The line between collapse and comeback is often just one hard choice repeated daily. We sit down with entrepreneur and MMA fighter Brian McNally to unpack how he built a healthcare staffing company from two laptops to eight figures, hit a wall in 2020 when hospitals paused elective care, and rebuilt both the business and himself by returning to values, aligning incentives, and choosing momentum over noise. This is a candid, unpolished look at leadership under pressure, the weight of payroll, and the relief of a life-changing exit.
Brian shares what it felt like to eat costs to support hospitals in crisis, why transparent variable compensation created buy-in across the org, and how sharing the earnout changed team members’ lives with first homes and college funds. We move from boardroom to living room as he admits being physically present and mentally absent, then lays out the simple practices that brought him back: delete distractions, do the smallest possible work today, be where your feet are. His annual “pattern disruptors” led to jiu-jitsu and, at 40, a decision to enter an MMA cage—not for rage, but for mastery and integrity. After torn ligaments, a separated shoulder, and an emergency appendectomy, he still showed up, built capacity, and won.
Now Brian coaches founders and executives across services businesses to design lives they won’t regret. We dig into aligning compensation with mission, building resilient cultures through vulnerability, and protecting freedom with disciplined habits. He previews his upcoming book, Fuck Average, a field manual for pursuing potential and holding yourself accountable when no one is watching. If you care about scaling a company without shrinking your soul—and testing your will in the real world—you’ll find both practical tools and a spark to act.
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