343: Breaking Barriers at the NFL with Authentic Leadership

343: Breaking Barriers at the NFL with Authentic Leadership

343: Breaking Barriers at the NFL with Authentic Leadership

What does it take to lead in a world where the odds are stacked against you? Jennifer Langton’s remarkable journey from being the only girl on an all-boys lacrosse team to becoming the NFL’s first Vice President of Player Health and Safety is filled with lessons on courage, authenticity, and strategic visibility.

Her early sports experiences taught her the value of letting your work speak for itself and knowing when to step forward—or step back—to build trust and credibility. Those lessons became the foundation for her “Connect, Trust, Grow” leadership model, which she’s applied at the highest levels of professional sports and business.

Jennifer shares stories of resilience, innovation, and determination, from overcoming personal loss and career-ending injuries to pioneering concussion prevention initiatives that transformed the NFL’s approach to player safety. You’ll hear how she’s led groundbreaking projects, navigated male-dominated environments with confidence, and inspired teams to embrace change—even when resistance was high. Her insights will challenge you to rethink how you lead, influence, and create lasting impact.

Jenny is an award-winning strategic executive who’s known for her ability to drive innovation and positive change. She was an executive with the NFL for 15 years, where she spearheaded initiatives that revolutionized sports safety, including the development of an AI platform to predict injuries, impacting not only football but all sports and several other industries. She’s now focused on delivering keynote speeches and providing advisory services to companies.

You’ll discover:

  • Why authenticity can build trust quickly
  • How “strategic visibility” can accelerate your influence
  • Jennifer’s three-part model for leadership
  • Ways to overcome resistance and inspire innovation in any setting
  • How to turn adversity into a catalyst for growth and success

Watch the episode:

Connect with Jennifer

  

Jennifer’s Website

Jennifer Langton, Inc.

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342: The Group Intervention That Transformed a Team

342: The Group Intervention That Transformed a Team

342: The Group Intervention That Transformed a Team

What do you do when one person’s behavior is quietly eroding the trust and teamwork of your group—and no one wants to speak up? In this episode, I share a true story from my own leadership journey where I faced that exact challenge. You’ll hear how I guided four frustrated team members through a structured, respectful process to share their concerns directly with a colleague—and how that meeting became one of the most transformative moments of my career.

You’ll discover the simple 4-step feedback model we used, why it’s so effective in preventing defensiveness, and how it can turn even the most difficult conversations into opportunities for connection. You’ll also hear an unexpected twist that shifted the entire dynamic in the room and led to deeper trust, openness, and collaboration than the team had ever experienced before.

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:

  • Why waiting too long to address an issue can backfire
  • A 4-step framework for giving feedback with clarity and care
  • How to prepare people so emotions don’t derail the message
  • The surprising moment that turned confrontation into connection

Watch the episode:

Connect with Meredith

          

Meredith’s Resources

Website

Grow Strong Leaders

Books

Connect with Your Team: Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Grow Strong Character

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341: Live & Lead with Passion and Purpose – Not Caution

341: Live & Lead with Passion and Purpose – Not Caution

341: Live & Lead with Passion and Purpose – Not Caution

Are you holding back in ways you don’t even realize? In this candid and inspiring conversation, Dr. Tom Olson invites you to take a hard look at how fear of change and a need for safety can quietly run your life. He shares powerful stories from his own journey, including the leap that led to his PhD, and offers practical ways to shift from playing it safe to making bold, intentional choices.

We talk about what it really means to lead—at work, at home, and in your own life. Tom explains how to stop giving away your power, how to support others without fixing them, and why emotional intelligence makes all the difference in leadership. You’ll walk away thinking differently about risk, responsibility, and what’s truly possible when you take the helmet off.

With over 30 years of global experience, Tom is a highly sought-after coach, trainer, and researcher who has transformed lives through his dynamic, innovative approach to personal and professional development. He’s affectionately known as Dr. Tom by his clients throughout the world, with a stellar reputation for providing impactful coaching and training to leaders and teams. His work empowers clients to unlock their potential and overcome their greatest challenges.

Tom is the author of the acclaimed book, Don’t Die With Your Helmet On, which has inspired leaders and professionals to embrace purpose, resilience, and action.

You’ll discover:

  • What Tom means by “don’t die with your helmet on” (and why it matters)
  • Why fear often shows up looking “reasonable”
  • The questions that help you take back control
  • A healthy way to challenge team members stuck in victim thinking
  • How strong leaders build engagement through shared power

Watch the episode:

Connect with Tom

  

Tom’s Book

Don’t Die with Your Helmet On

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340: Equip First-time Managers to Lead

340: Equip First-time Managers to Lead

340: Equip First-time Managers to Lead

 

What can you do to set up your frontline leaders for success from Day 1? This episode with Matt Gjertsen explores the essential skills and strategies new managers need to transition smoothly from individual contributor to effective leader. Find out how to help them shift from being the “answer person” to empowering their teams, asking better questions, and building trust that leads to stronger results.

