Business Leadership Series

Episode

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  Episode 1478: Leadership Beyond Performance with Rennie Curran 26.07.2026 31mnt

  Derek Champagne talks with former NFL player Rennie Curran. Rennie shares stories from his unique upbringing, leadership lessons learned along the way, and more about his new venture: Formr.  Formrapp.com - The professional platform where former athletes build what's next, fans connect for life, and businesses find the most competitive people on earth.Free leadership resources from Rennie Curran: https://renniecurran.com/ Rennie Curran is a former professional athlete who currently serves as an active Keynote Speaker, Author, and the CEO of Game Changer Coaching. Recently inducted into the Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia vs Florida Hall of Fame, and the UGA 40 Under 40, he uses his platform to inspire students, athletes, and business professionals to reach their fullest potential. Born in Atlanta, GA, and the son of Liberian immigrants, Rennie Curran and Josie Curran, he has a diverse background with humble beginnings. He began his football career at Brookwood High School in Snellville, GA, becoming the all-time leading tackler in Gwinnett County history. He was initially considered undersized according to various critics, but quickly silenced the doubters by exploding onto the field as a true freshman at the University of Georgia. His experiences of overcoming many circumstances to reach his childhood dream of becoming a 3-time All American, Butkus Award Finalist, permanent team Captain a 3rd round draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft (Tennessee Titans) and transitioning into becoming a successful entrepreneur has given him a unique perspective on what it takes to handle adversity and maximize opportunities while having a positive impact on others. Through his innovative presentations he teaches individuals, teams and organizations how to transform their personal and professional lives through leadership, teamwork and personal development. Rennie Curran has been counseling and inspiring people for many years. He is the CEO of Game Changer Coaching whose mission is to help business executives and entrepreneurs become high performing leaders by improving performance, personal brand and communication skills. In 2013, he published a motivational self-help book entitled ‘Free Agent’ The Intangibles for Overcoming Adversity and Times of Transition. This motivational self-help book discusses how to overcome adversity during the times of transition that we all face along our journey to achieve our dreams. He also has a children’s book entitled “What Does It Take to Be a Star” which was co-written with his daughter, Eleana Curran. He has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Fox Sports, ESPN College GameDay, The Huffington Post, and much more. When Rennie Curran is not speaking, coaching or writing he is usually spending time with his daughter or catching up on one his favorite hobbies, music. He grew up playing the piano, drums and viola. He is also a public servant who spends lots of time giving back through several organizations including. The Boys and Girls Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and his foundation. The Game Changers Foundation, which provides resources to student athletes to help them become leaders in sports, business and life through mentorship and leadership development. Curran is a man of faith, humility, integrity and resilience.Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1477: The Buy-In Advantage with Dave Garrison 19.07.2026 32mnt

  Derek Champagne interview USA Today best selling author Dave Garrison. Dave Garrison is a nationally recognized business strategist and co-founder of Garrison Growth, a leadership development and executive consulting firm. As Chief Navigation Officer of Garrison Growth, Dave helps CEOsand senior leaders generate meaningful buy-in and drive results across their organizations.With more than 30 years of leadership experience — including board roles at companies such as Ameritrade and executive leadership of public and venture-backed firms — Dave brings a rare blend of strategic insight,operational expertise, and on-the-ground leadership to every engagement. A renowned CEO and strategic advisor, Dave is the creator of a groundbreaking framework that addresses the critical ingredients needed for sustainable buy-in. Author of the bestselling book, The Buy-In Advantage: Why Employees Stop Caring ― and How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Give Their All, Dave equips leaders with practical, low-cost tools to build trust, align teams, and unlock performance—especially during times of growth, change, or disruption. Drawing from extensive research and real-world success stories, he reveals howleaders can implement this no-cost methodology to transform their culture and drivemeasurable results.Dave is a sought-after speaker, workshop leader, and trusted advisor to executives across a variety of industries. He has delivered hundreds of high-impact sessions for corporations, nonprofits, and chapters of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) both in the U.S. and abroad. His workshops consistently earn top ratings for their clarity, energy, and immediate usefulness. In addition to his client work, Dave has served as a guest lecturer at leading business schools and as a boardroom coach to CEOs navigating complex growth challenges. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and resides in Tucson, Arizona.In today’s workplace, effort isn’t the problem ― buy-in is. Teams may be showing up, but they’re not fully  engaged. They delay decisions, resist change, and underperform quietly. In The Buy-In Advantage: Why Employees Stop Caring ― and How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Give Their All (Matt Holt Books), executive coach and former CEO Dave Garrison delivers a clear, practical roadmap to help leaders earn real commitment—not just compliance—and build teams that execute with energy, ownership, and purpose. Purchase The Buy-in Advantage bookFree assessments and resourcesBusiness Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1476: American Film Maker: Larry Kasanoff 12.07.2026 34mnt

