Breaking Stigmas with Brandon Sawalich

Mick Unplugged

Realm

Entrepreneurship, Self-improvement, Business, Education

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Brandon Sawalich is the President and CEO of Starkey, the world’s leading manufacturer of wearable hearing technology. Starting his career as an intern in 1994, Brandon rose through the ranks of Starkey, acquiring deep hands-on experience across every department. Under his leadership, the company has revolutionized the perception of hearing aids, transforming them into cutting-edge, AI-enhanced health tech devices. Known for his relentless drive to challenge the status quo and an unwavering commitment to caring leadership, Brandon has overseen Starkey’s innovation in sound quality, health and wellness features, and seamless tech integration, all while nurturing a culture of empathy and personal connection.

Takeaways:

Challenging Stigma and Embracing Technology: Brandon Sawalich and Starkey are redefining hearing aids as advanced, wearable tech rather than outdated medical devices, incorporating features such as AI, language translation, and health monitoring to help people reconnect with life and stay healthy.
Leadership Rooted in Caring: Brandon believes that true business success is rooted in genuine care for people—a philosophy cultivated from his early days at Starkey and reflected in the company’s culture, where empathy and helping others are valued as highly as innovation.
Hearing Health Is Brain Health: The importance of early hearing evaluation is underscored by Brandon, who explains that untreated hearing loss can lead to isolation, cognitive decline, and even early onset of conditions like dementia. Modern hearing technology does more than amplify sound—it helps keep the brain active, engaged, and healthy.

Sound Bytes:

“Today’s hearing aids are mini-computers—powered by AI, tracking health metrics, even translating languages—not the bulky devices of the past.”

“You can’t always develop a caring attitude, but you can hire for it. Our culture starts with people who truly care.”

“The ear is the new wrist—our devices do more than help you hear, they connect you, keep you safe, and give you a superhuman boost.”

Connect & Discover Brandon:

Website: https://brandonsawalich.com/

Website: https://www.starkey.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonsawalich/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandonsawalichstarkey/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonsawalich/

X: https://x.com/BrandonSawalich

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I'm so excited in this episode I just sat down with the CEO of Starkey,
0:05.0	the number one wearable hearing technology device in the world.
0:10.0	But more importantly, we're going to talk about his journey from intern to CEO.
0:15.0	There's leadership lessons, there's life lessons, there's even love lessons.
0:19.0	And stay through the end because we're going to talk about what happens when we sit down with our favorite publicist and Dame and John for dinner. Who's going to pick up the check first?
0:29.7	Ladies and gentlemen, please sit down and welcome my good friend, my guy, Mr. Brandon, Swalich.
0:38.5	Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged, and today we're
0:44.7	talking to the man, the myth, and the legend.
0:47.7	He's the leader who turned heroin aids into health tech statements, the executive who spent 30 years in every corner of his industry,
0:57.9	pushing innovation with heart and AI.
1:01.5	He's focused on customers, caring, and scientific excellence.
1:06.5	He's bold, he's caring, he's relentless.
1:10.5	He is my friend. He is Mr. Brandon. Salvoitz.
1:15.3	Brandon, how you doing today, brother?
1:16.9	I'm doing good, Nick. It yourself?
1:18.7	Dude, I am doing amazing. I'm honored that we can spend some time together.
1:23.6	Glad that we can have this conversation, man. Like you, you know, I was telling you, Zach, our mutual publicist, our good friend,
1:31.3	Damon John, speaks so highly of you.
1:34.3	So when I got the call that you were going to be on, I froze for a moment because I was like,
1:40.3	I get the man of the myth of legend.
1:42.3	So I'm on to be here with you, brother.
1:43.3	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 as 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
	...

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