The Legendary Leaders Podcast

By: Cathleen O'Sullivan – Leadership Consultant Thinking Partner and Podcast
  • Summary

  • Welcome to the Legendary Leaders podcast series! This podcast aims to inspire thousands and thousands of people to start living their best lives! My podcast guests will be sharing their own personal paths to success, the moments when they may have hit a wall that turned into their biggest breaking point, and we will be sharing some top tips on how to proactively create some exciting changes in your life. These leaders will be talking about how they started their journey, what inspired and drove them, along with the challenges they had to overcome along the way to get to where they are now, having achieved a more content and balanced life. The podcasts will cover an array of topics from the importance of selfcare and mindset, through to bravery and authenticity, and the importance of building communities and support networks. I have interviewed leaders who have all taken varied and interesting paths, from content creators, journalists through to designers, coaches, musicians and actors a business mentors, speakers and many, many more. They all faced tough challenges which served as motivation to live their best lives yet! I hope you enjoy listening to my series of podcasts as much as I have done creating them, and I really hope you take away lots to inspire, encourage and motivate you on your journey to becoming a Legendary Leader.
    Cathleen O'Sullivan (Merkel)
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Episodes
  • Kelly L. Campbell - Healing from Trauma
    Nov 19 2024

    How can overcoming your fears and doubts help you develop more authenticity in leadership? Cathy sits down with Kelly L. Campbell, a former CEO turned trauma-informed leadership coach, and author of "Heal to Lead, Revolutionising Leadership Through Trauma Healing."

    Together, they explore the crucial signs that indicate a need for change, discuss the impact of unresolved trauma on leadership and the transformative power of conscious feedback. Kelly shares her personal healing journey, including her profound experiences with plant medicine like Ayahuasca, and her reflections on creating supportive growth environments. Tune in and be prepared to transform the way you approach leadership and personal development.

    Episode Timeline:

    • 01:18 Transformative leadership addresses trauma in professional spaces.

    • 12:56 Childhood trauma: abuse in the home.

    • 23:53 Exploring fringe modalities after selling business.

    • 31:12 Trauma integration is essential after impactful experiences.

    • 47:09 Engaging with "safe spaces" for genuine inclusivity.

    • 52:08 Embody vulnerability and lead compassionately.

    • 55:13 Rethink regeneration by healing trauma for progress.

    • 01:05:09 Reflection and introspection for conscious feedback.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Kelly highlights the importance of identifying unsustainable personal behaviours and situations triggered by physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual stress. Significant indicators include physical health issues, consistent feedback from others, and personal self-awareness.

    • Kelly introduces the TLC concept - Trauma, Leadership, and Consciousness - emphasising its role in fostering compassionate and conscious workplaces. She advocates for a trauma-informed approach to giving feedback, which involves seeking consent, offering support, and prioritising the recipient's well-being.

    • Kelly shares her personal journey of healing from childhood trauma, emphasising the role of alternative therapy methods and plant-based medicines like Ayahuasca. She underscores the importance of integration after transformative experiences, which is crucial for personal development and lasting change.

    ABOUT Kelly L. Campbell:

    A former CEO turned Trauma-Informed Leadership Coach to emerging and established leaders who know they are meant for more, Kelly L. Campbell (they/she) instigates change and impact. She is the author of Heal to Lead: Revolutionizing Leadership through Trauma Healing (Wiley). An inspiring keynote speaker, they have written for Forbes and Fast Company and currently write for Entrepreneur and on Substack, “The New TLC: Trauma, Leadership, and Consciousness.”

    A longtime conservationist, Kelly was trained by Al Gore as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017. Most recently, they became certified as a Reiki Level III Practitioner. Kelly’s vision is for more than half of humanity to heal its childhood trauma so that we may reimagine and rebuild the world together

    Connect with Kelly:

    Website: https://klcampbell.com/

    Substack: https://kellylcampbell.substack.com/

    Book: https://klcampbell.com/heal-to-lead-book/

    Leadership Quiz: https://klcampbell.com/leadership/

    LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/agency-growth-consultant

    Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kelly.l.campbell/

    Connect: 


    Find | Cathleen O’Sullivan

    Business: cathleenmerkel.com

    Email: cmc@cathleenmerkelcoaching.com

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-merkel/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

    FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.

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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Gerry Gadoury - How to Become a ‘Destination Employer’
    Nov 5 2024

    How do you retain your top talent? Cathleen is exploring the world of talent attraction and retention with Gerry Gadoury. Join them to learn about the nuances of becoming a "destination employer" and cohesive approaches to hiring and retaining top talent. Gerry shares his incredible journey from a Marine Corps leader to a successful entrepreneur, and how he's overcome significant setbacks and a life-altering injury. Whether you're an employer looking to reduce turnover or a listener seeking leadership advice, this episode is packed with valuable lessons that apply across industries. Tune in and learn how to create a workplace where employees feel valued, heard, and motivated to grow.

    Episode Timeline:

    • 06:34 Admire your youthful curiosity and bold experimentation.

    • 12:37 Marine Corps leadership benefits small business operations.

    • 20:40 Reflect, adapt, and improve through after action reports.