Matt shares specific ways to guide new leaders in interviewing and hiring, holding meaningful development conversations, and setting realistic expectations around career growth. Whether you’re supporting first-time managers or looking to strengthen your leadership pipeline, you’ll gain actionable tools to help them thrive and positively impact their teams.

Matt is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and a former Air Force Instructor Pilot with 2500 flight hours. After leaving active duty, he spent over 4 years at SpaceX, leading the training and development team, before founding Better Every Day Studios in 2021. Matt has continued his career in the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a Lt. Colonel supporting Space Systems Command.

Matt’s 20 years of experience working with and leading high-performing teams all over the world have given him a unique perspective on what it takes to lead teams in this ever-changing world. He and his team at Better Every Day Studios are on a mission to train better managers, build better companies, and create a better world.

You’ll discover:

  • What new leaders need to navigate the shift from individual contributor to manager
  • How to coach them on interviewing and hiring using the 70-30 rule
  • Why development conversations should focus on growth, not just tasks
  • How to set clear expectations around promotions and career development
  • Ways to help new managers balance reinforcing and redirecting feedback

Watch the episode:

Connect with Matt

Matt’s Website

Better Every Day Studios

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339: Transforming Your Stress into a Strength

339: Transforming Your Stress into a Strength

339: Transforming Your Stress into a Strength

How can you effectively manage stress and stay composed in high-pressure situations? In this episode, Dr. Susan Bernstein dives into the power of somatic leadership, offering insights on how you can use body signals to transform your responses to time pressures and unexpected changes. Drawing from her extensive experience working with top companies like Cisco and Google, Susan shares practical techniques that foster self-awareness, reduce stress, and enable you to create a sense of calm in chaotic environments.

By learning to tune into your body’s signals, you can improve decision-making and enhance team dynamics. Susan discusses six common nervous system response patterns—fight, flight, freeze, fawn, fade, and fix—and shows how leaders can shift from a reactive, “fight” mode into a more grounded, mindful approach. This shift not only alleviates stress but also boosts resilience and fosters a healthier workplace culture.

Susan is the CEO of a boutique consulting firm called Powerful Under Pressure. As the name implies, she helps leaders and teams at companies like Cisco, Google, and Uber excel under the most demanding conditions.

Susan combines her past experiences in leadership roles at Intel and Accenture with an MBA from UC Berkeley and a PhD in Somatic Psychology in her work with clients. Susan developed the Powerful Under Pressure framework to help organizations strengthen operational capacity by increasing the resilience and clarity of the people leading them. This emphasis equips teams to navigate complexity with sound judgment and sustained performance.

You’ll discover:

  • The concept of “somatic smarts” and how small shifts in body awareness can lead to greater leadership effectiveness
  • The six nervous system response patterns and how they impact your decisions
  • Simple somatic techniques you can use to enhance self-awareness and relaxation
  • How self-awareness can help you navigate high-pressure situations with calmness and clarity
  • Strategies for supporting your team in managing stress and building resilience

Watch the episode:

Connect with Dr. Susan Bernstein

Dr. Susan Bernstein’s Website

Powerful Under Pressure

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337: Never Delegate Again—Unless You’re Doing It Like This

337: Never Delegate Again—Unless You’re Doing It Like This

337: Never Delegate Again—Unless You’re Doing It Like This

What if delegation wasn’t about getting tasks off your plate, but about helping your people grow? This episode explores a powerful reframe of delegation as a leadership tool for development. Brad Federman shares insights from his book Never Delegate Again, challenging outdated models like the Eisenhower Matrix and offering a modern, growth-oriented approach that builds both people and performance. He introduces the Growth Matrix, a practical framework for assigning tasks in ways that stretch capabilities while avoiding overload or misalignment.

You’ll hear real-life stories that bring Brad’s strategies to life, including how he helped a burned-out employee reclaim her career path and why feedback needs to be treated like a long-term investment.

We discuss the mindset shifts required for effective leadership today, such as prioritizing coaching over control and seeing possibility in others. This conversation is a must-listen for leaders who want to empower their teams, build emotional intelligence, and lead with purpose in a fast-changing world.

Brad is the founder of PerformancePoint, a firm dedicated to helping organizations engage employees, strengthen customer relationships, and cultivate resilient, collaborative cultures through effective leadership.

You’ll discover:

  • Why traditional delegation models are no longer effective
  • The critical role of mindset in leadership success
  • How to use the Growth Matrix to assign tasks for development
  • How to coach your team for confidence, not just compliance
  • What “investment feedback” looks like in practice

Watch the episode:

Connect with Brad

Brad’s Resources

Websites

PerformancePoint

Brad Federman

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Never Delegate Again: Uncover the Secret to Growing Your Company, Your People, and Yourself  – Coming soon!

Cultivating Culture: 101 Ways to Foster Engagement in 15 Minutes or Less

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