Why Great Leaders Get Stuck [And What Actually Frees Them] ft. Gary Montalvo
Release Date: 01/07/2026
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Why Great Leaders Get Stuck [And What Actually Frees Them] ft. Gary Montalvo
Uncommon Leadership
Tech leaders are struggling because they’re carrying too much— too much pressure to have answers, too much responsibility for outcomes, too little space to be human. And it’s exhausting. In the latest episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, I, Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams, sit down with leadership and mindset coach Gary Montalvo for a deeply honest conversation about what actually blocks leaders from creating healthy teams, resilient cultures, and sustainable results. From his early days as a 22-year-old art director at Sony Music to building his own...
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Uncommon Roundtable: How High-Performing Tech Teams Actually Build Resilience
Uncommon Leadership
As leaders, we’re taught to push through. Work harder. Focus longer. Stay disciplined. But what if resilience isn’t built by endurance at all? What if it’s shaped in the small, almost invisible moments—how teams reset, reconnect, and rehumanize their work before exhaustion sets in? In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Roundtable Podcast, Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams brings together a group of deeply respected practitioners to explore resilience not as a personal trait—but as a systemic capability. What unfolds is an honest, experience-driven...
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The Hidden Dynamics That Make or Break Tech Teams ft. Keith Klain
Uncommon Leadership
Most leaders believe their teams go quiet because people fear conflict, don’t know what to say, or lack confidence. But that’s almost never the real reason. In this episode of Uncommon Leadership, Keith Klain joins me to reveal a harder, more human truth: Teams go quiet when they stop trusting how honest their leaders will be with them. Keith shares the shift that transformed every organization he led—from global banks to fast-paced tech teams. When he stopped treating information as currency and started telling people the real “why” behind decisions,...
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Six Pillars of Resilient Leadership ft. Jim Carlough
Uncommon Leadership
What if the real competitive advantage in your organization isn’t your strategy or your technology— but the way you show up for your people when everything feels uncertain? In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, I’m joined by Jim Carlough—a veteran healthcare executive, strategist, and author. Jim’s journey spans from captaining sports teams in his youth to helping organizations find their footing again. Through every experience, Jim kept returning to the same anchors: persistence, focus, and a genuine responsibility to his team. And this became the...
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How Top Leaders Build Teams That Speak Up ft. Fortune Buchholtz
Uncommon Leadership
Are your teams holding back? Are they experimenting, speaking up, or taking risks when the stakes are high? If not, you're dealing with a problem that hasn't surfaced yet. And it's not a skill problem. Or a process problem. It’s most likely a culture problem. When your people don’t feel safe, they don't take risks. They hide their vulnerabilities. And in an environment like this, even your best talent stays silent — or quietly leaves. Hi there! Welcome back! I’m Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams, and in this episode of the Uncommon...
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The Chiropractic Leadership ft. Rita Malvone
Uncommon Leadership
Why aren't your teams bringing you their best ideas? Why are they silent in meetings? Most likely, they don't feel psychologically safe to speak up. Or they haven't connected with the real you yet. If this sounds true for your team, your leadership approach is heading into isolation, and you are facing a quiet crisis. The good news is that it's not too late, and together—we can fix it! Hi there! I'm Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams, and welcome to another exciting episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast. Joining me today is Rita Malvone, a renowned business...
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Why True Leaders Create Space, Not Rules ft. Ravi Iyer
Uncommon Leadership
When 85% of medical practices in the USA shut their doors, Dr. Ravi Iyer, a Harvard-trained physician and human potential expert, became the last line of defense as he and his team kept theirs open. Dr. Iyer's mantra, all for one and one for all, led him to serve over 100,000 patients through the chaos and disruption caused by the pandemic. Hello and welcome to another fascinating episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast—I'm your host, Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams. Today, we are conversing with Dr. Iyer—one of the rare TED speakers whose talks were removed and...
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How Self-Prioritization Drives Better Teams, Systems, & Outcomes ft. Lynn Juang
Uncommon Leadership
A lot of leaders believe that they need to sacrifice themselves to stand out. But what if prioritizing yourself—your clarity, your energy, and your pace—is the most strategic thing you can do for your team as well as your organization? What if you had to be a little selfish? Putting on your oxygen mask before you rushed to help everyone else around you? Welcome to another inspiring episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast. I'm your host, Michael Hunter, and today I'm honored to explore what it means to pause, reset, and focus on self with Lynn Juang, the founder of...
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Resilience Starts with Self-Care ft. Dr. Amanda Lynne Smith
Uncommon Leadership
For the first 15 years of her career, Dr. Amanda Lynne Smith was always the first to arrive and last to leave. And she expected the same relentless pace from everyone around. Then COVID arrived, and with it, an unexpected gift: the permission to breathe. But this isn't just a story about work-life balance. It's the story that led to a groundbreaking realization—you cannot keep pouring if your cup is empty. It's about the time when Smith realized that personal resilience is an important business strategy, something a lot of organizations overlook. Welcome to another...
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Is Your Greatest Leadership Asset Hidden in Plain Sight? ft. Alfredo Borodowski
Uncommon Leadership
Have you ever hit a personal rock bottom that threatened your entire career? Our guest today, Dr. Alfredo Borodowski, knows that feeling intimately. Alfredo’s story is one of total collapse and remarkable redemption. He didn't find his way back with better systems; he found it by discovering his own forgotten character strengths. Hello! This is Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams, and I'd love to welcome you to another episode of Uncommon Leadership, where we explore what it truly takes to thrive, not just survive, in today's chaotic world. Today, I sit down with Dr....
info_outline- Why most leadership struggles are identity challenges—not skill gaps
- How “being liked” can silently undermine accountability and growth
- The difference between authenticity and emotional oversharing
- Why reframing experience changes how you lead under pressure
- How leaders unintentionally recreate old survival strategies at work
- How small internal shifts compound into cultural transformation
- Founders who feel like the bottleneck in their own business
- Tech leaders navigating growth, complexity, or burnout
- Managers who are tired of “doing everything right” but still feel stuck
- Anyone leading people through change without a clear map