The Pocket with Chris Griffin

Jefferson Fisher is one of the most respected voices on communication, and in this episode he breaks down why most relationship problems come from the conversations we avoid, not the ones we have. I sat down with him to unpack the right way to have hard conversations, why telling someone they’re wrong only makes them hold on tighter, and why avoidance almost always comes back to a fear of being known. We also get into how to break up with someone with kindness, why disappointing people is a skill worth learning, how to make a disagreement bring you closer instead of pushing you apart, and why self improvement means nothing if it doesn’t help you connect with the people around you. Key discussion points: Why “you’re wrong” backfires Identity and defensiveness Paper cuts and missed moments Matching the message to the medium The right way to break up Fear of being known Having hard conversations with care The skill of disappointing people Self improvement vs self worship Follow Jefferson: https://www.instagram.com/jefferson_fisher/ 00:00 Why big goals matter at every stage of life 00:33 Overestimate one year, underestimate ten 01:34 Borrowed goals vs your own goals 02:28 Why fulfillment matters more than happiness 04:08 Life is a long hike, the peak is fleeting 05:30 Buddhism, balance, and choosing the right goal 09:02 Finding peace inside the suffering 11:18 In great pain comes great alignment 13:00 Selling a business and realizing life barely changes 15:01 Fail fast and change your mind with new data 17:37 Why your 20s are for exploration 18:21 Take care of the basics first 20:13 Working at his family's steakhouse at ten years old 22:39 Leading by example and the scarcity mindset he inherited 24:27 Reprogramming from scarcity to abundance 26:59 Dreams cost nothing, goals have a real cost 28:54 The timeline from divorce and debt to the exit 31:01 The bottle of scotch and deciding "this is my low" 34:21 Anyone can decide right now that this is their low 35:43 Why you must stop playing the victim 37:12 The Warren Buffett trade that shows what you already have 39:26 The 3 minute gratitude meditation 41:45 The lottery ticket exercise 44:08 Be a better tipper and act like the person you want to be 47:19 Start small and measure the actions 48:14 Why lottery winners lose it all 50:20 What does a big number actually unlock for you 55:46 Why more data is not always better 57:18 Track a few things, and why sleep comes first 1:00:17 Annual reviews and thinking in ten year goals 1:01:45 Matthew McConaughey and chasing the future version of you 1:03:38 The jagged line nobody sees on social media 1:05:35 Play your own game 1:06:22 Growing up as the youngest of six in the middle of nowhere 1:09:23 What he wants to instill in his own kids 1:11:08 The parenting balance between freedom and guidance 1:16:40 Faith, Catholicism, and fulfillment 1:20:34 Your 20s are for discovery, your 30s for figuring it out 1:22:29 What we can borrow from every religion 1:24:51 His new podcast and mission to get more people building businesses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Wystrach built and sold a billion dollar company, and in this episode he explains why the real transformation happened years earlier, from the inside. I sat down with him to unpack why goals matter at every stage of life, why fulfillment beats happiness, and why most of the goals we chase were actually borrowed from someone else. We also get into how he rebuilt himself from his lowest point, the gratitude practice that rewired his mindset, why money alone never solves your problems, and how he approaches faith, family and raising kids while still chasing big ambitions. Key discussion points Fulfillment beats happiness Most goals are borrowed from other people Overestimate one year, underestimate ten Big goals come with a real cost Rock bottom is a decision, not a destination Gratitude rewires how you see the world Act like it’s already happened Money magnifies problems, it doesn’t fix them Play your own game, not the one on social media Get you free Podcast toolkit here: www.thepodpro.com/toolkit 00:00 Why big goals matter at every stage of life 00:33 Overestimate one year, underestimate ten 01:34 Borrowed goals vs your own goals 02:28 Why fulfillment matters more than happiness 04:08 Life is a long hike, the peak is fleeting 05:30 Buddhism, balance, and choosing the right goal 09:02 Finding peace inside the suffering 11:18 In great pain comes great alignment 13:00 Selling a business and realizing life barely changes 15:01 Fail fast and change your mind with new data 17:37 Why your 20s are for exploration 18:21 Take care of the basics first 20:13 Working at his family's steakhouse at ten years old 22:39 Leading by example and the scarcity mindset he inherited 24:27 Reprogramming from scarcity to abundance 26:59 Dreams cost nothing, goals have a real cost 28:54 The timeline from divorce and debt to the exit 31:01 The bottle of scotch and deciding "this is my low" 34:21 Anyone can decide right now that this is their low 35:43 Why you must stop playing the victim 37:12 The Warren Buffett trade that shows what you already have 39:26 The 3 minute gratitude meditation 41:45 The lottery ticket exercise 44:08 Be a better tipper and act like the person you want to be 47:19 Start small and measure the actions 48:14 Why lottery winners lose it all 50:20 What does a big number actually unlock for you 55:46 Why more data is not always better 57:18 Track a few things, and why sleep comes first 1:00:17 Annual reviews and thinking in ten year goals 1:01:45 Matthew McConaughey and chasing the future version of you 1:03:38 The jagged line nobody sees on social media 1:05:35 Play your own game 1:06:22 Growing up as the youngest of six in the middle of nowhere 1:09:23 What he wants to instill in his own kids 1:11:08 The parenting balance between freedom and guidance 1:16:40 Faith, Catholicism, and fulfillment 1:20:34 Your 20s are for discovery, your 30s for figuring it out 1:22:29 What we can borrow from every religion 1:24:51 His new podcast and mission to get more people building businesses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is with Khalil Rafati, founder of Sunlife Organics, Ex homeless drug addict and a curious, deep thinker. I loved this. Khalil invited us into his home for the week in the Hamptons. Quite the transformation compared to his time on Skid Row… Enjoy Follow Khalil: https://www.instagram.com/khalilrafati/ Follow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/morechrisgriffin/ I have the largest podcast school in the world. If you want to work with me to build your show apply below and I’ll reach out! https://thepodpro.com/apply Chapters: 0:00 You don't get what you want, you get what you tolerate 1:53 Why change only comes from desperation 3:09 From the middle seat to flying private 7:12 Homeless, food stamps and growing up Palestinian in rural Ohio 11:13 From heroin on Skid Row to "I just make smoothies" 13:19 Why staying the victim is the easy choice 16:38 Sharing needles on Skid Row to a house in the Hamptons 27:04 Expansive vs constricting: jealousy, gossip and ego 38:16 Cindy Crawford, the busboy and how you treat people 40:11 Turning down millions to protect his employee 52:13 The $20M house mindset and his morning gratitude ritual 57:57 "The least smart person you'll meet" in the Oval Office 59:52 The rock bottom prayer that changed everything 1:09:04 Losing money on stores and why no book will save you 1:19:50 His final message to the world Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Goldberg built Jack's Dining Room and Yes Chef Group from nothing. This conversation is a masterclass in why hospitality, not hustle, is what actually separates people who win long term. I sat down with him to unpack what real hospitality looks like, why culture is shifting away from drinking, and how he went from a tech consultant at PwC to leading a growing team and a massive online audience. We also get into why action beats information every time, why chasing success without passion leaves you feeling like a shell of yourself, and why studying who someone became matters more than studying what they did to get there. Key discussion points Hospitality is in the small details, not just the product Culture is shifting away from drinking toward health and connection Action beats information, you learn by doing, not researching Chasing something fake eventually burns out Study who people became, not what they did Supportive parents build internal confidence to take risks Redefining success beyond the traditional college to job path Build without chasing revenue, the money follows There's never a finish line in entrepreneurship Get you Free Podcast Toolkit: www.thepodpro.com/toolkit Follow Jack's Dining room: https://www.instagram.com/jacksdiningroom/ 00:00 What hospitality actually means 01:22 Great staff vs great food, what makes people come back 03:04 The truth about New York's pace and reputation 03:55 How culture is shifting away from drinking 04:51 Sydney's active lifestyle vs New York's hustle culture 05:34 Yes Chef Group and the run club bringing people together 08:09 Drinking as an escape, not a form of fun 09:44 Rethinking why we actually drink in the first place 11:05 From a guy in college to building an empire 11:32 Meeting his co-founder and starting Jack's Dining Room 12:24 Why chasing something fake eventually burns out 13:09 From a tech consultant at PwC to a 15 person team 15:07 You never know what you're doing until you do it 15:45 Why there's no shortcut, just patience and reps 17:00 Just start, nothing is ever perfect 18:04 Tunnel vision and not caring what people think 19:08 Immediate suffering vs the long term suffering of a life you hate 19:27 Why it's an action problem, not an information problem 21:03 Fail enough and you're guaranteed to grow 21:38 Shorten the gap between thinking and doing 24:33 Shifting priorities as life gets more exciting 25:51 Why every single day matters 26:06 Tom Brady's advice: show up like it's the Super Bowl 27:10 Growth through iteration, from the first dinner to the fourth 28:40 Do something you love and do it every day 29:45 The one exception for chasing something you don't love yet 30:29 Finding passion by first figuring out what you hate 32:55 Helping clients grow their podcasts, and why it lights him up 36:07 Giving back and why that's the most rewarding part 36:54 Why he never posts negative reviews 38:25 The win-win mindset behind his content 40:01 "What did you do" vs "who did you become" 41:14 Study the man, not the money 42:21 His mom's entrepreneurial influence growing up 43:15 "Say yes and figure it out" as a core philosophy 45:47 Why he still went to college despite supportive parents 47:01 Getting the dream job, then realizing he hated it 49:23 Redefining what success actually looks like 50:03 The traditional path problem: a job that can't afford a home 52:07 Being conscious and clear on why you're doing something 54:00 Launching Yes Chef Studios, the next generation Food Network 55:12 Yes Chef Tailgates and bringing food festivals to colleges 56:18 Why there's never a moment you've "got it" as a founder 58:33 Chasing things only to realize they don't matter once you have them 1:00:04 "A goose chase to find out what's already here" 1:01:33 Reinvesting profits into experiences instead of extracting money 1:05:24 What's next: the food festival, the studio, and the tailgates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I went on a trip to Dagestan, Russia... It was not what I expected! Tune into this podcast to hear my lessons from 9 days in a place most people will never experience. Work with me to build your podcast and person al brand: https://thepodpro.com/apply Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morechrisgriffin/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices