A Podcast About Leadership

What separates good performers from truly elite ones, and why do some teams suddenly turn things around while others stay stuck? According to leaders working at the highest levels of professional sport, the answer is not just talent, technique, or effort. It is mindset, decision-making, recovery, and the often invisible dynamics that shape how people perform under pressure.
On this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, AIIR Consulting CEO Dr. Jonathan Kirshner is joined by three world-class performance experts operating at the intersection of sport, psychology, and leadership: Simon Rice, Vice President of Athlete Care for the Philadelphia 76ers; Holly Benner, elite ultramarathoner; and Lindsay Shaw, Director of Sport Psychology for the Cleveland Guardians. Together, they offer a rare, inside look at how elite performance is built, sustained, and recovered when things go off track.
Drawing from professional basketball, Major League Baseball, endurance sport, and executive coaching, the conversation explores why excellence is less about pushing harder and more about aligning people, culture, and decision-making over time. The group unpacks how leaders can navigate burnout, ruts, and losing streaks, and why the same principles that drive athletic turnarounds apply directly to organizations under pressure.
In this episode, we explore:
What Actually Separates Elite Performers. Why love of the craft, self-belief, and consistency over time matter more than raw talent or relentless grinding.
Mindset as a Performance Lever. How subtle shifts in internal language, such as “we will” versus “we have to,” change behavior, resilience, and outcomes.
Turnarounds Without Changing the Roster. How leadership, culture, and shared mental models can unlock performance even when the players stay the same.
Decision-Making Under Uncertainty. Why leaders can make the right call and still lose, and how elite performers stay grounded anyway.
Recovery as a Competitive Advantage. Why focusing on sleep, nutrition, hydration, and mental recovery drives better performance than chasing marginal gains.
Coaching, Support, and Self-Leadership. Why the highest performers invest in coaching, and why great coaches have coaches of their own.
If you lead teams, operate under pressure, or want to elevate performance without burning out, this episode offers practical, hard-earned insights from environments where feedback is immediate and the stakes are public.
To learn more about how AIIR Consulting helps leaders build resilient, high-performing teams, visit aiirconsulting.com.

From the outside, an IPO can look like it's all confetti, bell ringing, and a soaring valuations. But, behind the scenes, it’s one of the most intense leadership transitions a company can face. Scrutiny increases overnight. The margin for error shrinks. And the leadership behaviors that fueled early growth can break under the weight of scale.
In this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, host Dr. Jonathan Kirchner sits down with two leaders who have seen what it really takes to navigate that shift: Gary Survis (Operating Partner, Insight Partners) and Katherine “Kat” Williamson (VP of Talent Development, Gong).
Together, they unpack the realities that rarely make it into the celebratory headlines — from the human toll of “living in transformation,” to the cultural rewiring required when a company goes from building fast to delivering predictably.
Gary and Katherine explore how founders and executives must evolve as the organization matures — including the hard truth that what got you here won’t get you there. They discuss why charisma and “good vibes” can’t substitute for clarity, discipline, and accountability — and how the best leaders learn to trade heroics for systems. You’ll hear how to identify which leadership skills will scale, which ones become liabilities, and why the companies that succeed long-term are the ones that treat reinvention as the job, not the exception.
This conversation is also a practical guide for leaders preparing for their next inflection point. Expect insights on building a “ready-now” leadership bench, managing expectations from investors and boards, and creating alignment when the pressure to execute is relentless. If you’re navigating hypergrowth, preparing for an IPO, integrating new executive talent, or trying to build a company that can thrive under constant change — this episode delivers the perspective (and the realism) you need.

What does CEO succession look like when it’s planned, values-led, and built for continuity and change at the same time?
In this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, host Jonathan Kirschner, founder and CEO of AIIR Consulting, sits down with three leaders who’ve lived the succession story from every angle:
Reade Fahs, who led National Vision for more than two decades, guiding the company from a modest optical chain into one of the largest vision care retailers in America — and who recently transitioned out of the role of CEO.

Alex Wilkes, National Vision’s new CEO, who joined as president and stepped into the top role with a modernization agenda rooted in customer reality and operational urgency.

Jamie Ramsden, senior executive coach, author of Let’s Go, and a former CEO himself, who has coached both leaders and offers a behind-the-scenes view into what makes a succession succeed or fail.

Together, they explore the art and science of handing over the baton — including the internal work required of the outgoing CEO, the strategic choices required of the incoming CEO, and the practical routines that protect trust during a high-stakes transition.

Can love be a serious strategy in today’s high-pressure business environment?
In this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, host and AIIR Consulting CEO Dr. Jonathan Kirchner is joined by Bob Chavez, former President and CEO of Hermès Americas, and Jamie Ramsden, author and executive coach to both Jonathan and Bob.
Together, they explore a leadership philosophy centered on trust, care for people, and long-term commitment — a deliberate alternative to fear-based leadership and short-term thinking.
Drawing on Bob’s extraordinary journey — from his childhood on what he calls “the wrong side of the tracks” in San Antonio to his years at Princeton to stewarding one of the world’s most iconic luxury brands for more than two decades — the conversation reveals how timeless values, emotional courage, and focus can produce enduring performance in even the most competitive industries.
This episode is a masterclass in human-centered leadership — and a reminder that the most powerful force in business may still be the one leaders are most hesitant to name.
Key takeaways from the conversation include:
Why leading with love is not soft leadership — and how it creates accountability, trust, and exceptional performance
How Hermès sustained long-term growth by prioritizing patience, craftsmanship, and culture over short-term wins
The role of storytelling and sense-making in helping organizations stay focused amid distraction and volatility
What it takes to build culture as a living system — not a poster on the wall
How leaders can challenge people to grow while creating psychological safety and deep belonging
Why focus, trust, and care for people may be the ultimate competitive advantage in modern leadership
Whether you lead a global organization, a growing team, or yourself, this episode offers a powerful reframing of what leadership can look like when it is grounded in humanity.
To learn more about AIIR Consulting and its executive coaching services, visit www.aiirconsulting.com.

What does it take to lead when change is no longer episodic but constant and fluid? On this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, AIIR Consulting CEO Dr. Jonathan Kirschner sits down with Dr. Joy Nissen and Ian Wilcox to explore how leaders can stay grounded, resilient, and effective in a world where stability feels increasingly out of reach.
Drawing on careers in psychology, organizational science, and global consulting, Joy and Ian unpack why traditional change models no longer fit the moment. Today’s reality demands something different. Leaders must regulate their own energy, create stability for others, and guide organizations through uncertainty without pretending to have all the answers.
This conversation is a candid, deeply human look at what leaders are experiencing right now: fatigue, fragmentation, cognitive overload, and the pressure to perform amid ambiguity. More importantly, it offers a path forward.
In this episode, we explore:
Leading Self in a Fluid World — Why constant change pushes leaders into chronic stress, how that affects cognition and health, and the practices that rebuild resilience and presence.
Communication That Actually Connects — Why more information doesn’t equal more clarity, and how leaders can create psychological space, name what people are feeling, and strengthen trust through intentional communication.
The Contagion Effect of Leadership — How a leader’s physiology, mindset, and emotional regulation shape the entire system. What it means to lead from intention instead of tension.
Organizational Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty — Why strategy can no longer rely on prediction, and how purpose, humility, and experimentation become the anchors for organizational adaptability.
Humanity as a Leadership Imperative — Why fostering connection and community is now part of the job, and how leaders can counter loneliness and fragmentation inside their teams.
If you’re navigating nonstop change — or leading others who are — this episode offers the clarity, grounding, and perspective needed to thrive. To learn more about how AIIR Consulting helps leaders strengthen resilience and lead through uncertainty, visit aiirconsulting.com.