Nice To Meet You | Behind The Scene Stories of Busy Professionals

Be Alink Shares The Secret Frequency of the Jungle That Rewires Your Mind

In this profound conversation, Rob Pene sits down with BE Alink, a "gender weirdo" inventor, author, and humanitarian. BE shares her incredible journey from the slums of Kenya to the ruins of Afghanistan, ultimately leading to a mystical "download" in the Amazon jungle.This episode explores the constructs of belief, the science of brain entrainment, and why BE Alink believes that fear is merely a control mechanism designed to keep us in a cycle of consumerism. Whether she is discussing the invention of the Alinker walking bike or her seven-part musical composition designed to trigger deep sleep and restoration, BE challenges us to step out of our "boxes" and anchor ourselves in love.Key HighlightsThe Netflix Reflection: Why BE’s last 12 months are a story of "sensing and surrendering" to become a complete channel.The Symphony of the Jungle: The story behind a prolific seven-hour composition recorded in the Amazon to help people remember who they are.Lessons from Afghanistan: A life-altering encounter with an old woman in 2001 that taught BE about the "light" we find when we close our eyes.Fear as a Construct: Understanding how repetitive exposure to violence and scarcity normalizes fear, and why it doesn't actually exist in our hearts.The Science of Deep Sleep: How stress keeps our fight-or-flight system activated, and how frequency music can "trick" the brain into restorative sleep.Choosing Kindness: Why being a "sovereign person" in a capitalistic system requires conscious choices about what we consume and how we treat the earth.The Alinker: The origin of the walking bike that proves "mobility is medicine".Connect with BE AlinkPersonal Website & Composition: bealink.world The Alinker: thealinker.com (or search "Alinker") Book & Audio: Memoirs (available on Spotify and major platforms)

Scaling the Mountain with Jason Wong on the Reality of Global Manufacturing

In this episode, Rob Pene sits down with Jason Wong, a seasoned entrepreneur who has moved from building e-commerce brands to mastering the massive, often overlooked world of manufacturing and packaging. Jason shares his journey of "climbing the mountain" over the last year, explaining why he chose to sell "shovels" (packaging) instead of chasing the latest "gold rush" in SaaS or info products.From utilizing AI avatars to generate 50 million views to navigating 155% tariffs and global supply chains, Jason provides a masterclass on building tangible equity and why the "unsexy" industries often have the highest ceilings.Key HighlightsThe "Climb" of the Last 12 Months: Jason reflects on the intense challenges of the past year and why it felt like a "free solo" mountain climb.Why Packaging?: Discover why Jason moved away from brand ownership to focus on a "common denominator" product that every physical brand needs.Building a Content Engine: How Jason "cloned" himself using AI (ElevenLabs and HeyGen) to drive 50 million annual views to a manufacturing business.The Equity Play: Why Jason believes tangible products offer better long-term value and "empire building" potential compared to info products.The Reality of "Made in America": A candid look at the infrastructure challenges of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. and the impact of tariffs.The 3-Star Service Model: How Jason’s company, Packing Duck, differentiates itself by offering a "Michelin star" experience in a "Holiday Inn" industry.Connect with Jason WongWebsite: packingduck.com Instagram: @duck 

Morgan Smith Bought His Dead Friend's Business & Now Is Changing the Entire Kava Industry

Morgan Smith, owner of Kalm with Kava, shares the story of how he took over a kava business from his late friend Mike Munsell — and turned it into a mission-driven company rooted in respect, education, and long-term sustainability.In this episode, we dig into:The redemption arc behind Kalm with Kava — from losing a close friend to carrying on his legacyWhat kava actually is, how it's prepared, and why it's been used for 3,000 years across the South PacificHow Morgan went from pharmaceuticals that "took him out of his mind" to finding a natural alternativeThe $20 billion alcohol surplus and why millennials are driving the sober-curious movementNavigating cultural sensitivity as a non-Polynesian in a deeply Polynesian spaceWhy there's no exit strategy — and why venture capital could ruin kavaThe supply chain reality: kava takes 3–5 years to grow and can't just be shipped as seedsHow kava bars, gummies, seltzers, and farm education are spreading the wordWhy Morgan believes kava could become a premium category at corporate events and fundraisersConnect with Morgan & Kalm with Kava:Website: kalmwithkava.com (Kalm with a K)Amazon: Search "Kalm with Kava"Instagram, TikTok, YouTube: @kalmwithkavaFarm: Puiwa Farms Hawaii (on all socials)Email: morgan@kalmwithkava.com

