The Communicative Leader

Hosted by Dr. Leah OH

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116

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Think leadership requires years of training or a corner office? Think again. The Communicative Leader is your weekly guide to mastering the one skill that actually dictates your career trajectory: how you communicate. I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH , a leadership communication expert, bestselling author, professor, and consultant. With nearly 15 years of hard-won experience in industry before transitioning into academia, I bridge the gap between complex organizational research and the real-world obstacles you face every day. With over 100 episodes in the archive—featuring insights from international CEOs and innovative startup founders—we’ve broken down the barriers to effective leadership. Why focus on your communication? Because it’s the primary yardstick others use to decide if you are a leader. If that sounds intimidating, don’t worry—I’ve got you. We cut through the jargon to give you small, meaningful, and actionable shifts you can apply immediately. Stop waiting for your workplace culture to change on its own. You have the power to shape your own professional narrative, one conversation at a time. Ready to make your work life what you want it to be? Let’s have some fun and get to work. Got a question or a topic you’d like us to tackle? I’d love to hear from you. Send your questions or a voice note to TheCommunicativeLeader@gmail.com .

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60 recent

September 11, 2026Episode 640 min

The Post-Win Plateau: Navigating the Psychology of Momentum

What if the relentless drive for "growth, growth, growth" is actually masking the invisible warning signs that your team is about to crash? Joining us on The Communicative Leader is performance coach, founder of Zenith Clubhouse, and expert in executive mindset and unmasking, Boaz Gilad. Boaz works with top performers who excel on paper yet find themselves trapped in high-stress loops, teaching them how to trade burnout for true strategic agency. Top performers are often caught in an endless trap: they never know how to slow down, and they treat momentum like a permanent, pedal-to-the-metal sprint. But what happens when your internal system is hijacked by stress, and you forget that you are the one writing the rules of the game? In this episode, Boaz Gilad breaks down the mechanics of momentum, why status quo is a human illusion, and how to master the dualities of internal and external communication. Tune in to discover: How to spot the invisible warning signs before a team loses its stride. Why viewing leadership as a "game" restores immediate personal agency. How to align your daily communication intentions with your actual bottom-line goals.

September 9, 2026Episode 539 min

The Reverse-Motivational Leader: Reframing Failure to Build High-Trust Teams

What if your biggest professional blunders—and how you communicate them—are actually the secret weapon to building high-trust teams? Joining us on The Communicative Leader is talent development expert, author of Manage to Fail , and Certified Trust at Work Practitioner Megan Petrini. With over 16 years of experience training for global giants like Amazon and Universal Studios, Megan is challenging leaders to ditch the glossy "highlight reel" of corporate-speak and embrace the messy, high-impact reality of what not to do. We’re conditioned to treat leadership like an unbroken streak of best practices, perfect onboarding, and flawless strategy. But true cultural alignment doesn't come from pretending we have it all together—it comes from how we handle the moments when everything goes sideways. In this episode, Megan breaks down her "reverse-motivational" framework to help leaders audit their communication, build genuine psychological safety, and bring a refreshing dose of Mr. Rogers-style humanity into high-stakes environments. Tune in to discover: Why trying to maintain a perfect facade actively destroys team trust. How to stay in the "failure space" long enough to communicate lessons learned without killing momentum. A quick, practical "Trust Audit" you can run during your very next staff meeting.

August 24, 2026Episode 432 min

Leading from the Inside Out: Embodied Presence and the Science of LeadershipFlow with Croft Edwards

Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader ! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. We often think of leadership as something that happens from the neck up—strategy, logic, and the perfect words. But as we navigate high-pressure environments, we’re realizing that our bodies often react faster than our minds. If a leader is physically tense, breathless, or disconnected, no amount of strategic brilliance can hide that from a team. Today’s guest is a Master Certified Coach who specializes in exactly that: the intersection of leadership and somatic awareness. Joining us is Croft Edwards, the founder and president of CROFT + Company and the author of the new book The Liquid Accordion: A Somatic and Embodiment Primer for Coaching In, With, and Through the Body for Coaches and Leaders . With over two decades of experience coaching in high-stakes industries—from oil refineries to coal mines and Fortune-level boardrooms—Croft has pioneered the concept of LeadershipFlow. He helps leaders move beyond automatic reactions to a state of grounded, embodied presence. In today’s episode, we’re exploring how to notice the subtle shifts in your own breath and posture that signal a loss of clarity, how to move from reacting to acting with purpose, and why your physical presence is your most powerful communication tool.

August 17, 2026Episode 328 min

The Frictionless Leader: Naming, Facing, and Solving the Issues That Stall Growth with Sue Hawkes

Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader ! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. We often talk about leadership as a journey toward growth, but for many organizations, that journey feels less like a sprint and more like a slog through thick mud. We see the symptoms—missed deadlines, team silos, and circular arguments—but we often tiptoe around the root causes because the truth feels too disruptive. Today’s guest is a truth-teller and doubt-slayer who argues that the only way to move faster is to stop avoiding the hard stuff. Joining us is Sue Hawkes, an Expert EOS Implementer™, CEO of YESS!, and the co-author of the brand-new book in the EOS Mastery Series, Issues: Remove Friction, Fast-Track Your Growth, and Ignite Your Greatness . Sue has been solving problems and helping people since she was a fifth-grader running her first door-to-door business. Today, she works with high-stakes leaders to clear the organizational clutter and build winning cultures where accountability isn't a threat—it's the fuel. In today’s episode, we’re diving into the Five-Star Success System, why naming your friction is the first step to eliminating it, and how to lead with enough courage and humor to make a high-accountability culture actually stick.

August 10, 2026Episode 250 min

Beyond the Spreadsheet: Leading with Empathy, Humanity, and Narrative

Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. In a world of digital noise and data-driven decisions, it is easy for leaders to forget that at the end of every email, every strategy deck, and every Slack message is a human being. We often prioritize efficiency over connection, forgetting that people don't follow spreadsheets—they follow people they trust. Today’s guest has spent over 30 years proving that the most effective way to lead is through the ancient art of storytelling and the simple, often overlooked power of kindness. Neal Foard is the founder of Storyfire and a former worldwide director of creative learning for Saatchi & Saatchi. He has shaped global campaigns for brands like Toyota, Sony, and Lexus, but today, he is perhaps best known for his stories about everyday humanity that have reached over half a million followers. He teaches leaders that marketing—and leadership—is ultimately about relationship-building and promise-keeping. In today’s episode, we’re exploring why kindness isn't soft—it's a measurable advantage—and how you can use the tools of a world-class creative director to communicate with more sincerity and impact.

August 3, 2026Episode 137 min

The High-Stakes of Presence: Scaling a $42M Company Without Losing Connection at Home

Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. We often talk about leadership as a high-stakes balancing act—juggling revenue targets, team growth, and strategic pivots. But as we move further into 2026, the most successful leaders are realizing that ambition doesn't have to come at the cost of personal well-being or meaningful relationships. The question is: how do we build systems that scale without burning ourselves, or our families, out in the process? Today’s guest is a masterclass in navigating that very intersection. Joining us is Kevin Rice, a seasoned entrepreneur and growth specialist who co-founded Hathway and scaled it from a scrappy startup to a $42M digital agency before its acquisition. Kevin has led growth for global consultancies of 5,000 professionals, but he is equally known for his work helping leaders show up for the people who matter most. As the host of the CEOs & ABCs podcast, Kevin teaches high performers how to take the executive skill set—building trust, managing stress, and clear communication—and apply it to their most important leadership role at home. In today’s episode, we’re diving into the mechanics of leading under pressure, why emotional presence is a survival tool in the boardroom and the living room, and how to use operational thinking to protect your connection with the people you lead and the people you love.

