The LeadStyle Way

For more than two decades, Amara Walker built her career in journalism, becoming an award-winning CNN anchor and covering some of the biggest stories in the world. Today, she's Amara Walker, Vice President of Public Relations for Porsche Cars North America. It's a new industry, and it still asks a lot of her.

On this episode of The LeadStyle Way, we talk about what allows a leader to sustain herself at a high level across the different seasons of a career. For Amara, part of the answer is her willingness to be uncomfortable: hearing "no" and treating it as a possibility, and still pushing herself, right now, through an MBA. But the same drive that propels her can also take a lot out of her.

We talk about the career tradeoffs she's made, her open and honest journey to motherhood, what she protects more fiercely today, and why human connection is her recovery. We also talk about the grace she's still learning to give herself.

Tune in for an honest look at what ambition costs and what it takes to keep going anyway. Amara doesn't pretend there's a superhero version of leadership. She talks about the limits she's still learning, and the grace she's still learning to give herself.

Heather Burns has built a life around ambition—but she’s learned that sustaining it doesn’t mean doing everything. A former U.S. Army Black Hawk pilot, Heather is now a Senior Vice President at Jefferies, as well as a mother of two, endurance athlete, and full Ironman finisher.

In this episode, Heather shares how burnout after an Ironman helped shape her philosophy of “Less, Better.” We talk about career, motherhood, endurance sports, and the frameworks she uses to design a life that doesn’t ask her to compromise her ambition, but instead helps her sustain it.

For 28 years, Tino Chapo has worked as Senior Lead Gang Specialist at Houston's Gang Prevention & Intervention Office—going directly into schools and communities across the nation's fourth-largest city to pull kids out of gang recruitment before it's too late, and to help the ones already caught up find a way back out.

In this episode, Tino opens up about the true cost of that devotion: burying 14 kids he served, sitting with mothers who had no photos of their sons left, and learning—the hard way—how to build boundaries without losing his commitment to the mission. He shares how faith became the thing that sustained him through nearly three decades of trauma, and what finally told him it was time to step into his next chapter: pursuing his lifelong passion of being a barber.

This is a conversation about passion fatigue, sustainable leadership, and what it really takes to stay in a calling for the long haul.

In this episode of The LeadStyle Way, I sit down with Tarryn Leigh Green, founder of NYUM Meals, the UAE's first chef-created, nutritionally balanced frozen meal company for children.

What began as a personal frustration evolved into NYUM Meals, a company that has spent the last several years pioneering an entirely new category in the UAE while shaping conversations around children's nutrition, food standards, and healthier eating habits for families.

This conversation was recorded during a period of regional instability stemming from the conflict involving Iran, offering a timely backdrop to a broader discussion about leadership, entrepreneurship, and the realities of building something meaningful when circumstances are constantly shifting.

Together, we explore what it takes to pioneer a market where none previously existed, the challenges of building a business in one of the world's most transient populations, and how purpose, perseverance, and values help sustain leaders over the long term.

Because sometimes leadership isn't about predicting what's next. It's about staying anchored to what matters most.

Mary Murrin is the President and CEO of Rivers of Steel, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and reimagining the industrial heritage of the Pittsburgh region while supporting community revitalization and economic growth.  

In this episode of The LeadStyle Way, Mary reflects on returning home to Pittsburgh after years away and what it means to lead through seasons of uncertainty with greater clarity and purpose. She shares lessons on sustainable leadership, the unexpected impact of being truly heard as a new CEO, navigating major life and career transitions without a perfectly mapped plan, and why some of the most meaningful leadership decisions are shaped not by certainty, but by intention.

In this episode, I sit down with Bhushan Sethi, Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the largest professional services firms in the world, to explore what it really takes to sustain performance in consulting—an industry defined by intensity, constant change, and high expectations.

We talk about the pressure to stay relevant in the age of AI, the mindset required to endure at the top, and the personal drivers that shape how leaders operate over time.

02:30 – Career Path to PwC
From Deloitte to PwC and specializing in financial services

05:00 – Life as a Partner
What the role actually involves—clients, teams, and accountability

06:50 – Consulting in the Age of AI
Industry pressure, transformation, and changing expectations

10:40 – The Pressure to Stay Relevant
What keeps him up at night

14:50 – Evolving as a Leader
Feedback, intensity, and leading different generations

20:20 – The Personal Side of Leadership
Daily routines, energy, family, and tradeoffs

29:40 – Success, Identity, and What Drives Him
Imposter syndrome, upbringing, and defining success

I had the privilege of speaking with Zameer Kassam, CEO and Chief Strategist of Zameer Kassam Fine Jewelry.

A Harvard Business School graduate and former McKinsey & Company consultant, Zameer left traditional luxury after leadership roles at De Beers and LVMH to build a jewelry brand rooted in story, trust, and meaning.

His designs have been worn by Michelle Yeoh, Meryl Streep and Lupita Nyong'o, but what stood out most was his belief in integration, creating a life where work, creativity, relationships, and purpose move together.

How do our life experiences — both personal and professional — quietly shape how we show up as leaders?

In this episode of The LeadStyle Way, Shveta Pillai sits down with Shelby Bybee, executive coach and former senior leader in the global energy industry, for an honest conversation about leadership presence, self-awareness, and sustainability.

Shelby reflects on how her upbringing, role models, and career in traditionally male-dominated, high-pressure environments shaped her leadership style — alongside profound personal transitions including divorce and single motherhood. She shares how what she was carrying personally showed up in her energy at work, and how a conscious shift in presence changed the way she led.

Today, Shelby brings these lived experiences into her work as an executive coach, partnering with leaders to break limiting patterns and step into more intentional, impactful leadership.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t separate from life — and that how we care for ourselves personally determines how sustainably we lead.

After years of navigating the high-speed demands of New York City, Alex Plante took a leap of faith to redefine success on her own terms.

As founder of Kin Loch Farmstead, she shifted her physical pace, reconnected with creativity and joy, and built a business rooted in intention rather than urgency. But as her company thrives, Alex now faces a familiar tension—how to grow without returning to the pace she consciously left behind.

This episode explores the physical, personal, and professional realities of sustaining success without burnout—and what it takes to protect the rhythm that makes meaningful work possible.

Why do some leaders thrive at the top—while others burn out, stall, or disappear?

For years, leadership conversations have focused on the climb: titles, promotions, milestones, and wins. But far less attention is paid to what happens after leaders arrive.

The LeadStyle Way is a podcast about how leaders live once they’re at the top.

Hosted by executive coach and leadership advisor Shveta Pillai, this podcast explores the professional choices, personal boundaries, and physical habits that allow high-performing leaders to sustain success over time.

This is not a podcast about hustle or perfect balance. It’s about alignment, longevity, and the often invisible decisions that separate leaders who endure from those who burn out.

If you’re a senior leader—or aspire to be one—and want to understand what it truly takes to lead well and live well, this podcast is for you.