What if the next step in your growth starts with changing the environment around you?

In this episode of The Deru Way, John explores the season of Restore and what it means to create the right conditions to thrive. He shares how wanting more enjoyment in his work and more time outdoors led to the Grounded Man hike, bringing together his love of hiking, coaching, and community.

John also explores how the people, places, activities, and things around you influence your thinking and shape your everyday experience. He explains how bringing more of what you enjoy into your life, changing your mindset, and developing the skills and strategies you need can help you build an environment that supports your growth.

Want to check how present you are in your business and life? Book your Deru Presence Check here: https://calendly.com/johndouglas-coaching/deru-presence-check

00:01:06 — The Seasons of Human Growth
00:02:34 — The Season of Restore
00:03:36 — Feeling Stuck in Your Environment
00:04:29 — Bringing More Enjoyment Into Work
00:06:01 — How the Grounded Man Hike Began
00:07:49 — Four Ways to Shape Your Environment
00:08:15 — People Who Energize You
00:08:41 — Activities You Want More Of
00:09:14 — Places That Help You Thrive
00:09:53 — What You Surround Yourself With
00:10:45 — Bringing What You Love Together
00:12:26 — Changing Your Mindset
00:13:21 — Building Your Skills and Adapting Your Strategy
00:14:40 — The Grounding Reflection
00:15:40 — Growing With the Deru Community

What if the way forward starts with changing how you make decisions?

In this episode of The Deru Way, John explores the season of Rise and what it means to turn clarity about your value into decisions and action. He shares his experience of returning from his honeymoon, feeling overwhelmed by business and personal commitments, and how a reminder to prioritize his energy helped him regain focus.

John also explores how to invest your time, attention, and energy in what brings the greatest value to your life. He explains how asking better questions, setting higher standards, and protecting your headspace can help you make decisions that support your health, relationships, work, and enjoyment of life.

Want to check how present you are in your business and life? Book your Deru Presence Check here: https://calendly.com/johndouglas-coaching/deru-presence-check

00:01:12 — The Season of Rise
00:02:52 — Returning to Overwhelm
00:04:28 — Prioritizing Your Energy
00:06:09 — Making Better Decisions
00:07:12 — Value Beyond Hours Worked
00:08:38 — Setting a Higher Standard
00:10:07 — Asking Better Questions
00:10:48 — Leading With Intention
00:12:44 — Protecting Your Time and Energy
00:13:37 — Five Areas of Life
00:16:25 — Examining Your Thoughts
00:17:00 — The Grounding Reflection

What if the value you have been chasing has been within you all along?

In this episode of The Deru Way, John explores the season of Rooting and what it means to move from being a pressured provider to a present provider. He shares his own experience of starting a business, struggling with money, pricing, and sales, and how chasing success and outcomes created more pressure instead of helping him move forward.

John also explores what it means to become a man of value by recognizing the strengths, experience, wisdom, and natural gifts you already carry. He explains how separating your worth from the hours you work, trusting the process, and contributing from a place of abundance can help you lead your business and life with more presence.

Want to check how present you are in your business and life? Book your Deru Presence Check here: https://calendly.com/johndouglas-coaching/deru-presence-check

00:01:10 — The Season of Rooting

00:03:34 — Money, Worth, and Pressure

00:05:12 — Understanding Value

00:07:10 — The Pressured Provider

00:08:30 — The Present Provider

00:10:30 — Stop Chasing Success

00:12:33 — You Are the Source

00:14:20 — Separating Worth From Work

00:17:13 — The Grounding Reflection

00:19:29 — Who Are You Behind the Titles?

What are you holding on to that is getting in the way of your own growth?

In this episode of The Deru Way, John explores the season of Release and what it really means to let go. He shares how pressure, comparison, expectations, and the need for control can drain your energy and disconnect you from the present.

John also explores the difference between what you are responsible for, what you are responsible for, and what is outside your control. He explains how releasing fear, trusting the process, and creating space can help you move forward with more clarity and presence.

Want to check how present you are in your business and life? Book your Deru Presence Check here: https://calendly.com/johndouglas-coaching/deru-presence-check

00:01:51 — The Season of Release

00:03:15 — Feeling Behind

00:04:24 — Stepping Back Into Nature

00:05:09 — Acceptance Without Lowering Your Standards

00:06:21 — Returning to Your Purpose

00:07:04 — Letting Go of Outcomes

00:08:48 — Creating Capacity

00:10:15 — Responsible For vs. Responsible To

00:12:17 — Trusting the Timing

00:13:41 — The Four Ps of Fear

00:17:31 — The Season of Release in Nature

00:18:45 — Growth Starts With Subtraction

00:19:35 — A Reflection for Letting Go

What happens when you stop forcing life and start returning to who you really are?

In this episode of The Deru Way, John explores the first season: Return. He shares a recent experience that left him frustrated and explains how awareness helped him see the real issue behind it, let go of the story he had created, and return to a more grounded state.

John also explores how fear, pressure, scarcity, and the need to prove yourself can disconnect you from who you are. He explains how stepping back, becoming more aware, and reconnecting with nature can help you move from survival toward greater trust, clarity, and presence.

Want to check how present you are in your business and life? Book your Deru Presence Check here: https://calendly.com/johndouglas-coaching/deru-presence-check

00:00:54 — The Season of Return

00:01:07 — In and Out

00:01:36 — Expectations vs. Reality

00:02:22 — What Was Really Bothering John

00:03:45 — The Power of Awareness

00:05:19 — Returning Your Energy

00:06:08 — Returning to Truth

00:06:19 — Leading From Survival

00:07:28 — Fear and Procrastination

00:08:59 — The First Season: Return

00:09:19 — Observing Yourself

00:10:55 — Scarcity and Ego

00:11:29 — Fear and Separation

00:12:03 — Reconnecting With Life

00:13:36 — From Force to Flow

00:15:24 — Everything Is Connected

00:17:20 — Putting Ego in Its Place

00:17:41 — Get Back Into Nature

00:18:24 — Going Outside to Go Within

00:19:25 — From Survival to Thriving

Are you leading your business from presence, or are you leading from pressure?

In the first episode of The Deru Way, a special six-week series of The Grounded Man Podcast, John explores why there has never been more opportunity to grow a business, but also never been more noise and distraction competing for your attention. He explains why staying grounded and present is becoming increasingly important, and how being reactive, firefighting, and spending too much time on low-value work can take you away from the areas where your time matters most.

John also looks at the cost of losing presence both in business and at home. He explains why time itself isn’t the problem, but how present you are within those hours, and explores the difference between leading from pressure on the outside and leading from presence on the inside. John also shares the meaning behind Deru — to be solid, firm, and steadfast — and why returning to who you are behind the work, roles, successes, and failures creates greater trust in yourself and the process.

John then introduces the five seasons of The Deru Way: Return, Release, Rooting, Rise, and Restore. He explains how each season reflects a natural part of growth, from developing greater self-awareness and letting go of limitations to finding clarity, taking aligned action, and creating an environment that supports who you want to become. He closes with two reflections on what a lack of presence may be costing you in your business and in your life at home.

Want to check how present you are in your business and life? Book your Deru Presence Check here: https://calendly.com/johndouglas-coaching/deru-presence-check

00:00:54 — Introducing The Deru Way

00:02:16 — Are You Present for the Opportunity?

00:03:26 — The Cost of Noise and Distraction

00:04:54 — How Distraction Shows Up in Business

00:05:26 — What Would 10 Hours of Presence Be Worth?

00:06:40 — The Cost of Distraction at Home

00:07:25 — Time Is Not the Problem

00:08:17 — What Deru Means

00:09:09 — Leading From Presence vs. Pressure

00:11:45 — Introducing the Five Seasons of Growth

00:12:41 — Return: Coming Back to Truth

00:13:19 — Release: Letting Go to Grow

00:14:33 — Rooting: Creating Clarity and Direction

00:15:04 — Rise: Becoming the Man You Want to Be

00:15:18 — Restore: Creating the Right Environment

00:16:08 — Growing Yourself and Your Business

00:17:21 — What Is Distraction Costing Your Business?

00:18:26 — The Grounding Question

How do you grow a family business without losing the values that built it?

In this episode, John is joined by Michael O’Reilly, second-generation Managing Director of Pneumatics Group, for a walk-and-talk about his four decades in the family business. Michael reflects on its humble beginnings, why holding stock became a competitive advantage, and how learning every part of the company has been both a strength and a challenge.

Michael also shares the story of buying the business from his dad, navigating recessions and difficult family moments, and the important role his mam played in creating the heart and energy of the company. He explains why reputation, trust, and looking after people have remained central to how the family leads and grows the business.

John and Michael also explore the value of outside support, the impact of working with Deru, and how greater clarity and accountability have helped Michael focus on the areas where his time matters most. Michael discusses achieving the company’s most profitable years in decades, making decisions with greater confidence, and creating more space for his family and life outside the business.

Interested in joining our next Grounded Man Hike? Click here for more: https://www.derunation.com/TGM-Hike

00:01:48 — Introducing Pneumatics

00:04:31 — The Early Days

00:05:43 — Why Holding Stock Pays

00:06:44 — Taking More Responsibility

00:08:08 — Knowing Everything: A Strength or Weakness?

00:11:43 — Reputation Is Our Goal

00:12:09 — Reputation Pays

00:14:11 — Being the Conscience of the Company

00:17:31 — Building a Brand

00:18:20 — Buying the Business Off Dad

00:21:42 — Overcoming Challenges as a Family

00:25:57 — The Role Our Mam Played

00:30:56 — Getting Support to Lead and Grow

00:33:23 — Working with Deru

00:41:16 — The Most Profitable Years in Decades

00:43:34 — Growing with Confidence

00:45:36 — How Michael Leads Outside the Business

00:49:05 — The Deru Mechanism

00:50:13 — What Surprised Michael About Deru

00:52:13 — What Michael Is Most Excited About

How much of your week is intentionally designed to protect and raise your energy?

In this episode, John explores why making time for yourself isn’t selfish — it’s essential to how you lead. He shares a simple exercise around work, family, and yourself, and explains why where you actually spend your time and energy is a better reflection of your priorities than what you say matters most.

John also introduces the idea of grounding yourself each morning, starting with just 10–15 minutes to reset, recharge, and sharpen your thinking. He looks at gratitude as a powerful way to move out of frustration, protect your energy, and create more space to lead your business, family, and life with greater clarity and presence.

Interested in joining our next Grounded Man Hike? Click here for more: https://www.derunation.com/TGM-Hike

00:01:23 — Making Time for You

00:02:29 — Where Your Priorities Really Are

00:03:32 — Invest in Yourself First

00:06:31 — Protecting Your Energy

00:07:11 — Energy, Time & Freedom

00:09:39 — The 15-Minute Reset

00:10:37 — The Grounding Ritual

00:12:23 — Practicing Gratitude

00:13:19 — Gratitude Over Frustration

00:15:07 — Being Grateful for What’s Ahead