The Conversation Leaders Are Afraid to Have

This is not a podcast interview. It's a raw, unfiltered conversation between two people who sit inside the private inner worlds of high-performing leaders and keep seeing the same quiet truth emerge.

Two different lanes (corporate leadership and entrepreneurship) but the same reckoning to be felt. Success that looks right on the outside while something inside is asking for honesty no one wants to name.

In this episode, Lisa McGuire and Jim Huling step out of expert mode and into real dialogue. No rehearsed answers. No motivational gloss. Just a direct conversation about what happens when achievement stops delivering meaning, and why the most capable people often feel the most trapped.

They talk openly about the experience of being successfully stuck: Not burned out. Not failing. Just misaligned...and working harder to avoid admitting it.

You'll hear why high performers keep this restlessness private, how over-functioning becomes a socially rewarded coping mechanism, and why clarity rarely comes before movement.

They compare what this looks like inside corporate leadership versus entrepreneurship, and why the external differences don't change the internal cost.

This conversation challenges the hustle narrative, confronts the pressure to "be grateful," and questions the idea that something must be broken for change to be necessary.

Most importantly, it offers a reframing many leaders have never been given: sometimes the discomfort isn't a problem to solve. It's an identity that has outgrown its current structure.

If you've been feeling successful but unsettled… If you've been carrying more than anyone realizes… If you've told yourself "I should be happy" and felt the quiet resistance underneath…

There is nothing wrong with you.

You may simply be standing at the edge of your next chapter, before the meaning has caught up with the shift.

Listen with honesty. Let it land. And notice what starts telling the truth inside you.

CONNECT WITH JIM

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

Subscribe to Execution Insights: https://www.youtube.com/@jimhulingcoaching

CONNECT WITH LISA

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/ WEBSITE: https://lisamcguire.com

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What happens when you build the "perfect life" only to realize it doesn't belong to you?

In this vulnerable and powerfully honest episode, former Walmart brand strategist- turned-entrepreneur, Jordan Schram, shares the story behind three life-changing words: "I'm choosing me."

Jordan didn't make a dramatic leap. She made a quiet decision to stop living a life built on external validation and start listening to the quiet truths inside her. As the founder of Purple Sky Strategy and creator of The Brand Edge program, she now helps women entrepreneurs align their identity and strategy and create brands rooted in authenticity, not in chasing algorithms.

This episode isn't about hustle or hype. It's about what becomes possible when you allow success to look different, and finally give yourself permission to stop proving and start living.

Whether you're successfully stuck, questioning your current path, or ready to build something that fits you, this conversation will name the truth you've been circling.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• You can feel successful and still be misaligned. That doesn't make you ungrateful. It makes you human.

• Strategic clarity and identity clarity must work together for your business to thrive.

• Human Design isn't fluff. It's a tool for self-understanding and aligned decisions.

• You are allowed to choose yourself before you have a 5-year plan.

• Entrepreneurship is personal development in disguise.

• Authenticity is a competitive edge, especially in the age of AI.

• The "Random Tuesday Rule" is a powerful framework for reclaiming everyday joy.

• You are not behind. You are at the threshold of your next chapter.

CONNECT WITH JORDAN

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/purpleskystrategy/

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanjschram/

THE BRAND EDGE: https://brandedge.purpleskystrategy.com/

CONNECT WITH LISA

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/ WEBSITE: https://lisamcguire.com

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There's a deeper shift happening under the chaos. It's one that most people can feel in their bones but don't yet have words for. If you've been feeling disoriented, "successfully stuck," or strangely calm in the middle of all the noise, this episode is for you.

In this solo episode, we name what many are sensing: the systems around us aren't just failing. They're breaking open. And that's not a problem… it's a purpose. Lisa McGuire guides you through the unseen transformation beneath today's uncertainty - a breakdown that's clearing the path for a new way of leading, living, and building.

You'll learn why your discomfort may be proof that you're evolving, what's replacing the old leadership models, and how to anchor your identity in a world that's constantly shifting. This isn't about trends, tactics, or tools — it's about who you're becoming and why you're right on time to help shape what comes next.

Key Takeaways

• The system isn't failing. It's breaking open...and that's a necessary evolution.

• Old structures based on performance, separation, and productivity were never designed for the kind of humans we are becoming.

• High achievers who feel "stuck" are not failing. They're evolving out of outdated definitions of success.

• This isn't a tech revolution. It's a consciousness shift toward presence, coherence, and identity-first leadership.

• You are not late to the game. You were born for this moment in history.

• Leaders who thrive in the next decade won't master more tools. They'll master themselves.

• What feels like collapse is actually initiation.

• The future will belong to those who lead with presence, not performance.

• Real relationships, not reach, are the currency of the new era.

• Energy isn't a soft skill. It's the strategy.

Article by Samuel Woods: The New Medieval: How AI Is Rebooting Reality https://bionicwriter.com/p/new-medieval-how-ai-is-rebooting-reality?fbclid=IwY2xjawPcTA9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFWdTQxV2MwNUhPRlNlQTVnc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHs1wqQyIUlR86QxPKmJwH4f9I_fw9hENt44xZh5pVjgS8sBAePcO_xyjDuxe_aem_iDB2xFMK3vVLOGVhO2Asyw

Kind: The Quiet Power of Kindness at Work by Graham Allcott: https://www.amazon.com/KIND-quiet-power-kindness-work/dp/B0DJMQDLTD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2U6OHF58BF5C&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ke0XcsN-qFQd9HMqqRhe4g.hNIF_JebGxU5xgJaNuEhEbxsXm4LqzCI43I1RCg8BGU/

Connect with Lisa

Website: https://lisamcguire.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamlisamcguire/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamlisamcguire LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamlisamcguire/videos Beyond the Transaction Mastermind - Apply to join the group: https://beyondthetransactionmm.com/register

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Have you ever felt exhausted, not because of overwork, but because of over-managing how you're perceived?

This solo episode is not just a reflection. It's a reckoning. In one of the most real straight-talking episodes of Your Passion, Purpose and Personal Brand, Lisa explores the unseen exhaustion that comes from performing who we think we need to be. Whether it's showing up in business, family roles, or social settings, the constant need to curate ourselves for others can leave us quietly depleted.

Lisa shares raw, personal stories, from the lessons she learned as the eldest daughter to navigating the aftermath of loss. She names a pattern we've all felt but haven't always trusted: performance as survival. And what's waiting on the other side is not a new self to become... It's the one we've been protecting all along.

No hype. No fix-it formulas. This is a refreshingly honest invitation to come home to yourself.

Because transformation doesn't always roar.

Key Takeaways

• Performing isn't fake. It's a learned adaptation that once kept us safe.

• We're taught to manage how we're seen, especially in professional and familial roles.

• Women and men carry different, but equally heavy, emotional labor.

• Embodiment is less about doing and more about being, quietly and honestly.

• The self you protect is not your core. It's a strategy.

• Letting go of performance opens the door to clarity, peace, and self-trust.

• Real safety isn't being "fixed." It's being seen. Sometimes, it whispers, "You're already here."

CONNECT WITH LISA

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/ WEBSITE: https://lisamcguire.com

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What if the version of you the world applauds… is the one that's quietly breaking you?

This episode of Your Passion, Purpose, and Personal Brand is sure to stick with you. Lisa McGuire invites business coach and former agency leader Jake Brown, into a conversation that names something many of us have lived for far too long:

The exhaustion of pretending. The fear of being "found out." The cost of crafting a life that looks good, but doesn't feel like you.

Jake spent 20+ years building agencies, collecting accolades, and performing success; all while hiding his ADHD, working nights and weekends, and wearing a mask that kept the world clapping... but kept him unseen.

After a traumatic brain injury forced a full reset, Jake began asking two game-changing thoughts:

"Says who?" "I don't want to."

That was the start of everything changing. Now, Jake helps late-diagnosed ADHD founders and creatives build businesses that don't require them to betray themselves. Through his ADHD Tides Framework and Brain Friction Scorecard, he shows people how to work with their wiring — not against it — and finally live without the mask.

If you've ever felt like you were too much, not enough, or had to perform to belong… this episode is your invitation to come home to yourself.

This Conversation Will Help You:

• Understand why masking your true self feels so exhausting, and how it shows up in life, leadership, and work

• Learn how ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence affect focus, energy, and shame

• Discover why so many high achievers secretly feel stuck or broken (even while they're "crushing it")

• Use the ADHD Tides Framework to map your natural rhythms and stop pushing through low-tide days

• Reduce "brain friction" by identifying the hidden ways your executive function is burning out

• Reclaim your energy by learning the difference between constant and consistent

• Replace shame with strategy — and isolation with compassion

CONNECT WITH JAKE LINKEDIN : https://www.linkedin.com/in/airballoon/ WEBSITE: jakebrown.co Brain Friction Scorecard: jakebrown.co

CONNECT WITH LISA

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/ WEBSITE: https://lisamcguire.com

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Have you ever felt that quiet tug? It feels like an unshakable nudge that you're meant to use your voice in a more visible way… but you keep circling the same hesitation loop?

In this conversation, host Lisa McGuire sits down with Cheryl Tan, former news anchor turned media coach and show launch strategist, to unravel the REAL reasons we hold back from stepping into the spotlight. This episode isn't about hyping up podcasting or video content. It's about naming the fears, the friction, and the unspoken stories that keep so many gifted leaders successfully stuck.

Whether you're dreaming of a podcast, exploring LinkedIn video, or just trying to feel more present and confident on camera, this episode is your permission slip to begin before you're ready...and your roadmap for doing it with purpose, presence, and peace.

Because showing up isn't about being perfect. It's about being real.

Key Takeaways

• The biggest block isn't tech. It's your message clarity.

• Visibility reluctance is normal, but it doesn't have to be permanent.

• You don't need fancy equipment. Your phone and a window will do.

• Presence always trumps performance.

• You are not the hero of your show. Your audience is.

• Storytelling is still the most powerful tool for human connection, even in an AI-driven world.

• Consistency and small reps build confidence, not over-preparation.

• You'll never "feel" fully ready. Start anyway.

• Authenticity is your strategy.

• Podcasts and videos aren't marketing tools. They're mirrors for your message.

CONNECT WITH CHERYL

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryltanmedia/

NEWSLETTER: https://cheryltanmedia.com/newsletter/

JOIN THE VIDEO CHALLENGE: https://mastervideotoday.com/

CONNECT WITH LISA

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/ Beyond the Transaction Mastermind - Apply to join the group: https://beyondthetransactionmm.com/register

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Freedom Reset: Your Next Steps to Realignment Register: https://go.lisamcguire.com/freedom-reset

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Take a breath. Let the pace slow. As we close out a year that has quietly changed many of us, this final episode of 2025 invites you into a different kind of conversation. It one not rooted in resolutions or reinvention for performance, but in presence and purpose.

Have you ever found yourself busy but unfulfilled? Productive but misaligned? You're not alone. This isn't just another year-end reflection. It's a reorientation.

We explore the deeper truth behind the ever-popular "comeback" narrative and ask the question: Are you running from something… or toward something?

From the psychology of sustainable change to the tender process of identity evolution, this episode offers grounding insight, soul-deep reflection, and a mirror to help you name what's quietly been shifting inside you.

Whether you're standing at a threshold or simply tired of resolutions that never stick, this episode will help you come back—not to who you were, but to who you're becoming.

Key Takeaways:

• True comebacks aren't about returning. They're about reconstructing.
• Avoidance creates motion. Approach creates meaning.
• Lasting change begins with identity, not behavior.
• The nervous system responds better to direction than to resistance.
• You don't need to fix everything. You just need to choose your direction.
• Let go of the pressure to "figure it all out." Focus on where your soul is pointing.
• Direction is not a one-time decision—it's a daily return

CONNECT WITH LISA

Beyond the Transaction Mastermind - Apply to join the group: https://beyondthetransactionmm.com/register

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Freedom Reset: Your Next Steps to Realignment Register: https://go.lisamcguire.com/freedom-reset

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When growth stalls, it's time to get personal. Ever felt like you've done all the "right" things in your business, but your results don't add up?

You're not alone.

In this episode of Your Passion, Purpose, and Personal Brand, host Lisa McGuire sits down with business strategist Maeve Ferguson to challenge everything we've been told about marketing funnels, freebies, and formulas. They explore the quiet revolution happening behind the scenes that few people know about yet. It's one driven by data, dignity, and diagnostics.

This is not another pep talk. This is a call to alignment.

You'll learn why personalization is the new currency in business, how traditional funnels are quietly failing, and what it really takes to attract high-level clients without selling your soul (or your calendar) to outdated discovery calls.

Maeve reveals how entrepreneurs are collapsing months of guesswork into clarity by transforming their intellectual property into score-based diagnostics that do more than convert. They connect.

If you've ever whispered to yourself, "I know I'm meant for more...but I don't know where I lost the map," this conversation is your compass.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Traditional funnels are outdated. Today's audiences crave personalization.

2. Diagnostic assessments segment leads for higher precision and conversions.

3. Mass emails and checklist freebies often repel rather than attract.

4. Your audience's sophistication has evolved. It's time your strategy does too.

5. Diagnostics let you identify who's truly ready and willing to buy.

6. Rich niche positioning attracts elevated clients and filters out misaligned ones.

7. Mapping your IP (yes, you have it) gives clarity, confidence, and authority.

8. AI and mediocrity are flooding the market. Your differentiation is being real.

9. When you stop chasing and start aligning, sales become symphonic.

10. Success is not about "doing more." It's about becoming more of who you are.

CONNECT WITH MAEVE

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maeveferguson/ Instagram Profile: https://www.instagram.com/iammaeveferguson/ Website: www.maeveferguson.com

CHECK OUT MAEVE'S FREE RESOURCE: https://www.impactscoreassessment.com

CONNECT WITH LISA

Beyond the Transaction Mastermind - Apply to join the group: https://beyondthetransactionmm.com/register

Sign up for Lisa's "so much more" newsletter: https://www.thediyframework.com/so-much-more-subscribe

Freedom Reset: Your Next Steps to Realignment Register: https://go.lisamcguire.com/freedom-reset

Human Design Masterclass Waitlist: https://go.lisamcguire.com/human-design-masterclass-waitlist

Ideal Client Workshop Waitlist: https://go.lisamcguire.com/ideal-client-workshop-waitlist-icww785155

Get your free Human Design Bodygraph: https://lisamcguire.com/get-your-free-chart/

What if writing a book wasn't just about telling your story, but about becoming who you're meant to be?

In this episode of Your Passion, Purpose, and Personal Brand podcast, host Lisa McGuire is joined by bestselling author and brand strategist Mike Kim, to uncover the raw, creative, and often chaotic truth behind writing a transformational book.

Mike doesn't just teach branding. He lives and embodies it. And in this conversation, he opens up about the mandate to write, the emotional rollercoaster of authorship, and how your book may end up shaping you more than you shape it.

If you've ever felt a whisper saying "you have something to say," this episode is your invitation to start.

You'll walk away not only with practical steps to begin, but a new way to see yourself as someone already becoming the next version of who you were meant to be.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Writing a book can change the author more than the audience.

• There's a big difference between wanting to write, feeling called, and being mandated.

• Your manuscript is not a project—it's a relationship.

• Most people quit in the "messy middle," but that's where the transformation begins.

• There is no perfect writing process—only your process.

• AI can't replace your energy, stories, or lived experience.

• Writing connects you to a deeper identity—one you've been evolving toward.

• Creating space from social media can reignite creative fire.

• The "book that writes you" reveals truths you didn't know you were carrying.

CONNECT WITH MIKE

Mike Kim's Book Writing Accelerator: http://mikekim.com/writeyourbook

Website: https://mikekim.com/

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

CONNECT WITH LISA

Register for the Beyond the Transaction Mastermind - Apply to join the group: https://beyondthetransactionmm.com/register

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Freedom Reset: Your Next Steps to Realignment Register: https://go.lisamcguire.com/freedom-reset

Human Design Masterclass Waitlist: https://go.lisamcguire.com/human-design-masterclass-waitlist

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LET'S GET SOCIAL

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamlisamcguire/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamlisamcguire LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamlisamcguire/videos

Sometimes, doing all the "right things" still doesn't move the needle.

You're showing up, sharing your expertise, creating valuable content—but the connections? The traction? They're just not happening.

In today's episode of Your Passion, Purpose, and Personal Brand, I'm joined by Adam Pounds, a content strategist and relationship architect who's been on both sides of that experience. We talk about what it really means to feel "successfully stuck," that frustrating place where effort doesn't quite lead to results — and explore how shifting from performance to presence can change everything.

Adam shares thoughtful insights on leading with value, building real relationships online, and why the human element matters more now than ever.

So what's missing?

Connection. And Adam reveals exactly how to fix it.

You'll discover his powerful "Three R Framework" for outreach that feels like service, not spam. Plus, you'll hear how AI can support — not replace — the human touch, and how value-first engagement can lead to real relationships and business growth.

This episode is packed with perspective-shifting insights, practical strategies, and actionable steps to help you move from performance to presence and from content to connection.

Key Takeaways:

• Why "successfully stuck" content creators struggle despite showing up consistently.

• How to use Adam's Three R Framework: Right Person, Right Time, Right Value.

• Why "permission-based outreach" builds trust and leads to stronger relationships.

• How to integrate AI with heart and without losing the human touch.

• Why volume doesn't equal value: how to shift from noise to resonance.

• What "value-first outreach" actually looks like (and how to do it).

• How voice and nuance help AI reflect your true message.

• Why who you are matters more than how often you post.

• How to move from digital connections to meaningful conversations.

• Why visibility reluctance is often a sign you're focusing too much on yourself.

CONNECT WITH ADAM

Get your Engagement-to-Conversation Playbook https://www.safdigital.net/engagement-playbook/

Inside is... - A 2-step deep-dive research prompt to understand WHO has been engaging with your content and WHAT their situation is. - 7 copy-paste scripts for permissioned outreach (email and LinkedIn DM) - And a "How to Not Sound Creepy" guide to starting a conversation via DM and email

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adampounds/

CONNECT WITH LISA

Register for the Beyond the Transaction Mastermind - Apply to join the group: https://beyondthetransactionmm.com/register

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Freedom Reset: Your Next Steps to Realignment Register: https://go.lisamcguire.com/freedom-reset

Human Design Masterclass Waitlist: https://go.lisamcguire.com/human-design-masterclass-waitlist

Magnetic Client Attraction: The New Ideal Client Framework: https://go.lisamcguire.com/ideal-client-workshop-icw

Get your free Human Design Bodygraph: https://lisamcguire.com/get-your-free-chart/

LET'S GET SOCIAL

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamlisamcguire/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamlisamcguire LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mcguire/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamlisamcguire/videos