𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕, 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆. - Kendall Breitman

In this episode of the GrowthReady Podcast, Steve Mellor sits down with Kendall Breitman, former political journalist (NBC, Bloomberg) and now Head of Community at  @Riversidefm , to unpack the real story behind career pivots, personal reinvention, and building community that actually feels human.

Kendall shares how she went from chasing a clear career trajectory to embracing a more open (and more honest) version of growth, one built on trust, adaptability, and the courage to choose what fulfills you now, not what you decided years ago.

In this episode:
▪️Hunger vs. capacity (and why both matter)
▪️Leaving a “made it” career behind
▪️Trusting yourself without needing certainty
▪️How community is built through real conversations
▪️Why overproduced brand content is fading
▪️Kendall’s next edge: influence, visibility, and starting a podcast

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒍𝒍:
LinkedIn: Kendall Breitman
Facebook Group: Conversation Creators by Riverside 

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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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• 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 ...

What if the thing holding you back isn’t a lack of expertise, but the fact that your voice hasn’t caught up to what you know?

In this episode, Steve Mellor sits down with Dr. Leslie Gordon, a speech, voice, and accent expert who helps high-performing professionals speak with more confidence, presence, and impact. Leslie introduces the idea of the “growing edge,” a powerful replacement for the word “weakness,” and explains why real growth requires more than mindset. It requires action, repetition, awareness, and the willingness to step into unfamiliar territory.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever left a meeting thinking, “I should have said something,” or who knows they have something valuable to contribute but struggles to make their voice match their expertise.

• Why “growing edge” is more useful than calling something a weakness 
•  Why high performers struggle to speak up, even when they know their stuff 
•  How self-evaluation can help growth or quietly block it 
•  How to work with the inner critic using Leslie’s “name it to tame it” strategy 
•  Why presence, breath, and body tension shape how your message lands 
•  Why confidence is built through action, not simply something you either have or don’t have

Connect with Dr. Leslie Gordon:

Website: https://www.leslie.gordon.speech/lesliegordonspeech.com

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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 ...

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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• 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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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

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• 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

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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 ...

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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• 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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• 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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• 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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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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• 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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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
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• 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: 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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• 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 ...

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/
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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 ...