The CEO Shift

What does it look like to lead yourself first? Kim Hanson, CEO of LearningRx, joins Shawndel Spader to talk about taking the reins of the global brain training company her father founded, and what she had to learn about the CEO role, and about herself, along the way. Kim explains what brain training actually is and why you aren't stuck with the brain you were born with, then turns to her own leade...

What if the suffering you feel as a CEO is not a sign that you are failing, but a sign that your business is trying to help you heal? In this episode of The CEO Shift, Shawndel Spader talks with Sarah Stokes, founder of The Juicy Good Life, Business Joy Coach for the over-giver, and author of Worth the Squirm: How Our Business Helps Us Heal. Sarah has scaled three companies to multiple millions an...

About 80% of businesses fail, and David Guttman will tell you it is almost never the market that killed them, it is leadership. David has spent a 35 year career building, scaling, and exiting 8 and 9 figure companies. He has bought and sold 15 businesses, raised more than $25 million across fintech, edtech, crypto, and health tech, and worked in more than 45 different industries as an operator, me...

Most CEOs have a dashboard full of warning lights they have learned to drive right past. In this episode of The CEO Shift, Shawndel Spader talks with Kashonna Marrow, President and CEO of Simply Kashonna LLC, about authenticity, rest, and the vision you were never meant to carry alone. Kashonna is a speaker, coach, author, and corporate trainer who works with people on showing up as one person acr...

What if the most expensive thing in your business is the decision you keep putting off? In this episode of The CEO Shift, Shawndel Spader talks with Jess Haney, Partner and COO of Kismet Marketing, about decisive leadership and the shift every growing CEO eventually faces: learning to let go. Jess spent 13 years in education before taking a leap into agency ownership. With a gift for building syst...

Growth rarely stalls because a CEO stopped working hard. It stalls because everything still lives in one person's head. Shawndel Spader sits down with Angela Dee, founder and CEO of Ascend Strategic Advisory, to unpack why clarity, not effort, is the real engine of scale. With more than 20 years in strategy and leadership development, Angela shares why teams invent their own narrative when directi...

What if your core values aren't a poster on the wall, but the immutable DNA of your company? In this episode of The CEO Shift, Shawndel Spader talks with Marc Robertz-Schwartz, President of RTU Solutions and author of The RED APPLES Way, about why the word "core" is the part most CEOs skip. Marc spent 15 years building the multimedia marketing agency Red Apples Media before selling it at the end o...

If nobody notices you in a networking room, you are not in the wrong. You are just in the wrong room. Angela Obert opens with that reframe and does not let up. Shawndel Spader sits down with Angela Obert, Franchise Owner and Community Facilitator of Network In Action Minnesota, a curated, trust-first community where relationships come before transactions. They dig into why authentic relationships...

What happens when someone tells you that you will never be a CEO? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Henry DeVries to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Henry DeVries: Henry DeVries is the CEO of Indie Books International and a marketing advisor who has helped authors publish more than 2...

The amount of time you have been in business has nothing to do with how sophisticated your operations are. On this episode of The CEO Shift, Shawndel Spader talks with Pamela Slim, award-winning author and CEO of the Pamela Slim Agency, about scaling a business through productized IP. Pam has spent three decades helping experts package their ideas into frameworks that create bigger impact and new...

Why do some CEOs struggle to grow, even when they are fully committed? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Mark LeBlanc to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Mark LeBlanc: Mark LeBlanc is a Hall of Fame speaker and long-time business advisor who has coached thousands of CEOs, founders, an...

What does it take to scale an agency without constant bottlenecks, burnout, and team frustration? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Shawn Johnston to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Shawn Johnston: Shawn Johnston is the founder of Forge and Smith and the creator of Refoundry. He help...

What if saying no is the most profitable decision you can make this year? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Susan Baier to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Susan Baier: Susan Baier is the founder and CEO of Audience Audit, an attitudinal research firm that helps agencies and brands un...

What happens when the skills of parenting and leadership collide? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Angie Weber to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Angie Weber: Angie Weber is the CEO of The Parent Toolbox and the creator of the C.A.L.M. Approach and C.A.L.M. Family Planner. She helps...

Everybody likes to buy. Nobody likes to be sold. That single idea built Paul Dorsey's career. Paul spent 20 years building an independent investment advisory business, growing it from one client saving $25 a month into hundreds of millions of dollars and about 400 families, almost entirely through unsolicited referrals. In this episode of The CEO Shift, he and Shawndel Spader talk about why servin...

What if your financials are the single biggest factor in whether your business survives growth? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Debbie Stewart to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Debbie Stewart: Debbie Stewart is a seasoned fractional CFO who partners with growth-minded CEOs to brin...

Most CEOs treat balance like a finish line. Stacey Bartelson has a sharper read. Balance isn't even.  In this episode, Shawndel sits down with Stacey Bartelson, a CFP, CEPA, and ChFC at Bartelson Blessner Wealth Group with Edward Jones, to talk about what it actually looks like to lead with intention, work on your business instead of just in it, and plan for the exit you haven't taken yet. You'll...

Are you leaving money on the table because you do not understand your own IP? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Sharon Toerek to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Sharon Toerek: Sharon Toerek is the CEO and founder of Toerek Law, also known as Legal and Creative. She helps agencies, cr...

What happens when a successful attorney realizes that doing it all is holding her company back? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Lida Bannink to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Lida Bannink: Lida Bannink is an attorney, managing shareholder, and working mom who leads her law firm wi...

What is your exit plan, and is your business even ready for it? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Robin Edgar to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Robin Edgar: Robin Edgar is a wealth strategist and Chief Exit Officer with more than 35 years of experience guiding business owners throug...

Is fear keeping you from fully stepping into your zone of genius? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Stephen Woessner to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Stephen Woessner: Stephen Woessner is the CEO of Predictive ROI and the bestselling author of Sell With Authority. He has spent year...

What if the chaos in your business is not about people, but about alignment? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Karley Cunningham to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Karley Cunningham: Karley Cunningham is the founder of Big Bold Brand and the creator of the Surefire Method. She helps...

Is your marketing plan actually driving ROI, or just draining your budget? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Corey Morris to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Corey Morris: Corey Morris is an agency owner, industry writer, and bestselling author of The Digital Marketing Success Plan. H...

Give from overflow. That single phrase from Charmaine Heard might be the most quietly radical leadership insight every CEO needs to hear right now. In this episode of The CEO Shift, Shawndel Spader The CEO Shift | Charmaine Heard Content Package | Page 4 sits down with Charmaine, CEO of Charmaine Heard, Inc., a multi-credentialed international Relationship Intelligence Coach and author of The Cour...

What if saying no to the wrong clients is the fastest way to scale? On this episode of The CEO Shift, host Shawndel Spader sits down with Erik Jensen to explore the mindset shifts, strategies, and leadership lessons that move CEOs from operator to visionary. About Erik Jensen: Erik Jensen is co-owner of Predictive ROI and a long-time strategist for agencies looking to niche down, sharpen their pos...