Leaders Lane™

You know you need to be visible — to share your ideas, your expertise, your story — but fear creeps in. What if I’m judged? What if I’m not ready? What if no one cares?

Episode 150 marks a milestone — and a conversation every leader needs to hear.

In this special episode of Leaders Lane, Carlii Lyon, a global leader in personal branding, pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to show up with courage and clarity. She shares why a smaller, loyal audience beats chasing popularity, how to choose your purpose instead of waiting for it, and why building your brand is less about algorithms — and more about authenticity.

What You’ll Take Away

• Why your personal brand is the intentional story you tell
• How to navigate the insecurities that keep you playing small
• The secret to purpose-driven visibility
• How to create content that connects, not just fills a feed
• The power of building a community of true fans
• Insights from Carlii’s book The Courage to Be and her Mind, Body & Brand framework

This isn’t just another conversation about personal branding. It’s your wake-up call to stop hiding, start showing up, and build a brand that reflects the leader you’re becoming.

Struggling to speak with confidence in high-stakes moments? Want to lead meetings, conversations — even your career — with more influence and clarity?

In this episode of Leaders Lane, I speak with Dr. Laura Sicola, a global expert in leadership communication and executive presence. Whether you're leading a team, pitching an idea, or stepping into the next level of your career, how you show up verbally and non-verbally matters.

Together, we unpack:
→ How to command the room — even before you speak
→ What it really takes to connect with your audience (clients, teams, execs)
→ Why most leaders hit a “linguistic glass ceiling” — and how to break it
→ Simple mindset shifts to overcome fear of public speaking
→ The three C’s of leadership communication: Command, Connect, Close

This conversation is packed with actionable tips, relatable stories, and fresh ways to build your confidence and credibility — so you can stop holding back and start leading with impact.

If you’ve ever thought, “I know what I want to say, but I’m not sure how to say it so it lands,” — this one’s for you.

🔗 Stay Connected With Me.

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/monicakade 

Website: http://www.monicakade.com/ 

Connect with Dr Laura Sicola

Laura’s TEDx talk with nearly 7,000,000 views: "Want to Sound like a Leader? Start by Saying Your name Right"

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraSicola

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWri2F_hhGQpMcD97DctJwA

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocal-impact-productions/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurasicola

CTA -  Get 2 free chapters of my book: https://speakingtoinfluence.com/2free-chapters/

Whole book link: Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice or listen Speaking to Influence on Audible

In this episode of Leaders Lane, I sit down with Genevieve Piturro — a woman who walked away from a high-powered TV marketing career and found her true purpose in pajamas.

After a life-changing moment and a quiet question from within — “If this is the next 30 years of your life... is this enough?” — Genevieve left corporate life behind to found the Pajama Program, a nonprofit delivering pajamas and books to children in need across America.

We talk about what it really means to lead with love, how hard it can be to ask for help, and why listening to your heart voice is often the bravest step of all. 

Genevieve shares the four truths of heart-led leadership, and how transformation isn’t always graceful — but always worth it.

In our Leaders Lane conversation, Genevieve shared:
→ Why she left a “perfect” career to start a nonprofit→ How asking for help became her superpower→ The four truths of leading with love→ And why the world needs heart-led leaders now more than ever!

If you’ve ever felt called to something more meaningful, but weren’t sure how to begin — this episode will speak directly to you.

🔗 Stay Connected With Me.

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/monicakade 

Website: http://www.monicakade.com/ 

CONNECT WITH GENEVIEVE PITURO

Website: https://www.genevievepiturro.com/

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

Substack: https://genevievepiturro.substack.com/?utm_campaign=email-home&r=ti2xu 

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

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@genevievepiturro9950

From fighter jets to AI-powered learning — and the loss that changed everything.

What do survival training, business culture, and AI have in common?

That’s what I explored with Mike Thompson — a former military trainer, now CEO of one of America’s fastest-growing companies.

Mike’s story is extraordinary. He began in advertising. Trained teams in survival with the Air Force. Became a pilot. Built a tech company revolutionizing workforce learning.

But what shaped him most… was losing his son.

“Life is precious — and we only get one shot to make it matter.”

That loss deepened Mike’s perspective on leadership. It became the lens through which he leads his people, builds culture, and shows up with purpose.

In this episode, we talk:
→ The painful pivot points that shape who we become
→ How quiet reflection fuels clarity and direction
→ Why culture will always beat strategy
→ What AI means for leadership and learning
→ And how to stay human in a high-tech world

Whether you're leading a team, navigating personal change, or searching for purpose — this one will stay with you.

→ Tune in now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

#Leadership #AI #Resilience #GriefToGrowth #PurposeDriven #ModernWorkforce #BusinessCulture

From fighter jets to AI-powered learning — and the loss that changed everything.

What do survival training, business culture, and AI have in common?

That’s what I explored with Mike Thompson — a former military trainer, now CEO of one of America’s fastest-growing companies.

Mike’s story is extraordinary. He began in advertising. Trained teams in survival with the Air Force. Became a pilot. Built a tech company revolutionizing workforce learning.

But what shaped him most… was losing his son.

“Life is precious — and we only get one shot to make it matter.”

That loss deepened Mike’s perspective on leadership. It became the lens through which he leads his people, builds culture, and shows up with purpose.

In this episode, we talk:
→ The painful pivot points that shape who we become
→ How quiet reflection fuels clarity and direction
→ Why culture will always beat strategy
→ What AI means for leadership and learning
→ And how to stay human in a high-tech world

Whether you're leading a team, navigating personal change, or searching for purpose — this one will stay with you.

→ Tune in now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube
#Leadership #AI #Resilience #GriefToGrowth #PurposeDriven #ModernWorkforce #BusinessCulture

🔔𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.

https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersLanePodcast/?sub_confirmation=1 

🔗 Stay Connected With Me.

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/monicakade 

Website: http://www.monicakade.com/

🔔𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.

https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersLanePodcast/?sub_confirmation=1 

🔗 Stay Connected With Me.

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/monicakade 

Website: http://www.monicakade.com/

CONNECT WITH MIKE THOMPSON

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-thompson-9872181/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/learner-mobile/

What if your boredom was the key to your next big idea?

I spoke to a man who’s stood on volcanoes, fought for patents, and invented a device that’s saved lives at sea.

Dr. Robert Yonover is a volcanologist, geochemist — and accidental entrepreneur. But his most powerful tool isn’t tech. It’s creativity.

You see, he didn’t invent ocean rescue tech because he wanted to be famous. He did it because he survived a harrowing moment where he almost didn’t come home.

In our conversation, he reminded me of something important:

Boredom is a gateway to invention.
And creativity is not just for kids.

We talked on:

• How a brush with death at sea led to a global invention
• What AI, survival, and kids’ boredom have in common
• The secret to long-game innovation that most quitters miss
• Why creativity is the ultimate leadership skill
• The childhood mindset that even CEOs need to re-learn
• What nature can teach us about solving real-world problems
• How Dr. Yonover’s streamer device saves lives — and why it almost didn’t get made

If you’ve ever stared at a blank page, hit a wall, or felt the tug of a crazy idea you’re not sure is worth chasing — this one’s for you.

STAY CONNECTED WITH MEInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/monicakade Website: http://www.monicakade.com/

CONNECT WITH DR ROB YONOVER

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/RobYonover

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-robert-yonover-732b84/

Facebook: http://seerescuestreamer.com/

Website: http://seerescuestreamer.com/

→ Tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and now on YouTube
#Leadership #Innovation #Creativity #ProblemSolving #OceanTechnology

Picture this: You're crushing it in business. Your leadership skills are on point. You're the person everyone comes to when sh*t hits the fan. 

Then your phone rings with news that changes everything—and suddenly, you're the one who needs to lead yourself through the unthinkable.

That's exactly what happened to executive coach Joelle Kaufman. 

One minute she's teaching CEOs how to handle their worst days, the next she's staring down a cancer diagnosis thinking, "Am I gonna die?"

But here's where it gets interesting for us entrepreneurs...

Instead of falling apart, Joelle did something brilliant. 

She applied every leadership principle she'd been teaching to her own crisis.

And what she discovered will change how you think about running your business—and your life.

We dive deep into:

• The "Curveball Method"—why most entrepreneurs get blindsided by challenges they should see coming
• How to build a support team that actually shows up (hint: it's not who you think)
• Why "I've got this" mentality will kill you—and what successful leaders do instead
• The communication strategy that kept her sane while her world was falling apart
• How practicing leadership when things are good saves your ass when they're not

Joelle gets brutally honest about the moment she realised she wasn't just coaching leadership—she was about to live it.

If you're the person everyone depends on but you're not sure who's got your back when you need it most... This one's going to hit home hard.

CONNECT WITH MONICA KADE

Follow on LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/monicakadeWebsite – www.monicakade.comLeaders Lane on YouTube – youtube.com/channel/UCmMz5gF55YIizWH_pJJxiowInstagram – www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast

CONNECT WITH JOELLE KAUFMAN

Follow on LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/joellekaufman
Instagram — www.instagram.com/gritgrowthresilience

Grab the FREE TRAINING: It's based on over 50 years of research and applies across industries and roles.

15-minute free training to change how you approach your careers and work. 

Phil Portman had the six-figure job. The respect. The routine.

But somewhere between morning meetings and endless emails, he realised:

He was succeeding at a life he didn’t want.

In this episode, we dig into what no one talks about:
How success—when misaligned—can be its own kind of failure.

We talk about:

• The identity crisis that hit after Phil “made it”
• Why building a business just to escape a job will still leave you empty
• The lie productivity sells us about purpose and freedom
• And what it really takes to take your time, energy, and life back

Phil shares how he rebuilt his relationship with ambition, rewrote his story, and created a framework for success that includes his family, his freedom—and himself.

If you’re grinding your way to a version of success that feels more draining than fulfilling…
This conversation will hit home.

Now live on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

CONNECT WITH MONICA KADE

Follow on LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/monicakadeWebsite – www.monicakade.comLeaders Lane on YouTube – youtube.com/channel/UCmMz5gF55YIizWH_pJJxiowInstagram – www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast

CONNECT WITH PHIL PORTMAN

Follow on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/philportman/
Twitter — https://x.com/philportman 
Website — https://philportman.com/YouTube – youtube.com/@mjdigeronimoBuy Phil’s book:   https://a.co/d/11hVist

I didn’t expect a conversation about submarines to change how I think about leadership — but that’s exactly what happened.

Matt DiGeronimo spent years submerged beneath the surface as a nuclear submarine officer in the US Navy.

Tight quarters. High stakes. Zero room for ego.
Now, he brings that same level of clarity and pressure-tested insight into his work as a writer, executive, and leadership voice.

In this conversation, Matt and I talk about what leadership really looks like when you strip away the buzzwords.

We explore how identity, communication, and motivation show up under pressure — and how the words we choose (and how we use them) matter more than we think.

Inside the episode:

• The surprising leadership lessons from submarine life
• Why conversations are never just about the topic — they're about identity
• How writing became Matt’s personal path to reflection and growth
• The problem with trying to "win" in communication
• Why focusing on strengths beats fixing weaknesses
• How to use language that actually motivates your team
• What AI still can’t capture about the human voice
• The ripple effect of leadership on people you may never meet
• And why authenticity is still the most underrated leadership skill

If you’ve ever wanted to be a better leader, communicator, or writer — this is the conversation to start with.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and now on YouTube.

CONNECT WITH MONICA KADE

Follow on LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/monicakadeWebsite – www.monicakade.comLeaders Lane on YouTube – youtube.com/channel/UCmMz5gF55YIizWH_pJJxiowInstagram – www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast

CONNECT WITH MATT DIGERONIMO

Follow on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjdigeronimo/
Substack — beyondplatitudes.substack.comYouTube – youtube.com/@mjdigeronimo

Buy Matt’s books:  https://www.amazon.com/stores/Matt-DiGeronimo/author/B08YWZ6CYZ

I invited branding expert Versaviya Despars onto Leaders Lane because she’s one of the few creatives who doesn’t just make things look good—she makes them work. 

Her story starts where many of ours do: with rejection.

She didn’t land her dream job.

So she built her own studio instead.

We talked about that pivotal moment, and how it taught her the most important skill in branding: saying one clear thing, and saying it well.
Versaviya shares how she helps founders go from:

1. overwhelmed to razor-sharp in their messaging, 2. why great design is never just about how it looks, 3. and how the rhythm of music shapes memorable storytelling.

We also dive into the brutal truth most people avoid:If your audience is confused, they’re gone.

This is a conversation about storytelling, editing, ownership—and learning to “kill your darlings” for the sake of clarity, connection, and growth.

What we covered:

• Turning rejection into creative freedom
• Why most brands try to say too much—and lose everyone
• How storytelling shapes perception
• The connection between music, rhythm, and brand recall
• Why simplicity is your superpower
• Editing your message (and ego)
• Making design and copy say the same thing
• The psychology of layout and visual hierarchy

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify + YouTube.

CONNECT WITH MONICA KADE

Follow on LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/monicakadeWebsite – www.monicakade.comLeaders Lane on YouTube – youtube.com/channel/UCmMz5gF55YIizWH_pJJxiowInstagram – www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast

CONNECT WITH VERSAVIYA DESPARS

Follow on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/versaviya-despars/
Website — https://www.pivotbranding.co/ 

What if your biggest wins don’t follow the timeline you imagined?

In this episode of Leaders Lane, I chat with Connor Treacy — a cultural strategist and entrepreneur whose story proves that success rarely shows up on schedule, but often in ways you never saw coming.

At just 19, Connor orchestrated a “Project X”–style party that caught national media attention — a wild event that became the launchpad into LA’s elite circles. 

By 24, he co-founded OffSunset, a West Hollywood nightclub that pulled in $4M+ in its first year, drawing the attention of A-list celebrities and major industry players.

But Connor’s path wasn’t as polished as his résumé.

We dive into:

• How letting go of rigid timelines opened him up to game-changing opportunities
• The emotional weight of family expectations on young founders
• What it’s really like working at Universal Music Group on Grammy-winning albums
• Why getting sober changed everything — his focus, relationships, and leadership style
• The balance of instinct vs. strategy when you're building something that doesn’t yet exist
• What it takes to succeed in nightlife, music, and media — industries where hype is high and burnout is real

Connor's story is gritty, refreshing, and a must-listen if you’ve ever questioned whether you’re “on time.”

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and now on YouTube.

CONNECT WITH MONICA KADE

Follow on LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/monicakadeWebsite – www.monicakade.comLeaders Lane on YouTube – youtube.com/channel/UCmMz5gF55YIizWH_pJJxiowInstagram – www.instagram.com/leaderslanepodcast

CONNECT WITH CONNOR TREACY

Follow on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/connortreacy/
Website — https://connortreacy.com/
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/theconnortreacy