The Cardone Zone – 10X WITH GRANT & ELENA CARDONE

Date: February 12, 2025
Host: Grant Cardone
Guest/Co-host: Elena Cardone

Episode Overview

This high-energy episode of The Cardone Zone is centered on the theme of “10X” – how to multiply personal, professional, and relationship success exponentially. Grant and Elena Cardone share candid, behind-the-scenes insights into their partnership, business growth, and the philosophy behind building an empire. Through stories and personal breakthroughs, the couple lays out practical strategies for scaling not just business, but also personal impact and legacy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Role of a Power Couple in Empire Building

• Elena’s Perspective on Support and Strength
  • Elena redefines “the woman behind the man,” rejecting the idea that it is a place of weakness. Instead, she sees it as a source of strength and integral support:

    “The vision that I see for the woman behind the man...is this extremely beautiful, powerful woman who can stand behind her man. And if for one second he even thinks about faltering or falling, she is strong enough to say, uh, that ain't happening. Hell no.” (Elena, 01:03)

• Elena emphasizes the power of knowing and embracing roles in a partnership not based on traditional gender stereotypes, but on complementary strengths and weaknesses.
• Both Elena and Grant recognize the necessity of collaboration to go beyond individual limits in pursuit of “heightened levels of success.”

2. Empire-Isms and the Philosophy of 10X

Elena shares some of her signature “empire isms,” mental frameworks for personal and collective growth:

• Create or Destroy Principle:
  • “With every decision that you make or every decision that you fail to take, you're either creating the empire or destroying one. And it may even be destroying the one that you've never even built yet.” (Elena, 06:26)
• Find the One You Trust and Build an Empire:
  • The foundation of any empire is trust, not just love:

    “Find the one you trust and build an empire. ...you will have to elicit and entice people into your mission.” (Elena, 10:01)

• Becoming an Asset:
  • Continuous self-investment and bringing value is essential, not just being present in a partnership:

    “Become an asset not only to yourself, but to your community, to your partner, to your family.” (Elena, 13:25)

3. Behind-the-Scenes – Partnership in Practice

• Elena’s adaptation to meet business needs, such as becoming a licensed realtor in 28 days to fill a crucial role in a new deal, illustrates her commitment to the mission and the importance of versatility and grit:
  • Memorable Moment:
    Describing the anxiety of taking her realtor exam after weeks of intense study:

    “I’m supposed to be Ms. 10X. I’m gonna fail this thing, and everybody knows it. ...But you know, I don’t quit. ...Just keep going.” (Elena, 18:03)

  • Achieving Against the Odds:

    “I finish the test, and the thing pops up, and it says, congratulations, you passed the state exam. ...I said, you might want to hang up. Because I’m going to start crying right now.” (Elena, 20:15)

4. Undercover Billionaire & Sacrifice for the Mission

• Elena details her role as Grant’s anchor during his difficult filming of Undercover Billionaire:

  “He’s calling me every night. He told you? And that’s true. He’s calling me every night. ...And sometimes he’s in tears because he misses the kids so much. ...I’m like, Grant, you got this. You’re going to change the world. And he’s hanging up on me every single night.” (Elena, 24:26)

• Reveals how being a “cheerleader” and keeping the bigger mission in focus—and reminding each other of past adversities and naysayers—fuels resilience.

5. Tough Decisions in the Empire, Especially During Crisis

• Business difficulties during COVID led to making unpopular decisions for greater long-term success, showing real leadership:

  “Empires are created or destroyed, and sometimes you have to be willing to cut out a piece in order to protect the longevity of the entire unit.” (Elena, 29:15)

6. Grant On Scaling: The 10X Mentality

• Grant picks up the thread, reflecting on his upbringing and the need to break from “middle class” limitations:

  “I don’t want you to leave with that mentality...I was told over and over, be grateful, be happy, be satisfied with what you have. ...And that’s where people get stuck. And that’s why we do the 10X growth conference—to get you out of comfort.” (Grant, 39:00)

• The importance of scaling business and self, so that success can be multiplied through others:

  “10X is about scaling your company... It’s not just about you being extraordinary. It’s about how many people can you have around you that are extraordinary?... How many millionaires do you have around you? ...That’s what scaling is.” (Grant, 47:24)

7. Authenticity and Leveraging Collaboration

• Grant stresses that the best results come from being your authentic self and seeking out the best version of yourself, not imitation:

  “Don’t try to be somebody else, okay? Just be yourself, folks. And then find out what the best version of yourself is, man, and start honing that...” (Grant, 51:25)

8. Impact Beyond the Immediate Circle

• Both Elena and Grant discuss building a legacy so substantial that it positively impacts not just immediate family but the broader community, expanding influence and possibility.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Elena on Partnership:

  “He can only cap out so much, right now from the point where Grant caps out...everything from that point and above, that’s mine.” (Elena, 05:19)

• Elena on Becoming Invaluable:

  “Grant can’t leave me even if he tried. I am in the system. ...The guy is screwed. He’s got me for life.” (Elena, 14:09)

• Grant on Adversity:

  “I would not do it again. And I would not recommend anyone here ever go broke. It’s just stupid. ...Get rich. Get as rich as you can. You’ll be like, God damn, I’m so rich, and I’m so unhappy. Well, at least you got half this handled, okay?” (Grant, 34:47)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:03 | Elena’s empowerment: redefining “woman behind the man” | | 06:26 | Empire-ism: Create or Destroy | | 10:01 | Empire-ism: Find the one you trust | | 13:25 | Empire-ism: Become an asset | | 17:50–20:15 | Elena’s journey to becoming a licensed realtor; overcoming self-doubt | | 24:26 | Behind the scenes of Undercover Billionaire & Elena’s cheerleading role | | 29:15 | COVID crisis: tough decisions for empire survival | | 36:35 | Grant’s middle-class upbringing: breaking out of limitations | | 39:00 | Philosophy of 10X and escaping comfort | | 47:24 | The true meaning of scaling in business and life | | 51:25 | On authenticity and multiplying impact through being oneself, not imitation |

Tone & Language

Both Grant and Elena are candid, energetic, irreverent at times, and direct. The tone is highly motivational but grounded in real struggles and hard-won lessons. There’s plenty of humor, vulnerability, and tactical advice layered through their storytelling.

Takeaways

• Building an empire—both in business and family—comes from going “all-in,” operating at 200% as partners.
• Every decision either builds or destroys your empire.
• Trust, not just love, and adding true value are the foundations of powerful partnerships.
• Overcoming limiting beliefs from upbringing or society is necessary for 10X growth.
• You can’t do it all alone: scaling means multiplying yourself through team and community.
• Authenticity and resilience in the face of adversity are key to legacy and impact.

Summary prepared for listeners to get deep insight into the Cardones’ 10X approach, partnership dynamics, real estate/business lessons, and the authentic behind-the-scenes struggles and philosophies powering their success.