Leadership Unlocked: How Leaders Win in the Era of AI

Dusty sits down with Eric Collette, CEO of A Mind for All Seasons, for a wide-ranging and deeply practical conversation on how leaders can optimize brain health to sustain performance, extend longevity, and lead more effectively. Grounded in both research and real-world case studies, Eric challenges the fatalistic belief that cognitive decline is inevitable, instead outlining a “system of systems”...

Dusty goes solo in an AMA-style episode to break down how leaders can actually implement the Rules of Engagement framework introduced in episode 27, turning a powerful concept into a practical operating system for clarity and alignment. Drawing on years of leadership experience and real client stories, he frames the guide as a “leadership decoder ring”—a living document that makes implicit expecta...

Dusty sits down with Garland and Dorothy Vance—co-founders of Unleashed Leadership—for a candid and insightful conversation about the difference between being remembered as a hero or a villain in the lives of those you lead. Drawing from decades spent researching, testing, and refining leadership development—from running a 15-year “leadership laboratory” inside a nonprofit to building their own fi...

Dusty goes solo to unpack the invisible forces silently sabotaging even the most capable leaders—overwhelm, reactive schedules, and misaligned priorities. Anchoring his discussion in the stark warning from Levi Lusko—“if nothing changes, future you will be an exaggerated version of present”—he reveals how constant busyness without clarity only amplifies stress, burnout, and lost impact. Through th...

Dusty sits down with Dawn Grooters—founder of Broken Vessel Sales Solutions—for a deeply personal and practical conversation about servant leadership, resilience, and the power of authentic connection in sales. After building a successful career as a field sales rep in the gift and home industry, Dawn’s life was forever altered when her 11-month-old son, Kale, passed away while she was on the road...

In this milestone 50th episode, Dusty flips the mic toward the community and tackles the most persistent questions leaders have been sending his way—ranging from work-life balance and delegation to AI strategy, ownership culture, and CEO fundamentals. Rather than offering abstract theory, he delivers practical frameworks drawn from personal experience and real client work: why “balancing” beats th...

Dusty sits down with Mo Fathelbab—former CEO, executive coach, and author of Forum —for a candid conversation about the transformative power of vulnerability in leadership. Drawing on his experience leading YPO forums and coaching high-level executives, Mo challenges the traditional command-and-control model, arguing that real influence is built not on authority, but on authenticity. Together, he...

Dusty sits down with Liesl Chang—entrepreneur, systems thinker, and founder of Comeback Goods—for a wide-ranging conversation that explores how self-awareness, curiosity, and disciplined systems thinking shape meaningful leadership. Tracing her path from studying Russian history to building logistics infrastructure at high-growth startups like Zimments and Casper, Liesl reflects on the formative m...

Dusty goes solo to reframe one of leadership’s most misunderstood concepts—trust—arguing that leaders get stuck because they treat trust as something to earn or demand rather than something to build deliberately. Drawing from real coaching conversations, including a revealing case study of a newly promoted CEO who was burning out by staying too involved, Dusty shows how leaders often focus on whet...

She built her dream career, but then walked away. Dusty Holcomb sits down with Maricella Herrera—former COO and CEO of Elevate Network and host of the podcast Oh Shit, I Just Quit My Job —for an honest, deeply human conversation about identity, integrity, and the courage required to walk away from a life that no longer fits. From her early career in finance in Mexico to business school at Columbia...

Dusty sits down once again with Dr. Lani Jones—clinical psychologist and executive coach—for a practical, no-nonsense conversation about turning good intentions into systems that actually produce lasting change. Building on their prior discussion about vision and planning, Lani introduces a clinically informed framework that begins with acknowledging your design: understanding your humanness, neur...

Dusty welcomes back Dr. Lani Jones—clinical psychologist, executive coach, and expert in behavior change—for a timely and deeply reflective conversation on how leaders can intentionally design success rather than defaulting to familiar but ineffective goal-setting habits. Moving beyond the fleeting appeal of New Year’s resolutions, Lani reframes planning as an exercise in clarity, alignment, and s...

Dusty sits down with Scott Hogan—former collegiate baseball player, injury-prone athlete turned founder, author, and recovery-focused entrepreneur—for a conversation that reframes leadership through the lens of physical resilience, self-awareness, and long-term sustainability. After a career derailed by chronic injuries, Scott traces how his obsession with understanding pain, recovery, and human p...

Dusty goes solo to challenge one of leadership’s most damaging habits—the belief that being “nice” is the same as being effective—and makes the case that niceness is quietly starving teams of the truth they need to perform. Drawing from a powerful real-world example of a brilliant but overly restrained leader, personal leadership failures, and research spanning neuroscience, McKinsey, Gallup, and...

Dusty sits down with Amanda Dunklin—equestrian coach, entrepreneur, and operational strategist—for a conversation that redefines what it means to lead with clarity, empathy, and resilience. After decades spent training horses, coaching competitive riders, building a school from the ground up, and later advising high-growth organizations, Amanda shares the insight that reshaped her entire approach...

Dusty sits down with Sean Keller—a filmmaker-turned-leadership coach who helps high-capacity entrepreneurs realize that their real wilderness isn’t around them, it’s within them. Sean shares his unlikely journey from early creative acclaim and big-name clients to the moment everything collapsed in 2020, forcing him to confront the gap between the successful life he was building and the surrendered...

Dusty goes solo to dismantle one of leadership’s most pervasive myths—the idea that an overloaded, reactive calendar is simply the price of effectiveness. Drawing on personal lessons, client stories, and striking CEO time-use data, he reveals the deeper truth: when a leader’s schedule is chaotic, the culture follows. In this episode, Dusty introduces his three-level intentional leadership system—a...

Dusty is joined by Dr. Brian Hite—stunt performer, performance psychologist, and creator of the FACT Framework—for a conversation that reframes what it really means to thrive under pressure. With three decades spent being lit on fire, thrown from vehicles, training elite military units, and coaching high-stakes performers, Brian shares the pivotal realization that changed everything: pressure does...

Dusty Holcomb sits down with entrepreneur and former engineer Dustin Riechmann, whose story is a masterclass in courage, clarity, and reinvention. From watching his business collapse in 2020 to building a seven-figure enterprise through the power of podcast guesting, Dustin reveals how simplicity, not complexity, drives sustainable success. He shares the pivotal moments that reshaped his identity,...

Dusty goes solo to expose one of the most misunderstood frustrations in leadership—the belief that execution problems stem from lazy teams, when in reality they almost always originate upstream with the leader. Drawing from hard-earned lessons and a striking real-world example from his time at AAA, he reveals the hidden truth behind stalled initiatives: when your team isn’t delivering what you env...

Dusty sits down with Nolan Bradbury, a former CPA turned financial strategist who helps leaders realize that their biggest challenge isn’t money, it’s clarity. Nolan opens up about his journey from Big Four accounting to finding purpose in helping entrepreneurs define what freedom truly means. Together, they explore how clarity transforms decision-making, why “more” doesn’t always equal success, a...

Dusty Holcomb sits down with Alan McLaren, CEO, entrepreneur, marketer, and self-proclaimed “Chief Squirrel Tamer.” Alan shares his 35-year leadership journey, from selling photocopiers door-to-door to leading global organizations and shaping modern leadership branding. Together, they unpack the real meaning of heart-centered leadership, how authenticity fuels influence, and why kindness and accou...

Dusty goes solo to unpack one of the most pivotal turning points in a leader’s journey—the moment you realize that what got you here won’t get you where you’re meant to go next. Through raw personal stories and years of coaching senior leaders, he reveals the hidden signals of an inflection point: when the clarity in your head doesn’t translate into team execution, when every decision funnels back...

Dusty is joined by Brooke Greening—sales coach, business owner, and “Gracious Terminator”—for a conversation about transforming how we think about leadership, influence, and sales. With a master’s in counseling and two decades of sales experience, Brooke shares the pivotal story of standing up to toxic leadership and learning that confidence, results, and integrity are the foundation of real influ...

Dusty is joined by Molly Hunt—CEO of Ty Boyd, Inc. and lifelong student of connection—for a conversation about carrying forward her family’s legacy of helping people communicate with authenticity and heart. The daughter of legendary speaker Ty Boyd, Molly shares how her father’s kindness, humility, and unwavering belief that “it’s not about you” shaped both her leadership and her life. She reflect...