In this episode of the Surfacing Leaders podcast, host Marc Koehler sits down with Colleen Bordeaux, founder of Growth, Inc. and leadership advisor focused on modern communication, influence, and performance at work. They explore what today’s leaders must unlearn about success and how outdated assumptions about confidence, development, and workplace expectations continue to hold people back. Colleen shares insights from her experience building a multi-million-dollar consulting career at Deloitte and launching her own company to help leaders communicate more effectively and unlock performance in their teams.

Throughout the conversation, Colleen highlights the surprising research showing that confidence for many women peaks around age nine and explains how early conditioning shapes leadership behavior later in life. She introduces the idea of developing a “business of one” mindset and discusses why leaders must rethink how they build relationships, develop skills, and stay adaptable in a rapidly changing workplace.

Listeners will also hear practical strategies for improving engagement and connection across teams, including simple approaches leaders can use immediately to strengthen trust and collaboration.

The episode concludes with actionable advice for leaders at every stage:

• Focus on what you can control in the moment.
• Prioritize respect over likability.
• Define success on your own terms and lead from that foundation.

Join us for a thoughtful conversation about confidence, communication, and what it takes to lead effectively as the rules of work continue to change.

Connect with Colleen Bordeaux: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenbordeaux Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthincubator Growth, Inc.: https://www.growth-inc.org/

In this episode of the Surfacing Leaders podcast, host Marc Koehler sits down with Andrea Howard, a U.S. Navy submarine officer, Marshall Scholar, and MIT PhD candidate studying security and strategy. Together, they explore what it means to lead at the intersection of global perspective, academic rigor, and operational responsibility in one of the most demanding environments in the world.

Andrea shares how her journey from Atlanta public schools to the United States Naval Academy, Oxford, King’s College London, and the submarine force shaped her approach to leadership. She reflects on how mentors, civilian professors, and international experiences expanded her perspective and strengthened her ability to make decisions in complex environments where clarity and trust matter most. Her story highlights how broad intellectual curiosity and disciplined execution are not competing traits, but powerful complements in modern leadership.

Listeners will find valuable lessons in Andrea’s experiences beneath the surface and across global institutions, where adaptability, humility, and commitment to purpose are essential to leading well. She also shares insights on how exposure to different cultures and academic disciplines strengthens judgment and prepares leaders to navigate uncertainty with confidence.

The episode concludes with actionable advice for emerging leaders:

• Seek out perspectives beyond your immediate environment.
• Build relationships with mentors who challenge and support you.
• Stay grounded in purpose while expanding your understanding of the world.

Join us in this episode to discover how leadership grows through challenge, curiosity, and service. Andrea’s journey shows that developing a broader lens does not pull leaders away from mission execution. It strengthens their ability to lead when it matters most.

Learn more about Andrea Howard: MIT Political Science profile: https://polisci.mit.edu/people/andrea-howard (polisci.mit.edu) Marshall Scholar profile: https://www.marshallscholarship.org/scholars/scholar-profiles/andrea-howard/ (marshallscholarship.org)

In this episode of the Surfacing Leaders podcast, host Marc Koehler sits down with entrepreneur and customer-loyalty strategist Jason Milen to explore what it really takes to build a business that lasts. Together, they discuss leadership inside a multigenerational family company, the challenges of rebuilding trust after losing customers, and the mindset shift required to move from chasing transactions to creating lasting relationships.

Jason shares lessons from his decades of experience helping grow and reinvent his family’s car wash business, transforming it into a membership-driven model that created predictable revenue and stronger customer loyalty. He explains how leaders can rethink growth by focusing less on acquiring the next customer and more on designing experiences that make people want to stay.

Listeners will hear practical insights from Jason’s journey through setbacks, reinvention, and long-term thinking. He reflects on the importance of resilience, community trust, and building systems that allow businesses to support both customers and leaders over time. Jason also offers perspective on how recurring revenue and loyalty-focused leadership can help organizations create stability in uncertain environments while giving leaders more freedom to focus on what matters most.

The episode concludes with actionable advice for leaders:

• Stop chasing customers and start cultivating relationships.
• Design systems that create predictable growth.
• Build businesses that create freedom, not dependence.

Join us for this episode to learn how loyalty-centered leadership transforms both organizations and the people who lead them. Jason’s story shows how long-term thinking, strong values, and intentional systems can help leaders build something that endures.

Guest Links

Website: https://jasonmilen.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmilen/