Welcome to the Charismatic Leader Podcast.

In this episode, Brett McDermott sits down with Marc Hildebrand, former LAPD sergeant turned self-leadership coach. After 20 years in law enforcement, Marc realized the biggest threat to his potential wasn’t external—it was the narrative in his own head. He shares how rewiring our inner dialogue can transform health, relationships, and leadership.

Together, Brett and Marc explore the foundation of self-leadership: how we speak to ourselves, how we coach ourselves through resistance, and how to replace limiting beliefs with empowering stories. Marc recounts his journey of losing 100 pounds, building a thriving coaching business, and navigating the challenges of fatherhood—including his son’s fight for life in the NICU. He explains why leading yourself is the prerequisite to leading others, and how small daily choices compound into identity-shaping votes.

This episode is packed with practical strategies for anyone who wants to stop self-sabotage, rewrite their story, and step into the leader they were meant to be.

Key Takeaways:

• Why self-leadership is the foundation of all influence

• How negative self-talk traps us—and how to rewrite the story

• The difference between solving technical problems vs. addressing root beliefs

• Why small daily choices are votes for your identity

• How to coach yourself through resistance with powerful questions

• The importance of allowing others to help uncover subconscious limiting beliefs