The CEO Driving Change in Athlete Safety | Nick Esayian of LIGHT Helmets (Ep. 75)

🎙️ Welcome to Tools, Talents & Techniques, hosted by Dustin Sutton — where we explore real stories of grit, innovation, and growth across entrepreneurship, sports, tech, real estate, and leadership.

In this episode, Dustin sits down with Nick Esayian — race car driver, entrepreneur, and CEO of LIGHT Helmets — to unpack how a tough upbringing, military discipline, and relentless execution turned a bold idea into the #1-rated tackle football helmet ever tested.

From the track to the boardroom, Nick shares hard-earned lessons on leadership, failure, and disrupting industries that resist change.

🧠 Key Takeaways ✅ Sports create life-ready leaders ✅ Mentorship fast-tracks growth ✅ Risk + failure = part of every big win ✅ Innovation demands persistence ✅ Setbacks teach more than success ✅ Protecting athletes takes pushing limits ✅ Big wins come from small daily ones ✅ Keep showing up — tomorrow matters

⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro to Nick Esayian 01:06 – Growing up tough in Wisconsin 07:00 – Sports, racing & discipline 14:49 – Learning through mentorship 20:03 – Early ventures & lessons 29:43 – Leaping into entrepreneurship 34:01 – Volunteering in Search & Rescue 38:12 – Learning from failure 40:15 – Adapting as an entrepreneur 46:47 – Life lessons from sports 49:38 – Launching LIGHT Helmets 58:31 – Helmet tech & innovation 01:09:47 – The science of concussions 01:12:44 – Resilience & inspiration 01:20:30 – Final thoughts

🎧 Listen to the Full Episode YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DustinCSutton Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7pQZ551Ct4jVRQ2BqB7Zr2?si=740ba4a90165417a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tools-talents-and-techniques-with-dustin-sutton/id1692838507

🌟 About the Show Tools, Talents & Techniques features honest conversations with entrepreneurs, athletes, investors, and creators who are building with purpose and pushing boundaries.

🔗 Connect with Dustin Sutton Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dustincsutton LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustincsutton

🏁 More on Nick Esayian & LIGHT Helmets LIGHT Helmets Website: https://lighthelmets.com Nick Esayian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esayian/

🎶 Music by C€$ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/21zXwxV9nWaiE6iAleU6ww?si=yNBmIPqIT7-56hAmfvqShA

✅ Subscribe for More YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DustinCSutton