The tactical playbook for getting 20-40% more comp (without sounding greedy) | Jacob Warwick
In a Nutshell
Jacob Warwick, a pro negotiator who's secured $1B+ in extra comp for execs and celebs, teaches that simple pushback like "What's the chance there's a little more?" yields 20% gains, while full strategies average 40% by selling your unique value over benchmarks—avoid email/video call instead for tone control and homefield advantage (e.g., walks/lunch). Key tactics: Treat interviews as discovery to uncover pains and "sell the vacation" (visualize success), never anchor early or split differences, use tactical empathy ("If you were in my shoes?") for collaboration, and slow down for info power amid companies' massive leverage. Always negotiate confidently—you're not greedy when creating 5:1+ value; free scripts/course at execsandthecity.com.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Most common mistake: hiding behind the easiest communication channel like email for demands. Problem: cannot control tone. If CEO reads it while pissed off in airport security, they think "That bastard wants more money."
A lot of people listening to this are just afraid to ask for more. I'm going to come across as greedy. It's all going to fall apart.
But when you look at the money that the company's making in comparison, like you're not being greedy. doesn't have to be such an aggressive thing. It doesn't have to be confrontational. The simplest advice is what's the chance there could be a little more. That's not greedy at all.
Core philosophy: make it very clear to the company, here's the pain I will solve for you and here's why it's worth paying me this much more.
Companies have significant leverage: they know what people make, what others make, what they'll accept. You must understand the value you can create to negotiate with confidence.
Jacob Warwick is a professional negotiator working behind the scenes with senior tech execs, professional athletes, Hollywood celebrities. Helps navigate complex career negotiations: comp, bonuses, investments, M&A, takeovers, enterprise sales. Helped clients secure over $1 billion in additional comp. Negotiated against several podcast guests.
Under the radar, not on social media, rarely does interviews. Discussion covers: why never negotiate over email, who should speak first on comp, common costly mistakes, and more.
Jacob works fingerprintless: advises clients, all correspondence goes through him before sending. Clients call him first to prepare game plan, strategize, perform, debrief. Tests client instincts, polishes language. Every step is negotiation. Slows process: take days to respond to show scarcity and thought process. Haste equals risk.
Even simple pushback "what's the chance there could be more" yields 20% improvement across board, from early stage ($100k offer → $120k, life-changing) to $1M W2 (sometimes more). With full strategy, average 40% movement. Seen 100-400% increases, notably breaking salary bands (treat as gospel but challenge collaboratively).
Product leaders, engineers, designers (introverted, thoughtful) negotiate more poorly than obnoxious extroverted marketers/revenue leaders. Product defined tech generation last 25 years.
It doesn't have to be such an aggressive thing. It doesn't have to be confrontational. The simplest advice that I can give you is what's the chance there could be a little more. That's not greedy at all.
Companies extract 5:1 to 100:1 value (e.g., product infinite scalability). You're not greedy. Understand value exchange for confidence. Better to overnegotiate, get slapped down, fail forward. Align work that feels like play with strong comp. Path to wealth through ownership; W2 employees taxed heavily, so push.
Top talent retention critical amid speed of innovation (AI exponential curve). Expensive to replace. Negotiation not adversarial but collaborative: "Can you help me understand what's important to you, the value this work will drive, then come to terms."
Break boundaries creatively: performance incentives, milestone triggers (e.g., if company hits 100M ARR and I contributed, another tranche of stock or cash). Performance-based hires have skin in game, stick around.
Jacob advises Fortune 500 comp committees/talent consulting firms to get creative, avoid losing talent (costly: recruiting fees, replacement hundreds of thousands to millions/tens of millions in lost IP).
Nobody wins when you hire a top performer and they leave in 10 months.
Example: Helped team negotiate $10M+ increases vs. losing to competitors (saved $300-500M business process value post-CEO earnings call announcements).
Fingerprintless like attorney. Not agent (dilutes exec presence in corporate America). Preps client for CEO calls/emails.
Not understanding it starts sooner than you think. LinkedIn/resume is past snapshot, doesn't help forward negotiation. Public narrative (headshot quality predicts pay), recruiter notes persist (e.g., say $225k, expected again 5 years later despite growth). Positioned as commodity = treated as commodity. Share less publicly to steer narrative in conversations.
Hiding behind email: no tone control, bad timing risk (CEO in airport). Better: video call or in-person to share tone, read body language, correct.
Don't negotiate via recruiters (telephone game distorts message). Talk to decision-maker with skin in game (controls P&L, EBITDA).
Go around recruiter respectfully, plan communication.
Just because it's uncomfortable doesn't mean you don't need to do it. It just means you don't know how to do it. So when something's uncomfortable, you have to run towards that because that's where the growth happens.
Always negotiate. Don't email; video call with hiring manager/person controlling budget.
Homefield advantage: deals closed on golf course > boardroom. Control location (out of their office), time (e.g., strongest 10am-1pm, decline 6am). Communicates scarcity, attractive rubber band effect.
Example: OpenAI S-suite interviews walked downtown SF (endorphins, side-by-side walking = collaborative, not confrontational; avoided messy office).
Pull to lunch/coffee/walk (e.g., AT&T Park) for even/your home field, better performance/control. Even for PM-director, try.
Depends on role/seniority/company (PE/VC startup scarier to push).
When you receive an offer, such as a recruiter sending "here's your offer 300k salary some kind of equity," approach with gratitude and enthusiasm. Start the first email with: "Lenny, I appreciate you making me an offer. I'm excited to work with you." Show confidence that the deal will get done, even if on the fence. Say: "I'm grateful. I'm looking forward to working with you. I want to review this over the next couple of days. I'll talk to my wife about it, talk to an adviser." For high-level executives, mention talking to legal, advisers, coach, employment lawyer—expected at that level. "I'm going to take a couple days to process this. I'll get back to you. I may have a couple of questions. I imagine we start working together in a couple weeks." This sells that the deal will close, so any ask won't seem egregious.
Come back 3 days later: "Let's take a walk in the park and talk through it." Say: "I got to be honest with you, where this offer stands right now, I don't feel comfortable moving forward. It's a little lighter than I expected." Wait for response. They might ask: "Well, what did you have in mind?" Respond: "What's the chance you can share what the range looks like for this and what type of performance did you expect for each of these levels?" Or if they say "We comped you in the middle part of the range": "What does the top end look like? What must I do to fit those needs for you? Can you help me understand?"
In this market, with overleveling (suites to VP, VPs to directors at bigger companies), say: "As we had this conversation, I'm likely a little more horsepower than you anticipated. What's the chance we can come in and restructure the comp for the type of talent we're bringing in here?" Examples: Three folks in ranges of 185 to 285 landed at 1.1 million with increases in stock and big cash. Two deals comped at 600 landed at 1.1 and 1.2 million. Roles started at senior director, upleveled to VP for top talent.
For others: "What's the chance there's a little bit more here. I was expecting this." Avoid opening with your number too early—difficult to come back from. Recruiters often ask "how much money do you want to make?" similar to illegal "how much do you make?"
"I love that phrase... 'what's the chance there's a bit more here. I was expecting number X.' Is that the phrase you recommend? That approach of just a soft push back just to see."
For very senior roles, don't reanchor with a number: "you should never be so sure of what you're worth that you wouldn't accept more." Anchoring sets the ceiling; they split the difference.
Writer had $700,000 contract. Studio offered 700k. Aggressive attorneys countered at 1.3 million. Studio said "Fine, we'll do a million." Settled at a million—split the difference. Studio came up 300k, attorneys lost 300k. If attorneys said 1.5, might have landed at 1.1; 1.7 at 1.2. Attorneys weren't aggressive enough; didn't find the ceiling. Lazy negotiating. Movie could make $50 million—a 50-to-1 value exchange for $1 million writing. Push for more with milestones: if movie makes more than 50, increase milestone.
Tom Brady's Tampa Bay contract: Win 8 games, get half a million; win 12, get 1.5 million; playoffs extra; win division this; Super Bowl X; win Super Bowl MVP, 2.5 million more. Performance-based triggers.
Earlier career, they push harder—indicates commoditized, price-sensitive hire. Okay to share number for deal that moves needle. Changes higher up: what got you here won't get you there. Top recruiters don't ask; focus on value. But top recruiters only reach well-known people rarely. 9/10 recruiters ask for number; 1/10 focus on value—pursue those.
Respond: "I don't talk about compensation until we're ready to make an offer. It sounds like we're pretty far away there. I'd love the opportunity to learn more about the team, understand where the value comes in and proceed down that path to make sure we're a good fit. Is that going to be a problem?"
If they insist: "Look, I'm uncomfortable doing that right now because I don't understand the scope of the role. Can you help me understand what you had in mind?"
As marketing manager in San Francisco for Series A companies, made $12/hour (didn't know it was low). Saw marketing managers make 60k/year, got offended. Promoted to director at $14/hour; directors made 110k. Recruiter called: said "What did you have in mind?" They said 110-130k. "Oh, I'm on the upper end of that." Went from $14/hour to 120k/year in one jump. Hated marketing, thought money would fix it—fool's errand.
If you can say no, you have infinite power. Nuance if unemployed and need mortgage—answer differently, no shame (6 weeks out of work in SF = homeless). Once employed, needs met—why get pushed? Easier to negotiate with job due to confidence. Out of work ties identity to title; pain makes you cave.
If they disrespect simple pushback, it's telling of company treatment. Behavioral psychology hack: Give positive reputation to uphold: "I want to thank you for being an advocate for me and for respecting that I won't share compensation figures right now. I appreciate that." Traps them.
Continue processes for practice—even if offer 120k and you make 150k. Say no later; practice worth hundreds of thousands/millions. If mismatch (e.g., senior PM work but director pay), offer introductions: "This role isn't in alignment. Would you like me to make an introduction to somebody that's a better fit?" Sometimes they uplevel: Turned down content manager 70k, landed VP for 250k 6 months later—3-4 levels up.
Break from benchmarking role (e.g., senior PM fair comp). Show pain you solve, why worth more.
Nobody does exactly JD—much undocumented. Scope creep: JD senior PM, but interview reveals leading 5 people, another team, PLG motion, engineering pod. Offer 20% under your number; they use your anchor against you.
Don't anchor early. Treat interviews like sales conversation—you're enterprise solution worth hundreds of thousands/millions. Enterprise B2B to Salesforce: 18 months, build champions, understand value per person—no early price pitch.
Best interviews like consultations/brainstorming: "Are you open to having a chat like that today?" They agree.
Start: "What are some of the things that you're excited about?" Clarify why you're there: "You've seen proof dozens of subscribers made more money... some guests unknowingly negotiated against."
Labeling: "It sounds like you have a challenge with this product line... need to ship faster... AI shift... anything missed?"
SWOT-like: What done well? Team failed? Should do? Shouldn't touch? Reveals: $10 million problem, 5 PMs in 6 months.
Sell the vacation: "Fast forward 6 months, solved churn, two launches. Head into board meeting, head held high." Psychologically remove pain, visualize utopia—you next to them. No competition; you're the one who led them there. Higher chance they break rules for you on offer.
Do in own words; takes practice/roleplay. Tricky to see own value when close to it—you do it every day.
Product folks often stay in their bubble and miss impacts on marketing or other functions. To break boundaries, understand cross-functionally how your work impacts others and their motivations. This unlocks potential.
Figure out what matters most to them, what problems they have, what they see in you, understand the landscape where you could bring tons of value. Help them see the problem you can help with. Help them visualize: sell the vacation—how awesome would it be if solved.
Famous musician born same year as Jacob had billion-dollar tour and documentary. Director became hot commodity; every agency wanted to sign for movie production.
Jacob's client (agent) name-dropped Julia Roberts, Matt Damon—logic and credibility approach fails. Need to sell the future and own the emotion.
Advice: If you already had the job, who would you introduce him to? Treat interview like consulting, value exchange, ask right questions.
In meeting: Schedule appointment already with assistant for big name. Client asks director: "What are you doing on Friday? I cleared a lunch with your assistant." Director: "I guess I'm going to lunch." Client: "Great. I'll have you meet Stephen." Director: "Stephen who?" Client: "Stephen Spielberg." Director signed immediately. For film production dream, perfect meeting.
Other agencies lost by selling past creds; this sold vacation and made it reality.
Plant seeds: On phone, understand who they need, make introductions right then (e.g., "I have somebody in product at Google. Let me make a text for you real quick."). Triggers reciprocity imbalance. Do 2-3 introductions on call; they see value before you hang up.
Gives 360-degree view, ensures follow-through, can prompt to close deals. Show resources to support whether they sign or not.
Example role-play question: "Lenny, I want to understand what's exciting to you. If today's podcast was the best, highest performing ever, what would that mean? What did we do to make it successful? What comments below make you feel Jacob conversation was best all year?"
Lenny's response: Concrete tactical advice for negotiating comp; people spread to friends: "Best thing I've ever heard around comp."
Plant what you want said: Ask executives when sharing with friend, "What are you going to say about me? Jacob was really helpful or Jacob is an [positive reframe]?" Control narrative they perpetuate.
I hope you use this for good and not evil, but this is just the way power works.
Suggest specific comment: "Lenny, this was such a refreshing and energetic podcast. This is what we want more of. Exciting. We've done a lot of AI stuff; this was cool and different."
Executives control narratives; know what people say when not in room. Like reference checks: Prep them on what to say.
In interviews: "When you go back to committee, are you going to say 'Jacob solved XYZ, slam dunk, move forward' or 'couple gaps, competition more fulfilling'?" Ask live for feedback to avoid ghosted email rejection.
What's one thing I should have asked? Areas other candidates excelled that I wish I showed more? I'd love conversation next Thursday to talk through.
Close next convo; don't give up.
Hiring manager example: "Here's the problem. I'm going to solve churn, fix onboarding flow, level up design experience—these are big challenges."
And you better deliver.
Don't overpromise outside comfort zone; reputation haunts. Don't assume onboarding is problem—ask questions.
Slow hiring process: Fight manufactured urgency. More time = more info on company, how to help.
Example: "I hear you want to fix onboarding, but might be deprecated in AI wave? Don't want to prioritize something team cuts, hurting P&L."
Never be so sure of your worth that you wouldn't accept more. Never so sure of job description you don't ask deeper problems.
For founders: Not taking pie slice; expand pie so all get bigger.
Under promise, over deliver.
Hype man role: Most career decisions put you in top 0.1% earners globally—be confident.
Reframe in their language:
- Sales leader: Job search = enterprise sales process.
- Marketing: Positioning, market research = job market.
- Inbound lead easier than outbound.
- Product: Orchestrating PRD = understand user demands, create solutions, optimize flow, eliminate friction.
Eliminate friction in job search:
- Customer = hiring manager/CPO/CEO.
- Interview customers (CEOs, sales people solving growth/AI).
- Design solutions for needs.
- Make frictionless no-brainer user flow.
Be authentic you; apply product skills to career. Early PRDs/sprints rough; career management starts rough but becomes second nature after 10 years.
Standard interviews: Repeat past stories, no learning/problems solved.
Lead with framework: Why am I here? Problems? I suspect this. What done about it? What if solved?
Controls narrative, collects info, reveals no comp expectations, creates max value. Gets to "want you" for leverage.
Even no budget: Makes frictionless to want you.
Example: "Suspect next is Mark Andreessen. Advice on working with him?" Positions as coach; coaches advocate.
Then to Mark: "Lenny shared talk X,Y,Z—is that what you care about?"
Product role: "Suspect talk to head of eng, VP Marketing Clay, VP Sales Katherine. What message share?" Puts them in cycle, easier intros.
I'm not available again until Thursday. Chance that works?
Builds scarcity, stickiness, knowledge. Like enterprise deal: Build champions coaching you.
Start early: Elevate initial offer 40%, then more.
IC product manager at Meta: Flip to extract info, build case how you'll solve pain.
Meta I9 IC role: $1.2M/year, hired former CEOs, 150 growth PMs at I-9—rewarded well.
IC or leader of people/process: Still leader. Take ownership without steamrolling—eb and flow.
Can't control interviewer mood/motivations; control your show-up. Read body language: "Saw that wasn't right—tell me more?"
Assertiveness, not aggressiveness = confidence. No pay difference inherently; IC valuable at Meta.
Ask: "Sounds like IC roles very valuable at Meta. Can you share a little bit about"
Independent contributor roles are very valuable at Meta. Ask: "How are they valued compared to leaders on the team?" They can't say they value you less; they've been given a reputation where they must affirm they value ICs. After getting the offer, check levels.fyi or benchmarks, or call friends at similar levels. Use objective criteria: "You mentioned you value ICs as much as leaders. I got curious and did some digging—it looks like this is about 30% under what a leader would make. Is that normal? I appreciate you being an advocate for me and pushing back. Can you help me understand if we could lift this to be more equitable?" Use information gathered without beating them up—say they claimed fairness, so prove it or explain the discrepancy.
This works by opening an emotional conversation rather than logic and credibility, as you'll always lose logically against a company. There's massive information asymmetry: Meta negotiates thousands of times a day; you negotiate 4-5 times in your career. Recruiters do it thousands of times daily—you're at a huge disadvantage, which should give confidence to negotiate.
Werewolf Game Analogy: In a 12-person game, 2-3 are werewolves who know each other after drawing cards. During day/night phases, they politic and vote people off. Werewolves win when they reach parity with villagers. Even in 6:1 or 5:1 situations, werewolves win 60-70% of the time due to information power—they know who's dangerous while others are clueless. Companies have even more leverage: they know salaries, what others accept, budgets, and how to adjust them.
