The True Cost of Success - Becoming a Senior Sales Exec Before 30 | Sales Rewritten

Brett Runyan’s sales career took off fast - from becoming employee #200 at Groupon to leading international teams at LinkedIn and Glassdoor. But behind the rapid rise came burnout, isolation and a need to redefine what success really means.

In this episode of Sales Rewritten, a podcast for the sellers, host Alex Wood sits down with Brett Runyan, now VP of North American Sales at EZRA Coaching, to talk about the highs and lows of pursuing a global career - and why personal growth matters just as much as professional.

Brett shares:
◼️ How he landed leadership roles before turning 30
◼️ What moving from the US to Europe taught him about sales
◼️ The real cost of tying your identity to work
◼️ How burnout changed his approach to leadership
◼️ The advice he gives to salespeople at every level

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:04 Describing Working in Sales to People
04:25 Working Opposite Groupon
05:41 Quitting My Job to Work for Groupon
07:10 New Wave of Learning to Explore Cities
07:58 Being Part of an IPO at 24-years-old
09:05 Moving from the US to Ireland
11:10 Leaving LinkedIn to Join Glassdoor
14:00 Sales Culture in the US v Sales Culture in Europe
16:14 The Power of Humour in Sales
17:10 The Art of the Boomerang
19:40 ‘I Got a Call…We Were Being Acquired’
21:31 Dealing with Layoffs
22:20 Experiencing Burnout at Work
23:13 ‘I Started Questioning My Own Capabilities’
25:01 Do Job Titles Define Who We Are?
27:31 The Pressure of Working in Sales
29:50 Setting Boundaries in Leadership
32:28 Using LinkedIn Like a Pro
34:28 ‘Video is the Fastest Growing Channel Right Now!’
35:57 Biggest Deal I’ve Ever Closed
40:07 If You Weren’t in Sales, What Would You Be Doing?
41:41 Nailing Email Outreach in 2025
43:27 Using AI in Sales
45:42 What’s Next For You?
47:17 Goodbye

If you’ve ever pushed yourself too hard, chased every target, or measured your value by your job title - this episode’s for you.

The Sales Rewritten podcast is a raw, honest account of sales - for salespeople, by salespeople. Brought to you by Surfe, the high-quality data platform that makes prospecting easy.

Follow Brett:
LinkedIn –   / brettrunyan  

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