What do you get when you cross a nightclub owner, a somatic breathwork facilitator, and a student of integral theory? You get today’s guest—Leo Marrs—a mission-driven creator who walks the line between consciousness and commerce.

In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will sits down with Leo to explore his evolution from restaurant entrepreneur to breathwork practitioner and systems thinker. The conversation weaves through Leo’s experience running a four-star restaurant, the moment he walked away from the success he thought he wanted, and how a powerful practice of self-awareness changed everything.

Leo brings deep wisdom around the “meaning economy,” somatic intelligence, and what it really takes to live—and lead—from the inside out. He shares his journey through Ken Wilber’s integral framework, what it means to build community in an age of disconnection, and how mission-driven work must begin with embodiment and awareness.

Whether you’re a founder, facilitator, or fellow traveler looking to lead from a place of clarity and purpose, this episode will speak to your soul.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why Leo walked away from his restaurant/nightclub at its peak
• How somatic practices help you lead with integrity and insight
• What “meaning economy” really means—and why it’s the future
• The role of breathwork in unlocking creativity and healing
• Insights from Ken Wilber’s integral theory applied to real life
• How to create from presence instead of performance

💬 Memorable Quotes:

“I had built the dream—and then I realized it wasn’t mine anymore.”

“Embodiment isn’t a luxury for leaders—it’s the foundation.”

“The old economy trades in attention. The new one? Meaning.”

“Breath is the most direct path to presence. And presence changes everything.”

🔗 Resources & Links:

• 🌐 Connect with Leo Marrs on LinkedIn
• 🧠 Learn more about Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory
• 💡 Recommended: Strozzi Institute – Somatic Coaching
• 📺 [Past Episode: The Meaning Economy with Cory Hixson (if applicable)]

🧭 Reflection Prompts:

• Where in your life are you achieving—but not aligned?
• What would shift if you led with embodiment instead of intellect?
• How can you create meaning—rather than seek it?

📣 Subscribe + Share:

If this episode resonated, hit subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Share it with a friend, coach, or creative who’s hungry for purpose beyond the hustle.

💡 Final Takeaway:

To lead a mission-driven life, don’t start with productivity. Start with presence.

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Episode Description:

What if your next meeting didn’t drain your energy—but actually moved your mission forward?

In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will talks with Shane Parreco, systems thinker, product studio founder, and co-creator of AgendaKeeper, a tool designed to fix the fundamental dysfunction of modern meetings. But this isn’t a conversation about productivity hacks—it’s about rethinking the systems that govern how we work, communicate, and make decisions.

Shane shares the story behind AgendaKeeper—how it was born out of necessity inside his own team—and what it taught him about agency, culture, and the myth of "best practices." From invoking Deming’s philosophies to examining what makes someone a "willing worker," this episode invites leaders and builders to reimagine the meeting as a place of clarity, alignment, and real momentum.

If you're tired of performative collaboration and craving deeper trust and structure in your team, this conversation offers a refreshing, systems-level rethink of how we gather and grow.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why most meetings fail—and how to turn them into alignment engines
• The origin story of AgendaKeeper as a culture-saving tool
• How time, scope, and money became the default operating system—and why that’s a problem
• Why Deming’s concept of the “willing worker” still matters
• What it means to build teams where joy is a metric, not a side effect
• How to design systems that amplify, not suppress, human potential

🔧 Key Topics Discussed:

• The hidden costs of disorganized meetings
• How to shift from “accountability theater” to real trust
• The role of emotional safety in operational excellence
• Why founders should rethink systems—not just scale
• How AgendaKeeper serves as both a meeting tool and a values declaration

💬 Quotes to Remember:

“A meeting is where you should align, not perform.”

“Every team already has a system. The question is: is it designed, or inherited?”

“The willing worker still exists—they’re just buried under broken processes.”

“Clarity isn’t the enemy of creativity. It’s the condition for it.”

🔗 Connect with Shane Parreco & AgendaKeeper:

• AgendaKeeper
• Shane Parreco on LinkedIn
• Aktiga Product Studio

🌱 Subscribe + Get the Mission in Your Inbox:

• Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts
• Join the Mission Driven You newsletter for weekly insights at drwillsamson.substack.com

💡 Final Takeaway:

You don’t need another meeting template—you need a system that respects people’s time, trusts their wisdom, and helps the mission move.

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Episode Description:

Success on paper doesn’t mean clarity in practice. In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will Samson continues the journey through the Resilience Stack by introducing Layer Two: Radical Self-Ownership—a mindset and practice that shifts you from reactivity to authorship, from control to clarity.

