The Executive Edge

Episode 224

Released January 8, 2026

This week I'm joined by James Gardner, a fellow Vistage member who's been on quite a journey – from building a manufacturing business with his brother over nearly two decades, through its sale, to running a funeral director businesses in Kent. James now mentors business owners through acquisitions, post-acquisition challenges, and the transition out of businesses.

What struck me most was James's honesty about the emotional reality of selling a business. We hear the success stories – the champagne corks, the celebration – but rarely what comes next.

James opens up about what he describes as the worst 18 months of his life, despite having more money in the bank than ever before.

From Dressing Table to International Business

James's story begins around 2000, when his brother spotted a gap in the market. His first few days in business were spent at his sister-in-law's dressing table with a laptop and a fax machine. From there, they moved to a leaky farm building, then a garden shed they'd insulated themselves.

They grew internationally, with James flying to their US operation 13 times in one year. These things sound glamorous but really aren't, he reflects – time away from family, friends, and other opportunities. But they worked hard, treated people well, and delivered on every promise.

The Sale – and What Came After

When the right buyer came along – one who could preserve jobs and accelerate their plans – the brothers took the leap. They were lucky to be on the same page; family partnerships often break down.

James stayed on after the sale through a gentleman's agreement. Senior positions were promised. The reality didn't match the brochure.

The first 6 to 18 months were the unhappiest of his life. He had more money than ever, yet felt imprisoned. The golden handcuffs, as he calls them – yes, they're gold, but you're still handcuffed.

What resonated with me was his reflection on control. When you've built something, oversight and strategy flow through you. Then suddenly, that stops. You may be mentally ready to hand over, but are you emotionally prepared? As James put it: 'You're literally handing your baby over to somebody else to raise, whilst you're still in the room.'

Rolling the Dice Again

Things eventually improved, and James went on to run the larger UK department. But he asked himself: do I want to do this for another 25 years, or roll the dice?

In 2019, he chose to move on. Wanting something recession-proof, he remembered working as a trainee funeral director years earlier and approached that same business owner. Ten days after signing in March 2020, the country went into lockdown. He now runs four funeral directors in Kent.

Key Insights It's people, people, people.

Treat your team well first. Then your customers. Then – and this often gets forgotten – your suppliers. When something goes wrong, you want to be at the top of their list.

Plan your exit properly.

A short handover works better than staying on indefinitely. And if you don't have a plan for life after the sale, the sudden absence of purpose can be devastating.

Communication is everything.

The root cause of most relationship breakdowns is communication. Having someone in your corner to sound-check decisions is invaluable.

Connect with James

James now mentors business owners through acquisitions, post-acquisition challenges, and the transition out of businesses.

• Website: amazing3dgoals.com (that's the number 3)

• LinkedIn: James Gardner

• Youtube: Amazing Leaders

James's story reminds us that business people are not immune. We have highbrow ideas about building something, but we're not always ready to let it go. The sale can look like the ultimate success, but the emotional journey is far more complex than the financial transaction.

Ready to be a better you in 2026?

Is something troubling you? Playing on your mind or feels as if it's stuck somehow? Are you tired of problems that you can't seem to solve? Or are you at a crossroads because things just aren't the way you want at work or maybe in the home?

Does it feel like a struggle?

• Do you have unrealistic pressures on you?

• Are there many issues, but you aren't sure what to do first.

• Or do you need to get your head clear so that you can focus?

Whether things just aren't going right, or you're struggling with a specific problem, I can help. Through 1-on-1 meetings, (whether face to face, or online), I build a better you.

But I aim to do so in 3 sessions, or less. My focus is always on delivering results quickly.

To learn more, just reach out and we can set up a time for a free exploratory call to discuss how I could help you.

Episode 223

Released December 11, 2025

Guest: Alejandra Ramirez, Founder of Ready Cultures

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sue is joined by Alejandra Ramirez, an internal communications specialist with nearly 20 years of experience helping service-driven businesses shape their culture from the inside out. Together, they explore why so many organisations struggle to turn their values into lived reality—and what leaders can do about it.

The Culture Gap

We've all seen it: values proudly displayed on office walls that bear little resemblance to how things actually work day-to-day. Alejandra explains that whilst companies often start with the best intentions when defining their vision and values, they frequently forget to bridge the gap between what leadership wants to say and how employees actually receive it.

The cost of this disconnect shows up in ways that aren't always traced back to culture—high turnover, low engagement, internal politics, and slower decision-making. As Alejandra puts it, "Your culture is only as strong as your communication."

The 3-H Framework

To help leaders communicate more effectively, Alejandra introduces her 3-H Framework: Head, Heart, and Hands.

Head – Is your message clear? Do people understand what's happening and have access to the facts they need?

Heart – Does it connect emotionally? Have you explained why this matters to them personally and to the success of the organisation?

Hands – Is there a clear call to action? Do people know exactly what they need to do differently as a result?

Alejandra shares a real-world example where a company had launched a valuable internal tool, but without strategic communication around it, the tool simply sat unused. By auditing where the breakdowns were and applying the 3-H Framework, she helped them successfully relaunch with far greater adoption.

