Is Mindset the Missing Ingredient in Business Success? Local Experts Say Yes

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Auckland, New Zealand, 27 November 2025: Spinach has released a powerful new episode in its Business Growth Podcast Series, featuring a conversation between Jemma from Spinach and Sridhar Krishnamurti, Mindwork Coach and founder of Expand Consulting. The episode, titled Mindset: Harnessing It to Reach Your Potential, dives into one of the most influential - and misunderstood - aspects of success: the power of mindset.

In a time when business owners and leaders face constant change, market pressure, and uncertainty, this conversation explores how internal awareness and mental conditioning can have a greater impact on outcomes than external circumstances. It challenges listeners to examine not just what they do, but how they think - and how those thoughts shape their actions, relationships, and performance.

A story of transformation and awareness

Sridhar’s expertise comes from lived experience. Before becoming a leading coach and speaker, his early years were marked by instability, self-doubt, and a lack of confidence that led to a difficult period of addiction and homelessness. Yet one pivotal realisation - a single shift in awareness - changed the course of his life.

“Once I realised no one else was responsible for where I was, everything changed,” Sridhar explains. “That moment of awareness gave me power. I stopped blaming the world around me and started looking inward. When you understand that it’s your own perception creating the result, you can finally change it - and that’s true in life and in business.”

From that turning point, Sridhar committed to understanding the human mind, dedicating the next three decades to helping individuals and organisations overcome limiting beliefs and unlock potential through mindset awareness and reframing.

What mindset really means

In the episode, Jemma and Sridhar break down the difference between mindset as a buzzword and mindset as a practical framework. Mindset, Sridhar explains, is not about blind positivity or motivation; it’s about perception. It’s the lens through which we interpret everything - our abilities, opportunities, and challenges.

“Confidence isn’t something you’re born with,” Sridhar says. “It’s how you see yourself and your world - and that’s something you can change. Most people aren’t limited by their ability. They’re limited by unconscious beliefs about what they can or can’t do.”

Sridhar describes mindset as operating on two levels:

●     Conscious mindset, which includes the thoughts and self-talk we’re aware of; and

●     Unconscious mindset, the deeper patterns we’ve developed since childhood that quietly drive our behaviour.

For business leaders, those unconscious patterns often manifest as hesitation, perfectionism, fear of rejection, or burnout - barriers that can sabotage performance even when intentions are strong.

Awareness: the first step to change

According to Sridhar, awareness is the foundation of all mindset work. Most people believe the outside world determines how they feel. In reality, it’s their interpretation of events - their thoughts about the situation - that drive emotions and actions.

He illustrates this with a powerful example from his coaching work with two siblings who hadn’t spoken for over 40 years due to a misunderstanding. When they revisited the original event through guided reflection, both realised the incident they’d resented for decades had never actually happened the way they remembered it. A simple misinterpretation had shaped two lifetimes of silence.

“If it’s a limiting pattern, it’s never real,” Sridhar explains. “Limiting beliefs are just thought patterns we’ve mistaken for truth. The moment you see that clearly, the limitation loses its power.”

Jemma notes that this awareness has huge implications for business owners and teams: “We can spend years reacting to a story that might not even be true. Once you recognise that, you can redirect that energy toward growth instead of resistance.”

Mindset in the business context

The conversation explores how mindset directly affects performance in common business situations - from leadership and sales to resilience under pressure.

●     Sales and client engagement: Many business owners hesitate to reach out or follow up because they fear rejection. “But rejection isn’t real,” Sridhar says. “Clients aren’t saying no to you; they’re saying no to their perception of your offer. Once you separate your identity from the outcome, fear disappears and momentum builds.”

●     Decision-making and leadership: Leaders often avoid difficult decisions because of unconscious fears of judgment or failure. Developing awareness enables faster, more confident action, especially in uncertain conditions.

●     Team culture and communication: Mindset shapes the emotional climate of a business. When leaders operate from ownership instead of blame, teams follow. Problems are replaced with problem-solving, and accountability becomes cultural rather than conditional.

Mindset in practice: lessons from elite performance

Sridhar references the transformation of the All Blacks between the 2007 and 2011 Rugby World Cups as an example of mindset evolution in action. After a devastating loss, the team integrated deep mental conditioning, confronting limiting beliefs and building resilience that carried them to eventual victory.

“They weren’t just working on physical skill,” Sridhar says. “They were working on how they thought, how they responded to pressure, and how they saw themselves as a team. That’s mindset at the highest level - and it’s something every business can learn from.”

Practical steps for business owners

The episode concludes with practical takeaways that listeners can start applying immediately:

1.    Build awareness. Notice where you feel resistance or fear. Those moments point directly to limiting beliefs.

2.    Reframe perception. Challenge automatic interpretations - ask what else could be true.

3.    Take small, deliberate actions. Confidence grows through evidence, not theory.

4.    Practice ownership. Replace “they made me feel” with “I interpreted it this way.”

5.    Repeat and reinforce. Mindset mastery comes from consistent self-observation and adjustment.

“At Spinach, we believe growth starts from within,” says Jemma. “Financial tools are only part of the equation. Success also depends on how we think, decide, and lead. This conversation with Sridhar shows how awareness and accountability create not just better businesses, but better lives.”

A mindset for the future of business

As businesses across New Zealand navigate economic uncertainty and rapid change, Spinach continues to highlight topics that strengthen both structure and spirit. Mindset, Jemma says, is the missing ingredient in many success stories.

“You can have the best systems and strategies, but if your mindset isn’t aligned, growth stalls. When it is, everything else starts to click into place.”

Mindset: Harnessing It to Reach Your Potential invites business owners to pause, reflect, and start the process of conscious growth - one thought at a time.

Listen to the full episode at: https://spinach.co.nz