Episode 1

Most recruiters are performing — just not at their best. Not because they don’t want it, but because no one’s having the conversations that actually move the needle. This episode sets the entire tone for the show. Raw, honest, human.

In Episode 1 of The Performance Zone, Dan Alexander sits down with the person who’s been behind every episode — Gabriel Pavlov, podcast engineer, designer, and longtime friend — who flips the script and interviews Dan instead.

Together, they unpack what performance really means:
- Why most recruiters operate from fear, not abundance
- How AI is distracting people from developing the human being behind the recruiter
- How binary thinking (1s and 0s) can transform your results
- The truth about confidence, ego, and self-worth
- What separates “good” from “unstoppable” in any industry
- How to get out of your own way
- Why leaders must upgrade humans, not just tools
- And the single biggest mindset shift that changed Dan’s entire career

This episode is the foundation of everything The Performance Zone stands for. If you’re new here, you’re in exactly the right place to understand the mission.

👤 Guest
Gabriel Pavlov — Podcast Engineer, Designer, and Founder of Go Designful