120: Katie Quesada โ Master Storytelling with Story Expert to Fortune 500 Companies
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
Release Date: 03/12/2025
136: Jordan Montgomery โ Why Even High Performers Need Encouragement (and How to Lead with It)
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
โก๏ธ Get my free weekly newsletter (The Intentional Letter): Check out Jordan's work: 00:00 Intro + Why Encouragement Matters (Even for High Performers) 01:09 Why Everyone Needs Encouragement (No Matter Their Success) 02:35 What Elite Performers Have in Common (They All Have Coaches) 04:16 The Paradox of Growth: The More You Learn, The More You Need Help 06:25 How Jordan Coaches Leaders (2 Powerful Questions) 07:44 โWhat Do You Want?โ + โWho Are You Really?โ 10:01 Why Most Leaders Struggle with Self-Awareness 11:47 Identity, Calling, and Becoming an Encourager 13:27 Jordanโs...
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135: Dr. Jeff Wetzler โ Why People Donโt Tell You the Truth (and the Questions That Change Everything)
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
โก๏ธ Get my free weekly newsletter (The Intentional Letter): Follow Jeff's work: Dr. Jeff Wetzler, author of Ask, joins Cal Walters to unpack a leadership blind spot: the crucial information your team hasโฆ but isnโt telling you. Jeff explains the โleft-hand columnโ (what people think and feel but donโt say), the four reasons honesty gets filtered, and the ASK Approachโa practical framework for choosing curiosity, building psychological safety, asking better questions, and closing the loop when feedback is hard to act on. If you want better decisions, healthier relationships,...
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134: Randy Gravitt โ Winning at Home Without Losing at Work, Leading With Presence, and Why Hope Is Not a Strategy
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
โก๏ธ Get my free weekly newsletter (The Intentional Letter): Get Randy's book: Learn about Lead Every Day: In this episode, Cal Walters sits down with executive coach, speaker, and author Randy Gravitt of to explore one of the most important leadership questions of our time: How do you pursue excellence at work without sacrificing what matters most at home? Randy shares powerful insights from decades of coaching leaders across Fortune 100 companies, professional sports teams, and nonprofitsโalong with lessons from his book Winning Begins at Home. This conversation goes beyond...
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133: LTG(R) Milford Beagle "Beags" โ A Three-Star General on True North, Resilience, Feedback, and How to Lead With Confidence Without Becoming Overconfident
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
โก๏ธ Get my free weekly newsletter (The Intentional Letter): ๐ Get LTG (Ret.) Beagle's new book, When the Map Runs Out: As leaders rise, they often hear less and less truth. LTG (Ret.) Milford Beagle calls this the cone of silenceโand he warns that itโs one of the quietest ways leaders lose their true north. In this episode, we explore how to lead when your โmapโ falls apart. General Beagle shares his journey from a stunned new platoon leader at Fort Polk to commanding the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, and what heโs learned about staying grounded, humble, and effective...
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132: Joe McCormack โ Special Operations Communication Expert Shares How to Say Less, Communicate With Clarity, and Lead With Quiet Confidence
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
Connect with Joe: Learn more about The Brief Lab: How do you become the kind of leader who cuts through noise, communicates with clarity, and actually moves people to action? In this episode of the Intentional Leader Podcast, Cal talks with Joe McCormackโfounder of The Brief Lab and author of Brief, Noise, and Quiet Works. Joe has trained elite military units and Fortune 500 executives to be clear, concise, and intentional communicators, and to rediscover the quiet that makes powerful communication possible. They explore: Why noise is the real villain in your leadership story The...
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131: Dr. Liz Werly โ What an Army Psychologist for Special Ops Teaches About High Performance and Emotional Intelligence
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
How do the best military leaders go from operating at an already elite levelโฆ to an even higher level under pressure? In this episode, Army psychologist Dr. Liz Werly (who works directly with some of the U.S. militaryโs most elite units) breaks down the exact framework she uses to help high performers: build accurate self-awareness using gold-standard assessments, โengineerโ their personality to fit the context (calm under fire and present at home), develop emotional intelligence as the differentiator once IQ and talent are in place, and translate values into visible daily...
