ABOUT JOHN

John Wilkening, CCM, CCE, is GM/COO of North Hills Club in Raleigh, NC, a BoardRoom Distinguished Club with ELITE status. During his tenure, the club and its team have earned national recognition for strategic planning, renovation, programming and racquet facilities.

John has spent nearly 30 years in the resort and private club industry. He began as a busboy at 15 and worked his way through food and beverage, clubhouse, lodge and multisite management roles before joining North Hills Club.

He holds the Certified Club Manager and Certified Chief Executive designations from CMAA and serves on the Distinguished Clubs Standard Advisory Committee.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHT

In this conversation, John explores the people-first philosophy that has shaped his career and the culture at North Hills Club.

He shares how three mentors influenced his approach to hospitality, operations and leadership, and why he believes great clubs are built by great people. For John, technical skills can be taught. Attitude, energy and a desire to help others succeed are what matter most.

His leadership approach combines support with accountability. Employees are responsible for their own success, but they do not have to pursue it alone. John focuses on removing roadblocks, asking questions and giving people the confidence to find their own answers.

He also shares the story of an executive chef who was given the trust and freedom to lead, ultimately becoming assistant general manager and mentoring his successor. The experience reinforced John’s belief that development requires time, consistency and genuine investment in people.

John reflects on his own progression from management to leadership and the lesson he would give emerging professionals: Manage things, lead people. As leaders advance, success becomes less about what they can personally accomplish and more about what they can help others achieve.

At North Hills Club, that same philosophy shapes the member experience. Every investment should give people a reason to join, stay or bring their friends. John and his team rely not only on surveys, but on visibility, conversation and utilization to understand what members value.

The episode closes with John’s belief that private clubs should create welcoming spaces where people can build relationships, spend time with family and friends and feel they belong.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why great clubs are built by great people
• How mentors shaped John’s leadership philosophy
• Why attitude matters in hiring
• How leaders can remove roadblocks without removing ownership
• Why employee development requires time and trust
• How to transition from managing things to leading people
• Why member utilization can reveal more than survey scores
• How belonging and connection become part of club strategy

ABOUT LINDSAY

Lindsay Pizarro, CCM, CCE, is managing director of The Golden State Chapter of the Club Management Association of America. She brings more than two decades of experience in private club operations and association leadership across city, yacht and country clubs throughout California.

Lindsay began as a student intern in San Francisco and built her leadership foundation at the Bohemian Club, St. Francis Yacht Club and Burlingame Country Club. She later served in GM roles at Newport Harbor Yacht Club, The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo and California Yacht Club. She also spent nine years on The Golden State Chapter board, including service as chapter president.

Known for her energy, optimism and ability to connect people, Lindsay leads through gratitude, possibility and growth. Today, she strengthens education, mentorship, professional development and connection across the chapter. Away from work, she is devoted to her daughters, family and the daily practice of choosing joy.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHT

Lindsay reflects on the experiences that shaped her leadership.

The Bohemian Club taught her not to be star-struck and to treat every person with equal respect. St. Francis Yacht Club taught her resilience, whether she was carrying a keg during Big Boat Series or responding when a sea lion washed ashore during family brunch. The lesson was clear: No job is beneath a leader, and sometimes leadership means taking a breath before returning to care for the team and members.

Lindsay credits mentors who recognized her potential before she saw it herself. Their encouragement shaped her commitment to answering the phone, making introductions and connecting professionals with the resources they need.

The conversation becomes deeply personal as Lindsay discusses losing her husband and raising two young daughters. That loss changed her understanding of urgency, empathy and what constitutes a genuine crisis. When the demands of her GM role began affecting her family, moving closer to her parents and sister became an act of leadership at home.

Lindsay is equally candid about becoming a GM at 35, then discovering that experience and wisdom are not the same. While leading a centennial celebration and major clubhouse rebuild from temporary facilities, she was let go. The setback taught her humility and the importance of seeking help before isolation turns a challenge into a crisis.