  In this episode Derek Champagne talks with Larry Kasanoff. Larry Kasanoff, Chairman/CEO of Threshold Entertainment, as a studio head or producer, makes movies, animated movies and location based entertainment/theme park attractions.He is the Producer or Executive Producer of MORTAL KOMBAT, including three Number One films, a television series, an animated series, platinum selling soundtracks, direct to dvd, and a live tour, with a new Mortal Kombat movie coming Summer '26.Larry is Executive Producer of the box-office smash film, TRUE LIES, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by James Cameron.As president and co-founder of Lightstorm Entertainment, Larry supervised production, marketing, publicity and merchandising for the four-time Academy Award winning hit, TERMINATOR 2 JUDGMENT DAY, directed by James Cameron.He is Executive Producer of movies, STRANGE DAYS and BLUE STEEL, with Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow.Larry - as a producer or studio head - has made over 200 feature films, including the biggest selling multi artist sound track in history, DIRTY DANCING, and Academy Award Winning Best Picture PLATOON. He has raised well over a billion dollars in the film business.He makes animated movies:  LEGO STAR WARS THE EMPIRE STRIKES OUT; and BOBBLEHEADS THE MOVIE starring Cher.Larry also makes location based entertainment, or theme park, attractions, includingSTAR TREK THE BORG EXPERIENCE; MARVEL SUPERHEROES 4D; and THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF SPIDERMAN.In the music world, Larry has packaged or produced video projects with several of the world’s biggest talents, including Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones and Elton John. For Terminator 2, he produced MTV’s top video of the year, “You Could Be Mine” with Gun’s ‘N Roses.He produced and directed the feature documentary, MINDFULNESS: BE HAPPY NOW, starring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and Deepak Chopra. It is available on Amazon.Larry is the author of  A TOUCH OF THE MADNESS - How To Be More Innovative by Being a Little Crazy (Ben Bella Books via Penguin Random House).Larry holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania  and a BA from Cornell University.Order A TOUCH OF THE MADNESS HEREBusiness Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1475: Shark Tank Veteran & Entrepreneur: Beau Oyler 05.07.2026 37mnt

  In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Beau Oyler.Beau talks with Derek about his experience on Shark Tank, building a successful company, and some valuable lessons he has learned along the way.Having founded Enlisted Design and Urbio, he has created rich product and brand experiences for fortune 500's and small startups. He pioneered the design cooperative movement and has a unique ability to truly collaborate with his partners. His designs have received every major design award including Red Dot, Spark, IDEA, GOOD Design, TheDieline, Wired Editor’s Choice and Best of Show at Dwell on Design.Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1474: Race For The Cure 28.06.2026 25mnt

  Listen to this powerful interview with Dr. David Fajgenbaum who has an incredible new memoir, "Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope into Action". David’s story is truly unique; it’s a tale of learning to live, while dying: a universally relatable story about getting up and fighting back after life knocks you down.A former Georgetown quarterback nicknamed "The Beast," David Fajgenbaum was also a force in medical school, where he was known for his unmatched mental stamina. But things changed dramatically when he began suffering from inexplicable fatigue. In a matter of weeks, his organs were failing and he was read his last rites. Doctors were baffled over a condition they had yet to even diagnose; floating in and out of consciousness, Fajgenbaum prayed for the equivalent of a game day overtime: a second chance.Miraculously, Fajgenbaum survived, but only to endure repeated near-death relapses from what would eventually be identified as a form of Castleman disease—an extremely deadly and rare condition that acts like a cross between cancer and an autoimmune disorder. When he relapsed on the only drug in development and realized that the medical community was unlikely to make progress in time to save his life, Fajgenbaum turned his desperate hope for a cure into concrete action: between hospitalizations he studied his own charts and tested his own blood samples, looking for clues that could unlock a new treatment. With the help of family, friends and mentors, he also reached out to other Castleman disease patients and physicians, and eventually came up with an ambitious plan to crowdsource the most promising research questions and recruit world- class researchers to tackle them; instead of waiting for the scientific stars to align, he proposed to align them himself.More than five years later and now married to his college sweetheart, his hard work has paid off: a treatment that he identified has induced a tentative remission and his novel approach to collaborative scientific inquiry has become a blueprint for advancing rare disease research. His incredible story demonstrates the potency of hope, and what can happen when forces of determination, love, family, faith and serendipity collide.David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc is one of the youngest individuals to be appointed to the faculty at Penn Medicine. Co- founder and executive director of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) and an NIH-funded physician- scientist, he has dedicated his life to discovering new treatments and cures for deadly disorders like Castleman disease, which he was diagnosed with during medical school. He is in the top 1 percent youngest grant awardees of an R01, one of the most competitive and sought-after grants in all of biomedical research. Dr. Fajgenbaum has been recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 healthcare list, as a top healthcare leader by Becker's Hospital Review, and one of the youngest people ever elected as a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the nation's oldest medical society. He was one of three recipients – including Vice President Joe Biden – of a 2016 Atlas Award from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. Order "Chasing My Cure" at bookstores nationwide or at http://www.chasingmycure.com/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1473: CEO of The Weather Company 21.06.2026 36mnt

  Derek Champagne talks with Rohit Agarwal, CEO of The Weather Company.Rohit Agarwal is the CEO of The Weather Company, the world’s most accurate forecaster. In this role, Rohit is responsible for setting the strategic vision that spans the company’s digital consumer properties, including The Weather Channel app and weather.com, as well as its enterprise business across media,advertising, aviation, defense, and a variety of other industries. He stands behind the belief that high-performing teams are critical to innovation, growth, and impact, and diverse backgrounds and thinking benefit the end customer.Prior to joining The Weather Company, Rohit was the chief product and revenue officer at SoundCloud, the world’s largest online community of artists, bands, DJs, and audio creators, where he led the vision, strategic execution, and revenue. This included overseeing business and product strategy, delivery and operations, design, product marketing, and growth. Through Rohit’s leadership, SoundCloud refactored the product, doubled its subscriber base, and meaningfully improved its ads business, leading the company to its first profitable year in its 16-year history.Rohit previously served as chief product and growth officer at CNN. Throughout his career, he has driven 2-3x user and revenue growth across leading companies in industries including music (Last.fm, CBS), media(CNN/WarnerMedia, The Economist, Bild), banking (HSBC), B2B SaaS (Trustpilot, Akamai), and consumer internet (AOL). Rohit is a frequent speaker at leading conferences (Google I/O, SXSW, CES, RISE, WebSummit, Product Summit), an active advisor and investor in startups, and launched his own startup in the past. He is also a committed supporter of diverse and inclusive education initiatives – both as a board member of the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and as a board member of Leap Year, a unique program based in metro Atlanta dedicated to improving college access and early adolescent reading skills to under-represented youth.Rohit lives in Atlanta with his wife and two daughters. An avid sports fan, he also enjoys playing soccer and tennis, painting, and cooking, and he acknowledges that his creative endeavors make him a better leader.Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1472: NY Times Best Selling Author Liane Davey 14.06.2026 38mnt

  In this episode Derek Champagne talks with NY Times best selling author Liane Davey. Liane has spent more than 25 years researching and advising teams on how to perform at their best. Known as the “teamwork doctor,” she works with teams from the frontlines to the boardroom, across industries and around the world, from Boston to Bangkok. Through her work with hundreds of teams, including 26 Global Fortune 500 companies (and counting), she has developed a practical, research-backed approach to solving the challenges that prevent teams from working effectively together.Liane is a New York Times bestselling author of You First: Inspire Your Team to Grow Up, Get Along, and Get Stuff Done and The Good Fight: Use Productive Conflict to Get Your Team and Organization Back on Track. She is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and a sought-after expert for media outlets including CNN, NPR, USA Today, The Globe & Mail, and Forbes. Her work focuses on increasing productivity, strengtheningengagement, developing leaders, and helping teams navigate conflict in healthier, more effective ways.Liane’s clients have included Amazon, Walmart, TD Bank, RBC, AMD, MD Anderson, Google, Bayer, KPMG, Aviva, UNICEF, and SONY Interactive Entertainment. While she works across a wide range of industries, she customizes every conversation to reflect the realities of each audience.In Thoughtload, Liane tackles today’s most pressing management challenges: over-burdened systems, burned-out teams, and plateauing results. However, contrary to conventional wisdom, Davey argues that the problem is not with out-sized workloads. The root cause of the madness sapping productivity in today’s offices is our excessive thoughtload.Thoughtload is the cumulative and often overwhelming burden of increasing cognitive and emotional demands, worsened by decreasing physical and mental energy. In this brilliant, highly prescriptive guide, Davey lays out the steps for reducing thoughtload, so that managers and their teams feel more focused―and get more done.For free resources and to order a copy of Thoughtload visit: Thoughtload.comBusiness Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1471: NBA Champion Trent Tucker 07.06.2026 26mnt

  Derek talks with 93' Chicago Bulls NBA Champion Trent Tucker. Trent talks with Derek about leadership skills necessary to build a championship team, how to manage egos, having Phil Jackson as a coach, the Trent Tucker Rule, and what it was like playing with his friends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Derek also talks with Trent about his 9 years playing with the NY Knicks. 
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  Episode 1470: Former WWE Co-President: George Barrios 31.05.2026 43mnt

  Derek Champagne talks with George Barrios, former co-president of WWE, about the deal he made to reshape the global company, his public firing by Vince McMahon, the future of the sports industry, and his approach to leadership (and coping with public failure). Barrios tells his story in his new book Sometimes Wrong but Never in Doubt. ABOUT SOMETIMES WRONG BUT NEVER IN DOUBTAt a time when leadership is under scrutiny and industries are being reshaped at breakneck speed, stories of bold decision-making and personal reinvention have never felt more essential. Readers are hungry for narratives that go beyond corporate gloss—stories that show how transformative deals actually unfold, how leaders make high-stakes decisions, and how grit still propels people to the highest levels of business. In SOMETIMES WRONG BUT NEVER IN DOUBT: How a Cuban Kid from Queens Transformed WWE (Skyhorse Publishing; June 2, 2026), George Barrios—son of Cuban immigrants, former co-president of WWE, and architect of the largest transaction in sports history—offers exactly that kind of story. With unfiltered honesty and cinematic detail, Barrios traces his journey from a cramped Queens apartment to the boardrooms where he helped reshape a global entertainment company. Told with the humor, swagger, and introspection of a leader who has lived many careers in one lifetime, the book blends memoir and business insight to reveal how an outsider learned to trust his instincts, move decisively, and lead through uncertainty. Barrios brings readers inside the world of WWE: from his twelve-year partnership with Vince McMahon, to the media-rights revolution that redefined the company, to the personal and professional fallout of being fired in front of the entire industry. But the story reaches far beyond wrestling. It is equally a story of immigration, family resilience, cultural identity, and the relentless pursuit of upward mobility. Barrios reflects on:·       High-stakes leadership, including how he learned to take bold action despite backlash, uncertainty, and public scrutiny.·       The making of a massive sports deal, and the pressures, strategy, and behind-the-scenes dynamics that shaped an industry-defining negotiation.·       Immigrant grit and the American Dream, and how his parents’ escape from Castro’s Cuba shaped his path and worldview.·       Reinvention after public failure, including the firing that could have ended his career and the personal reckoning that followed.·       The cultural forces inside major entertainment companies, with unvarnished insight into ego, power, and the real cost of winning. Written with the immediacy of a ringside story and the heart of a family saga, SOMETIMES WRONG BUT NEVER IN DOUBT is more than a business memoir. It is a testament to risk-taking, reinvention, and the belief that anyone—regardless of where they begin—can shape their own future.Order book here: https://georgebarrios.com/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1469: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Freedom 24.05.2026 42mnt

  Derek Champagne talks with Mark Rampolla, Founder of ZICO Coconut Water. Mark is also the author of the book High-Hanging Fruit and new USA Today bestseller: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Freedom. Mark built ZICO Coconut Water from nothing, sold it to Coca-Cola for over $200 million, then made a decision most people thought was insane. He bought it back and now he’s scaling it toward a billion-dollar brand.The hardest leadership moment wasn't the exit or the early grind. It was deciding to come back after he had already "made it." That required convincing himself first, then his team, then everyone who thought He had lost my mind.For free resources mentioned on the podcast and to order Mark’s new book: https://www.markrampolla.co/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1468: Growing Categories & Engaging Super Consumers 17.05.2026 43mnt

