Badass Softie

What do you do when life doesn’t go to plan — when the roadblocks, losses, and grief feel like they’ve stopped you in your tracks? In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson opens up about the year he lost his father and became a dad in the same weekend. Through stories of heartbreak and unexpected joy, J.J. reveals how to keep moving forward when grief and growth show up at the same time...

Most leaders don’t fail because they lack skill — they fail because they stop asking the right questions. When the path feels murky, pressure mounts, and clarity fades, it’s easy to slip into control or chaos. In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Amy Smith — a leadership coach and consultant who’s led global training for Apple, coached executive teams for McDonald’s,...

Most leaders think they’re self-aware — but they’re often just self-critical. The truth is, you can’t lead what you don’t feel. When emotions go unnamed, they run the show from behind the scenes, shaping decisions, reactions, and team dynamics. In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Tera Wages to unpack why emotional fluency is the missing link between burnout and break...

Most leaders assume that working more hours means getting more done. But what if doing less actually produced better results—and a healthier, more loyal team? In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Hannah Lee, co-founder and CEO of Second Mile. Hannah helps organizations shift from a five-day to a four-day work week without losing productivity or profit. Hannah has led...

Most leaders feel caught between impossible expectations. Be driven, but stay humble. Strive for excellence, but give yourself grace. Speak with candor, but never lose kindness. If that tension sounds familiar, this episode will change how you lead. Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Tim Arnold — international keynote speaker, best-selling author, and leadership coach — to reveal how embracing tensi...

Have you ever worried that if you’re honest about your struggles, your team will lose respect for you? Many leaders default to fear and control to protect authority but that approach actually kills creativity and trust. On this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson shows why being “safe” doesn’t mean being weak. True safety creates environments where teams can take risks, tell the truth, and...

If your business is just delivering “good service,” you may already be forgettable. Customers don’t talk about good — they remember extraordinary. Those are the moments that earn loyalty, spark word-of-mouth, and make your business unforgettable. In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson unpacks lessons from Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality — the philosophy that turned 11 Madison...

If you confuse, you lose. It’s the single biggest mistake leaders and businesses make — and it’s costing them influence, connection, and growth. In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson breaks down the StoryBrand framework and shows why story is the most powerful tool for capturing attention and driving action. Most leaders put themselves at the center of the story, but your customers d...

This choice defines your future. Every leader lives out four roles: victim, villain, hero, and guide. The question isn’t whether these roles will show up in your story — it’s which one you’ll choose next. In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson unpacks Donald Miller’s Hero on a Mission framework and shows why your leadership story changes the moment you stop playing small. Through pers...

For too long, leadership has been framed as a false choice: Be loud and aggressive, or compassionate and empathetic. Be ambitious, or be likable. Be respected, or be real. In this premiere episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson reflects on his own career and the leaders he’s worked alongside — and names the tension many of us feel. Too driven for the “soft” spaces, yet not cutthroat enough fo...

Have you ever felt the tension of trying to imitate other leaders — tough and aggressive on one hand, all passion and heart on the other? Like you had to choose one lane or the other just to be taken seriously? Dr. J.J. Peterson has dealt with that same struggle. But the most successful leaders who inspired him most didn’t pick. They were able to be unapologetically ambitious while still leading w...

Have you ever felt that to be a great leader you have to choose between being loud and aggressive or compassionate and empathetic? You're too driven for the “soft” spaces, yet not cutthroat enough for the boardroom. But here’s the truth: you don’t have to choose. Badass Softie is a new podcast for leaders who are unapologetically ambitious and want to lead with heart. Hosted by Dr. J.J. Peterson —...