When Smart Leaders Miss What’s Right in Front of Them: A Conversation with Jacquette Timmons
Release Date: 11/17/2025
When Everyone Has AI, What Makes a Leader Stand Out?
The Enlightened Executive
Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work. It can generate ideas, analyze information, and make expertise more accessible than ever before. So what will set exceptional leaders apart? In this episode, Susan Drumm sits down with bestselling author, business strategist, and Hall of Fame speaker Jay Baer to explore how AI is reshaping leadership and why the leaders who thrive will be the ones who strengthen the uniquely human capabilities technology cannot replace. Together, they discuss why expertise is no longer enough, how pattern...
info_outline
Why Your Self-Doubt Might Be Your Greatest Leadership Advantage
The Enlightened Executive
What if self-doubt is not your greatest obstacle, but your greatest advantage? In this episode, Susan Drumm sits down with entrepreneur, investor, and innovation expert Abhi Golhar to challenge one of leadership's biggest myths: that great leaders are always certain. Instead, they explore how self-doubt can become a powerful tool for making better decisions, driving innovation, and leading with greater clarity. Together, they discuss why certainty can become a hidden liability, how moments of doubt often signal growth, and why the most effective leaders replace the need...
info_outline
How Leaders Keep Success From Turning Into Complacency
The Enlightened Executive
Success can be one of the most dangerous moments for a high-performing team. In this episode of The Enlightened Executive, Susan Drumm speaks with Jake Thompson, founder of Compete Every Day, about how leaders can recognize when a winning team starts to drift into comfort, busyness, or complacency. Jake shares why strong results can sometimes hide weakening standards, how comparison pulls leaders away from their own game, and what executives can do to keep teams hungry without creating unhealthy pressure. You’ll learn simple practices to reset focus, reinforce...
info_outline
Why Reinvention Is the Leadership Skill AI Can’t Replace
The Enlightened Executive
AI is changing how we work, create, and lead. But as technology gets faster, the most valuable leadership skills may be the most human ones: creativity, judgment, authenticity, and reinvention. In this episode of The Enlightened Executive, Susan Drumm speaks with Jason Miller about how leaders can stay relevant in an AI-driven world. Jason shares why it’s risky to become too one-dimensional, how to build a unique “talent stack,” and why putting your ideas into the world before you feel fully ready can become a powerful growth practice. Together,...
info_outline
How AI Is Changing Customers, Trust, and Leadership
The Enlightened Executive
AI is not just changing how we work. It is changing how customers think, decide, trust, and relate. In this episode of The Enlightened Executive, Susan Drumm speaks with marketing strategist, futurist, and author Mark Schaefer about how AI is reshaping customer behavior and what leaders need to understand now. They explore the risks of cognitive offloading, the importance of protecting human judgment, and why trust, curiosity, and agency may become even more valuable in an AI-driven world. You’ll learn how AI is influencing customer decisions, why leaders...
info_outline
How Small Acts of Kindness Create Big Leadership Impact
The Enlightened Executive
What if one small act of kindness could create a ripple effect far beyond what you imagined? In this episode, Susan Drumm sits down with entrepreneur Braxton Kilgo to explore how a simple mission grew into a business, a movement, and a model for meaningful leadership. Braxton shares his journey from small-town beginnings to building a purpose-driven brand centered on human connection, service, and impact. Together, they unpack what leaders can learn about scaling a mission without losing its heart, why discernment matters as much as vision, and how trust becomes the...
info_outline
When Success Becomes a Cage
The Enlightened Executive
What if the success you built is no longer setting you free? In this episode of The Enlightened Executive, Susan Drumm sits down with investor, entrepreneur, and Fulfillionaire founder JP Newman to explore a truth many high achievers quietly wrestle with: external success does not always create internal fulfillment. JP shares his journey from chasing financial milestones to redefining wealth through a more meaningful lens—one that includes purpose, people, presence, and play, not just prosperity. Together, Susan and JP unpack why so many leaders...
info_outline
When Success Creates Self-Doubt: How Leaders Move Through “Wonderhell”
The Enlightened Executive
What happens when success does not bring the confidence you expected? In this episode, Susan Drumm sits down with Laura Gassner Otting to explore the tension many leaders feel after reaching a new level of achievement. Instead of clarity, they often experience pressure, self-doubt, and the sense that they now have even more to prove. Together, they unpack Laura’s concept of “Wonderhell,” the space between recognizing your potential and fully stepping into it. They also discuss why imposter syndrome often shows up at moments of growth, how external success can pull...
info_outline
Unlocking Energy Intelligence for Sustainable Leadership
The Enlightened Executive
Are you leading on an empty tank? In this high-energy episode of The Enlightened Executive, Susan Drumm is joined by keynote speaker and joy instigator Marli Williams to explore how cultivating energy intelligence can radically elevate your leadership presence, resilience, and impact. You’ll discover: Why managing your energy, not just your time, is the secret to leading sustainably The 4 pillars of energetic leadership: Presence, Authenticity, Capacity, and Vitality Marli’s “Fully Charged”...
info_outline
The Science of Charisma: How Compassion Creates Influence with Heather Hansen
The Enlightened Executive
What if charisma isn’t something you’re born with, but something you build? In this episode of The Enlightened Executive, Susan Drumm sits down with Heather Hansen, former trial attorney, communication expert, and CEO of Belief Builders, to explore how compassionate charisma transforms your leadership presence. You’ll discover: The neuroscience behind why power can reduce empathy, and how to reverse it 12 proven behaviors that make leaders more charismatic (based on Dr. John Antonakis' research) The difference between performing leadership and embodying...
info_outlineYou can be brilliant with numbers and still miss the pattern that’s holding you back.
In this episode of The Enlightened Executive, financial behaviorist Jacquette Timmons shares the pivotal moment when her longtime CPA asked, “When are you going to stop mortgaging your life?” That one question revealed a blind spot that changed how she approached her business, her money, and her leadership.
We discuss:
- Why blind spots form next to your strengths
- How success can reinforce outdated habits
- The emotional side of financial decisions
One practical step leaders can take to uncover what they can’t see on their own
If you’ve ever wondered whether your leadership habits are still serving you, this episode offers a fresh lens to find out.
🔎 For deeper insight into your leadership patterns, explore Susan’s Enneagram Applied tools here.