Half of all CEOs say they feel lonely in their role. Sixty-one percent say it actively hurts their performance. So why don't more leaders talk about it?

In this episode, Foster sits down across the table for an unusually candid conversation about his own experience with loneliness, the moment that started separating his ego from his identity, and what it actually took to build relationships he didn't have to perform for. He gets into the role executive coaches often play as a "safe place" for leaders who can't be vulnerable anywhere else, the slow and sometimes painful process of stepping out of a 35-year identity as CEO, and a book that reframed how he thinks about connection altogether: Mattering by Jennifer Breheny Wallace.

Foster and host Jana Devan talk about:

• Why loneliness in leadership often isn't about being alone, it's about not feeling fully known
• The moment with his son that began breaking down years of inflated ego
• How a five-year, deliberate succession process with Matt Brubaker became a case study in doing transitions right
• Why so many leadership and CEO transitions go badly, and the bad assumption behind it
• The difference in how men and women report loneliness, and what that gap is actually hiding
• What Foster's twice-monthly men's group around a Bozeman campfire taught him about community
• One true thing Foster wants every leader to hear if they recognize themselves in this conversation

For more on the themes in this episode, check out two earlier Step Wise conversations: Jen Fisher in Season 1 and Matt Brubaker in Season 2.

This episode was hosted by Jana Devan of Zettist.

Resources: 
https://www.harvardbusiness.org/insight/new-to-leadership-heres-how-to-address-loneliness/
https://www.lgt.com/global-en/market-assessments/insights/entrepreneurship/lonely-at-the-top-the-high-price-of-success-285466
https://hbr.org/2024/12/ceos-often-feel-lonely-heres-how-they-can-cope

To find out more, visit our website: Mountain-mule.com

Go to ourwholenessatwork.com to learn more.

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.

Benjamin Smith was a high school quarterback who could hit every throw in practice and none of them under pressure. That gap between what he could do alone and what he could do with everyone watching became the question that's driven his entire career: where does steady confidence actually come from, and why does it disappear the moment it matters most?

Benjamin is a performance and wellness coach with experience at Yale University, Fairfield University, and Canyon Ranch. He works with athletes, executives, and high performing leaders, but his path there wasn't a straight line. He started in sports psychology, found the standard toolkit (breathing, visualization, imagery) useful but incomplete, and ended up at Yale Divinity School chasing the deeper question underneath it: who am I when the performance doesn't go well? Now he runs his own practice and a weekly newsletter, A Life Well Lived, where he blends performance science with contemplative practice for people trying to do both at once: perform and stay whole. I suggest you subscribe.

In this episode, Foster and Benjamin talk about:

• Why "what's wrong and how do we fix it" is the wrong starting question for coaching, and what to ask instead
• The high school football moment that sent Benjamin from sports psychology into divinity school
• His four core values (courage, connection, compassion, joy) and how he actually uses them
• Why elite performance spaces (sports, the military, the boardroom) tend to surface the same deep fears
• What it means to perform as "an artistic expression of your deepest sense of self" instead of a defense of your self-worth
• A favorite definition of contemplation from theologian Walter Burghardt: "a long, loving look at the real"
• Three practical starting points for anyone considering a similar career pivot

Find Benjamin's weekly newsletter, A Life Well Lived, at innerlifeofsport.com.

To find out more, visit our website: Mountain-mule.com

Go to ourwholenessatwork.com to learn more.

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.

"It's not going to happen to my niece." That sentence, Sarabeth Rees says, is the most dangerous one we tell ourselves. It feels true, it feels protective, and it is almost always wrong.

Sarabeth is the Executive Director of Everstrong (formerly Stolen Youth), a Seattle nonprofit working to prevent the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children through education, empowerment, and advocacy. Before stepping into this role, she spent more than 20 years in corporate strategy and change management, most recently as a Senior Director at PwC advising Fortune 500 leaders around the world. She's served on the board of the Joyful Heart Foundation and previously chaired the board of Haven.

In this episode, Foster and Sarabeth talk about:

• Why the comfortable assumption that "it doesn't happen here" is the exact narrative that keeps trafficking invisible, regardless of zip code, income, or education
• Why Everstrong is moving away from fear-based messaging and the word "trafficking" itself, in favor of "exploitation," a word more people recognize from their own lives
• A real story about an eight-year-old, a video game chat feature, and the calm, non-punitive conversation that made him feel safe enough to speak up
• Why grooming doesn't discriminate, and what it actually looks like in the ordinary, everyday places kids spend time online
• What made Sarabeth walk away from a high-powered corporate path to take what she calls her dream job, and what it means to actually live the values you claim to hold
• The nonprofit funding myth that drives Sarabeth up a wall (hint: it involves the phrase "eat the scenery") and why underpaying mission-driven people is bad strategy, not virtue
• A leadership parallel Foster pulls from the conversation about power and silence, and why the same dynamic that silences trafficking victims shows up in boardrooms too

Learn more about Sarabeth's work, download free conversation guides for parents and educators, or get involved at everstrong.org.

To find out more, visit our website: Mountain-mule.com

Go to ourwholenessatwork.com to learn more.

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.

Margaret Aitken spent a decade as press secretary to Senator Joe Biden, and what she watched up close wasn't political strategy. It was the quiet, specific way one person could make a room full of strangers feel genuinely heard. She took that education and built a career helping leaders do the same thing, mostly for companies navigating the kind of uncertainty where people stop talking and start making up their own stories.

That last part matters. One of the sharpest things Margaret says in this conversation is that silence from leadership isn't neutral. Human beings are wired to fill the blank. And nine times out of ten, what they fill it with is worse than the truth.

Her first week working for Biden, she wrote a press release with the phrase "a cadre of concerned citizens." She was proud of it. He crossed it out and wrote "group of people." That lesson that connection isn't about clever words, it's about reaching someone's heart where they actually are, has shaped everything she's done since.

Foster and Margaret get into:

• Why leaders who go quiet during uncertainty make things worse, not safer
• What empathy actually is as a skill: the ability to make someone feel seen and heard, not a personality trait you either have or don't
• How a single word can uplift a room or quietly pull it apart
• What multi-generational teams actually need to hear from their leaders right now
• Why authenticity in leadership writing isn't a style choice, it's the only thing that lands
• The narrative leaders tell their teams, and why that story shapes performance more than most people realize

Margaret also writes a Substack worth following. She's unvarnished in it, which is exactly why it resonates.

Learn more about Margaret here: https://www.margaretaitken.co/

Follow Step Wise wherever you listen.

To find out more, visit our website: Mountain-mule.com

Go to ourwholenessatwork.com to learn more.

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.

Seven NCAA championships. An Olympic silver medal. A breast cancer diagnosis. A torn Achilles. Between them, Valorie Kondos Field and Sam Peszek have racked up more defining moments than most people face in a lifetime. What they've learned from all of it isn't what you'd expect.

In this conversation, Foster Mobley sits down with legendary UCLA gymnastics coach Miss Val and Olympic medalist-turned-entrepreneur and NBC broadcaster Sam Peszek for a frank, funny, and genuinely moving discussion about what leadership actually requires. Not the version you read about in business books. The real thing.

They cover a lot of ground: why "walk with them" changed how Sam leads, what happens when a safe space becomes an excuse to stop growing, how Val's battle with breast cancer reframed her entire relationship with choice, and why the most effective thing a leader can do is ask better questions instead of giving better answers.

There's also a story Sam tells near the end of the episode. About a young gymnast who stayed quiet through an entire session and then said something that stopped everyone cold. It's worth the whole conversation.

Topics include leadership development, generational differences in the workplace, building team trust, coaching philosophy, resilience, reverse mentoring, identity after sport, and what it means to lead from a place of purpose rather than fear.

Valorie Kondos Field is a Hall of Fame coach, 7x NCAA gymnastics champion, TEDx speaker, and author of "Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance." She coached UCLA gymnastics for 29 years without ever having competed as a gymnast herself.

Sam Peszek is an Olympic silver medalist, 3x NCAA champion, NBC Olympics commentator, and founder of Beam Queen, a confidence-focused gymnastics training program.

Foster Mobley is a leadership advisor, executive coach, and host of Step Wise. His book "Leadersh!t: Rethinking the True Path to Great Leading" is available at fostermobley.com.

Links: Foster's website: fostermobley.com Follow Miss Val: @officialmissval Follow Sam Peszek: @samanthapeszek Beam Queen: beamqueengymnastics.com

To find out more, visit our website: Mountain-mule.com

Go to ourwholenessatwork.com to learn more.

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.

Something is different about Season 3.

Step Wise has always been about the kind of wisdom that doesn't make the highlight reel. The decisions made at 2am. The moment a coach says the thing nobody else will say. The quiet conversation that changes everything.

This season, we're going wider and deeper. The guests coming to Season 3 aren't all from the same boardroom. A coach who built seven national championships by teaching young women to become humans first. An Olympic gymnast figuring out who she is when the sport is over. Executives, emerging leaders, athletes, coaches — people whose wisdom has been earned in completely different rooms, all pointing at the same thing.

Everyday wisdom doesn't belong to any one generation. It gets passed between them.

Season 3 of Step Wise drops June 3rd. Subscribe now so you don't miss the first episode.

fostermobleymt.com/step-wise-podcast

Follow Foster: 

Instagram: @fostermobley 

LinkedIn: fostermobley

Subscribe to From the Field, Foster's newsletter on leadership, life, and what's worth your attention: fostermobleymt.com/sign-up

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.

