Leadership isn’t a static role. It’s a balancing act. In this heartfelt season finale of Love in Leadership, Laura and Mike reflect on the highs and challenges of leadership, personal growth, and building meaningful connections in business and life. From stories of transformative company retreats to candid reflections on maintaining work-life balance, this episode dives deep into the evolving roles leaders must play to keep organizations thriving.

Whether you're leading a team, navigating a personal leadership journey, or simply seeking insight into workplace culture, this episode offers valuable takeaways to carry into the new year and beyond. Be sure to tune in for an inspiring discussion on vision, trust, and the importance of authentic relationships in leadership!

Key Points From This Episode:

• [0:03:58] Reflections on the growth and evolution of the podcast.
• [0:06:20] Finding fulfillment and inspiration through leadership conversations.
• [0:07:57] How the LoveJoy leadership retreat property brought a long-time personal and professional dream to life for Mike.
• [0:13:07] Laura’s reflections on balance and stepping into an expanded leadership role.
• [0:15:37] Personal and professional highs and lows (or challenges) from the past year.
• [0:21:27] Why success is about so much more than being in the right place at the right time.
• [0:24:07] The significance of a frog and Mike’s hopes and aspirations for 2025.
• [0:31:22] What it means to be the leader your organization needs right now and build trust through personal connections.
• [0:35:38] Laura’s dreams for the high-performance “engine” at BIGGBY and LifeLab in 2025.
• [0:38:48] The importance of improving connections between teams and leadership structures.
• [0:41:18] How trust, communication, and genuine relationships drive effective leadership.
• [0:48:36] Looking ahead to Season 3 of Love in Leadership!

Quotes:

“It’s about finding something you're passionate about, understanding where your talents collide with that passion, [and] finding ways to grow and improve and move forward. That can happen 

to anybody.” — Laura Eich [0:21:31]

“You need to be the leader your organization needs you to be today, tomorrow, this week, this month.” — @mikejmcfall [0:32:53]

“We have – brilliant minds that have eyes on what we need them to have eyes on, solutions in mind for how to solve things, and because of – poorly-formed connections or not connecting to the right place, – it gets lost in a game of translation or telephone.” — Laura Eich [0:40:07]

“If you really, truly can build a relationship with somebody, even if you've got different views on the world, – you can learn from them. And that's the point.” — @mikejmcfall [0:48:10]

RESOURCES:

 

• [31:30]Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)
• [32:46] Grow by Mike McFall
• [44:57] Creating An Ecosystem feat. Tara Millburn
• [51:40] Email us with your feedback and suggestions for future guests!

FOLLOW:

Follow Laura Eich:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
   

Follow Mike McFall:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• X
• Instagram
   

Follow BIGGBY® COFFEE & LifeLabTM:

• Website
• Facebook
• X
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• About LifeLabTM
  
   

ABOUT LOVE IN LEADERSHIP:

At the Life You Love LaboratoryTM and BIGGBY® COFFEE, we’re out to prove that financial success and healthy workplace culture aren’t two separate goals. BIGGBY® COFFEE's own cultural transformation is proof that not only is it possible to have a successful company where people aren’t miserable at work, but that the happier your people are, the more your business will grow. Each week, join host Laura Eich, Chief Purpose Officer at BIGGBY® COFFEE, and her co-host and BIGGBY® COFFEE co-CEO Mike McFall as they’re joined by guests from around the world to learn how they are fostering a culture of love and growth in the world’s most innovative and people-centric companies. Get inspired. Get real. Get ready to transform workplace culture in America with us. This is the Love in Leadership podcast.

Learn more at: loveinleadershippodcast.com

 

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Mike McFall began his journey with BIGGBY® COFFEE as a minimum-wage barista at the original store in East Lansing in 1996. Over the span of 23 years, alongside business partner Bob Fish, he has helped create one of the great specialty coffee brands in America. Today Mike is co-CEO with Bob, and BIGGBY® COFFEE has over 250 stores open throughout the Midwest that sell tens of thousands of cups of coffee each day. But more importantly to Mike and BIGGBY® COFFEE, the company is a profoundly people-first organization.

Mike is also the author of Grind, a book which focuses on early-stage businesses and how to establish positive cash flow.

Laura Eich is BIGGBY® COFFEE’s Chief People Officer, having worked in a variety of roles at BIGGBY® COFFEE for the last 11+ years. She helped launch BOOST, the department at BIGGBY® COFFEE which ultimately became LifeLabTM — BIGGBY® COFFEE’s in-house culture cultivation team designed to help people be the best versions of themselves and help companies support them along the way. In her role, Laura helps people build lives that they love through the process of building profitable businesses and robust, growth-filled careers.