What separates good performers from truly elite ones, and why do some teams suddenly turn things around while others stay stuck? According to leaders working at the highest levels of professional sport, the answer is not just talent, technique, or effort. It is mindset, decision-making, recovery, and the often invisible dynamics that shape how people perform under pressure.

On this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, AIIR Consulting CEO Dr. Jonathan Kirshner is joined by three world-class performance experts operating at the intersection of sport, psychology, and leadership: Simon Rice, Vice President of Athlete Care for the Philadelphia 76ers; Holly Benner, elite ultramarathoner; and Lindsay Shaw, Director of Sport Psychology for the Cleveland Guardians. Together, they offer a rare, inside look at how elite performance is built, sustained, and recovered when things go off track.

Drawing from professional basketball, Major League Baseball, endurance sport, and executive coaching, the conversation explores why excellence is less about pushing harder and more about aligning people, culture, and decision-making over time. The group unpacks how leaders can navigate burnout, ruts, and losing streaks, and why the same principles that drive athletic turnarounds apply directly to organizations under pressure.

In this episode, we explore:

• What Actually Separates Elite Performers. Why love of the craft, self-belief, and consistency over time matter more than raw talent or relentless grinding.
• Mindset as a Performance Lever. How subtle shifts in internal language, such as “we will” versus “we have to,” change behavior, resilience, and outcomes.
• Turnarounds Without Changing the Roster. How leadership, culture, and shared mental models can unlock performance even when the players stay the same.
• Decision-Making Under Uncertainty. Why leaders can make the right call and still lose, and how elite performers stay grounded anyway.
• Recovery as a Competitive Advantage. Why focusing on sleep, nutrition, hydration, and mental recovery drives better performance than chasing marginal gains.
• Coaching, Support, and Self-Leadership. Why the highest performers invest in coaching, and why great coaches have coaches of their own.

If you lead teams, operate under pressure, or want to elevate performance without burning out, this episode offers practical, hard-earned insights from environments where feedback is immediate and the stakes are public.

To learn more about how AIIR Consulting helps leaders build resilient, high-performing teams, visit aiirconsulting.com.

From the outside, an IPO can look like it's all confetti, bell ringing, and a soaring valuations. But, behind the scenes, it’s one of the most intense leadership transitions a company can face. Scrutiny increases overnight. The margin for error shrinks. And the leadership behaviors that fueled early growth can break under the weight of scale.

In this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, host Dr. Jonathan Kirchner sits down with two leaders who have seen what it really takes to navigate that shift: Gary Survis (Operating Partner, Insight Partners) and Katherine “Kat” Williamson (VP of Talent Development, Gong).

Together, they unpack the realities that rarely make it into the celebratory headlines — from the human toll of “living in transformation,” to the cultural rewiring required when a company goes from building fast to delivering predictably.

Gary and Katherine explore how founders and executives must evolve as the organization matures — including the hard truth that what got you here won’t get you there. They discuss why charisma and “good vibes” can’t substitute for clarity, discipline, and accountability — and how the best leaders learn to trade heroics for systems. You’ll hear how to identify which leadership skills will scale, which ones become liabilities, and why the companies that succeed long-term are the ones that treat reinvention as the job, not the exception.

This conversation is also a practical guide for leaders preparing for their next inflection point. Expect insights on building a “ready-now” leadership bench, managing expectations from investors and boards, and creating alignment when the pressure to execute is relentless. If you’re navigating hypergrowth, preparing for an IPO, integrating new executive talent, or trying to build a company that can thrive under constant change — this episode delivers the perspective (and the realism) you need.

What does CEO succession look like when it’s planned, values-led, and built for continuity and change at the same time?

In this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, host Jonathan Kirschner, founder and CEO of AIIR Consulting, sits down with three leaders who’ve lived the succession story from every angle:

• Reade Fahs, who led National Vision for more than two decades, guiding the company from a modest optical chain into one of the largest vision care retailers in America — and who recently transitioned out of the role of CEO.

