In this episode of The Corvus Effect, Steffan Surdek, author of 'The Way of the Co-Creative Leader,' shares his transformative journey from software development to becoming a leadership innovator. The discussion delves into the principles of co-creative leadership, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability, collaboration, and sustainability in leading teams. Steffan outlines five key skills integral to co-creative leadership, including being a voice among many, unleashing the leaders around you, developing team capacity, dancing with the system, and fostering learning by doing. Through insightful anecdotes and practical advice, Steffan highlights how these skills can create lasting organizational change and can be applied in personal life for a more fulfilled existence.

This episode features a 'Too Long, Didn't Listen' (TLDL) summary of my conversation with Dan Vasquenza. Key takeaways include redefining success through genuine connection, prioritizing understanding before selling, and transforming personal challenges into purpose. Dan shares his experience as a father to a neurodiverse son, which led to his advocacy work with KultureCity. Another highlight is the importance of leaving things better than you found them, focusing on positively impacting others and ensuring your legacy is defined by how you made others feel. The episode emphasizes embracing personal challenges for growth and enhancing oneself to build a meaningful legacy.

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, Dan Vasquenza, a relationship-focused sales professional and advocate for inclusion, joins the conversation. Dan discusses his journey from corporate sales with the Atlanta Hawks to his entrepreneurship and advocacy work with KultureCity, a nonprofit focused on creating accessible environments for people with sensory needs and invisible disabilities. The discussion covers his philosophy on authentic sales strategies, the importance of understanding customer objectives, and his transition to entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dan also shares personal insights on fatherhood, his experiences raising a neurodiverse son, and how these influenced his contributions to the book 'A Fatherless Curiosity.' The episode emphasizes the importance of leaving a positive legacy and making impactful contributions to others' lives.

This episode features a 'Too Long, Didn't Listen' (TLDL) summary of my conversation with Peter Schaller, executive director of Rayo De Sol and Community development specialist. Key points include how authentic leadership can lead to profound impact, starting with Peter's personal journey from the northeastern US to Nicaragua, where he followed his passion for international development. The episode delves into his philosophy of 'starting small, thinking big,' which enabled Rayo De Sol to expand from one school to serving 41 communities with education, nutrition, healthcare, and economic development. Another major takeaway is Peter's perspective on leading with purpose, focusing on loving and serving the person in front of you, and the importance of maintaining spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual well-being to serve others effectively.

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, Peter Schaller, a community development specialist and executive director of Rayo Del Sol, discusses his journey from Connecticut to Nicaragua, where he dedicates his life to transforming communities. The conversation dives into Peter’s early influences, his holistic approach to leadership, the origins and evolution of Rayo Del Sol, and the importance of ethical leadership. Topics also include overcoming organizational challenges, building local leadership, the impact of volunteer work, and the interconnectedness of global social issues such as poverty and immigration. Peter shares how to get involved with Rayo Del Sol and the various ways individuals can contribute to creating sustainable change.

This episode features a 'Too Long, Didn't Listen' (TLDL) summary of my conversation with Justin Buonomo, founder of Journey to Financial Freedom. Key points include strategies for achieving financial independence, the importance of mindset shifts in managing wealth, and practical steps for effective financial planning. Justin’s experience and insights offer valuable guidance for those seeking to take control of their financial future.

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, Justin Buonomo, founder and CEO of Journey to Financial Freedom, shares his expertise in helping purpose-driven individuals transform their relationship with money into a tool for living their dream lives. Justin discusses his own challenging financial journey, the lessons he learned, and the principles of financial freedom he now teaches. The conversation delves into his four-step process for achieving financial freedom, including implementing the right systems, setting a mission for your money, increasing income, and building sustainable wealth. Justin emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, self-accountability, and creating a strong partnership with your significant other in managing finances effectively.

This episode features a 'Too Long, Didn't Listen' (TLDL) summary of my conversation with Colonel J. Scot Heathman. The discussion delves into his journey from military leadership to brain tumor survivor, emphasizing the power of servant leadership and self-command. Key points include the integration of structure with compassion, the critical role of self-awareness and self-accountability, and his insights on resilience after a life-changing health crisis. Scot shares how vulnerability and emotional intelligence foster high-trust leadership, drawing from both personal and professional experiences. The episode concludes with a look at his upcoming book, 'Command with Courage: Elevating Beyond Adversity,' which details his AIM framework for leadership.

 In this episode of The Corvus Effect, retired Colonel J. Scot Heathman, founder of Elevating Others, discusses his advanced servant leadership philosophy shaped by military experience and overcoming personal adversity, including a brain tumor. He shares how his passion for Star Wars fueled his dreams of flying and his journey in mastering self-command. The discussion extends into the power of emotional intelligence in leadership, the significance of accountability, and the creation of a culture that balances mission goals with personal growth. The conversation also highlights key principles from Heathman's upcoming book 'Command with Courage' and his mantra to 'Be Present, Be Bold, Be Innovative.'

In this TL;DL episode, I summarize my conversation with Sande Golgart, an executive leader with nearly three decades of experience. Sande believes that clarity is the ultimate superpower and discusses how recognizing limiting patterns can lead to true transformation. He emphasizes the importance of stopping, reflecting, and pivoting rather than perpetually engaging in unproductive actions. Sande also introduces the idea of purposeful inaction as a strategy for gaining clarity, comparing it to stepping off the 'hamster wheel' of constant activity for moments of peace and reflection. Lastly, he discusses his framework for impactful transformation called Simple Easy Growth (SEG), which involves envisioning future goals and addressing the gaps between current reality and desired outcomes in enjoyable, manageable steps. I encourage listeners to embrace purposeful relaxation and give themselves the grace to let life guide them while striving towards their goals. For more of Sande's insights, I encourage you to listen to the full episode.

 In this episode of The Corvus Effect, Sande Golgart, an executive leader with nearly three decades of experience, delves into the transformative power of clarity, pattern recognition, and purposeful interaction. Together, we explore how self-awareness and clarity can break limiting patterns and lead to true personal and professional transformation. Sande emphasizes the importance of managing energy, setting healthy boundaries, and aligning actions with personal values. Practical insights on meditation, developing habits, and embodying leadership qualities are also discussed. 

This episode features a 'Too Long, Didn't Listen' (TLDL) summary of my conversation with Rich Bishop, founder of Mid Game Consulting. Rich discusses how true growth occurs in uncomfortable spaces and the importance of integrating professional success with family presence. Key areas covered include the power of mid-game adjustments, collaborative leadership transformation, and prioritizing family. Rich shares insights on evolving through decisions and pivots, ensuring everyone is part of the transformative process, and structuring work to be present for family. This conversation emphasizes the value of self-leadership, self-awareness, and self-belief in pursuing personal and professional legacy.

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, Rich Bishop, founder of Mid Game Consulting, discusses the importance of embracing discomfort for personal and professional growth. He recounts his journey from finance roles in large corporations to founding his consultancy, which transforms businesses through data-driven strategies. Rich shares insights into leadership development, the significance of mid-game adjustments for business growth, and the challenge of balancing entrepreneurship with family life. The conversation highlights the essential components of self-leadership, effective empathy, and fostering a growth mindset both in business and at home.

In this TL;DL episode of The Corvus Effect, I summarize my conversation with Johnny Levy, a poet, CEO, and author. We explore breaking free from limiting identity definitions, embracing authentic expression, and leveraging one's unique superpower. Johnny shares his framework, the 'superpower quest,' consisting of five steps: Discover your superpower, Steward your kryptonite, Join forces, Build your utility belt, and Face your supervillain. We emphasize the importance of success without losing connections to your community and family.

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, I'm joined by Johnny Levy, a poet, CEO, and author, to discuss his journey and unique framework, the Superpower Quest, which helps individuals uncover their true identities and potential. Johnny shares his origin story, overcoming early life challenges in a tough Denver neighborhood, discovering his identity through personality assessments, and finding solace and expression in poetry. The conversation also delves into his business, Data Joe, and its mission-driven approach to partnership and storytelling. The episode highlights Johnny's Superpower Quest framework, which integrates multiple personality assessment influences and superhero motifs to help people understand their core drives, hero types, and unique abilities. Lastly, Johnny offers poignant advice on connecting with one's identity and leveraging weakness for personal and professional growth, ultimately aiming to foster supportive communities and lasting legacies.

This episode features a 'Too Long, Didn't Listen' (TLDL) summary of my conversation with Ken Corey. Key points include the evolution from technical leader to people-first leader, the importance of breaking the cycle of bad leadership, and leading with authenticity. Ken shares insights on developing interpersonal skills and conscious leadership to create a transformational impact. Reflecting on personal leadership experiences and emphasizing credit to the team and blame to oneself both in professional and family settings, Ken's core message is to love, give space, and practice forgiveness to foster growth and effective leadership.

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, Ken Corey, a seasoned engineering leader, shares his transformative journey from leading high-performance technical teams to taking a more present role in parenting. Ken discusses the evolution of traditional roles in both professional and personal spheres, the importance of interpersonal skills, and his commitment to redefining workplace dynamics through his work with 'Bad Bosses Ruin Lives.' The conversation also highlights the impact of management on employee performance, the necessity of self-awareness for leaders, and the challenges of conveying and applying these lessons at home. Ken’s insights offer valuable guidance on improving team productivity, fostering authentic relationships, and embracing the complexity of human interactions.

This episode of 'The Corvus Effect' features a summary of our conversation with Brandon Jenkins, who shares insights from his 20 years of Navy leadership. The discussion covers breaking free from predefined career paths to achieve authentic leadership, the importance of humility and curiosity in leadership, and the necessity of self-awareness, self-belief, and self-accountability. Brandon emphasizes empowering others through self-trust and relinquishing control while maintaining oversight. We encourage listeners to reflect on their own leadership paths and the alignment with their core values. 

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, Brandon Jenkins, founder of Tier One Coaching and a leadership coach with over 21 years of Navy experience, joins the conversation to delve into integrated self-leadership. Brandon shares his journey of discovering the 'golden path fallacy,' the importance of humility, curiosity, and authentic leadership. He emphasizes the significance of self-awareness, understanding one's unique purpose, and how these factors empower teams. The dialogue also explores actionable steps for leaders to let go of conventional paths, develop confidence, and harness the power of self-leadership to positively impact their teams and communities.

In this TL;DL (too long; didn’t listen) episode of 'The Corvus Effect,' I summarize of my conversation with guest Sharlee Lyons. The discussion emphasizes the importance of mindset, goal setting, and breaking free from mediocrity.  I’ll talk about how she shares her journey from an average performer to a Division I athlete, highlighting the role of passion and authenticity in achieving excellence. The episode also explores the significance of family as a foundation for personal and leadership growth, and the need for tailored communication. Listeners are encouraged to evaluate their own definitions of success and strive for continuous improvement.