Unlocked with Skot Waldron

Skot Waldron
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What if there was one place to gain short, powerful insights from leaders and influencers worldwide? Join communication strategist Skot Waldron as he interviews people like John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneurs on Fire, Ann Hiatt, who worked directly with Jeff Bezos, Marissa Mayer, and Eric Schmidt, former CIA agent Marc Polymeropoulos, and Matt Doherty, Michael Jordan's former coach, and mines the gold inside each of their heads. Unlock the potential of you and the people you do life with by listening to every episode!

  1. Unlocking Loyalty, Pixie Dust & the Gen Z Advantage with Tim Elmore

    4D AGO

    Unlocking Loyalty, Pixie Dust & the Gen Z Advantage with Tim Elmore

    Think Gen Z is a headache? Tim Elmore says they're actually the sandpaper your leadership didn't know it needed. One minute they're flying with pixie dust, the next they're struggling with "adulting." That's the Peter Pan paradox. In this episode, we dig into why authority today comes from a bridge, not a badge. Why Gen Z hops jobs like lily pads. And why the secret to keeping them isn't perks, it's relationships and trust. Tim unpacks how to give feedback without crushing them (the A.L.E.G. model), why work might be the cure for the loneliest generation, and how NASA's moonshot is the leadership blueprint we need right now. This isn't about lowering the bar. It's about leading different, listening longer, and coaching more. Website: https://www.timelmore.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyelmore Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drtimelmore Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim_elmore X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/timelmore Timestamps 00:00 Intro 05:06 Déjà Vu: Didn't We Just Complain About Millennials? 08:23 The Peter Pan Paradox: Pixie Dust Meets Adulting 11:08 Coaching vs Command: Building Bridges, Not Flashing Badges 16:52 The Corporate Lily Pad: Why Gen Z Hops (and Doesn't Climb) 18:46 Give Them a Voice (Even If They Don't Get a Vote) 20:35 Tug-of-War: "Be Me" vs. "Belong Here" 23:56 Nose Rings & Social Contracts: Pick Better Hills to Die On 27:07 Millennials vs. Gen Z: Team Players vs. Solo Flyers 32:47 Feedback Without Fragility: The A.L.E.G. Playbook 35:15 Sandpaper Leadership: How Gen Z Smooths Us Out

    44 min
  2. You Might Also Like: The Telepathy Tapes

    4D AGO · BONUS

    You Might Also Like: The Telepathy Tapes

    Introducing S2E3: The Consciousness of Creativity: Are Ideas Alive And Do They Choose Us? from The Telepathy Tapes. Follow the show: The Telepathy Tapes The mystery of inspiration begs the question: is the universe conscious and using us to create a vision of it’s own? We turn to the mystery of inspiration. Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love; Big Magic) offers a provocative idea: that creativity doesn’t come from us, but to us. Ideas, she argues, are conscious entities—knocking at the doors of our imagination, looking for human partners to bring them into the world. Legendary music producer and author of The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin echoes that sentiment, describing artists as “antennas” tuned to a universal current, catching downloads that must then be shaped by craft and discipline. And Emmy-winning showrunner Liz Feldman (Dead to Me) shares her own uncanny experiences of creative lightning striking, when a fully-formed story seemed to arrive out of nowhere. Together, their perspectives point toward a paradox at the heart of all creation: effort and surrender. Inspiration demands our labor, yet it also requires letting go of control, trusting that we are not the sole architects but collaborators in something bigger. Threaded through these conversations is my own story—the moment when I tried and failed to launch The Telepathy Tapes as a film, surrendered it back to the universe, and only then discovered that it wanted to live as a podcast. That surrender, painful as it was, became the gateway. So are ideas conscious? Do they choose us, and the way they want to enter the world? In this episode, we follow the breadcrumbs—from mystical intuition to neuroscience—to ask whether creativity itself might be the clearest evidence that mind isn’t just a product of the brain, but part of a larger field of consciousness still waiting to be understood. - Join The Telepathy Tapes Backstage Pass to get ad-free episodes, never-before-heard interviews, behind-the-scenes documentary footage, and access to our private Discord community. This is your invitation to come closer. To help shape what’s next. To be more than a listener… to be a co-creator of this paradigm shift. So if you’ve felt moved, if you’ve felt seen, if you’ve felt the call—subscribe today and join us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thetelepathytapes.supercast.com. Thank you to our Sponsors! Visit CBDistillery.com promo code TAPES for 25% off your entire purchase. Visit Quince.com/tapes for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.  Visit happymammoth.com and use code TAPES for 15% off your entire first order today. Visit Progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Visit Graza.co and use TAPES to get 10% off your order. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code TAPES at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Use code TAPES at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Cool Gloss with your first purchase! #JonesRoadBeauty #ad Visit FactorMeals.com/TAPES50OFF and use code TAPES50OFF to get 50% off your first box, plus free breakfast for 1 year.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. Unlocking The Ten Permissions for a Braver Life with Jillian Reilly

