The Grit to Growth Podcast

Levi Te Slaa
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  • Entrepreneurship

The Grit to Growth Podcast is for hardworking business owners and professionals who believe in rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done. This show dives into the real stories of local entrepreneurs—especially in blue-collar and construction industries—who turned grit, determination, and sweat equity into success. Each episode features candid conversations with business owners who’ve faced setbacks, taken risks, and built something lasting through sheer perseverance. Whether you’re running a trades company, a small-town shop, or just looking for inspiration from people who’ve been in the trenches, The Grit to Growth Podcast delivers practical lessons, motivation, and the reminder that growth doesn’t come easy—but it’s always worth the fight. Tune in for raw, relatable stories of hustle, heart, and how the toughest builders and business owners made it happen.

  1. 6d ago

    From Burnout to Financial Freedom | Dr. Howard Polansky

    Former dentist Dr. Howard Polansky shares how a life-changing family crisis led him to rethink wealth, debt, and financial freedom. Success on paper doesn't always mean fulfillment in life. After years as a successful dentist, Dr. Howard Polansky found himself burned out, overwhelmed, and questioning everything. Then a terrifying medical emergency involving his son changed the trajectory of his life forever. In this episode, Levi sits down with Dr. Howard Polansky, founder of Financially Led and creator of the DIY Cash Flow Optimization System, to discuss why cash flow—not income—is the true key to financial freedom. Howard shares the personal story that inspired him to leave dentistry behind and build a business dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, and business owners take control of their finances. What You'll Hear: Howard opens up about serving as a Navy dentist, building a successful private practice, and eventually reaching a point of complete burnout. Everything changed when his 12-year-old son developed septic appendicitis and spent nearly a month in intensive care. That experience forced Howard to reevaluate what truly mattered and ultimately led him to sell his dental practice and pursue a completely new mission. The conversation dives into Howard's Financial Liberation Protocol, a strategy focused on improving cash flow rather than simply increasing income. He explains why many high-income professionals still feel financially trapped despite earning substantial salaries and how restructuring debt can create greater flexibility without requiring drastic lifestyle changes. Howard also discusses his philosophy of "making money move," sharing how he reduced his own house payment to almost nothing and now teaches others to use financial tools such as home equity lines of credit strategically. Throughout the episode, he emphasizes responsible financial stewardship, understanding cash flow, and making informed decisions rather than blindly following conventional financial advice. Levi and Howard also explore common misconceptions about debt, the difference between good financial strategy and reckless borrowing, why many traditional personal finance approaches fail entrepreneurs, and how eliminating financial stress can create more freedom, opportunity, and time with family. Whether you're a business owner, healthcare professional, investor, or someone looking to better understand how cash flow impacts long-term wealth, this episode offers a fresh perspective on using money intentionally to build financial security and reclaim your time. Connect with Dr. Howard Polansky 🌐 Website: https://financiallyled.com/ 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howard-polansky-dmd-mba/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howiepolansky

  2. Aug 7

    How AI Is Transforming Healthcare Without Replacing People | Muhammad Atif

    PureLogix co-founder Muhammad Atif explains how AI can reduce administrative burdens while improving patient care. Artificial intelligence is changing healthcare, but its greatest impact may not be replacing doctors. Instead, it's helping them spend less time on paperwork and more time caring for patients. In this episode, Levi sits down with Muhammad Atif, CTO and President of PureLogix, to discuss how software development, AI, and automation are reshaping healthcare and other industries. From launching a global software company with just three co-founders to helping organizations implement secure AI solutions, Muhammad shares practical insights on innovation, compliance, and building technology that solves real-world problems. What You'll Hear: Muhammad shares how his passion for problem-solving led him from studying computer science to co-founding PureLogix in 2006. Starting with just three people, the company has grown into a global software development firm with more than 400 team members serving startups, growing businesses, and enterprise organizations around the world. The conversation explores how PureLogix helps organizations develop custom software, AI-powered applications, and workflow automations. Muhammad explains why the company's mission has always been centered on solving meaningful business and human problems rather than simply building technology for technology's sake. A major focus of the episode is healthcare technology. Muhammad discusses the industry's biggest challenges, including disconnected systems, manual processes, and administrative burdens that take time away from patient care. He shares how AI can automate repetitive tasks, improve interoperability between healthcare systems, and provide clinicians with better information to make faster, more informed decisions. Muhammad also walks through several real-world examples of healthcare innovation, including applications for patient-provider communication, fertility tracking, diabetic care, remote monitoring, and AI-assisted diagnostics. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes that AI should support healthcare professionals rather than replace them, allowing providers to focus on delivering personalized care while technology handles repetitive administrative work. For business leaders considering AI adoption, Muhammad explains why successful implementation begins with understanding business needs, establishing strong data governance, building security into every stage of development, and earning employee trust throughout the transition. Organizations that approach AI with a clear roadmap and quality data are far more likely to see meaningful results than those simply chasing the latest technology trends. Whether you're a healthcare executive, technology leader, entrepreneur, or simply curious about where AI is headed, this episode offers practical insights into how innovation can improve productivity while keeping people at the center of every solution. Connect with Muhammad Atif 🌐 Website: https://purelogics.com/ 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammadatif/

  3. Jul 31

    From Losing Everything to Leading Thousands | Matt Miale

    How one entrepreneur turned failure into a thriving real estate business by putting people before profits. Success isn't always built on winning. Sometimes it's built on losing everything first. In this episode, Levi sits down with Matt Miale, CEO of The Miale Team at Keller Williams, to discuss his journey from corporate advertising into real estate, the painful lessons of the 2008 financial crisis, and how serving people through difficult times became the foundation of a business that now spans four states. From leadership and team building to entrepreneurship and personal fulfillment, Matt shares the experiences that shaped his philosophy on business and life. What You'll Hear: Matt shares how his introduction to real estate came through the publishing industry before discovering the wealth-building potential of owning rental properties. He explains how he rapidly acquired 42 apartment units during the early 2000s, only to watch the financial crisis erase nearly everything he had built. Rather than letting failure define him, he rebuilt his career by helping homeowners navigate foreclosures, short sales, and some of the most difficult financial moments of their lives. The conversation explores why solving problems for others ultimately became a far more successful business strategy than simply chasing money. Matt explains how focusing on service allowed him to accidentally build one of the Northeast's top-performing real estate organizations while creating meaningful relationships with clients and teammates. Matt also dives into the realities of leadership, explaining why leadership is a responsibility rather than a reward. He discusses the challenges of growing from a top-producing agent into the leader of a large organization, why most of a leader's day is spent solving other people's problems, and how fulfillment comes from watching others succeed. The episode also covers the philosophy behind The Production Playbook and Agent Production Academy, two systems Matt developed to help real estate professionals build sustainable businesses through accountability, production, and consistent habits rather than chasing the latest trends or shortcuts. To close the conversation, Matt reflects on what turning 50 taught him about success, family, and fulfillment. Looking back, he says he wouldn't change his journey because wisdom only comes through experience, but he would remind his younger self to stay present, enjoy each season of life, and prioritize the people who matter most over the pursuit of money or achievement. Whether you're building a real estate business, leading a growing team, or simply trying to turn setbacks into opportunities, this episode offers practical lessons on resilience, leadership, and creating a business that serves people first. Connect with Matt Miale 🌐 Website: https://www.mattmiale.com/ 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themialeteamkw 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattmiale/

  4. Jul 24

    Growing Leaders from Within | Rich Ashton

    How one business owner rebuilt a struggling company by developing leaders from within instead of selling out. How can a business owner step away without selling the company, sacrificing its culture, or leaving loyal employees behind? In this episode, Levi sits down with Rich Ashton, a longtime business owner who purchased a nearly bankrupt HVAC company in 1988 and rebuilt it into a successful residential and commercial operation. Rather than selling the business to private equity when it came time to step back, Rich focused on developing the employees already inside the company into leaders capable of running it without him. What You'll Hear: Rich shares how he entered the HVAC industry without a technical background and quickly found himself battling debt, an economic downturn, skeptical vendors, and employees who were hesitant to follow someone from outside the trade. What he expected to turn around in two years ultimately took five years of persistence, leadership, and learning how to communicate with an entirely different workforce. The conversation explores how Tom's Mechanical developed a culture centered on employee empowerment and exceptional customer service. Rich explains why loyalty to his longtime employees made him unwilling to simply sell the company and walk away, leading him to create a leadership development program for blue-collar employees. Rich also explains how to identify natural leaders inside an organization. They are not always the highest performers or the people with formal titles. Instead, they are often the individuals others naturally gather around, trust, and seek out for advice. By involving those informal leaders in decisions, business owners can gain valuable insight and stronger support when introducing change. For entrepreneurs, Rich emphasizes the importance of focus, persistence, and being selective about the advice they follow. He shares why outside opinions can pull business owners away from the opportunity that best matches their passion and strengths, and why failure should be viewed as a temporary stop rather than the end of the journey. Now retired from daily operations, Rich reflects on watching five employees from the original leadership program successfully run the company. He also shares how the lessons from that experience became the foundation for his book, Growing Your Own, and his current work speaking and training others on employee development and leadership. This episode offers a practical look at rebuilding a struggling company, developing leaders from within, and creating a business that can continue succeeding long after the owner steps away. Connect with Rich Ashton: 🌐 Website: https://growingyourown.net/ 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-ashton-397a2b10/ 📖 Learn more about Rich's book, Growing Your Own, on his website or through Amazon.

  5. Jul 2

    The Missing Piece in Passive Real Estate Investing | Pat Zingarella

    How do you know if you're investing with the right real estate operator? In this episode, Levi sits down with Pat Zingarella, founder of Invest Clearly, to discuss one of the biggest challenges passive investors face: evaluating the people behind the deals. After transitioning from corporate America into real estate investing, Pat built Invest Clearly to bring greater transparency to private real estate investing by helping investors research operators, compare opportunities, and learn from verified investor experiences. What You'll Hear: Pat shares his journey from working in corporate sales to buying his first fourplex just before COVID, navigating tenants who stopped paying rent, unexpected property expenses, and eventually discovering major fraud while working for a commercial real estate investor. Those experiences shaped his belief that investors need better tools to evaluate sponsors before investing. The conversation explores why due diligence shouldn't stop with underwriting a property. Pat explains why investors should spend just as much time evaluating the operator as they do analyzing the deal itself, and why reputation, communication, and transparency are becoming the biggest differentiators in today's market. Pat also breaks down how Invest Clearly works, describing it as a "Yelp for private real estate." The platform allows investors to compare real estate investment firms, browse investment opportunities, and read verified reviews from other passive investors to better understand what it's like working with different sponsors. Levi and Pat discuss the current capital raising environment, why many sponsors are finding it harder to attract investors despite strong lead flow, and how today's market is rewarding operators who communicate honestly through difficult times rather than those with the biggest marketing budgets. The episode concludes with practical advice for new passive investors, including why you should never invest in something you don't fully understand, how to ask better questions during due diligence, and why seeking independent perspectives outside of the sponsor's sales process can dramatically improve investment decisions.

    The Missing Piece in Passive Real Estate Investing | Pat Zingarella

  6. Jun 19

    From Corporate Layoffs to $150M in Real Estate | John Casmon

    What would you do if the company you trusted for your financial security suddenly disappeared? In this episode, Levi sits down with John Casmon, marketing partner at Casmon Capital Group, multifamily investor, podcast host, and coach who has helped acquire more than $150 million in apartment investments while teaching busy professionals how to build wealth through real estate. What You'll Hear: John shares the pivotal moments that changed his life forever, including working through not one, but two corporate bankruptcies. After watching stable employers collapse around him, he realized that a paycheck alone wasn't enough to create true financial security. One conversation with a coworker completely shifted his perspective. While everyone else was stressed about layoffs and uncertainty, this colleague remained calm because he had built investment income outside of his job. That lesson became the catalyst for John's journey into real estate investing. The conversation dives into John's early real estate investments, the mistakes and lessons learned along the way, and how he eventually scaled into larger multifamily deals by leveraging partnerships and other people's money. John also explains why today's investors need to focus on fundamentals instead of chasing trends. He discusses the importance of cash flow, risk management, market selection, and why many investors got caught up in unrealistic expectations during the recent real estate boom. One of the most powerful takeaways is John's perspective on investing as a long-term game. Using sports analogies and real-world examples, he explains why setbacks shouldn't cause investors to quit, but rather adjust their strategy while keeping sight of their ultimate financial goals. Whether you're just starting to think beyond your 401(k), actively investing in real estate, or looking for practical wisdom on building long-term wealth, this episode offers valuable insights on financial independence, risk, and creating your own "life jacket" before you need it.

    From Corporate Layoffs to $150M in Real Estate | John Casmon

  7. Jun 17

    The Executive Hiring Secrets That Build Billion-Dollar Companies | Kip Knippel

    What separates great leaders from average ones? And how do the best companies consistently find executives who drive growth, culture, and long-term success? In this episode, Levi sits down with Kip Knippel, President and CEO of Kip Search, one of the nation's premier executive search firms specializing in C-suite and senior leadership recruiting. Through his work with private equity firms, venture capital groups, family offices, and growth-focused companies, Kip helps organizations identify transformational leaders who create enterprise value and scale businesses successfully. What You'll Hear: Kip shares his unique journey from practicing corporate law and commercial real estate to building a nationally recognized executive search firm. He explains how his passion for connecting people ultimately became the foundation for a business centered on helping organizations find exceptional leadership talent. The conversation dives deep into what companies should look for when hiring executives, why cultural alignment often matters more than technical qualifications, and how top-performing leaders are motivated by meaningful challenges rather than compensation alone. Kip also breaks down the critical roles growing companies need to hire first, including why many founder-led businesses reach a point where they need an operational leader or CFO to help scale systems, processes, and execution. He shares practical insights from working with startups, private equity-backed companies, and Fortune 10 organizations alike. For professionals aspiring to leadership positions, Kip offers actionable career advice, including why proximity to great leaders matters, how to intentionally build your career path, and the importance of doing the job you want before you're officially promoted into it. The discussion also explores how AI is impacting recruiting, why executive hiring remains a deeply human process, and how leadership recruitment has evolved in a post-COVID world where top talent is more open than ever to exploring new opportunities. Whether you're a founder preparing to build your leadership team, an executive looking for your next opportunity, or an ambitious professional aiming for the C-suite, this episode delivers valuable insights into leadership, growth, and the mindset required to reach the highest levels of business.

    The Executive Hiring Secrets That Build Billion-Dollar Companies | Kip Knippel

  8. Apr 10

    From Burnout to Breakthrough: How Nurse Coaching is Changing Healthcare | Sarah Johnson

    What happens when someone spends 30 years inside the healthcare system… and realizes the system itself is broken? In this episode, Sarah Johnson joins Levi to share her journey from longtime registered nurse to founder of Growth and Gratitude Coaching. After decades on the frontlines, Sarah saw a major shift in healthcare—from human connection and trust to a system driven by checkboxes, efficiency, and profit. What You'll Hear: Sarah walks through her early years in nursing, where patient care was deeply personal—sitting bedside, building relationships, and truly understanding people beyond their symptoms. Over time, she watched that connection fade as technology and systems took over, leaving both patients and providers feeling disconnected. A turning point came when Sarah realized she could no longer operate within a system that felt misaligned with her values. From hospital roles to home visits to navigating the challenges of COVID-era healthcare, she continued searching for a better way to serve people. That search led her to nurse coaching—a model that blends medical expertise with deep, human-centered coaching. Within months of discovering it, Sarah fully committed, completed her training, and launched her own private practice in 2024. Now, she helps people regulate their nervous system, reduce anxiety, overcome addiction, and reconnect with themselves—without relying solely on medication or rushed doctor visits. Her approach focuses on true, lasting wellness by addressing mind, body, and lifestyle together. Sarah also breaks down what nurse coaching actually is, why it’s still relatively unknown, and why she believes it’s the future of healthcare as more people seek personalized, holistic support. If you’ve ever felt like the healthcare system is missing something—or you’re looking for a more human approach to wellness—this episode will completely reframe how you think about healing and support.

    From Burnout to Breakthrough: How Nurse Coaching is Changing Healthcare | Sarah Johnson
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About

The Grit to Growth Podcast is for hardworking business owners and professionals who believe in rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done. This show dives into the real stories of local entrepreneurs—especially in blue-collar and construction industries—who turned grit, determination, and sweat equity into success. Each episode features candid conversations with business owners who’ve faced setbacks, taken risks, and built something lasting through sheer perseverance. Whether you’re running a trades company, a small-town shop, or just looking for inspiration from people who’ve been in the trenches, The Grit to Growth Podcast delivers practical lessons, motivation, and the reminder that growth doesn’t come easy—but it’s always worth the fight. Tune in for raw, relatable stories of hustle, heart, and how the toughest builders and business owners made it happen.

Information

  • Creator
    Levi Te Slaa
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    91
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Grit to Growth Podcast