From Start-Up to Grown-Up

#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

• Alisa Cohn • Episode 90

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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:

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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