Ep. 565 - D1 Training COO Dan Murphy - How to Scale Smarter and Avoid Leadership Burnout
Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief with Cameron Herold
Second in Command with Cameron Herold
4.9 • 224 Ratings
🗓️ 26 March 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ever feel overwhelmed by growth or haunted by the worry that your team’s success might derail the mission?
This is your inside pass. Sivana Brewer dives deep with Dan Murphy, COO of D1 Training, to uncover what really separates winning brands from chaotic burnout. From scaling a nationwide fitness franchise by 100+ units fast, to building a culture where passion crushes bureaucracy, and tough metrics make or break careers, this episode exposes the choices, pivots, and vulnerable moments every top operator faces.
Listen now if you want to avoid stalling your company’s growth, escape the COO loneliness trap, and get proven, unconventional takeaways on reinventing your playbook in a frantic market. This is real talk you won’t find anywhere else, straight from the second in command.
Timestamped Highlights
[00:01:01] – The wild origin story: Losing a pro career, the CEO’s game-changing invention, and how it launched a new franchise model
[00:03:39] – Why D1 threw out the playbook and planted flags everywhere plus what they learned scaling from 1 to 160 locations
[00:05:17] – The counterintuitive “avatar” that drives most revenue and why it’s probably NOT who you think
[00:09:57] – How the right “spark” can reveal your company’s true North—advice for COOs looking for their next big thing
[00:13:37] – The brutal scale-up pivot: When to walk away from side businesses, passive owners… and old friends
[00:16:11] – Outsourcing secrets, bringing it all back in-house, and the moment when cost control meets franchisee happiness
[00:21:28] – The biggest “aha” that changed their growth trajectory—what actually gets local buyers to care and buy in
[00:25:34] – When loyalty isn’t enough: Handling hard conversations with passionate, under-performing leaders
[00:27:48] – Managing egos, CEO/COO conflict, and why “freedom to dream” requires radical focus
About the Guest
Dan Murphy is the Chief Operating Officer of D1 Training, a national franchise leading the youth and community athletic training space. A former Division I soccer player and West Point graduate, Dan has decades of leadership experience spanning military and high-growth franchise operations. He’s known for his relentless execution, passion-driven leadership style, and community-building expertise helping D1 scale from a single Nashville gym to 160+ locations and counting.
Mentioned Resources
About the Co-Host
Sivana Brewer is a Fractional COO for Remote Teams and former COO at Closers.io, where she helped scale the company to multiple eight figures and built over 500+ sales teams in just 2.5 years. She specializes in leadership development, remote operations, and systems that empower teams to grow sustainably.
🔗 Connect with Sivana on LinkedIn
Important Links
- Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn
- Explore the COO Alliance - The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command
- Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book
- Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off)
- Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi
The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.
Sponsored by:
Redirect Health - Affordable healthcare benefits designed to make traditional insurance optional, with 24/7 access to primary care and Rx support that helps businesses reduce costs while keeping employees covered.
Learn more: http://www.redirectcoo.com/
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I think our team has learned that dynamic that, you know, ultimately it comes back to me, |
| 0:05.3 | really, is like, what is the priority, right? And then are we shifting? Because I never want to be |
| 0:09.0 | that rigid or have that much of a bureaucracy where we can't be nimble at the speed that we're moving. |
| 0:15.2 | I think I've benefited from being in the very bureaucratic environment in the Army and a very stiff |
| 0:19.5 | and rigid protocol. |
| 0:21.3 | It helps provide structure. |
| 0:23.8 | But there's definitely, when you're trying to be a fast-moving company, you've got to have |
| 0:27.3 | the ability to make decisions in a little faster time for France. |
| 0:35.9 | Welcome to the Second and Command podcast, produced by the COO Alliance and brought to you by its founder, Cameron Harold. |
| 0:43.9 | In the Second in Command podcast, we talked to top COOs who share the insights, strategies, and tactics that made them the chief behind the chief. |
| 0:52.6 | And now here's your co-host, former COO of a multi-eight-figure |
| 0:56.8 | remote company and alumni member of the COO Alliance, Savannah Brewer. Today's guest is Dan Murphy, |
| 1:06.6 | the chief operating officer of D1 training, a national fitness franchise redefining what it means |
| 1:11.8 | to train like an athlete. Vance journey started at West Point, where he captained the soccer team |
| 1:16.5 | before serving in the U.S. Army. After earning his MBA from Vanderbilt, he joined D1 as one of its |
| 1:22.4 | early numbers and soon partnered with the founder of Will to scale the company from a single |
| 1:26.9 | facility to a multimillion-dollar franchise network all across the country. |
| 1:31.3 | In this episode, Dan shares how to know you're in the right vehicle to win, |
| 1:34.6 | how to decide when to outsource versus bring things in house within a growing franchise, |
| 1:39.5 | and the system he uses to give every team member clear metrics that drive accountability and results. |
| 1:44.9 | He also highlights the importance of community and why it's one of the heartbeats of D1 |
| 1:48.5 | success. Also, at the end of this episode, if you're like me, you are going to want to check |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Second in Command with Cameron Herold, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Second in Command with Cameron Herold and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.