Navigating Leaders

Gabriel Griess
  • 5.0 (7)
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The Navigating Leaders Podcast is for leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers ready to grow with purpose. It’s hosted by Gabriel Griess, a retired US Air Force officer, CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and founder of Navigating Leaders. Each episode explores what it takes to break through limiting beliefs, clarify your vision, and start really living. Grounded in faith and guided by hard-earned, real-world wisdom, Gabriel helps you identify what’s holding you back and take intentional steps toward lasting impact. Through authentic conversations and practical insights, you’ll gain the tools to lead from the inside out. It’s time to awaken your vision and live boldly.

  1. 18h ago

    Episode 25: The Missing Link Between Knowing and Growing

    You know what you should do, so why do you still feel stuck? Most people don't struggle because they lack information. They struggle because they never turn what they know into consistent action. In this episode of The Navigating Leaders Podcast, Gabriel Griess sits down with growth coach Brandon Smeltzer, founder of Undefeated Growth, to explore why some people make meaningful progress while others stay trapped in the same patterns year after year. Together, they unpack the surprising lessons Brandon learned while coaching undefeated sports teams, struggling leaders, executives, parents, and people fighting to save their marriages. The conversation reveals why accountability matters, how small actions create massive change over time, and what separates growth-minded people from everyone else. If you've been feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, stuck, or frustrated by the gap between where you are and where you want to be, this episode will challenge the way you think about growth and give you a practical path forward. Because lasting transformation doesn't start with knowing more. It starts with taking the next step. ==================== RESOURCES 🌎 Website: navigatingleaders.com 👀 Vision Engine: navigatingleaders.com/vision-engine 📖 The Results Tree—A Proven Path to the Life You Really Want: TheResultsTree.com  Undefeated Growth Website: undefeatedgrowth.com Undefeated Growth Instagram: @undefeatedgrowth Undefeated Growth LinkedIn: @undefeatedgrowth Season of Life—A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood: Season of Life Book ==================== ABOUT BRANDON SMELTZER Coach Brandon brings more than twenty-five years of experience in coaching and leadership development. A championship winning sports coach, Brandon can help you and your organization break through walls; functional, relational, or spiritual. He has a unique gift of seeing the big picture and knowing how to map the route forward. Brandon is a certified John Maxwell Team coach and communicator as well as the designer of the Undefeated Growth process. He and his wife have seven kids and are active servant-leaders at their local church. CONNECT WITH GABRIEL 🎥 YouTube: @navigatingleaders 📸 Instagram: @navigatingleaders 👍 Facebook: @navigatingleaders 🎵 TikTok: @navigatingleaders 🗣️ LinkedIn: @navigatingleaders ==================== ABOUT GABRIEL Gabriel Griess is a retired US Air Force officer, the CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and the founder of Navigating Leaders. A graduate of the elite Air Force Weapons School, he has spent decades leading teams in high-pressure environments and equipping others to reach their full potential. As a combat veteran and an entrepreneur, Gabriel helps individuals cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to create lasting impact. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on personal transformation, strategic leadership, and veteran empowerment. The Results Tree is the framework he lives by, and when applied, it will unearth your destiny.

    1h 14m

  2. Jun 23

    Episode 24: What If You're Not as Far Gone as You Think?

    Have you ever felt like you've wandered too far, made too many mistakes, or become someone you never intended to be? Whether you're carrying regret, struggling with shame, feeling disconnected from God, or watching someone you love walk a difficult path, this episode is a powerful reminder that no one is beyond grace. In this episode of The Navigating Leaders Podcast, Gabriel Griess shares a personal story, explores the timeless lessons of the Prodigal Son and the Lost Sheep, and challenges us to rethink how we view ourselves and others. Along the way, he unpacks why kindness, compassion, forgiveness, faith, and human connection matter more than ever in a world filled with division, anxiety, judgment, and loneliness. If you've been searching for hope, purpose, healing, redemption, or simply a reminder that you're not alone, this conversation may be exactly what you need. The question isn't whether you've ever been lost. The question is what happens when you're found. ==================== RESOURCES 🌎 Website: navigatingleaders.com 👀 Vision Engine: navigatingleaders.com/vision-engine 📖 The Results Tree—A Proven Path to the Life You Really Want: TheResultsTree.com  CONNECT WITH GABRIEL 🎥 YouTube: @navigatingleaders 📸 Instagram: @navigatingleaders 👍 Facebook: @navigatingleaders 🎵 TikTok: @navigatingleaders 🗣️ LinkedIn: @navigatingleaders ==================== ABOUT GABRIEL Gabriel Griess is a retired US Air Force officer, the CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and the founder of Navigating Leaders. A graduate of the elite Air Force Weapons School, he has spent decades leading teams in high-pressure environments and equipping others to reach their full potential. As a combat veteran and an entrepreneur, Gabriel helps individuals cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to create lasting impact. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on personal transformation, strategic leadership, and veteran empowerment. The Results Tree is the framework he lives by, and when applied, it will unearth your destiny.

    27 min

  3. Jun 16

    Episode 23: The Real Reason People Trust You (or Don’t)

    Why do some leaders earn trust, influence, and opportunity while others struggle to make a lasting impact? In this episode of The Navigating Leaders Podcast, Gabriel Griess sits down with Gary Watson for a conversation about one of the most overlooked factors in leadership and success. If you've ever wondered why certain relationships open doors, why some people naturally attract trust, or why leadership can feel harder than it should, this episode will challenge the way you think about influence, character, and personal growth. Together, Gabriel and Gary explore the hidden factors that shape credibility, decision-making, and long-term success. Whether you're leading a business, a team, a family, or simply trying to become the person you're called to be, this conversation offers powerful insights that can transform the way you lead and live. If you're interested in leadership, emotional intelligence, personal development, influence, faith, mindset, and building a legacy that lasts, this episode is for you. ==================== RESOURCES 🌎 Website: navigatingleaders.com 👀 Vision Engine: navigatingleaders.com/vision-engine 📖 The Results Tree—A Proven Path to the Life You Really Want: TheResultsTree.com  🏢 Trio Workforce Solutions: https://triowfs.com ==================== ABOUT GARY WATSON Gary Watson, known to many as Sivion, is a business leader, entrepreneur, musician, and man of faith with a passion for helping people lead with integrity and purpose. For decades, he has built influence across both the marketplace and the creative arts, earning a reputation for strong character, authentic relationships, and servant leadership. Whether leading teams, building businesses, mentoring others, or creating music, Gary is committed to helping people grow personally, professionally, and spiritually. 📸 Instagram: @SivionDS5 👍 Facebook: @SivionDS5 𝕏 X/Twitter: @SivionDS5 CONNECT WITH GABRIEL 🎥 YouTube: @navigatingleaders 📸 Instagram: @navigatingleaders 👍 Facebook: @navigatingleaders 🎵 TikTok: @navigatingleaders 🗣️ LinkedIn: @navigatingleaders ==================== ABOUT GABRIEL Gabriel Griess is a retired US Air Force officer, the CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and the founder of Navigating Leaders. A graduate of the elite Air Force Weapons School, he has spent decades leading teams in high-pressure environments and equipping others to reach their full potential. As a combat veteran and an entrepreneur, Gabriel helps individuals cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to create lasting impact. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on personal transformation, strategic leadership, and veteran empowerment. The Results Tree is the framework he lives by, and when applied, it will unearth your destiny.

    35 min

  4. Jun 9

    Episode 22: The Real Reason You Feel Stuck (It’s Not What You Think)

    Are you spending your energy on the wrong things? Most leaders don’t lose their way because they lack talent, ambition, or opportunity. They lose their way because they get distracted.  In this episode of The Navigating Leaders Podcast, Gabriel Griess introduces a powerful framework he calls “The Puzzle or the Path.” Through a simple but unforgettable illustration, he explores why so many people find themselves consumed by problems, distractions, relationships, and pursuits that pull them away from the purpose they were created to fulfill.  If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, pulled in too many directions, or uncertain about your next step, this conversation will challenge you to examine what’s truly deserving of your time, attention, and energy. The question isn’t whether you’re moving. The question is whether you’re moving in the direction you were meant to go.  ==================== RESOURCES 🌎 Website: navigatingleaders.com 👀 Vision Engine: navigatingleaders.com/vision-engine 📖 The Results Tree—A Proven Path to the Life You Really Want: TheResultsTree.com  CONNECT WITH GABRIEL 🎥 YouTube: @navigatingleaders 📸 Instagram: @navigatingleaders 👍 Facebook: @navigatingleaders 🎵 TikTok: @navigatingleaders 🗣️ LinkedIn: @navigatingleaders ==================== ABOUT GABRIEL Gabriel Griess is a retired US Air Force officer, the CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and the founder of Navigating Leaders. A graduate of the elite Air Force Weapons School, he has spent decades leading teams in high-pressure environments and equipping others to reach their full potential. As a combat veteran and an entrepreneur, Gabriel helps individuals cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to create lasting impact. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on personal transformation, strategic leadership, and veteran empowerment. The Results Tree is the framework he lives by, and when applied, it will unearth your destiny.

