloning, where she owns internal operations, compliance, and hiring. She cleared the company’s SOC 2 process in seven weeks. Before ElevenLabs she was a reliability engineer at Palantir Technologies in New York and London. Her background spans astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, space-medicine research in Berlin, and a master’s in applied physics from Columbia University. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Resources & Mentions Palantir Columbia University Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics OpenAI (ChatGPT) Midjourney There’s An AI For That TED Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Claim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi Note: This Fan Favorite episode is a recast of one of our most impactful interviews, still packed with insights for second-in-command leaders. Whether it is your first listen or a revisit, there is timeless value inside. The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. Sponsored by: Redirect Health - Affordable healthcare benefits designed to make traditional insurance optional, with 24/7 access to primary care and Rx support that helps businesses reduce costs while keeping employees covered. Learn more: http://www.redirectcoo.com/

  • August 4 · 16 min

    Ep. 601 - Your First Team

    What if the most important team you lead is not the one you actually run? In this solo episode, Cameron Herold tells the story of coaching a 400-person company that had become the best place to work in its state, then watched politics spread through the leadership team like black mold. Silos, turf wars, and finger-pointing crept in right as the company scaled. His fix starts with one shift: your leadership team is your first team, not the department you run. Cameron breaks down the exact systems he used at 1-800-GOT-JUNK to keep leaders aligned, from weekly shout-outs and a shared dashboard to a rallying cry, offsite quarters, and even a giant Monopoly board. If your leaders are protecting their own turf instead of winning together, this one is for you. Listen now. Sponsored by: Cadre AI – Helping business leaders identify the highest-impact opportunities for AI and implement strategies that drive greater efficiency, profitability, and revenue. Learn more: https://cadreai.com Timestamped Highlights [01:04] - The leadership idea Cameron spent years figuring out before sharing it [01:27] - The Florida company he grew 10x, then watched get infected [01:56] - The black mold that spreads across even the best places to work [02:34] - Why a wide receiver's most important team is not the offense [02:59] - The first team rule every 1-800-GOT-JUNK leader lived by [03:44] - The 15-second weekly habit that quietly kills silos [05:05] - The rallying cry that pulls leaders out of their own turf [05:55] - The death zone between 30 and 100 employees, and the trap inside it [07:23] - Why your best quarterly planning never happens in the office [08:07] - Why one simple dashboard beats sixty scattered metrics [09:29] - The giant Monopoly board that turned projects into a team game [11:30] - Flip your org chart upside down, and see who lands at the bottom Mentioned Resources 1-800-GOT-JUNK (the company Cameron helped build and scale) BlueGrace Logistics (the Florida company in the coaching story) YPO (Young Presidents' Organization) Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command, Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Claim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. Sponsored by: Cadre AI – Helping business leaders identify the highest-impact opportunities for AI and implement strategies that drive greater efficiency, profitability, and revenue. Learn more: https://cadreai.com

  • July 28 · 44 min

    Ep. 600 - Jarrett Companies COO Mike Wood - The $1M Mistake That Made His Team Stronger

    Ever wonder what happens when the COO who scaled a company to $100 million realizes he was the problem? In this episode, Cameron sits down with Mike Wood, COO of Jarrett Companies, who joined a $2 million Nashville construction firm and helped grow it into seven companies doing over $100 million. They get into the machinery behind that growth: meetings from 6 to 9 a.m., five days a week, a double check on everybody in the building, and profit sharing that turns leaders into owners. Then it goes deeper. Mike opens up about learning to read at 25, the misery that followed his biggest turnaround, and the million-dollar flood where taking full ownership changed his entire team. If the noise in your head is louder than the problems on your desk, this conversation is your way out. Listen now. Sponsored by: STS Capital – A global M&A advisory firm helping entrepreneurs achieve maximum value when selling their business, with a focus on strategic buyers and life-changing exits. Learn more: https://stscapital.com Timestamped Highlights 05:30 - Two million to one hundred million: why Mike had to keep replacing himself, over and over 07:38 - Meetings from 6 to 9 a.m., five days a week: the double check habit that ended repeat mistakes 13:16 - The six out of ten rule: why waiting two months on a problem employee costs you everything 15:51 - How to create safety before a hard conversation, so people can actually hear you 18:41 - The science of angry leadership: cortisol, the default mode network, and why exploding makes you dumber 23:26 - More money, happy family, great job, and the most miserable he had ever been: the fish tank moment 24:30 - Learning to read at 25: how a rare form of dyslexia wrote the negative script in Mike's head 30:28 - "This flood is my fault": the $1 million claim that became a masterclass in taking ownership 34:32 - What owners do when nobody is watching, and why every person in the building needs a double check 42:10 - Inside Learn to Love Being You: removing identities, forgiveness, and rewriting the stories that haunt us About the Guest Mike Wood is the COO of Jarrett Companies, a Nashville-based commercial construction group spanning site work, paving, concrete, fire protection, and mechanical services. Since joining as an estimator and project manager, he has helped grow the business from $2 million to more than $100 million in revenue across seven companies, including a fire protection company later sold to a private equity firm. Mike is also the founder of Learn to Love Being You, a 10-week program that helps people quiet anxiety and self-doubt through the same inner work that transformed his own leadership. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Jason Jarrett, CEO of Jarrett Companies Learn to Love Being You Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber Smartsheet 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World's Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron's book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. Sponsored by: STS Capital – A global M&A advisory firm helping entrepreneurs achieve maximum value when selling their business, with a focus on strategic buyers and life-changing exits. Learn more: https://stscapital.com

