Sound Investments: The Intersection of Hearing and Financial Wellbeing | Beyond the Numbers Podcast

What if one of the biggest risks to your financial future… had nothing to do with the stock market?

In this episode of Beyond the Numbers, host Chris Everett sits down with hearing care expert Adam Dell to explore the powerful—and often overlooked—connection between hearing health and financial wellbeing.

From relationships and career performance to cognitive decline and long-term healthcare costs, untreated hearing loss carries consequences far beyond what most people expect.

Adam shares insights from over 17 years in the field, breaking down how modern hearing care works, why hearing aids are a true investment (not just a device), and what people should know before making a decision.

If you’re thinking about retirement planning, supporting aging parents, or protecting your long-term quality of life—this conversation will change how you think about health and money.

🎯 What You’ll Learn:

• The hidden financial costs of untreated hearing loss • How hearing impacts relationships, career performance, and income potential • The connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline / dementia risk • Why hearing aids cost what they do—and what you’re really paying for • The truth about insurance, Medicare gaps, and financing options • Why early treatment leads to better long-term outcomes • How to choose the right hearing care provider

👤 About the Guest – Adam Dell

Adam Dell is a Board-Certified Hearing Aid Specialist with Audibel, serving patients in the Chicago area. With over 17 years of experience, Adam has built a reputation for combining clinical expertise with a deeply personalized, service-driven approach to hearing care.

He specializes in helping patients understand high-frequency hearing loss, improving speech clarity, and guiding individuals through the full journey—from testing and fitting to long-term care and support. His work focuses not just on hearing better, but on helping people reconnect with their lives, relationships, and confidence.

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to the Show 00:38 Meet Adam Dell 01:18 How He Got Started 02:35 Service and Patient Impact 05:08 Risks of Untreated Loss 07:02 Relationships and Work 09:17 Why Hearing Aids Cost More 13:08 Insurance and Financing Options 14:46 Don’t Wait to Treat 16:38 Advice for Patients and Families 18:08 Life Lessons and Purpose 21:21 How to Contact Audibel 23:03 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up 24:55 Subscribe and Take Action

📌 Connect with Adam Dell:

📍 Audibel Hearing Center (Chicago Area) 📞 630-968-4327

📈 About the Podcast

Beyond the Numbers is where growth-minded professionals talk strategy, legacy, and the financial decisions that shape their future. Hosted by fiduciary financial planner Chris Everett, the podcast explores how people align business growth with personal purpose through intentional wealth-building. Chris is also President of Everett Wealth Solutions, Inc. is a Registered Investment Adviser in the State of Illinois for fiduciary financial planning and asset management across the nation.

What happens when you combine entrepreneurial instinct, emerging tech, and a deep understanding of how sales actually works?

In this episode of Beyond the Numbers, host Chris Everett sits down with Paul Pacun, CEO and Founder of vablet, to explore how modern sales teams can operate smarter, stay compliant, and build real trust with clients.

Paul shares the story behind the “light bulb moment” sparked by the iPad—and how that idea evolved into a powerful sales enablement platform used by global enterprises. From managing complex content to enabling offline access and ensuring compliance in highly regulated industries, vablet is redefining how sales teams show up in the field.

But this conversation goes deeper than tools.

It’s about how the best salespeople don’t sell harder—they sell smarter, using technology to remove friction and focus on what actually matters: relationships.

• How Paul turned an early tech insight into a scalable business • Why video-first selling is changing the game for modern sales teams • The importance of compliance, security, and content control in enterprise sales • How great tools eliminate friction and enable authentic client relationships • Leadership lessons on building teams—and knowing when to make tough calls • The intersection of money, purpose, and long-term impact

00:00 Introduction 01:54 Meet Paul Pacun 02:30 Entrepreneurial Origins 04:25 The iPad “Light Bulb” Moment 06:12 Building vablet 08:54 Compliance & Security 10:52 Remote Training Workflows 13:07 Sales & Relationship Building 16:06 Leadership Lessons 17:46 Health & Balance 20:19 Money Meets Purpose 21:57 Legacy & Impact 23:35 Inspiring the Next Generation 26:52 Where to Find vablet 27:32 Closing

Paul Pacun is the CEO and Founder of vablet, a leading sales enablement platform designed to help teams deliver the right content—anytime, anywhere, even offline. Trusted by global organizations across healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, vablet empowers sales teams to stay organized, compliant, and effective in every client interaction.

About the show

Beyond the Numbers is where growth-minded professionals talk strategy, legacy, and the financial decisions that shape their future. Hosted by fiduciary financial planner Chris Everett, the podcast explores how people align business growth with personal purpose through intentional wealth-building. Chris is also President of Everett Wealth Solutions, Inc. is a Registered Investment Adviser in the State of Illinois for fiduciary financial planning and asset management across the nation.

What does it really take to build an elite engineering team—and why is retention one of the most overlooked financial risks in business?

In this episode of Beyond The Numbers, host Chris Everett sits down with John Szeder, a Fractional Chief Technology Officer and “zero-to-one” builder, to explore the intersection of engineering leadership, business performance, and long-term value creation.

From his early inspiration in online gaming to leadership roles at Zynga and beyond, John shares the real lessons behind building high-performing teams—and why keeping great talent is one of the most important financial decisions a company can make.

• What separates elite engineering teams from average ones • Why retention is a business value problem—not just HR • The “zero-to-one” mindset and building from scratch • Lessons from Zynga and live operations environments • How AI is reshaping hiring and engineering leadership • The rise of fractional CTO roles and portfolio careers • Equity, compensation, and the reality of startup incentives • Why your career is your most valuable financial asset • How to build meaningful, engaging team cultures

John Szeder is a Fractional Chief Technology Officer who works with companies like Seismic Studios and Tennex Networks, helping them build and scale elite engineering teams. Known as a “zero-to-one” expert, he specializes in taking ideas from concept to execution across industries—from gaming to startups.

He brings a unique perspective shaped by both technical and leadership experience, emphasizing retention, culture, and long-term value creation as core drivers of business success. John is also active in the Technology Executives Club, where he contributes to discussions on AI, leadership, and the future of engineering.

Beyond the Numbers is where growth-minded professionals talk strategy, legacy, and the financial decisions that shape their future. Hosted by fiduciary financial planner Chris Everett, the podcast explores how people align business growth with personal purpose through intentional wealth-building. Chris is also President of Everett Wealth Solutions, Inc. is a Registered Investment Adviser in the State of Illinois for fiduciary financial planning and asset management across the nation.

00:00 Show Intro 00:35 Meet John Szeder 02:38 Career Inflection Points 04:36 From Builder to Leader 05:35 Zynga Lessons & Live Ops 07:13 Zero to One Mindset 08:32 What Makes Teams Elite 11:04 Retention as Value 13:09 Career as Human Capital 15:29 Culture, Meaning & Joy 17:50 Leading in the AI Era 20:02 Fractional CTO Playbook 22:02 Money, Equity & Startups 24:32 Advice and Closing 28:28 Where to Find John 30:41 Final Outro

• Leadership and growth • Financial strategy for high performers • Building wealth with purpose