EP 102: Talent Density: Your New KPI for Culture, Productivity & Profit

Layoffs, furloughs, and rehiring after downsizing are decisions that press on both the head and the heart.   Sarah Lockwood talks with Peggy Shell, the CEO of Creative Alignments, about the reality of leading a team through moments when survival means making choices no leader wants to make. Peggy shares how her company moved from furloughs to layoffs during an economic downturn and what it took to carry the weight of those decisions while still protecting the future of the business. How do you take care of the people who stay after you’ve had to let others go? How much truth should you share when your team is already anxious?   Peggy explains how transparency and steady communication built trust, even in the midst of layoffs, and why she chose approaches like covering health insurance, offering transition periods, and helping people find new roles. She also reflects on the uneasy process of hiring again after downsizing and the challenge of moving forward with confidence when past decisions still weigh heavy.   This episode encourages entrepreneurs to look closely at how layoffs, furloughs, and rehiring after downsizing affect more than just headcount. These moments test the culture of a company, the trust between leaders and their teams, and the resilience of a business when pressure hits. Peggy’s story shows how the choices a leader makes in these situations leave a lasting mark on both the people and the direction of the business.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction and Initial Layoffs 02:16 Fear of Rehiring and Economic Uncertainty 05:31 Conscious Leadership and Transparency in Layoffs 08:01 Furloughs vs. Layoffs 10:09 Handling Layoffs with Compassion and Support 11:14 Retaining A Players and Addressing Survivor Guilt 14:17 Lessons Learned and Building a Stronger Business 16:21 Innovation and Reimagining Company Culture 17:12 Final Takeaways for Leaders Connect with Peggy Shell: Creative Alignments Connect with Peggy on LinkedIn    Connect with Sarah Lockwood: HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: The Conscious Entrepreneur  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram    HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Annual reviews are broken, and leadership coach Mike Goldman, author of “The Strength of Talent” has a different way to think about performance management that puts people growth at the heart of profit growth.    Joining Sarah Lockwood in this episode, Mike questions why so many organizations still rely on outdated HR metrics and rigid systems like annual reviews or quarterly reviews when so few leaders believe they make a real impact. He introduces the idea of “talent density,” a measure of the gap between high and low performers, and explains why it’s a sharper way to understand organizational health. He walks through his five-step framework that calls for clear expectations, honest assessments done as a team, real leadership accountability, and a balance between productivity and culture fit.    How often do we keep a top producer who quietly undermines the culture? Where is “good enough” quietly slowing the roles that drive a company forward? Mike shares strategies leaders can start using right away, even without company-wide adoption, and explains why a slow, thoughtful rollout builds trust and lasting results. This episode challenges the way performance management is typically done and offers a grounded approach to helping both people and the business grow stronger.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Talent Density Explained 01:51 People Growth Drives Profit 03:55 Assessing Performance Beyond Annual Reviews 06:25 Leadership Accountability for People Growth 08:01 Broken Performance Management System 09:17 Quarterly Talent Assessment Meeting (QTAM) 11:14 Talent Density Indicator (TDI) Overview 14:40 Culture Fit as a Performance Metric 18:45 Roles Where Good Enough Fails 23:06 Applying the System as a Middle Manager 29:01 Change Management and Rollout Strategy   Connect with Mike Goldman: Website Book: “The Strength of Talent”  LinkedIn   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Website LinkedIn Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Website  LinkedIn  Instagram  YouTube   HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Burnout can take root fast when company culture overlooks early warning signs, and Cait Donovan offers insight into how leaders can spot and address it before it damages the entire organization.   Sarah Lockwood speaks with Cait, the host of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast and the founder of BurnBOLD, about what burnout looks like in real time and why it often signals deeper issues inside a company. How can a leader tell when a team is just under pressure versus when something is fundamentally off? Which behaviors start small but slowly erode trust and workplace wellness until they create a toxic culture?    Cait explains why leaders must deal with their own burnout first because when a leader is running on empty, the strain spreads. From there, she walks through ways to identify whether the problem lies in a single pocket of the organization or across the culture as a whole, and how to respond in each case. She shares approaches that shift the tone of a workplace, like starting “positive gossip” to strengthen psychological safety or aligning the company’s stated values with what actually happens day to day.    This episode looks at personal habits such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, hyper-independence that often come from old patterns and quietly shape relationships and performance at work. Cait shows how becoming aware of these tendencies can help leaders change the environment for themselves and their teams. She offers a thoughtful and detailed look at how burnout develops, what fuels a toxic culture, and how workplace wellness can be protected through intentional choices in leadership and company culture.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Real Costs of Burnout 01:31 WHO Definition and Key Signs of Burnout 02:46 Individual Burnout vs. Cultural Problems 04:07 How Leaders Should Address Burnout 06:10 Four Indicators of a Toxic Workplace 08:42 Effective Interventions to Reduce Burnout 09:20 Building Trust Through Positive Gossip 11:30 Aligning Company Values With Culture 12:44 Burnout Risk Factors and Protection Factors 16:42 Why Leaders Must Address Their Own Burnout First 21:16 Hidden Patterns That Increase Burnout Risk 26:39 Case Study: Reducing Urgency to Boost Productivity   Links Connect with Cait Donovan: Initial Call with Cait FRIED. The Burnout Podcast LinkedIn    Connect with Sarah Lockwood: LinkedIn HiveCast   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: LinkedIn  Instagram  The Conscious Entrepreneur  HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm  

Telling yourself the truth might be the most radical leadership skill you’ll ever develop.   In part three of the Emotional Self-Regulation for Leaders series, Sarah Lockwood is joined by Beck Sydow and Marina Suholutsky for a conversation about the power of radical self-honesty in leadership. They explore how self-awareness for leaders isn’t just about introspection but a foundational strategy for building resilient businesses, leading aligned teams, and navigating high-stakes decisions with integrity.   Beck and Marina reveal how easy it is for entrepreneurs to hide from their own truths, especially when fear, ego, or pressure to perform take over. They unpack how avoidance and overcompensation often mask deeper insecurities and explain why facing those hidden parts with compassion is key to true emotional self-regulation. When leaders name what’s really going on without judgment, they create space for better decisions, stronger relationships, and more authentic leadership.   This episode offers a powerful reframe: self-honesty isn’t weakness, but actually one of the most courageous and transformative skills you can build.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Why Radical Self-Honesty Is a Leadership Skill 02:56 How Your Relationship with Yourself Shapes Your Leadership 04:49 Embracing All Parts of Yourself to Build Self-Awareness 06:03 Coping Mechanisms That Lead to Dishonest Leadership 10:03 The Hidden Relief in Facing Hard Truths 14:07 Practicing Compassionate Accountability 17:59 Sovereignty, Self-Honesty, and Emotional Self-Regulation 21:32 Practical Tools to Strengthen Self-Honesty 25:02 Emotional Mastery for Leaders   Links Connect with Beck Sydow: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becksydow/ HumanKind Business Leaders: https://www.humankindbusinessleaders.com/   Connect with Marina Suholutsky: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-suho/ PurposeBuilt: www.purposebuilt.io   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/ Website: https://hivecast.fm   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/  Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us  HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm  

Curiosity is the leadership skill that helps you regulate your nervous system, interrupt fear loops, and make conscious choices in real time.   This episode is part 2 of the Emotional Self-Regulation for Leaders series, where Sarah Lockwood is joined again by Marina Suholutsky, the founder of PurposeBuilt, and Beck Sydow, the founder of HumanKind Business Leaders, to discuss how curiosity plays an important role in nervous system regulation and managing emotions. They break down how fear contracts our experience and narrows our view, while curiosity invites expansion and presence. When leaders learn to pause and ask questions like “What else is true?” or “What story am I telling myself right now?”, they create access to agency, opening up space to shift out of reactivity and into conscious, grounded response.   Marina and Beck offer tools that don’t require time away from work or structured rituals. These moments of emotional awareness can happen mid-meeting, mid-sentence, or mid-meltdown. Whether it’s noticing your peripheral vision, softening your tone, or naming what’s happening in the room, curiosity becomes a live practice that leaders can use to stay connected to themselves and others. The discussion also explores how modeling this curiosity builds team trust and strengthens leadership presence. For founders who want to lead with more ease and intention, this episode is an invitation and a toolkit.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Curiosity as a Tool for Emotional Mastery 01:24 Using Curiosity to Shift from Fear to Possibility 02:55 How Curiosity Regulates the Nervous System 04:32 Interrupting Autopilot Responses with Better Questions 06:12 Building Agency Through Conscious Choice 09:59 Real-Time Techniques for Managing Emotions 12:34 Somatic Practices for Curiosity and Expansion 15:23 Leading with Curiosity in High-Stakes Moments 16:48 Asking Open-Ended Questions That Invite Collaboration 19:31 Why Curiosity Reflects True Leadership Confidence   Links Connect with Beck Sydow: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becksydow/ HumanKind Business Leaders: https://www.humankindbusinessleaders.com/   Connect with Marina Suholutsky: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-suho/ PurposeBuilt: www.purposebuilt.io   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/ Website: https://hivecast.fm   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/  Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us  HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Fear isn’t the enemy of great leadership. Ignoring it is.   