WholeCEO With Lisa G Podcast

Lisa Goldenthal
  • 5.0 (179)
  • Management
  • Weekly

You run the company. Almost nobody tells you the truth. This is the room where they do. Every week, Lisa Goldenthal sits down with CEOs, founders and operators who already made the call you are about to make, and asks what it actually cost them. Leading through disruption. Revenue that holds up. The decisions nobody votes on. Lisa is an executive coach to CEOs and senior leaders, a keynote speaker and offsite facilitator, and the bestselling author of Boss Up. Named a Top 15 Executive Coach by CEO World Magazine. New episodes every week. Bring a pen.

  1. 2d ago

    Lisa Goldenthal: I Got Rejected By Robots (What It Taught Me About Your AI Rollout)

    AI can make your business faster. But what if it's accelerating the wrong decisions? In this episode of WholeCEO with Lisa G., Lisa Goldenthal explores the hidden risks of AI autonomy, unclear accountability, and investments that fail to deliver meaningful business results. From AI agents exhibiting unexpected behaviors to companies automating broken workflows, Lisa reveals why technology alone cannot solve leadership problems. Discover why every AI rollout needs clear boundaries, accountable decision-makers, and measurable outcomes—and why one question could save your business from costly assumptions: Who actually decided that? Key Takeaways Define AI accountability: Identify who can review, override, or shut down AI when something goes wrong. Set clear boundaries: Decide what information AI can access and what actions it can take. Measure real ROI: Track cost savings, revenue growth, time, and business outcomes—not AI adoption alone. Fix workflows before automating: Faster technology won't solve inefficient approval processes or slow leadership decisions. Put leadership around AI: Establish clear ownership and safeguards before giving AI greater autonomy. Ready to make AI work for your business—not just add another expense? Listen now, share this episode with a fellow leader, and bring one essential question to your next AI strategy meeting: Who actually decided that?

    Lisa Goldenthal: I Got Rejected By Robots (What It Taught Me About Your AI Rollout)

  2. 3d ago

    Bill Popeleski: Board Strategy — Nobody Gets a Board Seat from a Résumé

    What does it really take to position yourself for a corporate board seat? It's not just your résumé, credentials, or track record. It's understanding how board opportunities work, building meaningful relationships, and developing a strategic approach to your board journey. In this episode of WholeCEO with Lisa G., Lisa sits down with Bill Popeleski, a Denver-based advisor specializing in board strategy, with a focus on private equity. Bill shares insights into how executives can approach board opportunities strategically, strengthen their professional relationships, and better understand the relationship-driven dynamics of private equity. They explore why technically brilliant professionals can struggle when relationship-building is overlooked, why private equity can feel like a private club, and how targeted networking can help executives build meaningful connections and expand their opportunities. In this episode, you'll discover: Why a strong résumé alone doesn't guarantee a board seat. How relationship-building influences board opportunities and executive advancement. What makes private equity a relationship-driven environment. The difference between networking broadly and connecting strategically. How executives can approach board strategy with greater focus and intention. Whether you're a senior executive preparing for your first board role, an experienced leader expanding your influence, or a professional seeking to understand the private equity landscape, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on the strategic thinking and relationships that can shape your board journey. The takeaway: Being qualified matters. Knowing how to position yourself strategically and build the right relationships can open doors to new possibilities. 🎧 Listen to WholeCEO with Lisa G. for candid conversations on leadership, executive growth, and the strategies that help leaders build lasting impact. #BillPopeleski #BoardStrategy #CorporateBoards #PrivateEquity #ExecutiveLeadership #Networking #WholeCEO

    Bill Popeleski: Board Strategy — Nobody Gets a Board Seat from a Résumé

  3. Oct 12

    Phil Dudley: The Help Desk Job He Turned Down

    Phil Dudley spent twenty years as a contractor before he ever wrote a line of software. That order matters. He runs Elite Builders, a restoration and construction business operating across Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. He is also the founder and CEO of VERASKOPE, an AI-assisted platform built to solve the problem he lived with every day: contractors paying for a dozen disconnected tools that never talk to each other, with someone in the office stuck holding it all together. In this episode, Phil talks about growing up in a house full of women with a mother who raised four kids alone, the years of odd jobs before construction, the moment he was offered an IT help desk job and turned it down, and why he believes persistence beats talent every time. He also gets specific about what it costs to run two companies at once, and the delegation it forces on you when you refuse to be the bottleneck in either one.

