#90: From Startup to Grown-Up: Jeff Byers, Co-founder and CEO of Momentous — Transitioning from NFL player to CEO, managing cultural clashes during a merger, and navigating the high-pressure world of growth-stage leadership

From Start-Up to Grown-Up

Jeff Byers is the co-founder and CEO of Momentous, a high-performance wellness company delivering science-backed products used by elite athletes, military operators, and high-performers worldwide. A former NFL player and two-time USC football captain, Jeff brings both personal and professional insight to optimizing performance and building values-driven companies.

What you’ll learn:

• Why Jeff says effort and attitude are the only things you can control—and how they ground him in tough moments
• The cultural clash behind merging two wellness companies
• How “speed over consensus” became a core value at Momentous
• Why returning to in-person work cost talent but aligned culture
• How EOS helped reset their operating rhythm
• Building high-integrity partnerships with leaders like Huberman and Starrett
• Lessons from Pete Carroll on consistency and energy
• Why growth-stage CEOs must “reset the scoreboard” and stay curious

Takeaways:

• Control what you can: Effort and attitude define how you show up
• Merge carefully: “Equals” often clash without clear direction
• Culture lives in person: Jeff prioritized cohesion over convenience
• Decide fast on people: Delays around misfits create drag
• Earn trust: Authenticity attracted elite advisors
• Balance roles: EOS clarified vision vs. execution
• You define you: Not your title—your choices

Find Jeff:

• LinkedIn
• Momentous

In this episode:

(00:00:00) Expectations in growth-backed companies
(00:00:23) Intro to Jeff
(00:02:00) NFL to CEO journey
(00:03:52) Life as a pro athlete
(00:05:28) Teamwork, rhythm, winning
(00:09:10) Athletic mindset in startups
(00:11:06) Stress rituals, effort & attitude
(00:14:02) Purpose-driven leadership
(00:19:15) Founding Momentous
(00:30:51) Merger lessons
(00:35:25) Cultural alignment
(00:42:27) In-person work benefits
(00:48:38) Standing out in supplements
(00:54:20) Partnering with leaders
(00:57:59) Co-founder dynamics
(01:02:23) Imposter syndrome
(01:10:22) Curiosity = leadership growth

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