The Grit to Growth Podcast

Social psychologist Dr. Andre Walton explains why creativity is one of the most powerful tools for overcoming burnout and becoming a better leader.
Burnout isn't simply feeling tired after a busy week. According to Dr. Andre Walton, it's a serious condition that can fundamentally change how we think, lead, and perform. The good news? Recovery may begin by changing the way we use our minds.
In this episode, Levi sits down with Dr. Andre Walton, TEDx speaker, social psychologist, bestselling author, and founder of Plan for Change and The Burnout Foundation. Drawing from his own experience building businesses, overcoming severe burnout, and spending decades researching creativity, leadership, and human performance, Dr. Walton shares why creative thinking is one of the most overlooked tools for improving resilience, innovation, and overall well-being.
What You'll Hear:
Dr. Walton shares his entrepreneurial journey, from inventing products used by world-renowned musicians and developing medical imaging technology to moving from the United Kingdom to the United States to expand his business despite widespread skepticism. While the business experienced rapid growth, a series of personal and professional challenges ultimately led him into severe burnout, an experience that completely changed the direction of his career.
The conversation explores how earning a Ph.D. in social psychology led Dr. Walton to study creativity within organizations and eventually discover the powerful relationship between creative thinking, emotional intelligence, resilience, and burnout recovery. Rather than viewing creativity as something reserved for artists, he explains why it is a fundamental human ability that helps people see the bigger picture, solve complex problems, and adapt to change.
Dr. Walton also explains how creative thinking can help people break free from the negative thought patterns associated with burnout. Through real client examples, he shares how reconnecting with creative activities can establish healthier mental habits, improve emotional well-being, and provide practical tools for navigating high-pressure careers.
The discussion also turns to artificial intelligence and leadership. While Dr. Walton believes AI has tremendous potential to improve innovation and productivity, he cautions against what he calls "cognitive surrender"—allowing technology to make decisions for us instead of using it as a tool to strengthen our own thinking. He explains why maintaining curiosity, independent thought, and creativity will become even more valuable as AI continues to evolve.
Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, business owner, or someone simply feeling overwhelmed by the demands of work, this episode offers practical insights into preventing burnout, improving decision-making, and unlocking the creative thinking that drives both personal and professional growth.
Connect with Dr. Andre Walton
🌐 Plan for Change: https://plan4change.org/
🔥 The Burnout Foundation: https://theburnoutfoundation.co/
🎙️ Creativation Show: https://creativationshow.com/

MIT graduate, Harvard MBA, and startup veteran Stever Robbins shares what it really takes to build successful companies, think creatively, and lead with purpose.
What does it take to build companies from the ground up and become the person others rely on for leadership, innovation, and strategic thinking?
In this episode of the Grit to Growth Podcast, Levi Te Slaa sits down with Stever Robbins, an MIT computer science graduate, Harvard MBA, executive coach, entrepreneur, and business strategist who has spent decades helping startups launch, scale, and navigate growth. Having been part of multiple startup teams, redesigned portions of Harvard Business School's leadership curriculum, and coached executives around the world, Stever brings a unique perspective on entrepreneurship and leadership.
The conversation begins with Stever's unconventional upbringing in a traveling hippie commune and how leaving home at just 15 years old led him into the startup world. That unexpected path ultimately took him to MIT, Harvard Business School, and a career helping organizations turn ideas into thriving businesses.
Levi and Stever discuss the realities of entrepreneurship, why many founders overcomplicate the startup process, and how solving real customer problems matters far more than chasing venture capital. Stever explains why some of the best businesses begin by serving a handful of customers exceptionally well before ever seeking outside investment.
The discussion also explores leadership development, overcoming blind spots, and why relationships and reputation often become an entrepreneur's greatest competitive advantage. Drawing from decades of coaching executives and building companies, Stever shares practical lessons on creative thinking, decision making, and staying adaptable in a rapidly changing business landscape.
Whether you're launching your first startup, leading an established business, or simply looking to think more creatively about solving problems, this episode offers practical insights from someone who has spent a lifetime building companies and helping leaders grow.
Connect with Stever Robbins
🌐 Website: https://www.steverrobbins.com/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steverrobbins/

Lucy Kovalova-Woods shares how intentional leadership, strategic philanthropy, and community partnerships can create lasting impact.
Building a successful business is one thing. Using that success to strengthen communities and create opportunities for others is something entirely different.
In this episode, Levi sits down with Lucy Kovalova-Woods, entrepreneur, business strategist, and founder of WKG Strategy and the WKG Foundation, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership can transform both organizations and the communities they serve. Through her work helping businesses grow while investing in meaningful causes, Lucy shares why long-term success is built on relationships, service, and intentional action.
What You'll Hear:
Lucy shares the journey that led her to build WKG Strategy and explains how helping organizations clarify their vision, strengthen their operations, and execute strategically allows them to create a greater impact beyond the bottom line.
The conversation explores the importance of servant leadership and why successful leaders focus on empowering others rather than simply directing them. Lucy explains how creating strong teams, fostering trust, and investing in people produces better results than chasing short-term wins.
Levi and Lucy also discuss the mission behind the WKG Foundation and why businesses have a unique opportunity to create positive change in their communities. From supporting nonprofits to building meaningful partnerships, Lucy shares how philanthropy becomes even more powerful when it's approached with strategy and intentionality.
Throughout the episode, Lucy emphasizes that sustainable success isn't measured solely by financial growth. Instead, it's reflected in the lives impacted, the relationships built, and the legacy leaders leave behind. Whether you're growing a company, launching a nonprofit initiative, or looking to make a greater difference through your work, her perspective offers practical guidance on leading with purpose.
If you're an entrepreneur, executive, nonprofit leader, or someone looking to build a business that creates lasting impact, this conversation offers valuable insights into combining strategy with service to achieve meaningful, long-term success.
Connect with Lucy Kovalova-Woods
🌐 WKG Strategy: https://wkgstrategy.com/
💙 WKG Foundation: https://wkgfoundation.com/

Former dentist Dr. Howard Polansky shares how a life-changing family crisis led him to rethink wealth, debt, and financial freedom.
Success on paper doesn't always mean fulfillment in life. After years as a successful dentist, Dr. Howard Polansky found himself burned out, overwhelmed, and questioning everything. Then a terrifying medical emergency involving his son changed the trajectory of his life forever.
In this episode, Levi sits down with Dr. Howard Polansky, founder of Financially Led and creator of the DIY Cash Flow Optimization System, to discuss why cash flow—not income—is the true key to financial freedom. Howard shares the personal story that inspired him to leave dentistry behind and build a business dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, and business owners take control of their finances.
What You'll Hear:
Howard opens up about serving as a Navy dentist, building a successful private practice, and eventually reaching a point of complete burnout. Everything changed when his 12-year-old son developed septic appendicitis and spent nearly a month in intensive care. That experience forced Howard to reevaluate what truly mattered and ultimately led him to sell his dental practice and pursue a completely new mission.
The conversation dives into Howard's Financial Liberation Protocol, a strategy focused on improving cash flow rather than simply increasing income. He explains why many high-income professionals still feel financially trapped despite earning substantial salaries and how restructuring debt can create greater flexibility without requiring drastic lifestyle changes.
Howard also discusses his philosophy of "making money move," sharing how he reduced his own house payment to almost nothing and now teaches others to use financial tools such as home equity lines of credit strategically. Throughout the episode, he emphasizes responsible financial stewardship, understanding cash flow, and making informed decisions rather than blindly following conventional financial advice.
Levi and Howard also explore common misconceptions about debt, the difference between good financial strategy and reckless borrowing, why many traditional personal finance approaches fail entrepreneurs, and how eliminating financial stress can create more freedom, opportunity, and time with family.
Whether you're a business owner, healthcare professional, investor, or someone looking to better understand how cash flow impacts long-term wealth, this episode offers a fresh perspective on using money intentionally to build financial security and reclaim your time.
Connect with Dr. Howard Polansky
🌐 Website: https://financiallyled.com/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howard-polansky-dmd-mba/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howiepolansky

PureLogix co-founder Muhammad Atif explains how AI can reduce administrative burdens while improving patient care.
Artificial intelligence is changing healthcare, but its greatest impact may not be replacing doctors. Instead, it's helping them spend less time on paperwork and more time caring for patients.
In this episode, Levi sits down with Muhammad Atif, CTO and President of PureLogix, to discuss how software development, AI, and automation are reshaping healthcare and other industries. From launching a global software company with just three co-founders to helping organizations implement secure AI solutions, Muhammad shares practical insights on innovation, compliance, and building technology that solves real-world problems.
What You'll Hear:
Muhammad shares how his passion for problem-solving led him from studying computer science to co-founding PureLogix in 2006. Starting with just three people, the company has grown into a global software development firm with more than 400 team members serving startups, growing businesses, and enterprise organizations around the world.
The conversation explores how PureLogix helps organizations develop custom software, AI-powered applications, and workflow automations. Muhammad explains why the company's mission has always been centered on solving meaningful business and human problems rather than simply building technology for technology's sake.
A major focus of the episode is healthcare technology. Muhammad discusses the industry's biggest challenges, including disconnected systems, manual processes, and administrative burdens that take time away from patient care. He shares how AI can automate repetitive tasks, improve interoperability between healthcare systems, and provide clinicians with better information to make faster, more informed decisions.
Muhammad also walks through several real-world examples of healthcare innovation, including applications for patient-provider communication, fertility tracking, diabetic care, remote monitoring, and AI-assisted diagnostics. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes that AI should support healthcare professionals rather than replace them, allowing providers to focus on delivering personalized care while technology handles repetitive administrative work.
For business leaders considering AI adoption, Muhammad explains why successful implementation begins with understanding business needs, establishing strong data governance, building security into every stage of development, and earning employee trust throughout the transition. Organizations that approach AI with a clear roadmap and quality data are far more likely to see meaningful results than those simply chasing the latest technology trends.
Whether you're a healthcare executive, technology leader, entrepreneur, or simply curious about where AI is headed, this episode offers practical insights into how innovation can improve productivity while keeping people at the center of every solution.
Connect with Muhammad Atif
🌐 Website: https://purelogics.com/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammadatif/

How one entrepreneur turned failure into a thriving real estate business by putting people before profits.
Success isn't always built on winning. Sometimes it's built on losing everything first.
In this episode, Levi sits down with Matt Miale, CEO of The Miale Team at Keller Williams, to discuss his journey from corporate advertising into real estate, the painful lessons of the 2008 financial crisis, and how serving people through difficult times became the foundation of a business that now spans four states. From leadership and team building to entrepreneurship and personal fulfillment, Matt shares the experiences that shaped his philosophy on business and life.
What You'll Hear:
Matt shares how his introduction to real estate came through the publishing industry before discovering the wealth-building potential of owning rental properties. He explains how he rapidly acquired 42 apartment units during the early 2000s, only to watch the financial crisis erase nearly everything he had built. Rather than letting failure define him, he rebuilt his career by helping homeowners navigate foreclosures, short sales, and some of the most difficult financial moments of their lives.
The conversation explores why solving problems for others ultimately became a far more successful business strategy than simply chasing money. Matt explains how focusing on service allowed him to accidentally build one of the Northeast's top-performing real estate organizations while creating meaningful relationships with clients and teammates.
Matt also dives into the realities of leadership, explaining why leadership is a responsibility rather than a reward. He discusses the challenges of growing from a top-producing agent into the leader of a large organization, why most of a leader's day is spent solving other people's problems, and how fulfillment comes from watching others succeed.
The episode also covers the philosophy behind The Production Playbook and Agent Production Academy, two systems Matt developed to help real estate professionals build sustainable businesses through accountability, production, and consistent habits rather than chasing the latest trends or shortcuts.
To close the conversation, Matt reflects on what turning 50 taught him about success, family, and fulfillment. Looking back, he says he wouldn't change his journey because wisdom only comes through experience, but he would remind his younger self to stay present, enjoy each season of life, and prioritize the people who matter most over the pursuit of money or achievement.
Whether you're building a real estate business, leading a growing team, or simply trying to turn setbacks into opportunities, this episode offers practical lessons on resilience, leadership, and creating a business that serves people first.
Connect with Matt Miale
🌐 Website: https://www.mattmiale.com/
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themialeteamkw
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattmiale/

How one business owner rebuilt a struggling company by developing leaders from within instead of selling out.
How can a business owner step away without selling the company, sacrificing its culture, or leaving loyal employees behind?
In this episode, Levi sits down with Rich Ashton, a longtime business owner who purchased a nearly bankrupt HVAC company in 1988 and rebuilt it into a successful residential and commercial operation. Rather than selling the business to private equity when it came time to step back, Rich focused on developing the employees already inside the company into leaders capable of running it without him.
What You'll Hear:
Rich shares how he entered the HVAC industry without a technical background and quickly found himself battling debt, an economic downturn, skeptical vendors, and employees who were hesitant to follow someone from outside the trade. What he expected to turn around in two years ultimately took five years of persistence, leadership, and learning how to communicate with an entirely different workforce.
The conversation explores how Tom's Mechanical developed a culture centered on employee empowerment and exceptional customer service. Rich explains why loyalty to his longtime employees made him unwilling to simply sell the company and walk away, leading him to create a leadership development program for blue-collar employees.
Rich also explains how to identify natural leaders inside an organization. They are not always the highest performers or the people with formal titles. Instead, they are often the individuals others naturally gather around, trust, and seek out for advice. By involving those informal leaders in decisions, business owners can gain valuable insight and stronger support when introducing change.
For entrepreneurs, Rich emphasizes the importance of focus, persistence, and being selective about the advice they follow. He shares why outside opinions can pull business owners away from the opportunity that best matches their passion and strengths, and why failure should be viewed as a temporary stop rather than the end of the journey.
Now retired from daily operations, Rich reflects on watching five employees from the original leadership program successfully run the company. He also shares how the lessons from that experience became the foundation for his book, Growing Your Own, and his current work speaking and training others on employee development and leadership.
This episode offers a practical look at rebuilding a struggling company, developing leaders from within, and creating a business that can continue succeeding long after the owner steps away.
Connect with Rich Ashton:
🌐 Website: https://growingyourown.net/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-ashton-397a2b10/
📖 Learn more about Rich's book, Growing Your Own, on his website or through Amazon.

How do you know if you're investing with the right real estate operator?
In this episode, Levi sits down with Pat Zingarella, founder of Invest Clearly, to discuss one of the biggest challenges passive investors face: evaluating the people behind the deals. After transitioning from corporate America into real estate investing, Pat built Invest Clearly to bring greater transparency to private real estate investing by helping investors research operators, compare opportunities, and learn from verified investor experiences.
What You'll Hear:
Pat shares his journey from working in corporate sales to buying his first fourplex just before COVID, navigating tenants who stopped paying rent, unexpected property expenses, and eventually discovering major fraud while working for a commercial real estate investor. Those experiences shaped his belief that investors need better tools to evaluate sponsors before investing.
The conversation explores why due diligence shouldn't stop with underwriting a property. Pat explains why investors should spend just as much time evaluating the operator as they do analyzing the deal itself, and why reputation, communication, and transparency are becoming the biggest differentiators in today's market.
Pat also breaks down how Invest Clearly works, describing it as a "Yelp for private real estate." The platform allows investors to compare real estate investment firms, browse investment opportunities, and read verified reviews from other passive investors to better understand what it's like working with different sponsors.
Levi and Pat discuss the current capital raising environment, why many sponsors are finding it harder to attract investors despite strong lead flow, and how today's market is rewarding operators who communicate honestly through difficult times rather than those with the biggest marketing budgets.
The episode concludes with practical advice for new passive investors, including why you should never invest in something you don't fully understand, how to ask better questions during due diligence, and why seeking independent perspectives outside of the sponsor's sales process can dramatically improve investment decisions.

What would you do if the company you trusted for your financial security suddenly disappeared?
In this episode, Levi sits down with John Casmon, marketing partner at Casmon Capital Group, multifamily investor, podcast host, and coach who has helped acquire more than $150 million in apartment investments while teaching busy professionals how to build wealth through real estate.
What You'll Hear:
John shares the pivotal moments that changed his life forever, including working through not one, but two corporate bankruptcies. After watching stable employers collapse around him, he realized that a paycheck alone wasn't enough to create true financial security.
One conversation with a coworker completely shifted his perspective. While everyone else was stressed about layoffs and uncertainty, this colleague remained calm because he had built investment income outside of his job. That lesson became the catalyst for John's journey into real estate investing.
The conversation dives into John's early real estate investments, the mistakes and lessons learned along the way, and how he eventually scaled into larger multifamily deals by leveraging partnerships and other people's money.
John also explains why today's investors need to focus on fundamentals instead of chasing trends. He discusses the importance of cash flow, risk management, market selection, and why many investors got caught up in unrealistic expectations during the recent real estate boom.
One of the most powerful takeaways is John's perspective on investing as a long-term game. Using sports analogies and real-world examples, he explains why setbacks shouldn't cause investors to quit, but rather adjust their strategy while keeping sight of their ultimate financial goals.
Whether you're just starting to think beyond your 401(k), actively investing in real estate, or looking for practical wisdom on building long-term wealth, this episode offers valuable insights on financial independence, risk, and creating your own "life jacket" before you need it.

What separates great leaders from average ones? And how do the best companies consistently find executives who drive growth, culture, and long-term success?
In this episode, Levi sits down with Kip Knippel, President and CEO of Kip Search, one of the nation's premier executive search firms specializing in C-suite and senior leadership recruiting. Through his work with private equity firms, venture capital groups, family offices, and growth-focused companies, Kip helps organizations identify transformational leaders who create enterprise value and scale businesses successfully.
What You'll Hear:
Kip shares his unique journey from practicing corporate law and commercial real estate to building a nationally recognized executive search firm. He explains how his passion for connecting people ultimately became the foundation for a business centered on helping organizations find exceptional leadership talent.
The conversation dives deep into what companies should look for when hiring executives, why cultural alignment often matters more than technical qualifications, and how top-performing leaders are motivated by meaningful challenges rather than compensation alone.
Kip also breaks down the critical roles growing companies need to hire first, including why many founder-led businesses reach a point where they need an operational leader or CFO to help scale systems, processes, and execution. He shares practical insights from working with startups, private equity-backed companies, and Fortune 10 organizations alike.
For professionals aspiring to leadership positions, Kip offers actionable career advice, including why proximity to great leaders matters, how to intentionally build your career path, and the importance of doing the job you want before you're officially promoted into it.
The discussion also explores how AI is impacting recruiting, why executive hiring remains a deeply human process, and how leadership recruitment has evolved in a post-COVID world where top talent is more open than ever to exploring new opportunities.
Whether you're a founder preparing to build your leadership team, an executive looking for your next opportunity, or an ambitious professional aiming for the C-suite, this episode delivers valuable insights into leadership, growth, and the mindset required to reach the highest levels of business.