GrowthReady Podcast with Steve Mellor

Steve sits down with Cindy Cohn, former Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, for a conversation about values, leadership, change, and knowing when it is time to make room for what comes next.
Cindy has spent decades fighting for digital rights, privacy, free speech, and a better internet for the people who use it. Her career is a powerful example of what it means to stay grounded in your values while remaining flexible enough to adapt as the world changes around you.
Cindy also shares a deeply personal look at her decision to step away from her leadership role at EFF. Not because the mission stopped mattering, but because she knew it was time to create space for the next chapter.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
What it means to be “growth ready”
Building a career around values instead of a fixed title
Leading through constant change
Why change should not be treated as a solo sport
How to protect the work that gives you energy
The importance of listening across an organization
Cindy’s transition out of EFF and into what comes next
Her book, Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance
Whether you are navigating transition, leading through uncertainty, or trying to reconnect with the work that fuels you, Cindy’s story offers a thoughtful reminder: staying true to your values does not mean staying still.
Listen now and ask yourself: What part of your work gives you energy right now?

About the Guest:
Cindy Cohn is a digital rights attorney and longtime leader in the fight for privacy, free expression, and civil liberties online.

She served as Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) for a decade and spent 26 years helping shape the organization’s work as the internet evolved—from early battles over encryption to today’s questions around platform power, surveillance, and AI.

Cindy is also the author of Privacy’s Defender: My 30-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance (MIT Press). Proceeds support EFF.

Connect with Cindy:
EFF:  https://www.eff.org 
Cindy’s book page (via EFF):  https://www.eff.org  (search “Privacy’s Defender”)
Book retailers: available wherever books are sold (including audiobook)

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 ...

David Hiler’s answer to “What does it mean to be growth ready? ”is simple—and hard-earned: adapt to whatever comes your way.
A lifelong runner and hospitality entrepreneur, David’s life changed fast when a knee issue turned into cancer. Faced with two paths—an invasive rebuild with uncertain outcomes or amputation with a clear shot at living fully—he chose the decision that protected what mattered most: movement, presence, and the life he wanted to keep saying yes to.
Then came the second wave: recovering during COVID while trying to keep multiple hospitality businesses alive. What followed wasn’t just a comeback story. It was a full reset.
In this conversation, David shares what it looked like to let go of the “more, bigger, next” mindset, selling the house, exiting the businesses, and trading a life of constant pressure for a life built around freedom, health, and daily happiness. Along the way, he talks candidly about the hard days too: the frustration, the self-consciousness, the work of journaling when you don’t feel like it, and the discipline of choosing yourself before life forces the issue.
About the Guest:
David Hiler is a former hospitality operator who built and ran multiple businesses, including a restaurant and brewery, before stepping into a new chapter after losing his leg to cancer.
Today, David works as a consultant for bed & breakfasts and country inns, while traveling full-time with his wife in an RV—building a life around movement, simplicity, and the places that make them feel most alive.
He’s also an advocate for accessible mobility through So Everybody Can Move, supporting efforts to improve insurance coverage for prosthetic options that help amputees live fully (including water legs, running blades, and sport-specific prosthetics).
Connect with David:
Instagram: @dhiler
Facebook: @drhiler
Advocacy:  https://soeverybodycanmove.org/
Adaptive Training Foundation: https://www.adaptivetrainingfoundation.org/ 
Amputee Coalition: https://amputee-coalition.org/
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 ...

Jared Goralnick joins the GrowthReady Podcast with a deceptively simple definition of what it means to be growth ready: manage your energy and get clear on where you’re going.
Jared Goralnick has spent 15 years building products that help organizations find, develop, and grow talent. He was Head of Product at LinkedIn Recruiter and VP of Product at Upwork, Go1, and Articulate, and previously founded SET Consulting and VC-backed AwayFind. He now leads Your360 AI, using voice AI to make coaching-grade, interview-style 360 feedback accessible beyond the executive level.
The conversation goes deep into something most leaders avoid until it’s too late, feedback, not the vague “be more strategic” kind, but the kind that actually creates awareness, patterns, and a path forward.
Jared shares why the most dangerous feedback problem isn’t harsh criticism, it’s being in the dark. And he breaks down what it takes to create the “door” for feedback to happen, how to make it useful, and why strengths deserve just as much attention as growth areas.
If you’re a leader, founder, or high performer who cares about sustainable growth, this episode will help you:
Build a practical definition of growth readiness: energy + clarity
Understand why effective doesn’t mean being right
Create a healthier relationship with feedback (giving and receiving)
Turn vague feedback into something specific, usable, and actionable
Use technology to support better leadership, without losing the human part
Connect with Jared
Website:  https://your360.ai 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goralnick/ 
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 ...

Patrick O’Donnell is the founder of Ignite Five and a performance-and-growth coach who helps leaders and organizations build repeatable rhythms that drive results without sacrificing the human being behind the role. He’s known for translating “systems” into something practical, daily routines, clear expectations, and real accountability.
In this conversation, Patrick shares how the 2008 real estate crash became a turning point that pushed him to study peak performers and build a framework for sustainable growth. He also breaks down the “Personal Compass” (the 8 F’s) and why leaders who invest in their people’s whole lives create better performance, retention, and culture.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing the right work… but doing it the hard way, this episode will land.
You’ll hear:
Why “growth ready” starts with preparation—the work you do before the moment demands it
The difference between being pushed by pressure and being pulled by a clear vision
A simple way to think about systems (no tech required): rhythms, routines, and disciplines
The 8 F’s framework (faith, family, friends, finances, fitness, fulfillment, freedom, fun) and how it creates alignment in life and leadership
Why great leaders don’t only manage output, they build people
If you’re leading a team, building a business, or trying to create a life that still feels like yours while you chase big goals, this conversation will give you language—and a starting point.
Connect with Patrick:
LinkedIn: Patrick O’Donnell III
Website: www.ignite5.com 
#leadership #highperformance #performanceunderpressure #mindset #systems #habits #executivecoaching #culture #teamperformance #growthready
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 ...

Some conversations don’t just spark ideas, they put words to something you’ve been carrying for a long time.
In this episode, Jason A. Sousa (Coach J), known as The Performance Architect, founder of Mental Edge Athletics, and creator of the Performance Architecture methodology, joins the show to unpack what’s happening beneath the surface when the stakes rise and you can’t access the level you know you have. Jason works with athletes and high performers to map the patterns that show up under pressure.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
Why endless growth is a stronger long-term driver than chasing achievement
Jason’s definition of pressure: “Pressure reveals where your identity isn’t safe.”
How the brain is wired for protection before performance
Why surface-level tools can help in the moment, but won’t change the root pattern
If you’ve ever felt any of these, this episode will hit:
You can perform in practice… but tighten up when it matters.
You know there’s more in you… but you can’t access it consistently.
You keep repeating patterns (procrastination, perfectionism, overthinking) even when you “know better.”
Connect with Jason Sousa:
Instagram: @jasonasousa (Coach J / The Performance Architect)
Website:  https://GetYourMentalEdge.com
#growthready #leadership #mindset #highperformance #sportspsychology #performance #executivecoaching
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 ...