A man sits quietly for a moment, then speaks about the weight of gratitude—not as sentiment, but as a choice. How to give thanks for futures not yet arrived, to see what hasn't happened and honor it as already real. The room holds that pause. That's where faith and gratitude meet.

Tom Ziglar carries forward the legacy of his father, Zig Ziglar, one of the most influential motivational voices of the twentieth century. As CEO of Ziglar and key collaborator on his father's 30th book, Born to Win, Tom Ziglar embodies a profoundly simple philosophy: "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want." In this episode of Growing Our Future (FFA), you'll trace the roots of that influence—from a boy selling peanuts on a Mississippi street corner during the Depression to a man who spoke to 15,000 people at a time for three decades. Discover how a teacher's belief and a mentor's pivotal words shaped not just one sales career, but a philosophy that touched an estimated 250 million lives.

Aaron Alejandro, host of Growing Our Future (FFA), carries his own debt to Zig Ziglar's words. He discovered *See You at the Top* as a high school senior, read it alone in a church pew, never knowing the author was teaching just feet away. Years later, when Aaron needed a frame for his work with agricultural students and educators, he found Tom Ziglar—not trying to be his father, but carrying the message forward in his own way.

About the Guest: Tom Ziglar is CEO of Ziglar and a key collaborator on his father Zig Ziglar's 30th book, Born to Win. He carries forward one of the most influential legacies in motivational speaking and personal development, helping millions discover the power of service-first leadership.

Celebrate Zig Ziglar’s 100th birthday and legacy of hope, encouragement, and leadership at the Ziglar 100 Transformation Experience on October 16, 2026, in Franklin, Tennessee. Learn more at Ziglar100.com.

A car gets repossessed. A bank account empties. A choice gets made in desperation that becomes the hinge of everything that follows. Three sales that day. Decades forward from there, a $2 billion enterprise across five companies. This is what happens when someone learns to read the patterns that separate those who break through from those who don't.

Billy Cox built his empire on a single discovery: success leaves fingerprints. In this conversation on Growing Our Future (FFA), he reveals the specific architecture behind sustainable growth—the daily skill deposits that compound, the clarity that silences doubt, the inner transformation that must happen before you're ready for the next level. He speaks about duty as a cornerstone virtue, gratitude as an abundance multiplier, and why the market no longer rewards faceless brands. People buy from humans willing to be seen.

Aaron Alejandro, host of Growing Our Future, recognizes something in Cox's framework that mirrors his own worldview shaped by agriculture—where failure isn't theoretical and consequence is immediate. When you don't do the work, something dies. That sensibility frames this episode: not as inspiration, but as the repeatable mechanics of transformation, the competitive edge that comes from small improvements made daily.

About the Guest: Billy Cox is an entrepreneur and business leader who built a $2 billion enterprise across five companies. He specializes in teaching the practical patterns and daily disciplines that drive sustainable growth and personal transformation.

There's a moment when someone stops talking about success and starts living it so visibly that the room shifts. It happens quietly—not in grand statements, but in the way a person describes picking up trash from a factory floor at dawn, or remembering the name of the one employee who sweeps each morning. This is what happens when values aren't decorations on a wall; they're reflexes.

Keith Mundee, president of American Hat Company since 2011, brings a legacy built on something larger than commerce—a cattle brand turned mantra, a symbol that means "positive times," and a commitment to the next generation. In this episode of Growing Our Future (FFA), you'll hear how a simple hat becomes a mirror for who you choose to be, and how one person's decision to show up every day changed everything. This conversation is about discipline, consistency, and what it means when your choices finally match your values.

Aaron Alejandro, host of Growing Our Future (FFA), has spent his career in agricultural education watching young people discover their own potential. He recognizes something in Mundy's approach—not because it's theoretical, but because it works. They're both architects of the same future, just building in different spaces.