Most high-performing men in midlife aren't burned out because they're doing too much. They're burned out because they've never learned to recover.

My guest is Dr Kenneth Ro, a double board-certified physician and founder of the Reclaim Method. After more than 35 years in the emergency room, Ken has seen the patterns that play out when men ignore the signals their bodies and minds send them in midlife.

We explore why medicine is too reactive, why the real problem isn't stress but chronic under-recovery, and why the identity that got you here may now be holding you back. Ken also draws on his ER experience to share how to navigate personal crisis without being hijacked by your first instinct.

If you are in midlife, approaching it, or living and working with men who are, this conversation will help you see what's holding you back and what to do about it.

“Ageing is inevitable, but decline is optional.” - Dr Ken Ro

You’ll hear about

·      Why midlife is medicine's biggest blind spot 

·      Energy signals you've been normalising 

·      Why you're under recovered, not overstressed 

·      Starting small to reclaim yourself 

·      Why action creates feeling, not the reverse 

·      How male identity gets locked in midlife 

·      Vulnerability, curiosity and men's circles 

·      ER lessons for navigating personal crisis 

·      Why your first crisis instinct is wrong 

·      People watching as a prompt for change 

·      Pattern recognition under extreme pressure

About Ken:

Dr. Ken Ro is a double board-certified emergency physician, speaker, and founder of the RECLAIM™ Method — a physician-led framework designed to help high-performing men reclaim energy, clarity, resilience, and purpose in midlife. He is the founder of Back in the Game Men™, a concierge precision medicine and performance practice, and the author of PRIME: How to Win the Second Half of Life.

Dr. Ro’s work has been featured in media outlets including CEOWORLD Magazine, KevinMD, KHOU Houston, ABC Sacramento, and multiple health and leadership podcasts. His broader mission through the Nova Oath™ movement is to help restore trust, humanity, and courageous care in medicine.

Profile and services: https://KennethRoMD.com and https://BackintheGameMen.com and https://Nova-Oath.com

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

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

Book: PRIME: How to Win the Second Half of Life. https://www.amazon.com/PRIME-Physicians-Reclaiming-Redefining-Strength/dp/B0G1L2JBZ5

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ).

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj). 

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

●      Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.

●      About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.

●      Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds).

●      Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP).

●      Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI).

What if the best things in your life all began in a moment of fear?

My guest Scott Simon, author of Scare Your Soul, believes exactly that.

After a panic attack on a plane, he committed to one scary act every single day for a year. Those small daily acts transformed his life, and one of them, singing in front of a restaurant, sparked a global movement. He now coaches individuals, leaders and organisations to build their own courage practice.

We get into why high performers get stuck coasting on past success, and what it takes to break free. You'll also hear how building a personal courage practice shapes the culture and trust of the teams around you. Scott also shares why asking for help and practising forgiveness are strategic acts, and how small consistent actions create the conditions for bolder decisions and better leadership.

If you think your life is fine and you do not need to push yourself, this one is especially for you.

“When we start doing brave things in life, it affects everyone around us” – Scott Simon

You’ll hear about

• A panic attack that sparked a daily courage practice.
• Focusing on action, not outcome.
• Courage as internal work, not just external action.
• Why forgiveness is the ultimate act of courage.
• Being successfully stuck and how to break free.
• The CEO who took on Big Tobacco despite success.
• The lie you tell yourself to stay safe.
• Why courage is an act of service.
• Why 85% of our fears never materialise.

About Scott:

Scott is the founder of the global Scare Your Soul courage movement and bestselling author of Scare Your Soul: 7 Powerful Principles to Harness Fear and Lead Your Most Courageous Life (Hachette). As a keynote speaker and courage consultant, he has worked with the Cleveland Cavaliers, United Nations, Nestlé, Logitech, Lululemon, and SXSW to inspire braver teams and bolder cultures. His methodology is a unique blend of neuroscience, positive psychology, and behaviour design. Scott is dangerously obsessed with the NYT online word puzzles and is on a perpetual quest to discover the world's best hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

He teaches that courage is not a personality trait — it's a practice.

Scott's work: www.scottsimon.us 

Weekly courage challenges: https://scareyoursoul.substack.com 

Books: www.scottsimon.us/book

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ).

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj).

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

• Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
• About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.
• Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds).
• Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP).
• Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI).

What does strategy really mean when the word is everywhere, yet real strategic practice remains so rare?

In this solo episode, David Lancefield takes on one of the most overused and misunderstood ideas in business. Drawing on nearly 30 years advising CEOs, C-suite leaders, founders, and leadership teams, he makes the case for a broader, more practical, and more human view of strategy.

David explores why strategy so often gets trapped in decks, town halls, and top-level statements, while people across organisations are left unclear on the choices they can make and the contribution they can bring. He argues for a different approach: one that connects strategy with foresight, participation, ecosystems, self-management, and the wise use of AI — and brings it into the everyday moments that shape how we live and lead.

If you want to think more clearly, act more intentionally, and raise your strategic game in your organisation, your team, and your own life, this episode will give you a fresh lens and a practical way forward.

“Strategy is a practice for everyone, professional or personal.” – David Lancefield

You’ll hear about:

• Why strategy is treated as distant and elite
• Strategy defined: choices that move you to better
• Why strategy and execution must stay together
• Strategies that get announced but never translated down
• Why more people need confidence to be strategic
• The growing importance of foresight within strategy
• What open strategy looks like in practice
• Why ecosystems should shape strategy design and delivery
• How self-managed teams raise the bar for strategy
• Where AI helps in strategy and where it doesn't
• The seven daily moments that make or break a day
• Why strategy is a practice for everyone

More about David:

David Lancefield is a strategy and leadership advisor, coach, writer, and speaker who works with CEOs, C-suite executives, and founders at some of the world’s top organisations. Over nearly 30 years, he has worked with more than 60 CEOs and hundreds of senior leaders on strategy, leadership, culture, decision-making, and growth.

He writes for Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Review, strategy+business, Fast Company, and Forbes, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, The Times, and The Guardian. David is a former senior partner at Strategy&/PwC, a guest lecturer at London Business School, and the author of the newsletter Every Day is a Strategy Day.

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ).

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj).

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

●      Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.

●      About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.

●      Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds).

●      Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP).

●      Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI).

What if failure hits differently depending on your gender?

In this episode I speak with Deborah Grayson Riegel, an executive coach and author whose research across 1,100 women in 60 countries reveals why women experience setbacks more intensely than men, and what to do about it.

We dig into why women tend to ruminate longer, and see failure as identity rather than event, and where those patterns come from.

We explore the practical tools that can shift all of that: how to reframe failure, ask for better feedback, tackle invisible work, and build the kind of support network that helps you aim higher and recover faster.

If you are a woman navigating setbacks, this episode will change how you think about failure and what becomes possible on the other side. And if you lead or work alongside women, it will make you a better teammate and leader.

"Women see failure as their identity, not an event." — Deborah Grayson Riegel

You’ll hear about

• What failure really means and why it's broader. 
• Why women personalise and ruminate more after setbacks. 
• The five types of failure and which hit hardest. 
• How failure patterns start from age five. 
• The confidence gap versus the consequence gap. 
• Shifting from "what if" to "even if I fail." 
• How to ask for better, more specific feedback. 
• Navigating non-promotable and invisible work. 
• The Ground, Gather and Go framework. 

About Deborah:

Deborah Grayson Riegel is a keynote speaker and consultant who teaches leadership communication for Wharton Business School, Duke Business School, and Columbia Business School. She is a regular contributor for Harvard Business Review, Inc., Psychology Today, Forbes, and Fast Company. Deb consults and speaks for clients including Amazon, BlackRock, Bloomberg, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, and The United States Army. Her work has been featured in worldwide media, including Bloomberg Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. She is the co-author of the new book, “Aim High and Bounce Back: A Successful Woman’s Guide to Rethinking and Rising Up from Failure”.

Website: https://deborahgraysonriegel.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Deborah-Grayson-Riegel

Book Link: https://shorturl.at/nuPna and https://shorturl.at/OsWtU 

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ).

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj).

