Thriving Business copertina

Thriving Business

THRIVING BUSINESS

Business Insights to Help You Grow Your Business with Ease

We’re two seasoned business owners — Sam Morris and Kate De Jong — sharing our nearly thirty-year combined experience of starting and growing service-based businesses from the ground up. We so many small businesses struggling or falling prey to expensive promises of quick fixes or silver bullets. Both of us know what it REALLY takes to start and grow a business, we've done it many times over and we've got the blisters to prove it! We’ve joined forces to share our knowledge and experience so you can find the easiest path to success, doing it your way, and most importantly — staying true to yourself.

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Episodi
  • Ep #15 | 95% Of Us Think We Are Self Aware - WRONG!

    Ep #15 | 95% Of Us Think We Are Self Aware - WRONG!
    Jun 19 2026

    Send a question or message to Kate & Sam

    Most leaders believe they're self-aware. The research disagrees — dramatically.

    In this episode, Kate and Sam dive deep into one of the most underused leadership skills in small business: genuine self-awareness. Not the "I know myself pretty well" kind — but the kind that closes the gap between how you think you show up and how others actually experience you.

    They cover:

    • The Tasha Eurich research that stops most people cold (the 95% vs 15% stat)
    • The difference between internal and external self-awareness — and why you need both
    • What a 360-degree LSI assessment revealed about Kate's leadership (and why she cried)
    • Why fixed mindset blocks self-awareness before you even get started
    • The Enneagram — what it is, why it's confronting, and why that's exactly the point
    • Curiosity, vulnerability, and comfort with uncertainty as the three-part path forward
    • Psychological safety at work — and why it starts with the leader knowing themselves first

    Whether you've never taken a personality assessment or you've done them all, this episode will give you a fresh lens on why self-awareness isn't a one-time exercise — it's a lifelong practice.

    Resources mentioned in this episode:

    • Tasha Eurich — researcher and author on self-awareness; her TED Talk is a great starting point
    • LSI (Life Styles Inventory) — 360-degree behavioural assessment tool
    • The Enneagram — nine-type personality framework; free test available online (Kate recommends getting some support interpreting your result)
    • Myers-Briggs — useful particularly for career direction
    • BankCode — four-colour personality profile (Blueprint, Action, Nurture, Knowledge); fun in a team setting
    • Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) — Sam's recommendation as an unlikely masterclass in curiosity and self-awareness
    • Kate's Happiness Key eBook — includes links to the personality tests discussed; reach out to Kate directly for access

    Next episode: Emotional Intelligence — Daniel Goleman's four-layer model, starting with self-awareness as the foundation.

    Coming up: Leading from your values, a wrap-up episode, and the Bali Business Retreat.

    Workshop — 24th June: Details at thrivingbusinesspodcast.com

    Connect with Your Hosts:

    Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com

    Sam Morris | The O8 🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/ 📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com

    Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/

    JOIN OUR WORKSHOPS

    🌐 https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/workshops

    COME ON THE 2026 BALI RETREAT

    🌐 https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/baliretreat2026
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    41 min
  • Ep #14 | Getting Up When You're Knocked Down: Growth Mindset in Action

    Ep #14 | Getting Up When You're Knocked Down: Growth Mindset in Action
    Jun 18 2026
    Send a question or message to Kate & SamWelcome to Episode 14 of the Roadmap to Business Success series — and the first episode of Quadrant 4: Lead with Impact!Most people think business failure comes down to bad strategy, poor marketing or the wrong product. The research tells a different story. The biggest predictor of small business failure — especially in the early years — is not what you're selling or how you're selling it. It's the mindset of the person running the show.In this episode Kate and Sam get honest about the emotional reality of building a business, the moments they both wanted to quit, and what Carol Dweck's growth mindset framework actually looks like when you're in the thick of it."Courage is not the absence of fear. It's deciding that what you're building matters more than what you're afraid of."In this episode, you will learn:Fixed versus growth mindset — what they actually mean in practice: Why a fixed mindset says "I either have what it takes or I don't" — and why a growth mindset reframes every setback as information rather than evidence of failureThe real statistics on small business survival: Why 92% of micro businesses are not at high risk of failure — and what the survival stats actually mean when you look at them honestlyThe emotional toll nobody warns you about: Why the hardest part of building a business in the early years is not the strategy or the systems — it's the unpredictability of revenue, the sleepless nights and the terror of not knowing whether you can pay your billsThe Valley of Death — and how to get through it: Why the mobilisation phase of a business (years one to five) is where most people give up, why staying in the game is itself a form of success, and why the light at the end of the tunnel is real even when you cannot see itThe garden analogy: Why growth is almost never visible while it is happening — and why the biggest mistake business owners make is pulling the seed out of the ground just before it was about to bloomThe tortoise always wins: Why the obsession with moving fast is one of the most damaging things in business culture right now — and why slowing down, building properly and being patient is the actual path to longevityPayday super and what it means for small business: A candid conversation about the current financial pressures on small business owners, the gap in super legislation for sole traders, and why Profit First is the best defence against cash flow pressureWhy your why matters more than your strategy: How Sam used the AI workbook to go deeper on her why than she ever had before — and why anchoring yourself in purpose is what keeps you going when everything else feels hardGrowth mindset applied to leadership: How fixed mindset founders avoid feedback because it feels like an attack — and why growth mindset founders actively seek it out because they know that is where the gold isZone of genius as a leadership practice: Why the best thing you can do for your team is help them discover and work in their zone of genius — and why a workforce working in their strengths is more loyal, more productive and more human than one just showing up for the dollarKate and Sam also share the moments they both jumped on Seek and looked at getting a job — and what happened to their anxiety levels the moment they did. They discuss what Sam learned from the Navy about encouraging growth in others. And they make a very important promise: everyone who makes it through the Valley of Death deserves a badge — and they are going to make that badge.Coming Up Next: Episode 15 — Self-Awareness: the most underrated business skill. The foundation of emotional intelligence, and why everything in leadership flows from knowing yourself.And save the date — Bali Business Retreat: 27 August – 1 September 2026. Open to men and women this year. If you want to tip your world upside down in all the right ways — this is the place to do it.👉 Find out moreConnect with Your Hosts:Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.comSam Morris | The O8 🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/ 📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.comThriving Business Podcast 🌐Website: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/ JOIN OUR WORKSHOPS🌐 https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/workshopsCOME ON THE 2026 BALI RETREAT🌐 https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/baliretreat2026
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    47 min
  • Ep #13 | The Long Game: The Anti-Hustle Guide to Building a Business That Thrives

    Ep #13 | The Long Game: The Anti-Hustle Guide to Building a Business That Thrives
    Jun 18 2026
    Send a question or message to Kate & SamWelcome to Episode 13 of the Roadmap to Business Success series, and the final episode of Quadrant 3: Grow Smart | Scale with Ease!54% of founders are experiencing burnout. 75% report anxiety episodes. And two thirds have considered walking away from their business altogether, not because the business failed, but because they did.In this episode Kate and Sam get honest about hustle culture, what it actually costs you, and how to build a business that goes the distance without breaking the person running it."Your energy protects your business. Your systems protect your team. Your team protects your customers. Break any link in that chain and you cannot grow — because you cannot deliver."In this episode, you will learn:The burnout statistics that should stop every business owner in their tracks: 54% founder burnout rate, 75% reporting anxiety, and 70% citing working more than 60 hours a week as the primary cause — and why burnout, not bad strategy, is the biggest predictor of small business failureWhat growth actually looks like for you: Why the first and most important question is not how to scale, but what success actually means to you — and why the answer has to fit your personality, your zone of genius and the life you actually wantThe scaling myths that are keeping business owners stuck: Why "if you're not growing you're dying" is false, why fast scaling without solid foundations creates the exact businesses that break founders, and why revenue is vanity and profit is sanityThe identity shift from technician to business owner: Why the hardest part of scaling is not strategy or systems — it's letting go of the identity of being the person who does everything, and why that shift does not have to be all or nothingProcess debt: The business equivalent of never cleaning out your filing system — and why every new hire just inherits a mess that compounds over time if you do not fix it firstWhy systems protect your team: The difference between a good SOP and a great one — and why documenting the thinking behind the task, not just the steps, is what actually allows someone else to do it wellThe control paradox: Why perfectionism and the need for control are among the biggest obstacles to growth — and why the business owner is almost always the one who needs to change, not the teamZone of genius as a scaling strategy: Why you should never hire people to push you out of the work that energises you — and how to think about building a team that fills the rungs of the ladder you do not want to occupyThe wave principle: Why exertion requires equal rest and recovery — and why the spaciousness most business owners resist is actually where the magic happensUncoupling your time from your revenue: Real examples of how to scale a business so that your output is no longer dependent entirely on your hours — from off-the-shelf product lines to group coaching to AI systemsKate and Sam also share the story of a landscaping couple who spent three years resisting letting go — and what happened the moment they finally did. They discuss the bank code personality types and how your dominant type determines the kind of business you will enjoy running. And they tackle the question every business owner needs to ask: if you would tell your partner to quit a job that demanded this much of them, why are you accepting it from yourself?This episode wraps up Quadrant 3: Grow Smart | Scale with Ease. Next up — Quadrant 4: Lead with Impact. Self-awareness, emotional intelligence, values-based leadership and the inner game of building a business you are proud of.Join the Workshop: Kate and Sam are hosting the Grow Smart Workshop on Wednesday 24 June, 9–10:30am AWST | 11am–12:30pm AEST — bring your questions on scaling, business models, hiring and growth and get coached live.🎟️ Attend LIVE: $89 | 🎧 Replay: $49👉 Register hereAnd save the date — Bali Business Retreat: 27 August – 1 September 2026. Open to men and women this year. Secure your spot with a $200 deposit.👉 Find out moreConnect with Your Hosts:Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.comSam Morris | The O8 🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/ 📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.comThriving Business Podcast 🌐Website: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/ JOIN OUR WORKSHOPS🌐 https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/workshopsCOME ON THE 2026 BALI RETREAT🌐 https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/baliretreat2026
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    56 min
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