Are you tired of chaotic operations, burned-out teams, and the relentless pressure to execute big visions without breaking yourself in the process? In this can’t-miss fan favorite episode, Cameron Herold goes deep with Griff Long, former COO of Orangetheory Fitness, a leader who’s transformed personal growth and business results at some of America’s top brands.

If you’re a second-in-command, exhausted by firefighting and silo wars, this conversation will shake up your playbook. Griff shares battle-tested leadership secrets, why people (not processes) matter most, and how data-driven innovation is gripping the fitness world.

Skip another mediocre “growth” podcast. Listen now to avoid the #1 pain point for COOs: stagnant teams, missed opportunities, and burnout. This is your backstage pass to proven strategies and exclusive insights you won’t get anywhere else.

[00:00] – Why this episode is a fan-favorite (and why you need it now)

[00:28] – Griff’s devastating rookie mistake and how it reshaped his approach

[01:24] – The “double threat” that got Griff hired at Orangetheory

[03:09] – The surprising science and secrets behind Orangetheory’s addictively sticky workouts

[09:33] – Griff’s golden thread technique for obliterating silos and boosting buy-in

[13:00] – Why running corporate-owned studios is Orangetheory’s secret weapon

[16:02] – How Griff rebuilt the org chart and what every COO should copy

[19:20] – Laser focus vs. death by a thousand cuts: How to avoid competitive distraction

[25:19] – Griff’s top-three leadership lessons (and the #1 thing he’d tell his 22-year-old self)

[34:08] – The red/yellow/green “traffic light” playbook for direct reports and leadership development

Griff Long is the former COO of Orangetheory Fitness, blending 25+ years of hands-on leadership with a passion for measurable growth and elite team culture. Known for scaling fitness giants like PureBar and SoulCycle, Griff has rebuilt teams, crushed operational bottlenecks, and championed transformations using data and heart. He’s a US Triathlon Coach, a Six Sigma Green Belt, and a master at developing people before processes—essential context for any COO facing existential growth pains.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website | Facebook | Instagram

1. Six Sigma (Green Belt, Failure Mode Effect Analysis)
2. Pure Barre
3. SoulCycle
4. Equinox
5. Hertz

Ever wonder why some companies feel magnetic while others are just…a job? If you believe company culture is fluff, this conversation will put you on your heels.

Cameron Herold sits down with Amy Emberling, Managing Partner of the legendary Zingerman’s Bakehouse—a $16M+ artisan bakery with a cult following and a blueprint for employee loyalty big brands envy. Together, they pull back the curtain on Zingerman’s famed “Community of Businesses,” why profit isn’t a dirty word, and how even a manufacturing team can become fiercely passionate.

Don't settle for endless turnover, disengaged people, or another bland org chart. Discover the real-world actions and surprising rituals that transform frontline staff into owners (and skeptics into super-fans).

Listen now because one insight could radically shift your retention, results, and reputation. This episode delivers the practical and emotional gut-punch you won't find anywhere else in operations podcasts.

[00:00] – Why showing vision to new hires exposes if they really want to learn (or not)

[03:01] – How an Ann Arbor Deli became a multi-business giant—without franchising

[07:07] – The origin myth: Saying "no" to chains and revolutionizing local growth

[09:33] – Why Zingerman’s refuses to franchise (and why profit wasn’t the goal)

[14:43] – The surprising role of vision statements and posters in a baking plant

[16:10] – Handshakes over contracts—trust, ownership, and radical accountability

[19:27] – Secret sauce: How weekly "appreciations" meetings melt even the toughest shells

[25:43] – Culture hacks that turn hourly hires into a vibrant, all-in team

1. Zingerman’s Community of Businesses
2. Ari Weinzweig (Zingerman’s Co-Founder)
3. Paul Saginaw (Zingerman’s Co-Founder)
4. Zingerman’s Bakehouse (Amy's business)
5. Zing Train
6. Zingerman’s Bakehouse Book, Celebrate Every Day Book
7. 1-800-GOT-JUNK (culture reference)
8. Great Little Box Company

Amy Emberling is Managing Partner of Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Ann Arbor’s nationally acclaimed artisan bakery. Leading a team of 150, she helped scale Zingerman’s into a powerhouse community business known for its uncompromising...

Are you tired of feeling trapped in the chaos of scaling, with too many projects and not enough clarity on what actually drives growth?

In this episode, host Cameron Herold sits down with Josh Post, COO of Cabochon Group and longtime COO Alliance member, for an emotionally raw, practical conversation about breaking out of operational overwhelm.

Josh reveals how he went from reluctant family business leader to proven integrator, leading turnarounds, managing conflict, and creating systems real teams can actually use. From delegating all the right things to mastering financial fluency, you’ll get the strategies and truth bombs most COOs wish they had known at the start.

If you’re hungry to escape burnout and unlock your next level as a second-in-command, listen now to avoid the expensive mistakes nearly everyone makes while scaling. This episode delivers unfiltered wisdom you won’t find anywhere else, and the urgency to take action before chaos catches up with you.

[00:00] – Why most owners don’t know how their business really makes money (and what to do about it)

[03:25] – The journey from accidental entrepreneur to turning around failing operations

[06:00] – Exclusive lessons learned surviving and thriving inside – a family business

[10:19] – How Josh navigated a tense partner buyout and instantly simplified everything

[13:46] – Choosing the right leadership roles: birth order, strengths, and painful missteps

[16:09] – The only books and frameworks that actually moved the needle (and why “just-in-time learning” beats old-school reading habits)

[20:22] – From swinging hammers to overseeing finance – demystifying numbers when you’re not a CPA

[26:42] – Weekly pulse meetings, candid conflict, and the real CEO-COO dance

[29:04] – How fractional COO work revealed the true bottlenecks in small business growth

[33:13] – The most costly mistake COOs make (and how Josh trains owners to finally be “all in”)

Josh Post is an industry-recognized Business Turnaround Expert and Fractional Chief Operating Officer who specializes in business recovery, optimization, and rapid growth. Between his position as a COO with The Cabochon Group of Companies and his work as an Independent Expert, he manages a diverse portfolio of over $57 Million spanning several industries.

From streamlining operations and accounting to marketing and even acquisition, The Cabochon Group of Companies is the ultimate business support hub where businesses can access a unified strategy from a single source of seasoned professionals that provide a comprehensive, integrated experience.

As a Fractional COO and Business Advisor Josh leverages his expertise to provide businesses with targeted, one-on-one guidance on the critical challenges threatening operations. Through resources like his signature business assessment, the Business MRI, he’s able to hone in on the root issues, tailoring strategies that work.

He credits the COO Alliance for helping him to overcome imposter syndrome, teaching him how to harness his strengths as a Galvanizer and Enabler to drive execution and momentum at scale.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website | Company