• From Couch Surfing to CEO: How Matt Nance Bet on Himself and Built Something Bigger
    Jan 5 2026

    Most people ease their way into entrepreneurship.

    Matt Nance got thrown into it headfirst.

    Ten months of couch-surfing.

    Seven months waiting for a job that kept not opening.

    A full year crushing quotas and carrying a territory on his back.

    And then the pivotal moment:

    Realizing he was becoming the kind of person he never planned to be —

    exhausted, boxed in, and building a ladder that didn’t belong to him.

    That’s where Summit Strategies Group was born.

    Not in a boardroom.

    On a couch.

    In a season of misalignment so loud he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

    In this episode, Matt and I pull the curtain back on what actually creates a founder:

    Not inspiration.

    Not a perfect idea.

    But the moment frustration turns into clarity —

    and clarity turns into action.

    🔥 What We Dive Into

    • The identity snap that pushes you out of a “dream job”

    When doing everything “right” still feels wrong — and why ignoring that feeling is the real risk.

    • Why entrepreneurship isn’t a plan — it’s a decision

    The moment you stop outsourcing your dreams and start backing your own.

    • Human-centric AI that actually moves a business forward

    Matt breaks down how Summit Strategies helps service businesses adopt AI without blowing up their workflows.

    • Missed opportunities = silent revenue leaks

    The inbound AI voice agent system that multiplies revenue simply by answering the phone.

    • Sales without desperation

    How to get clients wanting you — without pressure, gimmicks, or commission breath.

    • Walking away from misaligned clients

    Why protecting your peace is part of protecting your profits.

    • The Alignment Factor

    How clarity, faith, and internal alignment became Matt’s compass — and why your external life can’t shift until the internal one does.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 19 mins
  • The Content System Coaches Are Missing with Aleksandar Dimitrov
    Dec 30 2025

    Most creators collapse when it comes to building frameworks, and that’s exactly why Aleksandar from Amused is with us today.

    In this episode, Andrew sits down with Aleksandar Dimitrov, founder of Amused, to break down the systems, structures, and strategic thinking that allow coaches and creators to scale their content without burning out.

    Aleksandar specializes in helping experts turn scattered ideas into clear frameworks, strong messaging, and repeatable workflows that convert. Together, they explore:

    • Why frameworks—not posting volume—separate growth from exhaustion

    Creators often try to solve content problems by posting more. Aleksandar explains why the real leverage is structure, not frequency.

    • How to build content that grows your audience vs. content that grows your business


    Most people blend these together and stall. Aleksandar shows how to separate them and finally get results.

    • How to stand out on a platform full of generic LinkedIn content

    Aleksandar reveals how he pulls a client’s actual voice from sales calls, stories, and lived experience—so their content finally feels human.

    • Why long-form content—especially podcasts—accelerates trust

    Andrew and Aleksandar dig into why voice, tone, and presence build authority faster than any carousel or “10 tips” post.

    • Outreach that works in 2025

    The biggest competitor isn’t another creator—it’s prospects doing nothing. They discuss rapport-building, messaging, and personalizing outreach that actually lands.

    This episode is essential for coaches, consultants, and creators who want a real content engine—one rooted in frameworks, clarity, and strategic execution.



    connect with Aleksandar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amusedalex/


    Connect with Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-berger-44h/


    Podclimb.com

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins
  • The Hidden Skill Behind Great Podcasts: Project Management with Trevor Greenberg
    Dec 15 2025

    In this episode, Andrew Berger (founder of PodClimb) sits down with Trevor Greenberg to unpack the real mechanics behind project management for podcast creators — and why successful shows rely on more than great ideas alone.

    Together, they break down how clear communication, structured workflows, and repeatable systems shape everything from podcast production to long-form content strategy. Trevor shares how principles from Agile and Waterfall project-management methodologies translate directly into podcasting: setting expectations, reducing assumptions, and keeping creative teams aligned.

    The conversation also explores:

    How project management improves podcast consistency and quality


    Why creators struggle with originality — and how to simplify complex ideas for your audience


    What authenticity really means in content creation (beyond chasing virality)


    The impact of awards and external validation in film, music, and podcasting


    The changing landscape of creative work as AI becomes a bigger influence


    Trevor emphasizes that great project managers aren’t “doers” — they’re facilitators who remove friction so creators can focus on what they do best. Andrew connects this directly to the PodClimb philosophy: building repeatable, scalable podcast systems that allow founders, coaches, and creators to show up effortlessly on camera or mic.


    Whether you're building a content engine, managing a production team, or trying to get more consistent with your podcast, this episode offers a grounded look at how operations and creativity intersect — and why mastering both is the key to sustainable growth.


    Connect with Trevor:

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevorgreenberg/


    Listen to his podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3c63tWwBcdj4DT2dxDF2G6?si=e1d34b1557fe49a0



    Connect with Andrew:

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-berger-44h/


    https://www.podclimb.com/

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 21 mins
  • "The medicine knows" - Why High-Performers Hit a Wall Even Therapy Can't Break Through
    Dec 2 2025

    After 200+ ayahuasca ceremonies, former stock trader Yasha Shah learned something that changed everything: surrender beats strategy every time.

    Sound impossible? That's your ego talking.

    In this episode, I sit down with the founder of Mahadevi Ayahuasca Retreats to explore why burned-out coaches, founders, and CEOs—the ones who've already optimized everything, tried every framework, and still feel stuck—are turning to ancient plant medicine for the breakthrough they can't achieve anywhere else.

    About Yasha Shah

    Yasha gets it—because he lived it. As a retail stock trader for 4.5 years, he built success on paper while spiraling into depression. His "dark night of the soul" led him from India to Nepal to the Colombian Amazon, where he found what no amount of strategic thinking could deliver: actual transformation.

