Naked at the Top

Aleyx Ward
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You’ve built the business. You’ve got the title. And yet there are things you’ve never said out loud about the cost, the loneliness, the version of yourself you had to leave behind to get here. Naked at the Top is the podcast where successful business owners and leaders get real and have a lot of fun doing it. Each episode, host Aleyx Ward gets guests to strip back the polished version and share what leadership actually looks like behind closed doors.  Expect honest stories, unfiltered reactions from the people who know them best, and a finale where — layer by layer — we find out just how naked they’re willing to get. Come for the stories. Stay for what comes off next.

  1. Sep 27

    Your business shouldn't need you: how to let go

    You built the business so you'd have more time. So where did it go? In this episode of Naked at the Top, the founder of an outsourced bookkeeping and CFO firm, 19 years in with a team of 30, explains why he never wanted to be the person who runs it. Damian Scodella of SquarePenny has lived by one rule in every job since his early twenties: make yourself redundant. He has handed the running of the business over twice, most recently to a leader promoted from within. He also wears a jacket covered in logos to networking events, on purpose, so there is nowhere to hide. You'll learn: Why "make yourself redundant" has been his rule in every role for 30 years, and what he does with the time it frees upThe difference between profit and cash, and the one habit he gives clients who keep asking where their money wentWhat happened the Tuesday a major client walked away with no notice, and how a strategy coach turned it into growth from 10 staff to 20How a Friday morning basketball game became the place a group of dads say things they don't say anywhere elseWhy 5am to 7am is the only time he takes for himself, and what those two hours pay forHow a diagnosis six weeks before a planned move to Italy changed what time is worth to himBy the end you'll have a sharper answer to what your business is for, and what your time is worth. Key topics: stepping back from your business, making yourself redundant, profit vs cash flow, losing a major client, men's connection and wellbeing, morning routine, time and family, business owner leadership Chapters: (00:57) Embracing Vulnerability: The Jacket Story (08:23) Building a Brand: SquarePenny's Unique Approach (10:49) Leadership and Delegation: Making Yourself Redundant (15:48) Personal Reflections: The Impact of Time and Health (21:54) Finding Balance: Work, Life, and Self-Care (25:31) Understanding Financial Realities (26:41) Client Education and Financial Habits (28:04) Creating Safe Spaces for Men (32:02) Navigating Business Challenges (36:26) The Importance of Support Systems (40:50) Dealing with Life's Significant Changes #NakedAtTheTop #Leadership #BusinessOwner #Founder #AuthenticLeadership #CashFlow #MensMentalHealth Follow Damian:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianscodella/ Website: https://squarepenny.com.au/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepennyau/ Instagram (Jacket): https://www.instagram.com/where_is_the_jacket/ Thanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be. Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes:  🔗 https://www.yourhrsystem.com/health-check/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-hr-team-and-system/ Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.  Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:  🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER: https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/ FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-at-the-top/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nakedatthetop/  🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1 🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203  🎧 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lCQJthCpq39LkWXDlkwCf?si=9ef0f76a91cd4bd0 CONNECT WITH ALEYX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyxward  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyxfward/

    Your business shouldn't need you: how to let go

  2. Sep 13

    Business Owner Honesty: I Posted That I was Broke

    Being the person everyone leans on is lovely until the day you need to lean back. In this episode of Naked at the Top, a marketing consultant who has built a community of 18,000 marketers across Australia and New Zealand talks about the LinkedIn post she almost did not send: the one where she told everyone she was broke. Chanel, founder of The Marketing Club and of a new co-working space in Brisbane, walks through what it costs to be the person who builds the room, and what happened when she had to admit that the thing she built now needs a brain that works differently to hers. You'll learn: Why posting the unflattering version can be freeing and how to find where your own line sitsWhat it takes to say out loud that the business you built has outgrown the way you thinkHow a community of 18,000 started as a coffee meet-up announced on stage on impulseWhy hitting 10,000 changed how brands treated her, while nothing about the work changed at allHow to use delusional optimism as a working method rather than a personality traitWhat an introvert did to become the person who walks into a room and owns itWhere the line sits between authentic leadership and offloading your bad day onto your teamBy the end you will have a clearer sense of what your own honesty is worth in public, and what it costs to keep building rooms for other people. Key topics: authentic leadership, community building, founder honesty, vulnerability on LinkedIn, letting go of control, business restructure, delegation, first hires, marketing community, co-working, isolation of working alone, self-belief, AI in marketing Chapters 00:56 Embracing Vulnerability: The Naked Moment 02:50 The Power of Honesty in Professional Spaces 05:28 Building Community: The Marketing Club Journey 08:23 Creating Connections: The Co-Working Space Initiative 19:34 Rediscovering Purpose and Presence 20:47 From Introvert to Community Leader 23:32 The Wedding Dress Story: Blending Personal and Professional Life 31:59 Building Self-Belief and Embracing Opportunities 36:43 Going After the Impossible: The Power of Optimism 37:55 Navigating Life's Challenges 39:12 The Role of AI in Marketing 44:18 Creating Safe Spaces for Connection 47:30 The Pressure of Leadership 50:23 Balancing Energy and Rest 52:31 Facing Difficult Decisions 56:23 Authenticity in Leadership #NakedAtTheTop #AuthenticLeadership #CommunityBuilding #FounderStory #Vulnerability #BusinessOwner #MarketingPodcast Thanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be. Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes: 🔗 https://www.yourhrsystem.com/health-check/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-hr-team-and-system/ Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.  Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:  🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com Follow Chanel Clark: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chanel-clark/ The Marketing Club: https://www.themarketingclub.org/ The Coworking Club: https://thecoworkingclub.org/ STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER: https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/ FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-at-the-top/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nakedatthetop/  🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1 🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203  🎧 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lCQJthCpq39LkWXDlkwCf?si=9ef0f76a91cd4bd0 CONNECT WITH ALEYX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyxward  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyxfward/

    Business Owner Honesty: I Posted That I was Broke

  3. Aug 30

    Imposter syndrome at the top: leading without a degree

    That voice asking when will everyone figure out you don't belong? It doesn't retire when you make CEO. In this episode of Naked at the Top, the CEO of Insync, an experience measurement consultancy, opens up about leaving school at 16, hiding outside networking events for 20 years, and the interview where someone assumed a degree he didn't have. Jeremy Summers has spent a career walking into rooms he was convinced he'd be found out in: this is what he learned on the way through. You'll learn: What finally loosened the grip of two decades of networking dreadHow to handle the moment someone assumes a qualification you don't haveThe "point easy" rule: why feedback has a window, and when it closesWhy "it's okay not to know, but it's not okay not to ask" is part of a company's cultureThe question this CEO still wrestles with about his own careerBy the end, you'll be rethinking how long you've been waiting to ask the questions you were embarrassed to ask. If this one lands, like the video, drop a comment with the question you waited too long to ask, and subscribe for more honest conversations with leaders. Chapters: 00:00 The last time Jeremy felt naked 01:11 Hiding outside networking events 03:38 "What degree did you get at Bath University?" 05:14 When your accent gives you away 06:38 What changed: exposure therapy and 26 years of marriage 10:11 From operations to CEO of Insync 12:15 Is it lonely at the top? 13:18 The free executive network he built instead 14:25 Mirror Mirror: Taylor's voice note 17:52 The boardroom he swore he'd never belong in 20:00 Okay not to know, not okay not to ask 21:01 Point easy: why feedback has an expiry date 24:42 Truth as a value that makes decisions harder 26:07 Between the Lines begins 26:35 Clients who pay for answers and do nothing 28:53 Is authentic leadership nonsense? 30:20 Two years of hiding his tattoos 33:14 The decision he still wrestles with 36:36 Why he does this work 38:03 A demerger, a move, and a year of change 41:11 Where to find Jeremy Key topics: imposter syndrome, authentic leadership, leadership, CEO, workplace culture, employee engagement, networking, career change #NakedAtTheTop #Leadership #ImposterSyndrome #AuthenticLeadership #CEO #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeEngagement #Networking Thanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be. Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes: 🔗 https://www.yourhrsystem.com/health-check/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-hr-team-and-system/ Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.  Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:  🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com Follow Jeremy: Insync: https://www.insync.com.auLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-summers-4a9ab19/STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER: https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/ FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-at-the-top/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nakedatthetop/  🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1 🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203  🎧 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lCQJthCpq39LkWXDlkwCf?si=9ef0f76a91cd4bd0 CONNECT WITH ALEYX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyxward  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyxfward/

    Imposter syndrome at the top: leading without a degree

  4. Aug 16

    Leadership identity: Who are you when you stop achieving?

    If you stopped achieving tomorrow, would you still know who you are? In this episode of Naked at the Top, an executive coach who spent his corporate career climbing to CIO of a large investment bank strips back what happens when the title comes off. He shares the question he asks clients but had been avoiding himself, the moment he realised the treadmill was rewarding him with more treadmill, and the six months after leaving when he kept working full-time hours out of pure identity habit. You’ll learn: The question Justin asks his coaching clients that he had been avoiding asking himselfWhy tying self-worth to achievement keeps capable people on a treadmill they no longer want to be onHow he stopped building "mini-mees" and learnt to lead people who are not wired like himThe Die With Zero equation of time, health and money, and why senior leaders stay too longWhat the first six months after leaving a big role do to your identity, and how to prepare for itThanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be. Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes: 🔗 https://www.yourhrsystem.com/health-check/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-hr-team-and-system/ Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.  Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:  🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajustin-clarke/ Website: https://justin-clarke.com/ Chapters: 00:49 Navigating Embarrassment: A Passport Mix-Up 03:15 From Technology to Coaching: A Career Transition 05:57 The Importance of Being Human in Leadership 08:54 Understanding Personal Stories and Self-Reflection 11:13 Finding Alignment: The Journey to Personal Fulfillment 14:06 Leadership Styles: Balancing Demand and Fairness 15:02 Feedback from Peers: Insights into Leadership 17:37 Understanding Team Dynamics and Individual Motivations 23:25 Embracing AI to Enhance Human Potential 27:13 The Importance of Meaningful Conversations in Leadership 28:07 Between the Lines: Personal Reflections and Honest Questions 30:46 Defining Identity Beyond Achievements 35:02 Navigating Career Transitions and Personal Growth 39:52 The Confrontation of Self in New Environments 45:19 The Adaptive Career: Shaping Your Future STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER: https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/ FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-at-the-top/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nakedatthetop/  🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1 🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203  🎧 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lCQJthCpq39LkWXDlkwCf?si=9ef0f76a91cd4bd0 CONNECT WITH ALEYX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyxward  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyxfward/

    Leadership identity: Who are you when you stop achieving?

  5. Aug 2

    How leaders lose trust without noticing: Leadership, Bias & the Cost of Hearsay

    It takes years to build a high trust team and one hallway conversation to break it. In this episode of Naked at the Top, a leadership coach and L&D Manager at a University in New Zealand shares the moment he believed hearsay from someone senior over his own team member, and what it cost them both. We also go back to a 2am arrival at Christchurch Airport, where two and a half hours in an immigration room taught him what it feels like to be "just a number in a system, not an actual human" and how that moment shaped the way he gives people his full attention today. You'll learn: Why "I don't know" is the biggest lie coaching clients tell, and the two questions that unlock the answerHow hearsay from someone senior can undo a high trust team, and the warning sign it's already happeningWhat admitting a mistake does for a leader, and what dodging one costs youThe spotlight effect: why nobody is watching you as closely as you thinkHow to tell when giving to everyone else has started taking from youBy the end, you will have a sharper read on where your own bias hides, and a reason to go and ask before you decide. Chapters 00:16 New clothes: the last time he felt naked 01:34 Two and a half hours in a Christchurch immigration room 05:51 The assumptions and biases leaders carry 07:45 Coaching, speaking and all the hats Prajesh wears 08:59 Mirror Mirror: Marina's voice note 12:16 Hearing how someone else sees you 15:57 The spotlight effect 16:32 Staying in your own lane 17:38 Between the lines begins 18:16 The most overused word in coaching 22:06 If you did know, what would you say? 23:57 The passion his workplace doesn't know about 26:45 Leaving twenty years of Otago behind 31:29 The hearsay that broke his own trust rule 36:53 The part of his own life he's still asleep to 40:04 Fill your cup, full stop 42:45 Where to find Prajesh Thanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be. Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes: 🔗 https://www.yourhrsystem.com/health-check/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-hr-team-and-system/ Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.  Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:  🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com Follow Prajesh Chhanabhai: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prajesh-chhanabhai/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phambilicoaching STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER: https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/ FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-at-the-top/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nakedatthetop/  🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1 🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203  🎧 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lCQJthCpq39LkWXDlkwCf?si=9ef0f76a91cd4bd0 CONNECT WITH ALEYX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyxward  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyxfward/

    How leaders lose trust without noticing: Leadership, Bias & the Cost of Hearsay

  6. Jul 19

    Boundaries without the guilt: How people-pleasers learn to say no

    You can be the most capable person in the room and still have no idea how to say no without guilt. In this episode of Naked at the Top, an AI ethicist and founder who advises global businesses on equity gets honest about the one thing she still can’t do cleanly: hold a boundary in her personal life. Aubrey Blanche walks through how she rebuilt her relationship with saying no, why community beats willpower, and how she moved through a year when, in her words, the floor fell out. You’ll learn: Why “everyone is deserving of compassion, not everyone is deserving of proximity” can reset how you think about boundariesThe working document Aubrey uses to catch herself before she people-pleases her way into burnoutHow to tell the difference between rest that sustains you and avoidance dressed up as self-careWhy your cup doesn’t have to be full before you can show up for someoneWhat “principled rest” looks like when stepping back feels like quittingHow to move through a season when the floor falls out, and what post-traumatic growth means in practiceBy the end, you’ll have a sharper way to decide who gets your time and your proximity, and a bit of permission to put yourself on that list. If this one lands, like the episode, drop a comment with the boundary you’re working on, and subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation. Chapters (00:00) The last time Aubrey felt naked (00:18) The post she chose not to delete (04:19) The Ethics Centre, The Mathpath and AI ethics (07:53) Luck, gratitude and an uneven playing field (09:28) Mirror Mirror: a voice note from her best friend (11:02) Why your cup doesn’t have to be full to give (14:19) Great at work boundaries, terrible at personal ones (15:42) Compassion for everyone, proximity for a few (16:27) The working document that stops her people-pleasing (18:16) Why valuing yourself is the hardest part (19:59) The inner critic and the Virgo problem (22:42) People-pleasing, adoption and “don’t be a problem” (25:43) Between the Lines begins (26:28) Self-worth, achievement and defeating capitalism (31:03) Selling social justice to white men (37:58) Cynicism is an option for the privileged (40:44) When the floor fell out: navigating change (45:26) Where to find Aubrey Thanks to our sponsors Thanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be. Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes:  🔗 https://www.yourhrsystem.com/health-check/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-hr-team-and-system/ Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.  Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:  🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com Follow Aubrey Blanche Website: https://aubreyblanche.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adblanche/ The Mathpath: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-mathpath/ The bAIbes Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2FsTI46SW4A9eCMqeexIwo?si=e0f6c9f0792b48f5 STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER: https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/ FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-at-the-top/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nakedatthetop/  🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1 🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203  🎧 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lCQJthCpq39LkWXDlkwCf?si=9ef0f76a91cd4bd0 CONNECT WITH ALEYX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyxward  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyxfward/

    Boundaries without the guilt: How people-pleasers learn to say no

  7. Jul 5

    What to tell yourself at night when the self-doubt won't shut up

    Have you ever had a season where everything in your life fell apart at once and you couldn't catch your breath? Then this episode is for you. Today I'm sitting down with Nicholas Howe. He's the founder of Howe United Games and Software, a single dad to a nine-year-old, and the creator of a free app called Cups and Spoons that helps couples build healthier relationships. Before we recorded, I spoke to his friend Cheri about him. What she said is sweet and a little savage, and you can hear him squirm hearing it back live. Nick opens up about the four months in 2024 when everything came apart at once. The move-out notice from his parents. The friends he turned to whose place he had to leave in under a month. The relationship that ended. He shares the sacrifices he's making to keep his company alive that he hasn't told his own family. And he tells me about the night he asked the universe for a sign and what showed up the next morning. In Between the Lines, I gave it everything I had. Five questions, five chances to get him to lose a layer. Find out if I managed it. Thanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be.  Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes: 🔗 https://www.yourhrsystem.com/health-check/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-hr-team-and-system/ Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them. Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches: 🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com — Don't forget to like 👍, comment 💬, and subscribe (it's completely free!) 🔔 for more honest leadership stories. Click the bell to stay updated on new episodes. (00:41) Welcome and introduction (00:59) New Clothes: the night everything fell apart (09:05) Building Cups and Spoons and Howe United Games and Software (15:29) Mirror Mirror: hearing how Cheri sees him (18:17) The sacrifices behind the build (23:15) Between the Lines begins (24:28) Q1: what therapists get wrong about couples (27:06) Q2: the gap between perception and reality (31:19) Q3: the sacrifice no one knows about (37:43) Q4: the worst leadership he's ever experienced (42:59) Q5: the thought that plays on repeat (44:46) The bullfrog sign (47:48) Where to find Nicholas and sign-off -- Howe United Games & Software: https://howe-united.com/ https://www.instagram.com/HOWEUNITEDGAMES/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-howe-%F0%9F%A5%A8-87261114/ STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER: https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/ FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-at-the-top/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nakedatthetop/  🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1 🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203  🎧 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lCQJthCpq39LkWXDlkwCf?si=9ef0f76a91cd4bd0 CONNECT WITH ALEYX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyxward  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyxfward/

  8. Jun 21

    Leadership for Introverts: Building an AI Company When You Can't Sell Yourself

    You can be brilliant at what you do and still feel like the kid no one picked — and starting a business doesn't always fix that. In this episode of Naked at the Top, Gabriele Sanguigno, founder of Tooth Fairy AI, shares what it takes to compete with the biggest names in tech as a self-described introvert who'd rather be coding than selling. He opens up about the cost of the dream — running a company on the other side of the planet from his family, the mask he puts on every time he speaks publicly, and why he stopped trying to be liked and started leaning on what he knows he's good at. You'll learn: - Why being good at the work and being good at the room are two different skills, and what to do when you only have one - How to hold your nerve and your vision when bigger players are working against you - Why chasing people who've already made up their minds about you is a losing game - The line between leaning on your strengths and forcing yourself to become someone else - What the 3am moments of clarity cost a founder, beneath the highlight reel - Why staying focused and bootstrapped can matter more than landing the big funding round By the end, you'll have a more honest picture of what it costs to back yourself when you're not the loudest person in the room — and permission to build your way instead of someone else's. Thanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be.  Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes: 🔗 https://www.yourhrsystem.com/health-check/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-hr-team-and-system/ — Don't forget to like 👍, comment 💬, and subscribe (it's completely free!) 🔔 for more honest leadership stories. Click the bell to stay updated on new episodes. (00:00) Cold open (01:05) Welcome — meet Gabriele of ToothFairy AI (01:13) New Clothes: the last time he felt naked (01:28) A stroke, a continent away, during COVID (04:34) "I think Lara wanted to tell me to look after my wife" (05:26) Starting ToothFairy AI as everything was crumbling (06:00) When your co-founder stops believing in you (07:11) The vision: democratising AI, protecting privacy (09:15) "I'd never have started if I knew what it took" (09:35) Staying on course while competing with giants (11:57) Confidence vs. being the quiet guy in the corner (14:37) Mirror Mirror: a voice note from Dian, his CMO (16:05) "It's true, and it hurts" — not the founder caliber VCs want (17:40) Why a company competing with the giants gets no support (19:10) What victory looks like in five years (20:23) The upside of being misunderstood since childhood (22:50) "Better to be disliked for who you are" (24:17) Between the Lines (25:15) Q1 — Pizza or pasta, and the carbonara crime (26:54) Q2 — Military school at 14: the lesson and the one he'd erase (28:48) Six months "disassociated" — no one allowed to speak to him (31:44) Q3 — The mouthful of mud he's chewing right now (34:23) When the people meant to back you don't (35:48) Q4 — How much of the day is spent wearing the mask (38:20) Q5 — The thoughts he shuts down at 3am (40:53) The gamble, the sacrifice, and the family overseas (41:41) Where to find Gabriele + ToothFairy AI TOOTHFAIRYAI: https://toothfairyai.com/en https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriele-sanguigno/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/toothfairy-ai/ STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER: https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/ FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-at-the-top/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nakedatthetop/  🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1 🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203  🎧 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lCQJthCpq39LkWXDlkwCf?si=9ef0f76a91cd4bd0 CONNECT WITH ALEYX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyxward  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyxfward/

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About

You’ve built the business. You’ve got the title. And yet there are things you’ve never said out loud about the cost, the loneliness, the version of yourself you had to leave behind to get here. Naked at the Top is the podcast where successful business owners and leaders get real and have a lot of fun doing it. Each episode, host Aleyx Ward gets guests to strip back the polished version and share what leadership actually looks like behind closed doors.  Expect honest stories, unfiltered reactions from the people who know them best, and a finale where — layer by layer — we find out just how naked they’re willing to get. Come for the stories. Stay for what comes off next.

Information

  • Creator
    Aleyx Ward
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Naked at the Top
  • Show Website
    Naked at the Top