In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli is joined by Larry Mathis, former CEO of Houston Methodist and author of Mathis Maxims: Lessons in Leadership.

Larry reflects on his journey leading one of the world’s top medical centers through a cultural transformation rooted in service, accountability, and integrity.

He shares candid stories that shaped his leadership philosophy including how he built a high-performance executive team, led billion-dollar growth, and even paddled a canoe through a Houston flood to lead by example.

He also discusses the importance of empowering employees, thinking long-term, and why “the troops eat first” applies just as much in healthcare as it does in the military.

This conversation offers enduring principles for leadership with purpose and the humility to keep learning at every stage.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level? Explore expert insights, practical strategies, and powerful tools to elevate your impact in business.

👉 Visit us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Scaling with Clarity: How a Chief of Staff Brings Structure to Visionary Leadership

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, Julian Castelli explores the expanding impact of the Chief of Staff role with Keziah Wonstolen, founder of Vannin Chief of Staff, and James Adcock, CEO of MT Studio Services.

They discuss how a Chief of Staff helps leaders align vision, drive execution across departments, and create space for strategic focus.

Key Takeaways:

• Strategic Alignment at Scale: A Chief of Staff helps unify leadership vision and execution across departments, reducing miscommunication and accelerating progress.

• Not Just Admin Support: Keziah explains that a true Chief of Staff is not a glorified assistant but a trusted strategic partner who helps turn vision into execution and keeps the organization moving forward.

• Structure During Growth: James shares how adding a Chief of Staff allowed his team to implement scalable systems during a period of rapid expansion.

• Focus Without Burnout: By absorbing operational friction, a Chief of Staff allows founders and CEOs to think more strategically and lead more intentionally.

• Tailored to the Leader: The CoS role adapts based on the executive’s needs, making it one of the most flexible and high-impact roles in modern leadership.

• Clarity Amid Complexity: From meeting flow to decision-making support, the Chief of Staff brings order to chaos, enabling faster and more confident moves.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level? Explore expert insights, practical strategies, and powerful tools to elevate your impact in business.

👉 Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli sits down with seasoned investor and Neotera founder Carl Coward to unpack one of the most urgent challenges facing U.S. industry today: securing a stable, domestic supply of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, rare earths,copper, tin,graphite etc.

Carl shares his global journey through mining and investment banking, his deep concern over U.S. reliance on adversarial nations like China, and the bold private-public efforts underway to rebuild a Western supply chain. They discuss the undeniable link between national security and rare earth processing and what needs to change at the policy level, and the once-in-a-generation ROI potential for investors and engineers alike.

If you've wondered what it really takes to mine, process, and protect the future of American innovation, this is the conversation to hear.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level?

Explore expert insights, practical strategies, and powerful tools to elevate your impact in business.

👉 Visit us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

📲 Follow us on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for daily leadership inspiration and updates.

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How can AI-powered video analytics transform retail and restaurant operations without drowning in complexity?

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, Julian Castelli sits down with Brock Weeks, CEO and co-founder of Savi, to uncover how his team is turning security cameras into real-time operational tools for cutting costs, reducing theft, and dramatically improving customer experiences.

Key Takeaways:

• From Security to Profitability - How Savi repurposes existing cameras to track labor efficiency, theft, and wait times (saving brands $15K/site!).

• Scaling Sales the Right Way - Why Brock delayed hiring until his CAC metrics proved scalability (and the costly mistake most startups make).

• The Power of ‘No’ – How focusing on restaurants first (not banks or pharmacies) unlocked Savi’s 10,000-site growth.

• Leadership Lessons - Building a durable company culture with Radical Candor, OKRs, and Andy Grove’s High Output Management.

• COVID Pivot to Profit - Launching weeks before lockdowns and why narrowing their niche saved the business.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level? Explore expert insights, practical strategies, and powerful tools to elevate your impact in business.

👉 Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

📲 Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ for daily leadership inspiration and updates.

Let’s grow together!

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli engages with Joe Grover, a seasoned entrepreneur and current CMO at Ampleo.

Joe shares his journey, focusing on his impactful role at Homie, a tech company disrupting the real estate market with a cost-effective, transparent model.

He discusses marketing strategies, challenges in scaling, and the importance of profitability over mere growth. Joe also highlights Ampleo's mission to enhance small business success through fractional leadership.

The episode underscores the value of mentorship, strategic insights, and the entrepreneurial spirit in building successful ventures.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level? Explore expert insights, practical strategies, and powerful tools to elevate your impact in business.

👉 Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠⁠

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Let’s grow together!

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli is joined by AI expert Kevin Williams and MyAdvice CEO Shawn Miele to discuss practical strategies for AI adoption in organizations.

Sean shares his company’s journey, highlighting the importance of leadership, company-wide involvement, secure platforms, and continuous training.

Kevin offers insights on industry trends, the need for AI literacy, and common pitfalls. The conversation covers empowering employees, automating tedious tasks, and fostering a culture of innovation to achieve measurable AI wins in 2025.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level? Explore expert insights, practical strategies, and powerful tools to elevate your impact in business.

👉 Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠⁠

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Let’s grow together!

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli interviews Eli Portnoy, CEO and co-founder of Back Engine.

Eli shares his entrepreneurial journey, focusing on his experiences with Sense360, a data analytics company for the restaurant industry.

He discusses the challenges of transitioning from founder-led sales to a scalable model, the impact of COVID-19 on his business, and the importance of adaptability and collaboration.

Eli also highlights the evolving role of AI in business, emphasizing the need for curiosity and innovation. The episode offers valuable insights into scaling startups and leveraging AI for efficiency.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level? Explore expert insights, practical strategies, and powerful tools to elevate your impact in business.

👉 Visit us at ⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠

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Let’s grow together!

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli converses with Nate Randle, CEO of Gabb, a company focused on creating a safe tech environment for children.

Nate shares his career journey from sports to tech, highlighting roles at Nike, Callaway Golf, and the Utah Jazz, before transitioning to tech firms like Vivint and Qualtrics. He discusses Gabb's mission to protect children from social media dangers while fostering family connections.

The episode also explores leadership lessons, the importance of strategic partnerships, and the challenges of entering the competitive telecom market.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level? Explore expert insights, practical strategies, and powerful tools to elevate your impact in business.

👉 Visit us at GrowthElevated.com
📲 Follow us on LinkedIn for daily leadership inspiration and updates.

Let’s grow together!