Badass Softie

Most experiences don’t stay with you. You go to a conference, an event, a workshop, and within a few days, most of it is gone. Not because it wasn’t good, but nothing made it stick. Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Matt Ford, experiential marketing expert behind activations for Adidas, Cartoon Network, and HGTV, to talk about the part most leaders overlook: what actually makes an experience stick....

What happens when you get what you wanted and it doesn’t fix what you thought it would?   You can spend years working toward something, only to realize it doesn’t feel the way you expected.   In this episode, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Al Andrews, founder of Porter’s Call, to talk about what success actually does to people—and why it doesn’t always bring the fulfillment we expect.   After de...

Selling shouldn’t feel like pressure, persuasion, or pretending to be someone you’re not. But for a lot of leaders, it does. In this episode, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Bob Burg, co-author of The Go-Giver, to unpack why so many people feel uncomfortable with sales—and how a simple shift in perspective can change everything. They explore what happens when you stop trying to “get” the sale and...

So many leaders feel like they’re saying the right things… and still not being heard. They create content. They follow the strategies. They build what they’ve been told will work. And yet—something doesn’t land. In this conversation, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Macy Robison, a strategist behind the resonant thought leadership system, to explore why that disconnect happens—and what to do about...

Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with designer, strategist, and storyteller Justin Ahrens to explore a part of leadership most people try to avoid: tension. There’s a natural pull to resolve things quickly—to choose a side, simplify the path, or chase clarity. But some of the most meaningful leadership doesn’t come from eliminating tension. It comes from learning how to stay present inside it. This con...

There are things happening right in front of us that we can’t see. Not because we’re ignoring them. Not because we don’t care. But because our experience has never required us to notice them. Dr. JJ Peterson explores how two people can look at the same situation, care about the same outcome, and still walk away with completely different conclusions—not because one of them is wrong, but because the...

In a world overflowing with information, what actually makes a leader stand out? It isn’t having more knowledge, better data, or more polished content. What separates leaders who shape the world from those who simply repeat what others say is something deeper: a clear point of view. But developing a point of view isn’t about trying to sound original or inventing ideas no one has ever heard before....

Leaders are tired. Not just from long hours or packed calendars, but from the constant mental load of decision-making, responsibility, and momentum that never quite stops. For many high-performing leaders, the instinct is to push through the exhaustion or hope a little time off will fix it. But rest alone isn’t always what restores clarity. Dr. JJ Peterson explores a different idea: what leaders o...

Dr. JJ Peterson challenges a belief many ambitious leaders quietly hold: that what we call self-awareness might actually be a fixed mindset in disguise. When rewards disappoint, applause is delayed, or results don’t show up the way we hoped, it’s easy to blame the “prize.” The market. The algorithm. The team. The timing. But what if the real ceiling isn’t external at all? This reflection explores...

What if the strongest thing a leader could say isn’t “I was right,” but “I see this differently now”? Dr. JJ Peterson challenges one of leadership’s most persistent myths — that consistency means never changing your mind. Drawing from cognitive psychology, decision science, and a deeply personal story about turning down a book deal after a podcast reached 13 million downloads, JJ explores why rigi...

Leaders carry growing responsibility. Bigger teams. Bigger decisions. Bigger stakes. But growth in responsibility doesn’t automatically mean growth in thinking. Dr. JJ Peterson explores a counterintuitive leadership truth: when leaders stop trying new things, their thinking gets smaller — even as their influence expands. The issue isn’t intelligence. It isn’t experience. It’s rigidity. The brain i...

Before he ever worked with leaders on message and clarity, Dr. J.J. Peterson spent years performing improv comedy — an environment where nothing is scripted, mistakes are guaranteed, and collaboration determines whether a scene survives. What most people misunderstand about improv is that it isn’t chaos. It has rules. And those same rules quietly shape what effective leadership looks like when cer...

