Gratitude Through Hard Times

We often think of groundbreaking innovation in terms of technology, spreadsheets, and complex engineering. But what happens when humanity's most ambitious moonshots—literally reaching for the stars and returning to the moon—depend entirely on the subtle, daily interactions of human connection and moral courage?

In this powerful episode, Chris Schembra sits down with Janet Grondin, CEO of Stellar Solutions and former U.S. Air Force Colonel. 

Janet shares her journey from a small town in Iowa to directing teams of top engineers and advisors on humanity’s most critical space and defense missions, including NASA's Artemis program. Together, they explore the tragedy that shaped her childhood, how to lead with moral courage through delayed gratification, why true leadership means helping every employee find their "dream job," and why human vision—not AI—will always be the ultimate driver of high-ground innovation.

 

10 Memorable Quotes

"You won't survive in our business if you don't work hard and have a solid ethical foundation." — Janet Grondin

"When you do see someone who could use a hand, reach out and take action. Don't walk by that problem." — Janet Grondin

"For you to operate maritime, terrestrial forces, really hold your nation secure, you do need the high ground of space." — Janet Grondin

"Processes don't build systems. Paper doesn't build systems... People build systems. People have visions." — Janet Grondin

"Very subtle, small human interactions can have outsized impact on the mission." — Janet Grondin

"If leadership is lonely, you’re doing it wrong." — Janet Grondin

"Mission success is paramount. People are paramount." — Janet Grondin

"The connection is through the question, and then you have to be ready for the answer because it's not always the answer you want." — Janet Grondin

"AI is not going to put those together and go, 'Hey, we should build a spaceship... to create diamonds and silicon.' Humans do that." — Janet Grondin

"The work is done by people. And without people, I don't care what you're building, you're not gonna build much without people." — Janet Grondin

 

10 Key Takeaways

The Ethical Foundation: High-stakes leadership requires an unshakeable ethical foundation and a commitment to leaving every environment better than you found it.

Taking Action over Bystander Mindset: Real leadership means taking immediate action when you spot someone in need or identify a flaw in a critical system.

The High Ground Advantage: Long-term security, communication, and economic innovation depend on securing and developing the "high ground" of low Earth orbit and lunar bases.

Humans Build Systems, Not Spreadsheets: Technology and processes are just tools; the human connection between designers, builders, and leaders is the true "secret sauce" of complex mission success.

Psychological Safety in Engineering: High-performing cultures require enough trust and moral courage for team members to raise flags when something isn't right without fear of dismissal.

The "Dream Job" Culture: Regularly asking employees "Are you in your dream job?" builds deep alignment and ensures the company evolves in the direction of its people.

Combating Productivity Paradoxes: Instead of letting efficiency gains get swallowed by routine administrative busywork, leaders must intentionally protect space for collaboration and connection.

Intentional Community Building: Distributed and remote teams require intentional, high-touch connection points, from monthly one-on-ones to biannual retreats and collaborative strategy sessions.

Human Vision vs. AI Execution: While AI excels at data sifting and routine tasks, original genius, cross-domain breakthroughs, and visionary courage remain uniquely human.

Redefining Impact and Boundaries: True growth comes from recognizing you are a small, vital part of something much bigger than yourself—and expanding your sights beyond terrestrial boundaries.

About Our Guest

Janet Grondin is the Chief Executive Officer of Stellar Solutions, Inc., a woman-owned aerospace engineering services firm and Malcolm Baldrige Award winner serving intelligence, defense, civil, commercial, and international customers. Janet’s career spans three decades across the U.S. Air Force—where she retired as a Colonel—Fortune 500 defense contractor Northrop Grumman, and now Stellar Solutions. Winner of the 2022 Women in Aerospace Leadership Award, she serves as Chair of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Space Division. Janet holds a B.S. magna cum laude in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and master’s degrees from AFIT, the Air War College, and the Air Command and Staff College. She resides in Reston, Virginia with her husband Pat. Learn more at stellarsolutions.com.

