If you’ve ever felt like everything was falling apart — in business, in relationships, or within yourself — Episode 1 of The JRNY Podcast is the conversation you need.
In this inaugural episode, I sit down with Dave Clare (leadership and culture expert, founder of Circle Leadership) and Levi Saunders (entrepreneur, father, and someone who has rebuilt through adversity in real time).
What unfolds is raw, practical, and deeply honest — a conversation about resilience, leadership, identity, and the defining moments that shape who we become.
"You’d be surprised who steps forward — and who steps back."
You can watch the full episode on YouTube, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
The Pizza Box Moment: Commitment When Everything Falls Apart
Dave Clare shares what he calls his "pizza box moment" — a defining night in 2017 when his business had bombed, savings were running dry, and pressure was mounting.
Sitting in a garage staring at a pizza box on the floor, he made a decision: commit fully — or quit.
Out of that moment came one of the most powerful frameworks of the episode:
- Roadblocks are three things: speed bumps, hurdles, and walls.
- Speed bumps slow you down.
- Hurdles you have to jump over.
- Walls are made up in your mind.
The lesson? Not every obstacle is what it first appears to be. And resilience isn’t about pretending things aren’t hard — it’s about refusing to turn every challenge into a wall.
What Resilience Actually Means
Resilience isn’t just "toughing it out." As Dave explains:
"Resilience is a strength — either it bounces off you, or you bounce back. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s going in regardless of fear."
That mindset shift — from victim to responsibility — becomes a recurring theme throughout the episode. It’s okay to feel it. It’s not okay to stay stuck in it.
Leadership in 2026: Lead People, Manage Resources
One of the strongest leadership moments in the episode is Dave’s simple but powerful distinction:
"You lead people and you manage resources. People are not a resource."
In a world shaped by AI, automation, and rapid change, leadership isn’t about control — it’s about creating environments where people can bring their best. Culture isn’t branding. It’s behaviour. And if leaders confuse people with resources, they lose the very thing that makes their business sustainable.
The Business Shift: Stop Selling Programs, Start Selling Process
For business owners, this section is gold. Dave shares how one of his biggest failures taught him a critical commercial lesson: programs create peaks and valleys. You live and die by the next contract.
Instead, build process.
"Programs have a start and finish date. Process doesn’t."
Process creates recurring revenue. Process creates stability. Process builds resilience into the business model itself.
Levi Saunders: Seasons, Relationships & Fatherhood
Levi brings the conversation back to what matters most — identity, relationships, and presence. Adversity, he explains, acts as a filter.
- Some people step forward.
- Some step back.
- Some can’t handle your evolution.
And that’s okay. His biggest shift wasn’t about business success. It was about clarity:
"I’m chasing feelings — freedom, stability, being present — not things."
When it comes to fatherhood, he keeps it simple: "You’ve got limited time with them — you’ve got to be present." That clarity changes decisions. It changes boundaries. It changes everything.
The Boxing Fight That Changed Everything
Levi’s amateur boxing fight becomes a metaphor for the entire episode. Mid-fight, after taking heavy shots, something shifted:
"If he can’t knock me out… I’m just going to enjoy this a lot more."
That moment of mental recalibration changed the fight — and his life. The bigger realisation? "Everyone can endure so much more than what they think."
Resilience isn’t dramatic. It’s a decision — made in the middle of discomfort.