Heartbeat For Hire with Lyndsay Dowd

Bruce E. Cardenas journey spans from the United States Marine Corps (disabled veteran) to the LAPD, where he was awarded the highest award, the Police Medal for bravery. He still serves as a level one reserve for the LA County Sheriff's Department serving the citizens of the county. Bruce then embarked on his entrepreneurial path by founding a high-level personal protection business. Protecting some of the biggest names in entertainment & business over the past 30 years. All while serving as a police officer. A serendipitous meeting with the founders of Quest Nutrition led Bruce to become an intrapreneur within the startup, ultimately rising to Chief Communications Officer. He played an instrumental role in the billion-dollar sale of Quest Nutrition.
 
Bruce's journey now continues with Legendary Foods, where he leverages his expertise and passion. Legendary is on track to be another billion dollar brand! And at Legendary, we spend millions of dollars a year, looking for answers in cancer, heart, disease, neuropathy, and other metabolic diseases, We started our own Bio Shift research foundation, 501(c)(3), nonprofit as we continue this battle
 
Connect with Bruce Cardenas
Website: brucecardenas.com (his book is available here)
Social media: Bruce E. Cardenas
Episode Summary:
Bruce Cardenas grew up in a small New Jersey town of about 1,000 people, was held back in school, and dreamed of joining the local five-man police department. That path led him through the Marine Corps, the LAPD, and a 30-year career as a personal bodyguard for some of the biggest names in entertainment.
 
Key Takeaways:
Bring value with no strings attached.
Relationships and professionalism build a business.
Think like an intrapreneur.
Be obsessed with customers, not competitors.
Keep it simple and consistent.
 
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Cold Open: Three Things You'll Learn Today
00:45 Welcome and Introducing Bruce Cardenas
01:54 Growing Up in High Bridge, NJ, and Joining the Marine Corps
05:01 From Camp Pendleton to the LAPD
06:08 Starting a Bodyguard Business While Working as a Cop
09:26 Meeting the Founders of Quest Nutrition
12:22 Becoming an Intrapreneur and Chief Communications Officer
13:44 The Billion-Dollar Cash Sale and Being Obsessed with Customers
14:45 What Is Legendary Foods?
16:10 Costly Mistakes at Quest and Why Consistency Wins
17:15 Leadership Lessons from Founder Ron Pena
18:16 The 85% Blockage That Changed Everything
19:41 $20 Million into Cancer and Heart Disease Research
21:32 Ron's Vision and Showing Up with Value
22:58 What Inspires Bruce: Money as a Facilitator
24:09 Legacy and Why He Wrote His Book
24:56 What's Next for Bruce and Legendary
26:05 Where to Find Bruce
26:19 Final Advice: Start Today
27:53 Closing Thoughts

Roger Duthie brings over 19 years of experience in senior management at one of the world's most recognizable brands, Emirates Airline. During his tenure, he successfully negotiated and managed high-profile contracts with some of the biggest sporting teams and organizations globally, overseeing a budget exceeding $300 million. His extensive international network spans across brands, teams, leagues, and athletes, making his connections in the world of sports unparalleled.
 
With a deep passion for sports and a vast business acumen, Roger's expertise spans football, golf, tennis, and baseball. His close ties to the DP World Tour (formerly the PGA European Tour), The Ryder Cup, the PGA Tour, the Asian Tour, and numerous high-profile players have strengthened his reputation as a leader in sports sponsorship.
 
Connect with Roger Duthie:
Website: bearfishsportsmarketing.com
Dubai Little League: dubailittleleague.com
LinkedIn: Roger Duthie
 
Episode Summary:
Lyndsay Dowd sits down with Roger Duthie, who spent 19 years building Emirates Airline's global sponsorship program — negotiating deals with Real Madrid, Arsenal, PSG, the NFL, F1, and FIFA on a $300 million budget — before launching his own sports marketing firm, Barefish Marketing. Roger shares how he broke into elite global sponsorships as an outsider representing Dubai, why never burning a bridge became the backbone of his career, and how "old school in values, modern in tools" shapes his leadership style today. The conversation also dives into his 20+ years volunteering with Dubai Little League, where he's helped grow baseball from a small expat pastime into a thriving multinational youth program that's sent players to college scholarships and national teams. Roger closes with a candid take on AI in the workplace — encouraging young professionals to build real, human relationships instead of leaning on ChatGPT for everything.
 
Key Takeaways:
- Never burn a bridge.
- Sponsorship money is spent to make money.
- Face-to-face still wins.
- Big deals open doors for bigger deals.
- Behind the glamour is grinding.
- Passion projects can leave a real legacy.
- Use AI as a tool, not a replacement.
 
