Extraordinary Leadership PODCAST

You know the leader you want to be. So why do you keep leading the old way? I knew exactly what kind of leader I wanted to be. In my meetings, I wanted to speak 20% and give 80% of the space to others. And I was still doing the opposite. In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, I share five misconceptions, traps I fell into myself, that slowed down my transformation, my business results and my impact. I see the same traps in the senior leaders I work with. Each comes with a real example from my corporate career...

The old change playbook told us to define where we are, describe where we're going, and close the gap. But what happens when the future state keeps shifting before you get there, and your people are exhausted from constant change? In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, I sit down with Alejandra Garcia, a transformation leader with over two decades of experience turning procurement organizations from service providers into value-creating business partners across FMCG and pharma. She is a chemical engineer by training, a systems thinker by nature, and a certified systemic coach. We explore why “change has ch...

What if one of the greatest risks for an experienced leader is relying too much on what they already know?

In a world being reshaped by AI, uncertainty and constant change, yesterday’s experience alone cannot prepare us for tomorrow’s challenges.

Extraordinary leaders never stop growing & becoming.

In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, Dagmara sits down with Ahmed Al Mahmood, a strategic advisor and certified excellence assessor with nearly two decades of experience across strategy, performance transformation and government excellence in the UAE.

Ahmed shares the philosophy that has...

What if the next level of your leadership, business and life doesn't require you to do more — but to become more of who you truly are?

In this solo episode, Dagmara Asbreuk explores one of the foundational principles of Extraordinary Leadership™: your identity creates your reality.

Many ambitious CEOs and executives know they are capable of more. They have a bigger vision for their leadership, their impact, their business and their life. Yet despite more strategy, more knowledge and more effort, a gap can remain between what they know is possible and what they are actu...

In 350 years of technological disruption, steam, electricity, the internet, mobile, the number of times a government or industry has successfully stopped a technology from disrupting society is zero.

So the question isn't "should AI happen." It's: are you the leader who adapts, or the one who gets left explaining why you didn't?

I sat down with Brett King, ranked the #7 futurist in the world, advisor to the Obama administration and EU ministers, and dubbed the "King of Disruption" by the banking press, for a conversation that goes far beyond AI trends into what it actually...

Every ambitious leader reaches a moment where growth feels blocked and almost no one realizes what's actually happening.

In this episode, Dagmara reveals the hidden pattern that shows up at every threshold of expansion and why the most talented, experienced leaders are often the ones most likely to miss it.

Whether you're leading organizational transformation, scaling your business, or navigating a career reinvention, this episode will change how you interpret the moments of struggle and restlessness that precede your next level.

You'll discover:

• The two very different ways expansion announces itself, th...

What if the relationships you're not nurturing are the exact doors that strategy alone can never open?

In this episode, Dagmara sits down with Gautam Ganglani, author of Breaking Bread, CEO of Right Selection for Thought Leadership, and a master of building meaningful relationships to explore the one skill most leaders underestimate as they climb higher: the ability to connect with real intention.

In this episode you'll discover:

• Why meaningful relationships are the engine behind leadership impact, influence, and success

• What "breaking bread" actually means and how it goes far beyond dinn...

There's an invisible operating system running underneath every decision you make, every team you lead, and every result your business creates.   

Dagmara calls it your inner baseline — and most leaders never know it exists, even while it's quietly shaping the ceiling on their leadership impact and business performance.  

In this episode, Dagmara breaks down the three elements that make up your inner baseline

  — your identity (the subconscious self-image you operate from),

  - your state (the emotional and energetic baseline you default to),

 - and the subconscious patterns shaping your perception an...

In a world of constant noise, uncertainty, and stress, one of the most powerful tools for leaders is one you already carry with you, your breath.

In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, host Dagmara Asbreuk sits down with breathwork expert and certified Wim Hof and IMD instructor Florine Baudois to explore why breathwork is no longer a wellness trend but a leadership essential.

Florine Slingerland-Baudoin is a Dutch wellness entrepreneur based in Dubai. With a background in Health Care Management and a specialization in vitality and lifestyle, she began her career as a...

The armor that protected you once is now the ceiling of your leadership and business.

The most capable & ambitious leaders I work with share one pattern: somewhere between childhood and the C-suite, they built protection mechanisms so effective - they forgot they were wearing them.

For most high-performing leaders, it sounded like:

→ "I need to be exceptional to be worthy."

→ "I need to control the environment to stay safe."

→ "I need to make everyone happy, or things fall apart."

They worked. They got you here. But they're runnin...

The world outside is shaking. Markets shifting. Geopolitical noise. AI disruption. Constant uncertainty. And somewhere in the middle of all of it — you are still expected to lead.

