You started this business to lead. Somewhere along the way, the business started leading you instead.
The Modern CEO Podcast with Amber McCue is where that stops, and growth gets a plan. Real strategy, sustainable systems, and the kind of leadership conversations that help you step fully into your role as the CEO your business needs.
Your season of growth is already underway. You're right on time.
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You're making more than ever, yet somehow it still feels tight. You're not alone, and there are a few tweaks you can make to get a handle on this.
In this episode, we're tracing exactly where money disappears as a business grows: the subscriptions you forgot about, the contractor costs that crept up, the expenses that started feeling "normal" but really aren't. Plus, how to spot your own money leaks without becoming a CFO or living in a spreadsheet.
If you've ever looked at your revenue and thought "this should feel better than it does," this episode is for you.
Where 6-Figure Business Owners Lose Money Behind the Scenes
Episode 151
Thursday, July 23, 2026 • Duration 05:39
You hit six or seven figures and expected to feel the shift. More revenue, more breathing room, right? Wrong. Instead, the money felt like it just... disappeared somewhere between the invoice and your bank account. Sound familiar?
In this episode, we're talking about the invisible revenue leaks draining profit from businesses that should feel more financially solid than they do. From unpaid "invisible work" that quietly eats your margins, to inefficient systems that cost you every single time, to how to restructure without blowing up client relationships — this one is practical and eye-opening.
If your revenue is growing but your bank account doesn't feel like it, start here.
Why You're the Bottleneck in Your Business (And How to Fix It)
Thursday, February 5, 2026 • Duration 24:17
Are you dangerously close to becoming the bottleneck in your own business?
Recorded while walking through Zagreb (because I was literally about to become the bottleneck myself), this episode breaks down how to tell if you're holding up your own progress and what to do about it.
What We Cover:
→ The signs you're becoming the bottleneck (hint: it's because you care too much, not too little)
→ The $1 bill vs. $100 bill framework for prioritizing your time
→ Three systems that stop the bottleneck before it starts
→ The responsiveness trap and how it trains you to become the answer person
→ Why meetings beat message marathons
→ Creating decision-making frameworks so your team knows what they own
The Bottom Line:
You're not removing yourself from your business. You're removing yourself from the noise so you can focus on what compounds value.
💬 What's one thing bottlenecked at your desk right now? Drop it in the comments.
🔗Connect: ambermccue.com | @ambermccue on Instagram
Episode 56: How to Create an Irresistible Online Course Offer!
Thursday, September 30, 2021 • Duration 46:31
Did you know that the online course market has been exploding over the last few years?
More people than ever are open and eager to invest in learning from the comfort of their own couch — and smart business owners are learning how to create offers that can't be ignored.
My guest for this episode is the incredible Gemma Bonham-Carter, who helps her clients simplify the heck out of growing an online course business and create email and funnel strategies for daaaaays!
Gemma has a ton of experience in creating digital programs, both live launches and evergreen offers — and she's not shy about sharing what works… and what doesn't.
Here's the skinny:
You do NOT need to have your course created to start selling it.
You do NOT need to have mastered the ins and outs of a fancy teaching platform to run your first course.
Your LIVE launches will always have a greater conversion rate than your evergreen offers.
"There's a lot of noise in the online space… you need to craft offers that are truly irresistible and really highly sellable," Gemma says. "There's some things that people need to be doing to make sure that theirs stand out in the marketplace."
If you've been thinking about creating an online course, you will definitely want to hear Gemma share the lessons she's learned (and taught her own clients!) and find out your best next steps!
(Bonus: Gemma shares some mind-blowing examples of ways to make your offer completely irresistible!!)
In my latest podcast episode, you'll discover:
The first steps that you should take when you're thinking about creating an online course
How to work up to charging high-ticket prices for your offers (get that money!!)
What you need to know RIGHT NOW to create an offer that will sell out!
Episode 55: Learn to Silence Your Inner Critic (and Make Some Noise!)
Thursday, September 23, 2021 • Duration 41:56
Are you working towards a big, shiny, amazing goal this year?
Or is there a change that you've been wanting to make in your life… but you're just not sure how to move from 'dream' to 'reality'?
Then you're going to want to meet Andrea Owen!
Andrea is a brilliant life coach who helps individuals and companies succeed, thrive, and empower themselves — and she's written three books on how to own your strength and feel amazing while doing it!
Andrea's latest book, Make Some Noise: Speak Your Mind and Own Your Strength (um, a must-read!) is a personal development manifesto designed to help women find their voice, zero in on their goals, and make some serious changes in order to live a life that's in alignment with their dreams and values.
In other words, it's the perfect bedtime reading for the Modern CEO.
What does "making noise" look like? It can be anything from setting kind but firm boundaries, to discovering and following your truth, to learning how to speak up and speak out. Check out the episode to learn how to identify and challenge your own inner critic, move along the path of change, and shake off the harmful beliefs of hustle culture!
How Andrea made her way from earning her coaching certification to becoming a respected author and speaker
The top shame triggers, how they're gendered, and how to heal from the wounds caused by your inner critic
The importance of reconsidering your priorities and how you define "success"
Remember to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher!
Episode 54: The First 3 Systems You Need to Implement to Scale
Thursday, September 16, 2021 • Duration 43:38
How do you set yourself up for growth and success from the very start of your business?
You have to learn to let go of a LOT of things!
(If you've already been in the game for a while, remember — you can have a fresh start any time you want!)
Online Business Manager extraordinaire Sarah Noked helps entrepreneurs and online service professionals plan and implement the systems that help them achieve (and exceed!) their goals.
I LOVE talking to Sarah, because as an OBM, she has some amazing insights into all aspects of growing a business online — from hiring to scaling to creating effective systems.
Our conversation was genuine, real, and we covered it alllll.
One thing Sarah shared that stood out to me is that many of her clients bump up against mindset challenges.
Even if you offer an amazing service and have an engaged audience, your mindset can still hold you back from taking the steps you need to take in order to scale with less stress.
"I find a lot of the time, my clients don't really recognize the importance of having a manager in place to manage whole parts of systems in their business," Sarah says. "I don't know where I would be without my OBM on my team… I find people have a lot of money mindset issues, almost like 'Am I deserving of this team member? Am I deserving to have a successfully scaled business that is supported by the right people in the right seats?'"
My friend, I'm here to tell you right now, you are100%deserving of that business!
So, let's get you on the road to growth!
In my latest podcast episode, you'll discover:
The first things you want to delegate when you're growing and scaling your business
How to handle your hiring process in your virtual workspace (and what to do when it isn't a fit)
Episode 53: It's here! Our most comprehensive online program ever!
Thursday, September 9, 2021 • Duration 28:20
Like a lot of people, I've taken a bit of time this year to really think about my content… and I decided to do a bit of a revamp!
(You know I love to keep things fresh!)
I did some organizing. I did some reworking. I took some pizza breaks. And then I did some finetuning. And at the end of it all, I'm SO thrilled to be able to offer a new experience called The Modern CEO.
This program takes everything you need to know from my past programs and bundles it up into a fabulously comprehensive package covering everything from leadership to client success.
As you can probably guess, my team and I are very happy with it.
But just because an offer is amazing, that doesn't mean that the enrollment process will be smooth sailing!
Among other things, we had to deal with the new iOS changes that have greatly affected the impact of digital advertising.
It took a little bit of fail-proofing, but we made it work! Want to learn how? You're going to have to hit play, my friend!
In my latest podcast episode, you'll discover:
The three core books that make up The Modern CEO (and why they offer SO much value)
How we dealt with the new iOS changes impacting Facebook advertising
The goals we set for 2021 in both of my businesses (and whether we reached them)!
Remember to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher!
Highlights:
00:31 Grab a cup of coffee!
03:34 Keeping things fresh
04:57 Introducing The Modern CEO
06:15 Program evolutions & lessons
Minisode 10: Are your sales and marketing efforts missing this one thing?
Monday, June 14, 2021 • Duration 02:53
Hey there, if you are selling something or have a change that you wanna create an impact with your community and with your audience, this is the Right On Time Minisode for you.
I learned about this philosophy and this principle back when I was working in organizational change management. This is the idea of what's in it for me?
When we are trying to create change in large groups or in organizations, one of the things we wanna think about is of course what is relevant and why do we want this change for the greater good, but also how does this change benefit individuals?
Hence, the name what's in it for me? We put ourselves in the position of the individual and we think through what is in it for that person. Why is this change that we're creating for the broader community good for the individual as well? The same thing applies when we are creating our sales and our marketing conversations.
We wanna put ourselves in the space of that individual. We wanna think like they're thinking, we wanna step into that person's shoes and we wanna think, what's in it for you? What's in it for me? What's in it for the person that we're speaking to? Because this is what matters.
Yes, we are tied to creating change for the broader community and for the greater good but we wanna tie it back to what is happening for the individual. Because it doesn't mean that the individual is only thinking about what's in it for me and only cares about themselves, though, when we're making rapid decisions every day our brain goes to space where we're thinking, how's this gonna work for me?
What's going to change for me? Why do I need this? Why do I want this?
We go through these quick assessments and when you can clearly communicate to someone, yes, what's in it for the greater good, but what's in it for you as an individual as well, we can make decisions much faster. And when we're thinking about why clients buy from you, this is a critical thing to think through.
Let me know if you resonate with this, what's in it for me strategy or what has also sometimes turned as the WIFM, W-I-F-M for a quick abbreviation to throw a little jargon in there. And assess your marketing materials, assess the way you are connecting with your audience.
Episode 52: 6 Things That Modern CEOs Just Do Differently
Thursday, June 10, 2021 • Duration 20:44
Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur or a modern CEO?
(No, this isn't a trick question!)
Both entrepreneurs and modern CEOs are running their own businesses. Both entrepreneurs and modern CEOs are in positions of leadership over their teams. But there are a few important differences.
Modern CEOs are embracing a different way of leading and doing business. Some of them, you may already be doing. Some of them… just might take you by surprise!
Modern CEOs aren't tied down to a specific location — they have the freedom to live and work from wherever they want.
Modern CEOs define what it means to win in their business.
Modern CEOs carve out time to see the big picture in their business… and zero in on exactly what they need to build on next in order to move their business forward.
Because, importantly, the modern CEO mindset is focused on growth and opportunity.
This means being able to look at a misstep or mistake and see it as a valuable lesson that you can use to drive growth. It means having a definite vision for what you want to create… but being agile enough to adapt to what's going on in the market. It means being savvy about digital marketing so that you're reaching your people where they are… with the messaging they need to hear. And this means knowing when to pull in the experts, rather than doing All The Things yourself.
And the best part is — no matter what stage you're at in your business, from start-up to scale-up, you can elevate into the role of modern CEO.
Episode 51: The Sad Truth About the 24/7 Hustle Movement
Thursday, June 3, 2021 • Duration 19:32
I have some real talk for you right now.
And it may sound far-fetched and you may feel just a little bit of resistance to hearing it, but here it comes: People making 10x more than you… aren't working 10x harder.
I know that goes against the Instagram 'Hustle' mindset you're so used to seeing. It goes against everything your parents said about working as hard as you can. It goes against the societal belief that you have to be actively working and busy all… the… time… in order to be deserving of wealth.
But it's 100% true.
People making 10x more than you aren't working 10x harder. And "busy" is not the badge of honor that everyone thinks it is.
All of the leaders and modern CEOs that I admire have time and space for themselves and the people they care about, because they build that space into their business. Vacations… evenings… maybe even a spa afternoon here or there.
And you can too.
There is a design that goes into leading and growing a business like yours, in a way that allows you to have financial success and time freedom.
Yes, you will still have moments of hustle — launch preparation, seasonal rushes, putting out the occasional fire. But your hustle should never be 24/7, no matter what those slick pink Insta posts tell you!
No-grinding, balance-creating, super-successful modern CEOs just do things differently — and we can learn a lot from their choices.
And guess what: you can learn three of their lessons right here, right now!
Remember to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher!
Highlights:
01:32 Meet Gemma!
02:59 Gemma's life philosophy
04:54 Multiple revenue streams
07:17 Getting into real estate
09:32 Knowing *everything* in your business
10:44 Gemma's online business
11:49 First steps to creating your online course
14:59 Bakery online course story
16:52 Launch without a teaching platform
19:05 Strategy sessions
20:42 Gemma's first evergreen course
26:07 Most successful evergreen funnel
28:54 Evergreen v live conversion rates
32:13 Scheduling your year
34:25 How many people should you serve?
35:04 What do you need to know right now?
36:54 How to make your offer irresistible
Thank you for listening! Want more information and tips? Bookmark ambermccue.com/blog and follow Amber on Instagram: @AmberMcCue
Are you sharing enough about what is in it for the individual you are speaking to? Or are you thinking too high-level, too big picture?
If not, let's bring it down. Let's bring it back to what is good for the person you are speaking to, how you're serving them, how you're helping them, how you're helping them move past problems faster.
It's you're WIFM.
Highlights:
[00:12] Philosophy and principle in organizational change management.
[00:21] What's in it for me?
[00:33] "What is relevant and why do we want this change for the greater good, but also how does this change benefit individuals?"
[00:56] "The same thing applies when we are creating our sales and our marketing conversations.
[01:18] What matters
[01:26] "Tie it back to what is happening for the individual"
[01:49] Quick assessments
[01:52] To make faster decisions
[02:11] What's in it for me strategy - WIFM
[02:29] "Are you sharing enough about what is in it for the individual you are speaking to? Or are you thinking too high-level, too big picture?"
In my latest podcast episode, you'll discover:
What pancake flipping has to do with being a modern CEO — and what it teaches us about opportunity
The trait you need to develop in order to turn that beautiful business vision of yours into reality
Why your numbers are SO MUCH MORE than your bank balance — and how they can help you improve your business
Remember to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher!
Highlights:
00:56 What is a modern CEO?
02:29 Set up for success as a modern CEO
03:21 Flipping the pancake
05:11 Vision + adaptability
07:38 Digital marketing
08:52 Bring in the experts!
11:37 Take responsibility for your numbers
16:55 The holistic view
18:12 Design your life
19:55 The Modern CEO Way
Thank you for listening! Want more information and tips? Bookmark ambermccue.com/blog and follow Amber on Instagram: @AmberMcCue
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