Tech Scenes Unplugged with Ryan Vaughn, Founder of Inside-Out
Welcome to another episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, where we dive deep into the journeys of leaders and innovators. In this episode, we sit down with Ryan Vaughn, the Founder and Executive Coach of Inside-Out, a boutique executive coaching firm that helps founders transform their companies into masterpieces while fully embracing their lives.
Ryan's story is one of transformation. Over 15 years, he founded and served as CEO of three companies, the last of which, VNN, became the largest and fastest-growing high school sports marketing platform in the U.S. After raising $20M from leading VCs, building a world-class team of over 100 professionals, and scaling VNN to nearly 20% of the U.S. market, Ryan realized that the relentless pursuit of presenting a polished, hyper-competent image had left him disconnected from his true self.
In 2020, Ryan made the difficult decision to step down as CEO, embarking on a personal journey of self-discovery that led him to found Inside-Out Leadership. Today, he helps other founders navigate their own transitions, encouraging them to embrace vulnerability, self-knowledge, and authentic leadership.
In this episode, Ryan shares the founding story of VNN and discusses the critical importance of being present, supporting founders in transition, and creating a learning environment that fosters growth. We explore how pain can be an opportunity, the role of love and trust in leadership, and the importance of business operating systems. Ryan’s insights offer a fresh perspective on what it means to lead with authenticity and purpose.
Join us for a great conversation with Ryan Vaughn as we explore the profound lessons he’s learned on his journey from CEO to executive coach. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a leader, or simply someone seeking more meaning in your work and life, this episode offers valuable insights and inspiration.
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About the author
Jeff James MartinCEO and Founder, Collective Genius
Jeff James Martin is the Founder and CEO of Collective Genius, creator of Peak OS, and author of Peak Teams. He works with growth and mission-critical organizations to improve alignment, accountability, execution, and team performance. Over the past two decades, Jeff has helped hundreds of founders, executives, and leadership teams build stronger operating rhythms and scale through increasing complexity. He is also the host of Tech Scenes, where he interviews founders, investors, and operators on leadership, innovation, and organizational performance.
About Peak OS
Peak OS is the operating system for organizational execution. Designed for growth-stage and mission-critical organizations, Peak OS helps leadership teams align priorities, establish operating rhythm, improve accountability, and maintain visibility as organizational complexity increases. By creating a consistent framework for communication, planning, and execution, Peak OS helps teams reduce execution drift and turn strategy into measurable outcomes. Learn more: Collective Genius
About Collective Genius
Collective Genius helps founders, executive teams, and growing organizations improve organizational execution through leadership coaching, operating systems, strategic facilitation, and Team-of-Teams alignment. Our work focuses on helping organizations scale without losing clarity, accountability, communication, or momentum. Learn more: Collective Genius
About Peak Teams
Peak Teams: Mastering the Habits of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies explores the leadership habits, operating rhythms, accountability systems, and execution principles used by high-performing organizations. The book provides practical frameworks for leaders seeking to build aligned teams and execute consistently as complexity grows. Learn more: Peak Teams book
Learn More
Explore additional insights on organizational execution, operating rhythm, leadership, team alignment, business operating systems, artificial intelligence, and the future of work through the Collective Genius Insights platform. Visit: Collective Genius Insights
Music by Andrew Applepie - https://soundcloud.com/andrewapplepie
