UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders

What happens when you hit peak success at age 30, only to realize you’ve started coasting? In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy Hall and Trevor Crunelle chat with Aaron Trahan, founder of Performance Mindset Coaching.

Aaron pulls back the curtain on his UH-OH era, a period where early career wins led to a dangerous comfort zone and a 360-degree feedback report that changed everything. We discuss how transcendental meditation keeps him grounded, why focus is a leadership superpower, and the system-driven approach he uses to help businesses get better at getting better.

Key highlights include:

• The Power of Meditation: How 35 minutes of meditation daily removes ego and sharpens decision-making.
• The Emerging Mindset: Why you should never stop being an emerging leader, regardless of your title.
• Blind Spots are Like Cigarettes: The story of the feedback report Aaron still carries in his backpack 12 years later.
• Getting in the Pool: Why leadership, like swimming, requires you to get wet and embrace the messiness of human connection.

Whether you're a seasoned executive or a rising leader, Aaron’s insights on moving from coasting to continuous improvement are the wake-up call every leader needs.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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What happens when a serial DIYer meets a leadership challenge he can’t fix with a toolbox?.

In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy Hall and Ben-Jamin Toy are joined by John Patsch, co-founder of Miingl. John is a craftsman who rolls up his sleeves to understand the how behind everything from garage projects to corporate culture.

The UH-OH Moment

John pulls back the curtain on a startup failure from 12 years ago that changed his perspective on leadership forever. It wasn't a product failure or a market shift. It was a power struggle. John shares a raw account of how a "need to be right" fueled argumentative communication, caused the founders to lose sight of their vision, and ultimately ended a business partnership for good.

What You’ll Learn:

• The DIY Leadership Paradox: Why rolling up your sleeves helps you empathize with the struggle of others.
• Vulnerability vs. Transparency: Ben-Jamin Toy unpacks why simply being honest isn't enough if you aren't willing to feel the weight of your mistakes.
• The Miingl Mission: How John is using technology to humanize culture and rebuild authentic, live connections in a world of shrinking attention spans.
• Unconventional Hiring: Why John looks for people with better ideas than his own and values a penchant for leadership over a perfect resume.

If you’ve ever prioritized "winning the argument" over "winning the mission," this conversation is the wake-up call you didn't know you needed. 

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Ben-Jamin Toy and Dr. Troy Hall chat with Jim Carlough, a seasoned executive and Chief Sales Officer, to discuss one of the most difficult and often most mishandled moments in leadership: downsizing.

Jim shares a candid UH-OH experience from earlier in his career, when following traditional “be firm, be direct, be short” guidance damaged trust, hurt his reputation, and left lasting emotional fallout for employees. He doesn’t sugarcoat the cost, both personal and professional.

But the story doesn’t stop there.

Twenty years into his career, Jim rethought everything. What followed was a radically human, integrity-driven approach to layoffs built on transparency, empathy, and shared dignity—an approach that resulted in the highest employee satisfaction scores in a 20,000-person organization, even as jobs were being eliminated.

This conversation is a masterclass in:

• Leading under pressure
• Integrity as a daily behavior
• How cohesion changes outcomes especially in hard moments
• What leaders and employees can do when facing transition

If you think cohesion only matters when times are good, this episode will challenge that belief.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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What happens when a six-figure mistake forces a leader to look in the mirror?

In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy Hall and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with entrepreneur and insurance leader David Price for an honest conversation about accountability, ego, and growth under pressure.

David shares how a $100,000 operational oversight exposed deeper issues around systems, leadership readiness, and removing himself from the business too quickly. Instead of deflecting blame, he walks through how owning the mistake sharpened his discipline, improved his processes, and ultimately strengthened the company.

This conversation goes beyond business mechanics. David opens up about his recovery journey, how discipline is built through repetition, why mistakes are expensive education, and what it really means to act like the leader you want to become before the title shows up.

If you’ve ever:

• Missed something costly at work
• Felt the sting of accountability
• Struggled with ego, growth, or delegation
• Wondered how leaders turn failures into fuel

This episode will hit home.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy Hall and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with Ryan DuBois. He’s an endurance athlete at heart, a builder by trade, and the kind of leader who’s learned most of his lessons the hard way. From scaling startups across the Southeast to grinding through 20-hour days in manufacturing, Ryan brings a grounded, people-first view of leadership when things stop going according to plan.

Ryan shares his defining UH-OH moment, a rapid expansion that pushed his team beyond capacity and forced a hard reset. The fallout went deeper than operational pain and became a leadership wake-up call. By slowing down, applying lean principles, and choosing readiness over raw output, he learned that if your people aren’t ready, your business isn’t either.