Episode Chapters:
00:00 — Cold open: "Don't go to ChatGPT to write your email"
00:56 — Intro to Heartbeat for Hire and today's guest
01:23 — Meet Roger Duthie
01:39 — Roger's path: Bahamas to Dubai, 28 years in the UAE
02:56 — Landing at Emirates Airline and building the sponsorship department
03:56 — Leaving a 19-year career at Emirates to start his own company
04:12 — Leadership philosophy: never burn a bridge
05:49 — Has relationship-building changed for the next generation?
06:56 — Breaking into FIFA, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and PSG
08:39 — Managing a $300 million sponsorship budget and staying accountable
13:08 — The biggest misconception about sponsorship work
14:09 — Leadership lessons: ROI, ROO, and building real business value
14:35 — Barefish Marketing: what Roger does today
14:49 — Explaining baseball's value to non-American markets
17:52 — What inspires Roger to keep going
19:36 — Roger's hoped-for legacy: his kids, and Dubai Little League
20:43 — Where to find Roger and Barefish Marketing
21:12 — What's next for Roger
21:38 — Closing thoughts: AI, human relationships, and advice for young people
24:47 — Wrap-up

Andy Riise is a Mental Performance & Leadership Coach, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, keynote speaker, podcast host, and best-selling co-author. A West Point graduate and former Army football player, he spent over 20 years leading Soldiers in high-stakes combat environments. His post-military career in athletics spans MLB, NFL, and collegiate athletics, including the Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and, most recently, the Chicago Bears. He's also worked in business, healthcare, higher education, and emergency services. Today, Andy's mission is to equip athletes, leaders, and teams with battle-tested systems to perform under pressure and lead with clarity. He and his wife, Katie, have been married for over 23 years and are raising four active teenagers and young adults in Houston, TX.
Connect with Andy:
Website: www.andyriise.com
Linkedin: @andyriise
 
Episode Summary:
Andy Riise spent over 20 years as a West Point graduate and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel leading soldiers in combat. That experience — plus five years working alongside Green Berets and Special Forces units — became the foundation for a second career as a mental performance coach, working with the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies. In this episode, Andy joins Lyndsay Dowd to unpack the "4C Model" of mental toughness (confidence, control, commitment, and challenge), explain the difference between mental toughness and mental fitness, and share how the same training systems that help soldiers and elite athletes perform under pressure can help everyday leaders, teams, and families. He also opens up about the personal side of his mission — inspired by his wife, a special education teacher, and his own kids — and previews his upcoming book, Step Into The Arena.
 
Key Takeaways:
Mental toughness can be trained like a physical skill — it's not something you either have or don't.
Andy's "4C Model" breaks mental toughness into confidence, control, commitment, and challenge.
Confidence starts with self-talk: you're the author, publisher, and consumer of your own story.
Control is about emotional regulation — naming your emotions so they work for you, not against you.
People move along a bridge from survival, to resilience, to thriving — and everyone shifts along it daily.
 
Episode Chapters:
00:00 – Cold open & episode preview
01:25 – Meet Andy Riise: West Point grad, combat veteran, mental performance coach
02:00 – Andy's origin story: growing up in Oakdale, CA, and his path through West Point
03:52 – From the battlefield to the Army's resilience program
05:46 – Five years working with Green Berets and Special Forces
06:27 – The leap into pro sports: NFL, then the Colorado Rockies
07:51 – Mental fitness vs. mental toughness: the survival-resilience-thriving bridge
09:38 – Breaking down the 4C Model: confidence, control, commitment, challenge
11:19 – Why "soft skills" should be called "power skills"
12:04 – Coaching corporate leaders to train like athletes
14:59 – Andy's own podcast, Skull Sessions
16:43 – Sponsor break
18:47 – Defining legacy and the "ripple effect" of mastery
20:22 – What's next: his upcoming book, Step Into The Arena
21:12 – Andy's message to listeners: reach out, he's accessible
22:37 – Closing thoughts and sign-off

Pamela is a seasoned executive coach with over two decades of experience. She is known for guiding leaders through complex transitions with clarity, confidence, and compassion. With deep expertise in human development, organizational change, and C-suite dynamics, she partners with CEOs, Boards, and executive teams to build cultures of trust, performance, and purpose.
Pamela has led transformative leadership programs across sectors nonprofits, foundations, startups, and global enterprises. At Amazon, she pioneered the company's first executive onboarding and development program for senior leaders worldwide, earning a Brandon Hall Gold Award. As SVP of People and Organizational Development at Outreach, she helped scale a values-driven culture through rapid growth.
Her work as a Culture Strategist and Executive Coach continues to shape leadership practices in high-growth environments. Whether aligning leadership teams, coaching through succession, or cultivating values-based cultures, Pamela brings a rare blend of rigor and heart, razor-sharp intelligence, perceptiveness, and a very helpful edginess to her work.
 