• Alex Wilkes, National Vision’s new CEO, who joined as president and stepped into the top role with a modernization agenda rooted in customer reality and operational urgency.

• Jamie Ramsden, senior executive coach, author of Let’s Go, and a former CEO himself, who has coached both leaders and offers a behind-the-scenes view into what makes a succession succeed or fail.

Together, they explore the art and science of handing over the baton — including the internal work required of the outgoing CEO, the strategic choices required of the incoming CEO, and the practical routines that protect trust during a high-stakes transition.

Can love be a serious strategy in today’s high-pressure business environment?

In this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, host and AIIR Consulting CEO Dr. Jonathan Kirchner is joined by Bob Chavez, former President and CEO of Hermès Americas, and Jamie Ramsden, author and executive coach to both Jonathan and Bob.

Together, they explore a leadership philosophy centered on trust, care for people, and long-term commitment — a deliberate alternative to fear-based leadership and short-term thinking.

Drawing on Bob’s extraordinary journey — from his childhood on what he calls “the wrong side of the tracks” in San Antonio to his years at Princeton to stewarding one of the world’s most iconic luxury brands for more than two decades — the conversation reveals how timeless values, emotional courage, and focus can produce enduring performance in even the most competitive industries.

This episode is a masterclass in human-centered leadership — and a reminder that the most powerful force in business may still be the one leaders are most hesitant to name.

Key takeaways from the conversation include:

• Why leading with love is not soft leadership — and how it creates accountability, trust, and exceptional performance
• How Hermès sustained long-term growth by prioritizing patience, craftsmanship, and culture over short-term wins
• The role of storytelling and sense-making in helping organizations stay focused amid distraction and volatility
• What it takes to build culture as a living system — not a poster on the wall
• How leaders can challenge people to grow while creating psychological safety and deep belonging
• Why focus, trust, and care for people may be the ultimate competitive advantage in modern leadership

Whether you lead a global organization, a growing team, or yourself, this episode offers a powerful reframing of what leadership can look like when it is grounded in humanity.

To learn more about AIIR Consulting and its executive coaching services, visit www.aiirconsulting.com.

What does it take to lead when change is no longer episodic but constant and fluid? On this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, AIIR Consulting CEO Dr. Jonathan Kirschner sits down with Dr. Joy Nissen and Ian Wilcox to explore how leaders can stay grounded, resilient, and effective in a world where stability feels increasingly out of reach.

Drawing on careers in psychology, organizational science, and global consulting, Joy and Ian unpack why traditional change models no longer fit the moment. Today’s reality demands something different. Leaders must regulate their own energy, create stability for others, and guide organizations through uncertainty without pretending to have all the answers.

This conversation is a candid, deeply human look at what leaders are experiencing right now: fatigue, fragmentation, cognitive overload, and the pressure to perform amid ambiguity. More importantly, it offers a path forward.

In this episode, we explore:

• Leading Self in a Fluid World — Why constant change pushes leaders into chronic stress, how that affects cognition and health, and the practices that rebuild resilience and presence.
• Communication That Actually Connects — Why more information doesn’t equal more clarity, and how leaders can create psychological space, name what people are feeling, and strengthen trust through intentional communication.
• The Contagion Effect of Leadership — How a leader’s physiology, mindset, and emotional regulation shape the entire system. What it means to lead from intention instead of tension.
• Organizational Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty — Why strategy can no longer rely on prediction, and how purpose, humility, and experimentation become the anchors for organizational adaptability.
• Humanity as a Leadership Imperative — Why fostering connection and community is now part of the job, and how leaders can counter loneliness and fragmentation inside their teams.

If you’re navigating nonstop change — or leading others who are — this episode offers the clarity, grounding, and perspective needed to thrive. To learn more about how AIIR Consulting helps leaders strengthen resilience and lead through uncertainty, visit aiirconsulting.com.

