The Pocket with Chris Griffin

Koa Smith has spent his life in some of the heaviest waves on earth, and in this episode he shares what they taught him about fear, pain and presence. I sat down with him to unpack what a pure relationship with fear looks like, why most of our fears are just forecasts of a future that hasn’t happened, and how quieting the noise in our lives is the fastest way to hear the truth. We also get into meditation and releasing stored emotion, the mentor who shaped him as a kid, how he approaches love and refuses to settle, and the injuries he now considers some of the greatest gifts of his life. Key discussion points: A healthy relationship with fear Thoughts, feelings and reality Releasing stored emotion Quieting the noise Meditation and somatic release If in doubt, go Mentors and time capsule lessons Love without settling Seeing pain and injury as a gift 00:00 What a pure relationship with fear looks like 02:33 Fear as forecasting the weather 04:48 Why focusing on a fear makes it more likely 05:47 If your thoughts were a 3D printer 07:32 Why feelings trump thoughts 09:40 Feelings vs knowing 11:20 Crying, screaming and releasing stored emotion 14:42 How perfectly designed we are 16:09 Quieting the noise to hear your truth 19:05 The small book story and why noisy lives block creativity 25:23 Meditation and tools for removing the noise 27:32 Somatic release through forgiveness 29:13 What a somatic release actually feels like 31:05 Bringing yourself back to the present moment 36:58 Awareness as a modern superpower 38:09 His mentor Ben and the lesson "if in doubt, go" 44:58 Time capsule lessons that only make sense years later 45:57 Losing Ben and still learning from him in dreams 49:05 Dreaming about love before meeting his partner 50:30 The night he first saw Emma 56:31 What he values most in a partner 58:49 Finding freedom inside commitment 1:02:03 Why so many people settle 1:03:21 You have to know yourself to know the right person 1:05:30 Sharing your doubts and falling deeper in love 1:07:00 Where there is friction, go closer 1:12:24 The time he nearly died underwater 1:15:05 Paddling in with a brain injury, one moment at a time 1:19:11 Why pain lives just outside the present moment 1:21:36 Why his brain injury is one of his greatest gifts 1:22:32 Finding peace inside the suffering 1:24:21 Turning the garden of your past lows 1:26:02 Conversations with God and life as pure experience 1:29:46 Not letting fear control us, life is precious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jefferson Fisher is one of the most respected voices on communication, and in this episode he breaks down why most relationship problems come from the conversations we avoid, not the ones we have. I sat down with him to unpack the right way to have hard conversations, why telling someone they’re wrong only makes them hold on tighter, and why avoidance almost always comes back to a fear of being known. We also get into how to break up with someone with kindness, why disappointing people is a skill worth learning, how to make a disagreement bring you closer instead of pushing you apart, and why self improvement means nothing if it doesn’t help you connect with the people around you. Key discussion points: Why “you’re wrong” backfires Identity and defensiveness Paper cuts and missed moments Matching the message to the medium The right way to break up Fear of being known Having hard conversations with care The skill of disappointing people Self improvement vs self worship Follow Jefferson: https://www.instagram.com/jefferson_fisher/ 00:00 Why big goals matter at every stage of life 00:33 Overestimate one year, underestimate ten 01:34 Borrowed goals vs your own goals 02:28 Why fulfillment matters more than happiness 04:08 Life is a long hike, the peak is fleeting 05:30 Buddhism, balance, and choosing the right goal 09:02 Finding peace inside the suffering 11:18 In great pain comes great alignment 13:00 Selling a business and realizing life barely changes 15:01 Fail fast and change your mind with new data 17:37 Why your 20s are for exploration 18:21 Take care of the basics first 20:13 Working at his family's steakhouse at ten years old 22:39 Leading by example and the scarcity mindset he inherited 24:27 Reprogramming from scarcity to abundance 26:59 Dreams cost nothing, goals have a real cost 28:54 The timeline from divorce and debt to the exit 31:01 The bottle of scotch and deciding "this is my low" 34:21 Anyone can decide right now that this is their low 35:43 Why you must stop playing the victim 37:12 The Warren Buffett trade that shows what you already have 39:26 The 3 minute gratitude meditation 41:45 The lottery ticket exercise 44:08 Be a better tipper and act like the person you want to be 47:19 Start small and measure the actions 48:14 Why lottery winners lose it all 50:20 What does a big number actually unlock for you 55:46 Why more data is not always better 57:18 Track a few things, and why sleep comes first 1:00:17 Annual reviews and thinking in ten year goals 1:01:45 Matthew McConaughey and chasing the future version of you 1:03:38 The jagged line nobody sees on social media 1:05:35 Play your own game 1:06:22 Growing up as the youngest of six in the middle of nowhere 