016: "I Got Fired, And It Was The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" | Ann Eileen Thompson

016: "I Got Fired, And It Was The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" | Ann Eileen Thompson

Ann Eileen Thompson spent nearly 30 years climbing to the top. Global teams at Procter & Gamble. A company she co-founded, scaled onto the Inc. 500, and sold. From the outside, a flawless leadership career. And then she got fired, and she will look you dead in the eye and tell you she had it coming. Most people who get walked out the door spend years telling everyone how wrong the company was. Ann did the opposite. She admitted they were right, and that single act of honesty cracked open the most important lesson of her entire career. In this conversation, Ann and Katie go somewhere most leadership conversations are too polished to go. She reveals the exact habit that got her fired, the one almost every single person reading this is guilty of without realizing it. When she stopped respecting a boss, she quietly gathered the other frustrated people and built a coalition that all agreed they knew better. It felt like venting in the parking lot. It was actually a slow demolition of the entire team's trust, and it showed up in the business results, not just the mood in the room. And she gets radically honest about the parts we usually hide. What it feels like to be deceived about your own behavior while believing you're the good guy. What to do when you genuinely cannot respect the person you report to. Why a single firing can teach you more than a decade of promotions. And how she walked away from a career that was quietly burning her to the ground, took an eighteen month silence, and rebuilt what she actually wanted from her work and her life. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: * Why criticizing people from the outside almost never changes their behavior * The "get inside the tent" approach to leading people through growth and change * The real difference between calling people up and calling people out * Why hard conversations are the core of leadership, not a side task * How venting about your boss to coworkers quietly erodes trust across a whole team * The healthy and unhealthy ways to handle a leader you don't respect * What getting fired taught Ann about accountability and self-awareness * The one question every leader should ask after losing a job or a team member * How the best mentors create growth without ever telling you exactly what to do * The first step to take when you feel stuck and can't name what you actually want We talk about: 00:00 Intro 02:30 The moment a teacher called her a leader before she saw it in herself 05:00 What great coaching looks like: goalposts, milestones, and room to figure it out 07:30 Her first hard conversation and learning to lead through conflict 10:00 The career path: Ohio State, Macy's, and learning how to influence people 12:30 Why P&G became her crash course in real leadership 14:30 Learning as much from the bad leaders as the good ones 16:00 Get inside the tent: the difference between calling people up and calling people out 19:00 The condescending boss and what bad leadership actually feels like 21:30 Healthy vs. unhealthy ways to cope with a leader you can't respect 24:00 How gossip seeds division and quietly hits business results 26:30 The job where she seeded division and got fired 29:00 Why she now says they were right to fire her 31:00 The warning signs she blew off, and why 33:00 How she'd coach her former self: respect, decide, stay or go 35:30 How faith reshaped the way she leads and works 42:00 Burnout, selling the company, and the reset that followed 45:00 Rediscovering what actually brings her joy 48:30 The mission she lives now: coaching people toward purpose 51:00 How to start when you feel stuck and don't know what comes next Resources: * Try Softer by Aundi Kolber https://amzn.to/4ekHvCF [https://amzn.to/4ekHvCF] * Good to Great by Jim Collins https://amzn.to/4uL0QTp [https://amzn.to/4uL0QTp] * The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner https://amzn.to/4ubSyCY [https://amzn.to/4ubSyCY] * Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, & Claude King https://amzn.to/4vp55ns [https://amzn.to/4vp55ns] Connect with Ann * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneileenthompson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneileenthompson/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ann_eileen_thompson/ [https://www.instagram.com/ann_eileen_thompson/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anneileenthompson/ [https://www.facebook.com/anneileenthompson/] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FaithDrivenLeader [https://www.youtube.com/@FaithDrivenLeader] * Website: https://anneileenthompson.com/ [https://anneileenthompson.com/] Connect with me * Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout [https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout [https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout] * LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout] * Newsletter: http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter [http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter] * Website: http://www.peoplefluence.com [http://www.peoplefluence.com] #Leadership #HardConversations #FaithAtWork

