Free Zone Frontier

Hosted by Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach And Steve Krein of StartUp Health

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May 2026

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About the show

What is a Free Zone Frontier? You enter into a Free Zone when you increasingly create unique collaborative possibilities and payoffs that are amazingly free of competition. Join Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach and Steve Krein of StartUp Health as they launch the Free Zone Frontier podcast. Learn the concepts as they relate to their own companies, and how this transformative mindset is the future of entrepreneurial growth.

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60 recent

May 19, 202625 min

Turn Your Business Into A Theater With AI In Your Cast

Entrepreneurs grow fastest when they combine their unique capabilities with the right collaborators—both human and AI—so everyone creates bigger results together instead of working alone. Dan Sullivan and Steve Krein explore how teamwork, technology, and ambition multiply one another in the new era of collaboration. Show Notes: Working with AI can feel highly personal because the tools remember your past thinking and mirror it back to you in powerful ways. Division of labor is still the starting point for creating wealth, but now the labor includes both human team members and AI agents. There’s a big difference between having a job made up of tasks and having a role defined by the results you create for the team. When unique capabilities get combined, the result is something that probably didn’t exist yet. If you automate activities that don’t work, it will just amplify what isn’t working. For successful entrepreneurs, growth alternates between greater meaning and more money, and AI only matters if it increases both. Evaluating how someone contributes to teamwork gives you a clearer read on their character than any assessment or profile. The most valuable team members going forward will be AI-first and AI-native, using agents as collaborators rather than occasional helpers. Resources: The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith Unique Ability® Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff Kolbe A™ Index CliftonStrengths®

April 21, 202636 min

Make Every Day A Great Yesterday

No one can control the future, but something we can do is make sure we have a great past. Dan Sullivan and Steve Krein discuss how a good life is when you focus on making every day a great yesterday. Show Notes: Entrepreneurs often fall in love with exciting future possibilities and end up pulled in 10 different directions at once. When you commit to creating great yesterdays, you naturally think less about abstract futures and more about the quality of what you’re doing right now. Today is real. The future exists only in your mind. Like strengthening a muscle, you get better at creating great yesterdays the more you practice it. Seeing each day as tomorrow’s yesterday changes your behavior, even in frustrating situations like travel delays or schedule disruptions. Thinking of today as tomorrow’s yesterday increases your intentionality, so more of your time goes to activities that compound. As a result of new technologies and tools, what you can accomplish in a single day is radically different from a few years ago, which makes your daily choices even more important. Many entrepreneurs suffer from too much opportunity and too much achievement, which makes it hard to stay grounded in the present. The greatest challenge that entrepreneurs face is loneliness, but Strategic Coach gives ambitious entrepreneurs a community where they feel understood and can talk freely about their goals and successes. Resources: The Entrepreneur's Guide To Time ManagementUnique Ability® The Impact Filter® Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff My Plan For Living To 156 by Dan Sullivan Thinking About Your Thinking by Dan Sullivan The 4x4 Breakthrough

March 9, 202641 min

Rewind: How To Make Your Own Luck

In one of our most popular episodes, Dan Sullivan and Steve Krein reveal why every entrepreneur has something to offer clients, but most attempt to make convincing arguments rather than compelling offers. They explain the differences between the two approaches, how to reframe everything as a compelling offer, and why this step is critical to sell your solutions. Show Notes:A lot of the turmoil that entrepreneurs go through makes up the length of time before they can get to a sale.Entrepreneurs trying to make a sale have been trained by their industry to argue against the way things are done and argue against competitors.The school system teaches students that the more convincing you are with your arguments, the further up you're going to go in the academic world.A compelling offer is when your client has been exploring something, they don’t have a solution, and you come in with something that exactly matches their thinking.An investment is a bet that something is going to be better than what’s out there.When making a compelling offer, you don’t talk about what your competitors are doing, but about the difficulty the client is facing in getting something they really want.Innovations have value if the customer says so.The vast majority of entrepreneurs are creative without having any appreciation of what they've created. Resources:The Profitability PackagerThe Impact Filter®Who Do You Want To Be A Hero To? by Dan SullivanUnique Ability®The Wealth of Nations by Adam SmithThe Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith

January 13, 202635 min

How Great Ideas Win With Technology And Perfect Timing

Wondering how you should be using AI and what will it mean for the future of your business? While the technology feels new, this kind of moment isn’t. Dan Sullivan and Steve Krein explore how today’s AI wave mirrors past major technology shifts, most notably the dot-com era 30 years ago, and what we can learn from those transitions. Show Notes: AI has quickly become impossible to ignore. If you’re not using it at all, you may already be relying on tools that are becoming outdated.Every major technological boom in history has also come with a bust—and AI will be no different.At its core, innovation isn’t about inventing something from nothing. Every new creation is simply a new combination of things that already exist.AI dramatically shortens the distance between vision and execution—often eliminating barriers that once required teams, time, and resources.AI changes how feedback works. You no longer need as many people—or sometimes any people at all—to test ideas, refine thinking, and move forward.To use AI effectively, you must be clear about what you want. The tool amplifies intention; it doesn’t replace it.Of all the goals someone can pursue, making money is one of the most harmless.It’s unpredictable—and potentially dangerous—when consumers suddenly gain powerful new capabilities.The faster you make a thoughtful decision about how you’ll engage with AI, the more freedom and leverage you’re likely to gain in return. Resources: Thinking About Your Thinking by Dan Sullivan Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right With Our AI Future by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato Unique Ability® Free Zone Frontier by Dan Sullivan

December 9, 202535 min

Keeping Your Momentum Strong When The Future Is Foggy

The world’s changing faster than ever, and predicting what’s next is tougher than it used to be. But some entrepreneurial truths hold steady. Dan Sullivan and Steven Krein explore how staying ambitious, embracing fresh possibilities, and surrounding yourself with the right people lets you keep setting bigger goals no matter what the future brings.Show Notes: New technologies unlock new entrepreneurial capabilities, giving you more ways to grow. Economic policy shifts, like recent tariffs, signal consumption is now more important than production in the U.S. The U.S. is the greatest consumer economy in the history of the world. Over just the last six months, the strength of your consumer base became the new measure of future success. Predicting the future based only on past trends is getting harder, as possibilities matter more now than probabilities. Rapid change means it’s a whole new game; fresh opportunities are opening up for the next decade and beyond. Retiring can create social friction because if you’re working and your friends aren’t, you have less in common to discuss. Ambition is the opposite of envy. Surround yourself with other ambitious thinkers; your environment shapes how far you’ll go. Resources: Always More Ambitious by Dan Sullivan Ambition Scorecard by Dan Sullivan Unique Ability® The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn Bill Of Rights Economy by Dan Sullivan

November 4, 202525 min

Why Playing With Time Drives Growth

In the second half of their discussion on ambition, Dan Sullivan and Steve Krein explore how ambition can remain fresh and exciting at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey. They reveal why measuring progress correctly, creatively managing your time, and building personalized systems help you stay motivated, resilient, and focused on a bigger future. Show Notes: Ambition means always having a future that feels bigger and more exciting than your past. The urge to see how far you can really go unlocks an endless cycle of growth and new achievements. Progress is best measured by looking back at how far you’ve come, not by comparing against some distant, moving target. Focusing only on what’s next makes it hard to appreciate the real gains you’ve already made. Most Strategic Coach® tools are created to solve the feeling of being stuck or falling short. Celebrating even small wins keeps momentum strong, and progress doesn’t have to take forever. Structuring your time around a handful of priorities, like five tasks over three days, offers creative flexibility and less pressure. Every thriving entrepreneur has built their own time system that fits how they work best. Working nonstop isn’t a badge of honor; you’re better off building in time for rest and recovery. Resources: The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyThe Impact Filter™ Time Management Strategies For Entrepreneurs (Effective Strategies Only) The Positive Focus® Primal Intelligence by Angus Fletcher Always More Ambitious by Dan Sullivan

October 1, 202527 min

Train Your Ambition Like A Muscle To Transform Your Life

What if your ambition isn't a finite resource you're destined to deplete? Dan Sullivan introduces a transformative idea that ambition is a muscle that strengthens with use. Learn how to grow this core capability at any age, why contentment and ambition can coexist, and how to build a collaborative environment that fuels your future.Show Notes: Ambition is a fundamental capability that enables all other capabilities. Many people misunderstand ambition, thinking it’s a natural gift (and a finite resource) rather than a muscle to develop. It requires significant energy to maintain your ambition entirely on your own. Being surrounded by ambitious people fuels greater ambition and makes big thinking easier. Contentment and ambition are not opposites; both can be present when personal growth is the focus. Social norms often discourage ambition after 60, but real impact happens when entrepreneurs defy those expectations. Transitioning from solo effort to teamwork, then to external collaboration, marks an entrepreneur’s real growth journey. Strategic Coach® is where already ambitious entrepreneurs become even more ambitious. Collaborative ambition multiplies results and helps entrepreneurs expand their reach by combining capabilities. The Strategic Coach community supports entrepreneurs by enabling collaborative, not competitive, growth. Facing headwinds around ambition is normal; Strategic Coach offers tools to overcome them and extend longevity in business. Your “here” is always expanding into “there”—ambitious entrepreneurs never settle at a finish line. Resources: How To Foster A Longevity Mindset & Reap The Benefits Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy Free Zone Frontier by Dan Sullivan Unique Ability®

September 2, 202518 min

Rewind: How To Protect What's Yours, with Keegan Caldwell

The importance of intellectual property is undeniable, but not everyone knows as much about their own IP situation as they should. Dan Sullivan and Steve Krein chat with Keegan Caldwell, the founder of an intellectual property law firm, who explains how IP law can benefit entrepreneurs beyond just protecting their creations.Show Notes:An entrepreneur’s mindset is crucial because that’s what determines their behavior.Never fall in love with your creation until check writers fall in love with your creation.There’s value in long-term growth companies, but they need to have the revenue to support their plans.If you have a concept or idea that’s differentiating you in the marketplace, you likely have some IP that's worth discussing and protecting.In addition to protecting your innovation, IP can be used to create licensing and fundraising opportunities to drive up value for an IPO or an acquisition.Many companies don’t even think about intellectual property issues until they’re some ways down the road.One way to show you really believe in a technology you’ve created is to take the initiative to protect it.Resources:Learn about Keegan CaldwellWho Not How by Dan Sullivan and Ben HardyHow To Live To 156 by Dan SullivanThe Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy

July 29, 202531 min

Lasting Startups Thrive On Collaboration

Why do some companies continually grow while most fail? You need more than a great idea; you need to surround yourself with others who are thinking the same way. Dan Sullivan and Steve Krein discuss the successes of Steve’s unique, collaborative StartUp Health network, the mindsets entrepreneurs need in order to achieve the greatest success, and the things they do that most entrepreneurs won’t even think about. Medical breakthroughs are happening at such a fast rate that the most knowledgeable person really only knows how ignorant they are.“Free Zone” collaborations aren’t about the money that’s exchanged.True collaboration bypasses a lot of problems entrepreneurs normally think about because there’s no competition.There’s probably no industry on the planet that has less collaboration than health care.It can be difficult to maintain a transformative mindset when you’re surrounded by resistance to transformation.If you’re working at effecting change over the long term, you need to have a long-term view to feel good waking up every day.There are entrepreneurs who are coachable and open to the idea of lifelong learning, and there are entrepreneurs who aren’t there yet.Even at their most competitive, entrepreneurs are more collaborative than people who aren’t in the entrepreneurial marketplace.Real intelligence isn’t what your individual brain does; it’s how your brain accesses the brains of other people.Resources:Unique Ability®The Strategic Coach® ProgramWhat Is Rugged Individualism? And Why You Might Be Guilty Of It

June 17, 202532 min

Living Forever Starts With Visionary Optimism

Innovations in the realm of age reversal are accelerating. Getting physically younger while getting older in years is a real possibility. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Steve Krein explain the advances, discuss what’s needed for further breakthroughs, and share why age reversal developments are critical for entrepreneurs to be preparing for. Show Notes:Many entrepreneurs retire out of social or societal expectations.Setting a goal that might seem crazy serves as a magnet for what you need and as a repellent for what you don’t.You treat your remaining years differently depending on when you think you’re going to die.Thinking about your legacy means you’re thinking about being gone.There’s the expectation in society that once you turn 65 or 70, you don’t take on anything new.The solution won’t be possible if you don’t have the goal.Medicine is going to become the fastest growing industry in the United States.There are thousands of solutions that need to be worked on to enable true age reversal.There's been an incredible drop-off in venture capital funding of all areas except health and medicine.American progress in all areas is driven by adventuresome consumers.Mission alignment is the single most important predictor of success in long-term health-related entrepreneurial ventures.Resources:The Strategic Coach® Signature ProgramLearn more about Steven Krein at StartUp HealthMy Plan For Living To 156 by Dan Sullivan