We told you we would talk about church one day! This chat with best-selling and award-winning author L. Michelle Smith did not disappoint. In this episode, we talked with L. Michelle Smith about our experiences with the Black Church, how it has influenced us personally and professionally, and how her new book, Call and Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church, has helped leaders and aspiring leaders advance their professional goals. The book is available from all major outlets, including Amazon. 00:00 Sneak peek at the episode 00:44 Introduction 01:09 Guest Introduction: L. Michelle Smith 01:28 L. Michelle Smith's Book 02:18 L. Michelle Smith's Experience as an Executive and Personal Coach 03:33 L. Michelle Smith's Experience Speaking on Stage 04:09 Speaking Style and the Church 05:08 Acquiring Editor's Reaction to the Book Title 05:55 The Church Experience: Good and Bad 07:49 The Bus Story 09:06 Racism on the Corporate Ladder 10:01 Dealing with a Troublesome Colleague 12:46 Leadership Lessons: Perseverance and Accountability 13:20 HBCUs and Howard Law's Gospel Choir 14:23 Black Litigators and the Black Church 15:19 Call-and-Response in the Black Church 16:44 Conflict in the Church (Fighting Over Mama) 18:50 Exclusive Church Stories 23:56 Closing and Final Thoughts on the Book Thank you to the DC Public Library for the space and equipment to record this podcast. About L. Michelle Smith: L. Michelle Smith is a bestselling, award-winning author, Fortune 100 C-Suite advisor, certified global executive and personal coach credentialed by the International Coaching Federation, and CEO/founder of No Silos Communications LLC, a media and consulting company that develops high-performing executive leaders. With more than 25 years as an elite strategic communicator at global agencies and at AT&T, she was named VP before 30, SVP before 40, and led her own agency as Chief Executive for nearly a decade. Through a positive psychology and neuroscience-informed approach, she transforms executives and organizations by fusing culture and applied sciences in leadership development. She is the author of No Thanks: 7 Ways to Say I’ll Just Include Myself (2nd edition), which received the Outstanding Book Award (2021) from the National Association of Black Journalists; Yes Please! 7 Ways to Say I’m Entitled to the C-Suite, listed by BLAVITY as one of “15 books by a Black woman that you should not miss”; and her forthcoming fourth book, Call & Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church (Amistad/HarperCollins/JVL Media), set for release in winter 2026. She is also the creator, executive producer, and host of The Culture Soup Podcast®, heard in 70+ countries with 350+ episodes. A highly sought-after speaker featured in local, national, and international media, she serves on global arts and academic boards, including at Texas Christian University Bob Schieffer College of Communication. About Call and Response: In collaboration with JVL Media -- A captivating exploration of why many high-performing Black business leaders attribute their transformational leadership qualities to their experiences growing up in the Black Church and how we can foster these skills in younger generations despite waning church attendance.The Black church in the U.S. has long been a “one-stop shop” for developing Black leaders, teaching them many of the qualities required to lead effectively in today’s ultra-competitive, digital, and swiftly transforming corporate world. Many high-performing Black leaders benefited from their experiences growing up in this cultural institution steeped in rich history. Merging cultural study with applied neuroscience and tenets of positive psychology, L. Michelle Smith dissect how these qualities are demonstrated by leaders across industries, from resiliency to their sense of undeniable purpose, their ability to build community and collaborative environments, the delivery and language of their speaking style to their unique leadership flair. She reveals how this historic institution has served as a timeless wellspring of leadership development, empowerment, and cultural preservation and ultimately, is Black leaders’ “secret sauce.”Call & Response also explores whether the Black Church will be able to continue to ingrain these skills in future generations. Smith examines how cultural shifts have resulted in a decline in church attendance, how online attendance has risen since the Covid pandemic, and finally, how Black leaders may—or may not—be passing these traditions down to their children. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chatandbother.substack.com
