Kevin Rice is the former co-founder and president of Hathaway, a digital consultancy acquired by Bounteous in 2021. He is now an angel investor at Theorem One Capital and host of the CEOs and ABCs podcast.
Kevin focuses on a gap most leaders don’t want to look at. The difference between who you are at work and who you are at home.
At work, the metrics are clear. You perform, you grow, you win. At home, none of that works. The scoreboard is different, and most leaders realize that too late.
He describes how years of operating in “CEO mode” made him effective in business but distant in the one place it mattered most. The same habits that drove results at work were quietly breaking connections at home.
Kevin explains why the real currency at home is not revenue or growth, but connection, and why one hour of full presence beats a full day of being half there. He also shares what it looked like to lead a company while raising young kids on his own and the moment he could no longer ignore the gap.
For leaders who are winning professionally but feel something slipping personally, this episode puts language to the cost and makes it clear what it takes to close that gap.
Find episode 511 on The Leadership Podcast, on YouTube, channel @theleadershippodcast, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Watch this Episode on YouTube | Kevin Rice on Winning at Work, Losing at Home
Key Moments
[03:39] Kevin describes his early leadership style as “a bull in a china shop” — all forward motion, little humanity. Parenting taught him that accountability and dignity are not opposites.
[06:25] Jan introduces the Hippocratic framing: leaders should first do no harm. Kevin’s version: have enough gas in the tank when you come home. For 13 years, his family got the scraps.
[09:37] Kevin’s crucible — single father, global pandemic, 100+ hires, pending acquisition — all at once. His coping mechanism was robot mode: high performance, zero feeling. When the deal closed, he felt nothing.
[14:26] Kevin says one hour of full presence beats eight hours of distracted availability. Kids only live in the present moment — and they know when you’re not there.
[17:18] Kevin believes AI’s real gift to leaders is buying back time. The question is what you do with that time once you have it.
[22:54] Kevin’s message to the next generation: don’t wait for a breaking point. As Tony Robbins says, success without fulfillment is failure. Structure your life before the crisis forces you to.
[28:59] Kevin did the inner work after the exit — therapy, journaling, parenting coaching. That’s what reconnected him to joy, not the money.
[32:34] The oxygen mask principle applies at home too. You can’t lead your family from empty. Sleep, exercise, breath work, meditation — these aren’t luxuries. They’re the foundation.
[34:49] And remember… “Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” — Michael J. Fox
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Memorable Quotes
"Career is your passion. Your kids are your purpose. Don't confuse the two." Share on X "One hour of full presence is worth more than eight hours of distracted availability." Share on X "Success without fulfillment is failure." Share on X "I was physically there, but mentally rehearsing the next meeting. I thought I'd cracked the code. I was just losing my kids." Share on X "The victory was hollow — and that's when I knew everything needed to change." Share on X "The currency at home is connection. It's not sales, revenue, or EBITDA." Share on X "You can't get those moments back. You can't pay that back in arrears." Share on X "80% of the time you spend with your kids is before they leave the house." Share on X "It's hard to be good at work if things aren't good at home — and vice versa." Share on XExplore the full archive at www.theleadershippodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts!
Resources Mentioned
- The Leadership Podcast | theleadershippodcast.com
- Sponsored by | www.darley.com
- Rafti Advisors. LLC | www.raftiadvisors.com
- Self-Reliant Leadership. LLC | selfreliantleadership.com
- Kevin Rice Website | www.ceosandabcs.com/
- Kevin Rice YouTube | www.youtube.com/@CEOsandABCs
- Kevin Rice LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/kmrice
- Instagram | www.instagram.com/kevinrice_ceosandabcs
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