What if the key to overcoming loneliness at the top is building a team that challenges, supports, and holds one another accountable?

In this episode of the It’s Lonely at the Top Podcast, Nancy MacKay speaks with Keith Ferrazzi, Founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight and New York Times bestselling author, about creating high-performing executive teams and leading through disruption.

Keith explores why conflict avoidance holds teams back, how leaders can replace routine meeting updates with honest feedback and productive stress tests, and why agile collaboration is essential. They also discuss how AI is reshaping workflows, leadership, and the future workforce, including the need to reskill and support people through change.

Discover practical ideas for strengthening collaboration, building peer accountability, and adapting your leadership in an AI-driven world.

Keith Ferrazzi is the Founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight and a New York Times bestselling author of Never Eat Alone, Who’s Got Your Back, Leading Without Authority, and Never Lead Alone. Recognized by Thinkers50 as one of the world’s top 50 thinkers, Keith has spent over two decades advising Fortune 500 executive teams, unicorn companies, and government leaders on organizational transformation.

Through Teamship and Co-Elevation®, Keith equips leaders with High-Return Practices that transform how teams collaborate, moving beyond siloed hierarchies toward adaptive, peer-accountable cultures built for disruption and AI-driven change.

Previously, Keith served as Deloitte’s youngest CMO and later CMO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fast Company, Fortune, and more.

Order Nancy’s New Book

Drawing on two decades of experience with more than five thousand leaders, Nancy reveals how to prioritize health, strengthen relationships, reclaim time, and develop resilience. Order ‘It’s Lonely at the Top: CEO Strategies for Inspiring Yourself and Your Team’ today: https://bit.ly/3OcBTQH

Join a MacKay CEO Forums Peer Group

MacKay CEO Forums brings results-oriented CEOs, Executives, and Business Leaders together to solve their toughest problems and maximize opportunity through peer learning and support. Learn more: https://mackayceoforums.com/members/

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in North America, and IPOP is leading the charge in bringing the game across Canada. As Pickleball Canada’s Official Partner in Strategic Facility Development with professional indoor Pickleball facilities in the Greater Vancouver Area, IPOP is helping communities create more places to play.

In this episode of It’s Lonely at the Top, Nancy MacKay speaks with Chris White, Founder and CEO of IPOP, and Devin MacKay, IPOP’s marketing and brand lead. Chris shares his journey as a serial entrepreneur and “chief paddle boss,” and the thinking behind an inclusive pickleball community.

Together, they explore how pickleball connects generations and why face-to-face connection matters. You’ll hear how IPOP is using AI to personalize marketing and improve business processes, alongside Chris’s perspective on navigating the challenges of being a CEO and making time for self-care.

Discover the people and vision behind IPOP’s ambition to make exceptional pickleball experiences accessible to everyone.

Connect with IPOP

Want to play pickleball indoors year-round? Play at IPOP’s two locations in Burnaby and Surrey, where you can book a private court, sign up for drop-in play, or join a program: www.ipop.fun

Order Nancy’s New Book

Drawing on two decades of experience with more than five thousand leaders, Nancy reveals how to prioritize health, strengthen relationships, reclaim time, and develop resilience. Order ‘It's Lonely at the Top: CEO Strategies for Inspiring Yourself and Your Team’ today: https://bit.ly/3OcBTQH

Join a MacKay CEO Forums Peer Group

MacKay CEO Forums brings results-oriented CEOs, Executives, and Business Leaders together to solve their toughest problems and maximize opportunity through peer learning and support. Learn more: https://mackayceoforums.com/members/

AI is changing more than how we work. It is raising questions about identity, belonging, and the future leaders are helping their people build.

In this podcast episode of It’s Lonely at the Top, Nancy MacKay speaks with Kari Zeller, Founder and CEO of TGN Consulting, leadership strategist, combat veteran, and author of Re-Placed. From her upbringing on a farm in northern Colorado to her military service and work with executives, Kari shares the experiences that shaped her approach to accountability and leading through uncertainty.

You’ll learn why work is closely tied to our sense of identity and belonging, what distinguishes human intelligence from AI, and why context and emotional intelligence matter in leadership decisions. Kari also explores how leaders can help people feel valued and connected to a meaningful future as their roles change.

For CEOs navigating technological change, this episode offers a perspective on bringing human capabilities and AI together while developing the people who will lead next.

Order Kari’s new book

Learn the ideas behind the episode in Kari Zeller’s new book, Re-Placed: Answering the Call of Leadership in the Age of AI. Discover why work matters to our identity and sense of belonging, and what that means for leaders navigating technological change. Order your copy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6TZVK5S

Order Nancy’s new book

Drawing on two decades of experience with more than five thousand leaders, Nancy reveals how to prioritize health, strengthen relationships, reclaim time, and develop resilience. Order ‘It's Lonely at the Top: CEO Strategies for Inspiring Yourself and Your Team’ today: https://bit.ly/3OcBTQH

Explore your leadership performance

Leadership can be rewarding, but it can also be isolating. Our CEO Performance Diagnostic™ is designed to help CEOs, Executives, and Business Owners identify hidden constraints affecting their decision-making, leadership effectiveness, time allocation, innovation, and growth. Take our CEO Performance Diagnostic™ quiz: https://mackayceoforums.com/ceo-leadership-diagnostic/

Join a MacKay CEO Forums peer group

MacKay CEO Forums brings results-oriented CEOs, Executives, and Business Leaders together to solve their toughest problems and maximize opportunity through peer learning and support. Learn more: https://mackayceoforums.com/members/