Ted Benakis
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Ted Benakis Ted grew up in a small town in New Mexico, raised by wonderful, supportive parents who believed in everything he set out to do. He was the kind of kid who seemed to do everything right. He graduated valedictorian with a perfect GPA, earned varsity letters in four sports, helped his science fair team win first place at state, and ran his own yard maintenance business on the side. A full-ride scholarship took him to the University of Arizona, where he earned a business degree, and from there he headed straight to Silicon Valley. Selling enterprise software for early-stage startups, he closed deals with some of the biggest brands in the world and lived the fast life that came with it.
But behind the success, a daily drinking habit was quietly taking over, and before long Ted couldn't stop. He lost jobs, strained his closest relationships, and watched his family's pride turn to heartbreak. He went in and out of rehab, and at his lowest point he no longer wanted to live. Six years ago, Ted got sober, and he's been rebuilding ever since. He returned to startup sales, and today he's the founder of Athena DeFi, Inc., a crypto investment company. For Ted, the company is more than a business. It's proof that the person he was always meant to be is still here.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
- How Ted overcame alcoholism and addiction to achieve six years of sobriety and rebuild his life.
- Why staying sober can become a rewarding, exciting, and fulfilling foundation for personal and professional success.
- That a life worth living is possible even after hitting rock bottom and losing hope.
- How Ted founded Athena DeFi, a crypto investment company, after returning to startup sales in Silicon Valley.
- How Athena DeFi creates true yield through on-chain market making, an approach largely unknown to the market.
- Why crypto investors need a trusted partner to navigate an intimidating space full of scams and complexity.
- How to approach crypto investing with a strategy focused on cash flow and yield rather than speculation.
- Why Ted's secret sauce in decentralized finance allows his company to produce very attractive returns for clients.
- That graduating valedictorian and earning a full-ride scholarship did not protect Ted from the dangers of daily drinking.
- How losing jobs and straining relationships taught Ted that success can hide a destructive private struggle.
about the show
Overcoming addiction requires discipline, clarity, and resilience — the exact qualities needed to build a successful commercial business. Clean and Thriving TV reveals how business owners in recovery translate their personal transformation into building and running real commercial enterprises.
Clean and Thriving TV is a premium television docuseries spotlighting business owners who refused to let their past define them. Honoring the grit required to overcome addiction and build a business, the series focuses on operational growth, daily execution, and commercial success beyond recovery.
The series takes viewers inside the authentic stories of business owners who turned their lives around and built thriving companies. Clean and Thriving TV serves as the definitive national stage for these entrepreneurs to share their business insights and inspire others.