How often do you walk into a meeting already bracing for impact? Or catch yourself shrinking back in a moment where you meant to lead with clarity? Sarah Lockwood sits down with Beck Sydow, the founder of HumanKind Business Leaders, and Marina Suholutsky, the founder of PurposeBuilt, for a conversation on emotional self-regulation, fear in business, and the kind of inner work that makes better leadership possible.   They explore how fear lives in the body, how it shows up in the boardroom, and why most founders are still operating from old survival patterns without realizing it. You’ll hear why simply pushing through isn’t a strategy and how learning to notice your internal state (tight shoulders, shallow breath, reactive thinking) can open the door to more aligned decisions. Beck and Marina walk through tools for getting out of autopilot, including body scans, self-inquiry, and what they call “active choice,” the skill of pausing just long enough to shift out of fear and back into presence.   This doesn’t just explain why inner work matters. It shows you how to begin. Whether you’re leading a team, building a company, or trying to show up more fully for your own vision, this is the kind of episode that gets under the surface and invites you to lead from a deeper, steadier place.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Emotional Self-Regulation in Leadership 02:19 Why Fear and Suffering Matter for Founders 05:03 How the Amygdala Shapes Fear in Business 06:08 Welcoming Fear as a Tool, Not a Threat 10:08 Tools for Recognizing and Naming Fear 14:06 The Leadership Power of Softening and Owning Fear 18:13 Making Active Choices to Lead with Awareness   Links Connect with Beck Sydow: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becksydow/ Humankind Business Leaders: https://www.humankindbusinessleaders.com/   Connect with Marina Suholutsky: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-suho/ PurposeBuilt: www.purposebuilt.io   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/ Website: https://hivecast.fm   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/  Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us  HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Where does your money sleep at night, and is it working for the kind of world you want to live in?   Jennifer Kenning was managing the wealth of high-net-worth families by day and volunteering with unhoused communities in Los Angeles by night. That contrast raised a question that’s stuck with her ever since: What if capital could be a force for good, without giving up returns? Now the CEO and co-founder of Align Impact, Jennifer leads a registered investment advisory firm managing over $750 million.    Jennifer joins Sarah Lockwood to talk about values-based investing, conscious capitalism, and how we can all, regardless of portfolio size, be more intentional about where and how our money is working. Jennifer explains why impact investing isn’t charity, how ESG works (and where it falls short), and the practical steps anyone can take to align their investments with their values. She shares examples of funding solutions in climate change, affordable housing, sustainable agriculture, and why investing in women and underrepresented founders creates ripple effects that go far beyond profit. She also reflects on her leadership as the outgoing president of EO Colorado, the power of servant leadership, and how Align’s commitment to being a B Corp shapes the way they do business.   If you’re an entrepreneur rethinking how your capital is allocated, or simply curious about whether your investments align with your intentions, Sarah and Jennifer’s conversation will help you take a more conscious, empowered role in shaping your financial impact.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Jennifer Kenning’s Path to Impact Investing 03:15 Breaking the Myth: Do Values-Based Investments Sacrifice Returns? 07:34 How Align Measures Real-World Impact 10:29 Aligning Your 401(k) and Business Capital With Your Values 18:07 Why Align Impact Became a Certified B Corp 22:11 Bringing an Impact Lens to EO Colorado 25:15 Leading Peers and Evolving as a Servant Leader 30:05 Defining the Hopeful Pioneer and Investing for 2030 35:45 Staying Grounded: Purpose, Practice, and Long-Term Vision 38:06 Advice for Founders Committed to Conscious Capitalism 39:39 Empowerment Through Financial Awareness   Links Connect with Jennifer Kenning: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennkenning/ Website: https://www.alignimpact.com/    Connect with Sarah Lockwood: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/ Website: https://hivecast.fm   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/  Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us      HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

A carefully planned CEO exit unraveled and what came next reshaped how one founder leads for good.   When Chris Schwalbach stepped away from the CEO seat at AVL Growth Partners, he had a clear plan, a strong successor, and years of preparation behind him. But even with all that in place, something didn’t sit right. The business started to wobble, and Chris found himself wondering if he’d made a mistake. What do you do when the leadership transition you spent years building starts to crack? How do you know when it’s time to step back in?   Joining Sarah Lockwood, Chris shares the real story behind his succession planning journey, from the slow handoff to the unexpected return, and what he learned about himself in the process. He talks openly about the shame he felt stepping back in, the inner work that helped him move through it, and the version of leadership he brings to the table now. If you’re thinking about founder exit planning or wrestling with what it means to let go, this episode offers a thoughtful look at what happens when plans shift and perspective deepens.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Chris Schwalbach’s CEO Exit and Return 02:06 Founding AVL Growth Partners and the Original Vision 04:07 Hitting Growth Ceilings and Planning a Leadership Transition 10:05 The Inner Journey: Failure, Trust, and Self-Doubt 17:12 Becoming CEO 2.0: Leading with Clarity and Confidence 22:00 Managing Team Expectations During a Leadership Transition 28:10 Reflecting on Progress: Using the Gap and the Gain 30:07 Personal Habits That Support Founder Mental Health 37:47 Lessons in Succession Planning and Self-Trust   Links Conscious Entrepreneur Previous Episode with Chris Schwalbach: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/chris-schwalbach-the-conscious-handover-embracing-change-at-the-top   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/    Connect with Chris Schwalbach: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cschwalbach/ Website: https://avlgrowth.com/   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/ Website: https://hivecast.fm HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Jesse Pujji reveals how he builds wildly successful companies from scratch by doubling down on talent, distribution, and the power of bootstrapping.   In this episode, Sarah Lockwood sits down with the serial founder and investor behind Gateway X, a venture studio that launches and scales high-performing companies without venture capital. Jesse shares how he went from Goldman Sachs and McKinsey to building Ampush, one of Facebook’s earliest and most effective performance marketing agencies, which grew to manage over $1 billion in ad spend for top brands like Uber, Peloton, and Dollar Shave Club. That experience became the foundation for how he now builds high-performance teams and scalable businesses through bootstrapping.   Jesse breaks down the core principles that drive his companies: hiring exceptional talent, obsessing over sales and distribution, and staying rooted in profitability from day one. He shares the origin stories of ventures like GrowthAssistant, which connects startups with offshore marketing talent, and explains how each business at Gateway X is shaped by a unique unfair advantage and the right operating partner, not a VC-funded roadmap. From his two-farm model for sourcing ideas and people to his frameworks for knowing when to walk away from a failing project, Jesse offers a rare look into what it really takes to scale without VC.   This is a must-listen for founders ready to trade the unicorn myth for real traction, culture-driven leadership, and sustainable growth on their own terms.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Jesse Pujji’s Entrepreneurial Journey from Ampush to Gateway X 05:01 Core Principles for Bootstrapping and Scaling Without VC 08:48 How GrowthAssistant Scaled to $20M in Revenue 13:32 The Two-Farm Model: Matching Ideas with the Right People 15:00 Knowing When to Kill an Idea and Move On 16:02 Inside Aux: Translating Marketing for Private Equity 21:09 Why Sales and Distribution Matter More Than Product 22:14 The Power of High Performance Teams 27:02 Building Profitable Companies with Operational Rigor 34:30 Managing Attention, Energy, and Leadership Across Startups 38:48 Conscious Leadership and the Value of Coaching   Links Dave Kashen - Startup CEO Coach Book - The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: https://a.co/d/j4uKz9A   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/  Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us    Connect with Jesse Pujji: Website Gateway X: https://www.gateway.xyz/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessepujji/   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/ Website: https://hivecast.fm HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast.

Most entrepreneurs aren’t drowning in work because they lack ambition. They’re stuck doing too much of the wrong kind of work.   Sarah Lockwood talks with Julie Johnston, the founder of Rhino Squad, about what it looks like to operate from your zone of genius. They unpack the mindset traps that keep founders stuck in the weeds and walk through how small shifts in delegation can lead to major changes in time management and business growth.   Julie shares what she’s learned helping leaders hire and work with virtual assistants, especially from the Philippines, and how a global workforce can unlock more freedom, better output, and stronger team culture. Are your top people doing high-value work? What could your business look like if they were?     Julie encourages founders to think big and recognize where VAs can support every part of your organization from revenue driving activities to business operations - VAs can do much more than confirm appointments, reschedule meetings or manage your inbox (although that ‘s a great place to start if you haven’t yet)! If you’ve been hesitant to delegate or unsure where to start, Sarah and Julie’s conversation will help you rethink how you’re spending your time and what it’s really costing you.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Meet Julie Johnston and Rhino Squad 02:03 Mindset Shifts for Effective Delegation 06:53 Maximizing Time with Virtual Assistants 10:50 Building a Supportive Team Culture 14:01 10X Thinking and Global Workforce Strategy 24:17 Julie’s Conscious Entrepreneurial Journey 29:49 Core Values Behind Rhino Squad   Links Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Website: http://www.consciousentrepreneur.us  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-entrepreneur/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conscious_entrepreneur_summit/   Connect with Julie Johnston: Website: www.rhinosquad.org  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhinosquad_virtualassistants/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhinojulie/   Connect with Sarah Lockwood: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockwoodsarah/ Website: https://hivecast.fm HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm