5 People Who Shaped Brandon Mergard | CEO Coach on Leadership, Feedback, ADHD & Belonging

S04-E01 Brandon Mergard   In this episode of People Are Everything, host Julia Duthie speaks with Brandon Mergard, CEO of a global executive coaching organisation focused on stakeholder-centred coaching — a leadership approach built on how you’re experienced by others, not just who you intend to be.   Brandon shares the five most influential people (and groups) in his life — from his parents and family to a moral-compass mentor who helped shape his leadership philosophy — and he opens up about how school and teachers impacted him, including the lasting effects of ADHD, self-belief, and learning differently.   You’ll also hear a powerful practical tool Brandon teaches: “feedforward” — how to skip awkward feedback and ask people what they want to see you do instead.   In this conversation:   What stakeholder-centered leadership really means (and why it matters) The “feedforward” question that changes relationships fast A mentor described as a “moral compass” (WWFD: What Would Frank Do?) How parenting, belonging, and mission-driven work shape leadership Funny, human moments (Highlander, yoga nerves, and deleting 47 files…)   ⭐ Highlights   The Five Influential People / Groups Brandon chooses   His parents (Annette & Jim) Annette: rebellious, entrepreneurial, unfiltered humour; nurse stories “brains in the fridge” Jim: engineer mindset, analytical “chair = bolts, washers, liability”; also poetry and service   His wife Alicia + children (James & Jane) Alicia: yoga + Pilates instructor, “obsessive about perfect”… then suddenly decides to become a nurse James: hyper-intelligent, engineering brain, spectrum/ADHD; asks wild mechanical questions Jane: warm, social, “flowers for everyone” — the opposite temperament   Dr. Frank Wagner (mentor / moral compass) “A compass tuned for morality” WWFD: “What would Frank do?” Architect of stakeholder-centered coaching; story ties into Marshall Goldsmith origins   Teachers (as a category — both negative and positive, but he focuses on negative impact) Very clip-worthy: teacher takes his chair away; mom says “Don’t give it back — it’s a prison!” A teacher throws his binder across the room Sixth grade science teacher kills his love of academics; ripple effects into maths and confidence   Coworkers / his tribe (mission-driven people) Belonging + being “leveraged” (rarely said, very strong concept) “Power Rangers” analogy: different strengths combine into something bigger Great moment where he says the “hard part” of a show isn’t hosting — it’s editing/marketing   🎧 Listen/watch on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.   These are thoughtful, honest conversations about being human — full of insight, reflection, warmth and the occasional surprise.   New episodes dropping each week.   🎧 Watch or Listen on your favourite podcast platform: Youtube: https://loom.ly/nb-WD3Q Apple: https://loom.ly/EgwKsWk Spotify: https://loom.ly/GHo0lEo   📲 Follow us on socials: https://loom.ly/gJuJlLQ   If you can’t wait, all three previous seasons are ready and waiting — the perfect way to wind down after a great New Year's celebration. ☕️   📺 Watch Season 1,2 and 3 here .. 👉 Season-1 - https://loom.ly/AhznB6k 👉 Season-2 - https://loom.ly/XGH2jt0 👉 Season-3 - https://loom.ly/t1h2EQ8   @peopleareeverything