Unlocked with Kristyn Drennen

Culture is easy to talk about and much harder to live. In this episode of Unlocked, Kristyn Drennen is joined by Sara Myers and Kelli Oberndorf, co-founders of Ekatā Group, for a grounded conversation about team health, leadership, accountability, and what it really takes to build a connected, high-performing company. Sara and Kelli explain the meaning behind Ekatā, a Sanskrit word connected to un...

From the outside, success can look polished, beautiful, and almost effortless. The thriving business. The strong family. The bold life decisions. The meaningful work. The opportunities people dream about. For business owners and visionary leaders, it can start to feel like everyone else has somehow figured out how to scale, lead, parent, travel, serve, and build a beautiful life without carrying t...

At some point in every business, the question isn’t “ can you manage the finances?” It’s “ should you still be the one doing it?” In this conversation, Kristyn sits down with Ryan Baer of CFO Selections to unpack a pattern they both see every day: high-performing business owners who have successfully delegated nearly every function… except finance. Not because they love it. Not because they’re the...

Many founders start their businesses because they love building, creating, and solving big problems — but somewhere along the way, they become the bottleneck. In this episode of Unlocked , Kristyn Drennen is joined by EOS Implementer Charlie Rhea to break down the leadership structure that helps founders scale without burning out: the visionary–integrator partnership. Charlie explains the critical...

What actually makes a business operating system work — and why do so many fail to deliver the clarity leaders expect? In this episode of Unlocked , Kristyn Drennen is joined by John Kitchens, a seasoned business coach with deep experience in EOS, Scaling Up, and operational leadership. Together, they unpack what operating systems really are, when a business is ready for one, and why the “install a...

In this deeply personal and practical conversation, Kristyn Drennen sits down with TransformCXO co-founder Paulina Walters to unpack what it truly means to operate a business as a ministry—without sacrificing performance, profitability, or accountability. Drawing from Paulina’s journey through C12 and her evolution as a leader, the conversation explores how faith, stewardship, and intentional lead...

Mergers test everything: leadership, communication, trust, and culture. Many organizations focus on systems, contracts, and integration plans, but overlook the human experience inside the transition. In this episode of Unlocked , Kristyn is joined by Sara Hoffman, Managing Partner at Conexus Insurance Partners, for a candid conversation about designing a people-first organization in the midst of g...

In this episode of Unlocked, Kristyn sits down with organizational transformation expert Noel Andrews-Sotta to explore why change management is far more relevant and human than leaders realize. Noel introduces her Change Compass, a simple framework that helps teams navigate uncertainty with clarity, confidence, and stability. Most leaders think change management is only necessary in the “big” mome...

What if your biggest obstacle isn’t lack of drive, but the very habits that made you successful? In this candid and practical episode, host Kristyn Drennen talks with executive coach David Shrum about what happens when high achievers plateau and how Meta Performance™ Coaching helps leaders break through the invisible ceilings that keep them stuck. David shares insights from his own leadership jour...

The Data and Humanity Behind Great People Decisions with Brandon Kinsey, Co-Founder of Kinsey Management When financial pressure rises, even the best leaders can fall into the “layoff trap”—cutting too quickly, hiring too emotionally, or keeping the wrong person in the right seat. In this powerful conversation, Kristyn Drennen and Brandon Kinsey challenge how founders make people decisions when it...

Entrepreneurs pour everything into their business — but when it comes to their personal wealth, even the most successful leaders often find themselves disorganized or exposed. In this episode of Unlocked , host Kristyn Drennen sits down with Tiffany Charles, Chief Growth Officer at Destiny Capital, to explore why every entrepreneur needs a Personal Wealth Operating System™ — and how aligning your...

Are you spending your best energy on the right things—or are you buried in tasks that drain you? In this solo episode, Kristyn Drennen breaks down the Delegate & Elevate strategy, a simple yet transformative exercise that helps leaders reclaim their time, focus on their zone of genius, and unlock capacity for what truly matters. Kristyn walks through the five steps of the framework: Find your...

High performers love to push, grind, and go — but what if the missing link to greater results isn’t more effort, but better rest? In this episode of Unlocked , host Kristyn Drennen sits down with David Shrum , a Meta Performance™ Executive Coach and former EMS Director, to unpack why rest is not a luxury, but a critical discipline for leaders. Together they explore: The difference between passive...

Summary: What happens when loyalty clashes with leadership? In this episode of Unlocked , host Kristyn Drennen sits down with powerhouse real estate leader Tina Caul to explore the messy middle of growing a business: wrong seats, tough calls, team misalignment, and the freedom that comes from making the hard decisions faster. Listeners will hear: ●      How to navigate wrong person/right seat dile...

Welcome to the debut of Unlocked with Kristyn Drennen —a podcast for visionary leaders ready to discover what’s next. In this opening conversation, producer Jon Ekstrom interviews Kristyn to set the stage for the episodes ahead. Kristyn shares her story of building TransformCXO, where she and her team of fractional executives help business owners prepare for scale and high-value exits. She reflect...

High performers often pride themselves on their ability to grind—but at what cost? Andrew Hartman knows this story firsthand. As a scaling COO, he pushed himself to the breaking point, sacrificing his health, relationships, and sense of presence until burnout forced a change. That journey led Andrew and his wife, Kelly, to create Time Boss, a system designed to help leaders and teams run at their...