Breaking Stigmas with Brandon Sawalich

0:00I'm so excited in this episode I just sat down with the CEO of Starkey the number one wearable hearing technology device in the world But more importantly, we're going to talk about his journey from intern to CEO. There's leadership lessons, there's life lessons, there's even love lessons. And stay through the end, because we're going to talk about what happens when we sit down with our favorite publicist and Damon John for dinner. Who's going to pick up the check first? Ladies and gentlemen, please sit down and welcome my good friend, my guy, Mr. Brandon Swalich. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged.

0:43And today we're talking to the man, the myth and the legend. He's the leader who turned hearing aids into health tech statements. The executive who spent 30 years in every corner of his industry pushing innovation with heart and AI. He's focused on customers, caring and scientific excellence. He's bold. He's caring. He's relentless. He is my friend. He is Mr. Brandon Solowitz. Brandon, how are you doing today, brother? I'm doing good, Bick. And yourself? Dude, I am doing amazing. I'm honored that we can spend some time together. Glad that we can have this conversation, man. I was telling you, Zach, our mutual publicist, Our good friend, Damon John, speaks so highly of you.

1:35So when I got the call that you were going to be on, I froze for a moment because I was like, I get the man, the myth, the legend. So I'm honored to be here with you, brother. Well, thank you. And yeah, those two great friends and business guys. And, you know, they always level me up. I get something out of them. I think that's the point of relationships like this is we get to learn and talk to each other. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, Brandon, man, I love starting the conversation with your because, that thing that's deeper than your why, your true purpose. And with all of the amazing things that you're doing in health care and tech and hearing aids, what's your because?

2:13Why do you continue to do and move the needle the way that you do? Well, for myself, I like to push myself from ever since as far back as I can remember. You know, my mother tells a story of I was five or six and we're at Disneyland. And it's a big deal. And, you know, doing all the rides that I'm asking, well, what are we doing tomorrow? What are we doing tomorrow? And to the point of, you know, my whole life, I've kind of always been looking up and out. And, you know, whether it's ideas or whatever it might have been in school, a sport, work, you know, I've always been challenged or thought, oh, you know, no, you can't do that.

2:52You can't do that. or, you know, want to put you in the box. And I'm always looking up and out and I don't like to be confined to a box because I like to look for the opportunities of what could be. So I guess by becauses, I'm always challenging the status quo because I've been told I can't do something or it won't work. So I like to try it. That's amazing, man. And speaking of challenging the status quo, here's what I love about what you do. And here's what I've learned about you through so many people. I think there's a big miss. There's a myth, there's a stigma on hearing loss. And most people seek help when they feel it's too late, right?

3:35Like with your eyes, you can tell when your eyes are getting a little worse. But with hearing, you just turn the volume up a little bit, right? But people aren't checking their hearing as much as they should or could. So I'd love for you to talk to everyone about the importance of just getting those tests and how they can get those tests. Yeah, I think with hearing loss and hearing aids, it comes the age old, decades old stigma, right? It's what's the first thing you think of? Well, I'm old. You know, no, it's you know, that has been a stereotype for decades. But today's technology is cool. I mean, we're doing things in with hearing aids.

4:15You know, I have mine on right now. And, you know, you probably could tell here and you could barely tell if you're in person. But we have to make complex simple to help people with their everyday life. We change people's lives. So with a hearing loss, people don't really it doesn't resonate that they're missing out until, you know, they have their hearing checked. And then, yes, you know, I do have a hearing loss, whether it's noise induced, because today's generation, I think one in six teenagers have a noise induced hearing loss from music, headsets, gaming. And, you know, you have to have hearing to stay connected to your job and your family.

4:57Right. So getting a test, you know, nobody likes the word test. I know I didn't in school either, but it's really an evaluation, just kind of quick where you're at. And then there's, you know, what we're doing with technology is bringing your world and life into this product where it connects. Yes, it helps you hear noisy situations, but it also connects with your phone, your TV. We have language translation. You know, we're doing a lot of cool things with this technology. So it's not the hearing aids or hearing technology of 20 years ago. It's the hearing aid of what's next. Totally agree. And I think, you know, I'll go back to when I was in school and you would see people, whether they're students, adults or whatever, with the bulky hearing aid.

5:44And I think in my uncle, I have an uncle who has hearing loss. And I remember him talking about just the lack of confidence that he would have in public because he'd have this big, bulky hearing aid. And so because I knew he needed it, you know, there were times when we would be out in public and he wouldn't put it on. Right. And I knew because he wanted to have a certain confidence, a certain swagger in public that he felt like he couldn't have if he wore that. And that's the stereotype because it was probably whistling, too. Right. It would be that. And that's the stereotype that, you know, they do it in the movies and shows and the media where they have these old pictures of hearing aids that they use even today.

6:26And it doesn't represent what we're doing at Starkey because we're setting the speed of innovation in our industry and using AI and other technologies. And the ear is the new wrist. We have health features and all sorts of things that can help people have the edge, or I'll say gain the edge of their day in their work, family, whatever it might be. Yeah. And Brandon, you know, again, when I talk to people about you, whether it's Zach, whether it's Damon or people on their teams, one word always comes back. And that's caring. Right. And I think the culture that you've created at Starkey, while yes, innovation and technology is at the forefront.

7:09I also think the most important thing about your culture is that you show genuine care. When and how did you develop that? When did you know that that was you? That like, one, you legitimately care about humans. But then two, you have this innate ability to make people feel so special when they're around you. Again, I could tell 10 people in all 10 are going to tell me that about Brandon. Yeah. Well, I think, I think, you know, you're, you have a caring attitude or you don't. Right. And, and I, for myself, I, you know, I, I feel I've had that most of my life. I like being on teams and building teams and I like, you know, it gives me satisfaction to help somebody out to see that smile.

7:51And, you know, I've done that most of my life on little things where the help helping the neighbor shovel their sidewalk or blow the yard, you know, and on. And at Starkey, I really started coming into that where, you know, my first year was 94. I was just an intern and I got responsibility. I'm from Southern Illinois, small coal mining town, just a Midwest kid. And it was going to go my second year of college here. And I got the intern job and I really liked it. I had responsibility. I was around people. I got to be a part of a team and then just helping out. And that's my mindset even today is just helping.

8:32What can I do to help my teams and the company do better? And it's not always about the financial reward. We all understand where that comes into play, but is it work worth doing? And the culture is huge in business. And it's been, you know, big for me in building high performing teams because you have to hire caring attitudes, develop the talent. You can't develop caring attitudes as easily as you can develop the talent. Yeah. Yeah. You know, Brandon, I liken that to I'm a sports nut. Right. And so you got to grow up in Starkey. So like Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant got to grow up in the Lakers.

9:13That's the only organization that they ever knew. So part of that culture became them and then they got to enhance the culture. So for you, how has growing up in Starkey and doing all the jobs that you've done from repair to service to everything, how has that shaped your philosophy about leadership, innovation and the products that you're designing? now? You're only going to be as good as the people you surround yourself with. And at Starkey, you know, it wasn't always perfect because, you know, I had certain jobs, whether it was in inside sales or in customer service or, you know, throughout my 31 years here, you know, there was, I'll say dysfunction and, and the, the culture wasn't as set because of, you know, a different, I'll say administration per se at the time, but the founding, the owner and founder of Starkey, and who's still here and is my mentor.

10:10He's been unwavering in what the values and why, because he grew up in the industry as well. He's an American success story, started Starkey, 1967 basement of his home. And, you know, it always starts with caring. And for those in clinics today, helping people with our products and, and they're hearing, you have to care about the individual. You have to care that because it's personalized. It's unique. It's not one size fits all. So, you know, at Starkey, you know, I've seen what hasn't worked and I've seen what's worked. And then so I just grabbed and really just really got a hold of the caring, our dedication, fearless, and then brought the culture to the forefront because you can start to see culture, but or feel it, but you can't grab it.

11:02And it has to start with those attitudes and the people that you bring in and work as one team, one, one vision, one team, one start. That's my approach. And I'm CEO of the company. And I view this pyramid, you know, my own personal approach to leadership is I invert the pyramid. I'm not at the top. I'm here to help everybody here be successful and understand the work that they do matters. And we do change people's lives. And what can I do to help? Right. And it kind of goes back to my because of, of wanting to help people and see that satisfaction, whether it's helping the team be successful or seeing a patient smile because we just reconnected them to their life.

