The Cort Brady Podcast

Most founders think their intelligence will carry them. But it’s not your IQ that scales a business—it’s your emotional intelligence.

In this episode, I break down the five emotional skills that determine whether your company will thrive—or implode. I talk about how I learned to regulate my emotions, read my team, and lead from a place of clarity (not chaos).

I share a favorite Kipling poem that keeps me grounded when everything feels like it’s burning. And I’ll tell you why the smartest founder in the room isn’t the one who wins.

If you’ve ever lost your temper, been blindsided by a team member, or struggled to manage your energy—this one’s for you.

So many founders keep asking the wrong question:

“What am I missing?”

But the most successful CEOs I work with aren’t stacking more tactics or chasing some magic bullet.

They’re doing the opposite.

Just like Michelangelo didn’t “create” David—he simply removed everything that wasn’t David—top-performing founders remove everything that doesn’t belong:

Toxic execs.

B-players.

Side products.

Extra complexity.

In today’s episode, I share how subtraction—not addition—is the real secret to scaling a profitable, drama-free business.

Stop asking what you should add.

Start asking:

What do I need to remove?

Last night I got asked the question I’ve asked hundreds of founders myself:

“What’s the secret to success?”

And honestly?

I don’t believe there is one.

No silver bullet. No magic hack.

But there are two traits I’ve seen in every successful entrepreneur I’ve ever interviewed or worked with.

In this episode, I break down:

• Why obsession—not balance—is the true starting point

• The “X factor” you must identify and double down on

• And why trying to fix all your weaknesses is actually the wrong move

If you’re serious about building something great, this one’s for you.

Every time I work with a founder who knows they need to move on from an underperforming exec, they freeze.

Not because they don’t know the right call—but because of two brutal truths they haven’t fully faced.

In this episode, I break down the real reasons why it’s so hard to remove a legacy leader, even when they’re clearly no longer a fit. It always comes down to two things: facts and fear.

I’ll unpack:

• The two hard facts most CEOs avoid

• Why fear of “losing institutional knowledge” is overblown

• How I replaced my partner and sales jumped 50%

• A simple framework for removing the wrong person and recruiting the right one

If you’ve got someone on your exec team you’ve outgrown—or who’s outgrown the role—this episode is for you.

We just had our fourth baby four nights ago.

And today, while my exec team was offsite running the business without me, I found myself distracted—checking LinkedIn, scanning Slack, trying to stay “in it.”

But I wasn’t present.

And it hit me: this is a different season. And I’ve been here before.

In this episode, I talk about what happens when we try to do the right thing in the wrong season—and how that disconnect creates anxiety, burnout, and a constant sense that we’re behind. I share a few metaphors—farmers, surfers, even newborns—and a few personal stories that helped me finally get this.

If you’re spinning your wheels, feeling like nothing is quite working, you might not be broken.

You might just be out of sync with your season.

Think brood parasites only exist in the wild?

Think again.

Some of them sit in meetings, run departments, and smile during performance reviews.

They protect themselves by surrounding themselves with the weak—and pushing out anyone who threatens their status.

If your best people keep leaving, this might be why.

For years, I was overwhelmed by how much I didn’t know. So I read everything. Sales, marketing, product, operations—you name it. I read a book a week for five years, then a book a day during COVID. It helped… but it also wasted years.

Here’s what I wish someone told me earlier:

As a founder, your job isn’t to master every function—it’s to master people and strategy. You don’t need to be great at sales or coding. You need to hire someone who is, align them to your vision, and lead them through strategic clarity.

In this episode, I break down:

• Why founders get stuck in “learning mode”

• The two areas you must go deep on as a CEO

• How to build a world-class executive team

• The real shortcut to scale

If you’re trying to do it all, this will save you years.

I made a massive mistake during COVID—and it cost us revenue, people, and trust.

I leaned on “positive thinking” instead of owning the hard decisions.

Here’s why unearned positivity is poison, how it turned me into a liar, and the 5 steps I wish I’d taken instead.

This episode will challenge every founder who’s hiding behind mindset instead of taking action.

Today, one of the CEOs I coach shared something brilliant—he didn’t even realize how powerful it was.

His team had gone through a tough stretch: underperformance, a recent layoff, and morale was low. But instead of pulling back, instead of trying to “protect morale,” he leaned in. He told his team, “Morale isn’t a reason to avoid change. Fixing performance is what restores morale.”

That hit me like a brick.

As CEOs, we spend too much time trying to motivate people instead of making the moves that actually build a winning team. Culture isn’t built through hype. It’s built by people who are aligned, performing, and proud of their work.

If you’re avoiding hard decisions in the name of morale—this episode is for you.

Two years ago, the day before my grandpa’s funeral, I dropped off my suit at a Tide dry cleaner. I needed it back the same day—even though their normal turnaround was 24 hours. What happened next turned me into a customer for life.

In this episode, I break down what that experience taught me about service—and how to systematize exceptional customer care inside your business. Because let’s be honest… you can’t rely on hero employees showing up. You have to build the system.

I’ll walk through five things I’ve done in my companies to make employees act like owners—so they go the extra mile without needing permission.

If you want raving customers, not just transactions, this one’s for you.