The Unshakeables

Dr. Victor Van Berkel lost his father to lung cancer — the deadliest cancer in the U.S., in part because it’s so difficult to detect early. That loss inspired Breath Diagnostics, a start-up using breath samples and microchip technology to identify cancer. But groundbreaking science doesn’t always translate into a sustainable business. After years of stalled leadership and mounting debt, investor Ivan Lo stepped in — buying the debt, restructuring the company and becoming CEO. When a Mayo Clinic partnership revealed they needed to fix some technical issues first, they hit pause to get it right — even if it meant going it alone for a while.

In this episode, Ben Walter and Kathleen Griffith speak with Victor and Ivan about making hard bets, the real costs and rewards of scientific startups and why leading with conviction sometimes matters more than consensus. These are The Unshakeables.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Terry Iverson grew up in the family machine tool business, eventually becoming the third-generation CEO of Iverson & Company. But as American manufacturing declined, Terry knew the legacy he inherited wasn’t enough — he needed to create something new.

In this episode, Ben Walter and Kathleen Griffith sit down with Terry to talk about what it means to walk away from a century-old business, and why he created CHAMPION Now! to rebuild interest in American manufacturing, using songwriting, youth outreach and hands-on education as tools for change. This one’s about legacy, reinvention and the long game of saving an industry. These are The Unshakeables.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron and Kelly Moore started in the family business young — Ron in the warehouse, Kelly on the phones. They built careers expecting to take over one day. But when their father passed away, those plans unraveled. Their stepmother, now in control, shut them out. They went their separate ways until Ron called Kelly with an idea: start again, from scratch.
That call became Moore United Construction which allowed the siblings to rebuild what was taken and even fight new betrayals, including a project manager who quietly siphoned off clients. But they’re not interested in grudges. For Ron and Kelly, it’s about the work, the team and giving back — especially to veterans, a community they’re proud to serve. In this episode, Ben and Kathleen talk with Ron and Kelly about the reality of rebuilding a business, the complexity of family dynamics and the power of a shared mission. These are The Unshakeables
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the basketball court to the corporate boardrooms of the largest global sports brands in the world, to a locker-room–inspired idea that took off, first-time entrepreneur Jasmine Maietta’s Round21 was off to a stellar start. She’d made a quarter of a million dollars in seven days and was the first-ever Web3 company to pitch on Shark Tank—right at that moment, the NFT market bottomed out. Join Ben and Kathleen Griffith as they chat with Jasmine about her innovative approach to branding, sports sponsorship, and apparel; the future of fandom and the arts; scaling while maintaining identity; and the necessary evil of killing off parts of the business you love. These are The Unshakeables.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.