Leadership Leap | John Gallagher

⚡ TL;DR

John Gallagher left a secure corporate role at IBM to build a purpose-driven coaching practice rooted in faith, intentionality, and transformation. In this episode, we unpack his journey from executive leadership to entrepreneurship — exploring how feedback, surrender, and alignment with purpose shaped his life’s work. John and Rick discuss leading with integrity, building Kingdom impact through business, and finding harmony between faith, work, and personal growth.

📄 Show Notes

Some leaders are built in the boardroom; others are refined in the fire of transformation. John Gallagher is both. After a 25-year career in operations, manufacturing, and consulting — including a decade at IBM — John reached a pivotal crossroads. A performance review delivered with truth and grace set off a chain reaction that changed everything. What began as an uncomfortable wake-up call became a defining moment of humility, growth, and redirection.

When IBM downsized during COVID, John faced another decision: chase comfort or trust God’s call. He chose faith — and founded Growing Champions, an executive coaching and performance consultancy designed to inspire, encourage, and equip leaders to move from “good enough” to uncommon.

We dig into what that really means — from how to measure love and hospitality in business, to how leaders can bring faith and strategy together without losing credibility or heart. John shares his own defining encounter in a grocery store checkout line that changed his life, reignited his faith, and set him on a mission to make his work his ministry.

He breaks down his “six F’s” of life balance — faith, family, fitness, finances, friendship, and fun — and how reflection, accountability, and small, consistent actions (#StopEatingFrenchFries) can create extraordinary transformation. His approach is part performance science, part spiritual discipline — built on the conviction that excellence only happens on purpose.
If you’ve ever wondered how to reconcile faith and ambition, or how to turn hard lessons into leadership breakthroughs, this conversation is your roadmap.

✅ Key Takeaways

Feedback delivered with truth and grace can become the turning point for growth.

Change requires pain — but avoiding it costs more in the long run.

Faith and business aren’t separate; when aligned, they multiply impact.

Purpose begins with your “so that” — the reason you do what you do.

Reflection creates momentum. Evaluate, adjust, and repeat.

Excellence only happens on purpose — one small habit at a time.

John Gallagher is an executive coach, performance consultant, and advisor to some of the world's leading organizations. As founder and CEO of Growing Champions Coaching & Consulting, John has served dozens of renowned global entities and their top leaders at places such as IBM, Mitsubishi Electric, Eaton Corporation, Harvard University and several billion dollar+ Healthcare systems. John specializes in achieving exceptional results in the area of People Development, Productivity Improvement, Profitability and growth.