Resilience, Purpose, and Relational Capital
A Conversation with Scott Sobkowiak
On this episode of Built Without a Net, I sat down with Scott Sobkowiak—former professional baseball player turned business leader and consultant. Scott’s journey from the pitcher’s mound to entrepreneurship is filled with lessons on resilience, identity, and leading with kindness.
From Baseball Dreams to Hard Reality
From the age of seven, Scott knew he wanted to play professional baseball. That dream became reality when he pitched in the Atlanta Braves organization and trained alongside legends like Greg Maddux and John Smoltz. But an elbow injury cut his career short, leaving him to wrestle with identity and direction.
Scott describes his early life as climbing a single ladder, when it fell, he was left staring at the sky, unsure who he was without the game.
Redefining Identity and Building New Branches
Instead of letting loss define him, Scott reframed his life. He went back to school for a master’s in Organizational Leadership, worked in sales and insurance, and began focusing on purpose-driven growth.
The key lesson? Don’t build your life as a single ladder. Build it like a tree with many branches, so setbacks don’t erase your identity or your options.
Leading with Kindness and Gratitude
A turning point came when Scott began approaching every meeting with a new mindset: “How can I help?” This shift, grounded in kindness and gratitude, created trust and opened doors. It also taught him the power of what his mentor Ed Wallace calls relational capital, the idea that your strongest growth comes from serving the clients you already have.
Lessons for Leaders
Scott’s story offers practical insights for entrepreneurs and executives:
Build resilience by diversifying your skills, interests, and relationships.
Approach leadership with kindness and gratitude, they are growth strategies, not soft skills.
Recognize the importance of relational capital, loyal clients are your best advocates.
Embrace setbacks as opportunities to fail forward and adjust course.
Looking Ahead
Today, Scott runs Scale Up, a consultancy focused on helping early- and mid-stage organizations unlock growth by aligning purpose and strategy. He also speaks through SAS Speaks, inspiring audiences with his journey of resilience and reinvention.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation with Scott Sobkowiak on Built Without a Net here: Apple Podcasts (also available on all major streaming services).
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