How do leaders stay calm, compliant, and effective when everything is on the line, and turn crisis into a catalyst for growth? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, Natalie sits down with Joe Campanella, CEO of Complily, to unpack what it truly means to lead through extreme pressure. Joe shares the behind-the-scenes reality of navigating an 18-month FTC investigation, the leadership lessons forged during uncertainty, and how that experience ultimately sparked the creation of an AI-powered compliance platform. The conversation spans leadership under fire, letting go as you scale, building resilient go-to-market strategies, and using AI to reduce risk while improving customer trust.

Takeaways:

• Leading through crisis requires calm, clarity, and communication. When everything feels chaotic, the strongest leaders are the ones who slow the room down, give clear direction, and keep teams aligned around what matters most in the moment.
• You don’t get out of hard moments by avoiding them. Joe reinforces that the only way out is through. Breaking overwhelming challenges into smaller, manageable steps and focusing on progress one day at a time.
• Letting go is a prerequisite for scale. As companies grow, leaders must be willing to hand off responsibilities once someone else can do the job well enough, even if it’s not perfect.
• Go-to-market focus starts with knowing exactly who you serve. Trying to sell to everyone dilutes momentum; defining a clear ICP creates repeatable, scalable growth.
• AI is a force multiplier when used beyond surface-level tasks. Tools like AI-driven compliance review and knowledge synthesis free leaders to focus on strategy rather than manual oversight.

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-campanella-aa33382/  
• Website: https://www.complily.com/ 
• Email: [email protected]  

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change 
• iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  

This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency. 

Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com