In this reflective season finale of Step Wise, the mic turns toward our host, Dr. Foster Mobley. Interviewed by Jana Devan, Foster explores what it means to lead with empathy, presence, and wisdom in a world defined by speed and complexity. Together, they unpack the non-negotiables of modern leadership and the best leadership advice, self-awareness, emotional grounding, and authentic connection, and how honoring yourself, others, and your organization can transform results.

From reverse mentorship and inter-generational leadership to the discipline of slowing your soul down, Foster offers practical tools and stories that help leaders navigate turbulence with clarity and compassion.

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or a rising leader, this episode challenges you to ask the deeper questions: What do I value? How do I listen? And how can I lead from wisdom rather than fear?

Key themes: empathy in leadership, mindfulness, honoring relationships, self-awareness, reverse mentorship, multi-generational teams, authentic connection, the role of wisdom in modern leadership.

To find out more about Jana Devan visit www.janadevan.com

To find out more about Zettist visit www.zettist.com

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.

What does it take to lead with wisdom in a world that never stops changing? In this episode of Step Wise, Dr. Foster Mobley sits down with Dr. Matt Brubaker, Chairman and CEO of FMG Leading, a premier human-capital firm transforming the healthcare industry through leadership.

Together, they explore how modern leaders can stay grounded in their humanity while driving performance in complex, investor-backed environments. Dr. Brubaker shares lessons from his early years in ministry, the burnout that shaped his philosophy of “amplifying light” instead of darkness, and how transparency, humility, and focus have become his greatest tools for guiding both people and organizations through change.

The conversation touches on:

• Finding spiritual and personal balance as a leader
• Holding humanity and high performance in tension
• Guiding teams through burnout and transformation
• What makes a successful founder-to-CEO transition
• How to build leadership structures that evolve with your organization

If you’re leading a team, coaching others, or redefining what leadership means in your world, this episode will leave you with practical insight and grounded inspiration for your own journey.

Listen to more Step Wise episodes at FosterMobleymt.com
 or wherever you get your podcasts.

Find out more about Dr. Matt Brubaker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brubaker/

Find out more about FMG Leading on their website: https://fmgleading.com/

Or follow them on social media: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmgleading/

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

 leadership development, executive coaching, organizational culture, healthcare leadership, FMG Leading, Dr Matt Brubaker, Dr Foster Mobley, leadership wisdom, authentic leadership, founder transitions, burnout prevention, business transformation, leadership mindset, leadership podcast

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.

Conflict isn’t something to avoid—it’s something to understand. In this episode of Step Wise, Dr. Foster Mobley sits down with Mark Eckhardt, co-founder and CEO of Common and founder of 1 Million Truths, to explore what it means to lead in a time when every system around us is changing.

Mark shares how neuroscience and conflict science reveal the hidden pressures leaders face today, why self-awareness and presence are essential, and how his work has helped reduce polarization—even during the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Together, they discuss practical tools leaders can use to navigate complexity, the inner work required to show up fully, and the importance of moving adjacent to conflict rather than tackling it head on.

This conversation offers a rare window into the mindset of a global conflict mediator, Buddhist priest, and entrepreneur who has mentored over 1,700 leaders worldwide.

🎧 Tune in to learn why emotional regulation, reflection, and connectedness may be the most important skills a leader can develop today.

To learn more about Mark, visit these links: 

• https://common.is/
• https://www.onemilliontruths.com/
• linkedin.com/in/mark-hamilton-eckhardt-98a770
• linkedin.com/company/one-million-truths-llc/

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.

Jim Fielding has spent more than three decades leading some of the world’s most iconic brands—Disney, DreamWorks, and 20th Century Fox. Today, he’s an author, speaker, coach, and host of the Jim Fielding & Friends podcast.

In this conversation with Dr. Foster Mobley, Jim reflects on his journey from corporate executive to solopreneur, sharing the wisdom he’s gained along the way. Together, they explore themes from Jim’s book, All Pride, No Ego: A Queer Executive’s Journey to Living and Leading Authentically, and discuss what leadership requires in these unpredictable times.

From “controlling the controllables” to leaving space for the possible, Jim offers a fresh perspective on the skills leaders need now: clarity, courage, compassion, and above all—humanity.

If you’re navigating change, balancing authenticity with resilience, or wondering what it takes to lead in today’s complex world, this episode is for you.

Purchase Jim Fielding's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Moments-Truth-Lessons-Leading-Authentically/dp/1394165285

Or, listen to his podcast: https://www.hijimfielding.com/jim-fielding-friends-podcast

Hosted by Foster Mobley
Learn more about Foster at fostermobleymt.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Foster Mobley.
www.instagram.com/fostermobley
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fostermobley/

Produced, Edited, and Promoted by Zettist

Additional support from Amber Jillard Consulting

Music for Season 3 composed and performed by Philip Aaberg. Courtesy of Sweetgrass Music.