Share
A Life of Greatness
Verne Harnish: From Riches to Rock Bottom and Back
Season 10, Ep. 46
•
What does it really take to build a business that thrives - not just financially, but sustainably?
In this episode of A Life of Greatness, Sarah Grynberg sits down with Verne Harnish, founder of Entrepreneurs' Organization and bestselling author of Scaling Up. After decades spent advising some of the world's fastest-growing companies, Verne shares the principles that separate businesses that simply survive from those that truly flourish.
But this conversation goes far beyond business strategy. Verne reflects on growing up in a family that went from wealth to hardship, the lessons he learned watching his father's entrepreneurial journey unravel, and how those experiences shaped his life's work. Together, Sarah and Verne explore leadership, resilience, curiosity, personal growth, and why success is built just as much from who you become as what you achieve.
Whether you're leading a business, building a career, or simply trying to create a more meaningful life, this conversation offers practical wisdom that extends far beyond the boardroom.
You'll learn:
- Why every great business starts with a bold vision and relentless clarity.
- The leadership habits that create high-performing, connected teams.
- How curiosity, resilience and lifelong learning become your greatest competitive advantage.
- Why relationships and mentorship can change the entire trajectory of your life.
- The difference between growing a business and truly scaling one.
- How to navigate setbacks, uncertainty and failure without losing sight of your purpose.
- Why peace, love and meaningful connection may be the greatest measures of success.
Ultimately, this episode is a reminder that greatness isn't built overnight. It's created through thousands of small decisions, a willingness to keep learning, and the courage to pursue something bigger than yourself. Because the businesses that endure, and the lives that matter most, are built with purpose, curiosity and heart.
Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.
To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.
Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.
Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.
Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.
Instagram: @sarahgrynberg
Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynberg
Twitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg
More episodes
View all episodes
47. Sarah's Thoughts: How To Raise Kids Who Can Handle Life
06:20||Season 10, Ep. 47Are we protecting our children, or are we protecting them from the very experiences they need to grow?In this episode of Sarah's Thoughts, Sarah explores the rise of helicopter parenting and why resilience is built through small moments of discomfort, disappointment and failure. From scraped knees to friendship fallouts, she reflects on the lessons children learn when they're given the space to navigate challenges for themselves.You'll learn:• Why coping with discomfort is a skill that must be developed• The difference between a safe childhood and a sanitized one• How allowing children to struggle can help them become more resilient adultsThis episode is a gentle reminder that our job isn't to clear every obstacle from our children's path. It's to help them become capable of finding their way through it.Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynbergTwitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg
45. Sarah's Thoughts: Say It Before It's Too Late
06:52||Season 10, Ep. 45Is there something you've been meaning to say?In this episode of Sarah's Thoughts, Sarah explores the words we carry but never speak. The "I love you" we assume they already know. The thank you we never quite get around to saying. The apology, the boundary, or the truth we've been holding onto while waiting for the perfect moment.Sarah reflects on the hidden cost of silence and why the conversations we avoid often stay with us the longest. Because while speaking up can feel uncomfortable, carrying important words unsaid can be even harder.You'll learn:• Why unspoken words can turn into regret, resentment or distance• The emotional cost of avoiding difficult conversations• How honesty can create healing, connection and peaceThis episode is a gentle reminder to stop waiting for the perfect moment and say the things that matter most—before they become the things you wish you'd said.Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynbergTwitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg
44. Jim Collins: The Question That Changed How I Define a Great Life
01:05:45||Season 10, Ep. 44What if the life you're searching for isn't something you find... but something you discover?Today's episode will change how you think about purpose, success and what it actually means to build a meaningful life.Jim Collins is one of the most respected business thinkers in the world, the author of Good to Great, a book that has shaped how millions of leaders think about success. But today's conversation is not about business. It is about something every single person will face at some point in their life.Jim shares the personal experiences and years of research behind his latest work, challenging the idea that we each have just one purpose to find.In this episode, you'll learn:· Why purpose isn't one perfect calling, but many possibilities already inside you· How to know when you're truly "in frame," doing work that energises rather than drains you· Why reinvention and curiosity matter more, not less, as you move through different stages of life· Why the greatest reward isn't achievement, but the privilege of continuing to do work you love· Why life's biggest setbacks often become the doorway to your most meaningful chaptersThis conversation is a reminder that greatness isn't achieved through chasing titles, recognition or external success. It's found by understanding yourself more deeply, embracing change, and having the courage to keep discovering new parts of who you are. No matter where you are in your journey, your next chapter may be your most meaningful yet.Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynbergTwitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg
43. Sarah's Thoughts: One Day You Will Miss This
03:49||Season 10, Ep. 43What if you're living in the good old days right now and don't even know it?In this reflective episode, Sarah explores the quiet moments that often become the memories we miss most. The family dinners, the childhood home, the ordinary routines that feel insignificant at the time but later become priceless.You'll learn:• Why we rarely recognise life's most precious moments while we're living them• How nostalgia can teach us what truly matters• The importance of appreciating the people and places we still have todayA beautiful reminder to slow down, pay attention and cherish the moments that may one day become the memories you treasure most.Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynbergTwitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg
42. Jase Hawkins: How To Stop Waiting And Start Living
01:04:24||Season 10, Ep. 42What happens when the career you built your whole life around disappears overnight?Jase Hawkins has been one of Australia's most recognisable breakfast radio voices for decades. But behind the laughter was a story most people never saw, including the moment he was told everything would be fine, right before his number one show was axed.In this episode, Jase opens up about losing both his parents, the grief that still catches him off guard, the IVF journey he and his wife went through, and raising a son with autism.You'll learn:How grief can become one of life's greatest teachersWhat raising a child with autism taught Jase about patience and unconditional loveWhy success means very little without the right people around you.A final thought: A meaningful life isn't built through achievements or recognition. It's built through relationships and showing up for the people you love.Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynbergTwitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg
41. Sarah's Thoughts: You Cannot Heal In The Same Environment That Hurt You
03:50||Season 10, Ep. 41Have you ever wondered why you’ve done all the inner work… but still feel stuck in the same patterns, emotions, or version of yourself?In this episode of Sarah’s Thoughts, Sarah Grynberg explores the powerful role environment plays in healing, growth, and self-worth.She reflects on how the spaces we live in, the relationships we stay in, and the people we surround ourselves with quietly shape the way we see ourselves, often reinforcing wounds we are actively trying to heal.Sarah unpacks why healing is not only about mindset or self-awareness, but also about the conditions we continue exposing ourselves to every day. She explores the emotional exhaustion of trying to grow in environments that require you to shrink, disappear, or abandon parts of yourself in order to survive.You’ll learn:Why your environment has a profound impact on your ability to heal and growHow certain relationships and spaces can reinforce old emotional woundsThe important difference between doing inner work and changing the conditions around youA final thought.This episode is a reminder that you are not failing simply because healing feels difficult. Sometimes growth requires more than insight. Sometimes it requires new soil. And one of the bravest things you can do is give yourself permission to stop trying to bloom in places that were never designed to nurture you.Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynbergTwitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg
40. Andy Gowers: How To Hold It Together When Everything Is Falling Apart
53:39||Season 10, Ep. 40What happens when you step into one of the most powerful leadership roles in Australian sport during the most turbulent period in your club's history?In this episode of A Life of Greatness, Sarah Grynberg sits down with Hawthorn Football Club President Andy Gowers. A former AFL premiership player, businessman and succession planning expert, Andy opens up about leadership under pressure, navigating the Hawthorn First Nations investigation, mental resilience, journaling, family, football and the lessons that shaped him both on and off the field.Andy shares the personal toll of leading through crisis, the sleepless nights, the strategies he used to stay grounded, and why helping others build remarkable lives has become his purpose.In this episode, you will learn:• How journaling helped Andy navigate some of the hardest moments of his life• What leadership really looks like during a public crisis• Why elite sport can teach lessons that last a lifetime• The importance of putting the team before yourself• How to reframe negative thinking and build resilience• Why helping others may be the key to living a great life.If you have ever had to hold it together when everything around you was falling apart, this one is for you.Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynbergTwitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg
39. Sarah's Thoughts: Your Child Is Not Here To Live Your Story
04:03||Season 10, Ep. 39Have you ever stopped to consider that your children are not meant to become who you imagined… but who they already are?In this episode of Sarah’s Thoughts, Sarah Grynberg reflects on the timeless wisdom of Khalil Gibran’s writing on parenthood and why his words continue to resonate so deeply more than a century later. She explores the emotional tension between loving our children fiercely while also learning to release control over who they become.Sarah unpacks the powerful idea that children do not belong to us, but come through us, each carrying their own thoughts, identity, purpose, and path. She reflects on how easily love can become projection, expectation, or protection, and why true parenting asks us to remain curious about our children instead of trying to shape them into versions that feel safer or more familiar to us.You’ll learn:Why parenting is about guiding, not controllingHow expectations can quietly interfere with a child’s sense of selfThe deeper meaning behind Khalil Gibran’s metaphor of the bow and arrow.This episode is a gentle reminder that parenting is not about creating someone in your image, but about supporting someone in becoming fully themselves. Your children are not here to live your story. They are here to live their own. And perhaps one of the greatest acts of love is learning how to hold them softly enough that they can eventually fly.Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynbergTwitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg