What if the very expertise that built your business is the exact same thing making it harder to communicate it clearly?

Many founders believe that if we just keep pushing - working harder, achieving more, scaling faster - eventually we’ll outrun the internal doubts, insecurities, and unresolved stories that follow us.

But what if the opposite is true?

In this episode of BUILDERS, I am so excited to sit down with Kyle Gray; founder, author, story strategist, and host of The Story Engine Podcast. Kyle works with high-performing founders, coaches, and experts who have already built meaningful businesses… but struggle to communicate their expertise in a way that truly lands.

Not because they lack knowledge. But because they’re too close to it.

When we get really good at something, we often make it harder to explain. We overcomplicate it. We wander. We try to prove our expertise instead of communicating it, and the stories that elaborate it, clearly.

Here’s what we unpack in this episode:

00:00 – 08:46 | How Your Expertise is Ruining Your Influence

We dive right into why presence matters just as much as polish when you're growing a business and showing up as a leader. Kyle explains why high-performing founders struggle to communicate. Turns out, your brilliance actually makes it harder to simplify your message! We talk about why trying to "outwork" a communication problem usually just results in stepping on your team's toes and getting C-minus results.

08:47 – 24:13 | From Chronic Illness to Superpower

Kyle shares the deeply personal story of his battle with an autoimmune condition, and how a coach told him his illness was actually his superpower. It’s a literal goosebumps moment about how the parts of ourselves we think are "trash" are often exactly what sets us apart and allows us to connect with the people who need our help the most.

24:14 – 34:07 | The Life Cycle of Stories: Too Soon vs. Too Late

We unpack why audiences crave presence over perfection. Plus, Kyle breaks down his "Life Cycle of Stories" framework. We talk about the danger of telling a story that's "too soon" versus "too late", and the fine line of emotional resonance and control required to make it land intentionally with your audience.

34:08 – 47:44 | The Big Lie We Believe About Success

We completely nerd out on a scale metaphor for success. So many of us think we can just add more money and achievement to one side of the scale to avoid dealing with our shame or grief. Kyle explains why expanding our capacity for pain and vulnerability is what actually brings true abundance, and why you simply cannot out-succeed your problems.

47:45 – 54:35 | The Authority Story Framework

Want to know exactly how to structure the first 3 to 5 minutes of your signature talk to make people tune in to listen? Kyle gives us a masterclass on his 3-act play.

54:36 – End | Storytelling as a Mirror & Martial Art

We talk about the massive knock-on effects of finding your story. Kyle shares an incredible example of a that completely redesigned his life to come into alignment. And forget memorizing the perfect script. Kyle explains why great speaking is a flexible martial art, allowing you to adapt your story's framework to whoever is standing in front of you, whether they are clinicians, biohackers, or CrossFit gym owners.

This episode is for the builder who:

• Knows their expertise is strong - but struggles to communicate it clearly when it matters most.

• Has built success through intelligence and effort - but senses the next level requires presence, clarity, and deeper self-awareness.

• Is building something meaningful and wants to communicate that vision in a way that truly resonates.

Because the ability to tell your story well isn’t just a speaking skill.

It’s a leadership skill.

Connect with Kyle:

https://www.instagram.com/heykylegray/

https://www.youtube.com/@heykylegray

Builders, let’s talk about power. 🎧

Not the performative kind. Not the “manifest harder” kind. The structural kind.

In this Season 3 episode of BUILDERS, I sit down with Eleanor Beaton - founder of Safi Media and host of the Woman Owned Podcast - to unpack one of the most quietly dangerous scaling traps in entrepreneurship: When women don’t have structure… they become the structure.

This conversation is about infrastructure, operating systems, money, power, and why mindset is rarely the real bottleneck.

We go deep on what actually allows a business to move beyond self-employment and into something scalable, sustainable, calm, and valuable.

No hype or hearsay. Tried and tested truths from her own experience and helping hundreds of women-owned businesses scale.

In this episode, we explore:

00:00 – 12:00 | Structure Creates Freedom

Eleanor shares Safi Media’s mission to double the number of women-led companies scaling past $1M by 2030. We unpack her core belief: structure creates freedom. When infrastructure is missing, founders overfunction. And over time? They burn out. They resent the business. Or they pivot prematurely because boredom feels like misalignment.

12:00 – 18:00 | Coaching vs. Operating Systems

We draw a clear line between coaching as a tool and over-coaching as a crutch. Eleanor breaks down why inquiry and raising standards matter- but why most advisory for women over-indexes on confidence and under-indexes on systems. We talk about the “barbie-fication” of entrepreneurship and how focusing on the person over the process quietly stalls scale. Mindset isn’t irrelevant. It’s just rarely the root constraint.

18:00 – 25:30 | Boring Businesses, Real Wealth

Predictability beats excitement. Every time. We unpack what actually creates enterprise value and why topline growth without replicability isn’t an asset- it’s exhaustion with better branding. As Eleanor says, “You know what lights me up? A fuck ton of money in the bank.” Not for ego. For stability. For leverage. For protecting your team.

25:30 – 35:00 | The Visionary Myth & The Operator Reality

Is it beneath a visionary to care about operations? We challenge the false binary of visionary vs. integrator - especially in bootstrapped companies. Most founders must build the first draft of their operating spine. Hiring someone to fix undefined chaos isn’t delegation. It’s avoidance. If you eat what you kill, you don’t get to skip this stage.

35:00 – 41:30 | Money, Power & Structural Access

Eleanor shares a powerful story about starting her first business alongside a male peer. Same starting point. Different guidance. Different outcomes. She was directed toward self-improvement. He was introduced to capital, acquisitions, and operators. This is the structural reality behind why many women-led businesses plateau. It’s not a lack of ambition. It’s a difference in access, introductions, and infrastructure.

41:30 – 55:00 | Health, Wealth & Standards

We close with a conversation about health, burnout, and scaling without sacrificing your nervous system. Eleanor shares how a fast-scaling company tripled revenue and burned out nearly the entire team in the process. Growth without standards is reckless. She shares what real boundaries look like inside Safi Media, the non-negotiables that keep her team focussed and functional.

Scaling isn’t just about velocity. It’s about the standards you refuse to violate in pursuit of it.

This episode is for the founder who is tired of being the all-in-one operating system.

The one who knows they're capable of more - but knows they need to calm the chaos to scale.

Because Wealthy Leadership isn’t endless hustle.

• It’s infrastructure.
• It’s power-aware design.
• And it’s building a company that doesn’t demand your entire existence to survive.

Connect wirh Eleanor:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanorbeaton/

https://safimedia.co/

What do NFL quarterbacks, startup founders, and WNBA expansion teams have in common?

Pressure. Decision making. And the ability to regulate themselves when it matters most.

In this episode of Builders Season 3, I sit down with Alex Auerbach, performance psychologist to the Jacksonville Jaguars, advisor to the Toronto Tempo (WNBA expansion team), executive coach to founders and VCs, and builder of multiple ventures inside and outside of professional sport.

This conversation is about elite performance. Not the Instagram version. The real version.

We unpack high agency, hiring without bias, reframing stress, rest as a strategic weapon, and what it actually means to build a meaningful and maximized life.

In this episode, we explore:

✅ 00:00 – 07:00 Introductions & Finding Your Edge

The episode kicks off with the straight up facts on why job simulations beat a “good handshake,” before we dive into Alex’s background. We discuss his journey from clinical psychology to peak performance work in professional sport, and how he used experimentation and elimination of distractions to build his own ventures.

✅ 07:00 – 10:30 Athletes vs. Entrepreneurs: What’s Actually Different?

Alex breaks down the real similarities between elite athletes and elite leaders - and where the comparison falls apart.

✅ 10:30 – 15:30 High Agency, Self-Regulation & Ownership

We go deeper into internal locus of control- or what we call high agency. Alex explains why elite performers pair extreme ownership with self-regulation, and how the ability to control your thinking, physiology, and emotional response directly impacts team performance.

✅ 15:30 – 29:30 Stagnation vs. Plateaus & The Excitement vs. Stress Reframe

This section is deeply tactical. We unpack threat vs. challenge framing, the “stress is enhancing” mindset, and four ways to reinterpret pressure so it becomes fuel instead of friction.

✅ 29:30 – 37:00 The Pursuit of Excellence & Predicting Success

Alex discusses his personal drive to push human limits and how he transitioned from evaluating 300+ NFL/NBA draft prospects to bringing that same psychological rigour into the corporate world to solve the "fit" issue in executive hiring.

✅ 37:00 – 46:00 Designing Your Leadership Style

From observing polarizing figures like Nick Saban to defining what it means to be a servant leader, we talk about the power of intentional leadership design.

✅ 46:00 – 57:00 Meaningful & Maximized: Redefining Success

We pivot into how he defines success today - meaningful and maximal. We unpack core values, seasons of intensity, and why “having it all” is absolutely possible, but not in equal increments or equal velocity.

✅ 57:00 – 1:01:20 Building a Startup Inside Pro Sports

Alex shares what it’s like advising the WNBA expansion team, the Toronto Tempo. We talk about velocity, visibility, real estate, and what founders can learn from organizations that must launch an MVP that is immediately ready to compete for a championship.

✅ 1:01:20 – 1:09:20 The Tactical Playbook: Hiring Without Bias

This is a must-listen for anyone building a team. Alex breaks down exactly how to use structured interviews, job simulations, and hiring committees to dramatically increase your success rate.

✅ 1:09:20 – 1:21:20 Rest, Burnout & Sustained Elite Performance

We close with something hustle culture still misunderstands: recovery. Stress without recovery leads to breakdown. Stress with recovery leads to growth.

This episode is for the builder who wants to reliably and sustainably perform at an elite level.

Because growth in business and leadership isn’t just about revenue.

• It’s about agency.
• It’s about regulation.
• It’s about hiring well.
• It’s about recovering strategically.

And it’s about building a life that feels meaningful - not just impressive.

Connect with Alex:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexauerbachphd