About Zach

The Story They Said Couldn't Happen

Juvie. Boys homes. Psych ward. 5+ years in state prison. Then a $500k+ podcast agency with 40%+ margins, 300+ client podcasts launched, and in-person interviews with the biggest names in business. Here's how it happened — and why it matters to you.

300+

Podcasts Launched

$500k+

Agency Revenue

5+ Years

In State Prison

The Full Story

Prison to CEO/Investor + Podcast Authority AI Founder

ERA 1 — AGES 6–17

Hard Upbringing

My dad was my hero. He died on Easter Sunday when I was 7 years old. My mom moved us to Ferguson and everything changed overnight. Juvie at 9. Rehabs, boys homes, a psych ward. By the time I was 17, the system knew me better than my own neighborhood did.

ERA 2 — AGES 18–23

First Prison Sentence

I went to state prison at 18. Four felonies in one night at 17 sent me there. My first celly had two life sentences — I thought he was going to snap and off me any second. I did 4+ years that trip. Two years in, I was thrown in the hole for 60 days. That's where I found out my sister Meghan died — no goodbye, no funeral. My mom broke into her bathroom and found her dead on the floor from a heroin overdose. I came home February 28th, 2012 and the world was completely different from when I left.

ERA 3 — AGES 23–28

Back in the Fire

I got out, got a job, got a girl, and was living. Then I got fired from a retail job for my felony record — the same week I outsold the entire store. Turned to alcohol. Then February 1, 2014, I woke up in Ferguson jail with no memory of how I got there. My twin sons were due in 19 days and I was getting shipped back to prison. Right there in that cell — instant identity shift. I was going to be a good dad. I was sent back to prison and didn't see what my sons looked like for over a month. Got out October 2, 2014. No luck getting a job. Found network marketing through an Instagram DM and built it to nearly $2k a month from scratch. Couldn't stop asking: why am I not building my own thing? Walked away in 2017. No bitterness. Just a direction.

ERA 4 — AGES 28–34

Building the Brand

I tried life coaching first. Generic offer, no traction, nobody took me seriously. Then I heard my exact problem described in a video — and the fix: launch a podcast and become the platform. I launched my podcast in April 2018, got it ranked on Apple within days, and within 14 days Billy Gene Is Marketing was on the show. I stacked one high-profile guest on the last — all the way to Grant Cardone. Then took it to another level with in-person interviews with Andy Frisella, Patrick Bet-David, Dan Fleyshman, and many more. Launched a podcast agency with 300+ shows launched and ranked. $500k+ revenue with 40% margins. Prison to the room with the best — exactly what they said wouldn't happen. And I still felt empty inside...

ERA 5 — AGES 32–36

Solitude and Shadow Work

I hit the mountaintop and felt nothing. Every win — 20 seconds of dopamine, then a void. Tucker Max called it out on my own show in 2021. I attacked it the way I attack everything — all in. Stepped away publicly in October 2021 to go inward and do the shadow integration work. Lost over $100k on live events before I shut down operations entirely. I was spread too thin and the work needed 100% of me. What came back wasn't the same man. The drive stayed. The void didn't.

ERA 6 — AGES 36–NOW

The Evolved Era

With a clear head and heart, I started mastering my weakest links — finances, and investing — and I started mastering AI while seeing the impact it is having on building authoritative brands with podcasts. My experience building my podcast and 300+ client shows, combined with time away from the industry, gave me a clear picture of what AI-powered authority building really means. I built PodcastAuthority.ai — the tool I wished existed when I was doing it all by hand. The same system that took me from prison to the room with the best is now AI-powered and available to you. If you're done being the best-kept secret — the newsletter is where it starts. Hit Start Here and I'll show you exactly how it's done.

What Drives Me

The Code I Live By

Truth

Seek it. Do the right thing EVEN when it's hard. Own your mistakes. Check your ego. “The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.” — James Garfield

Order

Home in order first. Discipline equals freedom. Simple, effective processes. Do what you say you're gonna do.

Excellence

ALL or nothing. 1% better every day. Attention to detail. Lead through action, not words.

Alignment

Live your values out loud. Be fully present with every person in every moment.

Freedom

The result of the first four. Non-negotiable. Worth fighting for.

The Entire Why

Family First. Legacy Always.

My family is the reason WHY. That's who I do it for. My wife Stephanie has been by my side through most chapters of this story. Family isn't separate from the mission. It is the mission. Everything I build, everything I heal, everything I pass down — it gets stronger with every generation. That's the whole point.