Lead the Team (Top 2% of Podcasts) – Details, episodes & analysis

Hundreds of locations burning...

Amber Burke, COO of Burn Boot Camp, faced a crisis—and what happened next will leave you rethinking leadership.

In this episode, you'll uncover Amber’s extraordinary journey through a high-stakes challenge, where vulnerability became her greatest asset.

Discover how she navigated the fallout, rebuilt trust, and transformed a moment of adversity into an opportunity for growth.

You'll also hear how Burn Boot Camp’s (44 States and 360 locations) mission to empower women aligns with Amber’s own leadership philosophy, shaped by her background as a competitive athlete.

This is more than a leadership story—it’s a masterclass in resilience, connection, and creating a culture that lifts everyone higher.

You'll also discover:

✅ What Turns a Crisis into an Opportunity.

✅ A Mission to Empower Women in Fitness.

✅ The Key to High-Performance.

✅ Why Vulnerability Builds Trust.

✅ A Strategy to Navigate Triggers and Stay Healthy on the Go.

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Follow Amber on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-burke-78879010/

Learn More About Burn Boot Camp: https://burnbootcamp.com/

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No Fear = No Growth

Bentina Terry, CEO of Southern Linc and Southern Telecom, shares a pivotal moment that shaped her leadership, including the unexpected power of stepping into the field and leading from the front.

Sometimes executives lean primarily on leading from the...

...boardroom

...spreadsheet

...and the powerpoint

but Bentina challenges that perspective with her own story of facing fear, getting out of her comfort zone, and deeply connecting with front-line leaders.

You'll hear how the results have been incredible!

Her powerful leadership principles and authentic approach will inspire you to embrace fear, challenge your limits, and become the hero in your own career story.

You'll also discover:

✅ How fear can drive success.

✅ How to use boundaries for better leadership.

✅ The power of learning in unfamiliar territory.

Following Bentina on LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentina-chisolm-terry/

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There's an undeniable force that drives success in business...

Legendary CEO David Cote, who transformed Honeywell from a $20 billion to a $120 billion powerhouse, shares his insights on how companies can harness productivity to enhance global standard of living.

With a wealth of experience, Dave shares a compelling answer for why business is the greatest force for good, improving lives and creating opportunities.

He breaks down the essential elements that every leader can focus on to thrive in today's complex landscape.

His strategies can elevate your career, organization, and foster a culture of success including:

📈 How productivity shapes economies and enhances quality of life.

💡 Why cash flexibility is the ultimate shield against uncertainty.

🛠️ The power of simplifying complexity to lead effectively in turbulent times.

🤝 How fostering honesty and transparency builds resilient, high-performing teams.

🔮 Insights into preparing your organization for the challenges of tomorrow.

We even dive into the high-impact actions that very leader needs to navigate today’s complex landscape.

✨ Curious to know what makes a business not just survive but thrive?

🔗 Listen now to uncover lessons that could reshape your leadership journey.

Follow Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmcote/

Dave's Books:

Winning Now, Winning Later: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Now-Later-Companies-Investing/dp/1599510219

How to Be a Leader: https://www.amazon.com/How-Leader-Communication-Resiliency-Creativity/dp/1400343852

Learn more about Vertiv: https://www.vertiv.com/en-emea/

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She became the first female commissioner of the national women's soccer league, then delivered record breaking audiences and doubled league sponsorship revenue.

Get inspired by Lisa Baird, CEO of NextUp, as she shares the common thread that inspired her leadership and accelerated her success.

Rarely to do we get such an insightful glimpse inside a storied and incredible career that also includes:

-CMO of New York Public Radio -  Led the largest independent public radio station in the U.S.

-CMO of the US Olympic Committee - Launched one of the most valuable Olympic brands (Team USA) and led the world's largest National Olympic Committee,

-SVP Marketing and Consumer Products for the NFL.

She also served as a senior leader for IBM, General Motors, and Proctor and Gamble.

She's currently at the helm of NextUp, a 20-year-old organization that brings professional women, allies, and corporate partners together to champion gender equity and advance all women in their careers. They are a powerful, growing community of over 17,000 members and 300+ regional and corporate sponsors.

She’s also currently a Board Member for Cantaloupe, the software and payments company providing end-to-end technology solutions for the unattended retail market.

She previously held board positions at Elite and Fox Racing.

She has a MBA and BA for Penn State University where she also received the Distinguished Alumni Award, which is the University's highest honor presented to its alumni.

LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-baird-4b91991/

Company Link: http://nextupisnow.org/

What You’ll Discover in this Episode:

How She Become the First Female Commissioner of the National Women's Soccer League.

Build the Country’s First Sports Bubble During the Pandemic.

The Story of How her Mettle was Tested.

Why Leaders MUST Declare their Vision.

The Tip She Used to Negotiate Multi-Million Dollar Sponsorship Deals.

How She Developed the “Team USA” Brand.

$1 Billion in Sponsorship Revenue - How She Did It.

The Key to Her Greatest Marketing Campaign.

What She Learned as an NPR Executive.

The Leadership Trait that Opened Up BIG Career Doors.

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There’s a Packaging Leader Revolutionizing the Supply Chain.

Get inspired by this incredible message from Wes Carter, President of Atlantic Packaging, the largest, privately held industrial packaging company in North America. 

He reveals the defining moment that sparked a revolutionary shift towards environmental impact and sustainability.

Leading a transformative movement, Wes propelled this third-generation family business to change the world, with a groundbreaking 8-part documentary on Amazon Prime capturing their journey. His visionary leadership is shaping the industry's path towards a more positive future.

He is also Founder of A New Earth Project, a strategic collaboration between the packaging supply chain and the outdoor industry to rid the world's oceans, lakes and rivers of plastic pollution.

LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-carter-32a7a5b/

Company Link: https://www.atlanticpkg.com/

His Amazon Series…Journey to a New Earth: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-New-Earth-Season-1/dp/B0BZYTGB8W

What You’ll Discover in this Episode:

How He Discovered his Unique Leadership Style.

What It’s Like Pivoting a Third Generation company.

How to Use Work to Express Your Strengths and Passion.

Why his Packaging Company is Perfectly Positioned for Global Impact.

How They Became a Major Catalyst for Revolutionizing the Supply Chain.

The Key to Long-term and Short-term Performance.

How Wes is Making the Surfboard Industry Sustainable.

What Inspired His New Amazon Prime Series and How it's Changing the World.

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EVER HEARD “TIME IS MONEY”?

Vinay Nadig, Chief Strategy Officer of Simplify Healthcare, shares why this isn't always true and in fact it can weaken results and increase cost.

He definitely convinced me!

You'll love the story he shares about this lesson he learned 35 years ago, and it still informs his leadership today.

It’s easy to get caught up in going so fast to “deliver results” that we never consider the real problem. Vinay shares the risks and provides a powerful alternative for you and your team to boost performance the right way.

Simplify Healthcare is a cloud based SaaS company, whose products solve complex problems at health insurers in North America.  

He has spent over 20 years, both serving as a leader inside health insurance companies as well as a Partner at healthcare consulting companies, driving innovation, cost optimization and growth.

He gets the most satisfaction from the team members he has served and supported as they grew to be leaders themselves and achieved and surpassed their goals.  He is deeply invested in making the people around him successful and watches their career growth with great pleasure.

Vinay emigrated from India to the USA, on Jan 1st 1990 and has authored a book called Leadership IS for Everyone - 20 Leadership Secrets for Exceptional Outcomes and Fulfillment at Work.

LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/iam-vinay-nadig/

Company Link: https://simplifyhealthcare.com/

What You’ll Discover in this Episode:

How His Team Responded After He Grew the Ultimate Beard.

His Last $7 and the Unforeseen Turnaround.

The One Tip That Helps Anyone Lead.

The Downside of “Fast”.

“Business Results” vs “Outcome” - The Vital Difference.

Quotes:

“Excellence always starts from the small things”

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Are you innovating?

Well here's a dose of inspiration from James Walker, CEO of Frisch's Restaurants, who shares his personal strategy that’s driven his success across so many high-profile restaurants like:

Subway (where he oversaw their 28,000 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada)

Nathan’s Famous

Johnny Rockets

BajaFresh

Cinnabon

... and more!

Now he's innovating Frisch's, a 75-year-old American Comfort Food, Casual Theme Restaurant brand, famous for its “Big Boy®” burgers.

His approach can be applied to any company and industry, and you can use it to unlock the potential within your team and organization.

He's also been recognized for his innovative leadership by being awarded the President’s “E” Award by President Obama for Excellence in Furthering American Business Internationally. 

He has an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business School at Duke. He’s also completed courses at Harvard, MIT, Yale, Johnson and Wales, Emmanuel College, and the New England Culinary Institute.

LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwalkermobile/

Personal Website: https://linktr.ee/jwalkermobile 

Company Link: https://www.frischs.com/ 

What You’ll Discover in this Episode:

Why He Continues to Pursue an Ivy League Education

His Greatest Restaurant Innovation

The Innovation he Led at Nathan’s Famous Hotdogs

35% Sales Increase - The Johnny Rockets Innovation

What “Bad Toast” Taught Him about Leadership

Overseeing 28,000 Subways - The Biggest Thing He Learned

Advice for CEOs on Social Media

What It’s Like Receiving an Award from a US President

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Did You Know ESPORTS is Forging Leaders?

Jon Chapman is CEO of PlayVS, the top amateur esports platform.

In the virtual arenas of competition leaders are honing the skills necessary to not only dominate the gaming world but also emerge as influential leaders in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Esports is creating the next generation of leaders, where strategic brilliance, teamwork, and resilience are the new currency of success.

This is the future (and the NOW).

You need a plan to leverage esports for your leadership, recruiting, and employee engagement!

Jon was co-founder of EVERFI, which he led to a $750M exit in 2021. Now he’s taking his deep education industry roots and applying them to one of the fastest growing industries today: esports.

LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-chapman-3513aa2/

Company Link: https://www.playvs.com/

What You’ll Discover in this Episode:

What Inspired Jon to Join PlayVs.

5 Vital Things that Leaders Get from esports.

Esports that Boosts Performance on the Field/Court.

Esports Achievements that are Popping Up on LinkedIn Profiles.

What Strengthens Remote Working Performance.

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EVER PLAYED TETRIS?

You’ll be inspired by Tetris Founder, Henk Rogers, who shares his incredible story and the powerful lessons he learned along the way… including negotiating incredible deals against all odds with the Soviet Union and Nintendo, and even facing a massive heart attack.

Tetris is the most popular video game in history with over $520M in sales and billions of sessions played every year. It’s even made it into the common vernacular for when you’re packing the  car or seeing how many people you can fit as “playing Tetris".

Henk created the first role playing game in Japan early on then discovered Tetris at a tradeshow.  He eventually adventured behind the Iron Curtain to Moscow to get the Tetris rights and made it into a worldwide cultural phenomena, which 30 years later remains a bestseller and global icon of gaming culture. 

He’s since founded Blue Planet Energy to put Hawaii on the path to 100% Renewable Energy by 2045.

His storied life has been so incredible there's been a movie made about him called Tetris.

LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/henkrogers/

Company Link: https://www.blueplanetenergy.com/

What You’ll Discover in this Episode:

Mastering the Art of Building Powerful Relationships: The Nintendo Connection

Tetris: The Unlikely Global Phenomenon and Its Rapid Spread

The Story Behind a “Game-Changing” Deal

Game Boy and Tetris: A Match Made in Gaming Heaven

Negotiation Lessons from the Soviet Union

How to Respond When Hollywood Makes a Move about Your Life.

Surviving a Massive Heart Attack and the The Wake Up Call

His New Mission to Fix Climate Change

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CEO's Build Trust AT SCALE.

A dose of inspiration from Pascal Houdayer, Founder and CEO of Orveon, a collective of premium and prestige beauty brands committed to stark honesty, co-creation, and making a sustainable cultural impact. 

It seems impossible to build trust with thousands of employees especially when they’re located all over the world.

BUT, if you can…

…it becomes an incredibly powerful competitive advantage.

Pascal shares how he inspires trust with employees from their very first day forward. He’s honed his strategy from his executive level experience at Procter and Gamble and Henkel. 

This turns out to be effective with any team of any size.

If you’ve ever wondered how to fast track trust with your team then this interview is for you!

LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-houdayer-1b3220/

Company Link: http://orveonglobal.com/

What You’ll Discover in this Episode:

• What He Learned Serving in the French Air Force.
• His Strategy that Builds Trust with 2,000 Employees.
• Why the CEO MUST become THE Social Architect.
• The Power of Connecting with Frontline Leaders.
• Why Orveon is Changing the Industry.
• Why It’s Vital to have “Skin in the Game’ as Leader.
• Saying “No” to Work-Life Balance.
• An Unexpected Twist that Led to his Growth.

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