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The Grit to Growth Podcast

The Grit to Growth Podcast

By: Levi Te Slaa and Dusten Hendrickson
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About this listen

The Grit to Growth Podcast is for South Dakota’s hardworking business owners and professionals who believe in rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done. This show dives into the real stories of local entrepreneurs—especially in blue-collar and construction industries—who turned grit, determination, and sweat equity into success.

Each episode features candid conversations with business owners who’ve faced setbacks, taken risks, and built something lasting through sheer perseverance. Whether you’re running a trades company, a small-town shop, or just looking for inspiration from people who’ve been in the trenches, The Grit to Growth Podcast delivers practical lessons, motivation, and the reminder that growth doesn’t come easy—but it’s always worth the fight.

Tune in for raw, relatable stories of hustle, heart, and how South Dakota’s toughest builders and business owners made it happen.Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • The Power of Collaboration: Featuring Noah Vandal & Joseph Yoon
    Oct 17 2025

    From small-town roots in Minnesota to high-tech entrepreneurship in Sioux Falls, Noah Vandal shares how his hands-on curiosity and engineering background led him into the world of AI and healthcare. Joined by Dr. Joseph Yoon — a physician and health informatics expert — the two reveal how faith, shared vision, and innovation led to the creation of Speech Sage, a company using AI-powered conversational tools to improve patient communication and clinic efficiency.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

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    28 mins
  • Brewing Success & Business Strategy with Jacob Limmer
    Oct 15 2025

    In this episode, Levi Te Slaa sits down with Jacob Limmer, founder of Cottonwood Coffee in Brookings, South Dakota, and consultant with The Prosper Group. Jacob shares how a passion for sustainability led to farming, which eventually brewed into a successful coffee business. He opens up about the early struggles with funding, lessons learned from expanding too quickly, and how he evolved from barista to business strategist.

    Jacob also shares his philosophy on consulting and how 20 years of entrepreneurial ups and downs have positioned him to help other business owners grow smarter, not harder. They discuss universal business truths, the power of patience, and why the "boring" fundamentals might just be your business’s biggest opportunity.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

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    26 mins
  • Grounded in South Dakota, Growing Globally: Nick Yost on Wellness & Aesthetics
    Oct 13 2025

    In this powerful episode, Levi sits down with Nick Yost, the founder and medical director of BodyOpt, to explore her extraordinary path from a small-town South Dakota farm to launching one of the region’s fastest-growing wellness and aesthetics clinics. Nick shares how her early days living on yachts, flipping homes, and running a craft beer bar evolved into a full-blown commitment to functional medicine and regenerative health.

    You’ll hear the personal story that pushed her into nursing, her frontline work in Brooklyn during COVID, and how she built her clinic from a single rented room into a booming, multi-location practice. From hormone therapy to stem cells and peptides, Nick explains how she's redefining healthcare with a model rooted in patient empowerment and deep listening.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.

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    24 mins
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