Leadership Quotient

In this episode of Leadership Quotient , Lindsay Guzowski, CEO of The Crucible, speaks with Ellen Chang , Managing Director at CapZone Impact Investments, about why long-term value creation depends on building ecosystems, not just individual companies. Drawing on leadership experience from the U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman, and impact investing, Ellen shares why great leaders make people feel heard...

In this episode of Leadership Quotient, Lindsay Guzowski, CEO of The Crucible, speaks with Gregg Blake , Managing Director at CapM Advisors and Managing Partner at Brocair Partners, about the leadership dynamics behind successful mergers and acquisitions. Drawing on decades of experience advising healthcare and life sciences companies, Greg explains why the right buyer is often more important than...

In this episode of Leadership Quotient , Lindsay Guzowski, Founder and CEO of The Crucible, speaks with Shelby Faubion , Founder and Managing Partner of Vector Advisory, about the leadership disciplines that enable companies to scale successfully through growth and acquisition. Shelby shares lessons from his experience in post-merger integration and CFO advisory work, including why intellectual cu...

In this episode of Leadership Quotient, Lindsay Guzowski speaks with Leticia Souza , CFO at SAVii and angel investor with Epic Angels and GVAngels, about the leadership lessons learned from building a bootstrapped startup into a venture-backed business and ultimately through acquisition. Leticia shares why early wins are critical for developing confidence, how scarcity mindsets shape decision-maki...

In this episode of Leadership Quotient, Lindsay Guzowski, CEO of The Crucible, speaks with John Sirianni , owner of Deep Tech Strategies, about leadership, organizational resilience, and the human factors that drive performance in investor-backed companies. Drawing on nearly four decades of experience across aerospace, cybersecurity, venture-backed startups, turnarounds, and M&A, John shares l...

In this episode of Leadership Quotient, Lindsay Guzowski, CEO of The Crucible, speaks with Rishad Usmani, physician, angel investor, and serial entrepreneur, about the realities of building companies in environments where outcomes are uncertain and success is never guaranteed. Drawing from his experiences as both a practicing physician and startup founder, Rishad explores the fundamental differenc...

In this episode of Leadership Quotient, Lindsay Guzowski, CEO of The Crucible, speaks with Uzair Bawany , CEO at Oii.ai, about leadership, entrepreneurial mindset, and why great businesses are ultimately built around people. Drawing from a career spanning executive search, fintech, and AI-driven supply chain innovation, Uzair shares lessons on hiring for entrepreneurial thinking, building cultures...

In this episode of Leadership Quotient , Lindsay Guzowski, CEO of The Crucible, speaks with Aian Guanzon , Chief Marketing Officer at Global Dominion Financing, about leadership, long-term vision, and why relationships remain at the center of value creation. Drawing from a career path that spans nursing, tech support, advertising, insurance, fintech, and finance, Aian shares how systems thinking a...

In this episode of Leadership Quotient , Lindsay Guzowski, CEO of the Crucible, speaks with Heath Naquin, Senior Vice President of Innovation and New Ventures at University City Science Center, about the realities of venture investing, the importance of pattern recognition, and why leadership today requires continuous learning and adaptability. Drawing from a nonlinear career path spanning startup...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Giacomo Sonnino , Advisory Director at Charlesbank Capital Partners, joins The Crucible CEO Lindsay Guzowski to discuss how private equity firms can create more value, faster, by building leadership teams with intention. Drawing on a career that spans engineering, strategy, McKinsey, and operating roles inside growth businesses, Giacomo explains...

