Most leaders don’t struggle because they care too little. They struggle because they move too fast to notice their impact.

In this episode of The Genuine Leadership Shift, Austin explores the concept of leadership tempo — the pace at which leaders think, speak, decide, and show up — and why slowing down is often the fastest way to build clarity, trust, and influence.

This conversation challenges the belief that speed equals excellence and reframes pace as a leadership responsibility. Austin reflects on how internal urgency, emotional avoidance, and unexamined pressure can quietly erode presence, communication, and culture.

Blending lived experience, hospitality leadership insight, and honest self-reflection, this episode unpacks how leaders unintentionally train teams through their tempo, how emotional speed creates anxiety, and why presence is not a personality trait — it’s a practiced discipline.

This is not an episode about doing less. It’s about leading better by learning what — and who — you’re willing to stay present with.

What You’ll Learn

• Why leadership tempo is internal before it’s external • How speed often masks avoidance, insecurity, and discomfort • Why fast leaders unintentionally create slow, anxious teams • How tone, body language, and pace shape emotional safety • The difference between urgency and clarity • Why slowing down strengthens decision-making and influence • How hospitality reveals leadership tempo in real time

Who This Episode Is For

Leaders, operators, hospitality professionals, managers, parents, and anyone who feels the constant pull to move faster — even when something inside is asking them to slow down.

If you’ve ever felt stretched thin by urgency, this episode will resonate deeply.

Listener Challenge

Choose one moment each day this week to slow down on purpose.

Before reacting. Before correcting. Before deciding.

When you feel the urge to rush past something — a feeling, a conversation, a decision — don’t close the door on it.

Stay present just a little longer than feels comfortable.

This episode builds on core principles from The Genuine Leadership Playbook, including Mindset. Integrity. Purpose. and the belief that presence is foundational to sustainable leadership.

Leadership tempo is explored as a lived expression of these principles

New here? You’re in the right place if you care about leading with clarity, integrity, and intention — at work, at home, and in the moments that matter most.

Listen. Reflect. Slow down on purpose. And if it resonates, share it with someone you care about.

Do Right. Be Great.

Connect with Me

• LinkedIn: @ajc4u

• Instagram: @dorightbegreat & @ajc4u

• Website: www.dorightbegreat.com

In this episode of The Genuine Leadership Shift, Austin explores why the little things are never actually little, and how presence, consistency, and micro-actions shape trust, culture, and leadership identity over time.

This is a conversation about hospitality as a mindset — not just an industry — and about Deliver +1 as a personal leadership standard, not a performative act. Austin reflects honestly on the tension leaders feel when expectations aren’t met, the frustration that can build when standards feel heavy, and the inner work required to hold the line without hardening.

Blending lived experience, hospitality wisdom, and self-reflection, this episode reframes standards as clarity and kindness, expectations as something to be examined, and leadership as the responsibility of protecting environments.

What You’ll Learn

· Why the little things are signals, not just tasks

· How consistency builds trust more than intensity ever will

· The difference between standards and unspoken expectations

· Why frustration often comes from expectations we haven’t examined

· How to hold the bar without resentment or emotional burnout

· What Deliver +1 really means as a leadership identity

· How hospitality creates clarity, dignity, and emotional safety

· Why real leadership shows up most clearly when no one is watching

Who This Episode Is For

Hospitality leaders, operators, managers, team builders, and anyone who cares deeply about standards, culture, and doing things the right way — even when it feels unnoticed.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated carrying the weight of expectations, struggled to maintain consistency without becoming rigid, or wondered how to lead with clarity without losing your humanity, this episode will meet you where you are.

Listener Challenge

Pick ONE little thing you’ve been letting slide — one habit, one standard, one small action — and commit to protecting it this week.

At the same time, when frustration shows up, pause and ask yourself: “Is this a standards issue — or an expectations issue?”

If it’s a standard, lead with clarity and consistency. If it’s an expectation, release the unspoken contract and adjust your emotional attachment.

Model the standard.

A Note on the Framework

This episode references principles from The Genuine Leadership Playbook, including Deliver +1 and The Little Things Matter, as part of Season 1’s foundation on personal leadership and hospitality as a way of being.

Deeper exploration of these frameworks is coming in future seasons.

New here? You’re in the right place if you care about integrity, consistency, and leading with intention — at work and at home.

Listen, reflect, and if it resonates, share it with someone you care about.

Connect with Me

· LinkedIn: @ajc4u

· IG: @dorightbegreat & @ajc4u

· Website: www.dorightbegreat.com

Every great leader eventually reaches a moment where pushing forward no longer works — not because they’re weak, but because something deeper is asking to change.

In this episode, Austin sits down with Bethany for Part 1 of a two-part conversation about transition, identity, and the courage it takes to pause. Together, they unpack what it feels like when an old season no longer fits: the internal tension, the emotional weight, the uncertainty, and the quiet realization that clarity doesn’t come from forcing the next step.

Blending lived leadership, partnership, and honest self-reflection, Beth shares the heart behind her decision to step into a season of intentional rest — including an upcoming sabbatical in Portugal. This conversation explores fear, courage, emotional processing, and the strength required to slow down without having all the answers.

This is not an episode about quitting. It’s about honesty. Alignment. And the moment you realize growth sometimes begins by letting go.

What You’ll Learn

• Why transition often feels uncomfortable before it feels clear
• How identity shifts can create emotional tension and self-doubt
• The difference between rest and avoidance
• Why slowing down can require more courage than pushing through
• How fear shows up when you’re standing between seasons
• What it looks like to choose clarity without certainty
• How intentional pauses create space for deeper alignment

Who This Episode Is For

Leaders, partners, parents, creatives, operators, and anyone navigating a season of transition — especially if you feel stretched, uncertain, or caught between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming.

If you’re questioning pace, direction, or identity, this conversation will meet you where you are.

Listener Challenge

Identify ONE area of your life where you may be forcing the next step instead of allowing space for clarity — and take ONE intentional pause this week to listen instead of rush.

New here? You’re in the right place if you care about integrity, growth, and leading with intention — at work and at home.

Listen, reflect, and if it resonates, share it with someone navigating their own in-between season.

Do Right. Be Great.

Connect with me

LinkedIn: follow @ajc4u

Instagram: @dorightbegreat & @ajc4u

Website: www.dorightbegreat.com

Read the companion article: CLICK HERE

Every great leader eventually hits a wall — the emotional, mental, identity, and relational collision that forces you to evolve. But most leaders never talk honestly about what that moment actually feels like.

In this episode, Austin breaks down the “leadership wall” from the inside out: the quiet buildup, the identity unraveling, the emotional depletion, the skill gaps, and the relational drift that signals you’re outgrowing your old way of leading.

Blending years of hospitality leadership with connection-driven, human-centered growth, Austin walks through the exact reset that changed everything for him — and how hitting the wall can become the turning point that makes you a more grounded, intentional, and effective leader.

This is an episode about honesty. Evolution. And the moment you realize you can’t lead the way you used to.

What You’ll Learn

• The four “walls” every leader eventually runs into
• Why hospitality leaders hit emotional fatigue faster — and why it matters
• The difference between physical tiredness and emotional depletion
• How identity shifts create friction in your leadership
• Why pace and hustle eventually stop working
• How disconnection from self becomes disconnection from team
• What a true leadership reset looks and feels like
• How to begin rebuilding with clarity, intention, and presence

Who This Episode Is For

Leaders, operators, managers, entrepreneurs, hospitality pros, parents, mentors, or anyone who feels stretched thin, overwhelmed, or like they’ve outgrown the way they used to lead.

Listener Challenge

Identify ONE wall you’ve been avoiding — emotional, identity, skill, or relational — and take ONE step toward addressing it this week.

New here? You’re in the right place if you care about integrity, growth, and leaving a meaningful legacy — at work and at home.

Listen, reflect, and if it hits you, share it with someone who needs to hear they’re not alone in trying to figure this out.

Do Right. Be Great.

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: follow @ajc4u

Instagram: @dorightbegreat & @ajc4u

Website: www.dorightbegreat.com

Read the companion article: CLICK HERE

Episode 2 of The Genuine Leadership Shift— and this one cuts deep.

It’s called “Service Over Status” because I’m breaking down the mindset shift that changed everything for me — the way I lead, the way I communicate, and the way I show up for the people who trust me.

For a long time, I thought leadership meant proving something.

Controlling something.

Flexing something.

I was wrong.

Real leadership isn’t fueled by ego — it’s fueled by humility, presence, and connection.

In this episode, I break down:

• The early ego that tripped me up

• The moment someone told me, “Austin… shut up. Observe. Reflect.”

• The mentors who shaped me

• Feedback that punched me in the face

• And why the best leaders always choose service over status

If you’ve ever struggled with influence, culture, or feeling misunderstood in your leadership journey… this one lands.

New here? You’re in the right place if you care about integrity, growth, and leaving a meaningful legacy — at work and at home.

Listen, reflect, and if it hits you, share it with someone who needs to hear they’re not alone in trying to figure this out.

Do Right. Be Great.

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: follow @ajc4u

Instagram: @dorightbegreat & @ajc4u

Website: www.dorightbegreat.com

Read the companion article: CLICK HERE

In this first full episode of The Genuine Leadership Shift, we’re starting where leadership really begins: at home.

Before titles, teams, and tactics, there’s the man behind the mic — the dad, the husband, the human who’s trying to become a better version of himself every day. This episode is raw and personal on purpose.

I talk about:

• Learning to create real boundaries and standards inside the home
• Regretting the years I was physically present but mentally somewhere else
• How addiction, insecurity, and distraction muted my voice for too long
• The moment I realized my kids needed more than a provider — they needed a present leader
• What “being a husband” means to me: leading beside my wife, not over her
• Why my mission now is to be the kind of man my family can depend on, not tiptoe around
• Sobriety, service, and becoming a servant leader in my own house first

If you’ve ever looked back and wished you’d been more intentional, more present, or more confident for the people you love — this one’s for you.

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about owning where you’ve been, being honest about where you are, and committing to who you’re becoming.

What you’ll walk away with:

• A honest look at how our personal lives shape our leadership
• Permission to admit where you’ve fallen short without living in shame
• A challenge to define what kind of parent, partner, and leader you want to be
• A reminder that you cannot lead others well if you refuse to lead yourself at home

This episode sets the tone for everything that comes next on this podcast: real leadership, real life, no polish without the truth underneath it.

New here? You’re in the right place if you care about integrity, growth, and leaving a meaningful legacy — at work and at home.

Listen, reflect, and if it hits you, share it with someone who needs to hear they’re not alone in trying to figure this out.

Do Right. Be Great.

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: follow @ajc4u

Instagram: @dorightbegreat & @ajc4u

Website: www.dorightbegreat.com

Read the companion article: Click Here

In this bonus clip of The Genuine Leadership Shift, Austin breaks down one of the most powerful mindset shifts you can make as a leader, parent, partner, and human:

“I have to” → “I get to.”

It sounds simple, but this small language shift changes your posture, your presence, and the way you experience your responsibilities.

In this short episode, we unpack:

• Why “I have to” breeds resentment, pressure, and burnout
• How “I get to” reframes responsibility as privilege and purpose
• How this shows up in hospitality, leadership, and at home
• Practical examples you can use with your team and yourself
• A simple challenge to start catching your own language in real time

This isn’t about toxic positivity or pretending everything is easy. It’s about owning the reality that:

• You get to lead people.
• You get to show up for your guests.
• You get to parent, partner, coach, and build.

Responsibility is weight, but it’s also opportunity. And the leaders who see it as “get to,” not “have to,” are the ones who protect their culture, their energy, and their impact.

Listener Challenge:

For the next 24 hours, catch yourself every time you say “I have to” — and replace it with “I get to.”

Say it out loud. Feel how different it lands.

Then ask yourself: “If I really believed this was a privilege, how would I show up differently?”

New here? You’re in the right place if you care about integrity, growth, and leaving a meaningful legacy — at work and at home.

Listen, reflect, and if it hits you, share it with someone who needs to hear they’re not alone in trying to figure this out.

Do Right. Be Great.

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: follow @ajc4u

Instagram: @dorightbegreat & @ajc4u

Website: www.dorightbegreat.com

Listen to more episodes of The Genuine Leadership Shift on: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Amazon Music • YouTube Podcasts

Search: “The Genuine Leadership Shift”

Do Right. Be Great.

Episode 0: Origin Launch & WHY This Matters

Welcome to the beginning of The Genuine Leadership Shift. This origin episode lays out the heart, the “why,” and the mission behind the show — and why leading yourself first is the foundation for leading anyone else.

In this launch episode, Austin breaks down:

• The real origin of The Genuine Leadership Shift
• Why hospitality isn’t just an industry — it’s a posture
• How connection-driven leadership changes everything
• The shift from leading out of frustration to leading with presence
• The moments that forced him to grow, recalibrate, and show up differently
• Why culture only shifts when leaders do
• What this podcast will deliver every week moving forward

This isn’t hype. This isn’t performative leadership. This is honest, grounded, human development — created for leaders who want to show up better today than yesterday.

If this resonates, follow the show, save the episode, and share it with someone stepping into their own leadership journey.

Do Right. Be Great.

Let’s get to work.

CONNECT WITH AUSTIN:

Website: www.DoRightBeGreat.com

Instagram: @ajc4u & @dorightbegreat

Email: info@dorightbegreat.com