Season 1 of The Grit Mindset is complete, and before Season 2 launches, I’m revisiting the episodes that shaped the show most.

There was no better place to start than Episode 1 with Michelle Johnson, former CIO at Freeman, with Fortium when we recorded, and now CIO at Associa. She took a chance on a brand new podcast with a host who had no idea what he was doing yet. 

She gave me two ideas in that first conversation that I've carried through everything since. 

The first: "It takes grit to quit." Not as a catchphrase. As a real observation. Sometimes the gritty move isn't to keep pushing — it's to walk away from what isn't working so you can put your energy somewhere it will. 

The second: "You learn how to do hard better." She was quoting the women's basketball coach at Duke. Not easier. Better. That's the whole show in one sentence. Grit isn't about life getting smoother. It's about getting more skilled at handling what's hard. 

Season 2 is coming. Until then, stay gritty.