015: The Workforce Blind Spot Costing Companies Billions | Teresa Tanner

What if the talent problem isn't hiring, it's what happens after great people walk out the door? In this episode of Think Outside the Boss, Katie sits down with Teresa Tanner, former Chief Administrative Officer at Fifth Third Bank and founder of Reserve Squad, a company helping organizations build alumni talent communities so former employees can return for project-based work. Teresa spent 18 years at McDonald's Corporation and rose through the C-suite before leaving to solve a workforce problem she kept seeing over and over: companies watching incredible talent walk out the door with no plan to bring them back. Less than 10% of women who pause their careers ever return to the company they left. Most organizations assume that's just how it goes. Teresa built an entirely new business model to prove it doesn't have to be. This conversation goes deep on what it actually costs to lose a star employee, why the all-or-nothing structure of most jobs doesn't serve today's workforce, and what leaders can do right now to stop the bleed. But it's also a deeply personal episode – about insecurity, big mistakes, mentorship, leading as a woman in a man's world, and what it means to find your voice. If you've ever lost someone great and wished there was a better way, or if you're the person who left and never went back, this episode is for you. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: * Why less than 10% of women who leave a company ever return to it * What companies get wrong about retirees and stay-at-home parents * How Reserve Squad's alumni talent model works and why it's changing workforce strategy * What exit interviews kept revealing about identity, purpose, and the all-or-nothing trap * Why being afraid to be fired makes you a worse leader * How one boss's response to a ~$250K mistake became a masterclass in accountability * What it's really like to be the only woman in the room at the C-suite level * Why Teresa keeps the quote "don't be afraid to be fired" taped to her monitor * The advice that changed everything: hold your why tightly, stay open-handed about the how * What Teresa would go back and tell her eighth-grade self We talk about: * 00:00 The moment Teresa first realized she was a leader and why she lied about it * 03:00 From McDonald's to the C-suite: 18 years and what she learned * 05:00 The workforce problem Teresa kept seeing on the way out the door * 06:00 The stat that started it all: less than 10% of women go back * 08:00 How Reserve Squad works and why they become the employer of record * 09:00 The assumptions companies make about retirees and parents (and why they're wrong) * 12:00 Exit interviews, identity, and the all-or-nothing trap * 13:00 "We have to draw new boxes" and what the current talent structure is missing * 14:00 The inflection point: when Teresa started believing in her own potential * 16:00 The ~$250K mistake, the resignation letter, and the boss who refused to accept it * 19:00 What accountability without shame actually looks like in leadership * 21:00 Why she kept "don't be afraid to be fired" taped to her monitor * 22:00 What it was like to be the only woman in the room * 25:00 Finding your voice as a woman leader and passing that along * 26:00 Navigating motherhood and a C-suite career at the same time * 28:00 Lightning round: Enneagram, Egonomics, and Alicia Keys * 33:00 Where to find Teresa and Reserve Squad Resources: * Egonomics by David Marcum and Steven Smith https://amzn.to/43gYuj4 [https://amzn.to/43gYuj4] * Working Genius Assessment: http://www.workinggenius.comwww.workinggenius.com [http://www.workinggenius.com] * The Six Types of Working Genius: https://amzn.to/4fsKIkI [https://amzn.to/4fsKIkI] Connect with Teresa * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-tanner/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-tanner/] * Website: https://reservesquad.com/ [https://reservesquad.com/] Connect with me * Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout [https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout [https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout] * LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout] * Newsletter: http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter [http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter] * Website: http://www.peoplefluence.com [http://www.peoplefluence.com] #AlumniTalent #LeadershipDevelopment #WomenInLeadership

014: Why Smart Teams Still Fail (And the Tool That Fixes It) | Katie Armentrout

What if you're not burned out because you have too much to do, but because you're doing too much of the wrong work? In this solo episode of Think Outside the Boss, Katie Armentrout shares the personal story behind why she left corporate America and the two books by Pat Lencioni that finally gave her the language to understand it. What she couldn't name in that meeting with her VP, a personality assessment helped her explain years later. This episode is a deep dive into the Working Genius assessment, a productivity tool and personality framework that helps individuals and teams understand what types of work energize them, what drains them, and how to have better conversations because of it. Katie breaks down all six types of working genius, what it looks like when a team is missing one, and how a single team map helped one of her clients go from launching 22 products in a year to 8, with 10x revenue growth. Self-awareness is the most important quality in any leader. Not communication. Not strategy. Not confidence. Self-awareness. And this episode gives you a practical tool to start building it today. If you've ever walked into your manager's office and said "I'm burned out, I'm frustrated, I'm unhappy" without knowing what to do next, this episode gives you the language you were missing. In this episode, you’ll discover: * Why burnout is usually about the type of work you're doing, not the amount * The six types of working genius and what each one means for your team * Why having smart, good people does not automatically create a healthy culture * How one team went from chaos to 10x revenue growth by finding their gap * Why self-awareness is the number one leadership quality (and how to practice it) * The difference between a personality assessment and a working genius team map * How to turn emotional conversations into solvable problems * What happens when a team skips the discernment phase (and how to fix it) * Why 80 to 85 percent of the benefit comes from taking assessments as a team, not solo * How to use a common language framework to reduce team drama and conflict We talk about: * 00:00 The moment that started it all: burnout, frustration, and not having the words * 03:00 Leaving corporate America and why Katie had no grand plan * 06:00 The conference that changed everything and Pat Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team * 08:00 How good people can still create a toxic culture (and what leaders miss) * 10:00 Introducing the Working Genius: the six phases of all work * 12:00 Why tenacity was draining Katie and what that reveals about burnout * 14:00 The conversation you could have had if your team knew working genius * 16:00 Real client case study: 22 products, missing discernment, and the team map that fixed it * 19:00 From launching 22 products to 8, and 10x revenue growth in one year * 21:00 Why 50% of your work should be in your genius zone (and what happens if it isn't) * 22:00 Self-awareness as the number one leadership quality and why most leaders miss it * 23:00 Why your team already knows your weaknesses even if you don't admit them * 24:00 How to claim your free Working Genius debrief with Katie Resources: * The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Pat Lencioni: https://amzn.to/497rs8y [https://amzn.to/497rs8y] * The Six Types of Working Genius by Pat Lencioni: https://amzn.to/4dI8QOZ [https://amzn.to/4dI8QOZ] * Working Genius Assessment: http://www.workinggenius.comwww.workinggenius.com [http://www.workinggenius.com] * Reach out to Katie directly to receive your assessment code and a free debrief session. Email katie@peoplefluence.com and mention the podcast. Connect with me * Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout [https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout [https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout] * LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout] * Newsletter: http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter [http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter] * Website: http://www.peoplefluence.com [http://www.peoplefluence.com] #WorkingGenius #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamCulture

013: You’re Growing Your Business… But Losing Control of Your Money | Jim Rasmussen

What if the reason you’re not feeling wealthy… has nothing to do with how much money you make? In this episode of Think Outside the Boss, Katie Armentrout sits down with Jim Rasmussen, co-founder of Pando Wealth and former Chick-fil-A financial consultant, to unpack the truth most high performers avoid: making more money doesn’t automatically create a better life. After two decades helping business operators increase profit, Jim noticed a pattern. The income was growing, but the clarity wasn’t. Leaders were building businesses without building a financial plan, chasing growth without defining what it was actually for. This conversation flips the script on wealth, legacy, and leadership. From the emotional roots of money habits to the dangerous trap of comparison-driven investing, Jim shares what it really takes to move from reactive earning to intentional living. Because wealth isn’t just something you build. It’s something you steward, shape, and ultimately pass on. If you’ve been focused on growing your income but haven’t stopped to ask what it’s all for, this episode will change how you think about money, leadership, and the life you’re actually creating. In this episode, you’ll discover: * Why making more money without a plan leads to long-term dissatisfaction * The difference between a business plan and a financial life plan (and why most people only have one) * How comparison culture quietly drives bad financial decisions * The real reason high earners still feel financially insecure * Why “keeping up with the Joneses” destroys long-term wealth * The moment that changed Jim’s entire perspective on money and legacy * How to shift from reactive spending to intentional wealth building * The identity trap that keeps entrepreneurs stuck in financial stress * Why generosity is a core part of sustainable wealth, not an afterthought * The mindset shift that moves you from chasing money to leading your life with purpose We talk about: * 00:00 Why building wealth without a plan sets the next generation up to fail * 03:00 Growing up between scarcity and investing, and how it shaped Jim’s money mindset * 07:00 What Chick-fil-A operators taught him about income growth and financial confusion * 11:00 The wake-up call that shifted his focus from business profit to personal planning * 15:00 Why most leaders overspend as their income increases * 18:00 The leadership principle that drives culture, loyalty, and long-term success * 22:00 How comparison and social pressure lead to poor financial decisions * 26:00 Why entrepreneurs tie their identity to their business (and how to break it) * 30:00 The process of defining your personal vision for money and life * 34:00 How Pando Wealth approaches financial planning differently * 38:00 The risks of fast money, investing mistakes, and chasing returns * 41:00 Why steady, intentional growth always outperforms short-term wins * 44:00 Final advice for leaders who feel behind, overwhelmed, or financially stuck Connect with Jim * LinkedIn: personal [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-rasmussen-cpa-pfs-cgma-cka%C2%AE-cfp%C2%AE-cap%C2%AE-37804a11/] / company [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pandowealth/] * Website: https://www.pandowealth.com/ [https://www.pandowealth.com/] * Bags of Money * Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen https://amzn.to/4mWXp9j [https://amzn.to/4mWXp9j] Connect with me * Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout [https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout [https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout] * LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout] * Newsletter: http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter [http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter] * Website: http://www.peoplefluence.com [http://www.peoplefluence.com] #FinancialPlanning #BusinessOwners #WealthBuilding

