Ike Ubasineke // Founder & Growth Coach
i’m in there
growing
every day
In 2012, I had a realization that changed my life…
In 2012, I had a realization that changed my life. I looked at the numbers—24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week—and still, I felt like I was making little to no impact. That thought shook me. I didn’t want to live an average life; I wanted my life to count. And if I was going to make an impact, it had to start with how I used my time. That year, I got serious about discipline, consistency, and habits. I built a foundation of prayer, worship, and reading Scripture—practices that would become my anchor when life got hard.
And life did get hard.
In 2013, the leader of the organization I worked for went to jail. It was one of the most challenging seasons of my life. My sense of purpose and identity had been wrapped up in my work, and suddenly, that was gone. But instead of crumbling, I leaned into the habits I had built. They helped me navigate the uncertainty. By the end of the year, I made a bold decision: I moved to Houston, Texas, to pursue a master’s degree. I didn’t know exactly where I was headed, but I knew I couldn’t stay where I was.
In 2014, while in school, I started working for a mission-driven organization. It was part-time, but it felt like a fresh start. A year later, I was full-time. In 2016, I saw an internal job opening for a Leader Development Associate role. Something about it clicked. I applied, got the job, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to step fully into the leadership space.
That role changed everything. I had always been passionate about leadership, but now it was my full-time job. And because I wanted to be great at it, I did something new: I started reading. A lot. What began as one leadership book a week turned into two. I couldn’t get enough. The more I read, the more I realized I wasn’t just interested in leadership—I was obsessed with it.
Then, two books changed my life.
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg showed me how small, consistent habits shape success. Good to Great by Jim Collins challenged me to find my Hedgehog Concept—the intersection of what I’m passionate about, what I can be the best at, and what drives my economic engine. It took four months of deep work, but I finally figured it out…
I was meant to develop leaders.
that discovery was a turning point.
I committed to spending my time learning, leading, and creating content to help others grow. That same year, Grow or Die was born. The name was inspired by a Recruit or Die poster in my coworker’s office. It felt intense, but I liked that. Growth wasn’t optional—it was a necessity.
2018
I tried launching a coaching business. A friend suggested it, so I went for it, got my first client… and hated the experience. It made me question everything. Was this really my path? Then, at the end of the year, I read Atomic Habits by James Clear, and my passion reignited. I realized habit-building was at the core of leadership development, and that insight reshaped my approach.
2019
I started sharing my growth journey online—teaching people about goal-setting, habits, and leadership. It didn’t blow up the way I hoped, but it reaffirmed something important: I loved doing this every single day.
then 2020 hit.
The pandemic forced the world to slow down. I asked myself: What’s a gift I can give to people right now?
My answer: reflection. I created a 365-day reflection journal to help people build the habit of looking back to grow forward. That experience was priceless. It reignited my desire to coach, but this time, I built it in a way that felt authentic. By 2021, I started adding more clients and had to make a decision—stay comfortable in my job or take the leap and go full-time into coaching.
IN 2021 I TOLD MY BOSS I WAS LEAVING.
AND THE SEED STARTED TO GROW…
In 2022, I launched my coaching business full-time, and within months, my clientele tripled. I started with one-on-one coaching, added business partnerships, and eventually built group coaching. I loved it. It felt right. But I also knew something was missing: community.
I had always wanted to build a club, but I wasn’t sure how. Then, in May 2022, while running the San Diego Marathon, it hit me—I needed to gamify growth. At mile five, I pulled out my phone and started writing. By the end of the race, I had the vision mapped out. I shared it with a friend, and he said, “I think you’re onto something.” That was all I needed.
Later that year, I pitched the idea to three friends during a tech-free retreat. They got excited. That was my sign—I had to do this. I reached out to 11 people I thought would be a great fit, and seven of them said yes. The Grow or Die Club was born.
By 2023, my coaching business had grown to 23 clients, but I knew something had to change. If I kept going at that pace, I’d burn out. At the same time, the system I was using to gamify growth for the club was clunky. Members started telling me, “You need to build your own app.”
So in 2024, I made the biggest decision of my career.
I stopped one-on-one coaching, team coaching, and business partnerships to go all in on the Grow or Die Club and building an app. It was terrifying, but I knew this was the right move. I believed the Growdie app could change the way people approached personal growth, and I knew the club had something special that men everywhere needed.
And today? Growdie has launched. The club is growing. The vision is expanding. And every day, I wake up knowing I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
YOU EITHER GROW OR YOU DIE
if you’re serious about growth, you’re in the right place.
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