    • 26:49 Lack of executive interaction diminishes role appeal.

    • 33:35 Entrepreneurial drive stemming from trauma.

    • 45:44 Unexpected recruiter journey.

    • 52:25 Employee retention depends on alignment, growth, and fulfilment.

    • 01:07:28 Interview should be a mutually beneficial conversation.

    • 01:11:57 Finding suitable candidates requires a thorough, diverse search.

    • 01:22:09 Salary discussions can cause recruiting challenges.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Gerry emphasises the significance of companies evolving into "destination employers" to attract and retain top talent. This involves understanding and aligning employees' aspirations with organisational goals, fostering a genuine employer brand, and maintaining an inclusive company culture.

    • Gerry's personal story, which includes overcoming a debilitating neck injury that led to a drastic change in his career and lifestyle, highlights the virtues of resilience and adaptability. His journey shows the importance of persevering through adversity and continuously evolving both personally and professionally.

    • From his Marine Corps experience, Gerry emphasises the importance of decisive action in high-pressure situations and the value of small-unit leadership. He stresses that enabling employees to feel heard and valued by engaging in authentic conversations can significantly bolster organisational effectiveness and employee satisfaction.

    ABOUT Gerry Gadoury:

    Gerry is a twenty-five year veteran of the Tech Professional Services industry. In that time he has been a recruiter, sales person, manager, consultant, trainer, executive, speaker, business owner, and best-selling author. Through all of it his primary focus has been on building successful teams.

    Whether Technical, Sales, or Recruitment, Gerry has recruited, trained, and led diverse teams to successful outcomes. Utilizing that experience Gerry created the Destination Employer Methodology to empower Startup, Scaleup, and early stage companies to consistently Attract, Recruit, and Retain the top-talent they need to fulfill their critical missions.



    Connect with Gerry:

    Website: www.redbeardsol.com

    Email: gerryg@redbeardsol.com

    Social Media Links:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrygadoury/



    Connect: 


    Find | Cathleen O’Sullivan

    Business: cathleenmerkel.com

    Email: cmc@cathleenmerkelcoaching.com

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-merkel/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

    FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.

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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • Claire Chandler - ‘Leadership Therapy’ and Retaining Your Talent
    Oct 22 2024

    Are you ready to revolutionise your approach to leadership and talent retention? Join host Cathleen O'Sullivan as she delves into transformative leadership strategies with Claire Chandler, president and founder of Talent Boost also known as the ‘leadership therapist’. In this enlightening episode, Claire shares invaluable insights on aligning people strategies with business goals, creating sustainable growth, and fostering genuine employee engagement.

    Get ready to uncover key takeaways from Claire's latest book, "Growth on Purpose," learn about the critical role of HR in today's business landscape. We also explore the nuances of personal and professional development to ensure that your talent is retained even as your business grows

    Here are the Highlights:

    09:25 HR should empower growth, not just enforce compliance.

    14:17 HR should separate compliance from talent management.

    23:11 External advisors gain credibility over internal voices.

    35:49 Entrepreneurs face boundless possibilities, unlike employees.

    39:50 We are all human, vulnerable, and flawed.

    46:56 Writing the book improved Claire’s business methodology.

    51:22 Avoid comparison; embrace authenticity and entrepreneurial generosity.

    55:59 Embrace inner child for pure creative joy.

    01:10:54 Word-of-mouth referrals attract the best talent.

    01:15:03 Organisations evolving roles to match employees' talents.

    01:30:38 Leaders: Connect human-first to strengthen team performance.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Claire Chandler emphasises the need for HR to transition from compliance-focused roles to strategic partners in organisations.

    • Building genuine trust requires leaders to be self-aware, engage authentically with employees, and foster psychological safety.

    • Cathleen and Claire explore the therapeutic benefits of writing as a form of personal and professional development.

    ABOUT Claire Chandler

    President and founder of Talent Boost, Claire Chandler deeply believes that leaders shape cultures, and stronger cultures drive greater success. She specialises in helping businesses expand without losing their best talent. Leveraging 30 years of experience in people leadership, human resources, and business ownership, Claire advises purpose-driven executive leaders looking to achieve perpetual growth. Claire’s services include keynote and motivational speaking, cultural integration and strategic alignment, thought partnership, talent ecosystems, leadership retreat facilitation, performance acceleration, executive and cohort coaching, organisational assessment and design, team dynamics and alignment, and growth

    readiness.

    Claire holds a certificate in strategic HR leadership from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, a master’s degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University. She has appeared as a guest on more than 150 podcasts, is the author of several books on leadership and business strategy, and is a contributing writer for Forbes. She received the 2023 Best of America Small Business Award as Best Entrepreneur—Business Consulting.



    Connect with Claire:

    Website: https://www.clairechandler.net/

    Book: https://www.growthonpurpose.com/

    Social Media Links:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairechandlersphr/

    Twitter: https://x.com/TalentBoost

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talentboostllc

    Connect: 


    Find | Cathleen O’Sullivan

    Business: www.cathleenmerkel.com

    Email: cmc@cathleenmerkelcoaching.com

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-merkel/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

    FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.

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    1 hr and 48 mins

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