The Freedom Experience with Jean Moncrieff

#67 Owners Behave Differently with Dr Gregory Tobak

Private equity isn’t the only path forward. And selling isn’t the only definition of success. Dr. Greg Toback is the founder and CEO of Resolute Dental Partners, a doctor-led family of practices built to preserve clinical autonomy and long-term legacy in dentistry. With more than 25 years as a periodontist and business mentor, Greg saw consolidation sweeping through healthcare and chose to build a different model. In this episode, Greg shares how the rise of Dental Support Organizations changed the industry, why many legacy doctors feel forced to sell, and what it takes to build a scalable company without losing ownership or values. He breaks down the realities behind “clinical autonomy,” why most partnerships fail, and how Resolute is creating true equity partnerships designed to last for generations. This is a conversation about ownership, culture, succession, and designing a business that is built to endure. We talk about: 🔹 Why private equity rapidly consolidated the dental industry 🔹 How rising education debt reshaped practice transitions 🔹 The hidden pressures behind “clinical autonomy” 🔹 Why most dental partnerships fail 🔹 The difference between transactional deals and true partnerships 🔹 The three KPIs that matter most: patient experience, team health, profitability 🔹 How to scale with intention instead of ego 🔹 What freedom really means when you are building for legacy Quotes from the Episode: 💬 “Owners behave differently.” 💬 “If we want to be partners, we have to act like partners.” 💬 “We’re not building this to flip it.” 💬 “Freedom means doing what I love for as long as I can.” Actionable Takeaways: ✅ Clarify why you want a partner before drafting agreements ✅ Align expectations early to avoid transactional relationships ✅ Measure what truly matters in your business ✅ Protect culture while scaling operations ✅ Design succession intentionally, not reactively ✅ Build something that can transfer to the next generation Resources from this episode: → Resolute Dental Partners: https://resolutedentalpartners.com/ [https://resolutedentalpartners.com/] → Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-toback-dmd-ms-533068137/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-toback-dmd-ms-533068137/] → Resolute LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resolute-dental-partners/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/resolute-dental-partners/] Like what you heard? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review. It helps more business owners build for freedom, not just scale. 🎧 For more conversations on leadership, ownership, and building companies that last, visit www.jeanmoncrieff.com [http://www.jeanmoncrieff.com]

#66 Leading Beyond Fear: Beck Sydow on the Power of Holding Tension

Fear isn’t the enemy of leadership. Getting stuck in it is. And if you’re still leading from urgency, reactivity, or overcorrection, you’re already limiting your clarity. Beck Sydow is the founder of Humankind Business Leaders and a leadership coach helping founders, CEOs, and senior teams become People Hearted and Business Minded. With a background in psychotherapy, Buddhist psychology, and years of operational leadership as COO and CEO of StickerGiant, Beck brings a grounded, deeply human approach to modern leadership. In this episode, Beck breaks down why leaders lose clarity when fear takes over and how most organizations end up over-indexing on either the hard edge of business or the soft edge of caring for people. They share a simple but powerful practice for shifting from fear into curiosity, insight, and presence — a framework that helps leaders hold tension instead of collapsing into extremes. We talk about: 🔹 Why fear causes leaders to double down on one side of the business 🔹 The People Hearted and Business Minded model for modern leadership 🔹 How fear shuts down clarity and drives reactive decision-making 🔹 The Two-Hand Practice for creating space and regaining perspective 🔹 Why leadership breakthroughs come from 1 percent shifts 🔹 How your nervous system shapes your entire organization 🔹 What freedom really means in the leadership journey 🔹 How to hold tension without burning out or disconnecting Whether you’re navigating growth, uncertainty, or the pressure to get everything right, this conversation will give you a new way to think about leadership, fear, and the inner work required to lead with wisdom. Quotes from the Episode: 💬 “If you can hold two things at once, you can lead with wisdom.” 💬 “Fear narrows your world. Curiosity opens it.” 💬 “We’re not trying to balance. We’re learning to hold.” 💬 “Freedom comes from knowing where you are and choosing how to respond.” Actionable Takeaways: ✅ Practice the Two Hand method to shift from fear into curiosity ✅ Notice where you over-index on people or business when stressed ✅ Use small, consistent 1 percent moves to change your leadership ✅ Ground your nervous system before making key decisions ✅ Stay in inquiry when tension rises instead of collapsing into extremes ✅ Lead with clarity by holding both edges of leadership at the same time Resources from this episode: → Humankind Business Leaders: https://www.humankindbusinessleaders.com/about  [https://www.humankindbusinessleaders.com/about] → Connect with Beck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becksydow/  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/becksydow/] → Grounding practices available under Resources on Beck’s website → Diagram download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AnP-9dMZEfh3f_rqN9a7yPsymCuoKLjW/view  [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AnP-9dMZEfh3f_rqN9a7yPsymCuoKLjW/view] Like what you heard? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review. It helps more leaders build for freedom, not just scale. 🎧 For more conversations on leadership, clarity, and building companies that last, visit www.jeanmoncrieff.com  [http://www.jeanmoncrieff.com]

