Wil closes out Season 2 with Rebecca Calder, Ph. D., a Navy veteran, Top Gun graduate, researcher, military spouse, and mom raising teenagers. Together they explore what it means to belong when you're carrying multiple identities, and when perfectionism keeps trying to convince you that you have to earn your worth.

Becky shares how her view of belonging evolved from performance-based, proving you deserve a seat at the table, to values-based belonging rooted in service, family, faith, and excellence. She also tells a vivid story from early motherhood, watching Top Gun grad flights overhead while holding her Top Gun patch covered in her baby's vomit, as a turning point that helped her see she's more than any single role.

The conversation also highlights Becky's doctoral work on psychological capital and burnout. She breaks down the HERO framework: Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism; and explains how these internal resources can be developed in leaders and shared across teams to build healthier, more human workplaces.

In This Episode, You'll Hear

• Why belonging can get confused with performance and how that feeds perfectionism
• What it was like being the first female pilot to graduate from Top Gun and why she felt she truly belonged there
• The "Top Gun patch covered in vomit" moment, and what it revealed about identity, transition, and grace
• Leadership as creating environments where people get support not criticism or unrealistic expectations
• Psychological capital: what it is, why it matters, and how it connects to burnout
• The HERO framework: Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, Optimism, and how leaders can build these capacities in others
• Resilience as "ordinary magic" and why incremental gains matter
• What's next for Becky: speaking, service, and the possibility of a book

Memorable Moments

• Becky reframes belonging as knowing your values and creating space for others to live theirs.
• She describes Top Gun as one of the first places she felt full belonging, because of shared commitment to excellence and growth.
• The motherhood story lands as a powerful reminder; you can be accomplished and still be in a hard season.

Closing Advice

Becky's biggest takeaway for listeners; never lose hope. Keep going. Resilience comes at a cost, but understanding what real resilience looks like can save you.

Movie + Music (Walk-up Moment)

Movie title: Called to Serve: A Story of Hope and Resilience

Who plays Becky: Charlize Theron

Theme song: "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys

Closing Vibe

A strong Season 2 finale that reminds us belonging isn't something you earn by being perfect. It's something you build from the inside out through values, service, and the courage to be human.

Wil welcomes back his first-ever repeat guest, Sarah Dylan Jensen (aka the Market Maven), the manager of the Snohomish Farmers Market and longtime farmers market leader across the region. What starts as a fun check-in (including a quick appreciation moment for Trent and the Red Trux production magic) turns into a timely conversation about community, safety, and food access—and what it means to feel “at home-ish” when the world feels anything but stable.

Sarah shares why authenticity matters—from the ethics of the fashion industry she once worked in, to how the farmers market chooses local artists and higher-quality, responsibly made merch that actually aligns with “support local.” From there, the episode gets real about the emotional whiplash of current events, the pressure to keep creating and leading while everything feels intense, and the challenge of speaking up when your “filter” can’t be fully off.

The heart of the conversation centers on food as a human right and the ripple effects of shrinking support systems. Sarah breaks down what’s happening with SNAP match funding at markets (dropping from $40 to $25 to $10), why that hurts both families and farmers, and how misinformation about assistance programs misses what she sees firsthand: hard working people, early mornings, and communities held together by relationships.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About

• Why farmers markets are more than “cute local shopping”—they’re community infrastructure
• The ethics gap in fashion vs. values-driven local work
• How the market approaches merch responsibly (local art, better sourcing, aligned values)
• SNAP match funding cuts and what that means on the ground
• The difference between “stealing jobs” rhetoric and the reality of labor in agriculture
• How to stay engaged without burning out: capacity, roles, and small actions that matter
• Curiosity as a leadership skill: listening to understand, not just to respond
• Building relationships across differences (and not writing people off too fast)
• Walk-up song moment: Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars” + a Van Gogh-inspired reminder that stars shine brightest in the dark

Closing Vibe

This episode is a reminder that when the world feels loud, uncertain, and exhausting, community is still something you can build on purpose—one market day, one conversation, one act of curiosity at a time.

Wil sits down with Adrianne Wagner, Executive Director/CEO of Leadership Snohomish County (LSC), executive coach, and community builder, for a real conversation about what leadership looks like when life is busy, the world feels heavy, and people are craving connection.

Adrianne shares her path from Flint, Michigan to Snohomish County, her long career as a healthcare executive, and the moment she "hit the wall" after the pandemic and major company changes. That burnout became a pivot point leading her back to school, into leadership coaching, and deeper into the work of developing leaders across every level (not just people with titles).

Together, Wil and Adrianne unpack the difference between leadership vs. authority, why "aggressively passive" culture can make feedback harder than it needs to be, and how toxic leadership creates ripple effects for the people who have to survive it. They also dig into what it means to level up instead of competing, and why leaders have a responsibility to create real space for others to grow.

The episode also spotlights Step Up, LSC's signature conference returning in person this year and how the theme - Step Up for what matters to you , is about moving beyond awareness into action, collaboration, and community.

In This Episode, You will Hear About

• Adrianne's leadership journey: Flint -> Snohomish County -> healthcare exec -> coach
• Burnout, recovery, and why she pivoted into coaching
• Leadership vs. authority: why titles don't automatically make leaders
• Toxic leadership, trust, and why we don't talk about the survivors enough
• Feedback culture: 360-style listening, patterns, and "no hangry leaders"
• Calling in well: using time off to refill your cup, not just recover from being sick
• Uncompete thinking: scarcity vs. abundance, envy vs. leveling up
• Community projects: asking orgs what they actually need ( cans with no can openers)
• Kids as teachers: bias, empathy, and small actions that matter
• Music as meaning: Jimmy Eat World, Hamilton, the Grey Album, and Wil's 2026 alarm song

Event + Links Mentioned

• Leadership Snohomish County: https://leadershipsc.org
• Step Up Conference: April 24 (in-person)
• Applications/nomination window opens in February (Signature Program begins in September)

Closing Vibe

This episode is equal parts leadership workshop and real-life check-in: a reminder that community is built on small, consistent choices and that the best leaders don't just win; they help other people win too.