Brian Murray built and managed over a billion dollars in real estate. From the outside, it looked like the pinnacle of business success…. Internally, it felt empty.

In his conversation with Phil, Brian explains how reaching a major financial milestone forced him to confront a difficult truth:

Professional achievement did not deliver the joy he expected.

That realization, combined with a serious car accident and a trek to Everest Base Camp, began a five year shift away from control, pressure, and performance driven identity.

He reflects on how business culture can draw out unhealthy personas, how attachment to outcomes distorts self worth, and why seeds are planted in the dark.

The conversation centers on responsibility, self awareness, and what it means to cultivate a life instead of chasing one.

0:00 Intro

01:54 Defining Himself Beyond Achievement

04:32 The Emptiness of a Billion Dollar Milestone

07:19 Spiritual Shift After Business Success

12:56 Writing the Book and Practicing Presence

18:01 Business Pressure and the Control Persona

20:41 Seeds Are Planted in the Dark

24:12 Intuition Over Rigid Goal Setting

30:53 Choosing Vulnerability and Publishing the Book

38:31 Service, Simplicity, and Caring for Rescued Animals

41:01 Where to Find Brian

Resources Mentioned:

📚 Crushing It in Apartments and Commercial Real Estate by Brian Murray

📚 Welcome to My Garden by Brian Murray

Freedom Hollow:

https://www.freedomhollow.org

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David Osborn built extraordinary success, but real freedom didn’t come from money. It came from trust.

In this conversation with Phil Moeller, David reflects on the long process of proving himself to himself. From growing up between scarcity and privilege to raising children in abundance, he shares how purpose, example, and personal responsibility shape the kind of person success can flow toward.

The discussion explores the difference between goals and identity, why community and vulnerability accelerate growth, and how freedom evolves from external achievement to internal peace. For David, abundance is less about resources and more about the lens you choose, believing life is working with you rather than against you.

This episode is about becoming someone you trust, redefining freedom beyond performance, and building a life that feels lighter on the inside.

0:00 Intro

01:26 Forging His Own Path

03:58 Growing Up Poor in a Wealthy Environment

07:22 Parenting with Purpose and Kindness

11:12 The Moment That Cemented There Is a Purpose

21:18 Specific Goals vs. Intentions

28:35 Redefining Freedom Beyond Money

31:47 Proving Himself to Himself and Finding Peace

35:20 Choosing Abundance Over Victimhood

Resources Mentioned:

📚 Wealth Can’t Wait by David Osborn

📚 Tribe of Millionaires by David Osborn

📚 Miracle Morning Millionaires by Hal Elrod and David Osborn

GoBundance

https://gobundance.com

Follow @PhilOnPurpose

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A whopping 70% of the workforce is disengaged…is that you? Is it the people you lead??

Kate Volman, CEO of Floyd Consulting and steward of The Dream Manager framework, believes most leaders are diagnosing the wrong problem because they’re trying to fix performance at WORK instead of asking what happened to someone’s dreams at HOME.

Today, Phil and Kate discuss why people check out at work (long before they quit). Once someone has stopped dreaming in their own life, that disengagement eventually shows up in their performance, energy, and loyalty.

What they unpack:

• The real driver behind that 70% disengagement statistic
• What actually happens when adults stop dreaming
• The patterns most common in adult’s dreams (including finances, health, and relationships)
• How waiting for inspiration quietly delays meaningful work
• Where perfectionism shows up and how it limits output
• Why structured accountability consistently outperforms raw motivation

If you lead a team and want higher engagement without gimmicks, this conversation with Kate will give you a clear starting point.

0:00 Intro02:30 Kate’s Career Path06:29 What the Dream Manager Is10:13 Are Dreams Fluff?12:34 Engagement & Leadership Responsibility14:01 How Dreams Evolve Over Time18:05 Writing the Book20:50 The Myth That Inspiration Will Strike23:08 Action Creates Clarity25:29 Ego & Fear of Criticism28:14 Defining Success in Creative Work31:20 Systems & Accountability35:59 How Kate Defines Success39:57 Where to Connect with KateResources Mentioned:Connect with Kate:https://www.katevolman.com📚 Do What You Love by Kate Volmanhttps://a.co/d/06ieszyN 📚 The Dream Manager by Matthew Kellyhttps://a.co/d/016WfdH6 The Dream Manager Programhttps://www.thedreammanager.com🎙️ Kate’s channel and “Create For No Reason” podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@KateVolmanMedia Follow @PhilOnPurposehttps://www.instagram.com/philonpurposehttps://www.facebook.com/philonpurpose

Could your drive to succeed actually be the thing keeping you stuck?

