Leadership rarely breaks down because of a lack of tools.
It breaks down when fear replaces curiosity, and judgment gets outsourced.

In this episode of 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘊𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦. 𝘋𝘰 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧., I sit down with Kara Schlageter, a people-first cybersecurity and technology leader, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership when certainty disappears.

We talk about curiosity as a discipline, resilience without bravado, and why you can do everything right and still lose AND still grow. We also explore the role of AI in leadership, not from a hype perspective, but from a human one: where it helps, where it harms, and why judgment, accountability, and authenticity can’t be delegated.

This isn’t a conversation about trends for the sake of trends.
It’s about staying grounded when systems change, roles shift, and pressure is real.

☕ In this episode, we cover:
• Curiosity over fear in leadership decisions
• Resilience during disruption and transition
• Gratitude without denial
• AI as an amplifier, not a replacement
• Why authenticity matters more than ever

𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘊𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦. 𝘋𝘰 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧. is a podcast about leadership, purpose, and navigating uncertainty with clarity and courage.

👉 Subscribe for conversations that help leaders show up ready.

What the video episode on YouTube @LimitlessCyber : 

Curiosity Over Fear: Staying Human in the Age of AI | Kara Schlageter

Connect with Kara on LinkedIn: 

Kara Martin Schlageter

Stoicism is often misunderstood as emotional detachment or indifference. In reality, it is a practical leadership discipline built for moments when pressure is high, decisions are imperfect, and responsibility is real.

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., Jason Elrod is joined by returning guest Brad Bussie for a grounded conversation on stoic leadership in modern executive roles. Together, they explore how stoic principles show up not as philosophy, but as daily practice for leaders operating in uncertainty.

This conversation reframes stoicism as an operating system for leadership, focusing on emotional regulation, moral courage, and the discipline of choosing response over reaction. Jason and Brad discuss why leadership failures are often rooted in character rather than strategy, why temperance is one of the most overlooked leadership virtues, and how credibility is built when outcomes are not clean or popular.

They also examine how stoicism can be misused or performed, drawing a clear line between genuine stoic leadership and performative restraint that masks ego, avoidance, or moral compromise.

This episode is especially relevant for executives, CISOs, board-facing leaders, and anyone responsible for making high-stakes decisions who wants to remain steady, credible, and human under sustained pressure.

Amazon Affiliate Links to books mentioned:

The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday

Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave (The Stoic Virtues Series) - Ryan Holiday

Subscribe & Stay Connected

If you found this conversation useful, subscribe to Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. for future episodes exploring leadership, clarity, and decision-making under pressure.

🎧 Podcast home:
https://limitlesscyber.com/DCDCS 

📺 Watch full episodes and clips on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/@limitlesscyber 

New episodes drop regularly.

This is a bonus episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff.

It’s not a traditional conversation.
It’s a short, focused leadership reflection.

As AI continues to accelerate, the real challenge facing leaders isn’t how powerful the tools become. It’s what we decide to hand over and what we refuse to.

AI can execute.
It can generate answers.
It can optimize decisions.

What it cannot do is carry responsibility for the consequences.

In this episode, I walk through the core human responsibilities that cannot be automated or outsourced, even in a highly AI-driven world:

This isn’t about competing with AI or trying to outwork it. It’s about out-framing it. Deciding what remains human work when systems get faster and pressure increases.

We’ll be back to our regular conversations next episode.

High performers are often told to slow down, reflect, and be more present. But for many, slowing down doesn’t feel calming. It feels unsafe.

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., Jason Elrod sits down with retired Navy SEAL officer JJ Parma for a deeply honest conversation about elite performance, survival wiring, and what happens when discipline alone stops working.

JJ shares how ego can function as armor, why many leaders live in a constant future-focused state, and how unresolved trauma (often rooted long before adulthood) shapes how we lead, decide, and relate to the world. Together, they explore burnout not as weakness, but as a system failure, and presence not as softness, but as one of the hardest disciplines to master.

This conversation also touches on JJ’s personal journey of confronting root trauma, reframing healing as awareness rather than escape, and learning how to rebuild a life of clarity without losing edge, discipline, or purpose.

This episode isn’t about shortcuts or prescriptions. It’s about understanding why slowing down can feel dangerous and what becomes possible when awareness finally replaces survival mode.

Guest: JJ Parma
Retired Navy SEAL Officer | Human Performance Consultant | Founder, Fourth Phase Consulting

 Watch on YouTube (Limitless Cyber with Jason Elrod): Why Slowing Down Feels Unsafe

Connect with JJ Parma:
Website: The Fourth Phase Podcast with JJ Parma
LinkedIn: JJ Parma

Follow Jason Elrod
Website: LimitlessCyber.com
LinkedIn: Jason Elrod

Links from episode:
Netflix Dcoumentary: In Waves and War 

Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. explores leadership, presence, and learning to show up well in uncertainty. Be present and lead with courage.

What happens when you strip away titles, roles, and expectations?

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., Jason sits down with longtime peer and retiring executive Brant Borchert for a deeply human conversation about ritual, identity, and the quiet drift that pulls people away from who they are meant to be.

They explore how small habits compound into life-defining momentum, why ritual matters more than outcomes, and what happens when alcohol, status, or work stop being the center of your identity. Brant shares his journey stepping away from corporate life and into a purpose-driven next chapter focused on creativity, relationships, and intentional living.

This episode is about leadership beyond the job title. About building a meaningful life one small decision at a time. And about choosing who you want to be when no one is watching.

If you are navigating transition, questioning momentum, or redefining success, this conversation is for you.

🎙️ Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff.
Because life is a leadership test. Show up ready.

Watch the video version:  youtube.com/@LimitlessCyber

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., Jason Elrod sits down with Bradd Busick to unpack what leaders are missing about AI, speed, and organizational courage.

This is not a conversation about tools or hype cycles. It’s a real discussion about pace, culture, and what happens when leadership either creates momentum or becomes the constraint.

Bradd shares lessons from his transition from healthcare into private equity, where AI is treated as a value-creation engine, not overhead. Together, they explore why composable systems matter, why most organizations mistake convenience for capability, and how leaders must shift from task management to priority-driven thinking.

They also confront uncomfortable truths:
Why healthcare moves slower than almost every other industry.
Why banning AI is a fast path to irrelevance.
Why the future belongs to leaders who ask better questions, not those who cling to control.

This episode is a call to develop the eyes to see, the courage to act, and the discipline to build systems that make people stronger, not weaker.

If you’re a leader navigating AI, uncertainty, or cultural resistance, this conversation is for you.

Follow Bradd on LinkedIn.

Most people don’t lose their purpose in a single moment.
They lose it slowly, quietly, and without noticing.

In this solo episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., Jason Elrod explores the quiet drift and what happens when momentum begins to replace intention, especially for high performers and leaders.

Drift doesn’t come from laziness or failure. It comes from capability. From saying yes too often. From carrying more than your share because you can. Over time, life starts making decisions for you, and you wake up moving fast but no longer in a direction that feels like your own.

In this episode, Jason breaks down:

This isn’t about dramatic change or sudden reinvention. It’s about awareness, presence, and small choices made deliberately.

If something in your life feels busy but misaligned, this episode is an invitation to pause, reflect, and choose again.

☕ Drink coffee. Do cool stuff.

And keep building a life that’s actually yours.

Episode 16 — Balance is Power: A Framework for Life & Leadership

In this solo episode, Jason Elrod explores the idea that balance isn’t neutrality — balance is power. Drawing from Aristotle’s Golden Mean, Stoicism, Taoism, and modern leadership practice, Jason breaks down how every virtue becomes destructive when taken to extremes.

This episode introduces a practical framework built around eight balanced virtues crucial for both life and leadership: integrity, discernment, love, respect, humility, diligence, temperance, and courage. When these virtues are balanced, they create clarity, resilience, and purpose. When they drift too far to either extreme, they undermine our leadership and erode our lives.

Jason also reflects on how wisdom traditions across history point to the same truth: strength is found on the center line — not in the extremes.

Life is a leadership test. Show up ready.
Drink coffee. Do cool stuff. Stay balanced.

Cybersecurity Insights with Matthew Rosenquist — Jason Elrod Guest Episode
🎧 Listen here: Challenges for Healthcare Cybersecutity

00:00 — Welcome back + holiday reset
00:21 — Guest appearance on Cybersecurity Insights
01:00 — Today’s focus: The power of balance
01:26 — Aristotle’s Golden Mean explained
02:00 — Why extremes undermine leadership
02:32 — The Eight Balanced Virtues
03:03 — Integrity
03:30 — Discernment
04:16 — Love
04:47 — Respect
05:29 — Humility
06:12 — Diligence
06:43 — Temperance
07:12 — Courage
08:00 — Why balance feels difficult
08:22 — A question every leader should ask
08:45 — Universal wisdom traditions on balance
09:34 — Final reflection
09:56 — Outro + where to find more episodes

More from Jason Elrod

Website: https://LimitlessCyber.com 
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@limitlesscyber 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejasonelrod 
Podcast Home: https://limitlesscyber.com/DCDCS

Life is a leadership test. Show up ready.
Drink coffee. Do cool stuff.

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., I sit down with Jarrod Washington, tech leader, father, and perpetual source of optimism, to talk about faith, leadership, empathy, and the power of gratitude.

From musical theatre to coaching youth football, Jarrod brings contagious energy and real lessons about teamwork, humility, and showing up with purpose. We explore what it means to practice positivity, lead through adversity, and keep your inner light burning even in dark times.

Topics include:
- Why empathy is the most underrated leadership skill
- Lessons from flag football, fatherhood, and faith
- How to divide pain, not multiply it
- The one-candle rule: being light for others when life gets dark

“Life’s a team sport. Practice positivity. Change your attitude to gratitude.”

Follow Jarrod on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrod-washington-8b2a9847/

In a world obsessed with control, clarity is the true leadership advantage.

In this short solo episode, Jason Elrod explores how uncertainty tests our ability to stay calm, think clearly, and act with purpose. Especially in cybersecurity and executive leadership.

When you stop chasing control, you start building confidence. Because leadership isn’t about predicting the future, it’s about preparing to meet it.