The Mind Of George Show

Two weeks before George Rivera's father died, he pulled him close and said three things: Don't miss Leo's games. I missed too many of yours. No business advice. No legacy talk. Just a deathbed confession from a man who finally understood what the scoreboard should have been tracking all along. That moment became everything. George Rivera is the founder of 18 Summers Advisory and author of Before They Stop Asking and this conversation is for every parent, future parent, and founder who's been telling themselves they'll make it up later. George and George break down what it really costs to build a business that consumes your life, and exactly what it looks like to build one that funds it instead. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: Why "I'll make it up to them later" is the most expensive lie founders tell themselves How George Rivera went from 90-hour weeks to semi-retired, while doubling revenue to $50M What the time audit reveals about where you're actually leaking presence and profit The 3-5 things that truly move the needle in any business and how to find yours The absence rehearsal test: what would break if you disappeared for a week? Why children stop asking and the two ways it happens The vacation rehearsal: how to test your business before stepping away Key Takeaways: ✔️You can always make more money. You cannot redo a childhood. You don't even know if they're going to like you later. ✔️The "I'll do it later" promise is a false finish line. Tomorrow sometimes means never. In George Rivera's case, it meant three years. ✔️Owner-dependency is not a badge of honor, it's a ceiling. The business that requires you for everything cannot outlast you. ✔️The time audit question: what are the 3-5 things only you can do in the business that actually move the needle? Everything else is a candidate for elimination or delegation. ✔️The absence rehearsal test: if you disappeared for a week with no phone, no laptop, no internet, what would you have a nightmare about not getting done? Those are your needle movers. ✔️Children don't stop needing you. They just stop asking. And it doesn't happen in one big moment, it's a hundred small ones of "give me five minutes." ✔️Consistency breaks trust. Consistency rebuilds it. The bond with your family works exactly like the bond with your clients. ✔️You don't have to choose between a great business and a present life. But it requires intentional design, not an accidental one. Timestamps & Highlights: [00:00] — The deathbed confession: "Don't miss Leo's games. I missed too many of yours." [01:24] — Welcome: two Georges, one very important conversation [04:17] — The most expensive thing founders spend and it's not money [06:59] — 2015: cancer, a confession, and the generational pattern George Rivera refused to repeat [08:36] — Hating life at $50M and the moment he decided to change everything [11:18] — Leo's real estate negotiation at eight years old and Leo's Lake House [14:10] — What presence actually looks like in practice [22:00] — The time audit: finding the 3-5 things that actually move the needle [30:00] — Owner-dependency: the trap most founders don't see until it's too late [37:00] — The vacation rehearsal and how to stress-test your business [44:00] — Installing real operators without losing control [50:00] — The absence rehearsal test: George Bryant's version [54:15] — Buy Back Time Formula and Before They Stop Asking explained [57:03] — The glass door story: how Leo stopped asking and how the bond was rebuilt [1:00:48] — Tattoo wisdom: they don't stop needing you, they just stop asking [1:03:25] — Where to connect with George Rivera and the free resource Connect with George Rivera He is the founder of 18 Summers Advisory and author of Buy Back Time Formula and Before They Stop Asking. He scaled an e-commerce brand to nearly $50M, then rebuilt his life to work 30 hours or less per week without killing growth. He hosts the 18 Summers Roundtable and Founder Dad Dinners in Austin. Website: buybacktimeformula.com/home | beforetheystopasking.com Free video: buybacktimeformula.com/freedom Instagram: @georgerivera1977 YouTube: @buybacktimeformula Your Challenge This Week: Go to buybacktimeformula.com/freedom for George Rivera's free video on where you're leaking time, profit, and presence and what to fix first. Then reach out to either George and tell them what landed. Follow George Bryant: @itsgeorgebryant Work with George: The Alliance — Community for entrepreneurs designing a life they don't need to escape from. 1:1 Coaching — Limited spots. Apply at mindofgeorge.com/coaching-consulting/ Live Retreats — In-person experiences for founders ready to stop building a business that owns them.

You can build a business that looks completely right from the outside and feel completely wrong every single day on the inside. Most people would call that success. Lacey Newman calls it misalignment. And she spent 20 years learning the difference the hard way, before walking away from the top 1% of her industry not because she failed, but because she finally could do it with her hands tied behind her back and realized she didn't want to anymore. This is Round 2 with Lacey Newman and it goes deeper. George and Lacey unpack aligned leadership from the inside out, the real cost of ignoring burnout, what self-trust actually is (and isn't), why mental white space is non-negotiable, and how AI is changing the game for high-performing women without trading the human element that makes them irreplaceable. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: What aligned leadership actually means, the non-canned definition Why alignment isn't a destination and what happens when you treat it like one The real cost of misalignment: anxiety, depression, and Sunday scaries that don't go away What self-trust is and why "I trust myself to never make a mistake" is the wrong definition Why mental white space is the prerequisite for self-trust and clarity The hidden cost of wanting something and why acknowledging it is 80% of the change How AI can amplify your magic instead of diluting it Key Takeaways: ✔️Aligned leadership is when your insides match your outsides, what you do daily is a true reflection of who you are and what you want. Everything else flows from that. ✔️Alignment is not a one-time landing. You will evolve. What once aligned with who you were may no longer align with who you're becoming. That's not failure, that's growth. ✔️Burnout is information. Not a reason to burn everything down. Not something to spend or vacation your way out of. It's your body telling you something is misaligned and it deserves a real response. ✔️Self-trust is not the trust to be perfect. It's the trust that when you inevitably mess up, you'll be okay and you'll self-correct. That's it. ✔️Mental white space is not a luxury. It's how you hear yourself. You cannot build self-trust while drowning in content, calendars, and noise. ✔️If you want something but aren't moving toward it, look at the shadow side. What would having it actually cost you? 80% of change is just acknowledgement. ✔️You work through fear by working through it. Not by sitting with it. Not by being ready. There is no ready. ✔️AI should amplify your magic, not replace it. Give it your ingredients, your values, voice, and lived experience and let it handle the grunt work so you can just be the magic. Timestamps & Highlights: [00:00] — Walking away from the top 1% not because she failed, but because she could [01:19] — Welcome back: round two with Lacey Newman [03:54] — Aligned leadership defined, the non-canned, stream-of-consciousness answer [06:29] — What misalignment actually looks like: anxiety, Sunday scaries, and the car that's a pig pen [08:18] — The trap of thinking alignment is permanent and what seasons really mean [13:05] — Capacity, maintenance, and the 16-day cleanse story [18:00] — The identity death of leaving what you're great at [23:00] — The hidden cost of wanting something you're not pursuing [27:04] — You can't wait until you're ready. Ready is a lie. [31:41] — Why success makes self-trust harder, not easier [34:10] — What self-trust actually is: George's Henry Cloud framework applied inward [37:47] — Mental white space: the one thing you actually need more of [43:00] — The lies high-performing women tell themselves [48:00] — AI for ambitious women: what it is and why it matters [54:08] — The recipe analogy: 90% ingredients, 10% cooking [56:37] — AI as a mirror and amplifier, full circle moment [58:42] — Burnout is information: the sentence to tape to your mirror [1:02:26] — Where to find Lacey and the free workshop Connect with Lacey Newman She helps high-performing women untangle their identity from productivity and build wealth without abandoning themselves. Former top 1% real estate leader (nearly $1B in volume), Emmy-nominated TV host, keynote speaker, and single mom of two. Website: laceynewman.com Instagram: @heylaceynewman YouTube: @laceynewman Free AI Workshop: go.laceynewman.com/ai-for-ambitious-women-workshop Your Challenge This Week: Take space today. Five minutes. Silence. Nature. Ceiling staring. Whatever it is for you. Then connect with Lacey, DM her on Instagram, register for the free workshop, or just tell her what landed. Follow George: @itsgeorgebryant Work with George:The Alliance — Community for entrepreneurs building from alignment, not performance. 1:1 Coaching — Limited spots. Apply at mindofgeorge.com/coaching-consulting/ Live Retreats — In-person experiences for entrepreneurs ready to stop performing and start building from the inside out.

He moved to Hollywood with $43 and a dream. Watched his dad pour brilliant ideas into businesses that made other people rich. Decided the only thing scarier than risking everything was never finding out what he was capable of. Twenty-five years and 51 countries later, Caleb Gilbert protects the world's most elite. And everything he's learned doing it maps directly into how you're building your business right now. Caleb Gilbert is the founder of White Glove Protection Group and a global expert in executive protection. In this conversation, he and George translate the frameworks used to protect A-list celebrities and Fortune 200 companies into a masterclass on entrepreneurship, covering risk, trust, vision, proactive vs. reactive posture, and what it really means to be all in. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: How executive protection frameworks apply directly to building a business Why your relevance is entirely based on the perceived value of your consumer The difference between being energetically all in vs. financially all in Why Caleb turned down $1.5M in business to protect his vision and how it led to 4,000% growth How to build a proactive business posture instead of a reactive one The one question that revealed imposter syndrome was costing him clients Why grit, not tactics, is the most transferable skill from protection to entrepreneurship Key Takeaways: ✔️Your relevance is based on the perceived value of your consumer, not what you think they need. Flip the script. ✔️Being energetically all in and being financially all in are not the same thing. The people around you will tell you when you're truly all in, they'll tell you you're overdoing it. ✔️Zero revenue for two years. Turned down $1.5M. Then 4,000% growth. Knowing your vision and protecting it is a competitive strategy. ✔️Proactive posture beats reactive posture every time, in protection and in business. Stop waiting for the threat. Get ahead of it. ✔️The biggest threat your business faces is distraction. Not competition. Not market conditions. Distraction. ✔️Nobody else has your brain, your context, your background. The moment Caleb stopped trying to be a Navy SEAL and started leading with his actual edge, everything changed. ✔️Don't let money be your north star. If vision, strategy, and execution align with what the market needs, the money follows. ✔️Reinvest like you're still building. A $1.50 lawn mower became a business, because every dollar went back in. Timestamps & Highlights: [00:00] — $43, a dream, and the mindset that made it work [01:26] — Welcome: 25 years, 51 countries, and the White Glove difference [03:16] — Montana grit: why hard things inspire instead of dissuade [06:28] — Environment that demands vs. inspires and what that means for your team [07:33] — Starting at age 11: Nike socks, lawn mowers, and learning risk vs. reward early [11:03] — How to mitigate risk without impeding what makes your business great [13:07] — "Your relevance is based on the perceived value of your consumer" [18:00] — The onboarding parallel: walking clients through what they've never experienced [21:00] — Client number one, staying in vision, and zero revenue for two years [24:17] — Energetically all in vs. financially all in, how to tell the difference [28:34] — The 2020 gut check: when a CEO told Caleb not to chase money [35:00] — Ego in the protection industry and how Caleb navigated it [43:00] — Imposter syndrome, 86% prior military, and the moment he found his edge [50:00] — Proactive vs. reactive posture in business and protection [55:00] — Reinvesting like you're still building: the $1.50 lawn mower origin story [59:43] — Caleb's closing wisdom: be proactive, know your strengths, hit refresh Connect with Caleb Gilbert: Founder and President of White Glove Protection Group, with 25 years of executive protection experience across 51 countries. He holds a Master's in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins and has trained at Stanford and ESI. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the ASIS Executive Protection Community and Treasurer of the IPSB Board. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/epcaleb Instagram: instagram.com/w.g.p.group.inc YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCepN8VJqAXFahvbtfHxdcoQ Website: whitegloveprotection.com Your Challenge This Week: What's the one thing from this episode you can apply tomorrow: grit, proactive posture, protecting your vision, or leaning into your actual edge? Let George know. And if you have a security question for Caleb, he genuinely welcomes the conversation. Follow George: @itsgeorgebryant Work with George: The Alliance — Community for entrepreneurs building with vision, grit, and integrity. 1:1 Coaching — Limited spots. Apply at mindofgeorge.com/coaching-consulting/ Live Retreats — In-person experiences for entrepreneurs ready to stop reacting and start leading.

Over a million words. Unfinished manuscripts abandoned across an entire lifetime. His daughters called him a writer. His wife called him a writer. He didn't believe it himself. That gap, between who others see you as and who you see yourself as, is where Lester Clowes built an entire coaching practice. And this episode is the most honest version of that work, out loud. Dr. Lester Clowes is the founder of Defy the Average and author of Stop Lying to Yourself, a framework-first book on promised debt, identity, and what it takes to finally start believing your own word again. In this wide-ranging conversation, he and George go deep on motivation porn, the default vs. directional identity, and why embarrassingly small promises beat massive Sunday-night overhauls every time. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: What promised debt is and how deep in the red most people actually are Why motivation porn is the drug of choice for smart, ambitious people The difference between your default identity and your directional identity Why productivity without identity work just makes you a more efficient broken person The "so what" script for breaking out of the justified victim loop How to start embarrassingly small and why that's the fastest path forward The beliefs, values, and protocol framework for building the identity of your choosing Key Takeaways: ✔️Every broken promise to yourself is still on the ledger. Most people are so deep in the red they've stopped believing their own word entirely. ✔️Motivation porn gives you the dopamine hit of action without the action. If you feel productive while consuming, you're probably addicted. ✔️A more efficient system with a broken identity just makes a more efficient broken person. ✔️Your default identity doesn't have to win, it just has to delay long enough that the directional identity doesn't. ✔️The "so what" script: I'm right, the circumstances were real, so what? That question breaks the justified victim loop. ✔️Start embarrassingly small. When you've racked up massive promised debt, the smallest micro-commitment feels like a miracle. ✔️A flat tire is not a reason to slash the other three. One broken promise is data, not a verdict. ✔️What you have right now is a perfect reflection of who you are today. That's not judgment, that's a starting point. Timestamps & Highlights: [00:00] — A million abandoned words and the moment everything had to change [01:28] — The opening question: what would your life look like if you stopped lying to yourself? [04:04] — What becomes possible when you start keeping promises to yourself [09:27] — Motivation porn: the drug of choice for smart, ambitious people [14:52] — The common roadblocks: productivity trap, overcomplication, changing everything at once [16:55] — Promised debt defined and what Sunday-night overhauls actually cost you [20:25] — Getting real about where you are: the Google Maps problem [25:00] — Decision debt, the house-hunting case study, and how we avoid the real problem [30:00] — Starting embarrassingly small and the promise debt ledger exercise [31:38] — The "so what" script for breaking the victim loop [33:00] — Default vs. directional identity: beliefs, values, and protocol explained [36:00] — Limiting beliefs: just a story that doesn't have your greater good at heart [45:00] — The identity split and why dissonance is the real driver of self-sabotage [58:00] — Caught vs. taught beliefs and how to challenge them [1:10:00] — The owner's manual: why we never look inside ourselves [1:16:49] — Where to find the book, the free quiz, and how to connect with Lester [1:18:35] — Tattoo wisdom: what you have right now is a perfect reflection of who you are Connect with Dr. Lester Clowes Performance and life coach, founder of Defy the Average, and author of Stop Lying to Yourself. With 10,000+ hours of one-on-one coaching across leaders, entrepreneurs, and organizations, he helps people architect an ideal state of being and reverse-engineer how to get there. Website + Free Quiz: defytheaverage.com Instagram: @defytheaverage YouTube: @defyles Book available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble Your Challenge This Week: Take the free quiz at defytheaverage.com, it'll show you exactly how you're lying to yourself right now. Then make one embarrassingly small promise today. Keep it. Build from there. Follow George: @itsgeorgebryant Work with George: The Alliance — Community for entrepreneurs done with motivation porn and ready to install real identity work. 1:1 Coaching — Limited spots. Apply at mindofgeorge.com/coaching-consulting/ Live Retreats — In-person experiences designed to close the gap between who you are and who you're becoming.

A brutal breakup. A six-pack on the cover of magazines. An engagement that ended. And the moment everything fell apart, the question that broke it all open: What have I actually been running from? Everything Brian built, every race, every trophy, every pound lifted, was fueled by self-hatred. The moment he stopped long enough to ask why, everything changed. Brian Keane is a 3x bestselling author, ultra-endurance athlete, and mindset coach who has helped 150+ entrepreneurs create sustainable change from the inside out. In this conversation, he and George go deep on identity, self-worth, the four quadrants of a fulfilling life, and what it actually takes to stop optimizing the wrong thing. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: Why keeping weight off is harder than losing it and the real reason why The four quadrant framework: health, wealth, love, and fulfillment How scarcity scales with success and how to rewire your relationship with money The "chains of habits" and the oak tree analogy for behavior change Why most entrepreneurs are more comfortable in their old story than writing a new one The director's cut thought experiment for discharging trauma and limiting beliefs The horse experiment: how to identify when you're the common denominator Why your mess becomes your message and why vulnerability is the real competitive edge Key Takeaways: ✔️You can't give from an empty cup. Entrepreneurs are the last to prioritize themselves, and the first to pay the price for it. ✔️Fueling from gratitude instead of fear is not a mindset hack. It's the difference between a decade of anxiety and a decade of sustainable output. ✔️The chains of habits are too loose to be felt until they're too strong to be broken. A habit is a seed. Leave it alone long enough and it becomes an oak tree. ✔️The horse experiment: if three people call you a horse, get a saddle. The common denominator in every repeated pattern is you. ✔️The director's cut: create an alternative version of your charged story. Not to live in fantasy, but to discharge the energy so you can look at it clearly. ✔️Frequency attracts tribe. When you go deeper on your own work, what you attract changes — in relationships, in business, and in life. ✔️Water rises to the level it's comfortable at. Your environment, community, and inner work determine your ceiling. ✔️Your mess is your message. Being witnessed in vulnerability neutralizes the charge and unlocks your next chapter. Timestamps & Highlights: [00:00] — What Brian had been running from and the breakup that exposed it [01:33] — Welcome: a recovering school teacher, ultra-endurance athlete, and mindset coach [04:08] — You can't give from an empty cup and why entrepreneurs always put health last [06:30] — The four quadrants: health, wealth, love, and fulfillment [09:00] — Scarcity and success: why making more money made things feel worse [14:00] — Bodybuilding, self-hatred, and the six pack that meant nothing [20:00] — What Brian was running from and why he finally stopped [25:00] — The story we tell about our mistakes is the real problem [29:00] — Vulnerability, community, and the power of being witnessed [31:19] — Water rises to its comfortable level: frequency attracts tribe [36:00] — The director's cut thought experiment explained [41:00] — The horse experiment and identifying the common denominator [48:00] — Supportive vs. unsupportive habits: the oak tree analogy [54:00] — Where to find Brian and connect [56:31] — Tattoo wisdom: Epicurus, the chains of habits, and the deathbed test Connect with Brian Keane He is a 3x bestselling author, host of The Brian Keane Podcast (top 0.5%), and mindset and fitness coach with over a decade of experience helping 150+ entrepreneurs build sustainable health and performance. He has run six back-to-back marathons through the Sahara and 230km through the Arctic. Website: briankeanefitness.com Instagram: @brian_keane_fitness Facebook: Brian Keane Fitness TikTok: @briankeanefitness YouTube: @BrianKeaneFitness Your Challenge This Week: Go check out The Brian Keane Podcast, George will be on it too. And if something here landed, leave a review. George will send it to Brian directly. Follow George: @itsgeorgebryant Work with George: The Alliance — Community for entrepreneurs building from the inside out. 1:1 Coaching — Limited spots. Apply at mindofgeorge.com/coaching-consulting/ Live Retreats — In-person experiences for entrepreneurs ready to stop running from themselves.

