I See What You're Saying

What if the reason your best ideas keep falling flat has nothing to do with the quality of the idea? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with John Bates, a globally recognized leadership and executive communications coach who has worked with organizations including NASA, Intuit, and Johnson and Johnson. John has delivered multiple TED Talks, coached executives and leaders on every contin...

What if the biggest thing standing between you and your next closed deal isn't your pitch…it's your communication pattern? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Amy Reczek, founder of Sales and Presence and author of Connect to Close , her second book on building genuine relationships in sales and leadership. Amy works with sales and leadership teams to equip them with the skills nece...

What if the most loving thing you could do for someone is start a conversation you've been avoiding? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Cory Fosco, a 34-year veteran of the eldercare and healthcare technology industries, author of The Question of When , creative writing teacher, and VP of Enterprise Sales. Cory brings a rare combination of frontline caregiving experience, social wo...

What separates a leader who communicates with confidence from one who communicates with true influence? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Joel Silverstone, founder of This Feels Right and a former professional actor who now coaches leaders on elevating their interpersonal communication and influence. Joel blends emotional and social intelligence with his acting background to help...

In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Kylee Ingram, CEO of Wizer, a decision intelligence platform built to help organizations make better decisions by designing the right room. Kylee draws on the behavioral research of Dr. Juliette Burke and the science of wise crowds to help leaders understand not just who's sitting at the table, but how they think -- and who's missing. Kylee breaks...

What if the most powerful thing you could do to grow your business was to stop asking for referrals entirely? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Stacey Brown Randall, author, speaker, and host of the Roadmap to Referrals podcast. Stacey has spent over a decade helping business owners and sales professionals generate referrals without asking for them by applying brain science, psych...

What if the excuse someone just gave you is actually the best thing that could have happened? In this solo episode, Michael Reddington breaks down one of the most misunderstood moments in any high-stakes conversation: the excuse. Most leaders instinctively attack excuses, feeling disrespected, frustrated, or deceived. But that reaction, however understandable, almost always makes things worse. Mic...

What does it actually mean to close the gap between what you think you said and what your audience actually heard? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Dr. Laura Sicola, a cognitive linguist and executive communication coach who helps leaders master communication and executive presence. Dr. Sicola works with senior leaders, business owners, and professionals across Fortune 500 compan...

What does it actually take to see trouble coming before it derails your conversations? In this solo episode, Michael Reddington breaks down one of the foundational pillars of the Disciplined Listening Method: situational awareness. Drawing on research from Air Force scientist Mica Endsley and John Boyd's OODA loop, Michael explains how the same awareness framework used to keep pilots and soldiers...

What if the key to developing yourself and your team isn't more training, but more honesty about where your "weapon system" actually stands? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Dr. Keith Castille, CEO and co-founder of C2H (Connecting Heads to Hearts) and a retired U.S. Air Force veteran with 28 and a half years of service, including roles in talent management and at the Pentagon. D...

Why People Don't Always Tell You the Truth What if the people in your life aren't holding back because they're dishonest? What if it's because of something you're doing, or not doing? In this solo episode, Michael Reddington breaks down the three categories of factors that cause people to withhold the truth, and more importantly, what leaders can do to make honesty feel safer, more likely, and mor...

What if the way you speak is actually telling people whether or not you deserve to lead? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Lauren Sergy, a communication expert and author with a background spanning radio, corporate communications, classical rhetoric, and the performing arts. Lauren has built a career helping leaders and organizations master the science, art, and alchemy of speakin...

What if the lies you receive every day are actually opportunities to get closer to the truth? In this solo episode, Michael Reddington breaks down one of the most misunderstood dynamics in human communication: lying. Not the dramatic, malicious kind that makes headlines, but the everyday lies that show up in our professional relationships, family conversations, and negotiations. The ones most of u...

What does it really mean to lead with your heart when the work is hard, the pressure is relentless, and you're still carrying your own baggage? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Josh Rizzo, a West Point graduate, Bronze Star recipient, and leadership consultant with over 30 years of experience developing leaders on the battlefield, in the boardroom, and on job sites across the cou...

What if everything you think you know about reading people is actually working against you? In this solo episode, Michael Reddington breaks down the most common myths and misconceptions surrounding listening, nonverbal communication, and detecting deception, and explains why acting on them can cause real harm to your relationships and your results. From crossed arms to eye contact to the stories w...

What if the emotions you've been trying to control are the very reason you stay stuck? In this episode, Cedric walks Michael through how the brain actually constructs emotion, why the way most of us were taught to manage our feelings keeps those patterns locked in place, and what it looks like to genuinely resolve an emotion rather than just regulate it. The conversation covers trauma, interocepti...

Most people walk into high-stakes conversations asking the wrong question. Michael Reddington breaks down the preparation strategy he developed from investigative interviewing and has applied for nearly two decades to negotiations, leadership conversations, performance discussions, and even high-stakes family situations. In this episode, Michael walks through the WTSO framework (Weaknesses, Threat...

What does it actually mean to "hold the calm" when everything around you is falling apart? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Hesha Abrams, an acclaimed master attorney mediator, negotiator, and deal maker with over 30 years of experience resolving high-profile, high-stakes conflicts, including mediating the dispute over the private recipe for Pepsi. Hesha is also the author of Hol...

What if you’re not just listening… but missing the most important information? In this episode, Michael Reddington breaks down how elite investigative interviewers don’t just listen for words, they listen for intelligence. That means understanding what’s said, what’s not said, and how context, behavior, and environment all influence what’s really happening in a conversation. This episode will chal...

What does it really take to draw someone’s story out of them? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with ghostwriter and nonfiction strategist Jennifer Locke to explore how powerful listening, trust, and patience help uncover the stories people struggle to tell. From building deep trust with clients to identifying the central event that shapes a narrative, Jennifer shares how her approach...

What can interrogation teach us about everyday communication? In this solo episode, Michael Reddington breaks down 10 powerful listening lessons learned from real-world interrogation environments and how they apply to leadership, business, and high-stakes conversations. This is not about intimidation or pressure. It is about building trust, understanding human behavior, and creating the conditions...

What happens when someone has never been truly listened to? In this powerful conversation, Michael Reddington sits down with Dr. John DeGarmo, a leading expert in foster care who has welcomed over 60 foster children into his home. Together, they explore what it really means to listen, especially when working with individuals who have experienced deep trauma. Dr. DeGarmo shares insights from decade...

How often are your observations actually… wrong? In this episode, Michael Reddington breaks down one of the most overlooked skills in communication: accurately interpreting what we see and hear in conversations. Because the truth is, most communication breakdowns don’t happen because we didn’t listen… They happen because we misinterpreted what we observed. Michael walks through the most common way...

What does it really mean to live a meaningful life… and how does that impact the way we communicate with others? In this episode, Michael Reddington sits down with Terry Tucker, a former SWAT hostage negotiator, Division I athlete, coach, and cancer warrior, to explore the mindset, resilience, and communication principles that shape how we lead, listen, and connect. Terry shares his powerful frame...

In this solo episode, Michael Reddington takes a closer look at the concept of active listening and why it may not always be enough in high-stakes conversations. Active listening techniques like maintaining eye contact, nodding, paraphrasing, and reflecting emotions are widely taught as the foundation of good communication. But what happens when these behaviors create the appearance of listening w...