Crisis-Proofing Your Culture

Sue and Alejandra also discuss the importance of what Alejandra calls "crisis-proofing"—building strong communication habits during good times so that when challenges arise, your people are already primed to listen and trust what you're telling them.

The conversation touches on those uncomfortable "undercurrents" that exist in many workplaces—the new competitor being built down the road that everyone can see but nobody's discussing. Alejandra emphasises that people aren't stupid; they notice what's being avoided. Leaders who address these elephants in the room, rather than hoping they'll go unnoticed, build far stronger trust with their teams.

The Hidden Cost of Poor Communication

One of the most striking points in this episode is the hidden cost of cultural breakdown. As Sue notes, by the time a valued, long-standing employee hands in their notice, they've usually been mentally leaving for quite some time. The institutional knowledge they take with them is often irreplaceable.

Even high achievers will burn out and leave if the goalposts keep shifting and there's no clarity on how to get from A to B. Process, she reminds us, is communication—and without clear, consistent processes, productivity and morale both suffer.

Key Takeaways

Internal communication isn't just meetings and memos—it's a leadership skill that turns strategy into action and values into lived culture. Whilst many organisations invest heavily in external PR and messaging, the same rigour is rarely applied internally. Getting this right consistently can be the edge that sets your organisation apart.

Connect with Alejandra Ramirez

Website: readycultures.com – Download the 3-H Framework workbook directly from the homepage LinkedIn: Alejandra Ramirez-Wells Email: [email protected]

Thank you for listening to The Executive Edge. If you found this episode valuable, please subscribe and share it with a fellow leader who could benefit.

Episode 222

Released November 27, 2025

Audio Quality Note

Please note: Due to technical difficulties with the host's microphone during recording, Sue's audio quality is below our usual standard. We've chosen to release this episode despite these challenges because the conversation offers valuable insights that we believe are too important to delay. We appreciate your understanding and patience.

Episode Overview

In this conversation, Swedish-born CEO and leadership coach Andreas Pettersson shares his transformative approach to leadership that prioritizes emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and sustainable success over relentless hustle culture. Drawing from his experience leading tech companies to successful exits and his work coaching executives across the globe, Andreas challenges conventional wisdom about what it takes to be an effective leader in today's business environment.

Key Topics Discussed

Work-Life Harmony vs. Work-Life Balance

• Why the traditional 9-to-5 model no longer reflects modern work reality
• The concept of "work-life harmony" and flowing in and out of work naturally
• Breaking free from guilt about checking emails after hours
• Compartmentalizing effectively to reduce stress

Cultural Perspectives on Leadership

• Differences between European and American work cultures
• Why Europeans often achieve more in fewer hours
• The role of social safety nets in reducing fear-based motivation
• Adapting leadership styles across different cultural contexts

From Fear-Based to Abundance Mindset

• Moving beyond the "insecure overachiever" mentality
• Why imposter syndrome might be the wrong label
• The importance of recognizing your daily achievements
• Building genuine confidence through self-awareness

The Power of Emotional Intelligence

• Why growing people creates growing organizations
• Understanding your inner child's influence on leadership decisions
• The role of vulnerability as a leadership strength
• Developing curiosity about your own behavioral patterns

Sustainable High Performance

• Setting realistic daily expectations based on your unique strengths
• The practice of journaling wins to build momentum
• Why working harder isn't the same as working effectively
• Recognizing when you've "crushed it" and celebrating those moments

Key Insights

"If you're not growing your people, you are not going to grow your organization."

"I think so many people let that insecure part be the narrative of who they were as a child. Instead, when you recognize that's what you're doing to yourself, you can change it."

"Vulnerability is a power. Once you can admit these things and you can talk about them, you are able to control yourself."

"It's not about the number of hours you put in. Europeans are more effective—it's a little bit less fluff and a little bit more 'let's get shit done.'"

About Andreas Pettersson

Andreas is a Swedish entrepreneur and leadership coach based in California. After a successful career as a tech CEO, including a lucrative exit where he was asked to stay on for two years, Andreas chose to follow his passion for developing other leaders. Through his company, Leaders Adapt, he works with entrepreneurs and executives to help them build the emotional intelligence and self-awareness needed to lead effectively without burning out.

Andreas's approach combines his international business experience across Europe, Asia, and the United States with deep personal work on overcoming fear-based leadership patterns. His mission is to help leaders transition from insecure overachievers to confident, emotionally intelligent executives who achieve sustainable success.

Connect with Andreas Pettersson

Instagram: @andreas.the.ceo (Andreas personally responds to all messages) Website: Leaders Adapt LinkedIn: Andreas Pettersson

Andreas welcomes questions and often responds with personalized voice memos. He also publishes leadership insights and solutions to common executive challenges on his blog.

Coming Soon from Andreas

Andreas is developing free leadership kcourses based on his 12 core leadership principles, which is available on YouTube . These courses address the most common patterns and challenges he encounters when working with executives.

Takeaways for Business Executives

1. Reframe your definition of productivity – Focus on delivering your unique value rather than maximizing hours worked

2. Develop your emotional intelligence – True leadership effectiveness comes from understanding yourself and adapting to others

3. Identify your inner narratives – Recognize when childhood conditioning or others' voices are driving your decisions

4. Celebrate your wins daily – Build momentum and confidence by acknowledging when you've "crushed it"

5. Embrace work-life harmony – Stop feeling guilty about natural work flow and focus on compartmentalizing effectively

6. Get curious about yourself – Self-awareness and vulnerability are strengths, not weaknesses

7. Shift from fear to abundance – Let your achievements build confidence rather than letting insecurity drive overwork

Episode 221

Released November 13, 2025

Guest: Ted Santos, Business Strategist and Founder of Turnaround Investment Partners

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In this episode, I sat down with Ted Santos, a business strategist who has pioneered a disruptive leadership model that challenges how executives think about change, adversity, and organisational transformation. Ted's approach isn't just theoretical – it's forged from personal experience that would break most people.

The Power of Early Adversity

Ted's story begins with tragedy. At just 21, he lost his mother and found himself responsible for his younger siblings. What could have been paralysing became transformative. As we explored in our conversation, the resilience, problem-solving abilities, and capacity to navigate chaos that he developed during those formative years became the foundation for his unique approach to business transformation.

What struck me most was Ted's insight that these skills didn't emerge at 21 – they'd been building since he was six years old. This revelation opens up fascinating questions about how early challenges shape our leadership capabilities and our ability to thrive in disruption.

Uncovering Blind Spots

At the heart of Ted's methodology is identifying blind spots – those limiting beliefs and mental barriers that organisations don't even know they have. He shared a compelling example: before Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile in 1956, it was considered humanly impossible. Today, a 15-year-old in New Zealand has achieved it. The barrier wasn't physical; it was perceptual.

This principle applies directly to business. Ted's work with Turnaround Investment Partners focuses on helping organisations recognise where they've unconsciously set limits. When a sales team insists they "can't sell to CEOs" or when leadership assumes certain transformations are impossible, these aren't facts – they're unexamined beliefs masquerading as reality.

The Business Case for Personal Wellbeing

One unexpected revelation in our conversation was about workplace productivity and divorce. Ted explained that organisations lose £300 billion annually in productivity when employees navigate divorce, with individual productivity dropping 50-75%. I found this particularly resonant, having experienced it myself – missing opportunities because I simply didn't have the bandwidth to respond.

This connection led us to discuss Ted's book, *Here's Why You Can't Find Love*. Whilst it might seem tangential to business strategy, it addresses a critical blind spot: organisations can't afford to ignore the personal challenges their people face. These challenges directly impact performance, innovation, and growth.

The Role of Leadership in Transformation

Drawing on the principles of Edward Deming, Ted emphasised that meaningful organisational change must begin at the top. Deming famously refused to work with companies whose CEOs wouldn't personally engage in the transformation process. Ted applies this same rigour.

The logic is compelling: if leadership harbours blind spots about what's possible, if they misdiagnose problems (blaming the sales team when the issue lies in strategic perception), then no amount of intervention at lower levels will create lasting change. Transformation requires leaders who are willing to examine their own limiting beliefs first.

Chaos as Catalyst

Perhaps the most counterintuitive aspect of Ted's approach is his relationship with chaos. Whilst most consultants promise to solve problems, Ted jokes that he creates them. This isn't flippancy – it's recognition that disruption, properly managed, brings out the best in people and organisations.

As Ted noted, the entire universe emerged from the chaos of the Big Bang. Chaos isn't the end of possibility; it's often the beginning. The question isn't whether your organisation will face disruption, but whether you've developed the mental frameworks, emotional resilience, and cultural accountability t o transform it into opportunity.

Practical Takeaways for Executives

For busy executives, Ted's message is clear: your perceived limitations are often more constraining than actual reality. Whether you're facing market disruption, organisational change, or personal challenges, the pathway forward begins with identifying your blind spots and reframing what you believe is possible.

This isn't about positive thinking – it's about neuroplasticity, intentional perspective shifts, and building cultures of accountability and calculated risk-taking.

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**Connect with Ted Santos:**

- Email: [email protected] - LinkedIn: Ted Santos - Book: *Here's Why You Can't Find Love* (available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble)

Episode 220

Released 2025-10-30

Building Your Resilience Plan with Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier

Guest: Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier, Workplace Mental Health Expert, Psychologist, and Speaker

If you're a busy, I suspect you've already spotted yourself in this scenario: demands are increasing, deadlines are looming, and your natural response is to lean in harder, work longer hours, and push through with the same tools that have got you here.

In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier to unpack why this instinct—whilst understandable—is precisely what leads high-performing professionals straight to burnout. And more importantly, we explore what you might do instead.

The Dangerous Pattern Every Executive Should Recognise

Here's an uncomfortable truth that Marie-Hélène lays out with refreshing clarity: successful professionals are fabulous at what they do, and that's precisely why they're at risk. You've built your career on handling demanding hours, exceeding expectations, and pushing through challenges. But here's what's happening behind the scenes that you might not realise.

When demands increase, we systematically make two critical errors in judgement. First, we underestimate the size and depth of those demands. That project you think will take half an hour? Three hours later, you're still at it. We minimise the scope, underestimate the likelihood that other demands will pile on simultaneously, and fundamentally misjudge what's ahead.

Second, and this is where it gets really interesting, we overestimate our supply. We overestimate how much energy we have, how much time is available, and how much capacity we're working with. Put these two biases together—underestimating demand while overestimating supply—and of course you're going to put your head down and just power through. In your mind, you can handle it. But the math doesn't work out that way in reality.

The One-Minute Solution You Can Start Today

Marie-Hélène offers a practical starting point that bypasses the usual resistance executives have to "stepping back." She knows what you're thinking: "I haven't got time to step back for half an hour and think about this strategically. I need to get it done now."

So here's her challenge: take one minute. Literally, set a timer on your phone for 60 seconds and allow yourself to step back. What often happens in that single minute is you realize, "Oh, I actually should step back for five minutes, and now I understand why it's worth making that time." That brief pause gives you enough visibility to see the benefit of proper planning, and suddenly the investment makes sense.

Think about it this way: you'd never tell someone to handle a major work situation with only 10% visibility. You'd demand full information before making decisions. Yet when it comes to your own workload and capacity, you're operating on minimal visibility, making assumptions, and hoping it works out. It's time to dial up that visibility from a one out of ten to a ten out of ten.

Why You Keep Doing It Yourself (And Why That Needs to Change)

There's another pattern Marie-Hélène and I identify that hits close to home for many executives. You love action. You take quick ownership. You have genuine accountability. And you've spent years building deep expertise that makes you incredibly capable.

But here's the catch: doing it yourself was the premise behind how you got to where you are. In your earlier career, your success was built on personal execution, on being the one who could handle it all. As you've moved into leadership, that instinct hasn't fully shifted. So when something needs to be done, your first thought is still, "I'll just do it myself. It'll be faster, better, done right."

This isn't stupidity—it's a skill that hasn't evolved with your role. And while you know intellectually that you should be delegating and empowering your team, in the moment, when pressure hits, you default to what you know: doing it yourself.

Marie-Hélène points out that this creates a rather interesting paradox. As a leader, you know it's not good leadership to take everything on yourself. But your brain is protecting you because it sees the consequence of delegation: it takes time to explain, to teach, to hand over, and to manage the risk that it might not be done as well. In high-pressure moments, your brain calculates that doing it yourself is the lower-risk option. Understanding this mechanism is the first step to changing it.

The Project Manager Mindset: A Useful Reframe

Here's a practical reframe that can transform how you approach overwhelming workloads. Put on your project manager hat. Most executives have worked with project managers and, as Marie-Hélène says, "Thank God for project managers!" They're the ones keeping everyone on track.

What would a project manager do if you brought them this "simple half-hour task" you're about to dive into? They'd sit you down and say, "Wait a second. Let's actually map this out. This component will take a full day. This part requires this specific resource for three hours. This depends on input from two other departments who are in back-to-back meetings this week."

Suddenly, your half-hour task has turned into something far more substantial. And yes, you'll probably hate this process at first because you're thinking, "I don't have time to plan—I need to just do it!" But that's exactly the point. Without that planning, you're setting yourself up for exhaustion and suboptimal outcomes.

The Hard Truth About Putting Yourself on the List

I share a story from my own practice in this episode: a senior leader once pushed back on the idea of putting himself at the top of his priority list, calling it "dishonest." This reveals something critical about how executives think about self-care and personal wellbeing.

There's often a fundamental struggle with making decisions that prioritise your own needs. The investment in yourself—whether that's rest, exercise, time with family, or simply stepping away to recharge—feels somehow less legitimate than the urgent demands of work. But here's what Marie-Hélène and I both emphasise: if you're depleted, overtired, and running on empty, your decision-making suffers. Your effectiveness plummets. You're not actually serving anyone well, including your organisation.

Marie-Hélène goes on to introduce a concept from her book that's particularly helpful here: the DNA model of personal and professional life. She uses the visual of a double helix, where the two strands represent your personal side and your work side, with rungs connecting them throughout. The point? Our lives don't have lanes. There isn't a "personal lane" separate from a "work lane." Emotions don't have lanes. Your energy doesn't have lanes.

If what allows you to maintain a fresh brain and do your best work is going for a walk in the middle of the day, then that's what needs to happen. As a leader, this might be the strongest message you can send to your team—that investing in yourself is not only acceptable but essential for sustained high performance.

The "Guilt Over Burnout" Approach

And if you're feeling guilty about prioritising yourself? Marie-Hélène has a refreshingly direct response: "Too bad. Feel guilty if you need to. That's actually easier to treat than burnout. Burnout takes a bit longer to recover from."

