Positive Leadership Academy – Inspires, Guides and Transforms

In 2005 I ran a sales organization with one rule: nothing left my team without going through me. Our performance reviews were exceptional, and I was sure that was leadership. It took me years to see what it cost. My people stopped bringing me ideas. They brought me drafts and waited.

In this solo episode I tell the story behind my new book, Recoded. Every one of us leads with a code we didn’t write. It comes from a parent, a f...

A submersible imploded on its way to the Titanic wreck, and buried in the investigation was one line: toxic culture was a contributing cause. That story opens this conversation with Daria Rudnik, executive leadership coach and author of Clicking, about why culture only proves itself under pressure, what it costs a company to fake trust, and the one question she says every leader should ask their team this week.

Guest: Daria Rudnik &...

Most leaders don't bomb on stage because they lack charisma. They bomb because they ignore the basics. In this episode, UK presentation coach David Thomas joins Javier Llerena to unpack exactly what separates a forgettable speaker from a rock star — and almost none of it is natural talent.

It starts with a story Javier can't shake: a CEO he'd coached in Las Vegas who stepped off the stage mid-talk to do a "Wall Street" walk th...

What if the same drive that made you successful is quietly burning you out? Dr. Angela Kerek shows how to stop chasing trophies and start winning from the inside.

She went from the professional tennis tour, to a big-law finance partnership, to executive coaching — and spent nearly five decades running on fear before she found a healthier way to perform.

Inside this episode, Javier and Angela unpack the inner mental game behind ...

What if the real AI divide isn't young versus old — but adopters versus spectators? In this episode, Javier sits down with Ted Yang, author of Ageless Peak Performance: The Playbook for AI-Powered Excellence, to challenge the idea that your sharpest years are behind you at 50. Ted makes the case that AI can act as cognitive leverage — offsetting what naturally slows with age (speed, recall, working memory) while amplify...

SHOW NOTES

Episode: Empowering Anxiety: How One Habit Changes Everything in Leadership

Guest: Marta Simeonova, Leadership Coach & Global HR Leader

What if anxiety isn't a weakness you need to fix—but a signal you need to understand?

In this episode, Javier sits down with Marta Simeonova, a global HR leader turned full-time leadership coach, to explore how embracing anxiety actually makes you a better leader. Marta shares her ...

In this episode, Javier sits down with Nicole Johnston, a former Chief of Sales at major corporations like P&G, Hershey, and Clark, to discuss her transformative journey from corporate leadership to executive coaching. Nicole shares the pivotal moment that changed everything—a near-fatal car accident that made her realize she'd rather face bodily harm than go to work—and how that wake-up call led her to leave corpor...

What if "onboarding" is the wrong word entirely?

This week, Javier sits down with Rohit Bassi — founder of People Quotient (PQ), private equity veteran, Wharton MBA, McKinsey alum, and author of The People Priority: The CEO's Blueprint for Winning Talent Acquisition.

Inside this episode, Rohit unpacks a third quotient most leaders have never named — and reframes a process every company thinks it does well: onboarding.

ABOU...

What if you're already a 10 — and everything you've been trying to "fix" was never broken?

Javier sits down with Steve Barton — coach, entrepreneur, and creator of The Game of Ten®, a registered framework now used by therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals worldwide.

Steve took over his family's flower business at 22 after his father had a major stroke. Over 30+ years, he grew it past $2M and quietly built a frame...

In this episode of the Positive Leadership Academy Podcast, Javier sits down with Savio P. Clemente — TEDx and keynote speaker, board-certified wellness coach, healthcare leadership strategist, bestselling author, journalist with over 2,000 interviews under his belt, and a two-time cancer survivor.

Most leaders believe the battle is won during the crisis. Savio's research — and his lived experience — say the opposi...

What if violence isn't random at all — but a pathway people travel down, leaving breadcrumbs along the way that no one connects?

In this powerful episode, Javier Llerena sits down with Robert Mahoney, founder and CEO of TVTP Solutions and one of the country's leading voices on targeted violence and terrorism prevention. Robert has trained schools, workplaces, law enforcement, mental health agencies, and faith communities acros...

In this powerful episode of the Positive Leadership Academy Podcast, Javier Llerena sits down with TJ Baird — a 32-year U.S. Army veteran with 20 deployments, author of Warrior Dad, and self-described "warrior poet" — for a conversation that moves from the front lines of leadership to the quieter battles fought at home.

TJ doesn't lead with the Army's textbook definition of leadership ("provide purpose, motivation, and d...

In a world dominated by screens, AI tools, and back-to-back Zoom calls, what happens when you put a pile of LEGO® bricks in front of a leadership team? According to this week's guest — breakthrough conversations the team didn't know it was capable of having.

Javier sits down with Shannon Russell, former television producer turned founder of Build Better Teams Consulting and certified LEGO® Serious Play facilitator. After 16 ye...

In this episode, Javier sits down with Janice Goldmintz, founder of Talk About Aging, to uncover one of the most overlooked challenges in today's workplace: employees who are silently carrying the weight of caring for aging parents.

Janice shares the hidden cost of "presenteeism" — when your best people are physically at their desks but mentally split between work and a hospital room — and offers leaders a practical, hum...

How do you make the biggest decisions of your life — the ones that a pros and cons list simply can't solve?

In this episode, Javier sits down with Stephanie Peirolo — board-certified executive coach, writer, and author of The Saint and the Drunk: A Guide to Making the Big Decisions in Your Life. Stephanie blends the 500-year-old discernment practices of St. Ignatius of Loyola with the inclusive spiritual framework of Alc...

In this high-energy and heartfelt episode of the Positive Leadership Academy Podcast, host Javier Llerena sits down with the iconic and unforgettable Matthew Lesko—the man in the question-mark suit who's been shouting from the rooftops for decades about free government money and resources most people don’t know exist.

Javier shares a deeply personal story of how Lesko’s work helped him keep his electricity running ...

Can introverts thrive as powerful, authentic leaders in a world that often celebrates extroversion? Absolutely—and today’s guest is here to prove it.

In this insightful episode of the Positive Leadership Academy Podcast, host Javier Llerena sits down with Stacey Chazin, founder of The iFactor: Igniting Introverted Leadership, to explore the misunderstood strengths of introverts in leadership. Stacey shares a powerful sto...

In this powerful return episode of the Positive Leadership Academy Podcast, host Javier Llerena welcomes back leadership strategist and author Rahul Karan Sharma, who shares his groundbreaking CLIMB Framework—a transformative model designed to help professionals unlock their potential and grow into intentional, impactful leaders.

Rahul dives into the four distinct states of corporate leadership and reveals why so many talented...

In this episode of the Positive Leadership Academy Podcast, host Javier Llerena sits down with Vladimir Baranov—tech executive, founder, and career mentor—to explore how founders can successfully bridge the gap between business acumen and technical expertise.

Drawing from decades of experience in engineering and leadership, Vladimir shares practical strategies for technologists looking to grow into effective founders. Fr...