July 30, 2026Episode 812 min

Best of the Rest, Season 10: The Architecture of Modern Leadership

The season review of 'The Communicative Leader' explores the underlying architecture of modern leadership, focusing on themes of radical clarity and execution, negotiation, influence, self-awareness, and the shift from compliance to curiosity. Each theme delves into the essential elements of effective leadership, emphasizing the importance of precision, influence, self-awareness, and curiosity in driving organizational success. Takeaways Precision requires psychological safety, clear requirements, and proactive communication. Influence is about aligning credibility with the real-world constraints of the people you lead. Chapters 00:00 Foundational Pillar: Radical Clarity and Execution 04:41 Relational Engine: Negotiation, Influence, and Earn Certainty 07:27 Internal Mirror: Self-Awareness and the Ego Audit 10:15 Ultimate Shift: From Compliance to Curiosity

July 22, 2026Episode 730 min

Project Recovery: Eliminating the Bottlenecks of Misalignment and Restoring Predictable Delivery

Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader ! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. We often talk about leadership as a vision-casting exercise, but the reality of leadership is often found in the muck of execution. When a high-stakes project begins to drift—missing deadlines, creeping in scope, or draining budgets—we tend to look for technical failures. But more often than not, a project in trouble is actually a project with a communication breakdown. Today’s guest is a Project Physician of sorts, specializing in diagnosing and recovering troubled initiatives for everyone from the Fortune 500 to agile start-ups. Joining us is Richard Broo, the founder of True North PMP Consulting. With over 40 years of experience in manufacturing, advanced materials, and technology, Richard is a master of project audit and recovery. He is a certified PMP, Agile, and Scrum expert who helps companies eliminate the bottlenecks of dysfunction to restore predictability and profitability. In today’s episode, we’re diving into the root causes of project failure, how to communicate expectations that actually stick, and how leaders can use a no-nonsense approach to stop scope creep and reclaim their team's performance.

July 15, 2026Episode 630 min

The Curiosity Crisis: Why We Stopped Nurturing Thinkers and How to Reclaim Deep Engagement

Welcome to another episode of The Communicative Leader ! I’m your host, Dr. Leah OH. We often talk about leadership as a series of directives—managing tasks, hitting metrics, and providing answers. But in our quest for efficiency and oversight, have we accidentally designed curiosity out of our organizations? When did leadership stop nurturing thinkers and start simply managing behavior? Today’s guest argues that the most effective model for modern leadership isn’t found in a corporate handbook, but in the heart of a great classroom. Joining us is Dr. Katie Trowbridge, the author of Lead Boldly, Think Deeply and the CEO of Curiosity 2 Create. A former marketing executive who pivoted into education, Katie has spent over 25 years helping students—and now executives—move beyond "survival mode" and surface-level wins. Through her CREATE Method™, she bridges the gap between technical leadership and the art of teaching to help teams reclaim their ability to think critically, lead purposefully, and solve problems with courage. In today’s episode, we’re diving into why curiosity disappears under constant oversight, how to transform managers into mentors, and what leaders can learn from exceptional educators about building high-trust, high-engagement cultures.

April 10, 2026Episode 352 min

The Win-Win Leader: Building a Culture Where Working Parents Thrive with Dr. Rosina McAlpine

Send us Fan Mail Work doesn’t stop when school pickup starts and parenting doesn’t pause when the first meeting begins, yet most workplaces still communicate like employees can cleanly separate the two. That gap is where burnout, stress, and quiet quitting grow, especially for working parents carrying a second shift managers never see. We sit down with Dr. Rosina McAlpine, founder of Win-Win Parenting, to talk about why family-friendly leadership is not a perk, it’s a serious retention and performance strategy. We get practical fast: how to run a working parent risk assessment, why averages hide the real problem, and how to gather safer data through anonymous surveys and aggregated EAP insights. Rosina also shares the WINS method and the leadership moves that bring it to life, including manager training, culture building, and a feedback loop that tracks return on investment over time. If you’re searching for actionable ideas on employee wellbeing, psychosocial safety, and leadership communication, this is a clear blueprint. We also talk about the human side of it: how leaders can use simple storytelling to make flexibility feel safe, why one-off “family-friendly days” miss the point, and how equity beats one-size-fits-all support across life stages. You’ll leave with language you can use, metrics you can measure, and a stronger case for why supporting working parents strengthens the future workforce too. If this conversation helps, subscribe, share it with a people leader, and leave a review with the most useful change your workplace could make. Support the show I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up . If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can order it now ! Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today— join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.