Growing with Purpose

From Corporate to Founder. Navigating Growth. Building with Intention. In this episode of Growing With Purpose, Jean Moncrieff speaks with Nenuca Syquia, Founder and CEO of Better Organizations by Design (BOxD), about building a business that grows without losing sight of what matters most. Nenuca shares her journey from corporate leadership to launching BOxD just before the pandemic, stepping int...

From Side Hustle to Purpose-Driven Growth. Staying True to What Matters. Building with Intention. In this episode of Growing With Purpose, Jean Moncrieff speaks with Adria Marshall, Founder of EcoSlay, about building a business rooted in values, sustainability, and community. Adria shares her journey from engineer to accidental entrepreneur, creating her own haircare products in her kitchen after...

Profit. Purpose. Financial Clarity. In this episode of Growing With Purpose, Jean Moncrieff sits down with Brandon Neely, real estate investor, entrepreneur, Co-Founder and CEO of Wealth Wisdom Financial and founder of Counterflow, for an honest conversation about money, systems, and what it really takes to build a business that lasts. Brandon shares the story of launching a purpose-driven coffee...

High Performance. High Well-Being. Redefining Success. In this episode of Growing With Purpose, Jean Moncrieff speaks with Ashish Kothari, Founder and CEO of Happiness Squad, about success, well-being, and what it truly means to live and lead a meaningful life. Ashish reflects on his journey from a high-pressure career at McKinsey to a deeper exploration of happiness, purpose, and human connection...

Leading with Purpose. Building a Values-Driven Business. In this episode of Growing With Purpose, Jean Moncrieff speaks with John Costello, owner of Cherry’s Industrial Equipment Corp, about his leadership journey and the evolution of building a values-driven company. John reflects on aligning personal and company values, navigating the emotional challenges of ownership, and learning how to let go...

In this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Jean Moncrieff sits down with Megan Gluth, CEO of Catalynt, for an honest conversation about resilience, self-awareness and leading with steadiness in uncertain times. Megan shares her journey from an “accidental entrepreneur” to the leader of a merged, $100M business. She reflects on how growing up with limited resources shaped her resourc...

This is a very special episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast. For the first time, longtime host Paul Spiegelman takes the guest seat as he officially passes the torch to new host, Jean Moncrieff. Paul reflects on his transition from leading the Small Giants Community to launching Kintsugi Village, a nonprofit in Detroit dedicated to community, relationships, and innovative education. He and...

This is a very special episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast. Not only are there two beloved return guests, but it’s also Paul’s last episode as host. As he transitions away from his role as the owner of the Small Giants Community to pursue his newest endeavor, Kintsugi Village , Paul is switching off the microphone. Talk about bittersweet! But before he does that, he has one last meaningful...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Zach Mercurio, a researcher, author, and leadership development facilitator specializing in purposeful leadership, mattering, meaningful work, and positive organizational psychology. His latest book, The Power of Mattering , is available now.  Zach is an expert in the importance and implementation of mattering in...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Greg Toback, Founder and CEO of Resolute Dental Partners .  As a periodontist and member of the healthcare community, Greg has seen various areas of the industry become consolidated over the years. In 2018, he decided to do his part in keeping practices doctor-owned. When two fellow dentists in his community felt...

On this very special episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, I sit down with Hamsa Yaqo, formerly the Executive Director of the Small Giants Community, and now a board member. Hamsa is also the Co-Founder of Kintsugi Village , a non-profit hub in Detroit that will provide a childhood education center, artist incubator, culinary kitchen, and more to the local community.  Many of you likely kno...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Kevin Schnieders, Chief Servant Leader and CEO at Educational Data Systems, Inc. (EDSI).  From sports broadcaster to English teacher to owner of the family business, Kevin has tried on several seemingly different careers, but he’s always had a throughline: a passion for connecting with people. When he stumbled in...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Amy Courter , the Principle of Azimuth Centers of Excellence and a Certified EOS Implementer. Amy grew up outside of Flint, MI with humble beginnings and parents who lived out their heart-first, community values. She adopted those same values and wanted to find ways to be a part of and give back to her communi...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Kyle David, CEO of The Kyle David Group . He is also a graduate of the Small Giants Leadership Academy Class of 2021. Kyle got his professional career started earlier than most. Due to childhood autoimmune issues, he couldn’t participate in a lot of physical activities, and instead turned to reading – mostly b...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Bill Roark, co-founder of Torch Technologies, Inc. , as well as the founder of Starfish Holdings, Inc. and Freedom Real Estate & Capital, LLC. He is also the author of Built with Purpose .    Bill grew up in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky, in a small community where people looked out for one anothe...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Danielle Krischik, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer of Knight Agency .  It’s no wonder that Danielle has a passion and a talent for storytelling, because her life has all of the trappings of a good story: joy and heartbreak, struggle and triumph. Danielle grew up in a house alive with love, family, and even...

On this live recorded episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with David Friedfeld, president of ClearVision Optical , one of the largest family-owned eye distributors in North America.    The Clear Vision story starts with David’s father, a Navy veteran who was looking for his next chapter in life, and found it in a six-week optometry program. After becoming licen...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Matt Hoying, President of Choice One Engineering .    Matt grew up on a farm in Ohio with a loving and supportive family. And while both his parents held jobs in addition to running the farm, Matt’s mom always found the time to go out to the edge of their rural property with him and look up at the stars. This rit...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Mikel Berger, a self-proclaimed uncertified entrepreneur and Chief of Staff of Little Engine Ventures .   Mikel grew up on a farm in northern Indiana, and while his upbringing taught him to love building things and problem solving, he also wanted to distance himself from that lifestyle. He saw his father, a farme...

On this very special episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with the inaugural inductees of the Small Giants Hall of Fame : Sabrina White and Tom Walter!    Alongside celebrating 15 years of the Small Giants Community, we’re happy to share the creation of the Small Giants Hall of Fame. What will be an annual award moving forward has now seen its first batch of nom...

It’s hard to believe that it has been 15 years since Bo and Paul started the Small Giants Community! Like many of us, Paul was inspired by Bo’s book and that started a series of conversations, leading to them bringing purpose-driven leaders together as a Community. Years later, the principles Bo wrote about in his book are stronger than ever, and we’ve seen the focus on culture and values become c...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Dawn Abbott. Dawn is an author , EOS implementer, and owner of three businesses: Fun Productions , Connections Team Building , and Abbott Coaching .    Early on in their marriage, Dawn and her husband, Tim, knew that they weren’t going to be able to get where they wanted to go in life by working for others. So, t...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Ron Alvesteffer, President and CEO of Service Express , a data center solutions provider. While they started as a small IT company in Grand Rapids, MI, Ron has led Service Express to become an international team of over 1,000 employees, all while sustaining a unique performance-driven and care-focused culture.   ...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Chelle Neff, CEO and founder of Urban Betty , an award-winning salon and spa with three locations in the Austin, TX area.   Chelle grew up without a lot of opportunity; her parents had her when they were very young, and didn’t have a lot to support her financially. But one opportunity Chelle did have, and took on...

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Britt Wiedemann, president and owner of IWI Ventures, a company that runs various organizations in the hospitality industry. Britt is also a mentor in the Small Giants Sounding Board program .    Britt grew up in an entrepreneurial family and was raised on a horse and tobacco farm. Early on, he began adding more...