When a massive rival expanded just one mile from his martial arts school, our guest, Chris Natzke, faced an intense wave of panic and uncertainty. In today's episode of the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcast, Chris chats with co-host Ben-Jamin Toy and guest host Trevor Crunelle to reveal how he broke free from automatic negative thoughts, embraced vulnerability, and asked for mentor support. 

Discover how shifting focus away from external threats and toward internal operational excellence not only saved his business, but delivered a 33% surge in annual growth. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on leading through fear, building true team buy-in, and turning acute business anxiety into long-term organizational success.

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In today's episode of the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcast, special co-host Trevor Crunelle steps in alongside Ben-Jamin Toy to chat with Jay Poulton, accent coach, author, and communications specialist. Jay opens up about an early career UH-OH when he was fired from a high-profile communications role after failing to fit the organization's culture. He shares the deep personal and professional toll it took on his pride, and how he processed the grief and anger that followed.

The conversation explores the differences between surface-level transparency and true vulnerability, the power of leaning on a trusted community during hard transitions, and how workplace anxiety often serves as an early indicator that you are out of alignment. Whether you are navigating a difficult setback or working to find your voice at the leadership table, Jay’s insights offer a blueprint for resilience and self-discovery.

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In this episode of the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcast, host Dr. Troy and guest co-host Trevor Crunelle chat with serial entrepreneur Holly Porter. Holly shares the story of an unexpected business pivot when her family concrete company faced a sudden shift after bringing in her son as a full partner without formal legal agreements or a structured exit plan. When the planned buyout changed unexpectedly right between Christmas and New Year, Holly and her husband were forced to navigate major financial losses, disrupted long-term plans, and the sensitive dynamics of working with family.

Holly breaks down what this UH-OH moment cost in both social and financial capital, how their family eventually healed the relationship, and why kindness must always go hand in hand with written contracts and clear communication. Whether you operate a family business or manage cross-generational teams, this conversation offers vital takeaways on asking the right questions, protecting your assets, and framing tough challenges into growth opportunities.

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In today's episode of the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcasts, hosts Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with Luke Mickelson. Luke is a former breakdancer, passionate entrepreneur, and founder of the nationwide nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

Luke opens up about an intense personal crisis that hits many successful creators: Founder Syndrome. He shares what happens when identity fusion causes a leader’s personal worth to become inseparable from their organization. From navigating the painful sting of relevance wounds to recognizing when defensive reactions threaten the very mission you built, Luke unpacks his UH-OH moment and the steps he took to step back, get help, and evolve into an ambassador. Whether you are a founder, executive, or emerging leader, this conversation offers vital lessons on emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and keeping your character distinct from your title.

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In today's episode of the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcast, hosts Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with Mike Hruska, CEO of Baryons, to discuss the distinction between passion-driven curiosity and costly business distractions. 

Mike shares his diverse background as a professional touring musician, government researcher, and tech entrepreneur, leading into a pivotal UH-OH moment where a security tech side venture derailed his core business. Tune in to learn how he transformed an expensive lesson into a systematic framework for vetting new ideas, the profound impact of strategic mentorship, and how leaders can utilize design thinking and the ABCD philosophy to maintain relentless focus.

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What happens when your greatest strength becomes your biggest liability?

In today's episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with Jimmy Burroughes, founder of JBL High Performance and author of Simplified to Amplify. Jimmy shares a vulnerable look into his spectacular 2017 burnout. Two and a half years of 18-hour workdays, intense global travel, and a relentless "achiever" mindset culminated in nearly costing him his life.

Jimmy breaks down the dangerous "I'll just..." habits that pull high-performing leaders into an inescapable whirlpool of overwork, and introduces his game-changing PVC Framework (Purpose, Value, Capacity). Learn how to stop treating your leadership value like a $5-an-hour task, how to successfully negotiate your capacity with your boss, and why career advancement requires shifting your energy from being "busy down" to "busy up."

If you are a driven professional running on empty, this episode is the flashing highway sign you need to stop swimming against the current and start leading with impact.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

• The "I'll Just" Trap: How minor compromises on your boundaries accumulate into severe physical and mental exhaustion.
• The PVC Framework: A simple tool to evaluate your project's Purpose, your time's true Value ($5 tasks vs. $500 tasks), and your actual Capacity.
• Stop, Swap, or Slow Down: How to have proactive, risk-based boundary conversations with upper management without looking like you can't handle the workload.
• Busy Down vs. Busy Up: Why being indispensable at task delivery keeps you from getting promoted, and how focusing on strategic thinking scales your influence.

Connect with Our Guest:

• LinkedIn: Jimmy Burroughes
• Website: JBL High Performance
• Free AI Coaching Resource: Aiden Coach

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When you spend 15 years winning, it's easy to become overconfident in your playbook. In today's episode of the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcast, Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with Jason Peach, President and CEO of West Community Credit Union. 

Jason opens up about a historic shift in the economic landscape that caught his hyper-growth strategy exposed, and the crucial leadership lesson he learned when he initially tried to deflect the blame. Tune in to hear how Jason reclaimed his social capital with his board, shifted from deflection to extreme ownership, and rallied his entire organization around a transparent, hyper-focused three-year recovery plan. 

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What does it mean to be a competent leader? In this sobering and deeply vulnerable episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with M.K. Palmore, a former US Marine Corps officer, retired FBI Special Agent, and current tech executive. M.K. shares a personal UH-OH from his early days in federal law enforcement: a moment when he allowed a rigid, mission-first institutional culture to silence his own intuition, failing to aggressively advocate for a colleague in distress.

Tune in as M.K. discusses his pivot from strict compliance to becoming a shield for his team, how he learned to balance a get stuff done mentality with deep empathy, and how he now structurally builds grace and human-centric metrics into high-performing organizations. This is an essential listen for any leader operating in a high-pressure, high-stakes environment.

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What happens when your $700 million real estate empire collapses in a high-stakes hostile takeover? In this episode of the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcast, Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with entrepreneur, former public company CEO, and actor turned performance coach Boaz Gilad. Boaz shares the unfiltered story of the exact moment he realized his New York development company was in the danger zone, the grueling sleepless nights that followed, and the incredible freedom he found after walking away from it all. From a therapeutic solo bicycle journey through the East Coast to founding the Zenith Clubhouse, Boaz opens up about the fine line between hunger and greed, the myth of inspiration, and how developing self-compassion is the ultimate key to a powerhouse rebound. 

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What happens when a 28-year-old Navy nuclear engineer steps in to run a power plant and tries to tell a 40-year veteran how to do his job? In today's episode of the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcast, Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with David Petrash, veteran, business leader, pastor, and author of "Ripple of Faith". David shares an early-career UH-OH where his personal pride almost cost him the respect of his entire team. Tune in to hear how a moment of deep humility transformed his leadership style, birthed his famous Four-Month Rule, and taught him how to leverage employee clarity, competency, and desire to build a winning workplace culture.

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