In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy Hall and Ben-Jamin Toy sit down with Chris Bower, CEO of Endurance Federal Credit Union, for a candid, straight-shooting conversation about what it really takes to lead well.

Chris opens up about his leadership evolution, from a task-first, empathy-later mindset to recognizing that truly effective leadership means caring about the whole person. He shares lessons learned the hard way, the value of embracing responsibility early in your career, and why young professionals should stop waiting for permission to grow.

What’s inside:

• The difference between entitlement and engagement
• How empathy became a non-negotiable leadership skill
• Why difficult conversations are career-critical
• Advice for emerging leaders who want to stand out
• A sneak peek at C.A.R.L., the AI leadership assistant built to help you ask for promotions with strategy, not stress

This is the kind of episode that might make you rethink how you lead and how you show up.

Hear real-time stories from leaders confessing their most crucial or recent "UH-OH" experiences in business. Learn what their "UH-OH" cost them, steps they took to fix it, and how they planned not to "do that one" again. Hosted by Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

What happens when your gut tells you something’s off but you don’t act on it? In this episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Cynthia Campbell joins Dr. Troy Hall and Ben-Jamin Toy for a powerful and personal conversation on leadership, intuition, and the hard lessons that come from hesitating at the wrong time.

With two decades of experience in the credit union world and a new chapter as founder of Soul Path Leadership, Cynthia unpacks a real-world “UH-OH” moment: a delayed system upgrade that put her team under pressure and forced a fast-tracked transformation. She gets real about how confidence, collaboration, and even gender dynamics can impact decision-making, and why learning to trust your intuition is a non-negotiable leadership skill.

Along the way, we talk about discernment, building character through choices, and Cynthia’s two surprising alternative career paths: seminary student and roller derby queen (yes, really).

If you've ever struggled with trusting your instincts, presenting bold ideas, or wondering when to push and when to pause, this one’s for you.

Hear real-time stories from leaders confessing their most crucial or recent "UH-OH" experiences in business. Learn what their "UH-OH" cost them, steps they took to fix it, and how they planned not to "do that one" again. Hosted by Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community

What happens when you realize you’re just another number in a company? How do you turn career setbacks into leadership breakthroughs? In this episode, Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy sit down with Michael Lounsbury, a published author, HR consultant, and former military professional, to explore self-confidence, career growth, and the power of knowing your value in the workplace. Michael shares two major "Uh-Oh" moments, one as an employee who accepted being overlooked and underpaid, and another as a business owner trying to do it all. He reveals how these experiences shaped his leadership philosophy and led him to launch People Ops Advisors, a firm dedicated to reshaping workplace culture and advocating for employee value.

Hear real-time stories from leaders confessing their most crucial or recent "UH-OH" experiences in business. Learn what their "UH-OH" cost them, steps they took to fix it, and how they planned not to "do that one" again. Hosted by Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy.

Check this out: https://www.thecohesiveleader.com/Community