1:09:23 What he wants to instill in his own kids 1:11:08 The parenting balance between freedom and guidance 1:16:40 Faith, Catholicism, and fulfillment 1:20:34 Your 20s are for discovery, your 30s for figuring it out 1:22:29 What we can borrow from every religion 1:24:51 His new podcast and mission to get more people building businesses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Wystrach built and sold a billion dollar company, and in this episode he explains why the real transformation happened years earlier, from the inside. I sat down with him to unpack why goals matter at every stage of life, why fulfillment beats happiness, and why most of the goals we chase were actually borrowed from someone else. We also get into how he rebuilt himself from his lowest point, the gratitude practice that rewired his mindset, why money alone never solves your problems, and how he approaches faith, family and raising kids while still chasing big ambitions. Key discussion points Fulfillment beats happiness Most goals are borrowed from other people Overestimate one year, underestimate ten Big goals come with a real cost Rock bottom is a decision, not a destination Gratitude rewires how you see the world Act like it’s already happened Money magnifies problems, it doesn’t fix them Play your own game, not the one on social media Get you free Podcast toolkit here: www.thepodpro.com/toolkit 00:00 Why big goals matter at every stage of life 00:33 Overestimate one year, underestimate ten 01:34 Borrowed goals vs your own goals 02:28 Why fulfillment matters more than happiness 04:08 Life is a long hike, the peak is fleeting 05:30 Buddhism, balance, and choosing the right goal 09:02 Finding peace inside the suffering 11:18 In great pain comes great alignment 13:00 Selling a business and realizing life barely changes 15:01 Fail fast and change your mind with new data 17:37 Why your 20s are for exploration 18:21 Take care of the basics first 20:13 Working at his family's steakhouse at ten years old 22:39 Leading by example and the scarcity mindset he inherited 24:27 Reprogramming from scarcity to abundance 26:59 Dreams cost nothing, goals have a real cost 28:54 The timeline from divorce and debt to the exit 31:01 The bottle of scotch and deciding "this is my low" 34:21 Anyone can decide right now that this is their low 35:43 Why you must stop playing the victim 37:12 The Warren Buffett trade that shows what you already have 39:26 The 3 minute gratitude meditation 41:45 The lottery ticket exercise 44:08 Be a better tipper and act like the person you want to be 47:19 Start small and measure the actions 48:14 Why lottery winners lose it all 50:20 What does a big number actually unlock for you 55:46 Why more data is not always better 57:18 Track a few things, and why sleep comes first 1:00:17 Annual reviews and thinking in ten year goals 1:01:45 Matthew McConaughey and chasing the future version of you 1:03:38 The jagged line nobody sees on social media 1:05:35 Play your own game 1:06:22 Growing up as the youngest of six in the middle of nowhere 1:09:23 What he wants to instill in his own kids 1:11:08 The parenting balance between freedom and guidance 1:16:40 Faith, Catholicism, and fulfillment 1:20:34 Your 20s are for discovery, your 30s for figuring it out 1:22:29 What we can borrow from every religion 1:24:51 His new podcast and mission to get more people building businesses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is with Khalil Rafati, founder of Sunlife Organics, Ex homeless drug addict and a curious, deep thinker. I loved this. Khalil invited us into his home for the week in the Hamptons. Quite the transformation compared to his time on Skid Row… Enjoy Follow Khalil: https://www.instagram.com/khalilrafati/ Follow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/morechrisgriffin/ I have the largest podcast school in the world. If you want to work with me to build your show apply below and I’ll reach out! https://thepodpro.com/apply Chapters: 0:00 You don't get what you want, you get what you tolerate 1:53 Why change only comes from desperation 3:09 From the middle seat to flying private 7:12 Homeless, food stamps and growing up Palestinian in rural Ohio 11:13 From heroin on Skid Row to "I just make smoothies" 13:19 Why staying the victim is the easy choice 16:38 Sharing needles on Skid Row to a house in the Hamptons 27:04 Expansive vs constricting: jealousy, gossip and ego 38:16 Cindy Crawford, the busboy and how you treat people 40:11 Turning down millions to protect his employee 52:13 The $20M house mindset and his morning gratitude ritual 57:57 "The least smart person you'll meet" in the Oval Office 59:52 The rock bottom prayer that changed everything 1:09:04 Losing money on stores and why no book will save you 1:19:50 His final message to the world Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Goldberg built Jack's Dining Room and Yes Chef Group from nothing. This conversation is a masterclass in why hospitality, not hustle, is what actually separates people who win long term. I sat down with him to unpack what real hospitality looks like, why culture is shifting away from drinking, and how he went from a tech consultant at PwC to leading a growing team and a massive online