Sim Desai is the Founder and CEO of Hiive, a marketplace that provides liquidity for private company shares. Since its commercial launch in 2022, Hiive has surpassed $5 billion in closed transaction volume and reached a $123 million revenue run rate while maintaining profitability. With nearly two decades of experience in private equity and secondary markets, Sim is passionate about bringing greater transparency and efficiency to the private-company secondary market.

What if employees and investors had a clearer path to unlock the value of private company shares before an IPO? As private markets continue to grow, what would it take to make liquidity more transparent, efficient, and accessible?

For Sim Desai, a private markets and secondary-market expert, technology can transform an opaque, fragmented private share market into a more centralized, automated marketplace. He highlights how structured liquidity options, the Hiive50 index, and a dual-sided marketplace can give shareholders greater access while allowing companies to maintain control. These innovations bring greater transparency, efficiency, and flexibility to private market transactions. Sim also shares lessons from building trust, creating network effects, and using automation to scale.

In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, host Dr. Jeremy Weisz sits down with Sim Desai to discuss the evolution of private market liquidity. They explore private stock trading, the Hiive50, and employee equity access. Sim also shares lessons on competitive intelligence, growth, and entrepreneurship.

Douglas Feller is the Founder of MyHarvest, a personal growth platform offering free courses, career resources, housing support, and tools to help people build stability and opportunity. An entrepreneur with experience in real estate investing and asphalt business ownership, he rebuilt his career after serving time in federal prison, later building and selling his asphalt company. His own experience with the challenges of reentry helped inspire MyHarvest's mission. Today, Douglas focuses on creating resources that support personal growth, skills, second chances, and stronger paths forward for people from diverse backgrounds.

Tom Ruwitch is the Founder and CEO of Story Power Marketing, a marketing company that helps experts create compelling, client-attracting content through storytelling. A content marketing pioneer with more than 30 years of experience, he helps business leaders turn expertise into clear messaging, stronger connections, and business growth. He is also the Founder and CEO of Implementum, which combines strategy, technology, and done-for-you teams to simplify and accelerate growth. Earlier, Tom founded email marketing company MarketVolt in 2001, expanding his work in digital marketing, automation, and business growth.

Sustainable growth rarely comes from adding more tools, tactics, or ideas just for the sake of doing more. The real advantage comes from choosing resources that sharpen your thinking, strengthen your systems, and help you act with greater intention. So what does smarter growth actually look like in practice?

Douglas Feller and Tom Ruwitch suggest that smarter growth comes from combining the right resources with focused systems, practical learning, and a willingness to keep improving. They highlight the value of mentors, specialization, proven frameworks, technology, and curiosity as tools for making better business decisions. Douglas emphasizes learning through experience, surrounding yourself with strong mentors, and knowing when to focus on a specific niche, while Tom stresses connecting strategy, technology, and team into one cohesive system. Tom also explains how customized AI and automation can turn conversations and existing content into useful marketing assets rather than generic output. Together, their insights show that sustainable growth is less about chasing every new tactic and more about building systems that help ideas translate into consistent action.

In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz speaks with Douglas Feller and Tom Ruwitch about the tools and ideas behind smarter growth. They explore valuable business resources, stronger marketing systems, and practical uses of AI and automation. Douglas and Tom also share lessons on mentorship, storytelling, curiosity, and turning knowledge into action.

Nir Eyal is a bestselling author, behavioral science expert, and keynote speaker who helps individuals and organizations understand how psychology and technology shape human behavior. He is the author of the bestselling books Hooked, Indistractable, and Beyond Belief, which have sold over one million copies, been translated into over 30 languages, and earned recognition from The New York Times, Amazon, Audible, and The Globe and Mail.

A former Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer, Nir has worked with organizations, including JPMorgan Chase and the US Air Force and invested in companies including Canva and Kahoot. He helps people build better habits, improve focus, and reach their full potential.

Why do some people turn knowledge into lasting change while others remain stuck in the same patterns? We have access to more books, podcasts, and expert advice than ever before, yet lasting transformation often feels out of reach. If information isn't the problem, what is the missing piece that drives real change?

Nir Eyal, bestselling author and behavioral science expert, says lasting change begins by examining the beliefs behind our actions. He explains that sustained motivation depends not only on knowing what to do and understanding the benefits, but also on having beliefs that support persistence. Rather than treating beliefs as fixed truths, Nir encourages viewing them as tools that can be tested and reshaped. He illustrates this through examples ranging from Serena Williams' coach using "belief hacking" to build confidence to Amazon's "Day One" philosophy of continual innovation. He also shares practical methods, including inquiry-based stress reduction, to help people challenge limiting beliefs, improve relationships, and unlock greater personal and professional potential.

In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, host Dr. Jeremy Weisz sits down with Nir Eyal to discuss how beliefs shape performance, leadership, and personal growth. They explore why persistence matters more than talent, how leaders cultivate empowering beliefs, and practical ways to reframe limiting mindsets. Nir also shares why questioning common psychological assumptions can lead to better decisions and lasting change.