The Leaders' Lab

Kristine Naltchadjian

The Leader’s Lab is a leadership podcast hosted by Kristine Naltchadjian, founder of The Leadership Revolution. Through authentic conversations, personal stories, and powerful insights, it explores leadership beyond titles. Drawing on over 20 years of experience in the global tech industry, Kristine shares lessons on resilience, ambition, and impact. Designed for ambitious professionals and changemakers, this podcast inspires you to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Episodes

  1. Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 8)

    2d ago

    Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 8)

    In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine reflects on one of the most transformative chapters of her life: the period after leaving corporate leadership, navigating divorce, moving into a new apartment, and suddenly finding herself facing a question many ambitious professionals eventually encounter. What happens when the career you spent years building is no longer the only thing defining your life? Kristine shares how she intentionally created space to explore what came next, why she gave herself two years to reflect, learn, and experiment, and how careful planning allowed her to take a leap that many people only dream about. The conversation explores career transitions, financial courage, personal reinvention, and the often-overlooked reality of stepping away from a structured professional life. Kristine also opens up about her first experience with personal development work, joining a small group program that unexpectedly introduced her to something that would later become a major part of her journey: a deep curiosity about people, their stories, motivations, and personal growth. This episode is a reflection on identity, self-discovery, new beginnings, and the powerful realization that some of the most important chapters of our lives begin when we stop asking what we do and start asking who we want to become. Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

    12 min
  2. Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 7)

    5d ago

    Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 7)

    In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine reflects on a pivotal chapter of her career, when she made a decision that surprised almost everyone around her: turning down the security of a traditional full-time opportunity in favor of a contractor role that offered something she valued even more, freedom, autonomy, and the opportunity to learn. Drawing on her experience working across France and the CIS region, she shares how cultural differences shaped her perception of work, why she never viewed contractor and full-time roles through the same lens as many people around her, and what she learned from navigating international business environments, complex team dynamics, and career-defining choices. Kristine also opens up about one of the most challenging workplace experiences of her career: feeling isolated inside a team, struggling to understand unspoken tensions, and learning how to stay focused on the work even when the environment around her felt uncomfortable. This conversation explores career decisions, workplace culture, international leadership, resilience, office politics, personal growth, and the importance of building a career based on your own values rather than other people’s expectations. Because sometimes the opportunities that shape us the most are the ones that make the least sense to everyone else. Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

    11 min
  3. Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 6)

    May 26

    Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 6)

    In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine reflects on a period of her life that shaped her understanding of leadership, ambition, and personal growth the most. Speaking about her experience in the hotel industry, moving between countries, adapting to new environments, and constantly rebuilding herself professionally, she shares how some of the most important lessons about leadership were never connected to titles. Leadership has never been about hierarchy. It is about the way you work, the way you treat people, the way you react under pressure, and the way you continue moving forward even when situations become difficult. This conversation explores the emotional reality behind professional growth, the pressure of constantly adapting, the challenge of proving yourself in unfamiliar environments, and the moments when you realise that confidence is not something people simply “have.” It is something you slowly build through experience, resilience, mistakes, and difficult conversations. Kristine also reflects on teamwork, visibility, communication, international career growth, intuition, emotional intelligence, and the importance of learning to push yourself beyond fear when necessary. Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

    11 min
  4. Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 4)

    Apr 27

    Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 4)

    In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine shares the chapter of her journey where ambition, education, and intuition began to collide. While pursuing her Master’s degree at one of France’s leading schools, she made a strategic choice many professionals know well: invest in education to open better career opportunities. As part of that path, she needed to complete a mandatory internship, a step that led her to Danone. What followed was far from predictable. From joining a hackathon almost by chance, to discovering the power of world-class marketing through brands like Evian, Kristine found herself surrounded by opportunities many would have accepted immediately. Yet even when everything looked right on paper, she felt something deeper: hesitation. This episode explores an important career lesson rarely discussed, sometimes the best opportunities are not the most obvious ones. Sometimes intuition speaks before logic can explain why. Kristine reflects on ambition, decision-making, the pressure of external expectations, and the courage to listen to your inner signal when everyone else is telling you to choose differently. Because careers are not built only through smart choices. They are also shaped by the choices that feel true. A story about education, opportunity, instinct, and learning to trust yourself. Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

    11 min
  5. Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 3)

    Apr 25

    Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 3)

    In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine reflects on the chapter that quietly shaped the beginning of her career: her university years. Long before titles, promotions, or leadership roles, there were projects, deadlines, responsibility, and the first moments that revealed what truly excited her professionally. It was during this period that she discovered a genuine passion for marketing, strategy, and creating ideas that move people and businesses forward. She also revisits the large-scale projects connected to the post office, experiences that became an unexpected training ground for discipline, problem-solving, and real-world business understanding. At the time, they felt like student work. Looking back, they were some of the strongest foundations of everything that came next. This episode is about the lessons we often underestimate while living them, and the chapters that later make perfect sense. Because careers do not begin with job titles. They often begin in classrooms, side projects, and opportunities no one else notices. A story about ambition, early discovery, and the forgotten foundations of success. Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

    9 min
  6. Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 1)

    Apr 18

    Nothing in My Career Happened by Chance (Part 1)

    In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine Naltchadjian shares one of the earliest professional experiences that shaped the way she approaches growth, leadership, and opportunity. What began as a simple internship assignment, manually consolidating reports with pen and paper, became a defining lesson in initiative, innovation, and self-belief. Rather than accepting an outdated process, Kristine challenged herself to find a better way, teaching herself new tools and creating a faster solution that transformed weeks of work into days. This episode is about more than an internship. It is about learning to think differently, taking ownership before having a title, and discovering that some of the most important career breakthroughs begin in the smallest roles. Kristine also reflects on how quickly the professional world evolves. Skills that once opened new doors, from Excel to digital systems, continue to change today, reminding us that curiosity and adaptability remain timeless advantages. Because before leadership becomes visible, it is often built quietly through discipline, courage, and the decision to improve what already exists. A story about early ambition, innovation, and the mindset that creates long-term success✨ Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠Substack⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Website⁠ Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

    11 min

About

The Leader’s Lab is a leadership podcast hosted by Kristine Naltchadjian, founder of The Leadership Revolution. Through authentic conversations, personal stories, and powerful insights, it explores leadership beyond titles. Drawing on over 20 years of experience in the global tech industry, Kristine shares lessons on resilience, ambition, and impact. Designed for ambitious professionals and changemakers, this podcast inspires you to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.