Boss Unscripted with Zaib Shadani

Zaib Shadani
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Series

Welcome to the Boss Unscripted, the podcast where trailblazers, entrepreneurs and inspiring people, go "off-script" to reveal what truly makes a great leader. Hosted by Zaib Shadani, each episode features candid conversations with exceptional leaders, exploring their wins, their doubts, and everything in between. It’s a celebration of the messy, the brilliant, and the unexpected. For those building something, leading teams, or redefining success on their own terms—this is your seat at the table.

Season 1

  1. Episode 1

    Why Culture is the New “Competitive Edge” | Shane Feldman

    The companies winning today aren’t just building better products, they’re building stronger connections and relationships. In this episode of Boss Unscripted, Zaib Shadani sits down with Shane Feldman, corporate relationship expert and go-to advisor for Google, Netflix, and Disney, to make the business case for something most executives still treat as a line item: culture. Shane has spent his career researching how the world's most cohesive communities build trust and belonging across 100 cities and six continents. What he brought back isn’t a feel-good initiative. It is a repeatable system for building the kind of relationships that drive retention, creativity, and performance. The data backs it up. MIT Sloan research now ranks psychological safety above pay as the number one driver of employee retention. One in two employees is actively or passively looking for a new job. And the cost of getting culture wrong has never been higher. This conversation gives executives and senior leaders a practical, research-grounded framework for building cultures that people do not want to leave, including Shane's Triangle of Trust, how to design recognition that actually resonates, and why most return-to-office strategies are missing the point entirely. If culture is still sitting in HR's lane at your organization, this episode will change that. In this episode, you'll learn: Why psychological safety now outranks compensation as the top retention driverThe Triangle of Trust: the three qualities that build unbreakable team relationshipsHow multicultural teams require a different leadership approach to recognition and voiceWhy most return-to-office mandates are failing and what to do insteadThe small repeatable habits that separate high-trust cultures from performative onesWhat Google, Netflix, and Disney understand about belonging that most companies don't Connect Follow Boss Unscripted: https://www.instagram.com/Bossunscripted Follow Zaib: https://www.instagram.com/zaib_shadani/ Shane Feldman:https://www.instagram.com/shane_feldman/

    59 min

  2. Episode 2

    From Selling $1 Comics to a Multimillion-Dollar Empire: When Passion Becomes a Legacy | Vincent Zurzolo

    What does it feel like to go from selling dollar comic books on the streets of New York to brokering the most expensive comic book sale in history, at $15 million? In this episode of Boss Unscripted, Zaib Shadani sits down with Vincent Zurzolo, the man behind Metropolis Collectibles and ComicConnect, the largest comic book marketplace in the world. Vincent just made the most expensive comic book sale in history with Action Comics No. 1, the first appearance of Superman. This legendary comic was once owned by actor Nicolas Cage, stolen from his home, recovered, and ultimately sold for a record-breaking $15 million. What happened in between is not luck. It’s about instinct, risk-taking, and building a system that turns passion into power. With goals broken into tangible milestones. Mentors modeled deliberately, from his immigrant parents to Bruce Lee to Anthony Robbins. A customer service philosophy was built when he had nothing else to compete with. A 27-year business partnership held together not by always agreeing, but by always remembering they are on the same team. And a comic book concept he believed in so deeply, he carried it for 30 years before bringing it to market. Every part of Vincent's story, the record sale, the partnership, the investments, the creative work, is the same lesson in a different form. Passion without structure stays a hobby. Passion with discipline becomes a legacy. This episode is for anyone sitting on a dream they have not yet built a plan around. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Vincent treats goal setting as a non-negotiable system, not a motivational exerciseHow customer service became his competitive edge when experience and money were not on his sideWhat 27 years of business partnership have taught him about ego, trust, and knowing your roleWhy he held his own comic book idea for 30 years, and what finally made him pull the triggerHow to think about comic books as an investmentThe difference between following a passion and building something that outlasts you Connect Follow Boss Unscripted: https://www.instagram.com/Bossunscripted Follow Zaib: https://www.instagram.com/zaib_shadani/ Metropolis Collectibles: https://www.metropoliscomics.com ComicConnect: https://www.instagram.com/vincentzurzolo/

    36 min

  3. Episode 3

    Lessons from the first Pakistani woman leading beauty for a global make-up brand | Tayaba Jafri

    What does it take to be the creative gatekeeper for Laura Mercier? One of the most iconic names in luxury cosmetics, and to do it as the first Pakistani-Canadian woman in that role? In this episode of Boss Unscripted, Zaib Shadani sits down with Tayaba Jafri, the Global Beauty Director for Laura Mercier. For over 20 years, Tayaba has worked alongside the legendary founder herself, overseeing global campaigns, fashion week productions, product development, and the training of makeup artists worldwide. After the founder, she is the brand custodian and creative gatekeeper, the one who protects the DNA of the brand while evolving it for the modern global woman. But this conversation goes far beyond beauty. Tayaba opens up about how she leads teams of elite creatives without dimming their light, why she believes ego is just passion misplaced, and the business acumen every creative professional needs but rarely gets taught. She shares her personal experience navigating imposter syndrome at the highest levels, the cultural challenges of self-advocacy as a South Asian woman, and why she is choosing to age naturally in an industry that increasingly normalizes procedures for women in their early twenties. This conversation gives executives, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals a rare look inside luxury brand leadership, from the 90-second skincare hack that changed how Tayaba thinks about beauty, to the mentorship philosophy she calls “big cousin energy,” to why the ability to quantify your creative impact is the single most important skill for career advancement. If you have ever wondered how to lead with both creativity and authority in a world that often asks you to choose, this episode will change how you think about both. In this episode, you’ll learn: What it means to be the first Pakistani-Canadian woman leading creative for a global French beauty brand, and the responsibility that comes with itThe business skill every creative professional needs: how to quantify your impact and advocate for yourself with numbersHow Tayaba leads teams of elite creatives without dimming their light, and why she believes ego is just passion misplacedWhy imposter syndrome doesn’t go away with seniority, and the mindset shift that helps you move through itThe 90-second skincare technique that a 20-year beauty veteran says supersedes everything elseWhy choosing to age naturally is becoming a counter-cultural act in the beauty industry, and how to reframe your relationship with makeup at any age Guest Info Name: Tayaba Jafri Title: Global Beauty Director Company: Laura Mercier Bio: Tayaba Jafri is the Global Beauty Director for Laura Mercier, a luxury French cosmetics brand, where she has worked for over 20 years alongside founder Laura Mercier. A Pakistani Canadian, she serves as the brand's creative gatekeeper overseeing global campaigns, product development, photo shoots, and makeup artist training. Resources ● Laura Mercier: https://www.lauramercier.com ● The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin: https://www.nkjemisin.com/books/the-inheritance-trilogy ● Circe by Madeline Miller: https://madelinemiller.com/circe ● Hugo Awards: https://www.thehugoawards.org Connect ● Boss Unscripted Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/Bossunscripted ● Zaib Shadani (Host): https://www.instagram.com/zaib_shadani/ ● Tayaba Jafri (Guest): https://www.instagram.com/tayabaxmercier/ Hashtags #BossUnscripted #ZaibShadani #AuthenticLeadership #CreativeLeadership #WomenInLeadership #LauraMercier #GlobalBeauty #SouthAsianWomen #BeautyIndustry #WomenOfColor #CreativeDirector #BeautyLeadership #AgingGracefully #Mentorship #ImposterSyndrome

    54 min

  4. Episode 4

    Stop Chasing the Wrong Kind of Happiness | Dr. Gillian Mandich

    If you're someone who's been searching for happiness and not quite finding it, Dr. Gillian has the answers. We spend our whole lives chasing happiness through that big promotion, the relationship, the bigger paycheck, and somehow it's still never enough. In this episode of Boss Unscripted, Zaib sits down with Dr. Gillian Mandich, one of North America's top happiness researchers and founder of the International Happiness Institute, to bust the biggest myths about happiness and why "just be happy" might be the worst advice anyone's ever given you. Dr. Gillian breaks down the path to happiness with practical tools, shares why bottling up your emotions is never a good idea and answers the age-old question: can money actually buy happiness? If you've ever wondered why happiness feels just out of reach no matter what you do, and how to find true happiness, then this episode is for you. In this episode, you'll learn: ● Why happiness is a skill you train, not a destination you arrive at, and the third of it that is actually in your control ● The "micro moments" theory: how small, repeated acts build a happiness muscle the same way reps in the gym build strength ● Why forcing yourself to be happy backfires, and the research linking emotional suppression to all-cause mortality and cancer-related deaths ● How grief and joy can coexist, and why allowing micro moments of lightness in hard seasons builds resilience, not betrayal ● The truth about money and happiness: when it buys time and shared experiences it works, when it buys things it doesn't ● Why social connection is the number one predictor of long-term health, outranking income, age, and education Connect ● Zaib Shadani on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaibshadani ● Zaib Shadani on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zaib_shadani/ ● Dr. Gillian Mandich website: https://www.gillianmandich.com ● Dr. Gillian Mandich on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgillianmandich/ ● Dr. Gillian Mandich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillianmandich/ Hashtags #BossUnscripted #ZaibShadani #AuthenticLeadership #CreativeLeadership #WomenInLeadership #HappinessScience #DrGillianMandich #MicroMoments #MentalHealth #PositivePsychology #Mindfulness #Resilience #SelfCare #Leadership #PersonalGrowth

    1h 5m
  • 4 Episodes

About

Welcome to the Boss Unscripted, the podcast where trailblazers, entrepreneurs and inspiring people, go "off-script" to reveal what truly makes a great leader. Hosted by Zaib Shadani, each episode features candid conversations with exceptional leaders, exploring their wins, their doubts, and everything in between. It’s a celebration of the messy, the brilliant, and the unexpected. For those building something, leading teams, or redefining success on their own terms—this is your seat at the table.

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