Lead From Within: The Operating System of High-Performing Leaders | 689 | Nina Urman
Release Date: 01/11/2026
Leveraging Thought Leadership
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What does it really take to turn a book into a business asset instead of a vanity project? In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick sits down with , CEO of to unpack what authors get wrong about publishing, platform, and the real role a book plays in growing authority. Kevin makes the case that a strong book is not just about writing well. It is about aligning the message, the market, and the outcome from the very beginning. Kevin brings a practical lens to the publishing world. He explains why authors should bring in expert guidance earlier, not later. He breaks down...
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What makes thought leadership actually travel? Not a bigger platform. Not louder marketing. A sharper idea that solves a real problem. In this episode, Peter talks with , coauthor of and author of Thomas’s work sits at the intersection of innovation, problem framing, and practical execution inside real organizations. The conversation focuses on a core truth behind strong thought leadership: the best ideas win because they are useful. Thomas explains that both of his books grew from underserved problems in the market. Innovation as Usual challenged the idea that innovation belongs only to...
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What separates average sellers from elite performers? In this episode, Peter Winick sits down with , author of , to unpack the ideas, behaviors, and disciplines that turn sales expertise into real thought leadership. Drawing from interviews with top performers who have earned more than 150 Presidents Club wins combined, Bob shares a sharper view of what high performance actually looks like. This conversation goes beyond sales war stories. Bob’s work is focused on codifying what the best sellers do differently and translating those lessons into practical guidance for the next generation. He...
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What does it really take to turn expertise into influence that lasts? In this special episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, host Peter Winick is joined by and to announce their book, The Thought Leadership Handbook published by . This is not a conversation about writing a book for the sake of writing a book. It is a conversation about building a body of work that creates value, sharpens thinking, and expands impact. Drawing on hundreds of podcast conversations, client engagements, and years inside the thought leadership space, Peter, Bill, and Naren explore the...
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What if the leadership issue in front of you is not strategy, but an old wound you have never fully resolved? In this episode, Bill Sherman talks with an executive coach and host of "" podcast about the deeply personal path that led her into thought leadership, and why she believes the future of leadership development must go far beyond traditional coaching. Kendra shares how her own experience as a coaching client changed the way she worked, lived, and led. What started as personal growth became something bigger. Senior leaders began turning to her for guidance in high-pressure...
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What would change in your culture—and your revenue—if people didn’t have to put on “work armor” just to show up? In this LinkedIn Live edition of Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick sits down with , the world’s first Chief Heart Officer at , to unpack the contents of her new book “” and what it looks like when the pace is fast, the stakes are high, and the workplace is more human than ever. Claude’s thought leadership is practical, not performative. She isn’t selling “soft.” She’s building the conditions for performance: psychological safety, real...
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What happens when you walk away from the big logo—and discover that your thought leadership gets sharper, not smaller? In this episode, Peter Winick sits down with , host of podcast, a strategy coach to CEOs, C-suite leaders, and founders who has advised more than 50 CEOs and hundreds of executives over three decades. David writes on strategy, leadership, and culture for outlets like Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan, and he’s deeply focused on what strategy looks like in practice, not just on slides. David breaks down what thought leadership actually does when it’s done...
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info_outlineWhat if the real leadership advantage isn’t another tactic—but the way you lead yourself when nobody’s watching?
In this episode, Peter talks with executive coach and facilitator Nina Urman about her core framework found in her book: “Lead From Within.” She reframes “mindset” as heartset—getting crystal-clear on what you’re saying yes to, what you’re saying no to, and why that decision discipline matters at the top.
Nina’s thought leadership lives where performance meets inner leadership. We unpack failing forward as a repeatable leadership behavior, not a motivational poster—using setbacks as data, then moving again with more precision.
We also explore how leaders can “create from the future” by defining the future-self outcome and reverse-engineering the moves that make it real.
Her work is deeply practical and designed for high-performing rooms. Nina coaches and facilitates for CEOs, executives, leadership teams, entrepreneurs, and family businesses, with a focus on time and energy management and emotional mastery—because execution breaks when energy and emotion are unmanaged.
We also get into how she built demand through trusted communities like YPO (Young Presidents' Organization) and similar peer networks—and why “belonging” and safety are not soft concepts, but performance multipliers. Nina describes her work as creating safe spaces where high-achievers can be fully themselves, which is where the real breakthroughs happen.
Finally, Nina shares a challenge every successful thought leader hits: when your calendar proves the concept, but caps the company. She’s been running nearly 50 retreats a year and is now making intentional tradeoffs—saying no to 1:1 and even some retreats—so she can scale what works, especially around family leadership.
She’s even developed a “Family Circle in a Box” board-game-style tool to help families moderate the experience themselves, and she’s exploring how digital tools (including AI) can help her scale impact without losing the essence of the work.
Three Key Takeaways:
• Lead from “heartset,” not just mindset. Clarity comes from aligning decisions to what you truly value—what you’re saying yes to, what you’re saying no to, and why.
• Make failure a system, not an event. “Failing forward” is a repeatable discipline: treat setbacks as data, adjust fast, and move again with more precision.
• Scale impact without losing the work. Trust-based communities and psychologically safe spaces drive breakthroughs, and scalable formats (tools, repeatable experiences, digital/AI) help move beyond a calendar-capped model.
If Nina’s “Lead From Within” idea of heartset and self-leadership resonated, queue up Episode 125 with Claude Silver next. Nina focuses on inner clarity and emotional mastery as a leadership advantage.
Claude complements that by translating the inner game into culture—human-centered leadership, values, and how your emotional posture shapes the workplace.
Together, they move from who you are as a leader to how your leadership lands on others. Go listen to Claude’s episode to connect personal alignment to scalable, people-first performance.