The Ryan Leak Podcast

Ryan Leak

Welcome to The Ryan Leak Podcast. Ryan Leak is a dynamic speaker, executive coach, and best-selling author known for his engaging and transformative approach to leadership, personal growth, and professional development. He is highly sought after by Fortune 100 companies, professional sports teams, and organizations worldwide for his insights on leadership, communication, faith, resilience, and collaboration. This podcast is designed to drop nuggets of inspiration to help you get the most out of your life.

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English

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S6 · E41
Monday · 12 min
The Perfect Plan Myth
What if the thing holding you back isn’t a lack of planning, but too much of it? We tell ourselves we’ll start when the plan is perfect, when we have more clarity, when we’ve done enough research, or when we know exactly how everything will work out. But the perfect plan isn’t coming. In this episode, Ryan challenges the myth that you need certainty before you take action. Some information is only available on the other side of action. You can plan, prepare, and research, but eventually you have to move. You might not need more clarity. You might just need more courage. Make the best plan you can. Take the next wise step. Learn. Adjust. Keep moving. Because a good plan executed today is worth more than a perfect plan that never leaves the notebook.
S6 · E40
September 28 · 10 min
Even If You Don't Feel Like It
What if you stopped waiting to feel like it? The truth is, you get the same results from doing hard things when you don’t feel like it as you do when you do. The mile still counts. The rep still counts. The page still counts. The conversation still counts. In this episode, Ryan challenges the idea that motivation has to come before action. Sometimes you don’t feel your way into action. You act your way into a feeling. Your feelings matter, but they don’t get to be your boss. They get a vote. They just don’t get a veto. So go uninspired. Start uncertain. Show up tired. And if you can’t beat the fear before you start, do it scared.
S6 · E39
September 21 · 10 min
It's All Hard
It’s all hard. Building a career is hard. Leading people is hard. Marriage is hard. Parenting is hard. Starting over is hard. Staying the course is hard. But some hard things get even harder the longer you avoid them. In this episode, Ryan talks about why avoiding a difficult decision doesn’t eliminate the consequences. It simply hands them to your future self, usually with interest. The conversation you don’t have today gets harder tomorrow. The boundary you refuse to set becomes more expensive later. And sometimes, indecision is a decision all by itself. You don’t always get to choose between hard and easy. Sometimes you’re choosing between hard now and harder later. It’s all hard. Choose the hard that builds the life you actually want.
S6 · E38
September 14 · 11 min
Keep It Moving
Getting started takes bravery. Keeping going takes resilience. Life won’t always cooperate with your plans. Ideas flop. People disappoint you. Opportunities disappear. Doors close. And sometimes the hardest part isn’t what happened. It’s figuring out how to move forward after it happened. In this episode, Ryan talks about the difference between processing disappointment and parking in it, why you don’t always need closure to move forward, and what research on the “Progress Principle” teaches us about the surprising power of small wins. You don’t have to fix everything today. You don’t need a massive breakthrough. Sometimes you just need one conversation, one email, one workout, one page, or one next step. Whatever happened, it doesn’t get the final word. Keep it moving.
S6 · E37
September 7 · 12 min
Stop Fighting the Wrong Competitor
We spend a lot of energy trying to keep up with competitors who aren't even thinking about us. We scroll through someone's highlight reel and measure it against our behind-the-scenes. We compare our chapter 3 to their chapter 20. And every time we do it, we lose. Not because we're behind, but because we're running in the wrong race entirely. In this episode, Ryan shares the questions that actually measure progress. Are you stronger than you were last year? Wiser? More disciplined? Have your relationships gotten better? If the answer is yes, you're winning, even when it doesn't look like winning on Instagram. The greatest athletes in history weren't obsessed with the person in the lane next to them. They were obsessed with their own time, their own form, their own preparation. That's the competition worth showing up for.
S6 · E36
August 31 · 12 min
Feedback is Data, Not a Verdict
Someone says “your presentation could’ve been stronger” and your brain hears “you’re a failure.” Someone says “I think you could listen more” and your brain hears “you’re a bad spouse.” We don’t process feedback as information. We process it as judgment. And because it feels like a verdict, we defend ourselves against the very thing that could make us better. Ryan unpacks why defensiveness, not feedback, is the real enemy of growth. In this episode, Ryan talks about treating criticism as data instead of a death sentence. Not all feedback is accurate. Some of it is projection. Some of it is jealousy. But some of it is gold. And if you reject all of it because some of it stings, you’ll miss the insights that could’ve changed your trajectory.
S6 · E35
August 24 · 13 min
The Other Side of Me
There’s a gap between who we think we are and how people actually experience us. And that gap is where most of our relational problems live. Ryan asks the question he uses in every coaching session and keynote: what’s it like to be on the other side of you? Not what your résumé says. Not what your bio reads. But the actual lived experience of working for you, living with you, being led by you. In this episode, Ryan gets specific. What’s it like to be on the other side of your decisions? Your tone? Your urgency? Your stress? Would you want to work for you? Would you want to be married to you? Would you want your kids to grow up in a home led by someone who shows up the way you show up? You can’t improve what you’re not aware of. And the answer to that question might be the most valuable feedback you’ve ever received.
S6 · E34
August 17 · 10 min
Thank God It’s Monday
We’ve built an entire culture around surviving the week just to get to the weekend. TGIF. We countdown the days. We post the memes. But if you dread five out of seven days of your life, that’s not just a bad job. That’s a bad life. You’re spending 71% of your week wishing it was over. That’s not a schedule. That’s a sentence. Ryan challenges everything we’ve normalized about hating Mondays. In this episode, Ryan asks a question worth sitting with: does your team dread Monday because of the work, or because of the environment? Everybody can look forward to a Friday. That’s easy. But what if you could create a culture people actually looked forward to showing up to on a Monday? That’s not just management. That’s leadership. And if you’re not in leadership, you still set the tone for your own week. Anyone can thank God it’s Friday. The people who learn to thank God it’s Monday have figured out something the rest of the world is still chasing.
S6 · E33
August 10 · 11 min
The Cost of Always Being Right
Would you rather be right or would you rather be connected? Ryan has met a lot of people who are always right. And he’s noticed something about them. They’re often alone. Not because they’re wrong, but because it’s exhausting to interact with someone who never considers the possibility that they might be. Ryan gets personal about seasons where he won every argument and lost every connection. In this episode, Ryan unpacks why being right is addictive, why your brain literally rewards you with dopamine when you prove your point, and why that hit comes at the expense of the relationships that matter most. Relationships aren’t courtrooms. The people in your life aren’t opposing counsel. And every time you prioritize being right over being kind, you chip away at the thing that matters most. Be right sometimes. Be kind always.
S6 · E32
August 3 · 11 min
What If They Aren’t Against You?
Your boss gives you tough feedback and you spend the whole weekend convinced they’re trying to push you out. Then Monday comes and they tell you they’re recommending you for a promotion. A friend doesn’t text back for days and you build a whole narrative. They’re pulling away. They don’t care. Then they call and say their mom’s been in the hospital. Ryan unpacks why the story we tell ourselves is almost always worse than what’s actually happening. In this episode, Ryan challenges the habit of assigning motives to people based on incomplete information. What if your coworker isn’t stealing your idea but just excited about it? What if your spouse isn’t criticizing you but just said it wrong? Before you build the case, ask the question. You might be surprised by what you find when you stop fighting people who were never fighting you.
S6 · E31
July 27 · 8 min
Stop Waiting To Feel Ready
“I’ll start when I’m ready” might be the biggest lie we tell ourselves. I’ll start the business when I’m ready. I’ll have the conversation when I’m ready. I’ll write the book when I’m ready. And then the thing you were preparing for passes you by while you were still getting prepared. Ryan breaks down the difference between preparing and hiding, and why “I’m not ready” is often just a dressed-up version of “I’m scared.” In this episode, Ryan shares his own journey of starting before he felt qualified and explains why confidence isn’t a prerequisite for action. It’s a byproduct of it. The perfect conditions you’re waiting for aren’t coming. But this morning is here. And sometimes the only thing standing between you and the life you want is the willingness to start messy.
S6 · E30
July 20 · 9 min
The Tax of Distraction
Nobody’s going to send you an invoice for being distracted. But research says it takes 23 minutes to fully refocus after a single interruption. Multiply that by a dozen times a day and you’re losing hours. Not minutes. Hours. We’re more connected than we’ve ever been and less focused than we’ve ever been. Ryan unpacks the hidden cost of the thing we’ve all normalized. In this episode, Ryan challenges you to do an honest audit of where your time is actually going, not where you think it’s going. Because distraction doesn’t just steal your productivity. It steals your presence. And the people you love deserve more than a distracted version of you.
S6 · E29
July 13 · 10 min
Helped, Heard, or Hugged
Someone you love comes to you with something heavy. And because you care, you immediately start solving it. You’ve got a plan, next steps, practically a spreadsheet. And you watch their face close. Because they didn’t come to you for a solution. They came to you to be felt. Ryan unpacks the mismatch that ruins more conversations than conflict ever will. In this episode, Ryan breaks down the three things people actually want when they share something vulnerable: to be helped, to be heard, or to be hugged. The problem? They rarely tell you which one. And we rarely ask. Whether you’re a fixer who needs to learn to listen or a sharer who needs to learn to name what you need, this episode gives both sides a job to do.
S6 · E28
July 6 · 11 min
I Don’t Know
There’s a word most people have never heard that describes something most people do every day. It’s called ultracrepidarianism, giving opinions on things you have no real knowledge about. Ryan unpacks why we feel pressure to have a “take” on everything, why ChatGPT access doesn’t equal a PhD, and why the smartest people he’s ever been around are the ones most comfortable saying, “I don’t know.” Here’s the irony: we all feel pressure to be a know-it-all, but nobody actually likes being around one. So we’re chasing the very thing we can’t stand in other people. In this episode, Ryan gives you permission to be a know-it-some, and explains why “I don’t have enough information to have a strong thought on that” might be the most powerful sentence you say this week.
S6 · E27
June 29 · 10 min
Trust Me
Only 34% of Americans believe most people can be trusted. The average person has about five people they’d truly lean on for anything. And yet Ryan has never met a single person who thought they themselves were untrustworthy. Nobody’s ever said, “Hey, whatever you’re about to tell me, I will absolutely use it against you in three months.” We all think we’re the vault. But almost nobody trusts the vaults around them. The math ain’t mathing. In this episode, Ryan unpacks the broken trust economy and challenges listeners with two questions: What does your side of the trust equation actually look like? And how much are you letting past hurt determine the quality of your current and future relationships? You’ve got plenty of reasons not to trust people. But you might also have plenty of reasons to try again.
S6 · E25
June 21 · 8 min
Keep Going
In 1989, a 23-year-old social worker started teaching classes and researching a topic nobody wanted to touch. For 21 years, almost nobody outside her department read her work. Then she gave a 20-minute talk, and it changed the conversation in boardrooms, classrooms, and living rooms across the world. Ryan unpacks her story and the timeline most people never see behind the breakthrough everyone celebrates. If you’re a teacher wondering if your students are listening, a parent who can’t tell if anything is landing, a pastor whose sermons feel like they’re falling on deaf ears, or a creative whose work gets 12 likes, this episode is for you. Sometimes you get to see the difference you made. Sometimes you just have to trust that it’s happening anyway.
S6 · E24
June 15 · 9 min
Brother Lawrence
Most people think God shows up in the big moments. The big stage, the big breakthrough, the big answered prayer. But one of the most influential voices in 400 years of Christian history never preached a sermon, never wrote a book, and never stood on a stage. He washed dishes in a monastery kitchen for decades. His name was Brother Lawrence, and he figured out something most of us are still missing. In this episode, Ryan unpacks Brother Lawrence’s simple but life-changing idea and shares how it’s shown up in his own life in the most unexpected ways. Whether you’re a person of faith or not, this one is about presence, awareness, and finding meaning in the moments most people skip over. Because significance doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it whispers. And you’ll only hear it if you’re listening.
S6 · E23
June 8 · 10 min
Are You Okay?
The most underrated form of care in any workplace or family is the courage to ask one more time, are you okay? And actually mean it. One in five adults in this country lives with a mental health condition in any given year. Which means, statistically, somebody you love is carrying something you can't see. And there's a real chance that somebody is you. In this episode, Ryan opens up about something he's been thinking about for a while. Not as an expert. As a friend. He talks to the people quietly fighting to get out of bed, to put the smile on, to walk into the building. He talks to the people on the other side, the spouses, coworkers, friends, and managers who want to help somebody they love but don't know how. You'll hear why asking for help is a sign of wisdom, not weakness. Why a text on a Tuesday is more powerful than any diagnosis. Why you shouldn't try to be the doctor. And why empathy stops being a concept the moment a person you love walks into your life carrying it. This one is short, honest, and a little tender. If you've been carrying something, you'll feel seen. If you love somebody who has, you'll walk away with something specific you can do for them this week. Bring it to one person. That might be the most important thing you do.
S6 · E22
June 1 · 10 min
Invited to the Table or the Trial?
Most of us walk into hard conversations with the wrong goal. We're chasing agreement when we should be building connection. We're choosing accuracy when we should be choosing tone. And then we wonder why the conversation went sideways. In this episode, Ryan talks about the hard conversations almost everybody is sitting on right now. The one with your spouse. With your kid. With your boss. With the coworker who keeps dropping the ball. He walks through the internal shift that has to happen before the external one, why connection is the credit score of communication, and why John Gottman's research on the first three minutes of a conversation might change how you start the next one. You'll learn the difference between an accusatory tone and an inviting tone, why same content can land in two completely different rooms, and the one question to ask yourself before you say the hard thing. If you've been carrying a conversation around for weeks, this episode will give you the language to finally have it well.
S6 · E21
May 25 · 10 min
It’s Hard For Me to Say This
We’ve confused boundaries with rejection. With selfishness. With being difficult. But what if boundaries aren’t walls meant to keep people out… what if they’re doors with locks on them? In this episode, Ryan talks about why so many of us struggle to say no, how people are trained by what we tolerate, and why the most compassionate people are often the clearest people. From late night work texts to overloaded calendars to relationships that quietly drain us, this conversation is a reminder that every yes costs something. You’ll learn: • Why boundaries are instruction, not punishment • How resentment grows behind unspoken expectations • The sentence most people need to start using today • Why not everyone will like your boundary and why that’s okay • How saying no to the wrong thing creates space for the right things If you’ve been exhausted from trying to be available to everyone, this episode is for you. The door has a lock. You hold the key.

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