11:45man and that's where i want to go next all the things that you're doing for for humans for society and and i'm gonna say leading the charge with innovation technology and ai and i think a lot of times people like this call everything one thing right ai has been a buzzword and i'm like there's a difference between technology robotics and ai but it's great that you're innovating right But for you, man, like you literally are the leader in innovation for what's going on. And I saw a couple of weeks ago a post or a video on translating. So being able to have a conversation with someone who doesn't even speak the same language as you, man, like I'm like the world is coming so far so fast.

12:31Talk to us about the innovation that you're doing with Starkey. Let's go into the products a little bit. You know, what we're doing is really starting back in 2018, I wanted to, in an industry where it would be easy to have incremental change and improvements. You know, we're a privately held company, which is an advantage because we can move fast. We're agile. Our other companies, there's four other companies, public companies. And I want to invest in AI. We started there and then also take the hearing aid, that stereotype, from a single purpose device to a multipurpose. So the ears, the new wrist.

13:11So we look at three buckets, the sound quality, you know, the actual performance of the hearing aid for the patient. We look at health and wellness features and then we have personal assistant. So those are three areas that we put features into the product that helps somebody, you know, it can track steps. We have fall detection because we have a patient-based demographic that prone to falls. And if they fall, the hearing aid will send a text message up to three people in the family that indicates a fall and they could be helped. And I've had many stories where we've saved people's lives. And then the personal assistant, you know, basically, as you mentioned, the language translation, you have to start somewhere.

13:52And the goal is, you know, that instant instantaneous translation where I'm talking to somebody over in Germany. I'm hearing it in English or whatever it might be. And we have 78 languages that we can translate. I could go on and on. So I get summed up like this. Think of Iron Man and Jarvis. You know, that's that's kind of my son growing up when he's growing up, watched all the Marvel movies, of course. And it's going to be your personal assistant. It's like that Jarvis in your ear that's helping you get through out the day as you need it, you know, personalized and customized to the patient's needs.

14:27So it's not just a product that's amplifying sound. It's a mini computer that's thinking and helping you the best that it can each and every minute of the day. Yeah. And I want to talk a little bit about the quality of product that you put out, because, again, I think it's second to none just from users that I know that use your products. I want to talk about sound quality from your hearing aids and from your tech. Because I got to use one and I was like, holy crap. I remember what my uncle sounded like from the 80s, right? And I think a lot of folks, while yes, some things have improved, they probably haven't improved like Starkey has improved.

15:15Talk to the viewers and listeners just about the quality of sound that they can expect using your product? Well, it's technology, so intelligent, it's superhuman. And it's sound quality where, for me, if I'm talking to you, it's analyzing what's going on behind me or to the side. And if I stop and think, I can understand what's going on really 360 degrees around me. And hearing aids haven't been able to process that clearly or with that much sound quality, because you might hear a noise that's overcoming our conversation. The hearing aid is picking it up and I can't quite make it out. So what we're doing is analyzing the products, our products analyze the sound, where they're coming from, but also knows what type of hearing loss and how it's personally programmed for that patient.

16:08So it's specifically, I'll say optimizing and performing the best it can be for what I need. And then I'll say a little bit more because it's a superpower. You know, even if you have a mild hearing loss or no hearing loss, it's going to help you. You know, Damon uses it for streaming and other activities. And he feels that it gives him a little bit of an edge in meetings and such because you could hear more clearly. And again, it gives you a little boost. Yeah. And I think that's vitally important because, again, I have friends that use it and they talk about the focus and clarity that they have now.

16:47Right. Being able to almost lower senses a little bit because they don't have to strain to hear. And so now they can almost have better focus, better clarity because they're relaxed. Talk to us a little bit about why that's so powerful. Well, we have to exercise our brain. You know, if it doesn't matter how old we are, you know, if you have a hearing loss, your brain, you're starting to miss things. You're starting to miss sounds and you're starting to, you know, you're hearing health of the five senses. Hearing is one of the most important because it keeps you connected. I mean, it's your primary sense.