    Phil Dudley: The Help Desk Job He Turned Down

  4. Oct 5

    Dan Cope: Ownership Can't Be Pushed From the Top

    You can't force ownership. You can only create the conditions for it. What happens when leaders demand accountability—but build a culture where people are afraid to make decisions? In this episode of WholeCEO with Lisa G., Lisa sits down with Dan Cope, a 30-year manufacturing executive and Americas leader at CERATIZIT, to unpack what really creates ownership, trust, accountability, and strong decision-making inside organizations. Dan shares why psychological safety matters, how calm leadership shapes team judgment, and how CEOs can develop decision-makers who don't need permission for every move. In this episode: • Ownership vs. compliance • Accountability vs. blame • Trust and psychological safety • Building independent decision-makers • Leading through pressure and uncertainty • Reducing CEO dependency The leadership question: If ownership has to be pushed from the top, was it ever ownership—or just compliance? 🎧 Watch the full episode and subscribe to WholeCEO with Lisa G. for more conversations on CEO leadership, executive performance, decision-making, and building organizations that don't depend on the CEO. #CEOLeadership #Leadership #Accountability #Ownership #DecisionMaking #PsychologicalSafety #ExecutiveLeadership #WholeCEO #LisaG #DanCope

    Dan Cope: Ownership Can't Be Pushed From the Top

  5. Sep 28

    Regan Archibald: You Didn't Burn Out. You Aged Yourself.

    This episode explores what high performance can cost the body when health is ignored for years. Lisa G sits down with Ageless Future founder Regan Archibald to discuss accelerated biological aging, why high-performing executives frequently wait too long to address their health, the Four Pillars of Rapid Health Transformation, biological-age testing, VO2 max, regenerative medicine and peptides, and why establishing objective health baselines matters before attempting to "optimize" anything. The central question: What if the exhaustion, declining performance, and poor recovery you call burnout are telling you something much bigger?

    Regan Archibald: You Didn't Burn Out. You Aged Yourself.

  6. Sep 14

    Jordan Dunin: Your Nervous System Is Making Your Business Decisions

    Your nervous system may be influencing more business decisions than you realize. When pressure rises, judgment changes. Recovery gets pushed aside. And the CEO can become the place where every decision, problem, and approval eventually lands. In this episode of WholeCEO with Lisa G., Lisa G. sits down with Jordan Dunin, Founder & CEO of HatchPath and author of The Regulated Leader. He explains why regulation must come before performance—and why the grind can quietly undermine executive effectiveness. Lisa and Jordan unpack leadership under pressure, decision-making, recovery, and building high-performing cultures without burnout. Your leadership capacity shapes your company's capacity. Comment BOTTLENECK and I'll send you the 7-Day CEO Bottleneck Tally.

    Jordan Dunin: Your Nervous System Is Making Your Business Decisions

  7. Sep 7

    Tom LeNoble: Why Resilience Is Making CEOs Worse

    What if your ability to keep pushing through every crisis is actually training you to ignore the one thing your leadership needs most: recovery? Tom LeNoble has led through high-growth companies, major transitions, and two life-threatening illnesses. In this powerful conversation with Lisa G. on the WholeCEO Podcast, we unpack why the CEO habit of "just keep going" can become a serious leadership liability. Tom shares what resilience really means—and why doing everything yourself, absorbing constant pressure, and refusing to slow down isn't necessarily strength. We explore what happens when CEOs operate under sustained pressure without recovery, why carrying everything alone can make decision-making worse, and why allowing others to support you may be one of the most resilient things a leader can do. In this episode, you'll discover: • Why constantly pushing through can backfire • How chronic pressure without recovery affects leadership • Why doing everything yourself is not a sign of strength • The difference between enduring pressure and building sustainable resilience • Why accepting support can make you a stronger, more effective CEO If you're a CEO or founder who is great at handling pressure—but rarely stops to recover—this conversation may change the way you think about resilience. Listen now and ask yourself: Are you actually resilient—or have you simply become really good at running on empty? 🎙️ WholeCEO Podcast with Lisa G. Subscribe, follow, and share this episode with a leader who needs to rethink what strength really means.

    Tom LeNoble: Why Resilience Is Making CEOs Worse

  8. Aug 31

    Nick Propper: Why Stressed CEOs Make Worse Decisions

    Why do stressed CEOs make worse decisions—and what is the real cost to the business? In this episode of WholeCEO with Lisa G., Nick Propper reveals what the Impact Human Performance taught him about executive performance, stress, and leadership. We explore the difference between your Best Self and Stressed Self, how stress changes decision-making, and what your team notices before you do. Nick shares a powerful real-world leadership transformation, the business case for emotional regulation, and why intentional recovery isn't weakness—it's a performance strategy. Most importantly, discover whether CEO decision overload is a personal capacity problem—or a company design problem. Listen now and rethink how you lead under pressure.

    Nick Propper: Why Stressed CEOs Make Worse Decisions
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5
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179 Ratings

About

You run the company. Almost nobody tells you the truth. This is the room where they do. Every week, Lisa Goldenthal sits down with CEOs, founders and operators who already made the call you are about to make, and asks what it actually cost them. Leading through disruption. Revenue that holds up. The decisions nobody votes on. Lisa is an executive coach to CEOs and senior leaders, a keynote speaker and offsite facilitator, and the bestselling author of Boss Up. Named a Top 15 Executive Coach by CEO World Magazine. New episodes every week. Bring a pen.

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