the Learn-It-All™ podcast

You may be hitting goal after goal, but where is your ambition actually taking you?

For James "J.R." Reid, it took two years to notice his success on paper wasn't translating at home. While working with Hall of Famers, All-Star athletes, and Fortune 500 executives, he found the same problem: most underperformance can be traced back to one thing.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why the real problem isn’t your ambition (and what really is)
• Why you need someone you can be 100% honest with
• How to handle betrayal without becoming cynical
• The runner-up mindset holding you back
• The four questions behind his Diamond of Identity
• The habit that helps you reset before you get home

Topics discussed:

(00:00 Introduction

(00:58) Ambition Isn’t the Problem

(06:07) The New Leader Trap

(09:34) Hold Yourself Accountable

(15:37) Find Your 100% Person

(17:10) When Trust Gets Broken

(21:06)The Cost of Going Cynical

(24:36) Executive Athletic vs. Runner-Up Mindset

(27:43) One Change to His Pregame

(30:55) Identity in the Age of AI

(33:04) The Diamond of Identity

(35:47) Inside The Clutch Club

(43:10) Transition From Work to Home

(48:50) What "Made It" Looks Like

Connect with James Reid:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesjrreid/

https://jamesreid.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@jamesjrreid

https://www.facebook.com/jamesJRreid

https://www.instagram.com/jamesjrreid

https://x.com/jamesJRreid

About the Guest:

J.R.” is the Founder of the J. Reid Group and an International Performance, Mental Game, & Life Strategist, Podcast Host, and Author. His work is designed to help relentless pro athletes, public figures, and leaders master life, business, mental, and emotional strategies so they can make winning a lifestyle.

Since 2005, he’s empowered clients to excel in their pressure-packed careers while confidently upgrading their health and relationships. Some of his clients include World Series Champions, All-Stars, Hall of Famers, Fortune 500 Executives, and Award-Winning Entrepreneurs whose professional contracts have exceeded the hundreds of millions. By earning an M.B.A, J.D., M.S. in Human Performance, and a 9.8 average client satisfaction rating, J.R. has put himself in an elite category of trusted advisors.

After a life-altering car accident gave him a major wake-up call, J.R. devoted himself to mastering human performance and showing up bigger for his wife and three kids. As a result, J.R. has been featured by Focus on the Family and New York Times Best-Selling Author and Leadership Expert, Michael Hyatt, in Your Best Year Ever. He also co-authored the book W.O.W. Factor: How Defining Words Can Define Your Life and regularly speaks to athletes, entrepreneurs, and executives on overcoming failure, winning in your career and at home, and maximizing human performance.

Let us know your key takeaways from the episode!

And remember, great leaders aren't born. They're always in the making.

New episodes of The Learn-It-All Podcast with Damon Lembi every week.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLearnItAllPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Get your FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

Upskill yourself and your team with Learnit: https://www.learnit.com

Follow Damon Lembi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlembi

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

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

What if earning more money didn’t create freedom, but quietly made you a hostage to the life you built? Real estate expert, Keynote speaker, and business strategist Alexa DePaolo escaped poverty, became a national top producer, and created the financial security she once dreamed about. Yet even after the desperation was gone, she continued answering calls at 11 p.m., stepping away from her daughters’ activities, and sacrificing family time to protect a success she feared could disappear at any moment.

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Alexa joins Damon to explain why high earners feel trapped by success, how a scarcity mindset can survive long after financial hardship ends, and why peace sometimes feels like laziness to high performers. She shares the boundaries that helped her stop operating from desperation, the 30-day hiring rule that prevents resentment, and why she now gives paying business away when a client’s values do not align with hers.

If you are financially successful but still feel overworked, guilty when resting, or unable to disconnect from your business, this conversation will help you redefine success around freedom, family, meaningful relationships, and work you actually enjoy.

📘 Get a FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

In this episode, you’ll learn...

1. Why Alexa felt happier when she was poor and how the fear of losing everything kept her trapped in a desperation mindset even after she became successful
2. How scheduling family time like a client closing prevents empty calendar space from automatically becoming more work
3. Why overgiving is not always generous and how giving to everyone else can quietly take time, energy, and presence away from your family
4. How avoiding an uncomfortable employee conversation caused Alexa to build resentment and become the kind of leader she never wanted to be
5. Why Alexa evaluates new hires at 30, 60, and 90 days and believes poor performance during the “honeymoon phase” rarely improves later
6. How high performers can stop chasing every deal, choose relationships that align with their values, and accept that calm can sometimes be the goal

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction
• 01:02 – Why Alexa was happier when she was poor
• 03:11 – Did ignoring an 11 p.m. call ever cost her a deal?
• 03:51 – The boundary that protects both business and family
• 04:43 – Growing up without water, electricity, or security
• 06:19 – The moment her daughter made change non-negotiable
• 07:20 – “I’ve survived worse than this”
• 09:52 – Learning to belong in rooms filled with wealth
• 11:35 – Giving value without giving yourself away
• 13:39 – When generosity becomes another person’s mess
• 15:39 – The people who showed Alexa what safety feels like
• 17:30 – Building a team where questions feel safe
• 19:08 – How kindness turned into resentment
• 21:37 – The 30-day rule that prevents bad hires
• 24:05 – Alexa’s no-bullshit approach to high performance
• 25:25 – Leaving a predatory leader and facing a lawsuit
• 28:47 – What broken trust taught her about leadership
• 31:13 – Why great leaders expect good people to leave
• 34:03 – The simple systems Alexa teaches from the stage
• 36:40 – The hustle-to-hostage trap high performers recognize
• 37:15 – Why peace can feel suspiciously like laziness
• 40:03 – Raising capable kids without recreating hardship
• 45:27 – Schedule family time before it is too late
• 46:42 – Where to connect with Alexa

About Alexa DePaolo

Alexa DePaolo is a real estate expert, business strategist, and national keynote speaker known for her authentic, no-fluff approach to growth. After rising from poverty and navigating single motherhood, she built a thriving career helping others turn grit into momentum. With almost 20 years in the mortgage industry, Alexa empowers real estate professionals, entrepreneurs, and sales teams to master their mindset, build sustainable systems, and create businesses they actually love. She is the founder of The Ripple Effect, both a live event and YouTube show where she sits down with professionals to hear their stories, business lessons, and real-world strategies for growth.

Resources and Mentions

Alexa DePaolo’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexadepaolo/

Alexa DePaolo’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealexadepaolo/

Alexa DePaolo’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexaCOHomeLender/

Alexa DePaolo’s Website: https://www.alexadepaolo.com/

The Ripple Effect: https://www.alexadepaolo.com/the-ripple-effect

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe to the Learn-It-All Podcast: Youtube I Apple I Spotify

Follow Damon Lembi: Linkedin I Instagram I Facebook I X

Most people think there are two ways to succeed: be talented, or get lucky — but there are two more no one talks about.

Kyle Austin Young is a strategy consultant and author of Success Is a Numbers Game, which outlines his probability hacking framework for achieving your goals. He's spent a decade using it with leaders and their organizations: mapping out what has to go right, removing risks, and stacking the odds in their favor.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How to calculate the real odds on any goal you’re chasing
• The averaging trap that leaves you blind to failure
• How to find the real threats to your goal
• Why "think positive" can lower your odds of success
• Two paths to success most people never consider
• What to salvage when a goal falls apart

Topics discussed:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:47) #1 Predictor of Success

(01:56) The Success Diagram

(05:52) Get Good Advice

(07:53) Hired as a Director at 21

(12:01) Success Diagram for Hiring

(14:16) Four Paths to Success

(18:00) Probability Hacking

(20:10) Why Businesses Fail

(23:15) Think Negative

(27:22) Repurposing Failure

(30:40) The $6,000 Mistake

(38:28) Context Changes Your Odds

(40:02) Prioritizing Your Goals

(44:22) The Edison Story

(49:35) Success Diagrams for Sales

Connect with Kyle Austin Young:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleaustinyoung/

https://kyleaustinyoung.com/

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760298/success-is-a-numbers-game-by-kyle-austin-young/

Resources Mentioned:

The JOLT Effect: How High Performers Overcome Customer Indecision by Matthew Dixon and Ted McKenna

About the Guest:

Kyle is an award-winning strategy consultant for leaders and teams in a wide range of fields. At the core of his methodology is a powerful system for accomplishing big, meaningful goals that focuses on understanding and changing your odds of success. The nicest compliment Kyle has ever received happened unexpectedly when the phone rang during dinner. The biotech CEO on the other end was brief. “I just felt like I should tell you that you’re the first consultant we’ve ever worked with who did exactly what he said he was gonna do.” That was nearly a decade ago, and it has set the tone for everything since.

Let us know your key takeaways from the episode!

And remember, great leaders aren't born. They're always in the making.

New episodes of The Learn-It-All Podcast with Damon Lembi every week.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLearnItAllPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Get your FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

Upskill yourself and your team with Learnit: https://www.learnit.com

Follow Damon Lembi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlembi

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

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

When your company’s values are just words on the wall, trust crumbles—and so does your team.

In this revealing episode of The Learn-It-All™ podcast, Joe Machicote, veteran leadership coach and bestselling author, joins to unpack the hidden (and costly) gap between what leaders say and what they actually do. Joe pulls back the curtain on why culture begins at the top, how one word can transform blame into trust, and why needing to be “right” can destroy more than any honest mistake ever could. Through candid stories, ranging from boardrooms to personal tragedy, Joe offers a masterclass in owning your actions, rebuilding credibility, and creating environments where people want to show up, not check out.

You’ll walk away with tools to close the say/do gap, handle tough feedback, lead teams through conflict, and, most importantly, lead yourself with more humility and intention.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why as much as 50% of turnover stems from leaders whose actions don’t match their words, and how to fix it
• The science behind trust: what happens when there’s a gap between stated values and daily behaviors
• How to hold even CEOs accountable (hint: it takes “straight talk” and real relationships)
• The magic of shifting from “you have a problem” to “we have a problem”
• Why owning your mistakes publicly actually builds more credibility than always being right
• Joe’s most vulnerable story of shifting from “why me?” to “why not me?” and how it made him a better leader and person

‍In This Episode:

00:00 – The say/do gap: when visions & values don’t match employee experience

01:30 – Why up to 50% of people leave over leadership hypocrisy

02:49 – People “make stuff up” when behavior doesn’t match the wall

03:51 – How trust (or lack thereof) drives disengagement

04:40 – Can a CEO really shape a 150,000-person culture? (yes, here’s how)

06:47 – What happens when a leader “whispers”—the whole organization hears a roar

07:08 – How to deliver feedback up the chain and the power of straight talk

09:33 – “My bad”: Why quickly owning mistakes changes everything

11:38 – Joe’s early-career failure: choosing service over the need to be right

16:02 – The real price leaders pay for always needing to be right

17:59 – How to lead teams through collective mistakes and turn “you problems” into “we problems”

22:30 – Joe’s two life rules learned from his mother (and a dance studio metaphor you’ll remember)

37:14 – Pivotal life moments & leading through personal crisis

48:51 – Moving from “buried” to “planted”—the ultimate leadership mindset

54:20 – The impact you never see: how a single keynote changed a security guard’s life

56:10 – Why Joe’s company logo is a black steel butterfly

About Joe Machicote:

Joe Machicote is the Founder and CEO of Transformational Leadership Solutions Group and the #1 bestselling author of Own Thy Stuff. With more than 35 years of experience, Joe has helped CEOs and executives at organizations as large as 150,000 people build cultures where values aren’t just words, but daily realities. He’s passionate about closing the gap between what leaders say and do, reshaping trust, and leaving both people and organizations better than he found them.

Resources Mentioned:

• Joe Machicote on LinkedIn
• Transformational Leadership Solutions Group
• Own Thy Stuff (Book by Joe Machicote)
• George Carlin on “Stuff” (YouTube video as mentioned)
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Background on trust & self-esteem)
• Southwest Airlines & Herb Kelleher (More on culture leadership)

Let us know your key takeaways from the episode! And remember, great leaders aren't born. They're always in the making.

New episodes of the Learn-It-All™ podcast with Damon Lembi every week.

Subscribe on YouTube

📘 Get a FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader Book

Upskill yourself and your team with Learnit

Follow Damon Lembi:

• ‍LinkedIn‍
• Instagram

8 in 10 AI rollouts go the same way: high hopes and minimal results.

Dr. Soren Kaplan, organizational psychologist and author of 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, has advised more than 30 Fortune 1000 companies and seen why AI adoption fails — it starts with people, not the technology.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Where most companies go wrong with AI adoption
• What experiential intelligence is and why it matters
• How to rebuild the strategic skills AI is quietly eroding
• Why even good AI experiments don't scale
• How to turn experimentation into real results
• The three abilities that separate leaders in an AI world

Topics discussed:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:49) Impact on Future Leaders

(02:43) Experiential Intelligence

(04:19) Innovation Outside AI

(06:05) Why You're Losing Skills

(08:33) Build Skills Through Real Work

(11:20) The Ford Keynote

(18:05) Why Companies Don’t Get Results

(19:47) AI Adoption & Innovation

(21:46) Fractured Adoption

(24:27) What Leaders Can Do

(28:52) The Three Abilities

(31:20) What to Hand Off & What to Keep

(33:07) Develop Experiential Intelligence

(38:21) Using It to Your Advantage

(42:38) Vulnerability, Risk & Failure

(47:15) Your Challenge

Connect with Dr. Soren Kaplan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sorenkaplan/

https://www.instagram.com/soren.kaplan/

https://www.youtube.com/@drsorenkaplan

About the Guest:

Dr. Soren Kaplan helps leaders make sense of disruption. And act on it.

A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, organizational psychologist, and innovation expert, he translates fast-moving shifts in business, technology, and society into clear strategic insight and practical action. He doesn’t just explain what’s changing. He shows leaders exactly what to do next.

Soren brings three decades of work with organizations across industries — including Disney, JPMorganChase, PepsiCo, Colgate, Visa, Medtronic, Nucor, and Ascension — and leads executive education programs at USC’s Center for Effective Organizations. He has written multiple award-winning books, contributes to Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, and Psychology Today, and has built numerous AI-powered businesses including SmartCoach365.com.

Thinkers50 and Business Insider recognize him as one of the world’s top management thought leaders and consultants. He speaks on leadership, innovation, AI, organizational culture, and strategic change, always through the lens of what’s happening right now and what it means for the people and organizations navigating it.

Let us know your key takeaways from the episode!

And remember, great leaders aren't born. They're always in the making.

New episodes of The Learn-It-All Podcast with Damon Lembi every week.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLearnItAllPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Get your FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

Upskill yourself and your team with Learnit: https://www.learnit.com

Follow Damon Lembi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlembi

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

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

By the time your child turns 12, 75% of the time you’ll ever spend with them is already gone. So what are you doing with the time that’s left?

High-performing dads can be crushing it at work, providing for their families, and still feel that nagging sense that something is off at home. In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Jeff Wickersham, bestselling author, speaker, and founder of The Warrior Dad, to unpack what intentional fatherhood actually looks like when work, ambition, stress, and everyday life are competing for your attention. Jeff explains why the small “micro moments” matter more than most dads realize, why repeatedly saying no can eventually cause your kids to stop asking, and why one of the most powerful parenting habits is simply learning to answer the bid for attention.

Jeff also shares the personal losses and struggles that reshaped his approach to fatherhood, including the final conversation with his mother that made him think differently about legacy. He walks Damon through his 15-minute “Morning Fire” routine for becoming a better husband, father, and leader, why consistency builds trust inside a family, and how making daily deposits into your family’s “love bank account” can strengthen connection even when you travel constantly. They also explore how to raise resilient kids without snowplowing every obstacle out of their way, why your children absorb your energy and behavior more than your advice, and how one intentional father can change the family tree for generations to come.

📘 Get a FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

In this episode, you’ll learn...

1. How to answer your kids’ bids for attention so they keep asking you to spend time with them, even when they become teenagers
2. Why crushing it professionally can still leave high-performing dads feeling disconnected at home, and why Jeff believes true fulfillment comes from leaning into your family
3. Jeff’s seven-part Morning Fire Protocol, a roughly 15-minute routine built around hydration, movement, meditation, declarations, love notes, gratitude, and learning
4. Why consistency is more important than intensity, and how repeatedly starting and stopping habits can slowly erode trust with your spouse, kids, and even yourself
5. How to make daily deposits into your family’s “love bank account” through simple notes, messages, hugs, and moments of connection that may seem small but matter deeply
6. Why parents should resist the urge to “snowplow” every challenge out of their kids’ lives and instead help them develop resilience, grit, ownership, and the ability to bounce back
7. How your mood, language, habits, and relationship with your spouse shape your children because, as Jeff puts it, “more is caught than taught”
8. How to become the dad who “cuts the anchor,” changes the narrative, and changes the family tree instead of unconsciously passing old patterns into the next generation