    Now training under Taita Miguel of the Kamsa tribe (12 generations of healers), Yasha works specifically with high-achievers ages 30-55 who've hit the ceiling of what conventional solutions can offer.

    What You'll Gain (That Your Business Coach Can't Give You)


    If you're a coach, founder, or CEO who's exhausted from performing at the top while feeling empty inside, this episode delivers:


    • Why you feel stuck despite external success: The link between your wellbeing and performance that hustle culture deliberately ignores
    • The surrender paradox: How the most successful people struggle hardest with letting go—and why that's exactly what's blocking your breakthrough
    • Beyond the morning routine: Why another framework won't fix what's actually broken (and what will)
    • Trust your body's intelligence: Stop ignoring the Sunday anxiety, the client dread, the gut feeling screaming that something needs to change
    • The real ROI of transformation: Why working on yourself isn't selfish—it's the most leveraged thing you can do for your business and community

    This episode isn't about selling you on ayahuasca. It's about understanding why the next level of your growth requires a completely different approach than what got you here.


    Who This Episode Is For


    ✓ Coaches feeling the weight of holding space for everyone but themselves


    ✓ Founders who crushed their goals and still feel unfulfilled


    ✓ CEOs waking up with Sunday scaries about clients they resent


    ✓ Leaders who've "done the work" but know there's another layer waiting


    ✓ High-performers tired of performing


    Episode Highlights


    The 200-Ceremony Truth - Why the first 20-30 experiences are about healing trauma, and what comes after for those who stay on the path



    Your Body Already Knows - That Sunday anxiety about your biggest client isn't weakness—it's data you've been trained to ignore



    The CEO's Surrender Paradox - Why the most successful people struggle hardest with letting go, and what that reveals about how you built your identity



    From Breakdown to Breakthrough - Yasha's journey from depressed stock trader to shamanic student, and why his "dark night of the soul" was the beginning, not the end


    The Promise You Keep Breaking - Why transformation isn't about more information or another framework—it's about following through on what you already know you need to do


    5 Key Themes for Leaders


    1. The Performance-Wellbeing Link You're Ignoring

    Your business results are directly connected to your internal state. Ignoring your body's signals isn't discipline—it's...

    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • From Burnout to Balance: The 3Rs of Confident Leadership with Alexander Plank
    Nov 3 2025

    You can be busy all day and still feel like you got nothing done.

    Sound familiar?

    In this episode, Andrew Berger sits down with Alexander Plank — a mindset coach who hit burnout hard — to talk about what it actually takes to grow your business without losing your life in the process.

    Alex opens up about his wake-up call after working 14-hour days, chasing the “top 1%” dream, and realizing he was building success that didn’t feel successful. Together, he and Andrew get real about:

    • Why hustle culture is so addictive (and dangerous)
    • How to build a business that runs with your life, not against it
    • The truth about burnout, clarity, and what “focus” really means
    • And Alex’s simple 3-step system — Reset, Rise, Reshape — to get back your time, energy, and purpose


    If you’ve ever felt like slowing down means falling behind, this episode will flip that story on its head.


    Connect with Alexander Plank

    Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-plank-coaching/

    Website: https://theangelonyourshoulderacademy.kit.com/7daystorealproductivity


    Connect with Podclimb

    Linkeidn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-berger-44h/

    Website: https://www.podclimb.com/

    ----Timestamps

    00:07 — Why being busy isn’t the same as being successful

    01:30 — Alexander’s burnout story and the moment everything crashed

    03:20 — “From the outside I looked successful… but inside, I was empty.”

    05:45 — Andrew’s turning point: leaving the studio world to start PodClimb

    07:00 — Why podcasting gives founders a voice that compounds over time

    08:59 — The toxic side of hustle culture (and how to unlearn it)

    10:22 — You can’t outwork burnout — here’s what actually works

    12:28 — Focus > Hustle: how to get real results without the chaos

    14:06 — Why school never taught us how to think like founders

    15:14 — Coaching vs. therapy: what makes it different

    17:38 — Step one to change: learning to sit still and actually listen to yourself

    19:21 — Andrew’s “three-legged stool” framework for balancing creative passions

    22:11 — “Wonders are triggered, not planned.” Why clarity attracts opportunity

    23:37 — How curiosity and trying (and failing) are the real entrepreneurial edge

    26:02 — Alex’s 3Rs explained: Reset, Rise, Reshape

    29:25 — The cost of “just being busy”: how founders lose 10 hours a week

    30:30 — Why time with family is the real flex

    31:43 — How your personal life and business are always connected

    32:23 — Closing thoughts and gratitude

    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
  • Operator's Edge W/ Ritchie Nkana
    Oct 21 2025

    You’re scaling the business.

    But what about the person running it?

    In this episode, Richie Nkana - ex-banker turned founder of Operator’s Edge drops the truth most high-performers avoid:


    “You can’t scale a high-performance business from a low-performance life.”

    He went from caffeine-fueled burnout to building playbooks Fortune 500 leaders now swear by. And he’s here to show you:

    • Why hustle culture is killing your clarity
    • The 4 pillars of a scale-without-sacrifice life
    • How to reclaim energy, purpose, and time — without blowing up your business

    This isn’t another tactics talk.


    It’s a reset for the operator behind the outcomes.


    Richie’s got the framework to change that from the inside out.


    Ritchie Nkana:

    Website: https://operatorsedgemastermind.com/grab_the_training

    Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritchienkana/



    Brought to you by Podclimb

    https://www.podclimb.com/

    Andrew Berger Foudner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-berger-44h/

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins