In this Blue Collar Smart Podcast episode, host Hugh interviews Eric Himes, creator of the Inspirational/Inspired Operating System and founder of The Inspired Culture, about leadership that multiplies and empowers people. Eric shares his career path from Home Depot to 19 years in medical devices, then burnout and losing his first marriage after prioritizing performance and travel over family, plus a faith-driven transformation that reshaped his view of worth and leadership. They discuss helping founders avoid carrying everything alone, trusting God, and building inclusive cultures without forcing beliefs. Eric outlines the Inspired OS framework to measure growth mindset weekly—personal why, vision alignment, habits, goals, wins, challenges to build strategic thinking, and frequent two-way feedback—plus organizational mindset scoring. He shares self-care practices, his website/contact, and the Inspired Culture Summit (Nov 16–17, Naperville, IL, with livestream).

00:00 Multiply Through People

00:51 Podcast Welcome Guest Intro

01:51 Eric Background Journey

03:59 Performance Burnout Wakeup

07:17 Faith Pivot Healing

09:39 Advice For Founders

12:09 Leading Across Beliefs

13:38 Inspired Culture At Work

17:09 Service Why Purpose

19:42 Self Care Alignment

22:41 Inspired OS Framework

26:09 Weekly Wins Challenges

29:50 Feedback Multiplies Leaders

31:48 Mindset Score Dashboards

32:51 Connect Summit Closing

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Hugh Hornsby

"People build businesses. Invest in your people, and they'll invest in your future."

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Guest Bio:Eric Himes is the Founder of The Inspired Culture™, author of the forthcoming book The Empty Chair, and a thought leader in holistic leadership development. He's a member of Thought Leaders 100, and his frameworks have driven a 46% reduction in turnover, 92% OKR completion, and $490K+ in annualized value. He is the creator of the Growth Mindset Framework & Measurement System, the Inspired Culture Framework, and the 50 Masks of Leadership. He is also Founder and Host of Inspired Culture TV and creator of The Rising 99™ and The Inspired OS™. Outside of work, he is a husband, father of five, and marathon runner who has completed 8 marathons.

Links:

Website: www.yourpathinspired.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-himes/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheInspiredCulture