Shows
Leading Ain't EasyEpisode 18 - PIPs Aren't the End of the WorldA Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) can feel like a career death sentence.For a lot of people, getting put on a PIP feels deeply personal. It can hit your confidence, make you question your future, and leave you wondering whether you are already halfway out the door.In this episode, Ryan and Erny talk about PIPs from both sides.Ryan shares what it was like to be put on a PIP himself, including how hard it hit when it felt personal instead of productive. Erny talks about how leaders should approach performance issues...
2026-03-1044 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 17 - Leading When You Don’t Like SomeoneYou’re a leader. You’re not supposed to say it out loud. But let’s be real: you’re not going to like everyone you lead.In this episode, Ryan and Erny talk about what to do when someone on your team gets under your skin, without letting it turn into bias, favoritism, avoidance, or over-correction. We get into staying objective, using data and clear expectations, managing your ego, and keeping the main thing the main thing: results, culture, and consistency.You don’t have to be their friend.But you do have to...
2026-03-0350 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 16 - Executive Presence (feat. Frank Hopkins)A lot of people think “executive presence” means being polished, charismatic, or loud.It doesn’t.In this episode, we’re joined by executive coach Frank Hopkins, who works with CEOs and executive teams (primarily community banks across the Southeast). Together, we break down what executive presence actually is: carrying authority before you speak; and reinforcing it through judgment, composure, clarity, and behavior under pressure.We get into the difference between authority and credibility, why “confidence theater” fails, and why the leaders people trust most are the ones who ...
2026-02-2444 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 15 - Leadership Mistakes That Can Negatively Impact CultureIf we're being real, workplace culture doesn’t live in mission statements or speeches, it lives in what happens every day.In Episode 15, Ryan and Erny break down the leadership mistakes that can erode culture over time: preaching standards but tolerating contradictions, avoiding tough conversations, playing favorites, and overvaluing performance while ignoring behavior. They also talk through two real-world culture scenarios: the “impossible situation” where morale is already in the toilet, and the “good culture on paper” situation where a lack of accountability eventually creates serious problems.A big theme throughout this one: culture is what yo...
2026-02-1745 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 14 - Leading When You're the Youngest on the TeamWhat do you do when you’re the newest leader… and everyone you’re leading is older than you?In this episode of Leading Ain’t Easy, we get real about what it feels like to lead without seniority, including the anxiety, the imposter thoughts, the pressure to prove yourself, and the temptation to overplay authority just to feel “legit.”Ryan shares what it was like being the youngest in the Marine Corps and then again in the workplace, including an early-career mistake that created an instant credibility problem. Erny breaks down what it means to be “new t...
2026-02-1048 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 13 - Being the FNG (F’ing New Guy): Earning Trust From the StartBeing the "new guy" is hard. Being the new leader is harder.In this episode, Ryan Calkins and Erny Epley sit down with special guest, Matt Quinn, to talk about what it really takes to earn trust when you walk into a new job with zero social capital; especially when the people around you have been doing the work longer than you’ve been alive.They cover what to do (and more importantly, what NOT to do) in your first stretch, how to listen without getting played, why “past practice” can be a trap...
2026-02-0346 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 12 - Setting Boundaries w/ Your BossSetting boundaries with your boss is about doing what matters without burning yourself out. Ryan and Erny break down how to set boundaries respectfully, stay consistent, and protect your time without damaging trust or credibility.In this episode of Leading Ain’t Easy, we talk about one of the most common leadership traps: being so responsive and available that you accidentally teach people your time doesn’t matter.We unpack:How to set boundaries without sounding lazy or “bare minimum”Why consistency matters (and why moving your boundary teaches people it isn’t real)The differ...
2026-01-2745 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 11 - Managing Up: How to Lead Without AuthorityManaging up is one of the most important leadership skills and one of the least taught.In this episode of Leading Ain’t Easy, Ryan Calkins and Erny Epley talk about what it really looks like to lead when you don’t have authority over the people who influence your success: your boss, senior leaders, and cross-functional departments that control the data, budget, timelines, and decisions you’re expected to execute.If you’ve ever been told “figure it out” without support… if you’ve been burned by a surprise that climbed the chain… or if you...
2026-01-2048 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 10 - Coaching in Leadership (feat. Alicia Sanders)Most leaders are coaching whether they realize it or not. The question is whether they’re doing it intentionally… or accidentally.In this episode of Leading Ain’t Easy, Ryan and Erny are joined by Alicia Sanders, a Director of Supply Chain Management in hospital logistics, to break down coaching as a practical leadership skill; especially in high-pressure environments where deadlines don’t stop so “development” can happen.We talk about the difference between managing vs coaching, why coaching creates real capability (not just compliance), and the hard reality leaders face...
2026-01-1348 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 9 - Leadership 101: What We Wish We Knew Before Leading OthersIf you’re stepping into leadership for the first time (or thinking about it) this episode is your warning label and your playbook.Ryan and Erny break down what they wish they knew before they ever had direct reports: why leadership is more about people than technical skill, why your motivation matters more than your title, how to handle accountability for things you didn’t personally do, and what happens when you get promoted over your friends.We also talk about the stuff nobody puts in the leadership books:The invisible mental loadThe emotional whip...
