August 25, 2025
I used to think winning was about stacking more wins. Build it. Grow it. Repeat. Lately, I’m a lot more interested in how we build without breaking the people we love — including ourselves. This week on Big Fish Cares , I sat down with Jonathan D. Reynolds (CEO, Titus Talent Strategies ) to talk about purpose, fatherhood, faith, and the simple truth he keeps coming back to:“Most company problems are people problems.” The 15-year-old question At 15, Jonathan asked his parents what he was “created to do.” Their answer: live in the service of others . He didn’t love that answer then. He lives it now — helping leaders find the right people, and helping people find the work they’re built for. That turned into a business and a calling. My advice would be: if you’re still waiting for a lightning-bolt purpose, serve where you stand. Purpose shows up when your service gets specific. For-profit, for good Titus calls itself for-profit for good: build a healthy company and use the profits to help those who need it most. They set a goal to give $30M by 2030 and are already about 70% of the way there . That’s not performative — that’s operationalized generosity. What I would recommend: design comp plans and culture like a family you’d be proud of. Jonathan’s team incentive started as his kids’ allowance…and it works. Leading at work vs. leading at home We talked about the gap a lot of us feel: Compassionate at work, impatient at home. Driver in the office, bulldozer in the living room. Jonathan built a transition ritual before walking through the door — slow down, ask better questions at dinner (“What was the hardest part of your day?” “What brought you joy?”), and be there. That’s leadership too. When you can’t fix it Jonathan’s parents have been detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan . No charges. No clear path. He stood outside the White House with his daughter asking for help. Impossible to carry — and yet this line anchored him: “I can’t control that. I can control my trust. I can control my love. I can control whether I get bitter.” Stay low. Stay humble. Control what you can control. That isn’t a slogan. It’s survival for leaders getting hit by real life. Try this week One conversation: name a “people problem” you’re avoiding and address it directly. One boundary: pick a start/stop for work and keep it. One practice: give something away (time, cash, credit). Open hands move resources faster. If you’re carrying a lot right now, you’re not alone. The goal isn’t a perfect life. The goal is a grounded one. Listen to the episode: Apple Podcasts If this resonated, come do the work with us inside The Pond — founders who want growth and peace in the same breath