121: Dr. Steve Graves — Work-Life Balance Tools to Win at Home and at Work
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In this episode of the Intentional Leader Podcast, Cal speaks with CEO coach Steve Graves about the intricacies of leadership, coaching, and achieving a balanced life. They explore the importance of holistic coaching, the courage required to make tough decisions, and the significance of understanding one's capacity threshold. Through personal anecdotes and frameworks, they discuss how leaders can align their professional and personal lives to lead with intention and purpose.
Steve Graves grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, back before the casinos took over the beachfront. Even in high school, he sensed a unique calling—a blend of business and theology that often puzzled his mentors and peers. But that tension became a lifelong pursuit. After attending two colleges and four graduate schools, Steve emerged with a goal: to become intellectually ambidextrous—with a theology book in one hand and the Harvard Business Review in the other.
Though he’s an avid reader, Steve’s deepest learning has always come from observing and listening. Early on, he sought out mentors, soaking up wisdom and insight from a patchwork of generous leaders who shaped his path. It took time to find his true lane—the intersection of passion, gifting, and calling that also provided for his family. But by his early thirties, he found it. He discovered that at his core, he’s a strategist, encourager, connector, and content developer.
Around that time, he partnered with his friend Tom to launch a company called Cornerstone—after months of napkin sketches and early morning breakfasts. Over the next three decades, they built an international consulting firm, launched and sold a magazine (Life@Work), wrote a dozen books, and worked with leaders across every imaginable industry. They also endured their fair share of failures, financial droughts, and cloudy days—experiences that shaped Steve’s leadership as much as the wins.
About 15 years ago, Steve made two important shifts. First, he began working with younger leaders and added a not-for-profit element to his portfolio—serving on boards like Praxis and Q to stay sharp and connected at the intersection of faith and culture. Second, he unintentionally stepped into ownership across several businesses, from sports media to analytics. That dual role—consultant and operator—has given Steve a unique perspective and allowed him to keep producing content along the way.
Today, Steve lives in Northwest Arkansas, a region he’s called home for over 35 years. It’s a place of rivers, bike trails, and just enough development for the occasional traffic jam. He and his wife Karen enjoy life with their now-married adult children. Steve says he has the job he designed—one where tough days leave him with no one to blame but himself. He still loves the work, the people he serves, and if he could just find a little more time to fish, life would be just about perfect.
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