Salvi Brothers: From Walk On Football Players to Interviewing Billionaire CEOs
- Mar 17
- 2 min read
Episode 102
Kyle Matthews interviews Will and Chris Salvi, brothers and Notre Dame football alumni who built Salvi Media and Executive House, an executive media platform behind the Emmy-winning CEO Series, CEO Roundtable, and other C-suite verticals. They discuss how they started by making videos for service businesses with little experience, why entrepreneurship appealed over traditional jobs, and how walk-on football shaped persistence, shared struggle, and identity—along with the difficult transition after sports, including depression and teammates’ struggles. The conversation covers evolving from an agency into a media brand, how they vet guests, why many CEOs are competitive, the importance of executive visibility and internal communication, and why honesty (especially in layoffs) and caring for employees, customers, and community ultimately benefits shareholders. They also share setbacks like being ghosted, financial stress, and their focus on relationships, content, and community in B2B.
Show Notes:
00:00 CEO Stakeholder Balance
00:54 Meet the Salvi Brothers
02:52 Notre Dame USC Rivalry
04:56 Starting the Media Business
06:26 Entrepreneur Mindset Autonomy
08:55 Athlete Identity and Obedience
10:16 Walking On at Notre Dame
15:26 From Football to Founder Grit
16:35 Life After Football Identity Loss
21:34 Working With Your Brother
23:05 Pivot to Executive House
24:47 What Top CEOs Share
29:02 Executive Branding and Honesty
33:22 Ego Versus Humility
34:52 Listening While Leading
35:45 Layoffs And Accountability
37:43 Bad Leaders And Politicking
39:13 Founder Skills And Ingenuity
40:09 Hiring A CEO And Keyman Risk
41:47 Future Of Executive Media
43:24 Booking Big Guests
46:25 Breakthroughs And Referrals
48:43 Near Quit And Getting Ghosted
52:02 Corporate Culture And Social Contract
59:41 Relentless Mentality And Trust Moat
01:01:08 Pitch And Final Wrap