Executives push back less easily than hiring managers, as it's harder to replace them. Executives make the rules, influence P&L, and built the flexibility—challenge them to try influencing it.
Summarize top five tactical tips:
- Never be so sure of your worth that you wouldn't accept more (Chris Voss quote).
- Never split the difference.
- Patience is key—slow down; haste equals risk. Collect information to build a compelling case.
- Use Aristotle's rhetoric: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), logos (logic), and kairos (timing). Executives over-rely on credibility/logic; tap emotion via tactical empathy (Chris Voss). Give positive reputation: e.g., to a female recruiter, "I appreciate you've always been an advocate for women." If offer is low, "If you were in my shoes five years ago, what would you do?" When stalled: "You know what's possible and the levers. If you were in my shoes, what else would you explore?"
- Treat as collaboration, not confrontation. Visualize putting arm around them, whiteboarding solutions together to share information.
- Make it about we, not me.
Never Split the Difference Story: Chief revenue officer with $350k base + $350k bonus ($700k on-target earnings). Negotiated 6 months on-target severance. Paperwork came back as 6 months base (~$175k). Client wanted to split difference to ~$260k; instead, ask: "Was that a mistake? We discussed on-target earnings." They fixed it immediately. 12 months later, fired and recouped $350k over 6 months—almost lost $90k+ by splitting.
CMO Example ($100-200M private company): Offered $340k base, 30% bonus, equity. CEO prided self on uniform exec packages. Pushed for severance (standard 6 months +1 month/year served). CEO: "We've never done that." Reframed: "Given talent poaching, recent RIF, wouldn't it make us look good to proactively give exec leadership 6 months severance to show safety/commitment?" CEO became hero; client seen as hero who got protections for all. Used company's equitable policies.
Bonus: Get Creative. CEO with two $2.4M offers stalled. Jokingly asked car preference (Mercedes G-Wagon). Company added $350k G-Wagon as company write-off (6,000lb vehicle reduced tax expense)—solved stall without touching comp budgets.
Don't negotiate over email—use in-person or video to read body language/tone. Can't control email context (e.g., driving, bad day). On video, if frustrated: "Would you like to reschedule to a more comfortable time?"
Rescinded Offers/Promises Not Delivered: Never had client with rescinded offer, but common for undelivered promises or "final" ultimatums. Helped non-client CMO pro bono: $800k cash offer rescinded after aggressive negotiation advice ("negotiate like a white man") from career coach. Negotiating with female CEO + 3 female execs; seen as bad cultural fit for acting inauthentic.
Approach: Call CEO, own mistake with honesty/integrity/extreme ownership. "Women should take care of each other. I hired a coach because I've failed to advocate in past—suspect you know that feeling." Shared identity brought offer back; now happily at $800k.
Negotiation Varies by Individual: Different for every person—product/marketing/sales leaders, San Francisco/Dubai/New York/LA, German, gay, Black, etc. No gender-specific approach; tailor to nuances.
Chief Event Story (400 women): African-American woman: "Should we negotiate for 84% since that's what we get?" Response: "How many are mothers to daughters? Could you tell your girl, 'Just get 80%'? If we don't grow together, we'll never solve it." Fight back against power imbalance—raise precedent so rising tide raises all ships.
Reader (Lenny's) in private equity hostile takeover, pushed out. Great 10-year CEO relationship, but no support. Made it "we": CEO feared own firing. "Whatever precedent you help me set, you'll get 2-3x in your transition." CEO + CPO advocated vs. PE, secured retention bonus + severance. CEO protected via precedent.
No one-size-fits-all step-by-step; too many variables (company, role, seniority, background). Academic books intimidate (e.g., FBI hostage tactics, BATNA/ZOPA in Getting to Yes). Focus on curiosity and empathy—ask why blocks exist. Negotiation = information + timing = power. Werewolf shows info wins even outnumbered.
Upcoming Book: Predetermined?—outcomes aren't fixed regardless of background. Never be so sure of worth. Ask: "What if 5-year goal done in 1 year? What must be true?" Challenge ceilings. Clients with $10-15M in late 50s still want $10-15M more—question assumptions. Ask: "What would life look like with less?"
Hollywood Deal: Director + Marvel superhero spat on $500M-$1B franchise.
A-list celebrity and writer on third installment of movie franchise unhappy with direction. Celebrity fires original director who wrote first two successful movies, offending them. Next writer worse, so agency tries rehiring original writer 6 months later amid production delays. Agency offers million more dollars, but individual making $10 million/year rejects 10% increase to work with disliked person. Suggestion: actor apologizes, mending relationship, saving million dollars. Lesson: not always about money. Uses big money stories for shock value; $18/hour to $24/hour materially changes life, e.g., affording gas.
Speaker 12 years ago homeless, fighting to pay for gas, inspiring mission to make material differences that compound.
Hollywood offers rescinded common. Pre-Hollywood, advised asking $20,000 more (after taxes ~$8,000, $400/month). Hollywood: A-list celebrity offered $5 million, counters $22 million; production company offers $13 million in two days, then $18 million—moving $4 million chunks. Tech folks hesitate on $10,000. Solve rich people problems for big escalations. Imagines Elon Musk negotiation: throw hundred billion.
Million seconds = 11 days; billion seconds = 31 years, showing exponential scale. To increase comp, move rooms, network with higher connections.
First thing on receiving offer email: recruiter has ~20% room. Say: "What's chance we can bump? This is what I was looking for." Anchor high; 1970s negotiation study: egregious high anchors win 75% more than reasonable ones. E.g., ask $150,000 more, get $70,000-$50,000 vs. asking $50,000 getting $15,000.
If committed to range pre-offer: "After conversations with hiring manager, scope increased—open to revisiting comp?"
If recruiter says final: text/email hiring manager: "We're almost across line, sticking point—open to chat?" Close with hiring manager, not recruiter. No laundry list of value adds. Short, confident communication: e.g., text "Open to chat." Control conversation.
Has written scripts, free YouTube course.
Not seeking clients, booked. Shares via free course, Substack. Mission: make learnings from successful people accessible without paywalls. Hourly fees high, avoids gatekeeping. Felt powerless growing up with substance abuse/trauma; understood psychology, saw fear in boardrooms as fight-or-flight. Helps people feel safe in negotiations.
Take chance on yourself. Show kids you survive anything; first-world problems won't take home, improve life. Overflowing cup allows generosity. Overcame despising wealth (thought rich unethical); fearing/ignorant misses change opportunity. Fail forward, find your style—not copying others.
Haven't mentioned AI once.
Books
Influence by Robert Cialdini. You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen (dated 80s, simple concepts like negotiating dishwashers). Negotiation Made Simple by John Lowry (simple bible; speaker wanted to write similar). Radical Candor by Kim Scott (built assertiveness; wife taught, embraced corporate; 2nd most mentioned on podcast after High Output Management).
Create 10x more content than consume; reads 1 book/year.
Recent Movie/TV
Luca (Disney). With toddler/newborn, watches cartoons. Minuscule (French YouTube shorts: bugs, low stimulation for overstimulated parents). Avoids high-stimulation like Coco Melon, Paw Patrol for creativity.
Favorite Products
- Cloud Co-work.
- MacroFactor (macro tracking).
- Whoop (lost 50 lbs tracking sleep/stats; obsessive with data).
- Bit of Gemini (winning AI race).
Life Motto
"Always give more than you expect to receive." Golden rule++; networking: help first (Influence, How to Win Friends and Influence People).
Nonprofit
Board of Cody De Roof Foundation (Bozeman, Montana). Son has cystic fibrosis (genetic; life expectancy 7-10 years → 70 with meds). Helps rural Montana access healthcare.
Example: Woman’s 29-year-old son with CF died needing lung transplant (unaffordable). 27-year-old son saved via foundation-funded Life Flight to Denver Children’s Hospital. Mother guilty over first son.
Post-diagnosis: Network yielded calls from chief medical officers (Denver Children’s, Stanford), FDA (meds lowered for 1-year-olds, Trikafta from $6 to $2 copay). Son may never have symptoms.
Conversations with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (funded life expectancy-changing meds).
Advocate for self (rising tide). No social media, deleted LinkedIn (viral Substack post).
- execsandthecity.com (Substack; weekly Thursdays: thoughts, case studies, play-by-plays, scripts; free 8-hour job search course, ex-$1,000).
- YouTube: Execs in the City (100 subscribers, low video output).
- Paid tier: coaching discounts, Jacob GPT (AI trained on content), extra case studies.
- Business: thinkwarwick.com (outcomes).
Substack-only.
Thank you, Lenny. I appreciate the time today. And again, I was real giddy about it. And your motto was to have fun. I had a lot of fun today.
Keep Lenny's Podcast in your library
Save the videos and channels worth coming back to, and find them again in one place.