Phil sits down with clinical psychologist and author Dr. Kelly Flanagan, whose work has resonated most with an unexpected audience: high-achieving entrepreneurial men.

Dr. Flanagan breaks down the difference between guilt and shame, and how shame quietly hijacks careers, marriages, and parenting. He explains why achievement does not resolve the original wound of “something is wrong with me,” and how success can actually intensify it.

He also shares the pivotal question he and his wife asked themselves before walking away from prestigious paths to build a different kind of life…one shaped by worthiness instead of proving.

You’ll hear them unpack:

• The question that reveals whether your next move is driven by freedom or the need to prove
  

• Why success often strengthens shame instead of resolving it
  

• Why passion always involves suffering, and why that is not a signal to quit
  

• The three stage cycle of worthiness, belonging, and purpose
  

• How to build relationships where you feel less pressure to perform and more freedom to be yourself

If achievement hasn’t quieted the voice that says you’re not enough, this conversation explains why.

0:00 Intro

02:21 Who Lovable Was Written For

06:59 Shame as the Original Wound

10:16 Guilt vs. Shame

13:22 Parenting Triggers and Self Grace

19:05 Meeting His Wife

23:22 The Freedom Question That Changed Everything

29:19 The Cycle of Worthiness, Belonging, Purpose

32:04 Why Relationships Come First

39:22 How Passion, Pain, and Purpose Connect

42:21 Why Resistance Is Not a Sign to Quit

44:28 The Road Less Triggered

Dr. Kelly Flanagan’s books:

📚 Lovable

📚 The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell

📚 The Road Less Triggered Available now for pre-order with bonuses: https://lesstriggered.com

➡️ Download the Purpose Matrix tool for FREE:https://www.thepurposematrix.com/

Follow @PhilOnPurpose

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Most of us don’t feel stuck because we’re failing. We feel stuck because we were trained to be.

Trained to stay busy. To do it alone. To worry about how it LOOKS instead of who we’re becoming.

That realization led to one word that kept resurfacing: broken.

Not as a flaw to hide, but as a starting point that we all have in common.

In this episode, Phil reflects on the ways society shapes our habits, our fears, and our definition of success…and how those patterns can slowly pull us off course without us even noticing.

Key moments:

• Why feeling “stuck” is often learned, not earned
  

• The difference between being broken and being hopeless
  

• How busyness and ego quietly block purpose
  

• Why reframing regret can unlock growth
  

• The role the right people play in moving forward

This isn’t about “fixing yourself.” It’s about seeing clearly, asking for help, and choosing a different way forward.

0:00 Intro

1:02 The word that changed everything

5:43 The 5 hidden obstacles in our way

7:05 How busyness steals your peace

9:27 Regret as your greatest teacher

15:44 The real thing holding you back

20:42 Brokenness means we need help

21:19 How to find your Iron Few

➡️ Download the Purpose Matrix tool for FREE:https://www.thepurposematrix.com/

Follow @PhilOnPurpose

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Dreamers don’t fail because they lack ideas. They fail because they don’t have a Driver owning execution.

Today, Phil talks with Stephanie Brackett, COO of Gobundance and a lifelong operations leader who has spent decades turning vision into finished work.

From her early years at Home Depot to scaling real estate teams and executive partnerships, Stephanie has thrived in the second-in-command seat.

The discussion centers on the “dreamer and driver” relationship, why hiring leverage too late quietly taxes growth, and how execution breaks down when founders refuse to give up control.

Stephanie lays out her personal operating system for getting things done (including inbox discipline, task capture, and decision filters) while also naming the emotional and relational realities that make operations work or fail.

A few practical takeaways:

• Why the “dreamer and driver” relationship matters more than org charts or titles

• How waiting to hire operations costs more than the salary itself

• The C-CORE framework for capturing and executing work without mental overload

• Why inbox zero is about decision making, not email management

• How to tell whether a task deserves attention now, later, or never

• The difference between being busy and being dollar productive

• Why great operators are wired to serve, not dominate

If you’re carrying the vision and feeling buried by execution, this episode gives language to what’s missing and how to fix it.

…and if you’re an operator, this conversation will fire you up!