What really determines whether a company thrives or unravels under pressure? According to John Touey, one of the country’s most trusted C-suite recruiters, it comes down to a single, often overlooked truth: the CEO, CFO, and CHRO form the power structure that governs the entire enterprise. If that trio isn’t aligned, nothing else works.

On this episode, AIIR Consulting CEO Dr. Jonathan Kirschner sits down with John — Managing Partner at Trilogy Talent Advisors and a masterful “C-suite whisperer” — to reveal what he’s seen across thousands of board conversations, CEO transitions, and high-stakes leadership searches. This conversation is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at what truly determines whether leaders succeed, stall, or never see the inside of the C-suite.

John breaks down how the CHRO role has transformed more in the past five years than in the previous fifty, how AI is reshaping the talent landscape in real time, and why behavior and culture fit are the ultimate predictors of executive success.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Power Trio That Runs the Enterprise. Why the CEO–CFO–CHRO relationship is the heartbeat of organizational health — and the first place to look when things break.
• The Real Reason Leaders Flame Out. Why even extraordinary executives fail when their leadership style clashes with the culture — and how to spot the mismatch before it happens.
• The CHRO’s Rise to Strategic Power. How the pandemic — and now AI — vaulted HR from supporting role to enterprise architect.
• AI, Talent, and the Future of Work. Why HR’s access to the richest data in the company puts it at the center of AI-driven transformation.
• Courage as a Leadership Requirement. The CHRO as truth-teller, stabilizer, strategist — and often the only person willing to challenge the CEO.

If you care about leadership, culture, or the future of work, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss. To learn more about how AIIR Consulting can help your leaders navigate change and shape a better future, visit aiirconsulting.com.

What does “human-first” leadership look like inside a company building the future of artificial intelligence? AIIR Consulting CEO Jonathan Kirschner and Joy Nissen sit down with Gideon Rosenberg — Deputy General Counsel and Head of HR for NVIDIA Israel — to explore how empathy and uncompromising standards can (and should) coexist.

Gideon offers a rare inside view into NVIDIA’s culture under CEO Jensen Huang, where people are empowered to “do their life’s work” and leadership begins with trust, not titles.

In this episode, we explore:

• Inside NVIDIA’s Leadership DNA: How Jensen Huang’s mantra to “do your life’s work” fuels meaning, empowerment, and ownership — even in a $5 trillion company.

• Empathy Meets Performance: The art of driving at warp speed without losing humanity — and what truly scales (and breaks) when expectations run high.

• AI as a Leadership Catalyst: How artificial intelligence is reshaping decision-making, talent development, and the very definition of “leading through others.”

• A New Playbook for People Leaders: Real-world guidance for CHROs and executives on re-skilling teams, building AI-ready cultures, and keeping trust at the center of change.

In this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, Dr. Jonathan Kirschner sits down with Reese Haydon to explore what it takes to lead with agility, curiosity, and care in today’s fast-moving world.

Reese's career has included senior talent management roles at some of the biggest companies in the tech industry, including Cisco, Dropbox, and Salesforce, among others.

Drawing from his extensive experience, Reese offers a rare, insider’s view into how leadership must evolve across different organizational contexts. He and Jonathan unpack what distinguishes exceptional leaders in high-growth environments, how to balance innovation with structure, and why care may be the defining leadership capability of the AI era.

Listeners will learn:

• Why agility and humility are essential traits for leaders navigating constant change

• The most common leadership pitfalls in tech — and how to avoid them

• How to balance experimentation with scale and stability

• Why curiosity and care remain timeless differentiators, even in the age of AI

Reese also shares how he sees AI transforming leadership development, why hybrid intelligence (human + artificial intelligence) will shape the future of work, and how leaders can stay grounded amid disruption and paradox.

If you’re a leader, coach, or HR professional seeking to understand what great leadership looks like in an age of exponential change, this conversation will both challenge and inspire you.

Looking for more information about the leadership skills leaders need to succeed? Visit aiirconsulting.com.

For decades, executive coaching and psychotherapy have been treated as distinct disciplines — one focused on business performance, the other on unpacking unproductive patterns and personal healing. But, in recent years, the two have been creeping closer together. As they have, it has begged the question, are coaching and therapy really that different?

In this thought-provoking episode of A Podcast About Leadership, Dr. Jonathan Kirschner, clinical psychologist and CEO of AIIR Consulting, sits down with two of his fellow psychologists turned executive coaches, Dr. Joy Nissen and Dr. Davida Vogel, to explore how the worlds of clinical psychology and coaching increasingly overlap, how they strengthen one another, and why drawing a line between them actually matters.

• Discover how coaches with backgrounds in behavioral science use methods from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and other clinical approaches to help leaders clarify values, challenge unhelpful thinking, and achieve meaningful goals.
• Understand why boundaries and confidentiality are essential to successful coaching, and how “setting the frame” early builds trust and alignment across every stakeholder involved.
• Hear why the relationship between coach and client — the “working alliance” — is the single biggest factor driving results in both executive coaching and psychotherapy.
• Learn how AIIR’s Strategic Development Plan and Developmental History Interview bring psychological depth and rigor to executive coaching, turning insights into real, lasting behavior change.
• See how awareness, courage, and curiosity transform insight into action, helping leaders grow not only as professionals but as people.

Whether you’re a coach, psychologist, HR or talent leader, or simply curious about how psychology is reshaping leadership development, this episode offers research-based insights and real-world wisdom you can apply to your own growth— and the growth of those you lead.

In pharma, the barrier to progress isn’t usually the science—it’s how well leaders align brilliant, functionally deep experts to move an asset forward together. In this candid conversation, AIIR Consulting CEO Jonathan Kirschner sits down with Ian Wilcox (AIIR Advisory Board member; former Global Head of Life Sciences at HayGroup; executive advisor and investor) and Megan Marshall (Managing Partner, AIIR Consulting) to unpack what it really takes to lead in matrixed cross-functional teams—from early research through clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, medical affairs, and commercial.

Drawing on decades in the industry, Jonathan, Megan, and Ian explore why influence (not authority) is the #1 leadership skill in life sciences, why self-awareness is its essential counterpart, and how leaders make the identity shift from subject-matter expert to enterprise leader. 

Key takeaways:

• Influence beats authority. In life sciences, the #1 leadership skill is influencing across disciplines; self-awareness is the essential counterpart that makes influence land.
• From SME to enterprise leader. High-caliber MDs/PhDs must shift identity from “proving I’m right” to orchestrating outcomes across matrixed cross-functional teams.
• “Dual citizenship” mindset. Great leaders stay rooted in their function while developing curiosity and fluency in clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, medical affairs, and commercial.
• Two meeting modes—be explicit. Superior leaders name when the team is in information-sharing vs decision-making mode and design debates to avoid sunk-cost bias.
• Six enterprise behaviors that matter. Clear decision frameworks; transcend silos; manage tension/ambiguity; align incentives & metrics; provide strategic direction; drive collective understanding.
• Set the stage, not just the agenda. Purpose, expectations, and “why you’re in the room” beat long decks and “functional imperial” updates that cause people to check out.
• Industry pressures reshaping leadership. AI accelerating early discovery; tougher patient recruitment; platform/partnering models; and a disrupted commercial playbook demand new ways of working.
• Economics raise the stakes. Pricing pressure from payers/government and narrowing launch windows force smarter cross-functional bets and faster, evidence-based pivots.
• Identity choices are healthy. Not everyone should “leave the science”—organizations need prestigious IC paths alongside enterprise leadership tracks.
• Timeless beyond pharma. These cross-functional leadership muscles translate to any sector facing complexity, speed, and high-stakes decisions.

Want to learn more? You can download our whitepaper, Leadership's Critical Role in Cross-Functional Pharmaceutical Teams.