Inspired By Success

The Zen Prison CEO: "I Took 300% Responsibility In The Most Powerless Situation!" | Fleet Maull

Fleet Maull · February 26, 2026

Entrepreneur · Executive Coach · Life Coach · Leadershipin

Interview with Fleet Maull

The Zen Prison CEO: "I Took 300% Responsibility In The Most Powerless Situation!" | Fleet Maull

Podcast: Inspired By Success

February 26, 2026 · 38 min

Listen to Fleet Maull on Inspired By Success.

Listen

The Zen Prison CEO: "I Took 300% Responsibility In The Most Powerless Situation!" | Fleet Maull
0:00 / --:--
Inspired By Success

GO TO APPLE PODCASTS

Key topicsThe Mindset Shift from Operator to CEOFleet shares insights on the common traps founders fall into when scaling-trying to do it all, failing to delegate, and staying stuck in 'operator' mode. He explains how immersive, mindset-first training can help entrepreneurs develop true leadership capacity, build effective teams, and move from chaos to clarity. This episode unpacks how to shift from working in the business to leading on the business with purpose and vision. Why Business Leaders Need Contemplative Discipline, Not Just Mindset HacksMost leadership advice today leans on quick fixes-positive thinking, morning routines, productivity tricks. Fleet Maull shows why the deeper training of Zen and Tibetan meditation offers something those methods can’t: the ability to stay fully present in the storm of scaling a business. With 50 years of contemplative practice and 25 years advising executives, he reveals how disciplines forged over centuries sharpen decision-making, expand emotional resilience, and help leaders cut through noise with clarity. This isn’t about slowing down-it’s about developing the presence to lead in complexity. Radical Responsibility®: The Antidote to Victimhood Culture in Business and LifeFleet shares insights on Radical Responsibility®, his framework for helping leaders eliminate blame, reclaim agency, and become an unstoppable force for change. He explores how owning every outcome-regardless of fault-can transform business culture, relationships, and results. Perfect for audiences fatigued by victim narratives and ready for deep accountability. View all topics →

About Fleet Maull

Fleet Maull, podcast guest

Zen-Informed Business Strategist & Mindset Mentor for High-Performing Entrepreneurs

50 years Meditation practice & training100+ Meditation retreats led worldwide2x Inc. 5000 entrepreneur25+ years Business strategy

Fleet Maull helps overwhelmed founders and scaling entrepreneurs step out of survival mode and into CEO-level leadership. Drawing on 25+ years as a business strategist and founder of multiple mission-driven ventures, including an Inc. 5000 company, Fleet developed a high-impact MBA program specifically for bootstrapped entrepreneurs looking to break through 6- to 7- or 7- to 8-figure bottlenecks.

His immersive program isn't just business coaching—it’s a complete recalibration of how leaders approach growth, delegation, and sustainability. Fleet’s work combines proven operational strategies with mindset mastery, helping founders replace burnout with vision, build aligned teams, and unlock years of progress in a fraction of the time.

Fleet is also a globally respected meditation teacher with decades of deep training in Zen and Tibetan traditions. He is the creator of Neuro-Somatic Mindfulness®—a powerful synthesis of contemplative practice and cutting-edge neuroscience. His mindset and meditation coaching is geared toward high-achieving professionals and entrepreneurs ready to scale their inner world alongside their business impact.

Fleet is also the host of the Radical Responsibility Podcast, where he interviews top-tier thought leaders in entrepreneurship, neuroscience, trauma, and performance—including guests like Jack Canfield, Dave Asprey, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, and Dan Sullivan. The show reflects the depth, rigor, and clarity Fleet brings to every conversation.

View profile →

About this episode

Send us Fan Mail

From a 30-year federal prison sentence where his knees buckled at age 35 to becoming a Zen Roshi, Inc 5000 entrepreneur, and CEO coach—Fleet Maulltook 300% responsibility in the most powerless situation imaginable and used maximum security to launch two national movements that transformed prison healthcare and brought mindfulness behind bars worldwide. His radical responsibility philosophy teaches that we reclaim our power the moment we stop blaming and start owning our choices, turning what should have been downtime into the foundation for coaching visionary leaders.

5 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Sentenced 30 Years, Took 300 Percent Responsibility in Most Powerless Situation - Fleet was 35 when the judge sentenced him to 30 years for drug trafficking under the Kingpin statute, his knees buckled, newspapers said he'd be 65 before any chance of release, and he thought his life was over as he knew it.

Skillfulness Over Justice: How to Get Things Done With Zero Power - Inside maximum security federal prison hospital (US Medical Center for Federal Prisoners with 1,000 patients, 600 medical, 400 psychiatric, 300 work cadre where Fleet taught school for 14 years), the answer to everything is "no"—if you ask staff "can we do this, could we try that," answer is always no, and if you're bold enough to ask why (which is enough to get in trouble), they have story about how "we used to do that but some inmate abused it.

Reprogram Your Thermostat Settings: How to Change Inherited Blueprints Sabotaging Your Success - When entrepreneurs or founders feel stuck or up against their limits, there's some kind of fear and survival thing at play, but also we all have what people call blueprints or standards that operate like a thermostat—and where do we get them?

Discover Your Basic Goodness Then Naturally Thrive: Growth Without Lack - Many people talk about self-improvement, but even that phrase sometimes gets criticized because the whole idea of self-improvement seems to indicate there's something missing or wrong with us to begin with—people in Dharma worlds, Buddhist worlds, spiritual worlds say "self-improvement is bad because you're not recognizing you're fine to begin with, you already have divine nature, Buddha nature."

CONNECT WITH INSPIRED BY SUCCESS

Check out our channel and follow us on social media for more leadership, entrepreneurship, personal development, and success stories. 👉 https://linktr.ee/inspiredbysuccess

PARTNER OFFERS

Manage Your Money Like a Pro

Manage your finances like a pro while chasing your entrepreneurial dreams! Many successful entrepreneurs use Wise for seamless international transactions. With low fees and real exchange rates, Wise helps you keep more of your hard-earned money. Ready to level up? Check out my Wise link 👉 https://wise.prf.hn/l/QLyNwLz and start saving today!

#FleetMaull #RadicalResponsibility #PrisonToSuccess #ZenRoshi #BuddhistEntrepreneur #MaximumSecurity #Mindfulness #Meditation #CEOCoach #Inc5000 #HeartMindInstitute #InnerMastery #Entrepreneurship #LeadershipDevelopment #SelfAwareness #NeuralArchitecture #PracticeStack #Skillfulness #TransformationalLeadership #LindaVo #InspiredBySuccess

Support the show

To watch the podcast on video on my YouTube channel go to:

https://www.youtube.com/@InspiredbysuccesswithLindaVo

Guest: Fleet Maull

Book Fleet Maull for your show

9+ podcast & stage appearances. Remote or in studio, broadcast-grade audio.

Request an interview →