Zac Palmer’s Perpetual Growth Podcast

Leadership. Artificial Intelligence. Purpose. Business Growth. Human-Centered Innovation.
What if we've been measuring success the wrong way all along?
Most people are taught to chase bigger businesses, higher incomes, and more recognition. But what if the greatest measure of success is the number of lives you're able to impact?
In this episode of the Perpetual Growth Podcast, I sit down with Art Serna to explore a conversation that challenged even my own perspective on leadership, business, technology, and legacy.
Art has spent his career leading organizations across education, healthcare, technology, and philanthropy, helping raise more than $19 million to fuel meaningful initiatives. Today, as Executive Director of Spine Hope, he's helping expand access to life-changing pediatric spinal care for children around the world while exploring how AI can accelerate humanitarian impact without losing the human element.
What stood out most to me wasn't just the work he's doing. It was the way he thinks.
We dive into why the best leaders stay close to the problems they're trying to solve, why most organizations treat symptoms instead of root causes, and how purpose becomes the foundation for building organizations that create lasting change.
If you're building a business, leading a team, or simply trying to become a better leader, I think you'll walk away with a completely different perspective on success.
Art Serna is the Executive Director of Spine Hope, a global pediatric spine outreach organization dedicated to providing life-changing spinal surgery and sustainable healthcare infrastructure for children in underserved communities throughout the Western Hemisphere.
He is also the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Cosmo Renewed, where he advises leaders and organizations on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems thinking, philanthropy, and strategic growth. Throughout his career, Art has helped raise more than $19 million in strategic capital while leading transformational initiatives across healthcare, education, technology, and nonprofit leadership.
If this conversation challenged your thinking, subscribe for more episodes exploring leadership, business, health, wealth, relationships, and the mindset behind perpetual growth.
-----Audio Chapters
00:00 Introduction02:19 What Success Really Means06:58 Finding Purpose Through Solving Meaningful Problems12:16 Entrepreneurship, Family, and Resilience17:08 How Environment Shapes Leadership21:41 Why Leaders Focus on Symptoms Instead of Root Causes27:18 The Power of Staying Close to the Problem32:45 Inside Spine Hope's Global Mission39:20 Humanitarian AI and the Future of Healthcare45:03 Can Technology Help Scale Global Impact?50:12 Building a Legacy That Outlives You

LinkedIn strategy, personal branding, thought leadership, executive visibility, and B2B growth are becoming the biggest competitive advantages for modern business leaders.
In this conversation with LinkedIn expert and growth strategist Eli Igra Serfaty to uncover why LinkedIn has evolved far beyond recruiting and become one of the most powerful business growth engines available today.
If you're still treating LinkedIn as an online resume or job board, you're leaving opportunities, partnerships, talent, and revenue on the table.
We explore why founders, executives, consultants, and business owners are using LinkedIn to create trust at scale, build authority in their industry, and stay top of mind long before buyers are ready to make decisions.
If you're a founder, executive, consultant, entrepreneur, sales professional, or business leader looking to grow your influence and opportunities, this conversation will change the way you think about LinkedIn forever.
Eli Igra Serfaty is the Founder and CEO of MAIA Digital, a LinkedIn-focused growth agency helping founders, executives, Fortune 500 leaders, and high-growth companies build authority, attract opportunities, generate revenue, and create meaningful business relationships through LinkedIn.
Since 2019, Eli and his team have worked with organizations across the world to transform LinkedIn into a strategic growth channel for visibility, trust, thought leadership, recruitment, and business development.
Eli is also a LinkedIn Certified Marketing Insider, executive ghostwriter, public speaker, podcast host, educator, and former officer in the Israeli Air Force.
Connect with Eli Igra Serfaty
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eli-igra-serfaty/Website: https://team-maia.com/
If you're committed to becoming a better leader, building a stronger business, and creating a life of continuous growth, subscribe and turn notifications on so you never miss an episode.
Subscribe to the Perpetual Growth Podcast
#LinkedIn #PersonalBranding #ThoughtLeadership #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #B2BMarketing #ExecutiveBranding #Entrepreneurship--------
AUDIO CHAPTERS
00:00 Why LinkedIn Might Be Your Biggest Business Opportunity02:05 The Biggest Misconception About LinkedIn06:24 How LinkedIn Became the World's Largest Professional Network11:03 Leadership Lessons From Military Service15:11 The Moment LinkedIn Proved Its Power22:46 Why LinkedIn Is Becoming a Centralized Growth Engine30:20 Understanding the 95% Rule in B2B Marketing36:57 The First Thing Every Founder Must Fix on LinkedIn43:44 The Daily LinkedIn System for Busy Executives50:42 Managing Multiple Businesses on One Profile56:40 What Personal Branding Actually Means01:02:12 Why Distribution Is Becoming More Valuable Than Technology01:07:31 How AI Is Increasing the Value of Personal Brands
 

Health optimization, longevity, energy, and human performance are not just wellness conversations. They are the foundation of how we lead, build, love, create, and ultimately experience our lives. In this episode, we explore why modern life is quietly stealing our vitality and how reclaiming movement can transform everything.
For nearly two decades, I spent my life immersed in the health and wellness industry. One truth became undeniable:
The quality of our health determines the quality of our life.
It impacts our relationships, our business performance, our leadership, our mindset, and our ability to fully show up for the people who matter most.
That’s why I was excited to sit down with Kyle Gonzalez, Vice President of Performance & Coaching at COIA, best-selling author of The Vitality System and Move, Thrive, and Come Alive, former Division I basketball player, and one of the leading voices in health, movement, and human performance.
Kyle brings a powerful perspective that challenges the way many of us think about health.
Most people believe movement takes energy.
The reality is:
Movement creates energy.
We are living in one of the most technologically advanced periods in human history, yet we are also among the most sedentary. We have optimized convenience but, in many ways, have moved further away from how the human body was designed to function.
In this conversation, Kyle and I discuss the modern movement crisis, why exercise is only one piece of the equation, and why the small choices we make every single day have a profound impact on our energy, longevity, and overall performance.
We also explore the lessons Kyle learned as a former Division I athlete, how discipline and adaptability shape success, and why the best health strategy isn’t the most extreme one.
It’s the one you can sustain.
The greatest transformations rarely come from chasing perfection.
They come from building daily practices that align with the person you’re becoming.
Whether you are an entrepreneur growing a company, a leader responsible for a team, a parent trying to be more present, or someone committed to becoming the strongest version of yourself, this episode will challenge the way you think about movement, health, and what it truly means to thrive.
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Audio Chapters
00:00 Introduction: The Truth About Movement & Energy02:05 What Vitality Really Means06:10 Why Modern Life Is Making Us Sick12:30 The Discipline & Lessons From Division I Basketball19:20 Kyle’s Journey Into Human Performance26:45 Why We Know More About Health But Are Less Healthy33:50 Exercise vs. Daily Movement: What Most People Get Wrong40:30 The Psychology of Movement & Behavior Change48:00 Building Sustainable Fitness Habits54:30 Why Walking Is a High-Performance Habit59:00 Creating a Life of Energy, Strength & Vitality

Financial freedom, wealth building, money mindset, and true happiness are not just about earning more money. Discover how to build lasting wealth, improve your relationship with money, and create a life filled with purpose and fulfillment.
Many ambitious professionals spend years chasing success, income, and achievements, only to realize they still feel financially stressed or unfulfilled. True wealth is not just about what you earn. It is about how your money supports the life you truly want.
In this episode with Dr. Nicholas E. Michels, CFP®, a former professional basketball player in Germany, best-selling author of Rich by Choice, Certified Financial Planner, entrepreneur, husband, father, and founder of Michaels Family Financial. For over 15 years, Dr. Michels has helped individuals and families create financial confidence, long-term security, and a meaningful life through intentional wealth planning.
Together, they explore the psychology of money, financial freedom, money habits, wealth-building principles, relationships and finances, and how to define success beyond your bank account.
In This Episode:
• The true meaning of wealth and financial freedom• Why successful people still struggle with money• How money psychology shapes your decisions• Creating a vision-driven financial plan• Building stronger money habits and relationships• Turning financial stress into confidence and purpose
Dr. Nicholas E. Michels shares lessons from professional sports, entrepreneurship, and years of financial advising to reveal why clarity, intentionality, and personal values are the foundation of a rich life.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, business owner, professional, or someone looking to improve your financial future, this conversation will give you practical strategies to take control of your money and build a life by design.
🎙️ Subscribe to the Perpetual Growth Podcast for more conversations on entrepreneurship, leadership, personal growth, mindset, relationships, and continual growth.
-----Audio Chapters
00:00 The Truth About Money & Happiness02:08 Defining Real Wealth06:50 Lessons From Professional Basketball12:15 Finding Purpose in Financial Planning17:30 Building Wealth After 4024:45 Creating a Life by Design32:20 Why Successful People Feel Financially Stressed39:00 Common Money Mistakes46:15 Money Mindset & Relationships53:40 The Vision Exercise for Wealth59:45 Breaking Financial Limitations1:05:00 Becoming Rich in Money & Life

Business scaling, operational excellence, founder bottlenecks, leadership systems, and sustainable growth are the real drivers behind long-term success. In this episode of the Perpetual Growth Podcast, we uncover why so many businesses plateau despite investing heavily in marketing, advertising, and sales.
Most founders believe growth comes from better marketing. Michael Kleinmann argues the opposite.
After helping scale multiple seven and eight-figure companies and overseeing more than $800 million in direct-to-consumer revenue, Michael has seen the same pattern repeatedly: businesses don't break because of marketing. They break because the foundation underneath them can't support growth.
In this conversation, we explore:
• Why founders become the biggest bottleneck to growth• The operational mistakes that stall scaling• The difference between building a business and building a job• Why growth requires new systems, people, and leadership• How strong operations drive long-term success• When to bring in outside expertise• The role of AI in modern business growth and efficiency
Michael Kleinmann is a founder, operator, advisor, and fractional executive with more than 25 years of experience building, scaling, and advising growth-focused businesses. Throughout his career, he has served as CEO, COO, President, Board Advisor, and Fractional Executive while helping companies generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. His work has been featured in major publications including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
If you're a founder, entrepreneur, business owner, operator, or executive looking to scale without chaos, this episode provides practical insights into what actually drives sustainable growth.
Subscribe for more conversations on business growth, leadership, entrepreneurship, personal development, operational excellence, and high-performance decision making.
 
Audio Chapters
00:00 Introduction01:08 Meet Michael Kleinmann03:15 Why Marketing Isn't the Biggest Growth Problem06:42 The Foundation Every Business Needs10:20 Business vs Asset Thinking15:04 The Founder Bottleneck Problem20:18 Leadership Psychology and Decision-Making25:40 When Founders Should Ask for Help30:12 The Amazon Review Case Study37:05 Solving Operational Problems at Scale42:33 Technology, Systems, and Business Growth48:26 Why Companies Get Stuck at Revenue Plateaus53:41 Scaling Teams Beyond Early Growth58:10 Escaping Founder Dependency01:02:24 AI, Operations, and the Future of Business01:05:10 Final Takeaways

Most people think reinvention belongs to the young, but this discussion highlights that career reinvention is a skill for the willing, not just the young. 
Our guest, with 78 years of experience and seven careers, shares their journey of personal growth and how they continuously adapted through career change. 
This conversation emphasizes self discovery and finding your life purpose, illustrating how to reinvent yourself at any stage of life.
Coach Jay Sargeant is the author of Shift: The Gift of Reinvention and creator of The Shift Project. His work focuses on helping people recognize hidden behavioral patterns, break limiting narratives, and intentionally create a new chapter in life regardless of age or background.
This episode is for entrepreneurs, leaders, coaches, creators, and anyone navigating personal transformation, career reinvention, or major life transitions.
If you feel stuck, trapped in someone else’s definition of success, or ready for your next chapter, this episode will challenge the way you think about growth, opportunity, and personal evolution.
Connect with Coach Jay Sargeant
🌐 Website: https://www.theshiftproject.academy/📘 Book: Shift: The Gift of Reinvention📱 Social: https://www.facebook.com/jay.sargeant.39/
Connect with Zac Palmer
🌐 Website: https://www.thezacpalmer.com/🎙️ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePerpetualGrowthPodcast📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thezacpalmer/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thezacpalmer/
#Reinvention #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #EntrepreneurMindset #SelfImprovement #IdentityShift #HighPerformance #SuccessMindset
---------Audio Chapters
00:00 Why Reinvention Belongs to the Willing02:14 The 90-Year-Old Lesson About Lifelong Growth06:41 Why Most People Stay Psychologically Stuck10:28 Escaping Other People’s Definition of Success15:03 The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything19:47 Why Credentials Are Overrated24:31 Confidence vs Experience in Entrepreneurship29:12 Identity, Conditioning, and Self-Belief34:18 The Power of Small Moments38:42 Reinvention at Any Age42:55 Final Lessons on Growth and Fulfillment

Customer-centered innovation, business growth, leadership, entrepreneurship, problem solving, and operational strategy all come down to one thing: staying close enough to the problem to actually understand it.
Today, I sit down with Andrew Bish, founder of Bish Enterprises and President of the Hemp Feed Coalition.
Andrew shares how real innovation happens by listening deeper than most companies ever do. From solving practical agricultural challenges to navigating the future of hemp, this conversation explores why the best entrepreneurs focus less on hype and more on solving real-world problems that actually matter.
Andrew Bish has built a reputation for developing specialized agricultural equipment that helps farmers operate more efficiently while also helping shape the future of hemp agriculture in the United States. His perspective blends innovation, operations, leadership, and long-term thinking in a way few entrepreneurs can.
If you're a founder, operator, executive, or entrepreneur trying to grow your business while staying connected to what actually creates value, this episode will challenge the way you think about innovation and leadership.
Guest Information:
👤 Andrew Bish🌐 Bish Enterprises Official Website: https://bishenterprise.com/🌿 Hemp Feed Coalition Official Website: https://hempfeedcoalition.org/
Connect with Andrew Bish:🔗LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbish/
Follow Zac Palmer:https://www.linkedin.com/in/thezacpalmer/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI5fN611Ku47TI9JI1hIz-w
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, entrepreneurship, business strategy, personal growth, and high-performance thinking.
Audio Chapters:
00:00 Why Innovation Starts Close to the Problem01:42 Andrew Bish on Growth and Long-Term Thinking05:12 Why Companies Lose Touch With Customers09:06 The Difference Between Symptoms and Root Problems14:18 How Entrepreneurs Can Find Better Opportunities18:37 Curiosity, Listening, and Better Conversations24:11 The Surprising Power of Patience in Business30:08 The Real Opportunity in the Hemp Industry35:41 Hemp, Agriculture, and the Future of Sustainable Farming40:12 Leadership, Innovation, and Practical Problem Solving
#BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #Leadership #CustomerExperience #ProblemSolving #BusinessStrategy #HempIndustry

Risk Taking, Courage, Meaning, Masculinity, and Personal Growth. Former U.S. Foreign Service officer John Graham shares hard-earned lessons from war zones, revolutions, mountain expeditions, and life-threatening experiences that completely transformed his understanding of manhood, leadership, emotional strength, and purpose.🔥
From surviving revolutions and navigating the realities of the Vietnam War to confronting the emptiness behind adrenaline-driven success, John unpacks the deeper psychology of courage, masculinity, self discovery, and meaningful living. 
This conversation explores what happens when a life built on danger and adventure collides with the search for compassion, service, emotional depth, and truth.
John shares raw stories about physical risk, leadership under pressure, personal transformation, emotional resilience, and why purpose matters more than comfort. This is not just a conversation about adventure or survival. It’s about becoming the kind of person who lives with intention, meaning, and impact.
About the Guest:👉 John Graham is a former U.S. Foreign Service officer, speaker, adventurer, and Executive Director of the Giraffe Heroes Project. He has worked in revolutions, conflict zones, and high-stakes environments across the world. His work today focuses on courage, purpose, leadership, and helping people live lives rooted in meaning and service.
Books & Resources:
📕 Book: Quest: Risk, Adventure, and the Search for Meaning🌐 Website: https://www.johngraham.org/ 🤝🏻 Organization: Giraffe Heroes Project - https://www.giraffe.org/ 🔗‍️ Instagram / TikTok / YouTube: “Badass Granddad”📍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnagraham1/ 
This episode will challenge the way you think about success, fulfillment, and what it means to truly grow! 
If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe to the channel and share it with someone navigating growth, leadership, purpose, or reinvention.
#RiskTaking #Courage #Meaning #Masculinity #Purpose #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #SelfDiscovery
Video Chapters
00:00 Introduction04:18 The Search for Manhood14:27 Adventure, War Zones & Risk Taking27:14 Vietnam War & Personal Transformation40:18 What Real Courage Looks Like46:50 Meaning Over Comfort53:31 Leadership, Service & Purpose1:05:44 Spiritual Risk vs Physical Risk1:16:32 Self Discovery Through Purpose1:21:50 Final Thoughts

