Episodes

An eight-year-old boy wanted to wear jeans like his classmates. That request exposed a gap in adaptive fashion and pushed his mother, Mindy Scheier, to challenge an industry that kept saying no. Mindy's son Oliver has a rare form of muscular dystrophy and struggled with buttons and zippers. As a fashion designer, she altered a pair of jeans overnight. Watching Oliver dress independently changed how she understood clothing, confidence, and choice. Building Runway of Dreams was far from an overni...

What if the business that made you successful is now the thing keeping you stuck? For Chip Conley, midlife transitions meant finding the courage to leave before he knew what came next. Chip grew Joie de Vivre from one boutique hotel to 52, but eventually felt trapped by the company he built. A near-death experience made him confront a truth he had avoided: the success he created no longer gave him the freedom he wanted. After selling during the Great Recession, Chip joined Airbnb as a "modern e...

What happens when authentic leadership starts costing you access, reputation, or opportunity? Jaime Taets asks how many small edits it takes before the version of you that succeeds no longer feels like you. In this solo episode recorded from Taets Farm, Jaime reflects on a conversation about a potential high-profile podcast guest whose public role limits what he can share. The introduction could help grow the show, but what happens when the most meaningful parts of the story have to stay hidden?...

What happens when life delivers an unplanned unfolding you never saw coming? Andy Nelson was diagnosed with stage IV cancer ten years ago. The five-year survival rate for his type of cancer was six percent. He is still here. And he says the experience gave him clarity he could not have found any other way. Andy Nelson is a dad, a husband, a leadership coach, and a stage IV cancer survivor. He joins Jaime Taets for a conversation about what it actually takes to keep moving when you do not know w...

What do you do with everything you have lived through? The wins. The failures. The years that knocked you sideways. Most of us file it away and treat it like it is private. But what if the thing you learned the hard way is exactly what someone else needs to hear? In this solo episode, Jaime Taets explores the difference between knowledge and wisdom. She shares why life experience alone does not create wisdom and why so many high achievers are sitting on wisdom they have never actually used. Know...

What happens when you leave a successful corporate career to lead a nonprofit you know as a parent, but not as a leader? Kim Snow knows this journey intimately. She spent years at Cargill leading strategy, marketing, and client services. Then she stepped into the role of Executive Director at Franklin Center, a school and adult program for individuals with neurodiversity. She was not an educator. She did not have a background in behavioral health. But she had curiosity, business experience, and ...

You know that feeling when something just clicks? When your body tells you yes before your brain can explain why? Jaime Taets calls it the fizzies, and she believes it is the most honest data you will ever have about whether you are on the right path. In this solo episode, Jaime explains what the fizzies are and why she started paying attention to them over a decade ago. It is that tingly sensation, the hair standing up on your arms, the moment when you feel fully alive and present. It shows up ...

What happens when you've achieved everything you set out to accomplish, but you wake up one day and realize you've lost yourself in the process? Chris Heim, a three-time CEO and founder of Heim Leadership, joins Jaime to talk about reclaiming your identity when the title no longer defines you. Chris openly shares his journey from accidental CEO to someone who now understands that leadership isn't just about business outcomes. It's about creating an environment where motivated people can thriv...

Why do so many leaders feel empty despite achieving everything they set out to accomplish? The answer might surprise you. It's not about insecurity or weakness. It's about validation, and it's addictive. In this solo episode, Jaime Taets pulls back the curtain on a theme she's seen emerging in leaders everywhere: the relentless need for external approval. She shares why validation isn't about being insecure, how early career success trains us to seek it, and why the addiction cycle keeps leaders...

What happens when the mountain you finally climbed disappears beneath your feet? Dr. Linda Schubring faced that exact moment and learned that losing a job doesn't mean losing your purpose. Dr. Linda Schubring joins Jaime Taets for an honest conversation about leadership, identity, resilience, and what it really takes to heal. Linda shares her journey from aspiring college president to reaching a leadership role at 29, losing that position, rebuilding her identity, becoming a mother and business ...

What happens when you're a high-performing leader who loves the work, but you're exhausted in a way that a vacation won't fix? Jaime Taets gets honest about her own journey with burnout and what she's learned about the weight of responsibility. Jaime shares why burnout is one of the most overused words in leadership, and why it's often misunderstood. It's not about hating your job. It's about caring so much that you take on everything: every problem, every outcome, everyone's emotions. That s...

Leadership development doesn't happen where you're comfortable. Matt Ropchak shares why the biggest breakthroughs begin the moment you stop keeping both feet in the familiar. Leadership development isn't about collecting promotions. It's about growing through uncertainty, embracing discomfort, and developing people instead of simply solving problems. Matt Ropchak joins Jaime Taets to share the experiences that reshaped his leadership, from overcoming imposter syndrome to surviving a life-chan...

Leadership burnout isn't always about working too hard—it can be a signal that something is out of alignment. Erin Newkirk shares why leaders need to pause, ground themselves, manage their energy, and stop confusing performative work with productive leadership. Erin Newkirk joins Jaime Taets for a conversation about career transitions, leadership, energy management, and the inner work that often gets ignored when success becomes the goal. From General Mills to entrepreneurship, healthcare, an...

Trust with yourself is the foundation of sustainable success. Ashley Hawks shares what happened when the success she built no longer made her happy and how she rebuilt her life, leadership, and purpose from the inside out. Ashley Hawks, serial entrepreneur and owner of SOAR Leadership Groups, joins Jaime Taets for an honest conversation about what happens behind the highlight reel. From building and selling Forever Bride to David's Bridal, navigating corporate leadership, health challenges, burn...

The point is not to have all the answers. Hillary Spreizer shares why leadership success is not about being the smartest person in the room. Hillary Spreizer, CEO and owner of Latitude Group, joins Jaime Taets for a brutally honest conversation about what leadership really looks like when the wins are happening but you are falling apart behind the scenes. She shares how buying a company, navigating post-COVID growth, and constantly chasing the next milestone forced her to rethink burnout, resil...

Leadership burnout does not always happen when everything falls apart. Sometimes it happens when everything is going right, but the pace, pressure, and responsibility are no longer sustainable. Josh Helgesen, CEO and majority owner of Greiner Construction, joins Jaime Taets to talk about the hidden weight of leadership, energy management, self-leadership, and the cost of confusing exhaustion with success. Josh shares his 26-year journey from apprentice carpenter to CEO, what changed when he real...

Redefining success through joy means learning that resilience is not always about pushing harder. It is knowing when to pause, heal, and find joy in the storm. Kelli Williams, healing-informed executive coach, business and marketing strategist, storyteller, and former nonprofit leader, joins Jaime Taets for a conversation about resilience, identity, guilt, people-pleasing, and redefining what success really means. Kelli opens up about the experiences that shaped her leadership, including being ...

Leadership through adversity is not about avoiding the valley. It is about building a foundation strong enough to keep you moving through it. Ben Utecht, former NFL tight end, Super Bowl champion, speaker, author, and culture expert, joins Jaime Taets for a conversation about fear, failure, preparation, belief, identity, and the peaks and valleys that shape a meaningful life. Ben shares the story of going from a potential first-round NFL draft pick to an undrafted free agent after a devastating...

You control more than you think. Giselle Ugarte shares why you're more powerful than you realize and how to stop giving your power away to other people's opinions. Giselle Ugarte, performance coach, international speaker, and executive coach, joins Jaime Taets for a candid conversation about control, confidence, authenticity, and the pressure of other people's expectations. After leaving college without a plan, Giselle reinvented herself multiple times before launching her own business during...

Resilience isn't built only when life gets hard. Kristi Piehl explains why choosing difficult things when you can may prepare you for the fear you can't choose. Kristi Piehl, Founder and CEO of Media Minefield, joins Jaime Taets for a vulnerable conversation about resilience, fear, leadership, identity, and the moments that force us to rethink what matters most. After losing her television news career during the 2008 economic crisis, Kristi spent nearly two years figuring out what came next b...

What happens when you finally achieve everything you thought you wanted, only to realize it doesn't feel like enough? Andrea Sullivan shares why your next chapter may begin when you give yourself permission to dream again. Personal growth can require letting go of the identity that made you successful. Andrea Sullivan, CEO and Co-Founder of vYve and former Chief Marketing Officer of VaynerX and Interbrand, joins Jaime Taets for a candid conversation about identity, success, and the courage to...

You don't need to have everything figured out before taking the next step. Lindsay Holden shares why trusting your instincts, embracing progress over perfection, and believing in your vision can lead to extraordinary growth. Building a successful business isn't about having all the answers. It's about staying curious, making decisions with confidence, and continuing to move forward even when the path isn't clear. Lindsay Holden, Co-Founder of Odele Beauty, joins Jaime Taets to share her journ...

| Erin Newkirk is the Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at Caribou Coffee. Her career journey has been anything but typical and in this episode Erin shares her perspective on leading from the Head, Heart, Gut and Voice to truly create impact as a leader.

| Tami Enfield, a Brand Strategist and the founder of Brand Yourself, a consultancy launched in 2011. Not only does she LOVE marketing strategy, it’s also her passion. She loves consulting about as much as she loves reading about it. After launching Brand Yourself, she’s been told (and tries to embody) that she has a mix of intelligence, humor, and heart that creates a safe space for her clients to openly discuss their business challenges. Her mission is to give the gift of authenticity to the i...