Avad: The Seeds of Leadership

I sat down with Stephany Luithly for a conversation on grief, motherhood, and what it looks like to keep moving forward after loss.

Stephany is a wife, mom, and author of A Collection of William. After a miraculous and hope-filled 97 days, her first baby William passed away. She shares what that journey has looked like, how writing became a way to process it, and how it deepened an already strong foundation of emotional intelligence in how she shows up in life and with the people around her. I am blessed to call her my sister, and I have learned from her what it looks like to truly care for people in the moments that matter most.

We talk about:

• What it actually looks like to sit with someone in pain
• How empathy, patience, and presence are developed through real life, not taught
• The tension between hope and reality in the hardest seasons
• How emotional intelligence shows up in leadership, relationships, and everyday moments

A study by TalentSmart found that emotional intelligence accounts for about 58 percent of performance across roles, with top performers consistently scoring higher in EQ.

Her new book, A Collection of William, releases March 25 on Amazon.

I mean this sincerely. Read it. If you buy the book and it does not impact you in a meaningful way, I will personally reimburse you.

Connect with Stephany:

Website: https://stephanyluithly.com/

Email: [email protected]

Benjamin Suyematsu joins Jeremy for a practical conversation about how leadership is shaped through family, lived experience, and personal responsibility rather than titles alone.

They discuss influence versus authority, the role of follow-through in building trust, and how credibility is formed through consistent action over time. They also explore nature versus nurture, observing before leading, and the value of staying curious rather than trying to be the smartest person in the room.

The conversation turns to automation and AI and how leaders can think clearly about modern tools while maintaining judgment, transparency, and human responsibility.

This episode is a grounded conversation about becoming someone others can trust through how you show up and lead.

This episode comes at a time when many New Year’s goals start to feel harder to sustain.

In this episode, I walk through the Servant Growth Framework, a simple four-phase approach built around Identity, Alignment, Resilience, and Impact. Rather than relying on motivation alone, the framework starts with who you are becoming, how that shows up in daily rhythms, and how growth is meant to extend beyond yourself.

I walk through:

• How values, vision, life domains, and “I am” statements create clarity before setting goals
• How to assess where you are today using simple growth audits and short-term focus
• How daily, weekly, and monthly rhythms support consistency over time
• What to do on “red days,” including how to identify barriers and respond to them
• How growth becomes complete when it turns outward through service and gratitude

This episode is a practical guide for staying grounded in your growth beyond the early weeks of the year - and for using that growth to better serve the people around you.

Knoxville senior and multi-sport athlete Regan “Reggie” Roberts joins Jeremy to talk optimism that holds up under pressure, what a winning culture looks like in the good and the hard days, and how to handle noise from the cheap seats.

We get into his experience performing in Matilda with K-ACT (Knoxville Area Community Theatre) and what that taught him about encouragement and showing up for people. From football and injuries to nature vs. nurture, Regan shares what he’s learned and what’s next as he closes the book on Friday nights.

Highlights:

• What positivity looks like in real teams, not posters on a wall
• “Hungry for more” after a win and how that shapes culture
• Working through injury and the Monday grind after tough losses
• The simple rule: never read the comments
• Advice for the whole program in 10 words or less

Jeremy sits down once again with a familiar voice, Nicolas, founder of Hoksey Native Seeds and host of The Prairie Farm Podcast. Nicolas is known for his authenticity, local impact, and big-picture thinking, and this conversation delivers all of that and more.

Together they explore what integrity looks like in real life, from setting healthy boundaries in close friendships to asking hard questions about purity, faith, and financial well-being. They dive into different personal finance philosophies, from Dave Ramsey principles to leveraging low-interest debt, with a nod to True Path Financial Coaching by certified Ramsey coach Shane Cox.

The two also talk through Celebrate Church’s strategic planning process, the tension between vulnerability and integrity, and Nicolas’ story of transformation during his time at Bethel College.

The episode closes with both sharing ten-word reactions to this prompt:

A thoughtful and grounded episode that blends faith, friendship, and financial wisdom for leaders who want to grow with honesty and courage.

What if the secret to sustainable leadership isn't rapid growth or complex strategy, but quiet consistency, deep respect, and doing the right thing when no one is watching?

In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Dr. Formanek, a trusted Knoxville chiropractor and 36-year business owner, to explore the simple and often overlooked truths behind long-term impact.

They talk about the value of showing up on time, how to build trust with patients and staff, and why overhead, respect, and compassion matter more than most people think.

Topics include:

• Building a cross-trained, flexible team
• Keeping overhead low without sacrificing quality
• Leading with respect and clarity
• Practicing compassion as a daily discipline
• Creating a culture where patients and staff feel at ease

This is a quiet masterclass in people-first leadership from someone who has lived it for over three decades.

This episode takes a step back from interviews and stories from others. Jeremy shares a personal reflection on the early stages of launching Avad Consulting and what the journey has taught him so far.

From navigating uncertainty and self-doubt to finding clarity in faith and authenticity, these lessons offer a look behind the curtain of building a business from the ground up. While the themes are drawn from Jeremy’s own experience, they connect to challenges every leader faces when stepping into something new.

Jeremy sits down with his longtime mentor Joe LaCount, Founder and Principal Consultant of North Star Coaching and Consulting. They dig into what it really takes to lead change that respects people and delivers results.

In this episode

• People first, then process: Why respect for people is the foundation of every improvement, and how to treat the next operation as your customer
• Measurement that matters: Stop guessing outcomes. Measure inputs and key steps, not just the final output
• Real Kaizen, real buy-in: Joe refuses to run events without the frontline in the room. The people who do the work must design the work
• Start with small wins: The Moneyball “free Coke” story, and why solving one frontline pain builds momentum for bigger change
• 5S builds culture: “Would you have your mom work here?” Using workplace organization to show respect and shift behavior
• Coaching with humility: Guide, don’t force. Ask simple questions, listen, and let teams own the solution

Why it matters

Joe blends technical mastery with servant leadership. His stories and approach show how leaders can build improvement cultures that last and grow through the people doing the work.

In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Matt Van Sant, Worship & Youth Leader at Celebrate Church. Matt shares how his early love for music turned into a lifelong place of leadership, and what he’s learned about showing up with humility, leaning into discomfort, and believing in people.

The conversation explores:

• What it means to lead when others have more life experience
• Why deeply believing in people matters more than perfection
• How leadership often flows out of who you are when no one’s watching
• The role of wonder and imagination in faith, family, and leadership
• Lessons from worship, parenting, and even golf about humility and growth

Matt's story shows how God develops great leaders through faith, integrity, and a heart for people.

Stephen Gnidovec is the founder of Great Lakes Analytics, a consulting firm that helps leaders and teams use data to make better decisions. He is also the author of The Data Culture Handbook, his new book on how organizations can build healthier relationships with data.

In this episode, we talk about the practical side of data: dashboards, KPIs, and how to avoid "report purgatory." Stephen shares lessons from consulting, why culture matters as much as numbers, and what he learned while writing his book.

We also talk about his journey starting Great Lakes Analytics, the challenges of building a practice, and some lighter stories that show the human side of working with data.

Check out Stephen's new book:

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-data-culture-handbook-stephen-gnidovec/1148012965

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Data-Culture-Handbook-Data-Driven-Organizations/dp/B0F673X4V1

Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgnidovec/