Terry Young, author of Possibility Sciences: A Discipline for Turning Bold Ideas Into Reality, joins me to talk about why bold ideas so often die before they ever make it into the real world.

We get into what Terry calls the “Possibility Gap” - the distance between what humans can imagine and what our existing systems can actually bring to life - and why closing that gap requires more than better brainstorming or better technology. It requires changing the incentives, structures, and habits that quietly push organizations back toward incrementalism.

Terry also explains concepts like Return on Future, patient capital, moonshots, zero-waste innovation, and why innovation may be shaped less by individual bravery than by the systems surrounding people. We also talk about human-AI collaboration, where AI can help us navigate the known at scale while humans bring judgment, curiosity, and the ability to explore the unknown.

Links Mentioned:
Possibility Sciences
Possibility Sciences: A Discipline for Turning Bold Ideas Into Reality
Become a Possibilian

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Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

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Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
01:20 – The Possibility Gap: Why Great Ideas Never Become Reality
03:20 – What Is a Possibilian?
04:50 – Return on Future vs. Short-Term ROI
06:10 – Stick, Stack, Fund: Why Bold Ideas Need Patient Capital
08:00 – Commercial Realism, Ethics, and the Possibilian Ethos
10:20 – Why Big Missions and Moonshots Matter
13:10 – Tackling Human Trafficking as a Systems Problem
16:00 – Rebuilding the Innovation Operating System
18:20 – Why Incentives Shape Innovation More Than Bravery
22:20 – Building a New Discipline and Seeding It Into Old Systems
25:50 – Zero-Waste Innovation and Why Every Idea Matters
27:50 – Stop Hoarding Ideas and Start Building on Them
31:30 – AI + Humans: Hybrid Intelligence
34:30 – Making Money and Doing Good at the Same Time
35:50 – The Book, Possibility Sciences, and Becoming a Possibilian

Private equity firms invest with a value creation plan. But the strategy on the slide deck only matters if the company can actually execute it.

Brea Page, founder of Keep75 and a former Google Chief of Staff and strategy leader, joins me to talk about what happens after the investment: turning strategy into operating rhythms, getting founders and PE firms aligned on expectations, building reporting that creates an early-warning system, and helping leadership teams shift from doing everything themselves to actually scaling through the organization.

We also dig into Brea’s “champion and challenge” model for the Chief of Staff, why PE-backed companies often need someone dedicated to keeping execution from slipping, and how a strong Chief of Staff can turn a strategy from an idea on paper into measurable business results.

Along the way, we talk about founder transitions, PE/portfolio-company communication, internal Chief of Staff promotions, the danger of giving someone the Chief of Staff role without taking away their old job, and why the operating partner + embedded Chief of Staff model may be one of the strongest ways to support portfolio companies as they scale.

Links Mentioned:
Keep75
Brea Page

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn
Website
Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
04:10 – From Google to Private Equity
06:00 – How Operations Create Value
10:50 – The Founder Shift: Accountable vs. Responsible
13:50 – Translating Between PE and Portfolio Companies
18:40 – What “Founder-Led” Means After PE Investment
20:20 – Why PE-Backed Companies Need Chiefs of Staff
24:30 – What a Chief of Staff Actually Does
26:20 – Operating Partners + Embedded Chiefs of Staff
30:20 – Hiring and Matching the Right Chief of Staff
36:30 – The Ideal PE Operating Model + Keep75

#chiefofstaffpodcast #ChiefOfStaff #COSpod

Executive presence isn't a checklist of confident behaviors, and it isn't a persona you put on when you reach the C-suite.

Jacque McCormack, co-founder of JetStream Advisors and an executive coach with more than 15 years of experience working with leaders and executive teams, joins me to unpack what executive presence actually looks like in practice: how people experience you, how you flex between authority and approachability, and how you stay grounded enough to respond intentionally when the pressure rises.

We talk about the difference between performative confidence and quiet confidence, the leadership models we unconsciously copy, and why a new executive role can be a chance to deliberately evolve your leadership brand. Jacque also shares specific considerations for women navigating the authority-approachability double bind, along with practical communication tools like bottom-line-up-front messaging and emotional granularity.

A big theme throughout the conversation: executive presence is less about looking the part and more about knowing the wake you create - especially when things get difficult.

Links Mentioned:
JetStream Advisors
Previous Leveraging Leadership conversation with Noel Sobelman

Get in touch with Emily:
Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.

Free Leadership Resources

LinkedIn
Website
Newsletter

Who Am I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:
00:50 - What executive presence actually feels like
03:20 - Performative confidence vs. quiet confidence
05:30 - The authority-approachability spectrum
08:40 - Audit the leadership model you're mimicking
12:40 - Starting fresh in your first C-suite role
15:10 - Define your leadership brand and the wake you create
20:40 - Executive presence and the double bind for women
24:40 - Bottom-line-up-front communication and emotional granularity
27:20 - Leadership halos, shadows, and stress responses
29:20 - The pause: responding instead of reacting
34:20 - Emotional sovereignty is a muscle, not fake it till you make it
36:10 - Matching leadership horsepower to the organization
38:20 - Why leadership development became a calling

#chiefofstaffpodcast #ChiefOfStaff #COSpod