Spartan Leadership with Josh Kosnick

Josh Kosnick

Good and Great Are the Enemies of Possible™️ Leadership and business coach Josh Kosnick has conversations with some of the greatest minds in leadership both in business, community, and politics. Guests provide insights from years of experience, delivering powerful messages to help you live a more inspired and impactful life. 

  1. Aug 11

    Your Best Customer Is Dying. Now What?

    Send us Fan Mail In-N-Out took 80 years to become a legend. Raising Cane's did it in 36 — with worse chicken and a better marketing team. Two founders sat down with Josh at the Book & Bourbon Club fly-in to debate what actually wins in 2026: the slow, silent build or the personal-brand turbocharge. Guests: Dennis Leis (investor, MetPro, LRT, Whole Body Fitness) and Trace Miller (founder/CEO of Konala — high-protein drive-thru restaurants, konalafranchise.com). Three debates, no filler: The personal branding debate — can you still grow a massive business silently? The In-N-Out vs. Raising Cane's case study, the "sellout" question every founder wrestles with, and why your best customer is literally dying every day. The AI debate — Dennis is all-in, Trace is skeptical, and Josh is in the middle. China just passed a law that you can't lay someone off and replace them with AI. Salesforce is cutting tens of thousands. Only 2% of the world is actually using it. What "ethical capitalism" looks like when the tokens cost more than the labor. The hiring debate — Dennis hires for his weaknesses and openly admits he has zero desire to be a CEO. Trace wants to grow into his weaknesses, Gymshark-style. Two founders, two very different answers to the oldest question in business. Plus Dennis unveils the AI-powered talent-matching platform he's building in beta — outbound recruiting for cultural fit instead of skills-first hiring. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Follow Dennis Leis: Instagram @dennis.leis Follow Trace Miller & Konala: konalafranchise.com Book & Bourbon Club: joshkosnick.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Books mentioned: • Raving Fans — Ken Blanchard • Unreasonable Hospitality — Will Guidara • Good to Great — Jim Collins • Blue-Collar Cash — Ken Rusk ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Follow Josh Kosnick: Website — joshkosnick.com Instagram — @joshkosnick LinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/joshkosnick Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, faith, and building a life worth living. #SpartanLeadership #JoshKosnick #DennisLeis #TraceMiller #Konala #PersonalBranding #AIinBusiness #EthicalCapitalism #FounderPodcast #HiringStrategy CONNECT WITH ME HERE: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter TikTok YouTube SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST HERE: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

  2. Aug 3

    How He Got John Maxwell's Cell Number for $400 | Chris Welton

    Send us Fan Mail Chris Welton was born with one hand. He's a performance coach, TEDx speaker, and international bestselling author of One Jordan — and he built his entire professional network by mailing strangers a single Jordan sneaker with a note: want the other one? Give me a call. It worked on Damon West. It worked on Ben Newman. It worked well enough that John Maxwell built a keynote around the strategy and started naming Chris from the stage — Chris found out because strangers began messaging him on LinkedIn mid-talk. In this conversation, Chris and Josh get into what separates lived adversity from performative resilience: the four ways people show up when adversity hits, why Chris intentionally puts himself in brutal physical situations before life does it for him, and what happened at HYROX in Dallas when he went face-first into the turf twenty meters from the finish and his wife told the paramedics to back up. He also opens up about mental health, PTSD, and why men his size don't have those conversations. In this episode: - The One Jordan strategy and why most people aren't bold enough to try it Why the gap between top producers and mediocre performers is smaller than you think - Victim, Survivor, Warrior, Architect — the four adversity paradigms - The Adversity Accelerator: training for hardship before it arrives - Why Chris moves foster-care kids to the top of the resume pile - Accountability versus ownership, and what it costs teams when leaders get it wrong - The sentence his grandmother said to him 47 years ago that shaped everything Connect with Chris Welton: Website: https://chriswelton.live Instagram: @onehandatatime Podcast: One Hand At A Time Book: https://onejordanbook.com Connect with Josh Kosnick: https://joshkosnick.com Life Quotient Assessment: https://www.joshkosnick.com/assessment Spartans — share this episode far and wide. CONNECT WITH ME HERE: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter TikTok YouTube SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST HERE: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