Most people think a story has to be a seismic, life-altering event to matter. Something dramatic. Something obvious. Something big enough to justify being told. But leadership is rarely shaped by moments that announce themselves. In this conversation, Dr. J.J. Peterson talks with storyteller and creativity guide Tricia Rose Burt about why the stories that shape how we lead are often the ones we ov...

Work is relational—whether we admit it or not. And yet many leaders are taught that professionalism means distance, separation, and emotional restraint. In this conversation, Dr. J.J. Peterson reflects on what actually happens when trust, friendship, and shared commitment exist inside a working relationship. Joined by longtime collaborator and friend Kristin Spiotto, they explore the tension betwe...

Cynicism often starts as protection. It forms after systems fail, trust erodes, and disappointment stacks up. For many leaders, it feels reasonable—earned, even. But over time, that armor begins to cost more than it protects. Dr. J.J. Peterson reflects on how cynicism quietly reshapes leadership: how it changes tone, limits trust, narrows imagination, and distances us from the very people and poss...

Some of the most meaningful leadership lessons don’t come from business books, keynote stages, or boardrooms.   Sometimes, they come from places you don’t expect.   In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson shares unexpected leadership insights inspired by a behind-the-scenes look at Taylor Swift and her record-breaking Eras Tour. What he expected was spectacle. What he didn’t expect was...

As a new year begins, many leaders feel an unspoken pressure to measure themselves against impossible standards — more growth, more output, more proof that they’re “enough.” In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. JJ Peterson invites listeners to pause and challenge the definition of success they’ve been handed. Drawing from his own experiences launching businesses, leading teams, publishing a bests...

As leaders, we’re often taught that joy should wait its turn. That celebration is something you earn after the work is done, the chaos settles, and everything feels appropriate.   But what if that belief is quietly burning us out?   In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. JJ Peterson invites leaders to rethink joy—not as a reward, but as a leadership practice. Through a simple, human story and resea...

Ever been at a holiday party, networking event, or standing awkwardly near a charcuterie board when someone asks, “So… what do you do?”   And suddenly your brain short-circuits.   You ramble. You minimize. You say something vague like “I help humans” and quietly watch the conversation die.   In this episode, Dr. J.J. Peterson breaks down why leaders dread that question—and how to answer it in a wa...

Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with author and speaker Jen Hatmaker for a candid conversation about courage, integrity, and what happens when the life you’ve built no longer fits who you’re becoming.   Jen Hatmaker has navigated public success, private heartbreak, theological transformation, and the painful cost of choosing integrity over approval. Through every rise and collapse, she has remained te...

Everywhere I go lately, people are asking me the same thing: How do I stay human when everyone is using AI? And honestly, I get it. We’re living in a moment where content is being produced faster and more generically than ever before and leaders are wondering how to keep their voice from disappearing into the noise.   In today’s conversation, I’m sharing something I’ve learned after years of helpi...

In this episode of The Badass Softie Podcast, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with creative business mentor and coach Laura Higgins for a heartfelt, grounded conversation on what it really means to lead as a creative.   Laura opens up about her journey from “generalist” uni dropout to running a successful business coaching over 1,000 creatives — and the mindset shifts, courage, and leadership skills s...

In this episode of Badass Softie, I sit down with my longtime friend and former colleague, Tim Schurrer — someone whose leadership shaped not only my career, but the culture and growth of StoryBrand itself.   Tim is the author of The Secret Society of Success , a book that gently dismantles the assumption that success means being the one in the spotlight. And trust me… I’ve watched him live out th...

For leaders who chase big goals but crave meaning just as much as momentum — this conversation is for you.   Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Amy Porterfield, New York Times bestselling author of Two Weeks Notice, to unpack how ambition can serve you without consuming you.   Amy shares how she went from corporate employee at Tony Robbins to building a multimillion-dollar business — and how redefin...

You’ve been grinding nonstop: chasing goals, managing pressure, holding it all together. But lately, even the wins don’t feel like wins anymore. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. In this solo episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson unpacks how burnout quietly steals your joy, and how reclaiming joy isn’t about pretending things are fine. It’s about reconnecting to purpose, ener...