Episode Description:

Great leaders don’t avoid discomfort—they learn to follow it.

In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will sits down with Arielle Lechner, an executive coach and startup strategist who works with high-growth founders and senior leaders to turn complexity into clarity. Arielle brings a rare blend of operational insight, emotional intelligence, and no-nonsense coaching to the art of building strong leadership and culture inside fast-moving companies.

Together, they unpack what it means to treat leadership like an experiment, why most leaders aren’t as clear as they think they are, and how to use discomfort as a directional signal instead of something to escape. Arielle also shares her "Lift and Thrust" model for understanding team dynamics, and what makes a founder not just successful—but coachable.

If you’re leading something big—or thinking about what’s next—this episode offers practical tools and deeper insight for becoming the kind of leader people trust, follow, and remember.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why leadership and culture-building are better approached as experiments, not formulas
• What the “Lift and Thrust” model can reveal about your team’s dynamics
• How to stop outsourcing culture to perks and start diagnosing the real forces at play
• Why discomfort is often a compass pointing to your next area of growth
• The difference between clarity and overexplanation—and why repetition is leadership
• What makes a founder coachable, and why it matters for long-term impact
• How to lead through high-stakes decisions (like fundraising or scaling) without losing your center

💬 Quotes to Remember:

“If you’re not repeating yourself like a broken record, you’re probably not being clear enough.”

“What’s being avoided is often what most needs attention.”

“Everything is an experiment. Leadership. Culture. Team building. You don’t need to get it right—you need to stay curious.”

“Discomfort is not danger. It’s data.”

✨ Reflection Questions:

• Where in your leadership are you performing clarity—but not actually being clear?
• What conversations are you avoiding that might unlock growth for you or your team?
• How could you reframe your next challenge as an experiment instead of a test?

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Arielle Lechner
• Website: ariellelechner.com
• LinkedIn: Arielle Lechner
• Connect with Will:
• Substack: drwillsamson.substack.com
• LinkedIn: Will Samson

💡 Final Takeaway:

“Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating space for the right questions—and staying present long enough to listen.”

Let me know if you'd like a condensed version for Apple/Spotify upload or a pull quote for social media!

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In this short but powerful advertisement, Thrive Remotely calls out to driven individuals who are tired of climbing ladders that lead nowhere and living lives that don't feel like their own. This ad sets the tone for a bold, values-aligned lifestyle shift and speaks directly to the heart of anyone craving purpose and autonomy. Key Themes - Purpose-Driven Living: Break away from corporate paths that don’t align with your deeper mission.

Episode Description:

If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly behind—no matter how organized, capable, or strategic you are—it may not be a time management problem. It may be your internal operating system.

In this solo episode of Mission Driven You, Will explores the real reason high-performing professionals feel overwhelmed and burned out—and it’s not what you think. He unpacks how outdated mental and emotional “code” written during past seasons of survival can silently run our lives, even at the top of our game.

This episode introduces a powerful, five-step framework to help you upgrade your internal OS so you can lead with clarity, confidence, and calm—even in the middle of chaos.

🧠 Key Topics Covered:

• Why time management and productivity hacks aren’t solving the root problem
• The hidden cost of outdated internal stories
• Why many leaders are operating with scripts written during survival seasons
• How to stop bouncing between control and collapse
• A five-step resilience framework to lead with clarity in a high-stakes world

🧩 The 5-Step Resilience Stack:

1.Rewrite Your Internal Code

– Identify the outdated stories driving your behavior

– Shift from “I’m falling behind” to “I’m building capacity”

– Replace survival scripts with conscious, strategic narratives

2.Activate Self-Ownership

– Shift from control to clarity

– Own your response to challenges instead of blaming circumstances

– Reclaim agency through intentional mindset choices

3.Enable Interdependence

– Build trust loops and mutual support systems

– Move from high-functioning isolation to relational leadership

– Understand that real strength includes asking for help

4.Install a Growth Loop

– Create regular rhythms of reflection, learning, and recalibration

– Treat your development like product design: iterate, test, adapt

– Build growth into your system—not just your intentions

5.Expand Strategic Influence

– Lead with clarity, calm, and internal alignment

– Model composure under pressure

– Shape culture by mastering your own nervous system first

🔍 Reflection Questions for Listeners:

• What internal stories are shaping how I show up right now?
• Where am I chasing control instead of creating clarity?
• Who helps me stay grounded when things get overwhelming?
• What growth loop do I need to install in my life right now?

🛠️ Resources Mentioned:

• Viktor Frankl’s quote: “The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude…”
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey (on interdependence)
• Will’s past solo episode: You Are the Chaos

🔗 Connect + Subscribe:

• Subscribe to Mission Driven You on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform
• Join Will’s Substack for deeper reflections: drwillsamson.substack.com
• Connect with Will on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/willsamson

💡 Final Takeaway:

The world isn’t getting simpler. But you don’t have to live in reaction. With the right internal architecture, you can lead with clarity—even when everything around you feels chaotic.

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In this short but...

Episode Description:

What if the key to revitalizing neighborhoods wasn’t just bricks and budgets—but songs, stories, and shared ownership? In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will sits down with Mitchell Cohen, CEO of The Daniels Corporation and author of Rhythms of Change, to unpack one of the most inspiring urban redevelopment stories in North America: the Regent Park Revitalization Project.

Mitchell shares how Regent Park, once a neighborhood marked by stigma and isolation, was transformed through radical partnership with residents, creative placemaking, and a commitment to equity that went far beyond policy. Drawing from decades of experience in both housing and the arts, Mitchell offers a compelling vision of what it means to be a developer with a conscience—and how the best cities are composed like symphonies, not spreadsheets.

If you're interested in urban renewal, systems change, or how to lead with integrity at scale, this episode is a masterclass in mission-driven transformation.

🏙️ What You’ll Learn:

• The true story behind the Regent Park Revitalization and what made it succeed where others failed
• How Mitchell blended social psychology, songwriting, and development to lead systemic change
• Why building trust with residents—early and often—was the foundation for long-term impact
• What it means to embed equity and dignity into every phase of a project
• How Daniels Corporation’s “buy social” strategy reshaped its supply chain and ripple effects
• The importance of cultural programming, from sewing circles to sports arenas, in community revitalization
• How developers and policymakers can shift from extraction to co-creation

💬 Quotes to Remember:

“You can't fix a neighborhood from the outside in. You build it from the inside out—with the people who live there.”

“The real power is not in the blueprint. It’s in the relationships.”

“If the only voices at the table are planners and architects, you’re going to miss the song of the community.”

“Legacy isn’t what we leave behind. It’s what we build together.”

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Mitchell Cohen
• Book: Rhythms of Change
• Daniels Corporation: danielshomes.ca
• Regent Park Revitalization: Wikipedia Overview
• Will Samson
• Substack: drwillsamson.substack.com
• LinkedIn: Will Samson

✨ Reflection Questions:

• What does it look like to truly partner with a community—rather than build for it?
• Where in your work could you move from control to co-creation?
• How are you embedding dignity, creativity, and equity into your leadership?

💡 Final Takeaway:

Mission-driven development isn’t about fixing broken systems from above—it’s about building shared futures from within.

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In this short but powerful advertisement, Thrive Remotely calls out to driven individuals who are tired of climbing ladders that lead nowhere and living lives that don't feel like their own. This ad sets the tone for a bold, values-aligned lifestyle shift and speaks directly to the heart of...