Changemakers Collective

You’re showing up early, staying up late, and still feeling behind. What if the grind isn’t the answer, and never was? In this episode of Changemakers Collective, we call out hustle culture and make a bold case for a better strategy: wisdom. From time-blocking to team-building, we challenge the myth that being busy means being effective. A surprise guest appearance from Kristen Stegall of Novice Studios brings the conversation to life with a powerful real-time coaching moment that is full of real-world insights about burnout, business growth, and learning to lead with intention.

Kristen Stegall is the founder of Novice Studios, a podcast agency that helps business owners align their content efforts with broader brand and revenue goals. She’s known for making clients feel seen, heard, and confident on camera.

Connect with Kristen:

• LinkedIn

• Novice Studios’ Website

Episodes mentioned:

• 44. Escaping the Legacy Trap | What If You Only Had One Year Left?

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why being busy isn’t the same as being effective

• How to stop measuring success by effort and start measuring it by impact

• The difference between hustling hard and hustling smart

• Why time-blocking and strategic thinking beat endless hours

• How growth without process breaks the business before it builds it

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

What if the scariest boss you ever had didn’t just haunt your memories, but quietly shaped how you lead today? In this special Halloween episode, we dive into our real leadership horror stories, from intimidation and gas‑lighting, to passive‑aggressive culture and fear‑driven control. What’s behind the fear? Lessons you need as a leader: how to read the room, lead with humility, build psychological safety, and stop letting ego or fear drive your decisions. This one’s part confessional, part gut‑check, and and 100% about how self‑aware leadership doesn’t have to be scary.

Episodes mentioned:

• 38. A Boomer, A Millennial, & A Gen Alpha Walk Into a Meeting… | Cross-Gen Leadership That Protects The Mission

• 44. Escaping the Legacy Trap | What If You Only Had One Year Left?

Books mentioned:

• The Carpenter by Jon Gordon

• Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks

• Just Add a Zero by Chad Jenkins

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• How the boss you hated taught you how not to lead

• Why self‑awareness is the first defense against leadership that scares instead of serves

• The difference between confidence and control, and why fear‑driven leadership kills innovation and trust

• What true psychological safety sounds like -- and how it’s the platform for growth

• The mindset shift that turns a one‑time volunteer into a lifelong advocate

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

What would change about your leadership, your life, or your business if you only had one year left to leave your mark? In this episode, we challenge you to zoom out from the day-to-day grind and rethink success through the lens of legacy. From redefining success beyond money and milestones, to exposing the fear-based decisions that keep us small, this episode is a mindset shift for impact-driven leaders who are stuck in the tension between growing a business and living a life of meaning.

Books mentioned:

• Who's Holding Your Ladder? by Sam Chand

• From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks

Episodes mentioned:

• Episode 40: Do You Really Need A Strategic Plan?

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• The critical question that clarifies the problem you’re truly here to solve

• Why chasing dollars alone can cost you the impact you care about

• The difference between adding accomplishments and uncovering the masterpiece that’s already in you

• Why fear-driven decisions shrink your leadership - and your legacy

• How a “reverse bucket list” realigns your business with your purpose

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

What if your leadership habits are quietly holding your team back? In this episode, we unpack the subtle ways even the best-intentioned leaders can erode trust, stifle innovation, and slowly drain morale. If you’ve ever promoted a top performer who flopped, avoided tough conversations with toxic team members, or shrugged off feedback because you were overwhelmed, we see you. These moments compound over time, and the ripple effects are real. But the good news? They’re totally fixable. 

This episode walks you through the mindsets and behaviors to shift now, and includes a FREE Leader Self-Audit Checklist, a practical diagnostic tool to help you reflect and take immediate action with your team.

Links mentioned:

• The Leadership Challenge

• Download the FREE Leader Self-Audit Checklist

  
  

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why high performers don’t always make great leaders

• How leaders unintentionally discourage innovation and ownership

• What real feedback sounds like (and what it requires of you)

• The difference between showing empathy and getting walked over

• Why trust is built slow, and lost fast

  
  

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube

We've all been in one: the meeting after the meeting. It’s where real opinions surface and decisions get rehashed, often outside the room where they belong. In this episode, we break down why it happens and how leaders can eliminate it for good. If you're tired of the side conversations, unclear agendas, and “Was I supposed to know that?” moments, this one’s for you. These breakdowns aren’t just annoying; they're expensive. But the fix isn’t more structure. It’s better leadership.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why the meeting after the meeting signals deeper leadership issues

• How to build trust and clarity into your meeting rhythms

• The simple “no-fail meeting” checklist every team should use

• Why storytelling can derail (or deepen) a productive meeting

• What real psychological safety looks like in decision-making

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube

You’ve probably left a strategy meeting feeling fired up, only to watch progress stall a few weeks later. It’s not a people problem. It’s a rhythm problem. In this episode, we unpack the essential difference between strategic planning (the long-term vision) and agility planning (the short-term execution engine). If you lead a team, run a nonprofit, or are building an impact-driven business, this conversation will show you how to create a plan that’s actionable, adaptable, and aligned with your mission.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why your strategic plan keeps stalling out

• What agility planning actually looks like

• The culture shift that makes daily stand-ups worth doing

• How one word (“unless…”) can change the whole room

• What visionary leaders often miss (and how to fix it)

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

Strategic planning is something leaders talk about all the time. But when priorities shift, tech disrupts the market, and teams change, how useful is a long-term plan? In this episode, we challenge outdated models and unpack how to make strategic planning relevant, agile, and truly transformational for your business. Whether you're a startup founder or leading a legacy org, this one’s for you.

Links mentioned:

• Rhythm: How to Achieve Breakthrough Execution and Accelerate Growth by Patrick Thean

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why 3-5 year plans are obsolete (and what to do instead)

• How to use "stepping stones" to climb your own Everest

• The importance of psychological safety and diverse voices in the room

• Why the right facilitator can make or break your planning process

• How to create alignment between vision, mission, and daily execution

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

What happens when your dream job isn’t hiring, AI’s doing half the work, and your degree feels outdated before your student loans kick in? In this episode, we sit down with recent college grad Kailyn Kelly to talk about the job hunt in the age of automation, and how today’s young professionals are making big choices in a fast-changing world. 

Kailyn Kelly is a digital content producer at Novice Studios who blends sharp marketing instincts with a Gen Z superpower: knowing how to make AI work for people, not the other way around. A Clemson grad and natural connector, she’s passionate about creating space for curiosity, creativity, and growth - in work and in life.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Career paths are not linear, and that is okay. 

• Informational interviews are underrated and invaluable.

• The environment you work in matters as much as (if not more than) the salary.

• You don’t have to have it all figured out… at 22 or at 42.

• AI is changing everything, but there’s power in learning how to work with it, not fear it.

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

10,000 Americans turn 65 every day in 2025 and hundreds of CEOs are retiring. What does this historic leadership shift mean for your business? 

From Boomers to Gen X, Millennials to Gen Alpha, we break down how each generation leads, communicates, and clashes – and what your organization can do to bridge the gaps with clarity and cultural intelligence.

What do Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Alpha actually expect from leadership? How do you build a culture that serves all of them and still gets stuff done? Let’s talk about the new leadership challenge (and opportunity) of our time.

Links mentioned:

• Forbes: The Leadership Crisis Is Here – And Most Companies Aren’t Ready

  
  

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why leadership isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy across generations

• How to create meaningful mentorship that passes down values, not just skills

• The shift from traditional strategic planning to agile, real-time forecasting

• Why Gen Alpha expects flexibility and how legacy leaders can adapt

• Tools and tactics to unify your culture across generations and experience levels

  
  

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! 

Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube

AI isn’t the future. It’s already changing everything from payroll to people management, whether we’re ready or not. As leaders, we’re facing a choice: let the pace of innovation pull us off course, or build organizations that use AI without losing our soul. 

In this episode, we dig into what it really means to lead with heart and purpose in a world where automation and technology are speeding ahead. We unpack what integrity looks like in the face of automation, and how to lead through this disruption with clarity, care, and courage.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why AI is a tool and cannot substitute for real critical, creative, or strategic thinking

• How to let your mission and values drive how you adopt new tools and tech

• The truth about automation replacing your team’s humanity

• Why you cannot wait to retrain and retool and need to prepare your people now

• Businesses fail more often from growing too fast than from not growing at all

  
  

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! 

Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube