In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Tariq Hassan, former Chief Marketing Officer of McDonald’s, to unpack a belief that shaped his entire leadership philosophy: you cannot get to incredible outcomes when fear of failure is baked into the system.

Tariq shares how growing up dyslexic quietly wired him for fear and overcompensation, and how that same “paralysis” shows up inside companies as the ideas people never share, the risks teams never take, and the opportunities no one even knows they missed. From Petco turnarounds to leading at one of the most iconic brands in the world, he explains why psychological safety is not a soft concept. It is a performance advantage.

You will hear the simple cultural shift Tariq used to make risk-taking real: celebrating “Amazing Almosts”, the best failures of the quarter, so teams could learn, pivot, and build confidence without losing accountability. Kevin and Tariq also bring this conversation home, exploring parenting, long-distance seasons, two high-performing careers under one roof, and the daily practices that help a child keep talking, especially when the stakes get higher.

This is a conversation about fear, trust, standards, and the environments we create, at work and at home, so people feel safe enough to grow.

In this episode:

• Why fear of failure becomes invisible, but still drives behavior in high-performing cultures

• What psychological safety looks like in real meetings, not in theory

• How to build “risk with guardrails” instead of chaos or blame

• The “Amazing Almosts” practice, and why celebrating the right failures changes everything

• Repairing after you miss it as a leader, and why it only feels awkward the first time

• The parenting parallel: when to catch, when to let them fall, and how trust is built

• Long-distance parenting, presence vs quantity, and choosing the moments that matter

• Why this mindset matters even more in an AI-driven world of continuous learning

Key takeaways:

• You can’t talk a team into psychological safety. You have to prove it through actions and rituals.

• Fear shows up most in what doesn’t get said: the risks avoided, the debates not had, the ideas withheld.

• The goal is not celebrating constant failure. The goal is learning fast, staying accountable, and building confidence to take smart swings.

• Cultural change feels unnatural at first. Keep going until it becomes normal, and the language becomes part of how the team operates.

• At home, psychological safety is often measured by one thing: they keep talking.

• Presence is less about quantity and more about intentional moments your family remembers.

• The best leaders repair quickly, build truth-tellers around them, and stay open to feedback even when it stings.

About Tariq Hassan:
Tariq Hassan is a senior marketing leader who most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald’s. Prior to McDonald’s, he held executive leadership roles at Petco, Bank of America, and Hewlett-Packard, building a career across some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Known for blending performance with humanity, Tariq focuses on the cultural conditions that unlock high-performing teams, especially psychological safety, trust, and the ability to take smart risks without fear.

• (00:00:00) - Introduction
• (00:02:00) - Creating Psychological Safety in Organisation
• (00:11:42) - Cultural Implications of Fear in Organizations
• (00:21:35) - Celebrating Failures: The Amazing Almosts
• (00:31:35) - Balancing Risk and Responsibility in Leadership
• (00:33:08) - Navigating Parenting Challenges
• (00:37:49) - Creating Psychological Safety at Home
• (00:42:47) - Balancing Ambitious Careers
• (00:48:24) - Maintaining Connection During Absence

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin Rice sits down with Seth Goldman, the founder of Honest Tea, which he built from a home kitchen concept into a category-defining brand and sold to The Coca-Cola Company in 2011. Today, Seth is the CEO and co-founder of Just Ice Tea, co-founder of PLNT Burger, Chair of the Board at Beyond Meat, and Chair of Tony’s Mission Lock at Tony’s Chocolonely.

Seth shares what it really takes to build and rebuild an iconic company, including why Honest Tea was ahead of its time, what it felt like to watch it eventually be discontinued, and how that unexpected ending created the opportunity to launch Just Ice Tea into a market with a massive vacuum. He also breaks down the difference experience makes in entrepreneurship, from having no relationships early on to now being able to scale faster because trust and credibility are already established.

The conversation goes behind the scenes of leadership and parenting. Seth opens up about launching Honest Tea while raising three young sons, including a major family health scare that happened the same day as his first Whole Foods presentation, and the reality that balance is not always possible. He shares how parenting shaped his leadership philosophy, why you cannot manage people the same way, and how focusing on outcomes over process can unlock performance in teams.

If you are building something big while trying to show up fully at home, this episode is both grounding and practical.

• How Seth went from a mission-driven mutual fund career to founding Honest Tea with a breakthrough brand idea

• What it was like building a startup while navigating a major family medical crisis

• Why Seth believes balance is not always real, and how he stayed grounded anyway

• The story behind launching Just Ice Tea after Honest Tea was discontinued, and how to spot opportunity inside loss

• How parenting shaped Seth’s leadership style, including managing people based on how they learn and operate

• Why purpose-driven businesses must scale to create meaningful impact

• Startups and family life rarely move in neat seasons, life and business happen at the same time

• Your relationships and reputation become your unfair advantage the second time you build

• Great leaders focus on the outcome, then adapt the path based on how people work best

• Purpose is not just values, it is a strategy that strengthens teams, trust, and resilience

• The real legacy is not the exit, it is the impact you build and the family culture you leave behind

Seth Goldman is the co-founder and CEO of Just Ice Tea and the founder of Honest Tea, which he grew into a leading organic beverage brand and sold to The Coca-Cola Company in 2011. He is Chair of the Board at Beyond Meat, co-founder of PLNT Burger, Chair of Tony’s Mission Lock at Tony’s Chocolonely, and serves on multiple mission-driven boards focused on ethical sourcing and sustainable food systems. Seth is widely known for building purpose-led consumer brands that scale without compromising values, with a leadership philosophy grounded in transparency, long-term stewardship, and real-world impact.

• (00:00:00) - Seth Goldman's Current Ventures and Personal Life
• (00:04:35) - The Birth of Honest Tea
• (00:07:30) - Emotional Journey of Selling Honest Tea
• (00:10:08) - Transitioning to Just Iced Tea
• (00:12:54) - Family Life and Balancing Work
• (00:15:48) - Teaching Resilience to Children
• (00:18:44) - Health Perspectives on Plant-Based Products
• (00:25:44) - Teaching Resilience Through Adversity
• (00:27:41) - Navigating Learning Differences: A Personal Journey
• (00:30:26) - Leadership Lessons: Supporting Employees
• (00:32:28) - Building Relationships for Business Success
• (00:34:49) - Scaling Impact: A Vision for Change
• (00:38:00) - Avoiding Past Pitfalls in Business
• (00:40:00) - Evolving Parenting Styles: Lessons Learned
• (00:42:06) - From Authority to Friendship: Evolving Relationships
• (00:43:43) - Board Roles and Intentions