From Intern to CEO: How Colleen Joyce Built Lawyer.com Into a Legal Powerhouse

In this episode, Rob sits down with Colleen Joyce, CEO of Lawyer.com, to talk about how she grew a premium domain into a thriving legal marketplace with 150 employees — all without venture capital. Colleen shares her journey from finding an internship in the newspaper classifieds to running a company that connects thousands of consumers with lawyers every month. Along the way, they dig into scrappy marketing, the privacy challenges unique to legal services, vibe coding with her 6-year-old daughter, and why treating every day like a startup keeps the team hungry.Guest BioColleen Joyce is the CEO of Lawyer.com, a legal services marketplace that helps consumers find attorneys while offering law firms directory listings and call intake services. She started as an intern at the parent company World.com and built Lawyer.com from the ground up beginning in 2012. Colleen also publishes The Fast Five, a weekly newsletter on LinkedIn covering business, culture, and inspiration.Key Topics CoveredThe origin of Lawyer.com — How parent company World.com acquired class-A domains like lawyer.com, doctor.com, and others in the 1990s through its mail.com vanity email serviceBuilding a business on a premium domain — Going from a blank landing page and directory in 2012 to a 150-person operation with organic growth and no outside fundingThe double-sided marketplace model — Free consumer-facing lawyer search on one side, paid directory listings and call center services for law firms on the otherMarketing in a privacy-sensitive industry — Why legal services don't lend themselves to social media reviews and how Lawyer.com leans into B2B brand culture insteadAI as a tool, not a replacement — How the team uses AI across tech, call intake, and internal operations to move fasterVibe coding for fun — Using Lovable to build spelling test games with her daughter and running "Vibe Fridays" with the teamSuper Bowl ad strategy — Why a single big ad spend isn't always worth it and what brands like Coinbase and Dunkin' get rightStartup mentality at scale — Open office, no red tape, fast failure, and a culture where anyone can pitch ideas regardless of tenureColleen's path from intern to CEO — Starting with classifieds, writing for Popstar.com, learning to hire and manage for the first time, and earning the CEO titleLeadership philosophy — Leading by example, embracing failure, and keeping fun as a core valueNotable Quotes"If you're not using AI, forget about it. You're going to be replaced by people who are using AI.""Every single day we treat this place as a startup.""It's okay to fail. Do it quick and don't do it again.""The minute work becomes not fun, I have a conversation with myself."Connect with Colleen JoyceWebsite: Lawyer.comInstagram: @ColleenJoyce1LinkedIn: Colleen Joyce — subscribe to The Fast Five weekly newsletter

Kurt Avery Shares How This $20 Filter Has Saved More Lives Than Most Governments

Kurt Avery built Sawyer Products from a snakebite kit into the most trusted water filter on the planet. His tech is in 80 countries, used by the Red Cross, World Vision, and the U.S. military. He lost money for 23 of his first 25 years — and kept going anyway.In this episode, he tells us everything.What We Cover:💧 How a 30-cent filter gives someone 10 years of clean water — and why villages that used to wait until age 3 to name their babies now name them at birth🦟 The JAMA-published study proving Sawyer's fabric treatment cuts malaria in babies by 67%💰 Bidding 69 cents when everyone else bid $5 — and landing a 6.2 million bottle military contract with only 24 products ever shipped📉 Losing money for 23 straight years and funding the company through Gulf War contracts🧠 The "Decision Matrix" — Kurt's framework for making better decisions by killing emotional bias⚽ Why Kurt hires based on the sport position you played (and why he loves midfielders and point guards)🏛️ Why Sawyer will never be sold — it transfers to the Sawyer Foundation so the mission lives forever✝️ How faith drives every layer of the business — from naming the company to scaling globallyQuick Hits:Sawyer filters are used by 140+ charities in 80 countries3–5 million people get clean water for the first time every year through SawyerOne filter serves 100 people for 10 years. It never wears out.Sawyer treated a third of Puerto Rico's water supply after back-to-back hurricanesKurt went to Northwestern (Kellogg) for his MBA and played baseball at Hope CollegeHis book Sawyer Think has 25 business lessons and is being used in college entrepreneur coursesConnect: 🌐 sawyer.com 📖 Sawyer Think — available on Amazon (ebook ~$7) 📧 customerservice@sawyer.com (reference the podcast)