134: Randy Gravitt — Winning at Home Without Losing at Work, Leading With Presence, and Why Hope Is Not a Strategy
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
Release Date: 01/16/2026
134: Randy Gravitt — Winning at Home Without Losing at Work, Leading With Presence, and Why Hope Is Not a Strategy
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
➡️ Get my free weekly newsletter (The Intentional Letter): Get Randy's book: Learn about Lead Every Day: In this episode, Cal Walters sits down with executive coach, speaker, and author Randy Gravitt of to explore one of the most important leadership questions of our time: How do you pursue excellence at work without sacrificing what matters most at home? Randy shares powerful insights from decades of coaching leaders across Fortune 100 companies, professional sports teams, and nonprofits—along with lessons from his book Winning Begins at Home. This conversation goes beyond...
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133: LTG(R) Milford Beagle "Beags" — A Three-Star General on True North, Resilience, Feedback, and How to Lead With Confidence Without Becoming Overconfident
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
➡️ Get my free weekly newsletter (The Intentional Letter): 📚 Get LTG (Ret.) Beagle's new book, When the Map Runs Out: As leaders rise, they often hear less and less truth. LTG (Ret.) Milford Beagle calls this the cone of silence—and he warns that it’s one of the quietest ways leaders lose their true north. In this episode, we explore how to lead when your “map” falls apart. General Beagle shares his journey from a stunned new platoon leader at Fort Polk to commanding the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, and what he’s learned about staying grounded, humble, and effective...
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132: Joe McCormack — Special Operations Communication Expert Shares How to Say Less, Communicate With Clarity, and Lead With Quiet Confidence
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
Connect with Joe: Learn more about The Brief Lab: How do you become the kind of leader who cuts through noise, communicates with clarity, and actually moves people to action? In this episode of the Intentional Leader Podcast, Cal talks with Joe McCormack—founder of The Brief Lab and author of Brief, Noise, and Quiet Works. Joe has trained elite military units and Fortune 500 executives to be clear, concise, and intentional communicators, and to rediscover the quiet that makes powerful communication possible. They explore: Why noise is the real villain in your leadership story The...
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131: Dr. Liz Werly — What an Army Psychologist for Special Ops Teaches About High Performance and Emotional Intelligence
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
How do the best military leaders go from operating at an already elite level… to an even higher level under pressure? In this episode, Army psychologist Dr. Liz Werly (who works directly with some of the U.S. military’s most elite units) breaks down the exact framework she uses to help high performers: build accurate self-awareness using gold-standard assessments, “engineer” their personality to fit the context (calm under fire and present at home), develop emotional intelligence as the differentiator once IQ and talent are in place, and translate values into visible daily...
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130: Dr. Zach Mercurio — The Hidden Engine of High-Performing Teams: Mattering, Trust, and Purpose-Driven Leadership
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
Apply to work with me 1-1: Join the Intentional Leader Lab waitlist: Learn more about Zach: In this conversation, Dr. Zach Mercurio discusses the importance of creating a sense of purpose and mattering within teams. He emphasizes that feeling valued is a basic human instinct and that leaders play a crucial role in fostering an environment where everyone feels significant. The discussion covers the psychological impacts of not feeling like one matters, the barriers leaders face in demonstrating care, and practical strategies for enhancing team dynamics through small, intentional...
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129: Dr. Ryan Gottfredson — The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation, Mindsets, Emotional Intelligence, and Becoming Better
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
Update: Now only 6 spots left in the Intentional Leader Lab! ➡️ Learn about the Intentional Leader Lab: Book a call: Apply today: Please visit my website to get more information: In this episode, Dr. Ryan Gottfredson returns to discuss the concepts of trauma, vertical development, and the distinction between 'being' and 'doing' in leadership. He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and healing one's internal operating system to achieve true personal transformation. The conversation explores how mindsets shape our experiences and the role of emotional...
