In this episode of Counsel Culture, Eric sits down with executive coach, author, and former corporate leader Cory Carlson for a grounded conversation about leadership, burnout, and why success at work eventually collapses when life at home is neglected. Cory reflects on a recent personal loss that renewed his sense of urgency around intentional living and clarified his mission to help leaders win at home first.

Cory shares his path from civil engineer to sales executive to full-time coach, including the season when imposter syndrome and pressure at the top began to erode his health, presence, and priorities. He explains how hiring a coach reshaped not just his performance, but how he showed up as a husband, father, and leader, and why so many high performers mistake busyness for effectiveness.

Eric and Cory explore why leaders can't compartmentalize their lives, how personal stress inevitably shows up at work, and why avoiding personal conversations with team members limits both trust and performance. Cory challenges the idea that leaders at the top have it all figured out, drawing from years of coaching executives who look successful externally but are often struggling internally.

The conversation dives into burnout, purpose, and identity. Cory explains why burnout doesn't come from forgetting how to work, but from forgetting why we work, and shares the framework he uses to help leaders reconnect with purpose and priorities. They close with practical insights on journaling, reflection, and daily rhythms that sustain leaders over decades, not quarters.

In this episode, you'll learn:

· Why winning at home first is essential for sustainable leadership
· How imposter syndrome quietly undermines performance
· The difference between being busy and being effective
· Why personal conversations drive better leadership outcomes
· How purpose anchors leaders during burnout
· Simple habits that build clarity, resilience, and alignment

This episode is dedicated to Cory's journey and the lessons forged along the way. This conversation is a reminder that leadership is not about arrival, but alignment. This conversation is what we make it.

This, is Counsel Culture.

Learn more at www.ericbrooker.com | www.corymcarlson.com

In this episode of Counsel Culture, Eric Brooker sits down for a deeply human conversation about hardship, presence, and what it really means to show up for others.

The discussion moves from personal crisis to professional leadership, exploring how adversity reshapes identity, relationships, and perspective. Together, they examine why small moments matter more than we think, how teams and families grow stronger through shared struggle, and what happens when leaders choose clarity, consistency, and care over avoidance.

This is a conversation about resilience without bravado, leadership without performance, and the quiet power of being present—at work, at home, and in the moments that matter most.

This episode is dedicated to Jodi's journey. This conversation is what we make it. This, is Counsel Culture.

Learn more at www.ericbrooker.com | www.exactlywhattosay.com

In this episode of Counsel Culture, Eric sits down with organizational health pioneer Patrick Lencioni for a rich, honest conversation about work, faith, family, and why leadership is far more about responsibility than reward. Pat shares how, at 59, he hit pause to confront long-buried wounds, and how that season of healing reshaped the way he leads, loves his family, and serves the people around him.

Pat traces the origin story of The Table Group, his longtime fascination with the workplace, and how his Catholic faith now sits at the very center of his work. From parenting moments that involve teenage traffic tickets to power being shut off at home, he uses real life to illustrate why vulnerability, forgiveness, and humility are non-negotiables, whether you're leading a company or a family.

Eric and Pat dig into two of Pat's most influential ideas: meaningful conflict and vulnerability-based trust. They unpack why conflict-avoidant leaders quietly damage teams, how attachment styles show up in meetings, and why the simple words "I was wrong, please forgive me" might be the most powerful leadership tool we have. Pat also explains the Six Types of Working Genius, how his wiring differs from Eric's, and why our gifts and gaps are designed to pull us toward deeper dependence on one another.

The conversation closes with a look at culture, both at work and at home. Pat connects his "chaos family" framework with The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, explains how to spot a company's real values by watching executives, and revisits his book The Motive to ask why we pursue leadership in the first place. He finishes with the simple spiritual disciplines that now bookend his day and quietly anchor everything else.

In this episode, you'll learn:

· What it looks like to surrender your career to God's will and rediscover work as ministry

· How vulnerability, forgiveness, and "owning your stuff" build deep trust on teams and in families

· Why healthy conflict is about the pursuit of truth, not winning arguments

· How the Working Genius model reveals your gifts, your frustrations, and your need for others

· Practical ways to discern the real culture of an organization, beyond the words on the wall

· The five core responsibilities many leaders quietly abdicate (and how to reclaim them)

· Simple daily rhythms of prayer that can transform how you lead, love, and live

This episode is dedicated to Pat's journey. This conversation is what we make it. This, is Counsel Culture.

Learn more at www.ericbrooker.com | www.thetablegroup.com