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

• Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
• About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.
• Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds).
• Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP).
• Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI).

How many of us are chasing a version of success that was never really ours to begin with?

My guest is Janine Mathó, author of Live Your Opus and executive coach to ambitious leaders. After navigating burnout and the loss of her mother, she went on a multi-year quest to answer one question: how can ambitious people achieve healthy, meaningful success without losing themselves along the way?

We explore what it really takes to sustain high performance over time, why energy is the architecture of how you show up as a leader, and why the answer isn't to lower your ambition but to raise your capacity to meet it.

If you want to lead at your best without burning out, this conversation will give you a new way to think about your life, your energy and what high performance really requires.

"Energy is the architecture of how you show up as a leader." — Janine Mathó

You’ll hear about

• Treating your life as your greatest work.
• Energy as your earliest signal of misalignment.
• Burnout forcing a complete redefinition of success.
• Inherited success stories blocking real change.
• Why energy is the architecture of performance.
• Starting the conversation in hard-edged cultures.
• Overcoming fear of being seen as weak.
• Diagnostic questions every leader should ask themselves.
• Best day habits and micro practices.
• Why upgrading yourself beats just upskilling.

About Janine:

Janine Mathó is a former Harvard and Pearson executive and a trusted advisor to senior leaders running large, complex institutions. Her work focuses on strengthening the leadership capacity required to sustain high performance in today’s high-pressure environment. Over a 25-year career spanning corporate, nonprofit, and academic sectors, she has helped organisations navigate transformation at scale, shaped global strategy on the future of learning and work, and raised more than $30 million for learning innovation. She received a Massachusetts Congressional Award for her service to education. Her focal areas include sustainable high performance, leadership capacity under pressure, aligning ambition with human capacity, and decision-making in complex systems. She is the author of Live Your Opus (Amplify, 2026).

Profile: https://shorturl.at/Z19to

Book: Live Your Opus: Reclaim Your Energy, Redefine Succes, and Create a Life That Truly Matters https://shorturl.at/30KEL

Newsletter: Live Your Opus  https://shorturl.at/Ixvxj

Website: https://shorturl.at/XY1hh

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ).

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj).

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

• Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
• About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.
• Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds).
• Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP).
• Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI).

What does love have to do with leadership? More than most leaders dare to admit.

My guest is Gianpiero Petriglieri, a professor at INSEAD and one of the most original and provocative voices on leadership today. We explore his idea of leadership as a kind of love, not sentimental or naive, but deeply relational. He makes a compelling distinction between performance and outcome, arguing that what you can control is not the result but the daily choices and gestures you make.

We go into the practical too. Gianpiero shares why curiosity and generosity shift everything, and why what really develops leaders is relationships with people who tell you the truth.

If you lead a team or organisation, this conversation will invite you to look differently at the small moments of time, attention and care that make leadership real, credible and human.

"Leadership is a relationship, not a toolkit." - Gianpiero Petriglieri

You’ll hear about:

• Leadership reframed as a kind of love.
• Instrumental versus humanistic relationships.
• Curiosity and generosity as leadership habits.
• Feeling safe and free at the same time.
• Why passion without devotion disappoints.
• Balancing reality and imagination.
• People, not programmes, develop leaders.
• Advice for leaders in a new role.
• Culture lives in the spreadsheet.
• Investment as leadership credibility.
• Quick-fire round on presence and connection.
• Gianpiero's best day habits.

About Gianpiero Petriglieri:

Gianpiero Petriglieri is Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD and an expert on leadership and learning in the workplace.

His award-winning research and teaching focus on what it means, and what it takes, to become a leader. He is particularly interested in the meaning and practice of leadership in the age of “nomadic professionalism,” an age in which people have deep bonds to work but loose affiliations to organisations, and authenticity and mobility have replaced loyalty and advancement as hallmarks of virtue and success. A Medical Doctor and Psychiatrist by training, Gianpiero has worked as an executive coach, practiced as a psychotherapist, and served on the staff of group relations conferences in Europe and the United States.

Profile: https://shorturl.at/WYvT1

Instagram: https://shorturl.at/qMHeZ

Writing: https://shorturl.at/rHAbb 

Research: https://shorturl.at/Bj650 

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ) 

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

·      Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.

·      About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.

·      Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds).

·      Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP).

·      Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI).

What really blocks capable leaders from progressing, even when performance looks strong on the surface?

In this conversation, I’m joined by executive coach and author Muriel Wilkins to examine how beliefs and assumptions operate like a personal strategy model, shaping the decisions we make.

Muriel draws on her coaching work and personal experience to unpack the seven common beliefs that limit leadership growth. We discuss how these beliefs show up as micromanagement, frustration or dissonance between intent and impact.

We also explore Muriel’s three stage framework of uncovering, unpacking and unblocking beliefs, how reframing creates new choices, and what it looks like to coach yourself before coaching others.

Which belief is shaping how you lead today?

“Leadership blocks are signals, not flaws.” - Muriel Wilkins

You’ll hear about:

• Why beliefs work like a personal strategy model
• The seven beliefs that commonly block leaders
• Why micromanagement limits leading at scale
• External versus internal signals of being blocked
• How dissonance reveals leadership growth moments
• The belief behind feeling you do not belong
• Working strategically within systems
• The three step unblock framework
• Reframing beliefs to change leadership impact
• Coaching yourself before coaching others
• Why culture change starts with beliefs
• Muriel’s best day habit of adaptive focus

About Muriel Wilkins:

Muriel M. Wilkins, founder and CEO of Paravis Partners, is a sought-after C-suite adviser and executive coach with a twenty-year track record of helping senior leaders take their performance to the next level. She is the author of Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential and coauthor of Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence. Muriel is the host of the Harvard Business Review podcast Coaching Real Leaders, consistently ranked as a top-ten podcast in Apple's Management category. She was recently shortlisted for the 2025 Thinkers50 Coaching and Mentoring Award.

Resources:

• Website: Murielwilkins.com
• Podcast: https://www.murielwilkins.com/podcast-coaching-real-leaders
• Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1647827264
• Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murielwilkins/ and https://www.instagram.com/coachmurielwilkins/

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ) 

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

• Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
• About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.
• Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)
• Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)
• Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)

What does it take to lead at the board level when the ground beneath you keeps shifting?

My guest, Shefaly Yogendra, is a board director, advisor and author who has served on boards across sectors and geographies. She brings a forensic ability to ask the right questions, a deep understanding of governance under pressure, and the kind of clarity that only comes from years of experience in the room.

We get into what separates boards that add genuine value from those that go through the motions, why cognitive flexibility and moral inflexibility must coexist, and how boards should approach AI as a source of risk, not just a useful tool.

If you sit on a board, work with one, or are aiming to, this conversation will change how you think about what great governance looks like in practice.

“A good board is where nobody is affronted by questions” – Shefaly Yogendra

You’ll hear about:

• The real dual role of boards.
• Leading when the ground keeps shifting.
• Mindsets to add and subtract now.
• Cognitive flexibility vs moral inflexibility.
• The board’s creation and mentoring role.
• How boards shape and sharpen strategy.
• Most damaging boardroom behaviour to address.
• Agenda design and board preparation.
• How effective board decisions get made.
• AI in the boardroom and its risks.
• Superpower: reading widely, connecting dots faster.

About Shefaly:

Shefaly Yogendra, PhD is an internationally experienced strategist. She has worked closely with Owner-led as well as Professional Manager-led organisations in their journey towards enhanced resilience with a focus on technology innovation, risk and foresight, and governance. Shefaly is an independent non-executive board director and experienced committee chair in regulated sectors including financial services, energy, higher education and legal services. She is a trusted boardroom adviser and a popular speaker and podcast guest on themes such as AI, GRC, investment, and future skills. 

Resources:

·      Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shefaly/

·      Book ‘Uncharted spaces’: https://www.unchartedspaces.info/

·      Spoken thought leadership: https://shefaly-yogendra.com/speaking-writing-media/ 

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ) 

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

·      Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.

·      About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.

·      Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)

·      Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)

·      Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)

I'm writing a book. There, I said it out loud.

And in this episode, I invited someone who knows exactly what that means to put me in the hot seat.

Scott Miller is a literary agent, 8 x best-selling author, and former podcast host of one of the world's most popular weekly leadership shows. He's represented hundreds of authors and been part of teams that have sold over 100 million copies of books. In this special episode, we swap chairs. Scott interviews me about my forthcoming book, Daily Strategies, and I interview him about what it takes to write, launch and land a great book.

We get into the architecture of Daily Strategies, the seven moments and seven days that form the spine of the book, and why I believe strategy needs to move from the boardroom into the everyday decisions of mid-career professionals. Scott shares his own writing process, why he writes for readers who are like him, and why platform building matters far more than most authors realise.

If you've ever thought about writing a book, are in the middle of one, or just want a behind-the-scenes look at what a book really takes, this one is for you.

“Writing a book is 10% of the process.” – Scott Miller

You’ll hear about:

• Why I decided to write a book now.
• The ideal reader for Daily Strategies.
• The personal story behind the book.
• The architecture of the seven moments.
• How to reset after a difficult or shocking moment.
• How readers will use the book day to day.
• Scott's writing process and style.
• Balancing storytelling with practical toolkits.
• The one thing authors must nail.
• Why platform matters more than content.
• Scott's biggest superpower as an author.
• Scott's best day habit and what fuels it.

About Scott:

Scott Jeffrey Miller is an eight-time Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestselling author and for seven years hosted the world's largest weekly leadership podcast, On Leadership with Scott Miller. Scott is the cofounder of The Gray + Miller Agency, a literary, speaking, and talent agency representing hundreds of internationally recognised thought leaders and also cofounded Maison Vero, a professional publishing house bringing authors' books of all genres to the world's marketplace.

Resources:

Profile: https://shorturl.at/7lSa1 

Website: https://shorturl.at/ZnApj 

Gray + Miller Agency: https://shorturl.at/4VX1h 

Instagram: https://shorturl.at/iZgV2 

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter http://bit.ly/36WRpri for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

·      Services https://rb.gy/ahlcuy to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.

·      About me https://rb.gy/dvmg9n - my background, experience and philosophy.

·      Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds

·      Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP

·      Follow me and engage with me on Twitter https://bit.ly/36XavNI

What does courage really look like in leadership?

Often, we associate courage with bold gestures, fearless leaders, or decisive moments where doubt disappears.

My guest in this conversation is Professor Ranjay Gulati of Harvard Business School, who challenges that assumption through his research into what he calls the surprising science of everyday courage, and shows why fear is not a flaw in leadership but a starting point.

We explore why courage is a decision rather than a personality trait, how leaders can resource themselves when uncertainty rises, and the difference between thoughtful courage and reckless action. Ranjay shares stories from his research and personal experience that reveal how narrative, support squads, rituals and process help individuals and organisations act boldly with purpose.

If you’re facing decisions that feel uncomfortable this episode will help you build courage deliberately and use it as a practical leadership skill.

“Fear is a reaction; courage is a decision” – Ranjay Gulati

You’ll hear about

• Why courage is a decision, not a trait
• How fear shows up in leadership decisions
• Courage versus recklessness
• Individual courage versus collective courage
• The power of personal narrative
• How leaders resource themselves
• Support squads and courageous leadership
• Why courage is a team sport
• Rituals that help manage fear
• Building courage as a muscle
• Common leadership blind spots around courage 

About Ranjay Gulati:

Ranjay Gulati is a Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.  His pioneering work focuses on unlocking organizational and individual potential—embracing courage, nurturing purpose-driven leaders, driving growth, and transforming businesses. The Economist, Financial Times and the Economist Intelligence Unit have listed him as among the top handful of business school scholars whose work is most relevant to management practice.  He is a Thinkers50 top management scholar, and serves on the board of several entrepreneurial ventures. He is the author of Deep Purpose (2022) and How to be Bold (2025), both published by HarperCollins. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.

Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjay-gulati/

Book - How to be Bold: the Surprising Science of Everyday Courage: https://ranjaygulati.com/how-to-be-bold/

Research - https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=77265

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ)

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

• Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
• About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.
• Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)
• Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)
• Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)