In this episode of The Sean Trace Show, I sit down with Tommy Richardson, a Marine and Navy veteran and the founder of Divine Savagery, to talk about resilience, leadership, discipline, and what real toughness looks like when life is punching back.

We get into why “do not quit” is not a quote, it is a lifestyle, how chasing hard things builds confidence and capability, and why failure is not the enemy, it is the teacher. I share stories from training Muay Thai with my daughter and nephews, plus how parenting, pressure, and accountability all connect to building stronger people and better teams. Tommy breaks down what he sees as the biggest leadership gap today, why culture and expectation management make or break organizations, and how to train optimally without burning out. We also talk faith, purpose, and what a strong life looks like when you are trying to lead your family, your business, and yourself with integrity.

What is one hard thing you have been avoiding lately that you know would make you stronger if you finally went after it?

In this episode, I sit down with Ivy Forero to talk about what happens when you stop chasing certainty and start trusting yourself.

We get into the real stuff, moving across the world without a safety net, becoming a parent while rebuilding your identity, letting go of old roles, and learning how optimism becomes a daily choice instead of a personality trait. Ivy shares her journey from Colombia to the US to Dubai, her work in customer success and leadership, and how intuition, self regulation, and inner trust have guided her through uncertainty, career changes, and single motherhood. We talk about the hero’s journey, surrender, personal power, and why growth often starts when logic runs out.

This is a conversation about courage, curiosity, and what it really means to lead yourself in a world that keeps changing.

If this conversation resonated, go follow Ivy on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivyforero/

Her posts on optimism, growth, and leadership are worth having in your feed.

In this episode of The Sean Trace Show, I sit down with Ben Cochrane, a lifelong marketer who runs an agency in New Zealand and has worked with major global brands, to talk about what real leadership looks like when the work is fast, stressful, and full of opinions. We get into why investing in people is the most underrated leadership skill, not “training programs,” but real coaching, real feedback, and the kind of mentorship that accelerates growth.

Ben breaks down how leaders build a culture where people feel safe to speak up, challenge ideas, and disagree respectfully, without turning the workplace into either a conflict zone or a “nice culture” where creativity goes to die. We talk about mental health in high-pressure environments, how humor can release tension and create clarity, and why strong teams run on habits, consistency, and trust, not long hours and performative busyness. Ben shares how starting his own business shaped him, what he learned at Harvard about scaling versus staying small and profitable, and why defining “enough” can be the difference between a great life and endless drift.

If you are leading a team, building an agency, running a business, or trying to grow without burning out, this conversation is packed with practical leadership lessons, company culture insights, and real-world decision-making that actually holds up when things get intense.