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Be The CEO

Be The CEO

By: Adam Hurd & Tom Marino
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Most self-employed people never set out to become CEOs — it just happens. One day you’re working for yourself, the next you’re responsible for everything, everywhere, all at once. That shift creates a ceiling: you’re stuck as the bottleneck in your own business, trading freedom for frustration. On Be the CEO, Adam Hurd and Tom Marino open the curtain on what it really takes to cross the bridge from being “accidental CEOs” to becoming intentional CEOs — at work and at home. This is not a highlight-reel podcast. It’s raw conversations about our origins, our dogmas, our flaws, and the very ideas we fight against. You’ll hear about the enemies we’ve had to confront — not just people, but behaviors, beliefs, and blind spots that keep entrepreneurs small. Instead of theory, we use the world’s most popular business and personal growth ideas as a launching pad. We’ll bring you content from voices like Alex Hormozi, Dan Martell, Brené Brown, Tony Robbins, and others. Sometimes we’ll double down and connect their ideas to our core dogmas. Other times we’ll push back with a contrarian view, exposing why a common piece of advice may not work for the self-employed striving to become true CEOs. And often we’ll reveal where we learned the lesson the hard way — through our own flaws, missteps, and lived experience. Each episode is designed for one audience: the self-employed individual who knows there’s more on the table. The freelancer who wants to build a company. The solo business owner who wants to lead a team. The person who’s been grinding for years and realizes they don’t just want to “own a job” — they want to be the CEO. What makes this podcast different? We’re not interested in puffing up your confidence. We’re here to help you develop agency — the power to make intentional choices that shape your business and your life. And we’ll help you build certainty — the clarity to know exactly why you’re making those choices. That combination eliminates doubt, speeds up decisions, and creates momentum toward the future you actually want. You’ll walk away from each conversation with real perspective on: - How to spot the beliefs and behaviors holding you back. - Why the self-employed mindset will only get you so far — and what it takes to upgrade to the CEO mindset. - Where your flaws can be reframed into fuel for growth. - How to build a business that gives you both profit and freedom. If you’re ready to move beyond the self-employed ceiling and step fully into the role of CEO — in your company and in your home — this podcast is for you. Stop being an accidental CEO. Start being the CEO.2025 Atomic Business Coaching Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • The Standards Problem Killing Businesses
    Jan 7 2026

    In this episode, we explore how unclear, uncommunicated, or unenforced standards quietly destroy businesses, teams, and cultures. While most people blame execution or motivation, the real issue is often the absence of clear expectations or the failure to reinforce them.

    Through everyday examples, business coaching stories, and personal anecdotes, this conversation breaks down why standards shape identity, behavior, and results. Without them, chaos creeps in. With them, clarity, leadership, and momentum follow.

    🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

    1. Why standards are behaviors, not rules
    2. How unclear standards create frustration and chaos
    3. The difference between having standards and communicating them
    4. Why lowered societal standards impact businesses
    5. How leadership standards shape teams and culture
    6. Why reinforcement and accountability matter
    7. How standards affect focus, time, and execution

    ⏱️ Timestamps

    00:00 – Joe Rogan, curiosity, and personal standards

    02:00 – Standards as the foundation of identity

    04:20 – When standards are unclear, frustration follows.

    06:55 – Establishing vs communicating standards

    08:55 – How standards shape confidence and performance

    10:25 – Lowered societal standards and business impact

    13:40 – Reinforcement, accountability, and leadership

    16:20 – Standards, chaos, and business breakdown

    18:00 – Focus, flow, and perception of time

    23:40 – Setting standards for execution timelines

    29:00 – Final reflections on leadership and standards

    🔥 Power Quotes

    “Standards are behaviors.”

    “If you don’t set standards, chaos decides for you.”

    “Unclear standards create frustration, not failure.”

    “What you tolerate becomes the standard.”

    “Leadership starts with enforced expectations.”

    📝 Topics Covered

    1. Business standards
    2. Leadership and culture
    3. Accountability
    4. Communication
    5. Focus and execution
    6. Team performance

    🧭 Key Takeaway

    Businesses don’t fail because people don’t work hard; they fail because standards are missing, unclear, or unenforced. When leaders define, communicate, and uphold standards, clarity replaces chaos and progress becomes inevitable.

    💬 Connect with Us

    👉 Visit bethe.ceo

    👉 Follow Tom Marino &

    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • The Hidden Beliefs Killing Progress
    Dec 31 2025

    In this episode, we uncover why progress stalls even when effort is high and why the real issue is rarely behavior. Instead, it’s the hidden beliefs quietly shaping how you act, decide, and show up in your business and life.

    Through real client examples, personal stories, and practical analogies, this conversation breaks down how outdated or unexamined beliefs create procrastination, burnout, anxiety, and misalignment. Progress doesn’t come from trying harder; it comes from believing differently.

    This episode reframes growth as an inside-out process: believe first, behave second, and become last.

    🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

    1. Why behavior change fails without belief change
    2. How procrastination is often a belief problem, not a discipline problem
    3. The difference between “should” and true commitment
    4. Why success can still feel wrong when beliefs are misaligned
    5. How identity dictates daily actions
    6. Why momentum can quietly pull you away from who you want to become
    7. How to reassess beliefs as you enter a new season or year

    ⏱️ Timestamps

    00:00 – Reflecting on business direction and the coming year

    03:30 – What it really means to be the CEO of your life

    05:45 – Why beliefs drive behavior, not the other way around

    07:40 – Identity-based change explained

    09:20 – Procrastination and belief misalignment

    13:00 – Momentum, undercurrents, and losing direction

    17:30 – Lack mindset versus abundance mindset

    22:30 – The danger of the word “should”

    27:00 – Believe, behave, become

    29:40 – Final thoughts and reflection

    🔥 Power Quotes

    “Behavior doesn’t change until belief changes.”

    “Procrastination is a belief problem.”

    “You can’t become someone new while believing old things.”

    “Should isn’t a commitment.”

    “Believe first. Behave second. Become last.”

    📝 Topics Covered

    1. Belief systems
    2. Identity and behavior
    3. Procrastination
    4. Burnout and alignment
    5. Mindset shifts
    6. Personal and business growth

    🧭 Key Takeaway

    Progress isn’t blocked by a lack of effort it’s blocked by beliefs you haven’t questioned. When you change what you believe about who you are and what you need, your actions naturally follow.

    💬 Connect with Us

    👉 Visit bethe.ceo

    👉 Follow Tom Marino & Adam Hurd on...

    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • How To Choose Your Next Chapter In Life
    Dec 24 2025

    In this reflective and honest episode, we explore what it really means to choose your next chapter in life — especially when certainty is missing. Through personal stories, business decisions, and long-term commitments, this conversation breaks down why confusion often appears right before clarity, and why discomfort is usually a signal that meaningful change is happening.

    Rather than chasing balance or novelty, this episode reframes progress as commitment. Choosing a chapter isn’t about finding the perfect plan — it’s about deciding what you’re willing to stay with long enough to build something real.

    🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

    1. Why confusion often signals the start of a new chapter
    2. How long-term commitments create clarity over time
    3. The difference between interest and true commitment
    4. Why productive neglect can drive success but limit fulfillment
    5. How to think about life and business as harmony, not balance
    6. Why choosing a direction matters more than perfect certainty
    7. How discomfort plays a role in meaningful progress

    ⏱️ Timestamps

    00:00 – Why this year felt confusing but important


    02:00 – Understanding chapters and long-term consequences


    05:00 – Harmony vs balance explained


    09:00 – The instrument analogy and productive neglect


    14:00 – Reflecting on fulfillment and personal growth


    18:00 – Being good at something you no longer enjoy


    22:00 – Commitment versus interest


    26:00 – Making year-long commitments


    30:00 – Choosing the people and work worth investing in


    35:00 – Final thoughts on commitment and direction



    🔥 Power Quotes

    “Confusion often shows up right before clarity.”

    “You can be great at something and still not enjoy it.”

    “Interest feels good. Commitment feels heavy.”

    “Choosing a chapter means saying no to others.”

    “Progress requires staying with something long enough.”



    📝 Topics Covered

    1. Life transitions
    2. Commitment and focus
    3. Personal growth
    4. Long-term decision making
    5. Productive neglect
    6. Harmony vs balance
    7. Entrepreneurial identity


    🧭 Key Takeaway

    Choosing your next chapter isn’t about certainty — it’s about commitment. When you decide what you’re willing to stay with through discomfort, clarity follows and progress becomes inevitable.


    💬 Connect with Us

    👉 Visit bethe.ceo

    👉 Follow

    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
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