318: The Power of Speaking Up: Turning Fear into Strength

318: The Power of Speaking Up: Turning Fear into Strength

318: The Power of Speaking Up: Turning Fear into Strength

 

Have you ever found yourself not speaking up, whether it’s in a 1:1 situation or in a group? For a variety of reasons, women often hold back instead of using their voice. Jennifer Wilkov, founder and CEO of Speak Up Women, learned to speak up in a powerful way herself and now teaches other women to do the same. Whether you’re looking to build confidence, advocate for yourself, or become a more effective leader, you’ll take away actionable strategies to amplify your own voice.

Jennifer shares her personal journey, from a successful career as a certified financial planner to an unexpected wrongful conviction that tested her resilience. Rather than staying silent, she turned her experience into a movement—empowering women to embrace their self-worth and use their voice with confidence.

Speak Up Women is a community that’s cultivating women’s self-expression and empowerment. Jennifer speaks to women through her inspiring personal message, “You have the right to remain fabulous! – regardless of any situation, circumstance or condition.” She is passionate about elevating the self-esteem of women everywhere and encouraging their self-worth.

You’ll discover:

  • What a wrongful conviction taught Jennifer about speaking up
  • Why women hesitate to speak up…and the situations where they often hold back
  • What Speak Up Women is…and is not
  • How you can speak up for others who don’t have a voice
  • Jennifer’s work with interns to develop future leaders

Watch the episode:

Connect with Jennifer Wilkov

      

Jennifer Wilkov’s Resources

Websites

Jennifer S. Wilkov

Speak Up Women

Your Book Is Your Hook

TED Talk

I Survived Prison

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Leader-team communication and character skills

Grow Strong Character

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.

Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Connect with Your Team

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell
Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell

317: Ethics As a Business Superpower

317: Ethics As a Business Superpower

317: Ethics As a Business Superpower

In this eye-opening episode, we’re joined by Erica Salmon Byrne, a leading expert in business ethics and compliance. Erica shares her fascinating journey from litigation attorney to becoming a key figure in shaping ethical business practices worldwide at Ethisphere. We dive deep into the upcoming announcement of the 2025 World’s Most Ethical Companies, exploring what sets these organizations apart and why ethical behavior is not just good for society, but also for the bottom line.

Whether you’re a small business owner or part of a large corporation, this episode offers practical advice on how to integrate ethics into your daily operations and long-term strategy. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the foremost experts in the field and discover how your organization can join the ranks of the world’s most ethical companies.

Erica is Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Chair of Ethisphere. Previously serving as CEO, she’s now responsible for ensuring continuous and strong growth for the company while maintaining the key principle that good businesses do better. She’s also the Chair of their Business Ethics Leadership Alliance, which serves ethics and compliance practitioners around the globe.

You’ll discover:

  • The link between ethical practices and financial performance
  • Why effective leadership skills are crucial in maintaining a strong, compliant company culture
  • The importance of defining and communicating your organization’s “why” to all stakeholders
  • The criteria Ethisphere uses to select winners for the World’s Most Ethical Companies award
  • How to integrate ethics into your daily operations and long-term strategy

Watch the episode:

Connect with Erica

Erica’s Resources

Website

Ethisphere

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311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

Over the course of his career, Ethan Evans reviewed 10,000+ resumes, conducted over 2,500 interviews, and made more than 1,000 hires. He knows a thing or two about finding, onboarding, AND developing the right people.

In this high-energy conversation, Ethan shares the qualities he looked for and the aspects of character he believes are most important for leaders. You’ll find great value in reflecting on the lessons he learned from a big mistake he made at Amazon that got him in trouble with CEO Jeff Bezos.

Ethan is a former Vice President at Amazon. During his 15 years there, he helped invent many of the offerings that we take for granted today, like Prime Video, Amazon Video, and the Amazon App Store. Prior to Amazon, Ethan spent 12 years at 3 startups.

In September of 2020, Ethan retired from Amazon and made the decision to pay it forward. He devotes time teaching leaders to become true executives through courses he offers and free content he provides on LinkedIn and his website.

You’ll discover:

  • How Ethan added to the Amazon Leadership Principle of Ownership
  • What Ethan looks for when interviewing a candidate or considering someone for a promotion
  • The five steps in Ethan’s Magic Loop for managing up
  • What leaders can do to build trust quickly
  • A big mistake Ethan made at Amazon and the lessons he learned from it

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Ethan

  

Ethan’s Website

Ethan Evans

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302: Becoming a Generous Leader

 

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310: Moving Past Perfectionism

310: Moving Past Perfectionism

310: Moving Past Perfectionism

Have you ever taken on a project that you thought would be straightforward…and then discovered it wasn’t?

Sometimes that occurs because of the expectations we put on ourselves to perform at a certain level.

That’s what happened to me when I tried to record a headshot video.

In this solo episode I describe the situation, how I handled the setbacks, and what I learned from the experience that might be helpful for you, too.

I’m the co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders. We’ve created online resources that help leaders strengthen their character and communication skills to build strong relationships and inspire others to perform at the highest level.

You’ll discover:

  • The challenge I was given in a LinkedIn course
  • How I define perfectionism
  • Why I struggled initially to complete this assignment
  • What slowing down and reflecting helped me realize
  • 3 insights that allowed me to relax and enjoy the process

Watch the episode:

Connect with Meredith

        

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306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

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

    

Listen to the GSL Podcast on YouTube
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Listen to the GSL Podcast on Amazon
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio

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310: Moving Past Perfectionism

305: A Flooded Road Released a Flood of Emotions

305: A Flooded Road Released a Flood of Emotions

Have you ever lost your cool when you encountered something unexpected?

In this solo episode, I describe a situation where I witnessed someone who became emotional and took it out on me.

Thankfully, I recognized that she was simply unable to think rationally in the moment, and I didn’t take it personally.

I’m the co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders. We’ve created online resources that help leaders strengthen their character and communication skills to build strong relationships and inspire others to perform at the highest level.

You’ll discover:

  • The event that triggered this person’s reaction
  • What I realized about the feelings she was experiencing
  • How I handled the uncertainty of the moment
  • The lessons I took away from that incident
  • Two questions you can ask yourself when you feel fear or uncertainty

Watch the episode:

Connect with Meredith

      

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