A teenage coach finds a sponsor for a little league team, grows into college football at UCLA, builds manufacturing companies that ship at massive scale, and then pivots into a mission that matters more than any win-loss record.
Tony DeMaio joins us to share the full arc, with a simple through-line: learn fast, stay organized, and keep showing up for people.
We begin with coaching, what it really demands beyond playbooks: relationships, long hours alongside other coaches, and the kind of pressure that forces clarity. From there, Tony takes us into entrepreneurship, designing sports training tools, scaling Duraflex Sports Products, and saying yes to a $5 million Kmart order when the company was barely formed. If you care about leadership, sales, product demonstration, and building trust under pressure, there’s a lot here you can apply.
Tony DeMaio is a community leader, veteran advocate, first responder, and entrepreneur whose career has been defined by innovation, leadership, and service. He is also the author of Silent Battle, a book written for families and friends of veterans, first responders, and law enforcement to help identify when someone may be at risk.
The conversation then turns to Helping Heroes USA, the nonprofit Tony founded to support veterans, active-duty military personnel, and first responders. Through suicide prevention programs, community outreach, and national campaigns, his work focuses on strengthening connections and reducing isolation.
We talk about the patterns that often go unnoticed, the stigma that keeps people silent, and the warning signs that can appear before a crisis, like giving away meaningful belongings or suddenly organizing finances. We also explore how to start a non-judgmental conversation, why asking directly about suicide does not “plant the idea,” and how simple acts, a coffee meet-up, a cycling group, even a genuine smile, can become a lifeline.
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