2026-01-0650 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 8 - Invisible Pressures of Middle ManagementMiddle management is a grind: high responsibility, limited authority, and pressure from every direction.In this episode, we break down the invisible weight middle managers carry, like being the translator, mediator, protector, and problem-solver while taking heat for things you didn’t even control. We talk burnout, boundaries, empathy, and how to implement decisions you don’t fully agree with without abandoning your integrity.If you’re in the middle and exhausted, this one will feel familiar; and it’ll give you language (and tools) for what you’ve been carrying.Leading Ain’t Easy is ho...
2025-12-3043 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 7 - Know Your WorthKnowing your worth is easy to say but can be hard to live.In this episode of Leading Ain’t Easy, Ryan and Erny unpack what it really means to understand your value as a leader; beyond titles, money, or years of service. From imposter syndrome and loyalty traps to quitting without a backup plan, they explore how self-worth quietly erodes when effort isn’t recognized and support disappears at the top.This is an honest conversation about:When loyalty turns into self-sacrificeWhy “prove yourself first” can cost you years of progressThe difference between confiden...
2025-12-2352 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 6 - Fix Your Face: How Your "Tell" Can Make or Break Your LeadershipYou don’t have to say a word for people to know exactly what you’re thinking.Sometimes your face gets there first.In Episode 6 of Leading Ain’t Easy, Ryan and Erny dig into the idea of “Fix Your Face” and how your nonverbal tells can completely change the way people experience your leadership.In this episode, we cover:Why you can’t “not communicate”A workshop exercise makes it painfully obvious: even when you’re silent, your body and face are saying plenty.When your emotio...
2025-12-1647 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 5 - The Cost of Being the Good GuyBeing the “good guy” at work sounds great on paper.You’re empathetic. You listen. You try to do right by people. You avoid unnecessary conflict. You take the high road, even when it stings a little.But over time, that version of leadership can start to cost you.In this episode, Erny and Ryan unpack what happens when being the good guy quietly slides into people-pleasing, conflict avoidance, and eventually burnout.We get into:How empathy can quietly turn into people-pleasingErny’s...
2025-12-0947 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 4 - Leading As Yourself (w/ John Moore)In this episode of Leading Ain’t Easy, we’re joined by special guest, John Moore (a longtime training leader turned coach) who has spent over 20 years leading teams in corporate environments that didn’t always make it easy to show up as himself.We dig into what it means to “lead as yourself” in 2025, why so many workplaces feel colder and more transactional than they used to, and how you can still lead with empathy, love, and high standards without getting steamrolled.John shares stories from the boardroom, layoffs, a...
2025-12-0254 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 3 - Loneliness at the TopNo one really tells you how lonely leadership can get, especially the higher you climb.In this episode, Ryan and Erny talk candidly about the isolation that comes with being the one everyone turns to. The pressure, the silence, the responsibility you can’t unload on your team, and the shrinking safety net as you move up.They discuss:• Why support turns into “context,” not coverage• The truth behind “that’s why you get paid the big bucks”• Taking the blame when the public or leadership is angry• Holding your team accountable without...
2025-11-2544 minLeading Ain't EasyEpisode 2 - Leadership Beyond TitlesLeadership isn’t something you unlock the day you get a promotion. It starts long before you ever have authority, a team, or an impressive title.In this episode, Ryan and Erny break down the real difference between managing and leading. They share stories about leading from the background, stepping up without recognition, and the trap new managers fall into when they rely on their title instead of their actions.They get into:• Why the best leaders often don’t have the title• Leading as a bus driver, a supervisor, or the “go-to” person on th...
2025-11-181h 02Leading Ain't EasyEpisode 1 - Imposter SyndromeIn this Episode:The hosts focus on Imposter Syndrome, the feeling that you don't deserve your position and are waiting for someone to call you out.Defining the Doubt: Erny shares his first managerial experience (being a young boss to older, more experienced employees) and the blunt question that triggered his earliest professional imposter syndrome.Early Career Terrors: Ryan recounts being a 19-year-old Lance Corporal marksmanship coach, tasked with instructing NCOs and officers who had far more time in the service than he did.Winning Over the Team:...
2025-11-1145 min
Leading Ain't EasyEpisode 0 - Welcome to Leading Ain’t EasyLeadership isn’t all highlight reels, motivational quotes, or textbook frameworks. It’s messy, isolating, full of self-doubt, and it rarely looks the way it does on social media. That’s why we created Leading Ain’t Easy.In this special intro episode, Ryan Calkins and Erny Epley pull back the curtain on what this show is all about. We share our leadership journeys; from the Marine Corps, student government, and private-sector consulting to public-sector transportation leadership and building our own businesses. Along the way, we’ve faced plenty of challenges: leading teams who didn’t trust us, managing...
2025-10-2810 min