I'm Just Getting Started Podcast

Most productivity advice assumes a fantasy version of work: quiet rooms, clear priorities, long stretches of uninterrupted time, and very few surprises. For many of us, that is not reality. Real work happens in pieces — between meetings, emails, hallway questions, urgent needs, unexpected problems, and the famous “Do you have a second?” that rarely lasts a second. In this episode of *I’m Just Gett...

Episode Show Notes Leadership and the Zombie Tasks Nobody Wants Every organization has them. The report no one owns. The committee everyone avoids. The spreadsheet that's survived three software upgrades. The responsibility that somehow keeps shambling back onto the agenda despite everyone's best efforts to ignore it. I call them zombie tasks . In this episode of I'm Just Getting Started , I explo...

I’m Just Getting Started Episode: “Patriots and Professional Soldiers” Why do organizations often reward visible passion while quietly depending on disciplined professionalism? In this episode of I’m Just Getting Started , Dr. Anthony Donovan explores the difference between “patriots” and “professional soldiers” inside organizations — and why many leaders misunderstand the value of both. Patriots...

# I’m Just Getting Started ## Episode: “When the Lights Go Down: What Movie Theaters Teach Us About Culture, Focus, and Leadership” What if one of the best leadership lessons isn’t found in a boardroom… but in a movie theater? In this episode of I’m Just Getting Started , Dr. Anthony Donovan explores the surprising connection between movie theaters, shared attention, and organizational culture. Us...

What if one of the biggest leadership mistakes is believing everyone needs to buy in? In this episode of I’m Just Getting Started, we explore a quiet but exhausting trap visionary leaders fall into—the belief that if they communicate clearly enough, passionately enough, consistently enough… everyone will eventually care as deeply as they do. But most people don’t relate to work that way. And they...

Most leaders don’t fail because they lack ability. They struggle because they were promoted for the wrong reason. In this episode of I’m Just Getting Started, we explore one of the most common—and misunderstood—transitions in leadership: The move from doing the work to making work happen through others. High performers are often promoted because they consistently deliver results. But leadership is...

Most leadership mistakes don’t happen in theory. They happen live—in real conversations,with real people,where trust, confidence, and relationships are on the line. In this episode of I’m Just Getting Started, we explore a simple but overlooked idea: We train operators. We simulate performance. We create practice environments. But when it comes to leadership…we expect people to figure it out in re...

Every workplace has quiet heroes. Not always the ones with titles or recognition — but the ones who show up day after day while carrying invisible burdens the rest of us may never fully see. In this reflective episode of I’m Just Getting Started, we explore the idea of compartmentalization — not as denial or avoidance, but as a deeply human survival skill during difficult seasons of life. Through...

Episode Description Crazy Ivans: The Leadership Discipline of Looking Back What if the most strategic move in leadership isn’t forward—but backward? In this episode of I’m Just Getting Started, we explore the concept of the “Crazy Ivan,” a Cold War submarine tactic used to disrupt patterns and reveal what’s hidden. Organizations rarely pause long enough to look back. But when they do—intentionally...

It might seem unusual to talk about leadership and Taylor Swift in the same conversation — until you look closely at what she has built. In this episode of I’m Just Getting Started, we explore the leadership lessons hidden in cultural influence, long-term vision, generosity, ownership, and reinvention. Taylor Swift’s career offers a compelling case study in how leaders build loyalty, shape culture...

Nine years ago, while preparing to defend his doctoral dissertation, Anthony Donovan received one of the most meaningful gifts of his life — the birth of his godson. In this reflective episode of I’m Just Getting Started, Anthony explores the unexpected leadership lessons that have come from being a godfather to a joy-filled, Lego-building nine-year-old. From rediscovering the power of play to und...

Episode: You Don’t Have to Step in It to Know It’s a Pile of Crap One of the earliest lessons people learn in organizations is that every workplace has messes. Broken processes. Unclear expectations. Outdated policies. Systems held together by workarounds. None of that is surprising. What is surprising is how often new employees feel like they have to personally experience the worst version of a p...

How to Lead at 70% Without Losing Trust I’m Just Getting Started You will not always be at 100%. Not emotionally. Not mentally. Not physically. And yet… the work doesn’t stop. In this companion episode to “The Cost of Leadership When You’re Leading Through Pain,” we explore a practical and deeply human question: How do you lead well when you’re operating at 70% — without eroding trust? This episod...

Absolutely — here are your show notes in your voice and tone. 🎙 Show Notes The Cost of Leadership When You’re Leading Through Pain I’m Just Getting Started The work doesn’t pause when life breaks your heart. And that’s the part no one prepares you for. In this episode, we talk about the leadership truth we rarely name out loud: some of the most defining moments in leadership happen when you’re hur...

The Kenny Rogers Rule: Leadership Lessons from The Gambler There’s an old country song that contains more leadership wisdom than a surprising number of management books. In this episode of I’m Just Getting Started , we unpack how “Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em” is actually a masterclass in navigating difficult conversations. We explore: Why hard conversations often fail (too much, t...

In this episode, we explore one of the oldest and most powerful tools for building trust, connection, and culture in any organization — sharing a meal. Across cultures and generations, breaking bread has always been more than just eating. It softens walls, opens conversations, and creates space for people to show up as themselves. And in leadership, those moments of simple human connection can do...

Why do so many high performers struggle when they first step into leadership? Because they were promoted for doing — not for leading . In this episode, we explore one of the most common (and least talked about) leadership transitions: the shift from being the person who gets things done to becoming the person who helps others get things done well. Drawing on decades of supervising young profession...

Some of the most serious breakdowns at work don’t look like breakdowns at all. In this episode, we explore quiet cracking — the slow, silent erosion that happens when employees carry stress, pressure, and loss of meaning without ever saying a word. People keep showing up. They keep performing. But inside, something is fracturing. Drawing on more than 30 years of supervising young professionals, th...

T he Sarlacc Principle Slow systems don’t fail loudly—they quietly swallow good people. In this episode of I’m Just Getting Started , we unpack The Sarlacc Principle , a leadership metaphor inspired by Star Wars that explains how unclear ownership, delayed decisions, and endless processes slowly drain momentum, morale, and talent. If your team feels stuck, busy but not moving, or worn down by “tha...

In this episode (and the accompanying Substack essay), we borrow wisdom from an unlikely leadership classroom: trick-or-treating . At its core, trick-or-treating is a masterclass in how humans ask for things, respond to expectations, and navigate power dynamics — all without threats, pressure, or fear. It’s polite. It’s ritualized. And it works remarkably well. This episode explores what leaders a...

In this episode (and the accompanying Substack essay), we explore three phrases that are universally encouraged in our personal relationships — yet oddly discouraged, complicated, or even punished in professional leadership spaces: I was wrong. I’m sorry. I made a mistake. While accountability language is foundational to healthy marriages, friendships, and families, it is often treated as risky or...

In this episode (and accompanying Substack piece), we explore an unlikely leadership teacher: the mongoose . Small. Unassuming. Often underestimated. And yet — remarkably effective when it matters most. Using the mongoose as a metaphor, this reflection looks at leadership that doesn’t rely on size, title, or volume, but on awareness, courage, timing, and precision. The mongoose doesn’t win by bein...

Fear-Induced Decision Paralysis In this episode (and the accompanying Substack essay), we explore how fear quietly reshapes decision-making inside organizations — not through dramatic conflict, but through hesitation, avoidance, and non-decisions. When consequences are unclear, reactions are inconsistent, and power feels opaque, people don’t stop caring — they stop deciding. Over time, fear become...

write show notes and social captions Absolutely—here are clean, ready-to-post show notes plus social captions tailored for I’m Just Getting Started . These match your reflective, encouraging tone and work well across platforms. 🎙️ Podcast Show Notes I’m Just Getting Started Episode Title: Cultivating a Growth Mindset Growth doesn’t happen because things are easy. It happens because we keep going w...

Best Lessons on Leadership, Work, and Supervision In this episode, I step back and reflect on the most consistent lessons that have emerged over the past few months of writing I’m Just Getting Started . These aren’t textbook leadership theories — they’re field notes from real work, real people, and real moments where leadership shows up quietly and imperfectly. This conversation pulls together the...