The Power of Peer-to-Peer Leadership | Ken Banta | 671
Release Date: 10/09/2025
Why Pressure—not Power—Breaks Leaders: | Sabina Nawaz | 680
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What happens when pressure—not power—shapes the way leaders show up? That’s the question at the heart of this conversation with executive advisor, keynote speaker, and bestselling author . Sabina’s thought leadership centers on a bold idea: pressure can squeeze the humanity out of even the best leaders. And in today’s high-velocity business environment, every manager—from first-line supervisors to CEOs—is at risk. Her work helps leaders reclaim that humanity, especially when the stakes are highest. In this episode, Sabina shares the research behind her book " " , built on 12,000...
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The Playbook for Scaling Thought Leadership | Daniel Harkavy | 679
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What does it take to transform leadership into a calling — and build a business that transforms others? Today, Peter Winick sits down with , founder and CEO of , a pioneer in executive coaching and leadership development. Daniel shares how he turned the lessons from his early career in mortgage banking into a structured, scalable system for growing leaders — and why his success is rooted in helping others unlock their potential. Daniel’s approach to thought leadership isn’t about pedigree or credentials — it’s about proof. He took what worked in one high-performance environment...
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How Rituals (Not Routines) Transform Leadership and Life | Erin Coupe | 678
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What if you could stop running on empty—and still perform at your best? That’s the question , author of "" (and host of a by the same name), invites leaders to ask. She challenges the old “time management” mindset that rewards burnout and box-checking, replacing it with a human-centered strategy of presence, choice, and renewal. Her message? Productivity doesn’t come from cramming more into your day—it comes from creating rituals that restore you. Erin works with executives and teams to help them shift from survival mode to sustainable performance. Through keynotes, workshops,...
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The Power of the Pause: Why Slowing Down Fuels Stronger Leadership | Melissa Gonzalez | 677
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What happens when life forces you to stop—and that pause changes everything? , Principal at and author of "", knows firsthand. A medical crisis made her rethink what success truly means. Once a Wall Street professional turned retail design expert and author of "", Melissa built a thriving business helping brands tell their stories through physical spaces. But when her own defining moment arrived, she found a new story to tell—one about purpose, well-being, and the strength found in vulnerability. In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, Melissa joins Bill Sherman to explore how...
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The DPD Framework: How to Decide Faster and Lead Smarter | Dr. Geoffrey Mount Varner | 676
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What happens when life-and-death decision-making meets the boardroom? Today our guest is —a physician, author of "", and leadership expert—shares how his experience in emergency medicine led him to develop a powerful framework for decision-making under pressure. As the former head of Washington D.C.’s emergency Ebola response, Dr. Varner learned that hesitation can be deadly. Today, he brings that same clarity and urgency to the world of business leadership. Dr. Varner explains how most leaders waste valuable “decision energy” by treating every choice as equally important. His...
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The Power of Women’s Stories in Tech | Miri Rodriguez | 675
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What happens when a storyteller from Microsoft turns her lens on the women shaping technology’s past, present, and future? Today on Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick sits down with , CEO of , best-selling author, storyteller at , and co-author of "" (). Miri reveals how a simple Teams message from a colleague in Poland sparked a global collaboration — uniting 50 women from across cultures, career levels, and disciplines to tell their stories of innovation, resilience, and purpose. Miri’s thought leadership centers on mission-driven storytelling — using narrative as a...
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How Thought Leaders Win the Publishing Game | Ken Lizotte | 674
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What’s the real ROI of a book? That’s the question Peter Winick poses to Chief Imaginative Officer of , author of "" and publishing expert , in this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership. Ken has helped more than 350 thought leaders turn their ideas into published works—books, blogs, and articles that position them as authorities in their fields. He’s seen it all: the excitement of a new book idea, the confusion around agents and publishers, and the reality that the book itself isn’t the profit center—it’s the door opener. Ken breaks down the evolving world of...
