Leading without the BS: Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unstoppable Performance.

Wingspan Performance®
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Welcome to the leadership podcast that cuts the corporate crap and delivers real leadership strategies for entrepreneurs, business leaders who act like one, and high-performers who are f$cking done with mediocrity. If you're ready to get actionable leadership tools that boost team performance, drive growth, and lead with clarity (PLUS confidence!), this podcast is for you (and your team! Pass on the advice!).Hosted by Wingspan Performance® Founder & CEO, Cathy Maday, and VP of Operations and Leadership Advisor, Ivan Konermann, this podcast is for the ambitious, resourceful leaders who are sick of the fluff and committed to getting results. No cliches, no BS— PROVEN real-world leadership advice and actionable tools that work.Every episode is packed with field-tested strategies from over 22 years of behavioral leadership experience, using the Wingspan Performance System™—a proven leadership framework trusted by global enterprises and scrappy startups.Expect unfiltered conversations, real-world client success stories, and actionable tools for unstoppable leadership performance. Whether you're leading a team or growing your own business, these episodes will help you break through to the next level of behavioral leadership excellence.Ready to stop chasing empty success and start leading with strategic clarity, focused growth, and lasting confidence? This is your space, and it’s f$cking fun here. PS: Did we mention we don’t hold back on the swearing? You’ve officially been warned.

  1. 23h ago

    Rockstar Leadership: Ryan Haas on Blending Music, Hospitality & High Performance

    Discover how Ryan Haas, President of Scalzo Hospitality and frontman of The UnderGroove, applies rockstar stage presence to lead high-performing hospitality teams. In this Wingspan Performance episode, Ryan shares powerful lessons on creativity, energy management, crisis leadership in Minneapolis, the "inside game," and building cultures through Advancing Questions® and healthy conflict. Perfect for leaders seeking total performance that boosts both people and the P&L. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

    46 min

  2. Jun 10

    Behavioral Performance Secrets with Bruce Stankavage

    Discover how former business owner and counseling psychology expert Bruce Stankavage joined Wingspan Performance as a Leadership Performance Advisor. In this candid conversation with Cathy Maday, Wingspan Performance Founder + CEO,  shares his powerful transition, the immediate impact of Wingspan’s behavioral performance system on leadership, communication, and family life, plus why mindset, accountability, and intentional leadership drive unstoppable results. Perfect for business owners, CEOs, and leaders seeking real performance breakthroughs beyond traditional coaching. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

    45 min

  3. May 27

    Leading with Passion & Personality: Taylor Stewart on High-Stakes Leadership at Sandia National Labs

    Discover powerful leadership lessons from today's episode with Wingspan Performance Advisor, Mike Johnson, and Taylor Stewart of Sandia National Labs. In this conversation, Taylor shares how she brings calm under pressure, humor, curiosity, and authentic personality to massive-scale national security operations. Learn practical strategies for challenging the status quo, measuring observable behaviors, influencing with data, and staying grounded as a high-level leader. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

    35 min

  4. May 13

    Mediocre Sucks: Chris Lock on Ownership, CrossFit, and Leading Without the BS

    On this episode Cathy Maday, Founder of Wingspan Performance, talks with Chris Lock, Siemens Smart Infrastructure leader. Chris shares raw lessons on entrepreneurial grit, risk-taking, and people-first leadership inside a global titan. From breaking sweat in early jobs to building high-performance teams with Wingspan Performance, discover how to lead with ownership, handle consequences, and create meaningful impact. This episode is for leaders seeking unfiltered performance strategies, industrial mindset shifts, and real-world business growth. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

    57 min

  5. Apr 29

    Why Leaders Fail at Accountability (And How to Fix It)

    What if accountability wasn’t about conflict or confrontation? In this episode of Leading Without the B.S., Mike Johnson sits down with Wingspan Performance Advisor Bruce Stankavage to unpack one of the most misunderstood leadership skills: exercising accountability. Drawing from 26+ years as an entrepreneur, Bruce shares how avoiding accountability and unclear expectations quietly limit team performance - and what changed when he shifted his mindset. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

    40 min

  6. Apr 15

    How "Fuzzy Language" Is Killing Your Team's Performance

    Join us on today's episode as Mike Johnson talks with Danny Curlin, Plant Manager at Koppers Performance Chemicals, about how he overcame fuzzy language like “I’ll try,” “I think,” and “I need” that was quietly sabotaging his leadership and team performance. In this raw conversation on Leading Without the BS, Danny shares his journey from fast-tracked supervisor to plant manager, the costly impact of vague communication in manufacturing, and the practical shifts he made through Wingspan Performance personalized coaching. Learn why accountability starts with clear language, how Danny moved from forcing yes/no answers to rooting out confidence issues, and the surprising results: stronger manager-to-manager conversations, better peer collaboration, and a high-performing team that now operates with greater independence. Perfect for manufacturing leaders, plant managers, and anyone ready to replace autopilot habits with intentional, actionable communication that drives unstoppable results. Key takeaways include investing in soft skills, recognizing autopilot tendencies, and why what got you promoted won’t get you (or your team) to the next level. If fuzzy language is costing your operation time, clarity, or results, this episode delivers real-world strategies you can apply immediately. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

    29 min

  7. Apr 1

    Unspoken Expectations: The Real Cost in Safety & Leadership

    In this episode of Leading Without the BS, host Mike Johnson talks with Dianne Grote Adams, President & Owner of CFX Inc. and a health and safety expert with over 40 years of experience. They reveal how unspoken or unclear expectations lead to serious safety risks, wasted time and money, team misalignment, and frustration. Discover why leaders struggle to communicate behavioral and technical expectations clearly, the hidden costs of poor performance, and practical ways to fix it through direct conversations, better feedback, and aligned communication styles. Learn how to eliminate assumptions, reduce emotional fatigue, build trust, and keep everyone safe and performing at their best. Ideal for safety professionals, manufacturing leaders, and anyone driving unstoppable performance through clarity. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

    34 min

  8. 12/22/2025

    Most Leadership Training Is Bullsh*t. What Now?

    Most leadership training is bullsh*t — not because leaders don’t care, but because it fails to change behavior where it actually matters. In this episode of Wingspan's Leading Without the B.S., Wingspan Performance® Leadership Performance Advisors Heather Hopkins and Mike Johnson unpack why traditional leadership training fails, and what actually works when leaders are under pressure, overloaded, and responsible for real outcomes. Drawing on decades of experience in manufacturing, engineering, and operations, Heather and Mike talk candidly about: Leaders showing up disengaged before training even startsHow multitasking and “being busy” quietly sabotage leadership effectivenessThe cost of unspoken expectations and assumed behaviorWhat real accountability looks like in meetings, conversations, and daily leadershipHow leadership performance always starts with ownership — not toolsThis isn’t theory. It’s a real-time look at how leaders think, speak, and show up, and how small shifts in language, questions, and presence create outsized impact. If you’re responsible for people and results, and tired of leadership training that sounds good but doesn’t stick, this conversation delivers what actually moves the needle. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

    31 min
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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Welcome to the leadership podcast that cuts the corporate crap and delivers real leadership strategies for entrepreneurs, business leaders who act like one, and high-performers who are f$cking done with mediocrity. If you're ready to get actionable leadership tools that boost team performance, drive growth, and lead with clarity (PLUS confidence!), this podcast is for you (and your team! Pass on the advice!).Hosted by Wingspan Performance® Founder & CEO, Cathy Maday, and VP of Operations and Leadership Advisor, Ivan Konermann, this podcast is for the ambitious, resourceful leaders who are sick of the fluff and committed to getting results. No cliches, no BS— PROVEN real-world leadership advice and actionable tools that work.Every episode is packed with field-tested strategies from over 22 years of behavioral leadership experience, using the Wingspan Performance System™—a proven leadership framework trusted by global enterprises and scrappy startups.Expect unfiltered conversations, real-world client success stories, and actionable tools for unstoppable leadership performance. Whether you're leading a team or growing your own business, these episodes will help you break through to the next level of behavioral leadership excellence.Ready to stop chasing empty success and start leading with strategic clarity, focused growth, and lasting confidence? This is your space, and it’s f$cking fun here. PS: Did we mention we don’t hold back on the swearing? You’ve officially been warned.

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