In 2014, Collin Henderson was young, in shape, and had blood pressure in the 150s. Anxiety. Depression. Completely stuck. And no idea why. What broke it open wasn't a book or a seminar. Someone handed him a framework for his mind, the same way athletes get a framework for their body. Proactive. Repeatable. Trained. That framework became the foundation of everything he teaches today. Collin Henderson is the founder of Master Your Mindset, a mental conditioning coach to Nike, Microsoft, Amazon, and Salesforce, and one of the most practical mindset teachers George has ever had on the show. This conversation is a masterclass in what it actually looks like to train your mind, not just hope it cooperates. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: Why mindset is conditioning, not motivation and the difference between the training room and the weight room The 6,000 vs. 70,000 thought problem and why the untrained mind always loses The "What x3" coaching framework to get unstuck fast Why identity is the bullseye and how your words are either coding you to win or fail Collin's 4-minute HA Method daily mental workout The bison vs. cattle framework for navigating hard seasons with people by your side The Oz Method for influence, sales, and human connection What "victory goes to the vulnerable" actually looks like in practice Key Takeaways: ✔️If the mind is untrained, the thought will win. If the mind is trained, the thinker will win. ✔️80% of human thoughts are negative. 95% are recurring. You're not stuck because of circumstances, you're stuck because of cycles. ✔️You never outperform your self-image. Identity is the bullseye. Words are your wand. ✔️Prehab, not rehab. The mind gym is proactive work, not something you do after you're broken. ✔️Gratitude lowers cortisol by nearly 30%. It's not soft. It's science. ✔️The 4-minute HA Method: breathe (1 min), I Have, gratitude, I Am, self-talk, I See, visualization. Borrow the future to build the present. ✔️Fear loves isolation. Nobody should worry or win alone. Do you have bison people? ✔️Asking for help is not weakness. Hiding and trying to do it yourself is. ✔️Victory goes to the vulnerable, because the coward and the warrior both feel fear. The difference is what they do with it. Timestamps & Highlights: [00:03] — 2014: high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and the framework that broke it open [01:27] — Welcome: George's Yoda for mindset has entered the building [04:20] — Why knowing mindset matters and doing something about it are two completely different things [07:00] — The training room vs. weight room: what mental conditioning actually is [09:16] — 6,000 conscious vs. 70,000 subconscious thoughts — and why the untrained mind loses [13:07] — The "What x3" framework to get clarity when you're stuck [15:55] — Identity is the bullseye: how your words are literally coding your brain to fail or win [18:21] — Living by design vs. default — and your right to be average [28:00] — Designing places for your brain to go before pressure arrives [32:38] — It begins before it begins: the high-performance pre-game [35:01] — Victory goes to the vulnerable — and what the coward and warrior have in common [38:42] — The 4-minute HA Method: breathe, I have, I am, I see [44:00] — Gratitude: the research, the results, and why it's not optional [47:00] — Michael Phelps, decisive self-talk, and the number one driver of confident action [56:23] — The Oz Method book: connect with curiosity, clarify with story, collaborate on solutions [1:03:48] — The three Oz characters and the Scott story: from PIP to president's club in 11 months Connect with Collin Henderson He is the founder of Master Your Mindset, LLC, a two-sport Division I athlete, former top-ranked medical sales professional, and mental conditioning coach whose clients include Nike, Microsoft, Salesforce, Amazon, Novartis, #1 NBA draft picks, and Heisman finalists. He's authored seven books and hosts the Master Your Mindset podcast. His new book, The Oz Method, releases June 20th. Website: thecollinhenderson.com Instagram: instagram.com/collinhenderson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@collinhenderson6749 Quiet Mind Course: thecollinhenderson.com/quietmindcourse The Oz Method: Available for pre-order on Amazon Your Challenge This Week: Pick one thing from this episode. One. Give it 90 days. Then connect with Collin, follow him on Instagram, try the Quiet Mind Course, or grab The Oz Method on Amazon. Follow George: @itsgeorgebryant Work with George:The Alliance — Community for entrepreneurs training their minds alongside their business. 1:1 Coaching — Limited spots. Apply at mindofgeorge.com/coaching-consulting/ Live Retreats — In-person experiences where mindset and strategy meet. Follow for dates.