The Inner Entrepreneur

I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. I’ll help you do the same.
Apply for a  strategy call with Paul: https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan
 

What happens when the very drive that makes you successful is also the thing destroying you?
George Bryant has lived an extraordinary life.
From a deeply troubled childhood to becoming a US Marine, a New York Times bestselling author, successful entrepreneur, coach and host of The Mind of George podcast, George has achieved more than most people could imagine.
But behind many of those achievements was a very different story.
George describes much of his early success not as achievement, but as survival.
He became comfortable with chaos. He learned to push harder, work longer and overcome whatever was put in front of him. And for years, that mentality worked.
Until it didn't.
In this deeply personal conversation, George and Paul explore what happens when entrepreneurs tie their identity and self-worth to their results — and why achievement can sometimes become one of the most effective ways of avoiding ourselves.
George shares the extraordinary story of becoming a Marine, graduating as the honour graduate from 1,300 recruits, building successful businesses and becoming a New York Times bestseller — while privately struggling with bulimia, addiction, anxiety and an inability to simply be still.
We talk about the moment he stood in front of 2,000 people and abandoned his prepared keynote to tell the truth about what was really happening in his life.
And how that moment changed everything.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why George believes many of his greatest achievements began as survival mechanisms
How a chaotic childhood made chaos feel normal — and peace uncomfortable
The extraordinary lessons he learned during 13 years in the US Marine Corps
Why successful entrepreneurs can become addicted to achievement
The danger of tying your self-worth to the performance of your business
Why reaching the goal rarely gives you the feeling you expected
George's experience becoming a New York Times bestseller — and why being number four wasn't enough
The difference between ambition driven by lack and ambition driven by gratitude
Why entrepreneurs often struggle with imposter syndrome as they become more successful
How work, productivity and achievement can become ways of avoiding yourself
George's battle with bulimia and the truth behind the health book that made him famous
The moment he publicly confessed what was really happening behind his success
Why vulnerability became a turning point in his life
The importance of learning to sit with yourself without distraction
Why nobody creates meaningful success alone
How to pursue huge goals without becoming emotionally attached to the outcome
Why your future business requires you to become a different person
The importance of focusing on the few behaviours that actually create the result
Why entrepreneurs need to focus on the equation — not simply the number at the end of it
What George has learned about fatherhood, presence and what ultimately matters
Why your greatest struggles may eventually become something you can use to serve others
The importance of allowing yourself to actually feel your life
One of my favourite ideas from this conversation is George's observation that many of us spend our lives avoiding the one person we're guaranteed to spend the rest of our lives with:
Ourselves.
As entrepreneurs, it's incredibly easy to disguise that avoidance as ambition.
We work harder. Build another company. Chase another target. Set another goal.
And the world rewards us for it.
But eventually we have to ask a different question:
What is all of this success actually for?
George's story is ultimately a reminder that there is nothing wrong with ambition, growth or building an extraordinary business.
But not at the price of actually living your life.
Connect with George Bryant
Learn more about George, his coaching and The Mind of George podcast at mindofgeorge.com.
Work with Paul:
Apply for a  strategy call with Paul: https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan
I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. I’ll help you do the same. 
 

What happens when you achieve the success you once dreamed about?
Do you stop? Settle? Chase an even bigger number?
Or do you begin asking a different question: What do I actually want to do with this life?
In this bitesize episode, Paul chats with Mark Pentecost who shares why someone asking him "When is enough enough?" forced him to rethink his relationship with success.
He realised he'd spent so much time pursuing the next goal that he wasn't always enjoying the space between the achievements. And that led him towards a different definition of success — one built around family, fun, financial freedom, giving back and continuing to dream.
We explore Mark's seven-step framework for creating the life of your dreams, including why you need to say or see your dreams, live "on the offence," expect to get knocked down, surround yourself with the right people, celebrate your wins and then dream again.
But perhaps the bigger conversation is about how ambitious people pursue extraordinary goals without sacrificing everything else that matters.
Because building a successful business is one thing.
Building a successful business while protecting your marriage, your relationship with your children, your health and your enjoyment of life is something else entirely.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why "When is enough enough?" can be the wrong question
The danger of continually chasing the next achievement
Why successful people need to deliberately celebrate their wins
The question: Have I settled?
Why parents pursuing their own dreams can influence how their children see possibility
The two major barriers to personal growth: comfort and belief
Why your existing skills may be capable of creating a completely different life
Mark's seven steps for pursuing your dreams
Why you should expect setbacks rather than treating them as failure
The importance of your "starting five" — the people around you
Why some relationships and environments can drain the energy you need to grow
How to bring your spouse and family into your ambitions
Why scaling a business requires intentional boundaries
The importance of family, fun and financial freedom
Why giving more can eventually become more rewarding than getting more
The 7 Steps
1. Get in the game — Start dreaming again.
2. Say it or see it — Give the dream form by speaking it, writing it or visualising it.
3. Live on the offence — Act rather than watching life happen around you.
4. Program yourself to get back up — Expect setbacks. They're part of the journey.
5. Find your right people — Dreams thrive or die depending on the environment they're planted in.
6. Celebrate your wins — Don't become so obsessed with the next mountain that you never enjoy the one you've climbed.
7. Re-dream — Once you've achieved one dream, allow yourself to imagine the next.
And Mark's secret sauce: Give more.
The more success creates the capacity to positively affect other people's lives, the more meaningful that success can become.
Key Takeaway
There’s a line from this conversation worth sitting with:
Have I settled?
Not just financially.
Have you settled for less freedom than you really want? Less adventure? Less time with your family? Less contribution? Less possibility?
And equally important: are you so busy pursuing the next dream that you've forgotten to enjoy the life you've already created?
 
 
 
 

Apply for a  strategy call with Paul: https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan
I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. I’ll help you do the same. 
 
The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast: https://linktr.ee/Innerentrepreneur 
 
 

Apply for a  strategy call with Paul: https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan
I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. I’ll help you do the same. 
 
The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast: https://linktr.ee/Innerentrepreneur
 

Apply for a  strategy call with Paul: https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan
I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. I’ll help you do the same.

Apply for a  strategy call with Paul: https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan
 
I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. I’ll help you do the same

We have more information about health, nutrition and exercise than at any point in history.
So why are we getting less healthy?
In this episode of The Inner Entrepreneur, I sit down with fitness expert and entrepreneur Chris Ryan to explore why knowing what to do is rarely the problem — and why motivation alone isn't enough to create lasting change.
Chris makes an important distinction: even elite athletes aren't motivated every day. What separates them is discipline. Eventually, that discipline becomes habit, and what once required effort simply becomes part of how you live.
We discuss the dramatic rise in obesity and ultra-processed food, why you can't out-train a poor diet, the importance of strength training as we age, and Chris's perspective on GLP-1 weight-loss medications.
We also explore something I'm increasingly interested in as I get older: healthspan rather than simply lifespan.
What does it take to remain strong, mobile, energetic and independent well into your 60s, 70s and beyond?
Chris's message is refreshingly simple. You don't need to live like a monk. You don't need to be perfect. You need to consistently do the basic things that human beings were designed to do.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why obesity has increased so dramatically
How modern life works against our health
Why exercise alone won't fix a poor diet
Motivation versus discipline
How long it takes for exercise to begin becoming a habit
Why strength training becomes increasingly important as we age
GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and the importance of maintaining muscle
Why sleep is one of the foundations of good health
What resting heart rate and HRV can tell us
Why alcohol can affect sleep and recovery
The danger of becoming obsessed with health data
Why consistency matters far more than perfection
Maintaining strength, mobility and independence as we grow older
The simple principle: use it or lose it

Links to full episode:
https://youtu.be/Uij7ZHX-mlE?si=MK4leCdbwSgdyVUB
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MpDLXV3lCo9W4z0Sh18yM?si=7z6g1W1QSlu1nBf7e1Qi3w
 
Why do we sometimes find ourselves repeating the same unhealthy relationships and patterns — even when we know they’re hurting us?
In this Bite Size episode of The Inner Entrepreneur, Ginny Prim shares the deeply personal story of discovering that the man she loved had been living a double life — and the difficult inner work that followed.
Rather than simply asking, “Why did this happen to me?”, Jenny began asking a more powerful question:
“Why was I allowing this into my life?”
She discovered that some of the behaviours she had experienced felt familiar because of patterns established much earlier in life. And until those patterns were recognised, there was a danger of recreating them again.
Ginny describes it brilliantly as “Whack-a-Mole”: you remove one unhealthy person from your life, but unless you understand what drew you into that dynamic in the first place, another can eventually appear.
We also explore the crucial distinction between blame and responsibility. You are never responsible for somebody else's abusive or manipulative behaviour. But you can still look inward, understand your own patterns and make different choices in the future.
In this episode:
Why unhealthy relationship patterns can repeat themselves
The difference between self-blame and self-awareness
Why narcissists can target successful, empathetic people
How childhood and family patterns can shape adult relationships
Jenny’s “Whack-a-Mole” analogy for narcissism
How meditation helped Jenny become less reactive and more self-aware
Why vulnerability became a source of strength rather than weakness
The idea behind Jenny’s Unsubscribe philosophy: letting go to reclaim your time, energy and boundaries

Apply for a  strategy call with Paul: https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan
 
I built an eight-figure business that runs without me. I’ll help you do the same.