In this episode, Steve sits down with Samara Bay to unpack what it really means to be “ready” when the stakes are high. Together, they explore the connection between body, mind, and communication—and why so many high-performers flatten their presence by trying to hide fear instead of working with it.

Samara explains how public speaking is really about power, permission, and presence. She shares why “readiness” is more of a body-based practice than a mental state, how love-based thinking can shift us out of fight-or-flight, and why the warm-up before any important conversation may be the real work.

Key Takeaways:

• Why readiness is more physical than mental
• The role of body awareness in communication
• Public speaking as a reflection of power and self-trust
• How fear creates a flattened version of us
• Why naming what’s happening in the room builds trust
• The shift from fear-based thinking to love-based communication
• Social evaluative threat and the modern version of fight-or-flight
• Why context matters in every communication moment
• The importance of imagination, curiosity, and play in leadership
• Why warm-ups and rituals matter before big moments
• Missed opportunity as the hidden cost of poor communication

Links and Resources Mentioned

• Permission Inc. — permissioninc.co
• Permissionaries newsletter — available via Samara’s website
• Permission to Speak by Samara Bay
• Upcoming TEDx talk — Samara said it will be shared on her website once released

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• Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163

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Join the community and keep your growth journey going:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
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• Official Website - https://growthready.com/

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This podcast was produced on Riverside and released via ...

About the guest: Megan Torrance is a workplace learning and development leader who helps organizations create better systems for growth, performance, and skill development. In this conversation, she brings together practical insight from her work in learning design, her perspective on AI as an augmentation tool, and her own lived experience as an athlete, coach-supported leader, and endurance hiker.

About the episode: In this episode, Steve sits down with Megan Torrance to unpack what it really means to be growth ready. Megan reframes growth as what we learn from a leap, not just the leap itself, and explains why readiness is less about feeling fully prepared and more about having the mindset, tools, support, and willingness to step into the next challenge anyway.

Megan shares how real growth happens when people are clear on the goal, supported with the right systems, and willing to reflect in the middle of discomfort.

Key topics and themes discussed

• What “growth ready” really means
• Why growth comes from learning through the leap
• The difference between being a teacher and teaching
• Why workplace learning should focus on performance, not completion
• Reflection as a critical part of the learning loop
• The role of AI in personalized learning and leadership development
• Readiness, uncertainty, and the “gulp” before the next challenge
• Building systems that make the next right action easier
• Curiosity as a driver of long-term growth
• Expanding capacity inside and outside of work
• Lessons from ice hockey, coaching, and endurance hiking

Resources mentioned

• Megan Torrance on LinkedIn
• Torrance Learning — torrancelearning.com
• AI Implementation Guide for L&D by Megan Torrance
• Khan Academy
• MagicSchool

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 ...

About the guest: Meghan Popoleo is the President of The O’Connor Group, where she has spent the last decade helping organizations grow through strong people strategy, culture, and leadership. She came into the business from the nonprofit world, openly admits she did not start out loving HR, and has grown into a values-driven leader known for vulnerability, execution, collaboration, and people-first leadership.

About the episode: In this conversation, Steve sits down with Meghan to unpack what it really means to be “growth ready.” Megan shares why vulnerability is not weakness, but a leadership advantage, especially when you’re scaling a company, building culture, navigating succession, leading hard conversations, and raising a family at the same time. For founders, executives, and high-performers, this episode is a practical reminder that sustainable growth starts with values, trust, and the courage to ask for help.

Key Takeaways:

• Why vulnerability is essential for personal and professional growth
• Megan’s journey from nonprofit leadership into HR and people operations
• The partnership between Megan and founder Marsha O’Connor
• How hard conversations strengthen leadership tandems
• Protecting company culture during growth
• Why “teammate” matters more than “employee”
• Women in leadership, motherhood, and asking for help
• The tension between saying yes, learning fast, and avoiding overwhelm
• Building new service lines without losing core values
• Why relationships are a true growth lever
• Creating communities that support female leaders and entrepreneurs

Links and resources mentioned:

• The O’Connor Group: www.tocgrp.com
• The O’Connor Group on LinkedIn
• 57th Street Partners
• Shadow Her

Send a text

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 ...