Today we’d like to introduce you to Pete Srodoski.
Hi Pete, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I didn’t grow up dreaming of being a coach or consultant. I got here the long way—by working under some truly terrible leadership and deciding I didn’t want to become that guy.
Early in my career, I saw what happens when power is mixed with ego and zero emotional awareness. One experience in particular forced me to either repeat the cycle or break it. I chose the harder option and started paying close attention to what actually makes leaders and organizations work.
I went on to serve as a CEO and COO, scaling teams, fixing messy operations, and learning—mostly through scars—how clarity, structure, and accountability beat hustle and good intentions every time. Eventually, other founders started asking for help, and that turned into implementing operating systems, leading leadership teams, and building what later became my own framework, R3: Vision, Strategy, Action. Simple, practical, and designed for people who don’t want another 97-slide deck.
Somewhere along the way, I started writing to make sense of all this. One book turned into several, one of them became a bestseller, and now I run a publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn real experience into real books—without sounding like LinkedIn posts stretched to 200 pages.
Today, I work as a fractional integrator, leadership coach, and publisher. I help founders get unstuck, build companies that can actually run without them, and avoid lighting themselves on fire in the process. I’m also a husband, a dad of five, and living proof that you can build serious businesses without taking yourself—or your title—too seriously.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not even close. If it had been smooth, I probably wouldn’t be doing this work.
The biggest challenges weren’t external—they were internal. Early on, I had to unlearn a lot of bad leadership behavior I’d absorbed just by being around it. When you grow up professionally in chaos or under ego-driven leaders, you either normalize it or consciously rebuild your own operating system. That took time, humility, and more self-awareness than I was initially excited about.
There were also plenty of practical struggles. Scaling teams before I really understood structure. Trying to “outwork” problems that actually required clarity. Wearing too many hats because I didn’t trust delegation yet. Classic founder mistakes—just with better intentions than results.
On the personal side, the work has never been neatly contained. I’ve had seasons where business growth came at the expense of health, margin, or relationships, and I learned the hard way that success doesn’t mean much if everything else is quietly eroding. Being a husband and a dad of five while building companies forces you to confront your priorities fast—kids have a way of exposing misalignment.
And finally, there’s the challenge of choosing substance over shortcuts. It’s always tempting to chase hype, trends, or easy positioning. I’ve had to repeatedly choose slow, durable work over fast validation.
None of it was clean. But every struggle sharpened the same lesson: clarity beats force, systems beat heroics, and leadership starts with owning your own mess before trying to fix anyone else’s.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Roll With the Punches?
Roll With the Punches exists to bring clarity where most growing businesses are stuck in chaos.
At its core, Roll With the Punches is a leadership and operations firm built for founders and leadership teams who are tired of guessing, reacting, and carrying everything themselves. We help businesses install clarity, structure, and operating discipline so the company can actually run—consistently, predictably, and without constant firefighting.
Our work shows up through fractional integrator leadership, executive and leadership coaching, operating system implementation, and publishing. Different services, same goal: helping leaders move from intention to execution without burning out in the process.
We’re best known for simplifying complex problems without watering them down. Most founders don’t need more ideas—they need fewer priorities, clearer decisions, and a rhythm that holds under pressure. That’s why we use and teach the R3 framework: Vision, Strategy, Action. It’s practical, repeatable, and designed for real businesses—not theory, not hype, and not another binder that sits on a shelf.
What sets Roll With the Punches apart is the balance between empathy and accountability. We don’t do motivational fluff or performative leadership. We believe you can care deeply about people and expect results—and that belief is baked into everything we do.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that Roll With the Punches feels human. Honest conversations. Clear expectations. Useful tools. No pretending the hard parts don’t exist. Whether we’re working with a CEO, a leadership team, or helping someone turn hard-earned experience into a book, the standard is the same: clarity, responsibility, and forward motion.
What I want readers to know is this: Roll With the Punches isn’t about fixing you or your business. It’s about helping you stop reacting, start operating on purpose, and build something strong enough to take the hits—without losing yourself along the way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck has definitely played a role—but not in the way people usually mean it.
I’ve had bad luck early on: wrong bosses, toxic environments, and experiences that forced lessons I wouldn’t have chosen voluntarily. At the time, it felt like setbacks. In hindsight, they became the raw material for everything I do now.
I’ve also had good luck show up in quieter ways—being in the right rooms at the right time, meeting people who trusted me early, and having opportunities appear only because I was prepared enough to say yes.
There’s a line in The Dark Knight where Harvey Dent says, “You make your own luck.” That idea has proven true over time. The more disciplined I became—how I lead, how I build systems, how I treat people—the “luckier” things seemed to get.
So yes, luck matters. But preparation, integrity, and showing up when it would’ve been easier to quit have mattered a lot more.
Pricing:
- Leadership Coaching – $1,000 per month
- Business Mentorship / Fractional Integrator Support – $2,500 per month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rollwithpunch.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petersrodoski/