Episode Summary:
Lyndsay Dowd sits down with executive coach and organizational design expert Pamela Mattsson, who built Amazon's first executive onboarding program for senior leaders worldwide before founding her own practice. Pamela unpacks why culture isn't a poster on a wall but a diagnosable, rebuildable system, and walks through the three interconnected pillars of her work: culture strategy, top team development, and executive coaching. She shares why "customization" is really about respect, how honoring what's real (including the confidence dip every new executive faces) builds trust faster, and why leadership is never just a job — it's an expression of soul that shapes the "dinner table conversations" people have about their leaders. The conversation closes with reflections on legacy, what's next for Pamela's practice, and a simple, powerful test for leaders: if there were a one-way camera on you, would you be proud of the footage?
 
Connect with Pamela Mattsson:
LinkedIn: search Pamela Mattsson
Website: pamelamattsson.com
 
Key Takeaways:
- Culture isn't just values on a wall
- New executives experience a natural dip in confidence and competence when they change roles
- Real coaching work starts with discovery, not a fixed playbook
- Culture change has to start at the top
- A strong executive team is more than a group of strong functional leaders
 
Episode Chapters:
00:00 — Cold Open & Episode Preview
00:55 — Meet Pamela Mattsson
02:14 — Pamela's Origin Story: From Typing Psych Reports to Studying Resilience
03:23 — The Drive to Keep Learning
04:36 — From Building Amazon's Program to Independent Practice
06:41 — What Makes Her Coaching Approach Different: Partnership Over Playbook
09:34 — The Three Buckets of Her Work: Culture Strategy
11:48 — Top Team Development
13:25 — Executive Coaching, Tied Back to the Team
14:25 — Advice for Leaders Considering This Work
17:44 — Sponsor Break & Show Support (Cozy Earth discount code: LEADWITHHEART)
18:35 — What Inspires Pamela + The "One-Way Camera" Test
20:17 — Defining Legacy
21:22 — What's Next for Pamela
22:59 — The Book in Progress, and Where to Find Pamela
23:53 — Closing Thoughts & Sign-Off

Victor Bergonzoli is the CEO of SportsEdTV and a longtime entrepreneur in sports technology and education. He previously co-founded Dartfish, helping grow the company globally through sales, partnerships, and business development.
 
Known as a natural networker and dealmaker, Victor has spent more than 25 years connecting people, companies, and opportunities across sports, technology, media, and education.
 
A former Swiss national-level weightlifter and Swiss Army captain, he now leads SportsEdTV with a mission to make world-class sports knowledge accessible to everyone.
 
Connect with Victor Bergonzoli:
- LinkedIn: Victor Bergonzoli
- Email: victor@sportsedtv.com
- Website: sportsedtv.com
 
Episode Summary:
 
Victor Bergonzoli's path to the Olympics didn't start with a broadcast deal — it started with a bag of VHS tapes and the nerve to knock on an NBC trailer door. In this episode, Victor traces his journey from competitive weightlifting in Switzerland to co-founding Dartfish, the video technology behind the "simulcam" effect used in Olympic broadcasts and now used by 70% of Olympic medal winners. He shares how relentless listening — not flashy technology — built the trust that got him in front of NBC, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and coaches worldwide. Victor also opens up about why he left Dartfish to found SportsEdTV, a free platform built to bring high-quality sports coaching and education to every athlete, parent, and coach — not just the elite. The conversation closes on what really drives him: family, helping others, and the moments when the work changes someone's life.
 
Key Takeaways:
 
- Listen before you build.
- Relationships open doors.
- Honesty builds trust fast.
- Keep it simple.
- Quality beats quantity.
 
Episode Chapters:
 
00:00 Cold open — three things you'll learn
00:33 Welcome to Heartbeat for Hire & guest introduction
01:41 Victor's origin story: Swiss weightlifting and an early love of sports
02:48 Discovering "simulcam" technology in India — the spark for Dartfish
04:02 Breaking into Olympic broadcasting: the NBC "Video Finish" trailer story
05:37 Partnering with the U.S. Olympic Committee and scaling through trust
06:31 Why listening — not selling — is the real skill
09:41 What Dartfish became: from broadcast tech to coaching tool to VAR
10:55 Why Victor left Dartfish to found SportsEdTV
12:04 The personal story behind SportsEdTV: his son, lacrosse, and bad YouTube content
13:01 Building a trusted brand: 800+ cinema-quality videos and 1,800 articles
15:41 Sponsor break (Cozy Earth)
16:22 What inspires Victor: family, travel, and helping people
17:29 Legacy: the Olympic gold medalist story that still gives him chills
19:05 What's next: Chicago Public Schools and the Shape America partnership
20:08 Where to find Victor: LinkedIn, email, and sportsedtv.com
20:42 Final thoughts for listeners