Episodi

  • 214: Your Greatest Strength Is Hurting You

    214: Your Greatest Strength Is Hurting You
    Oct 19 2026
    What made you successful might be the very thing holding you back. Meet Kyle. He's the CEO of a thriving renewable energy company with over 150 employees. He's brilliant, driven, and relentlessly focused on results. But his demanding schedule, impatience, and constant overthinking are taking a toll. His company is winning, but he's exhausted, his relationship is suffering, and he's terrified that slowing down could cost him everything he's built. In this episode, Jay sits down with Christina Lecuyer, former professional golfer, executive coach, and host of Decide It's Your Turn. Together, they explore how your greatest strengths can become your biggest weaknesses, why success doesn't have to require suffering, and how to achieve more without sacrificing what matters most. Notable Quotes "The thing that makes you super successful is oftentimes the thing that really hurts you." — Christina Lecuyer "I don't understand why people don't realize that time is the greatest asset on the planet." — Christina Lecuyer "I was petrified that if I was nice to myself and if I was kind to myself, I wasn't going to try as hard." — Christina Lecuyer "What are you so afraid will happen if you start doing it a different way?" — Christina Lecuyer About Our Guest Christina Lecuyer is a former professional golfer, executive coach, podcast host, and trusted advisor to high-achieving entrepreneurs and business leaders. Drawing from her own journey of overcoming perfectionism and redefining success, Christina helps CEOs and founders gain clarity, overcome limiting beliefs, and create success that aligns with their personal values. Through her coaching and Decide It's Your Turn podcast, she empowers people to take action, trust themselves, and build lives that feel as fulfilling as they look. Resources & Links Christina Lecuyer Website – https://www.christinalecuyer.com/ LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinalecuyer/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/bechristinaa Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bechristina/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6LYaHUVwD9kkepqf1Zfcyg Jay Abbasi Website – https://jayabbasi.me/ LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thejayabbasi/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast Join Us Next Time On Friday, Jay dives into five powerful lessons from Reality Transurfing, a book that challenges how we think about achieving our goals and creating the lives we want. From releasing resistance to shifting your mindset and taking intentional action, Jay breaks down practical takeaways to help you stop forcing outcomes and start moving toward the future you want to create.
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    57 min
  • 213: 7 Steps to Avoid Running Bad Meetings

    213: 7 Steps to Avoid Running Bad Meetings
    Oct 16 2026
    Great meetings aren't about filling time. They're about making every minute count. In this solo episode, Jay tackles one of the most common workplace frustrations: unproductive meetings. Drawing from his leadership experience at Tesla and his work coaching leaders, he shares a practical seven-step framework for running meetings that respect people's time, create clarity, and drive meaningful results. From questioning whether a meeting is necessary and defining clear outcomes to setting agendas, managing distractions, and establishing accountability, Jay walks through how to make every meeting more effective. If you want to eliminate wasted time, improve team engagement, and turn conversations into action, this episode offers a clear path forward. Notable Quotes “Great work is happening between the meetings.” — Jay Abbasi “We want to be really considerate about how we're spending our time, very intentional about the time we're putting on other people's calendars.” — Jay Abbasi “Knowing what the end goal is of the meeting is crucial for you to be able to communicate well with your people at the start of the meeting and throughout.” — Jay Abbasi “You don't just ignore them, nor do you feed themr.” — Jay Abbasi Resources and Links Jay Abbasi Website: https://jayabbasi.me/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejayabbasi/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast Join Us Next Time On Monday’s episode, you’ll meet Kyle, the CEO of a fast-growing renewable energy company whose overthinking, packed calendar, and relentless drive are beginning to affect his marriage and personal life. Jay is joined by Christina Lecuyer, former professional athlete and executive consultant, to explore how leaders can quiet the mental noise, trust their decisions and teams, and build success without carrying the weight of everything themselves.
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    17 min
  • 212: We've Been Promoting the Wrong Leaders

    212: We've Been Promoting the Wrong Leaders
    Oct 12 2026
    Just because someone delivers results doesn't mean they can lead people. Meet Ganesh. He's a successful senior product manager at a major airline. Executives love him, his team delivers results, and his career is thriving. But when one of his best employees unexpectedly resigns, he starts questioning his leadership. His team rarely speaks up, and feedback suggests he's intimidating. He's been so focused on performance that he may have forgotten the people behind it. Today, Jay sits down with Marcel Schwantes, executive coach, keynote speaker, and author of Humane Leadership. Together, they explore why organizations promote the wrong leaders, how trust drives performance, and what it really takes to lead with both accountability and humanity. Notable Quotes "If you really want to initiate that cycle of trust, starts with you, the leader." — Marcel Schwantes "They have to make sure that people know that they matter, that they have a voice." — Marcel Schwantes "You have to have not only, yes, you have to hold people accountable, but what about the caring side?" — Marcel Schwantes About Our Guest Marcel Schwantes is an executive coach, keynote speaker, author, and leadership expert who helps organizations build healthier, more human workplaces. Drawing from his experience in HR leadership and his own encounters with toxic management, Marcel advocates for a leadership approach grounded in trust, authenticity, and developing others. His book, Humane Leadership: Lead with Radical Love, Be a Kick-Ass Boss, challenges traditional leadership practices and explores the behaviors that create stronger teams and sustainable performance. Resources & Links Marcel Schwantes Website – https://www.marcelschwantes.com/ Humane Leadership Book – http://www.marcelschwantes.com/book-humane-leadership LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9fO2r_ZQ3wy5ie522f-DTQ?view_as=public X – https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes Jay Abbasi Website – https://jayabbasi.me/ LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thejayabbasi/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast Join Us Next Time On Friday, Jay shares practical meeting hacks that can transform how you lead your team. From starting meetings effectively and encouraging honest feedback to keeping employees engaged and communicating difficult news, Jay reveals simple strategies he's used and taught leaders to make meetings more productive, meaningful, and effective.
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    52 min
  • 211: 7 Steps to Master Networking

    211: 7 Steps to Master Networking
    Oct 9 2026
    Networking isn't about what you can get. It's about the value you can give. In this solo episode, Jay shares his seven-step approach to building meaningful professional relationships and mastering the art of networking. Drawing from his experience growing a successful coaching and speaking business, he explains why effective networking begins with a mindset of giving rather than getting. From identifying the right people and engaging authentically on LinkedIn to sending personalized messages, scheduling conversations, and following up, Jay walks through a practical process anyone can apply. If you want to expand your network, create new opportunities, and build lasting relationships without feeling transactional, this episode offers a clear path forward. Notable Quotes “Networking that matters is helping people achieve their goals.” — Seth Godin “What can I give? Who can I help? How do I provide value in a way that helps both myself and others to achieve goals?” — Jay Abbasi “You can change someone's day with a nice voice note.” — Jay Abbasi “A value driven call starts with curiosity and genuine interests.” — Jay Abbasi Resources and Links Jay Abbasi Website: https://jayabbasi.me/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejayabbasi/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast Join Us Next Time On Monday’s episode, you’ll meet Ganesh, a senior manager at a major airline who discovers that his high standards may be intimidating the very people he leads. Jay is joined by Marcel Schwantes, executive coach, keynote speaker, and author of Humane Leadership, to explore how leaders can maintain high performance while building trust, creating stronger connections, and becoming someone people genuinely want to follow.
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    15 min
  • 210: Reinvent Yourself (Before You Have To)

    210: Reinvent Yourself (Before You Have To)
    Oct 5 2026
    Reinvention doesn’t have to begin with quitting. It begins with curiosity. Meet Terrence. He’s a successful senior vice president with a good salary, a wife, two young kids, and plenty of responsibility. But lately, his work feels transactional. His team seems disconnected, his calendar is packed, and he can’t shake the feeling that something is missing. He doesn’t want to blow up the life he’s built. He also doesn’t want to wake up 10 years from now wishing he’d taken a chance. In this episode, Jay sits down with Jeff Pelaccio, longtime executive, speaker, and host of The Corporate Couch. Together, they explore how to recognize when it’s time for a change, reinvent yourself before circumstances force you to, and build relationships that can open doors you never expected. Notable Quotes “You control how you show up.” — Jeff Pelaccio “The more people you know, the more people you can help.” — Jeff Pelaccio “If your job was 30% better than it is now, would you stay or leave?” — Jeff Pelaccio “You always need to look at it and reinvent and rethink things.” — Jeff Pelaccio About Our Guest Jeff Pelaccio is a longtime executive, speaker, and host of The Corporate Couch, a podcast exploring the human side of leadership, careers, resilience, and reinvention. After navigating nine involuntary career transitions himself, Jeff brings a unique perspective to career change and job searching. His work encourages people to strengthen relationships, control what they can control, and approach career transitions with curiosity rather than desperation. Resources & Links Jeff Pelaccio Website – https://thecorporatecouch.podbean.com/ LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffpelaccio/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jeffpelaccio Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jeffpelaccio/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@TheCorporateCouch-x7u Jay Abbasi Website – https://jayabbasi.me/ LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thejayabbasi/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast Join Us Next Time On Friday, Jay dives deeper into something he once resisted but has come to see as one of the most valuable tools for building a career or business: networking. Jay shares the strategies that have worked for him and his clients to build genuine relationships without making networking feel transactional. Whether you’re in corporate, an entrepreneur, or building something of your own, you’ll learn how to connect with people, add value, and create opportunities that can accelerate your career or business.
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    58 min
  • 209: Don’t Be The Duck

    209: Don’t Be The Duck
    Oct 2 2026
    Great leaders don’t pretend to be calm. They learn how to become calm beneath the surface. In this solo episode, Jay challenges a leadership lesson he learned early in his career: “Be like a duck.” While a duck appears calm above the water while paddling furiously underneath, Jay explains why this approach can lead to inauthenticity, overwhelm, and a disconnect between what leaders show and what they actually feel. Instead, Jay encourages leaders to “be the water” and shares seven ways to build genuine calm and composure from within. From pausing and slowing down to breathing, practicing mindfulness, staying curious, walking away, and collaborating with others, this episode offers a practical framework for responding to pressure without pretending it isn’t there. Notable Quotes “You want to establish that sense of calm and composure at a deeper level mentally and emotionally so that you can respond to it rather than react.” — Jay Abbasi “To be like the water, you have to learn how to slow down to then speed up.” — Jay Abbasi “To me, leadership is really about curiosity.” — Jay Abbasi “As leaders, we can sometimes feel very lonely. You feel very siloed.” — Jay Abbasi Resources and Links Jay Abbasi Website: https://jayabbasi.me/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejayabbasi/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast Join Us Next Time On Monday’s episode, you’ll meet Terrance, a senior vice president at a national logistics company who feels like his work has become transactional and has lost his passion for what he does. Jay is joined by Jeff Pelaccio, longtime executive leader, speaker, and host of The Corporate Couch, to explore how leaders can reconnect with what matters, build resilience through uncertainty, and find the courage to reinvent themselves without losing everything they’ve built.
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    15 min
  • 208: AI Can’t Think For You

    208: AI Can’t Think For You
    Sep 28 2026
    Just because AI can do it doesn’t mean it should. Meet Michelle. She’s a VP of HR trying to keep pace with a CEO who moves fast. One week it’s AI, the next it’s retention, then recruiting. Everyone expects Michelle to solve problems, protect the culture, and pick up the pieces when something breaks. She wants to stop reacting to the latest priority and start helping shape what comes next. In this episode, Jay sits down with Naomi Titleman, former CHRO of American Express Canada, ex-Deloitte consultant, and trusted advisor to HR leaders. Together, they explore how to use AI without surrendering critical thinking, why leaders need to solve the problem before choosing the technology, and how to lead people through rapid change. Notable Quotes “We need to dial into our critical thinking at every juncture.” — Naomi Titleman “Is this an AI moment or is this a my brain moment?” — Naomi Titleman “If I am, I’m going to start with my brain first.” — Naomi Titleman About Our Guest Naomi Titleman is a former CHRO of American Express Canada, ex-Deloitte consultant, and trusted advisor to HR leaders navigating the future of work. Through future foHRward, Naomi helps organizations and HR leaders navigate transformation, strengthen their people strategies, and prepare for the changing workplace. Her work explores the intersection of AI, leadership, culture, and the human skills organizations need to thrive through change. Resources & Links Naomi Titleman future foHRward Website – https://www.futurefohrward.com/who-we-are LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/ future foHRward LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/futurefoHRward/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@foHRsightpodcast Jay Abbasi Website – https://jayabbasi.me/ LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thejayabbasi/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast Join Us Next Time On Friday, Jay shares an analogy he’s used for years about the duck and the water and what it can teach us about leading through pressure and change. Drawing from his early mistakes as a new manager and his experience coaching leaders at major organizations, Jay explores how great leaders remain composed on the surface while navigating the challenges underneath. You’ll learn how to guide your team through change, achieve at a high level, and keep your people engaged along the way.
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    52 min
  • 207: How to Handle a Difficult Employee

    207: How to Handle a Difficult Employee
    Sep 25 2026
    When coaching isn’t working, it may be time to stop talking about the work and start talking to the person. In this solo episode, Jay explores what to do when you’ve coached, given feedback, shown empathy, and nothing seems to work. Drawing from a memorable leadership exercise at Tesla, he shares how leaders can move beyond surface-level conversations and create a “moment of truth” with a difficult employee. Jay also breaks down his EPIC framework, Example, Pause, Impact, and Change or Continue, to help leaders balance empathy with accountability. From slowing down and choosing the right tone to knowing when it may be time to involve HR, this episode offers a practical approach for navigating difficult conversations while still giving people every opportunity to succeed. Notable Quotes “What you have to do in that moment is to have that moment of truth.” — Jay Abbasi “I believe we should always be empathetic.” — Jay Abbasi “It's okay to acknowledge how they feel and shift the conversation over to the performance and what you're expecting.” — Jay Abbasi “If they're not excelling, if they're not happy or they're not able to do the job well, there's a better job out there for them.” — Jay Abbasi Resources and Links Jay Abbasi Website: https://jayabbasi.me/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejayabbasi/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast Join Us Next Time On Monday’s episode, you’ll meet Michelle, a VP of HR at a national home services company who feels drained by the relentless pace of new technology and AI. Jay is joined by Naomi Titleman, former CHRO of American Express Canada, ex-Deloitte consultant, and founder of future foHRward, to explore how leaders can stop reacting to constant change and start shaping the future of work before it gets shaped for them.
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    15 min