In this episode of Leadership Quotient , Lindsay Guzowski speaks with Pedro Lopez Sela, Managing Partner at FrissOn Capital, about why Latin America and the Global South are often systemically undervalued in venture capital, despite producing resilient founders, strong science, and overlooked deep tech opportunities. Pedro shares how curiosity shaped his entrepreneurial path, why humility and grat...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Lindsay Guzowski sits down with Andrey Kostyuk , General Partner and CEO at AAlchemy Ventures, to discuss what it really takes to build leadership teams that can adapt, align, and grow in investor-backed companies. Drawing on his experience as a founder, investor, and mentor, Andrey explains why great leadership depends on active listening, match...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Kelvin Tan , CEO at Audax, joins The Crucible CEO Lindsay Guzowski to discuss what it really takes to build and lead a corporate venture-backed business. Drawing on his experience spinning a technology platform out of Standard Chartered, Kelvin explains why some internal innovations are more valuable as independent companies, how leadership chang...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Anna Magiera, Managing Director of Partnerships at ICLUB, shares how an accidental entry into venture became a long-term commitment to building the future through founders, investors, and ecosystems. Drawing on experience across consulting, private equity, startups, and venture investing, Anna explains why patience and humility matter so deeply o...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Sunil Goyal , Managing Director and Fund Manager at YourNest Venture Capital, shares how decades of experience in capital markets and operating leadership shaped his philosophy of “nurture capital” and what that means for backing deep tech founders in India today. Drawing on lessons from IPOs, private equity, and venture investing, Sunil explains...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Andrew Donald , Director at RAF Equity, shares how a long-term investment model changes the way investors evaluate leadership, culture, and growth. Drawing on experience across eBay, Jefferies, McKinsey, and private equity-backed operating environments, Andrew explains why who you work with matters as much as what you build, and why culture becom...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Patricia Lizarraga , Chief Investment Officer of the WCEO ETF and Managing Partner at Hypatia Capital, shares why she believes women CEOs should outperform on average and what that reveals about leadership, resilience, and value creation. Drawing on her experience in investment banking and nearly two decades building Hypatia, Patricia explains ho...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Ben Narasin , Founder of Tenacity Venture Capital, shares how a lifetime of entrepreneurship shaped his view that the true differentiator between success and failure is not just intelligence, opportunity, or even vision, but tenacity. Drawing on his path from early ventures as a child to building FashionMall.com and later launching one of the ear...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, The Crucible CEO Lindsay Guzowski sits down with Eduardo Amadeo , Venture Partner at Overboost and Kamay Ventures, to explore what leadership looks like inside the venture ecosystem—especially through a Latin American lens. Eduardo shares his path from building Argentina’s early entrepreneurship programs to raising funds, and why serious investor...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Steve Kiser , General Partner at Veteran Ventures Capital, joins The Crucible CEO Lindsay Guzowski to explore what veteran leadership brings to venture-backed companies—and why character traits like integrity, selflessness, and a “no-fail” mindset can be as decisive as skill. Steve shares his unexpected path from 21 years of military service to m...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Andy Drummond, Founder of ShireGrowth Partners, joins The Crucible CEO Lindsay Guzowski to explore what leadership requires when time is finite and the clock is always ticking in private equity-backed businesses. Drawing on experience across SC Johnson, industrial distribution, and multiple PE-backed operating roles, Andy explains how the shift f...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Hanim Dogan,  Partner at Prime Advantage Capital Partners, angel investor, and venture partner, shares why enabling more female founders is both a leadership imperative and a value creation opportunity, and what investors often miss when evaluating early-stage teams. Drawing on her journey from founder (including an early software exit) to invest...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, David Norton , Managing Director at Gale Partners, shares why empathy is one of the most underrated leadership strengths and how customer-centered thinking becomes a competitive advantage in investor-backed environments. Drawing on a career that spans American Express and the brand transformation era at Caesars Entertainment, David explains how l...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Jeff Glick , Head of U.S. Operations at Outsourced CFO (OCFO), shares why in investor-backed environments “the right way is the only way” and how financial rigor becomes a leadership advantage. Drawing on a career that spans internal audit, global M&A and integration, private equity diligence, and decades as a CFO, Jeff explains how strong co...

In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Deborah Magid , Co-Founder and Managing Director at NextStar Venture Partners, shares why leadership is ultimately defined by the opportunities you create for other people—and why trust sits at the center of both numbers and relationships. Drawing on her path from GE to IBM’s corporate venture world and into building a new fund, Deborah explains...