If you’ve ever felt like you were “in charge” but still living in constant reaction—this episode is for you. Will breaks down why so many high performers, executives, and entrepreneurs are silently outsourcing their agency, and how to reclaim a deeper sense of internal authorship without adding pressure or burnout.

This episode is about more than personal growth. It’s about learning to lead from the only place that’s truly yours—your inner state.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• What it means to suffer from “outsourced agency”
• How to shift from blame language (“They need to level up”) to ownership language
• Why emotional fatigue and constant waiting are symptoms of reactive leadership
• How to lead from clarity and calm—even in chaos
• Why reactivity often shows up as over-functioning, hyper-control, or shame
• The difference between control and authorship—and how to choose the latter
• How to practice radical self-ownership without adding more pressure

🔧 Practices & Frameworks Introduced:

• The Ownership Pause: A simple way to pause, notice the story you’re reacting to, and choose what’s truly yours to own
• Left/Right Column Exercise:
• Left = what’s in your control
• Right = what isn’t
• Ownership = focus on the left
• Three Reflective Questions:
• What part of this problem is mine?
• What would leadership look like if I trusted myself here?
• How can I respond from clarity, not control?

💬 Quotes to Remember:

“Agency isn’t about your org chart. It’s about your internal authorship.”

“You don’t need different circumstances. You need a different sense of ownership.”

“Leadership isn’t about control—it’s about clarity.”

“Radical self-ownership isn’t about doing more. It’s about creating space to breathe.”

✨ Reflection Questions for Listeners:

• Where am I waiting for something outside of me to change before I can move?
• What would shift if I trusted myself in this situation?
• What am I carrying that isn’t mine?

🔗 Next Steps & Resources:

• Subscribe to Mission Driven You on Apple Podcasts & Spotify
• Join the newsletter for deeper dives: drwillsamson.substack.com
• Follow Will on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/willsamson

💡 Final Takeaway:

You can’t lead others well if you haven’t taken back leadership of yourself. Radical self-ownership isn’t a personality trait—it’s a practiced way of being.

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Episode Description:

What happens when the identity you've built your life around… no longer fits?

In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will sits down with Chris Eversley—former professional basketball player, tech consultant, coach, and founder of Next Play, a platform dedicated to helping others navigate transformation. Chris’s journey is anything but linear, and his story offers a powerful framework for what to do when life throws you a curveball—and your next step isn't clear.

From the moment a rare spinal condition ended his athletic career to launching his own solo business, Chris talks candidly about grief, growth, and what he calls “mirror moments”—those raw, unfiltered check-ins where we get honest about where we are and where we want to go. He also breaks down his 3T’s framework—Translate, Transition, and Triumph—as a practical map for moving forward with purpose.

If you're in the middle of a pivot, feeling unmoored by change, or simply wondering what’s next, this episode will speak to you.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why we often avoid honest self-reflection—and what happens when we stop
• How Chris's 3T’s framework (Translate, Transition, Triumph) supports sustainable change
• What it means to grieve a past version of yourself without shame
• The dangers of toxic positivity—and how to replace it with real emotional resilience
• How to shift from identity-driven achievement to purpose-driven living
• The role of solitude and structure in navigating reinvention

💬 Memorable Quotes:

“Your mirror doesn’t lie—whether you look into it is up to you.”

“I had to learn how to be successful off the court in a way that didn’t depend on applause.”

“Toxic positivity is like spraying Febreze on a dumpster fire. It might smell better—but it’s still burning.”

“The triumph comes when we stop running from the transition.”

🔗 Resources & Links:

• 🌐 Connect with Chris Eversley: https://chriseversley.com
• 📱 Follow Chris on Instagram: @chriseversley
• 💡 Explore Chris’s Framework: Next Play Coaching
• 🎧 Chris's Spotify Playlist for Transitions

🧭 Reflection Prompts:

• What’s a “mirror moment” you’ve been avoiding?
• Where are you clinging to a past identity that no longer fits?
• How might you “translate” your current experiences into something new?

📣 Subscribe & Share:

Love this conversation? Subscribe to Mission Driven You on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. And share it with someone who’s navigating the messy middle of change—they’ll thank you for it.

💡 Final Takeaway:

Change isn’t clean. But if you face your reflection and follow the thread, you’ll find the next version of you—waiting to be lived.

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Episode Description:

You can’t lead well if you’re still running on outdated mental code. In this powerful solo episode of Mission Driven You, Will introduces the first layer of the Resilience Stack: the Mindset Reboot, or what he calls the code rewrite.

Most high-performing leaders are relying on internal scripts written during times of survival—scripts they’ve never questioned, but that are quietly sabotaging their clarity, capacity, and self-trust. This episode walks through how to identify those legacy beliefs, where they came from, and how to consciously replace them with a new, empowering internal operating system.

If your strategy looks great on paper but your soul is exhausted, this episode is your invitation to look beneath the surface—and begin again.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why outdated beliefs are like Y2K code—functional but fragile
• How unconscious stories create chronic burnout, control issues, and reactivity
• Common examples of “legacy code” running in high achievers
• The surprising cost of over-functioning, perfectionism, and people-pleasing
• Four coaching questions to surface hidden stories and rewire your mindset
• How to consciously write new internal scripts that support clarity and calm
• Why presence—not productivity—is your most valuable leadership asset

🔧 Code Rewrite Process (Step-by-Step):

Spot the Script

• Track when you’re over-functioning, reactive, or exhausted
• Ask: What belief is running this behavior?

Trace the Origin

• Whose voice are you hearing? Is it yours, or someone else’s?
• Recognize how family systems, past jobs, and cultural narratives shaped your inner code

Challenge the Logic

• Is this story still true? Is it helpful? What if the opposite were true?

Write New Code

• Examples:
• “I lead best when I am grounded.”
• “My presence is more valuable than my productivity.”
• “I don’t have to earn my right to rest.”

Reinforce the Rewrite

• Say it. Write it. Post it. Repeat it.
• Your nervous system needs repetition to trust the new story.

Quotes to Remember:

“What helped you survive at 25 will sabotage you at 45.”

“Your leadership isn’t failing because of bad strategy—it’s stuck because of bad code.”

“You cannot lead well if you are constantly trying to outrun your origin story.”

“Every new chapter starts with a rewritten line of code.”

Reflection Prompts:

• What do I believe about my worth when I’m not producing?
• Where did that belief come from?
• Who benefits when I keep believing it?
• What would shift if I didn’t?

🔗 Resources & Next Steps:

• Read the full series: drwillsamson.substack.com
• Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/willsamson
• Subscribe to Mission Driven You on Apple Podcasts & Spotify

💡 Final Takeaway:

“Real leadership transformation begins where most people never look: inside the story running within them.”

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Episode Description:

Great leaders don’t avoid discomfort—they learn to follow it.

In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will sits down with Arielle Lechner, an executive coach and startup strategist who works with high-growth founders and senior leaders to turn complexity into clarity. Arielle brings a rare blend of operational insight, emotional intelligence, and no-nonsense coaching to the art of building strong leadership and culture inside fast-moving companies.

Together, they unpack what it means to treat leadership like an experiment, why most leaders aren’t as clear as they think they are, and how to use discomfort as a directional signal instead of something to escape. Arielle also shares her "Lift and Thrust" model for understanding team dynamics, and what makes a founder not just successful—but coachable.

If you’re leading something big—or thinking about what’s next—this episode offers practical tools and deeper insight for becoming the kind of leader people trust, follow, and remember.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why leadership and culture-building are better approached as experiments, not formulas
• What the “Lift and Thrust” model can reveal about your team’s dynamics
• How to stop outsourcing culture to perks and start diagnosing the real forces at play
• Why discomfort is often a compass pointing to your next area of growth
• The difference between clarity and overexplanation—and why repetition is leadership
• What makes a founder coachable, and why it matters for long-term impact
• How to lead through high-stakes decisions (like fundraising or scaling) without losing your center

💬 Quotes to Remember:

“If you’re not repeating yourself like a broken record, you’re probably not being clear enough.”

“What’s being avoided is often what most needs attention.”

“Everything is an experiment. Leadership. Culture. Team building. You don’t need to get it right—you need to stay curious.”

“Discomfort is not danger. It’s data.”

✨ Reflection Questions:

• Where in your leadership are you performing clarity—but not actually being clear?
• What conversations are you avoiding that might unlock growth for you or your team?
• How could you reframe your next challenge as an experiment instead of a test?

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Arielle Lechner
• Website: www.newpo.io
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellethecoach/
• Connect with Will:
• Substack: drwillsamson.substack.com
• LinkedIn: Will Samson

💡 Final Takeaway:

“Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating space for the right questions—and staying present long enough to listen.”

Mentioned in this episode:

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Episode Description:

If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly behind—no matter how organized, capable, or strategic you are—it may not be a time management problem. It may be your internal operating system.

In this solo episode of Mission Driven You, Will explores the real reason high-performing professionals feel overwhelmed and burned out—and it’s not what you think. He unpacks how outdated mental and emotional “code” written during past seasons of survival can silently run our lives, even at the top of our game.