0:00 Intro

0:40 Stephanie’s career path

2:57 Differentiator for success and traits to hire

7:27 Why the Dreamer & Driver relationship matters

9:29 When a small business should hire an operations leader

15:41 Getting things done using C-CORE

19:19 Prioritizing tasks

25:00 Inbox zero

29:56 Calendar categories

33:27 Who her book is for

38:40 The secret sauce: desire to serve

43:04 Zones and matching work to energy

46:49 Bringing operations to the forefront

Resources Mentioned:

📚 Getting Things Done by David Allen

https://gettingthingsdone.com

📚 The One Thing by Gary Keller

https://www.the1thing.com

📚 At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof

https://careynieuwhof.com/atyourbest

📚 Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters

https://www.eosworldwide.com/rocket-fuel-book

Todoist

https://todoist.com

WHY.os Assessment

https://whyinstitute.com/

Second In Command Club

https://secondincommandclub.com

GoBundance

https://gobundance.com

Follow @PhilOnPurpose

https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose

https://www.facebook.com/philonpupose

When Jason Duff returned to his hometown, 80% of downtown was vacant. So what did he do?Bought a building, opened a restaurant, and started learning…fast. Today, he runs Small Nation, a real estate company focused on rebuilding small towns by backing the entrepreneurs who make them thrive.In this episode, Jason breaks down the business model behind Bellefontaine’s transformation, including how to structure partnerships, why “passive” investing doesn’t work, and how to stay hands-on without burning out. Big takeaways from this episode:

• Why great partnerships start with values, not just complementary skills• The 8:15am daily huddle that keeps Jason’s team aligned and accountable• How to find the right person for a building, not just the right building for a tenant• What “hand-to-hand combat” looks like in real estate and why Jason still chooses it• A test to filter who actually wants your help (and protect your energy)• The real cost of hustle, and how Jason learned to lead without burning people outFor business owners, operators, and community-minded investors, this is a blueprint for how to build something real…without losing yourself in the process.0:00 Intro02:30 Small-Town Roots and Business DNA08:20 Why Place and Community Matter13:34 The Small Nation Model Explained19:32 From Investor to Hands-On Builder26:05 Why Self-Awareness Comes First27:12 Team Rhythms and Sustainable Growth34:53 Growing Up in a Family Business36:35 Lessons From a Grandfather43:59 Money, Fear, and Independence48:33 Choosing Gratitude Over Criticism50:57 A Living Lab for Small-Town EntrepreneurshipResources Mentioned:Small Nation: https://smallnationstrong.com Small Nation Podcast: https://smallnationstrong.com/podcast Follow @PhilOnPurposehttps://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose https://www.facebook.com/philonpupose

What separates good leaders from great ones?Today’s guest says it comes down to purpose and authenticity…and most people are missing both.In this episode of The Purpose Matrix, Phil sits down with Tim Cole, veteran corporate exec turned founder of The Compass Alliance, to explore what truly makes leaders worth following. From confronting disengagement in the workplace to building a “career compass” aligned with passion and skills, Tim shares insights shaped by 38 years in corporate America and a relentless curiosity about leadership.This conversation is packed with practical wisdom on:• The 5 questions every follower asks of a leader (and how to answer them)• How to lead different generations through purpose, not just paychecks• Why most 360 feedback loops fall short and how to fix them• Finding your authentic leadership style• How to move from silent disengagement to aligned teamsIf you're leading a team (or want to), this conversation is a must-listen.0:00 Intro1:45 Tim's Career Journey & Sales Foundations7:06 Meeting a Transformational Leader11:37 The Career Compass15:12 Connecting Personal Purpose to Company Mission19:17 Why Leaders Fear the Purpose Question21:45 Self-Awareness & Personal Accountability26:40 What 360 Feedback Misses (And How to Fix It)33:12 Discovering Your Leadership Style36:57 Building a Career That Feels Like You43:12 The "Zombie Apocalypse" of Disengagement48:12 Three Actions Every Great Leader Must TakeResources Mentioned:The Compass Alliancehttps://www.thecompassalliance.com📚 Tim’s Book - The Compass Solutionhttps://www.amazon.com/Compass-Solution-Guide-Winning-Career/dp/0999057103 🎙️ In Search of a Leader podcast: https://www.insearchofaleader.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@insearchofaleaderFollow @PhilOnPurposehttps://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose https://www.facebook.com/philonpupose