Podcast
Elevation Nation
Hosted by Sam Panitch & Parker Yablon · EN
Elevation Nation is a movement to shape resilient leaders by elevating mental fortitude.
Join Sam Panitch and Parker Yablon each week as they sit down with a new Elevator: a bold thinker, creator, or leader who’s using mental fortitude to overcome adversity, lead with purpose, and make an impact.
From entrepreneurs and pro athletes to musicians, wellness experts, and changemakers, Elevators come from all walks of life - but they all have one thing in common: mental fortitude that helps them thrive in the real world.
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Noah Kahan Turned Self-Doubt Into Sold-Out Stadiums | Fortitude in 15
1w ago00:16:16Tap to summarizeSam and Parker break down what makes Noah Kahan an honorary elevator — from writing songs alone in his Vermont attic during COVID to selling out four nights at Fenway Park. His Netflix documentary shows the self-doubt never really left, he just learned to use it. Plus, a game of Real or Fake Noah Kahan lyrics that Sam almost sweeps.
Transcribe →Don't Run From Who You Are | Content Creator Tony Polcari
1w ago00:57:00Tap to summarizeElevator no. 253: Tony Polcari, better known as Tony P in DC, is a content creator and broadcaster with millions of views built on cooking videos, fit checks, and week-in-the-life vlogs. After chasing the "checked boxes" through accounting at KPMG and strategy consulting, a nudge from his boss after a breakup sent him down the content path, and within months a side hobby became a full-blown brand. Now he's chasing the broadcasting dream he gave up on in college, from Fox appearances to a Food Network digital series.In this podcast: Tony opens up about the mental health struggles behind his relentless positivity, including a suicide attempt in high school and the weight of an internet audience where some people love you and some mock your existence. We talk about why men need permission to be open, what happened to being a gentleman, and why the DMs saying "your videos got me through" are what keep him going. Plus his mental motto, straight out of Rounders: don't run from who you are. Run toward it.
Transcribe →Boredom We're Scared to Sit In | Fortitude in 15
2w ago00:14:26Tap to summarizeSam and Parker are back from a week off, and it exposed something neither of them expected. A TikTok video they came across on anhedonia - the idea that we've lost the ability to feel pleasure without a dopamine hit - sparked a conversation about rest, numbness, and why doing nothing feels so hard. They dig into the difference between nothing and numbing, why people at camp light up once their phones disappear, and whether real stillness is a skill we've quietly lost.
Transcribe →The Mindset That Made Me | Former Pro Soccer Player and Financial Advisor Jake Rozhansky
2w ago00:50:57Tap to summarizeElevator 252: Jake Rozhansky is a retired professional soccer player turned wealth advisor based in New York City. A kid from Maryland raised by a single mother, he was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis as a toddler and told he could end up in a wheelchair. Instead he captained his club team, won a national championship as a freshman at UVA, played professionally in Israel and the United States, and then walked away from the game at 28 to start completely over.In this podcast: Jake takes us through the identity shift of being known as "the soccer player" his whole life to building something entirely new. We talk about where his confidence actually came from (and why he was unapologetically cocky), the boring and lonely reality of being a pro athlete overseas, and how a COVID wake-up call about money pushed him into a finance career he wanted to quit every single day for six months, until he didn't.
Transcribe →Bounce back like Messi | Fortitude in 15
3w ago00:14:01Tap to summarizeArgentina was down 2-0 to Egypt with 15 minutes left. Messi had just missed a penalty kick in front of the entire world. Then he scored the game-tying goal and Argentina came back to win.Sam and Parker break down what separates the best of the best: how fast they bounce back from failure. Then they test a new format with rapid fire fortitude questions and a blind ranking of soccer legends you'd want on a five-day silent retreat.
Transcribe →Plan the Work, Work the Plan | Entrepreneurs Grant & Will Cohen
3w ago00:59:53Tap to summarizeElevators 250/251: Grant and Will Cohen are brothers, operators, and co-founders of Rising Ventures Group. Grant spent nearly a decade at Amazon building his leadership chops in warehousing and supply chain before making the jump to entrepreneurship. Will became a CEO at 25 years old, transformed a metals recycling company into a certified B Corp that donated 200,000 pieces of technology to communities in need — then sold it and kept going. Together, they acquired Quality Warehouse & Distribution, a 50-year-old logistics business serving the New York and New Jersey port region, and are building it into the foundation of their family office.In this episode: Grant and Will talk about what it actually looks like to be hands-on operators in an unsexy industry — and why that's the whole point. We get into Will's wild first week as CEO with $15K in the bank and payroll due on Friday, Grant's "it's time" moment watching entrepreneurs build culture inside Amazon, and why the baby boomer succession gap is one of the biggest opportunities for the next generation of business owners. They also share the mental mottos that drive how they lead — at work and at home.
Transcribe →That's a Wrap on the Tour | Fortitude in 15
Jun 2500:17:59Tap to summarizeSam and Parker are back from the road, and the first-ever Elevate Your Mindset tour is officially in the books. They recap three weeks, nine camps, and fifteen-plus gigs across five states, from elevating in Chicago to a campfire session in the Berkshires to dodging a tornado on the way to New Hampshire. The guys reflect on the new mentors, the lasting friendships, and the momentum they're carrying into whatever comes next.
Transcribe →1K miles in 3 days | Fortitude in 15
Jun 1700:14:45Tap to summarizeSam and Parker are officially in the thick of the summer tour: ~1k miles, three days, and fourteen hours behind the wheel. Before they hit the road, they get into what these long hauls really do to your head and how they stay sharp without driving each other crazy. Plus some rapid fire and fire questions to kick the whole thing off.
Transcribe →Digital Dorito Problem | Fortitude in 15
Jun 1100:17:47Tap to summarizeSam and Parker came across a warning from author Cal Newport: our ability to think deeply is eroding, and almost nobody is talking about it. If a TikTok is just a digital Dorito and AI is writing, speaking, and problem-solving for us, what happens to the most important muscle we have? The guys get into why deep thinking is the one thing AI can't replace, plus simple ways to start exercising your brain again.
Transcribe →Trust the Detour | Food Creator and Founder of Shabbat Club Morgan Raum
Jun 900:43:56Tap to summarizeElevator 249: Morgan Raum is a New York-based food media creator, community builder, and the founder of Shabbat Club — a Jewish dining series bringing young adults together over food at Jewish-owned restaurants and bars across NYC and beyond. She's also the creator behind ToooMuchFoood, where she's been sharing her love of food for over 12 years across Instagram and TikTok.In this episode: Morgan shares how getting laid off from her dream job as a food journalist at People Magazine became the catalyst for building something entirely her own. We talk about the power of food as a community connector, what it really takes to build an audience from scratch, and how Shabbat Club became a home for Jewish young professionals who never quite felt like they fit into traditional Jewish spaces.
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