Proven Not Perfect

Send us Fan Mail The boardroom isn’t a bigger meeting with fancier titles. It’s a different job, a different mindset, and a different kind of pressure. We sit down with Naomi Kent, a boardroom coach who helps senior leaders build a real board career, and we get specific about what separates strong board members from talented operators who are new to governance. We dig into the heart of board servi...

Send us Fan Mail 250 years is a long time to carry a national story, especially one that holds both breathtaking ideals and painful contradictions. On this July 4th 250th anniversary reflection, I’m coming to you with a quick “voice snack” that cuts past slogans and goes straight to the core: the United States still creates a foundational opportunity for many, and it’s worth naming why that matter...

Send us Fan Mail Truth is getting harder to find, and the stakes are not abstract. When an AI-generated TikTok video about a “monster fish” went viral, people poured into Smithsonian webpages to check what was real. That moment frames a bigger question we wrestle with here: in a world where technology can fabricate convincing stories at scale, who do we trust, and how do we rebuild shared reality...

Send us Fan Mail A single sentence can change a career: “You don’t know fashion... I know fashion. You ARE fashion.” That moment launches our conversation with Sydney Stinson Ferguson into the real mechanics of a career pivot, the kind that doesn’t come from a frantic reinvention but from flow, relationships, and someone naming your strengths before you fully own them yourself. We talk about what...

Send us Fan Mail Grief doesn’t just hurt. It reveals. On a weekend that holds both Juneteenth and Father’s Day, we sit with the kind of loss that rearranges your inner world: losing a dad who felt like a rock, a coach, and the call you could make at any moment. If you’re walking through the loss of a parent, grieving a father figure, or trying to support someone in mourning, this conversation offe...

Send us Fan Mail A single line of scripture can hit differently when you’re walking through an emotional month and your mind keeps asking, “Why is this happening?” I’m out on a walk when I feel compelled to share what’s on my heart, and it all centers on Psalm 121: “I look to the hills from where does my help come?” followed by the steady answer, “My help comes from the Lord.” What stops me is the...

Send us Fan Mail You can feel it everywhere: leaders are expected to move faster, decide with less certainty, and keep teams connected while AI reshapes how work gets done. I sit down with Michelle Buck from the Kellogg School of Management to slow the noise down and get practical about what actually holds up in turbulent times. We start with a leadership idea that sticks in your body, not just yo...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I share a portion of my keynote to a group of leaders who represented multiple industries. It really gives a peak into one of my most humbling lessons in my leadership journey.  [Note: I am hitting stages more, and I am super excited 👏🏾 🎙️] A few key points from this talk: Leadership can feel like something you earn once and keep forever, until you walk into a ne...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when strategy meets calling? We sit down with Tanya for a raw, practical, and energizing conversation about how to lead with data, conviction, and peace—without shrinking who you are. From her early days learning corporate culture to a pivotal first promotion with a skeptical team, Tanya shows how proof can outpace prejudice and how identity becomes an asset once outc...

Send us Fan Mail Shontra elaborates on the connection between board governance and corporate success, explaining how understanding the critical questions that drive leadership can lead to impactful solutions in the workplace. She stresses the importance of being proactive in networking and finding roles that resonate with one's values, ultimately transforming assignments into opportunities fo...

Send us Fan Mail Money shouldn’t feel like paperwork. We sat down with Virginia Heyburn to unpack how fintech and AI are transforming banking into something simpler, more inclusive, and far more human. From mobile-first experiences to embedded finance, we trace the long road that brought new providers like Chime and Klarna into mainstream behavior—and why Gen Z’s expectations for speed, clarity, a...

Send us Fan Mail Your buyer doesn’t need a lecture on features. They need a partner who can make sense of complexity and map it to outcomes that matter. That’s the throughline of our conversation with Denise, a veteran deal maker who’s led enterprise sales, built her own consultancy, and now coaches leaders to sell with clarity, credibility, and care. We start by interrogating the timeless playboo...

Send us Fan Mail If the mirror could talk, would it tell the truth you’ve been avoiding—or the story you’re ready to live? I sit down with Mandy Tucker, a veteran tech leader who expanded her career into coaching and personal styling for midlife professional women, to unpack how mindset, vision, and wardrobe can work together to change your confidence and your results. The conversation begins with...

Send us Fan Mail What if perfection wasn’t the prize, but the prison? We sit down with Jasmine Minor—three-time Emmy winner, ABC journalist, and founder—to trace a life that looks shiny on the outside and deeply rooted within. From Division I tennis to newsroom leadership, Jasmine shares how injury, heartbreak, and a hospital visit turned into a turning point: let go, take the smallest step, and t...

Send us Fan Mail A phone call, a building rehab, and a question: do you want these? That’s how 90 African artifacts—masks, ritual pieces, and carved figures—arrived and changed the path of serial entrepreneur Nkenge Adams. What could have been a quick sale became a long bet on community, culture, and the living artists who shape both. We walk through the decision to steward rather than liquidate,...

Send us Fan Mail What if your burnout isn’t about doing too much—but about allowing the wrong withdrawals? We step into the fourth quarter with a sharper lens: a daily deposits-versus-withdrawals audit that exposes invisible drains, restores peace, and helps you choose the rooms where your impact will be felt. From calendar chaos to meaningful tradeoffs, we share the simple tie-breaker that ends s...

Send us Fan Mail What if the power you chased in a suit was really waiting in your own story? We sit down with Ugochi to trace a remarkable arc—from Igbo roots and a childhood split between Nigeria and the U.S., to UTC’s global rotations in Norway and Switzerland, to the Kellogg network that turned brand into belonging. Along the way she faces a familiar corporate paradox: high performance without...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when decades of corporate identity suddenly vanish? Natalie, founder of HerCSuite, reveals the rarely discussed "glass cliff" moment that follows leaving a high-powered career and how to transform this potential crisis into opportunity. The traditional career ladder is being replaced by something far more interesting: the portfolio career. Rather than follow...

Send us Fan Mail Ever feel overwhelmed by conflicting health advice? One expert tells you to track your sleep while another warns that tracking causes anxiety. Someone swears by protein supplements while others caution about hidden metals in those same products. With so many voices claiming to know the "right" way to be healthy, where do you even begin? Dr. Eva, an orthopedic surgeon tur...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when God calls you to lead the very church where you grew up? When Reverend Dr. Erin Skipworth felt the calling to pastoral ministry, she never imagined she would one day become the first female pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in York, Pennsylvania—the congregation her father led for 50 years and where she spent her childhood sitting in the pews. In this soul-stirr...

Send us Fan Mail What if dreaming small could actually lead to greater impact than chasing grandiose visions? Liz Bohannon challenges conventional wisdom about success, ambition, and fulfillment in this thought-provoking conversation about finding meaning in a noisy world. Bohannon shares her evolution from an externally successful but internally lonely achiever to a community-focused entrepreneur...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever noticed that some people consistently achieve their goals while others struggle to make progress? The difference often comes down to a single mindset shift – staying locked in without settling for less. Right now, we're in the "August harvest" – that critical midpoint of 2025 when we need to evaluate our progress against the goals we set in January. Ma...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder what teens are actually saying when they spout seemingly random phrases like "skibbity toilet" or greet each other with words like "mango"? This special episode features an enlightening conversation with my brilliant 14-year-old niece Carsyn that might forever change how you perceive Gen Z communication. Recorded during our pre-Beyoncé concert excit...

Send us Fan Mail Kindness is perhaps the most underrated leadership trait in business today. When was the last time you saw "kind leader" featured on someone's resume? Yet this powerful quality might be exactly what's missing from many leadership approaches. This episode unpacks what true kindness in leadership actually means - having empathy, considering viewpoints in context,...

Send us Fan Mail Finding yourself stuck between summer's freedom and fall's structure? You're not alone. August represents that peculiar transition period where we crave both relaxation and readiness, unstructured days and clear direction. Getting unstuck starts with stillness. When was the last time you intentionally sat quiet enough to hear your own heartbeat? Not because an app p...