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128: Accomplish Anything as a Leader with the 3 Levels of Clarity and the Intentional Leader Lab
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
➡️ Learn about the Intentional Leader Lab: Book a call: Apply today: The Intentional Leader Lab: A Mastermind for Successful Leaders Who Refuse to Plateau Even the best leaders can drift, but this carefully curated leadership community and Cal's Narrow Path™ Framework give you the tools, accountability, and systems to accelerate your growth. Only 11 spots left.
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127: Dr. Travis Bradberry — Emotional Intelligence Expert Gives Practical Advice to Increase Your EQ, Increase Your Self-Awareness, and Change Your Thinking
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
➡️ Apply to the Intentional Leader Lab (only 12 slots available): In this conversation, Cal introduces the Intentional Leader Lab, a coaching program aimed at enhancing leadership skills through emotional intelligence. Dr. Travis Bradberry, an expert in emotional intelligence, discusses its significance in leadership, differentiating it from IQ, and the importance of self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness. The conversation emphasizes practical strategies for developing emotional intelligence and the impact it has on personal and professional relationships. Dr. Travis...
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126: Melody Wilding — How to Manage Up and 5 Conversations to Have with Your Boss
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
➡️ Get my free weekly newsletter (The Intentional Letter): 🧭 Clarify Your Core Values: In this conversation, Melody Wilding, an expert in managing up, discusses the essential skills and strategies needed to influence your boss and navigate workplace dynamics effectively. She emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence, establishing alignment, and taking ownership in your role. The discussion also covers setting boundaries, giving and receiving feedback, and the concept of the triple win, which focuses on finding mutually beneficial solutions for yourself, your boss, and the...
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125: Patrick Lencioni — The One Thing Every Leader Needs and His Top Advice to Leaders at All Stages
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
➡️ Get my free weekly newsletter (The Intentional Letter): In this episode of the Intentional Leader podcast, Cal and Patrick Lencioni delve into the core motivations behind leadership, emphasizing the importance of serving others over seeking personal gain. They discuss the impact of fear on leadership effectiveness, the necessity of daily self-reflection, and the significance of understanding one's wounds in shaping leadership styles. The conversation also touches on the importance of unity within organizations and offers practical advice for leaders at various stages of their careers,...
info_outline➡️ Get my free weekly newsletter (The Intentional Letter): https://courses.calwalters.me/signup
Get Randy's book: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Begins-Home-Strategy-Leadership/dp/B0CTYGNXCG
Learn about Lead Every Day: https://leadeveryday.com/
In this episode, Cal Walters sits down with executive coach, speaker, and author Randy Gravitt of @Lead_Every_Day to explore one of the most important leadership questions of our time:
How do you pursue excellence at work without sacrificing what matters most at home?
Randy shares powerful insights from decades of coaching leaders across Fortune 100 companies, professional sports teams, and nonprofits—along with lessons from his book Winning Begins at Home.
This conversation goes beyond clichés about work-life balance and gets practical about strategy, systems, presence, and love—and why winning at home actually makes you a better leader at work.
Please visit my website to get more information: https://calwalters.me/
00:00 – Welcome to 2026 & the Intentional Leader community
02:10 – Introducing Randy Gravitt & the tension leaders feel
03:40 – Strategic at work, sporadic at home
06:00 – Why family has quietly been diminished
07:45 – Being home but not really home
08:55 – Proximity does not equal intimacy
10:00 – The servant leadership tension
12:20 – Living in the center of the tension
13:45 – Begin with the end in mind
15:10 – You will never finish all the work
16:50 – Seasons turn into patterns
18:30 – The NFL Super Bowl story
21:00 – Leaving work at work
22:15 – Training presence like a discipline
23:30 – Rituals that help you be present
25:30 – Phone boundaries that actually work
27:40 – Winning the first hour of the day
29:40 – Why home life fuels work performance
32:10 – Choosing priorities on purpose
34:00 – The hidden cost of neglecting home
36:30 – “What kind of family do you want?”
38:40 – Family by design, not by default
41:00 – Marriage after the kids leave
43:00 – Don’t go to bed angry
46:30 – Love first
49:50 – See a need, meet a need
54:00 – Final encouragement to leaders
59:00 – Key takeaways & closing challenge