  • July 23 · 50 min

    Ep. 599 - Calix COO John Durocher - Why Your Best People May Be in the Wrong Seat

    What if the smartest move you can make is to disrupt your own company before a competitor does? In this episode, Lindsay Smith sits down with John Durocher, the self-described accidental COO of Calix. John never set out to run operations. He came up through consulting and customer success, never managed a supply chain or an IT org, and that is exactly why his CEO wanted him in the seat. His mandate: question everything. John and Lindsay get into how to lead change when everyone is comfortable, build a leadership team that actually trusts each other, give feedback in the moment rather than at review season, and use AI to take drudgery off people rather than cut headcount. He also shares the directive that shaped his role: go build the company that would beat us. For any second-in-command driving transformation without breaking their people, this is a playbook. Listen now. This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, Next Level Growth. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment Timestamped Highlights [00:01:32] The accidental COO: how a late-night phone call rewrote John’s career [00:08:46] Why the people who succeeded longest have the hardest time changing [00:10:05] Disrupt yourself, or wait to be disrupted... the directive that built his role [00:10:59] When your CEO used to work for you: inside an unusually honest relationship [00:16:11] Why John never waits for a formal review to give hard feedback [00:18:22] The courageous conversation with his boss that became a breakthrough [00:21:03] The team reset that exposes how little colleagues really know each other [00:27:26] Seeing the seams: the bird’s eye view nobody else in the company has [00:29:28] “Staple yourself to the order form” and other ways to fix the customer experience [00:33:46] Fast isn’t always good... what moving too quickly does to an organization [00:36:08] Stop telling your boss why it won’t work. Do this instead. [00:37:25] The COO’s job is to slow down the CEO, not slam on the brakes [00:42:43] Does remote work actually work? John’s rebuttal to the water-cooler myth [00:46:41] What’s next for Calix: AI agents and the smart apartment About the Guest John Durocher is the Chief Operations Officer at Calix, where he leads operations across the company, from customer success and commercial operations to supply chain and IT. He joined Calix in 2023 as Chief Customer Officer and stepped into the COO role about a year ago. Before Calix, John spent 17 years at Salesforce leading customer success, where he watched the company grow from $250M to $30B in revenue. He began his career in consulting, including time at Accenture and Arthur Andersen, and describes himself as an accidental COO who treats the job like one long consulting project. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Salesforce Accenture Michael Weening - President and CEO of Calix About the Co-Host Lindsay Smith is an experience-driven growth strategist and former Chief Strategy Officer who scaled a new region without a traditional sales team or bloated marketing budget by turning relationships, culture, and execution into revenue. She is the author of No One Needs Another Company Mug. Stop Branding. Start Experiencing and helps leadership teams use experience as a competitive growth lever. 🔗 Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take Cameron’s leadership course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold and co-hosted by Lindsay Smith. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, Next Level Growth. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment

  • July 21 · 38 min

    Ep. 598 - What's the point of a COO?

    What is a COO actually for, and why do so many CEOs never figure it out? In this solo episode, Cameron Herold tackles a question most CEOs never answer clearly: What is the point of a COO? Working through Chapter 2 of his book Second in Command, he makes the case that there is no single template. The right COO is the one who fits the CEO. Cameron breaks down the traits that set strong seconds-in-command apart. Inward versus outward-facing roles. Translating between departments without being the expert. Finding shortcuts and building systems, the worst employee on the worst day can still run. He shares hard-won lessons from his years as COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, including the blowup that spread bad energy through the company for a month. Get the fit wrong, and you get a swamped firefighter. Get it right, and you get real leverage. Listen now. Timestamped Highlights [00:36] – Why there’s no single template for a great COO, only fit [02:16] – Inward or outward facing: which COO does your CEO actually need [04:52] – The role a COO almost always plays, even when nobody sees them [06:05] – Why being a chameleon beats being the smartest expert in the room [08:29] – Empowerment over rescue: the parenting rule that reframes the job [10:36] – The department feud Cameron refereed without taking over the work [11:29] – The burned-out Starbucks sign that exposes a leadership question [13:07] – The currency bet that saved $100,000 a year for every penny [14:13] – The Buffalo snowstorm test for whether a system truly works [15:20] – Strategy or tactics: the Sun Tzu line every COO should sit with [19:07] – The blowup that spread bad energy through the company for a month [19:50] – Why the best COO might be 27, not 57 Mentioned Resources Free PR by Cameron Herold and Adrian Salamunovic The E-Myth by Michael Gerber Good to Great by Jim Collins The Art of War by Sun Tzu Shopify (Harley Finkelstein, Tobias Lütke) 1-800-GOT-JUNK and O2E Brands (Erik Church) Apple (Steve Jobs) Tesla (Elon Musk) Ben & Jerry’s (Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield) Starbucks (Greg Johnson) Dell (Michael Dell) Meta (Facebook) (Sheryl Sandberg) Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Claim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command, Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

  • July 16 · 46 min

    Ep. 597 - You.com COO Alex Triplett - How To Make or Break a COO in The First 90 Days

    What if walking away from the CEO seat was the smartest career move you could make in AI right now? Cameron Herold sits down with Alex Triplett, COO of you.com, the company quietly powering web search for AI agents behind brands like Salesforce, Anthropic, and Harvey. Alex turned down the chance to be a CEO to take the second-in-command seat at a fast-moving AI startup, and he explains exactly why. They get into the operator work most leaders avoid: walking into a 135-person company, making a brutal focus call, and rebuilding the team around a single mission. Alex breaks down his first 90 days, the listening tour that validated his biggest decision, how he sells to enterprise without getting strung along, and the system that keeps him out of the minutiae. Skip this one, and you risk what most new executives do: the right idea at the wrong time, and broken trust. Listen now for the unfiltered COO playbook on focus and timing. Sponsored by Genius Network - An exclusive community for highly successful entrepreneurs, connecting you with top-tier leaders, strategic insights, and powerful relationships to help you grow your business faster and smarter. Learn more: https://www.geniusnetwork.com/ Timestamped Highlights 10:16 – “Google for AI agents,” explained: the invisible layer your favorite LLM cannot work without 13:18 – You might be using you.com right now without knowing it. Here is where it hides in the AI stack 15:08 – How to tell a real enterprise deal from a buyer who is just keeping you busy 19:56 – The COO superpower hiding in plain sight, and why it gets you a seat at the C-suite table 23:08 – Chief of staff or glorified executive assistant? The title too many companies get wrong 25:24 – Three companies, one founder: how Richard runs you.com while raising $650M for a frontier lab 33:34 – 135 people on day one: the focus call that cut the team to 110, then built it back stronger 38:01 – One mission, one North Star, and the moment focus “just exploded” the company 39:23 – The first 90 days that make or break a COO: the listening tour that validated everything 47:23 – Why this COO leaves messages unread on purpose, and what it taught him about good decisions 50:09 – The one-sentence piece of advice he would give his 22-year-old self About the Guest Alex Triplett is the Chief Operating Officer of you.com, the leading web search API for AI agents, serving customers like Salesforce, Anthropic, and Harvey. An investor turned operator, Alex spent the first decade of his career in private equity before moving to the operating side. He served as Global Head of Corporate Development at ION Group, where he helped grow the business from $150 million to $3 billion in revenue, and later as CFO and COO of Appfire. He also chairs the board of the travel app Pangea and holds a degree from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Pangea Harvey Salesforce (Agentforce) Anthropic (Claude) OpenAI Google Gemini Perplexity xAI (Grok) ServiceNow Lovable Replit Genspark AngelList Shopify Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. Sponsored by Genius Network - An exclusive community for highly successful entrepreneurs, connecting you with top-tier leaders, strategic insights, and powerful relationships to help you grow your business faster and smarter. Learn more: https://www.geniusnetwork.com/

  • July 14 · 32 min

    Ep. 596 - What Is a COO? The 7 Types Every CEO Needs to Know

    What if the most misunderstood role in business is also the one deciding whether your company scales? In this solo episode, Cameron Herold, founder of the COO Alliance and author of Second in Command, tackles the question every growth-minded CEO eventually faces: what exactly is a COO? Drawing on Bennett and Miles’ research and his own years as second in command at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Cameron explains why no two COOs on the planet have the same job, and why the search for a great one starts with the CEO’s own strengths and gaps. He walks through the seven types of COO: Executor, Change Agent, Mentor, Other Half, Partner, Heir Apparent, and MVP, with stories from Shopify, Oracle, Dell, and Facebook, plus the common roles a COO plays as adult in the room, integrator, and moderator. Get this hire wrong, and the person meant to fix the chaos only adds to it. Listen now. Timestamped Highlights [00:00] – The question-asking habit that separates growing companies from stuck ones [00:52] – Why most CMOs are interchangeable, but no two COOs share the same job [01:40] – The only non-negotiable requirement for any COO [02:31] – The research that uncovered the seven main categories of COO [04:30] – When a change agent should come from outside the company [05:34] – Why changing a company’s culture is like dealing with teenagers [07:30] – The mentor move that shaped Facebook’s earliest years [08:30] – The marriage test every CEO-COO pairing has to pass [13:18] – The leadership meeting comment that earned Cameron the COO title [18:57] – The homeowner and contractor rule for splitting the what from the how [23:20] – Why the CEO, not the COO, should be the tiebreaker Mentioned Resources Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO by Nate Bennett and Stephen A. Miles Second in Command: The Misunderstood Role of the Chief Operating Officer by Nate Bennett and Stephen A. Miles (Harvard Business Review) Double Double by Cameron Herold High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Claim your FREE* copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi *Valid only for CEOs or COO/Second in Command based in the US or Canada at companies wih $2M + revenue. The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

  • July 9 · 51 min

    Ep. 595 - Rythmia CMO Dr. Jeff McNairy – How to Lead a Visionary Founder Without Choking the Dragon

    What does it take to keep a brilliant, unpredictable founder from burning down the very thing he built? In this episode, Cameron Herold sits down with Dr. Jeff McNairy, Chief Medical Officer and second in command at Rythmia, the only medically licensed ayahuasca facility in the world. Jeff gave up his psychology license to help build something the medical world said could not exist. He and founder Jerry Powell turned a jungle dive into a 245-person operation that has guided roughly 23,000 guests through a seven-day program. Jeff gets into the two-year fight for a medical license, the indigenous partnership, and the daily work of bridging a medical team with a shamanic one. Most of all, he explains the real job of a second-in-command to a wild founder: not running the strategy, but keeping the person steady enough to keep the company alive. Listen now. Timestamped Highlights [00:07:09] – What Rythmia actually is, and why it calls itself the only one of its kind in the world. [00:08:31] – How many guests have come through the doors, and what the week demands of you before you ever arrive. [00:10:36] – The medical reason a single “healthy” supplement can turn dangerous with ayahuasca. [00:12:42] – Where ayahuasca comes from, and the two plants that have to be combined to make it work. [00:13:56] – The three moments in life your body floods with DMT all on its own. [00:17:02] – How a rehab patient ended up becoming the founder of a company. [00:19:14] – The flaw Jeff kept seeing in Western medicine that sent him looking for something else. [00:21:10] – The addiction that nearly ended Jerry Powell before Rythmia ever existed. [00:24:37] – The decision to build something safer and cleaner than what they first found. [00:31:18] – The license Jeff knew he would have to surrender to go all in. [00:33:44] – How he convinced a conservative government to allow this on the books. [00:36:14] – The hunt for an indigenous lineage still living in the mountains. [00:40:53] – The hardest balancing act in running Rythmia today. [00:43:51] – Why the body absorbs stem cells differently after a week of ceremony. [00:44:37] – The community Jeff and Jerry are building beyond the resort walls. [00:47:37] – How to lead a visionary founder without choking the dragon. [00:51:52] – The advice Jeff would give his 21-year-old self. About the Guest Dr. Jeff McNairy is a doctorate-level psychologist (Psy.D., M.P.H.) and the Chief Medical Officer and second-in-command at Rythmia, the only medically licensed ayahuasca facility in the world, located in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. He spent decades in clinical care, from training at UCLA Medical Center to running a drug and alcohol rehab in Malibu, before co-building Rythmia with founder Jerry Powell. Jeff led the two-year effort to secure Rythmia’s medical license with the Costa Rican Ministry of Health and now oversees its medical team of doctors, nurses, and a paramedic alongside the center’s shamanic team, guiding the safety and clinical side of a program that has served guests from all over the world. 🔗Website | Company Mentioned Resources Rythmia Life Advancement Center – the medically licensed ayahuasca facility in Costa Rica MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), founded by Rick Doblin Agape International Spiritual Center, founded by Michael Beckwith Passages UCLA Medical Center Bulletproof, founded by Dave Asprey Joe Rogan Tim Ferriss Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance – The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. Sponsored by: Redirect Health - Affordable healthcare benefits designed to make traditional insurance optional, with 24/7 access to primary care and Rx support that helps businesses reduce costs while keeping employees covered. Learn more: http://www.redirectcoo.com/

  • July 7 · 44 min

    Ep. 594 - Dark Side of Scaling

    What if the parts of building a $100 million company nobody posts about are the ones you most need to hear? In this recast episode, Cameron Herold drops the highlight reel and tells the truth about scaling. The near-bankruptcy at $100 million. The $9 million fraud. The nervous breakdown on an elevator floor. The stuff entrepreneurs never post about until years later, if ever. Cameron walks through the crises that actually shaped him, why cash is oxygen, why he stopped chasing balance, and how losing his identity to a logo nearly cost him his health, his marriage, and his closest friendships. It is raw, funny, and uncomfortably honest, and it is the conversation most founders are too scared to have. Revisit it or hear it for the first time. Listen now. Timestamped Highlights [00:01:02] The crises Cameron lived through in 40 years of building companies, and why he never talks about them [00:04:06] The pizza-and-beer night that flipped 12 employees from jealous to terrified [00:05:32] How $5 million in cash drained to zero in nine weeks at 1-800-GOT-JUNK [00:07:15] The bank meeting that exposed how little they understood their own business [00:11:53] A $9 million fraud hidden inside a company everyone loved working for [00:17:00] The elevator floor, the sobbing, and the breakdown nobody saw coming [00:18:26] The doctor's test that put Cameron at a 90%-plus heart attack risk [00:20:51] The podcast invite that turned into an elaborate account takeover [00:27:24] The four words from an employee that changed how Cameron lived [00:30:46] The 17-hour-day math behind the biggest lie Cameron told himself [00:36:12] Why 60% and 57.6% are not the same thing, and what it quietly costs you [00:39:42] The grapefruit at breakfast that signaled Cameron was about to be fired [00:46:27] What a rich life actually looks like to Cameron now [01:11:00] The vacation rule Cameron will fire an employee for ignoring Mentioned Resources Double Double by Cameron Herold Vivid Vision by Cameron Herold Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy WTF?! (Willing to Fail) by Brian Scudamore The Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Dan Pink's TED talk on the science of motivation Important Links Connect with Cameron. Website and LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World's Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron's book: Second in Command, Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

  • July 2 · 50 min

    Ep. 593 - Cowboy Space Corporation COO & CLO Joe Yaffe - The Leadership Secrets Powering a $2B Space Revolution

    What would you risk to build something that’s never been done, like beaming energy from orbit or launching football-field-sized data centers into space? In this raw conversation, Cameron Herold sits down with Joe Yaffe, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer of Cowboy Space Corporation. They dig into the grit, tension, and daily chaos of scaling a $2 billion startup that’s disrupting the commercial space sector. Joe shares his path from buttoned-down law firm partner to space industry executive, revealing the secret levers behind talent acquisition, relentless execution, and leadership in a market obsessed with moonshots. Skip this episode and you may miss the playbook for outpacing ten times bigger rivals. Listen now for a rare, inside-out look at operational leadership under real pressure. This is not the usual founder hype. This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, Next Level Growth. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment Timestamped Highlights 00:47 – Why Cowboy Space Corporation had to kill its first name 04:51 – The phone call that forced a total company rebrand 08:44 – Turning sci-fi into reality with orbital energy grids 13:04 – Football-field-sized data centers…the inside story 18:27 – How a lawyer actually becomes a high-performing COO 20:59 – Why top-tier talent flocks to Cowboy despite fierce competition 27:58 – The unspoken rules for hiring (and keeping) world-class engineers 34:40 – The real cost of prioritizing in chaos as a second-in-command 49:17 – The advice Joe Yaffe would give his 21-year-old self About the Guest Joe Yaffe is the COO & CLO of Cowboy Space Corporation, a $2B commercial space startup building orbital energy grids and advanced data centers. Previously, Joe spent 31 years as an M&A and founders’ counsel at top law firms, advising Silicon Valley’s elite. Now he’s translating legal precision into operational strategy at one of the West Coast’s boldest tech companies. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Robinhood Elon Musk Jeff Bezos SpaceX Blue Origin Rocket Lab Stoke Space Skadden Arps Fenwick & West Anthropic OpenAI Joe Polish / Genius Network Don’t Make Me Think (book) Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, Next Level Growth. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment

  • June 30 · 1 hr 14 min

    Ep. 592 - Your Employees Can’t Read Your Mind: The Vision Gap

    Are you really wired to scale, or just bracing for endless chaos? Cameron Herold, the relentless "Business Growth Guru," rips open the playbook on what actually drives proven, sustainable hypergrowth in today's world. With stories from building global brands like 1-800-GOT-JUNK and years in the trenches with top COOs, Cameron refuses to let leaders settle for mediocrity. He dives brutally deep into the operational and psychological traps choking your ambitions, then hands you a clear, actionable path out. Miss this episode, and you risk falling behind a tidal wave of companies finally nailing what you keep saying is “impossible.” Listen now if you’re done with excuses and ready for the real, unfiltered edge on systems, talent, and culture. Nobody else is mapping the way out of the chaos like this. Timestamped Highlights 00:59 – The poll that instantly exposes entrepreneurial wiring 03:14 – The $100M leap: inside systems that really scale 09:04 – The Vivid Vision rewiring that most leaders get wrong 17:12 – Why your vision should repel, not just attract 22:01 – The underused firing muscle that speeds up growth 25:57 – The “A Player” myth that’s costing you millions 39:01 – Brutal truth: why you’re investing all your energy in the wrong people 51:01 – Delegation, coaching, AI… why you won’t survive unless you develop these now Mentioned Resources College Pro Painters Boyd Autobody & Glass EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) “Good to Great” by Jim Collins The Secret (movie) Simon Sinek (Start With Why) Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

  • June 25 · 49 min

    Ep. 591 - Twentyeight Health COO Mara Castro - How To Avoid These Deadly Traps in Operations Success

    How do you actually scale without losing yourself or your team in the chaos? In this conversation, Sivana Brewer sits down with Mara Castro, COO at Twentyeight Health and former Warby Parker trailblazer, to dissect what it takes to build, lead, and sustain high-performing teams in brutally demanding, mission-driven environments. Expect raw takes on leadership, the dangerous myth of “just do more,” and what it really means to earn trust as a COO. If you’ve ever wondered why some leaders quietly burn out while others keep their team charging ahead, you cannot afford to miss this episode. Hear exclusive, battle-tested insights you won’t find in any COO playbook. Don’t settle for “what everyone does” and listen now before these lessons become your competitors’ next unfair advantage. Sponsored by Genius Network - An exclusive community for highly successful entrepreneurs, connecting you with top-tier leaders, strategic insights, and powerful relationships to help you grow your business faster and smarter. Learn more: https://www.geniusnetwork.com/ Timestamped Highlights 00:22 – The unexpected journey from nonprofit roots to COO 02:37 – Why a career break fueled a powerhouse comeback 05:34 – The untold value of prior relationships for landing big roles 09:14 – Networking for introverts: How authentic connections really win 10:15 – The counterintuitive 90-day blueprint every new COO must follow 13:06 – The art of KPI clarity and not getting sucked into the weeds 17:50 – The hidden trap of too much complexity in health tech 33:23 – Why guiding, not micromanaging, unlocks leadership at scale 39:30 – The radical power of raising the white flag early About the Guest Mara Castro is the COO at Twentyeight Health, where she leads product, engineering, clinical operations, and pharmacy for a fast-scaling women’s telehealth platform. Previously, the first employee at Warby Parker, she helped build and scale one of the most celebrated brands in DTC history, before driving expansion at Evolve in hospitality tech. Her results-driven, human-focused approach makes her a standout leader in growth and transformation. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Warby Parker Evolve Dale Carnegie – "How to Win Friends and Influence People" Lean Six Sigma – DMAIC framework Slack Netflix About the Co-Host Sivana Brewer is a Fractional COO for Remote Teams and former COO at Closers.io, where she helped scale the company to multiple eight figures and built over 500+ sales teams in just 2.5 years. She specializes in leadership development, remote operations, and systems that empower teams to grow sustainably. 🔗 Connect with Sivana on LinkedIn Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. Sponsored by Genius Network - An exclusive community for highly successful entrepreneurs, connecting you with top-tier leaders, strategic insights, and powerful relationships to help you grow your business faster and smarter. Learn more: https://www.geniusnetwork.com/

  • June 23 · 1 hr

    Ep. 590 - Wellbiz Brands COO Ankin Laysha - How to Instantly Upgrade Your Multi-Brand Operations

    What does it truly take to lead five powerhouse brands… and keep every single customer and franchisee loyal? In this candid conversation, Ankin Laysha, COO of Wellbiz Brands, reveals what most COOs miss about operational scale, brand integrity, and building elite franchise teams that actually deliver. If you think brand consistency is just a checklist and that operations is paperwork, think again. From the brutal realities of breaking into the executive suite as a female leader to the battle of standardization versus brand magic, Ankin cuts through the noise on what works now. Tune in or miss the proven moves that keep 700+ franchises competitive. If you want to avoid getting left behind and hear the realities other execs won’t share, this episode is your advanced playbook. Listen today and don’t settle for surface-level leadership. Timestamped Highlights 00:58 – Why female leadership is finally taking over the executive suite 03:01 – The unexpected advantage of running five brands at once 06:23 – The overlooked tools behind flawless brand consistency 09:53 – Brutal truth: franchisee complaints vs. customer reality 13:59 – The hard lesson on platform thinking and brand magic 17:00 – The moment in-the-field leadership unlocked real innovation 20:36 – What working front desk taught her about operational blind spots 30:10 – How surprise and delight moments quietly crush the competition 40:08 – The fast-track strategy for building trust with frontline teams 53:04 – AI’s real role in service businesses (and where human connection wins) About the Guest Ankin Laysha is the Chief Operating Officer of Wellbiz Brands, overseeing 700+ franchise locations across Drybar, Elements Massage, Amazing Lash Studio, Radiant Waxing, and Fitness Together. With a track record in multi-unit retail, franchise scale, and innovation, Ankin is recognized for operational rigor, brand growth, and building high-performance executive teams. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Drybar Elements Massage Amazing Lash Studio Radiant Waxing Fitness Together 24 Hour Fitness McKinsey & Company About the Co-Host Lindsay Smith is an experience-driven growth strategist and former Chief Strategy Officer. This marks her first episode as official co-host of the podcast. She previously scaled a new region without a traditional sales team or bloated marketing budget by turning relationships, culture, and execution into revenue. She is the author of No One Needs Another Company Mug. Stop Branding. Start Experiencing and helps leadership teams use experience as a competitive growth lever. 🔗 Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take Cameron’s leadership course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold and co-hosted by Lindsay Smith. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

  • June 18 · 51 min

    Ep. 589 - Joe Taylor Restoration President Aaron Getty - Are You Built to Be the Founder’s Most Trusted Leader?

    Ever felt the raw pressure of holding a company’s fate and the founder’s trust in your hands? Lindsay Smith drills into the no-filter reality of the “second in command” role, sitting down with Aaron Getty, President of Joe Taylor Restoration. This is not your average COO conversation. Aaron Getty lifts the curtain on his wild ride from sales rep to running every part of a rapidly scaling restoration business. He exposes the brutally honest partnership between visionary founders and operators, the loneliness most COOs quietly endure, and why clear vision beats perfection every day. You’ll hear why most leadership “rules” are outdated, how to nurture real growth (not just bigger headcount), and what separates those who thrive from those who buckle under pressure. Listen now, or risk missing the exact frameworks and mindsets that separate average executives from legends. This is an insider’s playbook you won’t hear anywhere else and the shifts revealed here will shape your next leadership move. Timestamped Highlights 00:00 – The vivid vision move that erased all guesswork overnight 03:06 – Thriving with a founder who never stops—how to lead without being the brakes 06:19 – The “loneliest seat” in the company and the hidden weights of the COO 08:51 – How Aaron built an unstoppable leadership team from scratch 12:47 – The slow, relentless sales approach that future-proofs your business 15:01 – When leaders outgrow their teams: What happens next 19:21 – The one training that finally unified frontline and executive growth 30:06 – The vivid vision launch party and what it did for company velocity 33:57 – Letting go: Why Aaron wants less decision-making power, not more About the Guest Aaron Getty is President of Joe Taylor Restoration, a powerhouse in Florida’s emergency mitigation industry. With over a decade earned in the trenches, he’s scaled the company from a seven-person shop to a 100+ member, seven-location force—setting a new standard for operational leadership in the high-stakes restoration sector. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Traction by Gino Wickman Scaling Up by Verne Harnish Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink Good to Great by Jim Collins 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan About the Co-Host Lindsay Smith is an experience-driven growth strategist and former Chief Strategy Officer. This marks her first episode as official co-host of the podcast. She previously scaled a new region without a traditional sales team or bloated marketing budget by turning relationships, culture, and execution into revenue. She is the author of No One Needs Another Company Mug. Stop Branding. Start Experiencing and helps leadership teams use experience as a competitive growth lever. 🔗 Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take Cameron’s leadership course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold and co-hosted by Lindsay Smith. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. Sponsored by: Redirect Health - Affordable healthcare benefits designed to make traditional insurance optional, with 24/7 access to primary care and Rx support that helps businesses reduce costs while keeping employees covered. Learn more: http://www.redirectcoo.com/

  • June 16 · 49 min

    Ep. 588 - FAN FAVORITE | Former SaaS Academy (now Precision) COO Matt Verlaque

    What if your next big business breakthrough started with owning your own blind spots? This Fan Favorite episode throws you in the trenches with Cameron Herold and SaaS Academy's former COO and current CEO Matt Verlachi, as they go far beyond surface-level business banter. From surviving firefighting chaos to building, selling, and now scaling SaaS Academy, Matt Verlachi exposes the real skills that make or break Second in Commands. They unpack why customer obsession cures more growth headaches than any software, how to weaponize one-on-ones for radical team development, and what most COOs get dead wrong about CEO dynamics. Miss this? You risk coasting on old habits while others engineer unfair advantages. Listen now for hard-won tactics you won’t find in any business course from the world’s largest SaaS coaching engine. Timestamped Highlights 00:45 – The firefighting mindset that built decisive business instincts 05:56 – The overlooked power of “small unit” teams to unlock real growth 09:44 – Are you a COO trapped in a CEO’s title? The unexpected identity test 13:43 – Brutal truths about customer obsession and why most leaders fail here 16:18 – The lesson no founder learns soon enough when selling their company 18:22 – The surprising reason joining SaaS Academy changed his life 21:31 – The founder’s hidden block: How self-worth destroys pricing 27:31 – The counterintuitive leadership split that 10x’d their decision speed 41:07 – How his “full-person” one-on-ones rip open performance breakthroughs About the Guest Matt Verlaque was the former COO of SaaS Academy (now Precision), steering operational strategy for the largest coaching platform serving B2B SaaS entrepreneurs. With first-hand experience ranging from firefighting to founding and selling a SaaS startup, he delivers operating wisdom forged under real pressure. He is currently serving as the CEO at Precision, where they help growth-minded founders understand how their business actually works so they can scale with clarity, not chaos. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary Joe Polish / Genius Network 1-800-GOT-JUNK Dan Martell Shopify (Tobias Lütke, Harley Finkelstein) CrossFit UP Launch Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi Note: This Fan Favorite episode is a recast of one of our most impactful interviews, still packed with insights for second-in-command leaders. Whether it’s your first listen or a revisit, there’s timeless value inside. The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

  • June 11 · 41 min

    Ep. 587 - Soma Breath Co-Founder & COO Gary Torrens - How to Effortlessly Scale Your Breathwork Business

    What happens when you try to build a global movement teaching people how to breathe in an industry exploding with competition? Gary Torrens, co-founder and Second in Command at Soma Breath, sits down with Cameron Herold to reveal what most operators never say out loud. This conversation punches into operational realities: remote chaos, hiring struggles, visionary partner dynamics, and the brutal truth about what actually works when building a scalable certification business. Breathwork is everywhere, but Soma Breath’s story is different. You’ll hear how they went from wild psilocybin-fueled vision quests in Thailand to leading thousands of facilitators and facing the tough tradeoffs of pricing, growth, and culture. If you want to understand the Second in Command power dynamic and see the inside of a company growing faster than most can handle, this episode is your shortcut. Listen now or risk missing the real-world roadmap and the costly mistakes that separate scalable movements from also-rans. Only here: Gary’s unfiltered answers and their playbook for the next stage. This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, Next Level Growth. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment Timestamped Highlights 06:53 – The unexpected business model nobody saw coming 10:14 – Ancient breathing meets modern science: the strategy that sparked a movement 13:10 – Why they priced the membership low—and the hidden risks 17:16 – Remote chaos: problems they never saw coming with a global team 22:10 – The controversial move to focus on city-based expansion 24:19 – The real marketing mess they had to fix after explosive growth 27:08 – The truth behind their biggest revenue engine 34:07 – Gary’s brutal leadership lesson that changed everything About the Guest Gary Torrens is co-founder and COO of Soma Breath. He helped turn a visionary idea blending ancient breathwork, modern science, and music into a global certification platform with 4,000+ facilitators. With a background in physics, finance, and digital marketing, Gary is known for building systems that scale impact, not just revenue. 🔗 LinkedIn | Website Mentioned Resources Mindvalley Zumba CrossFit EOS Calm Lovable Jason Campbell Chip Wilson (Lululemon) Sam Skelly Vishen Lakhiani (Mindvalley founder) Ayahuasca, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, Ketamine (psychedelics referenced) The Renegade Pharmacist Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand. This episode is brought to you by our Silver Sponsor, Next Level Growth. They help COOs and leadership teams build Elite Organizations through a proven, customizable framework built around the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations. If you and your leadership team are ready to operate at the next level, take the Elite Organizations Assessment and receive a free 20-page customized report based on your answers, plus a complimentary one-hour coaching session with a Next Level Growth Partner and Business Guide to begin implementing tools that will help you build an even more elite business. Complete the assessment here to get started - nextlevelgrowth.com/cooassessment

  • June 9 · 53 min

    Ep. 586 - FAN FAVORITE | Former WIO Bank COO Jamal Al Awadhi – How Elite COOs Deliver Massive Value Even Faster

    What if everything you know about starting and scaling a bank is wrong? In this Fan Favorite episode, Cameron Herold uncovers the real story behind WIO Bank with former COO Jamal Al Awadhi, a leader fueling the UAE’s platform banking revolution. From Abu Dhabi’s government-driven vision to the ferocious war for top talent, Jamal lays out how to break tradition, lead through chaos, and unlock transformative team culture. If you skip this episode, you’ll miss out on first-hand insights into word-of-mouth-driven growth, the secret sauce for hiring resilient operators, and the unfiltered truth about working with sovereign wealth funds. Listen now to tap hard-won lessons you won’t find anywhere else. Your next strategic leap could depend on it. Timestamped Highlights 01:13 – The immigrant mindset shaping global leadership grit 06:04 – The real reason WIO Bank launched in the UAE—exposed 09:09 – Unpacking painful problems traditional banking ignored 14:00 – Did regulations crush or catalyze digital banking? 15:42 – Competing with legacy players: a blunt take on building trust 18:04 – Why word-of-mouth blew up WIO’s customer growth overnight 26:57 – The resilience litmus test: how to hire for hypergrowth chaos 37:02 – Inside the CEO-COO dynamic that keeps a rocketship on track 43:36 – Game-changing leadership lessons that rewired Jamal’s style About the Guest Jamal Al Awadhi was the Chief Operating Officer of WIO Bank, Abu Dhabi’s breakout digital platform bank. With over a decade in marketing, strategy, and operations across industries, Jamal blends international perspective with deep regional expertise to drive game-changing innovation and hypergrowth at one of the UAE’s fastest-scaling financial disruptors. Currently, he is the CEO of Al Hilal Bank. 🔗 Website Mentioned Resources WIO Bank ADQ Investment Bank InterNations Dynamite Circle Henley Business School 1-800-GOT-JUNK Important Links Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off) Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi Note: This Fan Favorite episode is a recast of one of our most impactful interviews, still packed with insights for second-in-command leaders. Whether it’s your first listen or a revisit, there’s timeless value inside. The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

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