Elevation Nation

Every day the mind is all over the place. Oftentimes we find ourselves in interesting situations based on what our needs or what we think we want. That can be challenging at times as a young adult…

Nzingha Prescod is an American World Champion and Olympian who spent the first 27 years of her life committed to becoming the best fencer in the world. After retiring from competition in 2020, Nzingha has been focused on the next phase of her life combining her love for fencing and passion for philanthropy. Navigating life beyond competition has not been an easy task for Nzingha. Now the founder of an incredible foundation (The Prescod Institute for Sport, Teamwork and Education), she continues to strive to give back to the community while figuring out how to achieve her new life goals. WikipediaInstagramSports Illustrated: Two-Time Olympian Nzingha Prescod Hopes to Make Fencing More Accessible Through Fencing in the Park

Decisions decisions decisions. We make hundreds throughout a given day. In this episode, we get a bit philosophical as to how we make these decisions and if they are truly what make us happy.

Jonny Lazarus is a former Division 1 hockey player and now a content creator, podcast host, on-air NHL analyst and a multimedia planner. After coming to terms with the reality that his NHL dreams were unrealistic after college, Jonny didn’t shy away of his love for hockey. Even when faced with adversity over the past few years, Jonny has remained committed to his goal of staying close to the game of hockey forever through his everyday grind.Jonny is a perfect example of a young adult who never let challenging circumstances deter him away from his passion.LinkedIn TwitterInstagram

With half of 2022 in the books, Sam and Parker take some time off from work to hit the reset button and gear up for the second half of the year. Also, during the time off, some unfathomable events occurred near Sam’s hometown in Highland Park, IL. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the horrific events.Please consider a donation to the GoFundMe of Adan Aguilar, a victim of the 4th of July shooting and friend of Sam’s grandmother. https://www.gofundme.com/f/adan-aguilar-4th-of-july-shooting-victim?utm_medium=email&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_email%2B5806-thank-you-ask-share

Chase Damiano is a entrepreneur, strategist and consultant focused on helping early and mid-stage founders redesign their lives to put purpose and intention first. With his company HUMANS AT SCALE, Chase has worked with many successful entrepreneurs, including former guest Rahul Vinod (Founder of Rasa). Chase’s work has been featured in Forbes 30 under 30 and The Washington Post among others.We talk with Chase aboutWhy we are wired to think a certain wayWhat designing your life looks likeCalculated decisions vs spontaneous decisionsWebsiteLinkedIn

We discuss the Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade.

Danielle Dietzek and Julie Griggs are the co-founders of Fourplay Social, a social network for single friends. Danielle and Julie both worked in healthcare before coming up with an idea to make dating for single people more fun. They created Fourplay to allow people to recruit another single friend, create a "fourplay" team, and then match with other pairs, making for a much more fun dating experience. We talk with Danielle and Julie about:Modern dating cultureChallenge with first datesBalancing being best friends and co-foundersFourplay SocialDanielle DietzekJulie Griggs

The current state of the economy is leaving us a bit anxious this week. Although we will never be able to predict what is going to happen for sure in the economy, we can alter our mindset to prepare for both the good or the bad.

Amir Vardi is the founder of Lever, a company on a mission to help people optimize credit card rewards, track spending and improve credit scores. Amir found himself knowing all to well about the world of finances in the classroom and corporate setting. But as a young adult, he struggled with getting a full grasp of his own personal finances.An idea that he wrote on a napkin, soon became a reality when he quit his full time job and went all in figuring out how to start Lever. Now, through his company, Amir is helping people to be smarter with their money.We talk with Amir aboutPersonal finances strategiesThe hard thing to understand about credit cardsHow Lever can help you make the most out of credit cardsLinkedInLever - Website

Nature is healing especially when you live in a crowded city. Sam and Parker discuss their latest adventures outside of their respective cities and the lesson’s they took away from their time enjoying the great outdoors.