Through The Golden State Chapter, Lindsay now creates the professional community she once needed. She remembers people, makes intentional introductions and helps newcomers feel welcomed.

Across city, golf and yacht clubs, Lindsay has learned that the activity bringing people through the door may differ, but the deeper need is the same. Facilities and food support the experience. Feeling seen, valued and connected creates the community.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS CONVERSATION

• How family, faith and hard work established Lindsay’s leadership values
• Why optimism becomes stronger when balanced with realism
• How experience helps leaders distinguish genuine crises from everyday problems
• Why leaders must be willing to work alongside their teams
• How mentors can recognize potential at pivotal moments
• Why vulnerability strengthens empathy and connection
• How profound loss reshaped Lindsay’s leadership perspective
• What becoming a GM at 35 taught her about experience and wisdom
• How asking for help can turn isolation into ideas and hope
• Why intentional introductions create belonging
• Why clubs ultimately exist to help people feel seen and valued

Throughout the episode, Lindsay returns to connection as both a leadership practice and the deeper purpose of clubs. When leaders answer the phone, share resources and remember people’s stories, they build communities capable of holding both celebration and loss.

ABOUT CHRIS

Chris Gale, DCA, is director of racquets at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas, TX, and vice president of The Directors Club of America. With more than 25 years of private club experience, he has led racquets programs at clubs across California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Texas, including River OaksCountry Club and Duxbury Yacht Club.

Known for staff development, program revitalization and member-focused leadership, Chris brings a broad operational perspective to a role that has expanded far beyond the traditional director of tennis position.

Through The Directors Club of America, Chris also helps create stronger professional networks and career pathways for current and future racquets leaders. He views the organization as a family of professionals who share ideas openly, learn from one another and work collectively to strengthen the futureof racquets leadership in member-owned private clubs.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHT

Chris traces a leadership journey that began at 21, when he was jobless, homeless and down to $2.84. Rather than return toAustralia, he borrowed a telephone and the Yellow Pages, called country clubs across the California desert and found the opportunity that launched his career as a director.

That early experience still grounds his leadership in gratitude, humility and determination. Chris explains that the modern director of racquets is no longer responsible only for teaching, programming and visibility. The position increasingly resembles a CEO role, requiring financial and business acumen, human resources knowledge, capital planning and the ability to leadprofessionals across tennis, pickleball, platform tennis, padel and other emerging sports.

For Chris, however, operational sophistication must always serve the member experience. At Bent Tree, golf may initially attract a family to the club, but Chris shares the example of Instant Racquets, a six-week introduction to tennis and pickleball designed to remove the intimidation new players often feel. Participants begin together, develop skills together and frequently continue as league teams and friendship groups. What starts as instruction becomes a community within the community.

The conversation also explores leading change with patience, communication and performance. Members may want immediate transformation, but leaders must explain the destination, the pathway and the time required to get there. Vision only has value when a united team follows it with action.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS CONVERSATION

In this wide-ranging conversation, Chris shares lessons from more than 25 years of racquets leadership, program development and private club hospitality. You’ll hear:

• How resilience and a willingness to ask for an opportunity launched Chris’s leadership career at age 21
• Why gratitude continues to shape the way he leads three decades later How organic mentorship can develop both technical expertise and people leadership
• Why the director of racquets role increasingly requires the mindset and acumen of a CEO
• Why emerging racquet sports can introduce new players to tennis rather than compete with it
• Why every member deserves programming, from highly competitive players to complete beginners
• Why a positive staff culture directly shapes participation, engagement and the member experience

• How The Directors Club of America supports networking, shared learning and stronger career pathways
• Why asking for help is professional growth rather than a loss of pride

Throughout the episode, Chris connects strategy and culture to a simple leadership standard: People should want to be there. When a team is aligned, professionals feel ownership and members experience genuine warmth at every touchpoint, racquets becomes more than a collection of courts and programs. It becomes one of the places where a private club’s sense of family is most visibly brought to life.