Ken Golde
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Ken Golde’s journey from Hollywood filmmaker to international speaker, author, and executive coach is itself a story of re-creation. During a three-decade career, Ken produced, wrote, or directed films featuring Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, Golden Globe winner Ron Perlman, Cameron Diaz, Burt Reynolds, Barbara Hershey, and Rodney Dangerfield. But when pandemic-era shutdowns and the 2023 Writers Guild strike brought his career to a halt — and his marriage ended at the same time — Ken had to reinvent not only his life, but himself. Newly single and raising three young children, Ken founded Breakthrough Leadership Training at his dining room table. His goal was to bring the lessons he had learned leading film crews—about communication, teamwork, and physical leadership presence — to leaders in every industry. That work became “The F.A.S.T. Way: Feelings, Actions, Speech & Thoughts®,” Ken’s signature approach to helping people take total authorship of themselves, so they can exercise greater authority over their lives. His keynotes, workshops, and private coaching have since produced life-changing results for thousands of people across the United States and Canada.
Ken received the Vistage Worldwide Top Performing Speaker Award in both 2024 and 2025. His adaptation of the H.G. Wells’ novel “War of the Worlds” became the #1 movie worldwide on Amazon Prime Video in August 2025, and his screenplay for the World War II drama “Walking with the Enemy” was inducted into the Core Collection of the Motion Picture Academy library. Ken lives in Southern California with his three children. His fifth book, “The F.A.S.T. Way,” is due to be released in 2026.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
- That your one true superpower is taking total control over your beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and energy.
- How to stop giving your internal power away to people, events, or circumstances outside yourself.
- Why the real obstacle to achieving goals is self-perception, not external challenges or other people.
- How to apply the F.A.S.T. Way to align feelings, actions, speech, and thoughts for breakthrough results.
- Why ideology alone or action alone falls short without practical, step-by-step implementation.
- How to reinvent yourself after losing a career and marriage while raising three young children.
- That taking 100 percent control of yourself makes extraordinary joy, success, and fulfillment possible.
- How to conquer self-imposed limitations and overcome external obstacles faster than ever before.
- Why communication, teamwork, and leadership presence from film crews translate to executive success.
- How to build a million-dollar coaching business from a dining room table with no prior experience.
about the show
Next Level CEO is an entrepreneur education series hosted by Daymond John, created for business owners, founders, and leaders who want real insight from people who have built, scaled, and led successful companies.
Each episode features expert CEOs, founders, and industry leaders sharing the stories, decisions, strategies, and lessons behind their growth. Viewers get a closer look at how strong brands are built, how companies scale, and how experienced entrepreneurs think through leadership, opportunity, risk, and long-term success.
From disruptive startups to established business empires, Next Level CEO gives entrepreneurs a front-row seat to the business strategies, founder insights, and leadership moves that drive business excellence.
Whether you are an entrepreneur looking to grow, a business owner ready to level up, or a leader who wants to learn from proven builders, Next Level CEO delivers practical lessons from people who have created something that lasts.
