The Growth Mixtape: Chasing Curiosity and Sharing Boundless Insights from Ideas that Matter

The Growth Mixtape: Chasing Curiosity and Sharing Boundless Insights from Ideas that Matter

Listen to my conversations with the most interesting people you may not have come across yet. These conversations might not seem to have a lot in common at first. But just like songs on a mixtape, they create something memorable and emotional. So, let's press play and see what we learn about ourselves. I'm Bob Mathers, host of the Growth Mixtape podcast. I love chasing my curiosity; the further from my comfort zone, the better. Please join me for stories from leaders in business, the sciences, academia and the arts. I find the most powerful ideas, the ones that compel us to do bold things, happen by accident. It is these unexpected collisions that I’m excited to explore in this new podcast. These conversations always give me new insights I never would have gotten from other experts in my field. Every other week, join your host Bob Mathers, keynote speaker for conversations designed to push you out of your comfort zone. Each episode delivers boundless insights and ideas that matter by inspiring you to get off autopilot and keep chasing curiosity.

Episodes

December 30, 2025 13 mins

In this mini-solo episode, we tackle a problem I’ve always had - setting goals.  I talk about why it doesn’t work, and how we can conduct mini-experiments to overcome our fear of failure.  Just saying, “it’s an experiment”, makes everything feel less risky, less scary.  If we do that enough, before you know it we’ve intentionally stumbled into a long list of amazing things...

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    Today we talk to Peter Katz — award-winning singer-songwriter, speaker, and creator of the “keynote concert.” Now, if that term caught your ear like it did mine, you’re about to see why.


    Peter just released his new album, and while that’s exciting on its own, what really struck me was

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    Today we talk to Greg Bennick—writer, speaker, punk rocker, coin collector, juggler, and the first ever returning guest on the podcast.

    Greg is one of those people whose passion is contagious. He can make anything interesting—coins, kindness, counterstamped nickels from 1860—and somehow ties it all back to living a life that actually

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    Today we talk to Lacey Heels —writer, creative strategist, and the author of The Rebirth Rituals.


    This wasn’t a planned conversation. In fact, a few short weeks ago, we’d never even met. But after a few chance encounters (and some beautiful...

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    Today we talk to Dr. Aimie Apigian, a trauma physician and bestselling author of The Biology of Trauma, that just landed on #6 on the USA Today Bestseller List.


    Now, I’ll be honest — when I first saw the title of her book, I thought,

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    Today we talk to Emily O’Brien, founder of Comeback Snacks, a company she launched while serving time in federal prison for drug smuggling.  And if that alone isn’t enough to get you to listen, I give up.


    Emily is raw, funny and vulner...

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    Welcome to a solo episode on the fear of starting over.


    I talk to people for a living, here on the pod but also in my coaching and speaking career.  And in virtually every conversation, I talk to people that want to do something new.


    And it’s scary as hell.


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    Today we talk to Alyx Parks — fly fishing guide, TV host, career coach, photographer, professor, and the self-proclaimed “girl who falls in frog ponds”.

    For most of us, the idea of creating a career out of what we love is a promise we gave up on long ago.  But Alyx is living proof it can be done.  And she’s here to show us it’s...

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    Today we talk to Mike Michalowicz, bestselling author of Profit First, a revolutionary system implemented by over a million companies around the world to make profit a habit, not a year-end event.  As Mike puts it, the entrepreneurial dream of working for yourself, working as much as you w...

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    Today we talk to Cindy Gallop, a big-wheeling ad exec from Manhattan that’s worked with the world’s largest brands. Business Insider named her one of the 15 Most Important Marketing Strategists, alongside Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin, and #1 on their list of Top 30 People In Advertising.  She’s basically Don Draper from MadMen.


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    This is a re-release of my original conversation with Greg Bennick from early 2024.  It is simply too good not to share again.  Greg is a punk rocker, activist, documentary filmmaker, philanthropist, keynote speaker, juggler and expert coin collector.  He’s also written a book, “Reclaim the Moment: Seven Strategies to Build...

  • Today we talk to Chelsea Burns —aka The Marketing Psychologist—about the connection between how our brains are wired and the brands we choose.  Chelsea is uniquely qualified to talk about this - she has a Masters in Psych, has spent 17 years in marketing and has been in therapy most of her...

    Originally recorded in the spring of 2024, my conversation with Sylvia Baffour stays with me every day.  Sylvia is a keynote speaker on emotional intelligence and has worked with leaders in 460 major corporations to help them better connect with their teams and customers.  She was voted one of the top 15 female inspirational speakers alongside Mel Robbins and Oprah.  ...

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    Today we talk to Chris Paul Rainbows, a storyteller, strategist and queer educator on a mission to make everyone feel like they belong.  


    Chris talks about growing up queer in a small border town, struggling with OCD and anxiety, building a successful company only to have a breakdown, and tearing it all apart to start over....

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    Todd McTavish is a songwriter and it’s all he’s ever wanted to do.  At 23, he left his small town home in Ontario and moved to LA.    And at 53, he just signed his first record deal.


    Todd’s an old school, rock and roll troubadour.  The stories come fast and hard.  He recorded a Christmas song with Billy Bob T...

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    Today we talk to Chris Hood — speaker, strategist, and author of Infallible, a book that challenges a lot of what we’ve been told about AI.  And Chris should know - he’s spent his career working with companies on their digital strategies — from advertising in movie theaters to helping coun...

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    In this re-released episode, we talk to Rob Carli, a multi-award-winning musician, producer and composer for film and television.  Rob has had a storied career in music from his early days touring the country in an Econoline van to most recently co-founding the Awesome Music Project - a not-for-profit dedicated to delivering practical solutions to mental health through the transform...

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    Today we talk to Karl Allen-Muncey - a tech innovator, motorcycle enthusiast and now a real-life Instagram influencer.


    When I originally talked to Karl about being on the podcast, I wasn’t sure what we’d talk about.  He’s a motorcycle guy who talks about throttle therapy and the mental health benefits of riding.  I’ve never...

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    The Tragically Hip documentary, “No Dress Rehearsal” recently took home all 7 of the Canadian Screen Awards it was nominated for.  We wanted to celebrate this incredible achievement by re-releasing our conversation from October with one of the film’s producers, Jake Gold.


    Today I talk to Jake Gold, legendary manager of the Canad...

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    Today we talk to Greg Boyd — a father of three, a widower, a husband, and now an entrepreneur on a mission to help others live more intentional lives.


    Greg shares the deeply personal story of losing his wife, Alison, to brain cancer in 2020. And yes, it’s a heartbreaking story.  And yet, this isn’t a sad conversation - we laughe...

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