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

Some weeks feel like a sprint on a treadmill with a broken slow down button!

In this Wind Down episode, it’s just me, Steff, joined by podcast strategist and Novice Studios founder, Kristen Stegall. We’re talking about what happens when life floods your carefully time-blocked calendar (or your kid’s daycare) with chaos – and how to lead through it anyway.

If you’re a solopreneur, a parent-preneur, or a small team leader juggling real-life emergencies with client expectations, I hope this episode reminds you: your humanity isn’t a liability – it’s part of your leadership.

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

Connect with Kristen:

• LinkedIn

• Novice Studios

• Kristen’s Media Makeover Service

  
  

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why clear communication systems beat “powering through” every time

• What trust in your systems and team actually looks like under pressure

• The importance of building your “village” before you need it

• How transparency builds stronger client relationships – and when to draw boundaries too

• The mindset shift from doing it all, to leading with intention

  
  

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
  

This week, we’re unpacking a question we ask every client and ourselves: What would break first if everything went right? If your business doubled tomorrow, would your systems hold up? Would your team? We talk through what it looks like to pressure test your business for growth, not just survival, and why too many founders plan for failure but not for success. Because if you’re serious about scaling impact, you’ve got to get honest about your fault lines.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• What we mean by “pressure testing” a business (and why we do it with every client)
• The common blind spots that show up when success hits faster than expected
• Why your P&L won’t tell you if you’re ready to scale, but your processes will
• The surprising reason we ask clients what would break if everything went right
• How to know when it’s time to leave your 9–5 and bet on your own business

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

Every changemaker has a few bloopers. Our first workshop flopped. The website said too much. And yes, we paid way too much for software we barely used. In this episode we’re looking back at Silverback Ventures’ early missteps that helped shape who we are—and how we lead. 

If you’ve ever launched something that fell flat or second-guessed your strategy after the fact, this one’s for you. You’re not alone — and we’ve been there, too.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why our first-ever workshop launch didn’t land — and what it taught us about visibility

• Why your personal network isn’t the same as a customer base

• The tragic tale of our way-too-long elevator pitch

• How bloated messaging buried our brand

• The costly mistake of skipping strategy and overspending on tools we didn’t need

  
  

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