Growing Pains

48 Joey Hayes: The real work starts after the capital round

Raising capital is often seen as a milestone. In reality, it marks the beginning of a more complex phase of leadership. In this episode of Growing Pains, Ewa Hutmacher speaks with Joey Hayes — founder of thru. and angel investor in more than 65 startups — about what happens after the round closes. Together, they explore a pattern seen across many companies: founders turn inward, communication slows, and the network behind the capital remains largely underutilized. Rather than focusing on funding itself, this conversation looks at what leadership requires once it is in place — and why access to support does not automatically translate into action. If the people around you are willing to help — what is preventing you from engaging them? About the guest Joey Hayes is the founder of thru. and an angel investor in 65+ startups. After experiencing the impact of founder isolation firsthand, he now focuses on helping founders activate the network behind their capital. LinkedIn: Joey Hayes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeyhayes1/] and thru. [https://www.linkedin.com/company/comethru-co/]To learn more about Joey and thru., please visit: www.comethru.co [https://www.comethru.co/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ewahutmacher.substack.com [https://ewahutmacher.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

47 Annmarie Higgins: When There’s Finally No One Left to Impress

When there’s finally no one left to impress, leadership changes. Executive coach Annmarie Higgins and host Ewa Hutmacher explore what happens beneath senior leadership roles — where responsibility is high, expectations are constant, and honest reflection becomes rare. A grounded conversation about: * Loneliness at the top * Values under pressure * Why mindset shifts before behavior * The transformation power of coaching CEOs and C‑suite leaders No performance hacks. No leadership theatre.Just a real conversation about leadership when the mask no longer helps. A question to sit with: What are you no longer willing to ignore — even if it comes at a cost? Learn more about Annmarie Higgins at LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmarie-higgins-9b75ab21/] or hopstoneltd.com [http://hopstoneltd.com] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ewahutmacher.substack.com [https://ewahutmacher.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

46 Gustavo Razzetti: False harmony - why executive teams get stuck

Most leadership teams don’t lack intelligence or good intentions. What they lack is the courage — and the structure — to name what everyone already sees. In this episode of Growing Pains, Ewa Hutmacher is joined by Gustavo Razzetti — culture strategist, bestselling author, and CEO of Fearless Culture, for a candid conversation about false harmony: the quiet agreement that makes teams feel aligned while real issues remain untouched. We explore why leaders confuse politeness with alignment, how silence at the top is often misread as consent, and why teams don’t get stuck because they disagree — but because they stop believing that speaking up will change anything. Drawing on decades of work with executive teams across the world, Gustavo Razzetti shares why avoided conversations create hidden costs, how groupthink disguises itself as consensus, and what it actually takes to move from nice conversations to decisions that stick. A question to sit with: What does your team call “alignment”? What are you actually avoiding? Gustavo Razzetti [http://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavorazzetti] is the bestselling author of Remote, Not Distant, Stretch for Change, and his forthcoming book, Forward Talk [https://gustavorazzetti.com/books/]. He’s facilitated more than 1,500 workshops with leadership teams at Mars, Microsoft, Merck, the Inter-American Development Bank, and hundreds of organizations across the world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ewahutmacher.substack.com [https://ewahutmacher.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

45 Pasquale Mazzuca: When leaders have no place to hide

What happens when leaders no longer have clear answers — but still carry full responsibility? In this episode of Growing Pains, Ewa Hutmacher is joined by Pasquale Mazzuca [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmazzuca/], executive coach and trusted adviser to CEOs and senior leaders for more than three decades. This is a candid conversation about integrity in the boardroom, the discomfort of not knowing, and being true to yourself. Drawing on lived experience across cultures and leadership contexts, Pasquale reflects on what ambiguity reveals — not just about decisions, but about who leaders choose to be. A grounded, human dialogue for CEOs, board members and executive teams navigating uncertainty, pressure and the space between knowing and acting. A question to sit with: When was the last time you had to make a decision without clarity — and what guided you in that moment? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ewahutmacher.substack.com [https://ewahutmacher.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

44 Anders Brolin Jaconelli: Den dolda fällan i komplexa beslut

När bias driver besluten ur kurs räcker inte mer data — det krävs modiga ledare som vågar korrigera riktningen. I det här avsnittet möter vi Anders Brolin Jaconelli och utforskar varför perspektiv ibland bromsar mer än de hjälper. Hur överanalys skapar stagnation och varför mod, inte perfektion är den verkliga vägen till riktning. Vi pratar om bias i beslutsprocesser, kvalitetsfällor i offentlig sektor och varför små fel tidigt skapar bättre resultat än stora fel sent. Det här avsnittet är för dig som vill se klarare, tänka skarpare och leda med större mod. Anders Brolin Jaconelli [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anders-brolin-jaconelli-76928a5/] är enhetschef inom förebyggande vård och omsorg med bakgrund som ambulanssjuksköterska, chef, inspektör på IVO och politisk rådgivare. Han kombinerar systemperspektiv med operativ erfarenhet och ett skarpt analytiskt ledarskap. 👉 Vilken typ av bias stöter du oftast på i ledningsgruppen? Hur påverkar den er riktning? Kontakta Ewa Hutmacher [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ewahutmacher/] om du vill diskutera detta medr. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ewahutmacher.substack.com [https://ewahutmacher.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]