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction
• 01:01 – Why winning at work can still feel empty at home
• 03:22 – The promise Jeff made to his mother before she died
• 05:34 – What happens when you stop running from pain
• 09:29 – The tragedy that gave The Warrior Dad its mission
• 13:13 – The inner voice high performers keep trying to numb
• 15:44 – What quitting alcohol taught Jeff about leading his sons
• 18:04 – Seven wins in 15 minutes: Jeff’s Morning Fire Protocol
• 23:59 – Why consistency beats waiting until you feel motivated
• 27:52 – The parenting rule Jeff wishes every dad would follow
• 31:36 – Why teenagers actually can still want to hang out with you
• 33:37 – Stop snowplowing the road in front of your kids
• 35:31 – How making excuses can quietly create a victim mindset
• 39:24 – How traveling dads can stay connected from thousands of miles away
• 40:45 – Your kids are absorbing your energy whether you realize it or not
• 44:10 – What Rocky II can teach fathers about refusing to stay down
• 47:27 – The surprising downstream effect of intentional fatherhood
• 49:04 – How one dad can change a family tree forever

About Jeff Wickersham

Jeff Wickersham is the founder of The Warrior Dad, where he helps high-performing fathers who are succeeding professionally become more intentional, present, and connected as husbands and dads. After the loss of his mother and his own struggles with alcohol, gambling, and feeling like he wasn’t living up to his potential, Jeff began experimenting with habits, routines, coaching, and personal development systems that transformed the way he approached his life and family. Today, his mission is to positively impact one million dads and more than two million kids by January 1, 2053, helping fathers lead from the front, build deeper relationships with their families, and create a legacy that lasts for generations.

Resources and Mentions

The Warrior Dad book: https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Dad-Children-Family-Legacy/dp/B0DW49YK12

Jeff Wickersham’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeff_wickersham/

Jeff Wickersham’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-wickersham/

The Warrior Dad Website: https://thewarriordad.com/

The Warrior Dad Blind Spot Assessment: https://blindspot.thewarriordad.com/

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe to the Learn-It-All Podcast: Youtube I Apple I Spotify

Follow Damon Lembi: Linkedin I Instagram I Facebook I X

Only 8% of people are on superteams. The rest lose hours every week sitting in meetings, answering messages, and doing work that gets them nowhere.

Ron Friedman, social psychologist and author of Superteams, researched thousands of teams to find out what high-performing teams do differently.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why most teams loses 29 hours every week
• How superteams handle wins and losses
• Why productivity hacks slow the whole team down
• Meeting rules that give your team its week back
• How superteams collaborate to get the best ideas
• The number one predictor of high performance

Topics discussed:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:53) Three Factors of a Real Team

(02:33) What Makes a Superteam

(06:57) The Sunday Night Test

(09:42) Team-First Culture

(12:34) Why Teams Need to Fail

(16:38) Where Your Week Disappears

(18:23) Productivity Hacks That Backfire

(20:15) Meeting Rules of Superteams

(22:01) The Brainstorm Problem

(25:59) What Drives High Performance

(29:02) Best vs. Worst Teammate Traits

(32:37) Why 97% Of Feedback Fails

Connect with Ron Friedman:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronfriedmanphd/

https://www.instagram.com/ronfriedmanphd/

https://x.com/RonFriedman

https://www.threads.com/@ronfriedmanphd

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIFgRGcGjxXjmovUEBcnbXA

Book link: https://geni.us/superteams

Superteams Masterclass: http://superteamsmasterclass.com

Superteams Quiz: http://superteamquiz.com

Ron’s Website: http://www.superteamsinc.com/

About the Guest:

Ron Friedman is an award-winning social psychologist and bestselling author of The Best Place to Work and Superteams. His research on building high-performing teams has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Harvard Business Review, where his article “How to Build a Superteam That Keeps Getting Better” is this month’s cover story.

To learn more about his work, visit superteamsinc.com.

Let us know your key takeaways from the episode!

And remember, great leaders aren't born. They're always in the making.

New episodes of The Learn-It-All Podcast with Damon Lembi every week.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLearnItAllPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Get your FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

Upskill yourself and your team with Learnit: https://www.learnit.com

Follow Damon Lembi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlembi

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

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

What if the mindset that made you successful is also the mindset quietly pushing you toward burnout?

High achievers are rewarded for going, doing, achieving, and hustling, but leadership advisor, Keynote speaker, and bestselling author Mairin Moore Cane says there is a hidden cost when your identity and self-worth become tied to performance. You stop appreciating what you’ve already accomplished, failures start feeling personal, and slowing down can feel almost impossible. For Mairin, that pattern eventually became impossible to ignore. After years of pushing herself, people pleasing, and trying to show up for everyone else, chronic illness forced her from running nine miles a day to spending three years largely bedridden.

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Mairin to explore the mindset shift high achievers and leaders need to make before burnout forces it for them. Mairin shares how to recognize when ambition has become misalignment, why knowing your values matters more than constantly proving yourself, and how her Root, Realign, and Rise framework helps people move through failure, pressure, identity shifts, and difficult seasons without letting those moments define them. Damon and Mairin also unpack authentic leadership, creating psychologically safe and connected teams, learning to say “I don’t have the answer,” and why some of the strongest leaders stop pretending they have everything figured out.

If you’re navigating leadership burnout, performance-based self-worth, people pleasing, chronic stress, or the pressure to constantly achieve, this conversation offers a more sustainable way to succeed without losing yourself in the process.

📘 Get a FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

In this episode, you’ll learn...

1. The warning signs that you’re living out of alignment, including saying yes when something inside you wants to say no, constantly trying to fit in, and ignoring the feeling that something isn’t authentic
2. Why strong leadership does not mean having every answer, and how Mairin learned to tell her team, “I don’t have an answer,” while inviting them to figure out the next step together
3. How leaders can create safer, more connected teams by admitting their own weak points, understanding where employees are struggling, and taking two minutes to genuinely ask, “How are you doing?”
4. How the Root, Realign, and Rise framework helps you separate a difficult circumstance from your identity, return to what is true, realign around your values, and use adversity as a foundation for what comes next
5. Why Mairin sees failures as “launching points into the next pivot,” and how learning to move before you have everything figured out can build stronger leaders and more resilient teams
6. Why becoming matters more than appearing perfect, and how difficult seasons can deepen your roots instead of proving that you are failing
7. How gratitude, intentional pauses, and acknowledging what you have already accomplished can interrupt the constant pressure to rush toward the next goal

Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:12 The hidden danger of tying self-worth to achievement
• 02:35 Why high performers struggle to slow down
• 05:48 The moment Mairin realized achievement wasn’t enough
• 08:41 Where the need to please everyone really began
• 10:48 The warning signs you’re losing yourself
• 12:36 Why control can quietly run your life
• 14:28 The leadership lesson she learned from having no answers
• 15:37 How to rewrite your identity as a leader
• 19:33 What business failure taught Mairin about resilience
• 23:37 How great leaders make failure feel safe
• 25:46 The two-minute habit that builds stronger teams
• 27:50 The Root, Realign, and Rise framework
• 33:18 What happens when you stop resisting who you’re becoming
• 34:54 Why Mairin doesn’t want her old life back
• 37:48 You don’t have to be whole to lead
• 38:47 The story that brought Mairin to tears
• 40:51 Finding purpose in the pain
• 42:13 Damon’s challenge: Are you really showing up?

About Mairin Moore Cane

Mairin Moore Cane is a leadership advisor, keynote speaker, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and host of the Root, Realign, Rise™ Podcast. After more than two decades of leading businesses through growth, uncertainty, difficult decisions, and major transitions, Mairin now helps leaders navigate pressure, strengthen resilience, and make clearer decisions without losing themselves in the process. Her work centers on authentic leadership, identity, performance under pressure, and the belief that you don’t have to have everything resolved before you can lead well. She is also the author of Rooted, Not Rushed: Healing, Reclaiming, and Rising in a World That Told You to Shrink.

Resources and Mentions

Rooted, Not Rushed book: https://www.amazon.com/ROOTED-NOT-RUSHED-Healing-Reclaiming/dp/1968250751

Mairin Moore Cane’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mairinmoorecane/

Root, Realign, Rise™ Podcast: https://mairinmoorecane.com/podcasts/

Mairin Moore Cane’s Website: https://mairinmoorecane.com/

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

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A million users in three months. Then the hardest three months of his life.

Colin Hodge, author of Outrageous Startup Growth, walked away from Microsoft and spent the next decade learning how to build a truly sustainable business — reaching a total of 100 million users in his career. But in between came an App Store ban, a major lawsuit, a co-founder's burnout, and a 3 AM breakdown that put his resilience to the test.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why understanding people beats better technology
• How to build empathy without becoming “soft”
• The Method Mindset technique for thinking like your customers
• How to grow through adversity and burnout
• Why removing all friction from your product can backfire
• The bias that shows up in nearly every negotiation
• How to keep your work human in the age of AI

Topics discussed:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:51) Tech Isn’t Everything

(02:24) Why He Left Microsoft

(09:23) The Taboo Founder Trait

(11:02) The Method Mindset Technique

(15:38) When Your People Burn Out

(19:54) Empathy Without Going Soft

(21:37) Bang with Friends Origin Story

(26:07) 1M Users in Three Months

(30:04) Banned By Apple & Sued By Zynga

(32:47) Surviving Rock Bottom

(37:51) Sustainable Growth

(41:00) Good Friction vs. Bad Friction

(47:26) The Bias That Saves Thousands

Connect with Colin Hodge:

https://linkedin.com/in/ckbhodge

https://colinhodge.substack.com

https://instagram.com/ckbhodge

https://facebook.com/colin.hodge

Resources Mentioned:

Outrageous Startup Growth: Uncovering the Secrets of User Psychology to Scale Your Success by Colin Hodge

About the Guest:

Colin Hodge is a startup founder and national bestselling author who has led companies and growth teams responsible for over 100 million users.

He currently is co-owner of DOWN, a top 10 dating app in the US with millions in annual revenue – built on the growth principles and lessons shared in this book.

He achieved a successful exit for DOWN (then later reacquiring it) and 17Live, the top live-streaming video company in Asia. While chief growth officer at 17Live, Colin led data-driven initiatives in growth, global expansion, and marketing, then launched the platform in the United States as the first US CEO.

Let us know your key takeaways from the episode!

And remember, great leaders aren't born. They're always in the making.

New episodes of The Learn-It-All Podcast with Damon Lembi every week.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLearnItAllPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Get your FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

Upskill yourself and your team with Learnit: https://www.learnit.com

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This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

Companies are spending billions of dollars on AI tools, and most of them still aren't seeing the ROI they expected.

In this episode of the Learn-It-All™ podcast, Damon Lembi, CEO of Learnit, sits down with Christa Hill, Learnit's Chief AI Learning Officer, to share what they're actually hearing behind the scenes.

After going through 100+ calls with the leaders responsible for AI adoption, they pulled the three questions that come up again and again and answer them with actionable advice.

🚀 Get your team into the top 3% of AI users in North America in about four weeks with Learnit's AI Kickstarter: https://www.learnit.com/lp/ai-skills-program

Thanks to our sponsor, P3•EDU: https://p3edu.com/

In this episode, you will learn:

• Who's actually in the room when companies make AI decisions
• Why the "AI strategist" role is suddenly showing up everywhere
• Whether you need training, consultants, or both
• The right way (and the wrong way) to build an AI pilot team
• Why voice, not typing, is the biggest unlock people find in AI training

Topics discussed:

00:00 Introduction

00:51 Sponsor Shoutout: P3EDU

01:30 Who's Actually in the Room for AI Decisions

02:56 The Rise of the AI Strategist Role

04:23 Training or Consultants? Why the Answer Is Both

07:22 Do AI Pilot Programs Actually Work?

09:19 Naysayers vs. Early Adopters: Building the Right Team

13:08 The Real Mindset Shift Behind Adoption

13:37 Voice Over Typing: The Biggest Aha Moment

16:06 Free AI Training for Your Team

About the Guest:

Christa Hill is the Chief AI Learning Officer at Learnit, where she leads the AI Kickstarter program and teaches AI literacy to leaders and teams. She's in live classrooms most of the week, helping organizations move from first exposure to real adoption — and helping leaders navigate the human side of change: fear, resistance, and "what's in it for me?"

Follow her on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christajhill/

Great leaders aren't born. They're always in the making.

New episodes of the Learn-It-All™ podcast with Damon Lembi every week.

📘 Get a FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLearnItAllPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

Upskill yourself and your team with Learnit: https://www.learnit.com

Follow Damon Lembi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlembi

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