The Communicative Leader

Dr. Leah OH
  • 4.0 (4)
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  • Updated Weekly

Think leadership requires years of training or a corner office? Think again. The Communicative Leader is your weekly guide to mastering the one skill that actually dictates your career trajectory: how you communicate. I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH, a leadership communication expert, bestselling author, professor, and consultant. With nearly 15 years of hard-won experience in industry before transitioning into academia, I bridge the gap between complex organizational research and the real-world obstacles you face every day. With over 100 episodes in the archive—featuring insights from international CEOs and innovative startup founders—we’ve broken down the barriers to effective leadership. Why focus on your communication? Because it’s the primary yardstick others use to decide if you are a leader. If that sounds intimidating, don’t worry—I’ve got you. We cut through the jargon to give you small, meaningful, and actionable shifts you can apply immediately. Stop waiting for your workplace culture to change on its own. You have the power to shape your own professional narrative, one conversation at a time. Ready to make your work life what you want it to be? Let’s have some fun and get to work. Got a question or a topic you’d like us to tackle? I’d love to hear from you. Send your questions or a voice note to TheCommunicativeLeader@gmail.com.

  1. 1d ago

    The Best-Packaged Idea Wins: Why Strategy Needs a Story with Gavin McMahon

    Do you believe your brilliant strategy should just "speak for itself"? Think again. If your team is stuck in a loop of skepticism or paralyzed by change, you might be relying on facts when what you really need is a story. Tune in to discover why the best idea rarely wins—and how mastering the art of packaging your message can completely reinvent your workplace culture. Welcome back to The Communicative Leader with Dr. OH. We often talk about having great ideas and sound strategies, but a great idea alone isn't always enough to move a team—especially when trust is fragile or the future feels uncertain. In this episode, we explore why information alone rarely shifts behavior, how to escape corporate "blandscape," and how leaders can leverage the "six genres" of storytelling to turn organizational skepticism into active engagement. Joining us today is Gavin McMahon, CEO of Fassforward and author of Story Business. With a background spanning engineering, military leadership, and coaching Fortune 500 executives at companies like SpaceX and Allstate, Gavin brings a unique "precision-meets-persuasion" approach to modern leadership. Key Takeaways: Why facts and figures alone fail to drive behavioral change.How to apply frameworks like the Hero Formula and Hook, Meat, and Payoff to skeptical audiences.Practical ways to shift a team's narrative from a "horror story" about change to a future-focused vision.Actionable advice for both titled leaders and employees at every level. Connect with Gavin and learn more at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.

  2. Sep 11

    The Post-Win Plateau: Navigating the Psychology of Momentum

    What if the relentless drive for "growth, growth, growth" is actually masking the invisible warning signs that your team is about to crash? Joining us on The Communicative Leader is performance coach, founder of Zenith Clubhouse, and expert in executive mindset and unmasking, Boaz Gilad. Boaz works with top performers who excel on paper yet find themselves trapped in high-stress loops, teaching them how to trade burnout for true strategic agency. Top performers are often caught in an endless trap: they never know how to slow down, and they treat momentum like a permanent, pedal-to-the-metal sprint. But what happens when your internal system is hijacked by stress, and you forget that you are the one writing the rules of the game? In this episode, Boaz Gilad breaks down the mechanics of momentum, why status quo is a human illusion, and how to master the dualities of internal and external communication. Tune in to discover: How to spot the invisible warning signs before a team loses its stride.Why viewing leadership as a "game" restores immediate personal agency.How to align your daily communication intentions with your actual bottom-line goals.

  3. Sep 9

    The Reverse-Motivational Leader: Reframing Failure to Build High-Trust Teams

    What if your biggest professional blunders—and how you communicate them—are actually the secret weapon to building high-trust teams? Joining us on The Communicative Leader is talent development expert, author of Manage to Fail, and Certified Trust at Work Practitioner Megan Petrini. With over 16 years of experience training for global giants like Amazon and Universal Studios, Megan is challenging leaders to ditch the glossy "highlight reel" of corporate-speak and embrace the messy, high-impact reality of what not to do. We’re conditioned to treat leadership like an unbroken streak of best practices, perfect onboarding, and flawless strategy. But true cultural alignment doesn't come from pretending we have it all together—it comes from how we handle the moments when everything goes sideways. In this episode, Megan breaks down her "reverse-motivational" framework to help leaders audit their communication, build genuine psychological safety, and bring a refreshing dose of Mr. Rogers-style humanity into high-stakes environments. Tune in to discover: Why trying to maintain a perfect facade actively destroys team trust.How to stay in the "failure space" long enough to communicate lessons learned without killing momentum.A quick, practical "Trust Audit" you can run during your very next staff meeting.

  4. Aug 24

    Leading from the Inside Out: Embodied Presence and the Science of LeadershipFlow with Croft Edwards

    Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. We often think of leadership as something that happens from the neck up—strategy, logic, and the perfect words. But as we navigate high-pressure environments, we’re realizing that our bodies often react faster than our minds. If a leader is physically tense, breathless, or disconnected, no amount of strategic brilliance can hide that from a team.   Today’s guest is a Master Certified Coach who specializes in exactly that: the intersection of leadership and somatic awareness. Joining us is Croft Edwards, the founder and president of CROFT + Company and the author of the new book The Liquid Accordion: A Somatic and Embodiment Primer for Coaching In, With, and Through the Body for Coaches and Leaders. With over two decades of experience coaching in high-stakes industries—from oil refineries to coal mines and Fortune-level boardrooms—Croft has pioneered the concept of LeadershipFlow. He helps leaders move beyond automatic reactions to a state of grounded, embodied presence.   In today’s episode, we’re exploring how to notice the subtle shifts in your own breath and posture that signal a loss of clarity, how to move from reacting to acting with purpose, and why your physical presence is your most powerful communication tool.

  5. Aug 17

    The Frictionless Leader: Naming, Facing, and Solving the Issues That Stall Growth with Sue Hawkes

    Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. We often talk about leadership as a journey toward growth, but for many organizations, that journey feels less like a sprint and more like a slog through thick mud. We see the symptoms—missed deadlines, team silos, and circular arguments—but we often tiptoe around the root causes because the truth feels too disruptive.   Today’s guest is a truth-teller and doubt-slayer who argues that the only way to move faster is to stop avoiding the hard stuff. Joining us is Sue Hawkes, an Expert EOS Implementer™, CEO of YESS!, and the co-author of the brand-new book in the EOS Mastery Series, Issues: Remove Friction, Fast-Track Your Growth, and Ignite Your Greatness.   Sue has been solving problems and helping people since she was a fifth-grader running her first door-to-door business. Today, she works with high-stakes leaders to clear the organizational clutter and build winning cultures where accountability isn't a threat—it's the fuel. In today’s episode, we’re diving into the Five-Star Success System, why naming your friction is the first step to eliminating it, and how to lead with enough courage and humor to make a high-accountability culture actually stick.

  6. Aug 10

    Beyond the Spreadsheet: Leading with Empathy, Humanity, and Narrative

    Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. In a world of digital noise and data-driven decisions, it is easy for leaders to forget that at the end of every email, every strategy deck, and every Slack message is a human being. We often prioritize efficiency over connection, forgetting that people don't follow spreadsheets—they follow people they trust. Today’s guest has spent over 30 years proving that the most effective way to lead is through the ancient art of storytelling and the simple, often overlooked power of kindness. Neal Foard is the founder of Storyfire and a former worldwide director of creative learning for Saatchi & Saatchi. He has shaped global campaigns for brands like Toyota, Sony, and Lexus, but today, he is perhaps best known for his stories about everyday humanity that have reached over half a million followers. He teaches leaders that marketing—and leadership—is ultimately about relationship-building and promise-keeping. In today’s episode, we’re exploring why kindness isn't soft—it's a measurable advantage—and how you can use the tools of a world-class creative director to communicate with more sincerity and impact.

  7. Aug 3

    The High-Stakes of Presence: Scaling a $42M Company Without Losing Connection at Home

    Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. We often talk about leadership as a high-stakes balancing act—juggling revenue targets, team growth, and strategic pivots. But as we move further into 2026, the most successful leaders are realizing that ambition doesn't have to come at the cost of personal well-being or meaningful relationships. The question is: how do we build systems that scale without burning ourselves, or our families, out in the process?   Today’s guest is a masterclass in navigating that very intersection. Joining us is Kevin Rice, a seasoned entrepreneur and growth specialist who co-founded Hathway and scaled it from a scrappy startup to a $42M digital agency before its acquisition. Kevin has led growth for global consultancies of 5,000 professionals, but he is equally known for his work helping leaders show up for the people who matter most. As the host of the CEOs & ABCs podcast, Kevin teaches high performers how to take the executive skill set—building trust, managing stress, and clear communication—and apply it to their most important leadership role at home.   In today’s episode, we’re diving into the mechanics of leading under pressure, why emotional presence is a survival tool in the boardroom and the living room, and how to use operational thinking to protect your connection with the people you lead and the people you love.

  8. Jul 30

    Best of the Rest, Season 10: The Architecture of Modern Leadership

    The season review of 'The Communicative Leader' explores the underlying architecture of modern leadership, focusing on themes of radical clarity and execution, negotiation, influence, self-awareness, and the shift from compliance to curiosity. Each theme delves into the essential elements of effective leadership, emphasizing the importance of precision, influence, self-awareness, and curiosity in driving organizational success. Takeaways Precision requires psychological safety, clear requirements, and proactive communication.Influence is about aligning credibility with the real-world constraints of the people you lead. Chapters 00:00 Foundational Pillar: Radical Clarity and Execution04:41 Relational Engine: Negotiation, Influence, and Earn Certainty07:27 Internal Mirror: Self-Awareness and the Ego Audit10:15 Ultimate Shift: From Compliance to Curiosity

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Ratings & Reviews

4
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About

Think leadership requires years of training or a corner office? Think again. The Communicative Leader is your weekly guide to mastering the one skill that actually dictates your career trajectory: how you communicate. I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH, a leadership communication expert, bestselling author, professor, and consultant. With nearly 15 years of hard-won experience in industry before transitioning into academia, I bridge the gap between complex organizational research and the real-world obstacles you face every day. With over 100 episodes in the archive—featuring insights from international CEOs and innovative startup founders—we’ve broken down the barriers to effective leadership. Why focus on your communication? Because it’s the primary yardstick others use to decide if you are a leader. If that sounds intimidating, don’t worry—I’ve got you. We cut through the jargon to give you small, meaningful, and actionable shifts you can apply immediately. Stop waiting for your workplace culture to change on its own. You have the power to shape your own professional narrative, one conversation at a time. Ready to make your work life what you want it to be? Let’s have some fun and get to work. Got a question or a topic you’d like us to tackle? I’d love to hear from you. Send your questions or a voice note to TheCommunicativeLeader@gmail.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Leah OH
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    119
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dr. Leah OH
  • Show Website
    The Communicative Leader