  Derek Champagne chats with Eddie Yoon. Eddie is a growth strategy expert for the last 20 years as a Partner with The Cambridge Group. In the last 5 years, he has helped double numerous businesses-cable media company, food brand, beverage company, pet food brand, consumer robotics, standby generators-from several hundred million to close to a billion dollars.Eddie is the author of the acclaimed book, Superconsumers: A Simple, Speedy and Sustainable Path to Superior Growth. He is also the author of over 40 articles, including Make Your Best Customers Even Better (Harvard Business Review magazine) and Why It Pays to Be a Category Creator (Harvard Business Review magazine). Eddie has been a keynote speaker in the U.S., Africa, Australia, Denmark, the UK and Japan.Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1467: Biohacking Leadership 10.05.2026 36mnt

  Derek Champagne talks with Dr. Scott Hutcheson, author of Biohacking Leadership. Scott Hutcheson, PhD is a biosocial scientist and senior lecturer at Purdue University, where his teaching, research, and professional practice centers on leadership, team, and organizational performance through the lens of the biology of behavior. His work in biosocial sciences explores how biological systems interact with social behavior to shape how we lead, collaborate, and adapt. Dr. Hutcheson brings this perspective to leaders and organizations navigating complex, fast-changing environments. A personal health diagnosis several years ago deepened his professional interest in the biology of behavior. After being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, Dr. Hutchesonturned to biohacking—using data, behavior change, and biological feedback loops—to manage the disease. That lived experience sparked a powerful insight: the sameprinciples that optimize the body can optimize leadership. This became the foundation of his current work: applying biohacking principles to how leaders signal presence, build trust, and create conditions for collective success.With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Hutcheson has worked with hundreds of organizations across industry, higher education, and the public and nonprofit sectors. His clients have included the White House, Fortune 400 companies, startups, and rural communities helping them address challenges related to competitiveness, innovation, sustainability, and public health. His impact is global, having worked with more than 4,000 leaders from 147 countries.He is the author of numerous academic articles and essays, and his 2019 release, Strategic Doing: Ten Skills for Agile Leadership (Wiley), became a #1 Amazon New Release in six categories and appeared on multiple Best Business Book lists. His next project is a three-book series with Wiley on the biodynamics of leadership, teams, and organizations. Dr. Hutcheson is also a columnist for Forbes where his articles are read by millions. He ranks in Forbes top 0.1% in readership. Dr. Hutcheson is a sought-after speaker, delivering keynotes and workshops around the world. His TED Talk on the “Science of Prospection” has been viewed more than 1.3 million times, and his Instagram account, @bookscotttospeak, has nearly 40,000 followers. He and his wife Lisa Hutcheson, a mental health policy leader and co-founder of Hutcheson Associates, live near Indianapolis in the historic Town of Ulen with their twodogs, Pippa and Cosette. They have two adult sons, Henry and Oliver.To learn more about BIOHACKING LEADERSHIP, please visit: https://biohackingleadership.com/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1466: Military Leadership Secrets That Transformed Fortune 500 Giants 03.05.2026 44mnt

  Derek Champagne talks with former British Military Officer, Jimmy Burroughes. Jimmy’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and purpose. He began his career as a British Military Officer, leading soldiers across Europe and the Middle East. It was there he learned, sometimes in life-or-death situations, the true meaning of intentional leadership: how to inspire trust, keep people motivated under extreme pressure, and build unity in uncertain environments.When Jimmy transitioned out of the military, he faced his own challenges, struggling to find his place in the corporate world and experiencing first-hand the burnout and disconnection that so many leaders face. This difficult period became the catalyst for his mission to redefine leadership in a way that sustains both people and performance.Through his journey from the battlefield to the boardroom, Jimmy developed his “Simplify to Amplify” methodology, a framework born out of necessity that is now transforming how global organisations lead their people. His story resonates deeply because it is not just about success; it is about overcoming adversity, finding clarity, and choosing a path that creates lasting impact.Jimmy shares this journey with honesty and humility, weaving in the hard lessons from both military service and corporate leadership. Audiences often walk away not only inspired but equipped with the belief that they too can lead with more intention, reclaim time, and create meaningful results without burning out.Jimmy made the leap from British military officer to Fortune 500 leadership expert and now leads the charge in transforming overwhelmed managers into high-performing leaders. His bestselling books, “Beat Burnout - Ignite Performance” and “Escape the Multitasking Trap,” deliver action you can feel. His signature “Simplify to Amplify” methodology gets leaders performing at an average of 47% higher in just 90 days—no fluff, just results.Across Samsung, Bank of America, Lego, Fonterra, and 40+ countries, Jimmy has guided more than 3,000 leaders from burnout to breakthrough. The secret? He applies hard-won lessons from command and operations to cut through clutter and create measurable improvements. These same principles have driven up productivity by 156% and slashed overwhelm by 89% in teams worldwide.Learn more at: https://www.jimmyburroughes.com/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1465: From Drift To Drive 26.04.2026 33mnt

  Derek Champagne talks with Chris Robinson. Chris is a founding partner of the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team and as the Executive Vice President of the Maxwell Entrepreneur Solutions, he a product of the product leading a global team of over 40,000 speakers, coaches, and trainers. He is an international speaker who has enthralled crowds as large as 4500 and trained small groups inside of companies weekly before taking on his current role as the EVP of the Maxwell Entrepreneur Solutions.John Maxwell has made a tremendous impact on his life over the past 20 years. Initially Chris started watching John’s VHS tapes in the basement of a church. Then as a sales representative for the largest vehicle service, he quickly advanced 3 positions in 5 years to a Senior Sales Manager by learning and then applying John’s principles. Chris helped grow that company from 18 employees to over 700.Years later he became a part of John’s team as a certified coach. Chris has been instrumental in the development of many of the programs offered by the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team Members, a leadership development organization whose members speak, coach and train on values-based, people-centric principles that help people lead powerful, positive change in themselves, in their organizations and in the world around them.Chris Robinson’s new book, From Drift To Drive, reveals how even the most accomplished leaders, coaches, and visionaries can fall prey to the subtle trap of complacency—a quiet force that halts progress and stifles potential. Drawing on years of global experience with thousands of clients, Chris exposes how reaching a peak often leads to settling into routines that erode passion and innovation. He outlines his transformative Seven Step Framework to help you detect early signs of stagnation, reignite your drive, and map a renewed course toward extraordinary achievement. With clear, actionable advice on mastering efficient learning, forging powerful connections, and overcoming obstacles, this book is your essential guide to turning daily busywork into a dynamic journey toward a more fulfilling, impactful life.Order From Drift To Drive anywhere books are sold or direct link: https://store.maxwellleadership.com/products/chris-robinson-from-drift-to-drive-a-high-achievers-guide-to-breaking-the-chains-of-complacencyBusiness Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1464: Nobody's Legend 19.04.2026 43mnt

  Derek Champagne talks with Jason Ferguson. Jason Ferguson wasn’t supposed to make it—not out of his neighborhood, not into a Division I lockerroom, and definitely not to a tech IPO. But he’s never followed the script. A former University of Hawai‘i football player, Jason is now a Sales Leader, speaker, coach, and author of Nobody’s Legend, a self-help memoirrooted in truth, pain, and resilience.Raised in West Los Angeles, Jason faced violence, loss, and long odds. Football became his escape, and his obsession. Despite being undersized, he earned a full-ride scholarship through grit, vision, and relentless work. But when injuries ended his career, the identity he’d built crumbled, and he spiraled into addiction behindclosed doors. Jason’s journey is one of rebuilding. From silence to significance. Today, he’s a Director ofSales at ServiceTitan, where he helped scale the company through its hypergrowth years and successful IPO. He also coaches early-stage tech founders, helping them build high-performing revenue teams and sustainable growth strategies—grounded not in theory, but lived experience.Jason speaks on emotional intelligence, mental resilience, and transforming adversity into advantage, bringing unfiltered truth to audiences ranging from students to C-suite leaders.Nobody’s Legend isn’t just a memoir. It’s a raw, unapologetic roadmap through chaos, self-destruction, and the long climb back to purpose. Told with unfiltered honesty and cinematic detail, this is the true story of a former D1 athlete who lost it all—football, identity, family, self-worth—and still found a way to rebuild from rock bottom.Jason Ferguson takes you inside the mind of an addict mid-withdrawal, a teenager chasing dreams in the unforgiving streets of L.A., and a grown man staring down the voice in his head telling him he’s not enough. What unfolds isn’t a comeback story. It’s a reintroduction to who he was always meant to be.This book goes beyond motivation. It’s about the war between your ears—the lies you believe, the doubts you feed, and the habits that either bury you or build you. Whether it’s walking into a sales job in an oversized suit with nothing to lose or running sprints up a sand dune at 4 AM chasing a vision no one else could see, Nobody’sLegend reminds you that your pain isn’t proof you're broken. It’s proof you're not done yet.It’s about mindset. It’s about radical accountability. It’s about getting hit and getting back up with youridentity intact. And most of all, it’s about reminding every underdog, former screw-up, or misunderstood soul outthere that you don’t have to be famous to be legendary.Order a copy of Nobody's Legend: https://jfinspires.com/book/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1463: How To Be Free 12.04.2026 41mnt