  3. Jul 15

    What Marcus Aurelius Got Wrong About Legacy

    Send us Fan Mail Most people think legacy is something you build at the end — a monument, an inheritance, a name on a building "someday." That's the first lie. The second one is even more common: legacy is what you leave behind. In this solo episode, I break down the two lies about legacy almost everyone believes — and why both of them are keeping you from building one right now. Inside this episode: • The moving-truck moment that made me question everything I'd chased • The three questions I asked myself in the field — and the sad answer to all three • Why your legacy is a Kairos problem, not a Kronos problem • What Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Deuteronomy actually say about inheritance (hint: it's not the greeting-card version) • Marcus Aurelius vs. the Spartans — and the tension that reframes how you should live today • The one question to ask yourself before you go to bed tonight If this hit you, share it with one person who needs to hear it today. 📖 The Kairos Code audiobook launches August 1. Join the launch team → kairoscode.com/250 Connect with Josh Kosnick: https://joshkosnick.com/connect Chapters: 0:00 What did you leave in someone today? 1:17 Welcome + audiobook launch team (Aug 1) 2:18 Two lies people believe about legacy 2:51 The boxes in the basement 4:56 If you died tonight, what would they say? 6:09 Lie #1 — Legacy is a future event 7:14 The to-be list and the to-feel list 8:38 The DM that arrived 8 years later 10:46 Lie #2 — Legacy is what you leave behind 12:57 My father-in-law's boots 14:01 What scripture actually says 16:25 Why I started this podcast 17:25 Marcus Aurelius pushes back 19:08 The Spartan view — timē and kleos 21:08 Kronos vs. Kairos 22:03 What did I leave in someone today? #SpartanLeadership #Leadership #Legacy #Kairos #FaithInBusiness #JoshKosnick #TheKairosCode #Mindset #Entrepreneurship #SelfImprovement CONNECT WITH ME HERE: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter TikTok YouTube SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST HERE: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

  4. Jul 7

    Why People Say “You Don’t Change” (And Why They’re Wrong)

    Send us Fan Mail People don’t change. It sounds wise… until it quietly wrecks your life. In this episode, Josh makes the case against one of the most common lies in our culture: that you’re stuck with who you’ve always been. He breaks down why that belief feels safe, how it kills growth in real time, and what the science and lived stories say about actual transformation. You’ll hear: • Why “people don’t change” is self-protection, not truth • How your brain and nervous system can actually rewire over time • Why the “21 days to change your life” idea is wrong (and what really happens) • Real examples of addiction broken, bodies rebuilt, and generational patterns ending • A practical framework for what change requires: decision, plan, repetition, community, faith This isn’t motivational fluff. It’s the uncomfortable reality that change is hard, slow, and still completely available—if you’re willing to pay the price in repetition. If you’ve ever looked at your own story and thought,  “Maybe this is just who I am…” ,watch this before you decide that your past gets the final say. Connect with Josh Kosnick: joshkosnick.com #SpartanLeadership #Leadership #BusinessSuccess #Mindset #Entrepreneurship #SelfImprovement #Podcast #JoshKosnick #SpartanMindset CONNECT WITH ME HERE: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter TikTok YouTube SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST HERE: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

  5. Jun 30

    From One Can to a National Brand: The Carbliss Playbook

    Send us Fan Mail What does it really look like to go from a $2,500 bet to a 9‑figure beverage brand? In this episode of Spartan Leadership, Josh Kosnick sits down with Adam Kroener, co‑founder and president of Carbliss, to break down how he went from putting a drink “in a can” and “selling the shit out of it” to building a massive ready‑to‑drink cocktail company.  Adam shares how a backyard idea turned into a real business, why his wife’s 25 “better questions” became their first business plan, and how they ended up doing the exact opposite of what was on that plan once they got into the real world. Adam pulls back the curtain on formulation, distribution, culture, and the realities of scaling, including flying to California to dial in flavor because he didn’t know how to describe what he was tasting, honoring his late best friend through the parent company name, and learning to ask experts better questions instead of pretending to know it all. You’ll hear the unpolished story behind Carbliss, from early fears and $2,500 on the line to navigating explosive growth, hiring, and building a team that can sell “the shit out of it” without losing who they are. In this episode: • The $2,500 down-payment story and the “put it in a can” moment with his wife • How a non-beverage guy learned to talk to beverage experts and dial in flavor • Turning 25 questions into a business plan they eventually did the opposite of • Honoring a best friend through the parent company behind Carbliss • What it really takes to scale from an idea to a 9-figure brand Connect with Adam Kroener | adamkroener.com Drink Carbliss | https://drinkcarbliss.com Follow Josh Kosnick | joshkosnick.com Timestamps: 00:00 Cold open – “Put it in a can and sell the shit out of it”   00:57 Welcome back + who Adam is and why his story matters   02:23 Army deployment to Iraq and how it shaped his leadership   04:11 From factory floor to leading 1,000+ people in manufacturing   07:41 Early failed business, delusional confidence, and what he learned   10:22 The $2,500 bet and the origin story of Carbliss   12:32 Visionary vs. integrator – building the business with his wife   13:54 Why Carbliss tastes like the name on the can (product and flavor philosophy) 39:57 Family, staying grounded, and building a life around the business   01:08:01 Legacy, the real American Dream, and Adam’s final leadership lesson #SpartanLeadership #AdamKroener #Carbliss #Entrepreneurship #StartupStory #BusinessPodcast #Founders #Leadership #BeverageIndustry #CPG #DrinkBusiness #SmallBusiness #BusinessGrowth #VeteranOwned #HusbandAndWifeTeam CONNECT WITH ME HERE: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter TikTok YouTube SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST HERE: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

  6. Jun 17

    Purpose Is a Verb: Dr. Christine Whelan on Redefining Success After Your Plans Fall Apart

    Send us Fan Mail What do you do when the business, career, or life plan you built your identity on suddenly disappears? In this episode of Spartan Leadership, Josh Kosnick sits down with Dr. Christine Whelan, the “purpose professor,” to talk about why purpose is a verb—something you do every day with your gifts and values—rather than a job title or a single life calling. They unpack what happens when everything falls apart: Josh’s story of losing his business five years ago, empty nest transitions, career changes, and the quiet identity crises that come when a chapter ends. Dr. Whelan explains how to separate your purpose from your role, why transitions make purpose feel more urgent, and how to design a life where you spend more time on the things you’re gifted at and actually enjoy. You’ll hear a research‑backed definition of purpose, a fresh take on happiness as a byproduct (not the goal), and a practical framework for living with pro‑social purpose—using your gifts, in keeping with your values, to positively impact other people in the community. If you’ve ever asked “What now?” after a loss, layoff, or big life change, this conversation is for you. In this episode: • Why “purpose is a verb,” not a one‑time discovery or slogan • How to think about purpose when your business, role, or season ends • Designing work you love using a simple “T‑chart” exercise • Purpose in parenting and raising kids who live their values • Pro‑social purpose, “eco‑you” vs “ego‑you,” and why community matters Connect with Dr. Christine Whelan: - Website: https://christinewhelan.com - Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbwhelan/ Connect with Josh Kosnick: - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/joshkosnick - Instagram: https://instagram.com/joshkosnick - Website: https://joshkosnick.com #PurposeIsAVerb #ChristineWhelan #SpartanLeadership #PurposeAfterLoss #LifeTransitions #FindYourPurpose #ChristianLeadership #BusinessLeadership #PersonalGrowth #Podcast  CONNECT WITH ME HERE: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter TikTok YouTube SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST HERE: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

    Purpose Is a Verb: Dr. Christine Whelan on Redefining Success After Your Plans Fall Apart
4.7
out of 5
70 Ratings

About

Good and Great Are the Enemies of Possible™️ Leadership and business coach Josh Kosnick has conversations with some of the greatest minds in leadership both in business, community, and politics. Guests provide insights from years of experience, delivering powerful messages to help you live a more inspired and impactful life. 

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