RISE TO LEAD

Portia Ntsele’s return home to KwaZulu-Natal wasn’t an escape — it was a conscious way to reset, reconnect, and recalibrate. After years of building businesses, raising a family, and navigating corporate and entrepreneurial worlds, she reached a moment where the old rhythm no longer fit. Instead of forcing outcomes, she chose to listen: to the inner voice; to the knowing; to the quiet redirection that so many leaders ignore when life starts pushing back. What followed was a powerful recalibration of identity, purpose, and self-leadership — rooted in intuition, grounding, and deep inner alignment.

Portia breaks down why real leadership doesn’t start with strategy, titles, or plans on paper — it starts within. She shares how following her inner compass led her into unexpected opportunities, including a corporate career she never planned for, and how learning to pause, listen, and realign became her most powerful leadership practice. From barefoot grounding and cold showers to silence, breath, and intuition-led decision-making, Portia reveals why most people are not stuck — they’re simply out of alignment. This conversation is a reminder that the strongest leaders aren’t driven by pressure. They’re guided by clarity.

About Portia Ntsele:

Dr Nomasonto Portia Ntsele from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a self-published author of three books, an intuitive entrepreneur, serial entrepreneur, wife and mother of three boys, who also has a farming project.

In her business she helps women become the best version of themselves because she's of the view that when you teach a woman, you teach a nation.

https://www.tiktok.com/@drnomasontontsele?_r=1&_t=ZS-92tjwz75b7c

John Munsell’s path into AI leadership didn’t start with hype — it started with pattern recognition. After decades in software and digital marketing, he saw early on that AI would become the next defining shift in how businesses operate. When ChatGPT launched publicly, he knew this was more than just another tech trend — it was a full-scale transformation. He sold his agency, rebuilt his company from the ground up, and spent a year working hands-on with executives to understand their real challenges. What he discovered? Most leaders don’t truly understand what AI is, how fast it’s evolving, or how deeply it will reshape their organizations. Today, John helps leaders close that gap with clear frameworks, practical training, and a strategic approach to conscious AI adoption.

John breaks down the real reason AI adoption fails inside organizations: fear, silence, and lack of strategy. When leaders don’t communicate, employees assume the worst — and when leaders don’t understand AI, they block it entirely. John explains why AI adoption is not a tech issue, but a leadership and change management challenge. He shares why delaying AI training is one of the most dangerous decisions a company can make right now. Through powerful real-world examples, he shows how organizations either catch the wave or get buried by the avalanche. And he makes it clear: leadership awareness must come first — before policies, tools, or platforms.

About John Munsell:

John Munsell from Louisiana has been involved in digital marketing, software development, and artificial intelligence (AI) for over 40 years. As CEO of Bizzuka, John led the company to multiple appearances on the Inc 5000. In 2022, he rebuilt Bizzuka from the ground up shifting its focus to helping business leaders understand and accelerate their adoption of AI. John has dedicated thousands of hours to mastering AI technologies. This led to the creation of the AI Strategy Canvas® and Scalable Prompt Engineering™.

https://www.bizzuka.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwmunsell/

https://www.youtube.com/c/Bizzuka

https://www.facebook.com/bizzuka

https://www.instagram.com/bizzuka_inc/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F2Z6H53T/

Get your free companion book/sequel here: https://ingrain.ai/2026

Awakened, authentic leadership starts with self-connection.

Anja Žibert from Slovenia explores how true leaders guide energies rather than control people, recognizing that everyone is a sovereign being. She explains how triggers and perceived weaknesses are invitations for self-reflection, and how embracing both light and shadow fosters authenticity. Anja shares how expanding perspective—asking “what if?”—opens possibilities and helps leaders see beyond limiting beliefs. Using tools like HeartMath and Human Design, she guides leaders to connect with their heart intelligence, align mind and heart, and step fully into their power. Through practical exercises, leaders discover answers within themselves, creating coherence, clarity, and freedom to lead authentically.

About Anja Žibert:

Anja (Free Spirit) Žibert is a purpose mentor, former corporate headhunter, and energetic catalyst who guides high-level professionals and entrepreneurs through the threshold where old identities break and true mission begins. With her experience in executive recruitment and deep training in Human Design, HeartMath®, and consciousness work, she bridges the practical and the soul-driven — helping leaders reclaim clarity, integrity, and inner fire without bypassing the human experience.

Her work is known for being radically honest, deeply compassionate, and refreshingly bullshit-free. Anja supports individuals who have achieved success yet feel quietly misaligned, helping them return to purpose, direction, and authentic leadership that doesn’t cost their nervous system.

www.freespirithc.com

www.linkedin.com/in/anjazibert/

https://beautiful-badass-leader-playbook.netlify.app/

www.amazon.com/Rattled-Awake-Writers-Poets-Authors/dp/B0D66ZZWF2

Leaders want to energize their teams while offering honest feedback that truly helps people grow. Yet many avoid difficult conversations or soften the message so much that clarity gets lost. Emma Collyer explains why clear, kind communication is the real driver of growth, and how intention, tone, and simple phrases set the right stage. She highlights cultural nuances, curiosity, and self-observation as essential parts of effective feedback. Emma shares how two-way feedback rebuilt trust in a struggling team and why people often hesitate to give feedback to their leaders. We explore how small issues escalate when avoided and why timely conversations beat annual reviews every time. Emma also touches on what to do when someone gets upset—why brief discomfort is better than unresolved problems, how asking for a recap supports understanding, and when to pause and return later. She emphasizes that leaders must ask for feedback themselves, mix honesty with genuine appreciation, and have direct, curious conversations when feedback is ignored.

About Emma Collyer:

Emma Collyer is the owner and principal coach of Aspire Executive Coaching, where she helps leaders turn everyday interactions into powerful, two-way conversations that spark trust, creativity, and results. Known for her down-to-earth approach and energy in the room, she transforms “tough talks” into growth moments that bring teams closer together. A certified ICF coach and Emotional Intelligence practitioner based in Canada, Emma works with leaders around the world—helping them communicate with clarity, lead with empathy, and enjoy the ride along the way.

www.aspireexecutivecoaching.com

www.linkedin.com/in/emma-collyer-aspire

www.instagram.com/aspireexecutivecoaching

https://needmoretrust.com

When it feels like you are failing on repeat, do you push harder or pause to realign? Former athlete and mindset coach Ryan Wickline shares how grit, discipline, and reflection cycles turn hard seasons into fuel.

We talk about training your mind like an elite athlete: visualization with feeling, incantations, and working with your subconscious.

Ryan opens up about overcoming addiction and how personal rock bottom became the core of his leadership system.

We explore fear as the quiet limiter behind high performers who still doubt they are good enough. You will hear how to reframe adversity as situations or obstacles, step out of your convenience zone, and walk toward the fire. We unpack self-leadership, the Law of the Lid, and why your team will not rise higher than you do.

If you are ready to treat your next decision like game day and prepare in the dark so you can lead in the light, this conversation is for you.

About Ryan Wickline:

Ryan Wickline from Ohio is a speaker and mindset coach who specializes in helping people achieve their dreams by transforming their minds and their daily habits. Ryan holds certifications from the John Maxwell Team as a speaker, coach, and DISC trainer. He is also the founder of Through the Fire, which helps people transform their lives by building self-confidence in their abilities, getting clarity in their goals, and developing mental toughness.

After going through heartbreak, loss, and a feeling of unfulfillment, Ryan co-founded Alpha Omega Wrestling Academy to train athletes and help them avoid the same pitfalls he faced in his own life. Along the journey, Ryan saw his athletes struggle with their limiting beliefs, so he started providing mindset training and implemented the same techniques he used to transform his own life.

With over a decade of experience with working with high level athletes, Ryan brings a proven system and unique experience to help people overcome adversity, limiting beliefs, and failure. Ryan’s story is a testament to the belief that in order to fulfill any of your dreams, you need to go through the fire to achieve them.

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078086504527

www.instagram.com/wickline_ryan/

www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwickline

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7FvCizJY8aAwR0zeQeAsFA?si=1c6a827706214e85&nd=1&dlsi=9eed17e3fe7b45b5

Sean Roberts from France reveals how a simple idea — inviting guests to share 10 songs that shaped their lives—became a space for connection, vulnerability, and self-discovery. Music, he says, is a common language that bridges cultures and experiences, opening doors to conversations that go far beyond playlists.

Through this creative lens, Sean shares lessons on self-belief, authenticity, and trusting the flow. He reflects on saying no when something doesn’t align, staying true to his concept, and finding balance in a world full of noise. Leadership, for him, is less about expertise and more about genuine presence, curiosity, and heart.

Sean wanted a safe, substantive space — less noise, more meaning. A timeless “iconic jacket” sparked the idea, then evolved into 10 life-defining tracks. Like the jacket, music cuts across politics and identity to create common ground.

We explore inner safety, self-worth, and leadership that starts from within — where confidence, curiosity, and connection become the true rhythm of growth.

About Sean Roberts:

Sean Roberts is a global connector and digital health attaché with a passion for innovation at the crossroads of health, culture, and technology. He bridges worlds through storytelling and music as the creator and host of 10 Tracks — a podcast where guests share their lives, memories, and moments through the lens of ten songs. The podcast explores the music and stories that connect us all across borders, cultures, and generations.

www.10tracks.net

www.instagram.com/10.tracks

www.youtube.com/@10trackspodcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/3GjyOpC6czioDM8uvRzVig?si=3b9c6fb719d94bdf

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-tracks-podcast/id1812478640

Leadership coach Allie Jones from Iowa explores how Patrick Lencioni’s Six Types of Working Genius can transform how teams function and thrive. We discuss how aligning people with their natural “genius zones” fuels engagement, impact, and joy at work.

Allie breaks down the six types — from ideation to implementation — and how knowing where you thrive (and where you struggle) can change the way you lead, collaborate, and create results.

The Working Genius Framework is not just a self-awareness tool, but a practical roadmap for team harmony and productivity. Allie explains how many teams over-index on certain types of genius while neglecting others, which can lead to frustration and stalled execution.

Allie gives tangible examples of how leaders can rebalance teams, tailor job descriptions, and rethink hiring by identifying which geniuses are missing from the mix.

Her takeaway is powerful: well-rounded teams outperform well-rounded individuals every time.

About Allie Jones:

Allie Jones from Iowa is a leadership coach, facilitator, and strategic consultant with a background in education and over seven years of experience as a business owner.

She is the founder of Allie Jones Consulting, where she works with mission-driven leaders and organizations to foster intentional growth through coaching, group facilitation, and professional development.

A former third-grade teacher in Kansas City, Allie transitioned into marketing and grew her freelance business into Illuminated Marketing, a boutique agency serving nonprofits, community organizations, and small businesses nationwide. Her experience spans brand strategy, organizational development, and team dynamics.

Allie is a certified Enneagram and Working Genius coach and brings a strengths-based, human-centered approach to everything she does. Her work is grounded in clarity, effectiveness, and helping people thrive—at work and in life.

www.alliejonesconsulting.com

www.alliejonesconsulting.com/working-genius

www.instagram.com/alliejonesconsulting

www.linkedin.com/in/allie-s-jones

Tony Thelen shares how true leadership means guiding people and organizations to places they wouldn’t reach alone, with courage, confidence balanced by humility, and a focus on impact that extends beyond profits to people, customers, and communities. The real measure of leadership, he says, is moving the world forward while achieving success and a sense of fulfillment as a leader.

The foundation of a team that truly works is trust—without it, everything else crumbles. Transparency, facing bad news together, and debating ideas without harming relationships all strengthen that trust. Real trust shows when leaders resist micromanaging and let people do the work they’ve been entrusted with. As Tony Thelen explains, leadership is about sensing, adapting, and responding—so teams thrive and leaders experience fulfillment in the process. It’s not about balancing work against life, but aligning priorities so both support who you want to be. The real win is designing a life where energy, relationships, and work all feed into fulfillment.

About Tony Thelen:

Tony Thelen from Iowa is the Founder and Principal Executive Coach at The River Coaching and Consulting, LLC. With a diverse 35-year career at John Deere he’s gained invaluable insights into people, change, processes, and leadership. As a certified NeuroLeadership Coach and a member of the International Coaching Federation, he’s coached over 500 individuals in various career stages, focusing on transformation, leadership development, and C-suite development and execution. Other professional interests include writing ('Am I Doing This Right', published Nov 22, Business Expert Press) Independent board membership, and advisory councils. Lifetime member of Trout Unlimited. His new book, due out 3 Nov 2025, is “Things We Desire” based on the timeless wisdom of the Desiderata poem written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann.

www.therivercoach.org/

www.linkedin.com/in/therivercoach/

Curious about how innovation, leadership, and crypto intersect? In this episode, Regina speaks with Miles Austin and Simon Hearn about why so many people shy away from crypto—and how it can actually be simple, accessible, and even exciting when you have the right support.

They discuss the importance of visionary leaders driving innovation, making opportunities like these available to everyday people. You’ll hear why having a supportive team and proven guidance can eliminate the overwhelm and help anyone get started—sometimes in under an hour.

Miles and Simon share real-life examples of people using crypto profits for everything from daily expenses to long-term results, and why entrepreneurs and corporate leaders alike can benefit from passive income options. They also touch on building teams, creating bigger results together, and learning as you go.

As Regina points out, it all comes down to informed decisions, continuous learning, and not letting fear or complexity hold you back. Whether you want a hands-off approach or you’re ready to lead and build, this conversation reveals why this opportunity could be a real game changer.

Intrigued? Feel free to reach out to Regina at [email protected] for more information.

This episode is for informational purposes only. None of the guests or hosts are financial advisors. Please do your own research before making any financial decisions, as all investments carry risk. There are no opportunities without risk, and you are solely responsible for choosing yours.

About Miles Austin and Simon Hearn:

Miles Austin blends creativity and strategy as a digital marketer focused on funnel building, video editing, and design — with a passion for crypto and innovation.

Simon Hearn merges technology and strategy as a business automation and marketing expert, helping entrepreneurs streamline operations. He’s also involved in the crypto space, applying innovative tech insights to real-world solutions.

From aspiring actor to entrepreneurial leader, Kasim Aslam’s path wasn’t linear. In this Rise to Lead episode, he shares how a Hollywood pursuit gave way to building one of the world’s top Google Ads agencies, how delegation became the key to scaling rather than micromanagement, and how selling Solutions 8 opened doors to new ventures such as Driven Mastermind and Pareto Talent. He also reflects on the founder’s paradox—leaders often being their own biggest growth blockers—and the importance of thought leadership as a true traffic engine.

Kasim explains how positioning himself as a thought leader fueled the launch of Pareto Talent, where the first 25 clients came almost entirely from two simple posts. Without paid ads or cold outreach, he built a seven-figure business on trust and referrals, proving that resonance matters more than reach. He also shares his “hourglass of niching” model—starting broad, narrowing to a profitable core, then expanding again—which ultimately drove Solutions 8 to an eight-figure exit. He stresses that authority comes from consistency, not intelligence.

True thought leaders are the ones who keep showing up, sharing openly, and even embracing mistakes. To illustrate, he tells the story of Ivan, a freelancer who grew from a $1,000-a-month assistant into the CTO who managed his multi-million-dollar exit and is now his business partner—a reminder that extraordinary talent can be found anywhere.

About Kasim Aslam:

Kasim Aslam from Arizona is serial entrepreneur who has built six 7- and 8-figure businesses, including two successful exits. He is the co-founder of Driven Mastermind and the creator of Digital Marketer's Paid Traffic Certification. Last year, he exited Solutions 8—one of the world’s top Google Ads agencies—and co-founded Pareto Talent, a company dedicated to helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time by matching them with world-class executive assistants. Kasim is now preparing to release HIRE, a groundbreaking book that distills the systems he used to build his companies.

Designed to be the ultimate guide on hiring and delegation, HIRE offers a proven framework for scaling a business without burning out. He has also authored three bestselling books and was named one of the top 50 Digital Marketing Thought Leaders in the U.S.

www.kasimaslam.com   

www.youtube.com/kasimaslam

www.x.com/kasimaslam

www.linkedin.com/in/kasimaslam

www.facebook.com/kasimaslam