Shows
Your Next Best StepLeader of One: Why Your Internal Game Matters More Than Your StrategyYou're doing all the things. Working the strategy. Leading the team. Executing the plan.So why does it feel like nothing's moving forward?Here's what most leaders miss: You're not stuck. You're experiencing resistance.In this episode, Aundrea De Leon—Fractional Chief of Staff, Business Integrator, and former Fortune 500 executive—breaks down why your next breakthrough won't come from doing more. It'll come from fixing what's running amok internally before you run amok externally.Aundrea's journey took her from foster care to the executive ranks at UPS, IBM, and American Express. Afte...
2025-12-061h 04Your Next Best StepWhen God Interrupted a Revenge Plot: Jay Harris on Radical TransformationWhen God Interrupted a Revenge Plot: Jay Harris on Radical TransformationJay Harris was 10 steps from leaving church when God spoke: "You're gonna die this week."He was plotting a murder for Wednesday. Going to church on Sundays to keep his girlfriend happy. Living in the streets, dealing with beef, drowning in alcohol—and convinced he had it all under control.Then everything changed.In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Jay shares his journey from the streets of Jacksonville to pastoring in the hood, from survival mode to building a legacy that sh...
2025-11-221h 01Your Next Best Step2026 Doesn't Start with a Plan—It Starts with Paying AttentionWhat if the best way to prepare for 2026 isn't planning—but paying attention?In this episode, Brek Cockrell shares a transformative leadership lesson he learned back in 2008 at conference that has shaped how he approaches new seasons, new roles, and new years. Drawing from wisdom taught by Pastor Wayne Gordon and Dr. John Perkins, Brek introduces a simple but profound rhythm: listen, reflect, respond.Most leaders end the year exhausted, already planning for what's next without taking time to listen to their own lives, teams, or the patterns that ha...
2025-11-1716 minYour Next Best StepStop Chasing Success: The $100 Weekend That Changed EverythingWhat if everything you're chasing as a leader is keeping you from what actually matters? In this powerful solo episode from the locker room in Brek Cockrell shares a transformational story from 1993 that shifted his entire approach to leadership and life.With only $100 to his name, newly married, and desperate to advance his coaching career, BC attended the Final Four in New Orleans. What happened that weekend—and the conversation with Josh McDowel —completely changed his definition of success.This episode is for every leader who's caug...
2025-11-1122 minYour Next Best StepWhen Your Dream Job Isn't Enough: From Community Health Worker to Beauty Boss & BeyondWhen Your Dream Job Isn't Enough: From Community Health Worker to Beauty Boss & Beyond. What happens when your "dream job" stops being enough? In this raw and powerful episode, SalleyNycole Crews—8-time award-winning entrepreneur, esthetician, and business coach—shares her journey from making $26K as a community health worker to building her thriving beauty empire, all while battling severe depression.This isn't just another success story. It's a masterclass in resilience, showing up when everything feels impossible, and why asking for help is the smartest move you'll ever make.🎙️ ABOUT THIS EPISODE SalleyNycole Crews opens up about...
2025-11-0150 minYour Next Best StepNever Not On Mission: Anchored, even when direction shifts.What happens when the career you thought would last forever suddenly ends? For Pete Hixson, stepping away from 22 years in pastoral ministry wasn't the end of his mission—it was the beginning of discovering what it had always been.In this raw and inspiring conversation, Pete opens up about the moment he walked away from full-time ministry, the identity crisis that followed, and how his daughter Hope—who has cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability—showed him what it truly means to lift the lid on potential.From coaching leaders through StoryBrand to founding Beyond Commun...
2025-10-2453 minYour Next Best StepThe Haunted House Theory: How Stress Hijacks Communication at WorkIn this episode of Your Next Best Step, I sit down with Thomas Asta, a leadership expert with over 20 years in the medical device industry, to unpack the neuroscience of communication. Together, they explore how empathy, emotional intelligence, and brain chemistry—especially dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin—shape the way we connect, lead, and influence.Thomas shares powerful stories and frameworks that help leaders move beyond “winging it” in communication to creating environments of trust and growth. From managing stress and imposter syndrome to understanding the “haunted house” of workplace triggers, this conversation bridges science, soul, and leadership in a way tha...
2025-10-1755 minYour Next Best StepHappy in the Hard: Finding Joy in Life’s Toughest SeasonsWhat does it mean to find joy when life feels impossible? In this episode of Your Next Best Step, I sit down with Mercedes Wilson—TV host, author, nonprofit founder, wife, and mom—who has walked through trauma, divorce, betrayal, and two cancer diagnoses, including stage 4 breast cancer.Mercedes shares how faith, therapy, and self-reflection transformed her pain into peace and taught her how to lead herself and others with hope and authenticity. Together, we explore:- The power of facing trauma instead of hiding it- Why self-awareness and therapy are leadership esse...
2025-10-0945 minYour Next Best StepLeading with C.A.R.E.: How to Give Feedback That Builds Trust and Sparks GrowthHard conversations don’t have to be scary. In this episode, BC shares the C.A.R.E. Framework—a simple way to give feedback that’s clear, constructive, and growth-focused. Walk away with tools you can use in your very next conversation.
2025-10-0321 minYour Next Best StepSimple + Obvious = Genius: Unlocking Sustainable LeadershipLeadership doesn’t have to be complicated. In this episode ofYour Next Best Step, I sit down with Jay Adcock, a global coach and movement leader, to uncover why the best leaders lean into simplicity, curiosity, and consistency.Jay’s story takes us from leaving the corporate world with a 100% pay cut to building a coaching movement that’s training thousands of leaders in nearly 100 countries. Along the way, he shares the lessons learned in South Africa, the power of asking better questions, and the importance of small, sustainable shifts that add up to massive impact....
2025-09-2658 minYour Next Best StepCuriosity Over Certainty: Leadership Lessons with Charlie MitchellIn this episode of Your Next Best Step, I welcome a longtime friend and leader, Charlie Mitchell, into the Locker Room for a powerful conversation about calling, curiosity, and courage in the face of change.Charlie opens up about growing up in Fort Myers, losing his parents young, and stepping into unexpected responsibility as a teenager. He shares how those experiences shaped his heart for cross-cultural ministry, eventually leading him to plant churches in some of America’s toughest neighborhoods—from Camden to Baltimore.Together, Charlie and I explore:Why curiosity is a lead...
2025-09-181h 09Your Next Best StepBreaking the Loneliness of Leadership with Nick KennedyWhat happens when success isn’t enough?In this episode of Your Next Best Step, Brek Cockrell sits down with Nick Kennedy, a serial entrepreneur who built and sold three companies, including an airline—before stepping into his true calling as an executive coach.Nick opens up about:Growing up with a father in prison and how it shaped his drive.Building businesses in healthcare and aviation, and what success cost him at home.The...
2025-09-1246 minYour Next Best StepEveryone Matters… But Do They Feel It?In this powerful conversation, Brek sits down with longtime friend and higher education leader Scott Traylor to unpack a core leadership truth: saying “everyone matters” is easy... but making people feel it is what transforms culture.Scott shares his journey of stepping into a vice president role during the Great Resignation, leading nearly 1,000 staff and faculty through turnover, burnout, and transition. Together, Brek and Scott explore:Why trust, collaboration, and accountability became the cornerstone values for his teamHow leaders can create environments where staff feel truly seen, heard, and valuedThe...
2025-09-0546 minYour Next Best StepThe Cheat Code Every Leader NeedsWhat if the secret to becoming a better leader isn’t about titles or tactics, but about values, clarity, and the willingness to grow? In this episode of Your Next Best Step, I sit down with longtime friend and national mortgage lender Joshua Dean to unpack the “cheat codes” every leader needs to navigate business, team dynamics, and personal growth.Joshua shares candid lessons from leading in the mortgage industry and beyond, how identifying his core values shifted his leadership, why curiosity beats quick answers, and how clarity is actually the ultimate form of kindness. Together, they explor...
2025-08-2943 minYour Next Best StepVulnerability is the Real Leadership FlexIn this episode of Your Next Best Step, we sit down with Kyria Stephens to unpack what it really takes to lead with impact. From setbacks and doubt to building a movement, Kyria shares how vulnerability, clarity, and consistency shaped his journey from $7.25 an hour to the C-suite and beyond. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to lead with courage when the pressure is on—this conversation will show you why vulnerability is the real leadership flex.
2025-08-2242 minYour Next Best StepThe Heart Behind Your Next Best StepWelcome to Your Next Best Step, the leaders’ locker room. In this short kickoff episode, Brek Cockrell shares why he’s starting the podcast, the journey that led him here, and what you can expect in the weeks ahead. Through real stories, practical strategies, and rooted leadership wisdom, you’ll be inspired to slow down, reflect, and take the next best step in your leadership.
2025-08-1511 min