Episodes

In this reflective episode of "Between the Builds," Chris Fay flies solo the morning after Labor Day to unpack a week that brought a year and a half of transformation to a head — and the mental discipline that got him through it. Chris traces the transformation back to February 2025: a diversified organization running six different business units, narrowing its focus as the competitive landscape and technology shifted. Five M&A deals in roughly fifteen months later — selling business units, acq...

In this reflective episode of "Between the Builds," Chris Fay flies solo to unpack what stuck with him after last week's conversation with Moe Abbas — and what a hard, transitional season in his own business has been teaching him about sacrifice, self-care, and the climb that never really ends. Chris opens with something small that turned out to be not so small: he finally cut his hair short again, the way he feels most like himself, after months of letting it grow during an exhausting, 14-plus...

In this candid episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay sits down with Moe Abbas — founder and CEO of SalesAsk — for a conversation about immigrant grit, the true cost of entrepreneurial sacrifice, building and rebuilding companies through failure, and how AI is transforming the way home service and construction businesses sell. Moe shares his journey from Lebanon, where his family fled a war-torn country when he was three, to a working-class upbringing in Canada raised largely by his mother wh...

In this reflective episode of Between the Builds, Chris Fay looks back on last week's conversation with Michael Shank to unpack a sobering statistic: companies spend $3.4 trillion a year trying to transform themselves, and 70% of those efforts fail. Chris digs into why that number is so high — and what it means for any business owner or leader trying to drive real change. The episode opens with a story from Michael's own home office — a guitar sitting untouched in the background — and the analo...

In this episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay sits down with Michael Schank — founder of Insight Twin and author of Digital Transformation Success — for a conversation about why most digital transformations fail, what it actually takes to make AI useful inside a real organization, and how the consulting industry itself is being reshaped by the same technology it's selling. Michael shares his path from deep technologist — 13 years as a Java/C++ programmer and solution architect at Accenture, ...

In this Between the Builds episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay returns from a month off to kick off a new season, reflecting on his recent conversation with Dr. Grant Zarzour of Sperity Health and unpacking one of the most overlooked challenges every leader faces: treating your own health with the same discipline you bring to your business. Chris gets personal, sharing that a longtime member of his team was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and that his own father fought and ...

In this powerful episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay sits down with Dr. Grant Zazour — orthopedic surgeon, entrepreneur, and founder of Sperity Health — for a conversation about health, longevity, proactive care, and what it really takes to perform at your best as a leader. Dr. Zazour shares his journey from growing up the son of an orthopedic surgeon, mowing the lawn of his father's medical practice as a kid to pay his way, to becoming one of Alabama's leading joint replacement surgeons w...

In this Between the Builds episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay reflects on his recent conversation with Mark Moses of CEO Coaching International and unpacks one of the most important and most difficult challenges every growing leader faces: putting the right people in the right seats. Chris gets personal, sharing that he himself is a customer of CEO Coaching International and is currently in the middle of a major organizational restructuring. Drawing on Mark's insight that the number ...

In this insightful episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay sits down with entrepreneur, investor, and CEO Coaching International founder Mark Moses for a conversation about leadership, growth, entrepreneurship, coaching, and the transformative impact of AI on business. Mark shares his journey from growing up in a small mining town in Canada to building and selling multiple companies, including a painting business he launched while still in college and a mortgage company he sold just before the...

In this episode of Built With Purpose: Between the Builds, Chris Fay reflects on a powerful leadership lesson from his recent conversation with performance psychologist and longtime mentor, Milt Lowder. As leaders, parents, spouses, and professionals, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the constant pressure of expectations. We tell ourselves, I have to, I need to, I must. But what if those expectations are self-imposed? What if we replaced them with a more intentional mindset: I choose to? Rec...

In this deeply personal episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay sits down with psychologist, speaker, and performance coach Milt Lowder for a conversation about trauma, purpose, growth, anxiety, forgiveness, and what it truly means to live a meaningful life. Milt opens up about the defining moments that shaped his path into psychology — from witnessing a traumatic accident involving his mother, to struggling with grief, uncertainty, and identity during his early college years. What followed wa...

In this episode of Built With Purpose: Between the Builds, Chris Fay reflects on leadership, burnout, intentional rest, and the importance of slowing down in the middle of life’s chaos. Coming off a powerful conversation with CEO John Uprichard, Chris shares a few lessons that stuck with him — from the “shopping cart test” to the idea of organizational fitness and what it really means to lead with purpose. But the heart of this episode centers around a simple moment: attending his son’s eighth...

In this episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay sits down with John Uprichard, CEO of FGP, for a conversation about culture, growth, AI, and the everyday habits that shape great companies and great people. From building teams to developing future leaders, John shares practical lessons on curiosity, accountability, and why growth starts outside your comfort zone. One of the most memorable moments of the episode centers around the “shopping cart test” — and what the little things we do say about...

In this solo episode of Built With Purpose: Between the Builds, Chris Fay dives into a simple but powerful idea that can completely change how you lead: context shapes everything. Recorded on the road between meetings and conferences, Chris reflects on recent conversations—including a powerful discussion with Jyot Singh—and a chance encounter with an Uber driver that challenged his perspective on culture, upbringing, and worldview. What unfolds is a thoughtful exploration of how our experience...

In this powerful episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay sits down with Jyot Singh, Founder and CEO of RTS Labs, to explore how life’s most difficult moments can shape stronger, more intentional leadership. From a deeply personal story of loss early in his career to building a thriving technology company, Jyot shares how resilience and perspective have defined his journey. The conversation dives into the evolving role of vulnerability in leadership and how creating psychological safety within ...

What separates leaders who build lasting companies from those who stall out? In this episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay reflects on his conversation with Raj Alva and breaks down the leadership lessons that matter most. From having a chip on your shoulder to understanding your personal wiring, Chris explores how your past experiences shape your leadership style—and why purpose is often the driving force behind long-term success. The episode dives deep into the reality of building a compa...

Raj Alva’s story is one of resilience, perspective, and purpose. After immigrating to the U.S. with his family, Raj quickly learned the value of opportunity—and made a decision early on that he wouldn’t waste it. In this episode, Raj shares his journey through Wall Street, private equity, and entrepreneurship, including building brands like Grayson and Whiskey Gypsy. Along the way, he breaks down the lessons that shaped his approach to leadership, investing, and long-term success. This convers...

In this episode of Built With Purpose: Between the Builds, Chris Fay reflects on his recent experience integrating AI into his workflow—and what it reveals about fear, change, and personal growth. As technology continues to evolve, the real challenge isn’t stopping innovation—it’s how we respond to it. Chris shares a powerful analogy of the buffalo versus the cow, explaining why those who run toward discomfort grow faster than those who avoid it. From leadership lessons to personal development...

In this episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay takes a different approach—bringing his AI assistant “Abby” into the conversation to explore how artificial intelligence is actually being used inside real businesses today. From brainstorming and decision-making to challenging assumptions, this episode breaks down how leaders can start working with AI instead of fearing it. Chris and Abby dig into one of the biggest questions right now: is AI really replacing jobs—or just reshaping how work gets...

In this episode of Built With Purpose: Between the Builds, Chris Fay reflects on one of the biggest questions leaders face: Can you build something big without sacrificing what matters most? After a powerful conversation with Novolex CEO Stan Bikulege, Chris breaks down the key lessons that challenged his own thinking around growth, leadership, and family. Drawing from personal experiences—like revisiting his childhood roots in South Florida—Chris explores how the values and lessons we grow up ...

Stan Bikulege joins Chris Fay to share the leadership philosophy behind building one of the largest packaging manufacturers in the world. Stan reflects on how family values, humility, and discipline shaped his journey from a blue-collar upbringing to leading a global organization with 23,000 employees. Throughout the conversation, he explains how leadership isn’t about titles but about responsibility for the people and families behind the business. Stan also shares the lessons learned while sca...

In this episode of Built With Purpose — Between the Builds, Chris Fay reflects on a simple but powerful idea: success in business almost always comes back to the fundamentals. Using a conversation about lacrosse as a starting point, Chris explains how the same principle applies in leadership, sales, and organizational growth. Just like athletes who master basic skills before attempting advanced plays, professionals and leaders must focus on the foundational activities that actually drive result...

In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Steve Dell’Orto, Founder and CEO of ConCntric, to unpack what it really takes to build certainty in complex, high-stakes environments. After spending 26 years rising through the ranks of a top construction firm—helping deliver iconic projects like Salesforce Tower and the Golden State Warriors arena—Steve saw firsthand how outdated processes, disconnected data, and fear-driven decision-making were holding the industry back. Th...

Leadership isn’t built in the spotlight — it’s built in the in-between moments. In this Between the Builds episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay reflects on key leadership lessons inspired by a past conversation with Brad Hansen and expands on what it really means to grow before you feel ready. This episode explores the idea that belief often comes before clarity, and that waiting until everything is perfectly mapped out can actually stall growth. Chris breaks down how our beliefs shape our thoughts, thoughts drive our actions, actions form habits, and habits ultimately determine direction and destiny. Throughout the episode, Chris touches on the importance of: Giving yourself permission to move forward without all the answers Putting yourself in position to be “lucky” through preparation, consistency, and proximity to the right people Understanding that leadership is developed over time, not granted by a title Surrounding yourself with people who challenge, support, and sharpen yo…