Podcast Summary: The Mello Millionaire with Tommy Mello

Episode: Inside the Minds of Andy and Jacqueline Elliott
Date: October 31, 2025

Overview:

In this powerhouse episode, Tommy Mello sits down with Andy Elliott (founder of The Elliott Group) and his wife and business partner, Jacqueline Elliott. The conversation dives deep into elite performance, the evolution from sales domination to holistic people development, family integration in business, leadership, work-life balance, and what it truly means to build and sustain excellence. The Elliotts reveal their philosophy of relentless personal growth and discipline, discuss the role of family in entrepreneurial life, and share actionable insights and raw stories about overcoming adversity, sustaining momentum, and leading teams to greatness.

Main Themes and Key Discussion Points

1. From Sales Domination to People Development

• Andy and Jacqueline’s background: Andy was a dominant force in automotive sales—holding record-breaking numbers—before pivoting into sales and leadership training with Jacqueline.
• Evolution of focus:
  • Started by teaching salespeople to make more money, but realized many struggled with fulfillment, addiction, poor family relationships, and personal discipline (04:00–04:46).
  • Expanded coaching to “sustainable success”: mind, body, faith, family, finance.
• Notable quote:

  “We can’t teach other people to have what we’re not.” —Andy Elliott (00:49)

2. The Importance of Total Transformation and Stretching Yourself

• The Elliotts practice and preach radical self-reinvention:
  • “We’re constantly trying to stretch people to become better versions of themselves. That’s what we’re here for.” —Jacqueline Elliott (05:41)
  • Reinvention is key not just for individuals but also for marriage and leadership (27:23–28:06).
• Personal anecdotes:
  • Andy discusses his personal transformation, physically and mentally—recalling past photos and how reinvention changed his life and business.
• Memorable moment:
  • Jackie grabbing Andy's "love handle" as a symbol of transformative accountability and change (05:35–05:39).

3. Family Integration and Redefining Work-Life Balance

• Rejecting the “sacrifice” myth:
  • “We don’t try to separate our family from our business. We bring our kids along because we want to teach them what we’re doing…” —Jacqueline Elliott (07:41–08:33).
  • Elliotts travel extensively for events but involve their children, treating business as a family endeavor.
  • Emphasis on being intentional with both work and family time.
• Notable quote:

  “You want to be good, you want to be great, or you want to be the goat? You gotta decide.” —Andy Elliott (00:00, repeated at 07:14)
  “We believe we can have it all.” —Jacqueline Elliott (08:23)

4. Discipline, Delegation, and Building a Scalable Business

• Moving from operator to owner:
  • Elliotts explain the difference between being an operator (doing everything yourself) and being an owner (building teams, delegating, and empowering others) (09:19–10:44).
  • Growing pains as they ordered themselves to let go of control and empower their team.
• Art of delegation:
  • “There’s an art between delegation and dumping…” —Tommy Mello (10:53)
  • Empowering team members, accepting their mistakes, and building leadership within the ranks.
• Culture and work ethic are central:
  • “You can tell how hungry somebody is when they get successful, whether they let off the gas or not.”—Andy Elliott (12:05)

5. Maximizing Time and Focus for High Impact

• Time management myths:
  • Jackie's famous “168 hours a week” breakdown: There’s always enough time if you’re intentional about your priorities (16:33).
  • Most sabotage themselves with wasted time and distractions (17:49).
• Intentionality and focus:
  • “Time isn’t the most important thing in your life. What gets your attention is the most important thing in your life.”—Andy Elliott (19:27)
• Daily routines:
  • The Elliotts structure their days efficiently, reserving blocks for family, work, and personal growth.

6. Accountability, Commitment, and Consistency

• Accountability systems:
  • Accountability primarily to each other—spouses hold each other to a high standard (20:12).
  • Strong advocate for writing down commitments and reviewing them publicly (21:11–21:58).
• Consistency and keeping your word:
  • “Nobody wants to stay in a relationship with somebody that constantly lied to them… If you lie every day to yourself and you don’t do what you say you’re going to do, internally, you don’t like you.” —Andy Elliott (29:07–29:33)
• Leadership failures:
  • Most common: Breaking trust by not keeping your word and failing to make people feel significant and part of the company's future (32:42–33:08).

7. Sustaining Energy, Avoiding Burnout, and Setting Boundaries

• Recharging by design:
  • After a grueling year of travel (200+ days), the Elliotts put in place new boundaries:
    • “One week every month is blocked off. No appointments, no meetings, nothing.” —Andy Elliott (23:51–24:12)
• Saying No:
  • They learned to turn down requests or delegate lower-priority items to protect their energy and focus.

8. Wealth, Legacy, and Living a Rich Life

• Money magnifies who you already are:
  • “We decided to become marriage millionaires. You didn’t have to have any money to do that. You just had to be good to each other.” —Jacqueline Elliott (31:41)
  • Living a rich life is about being proud of yourself as a parent, being close to God, and leading well, not just external wealth (32:11–32:39).
• Focusing on impact vs. just dollars:
  • Compound interest and legacy are valued above simple accumulation.
  • “We don’t make decisions based on money.” —Jacqueline Elliott (35:26)
  • “If we don’t make any more money, even what we’re making now, I’d still want to live this life.” —Andy Elliott (35:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• The GOAT Mindset:

  "You want to be good, you want to be great, or you want to be the goat? You gotta decide."
  —Andy Elliott (00:00, 07:14)

• Authenticity in Leadership:

  “We can’t teach other people to have what we’re not. You know, we gotta be real, not frauds.”
  —Andy Elliott (00:49)

• On Sacrifice vs. Integration:

  “A lot of people get confused on what sacrifice really is. I believe in having it all, and we don’t try to separate our family from our business… We’re raising little entrepreneurs.”
  —Jacqueline Elliott (07:41–08:23)

• Reinvention:

  “If Jackie sees the same man show up every day, is she going to fall more in love with me? Reinvention never lets anyone outgrow you...”
  —Andy Elliott (27:23–28:06)

• On Confidence:

  “Confidence is the mental muscle you have to train every day… people can’t make decisions with you if they can’t see that certainty in your eyes.”
  —Andy Elliott (28:06–28:48)

• On Consistency and Self-Betrayal:

  “If you lie every day to yourself and you don’t do what you say you’re going to do, internally, you don’t like you.”
  —Andy Elliott (29:07–29:33)

• Patterns and Cycles in Success:

  “Once I understand if an alcoholic does these things, these patterns and cycles, they can get out of it… If you understand patterns and cycles, that’s how you fix anyone, that’s how you fix any business.”
  —Andy Elliott (29:55–31:21)

• Living a Rich Life:

  “We decided to become marriage millionaires… Living a rich life is this: I want to be a good daddy, I want to be a good husband… That’s me being rich.”
  —Jacqueline & Andy Elliott (31:41–32:39)

• Leaders’ Most Common Failure:

  “By not keeping the word… the circle of trust gets broken.”
  —Jacqueline Elliott (32:42–32:46)

• Game-Changing Advice:

  “Quit trying to please the wrong people.”
  —Jacqueline Elliott (33:46)
  “When I was around the wrong people, I’m gonna do bad things.”
  —Andy Elliott (34:02)

• Stretching Yourself:

  “We find comfort in discomfort. We want to stay uncomfortable because it stretches us to grow.”
  —Jacqueline Elliott (34:12)

• On Personal Development:

  “The greatest gift you can ever give yourself is to just spend time working on you. Your mind isn’t your friend… if you can just spend 30 minutes every day programming yourself first thing in the morning… you’re gonna kill it.”
  —Andy Elliott (37:59–38:40)

Important Timestamps

• Opening—GOAT Mindset (00:00–00:20)
• The Elliott Journey and Pivot to People Development (03:02–04:25)
• On Total Transformation & Marriage Performance (05:29–06:04)
• Family Integration in Business (07:41–08:33)
• Owner vs. Operator and Delegation (09:19–11:32)
• Intentional Time Management: The 168-Hours Rule (16:33–17:32)
• The Power of Accountability and Commitment (20:01–21:58)
• Blocking Time to Recharge (23:28–24:12)
• Consistent Reinvention (27:23–28:06)
• On Confidence (28:06–28:55)
• Patterns, Cycles, and Habit Change (29:55–31:21)
• Living a Rich Life (31:41–32:39)
• Most Common Leadership Fails (32:42–33:08)
• Biggest Lessons from Their 20s (33:46–34:53)
• Personal Growth as a Daily Practice (37:59–38:40)

Tone and Style

The episode exudes high energy, directness, tough love, and a blend of raw honesty with encouragement. The Elliotts are no-nonsense about discipline, authenticity, faith, self-reinvention, and the power of relentless personal growth, and they consistently stress practical, actionable habits.

Highlights for Action

• Decide whether you want to be good, great, or legendary (“the GOAT”).
• Integrate family with business; don’t buy into the separation myth.
• Invest more in who you become than just what you achieve—or what you earn.
• Time is abundant if you are intentional and focus on priorities.
• Reinvent yourself daily; don’t let anyone, including your partner, outgrow you.
• Lead with trust, empower your team, and be prepared for (and tolerant of) mistakes.
• Program your mind every morning—personal development isn’t optional.

Closing Thought

As Andy puts it:

“The greatest gift you can ever give yourself is to just spend time working on you… No one’s going to do it for you. You gotta make the time to do it.” (37:59–39:08)