Why You Burn Out While Winning: The Deep Dive
Why You Burn Out While Winning: The Deep Dive April 8, 2026 This week Alex and Emily are discussing why executive burnout rarely hits during the chaos of a new role. Instead, it shows up much later, after the honeymoon phase fades and the adrenaline stops masking the accumulating stress. They explore the concept of […]
The First 90 Days After Promotion: Why Nobody Warns You About the Honeymoon Hangover
The First 90 Days After Promotion: Why Nobody Warns You About the Honeymoon Hangover April 8, 2026 I remember the day the announcement went out. New CEO. My name at the top of the org chart. Handshakes, congratulations, a few champagne toasts. I felt like I’d arrived. What nobody told me? That feeling doesn’t last […]
The Trap of Being Precisely Wrong: The Deep Dive
The Trap of Being Precisely Wrong: The Deep Dive April 1, 2026 This week Alex and Emily are discussing a provocative quote from Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s The Black Swan and what it reveals about how executives approach both business decisions and their own wellbeing. They explore why Julien chose to write a business fable rather […]
The Precision Trap: Why I Wrote a Fable Instead of a Business Book
The Precision Trap: Why I Wrote a Fable Instead of a Business Book April 1, 2026 I am a huge fan of Nassim Nicholas Taleb. His book The Black Swan is one of those rare works that delivers profound insights wrapped in a dry, almost sardonic wit. That combination is hard to pull off. Most […]
Psychological Safety in Not About Being Nice: The Deep Dive
Psychological Safety in Not About Being Nice: The Deep Dive March 25, 2026 This week, Alex and Emily are discussing the hidden ingredient that separates high-performing teams from dysfunctional ones, and it’s not what most leaders expect. They explore psychological safety, a concept that emerged from Harvard research and was later validated by Google’s massive […]
Psychological Safety: The Hidden Foundation Every Leader Overlooks
Psychological Safety: The Hidden Foundation Every Leader Overlooks March 25, 2026 I crashed in November 2023. At the Fort Lauderdale Airport, waiting for a flight home after running a private equity-backed company through five acquisitions, I fell apart. Broke down. Couldn’t stop crying. Crumbled in a way that would have been unthinkable to me just […]
Why Leaders Need Coaches Like Athletes: The Deep Dive
Why Leaders Need Coaches Like Athletes: The Deep Dive March 18, 2026 This week, Alex and Emily are discussing a question that makes most executives uncomfortable: why would someone at the top of their game need a coach? Drawing from Julien’s latest blog post, they explore the fascinating parallel between elite athletes and C-suite leaders. […]
What Is an Executive Coach and Why Would You Need One?
What Is an Executive Coach and Why Would You Need One? March 18, 2026 Tiger Woods won eight major championships with Butch Harmon as his swing coach. Eight. During what many consider the most dominant stretch in golf history, the greatest player on the planet had someone watching his every move, analyzing his mechanics, and […]
The Biological Case for Crying at Work: The Deep Dive
The Biological Case for Crying at Work: The Deep Dive March 11, 2026 This week, Alex and Emily are discussing one of the most uniquely human behaviors, emotional crying, and what it means for leaders in high-pressure environments. They explore the fascinating science behind tears, including why humans are the only species that cries from […]
Let It Out: What Crying Taught Me About Leadership (and Being Human)
Let It Out: What Crying Taught Me About Leadership (and Being Human) March 11, 2026 Spring 2014. I was standing in my office in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, staring at my screen. I was the brand manager for a leading organic pest control company, and we’d just launched a new e-commerce program targeting small organic farmers. An […]