71. Building a Breakthrough Brand with Filip Keuppens

Update: 2025-10-22

Description

What does it take to transform a niche remedy into a globally recognized performance brand used by elite athletes?

In this insightful and tactical episode, Ian Bowen sits down with Filip Keuppens, the visionary CEO of The Pickle Juice Company. Filip pulls back the curtain on his journey of building Pickle Juice, the only scientifically proven beverage to stop muscle cramps in 60 seconds. He shares the unique challenges of carving out the "hyperfunctional beverage" category and educating consumers on a product that has nothing to do with actual pickles.

Drawing from his diverse background in Fortune 500 sales, military service, and competitive rugby, Filip delivers powerful lessons on leadership, resilience, and strategic thinking. He opens up about his early career struggles with conventional corporate thinking and how learning to focus on "the what, not the who" became his key to navigating high-pressure situations. Filip also dives deep into the importance of emotional regulation, creating a culture that allows for failure, and why removing just one toxic person from a team can boost efficiency by 40-60%.

This is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone looking to build a resilient mindset, a transparent brand, and a high-performing team.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. The science behind Pickle Juice and how it blocks the nerve signals that cause muscle cramping.

2. How Filip is building a "hyperfunctional" product development company, moving beyond cramps to vessel dilation and VO2 max improvement.

3. The strategy of using elite athletes as a "credibility play" to build consumer confidence in a revolutionary product.

4. Filip's framework for handling adversity by removing emotion and viewing challenges as "algorithmic problems."

5. Practical techniques for calming your nervous system (like box breathing) to make better decisions under pressure.

6. Why allowing your ego to drive decisions almost guarantees a compromised outcome, in business and in sports.

7. The dramatic impact of a single disruptive team member and how to identify and address it quickly.

8. Filip's personal journey of surrounding himself with the right people and finding fulfillment by treating root causes, not symptoms.

Key Takeaways:

1. Build Confidence in the Concept: When introducing a completely new product, you must build consumer confidence not just in your brand, but in the entire new category you are creating.

2. Focus on the What, Not the Who: In any challenging situation, focus on the problem itself, not the person who delivered it. This removes emotion and leads to more efficient, logical solutions.

3. Calm the Mind to Peak Perform: High performance in business, sports, and life is not about hyping yourself up, but about calming your mind to operate in the most efficient cerebral space possible.

4. One Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch: A single disruptive or misaligned individual can reduce a team's efficiency by 40-60%. Protecting your team's culture is not just healthy, but also critical for performance.

5. Embrace Failure to Succeed: You have to be willing and able to fail. If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough or pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to the Positive Persistence Podcast

01:50 - What is The Pickle Juice Company?

04:19 - From military and rugby to CEO: Filip’s unique background

06:44 - The challenge of thinking differently in corporate America

09:10 - The mindset for facing high-pressure situations

12:30 - The "What, Not the Who" framework for problem-solving

14:18 - How elite athletes use calming techniques to perform

16:06 - The danger of letting your ego drive decisions

19:15 - Dealing with competitors and protecting your brand

22:10 - How one disruptive person can ruin team efficiency

25:01 - Filip’s personal journey with insecurity and toxic relationships