The Purpose Matrix

Bo Parfet on Failure, Regret, and Turning Adversity into Purpose

Bo Parfet was told he would never graduate high school. He struggled with dyslexia, ADHD, speech impediments, and years of feeling behind everyone else. But those same struggles became the foundation for everything he’s accomplished today. After building and exiting a successful real estate business, Bo realized success alone wasn’t enough… A conversation with his wife, a hospice chaplain, forced him to rethink purpose, regret, and the kind of life he actually wanted to live. Today, Bo helps lead a multi-billion-dollar investment firm focused on solving problems like housing affordability, loneliness, literacy, and community. He’s climbed Mount Everest from both sides, helped restore eyesight for tens of thousands of people around the world, and is living a life centered around service instead of status. This episode digs into adversity, authentic living, emotional healing, intentional parenting, faith-driven leadership, and why the people who impact the world most are usually the ones who learned how to suffer well. 0:00 Intro 05:58 Leadership and the Resilience of Failure 10:54 Finding Purpose and Living Authentically 15:01 Growth Through Setbacks and Adversity 20:25 Solving the Loneliness Crisis Through Community 26:01 Mountaineering, Healing, and Emotional Recovery 30:05 Restoring Sight and Creating Global Impact 36:16 Intentional Parenting and Rites of Passage 41:01 Service, Legacy, and Getting to Heaven Exhausted  Resources Mentioned: Connect with Bo https://www.boparfet.com/ [https://www.boparfet.com/]  DLP Capital https://dlpcapital.com [https://dlpcapital.com] SEE International https://www.seeintl.org [https://www.seeintl.org] Mark Batterson books https://www.markbatterson.com/books/ [https://www.markbatterson.com/books/]  Follow @PhilOnPurpose https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose [https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose] https://www.facebook.com/philonpurpose [https://www.facebook.com/philonpurpose]

Lessons on Adversity, Discipline and Relentless Effort from Coach Tom Izzo (Kyle Ahrens)

Kyle Ahrens spent five years inside Tom Izzo’s program at Michigan State where discipline was expected, accountability was constant, and nobody was allowed to coast. Then injuries hit… He broke his foot, came back too early, broke it again, and lost an entire season after working all summer to earn his spot. That experience reshaped the way he thinks about adversity, preparation, and what actually creates resilience over time. Today, Kyle works in business, raises young kids, and still carries the same mindset that shaped him as an athlete. This episode digs into why strong communities matter, why relationships make hard seasons survivable, and how small daily actions quietly shape who you become. 0:00 Intro 05:50 Balancing Hard Work With Family and Community 10:11 Building Teams Through Accountability 15:46 Relationship Driven Leadership 20:03 Applying Competitive Discipline to Business 24:45 Modeling Discipline for Kids 29:55 Relentlessness and Controlling the Controllables 34:55 Learning From Failure and Preparation 39:35 Courage Through Small Daily Actions 44:47 Mentorship, Transition, and Asking for Help  Resources Mentioned: Michigan State University https://msu.edu [https://msu.edu] Phelan Insurance https://www.phelanins.com [https://www.phelanins.com]  Follow @PhilOnPurpose https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose [https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose] https://www.facebook.com/philonpurpose [https://www.facebook.com/philonpurpose]

You Won’t Regret Failure. You’ll Regret Inaction. (Matt King)

A 22-year-old suddenly passes away in a basement before a night out. No warning. No chance to do anything he planned… That moment never left Matt King. He’s a husband, a father of three young kids, a CEO, and a leader responsible for people, companies, and decisions that don’t slow down. At the same time, he’s training for a 2000-mile ride from Mexico to Canada (despite never being a cyclist). Along the way, he plans to stop in small towns and meet families dealing with loss, trauma, and situations they didn’t choose. Some people carry regret from what they did. Others carry something heavier. This episode forces a question most people avoid…and will put you face to face with it. 0:00 Intro 02:00 Who Is Matt King 04:46 The Graveyard and Unlived Potential 07:04 Regret vs Awareness 11:03 Asking for a Do Over 15:04 Letting Go of Other People’s Problems 19:13 Work, Fatherhood, and Example 22:03 Riding From Mexico to Canada 24:42 Supporting Families Along the Route 30:19 Living Fully With Limited Time 35:08 Leadership Through Questions 38:19 Training for a 2000-Mile Ride 40:52 Chosen Hard Versus Unchosen Hard 45:09 Back theRide Resources Mentioned: theRide https://backtheride.com Gobundance https://gobundance.com/ Follow @PhilOnPurpose https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose https://www.facebook.com/philonpurpose

How Who You Watch Shapes You, and Leading a 100 Year old Company (Brian Seitz)

A college senior sits with a professor and admits he has no clear career path. The advice is simple: Watch who’s successful and do what they do. Brian Seitz leaves that conversation and starts paying attention to one person in his hometown. It leads to a conversation in a local bar and a job (that he had no experience for). What follows is years of rejection, relationship building, and learning how the business actually works. That same idea keeps showing up as the stakes get higher… Who you follow early starts to shape how you hire, how you lead, and what you’re willing to change later. If you’re choosing a path or leading a team, this sharpens how much the people you watch quietly define everything after. 0:00 Intro 01:31 Joining a Century-Old Business 03:08 Career Advice That Changed Direction 05:47 Defining Success Through Behavior 08:43 Early Sales and Rejection 12:46 Building a Client Base from Zero 16:50 Transition Into Ownership 18:47 Empowering the Right People 22:44 Protecting the Team Culture 25:46 Leading by Example at Work 29:44 Growth Requires the Right People 33:47 Changing Work to Support Family 40:46 What Success Looks Like Now Connect with Brian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-d-seitz-cic-64957379 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-d-seitz-cic-64957379] Leugers Insurance Agency https://leugersins.com/ [https://leugersins.com/] Follow @PhilOnPurpose https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose [https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose] https://www.facebook.com/philonpurpose [https://www.facebook.com/philonpurpose]

You Need Leaders Who Are Fully Alive (Jeremy Pietrocini)

Two in ten people love what they do. The other eight show up disconnected, going through the motions, or actively working against the team. Jeremy Pietrocini pulls from Gallup data to show how leaders misread this problem. They try to fix teams instead of looking at the energy they bring into the room each day. He and Phil discuss the difference between employees who are simply present and those who are actively disengaged (the ones who would make the organization more productive if they stayed home). The shift starts when leaders examine their own state. A leader who is fully charged creates trust, stability, and hope. A leader who is drained creates fear, confusion, and withdrawal. Jeremy ties this to simple patterns like how leaders listen, how they create freedom, and whether people feel safe to show up as themselves. The result is a move from compliance to real engagement, where people bring effort, ownership, and energy because they feel it from the person leading them. 0:00 Intro 02:10 Jeremy’s Backstory 05:10 The Leadership Reality of Disengagement 08:18 What Drives Engagement 11:00 Aliveness as the Real Leadership Test 14:15 What to Do When You’re Running on Empty 18:00 Trust, Compassion, Stability, and Hope 22:24 Work Life Integration vs. Balance 27:19 Listen, Love, Liberate 33:15 Freedom Inside Organizations 38:21 Authentic Leadership and Psychological Safety 43:52 Faith and Leadership at Work 51:23 RECREATE Work’s Mission Resources Mentioned: Connect with Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-pietrocini RECREATE Work: https://recreatework.com Gallup: https://www.gallup.com CliftonStrengths: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths 📚 Fully Charged by Tom Rath 📚 Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie 📚 First Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman 📚 Beyond High Performance by Jason Jaggard 📚 12: The Elements of Great Managing Follow @PhilOnPurpose https://www.instagram.com/philonpurpose https://www.facebook.com/philonpupose