You Gotta NO!

Ebrima "Abraham" Sisay

Every Leader Has A Story Learn the playbooks from leaders who built great companies and cultures without losing themselves and discover how you can apply them to your own leadership.

  1. May 28

    What AI Can't Replace & the Human Problem Behind Every Work Problem | Shelby Mathews

    AI. Identity. The human problem behind every work problem. What if the biggest threat to your career is not a machine, it is not knowing what only you can do? Shelby Mathews is the SVP of Marketing at Native Digital and a BONDE member based in Kansas City. She has spent her career navigating marketing strategy, organizational growth, and what it means to lead authentically in an industry that moves fast and rewards performance over presence. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Shelby Mathews get into what is actually happening in the marketing world with AI, what can and should be commoditized versus what cannot, and the real question leaders need to ask themselves before the tools make it irrelevant. They also go deep on the cost of being someone who adapts to every room and what it means to realize you have been a reflection of the situation instead of figuring out who you are in it. What we cover: What AI can and cannot replace in marketing and leadershipWhy the fear around artificial intelligence is missing a historical lensWhat it means to be someone who adapts to every room and the cost of thatThe difference between being a chameleon and knowing who you actually areWhy there is no such thing as job security as your life securityThe human problem that lives underneath every work problem Connect with Shelby Mathews: Website: https://www.shelby-mathews.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-mathews-48b50074/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shmathews/ Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/ Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com

    59 min

  2. May 21

    Burnout, Identity & The Cost of Building for Everyone Else | Kasim Hardaway

    Burnout. External validation. The cost of building a life that was never really yours. What happens when you spend a decade producing for everyone else — and then your body finally says no? Kasim Hardaway is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker based in Kansas City whose work is rooted in mental health and the human condition. After more than a decade in digital marketing as a strategic content consultant and social media influencer, burnout turned into depression — and therapy became the thing that pulled him back to himself. His debut film, The UNBecoming, is currently on the film festival circuit with official selections including Best Experimental Film at the Tokyo Film Awards 2025. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Kasim Hardaway get into what it actually costs to build a career on external validation, why so many leaders and creators never get out of the cycle of just building, and what unbecoming everything that was never meant for you actually looks like in practice. This is a conversation about identity, capacity, and what it means to finally give yourself permission to just exist. What we cover:— Why brands need to stop treating people like brands— How unresolved childhood wounds show up in your leadership and work— The connection between productivity, self worth and burnout— What it took to walk away from a decade-long career to start over— Why mental health is a journey, not a destination— The UNBecoming — Kasim's debut film and what it represents Connect with Kasim Hardaway:Website: https://www.kasimhardaway.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasimjhardaway/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kasimjhardaway/ Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com Topics to keep: Leadership, Mental Health, BurnoutTopics to add if available: Identity, Personal Development, Creativity, Entrepreneurship

    51 min

  3. May 7

    What Your Nervous System Has Been Trying to Tell You | Burnout & Leadership with Dr. Holly Battrum

    Burnout. Emotional dysregulation. Nervous system health for leaders. Most leaders are running on empty — reactive, scattered, and pushing through, calling it leadership. Dr. Holly Battrum is a Doctor of Eastern Medicine and holistic health practitioner who works with leaders and organizations to reconnect with the one system nobody talks about: the nervous system. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Dr. Holly Battrum go deep on why emotional dysregulation is the quiet crisis underneath burnout, what your body has been trying to signal that you've stopped listening to, and what actually changes when leaders start paying attention. They also break down Holly's 30% rule — one of the simplest and most practical tools for stressed, overstimulated leaders who always feel behind. What we cover:— Why most leaders are sympathetically dominant and what that costs them— The real reason you're reactive before you even realize it— What emotional dysregulation actually looks like in high-performing leaders— Why well-being programs fail when leadership isn't on board first— The 30% rule and why it works when everything else hasn't Connect with Dr. Holly Battrum:Website: https://sjokort.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-battrum/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holly_battrum/ Listen to You Gotta NO! wherever you get your podcasts → ygnpodcast.com

    56 min

  4. Apr 16

    We Promoted the Wrong People and Now Work Is Falling Apart | Leadership & Management with Dr. Katie Gaebel

    Management failures. Burnout in leaders. Teams that feel broken. We promoted the wrong people — not because they weren't capable, but because we never taught them how to lead. Dr. Katie Gaebel is a [her credentials/role] who works with organizations to [what she does]. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Dr. Katie Gaebel get into what's really happening inside organizations today — overwhelmed managers, disconnected teams, and cultures that look nothing like the values on the wall. They dig into the pressure managers carry, why burnout is rising, and what happens when people are expected to lead without ever being prepared for it. What we cover:— Why organizations keep promoting the wrong people into management— The real cost of unprepared leaders on team performance and culture— What managers need but rarely get— Why burnout in leadership starts before people even realize it— What actually changes when organizations invest in manager development Connect with Dr. Katie Gaebel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiegaebel/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mkgaebel/ Listen to You Gotta NO! wherever you get your podcasts → ygnpodcast.com

    52 min

  5. Apr 9

    How a Single Phrase Builds Psychological Safety & Creativity in Leadership | Mary Messner

