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