Hari Gopu's journey from the son of Indian immigrants in 1980s Australia to leading infrastructure and energy companies across three continents wasn't about climbing a ladder—it was about learning to read the room, watch for truth in actions not words, and never stop asking "why?"

In this episode, Hari shares hard-won lessons about transformational leadership, including:

• Why explaining "the why" once (or even ten times) isn't enough
• The confronting survey result that changed how he approaches safety culture
• How to bridge generational divides in an era of information overload
• Why the best leaders recruit people better than themselves
• The power of "freedom within boundaries" to unlock creativity
• How staying proximate to your team prevents the "ivory tower" trap

Whether you're navigating organizational change, building trust across diverse teams, or trying to stay focused when everything feels urgent, Hari's story offers a masterclass in leading with clarity and humanity.

What happens when a military-trained leader learns that authority alone doesn't build great teams? Gabe Disbrow, President and CEO of Lever Supermarkets, shares his journey from top-down command in the military to connection-driven leadership in a 100% employee-owned company.

From Command to Connection: Leading with the Umbrella ModelIn this episode, Gabe reveals his "umbrella leadership model"—a framework for protecting your team while empowering them to take risks and grow. He also opens up about the mistakes he made early in his career (the "fixer trap"), how he navigated COVID-era burnout, and why he measures success by whether employees would bring their grandma to see where they work.

If you're an emerging leader struggling to balance speed with empowerment, or a seasoned executive rethinking what truly drives performance, this conversation will challenge how you think about accountability, failure, and what it means to lead with credibility.

What You'll Learn

• The transition challenge: Why military leadership doesn't translate directly to civilian workplaces (and what to do instead)
• The umbrella model: How to take responsibility for your team's first mistakes while building their decision-making confidence
• Behavioral baselines: The subtle art of noticing when someone's "off" and turning it into meaningful connection
• The fixer trap: Why doing everything yourself creates short-term wins but long-term organizational failure
• Crisis leadership lessons: What COVID taught Gabe about resource management, burnout, and widening your KPI lens
• The grandma test: Gabe's definition of workplace success (and it's not what you think)
• Employee ownership dynamics: How peer-to-peer accountability creates an "extra gear" most companies never access

Carl Bowden made a decision that shocked everyone: after building a successful leadership coaching company for 4.5 years, he walked away to join someone else's team.

But here's the twist—it might be the smartest career move he ever made.

In this raw and revealing conversation, Carl takes us inside the brutal reality of entrepreneurship: the sleepless nights when he couldn't pay rent, the isolation when success felt impossible, and the perfect storm of personal tragedy that forced him to question everything. Then came one networking conversation that changed his entire trajectory.

This isn't your typical "follow your dreams" entrepreneurship story. This is about knowing when to pivot, how to stay true to your mission while changing your path, and why sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is admit you need help.

Carl reveals the counterintuitive leadership wisdom he's learned: why vulnerability is your secret weapon, how a CEO managing 8,000 employees does it with two words, and why the best leaders know when to let go of control.

Episode Highlights:

• The John Maxwell book that rewired his brain (and why he read it 5 times)
• How outdoor leadership retreats became his unexpected niche
• The honest moment that launched his business: "I'm scared"
• Why 40+ years of research proves honesty trumps charisma in leadership
• The networking conversation at a mergers & acquisitions happy hour that led to his dream job