GrowthReady Podcast with Steve Mellor

This is a GrowthReady Replay, rewinding back to Fall 2020, when Steve Mellor sat down with Jesse Cole, founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the Banana Ball Championship League, including the world-famous Savannah Bananas.
It’s a conversation about what real competitors do when the world gets smaller: they don’t complain about limitations… they lean into them.
Jesse shares the story behind building a baseball brand that sells out games, creates lifelong memories for fans, and turns entertainment into a serious competitive advantage, especially when pressure hits.
After a career-ending shoulder injury ended his playing dreams, Jesse pivoted into leadership and entrepreneurship, eventually helping build a fans first organization known for bold experimentation, unforgettable in-stadium moments, and a relentless commitment to creating joy.
Competing when resources are tight and stakes are high
Turning limitations into fuel (instead of excuses)
Experimenting fast, learning faster, and staying accountable to a public vision
Creating emotional connection as the real measure of success
Connect with Jesse / Savannah Bananas
Search Savannah Bananas on your favorite platform
Watch the short documentary: “The Banana Story”
Visit their website www.findyouryellowtux.com
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Connect with Steve Mellor
Stay connected and keep growing with Steve:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163
Connect with GrowthReady
Join the community and keep your growth journey going:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
Official Website - https://growthready.com/
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This podcast was produced on Riverside and released via ...

What if the discomfort you’re trying to avoid is the very thing making you stronger?
Steve sits down with Ben Granger, Chief Workplace Psychologist at Qualtrics and author of A Leader Worth Following, to unpack what growth mindset really looks like in the real world: under pressure, inside messy organizations, and in moments where you don’t feel ready.
Ben shares how he grew up with a fixed mindset (“I’m just not good at that”), what neuroscience and practice actually prove about improvement, and why people who experience more change can end up psychologically better off than those who experience less.
They also go deep on leadership... why trust isn’t built on competence alone, why “benevolence” is the most overlooked ingredient, and how you can build a healthy team climate even inside a tough culture.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Ben’s definition of being GrowthReady: a mental orientation toward learning
Fixed mindset in childhood (and why it’s so common in athletes and kids)
The “internal bell curve”: how you can improve beyond your starting point
A surprising global finding: more change → better psychological outcomes
Why “knowing” isn’t the same as integrating (and how to make it your own)
Learning vs performance orientations (prove / avoid / learn)
How leaders can build trust: competence, integrity, and benevolence
Culture vs climate and how to build psychological safety from the inside out
Where to find Ben’s book (plus the playlist that goes with it)

Connect with Ben:
Website: benjamangranger.com (book + writing + podcast links + playlist)
#growthready #leadership #mindset #personalgrowth #resilience #highperformance #performanceunderpressure
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Connect with Steve Mellor
Stay connected and keep growing with Steve:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163
Connect with GrowthReady
Join the community and keep your growth journey going:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
Official Website - https://growthready.com/
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This podcast was produced on Riverside and released via ...

Most people don’t quit because they’re incapable.

They quit because they’re waiting for proof.
In this Coaches’ Corner, Steve uses Abraham Lincoln as a case study in resilience, someone who lost elections, failed in business, navigated depression, and still kept moving forward when there wasn’t much evidence things were “working.”
The core shift: hope sounds productive, but it can hide hesitation. Insistence is different. It’s the decision to keep going because it matters, whether it’s validated yet or not.
Steve also shares a personal moment from his own transition out of elite sport: how “waiting to feel ready” can quietly become comfort, and why insistence is often inconvenient, uncomfortable, and misunderstood… but necessary.

In this episode, you’ll hear:
Why hope can look productive while still keeping you stuck
The real difference between hoping and insisting
How setbacks test your “response system” at higher levels each time
What Lincoln’s life reveals about commitment without guarantees
Why waiting for clarity is often choosing convenience
A simple weekly challenge to turn hope into action
Pick one area where you’ve been hoping things improve... and replace hope with one insistence-based action this week. 
Not perfect. 
Not massive. 
Just real.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Connect with Steve Mellor
Stay connected and keep growing with Steve:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163
Connect with GrowthReady
Join the community and keep your growth journey going:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
Official Website - https://growthready.com/
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This podcast was produced on Riverside and released via ...

𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕, 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆. - Kendall Breitman

In this episode of the GrowthReady Podcast, Steve Mellor sits down with Kendall Breitman, former political journalist (NBC, Bloomberg) and now Head of Community at  @Riversidefm , to unpack the real story behind career pivots, personal reinvention, and building community that actually feels human.

Kendall shares how she went from chasing a clear career trajectory to embracing a more open (and more honest) version of growth, one built on trust, adaptability, and the courage to choose what fulfills you now, not what you decided years ago.

In this episode:
▪️Hunger vs. capacity (and why both matter)
▪️Leaving a “made it” career behind
▪️Trusting yourself without needing certainty
▪️How community is built through real conversations
▪️Why overproduced brand content is fading
▪️Kendall’s next edge: influence, visibility, and starting a podcast

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒍𝒍:
LinkedIn: Kendall Breitman
Facebook Group: Conversation Creators by Riverside 
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Connect with Steve Mellor
Stay connected and keep growing with Steve:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163
Connect with GrowthReady
Join the community and keep your growth journey going:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
Official Website - https://growthready.com/
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This podcast was produced on Riverside and released via ...

What if the thing holding you back isn’t a lack of expertise, but the fact that your voice hasn’t caught up to what you know?
In this episode, Steve Mellor sits down with Dr. Leslie Gordon, a speech, voice, and accent expert who helps high-performing professionals speak with more confidence, presence, and impact. Leslie introduces the idea of the “growing edge,” a powerful replacement for the word “weakness,” and explains why real growth requires more than mindset. It requires action, repetition, awareness, and the willingness to step into unfamiliar territory.
This conversation is for anyone who has ever left a meeting thinking, “I should have said something,” or who knows they have something valuable to contribute but struggles to make their voice match their expertise.
Why “growing edge” is more useful than calling something a weakness 
 Why high performers struggle to speak up, even when they know their stuff 
 How self-evaluation can help growth or quietly block it 
 How to work with the inner critic using Leslie’s “name it to tame it” strategy 
 Why presence, breath, and body tension shape how your message lands 
 Why confidence is built through action, not simply something you either have or don’t have
Connect with Dr. Leslie Gordon:
Website: https://www.leslie.gordon.speech/lesliegordonspeech.com
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Connect with Steve Mellor
Stay connected and keep growing with Steve:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163
Connect with GrowthReady
Join the community and keep your growth journey going:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
Official Website - https://growthready.com/
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This podcast was produced on Riverside and released via ...