The Path Less Traveled Podcast

The Path Less Traveled Podcast

By Craig HeatherlyBusiness
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The Path Less Traveled Podcast episodes

  • When the Culture Starts to Crack | Leadership Roundtable Series | S2:E4

    How do you catch a culture problem before it becomes a crisis?

    In the Series II finale of The Path Less Traveled Leadership Roundtable, Craig Heatherly sits down with Debie Coble - President & CEO, Goodwill of Michiana, Dan Pontius - CEO, MRC Industries, and Aaron Stapleton - Founder & CEO, Trinity In-Home Care for an honest, unscripted conversation about what it actually looks like when the culture starts to crack — and how to catch it early.

    Key frameworks from this session:

    • Confront the Rumor — With Cookies — when a morale-killing rumor spread, Debie gathered the team, read it aloud, and turned the room; sunlight beats silence (Debie)
    • Interview for Culture Before the Offer — she personally vets culture fit before anyone reporting to a direct report gets hired (Debie)
    • Culture Is by Design — it takes constant intentionality, and siloing into subcultures is the first warning sign (Dan)
    • Trust the Gut — Then Verify It — a monthly one-question pulse survey turns instinct into feedback you can act on (Dan)
    • Hire for the Culture You Have — one wrong hire can reshape an entire team, and it takes far longer to walk back (Aaron)
    • Accountability Starts at the Beginning — it's clarity and communication up front, not punishment after the fact (Aaron)

      • The line from the room that stuck: "It's never too late to change. The longer you wait, the harder it gets — but just make one small move, and the pendulum starts swinging back the other way."

      This session is sponsored by Gibson, Rippling & The Ascent Collective.

      53 min
    • How Lonely Is It At The Top | Leadership Roundtable Series | S2:E3

      How lonely is it at the top — really?

      In Session 3 of The Path Less Traveled Leadership Roundtable, Craig Heatherly sits down with Tim Leman - CEO, Gibson, Chris Kingsley - President & CEO, ADEC, and Mark Prifogle - VP of Operations, BHI Senior Living for an honest, unscripted conversation about the isolation of leadership — the weight nobody warns you about, and how the leaders who last learn to carry it.

      Key frameworks from this session:

      • Build the Peer Group Before You Need It — the outlet has to exist before the storm comes; people who've sat in the chair can tell you how the movie ends (Tim)
      • You Can Reshape the Seat — inheriting the role doesn't mean inheriting it unchanged; offload what drains you and protect your energy (Tim)
      • You Own the Decision AND the Consequences — being in the room isn't the same as making the call; that weight is most acute at the crux (Chris)
      • The Experience Around You Is Curated — you stop getting the raw version of people; reconcile to it rather than resent it (Chris)
      • The Title Is a Responsibility, Not Your Identity — tie your identity to the role and every criticism feels like an attack (Mark)
      • Find Your Network — and a Mentor — the peers who face what you face, and the mentor who'll keep you honest (Mark)

        • The line from the room that stuck: "If you're in the seat right now and you're feeling like this — you're not broken. It's hard. And so many of the solutions involve relationships."

        This session is sponsored by Gibson, Rippling & The Ascent Collective.

        52 min
      • The Blind Spots Nobody Mentions | Leadership Roundtable Series | S2:E2

        How do you find the blind spots you can't see by yourself?

        In Session 2 of The Path Less Traveled Leadership Roundtable, Craig Heatherly sits down with Scott Clark - CEO, Tire Rack, Hayley Boling - CEO, Boling Vision Center, and Kory Lantz - Founder, Transformation Ministries for an honest, unscripted conversation about the blind spots nobody mentions — the feedback that dries up the higher you climb, and how great leaders go looking for it anyway.

        Key frameworks from this session:

        • Make the Posture Invite It — feedback is a gift, but an open door isn't enough; you have to want it and respond well, or you won't get it twice (Scott)
        • Tailor the Style, Keep the Self — adapt how you lead to the culture and the person in front of you, without losing who you are (Scott)
        • Close the Intention–Experience Gap — how you mean to show up and how people actually experience you are two different things (Hayley)
        • Ask "What Am I Not Seeing?" — swap "any questions?" for an open door, because an emotional reaction to feedback is usually the signal you needed to hear it (Hayley)
        • Find Your Foxhole Friends — character feedback is the hard, blind kind; it comes from people who love you and have nothing to gain (Kory)
        • Crave Feedback, Don't Just Value It — build it into the culture as a system, not a moment (Kory)

          • The line from the room that stuck: "You're in a dangerous place when your charisma outruns your character."

          This session is sponsored by Gibson, Rippling & The Ascent Collective.

          52 min
        • AI, Change, and Not Overreacting | Leadership Roundtable Series | S2:E1

          How do you lead through something nobody has a playbook for yet?

          In the Series II opener of The Path Less Traveled Leadership Roundtable, Craig Heatherly sits down with Kreg Gruber - CEO, Beacon Health System, Nate Staley - President, PolyJohn Enterprises, and Kelly Ball - CEO, Pathfinders Advertising for an honest, unscripted conversation about AI, change, and how to engage with it without overreacting — across healthcare, advertising, and manufacturing.

          Key frameworks from this session:

          • Start With the Problem, Not the Tool — the leaders winning with AI get clear on what they're solving before chasing the technology 
          • Permission to Experiment — give your team room to try things without fear of getting it wrong 
          • Don't Overreact in Either Direction — the real risk isn't AI, it's panic or hype 
          • Keep the Human Part Human — technology moves fast, but people don't 

            • This session is sponsored by Gibson, Rippling & The Ascent Collective.

            57 min
          • Failure, Decisions & The Weight of Leadership | Leadership Roundtable Series | S1:E4

            What does it actually feel like to carry the weight of leadership?

            In the series finale of The Path Less Traveled Leadership Roundtable, Craig Heatherly sits down with Dr. Dee McDonald (President, Bethel University), Jeremy Lugbill (CEO, Career Academy Network), and Jon Morningstar (CEO, MapleTronics) for the most personal conversation of the series — failure, hard decisions, and the emotional weight that comes with leading others.

            Key frameworks from this session:

            • Know Your Warning Lights — recognize your signals before the weight shows up in your work (Dee)
            • Leadership Is Chosen, Not Assigned — trust is the currency; earned through consistency over time (Dee)
            • Protect Your Physical Health Like a Strategy — clarity breaks aren't optional, they're maintenance (Jeremy)
            • Fail Fast — Then Move — recovery speed defines leadership more than the failure itself (Jeremy)
            • Build a Council of Truth-Tellers — people who tell you what you need to hear, not what you want (Jon)
            • Anchor to Your North Star — when decisions are rooted in mission, they become less personal (Jon)

              • Books mentioned: Atomic Habits (James Clear), The Go-Giver (Bob Burg), Crucial Conversations, Gentle and Lowly (Dane Ortlund)

              This session is sponsored by Gibson and United Beverage.

              59 min
            • Developing the Next Generation of Leaders | Leadership Roundtable Series | S1:E3

              How do you develop the next generation of talent on purpose — not just by accident?

              In Session 3 of The Path Less Traveled Leadership Roundtable, Craig Heatherly is joined by Jason Lippert (President & CEO, Lippert/LCI), Shaun Phy (President, C&S Machine), and Dr. Marco Clark (President, Holy Cross College) for a practical, honest conversation about identifying, developing, and accelerating talent in your organization.

              Key frameworks from this session:

              • Stop Doing. Start Teaching. — your job is to develop people, not do things (Jason)
              • The Leadership Action Plan (LAP) — a 3x5 card. Personal goals first. Always. (Jason)
              • Hungry, Humble, Smart — Lencioni's filter for identifying who actually has it (Shaun)
              • You Can't Afford Not To — the real cost of not investing in development (Shaun)
              • Lead Yourself First — authenticity and self-awareness aren't soft skills (Dr. Clark)
              • Invite Them to the Balcony — help people see the bigger picture so they can lead from it (Dr. Clark)

                • This session is sponsored by Gibson and Performance Plus.

                57 min
              • Navigating Difficult Conversations | Leadership Roundtable Series | S1:E2

                The hard conversation you keep putting off? It's costing you more than you think.

                In Session 2 of The Path Less Traveled Leadership Roundtable, Craig Heatherly is joined by Laurie Nafziger (President & CEO, Oaklawn), Todd Yeoman (President, American Technology Components), and Dr. Rebecca Stoltzfus (President, Goshen College) for an honest, unscripted conversation about navigating difficult conversations in leadership.

                Key frameworks from this session:

                • Clear is Kind — why directness is an act of respect, not aggression (Brené Brown, via Laurie)
                • What You Permit, You Promote — silence is never neutral
                • Anchor to Purpose, Not Feelings — how to stay steady when the room gets emotional
                • Push Pause — slowing down isn't weakness, it's strategy
                • Get Curious When They Get Furious — intense emotion signals deep caring
                • Relationship Health = Response Time — the shorter the lag, the stronger the relationship

                  • This session is sponsored by C12 West Michigan & Northern Indiana and Gibson.

                  52 min
                • The Daily Discipline of Leaders | Leadership Roundtable Series | S1:E1

                  What separates good leaders from great ones? Discipline. The daily choices nobody sees.

                  In Session 1 of The Path Less Traveled Leadership Roundtable Series, Craig Heatherly brings Craig Brummell (COO of ABRO Industries), Dustin Holland (President & CEO of Better World Books) and Steve Brenneman (Founder of ATC Trailers & Aluminum Insights) together for one unscripted conversation about the daily disciplines that actually move the needle in leadership.

                  Highlights from this session:

                  • Why letting go of control is one of the hardest — and most important — things a leader can do
                  • The discipline of slowing down to fully understand a problem before acting on it
                  • Why your personal life and your leadership are more connected than most people admit
                  • What separates leaders who grow from those who plateau

                    • This session is sponsored by Chrome Group and Gibson.

                    52 min
                  • Ben Duke | President, Polaris Marine | S3:E22

                    Ben Duke, President of Polaris Marine, leads a $1B division responsible for iconic brands like Bennington, Godfrey, and Hurricane ... operating at scale, under constant pressure.

                    In this episode, Ben shares what it takes to lead through real disruption, from COVID demand shocks to supply‑chain volatility and market correction without breaking trust or losing strategic focus.

                    He walks through how disciplined leaders stay out of the weeds, why relationships matter more than dashboards when stakes are high, and how simplicity, accountability, and long‑term thinking create durable organizations.

                    A conversation for leaders who make consequential decisions—and want to make them better.

                     

                    40 min
                  • Kelly Ball | CEO, Pathfinders Advertising | S3:E21

                    Kelly Ball, CEO of Pathfinders Advertising, leads a 47-year-old agency built on one core idea: help companies tell their story in a way that connects.

                    In this episode, Kelly shares lessons on stepping into the CEO role, aligning teams, and leading through rapid change—especially with the rise of AI.

                    He breaks down why most companies get marketing wrong, how AI is reshaping workflows, and why the best leaders focus on clarity, simplicity, and execution.

                    A conversation on leadership, adaptability, and thinking differently in a noisy world.

                    55 min

                  About The Path Less Traveled Podcast

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                  Highly successful individuals are always focused on what’s next, but they often don’t take time to reflect on their journey and how far they’ve come.