The Unconventional Leadership Podcast

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus John Yockey has spent decades leading teams and now coaches C-suite executives as faculty at the Talent Magnet Institute -- and in this episode he and Mike Sipple Jr. tackle the question every accomplished leader eventually faces: when does being the most capable person in the room stop helping your team and st...

Season 4, Episode 250 250 Episodes: What Leading Through the Mess Actually Teaches You (feat. Mike Sipple Jr.) Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus After 8 years and 250 episodes, Mike Sipple Jr. sits down alone to tell the truth: not about what went right, but about what it actually cost to keep going. This milestone isn't a highlight reel. I...

Season 3, Episode 249 The Father, The Founder, and 50 Years of Unconventional Leadership (feat. Mike Sipple, Sr. & Mike Sipple Jr.) Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Mike Sipple, Sr. walked into a Cincinnati recruiting firm in 1975 with no suit and no plan -- and spent the next 50 years building one of the region's most trusted executiv...

Season 3, Episode 248 Stop Trying to Retain Your People (feat. Travis Dommert & Mike Sipple Jr.) Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Travis Dommert, Senior Client Executive, People & Performance, of One Digital has spent years sitting across from CEOs navigating the most personal transition in business: stepping into the top job. What he...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 247 How Great Leaders Challenge the Status Quo (feat. Mark Fisher & Mike Sipple Jr.) What does it really take to create meaningful change inside an organization? In this episode of the Unconventional Leadership Podca...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 246 Why Do Leaders Need to Think More Like Conductors? (feat. Daniel Wachter & Mike Sipple Jr.) What can business leaders learn from a conductor leading an orchestra? In this episode of the Unconventional Leadership...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 245 Succession Planning for Business Owners: How to Prepare Years Before a Transition (feat. Brent Rippe & Mike Sipple Jr.) What happens when a founder, owner, or key executive is no longer in the seat? In this episo...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 244 Why Is Leadership So Hard Right Now? How Great Leaders Build Healthy Teams (feat. Nancy Spivey, David Noe, & Mike Sipple Jr.) Leadership is more complex than ever. Between burnout, employee experience, AI, mental...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 243 Are You Keeping the Wrong “Top Performer” on Your Team? (feat. John Spence, Michael Ragsdale & Mike Sipple Jr.) High performance doesn’t excuse misalignment. In this episode, Mike sits down with John Spence and M...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Season 3, Episode 242 Why This CEO Pays 100% of Employee Healthcare Costs? (feat. Bob Heil & Mike Sipple Jr.) In a business arena where most companies struggle with retention, what if the secret to loyalty is radical generosity? In this episode I sit down with Bob Heil, Executive Director of Strategic Relat...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Signup for Relentless 2800: https://www.relentless2800.com Season 3, Episode 241 Why Great Leaders Start With Sleep, Not Strategy (feat. Jessica Morris AND JONBOB Willis) What if the biggest limiter of your leadership effectiveness isn’t skill, strategy, or experience—but exhaustion? In this powerful and deeply...

Season 3, Episode 240 How do you stay relevant in the 2026 leadership shift? (feat. Jennifer McClure, Steve Browne, James Biro, & Mike Sipple Jr.) By the end of 2026, the world will look completely different due to massive change and AI integration. Mike and his guests discuss how to stay agile and current in a rapidly evolving market. Explore how to retool your approach to meet the changing e...

What separates leaders people trust from leaders people tolerate? In this episode of The Unconventional Leadership Podcast, Mike Sipple Jr. is joined by Dr. Jeni Al Bahrani (Miami University), and student leaders/Teaching Assistants CJ DeBra and Sarah Bosse to unpack what “trusted advisor” leadership looks like in real life—especially when you’re leading peers, giving feedback, and trying to creat...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz : Season 3, Episode 238 Family Business Secrets Nobody Talks About (feat. Jonathan Theders & Mike Sipple Jr.) How do we build something meaningful—and know when it’s time to let go? In this episode of The Unconventional Leadership Podcast, we explore the tension between legacy and innovation, and why resist...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 237 How Do Leaders Turn Adversity Into Legacy? (feat. Doug Olberding & Lily Parke with Mike Sipple Jr.) In this inspiring episode of the Unconventional Leadership Podcast, Doug Olberding (CEO of Pig Works) and Lily Parke (Beechwood High School Intern, D1...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 236 Can Unreasonable Hospitality Save Your Culture? (feat. Lee Crume & Mike Sipple Jr.) Welcome to another transformational episode of the Unconventional Leadership Podcast. In this one, Lee Crume, CEO of BE NKY, sha...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 235 What If You Just Went For It? (feat. Emma Adkisson & Mike Sipple Jr.) Emma Adkisson shares the powerful story behind becoming CEO of a 45-year-old architecture firm...and the growth that came with it. From honori...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 234 THIS Is What Leaders Are Dealing With | ROUNDTABLE In this faculty roundtable, Mike Sipple Jr. sits down with Talent Magnet Institute team members Melanie Booher, Megan Leasher, and Leighann Rechtin to unpack the sin...

Connect & ask your leadership question here: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 233 How this B2B CEO Uses His Podcast to Grow a Movement (feat. Josh Lewis from the Cincinnati Podcast Studio) This crossover episode from Grow Your Podcast flips the script: Josh Lewis (Cincinnati Podcast Studio) interv...

Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 232 Is Burnout Inevitable in Leadership? (feat. Leighann Rechtin & Mike Sipple Jr.) Leighann Rechtin, TMI Senior Faculty, joins Mike Sipple Jr. to discuss sustainable leadership, emotional wellness, and redefining success for today’s professionals. From high-stakes boardrooms to personal boundaries, this epi...

Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 231 This Failed Retiree Shares the Secret to Successful Businesses Feeling stuck at a growth ceiling? Certified EOS® Implementer Kevin Rains explains why **removing** complexity—NOT adding more—unlocks explosive business growth. He shares how he scaled from 2 to 5 auto‑body shops, why a 2‑page strategic pla...

Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 230 Can a Failed Kidney Spark Purpose‑Driven Leadership? (feat. Tim Hanner & Mike Sipple Jr.) Former superintendent and social‑impact entrepreneur Tim Hanner—Mike’s very first podcast guest—returns to the upgraded studio for a full‑circle conversation. In the opening moments he reminds Mike how, back in...

Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz: https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Season 3, Episode 229 Are You Leading with Strength or Just Managing Weakness? In this insightful episode, Mike Sipple Jr. is joined by Dr. Laura Canter to discuss what it means to lead with emotional intelligence, character strengths, and radical candor. They unpack why most companies unintentionally manage to people's...

Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Connect with us: https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Season 3, Episode 228 The Real Reason You Feel Burned Out! (feat. Luke Dooley & Mike Sipple Jr.) What happens when high-performing leaders feel like they’re drowning—but don’t know who to tell? In this powerful episode, Luke Dooley and Mike Sipple Jr. explore how iso...

Take the FREE Self-Care Inventory Quiz https://www.talentmagnet.com/quiz Contact Us! https://www.talentmagnet.com/contactus Season 3, Episode 227 Is HR Ready for the AI Takeover? (feat. Kristie Dierig & Mike Sipple Jr.) Stop treating HR like a back-office cost center and start running it like the innovation engine your company needs. In this episode of the Unconventional Leadership Podcast, Ta...