Why is it that some people seem to thrive through adversity while others barely make it off the ground?

This week, we sat down with the inspiring serial entrepreneur Lauren Chitwood, about how she harnesses her own personal grit to work through adversity and set-backs to create thriving businesses. Lauren is one of the co-founders of Spiritless, a company that creates alcohol-free distilled spirits. She has built multiple businesses in her time, is an award-winning brand evangelist and balances building her business while doing her most important job - being a Mom of three. Not content to rest on her laurels - or to rest, period - her combination of head-in-the-clouds creativity and boots-on-the-ground guts have earned Lauren a reputation for being nimble, innovative, and, above all else, gritty. 

Join us as we explore the term Grit and what it means, how it helps entrepreneurs thrive and how we can identify Grit in ourselves and others.   

What is 'Grit'?

Grit is a construct made famous by psychologist Angela Duckworth. She determined that Grit is a better predictor of achievement than intellectual talent (IQ), as Grit serves as the overriding factor that provides the stamina required to "stay the course" amid challenges and setbacks. Grit summons both passion and perseverance to achieve a long-term goal. 

Grit is a relatively new concept, and while it is considered a positive attribute, there is still debate on the effects of Grit. While Grit can be a positive, conscientious trait and help individuals achieve important goals, it is also considered a key contributor to burnout and fatigue. Therefore it is essential to be aware of the impact of Grit and ensure there is no overbalance in one's daily life. 

Discussed in this episode: 

• Spiritless: Distilled non-Alcoholic Spirits
• Grit: The Power and Passion of Perseverance by Angela Duckworth 
• Angela Duckworth TEDTalk: Grit. The Power and Passion of Perseverance 
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie TEDTalk: We Should All Be Feminists
• We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

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This podcast is proudly produced by the team at Ampel. Ampel is an audio content agency specializing in podcast, radio, and audio content creation. For more information, head to www.ampel.com.au or reach out to us at [email protected]   

Executive Producer: Josh Butt 
Head of Strategy: Michelle Lomas 
Audio Editor: Grace Rouvray

 

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