All Episodes

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Marcia explains why her son asking, “Mom, can I see you more?” pushed her to start the O’Connor Group, why she was willing to risk losing the house to gain more control of her life, and how early money lessons became a commitment to cash reserves and payroll security. She also opens up about letting go as a founder, the emotional weight of selling a company, EO and EOS, mentoring women through ShadowHer, vulnerability in leadership, and the importance of building a business that can eventually run without you.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Momin opens up about losing half his clients overnight, maxing out credit cards, borrowing money to hire a bankruptcy attorney, and ultimately refusing to sign the papers.

How can one mentor change the trajectory of a kid’s life? For Tyler Hines, basketball mentorship began with his own experience of losing his identity after his parents divorced. In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Tyler shares how anger, bad grades, sibling pressure, and one teacher’s decision to invest in him helped redirect his life.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall is joined by Greg Carlisle, a TD Bank leader in New Jersey, to explore the human side of business loans, commercial banking, financial literacy, and leadership.

What turns a 16-year-old facing life or the death penalty into a community leader fighting to keep kids alive? Edwin Desamour’s story shows how prison, fatherhood, purpose, and The Lighthouse became the foundation for a life of service.
Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes conversations about murder, incarceration, suicide, depression, gun violence, childhood trauma, death, and exploitation.
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall talks with Edwin Desamour, Executive Director of The Lighthouse in Philadelphia, to trace the path from a teenage conviction to a life dedicated to serving others. Edwin opens up about being charged with first-degree murder at 16, serving eight and a half years in prison, being incarcerated alongside his father, becoming a father while behind bars, and later receiving a pardon.
The conversation explores The Lighthouse, youth programs, boxing, violence prevention, fatherhood, prison reentry, nonprofit politics, Latino and Puerto Rican history, human trafficking prevention, and why Edwin believes purpose is the difference between survival and destruction.

Chapters:
02:01 Meet Edwin Desamour
02:35 The Lighthouse and Its Mission
05:52 Facing Life and Death at 16
08:19 Conviction, Pardon, and Accountability
16:31 Prison With His Father
27:38 Release, Family, and Coming Back From the Dead
33:07 Why Purpose Defeats the System
49:01 Talking a Kid Out of a School Shooting
52:28 Nonprofit Politics and “Poverty Pimping”
59:01 The Lighthouse, Affordability, and Belonging
01:01:02 MIMIC, Street Legends, and Life Skills
01:06:33 The Exodus Road and Human Trafficking Prevention
01:09:06 Fatherhood, Street Smarts, and Book Smarts
01:13:35 Losing His Son and Breaking Generational Patterns
01:23:36 Wind Therapy, Grief, and What Comes Next

Hidden Foundations is a weekly podcast hosted by entrepreneur and investor Kendall Schoenrock, examining how family systems, early adversity, and childhood dynamics quietly shape high-performing adults. Each conversation uncovers the “invisible wiring” behind resilience, ambition, leadership, and grit — told through candid stories from entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and leaders.

Guided by the thesis that strength is forged early at home, the show uses a consistent framework to explore emotional environments, money narratives, family roles, conflict patterns, and early challenges. Every episode delivers at least one practical, repeatable insight for parents, leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how greatness is built long before it’s visible.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://hiddenfoundations.com/#newsletter

Learn more or connect with Kendall:
Website: https://kendallschoenrock.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schoenrock/
SilverRock Ventures: https://silverrockventures.com/about-us/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HiddenFoundationsPod
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VKN6BBbuVxNDl4zKh4E3O?si=0c56c9aebfaf402e
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-foundations/id1895154229

#HiddenFoundations #EdwinDesamour #TheLighthouse

What shapes an entrepreneur who refuses to sacrifice integrity? For Ed O’Brien, it started with childhood money pressure, a complicated father-son relationship, family secrets, and early lessons in responsibility.
In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall talks with Ed O’Brien to trace the family system behind his leadership style. Ed grew up in a large Irish-Italian Catholic family in New Jersey, where love, discipline, scarcity, and silence all lived under the same roof. He shares how his father’s business struggles shaped his relationship with money, why he rejected his father’s allowance at 11, and how carrying the secret of his father’s affair pushed him toward independence.
Ed also reflects on trying to save the family business, building a career through GE mentorship, entering the fiber optics and power infrastructure world, and creating a company culture built on honesty. The conversation closes with a powerful reflection on fatherhood, success, and the difference between providing for your children and truly being present with them.

Chapters:
00:00 Cold Open: Money, Secrets, and Responsibility
00:43 Meet Ed O’Brien
01:54 Childhood Money Pressure and Family Business
05:08 Rejecting His Father’s Allowance
05:36 Carrying the Secret of His Father’s Affair
10:46 Money With Strings and Closing the Family Business
16:22 Running Away, Reconnecting, and Hearing “I’m Proud of You”
21:11 Fiber Optics, AI Infrastructure, and Business Integrity
27:25 GE Mentorship, Autonomy, and Plan B
40:30 Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, and Listening
48:25 Success, Fatherhood, and Being Present

Hidden Foundations is a weekly podcast hosted by entrepreneur and investor Kendall Schoenrock, examining how family systems, early adversity, and childhood dynamics quietly shape high-performing adults. Each conversation uncovers the “invisible wiring” behind resilience, ambition, leadership, and grit — told through candid stories from entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and leaders.

Guided by the thesis that strength is forged early at home, the show uses a consistent framework to explore emotional environments, money narratives, family roles, conflict patterns, and early challenges. Every episode delivers at least one practical, repeatable insight for parents, leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how greatness is built long before it’s visible.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://hiddenfoundations.com/#newsletter

Learn more or connect with Kendall:
Website: https://kendallschoenrock.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schoenrock/
SilverRock Ventures: https://silverrockventures.com/about-us/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HiddenFoundationsPod
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VKN6BBbuVxNDl4zKh4E3O?si=0c56c9aebfaf402e
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-foundations/id1895154229

#HiddenFoundations #EdOBrien #Entrepreneurship

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall is joined by Matthew Rehrig, a gym owner, father, and Type 1 diabetic, to unpack the pressure behind building a business while managing a relentless health condition. Matt shares how 2015 changed everything: a new baby, a new house, a young marriage, a risky gym investment, and the stress that surrounded his early years as an entrepreneur. Six months after opening the gym, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, forcing him to manage blood sugar, insulin, workouts, family life, and business ownership every day. Kendall and Matt also explore door-to-door sales, fitness coaching, confidence, keeping promises to yourself, raising three sons, his complicated relationship with his father, and how early family patterns shape the way we lead, parent, and survive pressure.

Chapters:
00:00 Cold Open: Fitness, Failure, and Diabetes
00:43 Meet Matthew Rehrig
01:57 Gym, Marriage, Risk, and Scrappy Beginnings
10:23 Family Drive, Baseball, and Door-to-Door Sales
14:35 Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis
30:47 Living on the Blood Sugar Tightrope
36:19 Coaching Confidence and Keeping Promises
51:17 Fatherhood, Regret, and Breaking Patterns

Hidden Foundations is a weekly podcast hosted by entrepreneur and investor Kendall Schoenrock, examining how family systems, early adversity, and childhood dynamics quietly shape high-performing adults. Each conversation uncovers the “invisible wiring” behind resilience, ambition, leadership, and grit — told through candid stories from entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and leaders.

Guided by the thesis that strength is forged early at home, the show uses a consistent framework to explore emotional environments, money narratives, family roles, conflict patterns, and early challenges. Every episode delivers at least one practical, repeatable insight for parents, leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how greatness is built long before it’s visible.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://hiddenfoundations.com/#newsletter

Learn more or connect with Kendall:
Website: https://kendallschoenrock.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schoenrock/
SilverRock Ventures: https://silverrockventures.com/about-us/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HiddenFoundationsPod
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VKN6BBbuVxNDl4zKh4E3O?si=0c56c9aebfaf402e
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-foundations/id1895154229

#HiddenFoundations #Type1Diabetes #FitnessEntrepreneur

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall is joined by Ari Simmons, a world champion epee fencer, coach, and Olympic hopeful, to explore what elite sports really build inside a person. Ari shares how he went from being kicked out of fencing class for goofing off to becoming first in the U.S. and winning a world championship in the 17-and-under category.
The conversation moves through obsession, discipline, ego, youth sports pressure, parental support, Notre Dame, UPenn Wharton, taking a gap year to chase Rio, and why his parents never made winning the point. Ari also breaks down the mental framework he now teaches athletes: purpose, honesty, consistency, forgiveness, and learning to treat wins and losses as data. This is a conversation about fencing, family, pressure, and becoming the person behind the performance.

Chapters
00:00 Cold Open: World Champion and Olympic Pressure
00:49 Meet Ari Simmons
01:15 Becoming a World Champion in Epee
06:00 Why Fencing and the Obsession Switch
11:00 Dreaming of Greatness and Winning Worlds
19:23 Parents, Pressure, and Youth Sports
31:50 Gap Year, Rio, UPenn, and Notre Dame
45:42 Coaching, Mindset, and the Olympic Chase

Hidden Foundations is a weekly podcast hosted by entrepreneur and investor Kendall Schoenrock, examining how family systems, early adversity, and childhood dynamics quietly shape high-performing adults. Each conversation uncovers the “invisible wiring” behind resilience, ambition, leadership, and grit — told through candid stories from entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and leaders.

Guided by the thesis that strength is forged early at home, the show uses a consistent framework to explore emotional environments, money narratives, family roles, conflict patterns, and early challenges. Every episode delivers at least one practical, repeatable insight for parents, leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how greatness is built long before it’s visible.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://hiddenfoundations.com/#newsletter

Learn more or connect with Kendall:
Website: https://kendallschoenrock.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schoenrock/
SilverRock Ventures: https://silverrockventures.com/about-us/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HiddenFoundationsPod
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VKN6BBbuVxNDl4zKh4E3O?si=0c56c9aebfaf402e
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-foundations/id1895154229

#HiddenFoundations #AriSimmons #fencing

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall and Amjad trace the family story underneath that ambition, including the sacrifice of Amjad’s mother, the burden of sending money home, the transition from rentals to sales, more than $500 million in real estate transactions, and the question of how to pass grit to kids growing up in a very different world.

Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes conversations about childhood loss, Alzheimer’s, physical discipline, career instability, and difficult family memories.

Jeff Pelaccio’s foundation was shaped early by loss, loyalty, and the need to keep moving. His mother died the day before his fifth birthday. His father, a union welder, developed early-onset Alzheimer’s when Jeff was still a kid. And the New York Italian family around him modeled work ethic, loyalty, survival, and showing up when life gets hard.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall and Jeff trace how those early patterns followed him into corporate America, where nine involuntary career transitions taught him that no job is ever fully safe. Their conversation moves through reinvention, podcasting, leadership, stoicism, meditation, AI, deep work, interviewing, mentorship, and why resilience often begins with learning what you can control and what you have to release.

Chapters
00:00 Cold Open: Loss, Failure, and Reinvention
00:40 Meet Jeff Pelaccio
02:31 Starting The Corporate Couch
06:51 Career Strategy, Leadership, and Reinvention
13:06 Losing His Mother Before Age Five
17:39 Family, Work Ethic, and Loyalty
20:58 Corporate Instability and Stoicism
28:36 AI, Deep Thought, and Podcasting

Hidden Foundations is a weekly podcast hosted by entrepreneur and investor Kendall Schoenrock, examining how family systems, early adversity, and childhood dynamics quietly shape high-performing adults. Each conversation uncovers the “invisible wiring” behind resilience, ambition, leadership, and grit — told through candid stories from entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and leaders.

