PODCAST · education
Your Next Best Step
by Brek Cockrell
Hello, I am Brek Cockrell, founder of BC Leadership Co. and host of the "Your Next Best Step" podcast. With over 40 years of leadership experience, spanning ministry, coaching, and organizational strategy, I help leaders build lives of significance, not just success. Through practical coaching, transformative questions, and a deep belief in every leader’s potential, I create environments and experiences to help leaders and teams take their next best step.
Episodes
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The Trust Gap
86% of leaders believe their people trust them completely. Only 33% of employees say they actually do.Sit with that math for a second. That's not a stat about bad companies. That's a stat about a blind spot.In this solo episode, Brek steps into the Locker Room to talk about the gap most leaders...
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Dreams, Drains, Doubts
Most leaders diagnose a stalled team as a motivation problem. It's rarely that. In this episode, Brek breaks down the three forces actually driving disengagement on your team — Dreams, Drains, and Doubts — and why your normal motivation playbook misses all of them. Each force is different. Each…
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Build Your Brand With Purpose
What's It Like on the Other Side of You? If someone said your name in a room you weren't in, what would they say? Not your title. Not your output. Who you are. That's the question Brek Cockrell explores in this episode, drawn from a leadership workshop on building your brand with purpose. Here's...
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How to Tame Your Advice Monster
In this episode, we're diving into something I've personally struggled with, and something I see in almost every leader I work with: the Advice Monster. You know that moment in a one-on-one when someone comes to you with a problem, and before they even finish explaining it, you've already jumped…
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Why Employees Ignore Your Mission Statement
When was the last time someone on your team referenced your mission statement without being prompted? Not because you asked. Not because it was on the agenda. Just… because it was alive in them. If you had to think about that — this episode is for you. Brek gets straight to it: most mission...
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Communication That Connects
Every conversation you have is either making a deposit or a withdrawal — and most leaders never stop to examine which one it is. In this solo episode, Brek walks through the E.D.O.T. framework — Everything Depends On Trust — as a practical roadmap for communication that actually connects. Using...
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What Leades Build That Lasts
Dave Rust didn't start with a playbook. He started with a problem: in 2012, Buffalo's high school graduation rate was 49%. Half the kids weren't making it. Today, it's 79%. That's not just a statistic — that's thousands of lives redirected. As the founding CEO of Say Yes Buffalo, Dave has spent...
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The Moment Between Trigger and Trust
Culture isn't created through mission statements on a wall. It's created in moments—specifically, in the moment between trigger and trust. In this solo episode, Brek explores one of the most overlooked yet critical aspects of leadership: emotional intelligence in real time. Most leaders are…
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Values vs. Positions: The Leadership Test That Only Shows Up in the Storm
Most leaders think they have values. What they usually have are positions. In this return visit to the locker room, Nick Kennedy — founder of RISE, author of The Good Entrepreneur, and executive coach — joins Brek to unpack a distinction most leaders miss until it's too late: the difference…
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You Gave Them the Title but Not the Plan
You promoted your best performer. Six months later, they're overwhelmed, their team is disengaged, and everybody's wondering what went wrong. In this episode, Brek Cockrell digs into one of the most common — and most costly — leadership mistakes happening right now: promoting people because of…
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Ring the Breakthrough Bell with Kelly Diane Galloway
What happens when a leader stops running from their most painful chapter and starts leading from it? Kelly Diane Galloway — award-winning humanitarian, founder of Project Mona's House, PBS documentary producer, and the woman who walked 902 miles along the Underground Railroad — joins Brek…
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Take the Full Ride: Leadership Lessons from the Field, the Academy & the Fire with Carlos V. Spencer
What does it take to lead when the pressure is real, the stakes are high, and nobody handed you a playbook? In this episode, Brek Cockrell sits down with Carlos V. Spencer — transformational speaker, author of Flip the Switch: Let's Go, Let's Grow, Let's Get It, former New York State Trooper, and...
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The Trust Talk Every Leader Needs To Hear!
Who are you really trusting to run your leadership? In this solo session, Brek steps into the Locker Room to bring the full Throwdown Thursday series to life — and it all comes down to four letters: EDOT. Everything Depends on Trust. Built on the ancient wisdom of Proverbs 3:5–6, this episode...
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Why You Already Know Your Next Step — You're Just Ignoring It
You don't need more information. You don't need a better plan. And you definitely don't need to wait until everything feels ready. Nine times out of ten, you already know what you need to do — you're just avoiding it. In this solo episode, Brek Cockrell pulls back the curtain on the phrase at the...
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Motivation Gets Applause, Systems Get Results with Joshua Dean
What happens when a top 1% mortgage advisor — five years running — stops chasing every shiny object and bets everything on doing less, better? In this episode of Your Next Best Step, Brek welcomes back Joshua Dean, leader of The Dean Team Experience and National Sales Director at Homeowners...
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Learn, unlearn, relearn… the only leadership
What happens when a kid from Buffalo answers a call that takes him far beyond anything he ever imagined? In this episode of Your Next Best Step, host Brek Cockrell sits down with Bishop Matthew L. Brown — senior pastor of Greater Community Church of God in Christ in Marietta, Georgia, a church…
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Nothing Meaningful Happens Until Trust Is in the Room
What does it actually take to build a culture where every voice is heard and every person truly belongs? In this episode of Your Next Best Step, Brek sits down with Ekua Mends-Aidoo, CCDP, founder and president of Clementine Gold Group — a full-service strategy, planning, and community engagement...
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Nothing Is Impossible With You: Damar Dowell on Faith, Family & Leadership
What does it take to lead with oneness instead of isolation? In this powerful conversation, Brek Cockrell sits down with DaMar Dowell—author, musician, father, husband, and Buffalo community leader—to explore the evolution from dictator-style leadership to collaborative, rooted leadership. DaMar...
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Building a Platform to Amplify Others with Jamil Crews | Your Next Best Step
What happens when a DJ from Buffalo decides to stop waiting for permission and starts building platforms for others to be heard? In this episode, Brek sits down with Jamil Crews — founder of Cruise Control Media and The PodHub, photographer, world-renowned DJ, and one of the most intentional...
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Spirit-Led vs. Self-Driven: The Leadership Choice That Changes Everything
Leadership isn't neutral—you're either being formed or deformed by the way you live and lead. In this episode, Brek unpacks a powerful framework from Galatians 5 that reveals two kinds of leaders: the spirit-led leader who cultivates love, joy, peace, and self-control, and the self-driven leader...
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Building Communities, Not Just Companies with Kenworth Reeves
What does it look like to build multiple successful businesses while keeping family, culture, and community at the center? In this episode of Your Next Best Step, we sit down with Kenworth Reeves—a hands-on entrepreneur who owns and operates a diverse portfolio of businesses including a real…
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Beyond the Startup Grind: Kristian Andersen's Blueprint for Building Multiple Successful Ventures
In this episode of Your Next Best Step, Brek Cockrell sits down with Kristian Andersen, Co-Founder and Partner at High Alpha, to explore the innovative venture studio model that's changing how technology companies are built. Unlike traditional startups or venture capital, venture studios like…
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Stop Leading with Armor: 6 Ways You're Sabotaging Trust (And How to Fix It)
The armor we wear isn't physical—it's the self-protection we put on when we feel threatened, exposed, or uncertain. And it's killing trust on our teams. In this episode, BC unpacks 6 contrasts from Brené Brown's "Strong Ground" that reveal where leaders armor up and how to choose daring…
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Closing out 2025 - The Mystery of Wheat & Weeds
🎙️ Season Finale | The Final Episode of 2025 As we close out the first 25 years of this century, I explore a question from Father Richard Rohr: What if we don't lack love, but wisdom? In this powerful episode, I unpack Jesus's parable of the wheat and weeds, offering a fresh perspective that...
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From Intention to Attention
Most leaders don't suffer from a lack of good intentions—they suffer from a lack of good attention. In this episode, Brett introduces a powerful leadership framework to help you design 2026 instead of drifting through it. Learn how to move from hoping the year goes well to creating a year that…
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Leader of One: Why Your Internal Game Matters More Than Your Strategy
You're doing all the things. Working the strategy. Leading the team. Executing the plan. So why does it feel like nothing's moving forward? Here's what most leaders miss: You're not stuck. You're experiencing resistance. In this episode, Aundrea De Leon—Fractional Chief of Staff, Business...
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When God Interrupted a Revenge Plot: Jay Harris on Radical Transformation
When God Interrupted a Revenge Plot: Jay Harris on Radical Transformation Jay Harris was 10 steps from leaving church when God spoke: "You're gonna die this week." He was plotting a murder for Wednesday. Going to church on Sundays to keep his girlfriend happy. Living in the streets, dealing with...
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2026 Doesn't Start with a Plan—It Starts with Paying Attention
What if the best way to prepare for 2026 isn't planning—but paying attention? In this episode, Brek Cockrell shares a transformative leadership lesson he learned back in 2008 at conference that has shaped how he approaches new seasons, new roles, and new years. Drawing from wisdom taught by…
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Stop Chasing Success: The $100 Weekend That Changed Everything
What if everything you're chasing as a leader is keeping you from what actually matters? In this powerful solo episode from the locker room in Brek Cockrell shares a transformational story from 1993 that shifted his entire approach to leadership and life. With only $100 to his name, newly…
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When Your Dream Job Isn't Enough: From Community Health Worker to Beauty Boss & Beyond
When Your Dream Job Isn't Enough: From Community Health Worker to Beauty Boss & Beyond. What happens when your "dream job" stops being enough? In this raw and powerful episode, SalleyNycole Crews—8-time award-winning entrepreneur, esthetician, and business coach—shares her journey from making…
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Never Not On Mission: Anchored, even when direction shifts.
What happens when the career you thought would last forever suddenly ends? For Pete Hixson, stepping away from 22 years in pastoral ministry wasn't the end of his mission—it was the beginning of discovering what it had always been. In this raw and inspiring conversation, Pete opens up about the...
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The Haunted House Theory: How Stress Hijacks Communication at Work
In this episode of Your Next Best Step, I sit down with Thomas Asta, a leadership expert with over 20 years in the medical device industry, to unpack the neuroscience of communication. Together, they explore how empathy, emotional intelligence, and brain chemistry—especially dopamine, oxytocin…
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Happy in the Hard: Finding Joy in Life’s Toughest Seasons
What does it mean to find joy when life feels impossible? In this episode of Your Next Best Step, I sit down with Mercedes Wilson—TV host, author, nonprofit founder, wife, and mom—who has walked through trauma, divorce, betrayal, and two cancer diagnoses, including stage 4 breast cancer.Mercedes...
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Leading with C.A.R.E.: How to Give Feedback That Builds Trust and Sparks Growth
Hard conversations don’t have to be scary. In this episode, BC shares the C.A.R.E. Framework—a simple way to give feedback that’s clear, constructive, and growth-focused. Walk away with tools you can use in your very next conversation.
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Simple + Obvious = Genius: Unlocking Sustainable Leadership
Leadership doesn’t have to be complicated. In this episode ofYour Next Best Step, I sit down with Jay Adcock, a global coach and movement leader, to uncover why the best leaders lean into simplicity, curiosity, and consistency. Jay’s story takes us from leaving the corporate world with a 100% pay...
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Curiosity Over Certainty: Leadership Lessons with Charlie Mitchell
In this episode of Your Next Best Step, I welcome a longtime friend and leader, Charlie Mitchell, into the Locker Room for a powerful conversation about calling, curiosity, and courage in the face of change. Charlie opens up about growing up in Fort Myers, losing his parents young, and stepping...
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Breaking the Loneliness of Leadership with Nick Kennedy
What happens when success isn’t enough? In this episode of Your Next Best Step, Brek Cockrell sits down with Nick Kennedy, a serial entrepreneur who built and sold three companies, including an airline—before stepping into his true calling as an executive coach. Nick opens up about: Growing up…
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Everyone Matters… But Do They Feel It?
In this powerful conversation, Brek sits down with longtime friend and higher education leader Scott Traylor to unpack a core leadership truth: saying “everyone matters” is easy... but making people feel it is what transforms culture. Scott shares his journey of stepping into a vice president…
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The Cheat Code Every Leader Needs
What if the secret to becoming a better leader isn’t about titles or tactics, but about values, clarity, and the willingness to grow? In this episode of Your Next Best Step, I sit down with longtime friend and national mortgage lender Joshua Dean to unpack the “cheat codes” every leader needs to...
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Vulnerability is the Real Leadership Flex
In this episode of Your Next Best Step, we sit down with Kyria Stephens to unpack what it really takes to lead with impact. From setbacks and doubt to building a movement, Kyria shares how vulnerability, clarity, and consistency shaped his journey from $7.25 an hour to the C-suite and beyond. If...
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The Heart Behind Your Next Best Step
Welcome to Your Next Best Step, the leaders’ locker room. In this short kickoff episode, Brek Cockrell shares why he’s starting the podcast, the journey that led him here, and what you can expect in the weeks ahead. Through real stories, practical strategies, and rooted leadership wisdom, you’ll…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Hello, I am Brek Cockrell, founder of BC Leadership Co. and host of the "Your Next Best Step" podcast. With over 40 years of leadership experience, spanning ministry, coaching, and organizational strategy, I help leaders build lives of significance, not just success. Through practical coaching, transformative questions, and a deep belief in every leader’s potential, I create environments and experiences to help leaders and teams take their next best step.
HOSTED BY
Brek Cockrell
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Your Next Best Step have?
Your Next Best Step currently has 41 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Your Next Best Step about?
Hello, I am Brek Cockrell, founder of BC Leadership Co. and host of the "Your Next Best Step" podcast. With over 40 years of leadership experience, spanning ministry, coaching, and organizational strategy, I help leaders build lives of significance, not just success. Through practical coaching,...
How often does Your Next Best Step release new episodes?
Your Next Best Step has 41 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Your Next Best Step?
You can listen to Your Next Best Step on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Your Next Best Step?
Your Next Best Step is created and hosted by Brek Cockrell.
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