Jamauri Bogan is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former Division 1 football player who is on a mission to make the world a better place through real estate development in moderate to low-income communities and philanthropic programs.After playing college football at Western Michigan University as one of their greatest running backs of all time, Jamauri joined the real world with the vision that he would leave his mark. Although he works countless hours on his mission, he often reminds himself that enjoying the journey is what elevating is all about, even when things get a little tough.We talk with Jamauri about:Life as a D1 football playerHis real estate business and philanthropyHow he aligns his mindset with a mission bigger than himselfGiving back to othersLinkedInTwitter

Topics: TikTok has taken the world by storm so spend some time giving our perspective on the popular video app; One of Parker’s videos is getting some attention on TikTok; Is social media helping or hurting us?

Alex Neumann is a professional pickleball player based in New York City. Growing up as an avid tennis player, Alex found pickleball in college and fell in love with the up and coming sport. Now he spends his days working at his full-time job while training and competing to become one of pickleball’s best.Alex’s recent success has led him to travel to pickleball tournaments across the country, sponsorships, and new challenges as he tries to navigate the real world. We talk with Alex about:How he became a pickleball professionalThe balance of work and professional sportsHis mindset approach to being the best he can beCRBN PickleballInstagram

Prestige is something that we all know about. It is a term that is used to describe the respect or admiration that one has for another’s accomplishments or status. Sam and Parker have a conversation about how they see prestige and how expectations define different levels of prestige.Thank you to David Perell for the inspiration on the topic. His twitter thread on prestige sparked the conversation this week. Check it out on Twitter.

Xander Chase and Ryan Lane are the founders of FTL, a company focused on developing products that help make productive days a little bit easier to achieve. They are releasing their first product, a fully functional bag that combines your work, gym, and garment bag all into one beautifully designed product. FTL stands for For The Love. We talk with Xander and Ryan about their love for building things and how/why they made the decision to spend three years developing FTL and their first product. Other topics we talk about:Challenges of starting a consumer products brandPassion for building thingsTheir motto: Do more, Carry LessUse promo code ELEVATION20 for $20 off your purchase of an FTL Bag thanks to our generous friends from FTL!

A lot has been going on Sam’s life and his has felt a bit overwhelmed with all he has to do now and what will come doing a soon to be busy summer. On Fortitude in 15 this week, we unpack why Sam is feeling that way and talk through some tips and tricks to take a step back and come to terms with overwhelming feelings.

Genevieve Bellaire is the founder and CEO of Realworld, a platform to navigate adulthood and its life moments. In 2017, Genevieve started Realworld to help young adults navigate the “Realworld” decisions around personal finance, healthcare, and insurance. Realworld has helped thousands of young adults get a better grasp on life after college.Realworld and Elevation Nation are similar in the sense that both companies are on a mission to help young adults conquer the real world, which made for a great conversation.We talk with Genevieve about: How Realworld is helping young adults conquer the real worldThe challenge with transitioning to adulthoodUsing mental fortitude as a mindset Hard and soft skills you needLinkedInRealworld WebsiteRealworld InstagramRealworld raises $3.4M to help Gen Z navigate adulthood

As we get older, our eating habits evolve. This week on Fortitude in 15, Sam and Parker discuss how their habits have changed over the years and how they are going about eating. One thing is for certain: we can't eat like we used to...

Rob Carney is an enthusiast when it comes to wellness and agriculture. His background in sustainable food and farming, combined with his passion for a variety of health practices has helped him grow an enormous following of people looking to better the quality of their lives. We talk with Rob about:Growing Your Own FoodPersonalizing Your DietModern Day FarmingHuman Connection w/ NatureWebsiteeBookInstagram

Parker came across a list that Jesse Itzler (entrepreneur and motivational speaker) posted on his LinkedIn page earlier this week: WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR 21 YEAR OLD SELFFor the 150th episode of Elevation Nation, Parker and Sam discuss, agree and disagree with the ten tips that Jesse provides in his list.