012: She Saved a Client $30K in 5 Minutes. Here's the Question She Asked | Kendra Ramirez

Most business leaders aren't behind on AI because they lack access. They're behind because no one told them they already have it and no one gave them permission to use it. In this episode of Think Outside the Boss, Katie Armentrout sits down with Kendra Ramirez, CEO of KR Digital, Claude Ambassador, and one of the most trusted AI voices in the B2B space, to cut through the noise, the overwhelm, and every excuse keeping leaders on the sidelines of the AI era. Kendra has been building AI since 2018. She's delivered hundreds of sessions, consulted organizations of every size, and once saved a client $30,000 in five minutes by asking five questions no one else thought to ask. This is not a conversation about AI being the future. It's a conversation about why it's already here and what to actually do about it today. From auditing your current tech stack, to why Claude outperforms ChatGPT for voice-driven content, to the data security questions your team is afraid to bring to leadership, Kendra makes AI feel less like a threat and more like the smartest colleague you've never properly introduced yourself to. If you lead a team, run a business, or have been quietly waiting for someone to tell you it's safe to move, this episode is that moment. In this episode, you’ll discover: * Why most businesses are already sitting on AI they've paid for and never activated * The five questions that saved one client $30,000 before they signed a single contract * Why Claude outperforms ChatGPT for human-sounding content and how to switch without starting over * What AI Skills are and why they permanently solve the "re-explaining yourself" problem * The non-negotiable data security rules every leader needs to understand before putting anything into AI * Why free AI tools are more expensive than you realize * How Kendra built a globally read AI newsletter that generates revenue without ever pushing it * The mindset shift from waiting for organizational permission to leading your team into the AI era * Why human-centered AI implementation outperforms technology-centered every single time * How to use your personality assessments inside AI for stronger leadership and team communication We talk about: * 00:00 The real reason your team is waiting on AI and why it starts with you * 04:00 Kendra's early leadership instincts and what it means to "manage up" the right way * 08:00 Why silencing the person who always asks "why" is a red flag, not a relief * 12:00 From technical recruiter to digital pioneer: building a business before anyone believed in it * 16:00 How to trust your gut when every coach in the room says you're wrong * 20:00 Limiting beliefs don't just live in you, they live in everyone giving you feedback * 24:00 Where to start with AI when you genuinely don't know what you don't know * 28:00 The $30K wake-up call: audit your tech stack before you buy anything new * 32:00 Claude vs. ChatGPT: what's actually different and whether you should switch * 36:00 What AI Skills are and how they eliminate the re-explaining problem for good * 40:00 AI data security: what's actually safe to put in, and what never should be * 44:00 How Kendra runs AI enablement from the C-suite to the front line * 48:00 Why human connection is the highest-leverage business strategy of 2026 * 52:00 Lightning round: personality assessments, faith, $10K lessons, and walking out to Alicia Keys Connect with Kendra * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendraramirez/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendraramirez/] * Website: https://kendraramirez.com/ [https://kendraramirez.com/] * Newsletter: https://kendratech.substack.com/ [https://kendratech.substack.com/] * Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen https://amzn.to/4mWXp9j [https://amzn.to/4mWXp9j] Connect with me * Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout [https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout [https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout] * LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout] * Newsletter: http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter [http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter] * Website: http://www.peoplefluence.com [http://www.peoplefluence.com] #AIforBusiness #Leadership #Entrepreneurship