Leadership Kitchen

Епизоди

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  Can You Lead Yourself? Jessica Lacher on Self-Leadership, Freedom and Finding Your Own Path 08.09.2026 36мин

  In this episode of Leadership Kitchen, I sit down with Jessica Lacher, Nomad Transition Coach and Mentor, to talk about self-leadership, leaving corporate life, burnout, location freedom, building your own structure, managing your energy, and what it really takes to become your own leader.Jessica started her career in IT project management and consulting, building what looked from the outside like a successful corporate career. But after experiencing burnout in her mid-20s, she began questioning what she actually wanted from her work and life. She eventually left corporate leadership behind, became self-employed, and built a location-independent life that has taken her to more than 60 countries. For Jessica, that transition wasn't only about changing where she worked. It was about learning how to lead herself.Together we explore:• Why burnout became a wake-up call for Jessica and made her question what success really meant to her• How to figure out what you actually want instead of simply following the path society expects from you• Why location freedom isn't quite as glamorous as it looks on Instagram• What happens when there is no boss, no office, and nobody else creating structure or deadlines for you• Why freedom comes with responsibility, discipline, and a lot more decision-making• How to know whether a location-independent lifestyle is actually right for you• Why managing your energy, not only your time, can lead to more sustainable performance• How personal growth and business growth are connected, especially for founders and entrepreneurs• Why self-awareness becomes even more important as you move into leadership• What leaders can learn from doing personal retrospectives, not just business retrospectives• Why knowing yourself may be the foundation of self-leadership and leadership itselfAnd of course, Jessica shares her Leadership Recipe:🥄 Self-care🥄 Love for yourself and the people around you🥄 Personal growth and curiosity🥄 Openness to different perspectives🥄 A systemic view of life and leadership🥄 Agility, flexibility and adaptabilityBecause self-leadership isn't simply about being productive or disciplined. It's about knowing yourself, understanding what matters to you, taking responsibility for your choices, and building a life and way of working that actually fits who you are.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Leadership Kitchen01:37 Burnout, corporate success and the moment everything changed03:26 How do you figure out what you actually want?06:50 Getting to know yourself and finding your direction07:40 Jessica's favorite food and life outside the kitchen09:57 The reality behind location freedom12:42 The hidden mental load of a location-independent life13:32 No boss, no office: creating your own structure15:18 Is location-independent life actually right for you?18:24 Routines, adaptability and constantly starting again20:42 Should we manage our time or our energy?24:37 Why personal growth and business growth are connected27:55 Self-awareness and the leadership blind spot30:17 Seeing the whole person behind the employee32:11 Why we need personal retrospectives36:19 Jessica's Leadership Recipe39:16 What should you know before becoming location independent?43:13 Final reflections and closingThe conversation covers self-leadership, burnout, location-independent work, digital nomad life, self-awareness, energy management, personal growth, leadership, freedom, discipline, adaptability, founder wellbeing, and why leading others may need to start with learning how to lead yourself.Connect with Jessica Lacher:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalacher/Connect with Renita Käsper:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renitakasper/Follow Leadership Kitchen for more conversations on leadership, AI, hiring, founder journeys, self-leadership, and building teams across cultures and borders:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-kitchen/
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  Mayada Fahim: From Engineer to Head of Engineering, Building Teams, Culture and Leadership 20.08.2026 31мин

  In this episode of Leadership Kitchen, I sit down with Mayada Fahim, Head of Engineering at JOIN, to talk about her journey from software engineer to leading an engineering organization of around 50 people, building high-performing teams, hiring for culture, women in engineering, and what great engineering leadership really looks like.Mayada grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, and knew from a very young age that she wanted to become an engineer. After starting her career as a software engineer in Egypt, she moved to Berlin looking for a new challenge and an opportunity to learn in a more international environment. Eight years later, she is still at JOIN, having grown from software engineer to Head of Engineering.Together we explore:• Why Mayada left Egypt for Berlin and what she learned from starting over in a new country• How she went from software engineer to Head of Engineering by taking initiative and solving problems beyond her role• Why great teams start with hiring for culture and mindset, not just technical skills• The surprising reality of becoming a manager and why leadership results can take months to show• Why engineering leaders need to stay hands-on, especially in the age of AI• Women in engineering, imposter syndrome, and the problem with being treated as a diversity token• Why new managers shouldn't rush to change everything in their first 90 days• How great leaders build trust, stay close to their teams, and create a culture where people want to performAnd of course, Mayada shares her Leadership Recipe:🥄 Stay close to your team🥄 Stay hands-on and understand what your people are experiencing🥄 Build the environment and tools that enable people to deliverBecause leadership isn't about changing everything the moment you become a manager. It's about understanding your people, earning their trust, creating the right culture, and giving them the environment to do their best work.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Leadership Kitchen00:40 From Alexandria to engineering and moving to Berlin02:28 Finding an engineering role in a new country03:48 Why Mayada chose JOIN05:15 Becoming an engineer and the influence of childhood06:38 How we can encourage more women into engineering07:30 Mayada's favorite food and Egyptian cooking09:07 From software engineer to engineering leader10:40 Building a new team and hiring different profiles12:50 Taking initiative and earning your leadership role14:12 The surprising reality of becoming a manager16:00 Why great teams start with hiring18:09 Do engineering managers still need to be technical?19:27 How AI is changing engineering leadership20:25 Supporting women in engineering22:13 Imposter syndrome and proving yourself24:58 Advice for new engineering managers: the first 90 days28:10 What makes a great engineering leader?29:46 Mayada's Leadership Recipe30:37 Final reflections and closingThe conversation covers engineering leadership, career growth, hiring, culture, AI, women in tech, imposter syndrome, change management, and why great leaders stay close enough to their teams to understand what is really happening.Connect with Mayada Fahim: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayada-fahim/Connect with Renita Käsper:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renitakasper/Follow Leadership Kitchen for more conversations on leadership, AI, hiring, founder journeys, and building teams across cultures and borders:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-kitchen/
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  Liina Laas on Building Knowzilla, AI Sales and Why Startups Don't Have to Hurt 27.07.2026 50мин

  In this episode of Leadership Kitchen, I sit down with Liina Laas, co-founder and CEO of Knowzilla, to talk about building an AI startup, scaling sales teams, fundraising, and what leadership really looks like when you're building a company from scratch.Liina has spent her career helping startups grow, from early-stage ventures to scaling Deel from around 100 employees to more than 7,000 globally. Today she's building Knowzilla, an AI-powered revenue intelligence platform that helps sales teams learn faster, perform better, and turn knowledge into results.Together we explore:• Why Liina left one of Europe's fastest-growing companies to build her own startup• How Knowzilla was born from a real customer problem• Finding technical co-founders and why networking still beats waiting• Building AI products when even engineers sometimes ask, "Why does it work?"• Why talking to customers should shape every product decision• Raising venture capital and the fundraising lessons every founder should know• The biggest mistakes startups make when hiring their first salespeople• Why onboarding, culture, and compensation matter more than hiring "rockstars"• Sales myths, commission structures, and why capped bonuses hurt performance• Leadership without ego, understanding people, and building teams that solve problems together• Advice for women founders who are still waiting for the "right moment" to startAnd of course, Liina shares her Leadership Recipe:🥄 Trust your people to solve problems🥄 Stay curious and keep learning🥄 Ask anyway, because if you don't ask, you already have a noBecause leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about building an environment where great people can find them together.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Leadership Kitchen00:40 Meet Liina Laas and the story behind Knowzilla02:11 Leadership, predictability and caring less about others' opinions04:44 Cooking as therapy and founder recipes07:10 Why Liina left Deel after scaling from 100 to 7,000 employees09:51 When startups need processes to scale11:41 What Liina misses about Deel12:39 Finding technical co-founders and building Knowzilla15:16 The biggest challenges of building an AI startup17:51 Communication between founders, product and engineering18:36 Is startup life really as hard as people say?22:10 Raising venture capital and learning how much money to ask for27:10 Hiring great salespeople and common recruitment mistakes31:05 Enterprise sales versus startup sales33:08 Red flags when hiring salespeople35:16 Building motivating sales compensation plans41:07 Why capped commissions don't work43:06 Liina's leadership philosophy44:57 Leadership stereotypes and women in leadership47:42 Advice for women founders ready to build something new49:47 Final reflections and closingThe conversation covers startup building, AI product development, fundraising, sales leadership, hiring, and why the best founders stay close to their customers while creating cultures where people can do their best work.Connect with Liina Laas:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liinalaas/Connect with Renita Käsper:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renitakasper/Follow Leadership Kitchen for more conversations on leadership, AI, hiring, founder journeys, and building teams across cultures and borders:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-kitchen/
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  From LinkedIn to Founder: Gina Schinkel on Building Driftawave, Imposter Syndrome and the Future of Remote Work 28.06.2026 54мин

  In this episode of Leadership Kitchen, I sit down with Gina Schinkel, founder of Driftawave, startup advisor, speaker, and former LinkedIn Talent Solutions leader, to talk about founder journeys, remote work, and building something before you feel ready.Gina's career path has taken her from hospitality and tourism across the world to tech sales and entrepreneurship. Today she helps distributed teams create meaningful in-person experiences through retreats, workations, and offsites.Together we explore:• What it really feels like to leave a stable corporate job and become a founder• The reality of imposter syndrome and building confidence as you go• Why mentors, communities, and founder networks matter• How to measure the impact of retreats and offsites in remote companies• What remote teams still get wrong about connection and trust• Supporting neurodivergent employees in distributed workplaces• Why building a founder brand can open unexpected doors• The small wins, setbacks, and celebrations that come with building a businessAnd of course, Gina shares her Leadership Recipe:🥄 Belief🥄 Energy🥄 A hack-the-game mentalityBecause leadership isn't built from perfect recipes. It's built through experimentation, difficult decisions, and learning as you go.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Leadership Kitchen00:16 Meet Gina Schinkel and her unconventional career journey02:03 Measuring the value of in-person connection in remote work03:12 The Greek recipe and the power of shared meals06:44 From Australia to Aruba: building a global life and career11:09 Leaving LinkedIn to become a founder14:36 Fear, imposter syndrome and making the jump18:09 Family doubts and finding support as an entrepreneur25:36 Why Gina built Driftawave27:10 How often remote teams should meet in person28:53 Measuring ROI from retreats and workations30:14 Offsites as rewards, culture builders and employer branding33:38 Gina's hardest leadership lesson35:34 Leadership, AI and managing teams in startups40:13 The missing ingredient in remote work: trust and respect42:02 Supporting neurodivergent employees at company retreats46:27 Advice for women founders struggling with confidence47:41 When do you finally feel like a founder?51:39 Gina's Leadership Recipe54:30 Final reflections and outroThe conversation covers Gina's journey from global travel and hospitality to entrepreneurship, the realities of startup life, and the evolving role of human connection in distributed work.Connect with Gina Schinkel:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginaschinkel/Connect with Renita Käsper:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renitakasper/Follow Leadership Kitchen for more conversations on leadership, hiring, founder journeys, and building teams across cultures and borders:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-kitchen/
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  Everything That Could Go Wrong, Went Wrong — Founder Lessons from Alisher Jafarov 03.06.2026 1ч 6мин

  What happens when your co-founder leaves, your product isn't ready, the money is running out, and you still decide to keep building?In the first episode of Leadership Kitchen, I sit down with Alisher Jafarov, founder and CEO of Avery, to talk about startup reality, hiring, leadership under pressure, trusting your gut, and why honesty might be the most underrated leadership skill.We discuss:Building a startup when everything goes wrongWhy hiring managers own hiring successThe role of AI in recruitmentFounder loneliness and resilienceLeadership lessons from the kitchenLeadership isn't built from perfect recipes. It's built through experimentation, difficult decisions, and learning as you go.And don't leave the kitchen too early. At the end of the episode, Alisher shares his Leadership Recipe, the ingredients that have shaped his leadership journey. 🍳