Podcast

A Founder's Life:

Balancing Entrepreneurship, Family, Health, & Fun​

Podcast

A Founder's Life:

Balancing Entrepreneurship, Family, Health, & Fun​

The Psychology of High Achievement - Keala Kanae - S3 - E3

In this episode of A Founder’s Life, Leo Gestetner sits down with Roy Vella, fintech veteran and founder of NextCoLabs, to explore what it really means to live with intention. From building PayPal in its earliest days to creating AI-powered meeting tools, Roy shares why presence—not productivity—is the true key to success.

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Guest Info

Keala Kanae is a high-performance entrepreneur, speaker, and founder of Inspirian, a company helping driven individuals align their business with their values. From working in a coffee shop and living in his mother’s spare room with a 500 credit score, Keala went on to build and exit a $140M company in the online marketing space—only to discover that success without alignment leads to burnout.

After a personal crisis forced him to take a hard look inward, Keala began studying neuroscience, axiology, and behavioral psychology to rebuild not just his business—but his identity. Today, he helps founders and high achievers unlock sustainable performance by focusing on self-awareness, values, and intentional living.

Keala is known for his unapologetic honesty, discipline-first mindset, and belief that your inner world determines your outer results. His story is proof that you can rewire your brain, reclaim your life, and build something extraordinary without sacrificing your health or your soul.

Show Notes

About this Episode

In this episode of A Founder’s Life, Leo Gestetner sits down with Roy Vella, fintech veteran and founder of NextCoLabs, to explore what it really means to live with intention. From building PayPal in its earliest days to creating AI-powered meeting tools, Roy shares why presence—not productivity—is the true key to success.

Highlights

  • Early Career & PayPal: Roy’s role in shaping fintech during the birth of PayPal and the lessons learned in execution and hiring smart.

  • Family & Parenting: Redefining fatherhood with presence and attention; setting clear boundaries even in high-stakes roles.

  • Health Optimization: How Roy uses biofeedback (Oura Ring, Muse Headband) to enhance performance and prioritize sleep.

  • Personal Loss & Growth: Losing a child shaped his perspective on empathy, resilience, and connection.

  • NextCoLabs: Launching an AI-powered meeting analysis platform to make work more efficient, effective, and aligned.

  • Future Vision: Roy’s predictions on personal AI, exponential tech, and what the next generation of founders needs to know.

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