Ben Putzer is a soon-to-be college graduate and entrepreneur. As a student at The University of Maryland, Ben started a company called Visitour, a platform for prospective college to students to find customized campus tours. Visitour has more than 50 unique tour guides across three schools in the Big Ten.As graduation approaches, Ben is mulling a big decision: Will he go full-time on Visitour after college or try to find a job and do it part-time. We talk with Ben about:What is Visitour?Why college campuses need more personalized tour experiencesBen’s big decisionAdvice for college to the real worldLinkedInVisitourTikTok

Sam and Parker catch up after a week of not chatting due to a busy week of travel. Parker is down in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Sam just came home from a trip in New York City. With things getting very busy, they talk about how to they are trying to be more intentional with how they go about their day.

Ilana Dunn is the Host and Executive Producer of “Seeing Other People”, a podcast show about dating and relationships. Ilana’s Snapchat show “Screening For Love”, where she interviews strangers about dating advice, recently hit 50k subscribers. Although Ilana graduated college with a top journalism degree, she struggled to find her fit and fulfillment in the real world. When she was let go from her most recent employer, she went “all in” on herself to start making her dreams come true. Now she is truly elevating herself by helping others with their dating lives. We talk with Ilana aboutHer struggle in the music industry post-collegeHow she made the decision to go full time on her passionVulnerability in datingAdvice on approaching dating appsLinkedInInstagramSeeing Other People

Parker and Sam get together for their first in-person podcast in over a year! In this conversation, they talk through a fear that Sam brought to Parker’s attention while they were talking on the roof about life.

Based in Los Angeles, Ryan Modnyy is a 21-year-old entrepreneur on a mission to bring together influencers and brands with a focus on wellbeing and mental health. Ryan is a partner at S1 Group and Founder of Modnyy Entertainment. After seeing the power and influence that TikTok had on the world early on during the pandemic, Ryan took a leap of faith and doubled down on himself. He dropped out of college and moved to LA. Now, a couple years later, Ryan is working with some of the top creators in the world and is making a difference by bringing awareness to mental health.We talk with Ryan about:Getting bullied as a child and the impact that had on himDropping out of college and moving to LAHow he created one of the most popular mental health conversations on ClubhouseWhat it is like to work with popular influencersInstagramLinkedIn

We all know the phrase “work life balance”. Whether we see it in articles, in the news or hear our employer talk about it, it’s a common term. However, do we always have a work life balance? Is there a reason why work comes before life in the phrase? We talk about some of our work life imbalances and how we go about leveling the scale.

Rahul Vinod is the co-founder of Rasa, a fast-casual Indian restaurant based in Washington D.C. While growing up, Rahul and his co-founder, Sahil Rahman, saw their parents bring Indian cuisine to America through their restaurants. Inspired by their cultural roots, their parents' entrepreneurial drive, and a lack of fulfillment in corporate America, Rahul and Sahil set out to create their own take on Indian food. With three restaurants (and more to come), Rahul and Sahil are on a mission to bring together their American and Indian roots to share the authentic flavors of their youth with the DMV community.In this episode, we talk with Rahul about:Realizing the corporate grind wasn’t for himHow Rahul and Sahil went about quitting and starting RasaHow Rasa plans to inspire taste buds with its Indian foodWebsiteRahul’s LinkedIn

Parker recently came back from a week long trip in Punta Cana. While he spent time to unwind and relax, he also disconnected completely from the outside world by turning off his phone for the week. We talk through his six day experience and what he realized about how digitally connected we actually are.

AJ Eckstein is an entrepreneur and product marketing consultant. As the Founder of The Final Round, the go-to career platform to knock out the competition and advance past the final round interview, AJ and his team are on a mission to democratize fun, tailored, and high-quality career advice. In this episode, we talk with AJ about:College to CareerDelivering an effective elevator pitchBalancing entrepreneurship and 9-5What hobbies can teach about happinessLinkedInWebsitePodcast

Former guest John Camardella posed a question to us the other day: Are young adults in your generation generally happy and content with their lives. In this episode, we discuss our thoughts on the thought provoking question and try to come with terms with what might be a harsh reality.

