Are your team members clear about what you really expect from them? In this compelling conversation, you’ll hear Megan Robinson share how confusion and unspoken assumptions can erode trust and productivity—and what leaders can do to prevent that.

You’ll hear how Megan helps leaders transform vague expectations into specific, teachable behaviors that drive growth. She also reveals why “professional guilt” often holds leaders back and how to replace it with curiosity and compassion. If you’ve ever wondered how to give feedback that builds confidence instead of defensiveness, this episode will give you practical insights and stories you’ll want to remember.

Megan is the Founder at E Leader Experience and works with individuals and teams to develop self-leadership skills that grow companies. She started her career in marketing and climbed her way through the corporate ladder at advertising agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Then she caught the entrepreneur bug and started her own marketing company. 

After yet another “Business Therapy” session, Megan discovered her true passion was in coaching. Inspired by her own successful career in corporate and entrepreneurial environments, she makes leadership approachable for everyone, regardless of title, position, or experience. Megan is also the host of the Culture Connections Podcast and the Past President of ATD Chicago, the leading learning and development organization in Chicagoland.

You’ll discover:

• Why feedback fails when leaders assume understanding
• How to turn performance gaps into learning opportunities
• The role of clarity and language in setting expectations
• Simple ways to test assumptions and create shared meaning
• How self-awareness and intention make feedback transformative

Watch the episode:

Connect with Megan

Megan’s Website

E Leader Experience

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230: Trust & Inspire: Unleash Greatness in Others

What if young people learned to lead by tackling real-world problems instead of waiting for “someday”? In this inspiring conversation, you’ll meet Erin Lewellen, CEO of Tilting Futures, an organization that empowers youth around the globe to step into leadership through immersive, purpose-driven experiences. Erin shares how her own background—as a coach, educator, and social entrepreneur—shaped her belief that true learning happens through action, reflection, and collaboration.

You’ll hear how Tilting Futures’ Take Action Lab program helps students engage with human rights or environmental issues through apprenticeships, academic learning, and community impact. Meredith and Erin explore how these hands-on opportunities give participants clarity about their purpose, confidence in their abilities, and the courage to take on global challenges. Erin also reveals how her team fosters healthy disagreement, emotional awareness, and curiosity—skills essential for every leader who wants to create positive change.

Erin has been with an exceptional organization called Tilting Futures for 11 years, and she has served as CEO for the past 3 years. Before joining Tilting Futures, Erin was Vice President of School Partnerships for Revolution Foods and served as Bay Area Director for Playworks. For 20 years, she coached the Varsity Girls’ Basketball team at Emery High, and she’s an avid supporter of girls in sports.

You’ll discover:

• How global immersion helps young people build resilience, empathy, and leadership skills
• Why “tilt moments” transform self-doubt into personal growth and confidence
• How to make education more relevant through experiential learning
• The power of emotional intelligence and healthy disagreement in team dynamics
• How curiosity fuels innovation and learning from mistakes

Watch the episode:

Connect with Erin

Erin’s Website

Tilting Futures

Related Podcast Episodes

306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

What if the real secret to great leadership isn’t found in strategy or skill, but in the strength of your character? This conversation with Dane Deutsch explores how character forms the true foundation of leadership, shaped by his own family values, military service, and years of leading diverse teams.

Through stories from the Air Force and his own experience as a CEO, Dane reveals why caring for people and building trust matter more than any title or technique. His insights show that whether you’re coaching athletes, running a business, or guiding a community, authentic leadership always begins with character.

Dane also introduces the “tricycle effect,” illustrating how qualities like trustworthiness, respect, and responsibility steer both personal and professional growth. From practical tools for self-coaching to the power of empathy and humility, you’ll come away inspired to strengthen your own character skills, build genuine connections, and lead with heart in every area of life.

Dane was a Commander in the US Air Force and first applied character skills in the military. He’s the CEO of LMDC Academy, which stands for Leadership Management and Development in Character. Over the past 40 years, he’s coached and trained athletes, businesses, and teams. Dane owned a cybersecurity company and sold it in 2020. He’s also taught classes on cybersecurity at the university level. He and his wife own a gymnastics training center for pre-k to high school students, and character is the #1 skill they teach, followed by leadership, and then technical skills. Dane’s most recent book is titled Coach-Ability and The Tricycle Effect: Coaching Character as the Foundation of Leadership.

You’ll discover:

• Why character skills are the true foundation of great leadership
• How self-talk and body posture can help you manage anxiety and boost confidence
• The “tricycle effect” and how it can guide your personal and professional growth
• Real stories about empathy, humility, and the power of being coachable
• Practical ways to develop trust, respect, and authentic connections in any area of your life

Watch the episode:

Connect with Dane

Dane’s Resources

Website

Leadership Management and Development in Character

Free Resource

3 Essential Keys To Build Character As Your Competitive Leadership Advantage

Books

The Tricycle Effect 2.0 

Coach-Ability and The Tricycle Effect

Related Podcast Episodes & Posts

284: You Can Grow Strong Character

GROWING STRONG CHARACTER FOR LEADERSHIP

What if the real key to powerful leadership is tuning in to your inner wisdom? Coco Sellman brings this idea to life by sharing how listening to that quiet inner voice and acting with integrity can transform not just your own journey, but also the lives of those you lead. Through stories of founding multiple companies and guiding teams through challenges like the pandemic, Coco highlights how self-leadership, reinvention, and daily rituals help unlock personal and professional growth.