17:23It keeps you connected. If we're having this conversation, I have to be able to hear you or if I'm out driving or, you know, go down the list. And so what we're doing is, you know, people with hearing loss, they start to draw inward and then loneliness. You know, there's recent studies, early said of dementia, Alzheimer's, because you're not connected. Your brain's not functioning to the optimal performance. So what we do is we analyze and understand, again, with the hearing loss, we keep that brain healthy. We keep it, I'll say exercise it per se, because we want people to stay connected and not be lonely, not draw inward, not miss out on things.

18:02where, you know, it's it's you think about loneliness and how that can be the onset of depression. So there's so many different things that we know what hearing loss causes. So how can we bring solutions to keep the brain and the person as active as possible? Love that, dude. I love that. For the person that's listening or watching right now, that's like, Like, yeah, I think I have some hearing loss, but I don't know if it's dramatic enough to go reach out to Starkey or anyone else for that matter. But I'm always going to recommend Starkey. But for the for the viewer listener that's paying attention and they're like, I might.

18:41What are some signs, some symptoms? And then what are some immediate things they can go do? Well, signs or symptoms usually maybe starts with a spouse or significant other. If you're not catching everything. also the you know it sounds a little little hokey but you know you're turning the tv up too loud or you're listening everything a little bit louder volume than that needs to be because you really don't know it unless somebody else points it out and then once you you know regain some of that hearing you're hearing sounds that you would whether it's leaves or a lawnmower i mean things that you know you took for granted every day and you're just reconnected i think you go to starkey dot com s-t-a-r-k-e-y and just check out the technology because you know the two words hearing aids you know puts a negative connotation in people's minds but you know we're doing cool things and it's really about how you can have an extra whether you know like with the people have their iWatch or their Apple Watches and other devices this is a this is you know wearable tech that helps them outperform even the normal performance of hearing or whatever it might be that our products can do for the person.

19:54All right. So now I'm going to ask the tough question, Brandon. If you think that you're a significant other, and I'm not saying me, if you think that you have someone close to you who may be experiencing hearing loss, how do you bring that up to them? I know you're not a psychologist, right? But how do you help others where it's like, okay, maybe we should do something or have a conversation? Because I think that also could be harder is when you know someone may be experiencing hearing loss. And I don't even mean dramatic, but enough to where it's like, you're starting to see it. Well, count the number of and watch throughout the day.

20:37And that's the number one sign right there, but no, it, it, you know, the relationship between, you know, your significant other or spouse, that'll kind of, it'll be known, but then the debate could ensue that it's selective hearing. And, you know, I've heard it all. But it's really, it's gotta be a moment where it's your kids, your, your, your grandkids or work. I mean, really when it starts to end, you know, hearing loss is happening right now in a much younger age when we're really looking at, you the generation Z with all the music and the loud noise and the gaming. And then you look at the, you know, Gen X where, you know, you have the largest generation of hearing loss coming into that area where it's going to affect them at their work or with their family, whatever it might be.

21:28And there's gotta be that moment and you'll just know it. But also what we're doing is bringing other features that helps them outside of hearing to get, given that, you know, as I say that, I call it that superpower throughout the day that gives you that edge in life. Yeah. So let's talk about that, man. I want to pick your brain on what your vision for hearing health is over the next two to three years. Well, we continue to improve the sound and make, you know, we're on our eighth generation of AI development. Like I said, for our industry, we're setting the pace of innovation like no other.

22:10And if you look ahead, it's going to be connectivity. I mean, continue doing and strengthening, enhancing what we're doing now. But as technology becomes available, you know, examples. Yes, the phone, you're being connected to the phone, TV. There's going to be features. think about we're talking or you have a, you know, one of your family members is wearing a product because they have a hearing loss, but the product can also detect their voice fluctuation throughout the day. You know, are you battling depression or, you know, I mean, be able to pick up on all types of, I'll say human emotions and from our sensors, heart rate, blood oxygen, also then getting more enhancement on the personal assistant side of, you know, using the product, you know, what's the temperature outside, you know, just instantaneously knowing what's going on or asking it to be, you know, as you said, your personal assistant from a dictionary, glossary, your Google, you name it.

