Grit Mindset with Matt Rosen

Kim Elenez, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish North Texas, shares the powerful impact of granting wishes to children facing critical illnesses. From her diverse career path to leading a large nonprofit chapter, Kim reveals how grit, purpose, and deep empathy drive her work and inspire her team. She also offers honest insights into overcoming self-doubt and the challenges of maintaining hope amid ha...

Grit Mindset with Matt Rosen (Highlights 2025) brings together entrepreneurs, leaders, and builders for an honest conversation about grit, hard work, and the realities of personal and professional growth. Across the episode, one message is clear: hard work never gets easier, but you get better at doing hard things. Grit isn’t something you’re born with; it’s learned through experience, discipline,...

NFL legend. Five-time Super Bowl champion. Unfiltered truth. In this powerful episode of The Grit Mindset with Matt Rosen, Charles Haley opens up like never before, sharing the raw story behind his greatness. From growing up struggling in school and battling undiagnosed bipolar disorder to playing through pain, winning five Super Bowls, and losing his identity after football, Haley’s journey is a...

In this episode of The Grit Mindset , host Matt Rosen sits down with his friend, neighbor, and respected healthcare leader Becky Tucker , SVP of Channel Integration at Texas Health Resources , one of the largest faith-based nonprofit healthcare systems in North Texas. Becky oversees thousands of employees —yet her road to leadership began far from the boardroom. From her early years as a competiti...

In this powerful episode of The Grit Mindset , Matt Rosen sits down with longtime friend, mentor, and client Richard Maranville, now CTO of Pinnacle Live, an innovative event-technology company operating in 150+ hotel properties nationwide. Richard’s story is a masterclass in grit, adaptability, and leadership. From a humble upbringing with a single mother in Southern California to discovering cod...

Thanksgiving Special: The Untold Origin Story of Allata In this special Thanksgiving episode, Host Matt Rosen sits down for a rare solo conversation to share the full origin story of Allata — the pivotal moments, the early supporters, the tough lessons, and the grit it took to build a company from his garage into a national consulting firm. Matt opens up about the mentors who shaped him, the seaso...

In this inspiring episode of The Grit Mindset, host Matt Rosen sits down with Christine Rogers, co-founder of Spark Farm, a marketing and PR agency built on flexibility, integrity, and a bold mission: reinventing the workplace—especially for working moms. Christine shares the deeply personal and professional journey that led her from male-dominated big-agency environments to launching Spark Farm i...

In this episode of The Grit Mindset, Host Matt Rosen sits down with longtime friend and Cloud Communications Group partner, Chris Moffett, for a candid conversation on entrepreneurship, innovation, resilience, and navigating the ever-changing world of technology. Chris shares his unconventional entry into the tech world — from carrying luggage at a Houston hotel to installing one of the building’s...

In this inspiring episode of The Grit Mindset, host Matt Rosen sits down with Mandy Austin, President of Corporate Banking at Vista Bank, to explore how purpose, perseverance, and service define true grit. Mandy shares her journey from growing up in North Texas to building a 20-year career in banking, culminating in her leadership role. She reflects on the influence of her father’s small business...

Host Matt Rosen sits down with longtime neighbor and friend Kyle Wick, co-founder of 22 One Advisors, to unpack the grit behind building a purpose-driven wealth advisory from the ground up. Kyle traces his path from small-town Iowa to Dallas—hauling boxes at UPS, managing third-shift sanitation crews in meat-packing plants, repo’ing cars for a farm bank—before betting on himself in a commission-on...

In this episode of The Grit Mindset, host Matt Rosen sits down with Scott Wood, CEO and Co-Founder of True North Advisors. Scott opens up about his early career — from dreaming of New York finance to launching his own firm that felt straight out of Wall Street. He shares how his family’s entrepreneurial roots shaped his work ethic and perspective, from his grandfather’s lighting company to his fat...

In this inspiring conversation, Matt Rosen sits down with Eric Benanti, a marketing major turned creative entrepreneur, who shares his journey of joining and eventually leading his family’s renowned creative agency, Tractorbeam. Eric reflects on the early days — when a set of business cards gifted at Christmas didn’t feel like much of a “gift,” but rather the beginning of a lifelong calling. Over...