audience. We also get into why action beats information every time, why chasing success without passion leaves you feeling like a shell of yourself, and why studying who someone became matters more than studying what they did to get there. Key discussion points Hospitality is in the small details, not just the product Culture is shifting away from drinking toward health and connection Action beats information, you learn by doing, not researching Chasing something fake eventually burns out Study who people became, not what they did Supportive parents build internal confidence to take risks Redefining success beyond the traditional college to job path Build without chasing revenue, the money follows There's never a finish line in entrepreneurship Get you Free Podcast Toolkit: www.thepodpro.com/toolkit Follow Jack's Dining room: https://www.instagram.com/jacksdiningroom/ 00:00 What hospitality actually means 01:22 Great staff vs great food, what makes people come back 03:04 The truth about New York's pace and reputation 03:55 How culture is shifting away from drinking 04:51 Sydney's active lifestyle vs New York's hustle culture 05:34 Yes Chef Group and the run club bringing people together 08:09 Drinking as an escape, not a form of fun 09:44 Rethinking why we actually drink in the first place 11:05 From a guy in college to building an empire 11:32 Meeting his co-founder and starting Jack's Dining Room 12:24 Why chasing something fake eventually burns out 13:09 From a tech consultant at PwC to a 15 person team 15:07 You never know what you're doing until you do it 15:45 Why there's no shortcut, just patience and reps 17:00 Just start, nothing is ever perfect 18:04 Tunnel vision and not caring what people think 19:08 Immediate suffering vs the long term suffering of a life you hate 19:27 Why it's an action problem, not an information problem 21:03 Fail enough and you're guaranteed to grow 21:38 Shorten the gap between thinking and doing 24:33 Shifting priorities as life gets more exciting 25:51 Why every single day matters 26:06 Tom Brady's advice: show up like it's the Super Bowl 27:10 Growth through iteration, from the first dinner to the fourth 28:40 Do something you love and do it every day 29:45 The one exception for chasing something you don't love yet 30:29 Finding passion by first figuring out what you hate 32:55 Helping clients grow their podcasts, and why it lights him up 36:07 Giving back and why that's the most rewarding part 36:54 Why he never posts negative reviews 38:25 The win-win mindset behind his content 40:01 "What did you do" vs "who did you become" 41:14 Study the man, not the money 42:21 His mom's entrepreneurial influence growing up 43:15 "Say yes and figure it out" as a core philosophy 45:47 Why he still went to college despite supportive parents 47:01 Getting the dream job, then realizing he hated it 49:23 Redefining what success actually looks like 50:03 The traditional path problem: a job that can't afford a home 52:07 Being conscious and clear on why you're doing something 54:00 Launching Yes Chef Studios, the next generation Food Network 55:12 Yes Chef Tailgates and bringing food festivals to colleges 56:18 Why there's never a moment you've "got it" as a founder 58:33 Chasing things only to realize they don't matter once you have them 1:00:04 "A goose chase to find out what's already here" 1:01:33 Reinvesting profits into experiences instead of extracting money 1:05:24 What's next: the food festival, the studio, and the tailgates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I went on a trip to Dagestan, Russia... It was not what I expected! Tune into this podcast to hear my lessons from 9 days in a place most people will never experience. Work with me to build your podcast and person al brand: https://thepodpro.com/apply Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morechrisgriffin/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Shefali has helped millions of parents rethink what it actually means to raise a child, and in this episode she breaks down why most parenting struggles trace straight back to the parent's own unhealed childhood. Se unpacks conscious parenting, the difference between masculinity and toxic masculinity, why boys today are growing up with no real blueprint for manhood, and why every trigger you feel as a parent is really an invitation to look at yourself first. We also get into raising sons versus daughters differently, why physical challenge matters for boys, and why a parent's own consciousness, not the child's behavior, is what actually shapes how a kid turns out. Key discussion points Heal your inner child first Kids trigger your own wounds Masculinity isn't the problem, toxicity is Boys lack a real blueprint for manhood Toxic femininity exists too, just hidden Sons and daughters need different parenting Triggers are invitations to look inward Boys need older men to guide them Your consciousness shapes your kid, not your methods Get you Free Podcast Toolkit: www.thepodpro.com/toolkit Dr Shefali's New Books: https://www.drshefali.com/ 00:00 What conscious parenting actually means 00:32 Why we blame the child instead of looking at ourselves 01:31 Real child vs inner child, explained 02:04 Why she wrote Raising Conscious Sons before Raising Conscious Daughters 03:38 What the "problems men create" actually look like 04:28 What masculinity looks like without the toxicity 06:17 Are "man up" and the alpha caricature really opposites? 08:47 How to define toxic masculinity 11:11 Are women seen as lesser in this framework? 12:21 Why lumping all men into "toxic masculine" backfires 14:02 The toxic femininity nobody talks about 20:29 Raising kids to combine, not divide 21:00 Honoring differences instead of competing with them 23:07 Do kids even know who they are yet? 25:08 You can't control the world, but you can control your home 26:33 Why two separate books for sons and daughters 27:55 How algorithms already treat boys and girls differently 29:13 The real goal behind conscious parenting 30:01 What sons specifically need from their parents 31:41 Why boys need older men to initiate them into manhood 34:20 Parenting the child in front of you, not the fantasy child 35:30 Why removing challenge and friction is dangerous for kids 37:06 Why physical challenge matters more for boys 41:09 Why censorship is a precursor to people losing themselves 43:22 Every trigger is an invitation to look at yourself 48:02 "Parenting is not for them, it's for you" 49:00 Her 60 second answer on how to help kids in today's world Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Description Grayson's back on the show for round two, and honestly this might be my favourite conversation we've had. He unpacks why right and wrong are just judgment, why every relationship in his past served him exactly as it needed to, and why you have to find home within yourself before you can build a real one with someone else. We get into presence, the difference between fear and love, how Grayson is preparing himself to become a father, and why the most powerful thing a high achieving man can do is surrender rather than control. Key discussion points Right and wrong are judgment, not fact, every relationship served a purpose. You need to feel whole within yourself before you can show up for a partner. Everything is a mirror, one message lands differently depending on who's hearing it. Only two real emotions exist, love and fear, everything else stems from them. Judgment is a feeling inside you, not something being done to you. Surrender beats control, especially for high achievers used to forcing outcomes. Masculine and feminine energy live in everyone, alignment is the goal, not suppression. Fatherhood is teaching him to regulate his nervous system in real time. His shoe brand grew directly out of his own journey toward alignment. Get your Free Podcast Toolkit: www.thepodpro.com/toolkit Check out Hart Workshop: https://www.instagram.com/hart.workshop/ Follow Grayson: https://www.instagram.com/graysonjonhart/ 00:00 The wrong intentions with the wrong women 00:58 Why past relationships were never wrong, they served a purpose 02:21 Falling into societal conditioning around marriage 06:27 Intention over right and wrong 07:21 Self-awareness, cowardice, and the courage to move on 08:26 Why you have to be whole within yourself first 10:12 Feeling love and belonging from within, not from a partner 13:02 True love is not seeking, it is already whole 15:11 Everything in a relationship is optional 24:40 Is truth subjective or universal 25:16 Truth is being; thought and feeling arise from presence 28:37 How society clouds us from presence 29:12 Nature has no mistakes 53:04 Jesus, love, and "I am the way, the truth and the light" 56:05 The utility of believing in Jesus as the Son of God 1:00:07 Grayson's personal, non-religious relationship with Jesus 1:13:20 Interpreting scripture without getting lost in the words 1:18:01 Team dynamics, rugby, and the masculine feminine union 1:20:37 The Gandhi story: exploring other faiths to deepen his own 1:35:14 One message, a hundred interpretations: the mirror effect 1:37:11 Two human expressions: service to your highest good or victimhood 1:39:27 Regulating himself while his partner is six months pregnant 1:44:17 Creating space to actually feel your feelings 1:57:42 Surrender as the word that defines his biggest life shifts 2:00:48 Masculine and feminine energy inside every person 2:02:43 Why surrender is the greatest move for high achievers 2:39:23 Judgment lives inside you, not in the other person 2:41:02 Love is fierce too, not just soft 2:43:33 The origin story of his barefoot shoe brand Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Perl went from a scarcity mindset to millions of followers and a thriving business, she says the shift happened the moment she changed her identity, not her hustle. She unpacks detachment, manifestation, and why your subconscious mind cares more about keeping you safe than getting you what you want, while also opening up about reprogramming her childhood scarcity beliefs, the fear of losing control that comes with wanting a family, and what it really takes to trust another person with your heart. Key discussion points Embodying the version of you that already has what you want, not suppressing the desire for it Chasing pushes people and outcomes away; magnetism comes from not needing something The subconscious mind's only job is to keep you safe, not to help you get what you