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Free To Lead

Free To Lead

By: Will Steel
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Free to Lead is dedicated to showcasing not just the journeys of business owners and executives from various industries who are making significant impacts in their fields, but also some of what each of them dealt with along the way, and what they are dealing with now. Hosted by Will Steel, one of the world’s most highly regarded transformational leaders, the podcast delves into the stories of visionary business owners and leaders who are not only driven by their passion but also inspired by their purpose.Copyright 2026 Will Steel Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How to Build, Scale, and Sell a Business (Twice!) with Glenn Poulos

    How to Build, Scale, and Sell a Business (Twice!) with Glenn Poulos
    Oct 19 2026
    What does it take to transition from a government employee to building and successfully exiting two multi-million dollar tech distribution companies? In this episode, seasoned sales expert and author Glenn Poulos shares the raw, unfiltered truth about scaling a business, learning from failed acquisitions, and avoiding the trap of "shiny object syndrome". Discover why most companies fail at customer experience despite claiming otherwise, and how adopting a simple, relentless policy of being a pleasure to work with transforms customer retention. Plus, learn why putting your top revenue producer into a management role could be destroying your sales pipeline, and how to structure your team for sustainable, scalable success using accountability charts. KEY TAKEAWAYS Always be a pleasure to do business with: Exceptional customer service comes down to basic details like answering calls with real humans and responding to inquiries with care. Beware the "Reverse Midas Touch": Success in one core business doesn't mean you can launch a side venture without investing the exact same focus and energy. Structure your business before placing people: Using an accountability chart helps prevent putting high-performing producers into roles they aren't suited to manage. Top salespeople rarely make great sales managers: Promoting your highest producer to manager deprives the business of their core strength while misaligning team leadership. Focus on your core strengths to maximise valuation: Cutting unaligned business divisions allows you to double down on core operations and scale toward record exit valuations. QUOTES "The salesmen could only leverage themselves one to one, whereas the owner can leverage themselves one to many." "Get, act, and stay in front of your customers and be a pleasure to do business with always." "The reverse Midas touch is where everything you touch, other than your core business, turns to shit." "Don't think just because you can sell products, you can climb a tower and put them up." "Structure first, people second. Look at your business holistically and figure out what you need." Glenn Poulos Links https://glennpoulos.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennpoulos/ https://www.instagram.com/glenn.poulos/?hl=en WILL STEEL LINKS 🔥 Connect with Will Steel – Business Coach & High Performance Transformation Expert If you're ready to level up your mindset, scale your business, and unlock peak performance, check out Will Steel’s coaching and content below: 🌐 Official Website https://willsteel.com/ 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/willsteelcoaching/ 📘 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/willsteelcoaching/ 💼 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-steel-business-coach-high-performance-transform
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    17 mins
  • The Hidden Damage of Screen Time with Dr Roger Wu

