Voice of Growth - Mastering the Mind and Market

What do you do when the dream you built your identity around disappears?   In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast, Manny Teran sits down with Sarah Chisholm, founder of Wild Rye Baking Co., to explore reinvention, resilience, creativity, and the courage required to build something meaningful.   From a devastating ballet injury to scaling a nationally distributed food brand carrie...

What if everything you do online… is powered by something you don’t even see?   In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast, Manny Teran sits down with Calline Sanchez of IBM to break down the real story behind artificial intelligence, data, and the infrastructure that powers the modern world.  F rom self-healing systems and cybersecurity to the future of work and human purpose, this...

Why do most brands fail—even when the product is great?  In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast, Manny Teran sits down with Christina Mahar, founder of Craft Beauty Lab, to break down the real mechanics of building and scaling a business in one of the most competitive industries in the world.  From manufacturing and distribution to the hidden costs of growth and the realities of...

Why do some people grow… and others stay stuck?  In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast, Manny Teran breaks down a powerful analogy: the tree.  Just like a tree must grow deep roots before it can reach upward, we must develop ourselves internally before expecting external success.  This episode explores identity, vision, emotional strength, and the hidden work that drives re...

What does it really take to build wealth—and what happens after you do?   In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast, Manny Teran sits down with Humberto Lopez, one of the most successful real estate investors in the Southwest, to unpack a journey that started with just $1,000—and turned into a multi-million-dollar empire.   From early adversity and relentless ambition to building on...

What if the biggest thing holding you back… is the truth you’re avoiding?   In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast, Manny Teran breaks down the concept of truth—not as an abstract idea, but as a practical tool for growth in business and life.   Drawing from Stoic philosophy and real-world experience, this episode explores the difference between external truth (what’s happening in...

What happens when truth becomes hard to find?   In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast, Manny Teran sits down with longtime news anchor Dan Marries to explore the evolution of media—from typewriters and small-market journalism to today’s AI-driven, hyper-connected world.   They discuss the growing challenge of misinformation, the role of traditional journalism in a digital age, a...

Sales is often called the lifeblood of business—but that definition doesn’t go far enough.   In this episode of the Voice of Growth: Mastering the Mind and Market , Manny Teran breaks down the true structure of sales using a powerful business anatomy analogy—where leadership is the brain, value is the heart, operations are the nervous system, and sales is the lifeblood that keeps everything a...

What's the secret to build a great company?   In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast, Manny Teran sits down with Sarah Wyant, finance executive and former leader at Carvana and Nxu, to break down the real role of finance in high-growth companies.   From scaling Carvana during its explosive growth phase to navigating the realities of AI, workforce dynamics, and leadership, Sarah s...

Technology is advancing faster than ever—but are we leaving people behind?   In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast, Manny Teran sits down with Anne Dougherty, founder of ILLUME and expert in the human dimensions of energy and innovation.   From building a niche consulting firm from 2 to 50 people and successfully exiting, to tackling the intersection of AI, energy, and human beh...

AI is transforming everything—but it’s not your edge anymore.  In this episode, Manny Teran breaks down what truly separates those who win in the age of AI from those who get left behind. The answer isn’t more tools, more automation, or more speed—it’s alignment.  Through a powerful framework of 10 human qualities, this episode explores how integrity, discipline, courage, and presence cr...

Arizona is no longer a hidden tech hub—it’s becoming a global force in semiconductors, AI, energy, and space.   In this episode of the Voice of Growth Podcast , Manny Teran sits down with Steve Zylstra, CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, to break down what’s really driving Arizona’s rise—and what could stop it.  From the arrival of TSMC and the expansion of companies like Intel and N...

In this episode of Voice of Growth, Manny Teran explores the powerful Stoic concept of Amor Fati — love your fate.   Rather than resisting adversity or wishing life had unfolded differently, the Stoics believed that every event — success, failure, hardship, or loss — is part of the path that shapes who we become.   Through personal stories of business challenges, personal loss, and life’...