23:14So, you know, for me, the technology and what we're doing, you know, continues to advance. We're staying at the forefront. But again, it's getting people to open up and which we are on wearing hearing aids and understanding that it's not even a hearing aid of 10 years ago. I mean, this is high, high tech, wearable tech technology that does much more than what you think. And from a sound clarity standpoint, even if you have a mild hearing loss or no hearing loss, it's going to give you that boost in hearing. yeah you know i i'm becoming a fan and and again i i would be on the side of the fence that says more people have hearing loss than they realize again even if it's minimal those those boosts man when you talk about for me just you hit on the brain waves and the brain activity i think for me when i when i test them and put them on it's just like okay i'm relaxed right I don't have to strain, even though I don't think I'm straining.

24:18But as a podcaster and other things I'm doing in business, I have headphones. I travel all the time. Right. So I'm on planes and it's like, man, I need to shut the world off for a little bit. What do I do? I put on headphones and the volumes up so I don't hear anything else but me. Right. And I just applaud you for what you're doing and knowing that all the big things that you have coming up. And I know that there's some some potential. I don't know if they're integrations or conversations with some of the big names out there that you're continuing to have as it relates to AI and what we're doing.

24:51I just thank you for all the cool things you're doing. Well, it goes back to what I why I love what I do, and that's helping people. And it's getting those smiles as you see the work that we do connects people and helps them throughout the day in their work and life. And, you know, I appreciate you having me on so I could talk about, you know, the cool technology and really what hearing aids are, but where they're going. And really knowing that, you know, it's never, you don't never want to wait till it's too late on your hearing loss because you can't get it back. You know, at least stabilize or help get back to someone as much normal as possible.

25:31Because it's, there's a lot of cool things that come with it besides, you know, you know, the stereotype of old. Absolutely. All right, Brandon, I'm going to get you out of here with my quick five. You ready? Rapid fire. We're just rolling. All right. We're at dinner. You're at dinner. I'm not even I'm not. I can't sit at this table. You're at dinner. It's you. It's Zach Rosenfeld. It's Damon John. Who's picking up the tab? Oh, I am.

26:04no comment no comment all right what is your favorite sound in the world oh oh oh a baseball game at wrigley field okay okay i'm getting that i had because i'm going probably this weekend but yeah that's that and of course i can go down the voices but But, you know, if I think it relaxes something fun, that's just what popped in my head. No, I love that, man. I love that. Summer's past time. The best place you've ever traveled for inspiration?

26:41Back home. My hometown. Because sometimes, you know, I travel a lot. And there's a lot of great things I've done. But sometimes you've got to get grounded. And I don't like to get too full of myself or get off the path. I love it. What's a tech gadget that's not Starkey that you use or love almost every day? Oh, I just almost blurted out my, well, my electric toothbrush, but it was just in my mind before we got, but of course an iPhone, who doesn't love that? There you go. I love it. I love it. And again, you've been at Starkey since you were a growing adult, right? What's one lesson that you've always held dear through your journey at Starkey?

27:39People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Amazing. Amazing. I love that, brother. I love that. Well, Brandon, man, how can people find and follow you? And I know we've got Starkey.com. I'm going to make sure I'm putting that everywhere, but where do you want people to find and follow you? I'm, whether it's Instagram, Facebook, my website, Brandon Swalich, S-A-W-A-L-I-C-H.com or that handle at any of those social platforms. I love it. I'll make sure I have everything there. Brandon, again, appreciate you so much for your time. I know how busy you are. Can't wait to see you in person really soon.

28:18And for For everybody that's listening, please check out Starkey.com. Have these conversations with the people that you care about. If you are someone who has experienced hearing loss or you think you're experiencing hearing loss, definitely go look at some of the evaluations. And I can promise you personally, the products are amazing. The tech is so wearable. And where they're going with the future, you're going to want to be a part of that. So again, Brandon, thank you and thank all that you're doing at Starkey and your team and staff. Thank you, Megan. You got it. And for the viewers and listeners, remember your because is your superpower.

28:57Go Unleash It. You've been plugged into Mick Unplugged. Don't just listen. Take action. Rate and subscribe. Follow me on social and get the full experience at MickHuntOfficial.com. Keep building. Keep leading. And most importantly, keep dominating. you