What if the greatest leadership breakthroughs begin with owning your truth? In this conversation with Joe Machicote about his book, Own Thy Stuff, we explore what it really means to take responsibility for your impact—on yourself, your relationships, and the culture at large. Joe shares deeply personal and practical insights from decades of leadership, all rooted in his lifelong commitment to leaving every person and situation better than he found it. You’ll hear stories that will challenge the way you think about communication, presence, and the stories you create in your own mind.

You’ll also discover the power leaders have to create spaces of trust, especially during grief, conflict, and moments of emotional strain. Joe’s candor about his own journey, including profound personal loss, opens the door to a compassionate and courageous view of leadership. He offers simple, meaningful practices that help you slow down, listen more deeply, and act with intention so you can strengthen culture, relationships, and your own self-mastery.

Joe is Chief Culture Officer at Premier, where he partners with the CEO, the Executive Team, and other stakeholders across the company. His role is to enhance and formalize a mission-driven culture of equal opportunity, high performance, and belonging. Joe has served in senior HR positions over the past 30+ years. His new book, Own Thy Stuff: The Continuous  Improvement Journey to Becoming an Extraordinary Human Being,  captures his most important insights and lessons from life and work:

You’ll discover:

• Why “owning your stuff” creates trust and credibility
• How to support team members experiencing grief with compassion, not fixes
• A simple mindset shift that transforms assumptions into clarity
• Practices for increasing presence and reducing distraction
• The difference between mentoring and sponsoring—and why both matter

Watch the episode:

Connect with Joe

Joe’s Resources

Website

Joe’s employer, Premier Inc.

Book

Own Thy Stuff: The Continuous Improvement Journey to Becoming an Extraordinary Human Being 

What if the most powerful thing you could do as a leader is to see greatness in others that they can’t see in themselves? That’s the philosophy that has guided Ken Crenshaw, longtime Director of Sports Medicine and Performance for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Drawing on values learned from his small-town ranch upbringing and a pivotal mentor in high school, Ken has built a leadership approach centered on service, humility, and love. His stories remind you that even the simplest principles, when applied consistently, can transform lives and teams.

In this conversation, you’ll hear how Ken integrates self-awareness, vulnerability, and authentic listening into his work with athletes and staff. He explains how culture is a living, breathing force that requires daily care, and why crucial conversations rooted in love are essential for growth. Whether you lead a business, a sports team, or a family, Ken’s wisdom will inspire you to slow down, listen deeply, and commit to helping others reach their full potential.

You’ll discover:

• How a high school coach’s tough love shaped Ken’s leadership philosophy.
• Why self-awareness and feedback are game-changers for leaders.
• The role vulnerability plays in accelerating personal and professional growth.
• Practical ways to build a culture rooted in love, trust, and shared purpose.
• How to recognize and call out the hidden potential in others.

Watch the episode:

Website

Arizona Diamondbacks

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230: Trust & Inspire: Unleash Greatness in Others

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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338: The Inner Shift That Changes Everything

209: Why Paying Attention Is the Start Point of Emotional Intelligence

What if your introverted nature wasn’t a limitation but a powerful strength in leadership? Dr. Nicole Bryan shares her personal journey as an introverted leader, debunking common misunderstandings and myths about introversion and highlighting its unique strengths. She emphasizes that introversion is not about being shy but about deriving energy from internal sources, which can be a powerful asset in leadership roles. Nicole’s insights offer a fresh perspective on how introverts can thrive in professional settings.

She also provides practical advice on how introverts can effectively navigate networking and professional challenges without compromising their natural strengths. Whether you’re an introverted leader seeking growth or a manager looking to foster a more inclusive team culture, this episode offers valuable insights and strategies to help you succeed.

Nicole is a certified leadership career coach, organizational consultant, and psychotherapist. She’s spent over 25 years helping introverted women define their own success, lead with confidence, expertly navigate company politics, and secure their executive seat to maximize their income, influence, and impact. She founded TheChangeDoc, LLC, for ambitious women looking to leave a legacy through their leadership. Nicole’s programs integrate psychology, key business principles, organizational behavior, and decades of real-world experience as a corporate executive to empower introverted women to make a difference, lead bolder, and create positive change for themselves, their teams, and the world.

You’ll discover:

• Common myths about introversion
• Strategies for introverts to excel in networking
• The importance of valuing diverse communication styles
• How to create inclusive environments for introverts
• Practical tools for understanding team dynamics

Watch the episode:

Connect with Dr. Nicole Bryan

Dr. Nicole Bryan’s Resources

Websites

The Change Doc

Leading Her Way Podcast

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

Have you ever felt like certain patterns in your life keep repeating, no matter how much you try to change? Rich Habets shares the concept of “scripts”—deeply ingrained, unconscious behaviors shaped by past experiences that influence how we see ourselves and interact with the world. By recognizing and rewriting these scripts, we can break free from limiting beliefs and create more empowering, fulfilling experiences in both our personal and professional lives.

We also explore the power of conscious choice—how shifting from “getting from” to “bringing to” transforms the way we approach relationships, work, and everyday moments. Rich’s stories from his new book, Being Your Own Authority, illustrate how mindfulness and self-awareness allow us to step into our own authority. If you’re ready to embrace self-discovery, cultivate trust, and align your actions with your values, this episode will leave you inspired to take the next step on your journey.

Rich is a former executive turned coach and strategist who has spent over 25 years working with leaders, founders, and organizations worldwide. Rich has helped thousands of individuals and businesses break free from limiting patterns and create powerful transformations. He specializes in leadership, mindset shifts, and game-changing strategies that help individuals and organizations solve intractable problems by being fully themselves and dismantling the stories that have held them back.

You’ll discover:

• How unconscious “scripts” shape your decisions and how to identify them
• The transformative power of shifting from “getting from” to “bringing to” in everything you do
• Why self-awareness and mindfulness are essential for personal growth
• Why taking a stand for your values builds trust and authenticity
• Practical ways to step into your personal power and create new possibilities

Watch the episode:

Connect with Rich

Rich’s Resources

Website

Richard Habets

Book

Being Your Own Authority

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228: Start Within to Change Your World

Have you ever noticed how two people can experience the same event but walk away with entirely different perspectives?

In this episode, I share a striking contrast between two individuals on a birdwatching trip.

Their reactions caused me to reflect on how our attitudes shape our experiences and the energy we bring to those around us.

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:

• How your words and reactions influence those around you
• The key mindset shift that leads to greater joy and connection
• How to become more intentional about the perspective you bring to every situation
• A simple yet powerful way to enhance your leadership and relationships

Watch the episode:

Connect with Meredith

Meredith’s Resources

Website

Grow Strong Leaders

Books

Connect with Your Team: Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Peer Coaching Made Simple

If you’ve ever gone through a major transition from one career path to another that’s totally unfamiliar, you may have felt disoriented and unsure of your identity. That often happens to college and professional athletes when they leave the sport that’s been a central part of their identity.

This episode’s guest, Jay Dixon, specializes in helping these athletes discover how they can transfer the skills they already have to the business world. You’re going to hear ideas that you can apply to your own role as a leader.

Jay is an expert at the intersection of sports and business. He was a student-athlete at the University of Nevada, where he played football. Since then, he’s cofounded three companies and consulted or participated in more than 50 transactions. After these experiences, Jay started an elite accelerator for athletes called SuccessCoach.com. It blends the mindset strategies of elite CEOs and an actionable playbook to transition their athletic talents into thriving business ventures.

He’s the author of a new book, After the Game: Bridging the Gap from Winning Athlete to Thriving Entrepreneur. It’s an excellent book for anyone in business.

You’ll discover:

• Jay’s personal journey from athlete to entrepreneur
• The unique strengths athletes have that serve them well in the business world
• Why a growth mindset is the first piece in the 10 mindset elements that Jay teaches
• Tips for optimizing your time and energy
• The distinction between expectations vs agreements

Watch the episode:

Connect with Jay

Jay’s Resources

Website

Success Coach

Book

After the Game: Bridging the Gap from Winning Athlete to Thriving Entrepreneur

I’ve been hosting my podcast for more than five years, since June 2019, and have never done a solo episode. That changes with this episode! Many of my listeners have requested that I share some of my thoughts about leadership, so I’ve decided to devote one episode each month to speaking directly with you.

For this episode, I focused on the topic of character—what it is and two specific areas that show why it’s essential for leadership. My business partner Denny Coates and I have been immersed in this aspect of leadership development for decades, and even more so in the past two years as Denny has worked on his latest book, Grow Strong Character, and the two of us have created content for our new self-paced leadership development program, GSL SkillBuilder.

I’m the co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders, a company that publishes software tools and books to help people build strong relationships at work and at home.

You’ll discover:

• What strong character consists of
• The role of character in leadership
• Why character development strengthens emotional intelligence
• The importance of helping people live into an organization’s core values
• Resources that can help you strengthen your own character

Watch the episode:

Connect with Meredith

Meredith’s Resources

Website

GrowStrongLeaders.com

Books

Connect with Your Team: Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Are you helping each person on your team identify areas where they could level up? Dan Kent is a master of meeting people “where they’re at” and then listening for ways they can build on their strengths to become even more effective. In this rich and immensely practical conversation, you’ll learn specific questions you can use in conversations to discover more about another person’s capabilities and aspirations.

One of Dan’s superpowers is his ability to not only SEE the strengths in others but also articulate them. In this conversation, you’ll learn more about how he does that with his clients. Meredith experienced Dan’s magic first-hand when she was a guest on his podcast, Clearing Obstacles. His introduction beautifully captured her essence and who she aspires to be in the world. You can listen to that conversation HERE.

Dan is the founder and owner of Best Self Coaching, a business coaching company that strengthens and grows businesses by developing the humans involved in them. He’s affectionately known as the “loving butt-kicker” they often need in their lives.

Dan’s method is a natural extension of his affinity for working both sides of the brain. He has degrees in both Accounting and Theatre Arts, almost thirty years in business ownership, and over a decade in Coaching and Consulting. That balanced approach combining left brain and right brain has served him and his clients well.

You’ll discover:

• What Dan does to “meet clients where they’re at”
• The 3 Pillars Dan uses with every client he works with
• How he discovers the growth edges where a client needs to focus their development efforts
• Why everything starts with self-awareness for a leader
• Tips for finding out what your people want most from you

Watch the episode:

Connect with Dan

Dan’s Resources

Websites

Best Self Coaching

Gift

Self-Management part of Clearing Obstacles Roadmap

Do you remember Neo’s choice of the blue pill or the red pill in the movie, The Matrix? Angela Cusack explores this choice in the context of leaders and their ability to decide on the level of integrity they want to have with themselves and with others. It all hinges on the desire to break through illusions that keep us safe and do the work to become more self-aware through deep reflection.

In this important conversation, Angela shares key concepts from her book, Discover The Matrix, Integrity: The True Mark of Leadership. She shares her own journey, as well as some of her clients, in discovering how to “explore the space between.”

Angela is the founder of Igniting Success and she’s often called a company’s secret weapon – she works with C-suite execs & what she does is so transformative that it impacts the entire organization.

She’s a Master Certified Coach and has provided mentor coaching and supervision for coaches over the past 15 years to help them prepare for certification as PCC or MCC.

You’ll discover:

• How the book’s title and contents tie in with the movie, The Matrix
• Why Angela says integrity with self is the starting point of having integrity with others
• What Angela means by “exploring the space between” and why it’s important for leader
• The illusions we can have about ourselves that hold us back
• Why “permission to unzip” is vital to becoming an authentic leader

Watch the episode:

Connect with Angela

Angela’s Resources

Websites

Igniting Success

Angela Cusack

Book

Discover The Matrix, Integrity: The True Mark of Leadership
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Austin Macauley Publishers, & retailers worldwide