Alex Cleanthous is using his podcast as a platform to learn from some of the most successful people in the world.

Over the past 25 years, I've written and produced nearly every kind of media, from off-off-Broadway plays to documentaries, but I have never worked on a show quite like The Growth Manifesto. There is a constant drive to find and interview with some of the most notable people in the world and learn from them, to talk about their accomplishments and in real terms the thinking that got them there.

It never ceases to impress me how generous some “big names” can be with their time, how in both business authors and billionaire investors some of the most successful are also the most gracious.

The podcast founder and host Alex Cleanthous conceived the show as an ongoing discussion on growth, addressing many individual questions and finding the best possible guest to address that issue. Alex is obsessed with growth -- self-improvement, personal and professional, and a belief that there is a better way to do everything.

That’s how he went from a kid out of primary school with a challenging stutter to co-founding and running one of Australia’s largest independent digital consultancies, Webprofits.

Alex spoke with us about the podcast, his goals, and how the podcast both challenges and benefits him as he manages his stutter.

Alex Cleanthous, Host of The Growth Manifesto Podcast

Where does the name The Growth Manifesto Podcast come from?

“Well, a manifesto is, as I understand, that is a document that outlines a way of thinking or outlines a way to do something that is different. It's about growth. That's always been the thing that's been at my core. And it's kind of the guide, the way to think about growth.

The title is the call to action -- it's a call to make change in your business life.”

Where did the idea to do a podcast come from? How did it relate to the stutter you deal with?

“I've always wanted to do a podcast for as long as I can remember, but I've always had a stutter.

A few years back, I also was doing lesson videos speaking to camera, I had a speaking coach. He said that he was thinking about doing a podcast. And because he was my speaking coach, we have such a good relationship, I thought, well, let's create one at the same time.

So we will create a production, we will create the podcast, identify all the guests, and he will basically help me to co-host. That's when we were back in the Sydney office. So we were really limited by who could schedule that lived in Sydney and was available to come to the office to record a podcast. We did about 15 to 20 episodes that way -- then the pandemic hit and it all just went home for a few months.”

Did the pandemic impact the podcast?

“Well, because everything was completely remote and I already had quite a few of my contacts across the globe, I reached out to the people that were the most experienced in business and just started speaking about the pandemic -- in terms of actually how you can adapt and what you can do to survive and grow.

That just led to the podcast now being completely remote, and therefore completely global and our desire to find the very best thinkers in the world. To get into a topic around business growth in a fairly in a fair level of depth… the biggest thing that's changed since 2020 is the ability to identify and interview world-class business leaders.”

Is the podcast still an exercise for you in terms of working with your stutter? How much concentration does it require?

“It's certainly been a journey and I've become a lot more comfortable with my stutter. It's definitely something that I have to manage -- my state of mind heading into the podcast is really, really important, so I have to have sleep, I have to not drink a couple of days before. I have to be healthy.

On the day of the interviews, I wake up early, because the podcast is international, and I'm interviewing people from across the world. So if it's in the US or even if it's in Europe, I need to be on the podcast by 7:30 AM.

So usually on those days, I wake up at 5 AM and go to the gym. I have the way I prepare my mindset, to approach the podcast as strongly as possible, staying calm, staying relaxed, and being prepared. I just kind of know the question that I want to know the answer to, and focus on that, rather than focusing on me not stuttering.

You know, I have that desire to learn something and to find insight that I can share with the audience. I'm relentless in my desire to get the answer…”

Were there any interviews that made you nervous when you were preparing?

“Seth Godin was a big deal. I think he was one of our first big names. And it's somebody I respect. I like his content, but also I like how he thinks and I like how he communicates. So that one took a long time to prepare. I think I took 30-to-40 hours to just prepare for that.”

Have you learned from the show this year? Do you learn from the show?

“One of the things which was a positive surprise was how the show has kind of helped me to find my mentors. Through the podcast, I get to have to learn the things which I am trying to learn to, to prove myself and to grow through the podcast. So that's been a hidden surprise. And it's a surprise, which makes everything worth it.”

Since 2020, the Growth Manifesto podcast has hosted notable names like Jordan Belfort, Brock Pierce, Tyler Winklevoss, Tim Draper, Steve DeAngelo, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe (former PM of Haiti), and leading authors such as Seth Godin, Roger L. Martin, Bev Burgess, Laura Kriska, Greg Crabtree, Chris Dancy, and Pascal Bornet. Upcoming interviews include Chris McChesney and head of the Transcendental Meditation movement Dr. Tony Nader.

The podcast is available on youtube and all major podcast platforms.