Dustin Riechmann breaks down a transformational leadership framework that has fueled his business growth in 2025. If you've ever been allergic to the word "leadership" or thought it only applied to corporate managers with large teams, this episode will completely shift your perspective. Dustin introduces the Leadership Triangle—a simple but powerful framework consisting of self-leadership, team leadership, and thought leadership. He shares personal stories from his McDonald's days to his engineering career, revealing why traditional leadership models never resonated with him as an entrepreneur. Through candid examples from his own year, including going alcohol-free, hiring a fitness coach, attending a silent retreat, building his team at Seven Figure Leap, and leveraging his mastermind community, Dustin demonstrates how all three forms of leadership work together to scale a creator business. Whether you're a solopreneur with no employees or leading a growing team, this framework will help you identify where to invest in your own leadership development to create exponential growth and, more importantly, greater peace and fulfillment in your business.

Chapters:

1. (00:00:00) - Introduction: The Foundation of All Leadership Starts with Self
2. (00:01:00) - Why I Used to Be Allergic to Leadership (McDonald's Story)
3. (00:03:00) - From Engineering Manager to Entrepreneur: Escaping Traditional Leadership
4. (00:04:30) - The Leadership Triangle Framework Revealed
5. (00:06:00) - Self-Leadership: The Base of the Triangle
6. (00:07:00) - My Self-Leadership Investments This Year (Alcohol-Free, Fitness Coach, Silent Retreat)
7. (00:10:00) - Team Leadership: Beyond Just Employees
8. (00:12:00) - Building Our Seven Figure Leap Team (Hiring, Sales Systems, Mastermind)
9. (00:15:00) - Thought Leadership: The Creator's Superpower
10. (00:17:00) - Podcast Guesting, Guest Training, and Speaking Opportunities
11. (00:19:00) - Where to Start: Self-Leadership as Your Foundation
12. (00:21:00) - How to Work with Seven Figure Leap (Podcast Profits Accelerator)

Links and Resources

1. Dustin on LinkedIn
2. 7 Figure Leap

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Dustin sits in the guest seat as Cassie Shea takes over as host to explore the transformation of Seven Figure Leap in 2025. Unlike previous years focused on aggressive growth, this year was about building sustainable foundations—right-sizing the team, investing in systems, and embracing patience as a leadership virtue. Dustin shares the honest story of a failed summit that created a five-month revenue gap, how 17 months of sobriety has brought emotional consistency to his business decisions, and the development of his "Leadership Triangle" framework encompassing self-leadership, team leadership, and thought leadership. The conversation reveals how stepping away from one-on-one sales calls, building a world-class community experience, and landing marquee podcast appearances with Pat Flynn and Nathan Barry (generating $160K from a single episode) set the stage for sustainable growth. Rather than chasing vanity metrics, Dustin doubled down on what matters: peace, sustainability, and building a business he'd be excited to run for the next decade. As he prepares for a 50% growth goal in 2026, this episode offers a masterclass in playing the long game while maintaining personal fulfillment and business integrity.

Chapters:

1. (00:00:00) - Opening and Introduction to Year-in-Review Format
2. (00:01:28) - Reflecting on 2025: Peace and Sustainability Over Growth
3. (00:05:00) - The Power of Patience: Personal Identity Shifts
4. (00:08:58) - The Leadership Triangle Framework: Self, Team, and Thought Leadership
5. (00:10:00) - Sobriety's Impact on Business Consistency and Decision-Making
6. (00:14:00) - The Failed Summit Experiment and Five-Month Revenue Gap
7. (00:18:00) - Learning from the Summit: Relationships vs. Mass Conversion
8. (00:22:00) - Building a Sales System Without Being the Bottleneck
9. (00:26:00) - Finding Fulfillment Beyond One-on-One Sales Calls
10. (00:33:00) - Team Expansion: Fractional Support and Alumni Leadership
11. (00:39:00) - Podcast Guesting Wins: Pat Flynn and the $160K Nathan Barry Episode
12. (00:46:00) - Looking Ahead to 2026: Sustainable 50% Growth and Writing a Book
13. (00:48:00) - Defining Leadership on Your Own Terms
14. (00:51:00) - Closing Reflections on Peace, Sustainability, and Generosity

Links and Resources

1. Taking My Own 7-Figure Leap: The Good, the Bad, and the Insightful from 2024 with Cassie Shea
2. Website
3. Cassie Shea on

Regina Sweeney, a concentration coach and mother of nine, shares her unique approach to helping high achievers overcome distraction and develop deep focus. Drawing from her background in Montessori education and therapeutic music training, Regina reveals how Maria Montessori identified concentration as a fundamental human need over 100 years ago—long before smartphones and social media. She explains the science behind brain training through acoustically modified music, the difference between focus and concentration, and why the average knowledge worker switches tasks every 40 seconds. Regina also shares her journey from founding a Catholic Montessori school in Virginia to pioneering concentration coaching in Wyoming, offering practical tools including specific music playlists designed to enhance relaxation, concentration, and motivation. Listeners will discover how successful entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin credit their Montessori education for their innovative thinking, and learn actionable strategies to reclaim lost productivity and achieve deeper connection in work and life.

Chapters:

1. (00:00:00) - Welcome to the Seven Figure Leap: Meet Regina Sweeney, Concentration Coach Extraordinaire
2. (00:01:00) - Regina Sweeney's Background: Mom of Nine and Concentration Coach
3. (00:03:00) - Discovering Maria Montessori and Starting a Catholic Montessori School
4. (00:06:00) - Moving to Wyoming and Living the Montessori Philosophy
5. (00:09:00) - The Four Planes of Development and Raising Children in Wyoming
6. (00:12:00) - Applying Montessori Principles to Music and Homeschooling
7. (00:14:00) - The Power of Concentration in Montessori Education
8. (00:17:00) - Famous Montessori Alumni: Jeff Bezos and Google Founders
9. (00:19:00) - Using Therapeutic Music to Help Her Daughter Learn to Read
10. (00:22:00) - The Cost of Distraction: 40-Second Task Switching and Lost Productivity
11. (00:25:00) - Client Success Story: From YouTube Distraction to Deep Work
12. (00:28:00) - Building Neural Pathways Through Music and Brain Training
13. (00:31:00) - Focus vs. Concentration: External Discipline vs. Internal Mastery
14. (00:34:00) - The Impact of Concentration on Connection and Community
15. (00:37:00) - How Regina's Coaching Program Works: Three Key Components
16. (00:41:00) - The Science of Entrainment: How Music Affects Your Brain
17. (00:44:00) - Using Music Frequencies for Relaxation, Concentration, and Motivation
18. (00:47:00) - Free Spotify Playlists and Practical Tools for Better Concentration

Links and Resources