Your Preshift

When you step into leadership, your job changes, but so does your identity.

In this episode of Your Preshift, we talk about the internal shift new leaders face when the work that used to define them is no longer theirs. From imposter syndrome to over-functioning, this transition can shake your confidence, and your sense of self.

We’ll explore:

You got promoted… now what? In this episode of Your Preshift, we explore one of the biggest mindset shifts new leaders face: you're no longer responsible for doing the work—you're responsible for leading the people who do it. That shift sounds simple. But in the chaos of a busy shift, it’s tempting to jump back in instead of stepping up.

We’ll unpack what real leadership responsibility looks like—how to stop being the fixer, start being the coach, and build the kind of credibility your team can count on. Plus, we’ll talk about pacing, burnout...

At some point, we all had a first leadership role. And if you’ve ever gone from being a peer to being the boss, you know: that shift can be SUPER awkward.

In this kickoff to our From Buddy to Boss series, we’re talking about what really changes when you get promoted—how people see you, what they expect, how much you doubt yourself, and what you’re suddenly responsible for.

We’ll walk through the four big shifts new leaders face (responsibilities, relationships, identity, and expectations), why they hit so hard, and how to show up wit...

We were all a first-time boss at some point.

And if you lead on the frontline, helping someone else take that step might be one of the most rewarding, enjoyable and important parts of your role.

This new Your Preshift series, From Buddy to Boss, is for both the newly promoted leader trying to figure out how to lead, and the seasoned leader guiding someone else through that shift.

Because this transition isn’t just a title change. It’s a full-body, whole-brain shift in how someone is seen, trusted, and expected to show up...

In this final episode of the Lead Like a Gardener series, Ryan doesn’t offer a framework or checklist—he offers a story.

This capstone episode traces one leader’s full growing season—from the urgency of early decisions, through the quiet work of tending, pruning, and waiting, all the way to harvest and rest. It’s a story about choosing presence over pressure, care over control, and how the hardest leadership work is often the most human.

As the season unfolds, so does the leader herself—becoming more grounded, more intentional, more like a gardener.

In this episode of Your Preshift, we explore how great leaders prepare for the next season—not by rushing forward, but by making thoughtful changes in the present.

We look at three powerful practices from gardening and what they teach us about leadership:

This episode of Your Preshift turns inward. It's not about your team, your goals, or your results—it’s about you.

When one season ends and the next hasn’t yet begun, there’s an in-between space. In the garden, it’s when the soil rests. In leadership, it’s where you catch your breath. But more than that, it’s where you begin to notice who you’re becoming.

This episode explores:

In a culture that glorifies constant motion, this episode of Your Preshift explores the leadership power of slowing down.

We often think of rest as a break we earn after burnout. But real rest—the kind that happens between seasons—isn’t passive. It’s not time off. It’s intentional, human work.

In this episode, Ryan talks about:

We usually think of harvest as the reward—the fruit, the results, the success.

But harvest is also about endings. And how we end a season says a lot about the kind of leaders we are.

In this episode of Your Preshift, we explore how our mindset—scarcity or abundance—shapes the way we let go:

Of people.

Of processes.

Of plans that no longer serve.

Scarcity says:

“Hold on. There might not be enough.”

“Don’t risk the loss.”

“Keep what’s working—even...

When we think about harvest at work, we usually picture outcomes—goals hit, results delivered, the job well done. But this episode of Your Preshift is about a different side of the harvest:

Inviting others into the moment.

Because harvest isn’t meant to be a solo act.

It’s a time to ask for help, share the work, and recognize that what we’ve grown—we’ve grown together.

In this episode, we explore:

🌾 Why asking for help isn’t a weakness, but a sign of trust and shared purpose

In this episode of Your Preshift, we’re talking about what leadership actually produces—not just in your team, but in you.

Because whether you notice it or not, your leadership creates results. The way people show up. The tone of a shift. How your team handles stress. How you handle stress. That’s the fruit.

This episode helps you pay attention to:

In this follow-up to Part 1, we continue exploring what it takes to sustain growth—especially after things have taken root.

Because once something’s growing, you don’t walk away. You prune, shape, and protect.

In Part 2, we talk about:

✂️ Pruning – making space for healthy growth by removing what no longer serves

🏗 Structure – how boundaries can free people instead of boxing them in

🛡 Protecting Vulnerable Growth – offering support without enabling or coddling

This episode reminds leaders that tending isn’t just gentle—it’s deliberate.

And sometimes, what looks like limita

Planting is just the beginning. The real work of leadership starts when you stick around.

In Part 1 of Tending What You’ve Planted, we explore what it means to stay present with your team after the role is assigned and the shift has started. Like gardeners, leaders have to tend—through attention, encouragement, and care.

This episode covers:

👀 Observation – how noticing patterns, effort, and energy helps you lead better

💧 Watering – why everyday recognition matters more than we realize

🌿 Weeding – how small corrections early on can prevent bigger problems later

Because what you don’t...

In this episode of Your Preshift, we turn our attention to one of the most powerful questions a leader can ask:

“What am I cultivating here?”

Because like a garden, your team culture doesn’t grow by accident. It grows from what—and who—you plant.

We explore how planting isn’t just about putting people in roles—it’s about why you put them there, and what you expect to grow.

You’ll hear:

Before anything can grow, a gardener prepares the soil. And the same goes for leaders. In this episode of Your Preshift, we explore what it means to create the kind of environment where growth is actually possible—for your team and for you. We talk about breaking up hard ground, removing what’s in the way, and tending to the condition of your own heart and mind. Because when your leadership starts to harden with cynicism, overload, or disappointment—your people feel it first. And if you want something new to grow, you have to start with the soil.

In this kickoff to the Lead Like a Gardener series, we explore why so many leaders default to pressure, control, and quick fixes—especially in fast-paced environments. Drawing on the contrast between mechanic-style leadership and gardener-style leadership, this episode unpacks how true growth doesn’t come from tightening bolts, but from tending to the soil people grow in. If you’ve ever felt like you're the only one driving results, or like you’re stuck being the fixer instead of the leader—this conversation is for you.

Because even in a mechanic-first world, you still get to choose how...

In this opening episode of the Lead Like a Gardener series, we introduce a leadership mindset that trades control for cultivation. Inspired by years of learning and leading at Thrive, Ryan contrasts “mechanic-style” leadership—quick fixes and control—with the steady, intentional work of gardeners who prepare, plant, nurture, and wait.

Great leaders don’t force growth. They create the conditions for people to thrive.

This episode lays the foundation for the series and invites listeners to rethink how they lead: not by tightening bolts, but by tending the soil

In the final episode of our Fantastic Four series, we explore how curiosity keeps teams engaged, adaptive, and human.

We unpack what healthy curiosity looks like—and how unhealthy curiosity can subtly erode trust. You’ll learn how curiosity is rooted in trust, agency, and hope—and why cultivating it makes leadership easier, not harder. We offer practical ways to model and inspire curiosity on the frontline, including how to turn reactive moments into reflective ones.

Plus, we dig into how humility powers curiosity, and how staying open as a leader helps your team grow. Because...

In this episode of Your Preshift, we explore the quiet but powerful role of hope in frontline leadership. Hope isn’t just wishful thinking—it’s the belief that the future can be better, and that we have a role in making it so. We talk about how hope grows in gritty, everyday moments, how it connects to trust and agency, and why it can feel so out of reach when people are just trying to survive. You’ll hear how leaders can inspire hope through presence, truth-telling, and belief—especially when hope is hardest to find. And we’ll close wit...

What if the real power of leadership isn’t just about giving direction—but giving people the belief that they can lead too? In this episode of Your Preshift, we explore the second trait in our Fantastic Four of frontline leadership: agency.

Agency is more than motivation or job clarity—it’s the deep, internal belief that I can act, I can decide, and what I do matters. We’ll talk about how leaders inspire agency by giving trust, not just tasks—and why believing in someone’s judgment is what actually helps them grow.

You’ll learn how to s...

In this episode of Your Preshift, we explore what it means to inspire trust—not build it, earn it, or create it. Inspiring trust is different because it’s rooted in presence and belief, not performance or control. The big idea: when leaders GIVE trust freely, they spark ownership, but when they make people earn it, they create compliance and entitlement. We talk about how giving trust connects to the human spirit, shifts power dynamics, and develops both the team and the leader. Plus, we’ll reflect on how trustworthy we are as leaders—and challenge ourselves to take one smal...

In this episode of Your Preshift, we explore what inspiration really means on the frontlines of leadership—and why it’s not about big speeches or grand gestures. Instead, real inspiration happens in everyday moments through presence, belief, and how you show up. Ryan introduces the “Fantastic Four” of frontline leadership: Trust, Hope, Agency, and Curiosity—the four human experiences every great leader inspires in their team. Tune in to discover how small shifts in your daily leadership can create big ripple effects.

Some of Ryan's favorite inspirational talks from real life:

I Have a Dream by Mar...

Welcome to the very first episode of Your Preshift—the 10-15-minute podcast for leaders who want to show up more human and lead with heart.

In this kickoff episode, host Ryan Bond—Chief People Officer at Thrive Restaurant Group—shares why frontline leaders are the true game-changers in any organization. With nearly 8,000 team members across 185 restaurants, Ryan brings real-world insight into what it really takes to lead people on the frontlines of work.

💥 If you’re leading a shift, managing a team, or just trying to make it through a busy day—this episode is your reminde...