  NYT bestselling author Shaka Senghor talks with Derek Champagne about his personal story and his powerful new book, How to Be Free: A Proven Guide to Escaping Life’s Hidden Prisons."I love this book—because it teaches you how to manifest freedom in your own life and how that work allows you to rise to your greatest glory." —Oprah Winfrey, The Oprah PodcastAfter 19 years in prison—7 of them in solitary—Shaka emerged not just with a story, but with a methodology. In this book, he distills the inner work that helped him survive, heal, and grow into practical tools that anyone can apply to their own life.Because not all prisons have bars. We all live inside systems, stories, and cycles that can hold us back—doubt, fear, disconnection. And for men in particular, a flawed definition of manhood—emotional suppression, isolation, performative strength—can quietly destroy us. Shaka challenges that directly and offers a radically honest path to healing, self-trust, and real leadership.Each chapter blends hard-won wisdom with actionable steps (including “Keys to” sections at the end of each chapter that offer concrete, practical guidance), perfect for readers hungry for a path that’s real, not performative. Shaka’s work has been praised by figures ranging from Oprah to Ben Horowitz, and he’s regularly sought after by CEOs and changemakers for his insights on leadership, trust, and mindset.Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1462: The Resilience Mindset 05.04.2026 30mnt

  Derek Champagne talks with Terry Healey, author of The Resilience Mindset: How Adversity Can Strengthen, Individuals, Teams, & Leaders.A survivor of a permanent facial difference and life-threatening cancer, Terry Healey is anauthor, keynote speaker, and business strategist. Healey challenges audiences to face theiradversities and apply his framework of four key principles to gain confidence, build resilience,and find joy in their personal and professional lives.Having endured more than thirty surgical procedures to reconstruct his face while in his earlytwenties, Healey discovered tools that could help him transform his changed life. He sharesways to take control, overcome challenges, build trust and teams, embrace change, and learnthe value of acceptance and tolerance. He views the lessons he learned as gifts, and believeshis greatest reward is being able to teach others how to overcome any kind of adversity andcelebrate life.His experience led him to a successful thirty-five-year career as a high-tech sales and marketingexecutive, including being on the founding team of a company that had a successful initialpublic offering. His popular programs are presented to healthcare organizations, corporations,educational institutions, associations, and nonprofits nationwide. They include Cisco Systems,Inc., Charles Schwab, the University of California Berkeley football team, Santa Clara University,Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Genomic Health, Perkin Elmer, Stanford University, UC San Francisco,Kaiser Permanente, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Greater Baltimore Medical Center,Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and many others.A graduate of UC Berkeley, Healey is the author of The Resilience Mindset: How Adversity CanStrengthen Individuals, Teams, and Leaders [September 2025], and his previous title, At FaceValue: My Triumph over a Disfiguring Cancer, and is a contributing author to Open My Eyes,Open My Soul: Celebrating Our Common Humanity; Make Your Own Miracle: SurvivingCancer, an Anthology; and Reading Lips and Other Ways to Overcome a Disability.His work has appeared in Psychology Today, Metro UK, The San Francisco Chronicle,Guideposts, NurseWeek, U.S. News and World Report, Sales and Marketing Magazine, Copingand CURE Today. He has appeared on dozens of national and local TV networks and has beeninterviewed on more than seventy-five radio stations across the U.S. and Canada.Order a copy of The Resiliance Mindset here: https://terryhealey.com/product/the-resilience-mindset/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1461: CMO of the Atlanta Hawks 29.03.2026 22mnt

   In this episode Derek talks with Melissa Proctor, Executive Vice President & CMO of the Atlanta Hawks. Melissa, the author of the book “From Ball Girl to CMO”, shares her inspiring personal story and recipes for ongoing success.BiographyMelissa Proctor began her NBA experience in highschool as the first ball girl for the Miami Heat. After highschool, she attended Wake Forest University where she got her Bachelor’s degree in communications and her masters degree in design studies/branding from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design at The London Institute. After obtaining her degree, she went on to work for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. serving in senior brand development and strategy leadership positions. Proctor was with Turner for 9 years before moving on to the Atlanta Hawks as VP of brand strategy. She quickly made her way up and is now the executive vice president and chief marketing officer.Order Melissa’s new book here: https://melissamproctor.com/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1460: From Refugee to Wall Street 22.03.2026 38mnt

  Derek Champagne interviews Quang X. Pham. Quang is a biotech executive, war veteran, author, speaker, and community leader with a remarkable journey shaped by resilience, service, and entrepreneurship. He made history as the first Vietnamese American to earn naval aviator wings in the Marine Corps and lead an initial public offering (IPO) on Nasdaq.His inspiring American underdog journey, told in first person, is unlike any other. Born in Saigon, South Vietnam, Quang and his family fled as refugees when he was 10, while his father, a Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilot,remained and was imprisoned for more than a decade. After earning a degree from UCLA, Quang served seven years on active duty, flying CH-46 helicopters in the Persian Gulf War, Somalia, and the Reserves. Following his military career, Quang transitioned into business, founding multiple pharmaceutical companies. In 2000, he launched MyDrugRep.com (which became LathianSystems), an innovative online platform for physician marketing engagements, which was later acquired. In 2015, he founded Espero Pharmaceuticals and Jacksonville Pharmaceuticals. His leadership and entrepreneurial success earned him the Florida EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2018. Today Quang serves as Chairman and CEO, Cadrenal Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CVKD).Quang is also the author of the award-winning father-son memoir, A Sense of Duty: Our Journey from Vietnam (Penguin Random House), and his new book, Underdog Nation: Zero In on Effort and Results for Success (Forbes Books).Committed to giving back, Quang has served on the boards of private companies, veterancharities and educational organizations. He lives in Florida with his family, continuing tolead and inspire.Order Quang's new book here: https://quangxpham.com/books/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576
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  Episode 1459: Building an A-Team 15.03.2026 22mnt

  Derek's guest this week is Whitney Johnson: Innovation and disruption theorist, keynote speaker, best-selling author, executive and performance coach.Whitney shares her unique journey and key concepts about how to motivate your employees from her book "Build an A Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve".Whitney Johnson was named one of the world's fifty most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50 in 2017.She is the author of the bestselling Build an A Team (Harvard Business Press, 2018), a Financial Times and CEO Read, Book of the Month, and the critically-acclaimed Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work (2015). Publisher's Weekly described it as "savvy...often counter-intuitive...superb" while the Boston Globe called it the "'What Color is Your Parachute?' career guide for the entrepreneurial age."Through writing, speaking, consulting and coaching, Whitney works with leaders to retain their top talent, to build an A team, and to help them earn the gold star–be a boss people love.She formerly was the co-founder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard's Clayton Christensen, where they invested in and led the $8 million seed round for Korea’s Coupang, currently valued at $5+ billion. She was involved in fund formation, capital raising, and the development of the fund’s strategy. During her tenure, the CAGR of the Fund was 11.98% v. 1.22% for the S&P 500.She is also formerly an award-winning Wall Street analyst. She was an Institutional Investor-ranked equity research analyst for eight consecutive years, and was rated by Starmine as a superior stock-picker. As an equity analyst, stocks under coverage included America Movil (NYSE: AMX), Televisa (NYSE: TV) and Telmex (NYSE: TMX), which accounted for roughly 40% of Mexico's market capitalization.Whitney is a frequent contributor for the Harvard Business Review, she has over 1.5 million followers on Linkedin, was named one of LinkedIn's Top Voices in the Influencer category for 2018, and her LinkedIn course The Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has 1 million+ views.She is a member of the original cohort of Marshall Goldsmith's #100 coaches.Learn more at https://whitneyjohnson.com/Business Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576