Sarah Figueroa is the Founder and CEO of GeoJam, the ultimate social media platform for music that’s trusted by world top artists including Mariah Carey, Machine Gun Kelly, 24kGoldn, and more. At 27 years old, Sarah is a four time entrepreneur who has been featured in The New York Times, Cheddar and Grit Daily.GeoJam's mission is to build the creator economy of the future that redirects the flow of incentives back in the hands of the creators and users themselves.In this episode, we talk with Sarah about..The mission behind GeoJamWhat it is like to be a founder through the pandemicCreator economy and cryptocurrencyHaving more responsibility with more successSarah - LinkedInGeoJam - WebsiteHow One Entrepreneur Changed Her Business Model in the Pandemic - The New York Times

The best critics are ones who tell it to us straight but also provide positive reinforcement with the things we are doing well. Sam and Parker discuss some of their experiences with criticism and how it can be both a blessing and a curse.

Joey Lane, the first guest ever on Elevation Nation rejoins the guys to catch up. Joey is a sales consultant a NetJets, former Ohio State basketball player, and current TV personality. It's been 516 days since our first recording with Joey and in this episode we talk about what he has been up to, his hobbies and lessons learned from both work and basketball.Dream CollectionsMarch Madness PredictionsFan Q&ALife as a TV Personalty

With the sweet sixteen of March Madness around the corner, we discuss the awesomeness of an underdog story and how sometimes the David’s of the world overcome a Goliath.

Jordan Gross is reimagining personal development. He is a published author and therapist guiding people to think differently and make daring changes in their lives. Jordan is trailblazing in the personal development field by using creative storytelling to allow people to gather their own insights from the characters he creates and the stories he shares.We talk with Jordan about:Young AdulthoodHis platform: ImagitivetationThe concept of a secure basePersonal development through storytellingJordan received his Masters of Social Work from New York University, Masters of Management Studies and Bachelors in Economics from Northwestern University.LinkedIn

Sam was scrolling on TikTok earlier this week and heard a story about a celebrity who is stepping outside of his comfort zone and going to work in a Walmart for an extended period of time. We talk about his decision and how "breaking the norm" can only lead to elevation in the real world.

Yahiya Shalgheen is a Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) practitioner based in Las Vegas, NV. Growing up as a gay man in Syria, Yahiya never felt accepted by the culture or the community. Looking for acceptance and a fresh start, he sought refuge in the United States. However, after his move, he continued to struggle, until one transformational moment...In this episode, we talk with Yahiya about these experiences and how that helped him find himself. Now, he is on a mission to help others realize their self-worth in the real world.InstagramWebsiteLinkedIn

We recently had a guest on the podcast (his episode will be released in a couple of weeks) who explained how everything has some sort of a contradiction. We couldn’t get enough of this thought and wanted to discuss on this week’s Fortitude in 15. Does everything really have a contradiction? If so, what can we do about it?

Zach Novoselksy is the founder and CEO of BuzzU, a software company which uses artificial intelligence to determine college athlete's marketability. Zach, a former Division 1 football player is on a mission to give teams and individual athletes the tools they need to monetize and brand themselves backed by data.Entrepreneurship is not new to Zach. BuzzU is the third company that he has started since 2019. A graduate of the Western Michigan University Haworth School of Business, Zach is challenging the status quo in sports and on his way to making his mark in the real world.In this episode we discuss:What is NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) and how it affects college athletesRunning your own raceDefinitions of successHow the impact of NIL goes beyond money with BuzzULinkedInBuzzU - WebsiteBuzzU - Instagram

Sam and Parker discuss their thoughts on the on-going conflict in Ukraine.

Yuval Teren is a human analyst, mentalist & executive coach that performs and lectures about the secrets of how to get inside the human mind and influence it. He has shared his knowledge with audiences around the world. Native to Israel, Yuval has even used his skills in the Army where he is known to be the Israeli Defense Force's only "mind reader".In this episode, we talk with Yuval about:How living a happy life starts with your mindsetThe challenging with controlling your realityHow we can change the way we perceive thingsWebsiteLinkedInInstagram

This week, Parker had an interesting thought on idea of silence and how we often avoid it because it feels "awkward" in social settings. However, silence can make any conversation more meaningful and effective. We debate on this Fortitude in 15.

