Why is U.S. healthcare so broken? If you're not sure why it’s so expensive or dysfunctional, this week’s podcast may illuminate the answers for you.

I sat down with Alex Barrett, Cofounder & CEO of Meroka, who's tackling one of the root problems:

1. Consolidation that strips doctors of autonomy
2. Misaligned incentives across the system
3. Outdated models that sacrifice care for throughput

70% of doctors now work for big systems but Alex is charting a new path by giving independent practices scale, liquidity, and ownership without the need to sell out.

Special thanks to Alex for joining the pod - this is one of the smartest takes I’ve heard on how to fix healthcare from the inside.

⏱️ Chapter Markers

00:00 – Welcome & Guest Intro

01:20 – What is Meroka?

03:30 – Why Independence Matters in Healthcare

05:30 – The Trade-Off Between Scale & Patient Experience

07:20 – Breaking Down Reimbursement Rates

10:30 – Why Scale Has Meant Consolidation—Until Now

14:50 – How Independent Practices Survive

17:00 – The Myth That Doctors Are Bad at Business

20:30 – Meroka’s Employee Ownership Model

23:50 – Comparing to Private Equity Models

26:00 – The Future of Healthcare as a Real Market

28:30 – Final Thoughts & Gratitude

Links:

1. Alex Barrett: LinkedIn
2. Meroka: Website, LinkedIn
3. Interplay: Website, LinkedIn, Twitter
4. MPD: LinkedIn, Twitter

This conversation blew me away. I sat down with Lydia Fenet, an auctioneer who’s raised over a billion dollars, and what started as a chat about charity auctions quickly turned into one of the most insightful masterclasses on sales, persuasion, and audience psychology I’ve ever heard.

Lydia isn’t just good on stage, she’s world-class at reading people, building trust instantly, and closing with confidence. What’s wild is how much of what she does applies directly to startup life: pitching investors, closing enterprise deals, selling your vision.

If you’re a founder, operator, or anyone in business, this episode is packed with tactics that’ll shift how you think about selling anything to anyone.

⏱ Chapter Markers

00:00 – Intro: Why Auctioneering Matters To Entrepreneurs

01:15 – Lydia’s Unconventional Path Into Auctioneering

04:00 – The High-Stakes World Of Charity Auctions

06:15 – Launching The First Auctioneer Talent Agency

08:00 – What Makes A Great Charity Auctioneer?

11:00 – Sales Psychology On Stage

13:45 – Audience Dynamics And Identifying Your “Auction Foil”

17:30 – Anchoring Luxury With Impact: Values-Based Selling

20:00 – The Power Of The Underbidder

22:00 – Auction Tactics That Apply To Enterprise Sales

25:00 – Selling With Empathy, Not A Script

27:30 – The Power Of Suggestion And Painting The Picture

31:00 – Closing Thoughts & Key Takeaways

Links:

1. Lyndia Fenet: Website, LinkedIn
2. Book (Written by Lyndia Fenet): The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You: Command an Audience and Sell Your Way to Success
3. Book (Written by Lyndia Fenet): Claim Your Confidence: Unlock Your Superpower and Create the Life You Want
4. Interplay: Website, LinkedIn, Twitter
5. MPD: LinkedIn, Twitter

Brad Svrluga has been a mentor and a close friend of mine for years. Watching him build Primary - one of the most respected firms in the industry - has been a masterclass in itself, so sitting down with him for this episode was a highlight I've been looking forward to and a great way to kick off the year.

We went deep on an often overlooked topic in VC: How do you actually scale a firm's infrastructure?

Whether you're a GP or a founder, Brad’s perspective on building a modern, institutional-grade firm is unmatched.

⏱ Chapter Markers

00:00 – Intro & Brad's Background

01:00 – What Primary Ventures Does Differently

03:20 – Incubation and Building Companies from Scratch

05:00 – Why Founders Pick Primary

07:00 – Inside the Operational Support Team

09:00 – Is There a Downside to Scaling a VC Firm?

10:30 – Culture and Structure at Primary

12:15 – Aligning Operational Teams with MOIC Goals

14:00 – Ben & Brad: cofounder Dynamics

17:30 – Why Brad Became a VC

21:00 – The Challenge of Scaling Venture Itself

24:00 – The Downfall of Venture Networks

26:00 – Scaling with Specialized Partners

30:00 – Rebranding and Starting Primary

31:30 – Advice for Emerging VCs: Sourcing, Picking, and LPs

38:50 – Wrap-Up and Reflections

Links:

1. Brad Svrluga: LinkedIn
2. Primary: Website, LinkedIn
3. Interplay: Website, LinkedIn, Twitter
4. MPD: LinkedIn, Twitter