WiLD Conversation

What does it take to lead in environments where trust, security, and uncertainty collide?

In this episode of WiLD Conversation, Dr. Rob McKenna sits down with global security strategist and author Christopher Stitt for a thought-provoking conversation on leadership inside complex systems, the paradox of vulnerability, and why trust is never static.

Drawing from his experience in global security and insights from his book Scaling Pyramids, Chris unpacks the realities of leading within bureaucracy and challenges the assumption that organizational systems automatically create trust.

Together, Rob and Chris explore how the hidden “meta” of an organization—the unspoken rules, assumptions, and narratives shaping culture—often determines whether teams operate from fear, transparency, or authentic collaboration. Using everything from Dungeons & Dragons analogies to real-world security leadership examples, this conversation dives deep into the tension between protection and growth, control and vulnerability, structure and humanity.

Key topics include:

Whether you lead a business, a team, a nonprofit, or a family, this episode offers a compelling framework for understanding how trust is built, broken, and restored in today’s rapidly changing world.

Listen now and join the conversation on leadership, security, and the human side of performance.

In an industry where "box-checking" can often replace "soul-shaping," trust remains the invisible engine of successful healthcare organizations. This episode explores why trust isn't a light switch you can simply flip on, but a living process of maintenance, recovery, and truth-telling. We dive into the hidden costs of low-trust environments, where employees spend more time appearing trustworthy than actually being it, and how leaders can shift from managing assumptions to building authentic alignment.

Key Leader Takeaways:

In this soulful episode, Rob sits down with long-time peer and "architect of hope," Dr. Matt Russell, Executive Director of Iconoclast Artists & projectCURATE.  Together, they deconstruct the traditional myths of leadership, moving past "performative vulnerability" toward something much more rugged: Wild Trust.

Sharing a powerful excerpt from his book, Whole Leaders Wild Trust, Rob sets the stage for a discussion on why trust isn't a byproduct of perfection, but rather a result of courageous systems and the "presence of repair" in the face of human brokenness.

Key Takeaways:

Why are more than 8,000 college students gathering every week at Reed Auditorium at Texas A&M?

In a cultural moment marked by perpetual stimulation without satisfaction, they aren’t showing up for more noise, they're showing up for something real. For leaders who are awake.

In this episode of The WiLD Conversation Podcast, Dr. Rob McKenna and Sabeth Kapahu sit down with Brian McCormack to explore the growing hunger for truth, trust, and transcendence among the next generation.

Together, they unpack the high-stakes reality of leading in a time where truth moves at lightspeed and authenticity is often questioned. They discuss why college campuses are becoming epicenters of both cultural disruption and spiritual awakening, and what it means to lead in the midst of it.

This conversation invites leaders to move beyond performance and into presence, embracing brokenness, owning limitations, and stepping into what Brian calls ferocious intentionality: a disciplined, awake, and deeply purposeful way of stewarding time.

The fight for this generation may not be about attention,it may be about the minutes.

How Mark Whitacre Went from FBI Informant to Culture Leader: Lessons on Trust, Purpose, and Repair

In this powerful episode of the WiLD Conversation Podcast, Mark Whitacre once known as “The Informant” at the center of the largest price-fixing case in U.S. history, shares the deeper story rarely told: the long, costly, and redemptive journey of rebuilding a life.

Hosted by Dr. Rob McKenna and Sabeth Kapahu, Mark reflects on what it means to move from public failure to purposeful leadership. Now serving as Vice President of Culture and Care at Coca-Cola Consolidated, he brings a unique lens shaped by his PhD in biochemistry, his corporate rise and fall, and his ongoing commitment to helping leaders and organizations flourish from the inside out.

This conversation goes beyond headlines and into the heart of trust, identity, and restoration. It invites us to consider a deeper question: What does it really take to repair what’s been broken in ourselves and in the cultures we lead?

Grounded in a faith-informed perspective and aligned with the WiLD Leaders commitment to whole and intentional leadership, this episode offers a compelling exploration of humility, resilience, and the long-haul proposition of becoming trustworthy again.

Leadership Insights:

To connect with Mark email: [email protected]

To learn more about Mark : www.markwhitacre.com

The Investigation Discovery (ID) Channel Documentary with the 3 real FBI agents:   https://www.markwhitacre.com/discovery.html

In this WiLD Conversation Podcast, Dr. John Blakey joins Dr.Rob McKenna and Sabeth Kapahu to challenge one of leadership’s most common assumptions: if trust is the most important currency in leadership, why aren’t organizations measuring it?

Drawing from his research, executive coaching experience, and his recent Harvard Business Review article, Blakey argues that trust must move beyond inspirational language and become a measurable strategic asset. Leaders cannot build cultures of trust by intuition alone; they must develop the courage to expose blind spots, measure what matters, and intentionally cultivate the habits that create trust over time.

Together, the conversation explores:

Blakey also shares the pivotal career moment that sparked his life’s work, being told by a CEO that he was “too nice” to succeed in corporate leadership, and how that challenge ultimately led him to prove that leaders who rely on the power of trust can outperform those who rely on power itself.

For leaders navigating a moment when trust is eroding across institutions, this episode offers a clear call to action:

Stop treating trust like a feeling and start treating it like the leadership system it truly is.

For more on the WiLD Trust Index: https://www.wildleaders.org/wild-trust-index

For more on The Trusted Executive: https://trustedexecutive.com/

What happens to leadership when "failure is not an option" transitions from a cliché to a literal reality? In this episode of the WiLD Conversation, Dr. Rob McKenna and Sabeth Kapahu sit down with Nick Lavery, US Army Special Forces Warrant Officer, Green Beret, and the first above-the-knee amputee to return to combat in US military history.

Nick deconstructs the chemistry of high-stakes trust, the critical distinction between leadership and management, and why true confidence isn't found in a mirror, it's forged in competence and preparation. Whether you are leading a detachment in a hotspot or a team in a boardroom, this conversation explores how to navigate the "paradox of vulnerability" and what it means to extract positive value from our most difficult crucibles.

In this deeply reflective and practical WiLD Conversation Podcast, Dr. Rob McKenna welcomes Randy Conley, Vice President and Trust Practice Leader at The Ken Blanchard Companies, into a conversation that moves beyond trust as a concept and into trust as a relational, moral, and courageous practice.

Together, they explore a reality many leaders experience but few name: trust is often broken not by malice, but by silence, misaligned expectations, and unresolved wounds. At the heart of rebuilding trust, Randy and Rob surface a powerful and often overlooked leadership discipline—forgiveness.

In a cultural moment marked by polarization, cancellation, and quick judgments, this episode challenges leaders to consider a different path. One grounded in humility, confession, and the willingness to acknowledge brokenness, not as weakness, but as the starting point for wholeness. Randy reframes forgiveness as a personal choice rather than a transactional outcome, reminding leaders that unforgiveness quietly erodes the very trust they hope to protect.

The conversation also dives into the real-world complexity of leadership: trust dilemmas, competing loyalties, unspoken expectations, and the tension between accountability and compassion. Rather than offering simplistic answers, Randy offers grounded wisdom, research-backed insight, and practical behaviors leaders can begin applying immediately.

This episode ultimately invites leaders to ask a deeper question: Is it possible to move toward wholeness—personally, relationally, or organizationally—without forgiveness? And if trust always requires risk, are we willing to go first?

In this episode of The WiLD Conversation Podcast, Dr. Rob McKenna sits down with Jeff Schiefelbein, managing partner of Undivided Life, for a courageous conversation about what it truly means to live and lead without fragmentation. Together they unpack why so many leaders feel divided between who they are and who they think they must be to succeed—and what it costs them, their families, and their organizations.

Jeff shares candid stories about integrating faith, family, and vocation, including the moment an ordinary phone call about his miniature donkeys awakened a colleague to the weight of her own divided life. From fears of looking weak, to cultural narratives that glorify “my truth,” to workplaces that unintentionally reward pretending—this conversation goes straight to the heart of the human condition.

Rob and Jeff explore why leaders long for wholeness but struggle to live it, why calling is always communal, and why transformation cannot happen in isolation. They challenge the myth of the “self-made” leader and offer a compelling vision for integrated, human-centered leadership—leadership formed through real relationships, honest self-awareness, and shared development across the people we actually do life with.

Most leaders know instantly that “wholeness” is right, but fear looking weak, uncommitted, or different. Fear—not lack of desire—is the real barrier.

When leaders fake strengths, mute their values, or hide their commitments at home, they advance under false pretenses—and eventually feel trapped by the very role they earned.

Jeff: “Everywhere I go, the more I show up as me—not who the moment wants me to be—the more people thank me for it.”

Contrary to the “live your truth” narrative, calling unfolds with the people who share our lives. The myth of the isolated, self-directed leader is both naïve and harmful.

Breakthrough performance happens when organizations unlock individual potential with coaching, trust, and relational development—not just metrics or quarterly targets.

Faith, family, self-awareness, and leadership aren’t separate lanes. Integrated leaders take wiser risks, steward energy better, and create environments where others can thrive.

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Rob McKenna and Ron Carucci dive into the hidden forces that shape honesty, trust, and character inside organizations. Ron—co-founder of Navalent, bestselling author of To Be Honest, and one of the most unflinchingly candid voices in leadership—reveals what 30 years of research and experience have uncovered: honesty isn’t just a virtue. It’s a muscle. And organizations are either strengthening it… or eroding it every day.

Together, Rob and Ron revisit the early days of their collaboration, exploring what it really takes to lead alongside others with authenticity, speed, and grace. They reflect on the messy, beautiful realities of partnership, the tension between pace and presence, the power of emerging leaders, and the organizational conditions that predict whether people will tell the truth—or hide it.

Ron breaks down the four conditions that scientifically predict honesty and trustworthiness on a team, including accountability with dignity, say–do alignment, cross-functional integrity, and true transparency in decision-making. Through candid stories, personal reflection, and practical insights, this episode challenges leaders to examine not just who they are—but the environments they create.

This is a masterclass in leading with integrity in complex times, delivered with the honesty, humor, and clarity that only Ron Carucci can bring.

Leaders must practice honesty daily. Our brains are wired for truth, but our environments often pull us toward fear, self-protection, or silence.

There are four conditions that predict truth-telling or deception. Leaders either reinforce or erode integrity by the systems they tolerate.

If what you claim as a leader doesn’t match what people observe, you institutionalize duplicity.

When people feel seen and respected for their contributions, they are four times more likely to tell the truth.

If a room feels like orchestrated theater, people will seek truth elsewhere—usually in hushed corners.

Cross-functional tensions are where the truth fractures first. Healthy seams = healthy trust.

For more on Ron's work click the links below:

www.navalent.com

www.tobehonest.net