The Growth Project

"It's tough to define culture and exactly what it is, but when you are a part of a good culture, you know it."

In this episode, Dr. Milt Lowder sits down with Robert John, Division Vice President of Heart Failure at Abbott. Robert shares how his early life experiences shaped his mindset as a leader and why he believes culture is the heartbeat of any successful organization. This conversation explores what it truly means to invest in people, build trust, and create environments where others thrive.

Shane Day is the current quarterbacks coach for the San Fransisco 49ers. In this episode, Coach Day talks with Dr. Drew Brannon about his development, especially as a coach, and all that he's walked through to get to where he is, how he thinks about the concept of mastery, and how important it is that he builds relationships with his players. This conversation was recorded shortly after playing in Super Bowl LIV, but due to the COVID 19 outbreak, we postponed releasing this interview in order to focus on being a resource during the first several weeks of the pandemic.

This is a challenging time to be a leader and there is no playbook for how to navigate what we are experiencing or what could lie ahead. There are a long list of factors at play right now that leaders can't do anything about. What can they do? In this episode we'll address three things leaders can be doing right now to help drive well-being and performance within their teams.

In the final installment of our COVID-19 series, Drs. Milt Lowder and Drew Brannon respond directly to listener questions about the mental and emotional challenges of navigating COVID-19. From managing anxiety and uncertainty to staying connected and focused, they address five common concerns with honesty and hope. This Q&A-style episode is designed to meet you where you are and help you move forward with greater clarity and resilience.

Routine can be one of the most powerful stabilizers in uncertain times. In Part 3 of our COVID-19 series, Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer explore how maintaining consistency, especially while working from home, helps protect your mental clarity, performance, and well-being. They offer practical ways to build structure into your day and emphasize how your pursuit of excellence not only helps you, but positively impacts those around you.

As uncertainty intensifies, so does our brain's stress response, often impacting how we think, feel, and make decisions. In Part 2 of our COVID-19 series, Drs. Milt Lowder and Drew Brannon discuss how to shift from survival mode to growth mindset, even amid fear and disruption. With a focus on intentional thinking and daily habits, they encourage listeners to see this season as an opportunity to grow stronger and more grounded.

In times of uncertainty, understanding how our brain responds to stress is critical. In this first episode of our four-part COVID-19 series, Drs. Milt Lowder and Drew Brannon explore the neurological impact of stress, highlighting common psychological and emotional responses to uncommon events. Their insights help normalize what many are feeling and offer perspective on how to stay grounded even when the world around us feels anything but.

"If you only focus on the fruit, you forget to nurture the root."

In this episode, Dr. Cory Shaffer sits down with Jamey Chadwell, Head Football Coach at Coastal Carolina, for a conversation about growth, grit, and the daily discipline behind long-term success. They explore how results are simply the byproduct of consistent effort and how staying rooted in the process, rather than fixated on outcomes, is what ultimately bears the fruit we're chasing. It's a mindset that applies far beyond the football field.

"A goal without a plan is just a wish". In this episode, Dr. Milt Lowder talks with Jason Cruise, an author, speaker, hunter, and pastor who has accomplished much in his life, to talk about the necessity of "leading from the front" and learning to love the advice and help of others. It's only in having an open ear and humbling ourselves that any of us will ever learn, grow, and get better.

What matters more: how far you go or how you get there? In this episode, Dr. Drew Brannon sits down with Tom Black, Head Volleyball Coach at the University of Georgia and Coach of Canada's National Team, to explore the relationship between process and outcome. Together, they discuss why we're wired to chase results, how pain is often a necessary part of growth, and why short-circuiting the process can cost us long-term success. Whether you're an athlete, a leader, or simply someone trying to grow, this conversation unpacks how embracing the process fuels meaningful, lasting outcomes... and how those outcomes, in turn, shape a stronger process.