How Leaders Think with Kenny Lange

Making money and building wealth are not the same skill. Catrina Craft works with founders on the gap between them.

Catrina M Craft, CPA is the founder of Craft Money Map, where she helps seven-figure-plus professional service firm founders build proactive, year-round tax and wealth strategy instead of once-a-year filing. She spent more than 20 years specializing in advanced tax strategy after asking a top strategist, early in her career, to teach her everything they knew. Kenny and Catrina talk about the difference between chasing revenue and building wealth, why she thinks of herself — and the founders she works with — as performers who need real off-seasons, and the unspoken thoughts about money that most founders never say out loud, even to the people closest to them.

Chapters

00:00 Meet Catrina Craft

01:33 The CEO reset

03:28 Leading like a performer

05:54 Why past success isn't enough

10:11 What founders don't say out loud

15:32 Business is a sport

20:53 Build seasons of rest into your business

29:10 Money vs. wealth

34:07 One step in the next 24 hours

35:52 Where to find Catrina

What You'll Learn

• Why revenue and wealth are two different goals, and how to start treating yourself as the "CEO of your wealth journey" instead of just the CEO of your business

• How Catrina reframes herself — and the founders she works with — as performers, and what that actually changes about how she plans her week

• Why leaders need real off-seasons, and how Catrina's own coach takes a 40-day sabbatical every year while her team runs the business

• The unspoken thoughts founders carry about money that they rarely say out loud, even to a spouse or a coach — and why naming them matters

• A free, low-cost first step toward thinking like a high performer: find a mentor to study, even one you never get to meet

About Catrina Craft, CPA

Catrina M. Craft once walked up to one of the top tax strategists after a conference and said, “I want to learn everything you know” — then spent the next 20+ years doing exactly that, building the financial infrastructure the wealthiest 1% actually use.

Her superpower is spotting the strategies most CPAs and business owners miss entirely: proactive, year-round planning instead of once-a-year filing.

Today she's the founder of the Craft Money Map®, where she helps seven-figure-plus professional service firm founders use those same strategies to grow their wealth.

Catrina Craft Resources

Website: https://www.catrinamcraft.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrinamcraft/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catrinamcraft/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catrinamcraft1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catrinamcraft7801

Listen on Other Platforms

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

Free 5-minute leadership diagnostic: https://kennylange.com/diagnostic

Change the way you think, you'll change the way you lead.

Hashtags

#HowLeadersThink #Leadership #WealthStrategy #TaxStrategy

You can see yourself doing it. You still can't stop.

David Heaps is the founder and executive coach at Leadering, where he works with founding CEOs who keep solving the same problem in different forms. He spent nearly 11 years studying with indigenous teachers in the Amazon, and what he brought back became a method he calls Inner Architecture Work — finding the operating rules a leader built early in life, usually without ever choosing them, and changing the ones that are quietly running the show. Kenny and David walk through the four stages of catching an old pattern in real time, the exact moment a rule gets written (a kitchen, a hot burner, age three or four), and the one pattern David finds in almost every founder he coaches: the CEO who can't hold anyone to a standard, and ends up quietly doing the team's work for them instead.

Chapters

00:00 The Inner Architecture Behind Founder Burnout

01:43 Writing the Book Behind Inner Architecture Work

04:39 Why Most Leadership Advice Stops Too Early

08:23 The Four Stages: From Blind Repetition to Freedom

13:12 The Founder Patterns Almost Everyone Has

23:33 Where the Rules Come From: The Hot Burner Story

32:19 How One Blind Spot Becomes 200 Different Standards

39:29 Your First 24 Hours: Two Free Ways to Start

What You'll Learn

• The four stages of catching yourself mid-pattern — from doing the thing and only noticing after, to doing it while watching yourself and feeling powerless to stop, to actually changing course in the moment

• Where an "operating rule" really comes from — it's rarely deep, and it's almost never about the thing you think it's about

• The one pattern David finds in almost every founder he works with, and why it quietly builds resentment on the whole team

• How a CEO's own unspoken pattern cascades all the way down an org chart, whether anyone ever names it or not

• Two free ways to start in the next 24 hours — no drip campaign, no sales pitch

About David Heaps

David Heaps is the founder and executive coach at Leadering and the creator of Inner Architecture Work — a method for finding and changing the operating rules that quietly run a leader's decisions. A former COO, he spent nearly 11 years studying with indigenous teachers in the Amazon before developing the framework he now teaches to founding CEOs. His book, Inner Architecture: Finding and Freeing Yourself from the Invisible Rules That Are Ruling You, by David L. Heaps, is forthcoming.

David Heaps Resources

Website: https://www.leadering.com/

Book your complimentary Inner Architecture Audit (90 minutes): https://calendly.com/leadering/inner-architecture-audit

Free six-step process — email David directly, no drip campaign: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-heaps-leadering/

Listen on Other Platforms

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

Free 5-minute leadership diagnostic: https://kennylange.com/diagnostic

Change the way you think, you'll change the way you lead.

Hashtags

#HowLeadersThink #Leadership #SelfAwareness #ExecutiveCoaching

You keep saying you can't find the right people.

What if they already work for you?

Angela Finlay is a fractional and interim CHRO who helps companies rebuild how they hire, promote, and plan. She also wrote a book about it and teaches in Columbia University's M.S. in Human Capital Management program. Her argument is blunt: most companies track people by job title, and a job title is just a snapshot of what someone did before. The thing that actually predicts whether a person can do the work is their skill portfolio — everything they can do, most of which never makes it onto a resume. So leaders end up hiring for a skill that is already sitting ten desks away. Kenny pushes on what that means for how you build an org chart when you don't know what the roles will be in eighteen months.

Chapters

00:00 The Talent Paradox: Short on People, Planning to Cut

06:25 The STACK Model: Five Kinds of Skill Behind a Job

14:30 Start With Outcomes, Not Job Titles

22:09 Reward Managers for Growing Skills, Not Just Numbers

27:53 What Counts as a Skill — and Who Validates It

34:33 Why Small Companies Turn Faster Than Big Ones

38:18 The Skills Leaders Are Actually Short On

43:23 Fifteen Minutes on a Friday: Build Your Inventory

What You'll Learn

• Why "we can't find the right people" and "we're about to cut people" are the same problem, not two

• The STACK model — the five kinds of skill inside any job: supportive, tactical, adaptive, complementary, and knowledge-seeking

• How to build a role backwards from the outcome you need, instead of forwards from a job title

• Why paying managers to grow their team's skills is the change that makes every other change stick

• The AI skill nobody is hiring for: not using it, but knowing what should never be handed to it

• Two first steps that cost nothing — fifteen minutes on a Friday for you, and a look at your last three job postings if you lead people

About Angela Finlay

Angela Finlay is a fractional and interim CHRO, author of Skill Stacking: Taking Ownership of Your Career in Changing Times, and an educator who helps organizations and professionals rethink what it means to build a successful talent organization in today's ever-changing workplace.

Angela Finlay Resources

Website: https://windwardhcm.com/

Resources (book, white paper, contact): https://windwardhcm.com/podcasts/

Book — Skill Stacking: Taking Ownership of Your Career in Changing Times: https://a.co/d/c1OVVx9

White paper — Stacking for Growth – The GROWING Model: https://windwardhcm.com/podcasts/

Skills inventory — the STACK Profiler: https://app.stackingyourcareer.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ablumfinlay

Listen on Other Platforms

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

Free 5-minute leadership diagnostic: https://kennylange.com/diagnostic

Change the way you think, you'll change the way you lead.

Hashtags

#HowLeadersThink #Leadership #Hiring #Skills

What separates top performers from everyone else?

In this episode, Kenny Lange sits down with Dre Baldwin, founder of Work On Your Game®, former professional basketball player, 4x TEDx speaker, and author of 43 books. Dre shares how discipline, personal initiative, and relentless execution helped him go from an overlooked Division III athlete to a successful entrepreneur and thought leader.

They explore the difference between information and implementation, why most organizations struggle with execution, and how entrepreneurs can scale their impact without constantly creating something new. If you're ready to stop chasing ideas and start producing bigger results, this conversation is for you.

Listen on Other Platforms

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2tlZXAtcmlzaW5nLXdpdGgta2VubnktbGFuZ2U=

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

Dre Baldwin Resources

Website: http://www.WorkOnYourGame.com

LinkedIn: http://LinkedIn.com/in/DreAllDay

Facebook: http://Facebook.com/WorkOnYourGameUniversity

Podcast: http://www.WorkOnYourGamePodcast.com

Book: http://ThirdDayBook.com

Books Mentioned

The Third Day — Dre Baldwin

http://ThirdDayBook.com

The Mental Handbook — Dre Baldwin

Hashtags

#HowLeadersThink #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Execution

What if we've been thinking about business all wrong?

In this episode, Kenny Lange sits down with Neal Foard, founder of Storyfire®, to explore why the word "business" may have distanced us from the people we serve—and why thinking like a tradesman changes everything. Neal shares lessons from decades creating campaigns for brands like Toyota, Budweiser, Lexus, and Sony, revealing how storytelling, generosity, and genuine care create companies that customers love and employees are proud to represent.

If you're a business leader, entrepreneur, or anyone who wants to build something meaningful, this conversation will challenge how you think about customers, culture, and the stories your organization tells itself.

Listen on Other Platforms

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2tlZXAtcmlzaW5nLXdpdGgta2VubnktbGFuZ2U=

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

Neal Foard Resources

Website: https://www.storyfire.net

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-foard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nealfoard

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nealfoard

Personal Website: https://nealfoard.com

Hashtags

#howleadersthink #leadership #storytelling #businessleadership

What does it take to move from being a high performer to becoming a leader who develops others?

In this episode of How Leaders Think, Kenny Lange sits down with Michael Neuendorff, President of Bay Area Executive Coach, to discuss why today's leaders must move beyond command-and-control leadership and embrace a coaching mindset. They explore leadership blind spots, the dangers of the advice trap, reverse mentoring, earning influence, and practical ways to build stronger teams.

If you're a business leader, entrepreneur, manager, or nonprofit executive looking to develop people more effectively, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership.

Listen on Other Platforms

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2tlZXAtcmlzaW5nLXdpdGgta2VubnktbGFuZ2U=

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

Michael Neuendorff Resources

Website: https://www.bayareaexecutivecoach.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelneuendorff/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bayareaexecutivecoach

LinkedIn Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bay-area-executive-coach/?viewAsMember=true

Books Mentioned

The Coaching Habit — Michael Bungay Stanier

The Advice Trap — Michael Bungay Stanier

The Founder's Evolution — Scott Ritzheimer (upcoming)

Hashtags #HowLeadersThink #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipSkills

AI is changing the way leaders think, work, hire, create, and make decisions. In this episode of How Leaders Think, Kenny Lange talks with Jay Owen, CEO and Founder of Business Builders, about why leaders cannot afford to ignore AI and how it can become a tool for creativity, productivity, and better stewardship.

Jay shares how AI is already reshaping marketing agencies, workplace expectations, hiring conversations, ministry work, and strategic decision-making. He also explains why the future will not only be more automated, but also more dependent on real human community, accountability, and relationships.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2tlZXAtcmlzaW5nLXdpdGgta2VubnktbGFuZ2U=

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

AI with Jay: https://aiwithjay.com

Jay Owen Live: https://jayowenlive.com

Business Builders: https://businessbldrs.com

Building a Business That Lasts by Jay Owen

https://jayowenlive.com

#HowLeadersThink #AILeadership #FutureOfWork #BusinessLeadership

In this episode of How Leaders Think, Kenny Lange sits down with Esther Stewart, founder of CottnOwl Agency, to talk about the overwhelming noise in online marketing and why so many founders are burning out chasing the latest strategy.

Esther shares her perspective on high-ticket client acquisition, simplifying offers, building authentic relationships, and how AI is reshaping marketing and sales. Together, they unpack why clarity, positioning, and real human connection matter more than ever in today’s business landscape.

If you’re a founder, coach, consultant, or leader trying to grow your business without losing yourself in the process, this conversation will help you think differently about scaling, sales, and sustainable success.

Listen to the full episode and learn how to simplify your business while creating deeper trust with the right clients.

Listen on Other Platforms

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2tlZXAtcmlzaW5nLXdpdGgta2VubnktbGFuZ2U=

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

Esther Stewart Resources

Website: https://cottnowlofficial.com

LinkedIn: https://LinkedIn.com/cottnowlofficial

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cottnowlofficial

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2teA8oeVPUUREUaJPWxRBO?si=MIH-uMv0TJ2aIIVaqMNoNA

Hashtags

#HowLeadersThink #HighTicketSales #Entrepreneurship #marketingstrategy

In this episode of “How Leaders Think,” Kenny Lange sits down with Adam Steck, Chief Servant Officer of Southwest Steel Buildings, to talk about leadership development, lean culture, and building people instead of just building products. Adam shares how Toyota lean principles transformed the way his company empowers employees, develops leaders, and creates long-term culture.

This conversation explores why great leadership starts with humility, why culture matters more than skillset, and how leaders can better serve their teams by getting out of the office and onto the “shop floor.” If you’re a business owner, team leader, or entrepreneur trying to build a healthier company culture, this episode is packed with practical wisdom and honest insights.

Other places to find the “How Leaders Think” podcast:

* Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

* Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

* Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2tlZXAtcmlzaW5nLXdpdGgta2VubnktbGFuZ2U=

* Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

* Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss an episode!

Resources:

Adam Steck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamsteck/

Website: https://www.southwest-metal.com/

#LeadershipDevelopment #CompanyCulture #LeanManagement #InnovativeLeaders #EmpowermentAtWork

What if the pressure you’re facing is actually preparing you for your future calling? In this episode of “How Leaders Think,” Kenny Lange sits down with Art Serna to explore identity, purpose, leadership, and what it means to build something that outlives you. Art shares his journey through business leadership, faith, burnout, and rediscovering a deeper sense of calling beyond hustle culture and external success.

This conversation is for leaders who feel the tension between achievement and purpose — and are ready to rethink how they lead, build, and serve.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-think-with-kenny-lange/id1434737807

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wKtzb6KaF1vNlG9TsZkzh

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2tlZXAtcmlzaW5nLXdpdGgta2VubnktbGFuZ2U=

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b13c5d64-50db-4626-9685-c356116ec54b

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennyLange/podcasts

Website: https://howleadersthink.kennylange.com/

Website: https://unknownsrising.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/utartserna

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unknownsrising

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CCuc7hddn/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@unknownsrising

Book: https://a.co/d/0cA258Vx

• The Unknowns Rising by Art Serna — https://a.co/d/0cA258Vx
• The Only Leaders Worth Following by Tim Spiker

#HowLeadersThink #LeadershipDevelopment #EntrepreneurMindset #PurposeDrivenLeadership