Guided by the thesis that strength is forged early at home, the show uses a consistent framework to explore emotional environments, money narratives, family roles, conflict patterns, and early challenges. Every episode delivers at least one practical, repeatable insight for parents, leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how greatness is built long before it’s visible.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://hiddenfoundations.com/#newsletter

Learn more or connect with Kendall:
Website: https://kendallschoenrock.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schoenrock/
SilverRock Ventures: https://silverrockventures.com/about-us/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HiddenFoundationsPod
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VKN6BBbuVxNDl4zKh4E3O?si=0c56c9aebfaf402e
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-foundations/id1895154229

#HiddenFoundations #JeffPelaccio #Reinvention

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Victor Raymond-Tabaac, a Philadelphia-based serial entrepreneur, to unpack the early experiences that shaped his risk tolerance, work ethic, and drive to build. Victor shares how his first business started at 13 with a hot dog cart, how selling weed in high school taught him hard lessons about risk, leadership, pricing, and consequences, and how addiction later collided with family responsibility and entrepreneurship.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with William “Bill” Brandmeyer, founder of ShareWaves, to explore how youth sports, family business, recovery, faith, and honest parenting shape a person’s capacity for life. Bill shares why he believes kids need safe tension, why an easy life can create softness, and how sports can teach children discipline, teamwork, humility, grit, and resilience. The conversation also covers pay-to-play youth sports, play equity, the mission behind ShareWaves, his recovery journey, the boss who helped save his life, the Brandmeyer family business, generational wealth, family pressure, and why honesty may be the most important hidden foundation a parent can give a child.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Shawn Edwards, Kansas City journalist, film critic, producer, and executive producer of the Celebration of Black Cinema and Television, to explore how childhood warmth, family history, storytelling, and early exposure to movies shaped his life’s work.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Peter Groverman, founder of Grovara, to explore the long entrepreneurial road behind building a global B3B trading platform. Peter shares how early exposure to his father’s box factory, flea market negotiations, family business, Villanova Law, Haiti relief work, and early platform technology shaped the way he sees opportunity, value, and risk.

The conversation moves from the early days of Venmo and exporting American brands overseas to Grovara’s evolution through failures, fundraising, leadership lessons, Pokemon logistics, wholesale distribution, AI automation, and the future of global commerce. Peter also explains why it took 15 years to become an overnight success, why business partners matter, how AI is changing company efficiency, and why there may be no shortage of opportunity for entrepreneurs willing to start.

Chapters
00:00 Cold Open: 15 Years to Overnight Success
00:41 Meet Peter Groverman
01:12 Early Startups, LTL Prints, and Haiti Relief
06:14 Launching Grovara and the First Venmo Use Case
13:32 Fundraising, Failure, and Building the Platform
17:03 B3B, Wholesale, Pokemon, and Global Logistics
28:01 Law School, Family Business, and Learning to Sell
39:15 AI, Leadership Lessons, and Founder Advice

A special thank you to The Franklin on Rittenhouse for graciously allowing us to record these episodes inside their hotel. Their hospitality, atmosphere, and attention to detail gave us the perfect setting to host thoughtful conversations and bring Hidden Foundations to life in Philadelphia.
Check out their hotel here: https://www.thefranklinonrittenhouse.com/
https://www.instagram.com/franklinonrittenhouse/

Hidden Foundations is a weekly podcast hosted by entrepreneur and investor Kendall Schoenrock, examining how family systems, early adversity, and childhood dynamics quietly shape high-performing adults. Each conversation uncovers the “invisible wiring” behind resilience, ambition, leadership, and grit — told through candid stories from entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and leaders.

Guided by the thesis that strength is forged early at home, the show uses a consistent framework to explore emotional environments, money narratives, family roles, conflict patterns, and early challenges. Every episode delivers at least one practical, repeatable insight for parents, leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how greatness is built long before it’s visible.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://hiddenfoundations.com/#newsletter

Learn more or connect with Kendall:
Website: https://kendallschoenrock.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schoenrock/
SilverRock Ventures: https://silverrockventures.com/about-us/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HiddenFoundationsPod
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VKN6BBbuVxNDl4zKh4E3O?si=0c56c9aebfaf402e
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-foundations/id1895154229

#HiddenFoundations #PeterGroverman #Grovara

Viewer discretion is advised. This episode includes sensitive conversations about alcoholism, suicide threats, family instability, and difficult parent-child dynamics.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Alexandra Bojarski-Stauffer, architect, triathlete, and founder of Emerald Hive Design, to explore how childhood responsibility, financial instability, and emotional survival shaped the way she leads today. Alexandra shares how a childhood drafting board sparked her love of architecture, why roadblocks as a woman in architecture pushed her to start her own firm, and how becoming a caretaker for her parents forced her to grow up fast. The conversation also covers therapy, vulnerability, Team USA triathlon, mental resilience, visualization, business ownership, community, and the hidden family patterns that shaped Alexandra’s operating system.

Chapters
00:00 Cold Open: Pressure, Architecture, and Caretaking
01:04 Meet Alexandra Bojarski-Stauffer
01:35 Discovering Architecture at Age Four
03:22 Starting Her Own Firm After Career Roadblocks
09:55 Money, Family Instability, and Becoming the Caretaker
18:44 Therapy, Survival Mode, and Emotional Growth
25:10 Triathlon, Grit, and Competing With Team USA
37:32 Business Advice, Architecture, and Community Lessons

Hidden Foundations is a weekly podcast hosted by entrepreneur and investor Kendall Schoenrock, examining how family systems, early adversity, and childhood dynamics quietly shape high-performing adults. Each conversation uncovers the “invisible wiring” behind resilience, ambition, leadership, and grit — told through candid stories from entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and leaders.

Guided by the thesis that strength is forged early at home, the show uses a consistent framework to explore emotional environments, money narratives, family roles, conflict patterns, and early challenges. Every episode delivers at least one practical, repeatable insight for parents, leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how greatness is built long before it’s visible.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://hiddenfoundations.com/#newsletter

Learn more or connect with Kendall:
Website: https://kendallschoenrock.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schoenrock/
SilverRock Ventures: https://silverrockventures.com/about-us/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HiddenFoundationsPod
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VKN6BBbuVxNDl4zKh4E3O?si=0c56c9aebfaf402e
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-foundations/id1895154229

#HiddenFoundations #AlexandraBojarskiStauffer #WomenInArchitecture

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Doug Taylor of Taylor Chip to explore the family, faith, pressure, and grit behind building a cookie company from scratch. Doug shares how he and his wife started Taylor Chip with a $50 mixer in a 900-square-foot apartment, how Dave Portnoy’s Barstool review changed their e-commerce momentum, and how the company grew across retail, manufacturing, nutrition products, and online sales.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Suchit Bachalli to explore how family, education, entrepreneurship, and early sales experience shaped the way he leads today. Suchit shares how he built Unilog brick by brick with his father, what boarding school in India taught him about independence, and how selling software on the streets of Mumbai became the foundation for his belief in empathetic leadership.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall sits down with Barrett Widell and Christina Boschetti of Widell and Boschetti to explore how two very different childhoods, careers, and creative paths became one business partnership. What started as a chance meeting at a Philadelphia park turned into a design firm built on trust, risk, resilience, and a shared instinct to keep moving forward.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with Dr. Kavin Mistry, a board-certified neuroradiologist, to explore the hidden connection between childhood, longevity, health, and legacy. Dr. Kavin shares how growing up across India, Africa, and the United States shaped his view of resilience, adaptability, and human potential.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with Candice Shum of Culligan Water in Kansas City to explore what it means to inherit, lead, and grow a third-generation family business. Candice shares how her grandfather built the company, how her mother fought her way into leadership in a male-dominated industry, and how those early lessons shaped Candice’s own approach to grit, growth, parenting, and team culture.

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with Archie Menezes to explore the life experiences that shaped his resilience, leadership, and entrepreneurial mindset. Archie shares how a…

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with Andrea Desy Edrei to explore how childhood exposure to business, years of dinner-table dealmaking, and a major ACL injury…

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall Schoenrock sits down with former MLS soccer player Kortne Ford for a powerful conversation about childhood trauma, physical abuse, grief, resilience, career-ending injuries,…

In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Meenal Lele shares how her son’s severe food allergies reshaped her life and career, leading her to focus on food allergy prevention, early allergen introduction, and improving access to practical solutions for families.