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Grit Meets Growth

Grit Meets Growth

By: Grit Meets Growth Podcast
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About this listen

 Chris Cathers and John Gamades bring you Grit Meets Growth... The podcast where we explore the power of getting uncomfortable, making things happen, and creating a magnetic life. Are you ready?

Chris Cathers is the co-founder and CEO of Octellient, an information security expert, advisor and coach, and a cancer survivor.

John Gamades is a co-founder and partner at the marketing agency OrangeBall Creative and the author of the Depth Not Width blog.

Both are proud husbands, dads, and leaders in all they do. Having experienced adversity, challenges, the pressure of being entrepreneurs, Grit Meets Growth is the authentic and raw sharing of their journeys.Copyright Grit Meets Growth Podcast Economics
Episodes
  • Scaling Your Life: Next Level Thinking Starts Here - Episode 125

    Scaling Your Life: Next Level Thinking Starts Here - Episode 125
    Feb 11 2026
    For five years, this podcast has been about starting—about identity, ownership, grit, and doing the hard internal work. But at some point, starting isn’t the issue anymore. The real question becomes: how do you take the plan and move it to action? How do you move from motivation, which gets you in the gym on January 1, to discipline, which keeps you showing up on February 10 when the excitement fades?

    Today’s conversation is about that shift. It’s about what happens after the vision is clear, after the goals are set, and after the initial energy runs out. Because growth stalls when we try to carry everything alone. If we want to scale in business and in life, we need more than motivation. We need discipline, structure, feedback, and a community strong enough to hold the weight with us.

    Five Insights:

    1. Motivation Starts. Discipline Sustains. Motivation is emotional. It’s exciting. It’s January 1 energy.
    Discipline is structural. It shows up when it’s boring, inconvenient, or hard. If your growth relies on motivation alone, it will stall the moment things get uncomfortable. Discipline is what carries the vision when the emotion fades.

    2. You Will Plateau If You Try to Scale Alone. Early hustle works. Grit works. White-knuckling works… for a while. But just like a business, life scales through: Better systems, better feedback, and better people around you

    3. You Can’t Out-Discipline What You Can’t See. Blind spots don’t announce themselves. Drift is quiet. Without feedback, you can be working hard in the wrong direction. Support doesn’t replace discipline—it protects it.

    4. Growth Requires a Container. Growth doesn’t happen randomly. It needs structure. You need a place to check in, to measure, to be honest... a place where excuses don’t survive


    5. Support Is Infrastructure, Not Weakness. Community isn’t for people who “can’t handle it.”
    It’s for people who want to scale. High-capacity operators break when they carry everything alone. The strongest leaders choose support on purpose. Growth starts internally. It sustains collectively.
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    37 mins
  • Episode 124 From the Archives - Investing in yourself... If not now, when?

    Episode 124 From the Archives - Investing in yourself... If not now, when?
    Jan 28 2026
    From the archives, originally Episode 33, we're exploring:
    • Investing in yourself
    • Answering the question: "If not now, when?"
    • Battling procrastination
    • Making and taking the time to recharge
    • Living a bold life
    • Making the most of our sphere of influence
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    37 mins
  • Stop White-Knuckling and Forcing It: A Better Way to Grow - Episode 123

    Stop White-Knuckling and Forcing It: A Better Way to Grow - Episode 123
    Jan 15 2026
    This episode of Grit Meets Growth is for people who already show up, already have discipline, and are asking a deeper question: why does this still feel harder than it should?

    We're unpacking how growth eventually outgrows old systems—how habits, routines, and discipline that once worked can start to feel heavy when they’re no longer aligned with who you are and where you’re going. Rather than adding more structure or white-knuckling through resistance, the conversation reframes discipline as something meant to serve alignment, not identity or ego.

    We're exploring the shift from early-stage growth (“how much effort can I apply?”) to mature growth (“where is my effort best placed?”), using practical examples around fitness, leadership, rest, brotherhood, and resilience. The core takeaway is clear: discipline matters, but only when it’s applied in the right places, supported by honest self-reflection, strong relationships, and the courage to realign instead of forcing what no longer fits.

    5 key takeaways from this episode of Grit Meets Growth:
    1. If it feels heavier than it should, don’t add more—realign. Resistance isn’t a signal to pile on more discipline; it’s feedback that something may be out of alignment.
    2. Early growth asks “How much effort can I apply?” Mature growth asks “Where is my effort best placed?” Leverage beats volume. One well-placed habit or action will outperform five done inconsistently.
    3. Discipline should create freedom, not become your armor or identity. When discipline exists to protect an image (“I’m the guy who never breaks”), it can stop serving your life and start draining it.
    4. Rest, focus, and simplicity are part of discipline—not the opposite of it. Sustainable progress comes from cleaner energy, fewer plugs, and intentional choices about where you spend your effort.
    5. Resilience isn’t grinding harder—it’s recalibrating and moving forward aligned. True resilience means reassessing, realigning, and continuing toward your goals with the right people holding you accountable.
    One truth: If you have to force everything, you’re not lacking discipline—you’re out of alignment.
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
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