You’ll learn how transformational leadership goes beyond innovation, creating environments where people are genuinely empowered to grow and contribute their unique strengths. Coco’s insights into finding one’s “highest and best use” offer a fresh perspective on aligning daily actions with greater purpose. From nurturing nurses to redefining high-performance cultures, this episode is packed with wisdom for anyone seeking to lead with heart, clarity, and impact.

Coco is such a big believer in the idea that business is a force for good that she founded and is the CEO of a company called A Force for Good. Her focus is to support purpose-driven women founders in unlocking exponential growth and prosperity. Coco is well qualified for this role. She has more than 25 years of entrepreneurial experience, has launched five companies, and guided over 500 startups.

Her recent venture, Allumé Home Care, reached eight-figure revenues and seven-figure profits in just four years before a successful exit in 2024. Coco’s book, A Force for Good, offers a detailed roadmap that inspires societal change through women-led enterprises.

You’ll discover:

• How to tap into and trust your inner wisdom
• The difference between simple change, innovation, and true transformation
• Practical ways to identify your “highest and best use”
• Why nurturing and valuing team members fuels growth
• Strategies for building collaborative, high-purpose organizations

Watch the episode:

Connect with Coco

Coco Sellman’s Resources

Websites

A Force for Good

Free Growth Readiness Assessment

Free Tool of the Week

Founders Office Hours

Book

A Force for Good: Empowering Women to Build High-Impact, High-Growth Businesses

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260: Discover the Matrix with Integrity

Have you thought about how your words create you and your world? No matter what you answer, Trevor Timbeck will help you gain a better understanding of this power we all have if we choose to use it well.

Trevor co-authored The Power of Systems with Steve Chandler. You’ll recognize the book and Steve’s name from episode 300 of the podcast. In this episode, we discussed the book and how it ties in with who you are BEING and what you’re CREATING in the world.

Trevor is an absolutely remarkable human being, with important insights not just on the power of systems, but on life itself. You’re going to want to give this your full attention because you’ll hear many valuable ideas to reflect on.

Trevor has a deep technical background and started his career as a software engineer. He was promoted to leadership roles and eventually became head of Sales and then Chief Talent Officer with a large IT company. Today Trevor is a very successful leadership coach.

You’ll discover:

• Significant lessons Trevor learned in his leadership journey
• How Trevor weaves together love, language, and leadership when coaching his clients
• What he learned from his first coach that transformed the way he led
• The difference between language as coordinating behavior and language as communicating information
• Why Trevor says our words create our world

Watch the episode:

Connect with Trevor

Trevor’s Resources

Website

Trevor Timbeck

Book

The Power of Systems: How to Create a Life that Works

Related Podcast Episodes

302: Becoming a Generous Leader

Do you ever have thoughts that could be called “head trash”? Very likely, you’ve experienced them, and those thoughts may even keep you awake at night. In this conversation, Dr. Robyn Odegaard provides a concrete, practical tip for getting back to sleep if you wake up at 3:00 am. She also shares her approach to questions and conversations with her clients that you can use yourself for your long-term happiness and success.

Dr. Robyn is a former competitive beach volleyball player turned business psychologist and professional confidante. She did her graduate work in business psychology with a concentration in high performance and sport. She’s been working in the space between executive coach, therapist and best friend for more than fifteen years and has designed her business to support ultra-busy clients who live excessively fast-paced lives.

Dr. Robyn’s expertise has been showcased through her TEDx talk, Creating Success Out of Chaos, the seven books she has authored, co-authored or contributed to, her Five-Point Paradigm for Creating Success Out of Chaos™, and her signature talk: Take Out the Head Trash: How to fight the demons keeping you awake at 3am.

You’ll discover:

• Robyn’s personal journey as a young adult and what she learned along the way
• Why she had self-doubts about her ability to succeed in college
• A 5-point paradigm for creating success out of chaos
• The #1 question she asks her clients to help them identify what’s holding them back
• How Dr. Robyn learned to make Big Asks in quoting fees to potential clients

Watch the episode:

Connect with Dr. Robyn

Dr. Robyn’s Resources

Website

Mental MacGyver

Other

TEDx Talk

The Head Trash Talk

Here’s a startling statistic. Harvard published the results of a survey of 17,000 managers, and one of the questions asked was this: When did you experience your first formal leadership training? The average age was 42.

What would happen if we started with children instead of waiting until someone is so far into their career? You don’t have to wonder what would happen because our guest, Dr. Alan Nelson, has focused on teaching leadership to young people for almost 20 years.

Alan is the Founder of KidLead Academy, the world’s first online course to train parents how to develop their child’s leadership potential. Alan has been passionate about leadership throughout his career.

Alan is the author of 40 books and over 200 articles on personal growth and leadership. He has a doctorate in leadership from the University of San Diego and has taught leadership courses at several universities, including USC’s Marshall School of Business and the Naval Postgraduate School.

In this conversation, we focused on his book for parents, My Kid Leads! A How-to Book for Parents Wanting to Raise Future Leaders Today. Highly recommended!

You’ll discover:

• The answer to the question of whether leaders are made or born
• Why Alan says the sweet spot for teaching leadership to kids is ages 10-13
• The 4 primary indicators of giftedness in leadership in both children and adults
• What parents can do to help their children develop self-control and critical thinking skills
• How Alan uses peer-led teams in his programs to teach leadership and followership

Watch the episode:

Connect with Alan

Alan’s Resources

Websites

KidLead

KidLead Academy

Lead Young Training

Book

My Kid Leads! A How-to book for Parents Wanting to Raise Future Leaders Today