"Work-life balance isn't a thing... it's about work-life harmony." In a world obsessed with digital efficiency and quick fixes, the real currency of a meaningful life remains independent thought, presence, and intentional effort.

In this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, Paul Mersino, President and CEO of Butzel, breaks down why true leadership requires excellence, mentorship, and continuous improvement. From starting as a young student guided by a transformative professor to steering a historic law firm as it approaches its 175th anniversary, Paul shares key lessons on leading with heart, embracing work-life harmony, and surrounding yourself with a team that pushes you to aggregate daily marginal gains.

 

10 Memorable Quotes:

"If you could do everything just 1% better... and you aggregate up all of those little marginal gains, think of how much further you're going to be ahead."

"You are who you are when nobody is watching. And that's integrity."

"Iron sharpens iron, and steel sharpens steel."

"If people turned off cable news and social media and looked next door at their neighbors, they'd realize the world is actually a pretty good place."

"Work-life balance isn't a thing... it's about work-life harmony."

"Moving fast isn't necessarily a threat or too big of a risk—you either get it right fast or find out sooner so you can adjust."

"History's innovation is just history repeating itself looking different."

"You can be a zealous advocate and a zealous competitor and still do it professionally like a gentleman or a lady."

"Inspecting excellence is about focusing less on what's going wrong and elevating more of what's going right."

"Gratitude doesn't change your circumstances; it changes your capacity to carry them."

10 Key Takeaways:

The Life-Changing Power of Mentorship: How a dedicated professor founding a mock trial team sparked a passion that launched a multi-decade career in law.

Inspecting Excellence and Marginal Gains: Focusing on daily 1% improvements across all operations to create compounding, unstoppable progress over time.

The "PR Problem" of Human Kindness: Recognizing that real-world kindness hasn't declined—our perception of it has been distorted by negative media cycles.

Embracing Work-Life Harmony: Moving past the rigid trade-offs of "work-life balance" to build a synergistic lifestyle where professional passion and personal fulfillment energize each other.

Radical Candor and Psychological Safety: Cultivating a team culture so tight and trusting that colleagues can give direct, honest feedback without destroying relationships.

Combatting AI Isolation with Connection: Addressing employee anxiety around AI by intentionally using saved time for deeper mentorship, cross-functional collaboration, and human presence.

Respectful Dissonance and Tactical Empathy: Setting ego aside in high-stakes negotiations and trial advocacy to find common ground and convert adversaries into friends.

Honoring Legacy Through Shared History: Building firm culture by constantly communicating history, values, and traditions across generations and remote offices.

The 3 Pillars of Trustworthy Communication: Over-communicating openly, speaking candidly, and actively soliciting feedback to continuously grow.

Leading with Integrity: Embracing the mindset that true professional success is defined by how you act when no one is watching.

 

About our Guest: Paul M. Mersino is the President and CEO of Butzel, one of the oldest and most respected law firms in the United States, currently celebrating its 170th anniversary and approaching its 175th. Appointed to the CEO role in March 2023, he sits on the firm's Board of Directors and previously served as Chair of Butzel's Litigation Practice Department, overseeing the firm's commercial litigation attorneys and strategic growth.

A commercial litigator by trade with nearly two decades of experience, Paul handles complex commercial litigation and "bet-the-company" matters spanning contract disputes, trade secrets, automotive supplier disputes, construction, and First Amendment litigation. He is admitted to practice before every level of Michigan state court, multiple U.S. District and Circuit Courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition to advising and sitting on the boards of several startup companies to help them navigate early-stage legal needs, Paul serves as a Trustee of the Butzel Charitable Trust and sits on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Regional Chamber.

His leadership has earned him extensive recognition, including DBusiness magazine's Detroit 500, Crain's Detroit Business "Who's Who" and "40 Under 40," Michigan Lawyers Weekly's "Up and Coming Lawyers," a Detroit Business "30s in Their 30s" honoree, and a Michigan Super Lawyer. Paul holds a B.B.A. from Northwood University (2005) and earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Ave Maria School of Law (2008), where he served on Law Review and won a state moot court championship. Beyond his practice, he is deeply committed to community service, youth sports coaching, and his most cherished role as a dedicated husband and father.

"I don't live well in the box because the box is not made for entrepreneurs." In a world obsessed with digital efficiency and quick fixes, the real currency of a meaningful life remains independent thought, presence, and intentional effort.

In this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, Colleen Joyce, CEO of Lawyer.com, breaks down why community is the new competition and how proactive resilience drives real growth. From starting in a green, part-time role to rising to CEO, Colleen shares key lessons from her mentor Gerry Gorman on leading with heart, leaning into an unstructured life, and surrounding yourself with people who challenge you to build something bigger than yourself.

10 Memorable Quotes:

"I don't live well in the box because the box is not made for entrepreneurs."

"In the world, a lot of luck matters."

"Community is the new competition."

"We suffer more in imagination than in reality."

"You can't connect the dots looking forward, but you can only connect the dots looking backwards."

"I lead with love, and it's kind of weird to say that in a business setting, but I truly care."

"I'd rather have a small piece of a big pie than a big piece of a small pie."

"There's no value in what's been said. There's only value in what's been unsaid."

"Wisdom can't just be taught. It must be earned by getting through hard times."

"Progress over perfection."

 

10 Key Takeaways:

Betting on the Non-Linear Path: How saying "yes" to a part-time opportunity without a traditional corporate roadmap opened the door to building an eight-figure powerhouse.

Inquisitive Empathy and Radical Candor: Balancing deep care for team members with the accountability needed to deliver direct, honest performance feedback.

Competition as Collaboration: Embracing aspirational competitors, learning from industry adversaries, and bringing competing voices together to elevate the entire ecosystem.

The "Give Maxing" Philosophy: Countering isolation and hardship by gathering people, asking thoughtful questions, and actively extending gratitude.

The Trap of Jevons Paradox: Recognizing that time saved by AI tools often gets swallowed by routine busyness unless leaders intentionally reallocate it toward human connection.

Unlocking Untapped Potential: Pushing past comfortable boundaries to help team members tap into their unsaid thoughts and internal genius.

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Accepting that leading through rapid industry changes requires living in the present while continuously learning as technology evolves.

Surrendering Control to Foster Growth: Giving up micro-management to allow team members the freedom to make mistakes, learn, and step into leadership roles.

The Power of Intentional Disconnection: Practicing small daily habits—like stepping away from digital devices—to remain fully present for family and community.

Abundance Mindset vs. Scarcity: Rejecting the idea that success is a zero-sum game, choosing instead to build partnerships that lift all participants faster.

About our Guest:

Colleen Joyce is the CEO of Lawyer.com, the #1 U.S. lawyer matching service and online legal directory. Over the past decade, she has helped transform Lawyer.com from a simple concept into an eight-figure legal powerhouse, growing the company's revenue by more than 20% in 2024 alone. She rose to the CEO seat by way of Senior Vice President of Lawyer Services and then President, and today leads the strategy, technology, and partnerships that connect consumers with qualified attorneys across every practice area and jurisdiction in the country.

Colleen is also the Co-Founder of the Lawyer Growth Summit, a national conference that brings attorneys, legal technologists, and industry thought leaders together to share the strategies driving real growth in modern law firms. She is a sought-after keynote speaker, mentor, and podcast host, and her leadership has been featured in Authority Magazine's "Female Disruptors" and "Leading with Heart" series and recognized by Marquis Who's Who. Before her legal-industry career, she served as Director of Marketing and Publicity at PopStar.com (a subsidiary of World Media Group), producing celebrity content for a global audience and covering red carpets, press junkets, and awards shows.

Colleen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Illinois, where she graduated magna cum laude. She is based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and describes herself first and foremost as a proud mama. Her guiding mantra: progress over perfection.

Philosophical Hook

We often treat professional drive, relentless intensity, and self-reliance as badges of honor. But what happens when our greatest leadership strengths are actually walls we built to hide our deepest pain?

In this powerful episode, Chris Schembra sits down with leadership coach and author Tyler Dickerhoof to discuss his new book, The Things We Hide. Tyler opens up about the tragic childhood loss of his younger brother, Joel, and how that single event led him to build a 25-year defensive wall of extreme intensity. Together, they explore how to break through the four walls of insecurity—intensity, inactivity, insensitivity, and isolation—to transition from a defensive, lonely "bulldozer" into a truly connected, impact-driven leader.

 

10 Memorable Quotes

"My brother had died and it was an accident. I was fourteen and Joel was three." — Tyler Dickerhoof

"Where we get in trouble is when we start to depict other people's interpretation of value as our own. And that's where everything goes awry." — Tyler Dickerhoof

"I don't tell that story because I don't think it has value. I didn't understand that that manifestation of hiding those things was creating a barrier in my ability to connect." — Tyler Dickerhoof

"Instead of it showing up at the bottom of a bottle or drugs... it was my intensity." — Tyler Dickerhoof

"Intensity is a bulldozer. A bulldozer will clear a path, but it's going to leave carnage. And in a human sense, that carnage is relationships." — Tyler Dickerhoof

"If you want to level some land, great, but I'm not gonna go hang out with you... because I was always on to the next thing." — Tyler Dickerhoof

"If leadership is lonely, you’re doing it wrong." — Tyler Dickerhoof

"I was marooned on an island because I thought I had to do it all... But I was the one that held the keys to the lifeboat." — Tyler Dickerhoof

"When we're looking in the mirror, it looks real good. But then someone sits across from us and says, 'Hey, your face is flipped around the other way.'" — Tyler Dickerhoof

"Too often we think impact is monumental... Joel was thirty-four months old when he died. His life made an impact." — Tyler Dickerhoof

 

10 Key Takeaways

The Shield of Intensity: Extreme drive and work ethic can often be subconscious survival mechanisms built to mask grief, trauma, or insecurity.

The "Bulldozer" Trap: While intensity clears paths and gets things done in business, it leaves a trail of damaged relationships if left unchecked.

The Valuation Crisis: Real security begins when you stop adopting external definitions of success and start grounding yourself in your intrinsic value.

The Four Walls of Insecurity: Leaders protect themselves through four distinct defensive mechanisms: Intensity, Inactivity, Insensitivity, and Isolation.

The Illusion of Lonely Leadership: Loneliness at the top is not an inevitable byproduct of leadership; it is a self-imposed prison created by our unwillingness to be vulnerable.

Windows vs. Mirrors: Leading effectively requires looking through a "window" to see how your actions affect others, rather than just looking in a "mirror" of your own intentions.

Tech-Enabled Isolation: In the age of AI, we must be careful not to use productivity tools to further isolate ourselves, but rather to buy back our time for genuine human connection.

The Power of the Round Table: High-level growth happens in layers when you surround yourself with a diverse group of peers who can pressure-test your perspectives.

The 5 R's of Mindset: Maintaining a healthy leadership attitude requires a daily cycle of Routine, Reset, Remember (or Not), Realistic alignment, and constant Repetition.

Redefining Impact: True, lasting impact isn't measured by scale or longevity, but by the depth of meaning we bring to the lives of those we touch.

About Our Guest

Tyler Dickerhoof is a keynote speaker, leadership coach, and host of The Tyler Dickerhoof Show. As the founder of Impact Driven Leader and developer of the Awaken the Leader Within framework, he helps executives and entrepreneurs grow in influence without losing their humanity. Tracing his leadership roots back to his agricultural upbringing, Tyler holds a degree from Cornell University and is based in Spokane, Washington. Learn more at tylerdickerhoof.com.

"In business, you're either moving forward or you're going backward. There's no treading water." This core philosophy, passed down from serial-entrepreneur parents, has driven Chris Burnham and his family to transform a single storage location into a multi-billion-dollar global enterprise. Yet, despite overseeing vast international real estate holdings, the heartbeat of the company remains rooted in humor, local family values, and an endless appetite for innovation.

In this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, host Chris Schembra sits down with Chris Burnham, President of StorageMart, to discuss the human foundation behind exponential growth. Burnham reflects on his early career moves—from studying Japanese business dynamics in 1980s Tokyo to walking away from corporate commodity trading—and shares how embracing curiosity, family unity through high-stakes deals, and a signature dose of wit helped shape brands like Manhattan Mini Storage. Together, they explore what it takes to navigate business setbacks, empower the next generation, and raise true "Renaissance men" in a rapidly changing world.

10 Memorable Quotes:

"In business, you're either moving forward or you're going backward. There's no treading water."

"I realized that I had to do things for myself, and that maybe climbing the corporate ladder was not the career path for me."

"Ganbatte means go get it... attack, charge."

"If you ask me what one of my deepest fears are, it's retirement 'cause I'm not sure I can handle that."

"That feeling that you wake up in the morning and you can hardly wait to get to work—that's what keeps me going."

"We got on the airplane... and as I was leaving, I got a phone call: 'Deal's off.' We stopped off at a gas station, bought a 12-pack, and drank it on the way home, strategizing about what comes next."

"Laughter is one of the most essential parts of life... I try to find humor in everything."

"I don't have to invent anything. I just have to innovate what's there and make it the best it can be."

"I always go back to curiosity, 'cause that tells me that it's somebody who knows how to learn."

"I wanted them to be able to fight a battle on the front line, come home and write a sonnet, paint a picture, or climb a mountain."

10 Key Takeaways:

The Dreamer and the Realist Dynamic: How balancing big-picture curiosity with grounded realism creates the ideal environment for testing and executing ideas.

No Treading Water: Why staying static in business or personal life eventually leads to decline, and why navigating obstacles requires constant forward motion.

The 'Ganbatte' Mindset: Channeling the Japanese ethos of active drive and fierce determination when confronting major career turning points.

The Power of Family Wingmen: Relying on familial trust and unity during high-stakes business reversals rather than retreating into isolation.

Cheeky Brand Differentiation: How turning a dry, functional product into a memorable experience through bold, satirical local advertising builds massive brand equity.

Innovation Over Invention: Recognizing that long-term enterprise growth often comes from refining and elevating existing models rather than starting from scratch.

Curiosity Maxing as a Core Skill: Framing critical thinking, awareness, and reverse-engineering as essential human traits in an automated economy.

Proactive Resilience: Developing the mental agility and endurance needed to bounce back quickly when major deals fall through at the eleventh hour.

Wandering and Competitive Research: Understanding that true market intelligence comes from physically stepping into customer experiences and actively listening.

Raising Renaissance Leaders: Fostering multi-faceted capability in the next generation—combining hard work, intellectual depth, and artistic appreciation.

About Our Guest:

Chris Burnham is the President of StorageMart, the world’s largest privately and family-owned self-storage company. Over a 40-year family legacy in the self-storage industry, Burnham and his family have scaled the business from a single location to over 250 properties worldwide, overseeing more than $8 billion in real estate transactions. Known for preserving local, values-driven leadership while scaling exponentially, StorageMart’s footprint includes iconic regional brands such as New York City’s Manhattan Mini Storage.

A former Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year recipient, Chris studied agricultural economics and spent his early academic years studying Japanese business in Japan before working as a commodity trader at Cargill. He later rejoined his family business to help lead its global expansion. Dedicated to mentorship, customer satisfaction, and continuous innovation, Chris lives and works alongside multiple generations of the Burnham family.