From Burnout to Brilliance: Kira Leskew of The Eagle Institute on Growing 5 to 50 Staff, Exiting 5 of 7 Businesses & Teaching CEOs to Crush Stress in Minutes Using Meditation, Intuition & High-Conscious Leadership. (Episode 657 - Kira Leskew)

In this episode of Grow a Small Business, host Troy Trewin interviews Kira Leskew from The Eagle Institute. Kira Leskew shares her impressive journey of owning seven businesses, with five successful exits and three reaching seven figures. A particularly notable achievement was growing one business from five to fifty employees in just two and a half years. Currently, at The Eagle Institute, Kira teaches intuition development for CEOs and meditation techniques to manage stress. She emphasises the importance of discipline, consistency, and developing a strong mindset for business success, drawing lessons from her experiences as a former elite athlete. Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let’s get into it by clicking here. Troy delves into our guest's startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice. And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions: What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? According to Kira Leskew, the hardest thing in growing a small business is different for every person. She mentions that having talked to and trained many business owners, she has observed that they face various challenges. Therefore, there isn't one universal "hardest thing" What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most? Her favorite business book that has helped her the most is "Who: The A Method for Hiring" by Randy Street and Brad Smart. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? Kira emphasizes intuition through meditation for insights and values discipline in weekly planning. She highlights tracking metrics like cash flow, profitability, and sales growth as vital for business success. Endless curiosity, questioning peers, and investing in professional development through books, coaching, and events underpin her continuous learning approach. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Kira Leskew recommends developing a disciplined habit of weekly planning as a key tool to grow a small business. She emphasizes the importance of consistently reviewing meaningful metrics—like cash flow, profitability, and sales growth—and holding yourself to high standards. Drawing from her background as an elite swimmer, she believes that just as performance in sports relies on tracking progress and refining technique, business success depends on regular reflection, strategic adjustments, and staying aligned with long-term goals. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? Kira Leskew could give herself advice on day one of starting out in business, it would simply be, “It’s gonna be awesome.” This short yet powerful message reflects her belief in embracing the entrepreneurial journey with optimism and confidence. Despite the challenges and growth pains, she trusts that with the right mindset, discipline, and resilience, the experience of building a business will be not only successful but deeply rewarding. Book a 20-minute Growth Chat with Troy Trewin to see if you qualify for our upcoming course. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take your small business to new heights! Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey.     Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest: You can grow fast and still lead with calm, clarity, and kindness – Kira Leskew You don’t need to be loud to lead—just deeply present and willing to listen – Kira Leskew Meditation isn’t about escaping business stress, it’s how you master it – Kira Leskew