The Leader Within podcast with Angela Nguyen

How April Hicke and Toast Put $10M+ in Women's Hands in Tech

If you're a woman+ in tech, a neurodivergentleader, or a founder navigating a system that wasn't built for you — this episode is for you.   Host Angela sits down with April Hicke — Founder and CEO of Toast, a talent partner dedicated to increasing gender diversity in tech. Since founding Toast, April and her team have put over $10 million in salaries into the hands ofwomen — all while building a 7-figure company that sits within the 1.9% of women-founded businesses to ever reach that milestone.   April shares what it looks like to lead as a neurodivergent woman from an unstable childhood, how a megaphone and a counter in a chaotic airport became her definingleadership origin story, and why the question she asks herself in every hard moment isn't "whose fault is this" — but "what is my responsibility here."   You'll learn: * The 60% satisfaction rule that freed April from people-pleasing as a leader * How rest became her most strategic business tool after burning out in year one * Why psychological safety isn't a buzzword — it's what actually unlocks high-performing teams * How "fault vs. responsibility" applies to every kind of leadership baggage * What the data says about gender diversity in tech — and why the mission at Toast is more urgent than ever   If you're searching for gender diversity leadership, ADHD founder stories, or how to build psychological safety in your team — start here.   Because leadership isn't about having a perfect origin story. It's about taking responsibility for the one you have — and building something meaningful out of it.   Music intro credit: https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-uplifting-2463/ [https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-uplifting-2463/]   Connect with April: * LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilhicke/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilhicke/] * Toast:https://www.trytoast.ca/ [https://www.trytoast.ca/]     🔔 Ready to empower the leader within? Click that ➕ button!   #LeadershipPodcast #WomenInTech #GenderDiversity #NeurodivergentLeadership #SelfLeadership#FounderLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #PsychologicalSafety

How Systems Thinking Can Fix Food Insecurity in Cities | Lourdes Juan

If you're a social impact leader, serial entrepreneur, or high performer who wants to lead with purpose and real-world impact, this episode is for you!   Angela Nguyen, leadership coach, consultant, and podcast host, sits down with Lourdes Juan — Co-founderand CEO of Knead Tech, award-winning Canadian entrepreneur, and urban planner who has founded six ventures across food security, hospitality, climate tech, and social enterprise. Since 2022, Knead Tech has facilitated the rescue of over 2 million pounds of surplus food and 1.67 million meals — equivalent toremoving 56 cars from the road each year and saving water equal to 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools. All with a team of eight.   Lourdes shares how she leads through uncertainty without having all the answers, how she navigated thebrutal reality that only 2% of venture capital goes to women, and how a stack of parking tickets in her twenties was the wake-up call that changed how she leads.   You'll learn: • Why collaboration — not going it alone — is Lourdes's defining leadership strength • How to separate your identity from your company's hardest seasons • Why systems thinking is one of the most essential leadership skills for 2026 and beyond • How writing down your priorities (not willpower) is the real boundary-setting tool • "No is a full sentence."   If you're searching for systems thinking in leadership, food insecurity solutions, or social impactentrepreneurship — start here.   Connect with the Guest ▪️LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lourdesmercedesjuan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lourdesmercedesjuan/]   ▪️Website:https://lourdesjuan.com/ [https://lourdesjuan.com/]     Music intro credit:https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-uplifting-2463/ [https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-uplifting-2463/ ]     #LeadershipPodcast #SocialImpact #SystemsThinking #WomenInLeadership #SelfLeadership#SocialEntrepreneur #LeadershipDevelopment   🔔 Ready to empower the leader within? Click that ➕ button!

How to Build Self-Acceptance as a Leader | Lisa Tong

What if the version of "success" you've been chasing is quietly keeping you from accepting yourself? In this episode, Angela sits down with Lisa Tong — ex-corporate strategist, engineer-turned-entrepreneur, Ironman finisher, and author of Hello Me — to unpack how high-achieving leaders can build genuine self-acceptance and stop defining themselves by achievement. You'll hear why "should," "could," and "would" are judgment verbs sabotaging your self-acceptance, how to use a simplecircuit-breaker tool to tell the difference between your ego and your intuition, and how to time-box a judgment-free space so your heart finally gets a voice. Lisa also shares her "screw the plan" approach to highest-excitement productivity and the masculine-vs-feminine energy reframe behind finishing an Ironman. If you're a high-achieving leader, founder, or coach who's quietly outgrown the version of success you were handed — this conversation may be the permission slip you didn't know you needed.   Want to stay connected with our guest?▪️LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-tong/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-tong/ ] ▪️Website: www.thisprojectcalledme.com  [www.thisprojectcalledme.com  ⁠] ▪️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechinesesouplady/ [⁠https://www.instagram.com/thechinesesouplady/] ▪️Music intro credit: https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-uplifting-2463/ 🔔 Ready to empower the leader within? Click that ➕ button!

Values-Driven Leadership in the Human + AI Era | Rashi Kakkar

In the human + AI era, the leadership skills that matter most are still deeply human. In this episode of The Leader Within Podcast, host Angela Nguyen — leadership coach and consultant— sits down with Rashi Kakkar, Global Portfolio Leader, Leadership & Development at McKinsey & Company, and author ofthe Decks and Diapers newsletter.   From values-driven leadership to navigating gray areas, energy management, and the sponsorship gapholding women back, this is a grounded, practical conversation about leading yourself — and others — when the path isn't clear.   You'll learn: * How to navigate a micromanaging boss * A future-forward way to ask for more helpful feedback * How your values can be the "source code" that can driveeffective decision making when the path is unclear * How to manage energy, not time * The benefits of having a Personal Board of Advisors * Why human skills are the real edge in the AI era * Why women need more sponsors and not just mentors   If you're searching for a leadership podcast on values-driven leadership, future of work skills, or leading well in the human + AI era — start here.   Because leadership isn't about having a clear map. It's about leading yourself and others when the path isn't clear. *Disclaimer* all views expressed are Rashi's alone and do not reflect the views of any organization she might be associated with.   Connect with the Guest All links / podcasts: https://linktr.ee/RASHI.KAKKAR?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

Beyond Leadership Burnout: Leading With Humanity Through Loss and Healing with Hamza Khan

⚠️ Content warning: This clip includes opendiscussion of pregnancy loss, grief, and themes of hopelessness. If you're struggling, please reach out — you are not alone. 🇺🇸 Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) | 🇨🇦 Call 1-833-456-4566 (Crisis Services Canada). If this type of content triggers you and you are in another country, please look up your local support line before watching. What happens when a leader falls below rock bottom — to a place where even hope disappears? In this episode of The Leader Within, Angela Nguyen sits down with Hamza Khan — bestselling author of The Burnout Gamble and Leadership Reinvented, award-winning entrepreneur, and co-founder of Skills Camp and Saige — for one of the most honest leadership conversations in the show's history. Released during Mental Health Awareness Month, this conversation goes beyond burnout as a buzzword and into what it actually looks like to live it, survive it, and lead through it. Hamza opens up about navigating back-to-back pregnancy losses, going to what he describes as "a place below rock bottom where the idea of hope doesn't even exist," and the intentional inner work — therapy, journaling, executive coaching — that helped him heal and lead again. Through grief and healing, he and his wife Bailey co-created a shared north star that ultimately led them to twins. If you're leading a team, running a company, or quietly holding everything together while feeling overwhelmed — this episode is for you, and you are not alone. You'll walk away with: * The leadership philosophy of making yourself obsolete — and why it makes you indispensable * The 13th stage of burnout — beyond rock bottom, and how Hamza found his way through * Why AI is the 5th generation of the workforce and how to partner with it rather than fear it * The compassion distinction — why empathy alone is not enough to truly lead people * The eulogy exercise to reconnect with your north star as a leader * "If you don't pick the time to relax, your body will pick it for you" — from The Burnout Gamble Connect with Hamza Khan:Website: https://hamzakhan.ca [https://hamzakhan.ca]LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/khanhamza [https://linkedin.com/in/khanhamza]Instagram: https://instagram.com/hamzak [https://instagram.com/hamzak]Skills Camp: https://skillscamp.co [https://skillscamp.co]Podcast: https://hamzakhan.ca/podcast [https://hamzakhan.ca/podcast] Music intro credit: https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-uplifting-2463/ [https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-uplifting-2463/] 🔔 Ready to empower the leader within? Click that ➕ button!