Most entrepreneurs spend years talking about starting a business.   Carley didn’t.   She saved her money from waitressing and babysitting, sourced manufacturers herself, organized her first photoshoot in her sorority house, and launched a swimwear brand before most people her age were even thinking about business.   Today her brand, BootinBikinis , is growing rapidly — and her story...

In this episode of Voice of Growth, Manny Teran explores the Goal Declaration Effect — a psychological phenomenon where publicly announcing goals can actually reduce the motivation needed to accomplish them.   Drawing from personal experience, Stoic philosophy, and insights from Atomic Habits, this episode explains why lasting success comes not from goals alone, but from systems, habits, and...

Success rarely begins with a perfect plan.   When Terry Lundgren was a student at the University of Arizona, becoming the CEO of a Fortune 500 company was the farthest thing from his mind. But one pivotal moment — a tough phone call from his father — forced him to take responsibility for his future.  That moment changed everything.  From working full time while finishing school to r...

Connecting the Dots Backwards | The Butterfly Effect of Success   Why do our lives only make sense looking backward?   In this episode of Voice of Growth , Manny Teran explores one of the most misunderstood realities of success, entrepreneurship, and life itself:    You cannot connect the dots forward.  You can only connect them backward.   We are taught to plan our f...

What happens when a Fortune 500 digital marketing leader decides to leave the corporate track and build something deeply personal?   In this episode of The Voice of Growth , Manny Teran sits down with Jess Jensen, founder of Copilot Communications and former marketing leader at companies like Microsoft, Adidas, Nestlé, and Qualcomm.  Jess shares how working closely with C-suite executive...

For 101 years, the Tucson Rodeo has endured wars, recessions, cultural shifts, and technological revolutions — and every February, it rides again. In this episode of The Voice of Growth, Manny Teran breaks down what this century-old tradition can teach us about business, Stoicism, and life.  From the chaos of the arena to the discipline of preparation, from falling off the bull to getting bac...

Devin Butler’s entrepreneurial journey began with failure—dropshipping experiments, unsuccessful businesses, and uncertainty about his path. But those early setbacks planted the seeds for something much larger.   After moving from Michigan to Arizona, Devin recognized a gap in the entrepreneurial ecosystem: there was no centralized, high-quality community for founders to build meaningful rela...

Over the past 36 months, we’ve witnessed the quiet emergence of something profound: the rise of the AI-augmented leader.  What began as simple tools like ChatGPT and Claude is rapidly evolving into a digital workforce—AI agents capable of executing tasks, supporting decisions, and fundamentally reshaping how organizations operate.    This episode explores the leadership, identity, a...

Forgiveness is often misunderstood as weakness. The Stoics saw it differently.  In this episode, Manny unpacks the Stoic framework for forgiveness — grounded not in sentiment, but in reason.  Marcus Aurelius reminds us that people act from mistaken judgments. Seneca calls anger “a brief madness.” Epictetus teaches that we control our response, not the offense.   This episode explore...

In this episode of Voice of Growth, Manny sits down with Bob Griffin — entrepreneur, investor, technologist, and Executive Director of the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Arizona. Bob reflects on a career that includes founding and selling multiple companies, navigating the corporate worlds of IBM and Digital, and writing prescient analysis on the AI arms race years before...

In this episode of Voice of Growth, Manny Teran challenges the modern myth of immediacy and reframes leadership through a more enduring lens: business as agriculture.   Some seeds grow in months. Others take years. Some cycles reward action. Others reward restraint.  Drawing from Stoic philosophy, real operating experience, and hard-earned lessons from building companies through downturn...

Mark Beres is the definition of a renaissance entrepreneur. With a background spanning military aviation, engineering, wine production, distilling, and restaurant ownership, he brings a rare perspective on what it actually takes to build a durable business.   In this episode, Mark dismantles the romantic myths around entrepreneurship — especially in the wine industry — and replaces them with...