Future-proof your leadership with High Octane Leadership, a place where business leaders—whether by title or aspiration—share cheat codes for unlocking workplace excellence, lessons learned along the way, and insider tips for future generations of next-level professionals. With a career rooted in building people and businesses, Donald Thompson is an award-winning CEO, speaker, and author who empowers leaders to scale with purpose. Over the last 25 years, he has helped startups and enterprises alike drive cultural change, unlock performance, and deliver exceptional results through strategic leadership.
Find him on LinkedIn, and listen here to learn how you can become future-proof too.
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How to Win in the AI Era with Lawyer James Forrest
Épisode 176
jeudi 18 décembre 2025 • Durée 43:01
Building a scalable business without burning yourself out may seem like a dream. The latest episode of High Octane Leadership with Donald Thompson proves that it doesn’t have to be.
Tune in as we sit down with James Forrest, a renowned attorney and entrepreneur, to explore why listening to your clients matters more than talking and how building genuine relationships accelerates business growth like nothing else. Plus, the critical strategies for navigating M&A transactions, embracing AI without losing your competitive edge and creating sustainable success without burning out.
This conversation serves as a much needed reminder that balancing ambition with intentionality transforms not just your career, but your life.
High Performance Leadership in the Age of AI: Building Self Aware Teams and Meaningful Workplaces
Épisode 175
jeudi 4 décembre 2025 • Durée 27:56
Discover how AI is reshaping meaningful work and leadership in this powerful conversation with industry experts Bob Batchelor and Jackie Ferguson. Together, they provide practical strategies for creating self aware leadership, fostering psychological safety, and implementing AI effectively across organizations of all sizes.
Whether you're leading a startup or a Fortune 500 company, gain valuable perspective on building high performing teams through meaningful work and intentional leadership development.
Turning Personal Insight into Collective Team Brilliance | Emily Best
Épisode 166
jeudi 17 juillet 2025 • Durée 54:59
Transforming workplace learning and leadership through the power of storytelling and shared experiences.In this episode of High Octane Leadership, I connect with Emily Best, founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, to explore how her company is revolutionizing both creative funding and corporate learning through Film Forward, an innovative platform that uses short films to drive meaningful behavioral change and team development.What You'll Learn:- How to transform psychological safety from concept to practice through specific behavioral frameworks- Why traditional online learning fails to build team cohesion and how shared experiences drive lasting change- The critical difference between empowerment and actually understanding power dynamics in the workplace- How women leaders can navigate workplace expectations without falling into the "comfort provider" trap
High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO’S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.
Racial Unrest, White Privilege, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A 2020 Compilation Episode
Épisode 55
mardi 20 octobre 2020 • Durée 33:25
Today we’re going to give you something a little bit different. As we listen to this podcast, themes tend to pop up. DT and his guests talk about leadership, entrepreneurship, investing and handling the stress and chaos of normal life. But 2020 has been anything but normal. In March, COVID-19 put us all on a two week pause, a pause that has now lasted 33 weeks with no end in sight. In May, the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests throughout the United States amplified the systemic racism our country has faced since its inception. This episode is a compilation of some of the conversations that DT has had with his guests about racism, white privilege, diversity, equity, and inclusion. You'll hear from:Sonya Hopson, CEO of HIRE Strategies (Full Episode with Sonya)Ashlyn Sanders, CEO of Neurovice (Full Episode with Ashlyn)Jen Hoverstad, Community Engagement at Kay Yow Foundation (Full Episode with Jen)Akinwole Garrett, Director of Global Strategic Alliances at Lenovo (Full Episode with Aki)Gary Salamido, CEO, NC Chamber (Full Episode with Gary)Anson Dorrance, UNC Women's Soccer Head Coach (Full Episode with Coach)Kendrall Felder, Global Head of Centralized Services at Cisco (Full Episode with Kendrall)Tim Humphrey, VP Chief Data Office, IBM (Full Episode with Tim)Joe Bunn, Bunn DJ Company (Full Episode with Joe)Cicero Leak, TLS Agency (Full Episode with TLS)
The Donald Thompson Podcast is hosted by Walk West CEO, mentor, investor, and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant Donald Thompson.
Music for this episode provided by Jensen Reed from his song, “You Can’t Stop Me”.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is edited and produced by Earfluence. For more on how to engage your community or build your personal brand through podcasting, visit Earfluence.com.
High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.
Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO’S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.
Levitate's Jesse Lipson LIVE
Épisode 54
jeudi 15 octobre 2020 • Durée 58:29
This episode is a replay of a special live edition of the Donald Thompson Podcast. Don had a chance to talk with Levitate’s Jesse Lipson, and we shared it on Facebook Live, twitter, and Youtube. On the show, Jesse shares advice for entrepreneurs based on his experience in running Sharefile – which he bootstrapped and sold to Citrix for almost a hundred million dollars – and his experience running his new company, Levitate.
We’ll be doing more of these live episodes, so be sure to check out Donald Thompson on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any social media platform, and sign up for his newsletter as well at DonaldThompson.com/newsletter.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is hosted by Walk West CEO, mentor, investor, and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant Donald Thompson.
Music for this episode provided by Jensen Reed from his song, “You Can’t Stop Me”.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is edited and produced by Earfluence. For more on how to engage your community or build your personal brand through podcasting, visit Earfluence.com.
High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.
Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO’S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.
Leadership Through Racial Unrest, with IBM's Tim Humphrey
Épisode 53
mercredi 7 octobre 2020 • Durée 47:11
Tim Humphrey is the VP of the Chief Data Office at IBM. As a high ranking executive at a Fortune 50 company, Tim has a unique perspective on what employers need to provide in a time of social and racial unrest.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is hosted by Walk West CEO, mentor, investor, and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant Donald Thompson.
Music for this episode provided by Jensen Reed from his song, “You Can’t Stop Me”.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is edited and produced by Earfluence. For more on how to engage your community or build your personal brand through podcasting, visit Earfluence.com.
High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.
Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO’S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.
Joe Bunn on Building an Empire, and Being Willing to Lose It All
Épisode 52
mercredi 30 septembre 2020 • Durée 41:43
DJ Joe Bunn was recently featured in the New York Times with the headline, "Some Wedding Vendors Face Fallout After Speaking Up on Social Issues." He never speaks up on politics, but in the case of Black Lives Matter, it wasn't about politics - he felt a pull to do what is right. And he wasn't concerned about the consequences to the empire he has spent 20+ years to build.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is hosted by Walk West CEO, mentor, investor, and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant Donald Thompson.
Music for this episode provided by Jensen Reed from his song, “You Can’t Stop Me”.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is edited and produced by Earfluence. For more on how to engage your community or build your personal brand through podcasting, visit Earfluence.com.
High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.
Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO’S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.
Life of Pie: How family inspired Slice Pie Company's Kristen Mullins to chase her dream
Épisode 51
mardi 22 septembre 2020 • Durée 28:08
Kristen Mullins from Slice Pie Company has been all over the place - on MSN, USA Today, on Startup Stage, Cary Magazine 2020 Movers and Shakers, winning Blue Ribbons at the NC State Fair...just everywhere. On today's show, find out how it all started, and what inspired Kristen to leave her comfortable life of being in Corporate America and take a risk on herself. Also, Kristen has recently been knocked down - with the pandemic and then the downtown Raleigh riots that damaged her popup shops - so how has she stayed positive through all of that?
The Donald Thompson Podcast is hosted by Walk West CEO, mentor, investor, and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant Donald Thompson.
Music for this episode provided by Jensen Reed from his song, “You Can’t Stop Me”.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is edited and produced by Earfluence. For more on how to engage your community or build your personal brand through podcasting, visit Earfluence.com.
High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.
Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO’S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.
Brand Loyalty and Hustle: Lessons Learned Working in the NBA, NFL, and MLB, with Jarrett Nobles
Épisode 50
mercredi 16 septembre 2020 • Durée 33:37
See if you can follow this career path. Jarrett Nobles has gone from legendary DeMatha High to FAMU to event planning to Edward Jones to the Houston Astros to Duke MBA to a startup to the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Chargers, and some other stops along the way. He's moved 10 times (10!) since graduating high school. Jarrett is all about the hustle, actively helping his network, and building brand loyalty for his team, his clients, and his connections.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is hosted by Walk West CEO, mentor, investor, and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant Donald Thompson.
Music for this episode provided by Jensen Reed from his song, “You Can’t Stop Me”.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is edited and produced by Earfluence. For more on how to engage your community or build your personal brand through podcasting, visit Earfluence.com.
High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.
Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO’S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.
Losing a Job, Finding Entrepreneurship, with Courtney Canfield
Épisode 49
mardi 8 septembre 2020 • Durée 48:54
In April 2020, Courtney Canfield saw a layoff coming a mile away. Like many, she lost her job because of COVID-19. But instead of sitting around, Courtney made something out of nothing - and now she's running a successful business while becoming a pet influencer (yes, a pet influencer!). On the show today, Courtney talks to Don about her journey, then starts asking Don questions about how to build a successful marketing agency.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is hosted by Walk West CEO, mentor, investor, and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant Donald Thompson.
Music for this episode provided by Jensen Reed from his song, “You Can’t Stop Me”.
The Donald Thompson Podcast is edited and produced by Earfluence. For more on how to engage your community or build your personal brand through podcasting, visit Earfluence.com.
High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.
Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO’S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.
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