Leaders Of Transformation

Could chasing success be taking you further away from feeling fulfilled?

In this episode of Leaders of Transformation, host Nicole Jansen sits down with serial entrepreneur, leadership coach, and author Mandy Balak to explore why the same patterns that drive high achievers to success can also lead to burnout, self-sabotage, and unhealthy leadership.

Drawing from her own experiences building businesses, navigating significant personal and professional setbacks, and coaching leaders, Mandy shares how resilience requires more than simply getting back up and pushing forward. True transformation begins when we pause, recognize the patterns holding us back, and respond with greater self-awareness and compassion.

Mandy introduces her Well-Resourced Method: Get Real, Get Clear, Get Resourced, and Get Moving—a practical framework for breaking unhelpful patterns, building capacity, and taking aligned action. She also explores the difference between chasing success out of fear and choosing success with clarity and purpose.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, or high achiever who feels constantly driven to do more, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on how to accomplish meaningful goals without sacrificing your health, relationships, or fulfillment along the way.

What We Discuss in This Episode

• Why resilience requires self-compassion, not just the ability to bounce back.
• How shame and unresolved patterns can prevent lasting transformation.
• The difference between chasing success and choosing success.
• How leaders' internal patterns influence their teams and organizational culture.
• Why pausing to recognize patterns creates space for healthier decisions.
• Mandy's four-step Well-Resourced Method for sustainable transformation.
• How to assess your capacity, energy, time, and support before taking on more.
• Why delegation and letting go of perfection are essential to growth.
• How leaders can build cultures of appreciation by celebrating progress and wins.
• Mandy's personal realization about the connection between stress, pressure, and achievement.
• Practical ways to lead from a place of fullness rather than depletion.

Podcast Highlights

00:00 — Are You Chasing Success but Still Feeling Unfulfilled?

01:52 — Resilience, Leadership, and the Courage to Begin Again

05:56 — The Power of the Pause in Personal Transformation

09:54 — How Shame Gets in the Way of Lasting Change

13:09 — When Your Inner Child Is Running Your Business

17:41 — Sustainable Success: Are You Chasing or Choosing?

21:31 — Creating a Culture of Appreciation and Recognition

26:03 — The Well-Resourced Method: Four Steps to Lasting Change

33:10 — Why Capacity Matters More Than Willpower

36:50 — The Power of Delegation and Letting Go of Perfection

39:13 — What Is Your Current Approach to Success Costing You?

41:38 — Leading From Full: A New Model for Sustainable Success

46:00 — Breaking the Addiction to Stress and Suffering

49:09 — The Power of Vulnerability and Learning as Leaders

Episode Resources: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/leadership/chasing-enough-high-achievers-guide-to-sustainable-success-mandy-balak

Take Action: What would change if you stopped chasing enough and started choosing how you want to lead? Pause, get real about the patterns influencing your decisions, clarify what success truly means to you, and identify the resources you need to move forward. Then share this episode with a leader who needs to hear it.

Transformation begins with how we lead ourselves.

Check out our complete library of episodes and other leadership resources here: https://leadersoftransformation.com

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What does it look like to be fruitful and multiply from a Kingdom perspective?

In Part 3 of The Father's Heart series, Nicole Jansen welcomes back Demetrius Archontakis to explore how our beliefs, daily decisions, and relationship with God shape the fruit of our lives. Together, they discuss the far-reaching consequences of seemingly small choices, the importance of breaking destructive generational patterns, and why lasting transformation begins in the heart rather than through behavior modification.

Demetri shares why understanding the sufficiency of Christ is central to experiencing genuine change. Rather than striving to earn righteousness or allowing shame to define us, we are invited to receive the gift of sonship and live from the finished work of Christ. Nicole also shares how embracing the Sabbath transformed her own approach to work, productivity, and rest—and why God's design is not for us to strive endlessly before finally allowing ourselves to rest.

The conversation turns to finances and stewardship, challenging us to consider whether money is serving us as a tool or beginning to master our decisions. The issue isn't having money; it's where we place our trust and what ultimately directs our lives.

Being fruitful and multiplying is about more than personal success. It's about living from our identity in Christ, responding to what God invites us into, and cultivating a legacy that bears fruit for generations to come.

What We Discuss in This Episode

• The meaning of being fruitful and multiplying: Living from our identity in Christ and allowing that identity to shape the fruit of our lives.
• The power of small decisions: How choices that seem insignificant today can produce consequences—and blessings—that unfold over time.
• Breaking generational patterns: Recognizing destructive cycles and choosing a different path for ourselves and future generations.
• Grace and the sufficiency of Christ: Why transformation comes from receiving what Christ has accomplished rather than striving to earn righteousness.
• Heart transformation over behavior modification: How a change in what we believe about God and ourselves leads to a change in behavior.
• The Sabbath and a life of rest: Why rest is part of God's design and how we can learn to live and work from a place of rest rather than constant striving.
• Understanding our identity as sons and daughters of God: Moving beyond a performance-based mindset to embrace the gift of sonship through Christ.
• Sharing faith without forcing belief: Why we must allow people to encounter truth personally while trusting the Holy Spirit to work in their lives.
• Money, trust, and stewardship: Understanding why the love of money - not money itself – Is the issue, and learning to steward what God has entrusted to us.
• The Father's heart toward us: What the parable of the prodigal son reveals about the Father's love and our identity, even when our own perspective has changed.
• Living with purpose and obedience: Asking God, "What are You inviting me into today?" and being willing to respond, whether through action or quiet communion with Him.
• Creating a lasting legacy: How our identity shapes our beliefs, our beliefs influence our behavior, and our behavior determines the fruit we produce.

Episode Highlights

00:00 — Who Is the Master: You or Your Money?

01:38 — Be Fruitful and Multiply: The Power of Generational Blessing

04:51 — Small Decisions That Shape Our Future

06:52 — Breaking the Cycle of Sin, Shame, and Condemnation

07:57 — Why Transformation Begins With Christ, Not Self-Effort

10:02 — Grace, Humility, and Receiving What We Cannot Earn

11:00 — The Sabbath Is for You: Learning to Live From Rest

14:13 — Living in the Sabbath: Rest as a Way of Life

16:54 — Sonship Through Christ, Not Performance

18:50 — Why We Cannot Earn Our Way Into Righteousness

20:24 — Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life

22:06 — Planting Seeds Without Forcing Belief

23:00 — Money Is a Tool: The Difference Between Wealth and Trust

25:20 — The Prodigal Son and the Father's Unchanging Love

26:03 — How Sin Changes the Way We See God

28:18 — The People Who Plant Seeds in Our Lives

30:46 — Asking God, "What Are You Inviting Me Into Today?"

31:16 — Stewarding What God Has Entrusted to Us

32:37 — Money as a Servant, Not a Master

34:00 — Identity Determines Beliefs, Behavior, and Results

Episode Resources: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/spirituality/560-the-fathers-heart-part-3-be-fruitful-and-multiply-demetrius-archontakis/

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What if the Kingdom of God isn't just somewhere we're going - but a reality we're invited to live in right now?

In this powerful continuation of Nicole's conversation with Demetrius Archontakis, they go deeper into what it means to follow Jesus - not simply as someone who has been "saved," but as a disciple who is learning to live from the victory Christ has already given us.

Demetri challenges the common mindset of waiting for heaven while simply trying to survive life on earth. Instead, he invites us to recognize that salvation is the beginning, not the end. The Kingdom of God is something we can experience today as we walk with Jesus, grow in our identity, bear His fruit, and bring His presence into every area of our lives.

The conversation explores the transforming power of grace, the connection between what we believe and how we behave, and the difference between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Him. They also discuss spiritual maturity, the role of the Body of Christ, why no single church has the complete picture, and how our private lives ultimately shape our public witness.

Perhaps most importantly, Demetri shares why private victories must come before public victories. When our identity and confidence are rooted in Christ rather than our own performance, we can stop striving toward victory and begin living from it.

This episode is an invitation to move beyond simply believing in Jesus - to walk with Him, know Him, and allow His life to transform the way we live, lead, and influence the world around us.

What We Discuss in This Episode

What it means to live in the Kingdom of God now

Why salvation is a beginning - not the end - of our journey with Christ

Moving from knowing about Jesus to actually knowing and experiencing Him

Understanding grace as more than a "get out of jail free" card

How our identity in Christ shapes our behavior

Why spiritual maturity requires more than simply attending church

The importance of the whole body of Christ and the different roles churches and believers play

Why the Church should not try to become homogeneous, but unified around Christ

How our private lives ultimately affect our public witness

The difference between public victories and private victories

Living from righteousness rather than constantly trying to prove ourselves

How cultural beliefs and practices can influence our faith

Why biblical principles remain relevant even when culture and technology change

What it means to be free in Christ - even when our external circumstances haven't changed

Episode Highlights

00:00 — The Kingdom of God Is Here and Now 02:16 — Salvation Is a Beginning, Not the End 07:08 — Your Identity Shapes Your Behavior 09:32 — Seeing the Father Through the Lens of Jesus 16:49 — Walking With Jesus Every Day 21:33 — Every Part of the Body of Christ Has a Purpose 23:54 — Why the Church Needs Spiritual Maturity 26:11 — The Danger of Imbalance in the Church 33:18 — Christ Above Culture 38:09 — Christ at the Center, Not Theological Arguments 43:02 — The Power of Private Victories 45:27 — Living From Victory, Not Toward Victory 49:56 — True Freedom Is Found in Christ

Memorable Quotes

"Your life starts when you meet Him."

"The full picture of Christ is experienced throughout the body of Christ."

"We need to start having private victories so that we can have more public victories."

"It's not yours that you should boast. It's His."

"You can be a slave on someone's ship, be in a dungeon like Paul was, or be under house arrest and still be free."

Episode Resources: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/spirituality/559-the-fathers-heart-part-2-living-from-victory-demetrius-archontakis

Part 1: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/spirituality/558-the-fathers-heart-part-1-simply-jesus-with-demetrius-archontakis

Check out our complete library of episodes and other leadership resources here: https://leadersoftransformation.com

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What if Jesus is more than you think He is?

In Part 1 of The Father's Heart series with Demetrius Archontakis, we explore what it really means to follow Jesus - and what changes when we move beyond religious titles, accomplishments, and simply having knowledge about Him to truly understanding who He is, what He represents, and what He has done for us.

Demetri shares why he believes modern Christianity has lost something essential: discipleship. We explore the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him personally, why our past does not have to define our identity, and what it means to live from the freedom Christ has already given us.

Whether you're a business owner, leader, parent, pastor, or simply someone seeking to follow Jesus more fully, this conversation challenges us to look beyond what we think we know and ask a deeper question: Who is Jesus - and what does it really mean to follow Him?

What We Discuss

• Why Jesus (not our titles, accomplishments, or gifting) is our true qualification
• The difference between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Him personally
• What it means to make Jesus the center of our identity
• Why discipleship is not just for pastors or people working in ministry
• How our everyday lives become our sphere of influence and discipleship
• What Jesus meant when He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life"
• Understanding Jesus not as someone who shows us the way, but who is the Way
• Why our past does not have to define who we are
• What it means to live from the freedom Christ has already given us
• How the renewal of our minds helps us walk in that freedom
• The difference between finding Christ and finding His life
• Why transformation begins in the heart
• What Jesus teaches us about selflessness, surrender, and dying to self
• Jesus as the ultimate model of leadership - never hurried, never striving, always about His Father's business
• What we can learn from those throughout history who valued following Christ above comfort or even life itself
• Understanding Chronos and Kairos moments and why we can't remain stuck in yesterday
• Why salvation isn't the end of the journey, but an invitation into a new way of living

Episode Highlights

00:00 — Introduction 02:25 — Ministry Beyond the Church Walls 04:24 — What Does It Mean to Be a Disciple Maker? 06:46 — Your Accomplishments Don't Define You 09:11 — Identity Begins with Christ 11:37 — What Does It Mean to Be "In Christ"? 13:52 — Breaking Free from the Identity of Your Past 16:04 — Who Is Jesus? The Way, the Truth & the Life 18:09 — Knowing Christ vs. Living His Life 20:38 — Transformation Begins in the Heart 22:59 — Jesus: The Ultimate Model of Leadership 24:50 — What Are We Willing to Give Up to Follow Jesus? 26:51 — What It Means to Die to Self 29:15 — Chronos, Kairos & Moving Forward 31:41 — Salvation Is the Beginning, Not the Destination

Episode Resources: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/spirituality/558-the-fathers-heart-part-1-simply-jesus-with-demetrius-archontakis

Check out our complete library of episodes and other leadership resources here: https://leadersoftransformation.com

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What if every college graduate left campus with the mindset, confidence, and skills to solve complex problems and create opportunities wherever they go?

