Reframe Fix | The Official Workbench Podcast

In Part 2 of this conversation, Jake Smith continues talking with Michael Cusick — founder, therapist, author, speaker, and coach — about the false self leaders build to feel safe, and what it costs them.They unpack how shame disconnects us from ourselves, from others, and from a larger sense of purpose, why it pushes leaders to either inflate or shrink, and why no amount of success, money, or title can satisfy the deeper need to be truly known. Jake opens up about his own story of hitting a breaking point, facing the shame he had buried, and finding unexpected acceptance on the other side of vulnerability.A candid look at what self-awareness and self-regulation really demand from the leaders willing to do the work.(Missed Part 1? Start there for the full conversation on vulnerability and authority.)

What if the biggest thing holding you back as a leader isn't your strategy — it's the story you tell yourself?In this episode of Reframe Fix, host Jake Smith sits down with therapist, coach, and author Michael Cusick for a candid conversation about the inner work behind great leadership. Drawing on more than 30 years as a therapist and spiritual director, Michael unpacks why self-awareness and self-regulation — not willpower or tactics — separate leaders who thrive from those who stall.Together they explore the difference between authority and vulnerability, how our nervous system and built-in "negativity bias" quietly run the show, why shame creates distance and feeds the "false self," and what it really takes to show up present, congruent, and fully human. Jake also shares his own story of facing deep shame and finding freedom on the other side of it.A grounded, honest look at the parts of leadership no strategy deck can fix.

Dan Wolgemuth spent 28 years in corporate life — nine of them at General Electric during the Jack Welch era — before serving 16 years as CEO for a national non-profit organization. What he learned along the way challenges some of the most persistent assumptions about what it means to lead.In this conversation, Dan and host Jake Smith explore the difference between authority as a right and authority as a stewardship — and why that distinction changes everything. They dig into the tension between care and accountability, what it costs to acquiesce rather than decide, and why the leaders who last often lead from the back of the room.Dan also reflects on a GE boss who couldn't explain why Dan's approach worked, a defining leadership moment that forced an unpopular call, and two teenage grandsons who turned out to be his most unexpected leadership teachers.If you lead people — a company, a team, or a family — this one is for you.

Jay Steele is the CEO of Focus Learning, a software company he acquired through a search fund. In this conversation with host Jake Smith, Jay gets honest about the realities of stepping into a company as a first-time CEO — the relief, the pressure, and the hard work of building a culture that lasts.He covers what "people-first" leadership really means beyond the buzzword, how he approaches high-stakes decisions using a one-way and two-way door framework, why indecision is the one answer he refuses to accept, and the personal complexity of transitioning a long-tenured founder out of the business he built.Jay also reflects on scaling from a small team to 50-plus people, what he brought from his background as a Naval officer and Amazon leader, and why he believes great work can be both deeply meaningful and genuinely fun — and why those aren't the same thing.If you're navigating a search fund acquisition, stepping into a CEO role for the first time, or building a leadership style that's both accountable and human, this episode is for you.Reframe Fix is brought to you by Workbench. Hosted by Jake Smith.