Reframe Fix | The Official Workbench Podcast

Jake Smith
  • 5.0 (5)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Reframe Fix is the Workbench podcast for private equity leaders and first-time CEOs navigating growth, hiring, and high-stakes decisions. Hosted by Jake Smith, Managing Partner of Workbench, each episode delivers practical leadership insight, recruiting strategy, and real-world case studies to help portfolio companies scale with clarity, confidence, and alignment. If you’re searching for the Workbench podcast, this is where leadership gets reframed.

Episodes

  1. MAY 4

    Search Fund CEO on Leadership, Clarity, and Culture | Jay Steele

    Jay Steele is the CEO of Focus Learning, a software company he acquired through a search fund. In this conversation with host Jake Smith, Jay gets honest about the realities of stepping into a company as a first-time CEO — the relief, the pressure, and the hard work of building a culture that lasts. He covers what "people-first" leadership really means beyond the buzzword, how he approaches high-stakes decisions using a one-way and two-way door framework, why indecision is the one answer he refuses to accept, and the personal complexity of transitioning a long-tenured founder out of the business he built. Jay also reflects on scaling from a small team to 50-plus people, what he brought from his background as a Naval officer and Amazon leader, and why he believes great work can be both deeply meaningful and genuinely fun — and why those aren't the same thing. If you're navigating a search fund acquisition, stepping into a CEO role for the first time, or building a leadership style that's both accountable and human, this episode is for you. Reframe Fix is brought to you by Workbench. Hosted by Jake Smith.

    52 min

  2. APR 13

    People Over Process | Evelyn Walter

    Leadership coaching, role clarity, and the human cost of poor HR decisions — Evelyn Walter has seen it all from inside some of the country's largest organizations. In this episode of Reframe Fix, host Jake Smith sits down with Evelyn Walter, founder of Next Up Leadership Group and a 27-year veteran of corporate HR, including multiple Chief HR Officer roles. After managing a 1,000-person reduction in force in 2020, Evelyn stepped away from corporate life to build an executive and career coaching practice focused on helping leaders navigate transitions, sharpen their leadership, and find clarity on what comes next. They cover: Why role clarity has become the number one gap in executive coaching conversations right nowThe "people over process" philosophy — what it actually looks like to put it into practice under pressureHow to lead through layoffs with dignity, and what poor offboarding costs organizations long-termWhy your boss almost certainly is not trying to make your life harder, and how to manage up effectivelyWhat a first 360 review reveals about the tension between ambition and humilityEvelyn is direct, experienced, and refreshingly candid about what she has seen work — and what has not — across decades of leading HR at scale. Reframe Fix is hosted by Jake Smith and brought to you by Workbench — helping CEOs and leadership teams cut through complexity, align their people, and scale with confidence.

    1h 1m

  3. MAR 17

    Building an Ownership Culture | Galen Welsch

    In this episode of Reframe Fix, Jake Smith sits down with Galen Welsch — Co-Founder and CEO of Jibu, a drinking water franchise network serving nearly 700,000 people daily across eight countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.Galen has led Jibu for nearly 14 years, scaling the organization to 5,000 employees and 200 franchise locations. In this conversation, he reflects on the full arc of his evolution as a leader — from learning to get things done alone, to learning toactually lead people.They discuss: servant leadership and what genuine influence requires; the two core skills that make delegation work; building an ownership culture through high expectations and real belief in people; why smart, ego-driven employees are more destructive than incompetent ones; how to trust your gut without being misled by it; and where entrepreneurial grit really comes from.A grounded, honest conversation about what leadership looks like when the stakes are real.

    57 min

  4. FEB 23

    Episode 3 - Joel Christensen

    Joel Christensen on Leadership, Culture, and Building a $70M Company | Reframe Fix Ep. 3What does great leadership actually require?In Episode 3 of Reframe Fix, Jake Smith sits down with Joel Christensen, Founder & CEO of Parkwell, a fast-growing parking management company with 300 employees and $70M+ in revenue.Joel shares his journey from college valet (where he nearly got fired) to leading a national company built on generosity, culture, and high standards.In this episode, we cover:How to balance warmth and competence in leadershipBuilding a strong company culture in a blue-collar industryLeading through crisis (COVID-19 and a 90% revenue drop overnight)Letting go of control as a CEOIdentity, entrepreneurship, and the pressure of scalingHow Parkwell gives away 10% of income to support employees and nonprofitsCreating buy-in and loyalty with frontline teamsIf you’re a CEO, founder, executive, or emerging leader navigating growth, pressure, or culture challenges, this conversation offers practical insights on scaling with integrity.About Joel Christensen:Joel is the Founder & CEO of Parkwell, a national parking management company operating across Colorado and California. What began as a side hustle to “stop the bleeding” became a rapidly growing business rooted in generosity, trust, and people-first leadership.Subscribe for more real conversations about leadership, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to go from stuck to scaling.#Leadership #Entrepreneurship #CEO #CompanyCulture #Scaling #BusinessGrowth #ExecutiveLeadership #StartupJourney #FounderStory

    57 min

  5. FEB 3

    Episode 2 - Alli Horst

    What if the leadership move you’re avoiding is the one your team needs most?In this episode of Reframe Fix, Jake sits down with Alli Horst, CEO of Matchstick, for a candid conversation about leadership, authority, and the quiet ways we sidestep hard decisions—even when we care deeply about our people.Alli shares how her natural strength in empathy and vulnerability became a growth edge as her company scaled, and why learning to embrace authority has been one of the most formative (and uncomfortable) parts of her leadership journey. Together, they explore the tension between consensus and clarity, autonomy and structure, fun and responsibility—and why clarity is one of the kindest things a leader can offer.This episode is for you if you’ve ever:-Delayed a decision because you wanted everyone on board-Confused being “nice” with being effective-Struggled to balance trust, autonomy, and consistency as you scale-Told yourself a story about failure that quietly held you backYou’ll hear real stories about:-Making decisions without needing consensus-When authority actually builds trust (not fear)-Creating culture through clarity, feedback, and fun-Why reframing “right vs. wrong” decisions unlocks momentumIf leadership feels heavy right now—or if you’re sensing it’s time to lead differently—this conversation offers a thoughtful reframe worth sitting with.

    55 min

  6. JAN 13

    Episode 1 - Tony Julianelle

    What if the most underrated leadership skill isn’t strategy, decisiveness, or grit—but love? In this inaugural episode of Reframe Fix, Jake Smith sits down with Tony Julianelle, CEO of Atlas Real Estate, for a candid and deeply human conversation about what actually makes leaders—and organizations—thrive. Tony challenges conventional leadership wisdom, arguing that love—defined as wanting the greatest possible good for another person—is not soft or naïve, but foundational to trust, performance, and long-term results. Drawing from his journey from Wells Fargo to leading a 150-person, multi-state real estate company, Tony unpacks how leaders can hold the tension between care and accountability, vulnerability and authority. Together, Jake and Tony explore: > Why many high-performing leaders are driven by the question “Am I worthy of love?” > The difference between transparency and true vulnerability—and why it matters. > How doing your own inner work changes the way you lead others. > Why moving too slowly when you “know” is one of the costliest leadership mistakes. > How love, when practiced well, actually leads to clearer decisions and higher performance. This conversation is thoughtful, practical, and refreshingly honest—especially for leaders navigating growth, complexity, and the human side of business. If you’re a founder, CEO, or senior leader trying to move from stuck to scaling—without losing yourself or your people—this episode will reframe how you think about leadership.

    58 min
  • 6 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Reframe Fix is the Workbench podcast for private equity leaders and first-time CEOs navigating growth, hiring, and high-stakes decisions. Hosted by Jake Smith, Managing Partner of Workbench, each episode delivers practical leadership insight, recruiting strategy, and real-world case studies to help portfolio companies scale with clarity, confidence, and alignment. If you’re searching for the Workbench podcast, this is where leadership gets reframed.

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