Real Leaders takes a break from speaking with founders and leaders at technology startups to talk to the founders of Yogapod, a dynamic brick and mortar business in the heart of the yoga haven of Boulder, Colorado. But wait for it. Yoga pod founders Nicole and Gerry Wienholt have an even wider range than their 120-class weekly yoga schedule might have reflected, and they rose the challenge of Covid-19 closures days before the fast-moving municipalities mandated shutdowns. Today's yogapod is, for now, a tech company first. This is a winning story of two entrepreneurs who skipped over the five stages of grief in just one weekend, taking action to ensure the longevity of their vibrant business in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yogapod--home to teachers and students who have been loyal since the business opened a decade ago--was live-streaming yoga classes before we knew the hashtag #flattenthecurve, and their loyal client base (I'm included) stayed the course, having a chance to meet live with their favorite teachers and community members from the shag-carpet "studio" of home. Yoga pod 's team watched the data and decided to make increasing investments to upgrade their technology to ensure a world-class streaming experience. A new microphone here, a second monitor so teachers could see themselves and also see the students. In the process, the founders realized that people well beyond the bounds of what we call the "Boulder Bubble" would enjoy practicing with leading teachers, no matter where they call home. So Yogapod is investing in streaming for good, regardless of when the city and state officials permit the reopening of yoga studios. This is my favorite kind of entrepreneurial story--packed with every stage of the lean startup process: from hunch, to experimentation, to learning, to leveraging that learning by taking informed risks. Join Sue Heilbronner and Nicole and Gerry Wienholt for a pivot story that is as vision-focused as it is P&L-focused.

Jim Dethmer and Diana Chapman – co-founders of the coaching and consulting business Conscious Leadership Group – are working to shift the mindset and level of self-awareness in global companies and organizations. Jim and Diana have been at the forefront of this movement, launching their bestselling book 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership in 2015 with Kaley Klemp. In this episode of the Real Leaders podcast, Sue Heilbronner leads an intimate interview with her long-time friends and fellow Conscious Leadership advocates Jim and Diana about why, how, and when they co-founded CLG. Combining their individual experience, skills, and resources, Jim and Diana decided to join forces to increase their impact. Jim’s passion for continued growth in consciousness and Diana’s practical approach to communication are what enable them to make change happen for their clients and coaches-in-training. CLG now comprises a talented group of coaches, trainers, and consultants who work with thousands of leaders and companies interested in bringing more conscious practices to their companies. Learn more about how Jim and Diana have built a rapidly growing international business through a mindset of abundance, transparency, and personal alignment on this engaging episode of the Real Leaders Podcast. Visit www.conscious.is to find upcoming events and more information about the Conscious Leadership Group. Real Leaders is brought to you by www.Leadership.Camp, a home for open Conscious Leadership coaching, events, and forums.

Chapter 2 in our series Conscious Leadership AMA ("Ask Me Anything") with Sue Heilbronner, CEO of MergeLane Fund and Leadership Camp. Conscious Leadership AMAs are open to alumni of MergeLane programs and camps at Leadership.camp. Leaders ask about their challenges and opportunities in implementing conscious leadership into their daily work and life. This episode features a heavy focus on unconscious commitments, including how to spot clearly the patterns that we are using in our leadership and how those patterns can make us more and less effective. Raw, real and revealed inquiries and live executive coaching from Conscious Leadership Coach Sue Heilbronner on the Real Leaders Podcast.

First episode in our series Conscious Leadership AMA ("Ask Me Anything") with Sue Heilbronner, CEO of MergeLane Fund and Leadership Camp. Hear from MergeLane portfolio fund CEOs and previous attendees of Leadership.camp about their challenges and opportunities in implementing conscious leadership into their daily work and life. Part of a new, occasional series from the Real Leaders Podcast

Mat Vogels is an extremely zestful CEO. And it's no surprise that he's founded a high-momentum startup called Zestful -- which is setting the standard for the next generation of employee perks -- with the tagline "live full." Because Mat Vogels lives fully. And behind his extraordinary attitude, full-time smile, and easy way of being stands a tenacious startup founder committed to making his company a winner. In this episode of the Real Leaders podcast with Sue Heilbronner, Mat shares his two-year journey in great detail -- the big wins like a berth in Y-combinator and funding from Bessemer -- and the long and arid valleys in between. He also opens up about how his personality traits make him the best and the worst CEO of a growth company and how he is managing that self-awareness to create the best version of himself and his company. Learn about the real story behind a fast-moving startup and its all-in founder in this telling episode of Real Leaders.

This is the third and final episode (so far) of our series on living kidney donation. Here seasoned donor coordinator Neshiyqah Nash tells you everything you need to know to consider being a non-directed donor or a donor to any of the 100,000 Americans (and plenty in your country if you're not American) awaiting a donor kidney right now. Learn about the process, the donor requirements, the timelines and your next steps to become a living kidney donor in this episode of the Real Leaders Podcast with Sue Heilbronner. If you like this episode, go back to hear episode 36 with Patty Graham, a successful altruistic donor who kicked off a huge chain of donations, and episode 35 with Mike Heilbronner, the recipient of a living kidney donation.

There are only slightly more than a hundred of people each year that make a "non-directed donor" kidney donation. Patty Graham is one of them. This means that Patty voluntarily donated a kidney not knowing who would receive it, and with her decision, she sparked a chain of kidney recipients getting their life-saving organ. Hear what motivated Patty and how her sister laid the groundwork when years ago she donated a kidney to their stepfather. Patty is an inspiring force of altruism in the world. Hear her story and all the wonderful things that have flowed from her decision to donate on this episode of the Real Leaders Podcast with Sue Heilbronner.

This is the first in a 3-part Real Leaders series on living organ donation. Our focus is on living kidney donation and the 100,000 people in the United States alone who are waiting for a life-saving kidney donation. In this episode, 50-year-old Mike Heilbronner talks about his need for a new kidney in his late forties and how he navigated the questions around asking for a living donor to step forward. He also discusses the process by which he ultimately decided to do a "marketing campaign" for a new organ and how an altruistic donor whom he didn't know stepped forward to fill his need. Learn about voluntary, in-life donation and how it affects recipients in this unique episode of the Real Leaders podcast with Sue Heilbronner.

Robyn Knowlan joined her two best friends from elementary school to start a business. Instead of trying their hands at a scalable tech business and targeting a high-multiple exit, they chose a cold-pressed juice retail operation that counts thousands of techies as its biggest fans in Boulder, Colorado. Wonder Press Juice is a business built with and from love, and as well as anyone I've met, Robyn explains how heart (and a massive amount of work) can create a fast-growing, values-aligned company bent on enhancing its customers' health. Hear about the journey of Robyn as a founder, then a CEO, and about Wonder Press, both the highs and the lows in this episode of the Real Leaders Podcast with Sue Heilbronner.

Perhaps you've heard of the mission-critical first 100 days in a new role. If you're looking at a new position and wanting to ensure your success -- or if you are making a key hire and want to ensure the same for that person -- Dennis Adsit of Adsum Insights has some great insights. Dennis has been coaching through his First 100 Days program, optimizing that key stage for new hires starting from before Day 1 in a new role. Hear his thoughts on this episode of the Real Leaders Podcast with Sue Heilbronner.