This episode is about what actually matters in those moments. Not strategy. Not crisis management frameworks. The one thing most leaders overlook entirely: the state from which they are leading.

Because here is what I see. Most leaders are trying to navigate uncertainty from an inner operating system that is already dysregulated — tense, reactive, worried, disconnected from their vision — without even realising it. And from that state, even t...

AI is transforming technology. 

But it’s also transforming leadership. 

Every era redefines what leadership requires.  

In the industrial era, leverage was intellectual. 

Now — in the exponential AI era — the real leverage is shifting to Human intelligence. Emotional capacity. Consciousness.  

Most leaders haven’t fully caught up to this shift yet.  

And that gap is already visible — in how decisions are made, how teams respond, and how change is led.  

In my latest podcast episode, I explore 5 leadership shifts that will determine which leaders thrive in the age of AI. 

Tania Tasopoulou, CEO of ORC Design Ways, joins Dagmara Asbreuk to discuss the profound impact of AI on leadership and organizational design. Discover why AI's ease of use is reshaping jobs and forcing leaders to elevate their human skills.

This episode is for CEOs, executives, and leaders navigating the new AI era who want to move beyond skepticism and understand the true strategic and human implications of this technology.

Learn how to transform your organization's jobs and leverage AI for exponential growth without losing your best people.

What You’ll Learn:

Wh...

 Organizations spend money on training that only benefits about 22% of employees. Learn why, and how to fix it.

In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, host Dagmara Asbreuk speaks with Dr. Neil Katz, who has spent over 30 years leading teams and developing the "CARS" model to help leaders understand employees more holistically and make smarter developmental decisions. They dive into the critical topic of employee productivity, which drives organizational performance.

Dr. Katz shares surprising research findings, including:

If you don’t build leaders, your business—and your career—will eventually stall.

I’ve lived this firsthand.

For years, I was the trusted expert.
The one with the answers.
The one advising the top and shaping strategy.

From the outside, it looked like success.

Partially—it was.

But underneath was an attachment to the identity of the expert who leads a team, not the leader who builds leaders.

And that came at a cost: slower execution, limited delegation, and leadership potential left untapped.

Culture isn’t a slogan.

 It’s fuel for business performance and success. 

 And here’s the real challenge: 

Many leaders try to “build culture” through policies, perks, or programs — while culture is actually shaped in the moments that matter most: how you lead, how you listen, and what you tolerate.  

That’s why, in the latest episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, I sit down with Emma Davies, Founder of Evolve People Network and Evolve Hub, and a People & Culture leader with 20+ years of experience across the UAE and KSA. 

Together, we un...

Welcome to the first episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast in 2026.

A new year is not just a calendar shift.
It’s an energetic declaration.

In this opening episode, Dagmara Asbreuk shares the 8 principles legacy leaders live by—a next-level leadership playbook drawn from years of guiding senior executives, founders, and transformational leaders across the globe.

These are not productivity tips.
They are identity-based rules of success.

You’ll explore:

Why declaring certainty (not hoping) sets elite leaders apart

How to shape a vision beyond limita...

Every leader eventually hits an invisible ceiling — not from lack of effort, but from an identity that hasn't caught up to the next level of leadership.

As we close out the year, this episode is an invitation to reflect: who have you become this year as a leader, and what are you being called to step into next?

Drawing on a decade of walking this path herself — and guiding many talented leaders through it — Dagmara breaks down the three conscious shifts that move a leader from unconscious limitation into extraordinary leadership:

1. From conditioned autopi...

What if the very place you’ve been leading from — your logical, analytical, problem-solving mind — is the very thing limiting your growth?

What if the next level of strategy, clarity, boldness, and impact doesn’t come from more thinking… but from accessing the wider human intelligence system you were born with?

In this paradigm-shifting episode, Dagmara Asbreuk unpacks why leading solely from the mind keeps CEOs, executives, and visionary founders trapped in linear growth, repeated patterns, overthinking, and paralysis — and how to break through into a new operating model for leadership.

Dagmara reveals:

The hi...

Many leaders today find themselves in a phase of reinvention or career transition—and this will only become more common in the years ahead.

If you’re an executive who is sensing a shift, desiring a new chapter, or navigating unexpected change, this episode was created for you.

In this powerful conversation, Dagmara Asbreuk—Executive & Transformational Coach, Speaker, and Founder of the Extraordinary Leadership Movement—shares a transformational lens that helps leaders navigate transitions with more ease, trust, confidence, clarity, and momentum.

Whether you are:

✨ Feeling called toward a bigger impact, a more inf...

In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, host Dagmara Asbreuk sits down with Christopher Salem—workplace strategist, bestselling author, keynote speaker, and host of Sustainable Success—to unpack the real engine behind high-performing teams: emotional intelligence (EQ).

Chris shares the personal turning point that shaped his mission. Until 31, he lived from anger, anxiety, and addiction—patterns rooted in childhood and a deep need for validation.

His father’s passing sparked a profound realization: we repeat emotional patterns until we take responsibility to change them. From there, Chris committed to what Dagmara calls inner mastery—recovery...

In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, Dagmara Asbreuk sits down with Florent Couturier — a high-performing investment leader who walked away from a decade-long corporate career, rebuilt himself from the inside out, and is now on a mission to reshape an entire industry.

When Florent first reached out, he was leading a €2B flagship tech investment fund. On paper: successful, trusted by the CEO, building a strong team. Inside: exhausted, carrying it all, pushing harder… and still not getting the ownership or performance he knew was possible.

He tried everything the “textbook leadership” way — set the visi...

Every leader faces moments when things don’t go as planned — results stall, uncertainty rises, and doubt creeps in. But what if these moments weren’t setbacks… but invitations?

In this episode, Dagmara Asbreuk, Executive & Transformational Coach and Founder of Extraordinary Leadership, shares a powerful framework — the 5 ways to navigate challenging times — so you can transform uncertainty into opportunity and emerge stronger, wiser, and more aligned with your highest leadership potential.

You’ll discover how to:

✨ Shift your perspective and see challenges as gifts.

✨ Zoom out to regain clarity and balance. ✨ Master your state an...

In this latest Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, I sat down with an inspiring leader - Amit Grover — Founder & Managing Partner of a global IP advisory firm.

He brings over 27 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience across brand marketing, consulting, and venture capital.

Amit’s journey is a powerful testimony of how adversity can shape you into the best version of yourself - and a leader who inspires.

Raised by a single mother, he faced judgment, loss, and even a near-death health crisis. The turning point came when he chose ownership over victimhood.

From...

Most leaders get stuck chasing small, incremental growth - working harder for 5–10% improvements year after year.

But extraordinary leaders don’t play in that paradigm. They think exponentially.

In this episode of The Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, Dagmara Asbreuk unpacks the mechanics of exponential growth and why it’s actually easier—and far more impactful—than linear growth.

She reveals:

The hidden costs of staying trapped in linear, incremental growth. Why exponential growth unlocks possibility, bold vision, and faster results with less effort.

How visionary leaders embody exponential thinking, redefine industries...

In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, host Dagmara Asbreuk welcomes Begonia V. Merayo—founder of Net4Tech and Y-Consult, executive coach, speaker, and trainer.

Begonia shares her remarkable journey from building a global corporate career to pioneering new ways of empowering women in technology and driving cultural transformation in organizations.

Together, Dagmara and Begonia explore what it takes to shape a new narrative of leadership—one that is diverse, inclusive, and future-oriented. They discuss pivotal career transitions, the importance of networks and allyship, and the role leaders play in creating environments where diverse tale...

Is your leadership team good, but not yet extraordinary?

Many executive teams operate “well enough,” but remain stuck between two extremes:

Efficient but disconnected → focused on results but lacking trust and deeper cohesion.

Friendly but unchallenging → harmonious but avoiding difficult conversations and accountability.

Both scenarios leave enormous potential untapped in business performance, innovation, culture, and engagement. In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, I reveal:

✅ The five key behaviors that differentiate good teams from truly high-performing ones.

✅ Why staying “good” is the most dangerous place for a leadership tea...

In this powerful episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, host Dagmara Asbreuk sits down with seasoned HR executive Maher Sabbagh, whose 20+ years of global experience—from Jordan to Sudan, Lithuania to Bangladesh—have shaped a profound understanding of human-centric leadership in times of transformation.

Together, they explore:

✨ What it really means to put people first in today’s corporate landscape

✨ Why empathy is not weakness, but a leadership superpower

✨ How to balance business results with genuine connection and care

✨ The role of HR as a strategic business partner, not just a support...

In this powerful episode I’m joined by Tom Mills – a seasoned procurement leader, soft skills coach, and self-proclaimed procurement protagonist with over 100,000 followers on LinkedIn.

Together, we dive deep into what truly drives high-performing, future-proof leadership – and it's not what most procurement functions focus on.

🎯 What we cover in this episode:

Tom’s personal journey with leadership pressure, anxiety, and imposter syndrome

Why self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and communication are the real differentiators in procurement

The human side of procurement: building trust, psychological safety, and empowered teams

What makes a...

How often do you actually pause to honor how far you’ve come?

This new episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast is your invitation to do just that.

In this episode, I guide you through a deep mid-year reflection and vision reset. Whether the first half of 2025 brought big wins—or you’re still waiting for your goals to unfold—this is the moment to realign, recalibrate, and rise with intention.

You’ll walk away with: A chance to celebrate what worked and release what didn’t A guided reflection and envisioning practice to anchor cl...

The future of leadership splits into two paths.

One – all too familiar: Leaders losing talent, burning out silently, and wondering why their efforts no longer deliver. Disconnected from themselves, they push harder, sacrificing energy, families, and teams—stuck in outdated patterns.

Worse still:

Organizations operating in survival mode

—risking burnout, losing top talent, or failing altogether. But there’s another way

—a rising path. Leaders who thrive by leading with trust, presence, clarity, and purpose. They create meaningful shifts in results, culture, wellbeing, and long-term impact

—transforming from an empo...

If you've been trying to shift culture, take your team to the next level, transform your business or step into a bigger role, and something still feels off, the answer may not be out there.

It's within. We're in an era where AI is redefining business success.

At the same time, leaders are being invited to evolve as human beings.

More and more executives are realising that their business results, relationships and career are a reflection of what's happening inside them.

In this episode, I walk you through the 7 inner forces...

You weren’t born to play small.

Resilience. Transformation. Authentic leadership. 

They all start within.

This week on the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, I had the honor of speaking with someone whose journey will shift your perspective forever:  Nick Santonastasso—a remarkable entrepreneur, author, and keynote speaker with a story that redefines what’s possible.

Nick’s journey from a diagnosis with Hanhart syndrome, has been nothing but extraordinary. 

Given only a 30% chance to survive, to becoming an influential leader shows how inner shifts can unlock extraordinary potential.  

He authored th...

Are you ready to redefine leadership and success?

In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, discover a new paradigm.

One that leads from ease and flow, is rooted in inner alignment and powerful identity of self. One that lead to sustainable success.

Join me and Irina Sanchez-De Lozada, CEO and founder of Success From Within, in a profound discussion about a revolutionary new leadership paradigm that empowers leaders to take a more authentic, holistic, and impactful approach to their roles.

As a leader:

🌀 Reflect on personal journeys and cha...

As a leader, you can lead from one of three states: limited, empowered, or embodied. The higher the state of consciousness you lead from, the more ease, joy, and exponential growth becomes available — for you, your team, and your business.

In this episode, Dagmara unpacks what it really means to lead from your highest state — the embodied, energetic level of leadership she discovered three and a half years ago when she left corporate to build her own business.

You'll learn:

What does it really take to lead with alignment, boldness, and purpose?

This week’s podcast episode is a special one.

I sat down with one of my incredible clients, Marlies Hazelaar—founder of Let Love Lead, transformational coach, and speaker—who helps professionals align from within and lead with authenticity.

After 30 years in corporate, years of international travel, and balancing a demanding career with family life, Marlies was pulled to a bigger mission.

This is where she came to me.

Guided through Embody Extraordinary Leadership™ to make a bold tra...

What happens when everything you’ve built your identity around suddenly changes—or disappears?

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, host Dagmara Asbreuk is joined by Howie Cohen, a former U.S. Army officer turned leadership consultant, who shares his remarkable journey of transitioning from military service to civilian leadership—and how that journey led him to help other veterans do the same.

Together, they explore the emotional weight of major transitions, the silent cost of losing identity, purpose, and community, and the overlooked importance of mental fitness in leadership.

Howie opens up abo...

Hustler leadership does not serve anyone, and yet many executives and business owners are trapped in it, and I was too.

It's time to shift from a relentless hustle to a more intentional approach that fosters impact, culture, well-being, collective success, and your level of fulfillment.

Here is how the hustle culture unknowingly sabotages you and your Leadership.

There are lots of stats about exhaustion, burnout, and mental health issues....

There are many good solutions to these problems, but the most important driver is your IDENTITY. 

 Most executives and bu...

Have you ever wondered how the unique design of your energy can influence your decisions and life path?

Today, we're joined by expert Paula Torraco, who unravels the transformative power of human design.

As a leader:

🌀 Are you aligning your decisions with your true energetic self?

🌀 Discover how human design can enhance your authenticity and efficiency.

🌀 Learn to reduce reliance on external validation for more confident leadership.

🌀 Unlock your unique energetic blueprint to navigate challenges with resilience.

Your energetic blueprint can enhance self-mastery and guide you through...

How you unknowingly sabotage your Leadership & Well-Being. 

 Most leaders are trapped in invisible mind sabotage - without realizing it.

It costs your: 

 🔥 wellbeing & self care

 🔥 leadership impact 

🔥 team & business performance

 🔥 level of stress

 🔥 level of self-worth 

🔥 relationships and causing conflicts

 🔥 connection to self & others.

 These deeply wired in the subconscious saboteurs, act as filters:

 ↳ They distort reality

  ↳ Reinforce self-doubt

  ↳ Create unnecessary pressure

 ↳ Keep you reactive

  And they don’t just live in your mind - they show...