In this inspiring episode of The Grit Mindset, host Matt Rosen sits down with Joan Kuehl, a trailblazing former CIO whose career has spanned technology, leadership, and mentorship. From growing up in a working-class family to leading global IT projects for major corporations like Sabre, Bank of America, and Travelers Insurance, Joan’s story is a powerful lesson in perseverance, adaptability, and c...

In this episode of The Grit Mindset, host Matt Rosen sits down with entrepreneur and investor Ray Larson. Ray shares how he built his career from launching a print management company to running a family office today. He opens up about the challenges he faced early on, the tough pivot from print to search, and the realization that he needed to reinvent his IT shop to keep moving forward. Along the...

From boy scout to Green Beret, Daniel Elkins has dedicated his life to service. As the Founder and President of the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA), Daniel created the organization to fill a critical gap—advocating for Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their families in the halls of power on Capitol Hill. In this conversation with host Matt Rosen, Daniel opens up about: -The uni...

What does it take to step into the CEO seat—and stay there? In Episode 29, host Matt Rosen sits down with Mark Sinatra to unpack the grit behind leadership. Mark reflects on when he first knew he wanted to be a CEO, the types of businesses he gravitated toward, and the hard truth that finding people who share your vision is rare. His advice? When you find those people—keep them. Matt pushes the co...

In this inspiring episode, Matt Rosen sits down with Sunny Vanderbeck , entrepreneur, investor, Army veteran, and author of Selling Without Selling Out . Sunny takes us on a journey of resilience, grit, and the lessons learned from building and rebuilding companies. From starting college at 16, earning an engineering degree, serving in the U.S. Army, and launching his first company in his 20s—Sunn...

In this episode of The Grit Mindset , host Matt Rosen sits down with longtime friend and former co worker Vimal Vachani , founder of Crex Software —a SaaS company revolutionizing real estate technology. From his early passion for data and analytics to building software that now serves the entire real estate vertical, Vimal shares how Crex empowers property managers whether they oversee 10 building...

🚀 On this episode of The Grit Mindset, Matt Rosen sits down with entrepreneur Chaitan Fahnestock, founder of Sportsmo, the “gamified giving” app changing how fans support their teams. From growing up in Wichita and working in the family heating & air business to building a his own companies, Chaitan shares his biggest lessons, setbacks, and what grit really means to him. 💪 Discover how patie...

In this episode of The Grit Mindset, Matt Rosen welcomes Eli Goldaris, Managing Director at Isagani Yorke Capital Partners. With years of experience guiding businesses through complex deals, Eli has built a reputation for helping owners position their companies for growth and long-term success as a seasoned entrepreneur. Eli shares why so many businesses and M&A deals fall apart, what strategi...

In this episode of The Grit Mindset, Matt Rosen takes us back to 2002, when the tech bubble burst and he traded IT sales for bar ownership in Dallas’ Lower Greenville. He shares the wild ride of opening Dirty Daves—from build-out headaches, parking problems, and too many free drinks… to debt before opening day, missing daiquiri machines, and hiring the DJ as manager. Matt gets real about the mista...

In this episode of The Grit Mindset , the roles are reversed—Matt Rosen welcomes Ollie Chandhok , President and Publisher of the Dallas Business Journal , to the hot seat. After being featured himself in DBJ, Matt now gets to interview the man behind the headlines. Ollie shares his unique journey from selling nuts and bolts in warehouses to leading one of the most respected business publications i...

What happens when a 5-year-old boy believes moms are supposed to go find dads? That’s how Larry Hagner began his journey—a journey marked by absence, abuse, discovery, and ultimately, purpose. In this powerful episode of The Grit Mindset with Matt Rosen, Larry opens up about his early childhood—growing up without a father, surviving a toxic step-parent relationship, and the life-changing moment wh...

In this episode of Grit Mindset with Matt Rosen, host Matt Rosen takes the mic solo to share his own journey of resilience, entrepreneurship, and personal growth for the very first time on the show. Tune in for candid advice and real-world strategies to help you harness your own grit and pursue your goals with confidence.

What does it take to rise from the chaos of a war-torn childhood to leading a successful furniture company? Join Matt Rosen as he sits down with Veronica Schnitzius, President of American Leather, who shares her incredible journey from Medellín, Colombia, to the heart of Dallas. Discover how grit, resilience, and the power of community shaped her path to success. Tune in for actionable insights th...