consciously want Everything in life is a mirror: you change your reality by changing yourself, not by trying to change others Burning the boats and removing your own exit unlocks a level of drive most people never access Spite and pain, reframed correctly, can become one of the most powerful sources of spiritual motivation Feminine energy is surrender and trust Get your FREE Podcast Toolkit here: www.thepodpro.com/toolkit 00:00 Detachment is the real secret to manifestation 00:41 Why chasing anything makes it run away 02:29 Surrendering control lets things fall into place 03:23 Everything in life is a mirror 04:12 The water analogy: same substance, different state 06:07 You see your subconscious in your outcomes, not your thoughts 07:20 The operating system running your life on autopilot 09:54 Belief, not talent, is what separates people who have what they want 10:21 The law of assumption 11:14 Orbits: how changing identity changes your reality 15:32 Burning the boats: removing your own exit 17:00 Manifestation as laser focus and intuition 18:12 The 1 percent survival instinct hiding in you 19:44 How childhood scarcity shapes identity 22:23 Spite as the greatest spiritual motivation 25:54 Building faith through evidence of what you have survived 26:50 Confidence built through doing hard things 27:40 Confidence versus faith versus ego 29:41 Manifestation as feminine energy, control as false safety 32:16 Turning point: adopting a new identity to escape scarcity 33:28 The alter ego experiment that changed everything 34:48 Letting go of how and trusting divine timing 39:28 Why proximity to people who have done it makes it feel possible 50:39 Denying yourself because you never believed it was possible 52:00 What billionaires and old people both teach about desire 55:04 The game of life: wanting to experience everything 56:33 Challenges of being a woman in business 59:21 Working through subconscious resentment toward men 1:01:09 Love and business both require faith and surrender 1:04:07 Love as action, not just a feeling 1:07:31 The leg of the table versus the plate on the table 1:12:16 Reframing feminine energy and pregnancy as power, not sacrifice 1:17:01 A story about meeting the woman he wants to marry 1:21:35 What a man wants: a helper, not a competitor 1:26:04 Fear of abandonment and the risk of wanting a family Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think the fix for stress is another biohack: an ice bath, a supplement, a $150K hyperbaric chamber. Jules Horn says the real fix has been sitting in your chest the whole time. Former model, now breathwork and nervous system coach, Jules Horn unpacks why most people are stuck in fight or flight without even knowing it, why "what's possible isn't always optimal," and why chasing more, money, validation, relationships, never actually fills the void. Key discussion points Chronic stress and nervous system disregulation as the hidden default state of modern life The "stress cup": auditing what adds vs. removes stress from your day What's possible isn't the same as what's optimal Chasing achievement, money, or love never fills an internal void How trauma stays stored in the body until it's processed The "perfect breath" and why breath cadence is the lowest hanging fruit for regulation Why biohacks like ice baths and fasting can backfire without a regulated nervous system first Jules' burnout story: modelling career collapse, chronic back pain, and a family health history tied to suppressed emotion Belief and self-imposed limits Apply to join the greatest podcast school in the world, PodPro: www.thepodpro.com/apply I built this to offer a space I wish I had when I was starting out. Timestamps 00:00 The hidden cost of chronic stress 00:47 Why medication treats symptoms, not root causes 02:54 The stress cup: what adds vs. takes away 03:29 What's possible isn't always optimal 05:22 High achievers using busyness to avoid facing stress 06:43 Jules' male modeling career and burnout 07:44 The "Happiness" rat race video 08:47 Ego, intellect, and finding the middle path 11:07 The two voices: ego vs. God (intuition) 13:11 Unpacking ego vs. God further 16:08 Why self-love is the bottomless pit nothing else can fill 19:58 Look the monster in the face to release trauma 22:23 Where trauma lives in the body (root chakra breathwork) 27:23 Breath cadence and longevity (turtles vs. humans) 28:33 The perfect breath: 4s in, 6s out 32:11 The book on belly breathing exercise (20 day reset) 35:11 Why ice baths aren't bad, but not first 47:29 Growing up poor in Germany and breaking money scarcity 52:01 Chronic back pain and his family's health history 55:20 Self-love as the root of every optimization habit 58:23 Fixing relationships by healing the inner child first 1:00:48 Why we outsource the free stuff 1:04:07 The 80/20 rule: parasympathetic vs. sympathetic living 1:06:25 Root cause vs. Band-Aid (TRT, laxatives, biohacks) 1:20:53 Belief and breaking self-imposed limits 1:22:34 Collective consciousness and the ant in a circle story 1:24:38 Faith, energy, and spontaneous healing stories 1:28:00 Wrestling with faith: structured religion vs. spirituality 1:36:27 Everyone's gift is service, closing thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices