129: Dr. Ryan Gottfredson — The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation, Mindsets, Emotional Intelligence, and Becoming Better

September 09, 2025 by Cal Walters

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Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. Ryan is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership, The Elevated Leader: Leveling Up Your Leadership Through Vertical Development, and Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation.

In this episode, Dr. Gottfredson returns to discuss the concepts of trauma, vertical development, and the distinction between 'being' and 'doing' in leadership. He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and healing one's internal operating system to achieve true personal transformation. The conversation explores how mindsets shape our experiences and the role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership. Ryan shares his personal journey of transformation and the impact of trauma on leadership effectiveness, providing insights into how leaders can grow both personally and professionally.

In his lastest book, Becoming Better, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author Ryan Gottfredson, PhD, teaches you that transformational growth requires a shift to a deeper dimension known as your Being Side—the quality of your mindsets, emotional depth, and regulatory abilities.

But few understand their Being Side, let alone how to elevate it.

Success Mindsets: Your Keys to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership

By Gottfredson, Ryan

The Elevated Leader: Level Up Your Leadership Through Vertical Development

By Gottfredson, Ryan

Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation

By Gottfredson, Ryan

The Intentional Leader Lab is a six-month mastermind for successful leaders who refuse to plateau. Through my Narrow Path™ Framework, you’ll get the tools, coaching, and community you need to keep growing as you lead your team—and your life. Only 6 spots left.

127: Dr. Travis Bradberry — Emotional Intelligence Expert Gives Practical Advice to Increase Your EQ, Increase Your Self-Awareness, and Change Your Thinking

August 25, 2025 by Cal Walters

In this conversation, Cal introduces the Intentional Leader Lab, a coaching program aimed at enhancing leadership skills through emotional intelligence. Dr. Travis Bradberry an expert in emotional intelligence, discusses its significance in leadership, differentiating it from IQ, and the importance of self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness. The conversation emphasizes practical strategies for developing emotional intelligence and the impact it has on personal and professional relationships.

Dr. Travis Bradberry is a best-selling author and a leading expert in emotional intelligence (EQ), co-authoring the #1 bestseller Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and the book The New Emotional Intelligence. He co-founded TalentSmart, a provider of EQ assessments and training used by many Fortune 500 companies, and is currently the Chief People Scientist at LEADx. His work focuses on practical strategies and new research to help people improve their EQ, which impacts behavior, decision-making, and relationships.

Emotional Intelligence 2.0

By Travis Bradberry, Jean Greaves

Leadership 2.0

By Bradberry, Travis, Greaves, Jean

Emotional Intelligence Habits

By Bradberry, Travis

The New Emotional Intelligence

By Bradberry, Travis

126: Melody Wilding — How to Manage Up and the 5 Conversations to Have with Your Boss

July 22, 2025 by Cal Walters

In this conversation, Melody Wilding, an expert in managing up, discusses the essential skills and strategies needed to influence your boss and navigate workplace dynamics effectively. She emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence, establishing alignment, and taking ownership in your role. The discussion also covers setting boundaries, giving and receiving feedback, and the concept of the triple win, which focuses on finding mutually beneficial solutions for yourself, your boss, and the organization.

Melody Wilding is the bestselling author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work and the Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge.

Melody is a licensed social worker with a master’s degree from Columbia University, professor of human behavior at Hunter College in New York City, and former emotions researcher at Rutgers University.

For more than a decade, she’s helped top performers and leadership at the world’s most successful companies — including Google, JP Morgan, and Verizon — to communicate more clearly, prevent burnout, and transform complicated workplace dynamics into powerful alliances that impact the bottom line.

Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and dozens of other respected publications. She’s a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, and CNBC.

Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work

By Wilding LMSW, Melody

Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge

By Wilding, Melody

If you’re interested in discovering your core values and becoming a more self-aware and emotionally intelligent leader, I’ve built the perfect course to help you get there. Check out my Discover Your Core Values Mini Course, where I coach you through 3 exercises of guided reflection and help you uncover your core values in a way that you can apply them right away.

125: Patrick Lencioni — The One Thing Every Leader Needs and His Top Advice to Leaders at All Stages

June 30, 2025 by Cal Walters

Pat is one of the founders of The Table Group and is the pioneer of the organizational health movement. He is the author of 13 books, which have sold over 8 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.

As President of the Table Group, Pat spends his time speaking and writing about leadership, teamwork, and organizational health and consulting with executives and their teams.

Prior to founding the firm in 1997, Pat worked at Bain & Company, Oracle Corporation and Sybase. Pat lives in the Bay Area with his wife and four boys.

In this episode of the Intentional Leader podcast, Cal and Patrick Lencioni delve into the core motivations behind leadership, emphasizing the importance of serving others over seeking personal gain. They discuss the impact of fear on leadership effectiveness, the necessity of daily self-reflection, and the significance of understanding one's wounds in shaping leadership styles. The conversation also touches on the importance of unity within organizations and offers practical advice for leaders at various stages of their careers, encouraging self-discovery and intentionality in leadership practices.

The Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Important Responsibilities (J-B Lencioni Series)

By Lencioni, Patrick M.

The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team

By Lencioni, Patrick M.

124: Geoff Woods — Leverage AI for Elite Thinking and Decision Making (The Ai-Driven Leader)

May 29, 2025 by Cal Walters

Geoff Woods is the author of The AI-Driven Leader and the Founder of AI Leadership, where he empowers leaders to harness AI, escape operational overwhelm, and think strategically to accelerate growth.

AI Leadership is spearheaded by Geoff Woods, a visionary leader with a proven track record helping companies grow through strategic thinking and AI-driven solutions.

As the former Chief Growth Officer of Jindal Steel & Power, he drove market cap growth from $750M to $12B in four years through AI-driven leadership.

He also co-founded the training and consulting company behind The ONE Thing, where he coached and advised companies with annual revenues from $10 million to $60 billion.

The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions

By Geoff Woods