The Leader's Edge

Who are you when the body, career, and identity you built are taken away in a single moment? For Amberly Lago, a fitness model and Nike-sponsored trainer, a motorcycle crash in 2010 forced that question. She spent the next six years finding the answer, and at one point it pulled her into addiction.

In this episode, HR Huntsman talks with Amberly, author of True Grit and Grace and Joy Through the Journey, about rebuilding her identity from the ground up. She woke from a coma to learn she had a 1% chance of keeping her leg. She went through 34 surgeries, $2.9 million in medical bills, and a chronic nerve disease. She describes the glass of wine that turned into full-blown alcoholism, and the night she got on her knees and asked for help. She has been sober since 2016.

Amberly also explains why grit alone isn’t enough, how joy and pain can exist at the same time, and why she chose not to be angry, even when her editor insisted she must have been. She closes with what she has learned about refusing to play the victim, including the moment she and her daughter walked out of the hospital “like rock stars” after being hit by a car together. As Amberly puts it: “Pain pushed me until purpose pulled me.”

Check out Amberly's work HERE.

Check out Amberly's book, True Grit and Grace and Joy Through the Journey, HERE.

Connect with Amberly on LinkedIn HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

That "free" weekend of coding help from your college roommate could end up costing you part of your company. Phil Crowley left Harvard's physics PhD program to become a lawyer for startups, and he's seen how simple, avoidable mistakes sink founders before they get started.

In this episode, HR Huntsman talks with Phil, founder of Crowley Law and author of Avoid Startup Failure. Phil shares how one founder nearly lost a $50,000 investment by relying on an operating agreement copied from the internet. He also explains why a nondisclosure agreement isn't enough to protect your ideas, and the one question every founder should answer before raising money.

Phil also talks about his own move from founder to delegator. He describes letting go of work only he used to do, how the Johnson & Johnson Credo shaped his firm's core values, and why he praises team members who own their mistakes. He closes with how his father's interrupted education inspired a scholarship fund for New Jersey families, and his five principles for a successful career and a successful life.

About Phil Crowley

Phil Crowley is the founder and managing partner of Crowley Law, a firm of experienced corporate attorneys who help life sciences and technology entrepreneurs avoid being taken advantage of as they take great ideas from the lab bench to the patient's bedside, or from the garage to the marketplace. He began his career as a research physicist working in quantum mechanics and superconductivity before turning to law. He worked as a Wall Street lawyer and then as Assistant General Counsel at Johnson & Johnson before founding his firm in 2015.

Phil serves on the Board of Trustees of Stevens Institute of Technology and the Board of Directors of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania. He has also held leadership roles with the Association of Corporate Counsel and the New Jersey State Bar Association. In 2018, he helped found Hope Through Education, a charity that provides scholarships to families in Central New Jersey seeking academically rigorous, values-based schools.

Check out Phil's work at Crowley Law HERE.

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

What would you change if a doctor told you that you had two weeks to live? At 35, Patrick Sweeney heard exactly that, with his wife six months pregnant and a one-year-old daughter at home. What hit him hardest wasn't fear. It was regret over a life spent avoiding everything that scared him.

In this episode, HR Huntsman talks with Patrick, a former Olympic-level rower and author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Fear Is Fuel, about the leukemia diagnosis that changed his life. Patrick was so afraid of flying that he once needed 10 beers to get on a plane. After surviving, he went straight to flying lessons, and he now flies aerobatics. He explains what neuroscientists taught him about how fear works in the brain, and why some top performers, like David Ortiz, turn fear into excitement while others tense up and fall apart.

Then the conversation turns to business. Drawing on his new book, The Founder's Creed, Patrick explains the "belief gap" every founder has to close and why he added "Believe" to fighter pilot John Boyd's OODA loop. He also shares how leaders can replace chaos with cadence using a simple weekly stand-up.

Learn more about Patrick's work and new book, The Founder's Creed, HERE.

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

What if being the best at your job is the reason your business can't grow without you? Michael Filosi bought a rundown dental practice with a possum living in its walls. By cutting his own share of the work from 40% of production to under 1%, he turned it into Adelaide's biggest dental practice, with four private equity firms lining up to buy it.

In this episode, HR Huntsman talks with Michael (post-exit founder, dentist, and former principal dentist at Fullarton Park Dental) about how he stepped back from treating patients without losing them. He told patients the truth, handed them to colleagues gradually, and set up daily checklists so the team held itself accountable instead of waiting for him to check on them. He also explains his "flags and flagpoles" test for spotting teammates who stay steady when things get hard.

Michael talks openly about a fear of failure so strong it once made him afraid to hang a picture frame. He explains why he came to see failure as the fastest way to learn, what he had to unlearn from his mechanic father, and what life after selling a business is really like.

Learn more about Michael's work HERE.

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

You've read the books, highlighted the best lines, and pictured yourself doing all of it. So why hasn't anything changed? Nick Hutchison, founder of BookThinkers and author of The Rise of the Reader, says reading feels like progress, and that feeling is exactly what stops most people from taking action.

In this episode, HR Huntsman and Nick dig into the gap between knowing and doing, summed up in Nick's favorite line: "No one can do your push-ups for you." Nick shares how he went from a college senior who didn't read to someone reading a book a week and trying every idea on his next sales call. That habit grew into BookThinkers, now a team of nearly 20 helping authors market their books.

Nick is also open about where he's still growing. An anonymous team survey showed he wasn't living one of his own core values. He went from a kid sitting in his car for hours, too anxious to knock on doors, to someone on stage. He worries his new book club has reach but not resonance. And he's still working out how to chase big goals while being present for his young son.

Learn more about Nick's work at BookThinkers HERE.

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn HERE.

Check out Nick's book, The Rise of the Reader, HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

In this reverse podcast interview, Allison Hare, Pod Strategist, speaks with leadership expert, entrepreneur, and former Air Force member HR Huntsman, who shares his remarkable journey from a turbulent childhood marked by loss and instability to becoming a passionate advocate for meaningful leadership.

He discusses how mentorship, military service, and entrepreneurship shaped his philosophy, emphasizing meritocracy, accountability, and human motivation through mastery, autonomy, and purpose. He highlights the importance of overcoming fear, embracing voluntary challenges, fostering creative conflict within teams, and continuously pursuing personal growth, encouraging listeners to recognize their untapped potential.

Learn more about Allison's work HERE.

Connect with Allison on LinkedIn HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

In this episode of The Leader's Edge, your host HR Huntsman interviews Jill Schulman, a former Marine Corps officer candidate, author, and speaker, about her journey through fear and bravery.

Jill shares how a pivotal moment with her commanding officer prevented her from quitting ROTC during a personal crisis involving her father. She discusses her concept of a "bravery recession," explaining how avoiding discomfort fuels anxiety and depression. The conversation explores how fear impacts leadership, the science behind building courage, and why taking action, rather than waiting to feel ready, is essential to success.

Learn more about Jill's work HERE.

Check out Jill's book, The Bravery Effect, HERE.

Connect with Jill on LinkedIn HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

In this episode, HR Huntsman sits down with Brock Huard, a former NFL quarterback turned high school football coach.

Brock shares the pivotal moment when his son Titus said, "I just wish you were here," prompting him to leave a successful broadcasting career at Fox Sports, without a coaching job lined up, to coach Titus's high school team. The conversation explores identity beyond job titles, authentic leadership, and the parallels between football and business. Brock outlines four key leadership qualities: Care, Consistency, Competence, and Curiosity, while emphasizing the importance of genuinely knowing the people you lead.

Learn more about Brock's work HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

In this episode of the Leader's Edge, your host HR Huntsman talks to Allison Hare.

Allison shares her journey from a successful corporate sales career at companies like Salesforce and DocuSign to becoming an entrepreneur focused on podcast strategy and personal branding.

Driven by panic attacks and a longing to use her voice authentically, she left corporate life to launch "Culture Changers," a podcast tackling divisive topics like politics, religion, and relationships. Allison discusses the courage required to bet on yourself, the importance of surrounding yourself with supportive people, and redefining success beyond titles and income, with "peace in my heart" becoming her new measure of fulfillment.

Learn more about Allison's work HERE.

Connect with Allison on LinkedIn HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

In this episode of The Leader's Edge, your host HR Huntsman interviews Ken Rusk, an entrepreneur who started digging ditches at 15 and built a nine-figure business empire.

Ken discusses his book Blue Collar Cash, advocating for the dignity of trades as a viable alternative to college. He shares leadership insights on scaling businesses by empowering employees as entrepreneurs, connecting personal goals to company success, and building meaningful workplace cultures. Ken also previews his upcoming book Rock Stars and Rainmakers on company culture, and discusses his bourbon brand supporting veterans' mental health. His core philosophy centers on achieving comfort, peace, and freedom through purposeful living.

Learn more about Ken's work HERE.

Check out Ken's book, Blue Collar Cash, HERE.

Connect with Ken on LinkedIn HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.