Alison Geskin talks with some of the most successful leaders from around the globe. She discovers what they're doing, why they're doing it, and what impact they've made.
Empathy vs. Sympathy: Clarifying Crucial Leadership Skills with Mimi Nicklin
How can you lead with humility and empathy without compromising your performance?
Today our guest is Mimi Nicklin, an empathy expert, bestselling author, and keynote speaker with her company Empathy Everywhere. If you want to lead people well, you first have to understand them, and that’s where empathy comes in. In this episode, Mimi breaks down common misconceptions about empathy, how listening differs from hearing, and the practices you can implement to increase your empathy right away.
Topics discussed in this episode include:
Why empathy doesn’t conflict with performance (it actually fits right in).
Why understanding other people is an important skill to have as a leader.
The idea people have about empathy versus what it truly means.
What makes empathy a hard skill (not a soft one).
The difference between listening and actually hearing someone.
Simple tips for working on your empathy with others.
The role your body language plays in building trust.
The importance of emphasizing accountability alongside empathy as a leader.
How to handle difficult situations with team members empathically.
What we can do to teach young people today about connection and empathy.
How being a strong leader starts with understanding yourself.
The micro ways you can put empathy into practice today.
Empathy Everywhere: https://www.empathyeverywhere.co (https://www.empathyeverywhere.co/)
Mimi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miminicklin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/miminicklin)
The Art of Strategy: https://www.theartofstrategy.ca (https://www.theartofstrategy.ca/)
Alison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisongeskin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisongeskin)
6 Feb 2026
The Simple Way to Close the Knowing-Doing Gap with Gordon Tredgold
What are the simple leadership strategies that can help you create real results?
On today’s episode, our guest is globally recognized leadership expert Gordon Tredgold. Gordon redefined leadership with his FAST Framework and is known for his no-nonsense, simplified approach to leadership. Simpler doesn’t always mean easier, but it can if you figure out the right way to guide your team. In the episode, Gordon discusses the importance of ownership and accountability, methodology, and data measuring when creating success with your team.
Topics discussed in this episode include:
What a leader’s job actually is and how to do it well.
Why it’s important to communicate in a way everybody can understand.
The gap a lot of leaders need to fill if they truly want to be successful.
Where accountability starts and what passing ownership effectively looks like.
How leadership is methodical before it’s mystical (despite what other sources say).
Where leadership training today is missing the mark.
How Gordon continues to use the FAST framework in his work and his life.
What we think success looks like versus what it actually is.
Why recognizing the efforts of your team is critical to achieving results.
The common sense ideas about leadership that really aren’t so common.
Why we need to stop telling people leaders are born rather than made.
How so many teams struggle with transparency and the impact it has.
The crucial role reports and data play in defining success and measuring improvements.
Gordon’s website: https://gordontredgold.com (https://gordontredgold.com/)
Gordon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordontredgold (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordontredgold)
The Art of Strategy: https://www.theartofstrategy.ca (https://www.theartofstrategy.ca/)
Alison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisongeskin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisongeskin)
17 Dec 2025
The Keynote Blueprint for Inspiring Leadership with Tamsen Webster
What’s the most effective way to communicate our big ideas and share them with clarity?
On today’s episode we’re joined by sought-after message designer and speaker Tamsen Webster. Tamsen helps organizations (including Johnson & Johnson and Harvard Medical School) craft meaningful messages that inspire long-lasting change. She reveals to us the importance of messaging and the secrets to creating impactful messages that spark action.
Topics discussed in this episode include:
Why Tamsen describes herself as a situational extrovert and how it influences her work.
The odd pattern that plays out with many of Tamsen’s clients.
What Gall’s Law is and how it relates to each individual’s perspective.
What the “curse of knowledge” says and how it impacts the way we share our ideas.
Why explaining our multi-dimensional ideas is difficult (and is not a personal failing).
What Tamsen had to unlearn about her own voice to put herself on stage.
Why you can’t perfect your ideas on paper.
Seeing feedback as a gift, and how to frame failure as a part of learning.
What it means to strategically design internally motivated action.
How to apply the Overton window to the strategy of expanding ideas.
Tamsen’s take on the high occurrence of failure in strategic change.
Why logical and simple frameworks are your friend when crafting messaging.
The framework Tamsen is working on now and how it supports message creation.
Tamsen’s website: https://tamsenwebster.com (https://tamsenwebster.com/)
The Art of Strategy: https://www.theartofstrategy.ca (https://www.theartofstrategy.ca/)
Alison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisongeskin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisongeskin)
Who has been a guest on Live. Learn. Lead.
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Kara Chomistek
John Spence
Lynn Fletcher
Shane Wenzel
Russell Stratton
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