The conversation digs into what actually sustains organizations. Why every company is, at its core, in the people business. How transparency earns trust instead of eroding authority. And what leaders should really be looking for when promoting from within. Ryan connects endurance thinking, intentional conversations, and long-term perspective into a leadership approach that favors progress over panic.

If you’re a founder moving fast, a leader navigating growth, or someone who wants to lead with more clarity and less ego, this episode is a reminder worth hearing. Sustainable leadership doesn’t come from sprinting harder. It comes from listening well, learning fast, and choosing the long road when it’s the right one.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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What happens when integrity collides with convenience?

In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy Hall and Trevor Crunelle chat with leadership coach, author, and podcaster Kathy Archer for a refreshingly honest conversation about confidence, competence, and the cost of leadership missteps.

Kathy shares a pivotal UH-OH moment involving AI, trust, and a leadership value she holds deeply: integrity. What followed wasn’t a public disaster, but something quieter and more dangerous... a crack in trust.

Together, they unpack:

• Why imposter syndrome is often a skill gap, not a character flaw
• How leaders unintentionally say one thing and model another
• The difference between niceness and kindness in leadership conversations
• Why confidence grows from competence, not compliments
• How AI can support leaders without undermining authenticity
• Why owning mistakes builds credibility faster than pretending they didn’t happen

This episode is practical, direct, and grounded in leadership experience. No motivational posters. No performative vulnerability. Just honest reflection, accountability, and tools leaders can actually use.

If you lead people. or want to, this conversation will challenge how you think about trust, growth, and what it really means to be teachable.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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What happens when a leader’s best intentions quietly become a burden?

In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy Hall and guest host, Trevor Crunelle, chat with Chris Lorence for a candid conversation about ambition, assumptions, and an unexpected leadership blind spot. Chris shares a powerful UH-OH moment that emerged from a leadership 360 assessment. While he was widely seen as capable, reliable, and driven, one insight hit hard. His constant push for growth and promotion was experienced as heavy by some on his team.

This episode explores the cost of assuming everyone wants the next title, the next role, or the next rung on the ladder. Chris walks through how this realization challenged his self-confidence, reshaped the questions he asks as a leader, and ultimately changed how he defines success, both for himself and for others.

You’ll hear lessons on asking better questions, separating personal ambition from team needs, and why being helpful still requires permission. It’s an honest reminder that cohesion isn’t built by pushing people forward, but by meeting them where they actually want to be.

If you lead high performers, aspire to the C-suite, or care deeply about developing others, this episode will make you pause and think. Possibly uncomfortably. Definitely productively.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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This Ground Zero episode sets the tone for UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders.

Before the guests, our hosts made their fair share of mistakes.

Dr. Troy Hall and Ben-Jamin Toy kick things off by sharing their own leadership UH-OH moments. From a simple technical oversight that could have derailed a client experience, to career-limiting behaviors that quietly stalled advancement, this episode gets honest about what mistakes cost leaders and what growth requires.

You’ll hear why this podcast exists, how mentors can cut your learning curve in half, and why being teachable matters more than being right. This isn’t about perfect leadership. It’s about learning fast, owning missteps, and acting like the leader you want to become, not just the role you currently hold.

If you’ve ever thought “that could’ve gone better,” this podcast is for you.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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What happens when a leader wants to be liked more than trusted?

In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, John Little shares a pivotal leadership UH-OH from his early career at CNN. This mistake cost him credibility, confidence, and a leadership role.

At just 27 years old, John stepped into leadership with good intentions and the wrong strategy: trying to be everyone’s friend. What followed was a lesson in accountability, trust, and the difference between being nice and being kind.

John unpacks how avoiding tough conversations, playing favorites unintentionally, and prioritizing approval over clarity eroded trust, and how discovering emotional intelligence and self-awareness helped him rebuild his leadership foundation.

This conversation is a must-listen for emerging leaders who want to lead with empathy and backbone, build trust without losing authenticity, and avoid one of the most common leadership traps.

You don’t have to know everything. You just need to be teachable.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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What happens when success comes faster than wisdom?

In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Donzel Leggett shares a powerful early-career UH-OH that many emerging leaders will recognize and few will admit. Thrust into management before he even wanted the role, Donzel felt the pressure to prove himself, deliver results, and not let anyone down.

He did exactly that. And it nearly wrecked his health, his energy, and his life.

Working 16 hour days, pursuing an MBA, and chasing performance at all costs, Donzel ignored the warning signs until one unforgettable moment forced him to confront the truth: success without balance collapses.

This conversation is a masterclass on leadership, personal well-being, defining success on your own terms, and why sharpening the axe matters more than swinging harder.

If you are early in your career, hungry to win, or quietly burning out, this episode might save you years of learning the hard way.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

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