    The Hidden Damage of Screen Time with Dr Roger Wu
    Oct 12 2026
    Glancing at screens all day leaves most eyes feeling dry, fatigued, and completely drained. Over two decades in optometry reveal how smartphones and laptops trigger high-energy blue light damage and drastically slow down natural blink rates, leading to long-term macular degradation and persistent dry eye. Beyond standard advice like taking frequent breaks or using basic eye drops, targeted nutrition offers real protection. Combining AREDS 2 formulations, vegan omega-3s, and coconut water hydration creates a practical daily routine designed to nourish vision health from the inside out. Discover actionable habits to safeguard eyesight and reverse screen-induced fatigue in a world dominated by digital devices. KEY TAKEAWAYS High-energy blue light (400–450 nm) penetrates directly to the retina, degrading macular pigmentation and increasing long-term risks. Screen time reduces average blinking from 12–18 times per minute to as low as 2.5 times, causing rapid tear evaporation. Partial or "lazy" blinking prevents eyelids from closing completely, leaving the lower half of the eye vulnerable to severe drying. Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) scores reflect eye protection levels, with functional damage appearing well before structural harm occurs. Bioavailable triglyceride omega-3s combined with proper hydration offer significantly higher nutrient absorption than standard daily capsules. QUOTES "Ever since the first iPhone iPad start coming out, oh my God, all the numbers are going through the roof." "Your blink rate could go down as low as 2.5 times per minute." "You get this high energy blue light that can potentially penetrate all the way to the back of the eye." "Your upper eyelid only come down half or two thirds... causing the bottom half of the eye to get completely dried out." "In 90 days we see some tremendous some crazy numbers. The number was so good we had to repeat the test." Dr Roger L Wu Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-roger-wu-321a3710/ https://theeyedrink.com/investors/ https://www.drwuod.com/our-team.html WILL STEEL LINKS 🔥 Connect with Will Steel – Business Coach & High Performance Transformation Expert If you're ready to level up your mindset, scale your business, and unlock peak performance, check out Will Steel’s coaching and content below: 🌐 Official Website https://willsteel.com/ 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/willsteelcoaching/ 📘 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/willsteelcoaching/ 💼 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-steel-business-coach-high-performance-transform
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    18 mins
  • Why $500M Valuations Fail: Lessons in Investor Battles and Business Loss With Gregory Vetter

    Why $500M Valuations Fail: Lessons in Investor Battles and Business Loss With Gregory Vetter
    Oct 5 2026
    What kind of man steals another man's salad dressing—and how does that lead to starting a clean food revolution? In this episode of Free to Lead, host Palm sits down with Greg Vetter, innovator, clean food pioneer, and author of Undressed: The Unfiltered Story of My Failed American Dream and How It Led to Success. Greg details his journey from selling insurance over a bodega to building Tessemae's into the nation's top organic salad dressing brand. He candidly shares how a missing two-litre bottle of his mom's homemade dressing sparked a multi-million dollar company, how he pitched grocery buyers using wet lettuce out of Tupperware, and how clean manufacturing was born. Greg reveals the harsh realities on the way down: board infighting, failed $500M acquisition attempts, three legal battles, and eventually handing the company over to private equity for $4.5 million. This episode offers a masterclass on trusting your gut, maintaining voting control, and leading through crisis. KEY TAKEAWAYS Recognising True Demand: Extraordinary products create extreme reactions; a stolen bottle of homemade dressing was the spark that launched a national brand. Conviction Beats Perfection: Pitching buyers with passion and wet lettuce out of Tupperware proved that real conviction outweighs fancy packaging. Trust Your Intuition: Ignoring gut instincts when selecting advisors or investment bankers can lead to misaligned priorities and lost value. Protect Corporate Governance: Entrepreneurs must maintain voting control and proper board structures to avoid becoming employees of their own ideas. Lead by Example in Defeat: True leadership is leaving things better than you found them and turning painful business failures into lessons for future founders. QUOTES "What kind of man steals another man's salad dressing? The real question was, what salad dressing is good enough to be stolen?" "I lived the actual pursuit of the American dream on the way up, and then I experienced everything that could go wrong on the way down." "Fast forward, we're handing it over to a private equity group for $4.5 million." "You don't own it anymore, you're an employee of your own idea." "Fight as hard as you can for what your gut tells you, but also be prepared for the consequences of those actions." Gregory Vetter LINKS https://www.gregoryvetter.com/ https://www.instagram.com/glvetter/?hl=en https://open.spotify.com/show/4U4qVX5PeFUYHZ7RR0sWHT https://www.youtube.com/@gregoryvetter WILL STEEL LINKS 🔥 Connect with Will Steel – Business Coach & High Performance Transformation Expert If you're ready to level up your mindset, scale your business, and unlock peak performance, check out Will Steel’s coaching and content below: 🌐 Official Website https://willsteel.com/ 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/willsteelcoaching/ 📘 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/willsteelcoaching/ 💼 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-steel-business-coach-high-performance-transform
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    19 mins
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