Grit Meets Growth

Hosted by Grit Meets Growth Podcast

BusinessInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

137

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

About the show

Chris Cathers and John Gamades bring you Grit Meets Growth... The podcast where we explore the power of getting uncomfortable, making things happen, and creating a magnetic life. Are you ready? Chris Cathers is the co-founder and CEO of Octellient, an information security expert, advisor and coach, and a cancer survivor. John Gamades is a co-founder and partner at the marketing agency OrangeBall Creative and the author of the Depth Not Width blog. Both are proud husbands, dads, and leaders in all they do. Having experienced adversity, challenges, the pressure of being entrepreneurs, Grit Meets Growth is the authentic and raw sharing of their journeys.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 13, 202635 min

Who Gets the Best Version of You? - Episode 136

Who gets the best version of you? It’s an uncomfortable question, especially when the answer doesn’t line up with what you say matters most. In this episode, we unpack how easy it is to give our patience, energy, attention, and best thinking to our work, only to come home and give the people we love whatever is left. We talk honestly about busy seasons, performance, distraction, taking relationships for granted, and the difference between simply being in the room and actually being present. If you’ve ever ended the day realizing your family, your friends, or even yourself got the leftovers, this conversation is an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and start showing up differently for the people who matter most. 5 Insights The people we love most often get what’s left. We spend the day giving our patience, attention, creativity, and energy to work, then come home expecting our families to understand why there’s nothing left in the tank. Your calendar doesn’t always reveal your priorities. Your attention does. You can spend hours with someone without really being with them. Presence means putting down the phone, quieting the mental checklist, listening, and making the person in front of you feel like they matter. Safe relationships can become relationships we take for granted. We assume our spouse, kids, family, and closest friends will always be there, which makes it dangerously easy to borrow energy from those relationships while investing our best elsewhere. Busy seasons require more intentionality, not less. Life probably won’t ever feel perfectly balanced. There will be seasons when work demands more. The challenge is recognizing when a temporary grind has quietly become the way we live. Being present requires learning to slow down. When we’re constantly chasing the next meeting, task, notification, or accomplishment, even an extra five minutes with someone can feel inconvenient. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is stop measuring every moment by productivity and simply stay where our feet are. One Truth The people who matter most shouldn’t have to settle for the version of you that’s left over.

July 15, 202639 min

Who Are You Becoming And Is It Who You Want to Be? - Episode 135

Success has a way of keeping score. We measure promotions, paychecks, milestones, and accomplishments, all while assuming those things tell the story of a life well lived. But what if they're only part of the story? In this episode of Grit Meets Growth, we wrestle with a deeper question: Who are you becoming? We explore how our daily habits, relationships, routines, and priorities quietly shape our character over time, often without us realizing it. It's an honest conversation about success, transformation, and the subtle drift that can pull us away from the person we were created to become—and the intentional choices that lead us back. Here are five insights that capture the heart of the conversation: Success answers what you've built. Character answers who you've become. The world celebrates achievements, titles, and financial success, but those things don't necessarily reflect the person you're becoming. Lasting fulfillment comes when outward success is matched by inward transformation. Transformation doesn't happen by accident. Neither does drift. No one intends to become disconnected from their family, compromise their values, or lose sight of what matters most. Those outcomes are usually the result of small, repeated decisions over time. The same is true of becoming the person you hope to be. Your daily routines are discipling you. Your calendar, social media feed, friendships, habits, and conversations are shaping your thoughts, priorities, and character every day. The question isn't whether you're being formed—it's whether you're being formed intentionally. Life's hardest moments often reveal what matters most. Experiences like illness, loss, or unexpected challenges strip away the distractions and force us to reconsider what we're really pursuing. Those moments can become turning points that redefine the kind of person we want to become. Ask better questions, and you'll build a better life. Instead of only asking, "How's work?" or "What's next?", begin asking, "Who am I becoming?" That single question shifts the focus from performance to purpose and invites a life defined by character, presence, and intentional growth. ONE TRUTH: You don't become someone different overnight. You become someone different one decision, one habit, and one day at a time. So if you want to change your life, don't just ask what you're building—ask who you're becoming.

July 1, 202636 min

The Growth Hidden in Life’s Crashes and Comebacks - Episode 134

When life crashes, it rarely sends a warning. A job disappears. An investment fails. A relationship changes. A dream you've spent years building suddenly feels like it's slipping away. In those moments, it's easy to believe you've lost everything. But what if the crash isn't the end of the story? What if it's the beginning of something stronger? In this episode, John and Chris unpack what it means to rebuild after life falls apart, why gratitude and humility matter most when you're at rock bottom, and how some of life's greatest growth happens in the moments we'd do almost anything to avoid. If you've ever wondered how to keep moving forward when everything feels like it's moving backward, this conversation is for you. Here are five key insights that emerge from this conversation: Life crashes are inevitable. Growth is optional. Everyone experiences setbacks. Businesses fail. Jobs disappear. Relationships change. Health declines. The defining factor isn't whether life crashes, but how we choose to respond when it does. Resilience isn't avoiding adversity. It's learning to rebuild stronger because of it. The second time is almost always better than the first. The Photoshop and Excel stories reveal a powerful truth. When everything is lost and you have to start over, you rebuild with the wisdom you didn't have before. Experience becomes a shortcut. What felt like losing everything often becomes the foundation for creating something better. Discomfort isn't something to escape. It's something to learn from. Our instinct is to get back to comfort as quickly as possible. But the greatest lessons rarely happen there. Sometimes we're called to patiently sit in the discomfort long enough to understand what it's teaching us. Other times we're called to take bold action. Wisdom comes from discerning which season we're in. Gratitude changes what you see without changing your circumstances. Every life contains joy and hardship at the same time. Like two sides of the same piece of paper, both are true. Gratitude doesn't deny pain. It chooses where to focus. That shift in perspective changes how we experience the challenges we can't avoid. You grow faster when you don't grow alone. Coaches, mentors, friends, and honest conversations can dramatically shorten the pain cycle. The people who ask thoughtful questions, listen well, and share lessons from their own failures help us avoid unnecessary mistakes. Growth accelerates when humility replaces ego and we're willing to learn from those around us. ONE TRUTH: Your greatest setback may be the very thing preparing you for your greatest growth. Life will crash. Plans will fall apart. Doors will close. But those moments don't define you. They develop you. If you're willing to stay humble, remain grateful, learn the lesson, and take the next step, you'll often discover that what felt like the end was actually the beginning of something better.

June 17, 202655 min

Revisiting Episode 40 with Dr. Cindra Kamphoff on Grit, High-Performance, and Purpose

Some conversations are worth revisiting. As we continue exploring the intersection of grit, growth, and purpose, we're bringing back one of our favorite episodes from the Grit Meets Growth archive. In Episode 40, we sit down with Dr. Cindra Kamphoff, a nationally recognized performance psychologist, bestselling author, speaker, and coach who has spent her career helping athletes, business leaders, and high performers unlock their potential. Cindra has worked with organizations including the Minnesota Vikings, USA Track & Field, and Fortune 500 companies. She is the author of Beyond Grit and host of the High Performance Mindset Podcast, which has reached listeners in more than 120 countries. Yet what makes this conversation so powerful isn't her impressive résumé. It's her belief that adversity can become a catalyst for growth, that courage often shows up disguised as discomfort, and that the breakthroughs we seek are usually found on the other side of the things that scare us. In this episode, we explore what grit really is, why mindset matters, and how high performance extends far beyond sports. Whether you're leading a business, navigating a challenge, pursuing a goal, or simply trying to become the person you're called to be, Cindra shares practical wisdom that can help you move forward with greater confidence and purpose. As Cindra says, her purpose is to "guide others to play and live FULL OUT." We think you'll find plenty of inspiration to do exactly that in this conversation. Enjoy this re-release of Episode 40 with Dr. Cindra Kamphoff.

June 3, 202638 min

Where Faith Fits Into Conversations About Grit and Growth - Episode 133

Some conversations are planned. Others start with two friends talking and end up somewhere neither expected to go. This episode is one of those conversations. What begins as a discussion about identity, purpose, and the lessons coming out of our Built for More men's group quickly turns into a deeper exploration of faith, gratitude, comparison, authenticity, and the masks we wear. Along the way, we share personal stories about success and failure, fatherhood, business, brotherhood, cancer, shame, and the ongoing battle between the voices that build us up and the voices that try to tear us down. At its core, this conversation asks a simple but powerful question: Who are you when all the titles, achievements, possessions, and expectations are stripped away? Whether you're wrestling with your identity, searching for purpose, carrying a burden in silence, or simply trying to understand what it means to live authentically, we hope this conversation reminds you that you don't have to carry it alone. Let's get after it.

