What if the only way to build a company and a life with true resilience was to let everything break? Are you burned out, questioning leadership, or stuck in a plateau while everyone expects you to “scale perfectly”?

In this episode, host Sivana Brewer sits down with Matt Rhodes, COO of The Phoenix Method and co-founder of Polaris Capital Investments. Matt shares his raw story of rising from rock bottom, both in business and marriage, using a radical combination of systems, self-accountability, and explosive mindset shifts.

Discover how Matt and his wife Jen rebuilt trust, transformed company culture, and mastered the uncomfortable art of letting go… all while weathering the chaos of COVID and scaling new ventures.

Skip the endless analysis and unlock the real, actionable playbook for bouncing back stronger. Tune in now or risk staying stuck in mediocrity. This episode is an exclusive masterclass for COOs tired of perfection and ready for exceptional impact.

[00:00] – Why COOs must “let systems break” to escape perfection traps

[01:16] – The harsh wake-up call that shattered business—and marriage

[04:01] – How COVID exposed fragile culture—and forced total reinvention

[07:07] – The critical hiring shift: moving from sales stars to customer-first teams

[10:33] – Letting go, delegation, and the painful process that actually fueled growth

[13:52] – Fresh eyes: Why bringing in outsiders is the hidden superpower in scaling

[15:17] – The vital metrics Matt tracks weekly to prevent disaster before it hits

[19:07] – How Matt and Jen divided CEO/COO roles to leverage their strengths

[24:02] – Why top COOs never go it alone—the ROI (and resistance) of world-class coaching

[32:12] – Breaking isolation: Why environment and peer groups are every COO’s money-making secret

[36:43] – The one mindset shift that transformed results, inside and out

Matt Rhodes is the COO of The Phoenix Method and co-founder of Polaris Capital Investments, with over 25 years of leadership experience across corporate America, fitness franchises, and strategic investing. Known for his real-world resilience and trailblazing company culture turnarounds, Matt is a go-to coach for leaders intent on transforming challenges into growth opportunities. His current roles reflect his commitment to systems-led scaling, paired with the uncommon honesty few executives dare to share.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website | Facebook | Instagram

1. Ram Dass
2. Snap Fitness
3. Closers.io
4. EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System)

Ever feel like you’re stuck fixing fires instead of building teams that actually thrive? Imagine stepping into a legacy brand, mobilizing hundreds of operators, and transforming your culture from confused to unbeatable, all while modernizing for the future.

In this episode, Cameron Herold gets real with Jackie Secor, COO of Taco John’s. She’s a 25-year franchise and operations veteran who reveals how trust, creativity, and emotional intelligence drive relentless brand loyalty and profit. They dive deep into promoting insiders, learning from the front line, fighting standardization chaos, and using AI to cut real problems, not just hype.

If you’re tired of leadership fluff and want the actual proven moves great COOs use to build legendary teams, this episode is your advantage. Press play right now if you want to stop the pain of high turnover, poor culture, or outdated systems and get the inside story you’ll never hear anywhere else.

[00:00] – Why problem-dropping is forbidden in Jackie’s office

[03:01] – The unexpected challenges facing any new COO in a legacy brand

[04:06] – Why the right network beats experience every time

[07:42] – Jaw-dropping fix: How she clawed back operational standardization

[09:21] – The hidden dangers of outsourced audits (and how Jackie reversed them)

[13:30] – How stretch assignments reveal real leaders, not just performers

[15:04] – Emotional intelligence: The operator’s secret weapon

[17:42] – How Jackie coaches Gen Z talent when they want the corner office—now

[20:03] – The shocking empathy learned on the franchisee side

[25:41] – Standardizing the most controversial taco technique: meat on bottom or side?!

[29:13] – Multi-generation success—how Taco John’s beats the odds other brands can’t

[32:03] – Are robots and AI the real next move, or total overkill?

[36:03] – Why “get back to basics” wins versus flashy ideas every time

[37:46] – The one job in the restaurant nobody envies (and why it matters for culture)

[43:31] – Redefining quality and value, even as giants like Chipotle pivot fast

[44:04] – Why every franchisor MUST run their own locations for credibility

[45:56] – The advice Jackie wishes she got at 21 (and warns every young COO today)

Jackie Secor is the Chief Operating Officer at Taco John’s, a fast-growing, family-owned restaurant brand with a passionate multi-generation franchise base. With over 25 years’ experience across both franchisee and franchisor sides, including at Auntie Anne’s, she’s renowned for building high-performance teams, driving operational turnarounds, and modernizing legacy operations through creativity and emotional intelligence.

🔗LinkedIn | Website

1. Auntie Anne’s
2. GO To Foods
3. International Franchise Association (IFA)

Ever wondered why so many remote teams fall apart while others scale to $100M and beyond… without burning out? This episode is a raw, practical look at exactly what it takes to build and lead a remote-first organization that actually works, not just in theory, but in the trenches.

Cameron Herold sits down with Ryan Montgomery, COO of ClickFunnels, to expose the real playbook behind thriving distributed teams, rapid-fire decision making, relentless innovation, and building systems that keep a visionary CEO’s wildest ideas on track. You’ll hear the battle-tested culture moves, hiring decisions, and frameworks that eliminated chaos as ClickFunnels vaulted from scrappy startup to industry king.

Don’t let unpredictable growth, relentless tech changes, or a “too many ideas” CEO destroy your progress! Listen now for exclusive, battle-proven insights you won’t get on any other COO podcast. Miss this conversation and risk getting left behind chasing hacks instead of building something legendary.

[00:00] – How a rejected idea turned into a $100M phenomenon

[02:35] – The radical decision that forever changed ClickFunnels’ growth

[04:28] – Why most teams struggle with remote culture—and the proven fix

[09:55] – The secret to keeping a visionary CEO happy without burning out your team

[13:39] – What to throw away from your last company if you want to survive hypergrowth

[18:44] – How ClickFunnels keeps employee turnover shockingly low

[25:31] – The Go Meeting: an addiction for solving obstacles at lightning speed

[32:06] – When and why “killing sacred cows” saved the company

[41:03] – What Ryan wishes he’d known before leading thousands through explosive change

About the Guest

Ryan Montgomery is the Former Chief Operating Officer at ClickFunnels, where he’s been instrumental in scaling the company from a small startup to a global, remote-first powerhouse serving nearly 100,000 customers. A seasoned software engineer and relentless problem solver, Ryan is celebrated for building high-performance teams, architecting resilient systems, and distilling visionary energy into repeatable growth engines.

🔗 Website

1. Remote (book, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson)
2. Rework (book, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson)
3. Play Bigger (book)
4. Silos, Politics and Turf Wars (book, Patrick Lencioni)
5. The Advantage (book, Patrick Lencioni)