Dude. No guest this week. Just Chris and me going somewhere we've honestly been afraid to go on this show.

Chris opens up about something deeply personal: his experience with a legal, facilitated psilocybin ceremony here in Oregon, and what it surfaced about rest, presence, and the gaps between who he says he is and how he actually shows up. This is not a party story. This is a guy with a deep faith background doing serious, intentional work on himself, and what came out of it applies to every business owner listening. From there we get into the idea that gave this episode its name: alignment is leverage. When your priorities, decisions, and behavior all line up, you walk into every negotiation, partnership, and hard conversation holding all the cards. We talk about the integrity gaps nobody else can see, why quitting the things that quietly own you builds real confidence, and what I've learned watching my own son become a more aligned man over the last 18 months.

Fair warning: this one gets raw. Keep an open mind and listen for the principle. It might be the most honest conversation we've ever put out.

Enjoy the show - Brandon

Owning a business in the trades can be the loneliest job there is. Head, Heart, & Boots exists to change that, because the best leaders don't go it alone, and neither should you.

Why You Should Listen

[4:17] Chris's backstory: how a men's group conversation started a years-long journey he's never shared publicly
[15:31] The lie we call rest, and why scrolling your phone is not recharging your batteries
[24:49] Incongruence: the small gaps between who you say you are and how you actually show up
[27:37] Why Chris walked away from a nightly habit that was quietly costing him his self-respect
[34:04] Alignment is leverage: the Joe Rogan negotiation story and what holding all the cards really takes
[39:46] What watching my son taught me about conviction, priorities, and becoming a better man

About the Show

Head, Heart, & Boots is for the men and women who build things for a living. Restoration, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, and every blue collar trade in between. Hosts Brandon Reece and Chris Nordyke built and scaled real companies in the restoration industry, and they have carried those hard-won lessons into every blue collar trade they work with today. Every week they dig into the head (strategy), the heart (culture and people), and the boots (execution) of running a business worth owning.

This show is the front door to Floodlight Consulting Group, where Brandon, Chris, and the team help trades businesses find the money already sitting inside them and build companies worth far more than the day they started. Same people, same mission, whether you are listening or working with us directly.

Ready to see what that looks like in your business? Start Here!

Owning a business in the trades can be the loneliest job there is. Head, Heart, & Boots exists to change that, because the best leaders don't go it alone, and neither should you.