May 20, 202644 min

When The Wall You Built to Protect Yourself Becomes a Prison - Episode 132

Most of us don’t plan to isolate. It just happens quietly. A tough week, a little pressure, a feeling that things aren’t fully under control, and before we know it, we start pulling back. In this episode, we unpack a question that stopped a room full of men in their tracks: when do you find yourself isolating? What surfaced was honest, familiar, and a little uncomfortable. From stress and overwhelm to imposter syndrome and the fear of not being enough, isolation often shows up as protection. But what we found on the other side of that conversation is just as important. Trust and real connection have a way of breaking through the noise in our heads and reminding us we’re not alone in the fight. Here are five insights that come through loud and clear in this conversation: Isolation is often a protection mechanism, not a need for rest. We tell ourselves we need space, but a lot of the time we’re actually trying to protect our image, our ego, or the fear of being exposed. It feels safer to retreat than to be seen struggling. Everyone has a version of “I’m not enough” running in the background. Imposter syndrome showed up in different ways for everyone, but the root was similar. Even capable, successful people quietly question whether they measure up. Isolation becomes the place where that doubt grows unchecked. The voice in your head gets louder and less accurate when you’re alone. Left unchecked, our internal narrative starts to distort reality. Problems feel bigger, perspective disappears, and we start believing things that aren’t true. Isolation doesn’t solve the issue, it amplifies it. Real connection creates clarity faster than going it alone. The moment guys opened up, things shifted. What could have taken weeks to process internally got worked through in minutes through conversation, perspective, and accountability. The right people help you cut through the noise. Brotherhood doesn’t happen by accident, it’s built intentionally. Vulnerability, curiosity, trust, care, no judgment, and accountability. Those aren’t automatic. They’re practiced. The depth of the conversation wasn’t luck, it was the result of a group choosing to show up that way consistently. ONE TRUTH: Isolation feels like protection, but it quietly pulls you deeper into the very thing you’re trying to escape.

May 6, 202636 min

Why You’ve Stopped Trusting Yourself and How To Fix It - Episode 131

There’s a quiet kind of damage that happens when we stop trusting ourselves. Not because we’re incapable, untalented, or lazy, but because over time, we slowly build patterns of breaking our own word. We say we’re going to start Monday, make the call tomorrow, get back in the gym, have the hard conversation, show up differently, and then life, excuses, fear, or comfort pull us the other direction. This episode dives into the connection between self-trust, consistency, identity, and growth. Because real confidence is not built through hype or motivation. It’s built one kept promise at a time. Five insights from this episode: Self-trust is built or broken in small moments. Most people do not struggle because they lack information. They struggle because they no longer trust themselves to follow through. Every kept promise strengthens identity. Every broken promise chips away at it. Consistency shapes identity. The habits we repeat eventually become the story we believe about ourselves. When we repeatedly quit, delay, or make excuses, we slowly begin to believe we are someone who does not follow through. The opposite is also true. Accountability is not weakness. Sometimes other people see what we are capable of before we do. Accountability creates structure, support, and reinforcement while we rebuild trust in ourselves. Growth was never meant to be a solo journey. Confidence comes from keeping your word to yourself. Real confidence is not built from motivation or quick wins. It comes from doing hard things consistently, especially on the days you do not feel like doing them. The win is often in the follow-through itself. Big change starts with small promises. You do not rebuild self-trust overnight. You rebuild it through small, repeatable actions. Show up for the walk. Read the 10 pages. Make the phone call. Keep one promise this week, then build from there. ONE TRUTH: The fastest way to lose confidence in yourself is to repeatedly break your own word. The fastest way to rebuild it is to start keeping small promises again.

April 22, 202626 min

The Standard You Keep Breaking (And Why) - Episode 130

Last episode forced a level of awareness most people avoid. You took an honest look at your body, your work, your relationships, your environment and somewhere in that audit, something didn’t sit right. You felt the misalignment. The problem is awareness alone doesn’t change anything. It actually makes things heavier, because now you can’t unsee it. So the question becomes simple and uncomfortable at the same time. Now what? This conversation moves past reflection and into the place where most people break. Not knowing what to do, but doing it consistently. Because at the end of the day, growth is not built on information. It is built on a standard you’re willing to live by when it gets inconvenient. Five insights from this episode: Awareness without action creates frustration, not progress. Once you see the gap, you can’t ignore it. But if nothing changes, that awareness turns into pressure. Growth only starts when you move. Most people aren’t stuck because they don’t know what to do. They’re stuck because they don’t start, or they don’t stay consistent long enough for it to matter. You’re negotiating with yourself more than you realize. “I’m tired.” “Not today.” “I deserve this.” Those small decisions quietly pull you away from who you said you’d be. Your standard defines your life more than your intentions. A simple standard wins: I do what I said I would do. When your word and your actions align, everything else follows. The real battle happens in small, daily decisions. Not the big moments. The fork in the road shows up in quiet, ordinary choices. That’s where alignment is built or broken. One Truth You build confidence by proving to yourself, over and over, that you do what you said you would do.

April 8, 202642 min

Feeling Off? A Simple 4-Step Audit to Get Realigned - Episode 129

Last episode hit a nerve. The idea that burnout might actually be misalignment stuck with people, but it also left a bigger question hanging in the air: what do you actually do about it? In this episode, we pick up right there and get practical. No long checklist, no overcomplicated framework. Just a clear way to slow down, face what feels off, and start identifying where misalignment is showing up in your life, because you can’t fix what you won’t face, and most of us feel it before we’re willing to name it. This conversation is about doing that audit, getting honest with yourself, and making one decision that shifts your direction. 5 insights... Misalignment whispers before it breaks you - It doesn’t show up loud. It shows up in quiet moments. Driving home. Sitting in silence. Right before bed. You feel it before you name it, and most people stay busy just to avoid hearing it. Motion can hide the truth - Being busy feels productive, but it can be a cover. Activity without direction creates exhaustion, not progress. You can be tired every day and still not be moving your life forward. The small negotiations matter most - Skipping the workout. Grabbing the extra piece. Checking out mentally. These aren’t small. They stack. Over time, they either build trust with yourself or slowly erode it. Presence is the real metric in relationships - Being around isn’t the same as being there. Proximity doesn’t build connection. Attention does. Misalignment in relationships shows up as distance, distraction, and surface-level conversations. Clarity beats intensity every time - You don’t need a 20-step plan or more motivation. You need to see clearly where you’re off. Then make one decision. Not ten. One. That’s how direction shifts and momentum starts. One Truth You can’t change what you refuse to face. Misalignment doesn’t fix itself with time, effort, or distraction. It changes the moment you get honest, name it, and make one decision to move.

March 26, 202645 min

Burnout Isn’t the Problem... This Is - Episode 128

This episode picks up right where a real conversation left off, around a table where nobody hid and nobody let each other off the hook. What started as a discussion about identity turns into something deeper, because a lot of what we call burnout isn’t burnout at all. It’s misalignment. When you’re doing the work but it feels heavier than it should, when you’re productive but not fulfilled, when rest doesn’t fix it, something is off. Today we dig into that tension, call it what it is, and walk through what it looks like to get back in alignment so your energy, clarity, and momentum actually come back. Here are five insights pulled straight from the core of this conversation: Not everything hard is burnout A lot of people are labeling friction as burnout. Hard things are supposed to feel hard. That tension is often the signal that you’re growing, not breaking. Burnout is overload without recovery. Friction is feedback. 2. Misalignment drains you differently than exhaustion When you’re aligned, hard work still gives you energy. When you’re misaligned, even simple things feel heavy. That constant mental processing, second-guessing, and lack of flow is the real tell. 3. Productivity can hide a deeper problem You can check every box and still feel like you got nowhere. Busy does not equal aligned. If you end your week feeling active but not accomplished, you’re likely moving without direction. 4. Drift happens quietly through small negotiations Misalignment rarely shows up overnight. It creeps in when you start negotiating with your own standards. One skipped workout. One compromised decision. One moment of “it’s fine.” Over time, you look up and realize you’re off course. You won’t fix misalignment alone. Left in your own head, you justify, overthink, and stay stuck. The right people call you out, give perspective, and pull you back into alignment faster. Community isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a requirement for growth. ONE TRUTH: You don’t feel stuck because you’re burned out. You feel stuck because you’re out of alignment with who you are and where you’re meant to go.