Relationships Rule

There are relationship skills — and then there are business skills. For most of my career, I assumed they were pretty much the same thing. This conversation with Joëlle Lydon stopped me in my tracks. Joëlle is a certified relationship coach, author of Unbreakable Us: Removing the Barriers to Love, and creator of the 7-Step Relational Growth Pathway. She has spent over 30 years helping individuals...

When I sat down with sisters Amy and Nancy Harrington, co-founders of The Passionistas Project, I realized within the first few minutes that we were kindred spirits. Maybe it was the shared love of all things Hollywood, or maybe it was just how easy the conversation felt, but either way, this episode quickly became one of my favourites. Amy and Nancy grew up in a small town outside Boston in a hou...

I’ll be honest, when the outreach came in for this guest, I hesitated. Someone who writes content for other people? That is not quite my world. I live in the LinkedIn inbox, building one relationship at a time. But the more I got to know Kaila Vander Horn, Head of Content at Speedwork, the more I realized we are speaking the same language. She just comes at it from a different angle. She built Spe...

I have to be honest with you, this conversation almost did not happen. The first time Dawn Andrews and I sat down to record, my tech had other ideas. But as I said at the top of the episode, I saw it as a bonus, because any excuse to spend more time with Dawn is a good one. Dawn is an executive leadership consultant, business strategist, and host of the She's That Founder podcast. She works with f...

I have been looking forward to this conversation for a while, and it did not disappoint. Michael Roderick is a return guest, who was on the show back in 2021 (episode 118), in my very first year. We lost touch for a while, and then something funny happened. His name kept coming up in rooms he was not in. A guest from New York turned out to be a friend of his. That friend introduced me to two peopl...

I had such a great conversation with Gina Cotner, founder and CEO of Athena Executive Services, and I have a feeling this one is going to hit home for a lot of you. If you have ever told yourself, it is just easier to do it myself, you are in good company. I have said that more times than I can count. But Gina made me see that the resistance we feel around delegation is not really about the task....

I have wanted to have this conversation for a while, and I am so glad we finally made it happen. Andrew Allen is someone I have known for years. I remember watching him perform at a backyard concert in Richmond, BC, long before keynote stages were part of his story. Even then, there was something about him that was different. He was not just performing. He was connecting. Today, Andrew is a multi-...

Today we are talking about something that often gets overlooked in business conversations, yet affects everything! The quality of relationships. My guest, Norman Wolfe, challenges the traditional view of organizations as machines and introduces a more human-centered way of thinking. We talk about why even the best strategies can fail, what really motivates people at work, and how leaders can shift...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Lisa Riegel to explore something we often overlook in business relationships: trust. Trust is not just a soft skill. It is rooted in how our brain is wired. Lisa shares a powerful and practical perspective on how our past experiences shape the way we perceive others, react in the moment, and build connection. We talk about what really happens when we read the r...

In this episode of Relationships Rule, I had a great conversation with Mike Desjardins, CEO of ViRTUS, about what leadership really looks like when it’s grounded in relationships. We started with a powerful idea, that leadership has very little to do with titles or results, and everything to do with whether people actually want to follow you. From there, our conversation unfolded into a thoughtful...

In this episode, I sit down with Behdad Jamshidi to talk about what it really means to build meaningful business relationships. Behdad has built his business around connection, not just by meeting people, but by understanding them, staying curious, and creating introductions that genuinely help others move forward. We talk about the difference between networking and true relationship building, the...

In this episode, I’m joined by Sigrun Gudjonsdottir, an award-winning business coach, entrepreneur, and a strong advocate for helping women build scalable online businesses. Sigrun shares her remarkable journey from growing up in Iceland with a strong belief in what women can do, to becoming a CEO, turning struggling companies around, and eventually building her own business. What stood out to me...

In this episode, I sit down with Deborah Kevin, publisher, author, and founder of Highlander Press, to talk about what really goes into writing a book and why it matters more than we often think. Deborah shares that the biggest challenge most people face is not writing, but getting clear on what they truly want to say. We explore how that lack of clarity can hold people back, not just from writing...

In this episode, I’m joined by Derrick Chevalier, negotiation strategist, speaker, and author of Evolve or Be Slaughtered: Negotiation for the 21st Century. Many people think negotiation begins when it is time to talk numbers, price, or terms. In this conversation, Derrick challenges that idea and explains why negotiation actually starts much earlier, from the first impression to the first email,...

You are going to love this episode! I know I did. I’m joined by Gabrielle Dolan, global storytelling expert and author of Story Intelligence: The Craft of Authentic Storytelling Made Smarter with AI. Gabrielle has spent more than two decades helping leaders communicate with more clarity, connection, and trust through real stories. We talked about why authentic storytelling matters even more now, e...

In this episode of Relationships Rule, I had the pleasure of speaking with intuitive artist and spiritual teacher Heather Eck about seeing people and relationships in a completely different way. Heather experiences the world through synesthesia, a condition where senses overlap. In her case, people, emotions, and experiences appear as color. What began as a unique way of perceiving the world event...

In this episode of Relationships Rule, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jimmy Page, leadership expert, author, and co-creator of the powerful One Word philosophy . Jimmy has spent decades helping leaders, teams, and organizations improve culture, performance, and purpose. Through his work with athletes, businesses, and ministries around the world, he has trained more than 100,000 leaders and co...

Trust feels more fragile than ever right now, and I believe leaders are being asked to navigate change, uncertainty, and higher expectations in ways we have not seen before. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller, EQ expert, TEDx speaker, and author of The Empathic Leader, to talk about empathy as a practical leadership skill that builds trust, improves culture, and drive...

This week, I sit down with Nick Richtsmeier to explore something many business owners feel but struggle to articulate: trust is eroding, and it is affecting every sales conversation. Nick challenges the traditional growth playbook. Instead of treating hesitation, resistance, or disengagement as problems to fix, he reframes them as valuable data. Distrust is not a failure. It is information. We tal...

In this episode, I sit down with Coach Jim Johnson, a long-time educator, championship basketball coach, and inspirational speaker who has spent decades helping people see what’s possible for them. Right away, I could see how closely Jim’s leadership style reflects what I’ve witnessed firsthand, with my husband. (He was a lifelong high school basketball coach too.) Leading with belief, care, and e...

In this episode, I sit down with David Homan , master connector, podcaster, start-up founder, co-author of Orchestrating Connection and founder of Orchestrated Connecting . We explore how connection, generosity, and purpose can transform our businesses and our lives. David shares how he’s built a system to track and honor referrals — so that connectors get recognized for the value they create. We...

In this episode I welcome back Stacey Brown Randall, author of The Referable Client Experience. Stacey challenges the old idea that referrals come from asking. We talk about why excellent work alone doesn’t lead to referrals, what clients are quietly thinking as they move through your process, and how small, human touchpoints build trust, safety, and pride, the emotions that make people willing to...

In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Robin Hills, founder of Ei4Change and a long-time educator in emotional intelligence. We explore why the future is human, how empathy drives real performance, and what leaders can do that AI never will. Robin shares how self-awareness translates into intelligent behavior, why personality assessments are only useful when we apply them, and how the seven basic human...

Seeing is Believing! That’s one of the mantras of my guest, Todd Cherches. Todd has built his career, and written a book called: Visual Leadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Leadership and Life. In this interview we explore how visual thinking can transform the way we communicate, connect, and build trust in business. Todd shares why helping people “see what you’re saying” isn’t about artisti...

Today I speak with yoga therapist and educator Lisa Danahy about how the skills that calm a classroom can transform our relationships at home and at work. We explore safety before instruction, why our energy is contagious, and how a 15-second movement and breath reset can change the tone of a meeting. Lisa makes complex nervous system concepts simple and practical, and she reminds us that inclusiv...