In this episode, we uncover why progress stalls even when effort is high and why the real issue is rarely behavior. Instead, it’s the hidden beliefs quietly shaping how you act, decide, and show up in your business and life.

Through real client examples, personal stories, and practical analogies, this conversation breaks down how outdated or unexamined beliefs create procrastination, burnout, anxiety, and misalignment. Progress doesn’t come from trying harder; it comes from believing differently.

This episode reframes growth as an inside-out process: believe first, behave second, and become last.

🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

1. Why behavior change fails without belief change
2. How procrastination is often a belief problem, not a discipline problem
3. The difference between “should” and true commitment
4. Why success can still feel wrong when beliefs are misaligned
5. How identity dictates daily actions
6. Why momentum can quietly pull you away from who you want to become
7. How to reassess beliefs as you enter a new season or year

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Reflecting on business direction and the coming year

03:30 – What it really means to be the CEO of your life

05:45 – Why beliefs drive behavior, not the other way around

07:40 – Identity-based change explained

09:20 – Procrastination and belief misalignment

13:00 – Momentum, undercurrents, and losing direction

17:30 – Lack mindset versus abundance mindset

22:30 – The danger of the word “should”

27:00 – Believe, behave, become

29:40 – Final thoughts and reflection

🔥 Power Quotes

“Behavior doesn’t change until belief changes.”

“Procrastination is a belief problem.”

“You can’t become someone new while believing old things.”

“Should isn’t a commitment.”

“Believe first. Behave second. Become last.”

📝 Topics Covered

1. Belief systems
2. Identity and behavior
3. Procrastination
4. Burnout and alignment
5. Mindset shifts
6. Personal and business growth

🧭 Key Takeaway

Progress isn’t blocked by a lack of effort it’s blocked by beliefs you haven’t questioned. When you change what you believe about who you are and what you need, your actions naturally follow.

💬 Connect with Us

👉 Visit bethe.ceo

👉 Follow Tom Marino & Adam Hurd on...

In this reflective and honest episode, we explore what it really means to choose your next chapter in life — especially when certainty is missing. Through personal stories, business decisions, and long-term commitments, this conversation breaks down why confusion often appears right before clarity, and why discomfort is usually a signal that meaningful change is happening.

Rather than chasing balance or novelty, this episode reframes progress as commitment. Choosing a chapter isn’t about finding the perfect plan — it’s about deciding what you’re willing to stay with long enough to build something real.

🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

1. Why confusion often signals the start of a new chapter
2. How long-term commitments create clarity over time
3. The difference between interest and true commitment
4. Why productive neglect can drive success but limit fulfillment
5. How to think about life and business as harmony, not balance
6. Why choosing a direction matters more than perfect certainty
7. How discomfort plays a role in meaningful progress

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Why this year felt confusing but important

02:00 – Understanding chapters and long-term consequences

05:00 – Harmony vs balance explained

09:00 – The instrument analogy and productive neglect

14:00 – Reflecting on fulfillment and personal growth

18:00 – Being good at something you no longer enjoy

22:00 – Commitment versus interest

26:00 – Making year-long commitments

30:00 – Choosing the people and work worth investing in

35:00 – Final thoughts on commitment and direction

🔥 Power Quotes

“Confusion often shows up right before clarity.”

“You can be great at something and still not enjoy it.”

“Interest feels good. Commitment feels heavy.”

“Choosing a chapter means saying no to others.”

“Progress requires staying with something long enough.”

📝 Topics Covered

1. Life transitions
2. Commitment and focus
3. Personal growth
4. Long-term decision making
5. Productive neglect
6. Harmony vs balance
7. Entrepreneurial identity

🧭 Key Takeaway

Choosing your next chapter isn’t about certainty — it’s about commitment. When you decide what you’re willing to stay with through discomfort, clarity follows and progress becomes inevitable.

💬 Connect with Us

👉 Visit bethe.ceo

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In this episode, we explore why the best leaders are willing to make decisions that aren’t popular but are necessary for long-term success. Using real-world examples from business, leadership, sports, and history, this conversation breaks down why comfort, familiarity, and fear often stop people from making the changes they know they need to make.

This episode challenges the idea that good leadership is about keeping everyone happy. Instead, it reframes leadership as stewardship, making hard, intentional decisions based on vision, not approval.

🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why popularity is a dangerous metric for leadership decisions
• How comfort and familiarity keep businesses stuck
• Why avoiding change leads to stagnation and decline
• The difference between intentional change and change for novelty
• How vision creates certainty in difficult decisions
• Why leaders must act as fiduciaries for their business
• How discomfort signals meaningful growth

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Why unpopular decisions define real leadership

02:30 – Comfort vs change and why people resist both

05:00 – Popularity, business, and the Mets analogy

08:00 – Change or die: historical lessons applied to business

12:00 – Vision as the filter for hard decisions

15:00 – Why leaders must accept discomfort

18:00 – Flexibility, adaptation, and long-term thinking

22:00 – Making decisions for the future, not the present

25:00 – Final thoughts on leadership and responsibility

🔥 Power Quotes

“You can’t run a business based on popularity.”

“Comfort is often more dangerous than failure.”

“If you don’t change, you die.”

“Vision makes the decision.”

“Leadership requires doing what’s right, not what’s liked.”

📝 Topics Covered

• Leadership decision-making
• Vision and strategy
• Change management
• Comfort vs growth
• Business stewardship
• Adaptability
• Long-term thinking

🧭 Key Takeaway

Great leaders are willing to be unpopular when the situation demands it. When decisions are guided by a clear vision not comfort or approval, leaders build businesses that endure, adapt, and grow.

💬 Connect with Us

👉 Visit bethe.ceo

👉 Follow Tom Marino & Adam Hurd on LinkedIn & Instagram