In this episode, Nicole Jansen sits down with Jeff Meade, Founding Director of Entrepreneurship at Paul Quinn College, where every student learns to think and act like an entrepreneur. Rather than preparing students for jobs that may not exist in a few years, Jeff and his team are equipping them to solve real-world problems, create value, embrace failure as part of the learning process, and confidently adapt to an ever-changing world.

Together, they explore how entrepreneurial thinking transforms education, strengthens leadership, and prepares students to become innovators, intrapreneurs, business owners, and changemakers. Whether you're an entrepreneur, educator, parent, or leader, this conversation will inspire you to rethink what education—and leadership—can look like.

What We Discuss

• Why every student - not just business majors - should learn entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship as a mindset rather than simply a career path
• Preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet
• Teaching students to solve problems through building businesses
• The difference between owning a job and building a scalable business
• How venture-based learning develops confidence and resilience
• Why failure is an essential part of learning and innovation
• Creating businesses that strengthen communities, not just generate profits
• Reimagining higher education through entrepreneurship
• The leadership lessons behind building a transformative educational program

Episode Highlights

00:00 - What if every student graduated as an entrepreneur? 02:45 - Why entrepreneurship belongs in every degree program 05:15 - Entrepreneurship is a mindset - not just a business 07:05 - Preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet 10:20 - Teaching students to solve meaningful problems 15:30 - Lifestyle businesses vs. scalable businesses 18:45 - Entrepreneurship teaches life skills, not just business skills 22:30 - A vision for colleges that become financially sustainable 26:45 - Venture-Based Learning: Why real stakes matter 30:15 - Helping students embrace failure and build confidence 34:15 - What earns funding - and an A - in Jeff's program 39:00 - The biggest leadership lesson in building the program

Memorable Quotes

• "We want students to graduate thinking and acting like entrepreneurs."
• "Build a business that's more like an aspirin than a vitamin."
• "The future belongs to people who know how to solve problems."
• "Fail fast. Learn faster."

Episode Resources: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/education/557-every-student-is-an-entrepreneur-building-the-next-generation-of-problem-solvers-with-jeff-meade/

Check out our complete library of episodes and other leadership resources here: https://leadersoftransformation.com

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Is your organization's biggest growth challenge really strategy - or is it a hidden trust problem that's quietly slowing everything down?

As organizations grow, complexity increases. Decisions slow down, communication breaks down, and leaders often find themselves becoming the bottleneck without realizing why.

In this episode, Nicole Jansen sits down with Debbie Simmons – community activist, business leader, wife, mother of nine adopted children, devoted follower of Jesus Christ, and author of The Architecture of Trust - to explore why trust isn't just a leadership value; it's the operating system that allows organizations to scale.

Debbie introduces her Architecture of Trust Framework, revealing how leadership alignment, decision clarity, and execution reliability create organizations that thrive under pressure instead of breaking apart. Drawing from decades of leadership experience, personal tragedy, and deep faith, she shares practical strategies to eliminate the "hidden trust tax" that costs organizations time, energy, and impact.

Whether you lead a business, nonprofit, team, or even a family, this conversation offers timeless principles for building stronger foundations that last.

What We Discuss in This Episode

• Why trust - not strategy - is often the real limiting factor to organizational growth
• The hidden signs that trust is breaking down inside your organization
• Why leaders unknowingly become the bottleneck as organizations scale
• The three pillars of the Architecture of Trust framework
• How leadership alignment creates organizational momentum
• Why decision clarity eliminates confusion and costly rework
• The importance of execution reliability for sustainable growth
• Understanding the "hidden trust tax" that's draining your organization
• How to create a "trust dividend" that accelerates growth and impact
• Why most organizations have a structure problem—not a people problem
• How awareness becomes the first step toward transformation
• Lessons from building a multimillion-dollar nonprofit
• Debbie's personal story of loss, adoption, and discovering purpose through pain
• Why asking "Why?" often keeps leaders stuck - and a better question to ask instead
• Applying trust principles to leadership, business, family, and faith

Highlights / YouTube Chapter Titles

00:00 – Why Leaders Get Stuck as Organizations Grow 02:30 – The First Signs of Broken Trust 09:58 – The Three Pillars of the Architecture of Trust 13:03 – People Problems or Structure Problems? 16:22 – Where Leaders Should Start Fixing Trust 20:14 – The Hidden Trust Tax Costing Your Organization 24:48 – Personal Tragedy That Changed Everything 29:15 – Stop Asking "Why?" Start Asking This Instead 32:39 – Applying the Architecture of Trust to Yourself 41:28 – Resources and Final Leadership Takeaways

Memorable Quotes

• "What got you here may actually limit you from reaching your next level of success."
• "Most of the time it's not a people problem - it's a structure problem."
• "The hidden trust tax shows up in rework, delays, unnecessary meetings, and slow decisions."
• "When the pressure goes up, trust is revealed."
• "If you disappeared for 30 days, would your organization operate the same way?"

Episode Show Notes and Resources: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/leadership/556-the-hidden-trust-tax-why-great-organizations-break-as-they-scale-with-debbie-simmons/

Check out our complete library of episodes and other leadership resources here: https://leadersoftransformation.com

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What separates communities that merely recover after disaster from those that come back stronger?

In this episode of the Leaders of Transformation, Nicole Jansen welcomes back former Augusta mayor, leadership coach, and community builder Deke Copenhaver to discuss how communities can become stronger after disaster through trust-based leadership and servant-hearted collaboration.

Following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, Deke stepped into an unpaid leadership role to help launch the Greater Augusta Long-Term Recovery Group. What began as a local disaster response has become a powerful model for rebuilding homes, restoring hope, and uniting people across generations, organizations, and lines of difference.

Together, Nicole and Deke explore how trust, faith, collaboration, and a mindset of abundance can transform not only disaster recovery but the future of communities everywhere. If you're passionate about leadership, community impact, or creating lasting change, this conversation offers a practical blueprint for turning crisis into opportunity.

What We Discuss in this Episode

• Why trust is the foundation of effective community leadership
• How servant leadership creates lasting transformation after disaster
• The story behind the Greater Augusta Long-Term Recovery Group
• Lessons learned from rebuilding after Hurricane Helene
• How faith-based organizations, nonprofits, businesses, and volunteers are uniting around a common mission
• Why simple, trust-based systems often outperform bureaucracy
• Building a disaster recovery model that other communities can replicate
• The importance of developing leaders who care more about impact than recognition
• Why communities heal best from the grassroots up - not the top down
• The difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset
• How young people are finding purpose through serving others
• Why belonging creates stronger communities than simply fitting in
• Practical ways to build bridges across political, cultural, and generational divides
• How service restores hope for both those receiving help and those giving it
• What it takes to build resilient communities that emerge stronger after crisis

Highlights

00:00 – Rebuilding More Than Homes After Disaster 03:00 – Hurricane Helene and the Birth of a Community Movement 07:00 – Why Trust Became Their Greatest Asset 11:00 – Bringing Faith, Business, and Nonprofits Together 16:00 – A Simpler Model for Disaster Recovery 20:00 – Reaching the Forgotten and Vulnerable 25:00 – Why Grassroots Leadership Outperforms Bureaucracy 30:00 – Building Communities on Trust Instead of Fear 35:00 – Raising the Next Generation of Servant Leaders 40:00 – The Power of an Abundance Mindset 45:00 – Creating Belonging Across Every Divide 49:00 – Healing Communities One Relationship at a Time 53:00 – A Blueprint Other Cities Can Follow 57:00 – Hope for the Future of Our Communities

Episode Show Notes and Resources: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/leadership/555-rebuild-stronger-turning-disaster-into-trust-unity-and-hope-with-deke-copenhaver/

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What if your greatest leadership achievement isn't what you accomplish yourself - but the leaders you develop who continue multiplying long after you're gone?

In this episode of Leaders of Transformation, Nicole Jansen welcomes back leadership development expert and bestselling author Mac Lake to discuss his latest book, Super Multiplier.

What does it take to build a leadership legacy that extends far beyond your own influence? Mac reveals how great leaders intentionally develop leaders who go on to develop other leaders – creating a multiplication effect that can impact organizations for generations.

Drawing from decades of experience building leadership pipelines, Mac shares the mindset shifts and practical habits leaders need to intentionally develop others and create a culture of multiplication. Together, Nicole and Mac explore why most leadership development efforts fail, the hidden beliefs that prevent leaders from investing in others, and how to identify and unlock the potential already sitting within your organization.

Whether you're leading a business, ministry, nonprofit, or team, this conversation will challenge you to think beyond leadership training and embrace leadership multiplication that lasts for generations.

What We Discuss in this Episode

• Why leadership gaps are solved by developing people, not simply finding people
• The hidden mindsets that prevent leaders from developing others
• Why most organizations rely on the ineffective "wait and hope" leadership strategy
• The difference between leadership training and leadership transformation
• Why mindset must change before skill set can change
• How limiting beliefs hold emerging leaders back from reaching their potential
• What it means to "mine for the gold" in people
• How great leaders identify and cultivate strengths in others
• Lessons from Jesus' model of leadership development and multiplication
• Why leadership multiplication is more powerful than leadership addition
• How to develop leaders who can develop other leaders
• Why leadership development requires intentionality more than time
• Practical ways to develop leaders during everyday work activities
• How modeling, practice, and debriefing accelerate leadership growth
• Why failure is one of the greatest tools for leadership development
• The 4T Framework: Think, Try, Talk, and Train
• How leaders can continue growing by building on their strengths
• The importance of creating a replicable leadership development process
• What it means to build leadership four generations deep
• How to create a lasting leadership legacy within your organization

Highlights

00:00 – Why Leadership Development Often Fails 02:30 – Leadership Gaps Aren't Solved by Finding People 06:00 – The Mindsets That Limit Leadership Multiplication 10:00 – Why Mindset Comes Before Skill Set 13:00 – The Problem with the "Wait and Hope" Strategy 16:00 – Leadership Training vs. Leadership Transformation 20:00 – Mining for the Gold in People 24:00 – What Jesus Teaches Us About Developing Leaders 29:00 – Why Leaders Think They Don't Have Time 33:00 – Everyday Opportunities to Develop Future Leaders 38:00 – Failure as Fertilizer for Growth 42:00 – The Power of Modeling and Debriefing 46:00 – How to Identify Your Next Growth Area 50:00 – The 4T Framework for Leadership Development 54:00 – How to Multiply Leaders Four Generations Deep 58:00 – Building a Leadership Legacy That Lasts

Episode Show Notes and Links to Mac Lake's Books and Resources: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/leadership/super-multipliers-how-to-multiply-great-leaders-four-generations-deep-with-mac-lake/

Check out our complete library of episodes and other leadership resources here: https://leadersoftransformation.com

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What if you're not burned out or unproductive—what if you're simply working against your natural instincts?

In this episode of the Leaders of Transformation, Nicole Jansen sits down with Amy Bruske, President and Integrator of Kolbe Corp, to explore the powerful principles behind her new bestselling book, Do More, More Naturally, co-authored with David Kolbe.

Amy explains why success isn't about forcing yourself to improve your weaknesses or manage your time more efficiently. Instead, it's about understanding how you're naturally wired to take action, solve problems, and make decisions. Together, Nicole and Amy discuss the often-overlooked conative part of the mind, the role of energy management, and how leaders can create thriving teams by leveraging natural strengths rather than fighting against them.

Whether you're a leader, entrepreneur, or high achiever feeling stretched thin, this conversation will help you discover how to work in alignment with your instincts and create sustainable success.

What We Discuss in this Episode

• The three parts of the mind: cognitive, affective, and conative
• What the Kolbe Index measures and why it differs from personality assessments
• Why capability and desire aren't enough for sustainable performance
• How natural instincts influence decision-making, problem-solving, and execution
• The four Action Modes and how they show up in everyday work
• Why procrastination may be a clue - not a character flaw
• How to identify the tasks that energize you versus those that drain you
• The connection between burnout and working against your natural strengths
• Why time management is often less important than energy management
• How leaders can build stronger teams by understanding individual strengths
• The difference between hiring clones and creating complementary teams
• Why diverse thinking styles improve innovation, adaptability, and execution
• How to give people freedom while maintaining accountability for results
• Practical ways to create a more resilient, high-performing workforce

Highlights and YouTube Chapter Titles

00:00 – What If You're Not Burned Out? 02:00 – Understanding the Conative Part of the Mind 05:00 – Why Natural Instincts Matter More Than You Think 08:00 – The Four Action Modes Explained 12:00 – The Hidden Reason Behind Procrastination 15:00 – Working in Your Zone of Strength 18:00 – The Kolbe Exercise That Reveals How People Take Action 22:00 – Building Teams Like a Chess Master, Not a Checkers Player 26:00 – Why Great Leaders Focus on Strengths, Not Weaknesses 29:00 – Hiring Complements Instead of Clones 32:00 – The Power of Diverse Thinking Styles 35:00 – Time Management vs. Energy Management 39:00 – Why Certain Tasks Drain You Faster Than Others 43:00 – Doing More by Working More Naturally 46:00 – Creating Sustainable Success and Freedom to Be Yourself

Episode Show Notes and Links: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/leadership/553-do-more-more-naturally-with-amy-bruske/

Check out our complete library of episodes and other leadership resources here: https://leadersoftransformation.com

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What if reigniting your imagination could unlock possibilities for your life and leadership you never thought were possible?

In this episode of Leaders of Transformation, Nicole Jansen welcomes back leadership expert, executive coach, and author Greg Cagle to discuss his powerful new book, Reality Benders.

Greg shares how our beliefs shape our behaviors, how emotions fuel outcomes, and why most people unknowingly live in reactive cycles instead of intentionally creating the future they truly want. Together, Nicole and Greg explore how to reignite imagination, challenge limiting beliefs, and unlock new possibilities in leadership, business, and life.

They also unpack the neuroscience behind transformation, the power of curiosity, and how leaders can become "external catalysts" who help others see beyond current limitations and step into their highest potential.

What We Discuss in this Episode

• Why reality is something we create — not simply something that happens to us
• The "Reality Cycle" and how thoughts, behaviors, and outcomes reinforce one another
• Why behavior modification alone rarely creates lasting transformation
• How beliefs drive behaviors and shape long-term results
• The hidden role emotion plays in achieving meaningful goals
• Why imagination is essential for transformation and innovation
• How curiosity reignites imagination and unlocks possibility
• Why most people unconsciously limit what they believe is possible
• How to move beyond survival thinking and create an intentional future
• The connection between imagination, emotion, and extraordinary outcomes
• How leaders unintentionally reinforce limiting realities in their teams
• The difference between focusing on performance gaps vs. reinforcing progress
• A powerful military case study on belief, performance, and transformation
• How to become an "external catalyst" for others

Highlights and YouTube Chapter Titles

00:00 – Introduction to Reality Bending 02:00 – Why Greg Wrote Reality Benders 04:00 – What "Reality" Actually Means 06:00 – Why Behavior Modification Doesn't Work Long-Term 11:00 – Understanding the Reality Cycle 14:00 – Emotion as Fuel for Transformation 16:00 – Why Most Goals Fail 18:00 – The Military Performance Experiment That Changed Everything 22:00 – Future-Back Leadership vs. Past-Forward Leadership 24:00 – Seeing Yourself Differently First 26:00 – Becoming an External Catalyst for Others 29:00 – How to Reignite Your Imagination 31:00 – Why Most People Settle for Predictable Outcomes 34:00 – Unlocking Infinite Possibilities 37:00 – Final Encouragement for Leaders and Visionaries

Episode Show Notes: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/leadership/552-reality-benders-how-to-reignite-your-imagination-and-unlock-infinite-possibilities-with-greg-cagle

Check out our complete library of episodes and other leadership resources here: https://leadersoftransformation.com

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