It's Not a People Problem, It's a System Problem ft. Melissa Appel
Release Date: 10/01/2025
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....
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The One Thing Uncommon Leaders Get Right ft. Romie Montpeirous
Uncommon Leadership
Hello there! I'm Michael Hunter, founder of Uncommon Teams, and I'm so glad you found this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast. I started this series because I constantly meet leaders battling burnout and searching for deeper impact. While I may not have all the answers you're looking for, I truly believe that professional and personal success hinges on aligning personal fulfillment with business objectives. And today, my extraordinary guest, Romie Montpeirous from Leadership from the Heart, talks about the role of adaptability and empathy in leadership. ...
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The Making Of A Leader ft. Nick Goodin
Uncommon Leadership
What if the things you’ve been hiding are the very things that make you an extraordinary leader? In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership podcast, Michael Hunter sits down with Nick Goodin, a former chief product officer, to unpack a truth most leaders never discover: your personal story is your greatest asset. Nick shares his own incredible journey—from a traumatic childhood to the sudden, unexpected loss of his job—revealing how he learned to deconstruct life's challenges and rebuild with purpose. Through his unique philosophy of first principles thinking, Nick...
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The Secret To Navigating Uncertainty ft. Keith Hopper
Uncommon Leadership
This story is going to resonate with so many leaders out there: Once upon a time, you built your career/business on a foundation of expertise and experience. You followed the rules and made sure every plan was perfectly laid out. But lately, you’ve started to feel stuck. You're slowly realizing the old playbook no longer works in a world of constant change. In this episode, I, Michael Hunter, the host of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, sit down with innovation expert Keith Hopper to expose a rather uncomfortable truth behind this feeling. The problem isn’t a...
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It's Not a People Problem, It's a System Problem ft. Melissa Appel
Uncommon Leadership
Do you ever feel like your team is stuck? Like you’re hitting a wall and just can’t seem to move forward? In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, I, Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams, am talking to Melissa Appel, an executive product management coach, advisor, and author. We get into an uncomfortable but essential truth about leadership: a leader's behavior might be the very thing holding their team back. Melissa shares a story about a leader whose fear-based culture brought an entire company to a halt, and we dive into the psychology of why punishing...
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From Rock Bottom To Resilience ft. Ken Miller
Uncommon Leadership
What does it truly take to embrace your most authentic self? Join us for another episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast where I, Michael Hunter, sit down with Ken Miller, a resilience coach and national speaker—who has an extraordinary story to share. Ken shares his journey from being an Ivy League graduate to a life of addiction that led to homelessness and multiple prison sentences. He takes us through his pivotal moment of surrender that became the turning point for his entire life. This conversation goes beyond personal triumph. It's a battle-tested lesson...
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Is Your 'Work Self' Holding You Back? ft. Jason Dea
Uncommon Leadership
What if the key to being a great leader isn't about working harder, but about being more you? Hi, I am Michael Hunter, founder of Uncommon Teams, and I'm so glad you found this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast. Because today, I sit down with Jason Dea, who is a CPO, a startup advisor, and a leadership coach, and explore a new way to lead. Discover why trying to be a different person in different contexts is exhausting and how being your authentic self can be your greatest strength. Join us as we also talk about the art of turning big, overwhelming problems into...
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The Price of Having It All ft. Chad Brown
Uncommon Leadership
What makes a leader finally decide it's time to change? Hey there! This is Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams, and welcome to another episode of The Uncommon Leadership Podcast, where I have real, unfiltered conversations with successful leaders about their journeys—the highs, the lows, and the moments that forced a change. Here, we go beyond the business talks and dive into the human side of leadership, exploring the crossroads and points that redefine success. In this episode, I'm in conversation with Chad Brown, a business owner and leadership coach, who opens...
info_outline- Solve Your Biggest Leadership Challenge: Learn the real reason behind a stagnant team and how a simple culture fix can help.
- Find Clarity in Chaos: Get a simple two-step framework to handle overwhelm and uncertainty by focusing on what's in your control.
- Fix Broken Communication: Discover the key to getting through to everyone on your team by adapting your communication style to theirs.
- Make Better Decisions: End pointless debates by learning the secret to making objective decisions: aligning on an obvious goal first.
Melissa Appel is an expert at untangling complex, "gnarly" problems across various industries. As a product coach, author, and speaker, she helps CPOs and executive teams deliver real value by getting the right people in the room and asking the right questions. Melissa focuses on the underlying people and process issues that are often the root cause of product problems. Her coaching and advisory work greatly help product leaders improve their organizations and build high-quality, effective teams.
I'm Michael Hunter, the founder of Uncommon Teams. All my work is driven by a single mission: to help leaders, CXOs, and founders build uncommon teams.
These are the teams where every person feels valued, psychologically safe, and confident to bring their authentic selves to work.
Drawing from my experience with leaders across six continents, I've developed a battle-tested framework that is always precisely customized for you, helping you greet change like an old friend.
My deepest satisfaction comes from helping leaders not just envision their legacy, but truly inhabit it. By integrating your whole self into everything you do, you can discover ease, freedom, and a resilient leadership journey that creates a safe organizational culture for everyone.