    NOV 25

    Unlocking The Ten Permissions for a Braver Life with Jillian Reilly

    Ever feel like you're living someone else's script? Jillian Reilly is here to hand you The Ten Permissions, a gutsy, practical roadmap to step out of the box and into your own life. We cover permission to be willful (want what you actually want), how to reframe failure from "I am" to "I can", and why leaders don't need all the answers, just the guts to ask better questions. Jillian shows how to admit & commit without shame, why thinking small beats overwhelm, and what it looks like to go astray on purpose so you're ready for change when it comes. You'll also hear how to travel light, shedding old baggage so new options can actually show up. Website: https://tenpermissions.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianreilly Book: http://bit.ly/44GUoms Timestamps 00:00 Cold open & setup 06:48 The 23-Year Pivot: Cape Town or Bust 09:19 Listen First, Leap Second (Small Steps vs Someday) 12:40 Why Permission Beats Programs (Origin Story) 17:39 Permission #1: Be Willful (Want What You Want) 21:43 Approval Is Nice, Not Required 25:42 Failure Reframe: "I Am" → "I Can" (Try Small, Learn Fast) 31:44 Permission to Ask (Leaders Don't Need All the Answers) 35:37 Admit & Commit: "I Don't Know...Yet" 37:47 Permission to Think Small (Three Wins a Day) 39:01 Permission to Go Astray (Curvy Paths Build Readiness)

    47 min
  4. Unlocking Health That Actually Fits Your Life with Brian Von Ancken

    NOV 18

    Unlocking Health That Actually Fits Your Life with Brian Von Ancken

    If your wellness plan feels like another to-do list, you're losing. Brian Von Ancken shows how to design health that actually sticks. We dig into the big three: Community, Nature, Movement, and why behavior change beats vanity metrics every time. You'll hear how to move from programs to systems, where AI, data ethics, and simple archetypes help leaders serve people at scale. The goal isn't perfection. It's repeatable wins that compound. Website: www.joinwgm.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brianvonancken Timestamps 00:00 Cold open & setup 05:32 The "Why Wellness" Origin Story 06:15 Building a 200+ Leader Mastermind 09:04 Fast Growth Levers (AI SEO + 100 Podcasts) 15:37 "No Time?" Make It Playful & Tiny 21:17 Fads vs. The Long Game 26:03 The Three Pillars: Community • Nature • Movement 28:41 Mindful Social Workout ("Runner's High ×10") 30:36 The Injustice: Treatment vs Prevention 36:22 Identity First (Atomic Habits Energy) 39:26 AI & Data Are Cool - Behavior Change Wins

    53 min
  5. Unlocking How Women Will Take Over Global Leadership with Don Barden

    NOV 11

    Unlocking How Women Will Take Over Global Leadership with Don Barden

    Leadership is changing – and women are leading the charge. Don Barden breaks down why female leadership is redefining success across industries (and why that's a very good thing). From boardrooms to startups, collaboration is replacing competition, empathy is replacing ego, and results are skyrocketing. We unpack why female-led companies outperform, the "Goodyear & Firestone" moment every business faces before disruption, and how single moms might just be the ultimate CEOs. Don also flips the script on diversity, introducing DOI - Diversity of Opportunity and challenges every leader to build bridges, not barriers. Timestamps: 00:00 — Cold Open & Intro 04:21 — Kickoff: The Disruptor Nobody Saw Coming 07:57 — 2028: The Year Women Take the Wheel 11:53 — Revenue ×3, Retention ×2: The Data That Broke the Boardroom 16:13 — The Goodyear & Firestone Moment 20:03 — Single Moms, Superpowers, & the Impossible Equation 24:45 — Don't Judge the Past, Lead the Future 28:56 — Collaborate – Conquer: Why Women Don't Need Mergers to Win 33:20 — The Four Business Types That Will Survive the Shift 40:18 — DEI Is Out, DOI Is In 54:50 — Celebrate: The Future Is Female (And Everyone Wins) Website: https://donbarden.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donwbarden

    1h 1m
  6. Unlocking The Secret To Effective Feedback With Jeff Hancher

    NOV 4

    Unlocking The Secret To Effective Feedback With Jeff Hancher

    Avoiding feedback to "protect" trust? Bad news. You're breaking it. In this episode, Jeff Hancher hands you the playbook for turning hard talks into trust-building wins. His expectations + feedback + accountability framework takes the mystery out of feedback and replaces it with results. You'll learn why being effective beats being right and how a few smart habits can flip your culture from stressed to strong. If you want to keep your people and grow them at the same time, start here. 00:00 Cold open: Running from poverty, the military, and tin-can car floors   06:00 Being right vs. being effective. Only one wins in feedback   07:00 The nickel story: Poverty to GI Bill to first sales job   14:00 Feedback is gold… and fragile   19:00 The framework: Expectations, Feedback, Accountability   20:45 The mint role-play: Earning the right to give tough feedback   25:00 Picking the right tool: Supportive, Collaborative, or Directive   27:00 F.E.A.R. in leaders: Fallout, Emotion, Amateur moves   Website: www.jeffhancher.com Book: Firm Feedback in a Fragile World Book Release June 17, 2025 www.firmfeedbackbook.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-hancher Facebook: www.facebook.com/thechampionforum  Instagram: www.instagram.com/jeff.hancher YouTube: www.youtube.com/@jeffhancher

    42 min
  7. Unlocking Less Frustration and More Momentum with Andrew Oxley

    OCT 28

    Unlocking Less Frustration and More Momentum with Andrew Oxley

    Think frustration is just anger? Think again. In this episode, Andrew Oxley breaks down the Four Faces of Frustration (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue) and hands you a simple filter for leading when emotions get loud. You'll discover why self-diagnosing under stress rarely works, how to run the people vs. task and speed up vs. slow down tests, and the one question every leader needs to ask: "What's it like to be on the other side of you?" We also tackle the difference between problems to solve and tensions to manage, the First Law of Problem-Solving, and a practical path to influence: serve the people you already have. Clear. Actionable. Memorable. 00:00 – Cold open & setup 03:07 – "The least frustrating interview" (ironic hook) 03:48 – Why frustration? Making complex ideas simple (Mark Twain shout-out) 05:55 – Are these literal faces? Not all frustration = anger 08:20 – The tour: Red (intense), Yellow (optimistic), Green (quiet), Blue (worried) 10:50 – How to know your face; why self-diagnosis fails 11:10 – Two quick axes: People vs. Task; Speed Up vs. Slow Down 17:40 – The question: "What's it like to be on the other side of you?" 18:44 – Why the book is a fable (story vs. lecture) 22:27 – How long it is and how to use it 25:56 – Can we eliminate frustration? Problems vs. Tensions 27:41 – First Law of Problem-Solving: long-running issues = you're managing, not solving 30:00 – Mission over paycheck: engaging younger teams without the doom loop 31:14 – Litmus test: "Is it effective?" and why leaders change first 33:35 – Where to get it: Amazon + free copy via live workshop (transformingresults.com) 34:16 – "Serve, serve, serve" and the real measure of influence Website: https://www.transformingresults.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-oxley-tog Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.oxley.758 Twitter/X: https://x.com/AndrewOxley YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@andrewoxley-theoxleygroup

    42 min
  8. Unlocking Our Young People with Hillary Spiritos

    OCT 21

    Unlocking Our Young People with Hillary Spiritos

    Younger generations aren't "the problem", but misunderstanding them might be. In this conversation with pathfinding coach Hillary Spiritos, we unpack why older leaders and younger employees keep talking past each other… and how to bridge that gap. If you've ever been frustrated by "lack of loyalty" or felt like you had to follow a career path you didn't choose, this episode is for you. Hillary helps young adults define success on their own terms, build self-trust, and find the courage to pivot when life changes the plan. We talk about fierce living (without being combative), why traditional career advice can fall flat, and how leaders can stop losing young talent by actually investing in them. Whether you're leading Gen Z, part of Gen Z, or somewhere in between, you'll walk away with a fresh perspective and practical ways to make the multigenerational workplace work. Website: batouttahell.net TikTok: @bat.outta_hell Instagram: @bat.outta_hell Calendly: calendly.com/batouttahell

    53 min
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4.8
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

What if there was one place to gain short, powerful insights from leaders and influencers worldwide? Join communication strategist Skot Waldron as he interviews people like John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneurs on Fire, Ann Hiatt, who worked directly with Jeff Bezos, Marissa Mayer, and Eric Schmidt, former CIA agent Marc Polymeropoulos, and Matt Doherty, Michael Jordan's former coach, and mines the gold inside each of their heads. Unlock the potential of you and the people you do life with by listening to every episode!

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