The Seismic Shift with Michelle K. Johnston – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to a whole new year and another truly impactful episode of The Seismic Shift. We’re starting off 2025 strong, talking with serial healthcare entrepreneur, Chantell Preston, all about how to actually achieve that always-elusive work-life integration. Let’s dive in! 

Chantell has been starting her own companies since she was 27 years-old, and in that time she’s learned a thing or two about what it takes to find fulfillment both at work and at home through building connection with the entirety of your employee—not just their work identity or ability to produce results. During her candid conversation with Michelle, Chantell vulnerably shares her own story of finding a work-life integration that fulfilled her, plus the two also talk females in leadership, how they would define personal success, and their best advice for managing your time and priorities in a way that’s life-giving, not draining. 

Chantell’s is a story that will empower you to get up and make your goals happen! Don’t miss this incredible kickoff to a whole new year on The Seismic Shift! 

Learn more about Chantell and her podcast, Get Real, Get Results here: https://chantellpreston.com/. 

CHAPTERS

00:00 Embracing Imposter Syndrome
01:20 Chantell's Entrepreneurial Journey
05:51 Seismic Shifts in Leadership
12:44 Creating Cultures of Connection
18:19 Lessons Learned from Stumbles
21:35 Empowering Female Leaders
24:41 Defining Personal Success
28:40 Managing Time and Priorities

Special thanks to our friend Brian Wayy for the theme music this season!
Track Title: My Hearts On Fire 

How do we find that fire in our belly to do something truly revolutionary with our lives? Silicon Valley disruptor and current CEO of Corent Technology, Feyzi Fatehi, knows a thing or two when it comes to answering that question. For today’s episode of The Seismic Shift, Michelle sits down with Feyzi to take a look at his meteoric rise through some of the world’s top technology companies—outlining the biggest lessons he’s learned along the way. 

From spearheading Hewlett-Packard’s global alliances in his 20s to getting his MBA from Stanford and going on to lead from the C-suite, Feyzi has had a front row seat to the seismic shifts happening in Silicon Valley over the last few decades. Together he and Michelle discuss the evolution of leadership practices in the tech industry, the motivation behind Feyzi’s book—Democratizing SaaS, and his best advice for finding that fire in your belly to do great things with your life and talents. 

Don’t miss this inspiring conversation! 

Purchase Democratizing SaaS here: https://www.corenttech.com/democratizing-saas-testimonials.html. 

CHAPTERS

00:00 Transforming Questions for Better Understanding
01:50 Feyzi Fatehi: A Journey of Meaning and Curiosity
06:09 Cultural Shifts in Silicon Valley Leadership
11:49 From Transactional to Inspirational Leadership
18:03 Democratizing SaaS: A Vision for the Future
24:14 Finding Your Fire: Tips for Success

Special thanks to our friend Brian Wayy for the theme music this season!
Track Title: My Hearts On Fire 

Original Aired Date: 7/13/2022
 

Every leader has their own story behind them, but do they truly own that same story? If we’re going to lead others through connection, we need to prioritize getting connected with ourselves first. To shed light on this central tenet of connective leadership, Michelle is joined by US Assistant Attorney General, Kenneth Polite, who, having grown up in the highly incarcerated lower ninth ward of New Orleans and since risen through the ranks of the US justice system, is an unparalleled voice on the importance of understanding and owning where you came from in order to get where you, and the team you lead, want to go.
 

You can pick up a copy of Michelle Johnston's newest book, The Seismic Shift, on her website: https://michellekjohnston.com
 

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Original Aired Date: 2/8/2023
 

Ever wonder what takes place behind the scenes of a Super Bowl team? Learn leadership best practices from former Super Bowl Champion, Jon Stinchcomb. Jon played for The New Orleans Saints for 8 seasons and served on the offense with Drew Brews when they won Super Bowl XLIV. According to Jon, the secret sauce is not just skill level, it’s your character, how you treat each other inside and outside of the locker room. 

Tune in to this episode and learn how to build a championship team whether you are a leader in the sports, non-profit or corporate world.

You can pick up a copy of Michelle Johnston's newest book, The Seismic Shift, on her website: https://michellekjohnston.com

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Original Aired Date: 9/7/2022
 

Robért LeBlanc, Founder and CEO of LeBlanc + Smith, is a true servant leader who built his business around his people. “We want our team to enjoy themselves every day while learning and being really productive, and we want them to have joyful and balanced lives while doing so.” This mentality is not the norm in the hospitality industry, where burnout is high and quality of life is typically low. Listen to Robért talk about why he believes showing care and compassion is his main job as a leader.
 

You can pick up a copy of Michelle Johnston's newest book, The Seismic Shift, on her website: https://michellekjohnston.com 

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Original Aired Date: 1/11/2023

Communication and connection are very different. With communication, it’s found to be more transactional getting from A to B. What we find with connecting with our teams in today's work environment now means something different perhaps than it did before. How seen are people? Do they feel heard? Are they cared for?

2022 Businessperson of the Year and the President and Publisher of The Advocate and Times-Picayune, Judi Terzotis exhibits the highest level of these qualities through modeling servant leadership. In this episode, Michelle and Judi explain that by building a positive listening environment and disrupting the status quo, we can create a workplace where people actually want to go in.
 

You can pick up a copy of Michelle Johnston's newest book, The Seismic Shift, on her website:
https://michellekjohnston.com 

Original Aired Date: 10/5/2022

We believe that if you actually listen to your team, they will be more motivated to perform well and generate new ideas. Today we have Boysie Bollinger on the podcast to talk about how to listen to lead. Do you believe that lower-level employees often have observations that higher level leaders cannot see? Listen to learn and transform into a leader that listens!

You can pick up a copy of Michelle Johnston's newest book, The Seismic Shift, on her website:
https://michellekjohnston.com 

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Original Aired Date: 3/8/2023 

For too long, there have been many experiences underneath the ego-forward leadership umbrella that ultimately have pushed people out the door. Can those past experiences lead to a greater understanding of how to change that narrative in our own leadership? Don McGuire seems to think so. In this episode, Michelle and Don McGuire, CMO of Qualcomm, discuss how empowering employees to rethink the status quo through encouraging connection, ideation, and building trust can bring about a shift in leadership.
 

You can pick up a copy of Michelle Johnston's newest book, The Seismic Shift, on her website:
https://michellekjohnston.com

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Original Aired Date: 12/8/2022

Juan Martin is an executive who epitomes Kindness and Connection. As the Global President of KIND Snacks and Nature’s Bakery, Juan is genuinely trying to make the world a better place through acts of kindness. Juan believes Success is measured by how kind we are to ourselves, each other, and our planet.

Tune in to today’s episode of The Seismic Shift podcast to learn strategies from Juan on how to more effectively connect with your people and your organization. 

You can pick up a copy of Michelle Johnston's book, The Seismic Shift, on her website: 

https://michellekjohnston.com 

Original Aired Date: 11/2/2022

Have you ever heard of a construction company that has a Culture of Happiness? Me, neither! But I just spent an afternoon with the leaders of Maxhome and it’s a real thing and it works! I was blown away by their positivity and enthusiasm for their company.

Tune in to uncover how Larry Closs, Founder of MaxHome, built such a positive culture. 

You can pick up a copy of Michelle Johnston's book, The Seismic Shift, on her website:

 https://michellekjohnston.com/