Unpacked with Ron Harvey

Ron Harvey speaks with James Spearman, an aircraft maintenance shop owner and Air Force National Guard KC-135 pilot, about balancing entrepreneurship with effective leadership practices and personal wellbeing.

• James shares his aviation journey inspired by his grandfather's World War II flying experience
• People-pleasing tendencies can undermine leadership effectiveness by avoiding necessary confrontations
•...

Digital overwhelm is a modern leadership challenge requiring new approaches to maintain human connection and workplace wellbeing. Communication professor Dr. Craig Mattson explains how the intersection of rapid technological development and our emotional responses creates a state of digital overwhelm that affects productivity and engagement.

• Digital overwhelm combines surface currents of rapid technological change with u...

Leadership consultant Ali Stewart shares her decades of wisdom about what makes leaders truly effective, revealing that while challenges like pandemics and AI may evolve, the core elements of great leadership remain surprisingly consistent. 
• Leaders need both high challenge and high support to get commitment and high achievement from their teams
• Effective leaders are visible with a consistent, authentic personal style t...

Dr. Matthew Arau returns to share his groundbreaking "power of GET" concept that transforms leadership mindsets and organizational culture through gratitude, enthusiasm, and treasuring others.

• The Four C's of Upbeat Leadership: character, competence, connection, and clarity
• How leadership is often overcomplicated when simple frameworks can be more effective
• The importance of co-creating vision ...

Ron Harvey and entrepreneur Alykhan Jetha (AJ) explore how business growth directly correlates with personal development, making leadership the fundamental driver of organizational success. 

• Creating sustainable business growth requires continuous personal development and critical self-awareness
• Avoiding difficult conversations creates cascading negative effects throughout organizations
• Having the right peopl...

Ken shares his leadership expertise from 20+ years in franchises, nonprofit work, and ministry, focusing on how to build organizational trust through intentional team development.

• Effective leaders develop other leaders, empowering teams rather than becoming bottlenecks
• Most organizations look for polished resumes when they should focus on developing existing talent
• Regular one-on-ones with clear goals and ex...

Steve Perry, founder of The Well Recruiting Solution, shares his journey from commercial fishing in Alaska at 15 to building a recruiting company with over 40 professionals and a mission to place 100,000 people in ideal careers by 2030.

• Starting as a young entrepreneur after realizing boat owners made significantly more than their crew
• Building a company focused on generosity as a core value despite leaving a $900,...

Ron Harvey welcomes Eric Donoho, former Army Sergeant and author of "Canyon of Hope," to explore leadership lessons from military service and personal resilience following combat trauma.

• Eric served in the U.S. Army scout sniper platoon, retiring in 2009 after surviving multiple combat injuries
• Eric's book "Canyon of Hope" explores resilience and how to move forward despite life's hard...

Ron Harvey welcomes Michael Woodland, owner of Essential Headshots, to explore how his military background shaped his leadership approach and entrepreneurial journey in professional photography.

• Military discipline and structure provided valuable foundation for business ownership
• Michael's father instilled the drive to be the best: "If your job is to tie shoes, be the best shoe tier out there"
• ...

Kelly Shaw shares his 50-year journey in sales leadership, revealing how focusing on quality rather than quantity builds stronger customer relationships and creates "raving fans" who become lifelong clients and referral sources. He explains how understanding personality types, finding the right mentors, and genuinely caring about customers can transform ordinary salespeople into extraordinary performers.

• Travel...

Emma Rainville shares her journey from nearly losing her marriage to building a thriving fractional COO business that helps entrepreneurs strategically plan for both business success and personal fulfillment.

• Developing operational frameworks that consider the whole person, not just business metrics
• Strategic planning to respond rather than react, saving time and reducing stress
• Building and trusting a capabl...

Technology expert Mark Wormgoor shares his journey from tech specialist to leadership coach, revealing how effective tech leadership requires balancing technical expertise with genuine people management skills. He explores how the widening gap between agile startups and slow-moving corporations creates both challenges and opportunities in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape.

• Understanding the critical t...

Whitney Faires, founder of Whitney Faires Coaching and Development, shares her journey from corporate America to entrepreneurship while unpacking essential leadership lessons learned along the way. She offers practical strategies for developing authentic leadership skills, making challenging career decisions, and finding balance between professional ambitions and personal priorities.

• Leadership is about influencing other...

Adam Malone shares his journey from technical expert to people-focused leader, revealing how his personal awakening on a flight to San Francisco transformed his leadership philosophy. He delivers five practical leadership behaviors that create lasting impact through consistent, daily application rather than occasional grand gestures.

• Making the emotional shift from being the expert with all answers to empowering teams fo...

Colby Wegter shares his journey from burnt-out marketing agency owner to creating the Autonomy Agency, helping six-figure agency owners reach seven figures while working under 40 hours weekly. He discusses the essential elements of entrepreneurial success: passion, commitment, systems, and relationships.

• Transforming after experiencing severe burnout twice in one year despite reaching seven figures
• Creating the Aut...

Tom Vozzo's journey from corporate executive to CEO of Homeboy Industries demonstrates how leadership built on authentic relationships can transform lives, particularly for those society has most marginalized.

• Leaving a 26-year corporate career after questioning whether shareholder value should always come before employee welfare
• Discovering that former gang members and previously incarcerated individuals make...

Jacob Lawson shares his extraordinary journey from average entrepreneur to purpose-driven leader, revealing how a simple name change from "Big Jake's Affordable Flooring" to "Extraordinary Flooring" completely transformed his business, mindset, and life.

• Everyone has something extraordinary to share with the world
• True leadership requires wanting to lead from within yourself
• Effective...

Leadership coach Jaclyn Strominger shares how leaders can create meaningful change by focusing on their communication, vision, and team building skills. She draws from her personal journey from unfulfilling corporate jobs to founding her high-performance coaching business Leap to Your Success.

• Bad leadership dramatically impacts career trajectory, while great leadership nurtures potential
• The LEAP framework focuses...

Lior Arussy shares why leadership is no longer about being the invincible authority with all the answers, but about embracing vulnerability and taking action when you don't know what the right thing to do is. This fundamental shift transforms how we connect with teams, build trust, and foster genuine engagement.

• Vulnerability in leadership means strategically sharing stories that activate others to join your journey...