"We spend our whole lives trying to climb the ladder, only to find it’s leaning against the wrong wall."

In this episode of The Leaders’ Arena, Nate Fochtman and Clifford Starks sit down with retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel and behavioral finance expert Ted McLyman. If you’ve ever felt like traditional financial planning doesn’t "fit" you, there’s a biological reason for that.

Ted breaks down why information isn’t knowledge, why your "money temperament" is hardwired, and why most gurus are lying to you about one-size-fits-all success.

What we discuss:

- The "Pathfinder" vs. The "Maintainer": Why some founders are wired to fix and others are wired to manage.
- Biology vs. Bank Statements: Why your ancient brain isn't designed for a digital economy.
- The "Lies" of 2008 & 2026: Navigating a crashing job market by creating your own LLC.
- The 15% Rule: How to identify if you are actually wired for the "guru" program you just bought.

Connect with Ted:
Website: TedMcLyman.com
Book: Confessions of a Reformed Financial Advisor

Check out TheLeadersArenaPodcast.com for more stories or Wherever You Podcast: Spotify, Apple, etc

Support the show

What actually changes a person: motivation, or pattern recognition?

In this episode of The Leaders’ Arena Podcast, I’m joined by my co-host Clifford Starks and our guest Deevo The Storyteller (Chief Experience Officer, Storyteller) for a real, unscripted conversation about what happens when life forces a mirror in front of you and you choose to look.

We get into:

• Why most “decisions” are unconscious and how that runs your relationships, money and leadership
• Trauma, shame, guilt and what it takes to rebuild your identity instead of repeating the loop
• The difference between “being transparent” vs. showing up with integrity and reading the room
• Storytelling as the oldest technology for connection and why your story matters even if you “just sell widgets”
• How Deevo uses diagnostics, values work and structured reflection to help founders at inflection points
• Gratitude as a discipline, not a vibe and why perspective is the real power move
• Co-parenting, divorce and the uncomfortable truth: some chapters end so the next one can start

No script. No agenda. Just three men trying to tell the truth about the work.

Connect with Deevo: thebrandstoryteller.com

Follow / Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, mindset, resilience and building a life you can actually live inside of.

Check out TheLeadersArenaPodcast.com for more information.

Support the show

What if the reason you keep “knowing what to do” but still can’t follow through… isn’t discipline?

In this episode, we sit down with Quentin McCain, co-owner of The Leaders Edge and a subconscious mindset coach who works with leaders on anxiety, productivity, high performance, limiting beliefs, and the deeper root issues that keep people stuck.

We get into the difference between the conscious mind (the goal-setter) and the subconscious mind (the goal-getter), why talk-only change can plateau and what happens when you remove the belief that growth has to be hard.

This conversation also turns into something bigger than mindset work:

• Building trust with strangers in real time
• Why presence is disappearing in modern life
• The “lone wolf” myth in leadership and what changes when you build with a partner
• Quentin’s path from the Arizona Burn Center to coaching leaders worldwide
• What community looks like in Brazil, and what we’ve lost in the U.S.

If you’re a founder, operator, executive, or simply someone trying to build a better life with less noise and more clarity, this one will land.

Check out Quentin's story at TheLeadersArenaPodcast.com, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Wherever You Podcast.

Support the show

Most people are waiting.

Waiting for the right moment.
Waiting for less stress.
Waiting for someone to show up and fix it.

But here’s the truth:

Nobody’s coming.

In this episode of The Leaders’ Arena Podcast, Clifford Starks sits down with leadership coach and parenting strategist Leonne Sherr to unpack the real work of leadership - the internal work most people avoid.

This conversation goes deep into:

Why reacting is costing leaders, parents, and founders everything

How “B → Do → Have” changes behavior permanently

Why clarity, alignment, and responsibility always come first

How small daily shifts create generational change

Why leadership starts at home — and inside you

This isn’t about hustle.
It’s not about doing more.

It’s about becoming the person who can respond under pressure.

If you’re a parent, founder, leader, or human trying to navigate chaos with confidence - this episode is for you.

Watch. Reflect. Start today.

Support the show

This episode is personal.

Rick Hendrickson isn’t a stranger to me. He’s my high school wrestling coach, a lifelong mentor, and one of the biggest reasons I understand what leadership actually looks like when no one’s watching.

We talk about what it means to be a man in 2025 without the performative nonsense. We get into emotional intelligence, accountability, and the reality that there is no neutral in how you show up in the world: you’re either contributing or you’re contaminating.

Coach shares his story from growing up in Grafton, West Virginia, to building a life in education, athletics, and mentorship - plus the behind-the-scenes truth of how he ended up in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia and later helped build Mercesburg Adventure Camps into a real business engine rooted in people, standards, and culture.

We also talk about my 3-year sobriety milestone and what it looks like to lose your direction, fall off the bridge, and come back with your life intact - without blaming anyone else.

If you care about leadership, coaching, education, or just becoming the kind of person people can count on, this one’s for you.

Subscribe for more conversations with founders, leaders, operators, and people who’ve lived the lessons.

Support the show

Most people think entrepreneurship is about strategy, hustle, and execution.

It’s not.
It’s negotiation.
With people.
With systems.
And most of all, with yourself.

In this episode of The Leaders Arena, former UFC & Bellator Fighter Clifford Starks and Nate Fochtman go deep into the realities founders don’t talk about: survival mode, self-inventory, over-ownership, addiction in all its forms, leadership embodiment, and why most people avoid the internal work until life forces them to stop.

We talk about why stepping into the arena is always harder than expected, how society tells people what to do instead of asking what they want, and why failure, discomfort, and aggressive mistakes are often the fastest teachers. We unpack parenting, mentorship, hiring, negotiation, abundance mindset, and the danger of confusing external validation for internal alignment.

This conversation also marks the announcement of Nate’s new founder and executive coaching program - built for operators who are tired of chaos, fire drills, and carrying everything in their head, and ready to turn vision into systems that actually work.

If you’re building something, leading people, recovering yourself, or questioning the path you’re on - this one will hit.

Recorded for founders, leaders, and people who are done running from the mirror.

More Stories at TheLeadersArenaPodcast.com

Support the show

Today’s episode of The Leaders’ Arena is all about leadership under pressure.

Clifford Starks and I dive into what it actually means to stand firm when the ground shifts beneath you. We talk about internal alignment, personal development, and the difference between reacting to the world and responding with intention. Clifford brings his perspective as a coach and former UFC fighter, and I bring two decades of navigating highly regulated, constantly shifting industries.

We cover resilience, owning your voice, serving the right audience, staying small and nimble when the world expects you to play it safe, and why the underdog mentality has shaped both of us. We get into setbacks, identity, self-ownership, and the real work of becoming someone who can hold steady in the middle of uncertainty.

This conversation wasn’t planned. A guest canceled, we turned the mics on, and something real came out - an unscripted discussion between two people who know what it feels like to adapt, pivot, and stay rooted while the pressure builds.

If you’re a leader, a founder, or someone trying to grow through the noise, this episode will resonate.

Support the show

We dive deep with the brilliant Timothy Morgan, founder of Giver Marketing Network, who functions as a Fractional CMO and helps causes and companies amplify their purpose. Timothy and the hosts (Nate Fochtman and Clifford Starks) break down why authenticity and human connection are the only way to win in modern business.

We hit on why relying on a perfect script is failing you, how to craft an authentic origin story (Background + Aha Moment), and the two core steps every solopreneur needs to make a massive impact. Nate shares a powerful, emotional story about why the idea of the "self-made millionaire" is entirely false, and Timothy reveals his essential formula for true leadership: Responsibility + Influence.

If you feel stuck, lost your purpose, or are just tired of trying to do it all yourself, this is the episode you need right now.

In this Episode:

Timothy's "lonelypreneur" aha moment and the founding of Giver Marketing Network.

The two-step formula for creating an authentic origin story that converts.

Why the Giver Marketing Network focuses on mission-driven companies.

Timothy's essential new definition of leadership: Responsibility + Influence.

The core principle of success: Find Your Superpower and Find Your Team.

Nate Fochtman's emotional realization about EGO and the myth of doing it alone.

Connect with Timothy Morgan and get his new book, Jade: givermarketing.com/jade

Connect with Clifford Starks
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clifford-starks
Company: The Fighter's Formula - TheFightersFormula.com

Connect with Nate Fochtman
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/natefochtman
Company: The FreeMind Group - FMGStrategy.com

Support the show