Life + Leadership

By Tegan TrovatoBusiness Careers Management

Life + Leadership episodes

October 12 Leading at Capacity: Managing Teams Through Recurrent Transformation
How much change can a company take before its best people start heading for the door? Transformation may be necessary, but piling it on top of business as usual comes at a cost.

In this episode, Tegan and Maggie unpack transformation fatigue, why even experienced executives miss the warning signs, and how exhaustion and frustration can spread through an organization long before performance takes a hit. They discuss how to spot the early signals, get honest feedback from employees, rethink competing priorities, and create the clarity and breathing room people need to keep moving forward without burning out.

Resources

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at: https://www.brightarrowadvisory.com/blog/why-constant-change-is-costing-your-organization

Connect with Maggie

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching Website

Connect with Tegan

Website

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching LinkedIn

35 min
September 21 The Hidden Drivers of M&A: Leadership, Pressure and Performance
The deal may get signed on paper, but the real pressure starts long before the ink is dry.

Mergers and acquisitions can push executive teams into months or even years of uncertainty, shifting identities, changing power dynamics, heavier workloads, and some very human reactions that no spreadsheet can account for.

In this episode, Tegan and Maggie unpack what leaders often underestimate about M&A, from trust erosion and foggy decision-making to role confusion, burnout, and communication breakdowns.

Resources

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at: https://www.brightarrowadvisory.com/blog/the-human-dynamics-of-mergers-and-acquisitions

Connect with Maggie

LinkedIn

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Connect with Tegan

LinkedIn

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36 min
September 01 Leading at the Speed of AI: Creating Sustainable Systems with John Harden
AI isn't just changing how work gets done; it's exposing how well your organization actually handles change.

In this episode, Tegan talks with John Harden, founder of Lemhi, about why successful AI transformation has far more to do with leadership, communication, and systems thinking than simply rolling out new tools.

Resources

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at: https://www.brightarrowadvisory.com/blog/how-leaders-turn-ai-potential-into-enterprise-value

"AI Vampire Problem" - "Medium" Article

Connect with John

Lemhi

LinkedIn

Connect with Tegan

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Bright Arrow Website

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48 min
August 17 Succession Planning: From Talent Assumptions to Proven Readiness
Succession planning gets risky when it only becomes a priority after someone announces they're leaving.

In this episode, Tegan and Maggie break down why succession should be treated as an ongoing leadership discipline, not an HR exercise, and walk through the nine components executive teams need to get right.

Resources

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at: https://www.brightarrowadvisory.com/blog/succession-planning-as-a-leadership-discipline

Resources

Connect with Maggie

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Website

Bright Arrow LinkedIn

Connect with Tegan

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Website

Bright Arrow Coaching LinkedIn
35 min
July 13 The CEO Balancing Act: How to Navigate Competing Demands
The CEO role is becoming almost impossible to hold without extraordinary range, resilience, and support.

In this episode, Tegan and Maggie unpack the competing pressures CEOs face from boards, employees, customers, markets, families, and themselves. They explore why the CEO pipeline is tightening, what only a CEO can truly do, and why succession planning can no longer be treated like a box-checking exercise.

Resources

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at: https://www.brightarrowcoaching.com/why-being-a-ceo-is-the-hardest-job-in-leadership-today/

"What Only the CEO Can Do" by A.G. Lafley on Harvard Business Review

Connect with Maggie

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching Website

Connect with Tegan

Website

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching LinkedIn

40 min
June 15 Amplifying the Impact of the Chief Operating Officer
The COO role is one of the most powerful, misunderstood, and shape-shifting seats in the C-suite.

In this episode, Tegan and Maggie unpack why the role looks so different from company to company, how it flexes around the CEO, and what makes a great COO far more than an "operator." They dig into COO archetypes, the emotional and strategic labor of the role, and the common mistakes CEOs make when they don't fully understand how to partner with their COO.

Resources

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at: https://www.brightarrowcoaching.com/the-coo-role-isnt-what-you-think-it-is/

''Riding Shotgun: The Role of COO'' by Nate Bennett - on Amazon

How To Be A Chief Operating Officer by Jennifer Greary and Anne Kiely

Ernst & Young research on COO leadership and CEO succession

John Kotter's work on organizational change and transformation

Connect with Maggie

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching Website

Connect with Tegan

Website

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching LinkedIn

34 min
May 18 Strategic Authority at the Executive Table: Elevating the CHRO and Chief People Officer Role
Tegan and Maggie break down what separates modern, world-class Chief Human Resource Officers and Chief People Officers from traditional HR leaders, from business acumen and AI readiness to culture leadership and executive influence. They unpack why people strategy is business strategy and what CEOs and boards should really be looking for in this role.

Resources

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at:

https://www.brightarrowcoaching.com/from-policy-to-pl-mastering-the-skills-required-for-executive-hr-leaders/

Korn Ferry research on high-performing CHROs and their strong business acumen - ''The Vital Role of CHROs in 2025''

Connect with Maggie

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching Website

Connect with Tegan

Website

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching LinkedIn
21 min
April 13 The Primary Sources of Executive Conflict
The conflict you're avoiding at work? It probably started long before you ever had a job.

Tegan and Maggie dig into what actually causes conflict in teams, in the executive suite, and between two people who just can't seem to get on the same page. From unclear roles and accountability gaps to ego dynamics, misaligned incentives, and the CEO behaviors nobody talks about, they cover the full picture. Plus, the one thing Tegan wants every leader to sit with: how curious are you actually being about the other person and about yourself?

Resources

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at: https://www.brightarrowcoaching.com/the-root-cause-of-executive-conflict/

https://info.brightarrowcoaching.com/conflict-as-a-catalyst

https://info.brightarrowcoaching.com/the-executive-field-guide-to-sources-of-conflict

https://www.brightarrowcoaching.com/elite-resource-resolving-c-suite-conflicts/

Connect with Maggie

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching Website

Connect with Tegan

Website

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching LinkedIn
30 min
March 16 Leadership at Scale: How Leaders Adapt In Flatter Organizations
How many layers does it really take to lead well? And when does structure start slowing everything down instead of moving it forward?

In this episode, Tegan and Maggie dig into why teams are getting bigger, why organizations are flattening out, and why that shift is forcing leaders to operate in a completely different way. They get into the real tension behind it all, from speed and efficiency to clarity, delegation, and the very human side of leading through change.

Resources

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at: https://www.brightarrowcoaching.com/executive-leadership-in-flat-organizations-what-changes-when-your-team-doubles/

Connect with Maggie

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching Website

Connect with Tegan

Website

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching LinkedIn
41 min
February 16 What Matters Most When Selecting an Executive Development Partner
Most executive development sounds good on paper, but how much of it actually changes the way leaders show up when it counts? In this episode, Tegan and Maggie talk honestly about why not all coaching firms are the same, how flashy platforms and boxed programs can miss the real work, and what it takes to find a partner who truly understands the pressure and complexity of executive life.

Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode at: https://www.brightarrowcoaching.com/selecting-an-executive-development-partner-to-support-your-leadership-strategy/

Resources

Connect with Maggie

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching Website

Connect with Tegan

Website

LinkedIn

Bright Arrow Coaching LinkedIn

33 min

About Life + Leadership

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to the Life + Leadership podcast, which explores how leaders can leverage business challenges to fuel their personal growth. This podcast is for any senior leader looking to grow in their day-to-day work and drive strategic impact.