Taylor Borenstein and Millie Blumka are the co-founders of Stakt, a versatile exercise mat that provides extra support for yoga and fitness regimens. They developed the product out of necessity as Taylor and Millie couldn’t find the exercise mat that met their needs. Now, after selling out of their product in their initial launch, they are on a mission to share their invention with the world, while empowering others to stay balanced.While Taylor and Millie are navigating the murky water of entrepreneurship, they are also trying to figure out the real world managing their full-time jobs, family, friends and maintaining their personal well-being. For them, it all starts with balance…In this episode, we talk with them aboutWhy they started StaktHow they balance their relationship between being co-founders and friendsImportance of trustBalancing work with personal lifeTaylor’s LinkedInMillie’s LinkedInStakt - WebsiteStakt - Instagram

The Los Angeles Rams just won the Super Bowl! On paper, many think that they had the best roster in the NFL all season. While their coach Sean McVay knew that he had a talented team, he emphasized a focus on an intangible to help them reach glory: Positive PsychologyThis week we talk about positive psychology and how we can apply it to our lives. Reference: https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/super-bowl-2022-rams-bengals-positive-psychology-emotional-intelligence.html

Carter Russ is the Co-Founder and CEO of Champions Round, a simplified micro-sports fantasy game. Champions Round breaks fantasy sports into 4-6 week rounds, creating more engagement among all players. Recently, Carter and his team raised $3M in seed funding. Carter has been an entrepreneur for some time now. However, as Champions Round continues to grow and make an impact in the fantasy sports world, the team takes on more pressure. We talk with Carter about the side of entrepreneurship that most do not see in the forefront, including the challenges, stresses, and mental fortitude that comes with each day.In this episode, we talk with Carter about:What is Champions Round?An unlikely path to the start-up worldThe other-side of entrepreneurshipPressures of leadershipLinkedInChampions Round WebsiteChampions Round Instagram

With the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in full swing, we discuss an article titled The Odd Anguish of the Silver Medalist by Dr. Laurie Santos. First place is always happy. Third place is just glad to be on the podium. But what about second place. Dr. Santos explains why the silver medalist is usually the most dissatisfied with their standing. We discuss on this week’s Fortitude in 15.

Christian Van Camp is the founder of CVC Wellness, a company focused on helping people who seek inspiration, self-help or science-backed holistic health and wellness advice. As stated on his website, Christian believes "balance is having a grasp on all the elements in your life. You don’t feel like your heart or mind are being excessively tugged in any one direction. You feel nourished, grounded, healthy, clear-headed, and eager to do what you love."Using the wellness wheel focused on the dimensions of both physical and mental health, Christian has helped clients for more than four years on their holistic journey.In this episode, we talk with Christian about:What is holistic wellness?How physical fitness can be the foundation for creating good holistic habitsReinventing yourselfNutritionWebsiteInstagram

With social media, phones attached to our hip and the media in our face everywhere we go (as it seems), there are so many pieces of information that we absorb on a given day. We talk through through how the overwhelming amount of information that we take in on a given day can be very overwhelming and our thoughts on how this might create polarizing perspectives on important topics.

Justin Lafazan and Dylan Gambardella are the founders of Next Gen HQ, a company that is focused on the helping the next generation of leaders succeed at life and work. They started the company almost ten years and have been providing Momentum to people who want to be the driver of their life. Justin, Dylan and their team have created a Leadership Development Platform called Momentum that includes the community, education, resources, and mentorship young leaders need to achieve the success they desire. In this episode, we talk with Justin and Dylan about:-Getting in the driver's seat of your life-The power of momentum-Growth mindsets-How anyone can be an entrepreneurNext Gen HQJustin Lafazan - LinkedInDylan Gambardella - LinkedIn