Breathwork for peak performance, emotional healing, mental clarity, and stress reduction—this conversation breaks down how mastering your breath can radically shift how you think, feel, and perform in business and life.
Most people take 20,000 breaths a day without ever being taught how to use them. That’s a missed advantage. In this episode, we unpack how conscious breathing directly impacts your nervous system, emotional regulation, decision-making, and long-term performance.
You’ll learn how to access deeper awareness, release stored stress, and operate with more clarity under pressure—without adding more complexity to your routine.
This isn’t surface-level wellness. It’s a practical framework for rewiring how you respond to stress, uncertainty, and high-stakes environments.
Our guest, Jessica Dibb, has spent over 40 years guiding individuals through deep personal transformation. She is the founding director of the Inspirational Consciousness School and Community and author of Breathwork and Psychotherapy: Clinical Applications for Healing and Transformation. Her work integrates psychology, breathwork, and contemplative practices to help people access higher levels of awareness and healing.
If you're serious about performing at a higher level, this is a skill set worth mastering.
Jessica Dibb 🌐 Website: https://www.inspirationcommunity.org/ 📘 Book: Breathwork and Psychotherapy: Clinical Applications for Healing and Transformation🌍 Organization: Inspirational Consciousness School and Community🔗‍️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-dibb-2581167b/ 👉 Inspirational Links: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12-OAyyPsVrUeCa2DwpzDB3yUIIjbDHPDjE0KvJLaLWQ/edit?tab=t.0 
 
Video Chapters
00:00 Why Breathwork Is the Most Overlooked Performance Tool02:15 The Link Between Breath and Mental Clarity06:40 How Stress Lives in the Body11:25 Rewiring Emotional Responses Through Breathing17:10 Breathwork and Peak Performance23:45 Practical Techniques You Can Use Daily31:20 Healing, Awareness, and Transformation39:10 Why Most People Never Tap Into This45:00 Final Thoughts on Mastery and Presence
The moment we consciously breathe rather than automatically, we activate the neocortex and limbic brain, opening possibilities for global engagement. This simple shift can lead to profound stress relief and foster a calm nervous system. Discover how this breathwork practice can enhance your self improvement journey and bring about greater mindfulness. It's a foundational element for overall well-being, supported by neuroscience.

💡90% of real estate investors focus on finding deals… but only a small percentage ever master raising capital. 
That gap is exactly why most deals never get funded.
Capital is the real bottleneck. 
Not deals. Not opportunity. ⚠️
And the operators who understand how money actually moves are the ones who win.
📌 Inside this conversation, you’ll see how capital flows behind the scenes, what drives investor decision-making, and why most operators struggle to get deals funded even when the numbers look strong.
You’ll also uncover how to raise money from both individual investors and institutions, build a consistent capital pipeline, and avoid the subtle mistakes that quietly destroy investor trust.
If you're serious about scaling in real estate, private credit, or capital markets, this will reshape how you approach money, relationships, and long-term growth.
👉 Robert Costomiris is a capital markets and fundraising executive with over two decades of experience across Wall Street, private equity, and real estate investing. 
As President of MIOYM Equities, he leads capital formation, investor relations, and deal execution across distressed assets, fix-and-flip strategies, and ground-up developments.
🔗 Guest Info & Resources
• Company: MIOYM Equities• Website: https://mioym.com/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertcostomiris/ 
 
If you’re serious about scaling your business, raising more capital, and surrounding yourself with the right strategy and support, the fastest path isn’t figuring it out alone.
 
📅 Book a call and let’s map out what this actually looks like for you:🔗 https://calendly.com/thezacpalmer/30min?month=2026-04 
No fluff. No guesswork. Just clarity on your next move.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Real Estate Investing Mistakes02:10 Business Growth Mindset05:30 Capital Raising vs Finding Deals08:15 Investor Psychology Secrets12:40 How to Raise Capital Consistently16:20 Where High Net Worth Investors Are20:10 Networking Mistakes in Real Estate24:00 Building Investor Trust28:30 Real Estate Deal Fundamentals33:45 Buying Real Estate the Right Way38:20 Real Estate Deal Structures Explained42:10 Private Credit vs Banks46:00 Finding Profitable Real Estate Markets
#RealEstateInvesting #CapitalRaising #PrivateEquity #RealEstateDeals #InvestorMindset #Entrepreneurship #WealthBuilding