Are you stuck at the edge of your potential, wondering how to leap ahead of the crowd?
In this raw conversation, Matt Stewart pulls back the curtain with Carter Zirbes, an industrial engineering standout and relentless reinventer who has raised $40,000 for cancer research, run million-dollar teams, and mastered the art of pivoting through setbacks.
Today’s episode is about more than career trajectories. It’s about the inner battles, owning brutal mistakes, finding mentors when none exist, and refusing to coast when you could climb.
Discover the “embrace the suck” mindset, the power of extreme ownership, and the real reason successful people never truly feel satisfied. If you want to avoid mediocrity and play at the highest level, you cannot afford to miss this exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at what separates the excellent from everyone else.
Listen now, before the next opportunity passes you by, or you convince yourself that good enough is really enough.
Timestamped Highlights
00:25 – The shocking truth about engineering internships most students ignore
02:30 – Why excellence is a moving target and why that actually matters
08:11 – Raising $40,000 for cancer as a teen: The hustle behind the headlines
15:28 – What to do when you have no mentors or support system
19:07 – How a personality test rewrote Carter’s entire career trajectory
26:23 – The “embrace the suck” principle that catapults personal growth
31:06 – The moment extreme ownership flipped customer disaster into loyalty
36:43 – Tradeoffs, FOMO, and the real story on sacrifice versus balance
About The Guest
Carter Zirbes is a senior industrial engineering student at Iowa State University and a standout leader with CollegeWorks, where he’s managed million-dollar teams and raised tens of thousands for cancer research. Known for his rare blend of technical ability and people skills, Carter brings proven success in both sales and engineering leadership roles.
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The Edge of Excellence is an original podcast hosted by Matthew Stewart. Brought to you by College Works. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.
