The Mind & Money Podcast | Jeffrey Johnston

Episode 07. The mind behind the decision. In the seventh episode of Mind & Money, I sit down with Jeffrey Johnston, Founder and CEO of Brightn. Jeff spent 30 years building a wealth management firm in Iowa, with a TV show, a radio show and around 800 million dollars under management, until one phone call in October 2016 split his life in two. We talk about what he said to his two remaining sons hours after their brother died, about 32 years of high functioning drinking that ended with a glass of wine poured down a sink on Christmas Eve, and about the 22,000 mile road trip that followed the loss of his wife. Jeff shares how Brightn got its name, why he believes prevention has to be embedded in the healthcare system instead of living in another standalone wellness app, and what it is like to raise a round while the nos keep coming. One line stayed with me: purpose becomes passion when it gets personal.