65: From Fighter Jets to Boardrooms: The Power of Debriefing with Christian “Boo” Boucousis

From Fighter Jets to Boardrooms: The Power of Debriefing Most leaders say they want freedom. But as Christian “Boo” Boucousis puts it, freedom doesn’t come from doing less; it comes from leading better. Boo is a former Australian fighter pilot turned CEO of Afterburner, a global leadership consultancy trusted by Microsoft, McDonald’s, Pfizer, Zurich, Lenovo, and even the NBA. Diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that ended his flying career, Boo rebuilt his life by transforming the fighter pilot mindset into a blueprint for high-performing teams and intentional leadership. In this episode, Boo and Jean explore what happens when military precision meets purpose-driven leadership. They unpack the OODA loop and how it helps leaders move from chaos to clarity, and dive into the art of debriefing, a simple but powerful practice that turns mistakes into learning and teams into problem-solvers. You’ll walk away seeing leadership through a new lens, one grounded in structure, reflection, and freedom. WE TALK ABOUT: 🔹 How Boo went from fighter jets to boardrooms 🔹 The OODA loop and what it teaches leaders about decision-making 🔹 Why debriefing is the secret to continuous growth and accountability 🔹 How intentionality shapes culture and performance 🔹 Why most meetings are broken and how to turn them into debriefs 🔹 What “freedom” really means for today’s leaders 🔹 How small, daily improvements compound into big results 🔹 The three dimensions of leadership: mindset, method, and moments QUOTES FROM THE EPISODE: 💬 “Freedom isn’t doing whatever you want. It’s knowing your team can deliver, even when you’re not in the room.” 💬 “Discipline creates freedom, not the other way around.” 💬 “Most leaders don’t need more people. They need more clarity.” 💬 “Debriefing is where growth happens. It’s where we learn how to lead better tomorrow.” ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: ✅ Turn every meeting into a 15-minute debrief ✅ Start asking “What are we trying to deliver?” instead of “What are we doing?” ✅ Build a culture where reflection is routine, not rare ✅ Use the OODA loop: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act ✅ Remember, intentionality is your greatest competitive edge RESOURCES FROM BOO: → Learn more about Afterburner: https://www.afterburner.com  [https://www.afterburner.com] → Connect with Boo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianbooboucousis  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-boo-boucousis/] → Get Boo’s book The Afterburner Advantage: https://www.amazon.com/Afterburner-Advantage-fighter-transformed-companies/dp/1600052908 [https://www.amazon.com/Afterburner-Advantage-fighter-transformed-companies/dp/1600052908] RESOURCES FROM JEAN: → Visit Jean’s website for all episodes: https://www.jeanmoncrieff.com  [https://www.jeanmoncrieff.com] → Connect with Jean on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanmoncrieff  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanmoncrieff] → Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jean.moncrieff  [https://www.instagram.com/jean.moncrieff] → Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.jeanmoncrieff.com/newsletter  [https://www.jeanmoncrieff.com/newsletter] → Explore Jean’s masterclass: https://emerge.scoreapp.com  [https://emerge.scoreapp.com] → Join the Small Giants Community: https://smallgiants.org  [https://smallgiants.org] Like what you heard? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review. It helps more leaders build for freedom, not just scale. 🎧 For more conversations on leadership, growth, and building companies that last, visit www.jeanmoncrieff.com  [https://www.jeanmoncrieff.com].

#64 Employee Ownership, Open-Book Management, and Culture Change with Deanna Walker

Building a purposeful culture isn’t something that happens by accident — it’s built through intentional leadership, transparency, and trust. Deanna C. Walker, CEO of Venturity  [https://venturity.com/], has spent over 35 years in finance, from investment banking to leading one of the most culture-driven accounting firms in the U.S. Under her leadership, Venturity has embraced open-book management, employee ownership, and a people-first approach that’s transforming how accounting firms think about culture and growth. In this episode, Deanna and Jean dive into what it takes to lead with purpose, create a culture of ownership, and empower teams to think — and act — like leaders. From navigating leadership transitions to aligning values in hiring and feedback, Deanna shares how intentional culture work builds both stronger teams and better businesses. We talk about: 🔹 How to build a vibrant, people-first culture in accounting 🔹 Why employee ownership fuels engagement and accountability 🔹 The power of open-book management in driving transparency 🔹 Navigating leadership transitions with clarity and communication 🔹 The role of mentorship in developing future leaders 🔹 How values alignment shapes hiring and performance 🔹 What freedom means from the CEO’s seat Quotes from the Episode: 💬 “We are the people business.” 💬 “We have to model the way.” 💬 “It’s a work in progress.” Actionable Takeaways: ✅ Foster transparency through open-book management ✅ Encourage employees to think like owners ✅ Align hiring and performance around core values ✅ Communicate openly during leadership transitions ✅ Invest in mentorship as a driver of culture and growth Resources from this episode: → Learn more about Venturity: venturity.com  [https://venturity.com/] → Connect with Deanna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deannacwalker  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannacwalker/] Like what you heard? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review — it helps more leaders build for freedom, not just scale. 🎧 For more conversations on leadership, ownership, and building companies that last, visit www.jeanmoncrieff.com [https://www.jeanmoncrieff.com]

#63: The Fourth Wave of Disruption with Thales Teixeira

Startups don’t beat giants by inventing new technology — they win by focusing on one sliver of the customer value chain and doing it better than anyone else. Thales Teixeira is a former Harvard Business School professor, co-founder of Decoupling.co, and author of the bestselling book Unlocking the Customer Value Chain. His groundbreaking research shows how companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Dollar Shave Club disrupted entire industries — not by building flashy tech, but by solving the specific customer frustrations incumbents ignored. In this episode, Thales and Jean unpack what he calls the “fourth wave of disruption.” From unbundling to disintermediation to decoupling — and now AI — he explains why customer dissatisfaction is the true driver of disruption, and how leaders can use AI to enhance real value instead of chasing shiny tools. We talk about: 🔹 Why customer dissatisfaction — not technology — drives disruption 🔹 The three waves that shaped modern business (and the fourth wave powered by AI) 🔹 How startups succeed by focusing narrowly on one activity in the customer value chain 🔹 Why established companies struggle to innovate and scale new ideas 🔹 How to apply AI strategically to enhance customer value drivers 🔹 The biggest mistake leaders make with AI (hint: it’s not about chatbots) 🔹 Why freedom in business — and life — comes from having options Quotes from the Episode: 💬 "Freedom is the ability to choose." 💬 "Customers, not technology, disrupt markets." 💬 "Focus on one use case — prove it first." 💬 "Don’t try to scale too soon. Build the system before you automate." Actionable Takeaways: ✅ Map your customer value chain and identify weak links ✅ Narrow your focus to one “sliver” and do it better than anyone else ✅ Apply AI only to core value drivers, not side tasks ✅ Test manually before scaling or automating ✅ Remember: innovation is incremental — small wins compound into disruption Resources from this episode: → Learn more about Thales: www.decoupling.co  [http://www.decoupling.co%20] → Read Unlocking the Customer Value Chain: www.amazon.com [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlocking-Customer-Value-Chain-Decoupling-ebook/dp/B07D6BD87K?ref_=ast_author_mpb] → Connect with Thales on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/thalesteixeira  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thales-teixeira-391587/] Like what you heard? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review. It helps more leaders build for freedom, not just scale. 🎧 For more conversations on leadership, disruption, and building companies that last, visit www.jeanmoncrieff.com  [http://www.jeanmoncrieff.com]