There’s a moment in the Tour de France most people miss. Not the sprint finish. Not the podium. Not the yellow jersey.

It’s the mountain stage, where you realize the leader isn’t actually alone.

We use that image to challenge a belief a lot of high performers quietly live by: self-sufficiency equals strength. It might be the very thing that helped you win early stages of growth… and the same thing that now limits what’s next.

We explore why high performance isn’t just about endurance and capacity, it’s about exposure. Exposure to feedback, discomfort, new reflections, and the kind of community that forces you to practice who you’re becoming.

What you’ll hear in this episode

• Why we confuse self-sufficiency with high performance
• The hidden cost of carrying pressure in isolation
• Why growth requires exposure, not just effort
• What community gives you that a mirror can’t
• A better question than “How much can I handle?”
• The Tour de France lesson: nobody wins the mountain stages alone

00:00 Why the mountain stage matters

00:36 The leader is never really alone

01:18 The hidden cost of carrying pressure in isolation

02:22 When self-sufficiency starts limiting growth

03:25 Growth requires exposure, not just endurance

04:05 Why community matters

04:47 Choosing a room that stretches you

05:42 What community gives you that a mirror can’t

06:18 What pro cyclists have to unlearn

07:12 No one wins the mountain stages alone

08:03 A better question for high performers

08:42 You might win one stage alone

09:33 Final reflection and share the episode

09:51 Outro

If this episode hit, share it with one leader who’s been carrying too much alone. A simple send could be the support they didn’t know they needed.

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
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• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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A lot of high-performers know how to win, but far fewer know how to use failure well. And when life gets uncomfortable, the instinct is often to avoid it, rush past it, or pretend it didn’t mean anything.

My guest today, Leanda Cave, is a four-time world champion triathlete who’s lived through elite success, personal setbacks, major transition, and a powerful season of self-discovery beyond sport.

In this episode, you’ll hear how failure can become one of the greatest forces for growth, why awareness changes everything, and how to redefine high performance in a way that actually serves your life long term.

We talk about setbacks, discomfort, relationships, identity, longevity, purpose, and what it looks like to keep evolving when your next chapter asks something different from you.

• Why being growth ready means being prepared to fail
• How failure can become a gateway instead of a stopping point
• The difference between winning the race and winning the journey
• Why comfort can quietly block growth
• Learning through relationships, patterns, and self-awareness
• The role of awareness in transformation
• Reframing high performance as longevity
• Health as a long-term leadership strategy
• Purpose, philanthropy, and life after elite sport
• Building a meaningful next chapter beyond one identity or lane

Links and resources mentioned

• Instagram: @leandacave
• Instagram: @leandacavecoaching
• Best Buddies
• TEDx talk: Failure Is the Force That Shapes You
• Leanda website: www.leandacave.com

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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What does it really mean to be Growth Ready?

In this episode, Steve Mellor sits down with Joe Smarro for a deeply honest conversation about identity, self-awareness, and the cost of living for everyone else. Joe shares why growth starts with curiosity, why so much of our identity is inherited rather than chosen, and why external validation keeps so many high-performers stuck. Together, they explore the tension between the person we present to the world and the person we sit with in private, and how closing that gap can transform the way we lead, live, and grow.

About the guest: Joe Smarro is a speaker, trainer, former Marine, and former police officer who now leads SolutionPoint+, where he and his team teach human behavior, de-escalation, wellness, resilience, and emotional intelligence.

Key takeaways:

• What it means to be “Growth Ready”
• Curiosity, self-awareness, and introspection
• Identity vs. titles and external validation
• The “representative self” vs. the private self
• Why high-performers get stuck in fear and safety
• The cost of denying yourself
• Boundaries, selfishness, and self-worth
• Therapy, healing, and emotional intelligence
• The obituary exercise and legacy
• Aligning your life with what matters most

Connect with Joe Smarro

• SolutionPoint+ website
• Joe Smarro’s books on Amazon
• Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops on HBO
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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In this episode, Steve sits down with Samara Bay to unpack what it really means to be “ready” when the stakes are high. Together, they explore the connection between body, mind, and communication—and why so many high-performers flatten their presence by trying to hide fear instead of working with it.

Samara explains how public speaking is really about power, permission, and presence. She shares why “readiness” is more of a body-based practice than a mental state, how love-based thinking can shift us out of fight-or-flight, and why the warm-up before any important conversation may be the real work.

Key Takeaways:

• Why readiness is more physical than mental
• The role of body awareness in communication
• Public speaking as a reflection of power and self-trust
• How fear creates a flattened version of us
• Why naming what’s happening in the room builds trust
• The shift from fear-based thinking to love-based communication
• Social evaluative threat and the modern version of fight-or-flight
• Why context matters in every communication moment
• The importance of imagination, curiosity, and play in leadership
• Why warm-ups and rituals matter before big moments
• Missed opportunity as the hidden cost of poor communication

Links and Resources Mentioned

• Permission Inc. — permissioninc.co
• Permissionaries newsletter — available via Samara’s website
• Permission to Speak by Samara Bay
• Upcoming TEDx talk — Samara said it will be shared on her website once released

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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About the guest: Megan Torrance is a workplace learning and development leader who helps organizations create better systems for growth, performance, and skill development. In this conversation, she brings together practical insight from her work in learning design, her perspective on AI as an augmentation tool, and her own lived experience as an athlete, coach-supported leader, and endurance hiker.

About the episode: In this episode, Steve sits down with Megan Torrance to unpack what it really means to be growth ready. Megan reframes growth as what we learn from a leap, not just the leap itself, and explains why readiness is less about feeling fully prepared and more about having the mindset, tools, support, and willingness to step into the next challenge anyway.

Megan shares how real growth happens when people are clear on the goal, supported with the right systems, and willing to reflect in the middle of discomfort.

Key topics and themes discussed

• What “growth ready” really means
• Why growth comes from learning through the leap
• The difference between being a teacher and teaching
• Why workplace learning should focus on performance, not completion
• Reflection as a critical part of the learning loop
• The role of AI in personalized learning and leadership development
• Readiness, uncertainty, and the “gulp” before the next challenge
• Building systems that make the next right action easier
• Curiosity as a driver of long-term growth
• Expanding capacity inside and outside of work
• Lessons from ice hockey, coaching, and endurance hiking

Resources mentioned

• Megan Torrance on LinkedIn
• Torrance Learning — torrancelearning.com
• AI Implementation Guide for L&D by Megan Torrance
• Khan Academy
• MagicSchool

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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About the guest: Meghan Popoleo is the President of The O’Connor Group, where she has spent the last decade helping organizations grow through strong people strategy, culture, and leadership. She came into the business from the nonprofit world, openly admits she did not start out loving HR, and has grown into a values-driven leader known for vulnerability, execution, collaboration, and people-first leadership.

About the episode: In this conversation, Steve sits down with Meghan to unpack what it really means to be “growth ready.” Megan shares why vulnerability is not weakness, but a leadership advantage, especially when you’re scaling a company, building culture, navigating succession, leading hard conversations, and raising a family at the same time. For founders, executives, and high-performers, this episode is a practical reminder that sustainable growth starts with values, trust, and the courage to ask for help.

Key Takeaways:

• Why vulnerability is essential for personal and professional growth
• Megan’s journey from nonprofit leadership into HR and people operations
• The partnership between Megan and founder Marsha O’Connor
• How hard conversations strengthen leadership tandems
• Protecting company culture during growth
• Why “teammate” matters more than “employee”
• Women in leadership, motherhood, and asking for help
• The tension between saying yes, learning fast, and avoiding overwhelm
• Building new service lines without losing core values
• Why relationships are a true growth lever
• Creating communities that support female leaders and entrepreneurs

Links and resources mentioned:

• The O’Connor Group: www.tocgrp.com
• The O’Connor Group on LinkedIn
• 57th Street Partners 
• Shadow Her

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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About the Guest: Raymond Lee is the founder of CareerMinds, a virtual outplacement and leadership development company he started in 2008. After years of building the business, Raymond went through a deep season of self-reflection in late 2021 that reshaped how he saw leadership, identity, and growth. He later sold CareerMinds and stepped into a new chapter with even greater clarity around impact, authenticity, and helping people find work that truly aligns with who they are. He’s also the host of the Clocking Out podcast and author of the book Clocking Out.

About the Episode: In this conversation, Steve Mellor sits down with Raymond Lee for a powerful discussion on what it really means to be growth ready. Raymond shares why authenticity became the turning point in his life, how curiosity helped him move through fear, and why so many high-performers stay stuck in careers that look successful on the outside but feel misaligned on the inside.

Key Takeaways:

• What “growth ready” means through the lens of authenticity
• Why authenticity builds trust, connection, and leadership impact
• Raymond’s identity shift in December 2021
• Curiosity as a companion to authentic growth
• Fear of change vs. the pain of staying the same
• The story behind the Clocking Out podcast
• Raymond’s mother’s career change into archaeology at age 50
• Why meaningful change starts with small steps
• “Lead with yes” as a practical mindset for reinvention
• Asking better questions: What excites me? What brings value?
• Using your story to help others find their true path

Resources:

• CareerMinds
• Clocking Out podcast
• Clocking Out book by Raymond Lee
• Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler
• Raymond Lee on LinkedIn

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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This special archive episode takes us back to summer 2020, when Steve Mellor interviewed Alison Hadden for his Women Changing the World series. What he only learned afterward was that Alison had found out just one day earlier that her cancer had returned and was terminal. She never mentioned it during the conversation. Instead, she spoke with clarity, strength, and intention about leadership, resilience, and living like there is no time to waste.

Alison passed away in January 2022, but her message continues to inspire anyone seeking to live with more purpose, courage, and gratitude.

About the Guest: Alison Hadden was a sales and marketing leader, athlete, and founder of the No Time to Waste Project. She built her career at high-growth companies including Active, Glassdoor, and Mindbody, and became known for her energy, leadership, and purpose-driven approach to life. After facing cancer, she turned her experience into a mission to help others live with greater gratitude, joy, and urgency.

About the Episode

Steve revisits a conversation first released when the podcast was still called Career Competitor. Part of the Women Changing the World series, this interview stands out for Alison’s remarkable presence and perspective in the face of devastating news.

Rather than focusing on her diagnosis, Alison shared a message that still resonates: live with intention, lead with courage, and don’t waste time on what doesn’t matter.

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership through adversity
• The athlete mindset in business and life
• Grit, resilience, and perspective
• Cancer, identity, and transformation
• Gratitude, joy, and human connection
• Living with urgency and intention

Links and Resources

• No Time to Waste Project
• notimetowasteproject.com

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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Most high performers chase ceilings: bigger goals, more revenue, bigger stages. Steve argues that what actually determines whether you feel steady in the moments that matter is your floor, your daily standards, mindset, and behaviors when no one is watching. He breaks down how “growth resistance” shows up subtly (protecting identity, reputation, competence), and why the path forward isn’t hype or intensity… it’s alignment.

Key takeaways:

• Goals as “ceilings” vs. standards as your “floor”
• Why pressure exposes weak foundations (even when you look prepared)
• Effort vs. standards: the difference between looking ready and being ready
• “Growth resistant” behavior: protecting identity after failure
• Growth resilience: treating failure as data and adjusting standards
• Microsoft / Satya Nadella “learn-it-all vs know-it-all” as a standards shift
• Alignment over intensity: raising your floor to match rising stakes
• Reflection prompt: “What is my floor right now—and is it built for what I’m pursuing?”

Links & resources mentioned

• Satya Nadella / Microsoft culture shift (learn-it-alls vs know-it-alls)

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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If you’re a high performer, leader, or founder… chances are your calendar is stacked, your brain is overloaded, and you’re trying to ‘push through’ like that’s the job.

Today’s guest, Clint Rahe, former Royal Air Force PTI turned executive coach and author of The Cognitive Athleteworks with C-suite leaders who should be in their peak years… but instead are burnt out, exhausted, and running on empty.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to sustain high performance without paying for it with your health, your focus, or your family.

We’re breaking down cognitive periodizationhow to create seasons in business how to use micro-recovery to reduce stress between meetings, how to protect deep work, and how to set boundaries that actually stick.

Key takeaways
-Knowledge workers as cognitive athletes (and why overload kills learning)
-Burnout at the top: why leaders hit their “peak years” exhausted
-Cognitive periodization: creating “seasons” in business where none exist
-Recovery that actually works (micro-breaks, active recovery, energy resets)
-The “letdown effect” (why people get sick right after pressure ends)
-Energy management vs. time management
-Saying no strategically (deep work vs shallow work)
-Practical leadership habits: 15-minute daily planning + end-of-day review
-Meeting hygiene: 25-min meetings, breaks, and better transitions
-Circadian rhythms + scheduling work that fits your energy

Links & resources mentioned
-Clint’s website: thecognitiveathlete.com.au
-Clint on LinkedIn (best place to connect)
-Clint’s weekly newsletter (Wednesdays)
Clint’s podcast (short episodes, Mondays)
-Book: The Cognitive Athlete (US availability mentioned as Feb 27 on Amazon)
-Microsoft Human Factors Lab research mentioned (EEG + breaks between meetings)
-Amazon meeting practice referenced (reading memo at start)

#GrowthReady #HighPerformance #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoach #BurnoutRecovery #ProductivityHacks 

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
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• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

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Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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This podcast was produced on Riverside and released via ...

About the Guest: Betsy Cerulo is a seasoned entrepreneur, federal contractor, and accessibility advocate with over 36 years of leadership experience. She is the CEO of an organization specializing in accessibility staffing and services, supporting blind, deaf, and neurodivergent communities. Betsy is also an author, mentor, and champion for heart-centered leadership grounded in truth, accountability, and compassion.

In this powerful GrowthReady conversation, Steve Mellor welcomes back Betsy Cerulo to explore what it really means to be growth ready in today’s volatile, uncertain environment.

Together, they unpack why truth, awareness, and flexibility are non-negotiable leadership skills, how to lead people through uncertainty without false reassurance, and why heart-centered leadership doesn’t mean avoiding hard conversations. Betsy also shares lessons from building a 36-year business, launching a complementary accessibility technology venture, and investing in long-term trust instead of chasing quick wins.

This episode is a masterclass in earned confidence, ethical leadership, and sustainable growth.

Key Takeaways:

• What it truly means to be growth ready
• Truth as a leadership practice (not a personality trait)
• Heart-centered leadership vs. “kumbaya leadership”
• Leading teams through uncertainty and fear
• Accountability, boundaries, and compassion
• Navigating unknowns without false certainty
• Building trust and “reserves” over decades
• Why patience beats “get rich quick” thinking
• Intentional networking for introverted leaders
• Accessibility, advocacy, and inclusive leadership

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Stay connected and keep growing with Steve:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
• Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

Connect with GrowthReady

Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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This podcast was produced on Riverside and released via ...