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The Authority Company

The Authority Company

Written by: Joe Pardavila
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 The Authority Company Podcast Network is your ultimate source for inspiration, insights, and strategies from the world's most accomplished business leaders. This channel features a collection of dynamic shows, each offering in-depth, one-on-one conversations with top entrepreneurs, CEOs, and innovators across diverse industries. From overcoming challenges to crafting winning strategies, every episode is packed with practical advice, leadership tips, and stories that will inspire you to unlock your full potential—whether you're a seasoned leader or an aspiring entrepreneur. Watch new episodes on YouTube and listen on all major podcast platforms. Join us as we explore the journeys that define success and help you take your own to the next level.Advantage | The Authority Company Art Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • From Burnout to Bliss With Dr. Shaoqing Sun

    From Burnout to Bliss With Dr. Shaoqing Sun
    Feb 18 2026
    What happens when success stops feeling like success? On this episode of The Authority Company Podcast, Joe Pardavila sits down with Dr. Shaoqing Sun, founder and chief geoscientist of C&C Reservoirs, for a raw conversation about ambition, burnout, ego, and rebuilding a life from the inside out. Dr. Sun grew up in a small rural village in China where survival depended on relentless work. By age twelve, he earned more money than his father. That mindset followed him into adulthood, entrepreneurship, and a global career in geoscience. It also pushed him to physical collapse, family strain, and a deep loss of purpose. In this episode, Dr. Sun shares the moments where drive turned destructive. He opens up about missed time with his family, anger toward employees, and the wake up calls that forced him to confront the cost of his obsession. He also walks through the ten year internal struggle that followed, and the spiritual shift that helped him dissolve ego and redefine success. This conversation explores leadership beyond performance. It looks at what happens when identity gets tied to work, why achievement alone never delivers fulfillment, and how clarity, calm, and creativity return once ego steps aside. If you lead a business, build companies, or feel trapped by your own drive, this episode offers a grounded look at what comes after burnout, and what real leadership looks like on the other side.
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    48 mins
  • The 80 Percent Rule Behind Scaling Any Business

    The 80 Percent Rule Behind Scaling Any Business
    Feb 12 2026
    In this episode of Entrepreneur | Authorities, Joe Pardavila sits down with Charles Sims, founder of SkaFld Studio and “Hurricane CTO,” to break down why nearly 80 percent of every business is built on repeatable systems and how leaders who master that foundation scale faster with less chaos.

    Charles introduces the SkaFld Anywhere methodology, a framework designed to systemize the core operations behind growth across any industry. From turning a single indoor pickleball venue into a franchise ready operation, to guiding school districts through AI adoption with clarity and trust, Charles shows why strong infrastructure matters more than flashy ideas.


    The conversation explores why smart leaders resist standardization, how perfectionism stalls momentum, and what usually breaks first when companies try to grow without clear systems in place. Charles shares real examples from startups, local businesses, and public sector organizations, explaining how modular thinking removes decision fatigue and builds consistency without killing culture.


    Joe and Charles also dive into the human side of scaling, including how trust lowers risk, why empathy drives adoption of new initiatives, and how leaders separate personal identity from the systems their organizations need to thrive.


    The episode closes with a clear takeaway: when you systemize the repeatable 80 percent of your business, the remaining 20 percent becomes your competitive edge.

    💡 What You’ll Learn
    • Why most business challenges follow repeatable patterns
    • How systems reduce burnout and speed up growth
    • Why progress beats perfection
    • How leaders build buy-in during change
    • What scaling looks like outside Silicon Valley
    • How structure creates freedom instead of friction

    ⏱️ Episode Highlights
    00:00 – What “SkaFld Anywhere” means and why 80% of business is repeatable
    Charles explains the blueprint mindset behind scaling across industries.
    03:00 – Why frameworks work beyond tech startups
    How SkaFld moved into schools, local businesses, and public sector projects.
    07:00 – What breaks first when leaders scale without systems
    The human bottleneck and the role of context in growth.
    12:00 – How perfectionism slows momentum inside organizations
    Why edge cases derail progress and how leaders keep teams moving.
    14:00 – Turning a pickleball venue into a scalable operation
    Real-world systems behind franchising and modular operations.
    19:00 – Why modular thinking unlocks faster decisions
    Breaking complex businesses into simple, repeatable components.
    25:00 – How standardization improved customer experience overnight
    What surprised founders once systems took hold.
    27:00 – Building trust when introducing new frameworks
    Why empathy matters more than tools.
    31:00 – Using AI in school districts without fear or chaos
    How initiative management beats tech obsession.
    36:00 – The “synthetic balance sheet” for smarter decisions
    Measuring tangible and intangible costs in growth.
    40:00 – Why leaders delay big decisions and how to break the stall
    Moving from hesitation to execution in 60 to 90 days.
    44:00 – Systemizing the 80% that fuels long-term success
    Where true differentiation lives.

    Website: skafldstudio.com
    • Email: charles@skafldstudio.com
    • LinkedIn: Charles Sims
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    46 mins
  • Ksenia Yudina on Power, Control, and Startups

    Ksenia Yudina on Power, Control, and Startups
    Feb 11 2026
    In this episode of The Authority Company Podcast, Joe Pardavila sits down with One Venture, Ten MBAs author Ksenia Yudina, CFA for a raw conversation about building companies when the playbook breaks. Ksenia left a successful career in finance to start a fintech platform designed to help families invest in their children’s futures. What followed was the full founder arc. Rapid growth. Major funding rounds. A $120 million valuation. Then a series of black swan events that tested every assumption behind venture capital, control, and resilience. She walks through what first-time founders never see coming, why fundraising feels more like dating than pitching, and how capital structure quietly decides who holds power when markets turn. Ksenia shares the hard lessons behind venture debt, board control, and what happens when founders lose the ability to steer the companies they built. The conversation goes deeper than tactics. Ksenia opens up about identity after stepping away from her own company, the emotional toll of losing control, and why she chose to start again with a new venture, stronger boundaries, and clearer conviction. This episode speaks to founders, operators, and leaders who want the truth behind startup success. Not the highlight reel. The reality.
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    33 mins
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