The Energized Leader

In this inspiring episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with Holly Hoffman, former Survivor Nicaragua contestant, motivational speaker, and author, to talk about resilience, mindset, courage, and what it really takes to survive life’s toughest challenges. Holly shares what it was like to be dropped into the jungle with little food, constant rain, snakes, rats, howler monkey...

What does it take to transform a school district, rebuild employee morale, and create a culture where students and staff feel valued? In this inspiring episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with Mike McGrory on his final day as Superintendent of the Ottumwa Community School District. Mike reflects on his leadership journey, the lessons he learned throughout his career, and...

In this inspiring episode of the Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with Eddie Slowikowski, a peak performance expert, professional speaker, former elite runner, and author of The Four Minute Formula. Eddie shares his powerful journey from chasing an Olympic dream to becoming a full time speaker for more than 30 years. Eddie opens up about breaking the four minute mile, winning a gold...

In this energizing episode, Desi Payne welcomes Christine Trippi, known as The Wise Pineapple, hospitality expert, speaker, author of Yes Is the Answer, and creator of powerful customer service strategies that help leaders and teams create unforgettable experiences. Christine shares how she began her hotel career at just 17 years old and grew into leadership by learning the power of hospitality, p...

In this energizing episode, Desi Payne sits down with leadership expert Antoinette Griffin to explore how understanding your natural communication and energy style can make you a more effective leader. Together, they discuss the differences between introverts, extroverts, ambiverts, omniverts, and attroverts, and why self-awareness is essential for building stronger relationships, increasing influ...

In this inspiring episode, Desi Payne sits down with Dave Kauffman, international relationship speaker, Master DISC trainer, entrepreneur, business coach, business owner, and pilot, to talk about how leaders can create stronger relationships, healthier workplace cultures, and more energized teams. Dave shares his journey from Amish Mennonite farm boy to successful business owner and leadership coa...

In this energizing episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with leadership speaker and psychological safety expert Tania DeSa to explore how leaders can create a workplace culture where people feel seen, heard, valued, and safe to speak up. Tania shares powerful insights on psychological safety, connection, leadership vulnerability, recognition, micro moments of trust, and th...

In this energizing episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with Dr. Jeff Hendred, longtime educator, former principal, community leader, assistant pastor, business owner, and Dean of the Legacy Tumwater Leadership Academy, for a powerful conversation on what it truly means to be an energized leader. Dr. Hendred shares practical leadership lessons on influence, passion, positi...

In this powerful and inspiring episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with Jason Dennen, a speaker, leader, and survivor whose story will leave you believing that the impossible can be overcome. Jason shares the incredible story of a skydiving accident that changed his life in an instant when a sudden wind gust slammed him into a fence and the side of an airplane hangar at 3...

What does it really take to be an energized leader in today’s fast-paced world? In this inspiring episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with speaker, coach, and former senior vice president Lynsey Mulder to talk about authentic leadership, burnout recovery, team motivation, leadership communication, and how to lead with more spark, purpose, and alignment. Lynsey shares powe...

In this powerful episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne interviews entrepreneur, speaker, and resilience expert Dr. Marie Cosgrove for an unforgettable conversation about faith, leadership, perseverance, and overcoming impossible odds. Dr. Cosgrove shares her extraordinary story of rising above trauma, sexism in a male-dominated industry, personal hardship, wrongful treatment, and int...

In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with David Bossou for a powerful conversation on leadership communication, workplace connection, employee engagement, and valuing people. What begins as an interview quickly becomes an energizing co-host conversation filled with practical leadership insight, memorable stories, and real strategies for building a stronger workplac...

In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with leadership coach and community leader Hollie Tometich for a powerful conversation about authentic leadership, energized workplace culture, professional development, coaching, humor in leadership, and how leaders can recharge during tough seasons. Drawing from years of leadership experience in healthcare and community develo...

In this inspiring episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne interviews speaker, coach, and American Ninja Warrior finalist Hoan Do about leadership, resilience, mindset, and the power of personal growth.  Hoan shares how one life-changing speaker inspired his path, how he went on to work with Tony Robbins, and how he built a speaking career focused on helping people unlock their potentia...

In this powerful episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with bestselling author and inspirational speaker John O’Leary to talk about his extraordinary true story of survival, resilience, faith, and purpose. John shares the moving story behind the new film Soul on Fire, now reaching even wider audiences, and reflects on how a tragic childhood burn accident became the beginnin...

In this special episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne steps out from behind the microphone and into the guest seat as Garrett Ross interviews her about the life experiences that shaped her leadership message, resilience, and passion for helping people beat burnout, stay positive, and make their current job their dream job. Desi shares her powerful personal story, from growing up in a...

In this episode of The Energized Leader, Desi Payne sits down with Iowa real estate leader John Salvador to talk about leadership, workplace culture, motivation, team engagement, goal setting, and the power of leading by example. John shares how he built a high-performing real estate office in a small rural market, how incentives and team challenges drive sales success, and why trust, collaboratio...

In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with productivity expert, author, and leadership strategist Jones Loflin to explore how leaders can stay focused, energized, and productive in a world full of distractions. Together, they unpack practical strategies for time management, intentional planning, prioritization, and cutting through the clutter that drains physical, m...

What does it really mean to be an energized leader and how do you create everyday excellence without burning out? In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne interviews Dustin James, America’s Corporate Energizer, for a high-energy conversation packed with practical leadership and team culture strategies. Dustin breaks down his Four E’s of Everyday Excellence: Experience, Energy, E...

What if the fastest way to become a stronger leader is not doing more, but stepping away? In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, host Desi Payne sits down with Linda Daugherty, Chief Operating Officer of the Academy of Hair Design in Springfield, Missouri, to talk about burnout recovery, leadership sabbaticals, and how to recharge your energy after tough seasons like COVID. Linda shares...

Recognition is not fluff. It is fuel for performance, retention, and workplace culture. In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne interviews Dr. Bob Nelson, a world-renowned expert on employee recognition and appreciation and the bestselling author behind 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees. With 30 plus books to his name, Dr. Nelson shares practical, real-world strategies leaders can...

What does Olympic level resilience look like in real life leadership? In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, host Desi Payne sits down with Nikki Stone, Olympic gold medalist and motivational speaker, for a powerful conversation about mental toughness, resilience, and leading under pressure. Nikki shares the moment 10 doctors told her she would never return to aerial skiing and how she r...

In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with Tom Douglas of JMARK, a recognized voice in AI, business strategy, and workplace culture. Tom shares insights from his economic forecasting, the changing workforce, and the mind blowing technology that is shaping the next decade. He also reveals why leadership development is more important than ever, especially as middle ma...

What does it take to build an award-winning workplace culture that earns Best Places to Work 2025 for the third year in a row? In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with Richard Ollis, CEO of Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors, an employee-owned company in Springfield, Missouri, known for exceptional culture, transparency, and people-first leadershi...

In this powerful episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with David Cameron, City Manager of Springfield, Missouri, to talk about a topic leaders cannot afford to ignore: mental health. David shares the real story behind his high-performance leadership journey, including what he learned from growing up in a small Missouri town, leading city growth and development, and helping...