Badass Softie

Dr. J.J. Peterson

A Badass Softie is unapologetically ambitious and leads with heart. Ambitious and kind. Fun and driven. Powerful and deeply human. Badass Softie, hosted by Dr. J.J. Peterson, is a podcast that challenges the false choice leaders are too often given: be strong or be compassionate. The world doesn’t just need more leaders — it needs leaders bold enough to make an impact and compassionate enough to make it meaningful. Each episode pulls back the curtain on leaders, creators, and innovators who are rewriting the rules of what real leadership looks like. You’ll walk away with stories, insights, and practical takeaways that show you how to lead with both strength and softness — the very definition of being a Badass Softie. Subscribe and step fully into the kind of leader the world is waiting for. 

  1. VOR 9 STD.

    Permission to Try Something New

    Leaders carry growing responsibility. Bigger teams. Bigger decisions. Bigger stakes. But growth in responsibility doesn’t automatically mean growth in thinking. Dr. JJ Peterson explores a counterintuitive leadership truth: when leaders stop trying new things, their thinking gets smaller — even as their influence expands. The issue isn’t intelligence. It isn’t experience. It’s rigidity. The brain is designed to change. Novelty builds cognitive flexibility. Exposure to unfamiliar environments interrupts autopilot. Creative hobbies, new skills, and even small disruptions in routine reshape how the brain approaches ambiguity and problem-solving. Trying something new outside of work isn’t indulgent. It’s strategic. Learning stained glass doesn’t make someone a better marketer. Curling doesn’t automatically improve strategy. But putting yourself back into beginner mode rewires how you respond to uncertainty, failure, and complexity — and that changes leadership. Growth doesn’t always look impressive. Sometimes it looks like falling on the ice, laughing, and getting back up again. What You’ll Learn Why leadership fails when thinking becomes rigid How novelty strengthens cognitive flexibility The connection between environment shifts and creative problem-solving Why beginnerhood is a leadership practice, not a weakness Simple ways to disrupt autopilot and expand perspective Leadership requires adaptability, perspective, and the willingness to experiment before certainty arrives. If this resonates, consider sharing it with a leader who may need permission to try something new — not to master it, not to monetize it, but to stay mentally alive. Because ambition and humanity are not opposites. And the most strategic thing a leader can do might be to become a beginner again.

    21 Min.
  2. 2. FEB.

    The Stories That Shape How We Lead — with Tricia Rose Burt

    Most people think a story has to be a seismic, life-altering event to matter. Something dramatic. Something obvious. Something big enough to justify being told. But leadership is rarely shaped by moments that announce themselves. In this conversation, Dr. J.J. Peterson talks with storyteller and creativity guide Tricia Rose Burt about why the stories that shape how we lead are often the ones we overlook—and how creativity helps us recognize, shape, and share them. Together, they explore storytelling not as performance or branding, but as a leadership practice: a way of integrating lived experience, building trust, and making meaning in the work we do. This is a conversation for leaders who feel disconnected from their creativity, unsure whether their story “counts,” or curious about how story and imagination strengthen—not soften—leadership. What this explores Why most people underestimate the stories they’re already carrying How storytelling reveals why you lead the way you do The connection between creativity and effective leadership Why showing a story builds credibility faster than telling credentials How recognizing your story opens the door to inspiring others Creativity isn’t a detour from leadership. Storytelling isn’t a nice-to-have. They’re how leaders stay human, flexible, and meaningful—especially when the work gets hard.   To learn more about Tricia Rose Burt and her work, visit triciaroseburt.com.

    25 Min.
  3. 12. JAN.

    The Best Leadership Lessons Come From Where You Least Expect

    Some of the most meaningful leadership lessons don’t come from business books, keynote stages, or boardrooms.   Sometimes, they come from places you don’t expect.   In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson shares unexpected leadership insights inspired by a behind-the-scenes look at Taylor Swift and her record-breaking Eras Tour. What he expected was spectacle. What he didn’t expect was a masterclass in leadership with heart.   This episode explores what it looks like to lead at the highest level without becoming harder, colder, or smaller in the process.   You’ll hear reflections on: Emotional discipline and why leaders shouldn’t dump their stress downhill Showing up as a guide, not the hero How preparation creates freedom and confidence Why generosity and shared wins build loyalty What true belonging looks like on a team The power of owning your work, your voice, and your story If you’re tired of leadership advice that asks you to sacrifice your humanity for success, this conversation offers a better way.   If this episode resonated with you: Save it for the next time you need a reminder of the kind of leader you want to be. Share it with someone who feels tired of leading the “right” way and is ready for a better one. Or send it to a leader who needs fresh inspiration from an unexpected place. Because the world doesn’t need more polished leaders. It needs leaders who are prepared, generous, clear — and deeply human.   That’s what being a Badass Softie looks like.

    24 Min.
  4. 5. JAN.

    Redefining Success Before the New Year Defines It for You

    As a new year begins, many leaders feel an unspoken pressure to measure themselves against impossible standards — more growth, more output, more proof that they’re “enough.” In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. JJ Peterson invites listeners to pause and challenge the definition of success they’ve been handed. Drawing from his own experiences launching businesses, leading teams, publishing a bestselling book, and creating work that mattered long before it was visible, Dr. Peterson makes a compelling case for redefining success as alignment, not achievement. He introduces the concept of a Year of Enoughness — not as a lowering of ambition, but as a way to protect it. A definition of success that doesn’t demand burnout, self-abandonment, or the loss of creativity and joy. Listeners will explore: Why achievement without alignment can still feel like failure How leaders unknowingly hustle for worth instead of living from it The difference between performative success and sustainable leadership A simple three-question framework to redefine success from the inside out This episode is for leaders who are deeply driven — and quietly tired of measuring their lives by what looks impressive instead of what feels true. If this episode resonates, share it with someone you believe is a badass softie — a leader who is ambitious, values-driven, and ready to build success without losing their humanity.

    13 Min.

Info

A Badass Softie is unapologetically ambitious and leads with heart. Ambitious and kind. Fun and driven. Powerful and deeply human. Badass Softie, hosted by Dr. J.J. Peterson, is a podcast that challenges the false choice leaders are too often given: be strong or be compassionate. The world doesn’t just need more leaders — it needs leaders bold enough to make an impact and compassionate enough to make it meaningful. Each episode pulls back the curtain on leaders, creators, and innovators who are rewriting the rules of what real leadership looks like. You’ll walk away with stories, insights, and practical takeaways that show you how to lead with both strength and softness — the very definition of being a Badass Softie. Subscribe and step fully into the kind of leader the world is waiting for.