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130: Dr. Zach Mercurio โ The Hidden Engine of High-Performing Teams: Mattering, Trust, and Purpose-Driven Leadership
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
Apply to work with me 1-1: Join the Intentional Leader Lab waitlist: Learn more about Zach: In this conversation, Dr. Zach Mercurio discusses the importance of creating a sense of purpose and mattering within teams. He emphasizes that feeling valued is a basic human instinct and that leaders play a crucial role in fostering an environment where everyone feels significant. The discussion covers the psychological impacts of not feeling like one matters, the barriers leaders face in demonstrating care, and practical strategies for enhancing team dynamics through small, intentional...
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129: Dr. Ryan Gottfredson โ The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation, Mindsets, Emotional Intelligence, and Becoming Better
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
Update: Now only 6 spots left in the Intentional Leader Lab! โก๏ธ Learn about the Intentional Leader Lab: Book a call: Apply today: Please visit my website to get more information: In this episode, Dr. Ryan Gottfredson returns to discuss the concepts of trauma, vertical development, and the distinction between 'being' and 'doing' in leadership. He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and healing one's internal operating system to achieve true personal transformation. The conversation explores how mindsets shape our experiences and the role of emotional...
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128: Accomplish Anything as a Leader with the 3 Levels of Clarity and the Intentional Leader Lab
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
โก๏ธ Learn about the Intentional Leader Lab: Book a call: Apply today: The Intentional Leader Lab: A Mastermind for Successful Leaders Who Refuse to Plateau Even the best leaders can drift, but this carefully curated leadership community and Cal's Narrow Pathโข Framework give you the tools, accountability, and systems to accelerate your growth. Only 11 spots left.
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127: Dr. Travis Bradberry โ Emotional Intelligence Expert Gives Practical Advice to Increase Your EQ, Increase Your Self-Awareness, and Change Your Thinking
Intentional Leader with Cal Walters
โก๏ธ Apply to the Intentional Leader Lab (only 12 slots available): In this conversation, Cal introduces the Intentional Leader Lab, a coaching program aimed at enhancing leadership skills through emotional intelligence. Dr. Travis Bradberry, an expert in emotional intelligence, discusses its significance in leadership, differentiating it from IQ, and the importance of self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness. The conversation emphasizes practical strategies for developing emotional intelligence and the impact it has on personal and professional relationships. Dr. Travis...
info_outlineโก๏ธ Sign up for my Intentional Letter: https://courses.calwalters.me/signup
Follow Katie's work: https://katiequesada.com/
In this conversation, storytelling expert Katie Quesada discusses the profound impact of storytelling on personal and professional lives. She emphasizes the importance of storytelling in leadership, how it can create emotional connections, and the science behind why stories resonate with us.
Katie shares her journey into storytelling consulting, practical frameworks for effective storytelling, and the significance of personal and family narratives. The discussion also highlights the difference between macro and micro storytelling, encouraging leaders to weave stories into everyday interactions to foster connection and engagement. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the intricacies of storytelling, emphasizing its importance in leadership and personal relationships.
They discuss the three essential components of a story: context, conflict, and conclusion, and how to effectively balance these elements to engage an audience. The conversation also touches on the significance of vulnerability in leadership, the process of restoring meaning to personal experiences, and the value of storytelling in everyday interactions, particularly within families. The speakers encourage listeners to embrace their unique stories and share them in ways that resonate with others, ultimately highlighting storytelling as a powerful tool for connection and influence.
00:00 The Power of Storytelling
02:59 Katie Quesada's Journey into Storytelling
06:01 The Science Behind Storytelling
09:04 Practical Applications of Storytelling in Leadership
11:56 Mining, Refining, and Reminding Stories
14:59 Personal Storytelling and Its Impact
17:59 The Importance of Family Storytelling
20:57 Macro vs. Micro Storytelling
28:05 The Art of Storytelling
31:24 Understanding the Three C's of Storytelling
35:35 The Balance of Context, Conflict, and Conclusion
40:39 Vulnerability in Leadership
43:00 Restoring Meaning to Personal Stories
46:43 Finding Your Storytelling Platform
48:44 Relational Storytelling Techniques
Please visit my website to get more information: https://calwalters.me/
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๐ฉ For business inquiries: cal@calwalters.me