    Psychological safety. Creative leadership. The one phrase that changes everything. What if a single shift in language could transform how your team thinks, communicates, and makes decisions? Mary Messner is a keynote speaker and former executive who has spent her career at the intersection of leadership, communication, and organizational culture. She works with leaders and teams to build environments where people feel genuinely safe to speak up, take risks, and bring their best thinking forward. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Mary Messner unpack what she calls one of the greatest failures in leadership today — the pressure to have all the answers. From the outside, leadership looks confident and decisive. But behind closed doors, that pressure quietly kills creativity, erodes trust, and shapes decisions through conformity rather than courage. Mary reveals how one simple phrase can open the door to psychological safety, unlock creative thinking, and lead to far better outcomes for leaders and their teams. What we cover:— Why the pressure to appear certain is silently damaging your team's creativity— How conformity shapes decisions inside organizations without anyone noticing— The single phrase that signals safety and invites honest, creative input— What great leaders say (and don't say) to build trust— How to shift your communication style to lead with curiosity instead of authority— Why psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/ Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com

    41 min

  6. Mar 26

    Leadership, Burnout & Life After a Stroke: What It Truly Takes To Be A Great Leader | Merideth Rose

    Burnout. Leadership under pressure. A stroke at 44. What happens when your body forces you to stop — and what great leadership actually looks like on the other side. Merideth Rose is a leader, speaker, and executive coach who experienced a stroke at the height of her career. What looked like success on the outside was hiding years of pressure, chronic stress, and unaddressed burnout. Her journey through crisis, recovery, and rebuilding has reshaped how she thinks about leadership — and what it truly costs. In this episode, Ebrima Abraham Sisay and Merideth Rose have a raw, honest conversation about the reality of high-performance leadership — the pressure, the warning signs that get ignored, and the moment everything changed. This is a conversation about what leadership really costs, what happens when your body forces you to stop, and how to rebuild a life and identity on the other side of a health crisis. What we cover:— The early warning signs of burnout that leaders ignore— How chronic stress impacts your body, brain, and decision-making— What it's like to experience a stroke at 44 and the road to recovery— Why high performers struggle to slow down before it's too late— How to rebuild your life, identity, and leadership after a health crisis— What great leadership truly requires — beyond performance and titles If you're a founder, executive, manager, or ambitious professional carrying more than you show — this one is for you. Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/ Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com

    1h 4m

  7. Mar 12

    The Lies We Tell Ourselves About Work: Leadership, Emotional Labor & Workplace Culture | You Gotta NO! Roundtable

    Workplace honesty. Emotional labor. The weight leaders carry but never say out loud. What if the biggest obstacle to great leadership is the story we tell ourselves about what work is supposed to look like? In this special roundtable conversation recorded live at the You Gotta NO! event, leaders came together to say what doesn't usually get said on stage — what leadership actually feels like beneath the highlight reel, the LinkedIn posts, and the performance metrics. This is the conversation that set the tone for Season 2 of You Gotta NO! and the rebrand as a full leadership ecosystem. Because before leaders can grow, connect, or build better teams and companies — they have to understand what they're carrying. And what needs to change. What we cover:— The self-deception that keeps leaders stuck and overwhelmed— The invisible emotional labor leaders carry that no one talks about— The pressure to always say yes — even when capacity is at zero— What workplace culture really looks like behind closed doors— Why leaders struggle to be honest about what leadership costs them— What needs to change before real growth and connection can happen This is a conversation about leadership as it actually is — not as it's supposed to look. Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/ Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com

    1h 5m

  8. Season 2, Episode 26 Trailer

    The 4C Framework: Why Sustainable Leadership Means Knowing What to Say No To | You Gotta NO! Season 2

    Sustainable leadership. The 4C Framework. Knowing what to say no to. Season 2 of You Gotta NO! isn't just a new chapter — it's a completely different approach to what leadership can look like. This trailer marks a rebrand — not because the mission changed, but because it became clearer. You Gotta NO! is no longer just a podcast. It's a full leadership ecosystem built around one core belief: sustainable leadership requires knowing what to say no to. Too many leaders are burning out trying to say yes to everything — yes to growth, yes to performance, yes to expectations, yes to pressure. But no one is teaching them how to protect their clarity, capacity, culture, and community in the process. That's the 4C Framework. And that's what Season 2 is built on. Season 2 expands beyond conversations and into a deeper framework that connects the Podcast, the Next Level Series, and the YGN Workplace Summit under a single belief system. Sharper conversations. More intentional leadership. Organizations that don't collapse under their own success. What the 4C Framework covers:— Clarity: knowing what you stand for and what you won't compromise on— Capacity: protecting your energy before it runs out— Culture: building teams that can sustain growth without burning people out— Community: leading in a way that connects rather than isolates Welcome to You Gotta NO! Season 2. Sign up to the newsletter: https://nobrief.beehiiv.com/ Watch more from You Gotta NO! — Leadership. Mental health. Real conversations: https://ygnpodcast.com

    5 min
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Trailers

About

Every Leader Has A Story Learn the playbooks from leaders who built great companies and cultures without losing themselves and discover how you can apply them to your own leadership.

Information

  • Creator
    Ebrima "Abraham" Sisay
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ebrima "Abraham" Sisay
  • Show Website
    You Gotta NO!