This episode introduces a powerful, five-step framework to help you upgrade your internal OS so you can lead with clarity, confidence, and calm—even in the middle of chaos.

🧠 Key Topics Covered:

• Why time management and productivity hacks aren’t solving the root problem
• The hidden cost of outdated internal stories
• Why many leaders are operating with scripts written during survival seasons
• How to stop bouncing between control and collapse
• A five-step resilience framework to lead with clarity in a high-stakes world

🧩 The 5-Step Resilience Stack:

1.Rewrite Your Internal Code

– Identify the outdated stories driving your behavior

– Shift from “I’m falling behind” to “I’m building capacity”

– Replace survival scripts with conscious, strategic narratives

2.Activate Self-Ownership

– Shift from control to clarity

– Own your response to challenges instead of blaming circumstances

– Reclaim agency through intentional mindset choices

3.Enable Interdependence

– Build trust loops and mutual support systems

– Move from high-functioning isolation to relational leadership

– Understand that real strength includes asking for help

4.Install a Growth Loop

– Create regular rhythms of reflection, learning, and recalibration

– Treat your development like product design: iterate, test, adapt

– Build growth into your system—not just your intentions

5.Expand Strategic Influence

– Lead with clarity, calm, and internal alignment

– Model composure under pressure

– Shape culture by mastering your own nervous system first

🔍 Reflection Questions for Listeners:

• What internal stories are shaping how I show up right now?
• Where am I chasing control instead of creating clarity?
• Who helps me stay grounded when things get overwhelming?
• What growth loop do I need to install in my life right now?

🛠️ Resources Mentioned:

• Viktor Frankl’s quote: “The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude…”
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey (on interdependence)
• Will’s past solo episode: You Are the Chaos

🔗 Connect + Subscribe:

• Subscribe to Mission Driven You on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform
• Join Will’s Substack for deeper reflections: drwillsamson.substack.com
• Connect with Will on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/willsamson

💡 Final Takeaway:

The world isn’t getting simpler. But you don’t have to live in reaction. With the right internal architecture, you can lead with clarity—even when everything around you feels chaotic.

Mentioned in this episode:

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In this short but...

Episode Description:

What if the key to revitalizing neighborhoods wasn’t just bricks and budgets—but songs, stories, and shared ownership? In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will sits down with Mitchell Cohen, CEO of The Daniels Corporation and author of Rhythms of Change, to unpack one of the most inspiring urban redevelopment stories in North America: the Regent Park Revitalization Project.

Mitchell shares how Regent Park, once a neighborhood marked by stigma and isolation, was transformed through radical partnership with residents, creative placemaking, and a commitment to equity that went far beyond policy. Drawing from decades of experience in both housing and the arts, Mitchell offers a compelling vision of what it means to be a developer with a conscience—and how the best cities are composed like symphonies, not spreadsheets.

If you're interested in urban renewal, systems change, or how to lead with integrity at scale, this episode is a masterclass in mission-driven transformation.

🏙️ What You’ll Learn:

• The true story behind the Regent Park Revitalization and what made it succeed where others failed
• How Mitchell blended social psychology, songwriting, and development to lead systemic change
• Why building trust with residents—early and often—was the foundation for long-term impact
• What it means to embed equity and dignity into every phase of a project
• How Daniels Corporation’s “buy social” strategy reshaped its supply chain and ripple effects
• The importance of cultural programming, from sewing circles to sports arenas, in community revitalization
• How developers and policymakers can shift from extraction to co-creation

💬 Quotes to Remember:

“You can't fix a neighborhood from the outside in. You build it from the inside out—with the people who live there.”

“The real power is not in the blueprint. It’s in the relationships.”

“If the only voices at the table are planners and architects, you’re going to miss the song of the community.”

“Legacy isn’t what we leave behind. It’s what we build together.”

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Mitchell Cohen
• Book: Rhythms of Change
• Daniels Corporation: danielshomes.ca
• Regent Park Revitalization: Wikipedia Overview
• Will Samson
• Substack: drwillsamson.substack.com
• LinkedIn: Will Samson

✨ Reflection Questions:

• What does it look like to truly partner with a community—rather than build for it?
• Where in your work could you move from control to co-creation?
• How are you embedding dignity, creativity, and equity into your leadership?

💡 Final Takeaway:

Mission-driven development isn’t about fixing broken systems from above—it’s about building shared futures from within.

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In this short but powerful advertisement, Thrive Remotely calls out to driven individuals who are tired of climbing ladders that lead nowhere and living lives that don't feel like their own. This ad sets the tone for a bold, values-aligned lifestyle shift and speaks directly to the heart of...