This has become something of a mantra for the teams she works with. When someone can't make a meeting because they're taking care of themselves, they simply say, "Guilt over burnout—I'm going skiing." It's a shorthand that acknowledges the discomfort whilst reinforcing the greater truth: protecting yourself from burnout is worth the temporary guilt.

This is especially important for senior leaders who set the culture for their organisations. If you want your team to feel psychologically safe, if you want them to be honest about their capacity and their needs, you have to model it yourself. The strongest message isn't what you say in meetings—it's what you actually do with your own time and boundaries.

Staying Curious: The Gateway to Better Decisions

Marie-Hélène offers one final piece of guidance that ties everything together: stay curious. If all you do is become more curious about the demands you're facing—not trying to fix everything, not implementing a whole new system—just increasing your visibility on what's actually in front of you, that alone will unlock better decisions.

The comparison is striking: you would never approach a significant business challenge and say, "I only want about 10% visibility on this situation. Don't give me any useful information." That would be absurd. Yet when it comes to your own workload, your capacity, and the demands on your time and energy, that's often exactly the level of visibility you're operating with.

Turn up the dial. Get curious about what's really required. Stop making assumptions about how long things will take or how much energy you have available. This increased visibility naturally leads to better planning, better delegation, and better decisions about where to invest your limited resources.

About Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier

Dr. Marie-Hélène (MH) Pelletier is one of the rare workplace mental health experts who holds both a PhD in Psychology and an MBA, both from the University of British Columbia. She brings a unique combination of psychological research and business strategy that she's developed over 20 years in leadership roles—from managing call centers to serving as a chief officer in both private and public sectors.

For nearly a decade, she's focused on keynote speaking, executive coaching, and maintaining a psychology practice working with professionals and leaders. Her approach is distinguished by how she bridges two worlds: what we know from research in psychology and the strategic principles we use in business. The result is a practical, strategic approach to resilience that executives can actually implement.

Get The Resilience Plan Book

The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Health is Dr. Pelletier's award-winning book that puts information and power directly in your hands as a professional or leader.

The book provides a framework combining business strategy, psychology, and workplace psychological health. By the end, you'll have a custom individual resilience plan that gives you the edge you need both at work and at home.

Where to Get It:

• Support your local bookstore: Ask them to order it if they don't have it in stock
• Major online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Indigo, Books-A-Million
• Audiobook: Available on Audible (narrated by Dr. Pelletier herself, accent and all!)

Book Website: https://drmarie-helene.com/the-resilience-plan/

Bonus: When you purchase the book, you can access free resilience planner worksheets and accompanying video to help you start building your plan immediately.

Connect with Dr. Pelletier

• Website: https://drmarie-helene.com
• The Resilience Plan: https://theresilienceplan.com
• LinkedIn: Connect with Dr. Pelletier on LinkedIn to continue the conversation

Free Resources: Dr. Pelletier offers free worksheets from her book that are self-explanatory and can be used independently or alongside the book. These are available for yourself, your team, or even to share with family members.

Key Takeaways for Busy Executives

The Core Problem: When demands increase, we underestimate the depth of those demands whilst overestimating our capacity to handle them. This mismatch leads straight to burnout.

The One-Minute Solution: Haven't got time to plan? Start with just 60 seconds. Set a timer. That brief pause often reveals why five minutes of planning is worth the investment.

The Delegation Challenge: Your instinct to "just do it yourself" served you well earlier in your career, but it's holding you back now. Recognising that your brain is trying to protect you helps, but the real risk is not delegating.

The Project Manager Mindset: Map out what really needs to happen before diving in. What feels like a 30-minute task is often a multi-day project once you properly assess it.

The Guilt Question: Guilt over taking care of yourself is easier to manage than burnout. Feel guilty if you need to, but still do what you need to do.

The Visibility Imperative: You'd never operate with 10% visibility on a major business issue. Stop doing it with your own workload and capacity.

The Cultural Impact: As a leader, your behaviour sets the standard. Modelling self-investment creates psychological safety for your entire team.

I encourage you to listen to this episode more than once. Share it with your leadership team if you think it might be helpful. And perhaps most importantly, take that first one-minute pause to assess what's really on your plate.

The Executive Edge is a podcast I host as a business psychologist dedicated to providing practical skills that help you achieve and maintain success in both life and business.

Episode 219

Released 2025-10-16

Guest: John Gates, Founder of Salary Coach

Episode Summary

I sit down with veteran recruiter John Gates, who shares over 30 years of insider knowledge on salary negotiation. With 75,000+ job offers under his belt, John reveals why 80% of people don't negotiate at all—and how much money they're leaving on the table. This episode is packed with practical techniques you can use immediately to maximize your compensation.

Key Takeaways

Why People Don't Negotiate

• Fear of losing the opportunity trumps everything else
• Most people lowball themselves at the first pay discussion
• The fear multiplies 10x when the actual offer arrives

The Three Options When Asked About Salary

1. Give a number (usually a mistake)
2. Refuse to answer (risky—you might get bounced)
3. Use a range (the smart play)

Secret Techniques Revealed

• Turn the question around: "What's your budget for the position?"
• Master the 8-10 second silence after asking
• Use overlapping ranges to avoid painting yourself into a corner
• Remember: Their "top" number is never really the top

The Current Job Market Reality

• White-collar recession hitting hard in the US
• Unprecedented layoffs combined with AI emergence
• Resume gaps are creating unfair bias against talented candidates
• Employers missing opportunities with loyal, hungry talent

Memorable Quotes from John:

"I set a goal to cover my annual salary every month in negotiation savings with candidates. I hit that goal most of the time."

"If you said 'I want £200,000,' they're going to offer you £200,000. What if they could have offered you £240,000? You just left £40,000 on the table."

"A great negotiation should be a collaboration that improves your relationships on the way in instead of damaging them."

Resources

Book: Act Your Wage and How to Get It by John Gates (available on Amazon)

Connect with John: Linkedin

The Executive Edge: Practical skills you can apply to achieve and maintain success in life and business.

Episode 218 Released 2025-10-02 Episode Overview

In this episode of The Executive Edge, host Sue Firth sits down with confidence coach and entrepreneur Tara Lafon Gooch to discuss building authentic confidence, personal branding, and the transformative power of gratitude. Tara shares her journey from corporate burnout to becoming a TEDx speaker, author, and CEO, offering practical strategies for anyone looking to step into their power and purpose.

Key Topics Discussed

From Corporate Success to Personal Fulfillment

• Tara's 2022 turning point as a corporate sales director
• The difference between external success and internal fulfillment
• Recognizing when it's time for transformation

The Foundation of Confidence

• How childhood experiences shape our confidence levels
• The seed analogy: understanding your inherent purpose and potential
• Why external validation isn't enough for lasting confidence

The GRASP Method

• Gratitude: Rewiring your brain and taking control of your internal environment
• Responsibility: Developing an ownership mentality
• Action: Moving from theory to application
• Sight: The power of visualization and seeing your future self
• Purpose: Aligning with your natural strengths and fulfillment

Building Your Personal Brand

• Overcoming the fear of visibility and judgment
• Why consistency matters more than perfection
• The "one moonshot a day" philosophy

The TEDx Journey

• Landing a TEDx talk before publishing her book
• Choosing ideas with global resonance
• How TEDx became a launching pad for bigger opportunities

Practical Takeaways

• Start and end each day with gratitude to bookend your life in thankful acknowledgment
• Use "ninja mindset moves" to interrupt negative thought patterns
• Take one daring action every single day (365 moonshots = guaranteed results)
• Control your internal environment first when external circumstances feel overwhelming
• Remember: You can't be what you can't see—visualization is essential

Key Quotes

"Without that contrast of darkness, it can be hard to appreciate and have perspective," - Tara

"If I was to give you 10 million today but you're not going to wake up tomorrow, you don't care so much about 10 million. Every single day you wake up, you won the lottery." - Tara

"An ounce of doing is worth more than a pound of theorizing." - Wallace D. Wattles

"You can't be what you can't see." - Marian Wright Edelman

"You don't need anybody else; you just need you. You have all the tools and purpose within you already." - Tara

About Tara Lafong Gooch

Tara is a confidence coach, TEDx speaker, author, and CEO of Best Branding Solutions. She helps authors, speakers, and thought leaders build their personal brands through coaching, podcasting, and speaking engagements. Her upcoming book focuses on confidence in leadership, applying the GRASP method to team development.

Connect with Tara

• Website: TaraLaFonGooch.com
• LinkedIn: Available for connection (self-proclaimed frequent user!)
• Social Media: YouTube, Facebook
• Company: Best Branding Solutions

Resources Mentioned

• TEDx Nottingham talk on confidence and gratitude
• Book: How to deliver and market a TEDx talk
• Upcoming book: Confidence in Leadership (using the GRASP method)
• The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles (1910)

The Executive Edge provides practical skills you can apply to achieve and maintain success in life and business.

Episode 217

Released September 18, 2025

Guest: Jose Berlanga - From Trauma to Triumph: Building Multiple Successful Businesses

Website: https://joseberlanga.com

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sue Firth interviews Jose Berlanga, a Houston-based entrepreneur who has built success across multiple industries despite facing significant early-life challenges. From overcoming severe childhood trauma to creating thriving businesses in real estate, construction, food service, and petrochemicals, Jose shares his unique perspective on entrepreneurship, resilience, and the art of building successful partnerships.

Key Topics Discussed Overcoming Early Challenges

• Childhood trauma and severe burns that shaped Jose's resilient mindset
• Learning difficulties including ADD, dyslexia, and anxiety
• How Jose transformed perceived weaknesses into entrepreneurial strengths
• The power of looking beyond immediate problems toward solutions

The Entrepreneurship Mindset

• Why Jose considers himself a "deal maker" rather than an inventor
• The importance of understanding your role in the business world
• Building reputation through accountability and hard work
• The difference between dreaming about success and taking action

Business Strategy & Partnership

• Why partnerships are crucial in today's fast-paced business environment
• The art of assembling teams with complementary skills
• How Jose attracted partners by establishing credibility early on
• Building "much bigger companies" through strategic collaboration

Key Success Principles

• Diversified Skill Requirements: Modern executives need knowledge across sales, marketing, legal, finance, distribution, and psychology
• Time Management: Treating different business departments like children who need equal attention
• Avoiding Common Pitfalls: The danger of focusing only on areas you're good at while neglecting others
• Purpose Over Profit: Why passion and mission matter more than financial motivation alone

Learning from Failure

• Jose's honest discussion about multiple business failures
• Why success requires perfect alignment of many factors (timing, team, market, concept)
• The critical importance of understanding your "why" in any venture
• How lack of passion and purpose leads to failure

Current Projects & Future Vision

• Transitioning from day-to-day operations to mentorship and writing
• Published Work: "The Business of Home Building" (available now)
• Upcoming Release: "Dirt Rich" (launching soon)
• In Progress: "Quantum Entrepreneurship" (expected later this year)

Notable Quotes from Jose

"I'm a proponent of turning bad things into opportunities."

"You cannot teach people to want things... you cannot convince someone to become ambitious; that has to come from you."

"Success means that a lot of things had to align and all these stars had to work together in harmony."

"Most of my failures in my career were due to my lack of understanding why I was doing what I was doing."

"Life is a mathematical problem, an ongoing equation where it never ends, and it shouldn't end."

Key Takeaways for Listeners

1. Identify Your Business Role: Understand whether you're an inventor, technician, financial expert, or team builder
2. Embrace Strategic Partnerships: Success is rarely a solo journey in today's business environment
3. Balance Multiple Priorities: Give equal attention to all business areas, not just your strengths
4. Lead with Purpose: Passion and mission must drive business decisions, with profit as a natural consequence
5. View Failure as Education: Every setback provides valuable lessons for future success
6. Never Stop Reinventing: Continuous learning and growth are essential throughout your career

Resources Mentioned

• Books by Jose Berlanga:

  • "The Business of Home Building" (Available now)
  • "Dirt Rich" (Coming soon)
  • "Quantum Entrepreneurship" (In development)

• Guest Website: https://joseberlanga.com

Connect with The Executive Edge

For more episodes featuring practical business skills and inspiring success stories, subscribe to The Executive Edge with Sue Firth.

Note: Jose Berlanga will return later this year to discuss his upcoming book "Quantum Entrepreneurship" in greater detail.

Released September 4, 2025 | Episode 216 Episode Summary

In this episode of The Executive Edge, host Sue Firth sits down with leadership and strategic change advisor Dan Roberts to explore the critical human element of organizational transformation. Drawing from extensive experience in change management and organizational development, Dan shares practical strategies for helping companies navigate change successfully while maintaining team engagement and momentum.

Guest Bio

Dan Roberts is a leadership and strategic change advisor with a background in behavioral psychology and business. His career has focused on helping companies achieve genuine growth through effective change management. Dan is the founder of Impactful Performance and author of "Optimize Your Leadership: An Impactful and Healthy Way to Lead in the New Age."

Key Takeaways The Foundation of Successful Change

• Change management is fundamentally about the people side of change, not just technology and processes
• Companies often know what they want to achieve but struggle with how to get there
• Success requires asking the right questions rather than having all the answers

The "Slow Down to Speed Up" Principle

• Organizations need to be intentional and strategic about change implementation
• Creating a structured plan and process optimizes conditions for success
• Avoiding the rush to implement prevents setting up for failure

Essential Elements of Change Management

1. Clear Communication: Explain the "why" behind changes, not just the "what"
2. Resource Assessment: Ensure people, processes, and technology are in place
3. Risk Management: Identify barriers and resistance points early
4. Roadmap Creation: Develop step-by-step plans people can understand
5. Training & Support: Provide adequate preparation and ongoing assistance

Making Change Less Scary

• Connect changes to existing pain points that employees recognize
• Frame changes to show "what's in it for them" (WIIFM)
• Use peer-to-peer champions rather than top-down mandates
• Introduce changes in digestible, bite-sized chunks
• Pilot programs can help problem-solve before full rollout

Leadership in Uncertain Times

• Focus on what you can control vs. the macro environment
• Create a calm, even-keeled leadership presence amid chaos
• Use the "win the day" approach: plan the work, work the plan
• Think in project-based cycles rather than rigid long-term plans
• Maintain focus on immediate, actionable steps while keeping the vision clear

The Power of Language

• How you phrase messages determines how they're received
• Use softer language (e.g., "fluid" instead of "volatile")
• Ensure consistent messaging across all leadership
• Balance transparency with avoiding unnecessary alarm

Memorable Quotes

• "It's not about having the answers. It's are we asking the right questions?"
• "You have to slow down to speed up"
• "Plan the work, work the plan, don't plan the results"
• "Looking too far in the future is anxiety, and looking in the past is depression"

Action Items for Leaders

• Conduct strategic planning sessions focused on your unit's value to the organization
• Develop clear, consistent talking points for all leaders to use
• Identify and empower peer champions within teams
• Break large changes into manageable monthly and quarterly goals
• Focus on "winning the day" rather than obsessing over long-term outcomes

Resources Mentioned

• Website: impactfulperformance.com
• Book: "Optimize Your Leadership: An Impactful and Healthy Way to Lead in the New Age" (available on Amazon)
• LinkedIn: Dan Roberts

Final Thoughts

Change is inevitable in today's business environment, but with the right approach focused on people, clear communication, and manageable implementation, organizations can navigate transformation successfully. The key is remembering that while you can't control the macro environment, you can control how your team responds to and moves through change.

The Executive Edge with Sue Firth provides practical skills for success in life and business. Subscribe on all major podcast platforms for more insights from leading experts.

Episode 215

Released July 24, 2025

Interview with Candice Elsmore - Former Investment Banker turned COO, Strategic Partnerships Expert

Guest Background

Candice Elsmore brings extensive international experience across four continents:

• South African origins: Grew up in Johannesburg
• Education: London Business School, Wharton (US)
• Career progression: Investment banker at Goldman Sachs → COO roles → Strategic partnerships in tech/fintech
• Current location: Middle East (UAE)
• Specialization: Working with startups, blockchain companies, and financial disruption technologies

Key Discussion Topics Investment Banking Insights

Top criteria banks consider for business investment:

• Financial fundamentals - Numbers remain paramount
• Strategic value - How the acquisition enhances existing business
• Geographic/product synergies - Complementary capabilities or market access
• Operational improvement potential - Ability to enhance cash flows
• Future impact assessment - Particularly relevant for emerging technologies like AI

Strategic Partnerships: Two Main Categories

1. Capability Building - Acquiring specific technology or skills to grow market share
2. Distribution Access - Gaining connectivity to end users and new markets

Note: Strategic partnerships are particularly prevalent in fintech, where businesses need multiple channels but acquiring many companies isn't feasible.

Preparing Your Business for Sale

Critical considerations for business owners:

• Customer diversification - Avoid concentration risk with only 1-2 major clients
• Scalable processes - Build systems that don't depend solely on the founder
• Talent and structure - Ensure the business can operate without daily founder involvement
• Multiple stakeholder perspective - Consider how buyers will evaluate customers, products, and talent

Key insight: Buyers examine businesses from multiple angles - owners should proactively address potential blind spots.

Future Trends & AI Adoption

Practical AI recommendations:

• Start using AI tools daily - ChatGPT, Claude (Anthropic), Perplexity
• Begin with simple tasks - Letter writing, routine work (without sensitive information)
• Build confidence gradually - Let AI learn your style and preferences
• Strategic applications - Use for skill assessment, strategic thinking support
• Expect 60-70% accuracy - Sufficient for overcoming writer's block and idea generation

Why change is difficult:

• Human "caveman brain" associates change with danger
• Evolution hasn't caught up with modern business needs
• Small daily interactions (5-10 minutes) help build comfort

Managing Executive Pressure

Essential strategies for high-stakes decision making:

• Diversify your identity - Don't tie self-worth solely to career success
• Develop multiple outlets - Family, sports, faith, hobbies
• Build habits over time - Can't create reserves during crisis moments
• Non-negotiable personal time - 20-30 minutes daily for balance and control
• Accept the reality - Senior roles come with unique stress and responsibility

Example: Many Goldman Sachs executives were marathon runners - long runs provide head-clearing, fresh air, exercise, and endorphins.

Navigating Workplace Diversity Challenges

Practical approaches:

• Ask questions - Stay curious rather than defensive when facing bias
• Professional boundaries - Know when to stand your ground appropriately
• Develop diplomacy skills - Critical for senior diverse leaders
• Stay calm and assertive - Avoid fight-or-flight responses
• Ground yourself - Leverage other life aspects during difficult situations

Regional Expansion: Middle East Focus

Candice's new initiative:

• Developing a private women's network in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)
• Initial focus: UAE and Saudi Arabia
• Addressing gap in professional women's networking in the region
• Drawing from successful UK experience with women's network "CHIEF"

Special Offer

Candice is offering free 15-minute consultations to three fintech professionals from the podcast audience.

Topics covered:

• Capital raising timing and strategy
• Business scaling and go-to-market approaches
• Geographic expansion decisions
• Fundraising and dilution considerations
• Strategic partnership alignment

Key Takeaways

1. Numbers drive investment decisions, but strategic value and future potential are equally important
2. Strategic partnerships are essential in tech/fintech for capability building and market access
3. Business preparation for sale requires addressing customer concentration, operational dependencies, and structural weaknesses
4. AI adoption should start small and build daily habits rather than wholesale transformation
5. Executive resilience requires diverse identity, consistent personal practices, and strong support systems
6. Workplace navigation for diverse leaders demands curiosity, diplomacy, and professional boundaries
7. Change is the only constant - adaptability across markets and cultures is essential for success

About The Executive Edge

The Executive Edge provides practical skills for achieving and maintaining success in life and business. Available on all major podcast platforms.

www.suefirthltd.com/podcasts

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