    13 min

  5. Jun 2

    Episode 21: How Faith Changed Sam Trevino’s Life, Marriage, and Leadership

    What if your carpet cleaner carried a calling that had nothing to do with carpets? In this episode of The Navigating Leaders Podcast, host Gabriel Griess sits down with Sam Trevino, a father of six, man of faith, and founder of Made Clean Janitorial Services. Sam leads with purpose, and his company motto comes straight from Hebrews 9:14. It shows in everything he does. But before his business, beautiful marriage, and bold faith, there was a lost young man in a steel town in Indiana, drinking away his pain and searching for the father he never had. Sam shares the moment a TV preacher stopped him cold, the beer went down, and everything changed. He talks about hearing God’s voice at a quinceañera, proposing to a woman he barely knew, and why, 30 years later, that same obedience still guides him, including raising a three-year-old at age 62. This conversation goes deep on what it means to lead as a man, a father, and a servant, and why none of it works without God in the equation. It ends with a prayer you won’t want to skip. ==================== RESOURCES 🌎 Website: navigatingleaders.com 👀 Vision Engine: navigatingleaders.com/vision-engine 📖 The Results Tree—A Proven Path to the Life You Really Want: TheResultsTree.com ⏩ Made Clean Janitorial Services: www.madeclean.solutions ⏩ Made Clean Janitorial Services on Facebook: facebook.com/MadeCleanJanitorialServices  CONNECT WITH GABRIEL 🎥 YouTube: @navigatingleaders 📸 Instagram: @navigatingleaders 👍 Facebook: @navigatingleaders 🎵 TikTok: @navigatingleaders 🗣️ LinkedIn: @navigatingleaders ==================== ABOUT GABRIEL Gabriel Griess is a retired US Air Force officer, the CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and the founder of Navigating Leaders. A graduate of the elite Air Force Weapons School, he has spent decades leading teams in high-pressure environments and equipping others to reach their full potential. As a combat veteran and an entrepreneur, Gabriel helps individuals cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to create lasting impact. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on personal transformation, strategic leadership, and veteran empowerment. The Results Tree is the framework he lives by, and when applied, it will unearth your destiny.

    50 min

  6. May 26

    Episode 20: Why High Achievers Need a Sabbatical

    When was the last time you truly chose to rest? Not because you were forced to slow down, but because you intentionally made space to renew, reflect, and reset. In this episode of The Navigating Leaders Podcast, host Gabriel Griess makes the case for something most high achievers resist: taking a sabbatical. Not just a vacation, but intentional time to unplug, reflect, and refuel. Drawing from the “4 Rs”: renewal, reflection, rhythm, and rest. Gabriel unpacks why rest is not weakness; it’s wisdom. He also gets practical about what a sabbatical can actually look like: putting it on the calendar, choosing the right environment, unplugging completely, and giving your body and mind permission to slow down. If you’ve been running on empty, feeling burned out, or carrying more than you were designed to hold, this episode will challenge you to stop surviving and start investing in the one person everyone around you is counting on: you. ==================== RESOURCES 🌎 Website: navigatingleaders.com 👀 Vision Engine: navigatingleaders.com/vision-engine 📖 The Results Tree—A Proven Path to the Life You Really Want: TheResultsTree.com  CONNECT WITH GABRIEL 🎥 YouTube: @navigatingleaders 📸 Instagram: @navigatingleaders 👍 Facebook: @navigatingleaders 🎵 TikTok: @navigatingleaders 🗣️ LinkedIn: @navigatingleaders ==================== ABOUT GABRIEL Gabriel Griess is a retired US Air Force officer, the CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and the founder of Navigating Leaders. A graduate of the elite Air Force Weapons School, he has spent decades leading teams in high-pressure environments and equipping others to reach their full potential. As a combat veteran and an entrepreneur, Gabriel helps individuals cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to create lasting impact. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on personal transformation, strategic leadership, and veteran empowerment. The Results Tree is the framework he lives by, and when applied, it will unearth your destiny.

    33 min

  7. May 19

    Episode 19: Happy Wife, Happy Life … But Not How You Think

    You’ve probably heard the phrase “happy wife, happy life” a thousand times. But what if we’ve been missing the point? In this episode of The Navigating Leaders Podcast, host Gabriel Griess shares a simple moment with his wife, Kristie, and son, Preston, that completely reframed what it means to truly love, serve, and honor the people closest to us. At a time when the world feels filled with conflict, uncertainty, stress, and even headlines of war, it’s easy to overlook the quiet battles happening inside our homes, relationships, and hearts. In a culture searching for stronger marriages, deeper connection, emotional health, and less overwhelm, we often assume love looks like expensive vacations, jewelry, or grand gestures. While those things can be meaningful, Gabriel shares a different perspective: sometimes love looks much simpler and much more powerful. Through one ordinary Saturday afternoon spent scanning receipts, Gabriel uncovers an unexpected lesson about marriage, service, emotional support, and what people truly need most when life feels heavy. Sometimes the greatest gift you can give someone isn’t more; it’s relief. Whether you’re married, single, dating, or somewhere in between, this episode will challenge you to see the people in your life differently and ask: what burden can I help someone lay down today? ==================== RESOURCES 🌎 Website: navigatingleaders.com 👀 Vision Engine: navigatingleaders.com/vision-engine 📖 The Results Tree—A Proven Path to the Life You Really Want: TheResultsTree.com  ==================== CONNECT WITH GABRIEL 🎥 YouTube: @navigatingleaders 📸 Instagram: @navigatingleaders 👍 Facebook: @navigatingleaders 🎵 TikTok: @navigatingleaders 🗣️ LinkedIn: @navigatingleaders ==================== ABOUT GABRIEL Gabriel Griess is a retired US Air Force officer, the CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and the founder of Navigating Leaders. A graduate of the elite Air Force Weapons School, he has spent decades leading teams in high-pressure environments and equipping others to reach their full potential. As a combat veteran and an entrepreneur, Gabriel helps individuals cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to create lasting impact. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on personal transformation, strategic leadership, and veteran empowerment. The Results Tree is the framework he lives by, and when applied, it will unearth your destiny.

    11 min

  8. May 12

    Episode 18: Allison Higgins on Faith, Purpose & the Fight Against Human Trafficking

    What happens when a young woman takes her faith from the White House to a war zone and turns it into a lifelong mission to protect the most vulnerable? In this episode of The Navigating Leaders Podcast, host Gabriel Griess sits down with Allison Higgins, J.D. - attorney, anti-human trafficking advocate, and co-founder of CoverGov. Allison's story is anything but ordinary. From a church plant in a tent outside Georgetown to praying over a sick woman in Indonesia and not learning the outcome for four years, her life is a masterclass in walking by faith. Gabriel and Allison explore what it looks like to pursue God wholeheartedly while building a meaningful career, how to stay centered when everything feels urgent, and what it truly costs to say yes to the hard assignments. Allison shares her firsthand experience at the Ukraine-Poland border during the 2022 Russian invasion, where she witnessed trafficking in real time and helped launch a rapid response using facial recognition, law enforcement collaboration, and baby supplies as cover. Back in Texas, she unpacks the staggering reality of statewide trafficking - 79,000 youth and minor sex trafficking victims alone and how a DOJ-backed task force model is finally getting it right. This conversation will stretch your faith, challenge your priorities, and remind you that a life of purpose is built one courageous yes at a time. ====================  RESOURCES 🌎 Website: navigatingleaders.com 📖 The Results Tree—A Proven Path to the Life You Really Want: TheResultsTree.com 🛡️ UnboundNow (Anti-Human Trafficking Organization): unboundnow.org 🏛️ CoverGov (Government Intelligence Platform): covergov.com 📚 Right Away and All at Once by Greg Brenneman: amazon.com/Right-Away-All-At-Once/dp/0795347480 CONNECT WITH GABRIEL 🎥 YouTube: @navigatingleaders 📸 Instagram: @navigatingleaders 👍 Facebook: @navigatingleaders 🎵 TikTok: @navigatingleaders 🗣️ LinkedIn: @navigatingleaders ==================== ABOUT GABRIEL Gabriel Griess is a retired US Air Force officer, the CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and the founder of Navigating Leaders. A graduate of the elite Air Force Weapons School, he has spent decades leading teams in high-pressure environments and equipping others to reach their full potential. As a combat veteran and an entrepreneur, Gabriel helps individuals cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to create lasting impact. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on personal transformation, strategic leadership, and veteran empowerment. The Results Tree is the framework he lives by, and when applied, it will unearth your destiny.

    34 min
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5
out of 5
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About

The Navigating Leaders Podcast is for leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers ready to grow with purpose. It’s hosted by Gabriel Griess, a retired US Air Force officer, CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and founder of Navigating Leaders. Each episode explores what it takes to break through limiting beliefs, clarify your vision, and start really living. Grounded in faith and guided by hard-earned, real-world wisdom, Gabriel helps you identify what’s holding you back and take intentional steps toward lasting impact. Through authentic conversations and practical insights, you’ll gain the tools to lead from the inside out. It’s time to awaken your vision and live boldly.

Information

  • Creator
    Gabriel Griess
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Navigating Leaders
  • Show Website
    Navigating Leaders