July 30, 2025

029: “Can You Learn to Be Relentless?” ft. Chris Jones

029: “Can You Learn to Be Relentless?” ft. Chris Jones
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What does it really take to become relentless—and why is fun an essential part of the formula? In this candid, high-energy conversation, Erik sits down with best-selling author and EOS coach Chris Jones, a leader who’s navigated failure, burnout, and massive business pivots to find the intersection of intensity and joy. Together, they explore how clarity, courage, and self-awareness shape the path to excellence—and what keeps most people stuck in average.

👤 About the Guest

Chris Jones is a multi-time entrepreneur, best-selling author of Relentless AF: An Entrepreneur's Disaster to Success Story, and a master EOS Implementer. Over the last decade, he’s led more than 600 full-day sessions and worked with 75+ leadership teams to build clarity, systems, and traction. Chris is also a father, husband, and high-performance coach who blends intense drive with intentional fun.

🧭 Conversation Highlights

  • How Chris redefined “relentless” to include fun—and rewrote his book to match
  • The real reason most people settle for average (and how to know if you are)
  • What the pursuit of clarity actually looks like—and why biking doesn’t count
  • How exclusion is the hidden key to excellence
  • Why 10x growth requires deep, personal letting go
  • What Chris learned from losing 70% of his business overnight
  • Parenting, ego, and identity in the journey of reinvention
  • Why leaders who don’t take clarity breaks stay stuck

💡 Key Takeaways

  • Fun isn’t the opposite of drive—it’s fuel for it. Chris’s journey to blend passion and play led to a more sustainable and magnetic leadership style.
  • Excellence requires exclusion. You have to say “no” to good things in order to say “hell yes” to the great ones.
  • Relentlessness without clarity is just busyness. Without a North Star, all that effort won’t move you toward meaning.
  • You can’t discover what to be relentless about without exploration. Sampling, stress, and reflection reveal alignment.
  • Leaders who don’t build in space for clarity will never break out of the lizard brain. Great decisions require margin and mindset.

❓ Questions That Mattered

  • What does it actually mean to be relentless?
  • Is relentlessness a natural trait—or can it be learned?
  • Why do some people keep going while others give up?
  • Can you be relentless about something you don’t love?
  • How do you create clarity without a sabbatical?
  • What’s the hidden cost of trying to do it all?
  • Why do so few people know what they really want?

🗣️ Notable Quotes

“I used to think I had to be serious or fun. The real magic happened when I stopped choosing and brought them both together.” — Chris“The average leader will never do this work. But if you’re unsettled by average, you might be ready.” — Chris“Relentless people just keep doing uncomfortable things on purpose.” — Chris“You can’t solve a complex math problem while being chased by a bear. That’s what busyness is doing to your brain.” — Erik“Clarity breaks aren’t a productivity hack. They’re a precondition for 10x growth.” — Erik


🔗 Links & Resources