The Black Belt in Leadership

AI is changing what it means to be prepared. In this episode, I sit down with investment banker, negotiation expert and AI enthusiast Sami Miettinen to explore how artificial intelligence is changing the way leaders prepare, negotiate and make decisions. We discuss how AI can act as a sparring partner before an important negotiation, why having more information does not necessarily mean you are be...

What happens when you improve your sleep, exercise, and eating habits but still feel exhausted by work? In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, I speak with Finnish entrepreneur and performance coach Mika Tikkala about his experience of burnout, taking time away from business, and making personal changes that last. Mika shares why healthier habits alone did not resolve how he was feeling...

Most companies are investing in AI training, but knowing what AI can do is very different from being able to use it effectively in real work. So how should leaders build genuine AI capability across an organization? In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak de Silva speaks with Marjut Sadeharju, CEO of Splended, about how people actually develop AI skills and why traditional “show and...

What does it really mean to build resilience before life puts you under pressure? In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak de Silva speaks with Eric “LG” Longoria, a United States Army veteran, two-time international bestselling author, public speaker, and Breakthrough Strategist. Eric shares how his transition from military service forced him to rethink what it means to stay “missio...

In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak de Silva speaks with Shashidhar Sharma, Country Head of AWA India, workplace strategist, change management expert, and author of Work and Workplace at the Edge of Intelligence. Shashidhar brings more than three decades of experience in helping organizations rethink how people work, how workplaces support performance, and how leaders should res...

How can leaders guide people through uncertainty without transferring their own anxiety to the team? Aslak de Silva speaks with executive coach Denley McIntosh, host of The Coach’s Corner, about leadership under pressure, emotional intelligence, servant leadership, workplace culture, and supporting employees through stress without becoming their therapist. They explore how to balance empathy with...

Melissa Rosenthal has helped build some of the most recognizable growth stories in modern business, from BuzzFeed and Cheddar to ClickUp and now Outlever. In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, we explore what leadership looks like when technology, expectations, and competition are changing faster than ever before. Melissa shares her perspective on building high-performing teams, why cre...

In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Ilkka Mäkitalo, co-founder and Chief Evangelist of Howspace, joins the conversation to explore how people really learn, how organizations make sense of change, and why leaders need to rethink the way they communicate strategy, transformation and AI adoption. Ilkka brings a unique perspective from his background as a teacher, facilitator, consultant,...

Some people seem to get lucky. The right timing, the right connections, the right opportunities appearing at the right moment. But when you look closer, it rarely is just luck. There is usually something underneath it. A way of operating, a way of thinking, and a willingness to stay in the game long enough for those moments to happen. In this episode, I sit down with Stephanie Melodia to explore w...

What happens to leadership when pressure rises and situations start to feel chaotic? In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak de Silva speaks with M.K. Palmore, former U.S. Marine Corps officer, former FBI leader, and founder of Apogee Global. The discussion focuses on how experienced leaders stay calm, make decisions, and guide teams when uncertainty is high. Drawing from more than...

Leadership is rarely something people are formally trained for. Most leaders grow into the role through performance, promotion, and responsibility only to discover that leadership becomes more complex over time, not easier. In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, host Aslak de Silva speaks with leadership coach, executive advisor, and author Marc A. Pitman about the hidden challenges lead...

What happens to leadership when business is no longer predictable? In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak de Silva sits down with transformational leadership expert, keynote speaker, and author Dennis Akkerman to explore what leadership looks like in a world where change is constant and traditional success models are quickly becoming outdated. Drawing from his book Business as UNus...

Michal Bardavid is a psychological counselor and dance movement therapist with a master’s degree in industrial psychology. For more than fifteen years, she has taught the principles of movement, self-expression, and emotional resilience at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, helping students reconnect with their bodies and their sense of worth. She is also the founder of the #IamChild Project, which...

What makes a leader truly strategic? And why do so many organisations confuse strategy with planning, tactics or endless PowerPoint decks? In this episode of the Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak sits down with strategist, coach and facilitator Charlie Curson, whose new book Be More Strategic breaks down strategic thinking into practical, human skills. Charlie has worked with leaders across more tha...

Josh Kosnick, entrepreneur, executive coach, and author of The Kairos Code What does a true leader do when everything falls apart? In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, host Aslak de Silva talks with Josh Kosnick, entrepreneur, executive coach, and author of The Kairos Code, about transforming adversity into purpose-driven leadership. Josh shares how losing his company became the founda...

What does it take to live your truth and lead with authenticity? In this inspiring episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak de Silva speaks with Shermain Melton, executive coach, international speaker, and host of Courage to Impact. Born with only a 10 percent chance to live, Shermain rose from poverty to become a self-made millionaire before 30. Later, he walked away from a successful techn...

Can short breaks really make you a better leader? In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak de Silva talks with Amel Gaily, CEO and Partner of Cuckoo, about how microbreaks, recovery, and well-being culture can boost leadership performance and team focus. Amel shares lessons from her journey from high-pressure finance and reality TV (The Apprentice Finland) to leading a well-being tec...

In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership podcast, host Aslak de Silva interviews U.S. Army Officer, leadership expert, and author Tim Staton, who wrote the book Life Skills You Didn’t Know You Needed. Tim shares leadership lessons from his military career and global experience, focusing on five essential life skills for leaders: Building a positive and growth mindset to overcome setbacks Us...

In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak de Silva sits down with Lama Somananda Tantrapa — Tibetan lama, 27th-generation lineage holder of Qi Dao (Tibetan Shamanic Qigong), founder of the Academy of Qi Dao, and visionary behind the World Resilience Summit. Lama Tantrapa shares how resilience is not about merely “bouncing back,” but about bouncing forward—growing stronger through setb...

Stoyan Yankov is a productivity and performance coach, bestselling author, podcast host, and keynote speaker who helps organizations build high-performance cultures and boost productivity. With experience working with over 550 companies worldwide, including Coca-Cola and HP, he delivers practical strategies and engaging presentations. As the host of the Productivity Mastery podcast, Stoyan shares...

Stefan Gogoll is a German tech entrepreneur, visionary leader, and former professional athlete with over 25 years of experience driving software innovation and AI adoption. As the founder of andagon Holding and the creator of aqua cloud, his companies has played a role in modernizing QA, compliance, and test management strategies for global clients such as Google, IBM, and Deutsche Telekom. In thi...

In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership podcast, leadership coach and focus expert Katie Stoddart shares practical strategies for improving focus, boosting productivity, and leading with clarity. As the founder of The Focus Bee and author of The Magic of Focus, Katie outlines her three pillars of focus: short-term, long-term, and selective. She explains how they help leaders perform at the...

In this episode of The Black Belt in Leadership, Aslak sits down with Glenn Mathijssen, CEO and co-founder of Alberts, the world’s first smoothie-making food robotics company. From building a wooden prototype to scaling operations across six countries, Glenn shares how he’s blended vision, discipline, and patience to lead through the toughest rounds of entrepreneurship. This conversation explores...

Lars Sundmann is an advisor, keynote speaker and executive trainer on leadership, strategy, innovation and communication for global corporations and their leaders. He is the owner of Sudmann & Company, a consulting and management training network. Lars is drawing on his business experience (e.g. as CFO Belgium of Procter & Gamble) as well as consulting expertise with Fortune500 companies t...

What if the secret to building great companies wasn’t about chasing unicorns, but solving your own problems first? Mikael da Costa, a serial entrepreneur, CEO of WPSEOAI, with a passion for building and scaling businesses that solve real problems. Over the years, he founded and grown multiple companies across different industries, focusing on creating impact and driving sustainable growth. In this...