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How Great Thought Leaders Use Podcasts to Scale Influence | Ryan Estes | 673
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What makes a podcast truly powerful — and worth your time? In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick sits down with , co-founder of and , to unpack what separates a great podcast guest — and host — from the rest. Ryan’s work connects CEOs, founders, and thought leaders to the right audiences through strategic podcast placement. His mission: to turn conversations into meaningful distribution. Ryan explains why founder-led marketing outperforms brand marketing — by as much as 80%. He reveals how showing up authentically on podcasts isn’t just about...
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Why the Best Idea Isn’t Enough | Gavin McMahon | 672
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What if the world didn’t reward the best ideas — but the best-packaged ones? That’s the question at the heart of this conversation between Bill Sherman and , CEO of and author of . Once an engineer designing submarines, Gavin discovered that technical brilliance alone doesn’t move ideas forward — storytelling does. Now, he helps leaders use story as a tool for influence, clarity, and change. In this episode, Bill and Gavin explore why ideas don’t speak for themselves — and how story gives them a voice. They unpack the idea of “storytelling power” versus organizational...
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The Power of Peer-to-Peer Leadership | Ken Banta | 671
Leveraging Thought Leadership
What happens when senior executives step into a room and speak with radical candor? In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, host Peter Winick sits down with , Founder and CEO of the , to explore how real leaders grow stronger through dialogue—not monologues. Ken doesn’t just advise on leadership—he builds ecosystems where executives learn directly from each other. The Vanguard Network creates peer-to-peer forums where GCs, CEOs, and senior leaders share their toughest challenges and unfiltered lessons. The power comes not from lectures or PowerPoint, but from raw, honest...
info_outlineWhat happens when senior executives step into a room and speak with radical candor?
In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, host Peter Winick sits down with Ken Banta, Founder and CEO of the Vanguard Network, to explore how real leaders grow stronger through dialogue—not monologues.
Ken doesn’t just advise on leadership—he builds ecosystems where executives learn directly from each other. The Vanguard Network creates peer-to-peer forums where GCs, CEOs, and senior leaders share their toughest challenges and unfiltered lessons. The power comes not from lectures or PowerPoint, but from raw, honest conversation.
Members of his network walk away with two powerful outcomes. First, practical insights they can use immediately—solutions drawn from peers who’ve been there before. Second, the relief of knowing they’re not alone. When a board chair demands instant answers, having the confidence that others face the same issues is invaluable. These conversations create resilience, credibility, and a stronger sense of leadership presence.
Ken also shows how these networks spark new thought leadership. Dialogue around real problems fuels fresh ideas, posts, and even books like his "Seeing Around Corners". This isn’t theory—it’s leadership in action, captured and shared for broader impact.
The results are tangible. Leaders leave with new strategies, new allies, and sometimes even new career opportunities. One member walked peers through a cyberattack disaster, openly admitting mistakes and lessons. Another two struck a career-changing deal over dinner. This is thought leadership at its highest level—intimate, applied, and deeply human.
If you want to see how conversation transforms into influence, this episode is for you.
Three Key Takeaways:
• Dialogue beats monologue. Executives gain more from candid peer conversations than from lectures or presentations.
• Leaders don’t stand alone. Sharing challenges in trusted forums provides reassurance and practical solutions.
• Conversations spark influence. Real stories and exchanges fuel new thought leadership, stronger presence, and fresh opportunities.
If you found Ken Banta’s episode insightful, you’ll want to keep the momentum going with Karen Leland’s conversation on the performance of thought leadership. Ken showed how peer-to-peer dialogue fuels fresh insights and builds executive presence. Karen takes it a step further, exploring how leaders can deliver their ideas with clarity, confidence, and authenticity so they truly land with an audience.
Together, these two episodes connect the what and the how of thought leadership: Ken highlights the power of conversations that spark ideas, while Karen shows you how to perform those ideas so they inspire action. Listen to Karen’s episode to learn practical strategies for elevating your communication, amplifying your presence, and making your thought leadership unforgettable.