In this episode of Connecting with Purpose, Mark Griffin sits down with Keith Bearden, CEO of Alter Eco Foods—the company behind some of the cleanest, greenest (and frankly, most addictive) chocolate bars, truffles, granola, and quinoa on the planet.

Keith shares how a childhood shaped by a small Tennessee farm and a grandfather who quietly practiced servant leadership set the foundation for a career defined by courage, empathy, and impact. From becoming Dow Chemical's youngest expat in Antwerp, to walking away from executive roles that no longer aligned with his integrity, to eventually leading Alter Eco and championing regenerative agriculture, Keith has consistently chosen purpose over comfort.

You'll hear Keith and Mark explore:

—The three "magic moments" that shaped Keith's leadership philosophy

—How courage, empathy, and adventure have guided his biggest career decisions —What it feels like to hit the performance precipice and how to navigate out of empty achievement

—How consulting and entrepreneurship helped him clarify his true purpose

—Why regenerative agriculture, dynamic agroforestry, and fair trade are non-negotiable for Alter Eco

—The real-world headwinds of building an impact-led CPG brand in today's economic and political climate

—How consumers can "vote with their dollars" and move entire industries toward sustainability

If you're a founder, executive, or purpose-driven leader wrestling with big decisions and how to grow your impact without losing yourself in the process—this conversation offers both a reality check and a roadmap.

📌 If this episode resonates, help more leaders find it:

—Like the video

—Subscribe to our channel: @connectingwithpurpose-est2021

—Share it with a leader who's questioning what success really means

Connect with Keith Bearden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-bearden-736821/

And if you're ready to go deeper into aligning performance with humanity, explore more conversations, tools, and resources from PurposeFused:https://www.purposefused.com/

@PurposeDrivenLeadership, @LeadershipWithPurpose, @IdentityAndImpact, @LeadershipTransformation, @HighPerformanceLeadership, @PurposeAtWork, @LeadingWithClarity, @ImpactDrivenLeaders, @LeadershipJourney

As we step into a new year, most leaders are refining goals, strategies, and growth plans. But beneath all of that sits something far more fundamental — and far less discussed.

Belief. and Identity.

In this solo episode, Mark Griffin explores the quiet foundations of Ultimate Performance and why so many founders and senior leaders feel growing pressure even when the business is succeeding.

Drawing from his work with growth-stage founders, CEOs, and leadership teams, Mark unpacks:

—Why belief is not optimism or motivation, but a decision grounded in purpose

—How outdated leadership identities quietly become constraints as complexity grows

—The difference between confidence and clarity — and why clarity is what actually drives performance

—How conviction and commitment show up behaviorally, not aspirationally

This conversation is for leaders who sense they're approaching an inflection point — where effort alone is no longer the answer, and alignment inside the leader must precede alignment across the organization. Ultimate Performance isn't about doing more. It's about coherence — belief, identity, and action working together under pressure.

In this episode, Mark Griffin is joined by Adrian Bray, USA CEO of Stellar Consulting, for a deeply honest conversation about growth, resilience, and what founders are rarely prepared for when success accelerates faster than infrastructure. Adrian shares three defining magic moments that shaped his leadership journey. From laying the foundation of his career inside a global organization, to becoming a parent while building a business at the same time, to a profound resilience moment where trust was broken, security was lost, and everything had to be rebuilt from the ground up. It is a story of survival, self-trust, and choosing response over reaction. Drawing from decades of experience as both a founder and advisor, Adrian offers grounded insight into why so many middle-market businesses hit the wall. Rapid growth, misaligned systems, cultural drift, and founders becoming trapped as the chief problem solver. Together, Mark and Adrian unpack why purpose, culture, and preparation must evolve alongside scale if businesses are to grow without breaking the people inside them. The conversation also explores the reality of growth curves, why not all growth needs to be 10X, and how founders can move from being run by the business to leading it with intention, clarity, and courage. In this episode you will learn: —Why founders hit the wall during growth and how to prepare before it happens —How resilience is built by focusing on what is in front of you, step by step —The danger of losing purpose as businesses scale —How culture and infrastructure must evolve together to support sustainable growth If you are a founder, business owner, or leader navigating growth, complexity, or uncertainty, this episode offers perspective, language, and lived experience to help you reconnect with what matters most and lead forward with confidence. Season Four continues to share founder stories that place purpose, humanity, and impact at the center of performance. Connect with Adrian here: / adriankbray Adrian's Website: https://www.adrianbray.com/ Learn more about PurposeFused: https://www.purposefused.com/ #Purposefused #ConnectingWithPurpose #FounderJourney #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessGrowth #Resilience #MiddleMarket #PurposeDrivenLeadership #EntrepreneurLife #CompanyCulture #SustainableGrowth

In this episode, we explore how leaders can move from pressure to clarity to sustainable, scalable impact. Many founders hit what I call the Performance Precipice—when pressure outpaces clarity, effort drains energy, and success no longer feels fulfilling.

I break down the Ultimate Performance System, a human operating framework that helps leaders shift from Empty Achiever to Purpose-Anchored Performer, and build teams capable of scaling without breaking.

If you're preparing for a big 2026, navigating growth strain, or ready to shift from effort → impact, this episode is for you. Listen on your favorite podcast platform or via the link in the comments.

#UltimatePerformance #Leadership #ScalingWithPurpose #FounderLife #ExecutiveCoaching #PurposeFused #HighPerformanceLeadership #EmptyAchiever #PerformancePrecipice

Welcome back to Season 4 of Connecting with Purpose, where we put the founder first and explore the human behind the business. In this episode, Mark Griffin sits down with Munir Haddad, Founder and CEO of Kiosk, for a grounded and energizing conversation about resilience, people first leadership and what it really means to grow with purpose.

Munir shares three defining magic moments from his life. Coming off the bench to score a golden goal in high school, the humbling experience of becoming a parent and watching his own parents sacrifice for opportunity, and the gut check decision to keep his entire team employed through the pandemic.

Together they reveal the mindset that guides him as a founder and leader. The conversation also dives into Kiosk's unique viewpoint on meaningful growth. As Munir explains, Kiosk has transformed marketing from a cost center into a profit driver by pioneering the Marketing Investment Model. This model brings financial discipline and strategic clarity to marketing, so it becomes a reliable engine for sustainable business growth.

From defining purpose to leading people through uncertainty to building companies that align performance with humanity, this episode offers refreshing clarity for founders navigating today's changing landscape. In this episode you will learn:

—How to stay people first when the numbers say cut

—Why perpetual optimism can be a serious leadership tool

—How to turn uncertainty into intentional, present focused action

—A live example of shaping a founder's personal purpose in real time

If you are a founder, executive or purpose driven leader who wants to grow without losing yourself or your people, this conversation will leave you centered, energized and ready to move forward with clarity.

Season 4 continues with stories that put humanity, purpose, and impact at the center of leadership. Connect with Munir: / munirhaddad

Learn more about PurposeFused: https://www.purposefused.com/

#PurposeFused #ConnectingWithPurpose #FounderMindset #LeadershipDevelopment #PurposeDrivenLeadership #EntrepreneurLife #ServantLeadership #StakeholderCapitalism #MarketingStrategy #BusinessGrowth #TeamCulture #HumanConnection #PersonalGrowth

Episode Overview

In this solo episode, Mark explores one of the most important — and misunderstood — challenges facing founders, CEOs, and high-performance leaders today: How do you sustain elite performance without burning out… and build teams and cultures that do the same?

Drawing from PurposeFused's Ultimate Performance methodology, elite sport principles, and real patterns from growth-stage companies, Mark breaks down the three layers of sustainable performance:

1. The Leader's Performance Engine — why you can't outperform an empty tank

2. Anti-Fragile Teams — moving beyond resilience to teams that grow through pressure

3. System-Level Rhythm — how organizations protect and renew energy at scale

Whether you're leading a fast-growing company, managing a team through rapid change, or simply feeling the strain of high-expectation leadership, this episode gives you a clear, practical path forward.

Key Concepts & Takeaways

🔵 Leaders:

• Recovery is a leadership skill, not a reward

• Load management beats workload management

• Energy → capacity → clarity → impact

🟣 Teams:

• Anti-fragility = the next level beyond resilience

• Teams grow stronger when pressure is processed, not ignored

• GC Index alignment helps direct energy to its highest-impact source

🔶 Organization:

• Burnout is a system issue, not a personal failing

• Rhythms create stability: weekly → monthly → quarterly → annual cycles

• Sustainable cultures protect energy to preserve performance

Reflection Questions

1. Where is your performance engine leaking energy?

2. Where is your team experiencing strain instead of growth?

3. Where does your organization need rhythm to prevent burnout?

Connect with Mark

Learn more about the Ultimate Performance approach: PurposeFused.com Follow Mark on LinkedIn for weekly leadership, team, and performance insights.

If you've ever wondered how elite competitiveness transfers from the rugby pitch to the trading floor, this one's for you. Founder and CEO Timothy Furey of Tradeview Markets joins host Mark Griffin for a candid, founder-first conversation about channeling pressure into performance, building truly scalable businesses, and leading a team that loves to win.

Tim traces his nearly 30-year journey from Merrill Lynch commodity broker to floor trader to launching one of the most recognized online brokerages. Along the way, he shares raw lessons on work ethic, momentum, and why "hungry dogs run faster."

Magic Moments that shaped Tim's path:

• The LA Gear spark: a teenage stock bet that ignited a lifetime in markets

• From 12th to 2nd on the depth chart: earning his shot through fearless effort and preparation

• The Tradeview moment: walking away from unfair treatment and starting his own firm

What you'll learn:

• How to convert stress and pressure into clarity, action, and results

• Why momentum matters more than ideas—and how to build it daily

• Scalability vs. replicability: the simple test Tim uses to evaluate any business

• Hiring for drive, resilience, and ownership to power growth

• Building "businesses within the business" — turning internal tools into new revenue

• Boundaries that protect performance: family first, fitness as a competitive edge

Subscribe to Connecting with Purpose (@connectingwithpurpose-est2021) for more founder-first conversations on clarity, resilience, and purposeful growth. Share this with a leader who's ready to scale with intention.

Resources:

Tradeview Markets: https://www.tvmarkets.com/en/

Connect with Timothy Furey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfurey/

Purposefused: https://www.purposefused.com/

In this solo episode of Connecting with Purpose, Mark Griffin opens up about a personal shift that changed the way he leads, lives, and creates impact — reframing money not as a finish line, but as essential fuel for purpose.

For years, Mark viewed money as a byproduct of meaningful work. Impact first. Everything else would follow. But the truth? Some of his most stressful seasons came from not having enough of it. This episode explores how shifting from money-agnostic to money-aligned has transformed his clarity, energy, and long-term sustainability.

Through the PurposeFused Me–We–World lens, Mark breaks down how money supports personal freedom, strengthens teams and families, and amplifies impact in the world — especially for mission-driven founders, leaders, and change makers.

You'll hear insights on:

—Why money is part of impact, not outside of it

—How scarcity vs abundance shapes leadership

—Why the six spheres of energy must include financial energy

—How money mirrors our beliefs, fears, and stories

—Moving from "success" to "significance" through stewardship

If you want to lead with purpose and create sustained impact without burnout, this episode will challenge your assumptions and expand your perspective — especially if money has always felt uncomfortable, secondary, or disconnected from mission-driven work.

Whether you're a founder, nonprofit leader, corporate executive, coach, or anyone committed to meaningful impact, this episode will help you reflect on your relationship with money and reframe it as a teammate in the journey toward freedom, fulfillment, and significance.

Listen, reflect, and reconnect with what money can make possible — for you, your work, and the world.

Learn more at: PurposeFused.com

Contact: [email protected]

#PurposeFused #LeadershipDevelopment #MoneyMindset #PurposeDrivenLeadership #FounderLife #HighPerformanceLeadership #PersonalGrowth #BusinessMindset #AbundanceMindset #ImpactDriven

In this episode, host Mark Griffin sits down with Brad Stevens, Founder/CEO of Outsource Access and Brad Stevens Training, for a powerful founder-first conversation on resilience, disciplined leadership, and scaling with offshore talent and software excellence.

A lifetime entrepreneur, Brad has built multiple companies across industries, scaled Outsource Access to 450+ employees in the Philippines, and advised businesses in more than 75 industries. He's also a global speaker, trainer, and long-time leader in EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization) and YPO, bringing deep experience in purpose-driven entrepreneurship, global teams, and culture-building.

From early side hustles to a pivotal post-college setback, to a manufacturing disaster that forced innovation, Brad shares three defining "magic moments" that shaped his entrepreneurial journey:

—Foundations: Micro-businesses (from Micro Machines to tutoring) built confidence and the habit of scaling small wins.

—Fork in the Road: A vanished investment-banking job pushed him to launch his first company-proof that setbacks can seed your future.

—Blow-Up to Scale-Up: A product failure (teeth-whitening pens) catalyzed mastery of outsourcing, leading to Outsource Access and 450+ employees.

These experiences underpin Brad's purpose: living a disciplined life of creation, connection, and learning to help himself and others realize their full potential—from empowering clients with world-class virtual teams to creating opportunity and community for employees in the Philippines.

What You'll Learn:

—How to reframe problems as actions that simply need your attention

—Why alignment is greater than achievement for sustainable success (freedom, security, peace) —How peer groups (EO/YPO) and time/energy audits prevent burnout

—The future of work for SMBs: offshore talent + software ops (ServiceTitan, Litify, Restaurant365, HubSpot) + AI as a force-multiplier

Whether you're a founder, leader, or change-maker, this episode offers practical playbooks on resilience, purpose-driven leadership, and scaling with systems, software, and people.

Subscribe to Connecting with Purpose for more conversations with leaders and entrepreneurs who are shaping the future through clarity, resilience, and purpose: @connectingwithpurpose-est2021

Connect with Brad here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradstevens44/

#ConnectingWithPurpose #BradStevens #OutsourceAccess #Entrepreneurship #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Resilience #PurposeDriven #VirtualAssistants #Philippines #SoftwareOperations #ServiceTitan #Litify #Restaurant365 #HubSpot #FounderLife #Scale #PurposeFused

How do you scale your business without losing alignment?

As your company grows, clarity often drifts. More people, more meetings, more complexity—yet alignment and focus don't automatically scale with size. In this episode of Connecting with Purpose, Mark Griffin explores one of the biggest challenges facing founders and leadership teams of growth-stage businesses: how to scale without losing alignment.

Mark breaks down four core growth traps:

—Alignment Drift

—Fuzzy Vision

—Too Many Priorities

—The Founder Bottleneck

Learn how to overcome these challenges by building clarity and alignment across three levels—leader, team, and organization.

Discover how to empower your people, streamline decisions, and create systems that sustain focus and culture.

If you're a founder, CEO, or senior leader seeking to scale your business with purpose and performance, this episode offers practical insights you can apply immediately.

Subscribe for more conversations on purpose-driven leadership, growth, and organizational alignment.

Learn more at PurposeFused.com

Contact: [email protected]

#Leadership #BusinessGrowth #FounderMindset #OrganizationalClarity #ScaleWithPurpose #PurposeFused #Entrepreneurship #LeadershipDevelopment