Shows
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | How Poppi Sold Soda Back to America for a $1.9B Exit with Stephen Ellsworth | EP10Stephen Ellsworth, co-founder of Poppi, joins Due To My Role to break down what actually goes into building — and exiting — a modern consumer brand.Poppi started as a scrappy apple-cider-vinegar drink sold at farmers markets, became a breakout Shark Tank success story, and ultimately sold to Pepsi for $1.95 billion. But the real story isn’t the TV moment — it’s the decade-long grind between launch and liquidity.Stephen walks through the realities founders don’t post on LinkedIn: maxed-out credit cards, Medicaid coverage, payroll panic, and watching friends live comfortably while you bet everything on belief. He e...
2026-02-0936 min
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | Billy McFarland’s Venezuela Jet-Ski Mission & High-Risk Venture | EP 009Billy McFarland joins Due To My Role to walk through his most aggressive idea yet... a live-streamed jet-ski expedition from Utila, Honduras to Venezuela, departing shortly after the Super Bowl and expected to take 17 days coast-to-coast.The plan is simple and insane: beat Wall Street to Margarita Island by jet ski, acquire beachfront land before institutional capital arrives, host a high-profile “freedom concert,” drive attention and value, then sell the land at a premium. Three seats are offered at $250,000 each, with a 58-foot chase boat, medical crew, and film team following the entire journey, all streamed live....
2026-02-0220 min
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | The Business of Being Everywhere with Wonton Don of Barstool Sports | EP 008Wonton Don didn’t follow a plan — he followed curiosity.In Episode 008 of Due To My Role, Johnny Hilbrant sits down with Barstool Sports’ Foreign Correspondent, Wonton Don, to break down how 8 years living in China, a willingness to lean into weird ideas, and zero interest in a traditional career turned into one of the most durable roles in modern media.They unpack how Barstool actually works behind the scenes, why creative freedom only exists if you earn it, and how Don built multiple travel and culture franchises without chasing trends or permission. From Drop A Pin...
2026-01-2633 min
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | Anna Delvey Has Moved On — The Internet Hasn’t | EP 007What happens when the narrative is dead, and the press isn’t? In this episode of Due To My Role, Johnny Hilbrant (PE Guy) sits down with Anna Delvey for a conversation most interviews refuse to have—not about the past everyone already litigated, but about control, silence, and why refusing to perform remorse can actually be leverage. Anna breaks down what it’s like to exist as a public figure, people think they understand, while deliberately giving them nothing. Unpacking reputation versus reality, why most “journalism” is humiliation disguised as accountability, how editing power shapes narratives, and why flying und...
2026-01-1926 min
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | Grief, Growth & Getting Paid with Heather McMahan | EP 006Johnny Hilbrant (aka PE Guy) sits down with Heather McMahan for a conversation that starts funny, gets real fast, and ends somewhere most business or comedy interviews never go.What begins as a conversation about comedy quickly becomes a look at how Heather actually runs her career — treating stand-up, touring, podcasting, and specials as a real operating system, not just creative output. She talks candidly about building multiple income streams in an oversaturated creator economy, why she chooses to self-produce her specials before selling them to platforms like Netflix and Hulu, and how owning your au...
2026-01-1247 min
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | Quitting M&A Consulting to Go Full-Time Comedy with Joe Fenti | EP 005In Episode 005 of Due To My Role, Johnny Hilbrant (aka PE Guy) sits down with Joe Fenti — Boston comedian and former consulting / M&A guy — to talk about the reality of leaving a “serious” corporate career to build a comedy business from scratch.Joe breaks down what it actually looks like to go full-time comedy: writing every day, turning jokes into sketches, touring the country (35 cities), and self-funding a 60-minute stand-up special with real production (multiple cameras, audio, lighting) — then deciding whether to sell it to a platform or bet on YouTube to build long-term leverage.They g...
2026-01-0551 min
The Everyday Millionaire ShowKevin Cooney and ‘PE GUY’ Johnny Hilbrant meet The Everyday Millionaires (Full Episode)Today we’re joined by Kevin Cooney and Johnny Hilbrant (aka “PE GUY”) for a conversation that’s equal parts hilarious and surprisingly insightful—covering content, brand-building, and what it takes to turn internet momentum into a real business.Kevin breaks down how he and Ashley built The Cooney’s Show, a long-form podcast filmed at TD Garden in Boston interviewing entrepreneurs, entertainers, and athletes. Johnny shares the origin story behind “PE GUY,” the deadpan private-equity parody that blew up online in 2025 and quickly grew to 250K Instagram followers
2025-12-311h 31
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | Power Without Permission with Jim Acosta | EP 004Johnny Hilbrant (aka PE Guy) sits down with Jim Acosta, former CNN Chief White House Correspondent, to unpack what power actually looks like when permission is no longer required.Jim reflects on his career inside legacy media, covering two presidential administrations, and the moment that put press freedom, access, and authority at the center of the national conversation. From there, the discussion turns to what’s happening behind the scenes in journalism today — the decline of corporate media, the rise of independent platforms like podcasts, Substack, and YouTube, and why audience ownership has become the new leverage....
2025-12-2930 min
So New England with Ian BrownhillThe PE Guy on Boston, Weddings & New England Culture | So New England #70Johnny Hilbrant aka the “PE Guy” joins the So New England Podcast to talk Boston culture, private equity stereotypes, and why New Englanders are blunt, loyal, and allergic to fake people. From Chicago vs Boston to weddings, wealth, bad weather, and brutal honesty, this episode perfectly explains why New England just hits different.
2025-12-221h 15
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | Life After Wimbledon Isn't What You Expect— Sam Querrey & John Isner | EP 003In Episode 003 of Due To My Role, Johnny Hilbrant (aka PE Guy) sits down with former professional tennis players John Isner and Sam Querrey to talk about what actually happens after elite sports — when the career ends, the prime earning window closes, and identity has to be rebuilt from scratch.They break down John’s historic 11-hour Wimbledon match that changed the rules of tennis forever, Sam’s blunt take on being priced out of the US Open as a spectator, and how corporate money and influencer culture have reshaped live sports. It’s a candid look at the t...
2025-12-2246 min
HALO Talks: Elevating WellnessFrom SoulCycle to Satire-Johnny Hilbrant on Creating PE Guy and Viral SuccessOn this episode of HALO Talks, host Pete Moore sits down with Johnny Hilbrant—SoulCycle instructor turned viral sensation, also known as "PE Guy." From his roots riding and teaching at Soul in Chicago and Boston, Johnny talks about his journey from fitness enthusiast to comedic creator, blending his knack for improv and sharp observational humor to lampoon a familiar character . . . the "private equity bro" you inevitably get cornered by at a wedding or some other event. The conversation gets into how Johnny developed his PE Guy persona, why the character resonates so widely (with both chuckling fa...
2025-12-1729 min
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | How Brady Perrigo Built Del Toro Shoes Into an 8-Figure Luxury Brand | EP 002In Episode 2 of Due To My Role, Johnny Hilbrant (aka PE Guy) sits down with Brady Perrigo, CEO and designer of Del Toro Shoes, to break down how he took a struggling luxury footwear brand and rebuilt it into an 8-figure business worn by NBA players, Wall Street operators, and celebrities — without paying for placements.Brady walks through how a decade in banking and private equity prepared him for the turnaround, why Del Toro’s move into loafers was a total accident that paid off, and how the brand’s signature red stripe quietly became a status symbol...
2025-12-1549 min
Due to My RoleDue To My Role | The Health Guru Who Cashed Out for $200M — Mark Sisson | EP 001Johnny Hilbrant (aka PE Guy) sits down with Mark Sisson, founder of Primal Kitchen, to unpack one of the most influential exits in the natural food space. From elite endurance athlete to bestselling author to building a clean-ingredient brand that sold to Kraft Heinz for nearly $200M, Mark breaks down the real story behind the brand, the exit, and what it takes to scale a mission-driven business.They dive into entrepreneurship, private equity, longevity, metabolic health, and the mindset behind building companies that reshape entire industries. This episode is a masterclass in discipline, reinvention, and long-term thinking — bo...
2025-12-0845 min
The Jim Acosta ShowSports Journalist Pablo Torre and Instagram Comedian and "PE Guy" Johnny HilbrantThank you Caro Henry, Mc Nelly Torres, Carol Johnston, Rick Kohut, Harshi Peiris, Ph.D., and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimacosta.substack.com/subscribe
2025-12-0553 min
Build It To Sell It: Home Service Secrets with Lance BachmannAccidentally Builds 196K Empire in 2 Weeks!”Looking to achieve the American dream? It REALLY can happen to you too!
Hey trade trailblazers! Your fearless host is back today and I’ve got Johnny Hilbrant—the viral “P Guy” who turned a $7K-follower Instagram into 196K overnight with one Snapchat filter and a wedding-table nightmare! From Barry’s bootcamp screams to PE firms paying HIM to roast them, this fitness-comedy king is printing laughs (and cash)—stick around to see how he did it!
Highlights
Viral in 2 Weeks: 7K → 196K followers by accident—here’s the filter hack that broke the algorithm!
PE Roast Gold...
2025-11-0339 min
Escape 9 to 5How Johnny Hilbrant Became the Viral ‘PE Guy’ - 7k to 200k in 6 MonthsJohnny Hilbrant didn’t plan to become The PE Guy.A SoulCycle instructor by day, he turned one awkward wedding conversation about money and status into a viral character followed by nearly 200 thousand people.In this episode, Lydia and Johnny talk about turning cringe moments into creativity, using humor to heal after the loss of his twin sister, and saying yes to what feels right—without quitting the life that pays your bills.You’ll hear:• The real story behind “Absolutely Printing!”• How a viral character can stay grounded in real life• Why sto...
2025-11-0158 min
The Saucetown Investor PodcastPE Guy, aka Johnny Hilbrant joins us for a SUBSTANTIAL interviewIn this episode of The Saucetown Investor Podcast, host Matt Cox sits down with the one and only Johnny Hilbrant, better known as PE Guy — the viral sensation blending finance, comedy, and real talk about money and success.Johnny opens up about the creation and evolution of the PE Guy character, his journey from personal trainer to full-time content creator, and how he uses humor to make financial topics relatable and thought-provoking. From the impact of social media on wealth perception to the role of authenticity in content creation, this conversation dives deep into the mindset behind on...
2025-10-0955 min
Beer Stories for Private EquityEpisode 23: The PE Guy UnmaskedThis podcast is powered by MonogramGroup (https://www.monogramgroup.com/).
This episode of Beer Stories for Private Equity is sponsored by Private Equity Professional, PE's news leader since 2007. Stay connected to the latest news, insights and trends in private equity at peprofessional.com.
-
Welcome to Beer Stories for Private Equity! In our 23th episode, we are joined by Johnny Hilbrant Partridge, the content creator behind the wildly popular PE Guy character.
Among their beer stories, Scott and Johnny discuss the How and the Why behind the creation of the PE...
2025-08-2626 minBeer Stories for Private EquityEpisode 23: The PE Guy UnmaskedThis podcast is powered by MonogramGroup (https://www.monogramgroup.com/).
This episode of Beer Stories for Private Equity is sponsored by Private Equity Professional, PE's news leader since 2007. Stay connected to the latest news, insights and trends in private equity at peprofessional.com.
-
Welcome to Beer Stories for Private Equity! In our 23th episode, we are joined by Johnny Hilbrant Partridge, the content creator behind the wildly popular PE Guy character.
Among their beer stories, Scott and Johnny discuss the How and the Why behind the creation of the PE...
2025-08-2626 min
A Lot Of You Have Been Asking with Hayden CohenMaking Fun of Finance Bros with PE GUY Johnny Hilbrant PartridgeOn this week's episode, Hayden sits down with the P.E. Guy, Johnny Hilbrant Partridge, to talk all about his infamous social media character, the inspiration behind it and all of his current favorite things in the world of pop culture!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2025-07-0847 min