ADAPT or die

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, Andreas Pettersson sits down with Marlene Braga, a dynamic creative executive whose career spans iconic organizations like ABC News, A&E, Azteca America, PBS, and now the Skirball Cultural Center, where she leads public programming. Born in Miami and “made in Havana,” Marlene is a Cold War kid whose family fled the Cuban revolution—fueling her instinct to move forward at all costs. From print production at Gap to working with Steve Jobs, her journey is defined by audacious pivots, fearless action, and learning to lead without permission. In this c...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech CEO-turned-executive coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Stephanie Hammerwold, Head of HR at the Skirball Cultural Center and a passionate advocate for humane leadership. With an HR career spanning warehousing, tech, the arts, and more, Stephanie has spent decades in service of people. But her journey reveals a hard truth: when you say yes to everything, you disappear. From being tethered to her computer during the pandemic to burning out in the name of being “available,” Stephanie shares how she rebuilt her leadership with radical honesty, boundary-setting, and...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Cindy Chang, seasoned product leader and resilience-builder. Known for thriving in ambiguity and leading with empathy, curiosity, and conviction, Cindy’s journey is anything but conventional. After losing her father in a traumatic moment her senior year of high school—and facing abandonment and isolation soon after—Cindy didn’t just survive. She learned to own her story, build her tribe, and turn vulnerability into a leadership advantage. Today, she’s a powerhouse PM with an unshakable center—and a deep belief in the stren...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Marina St. Cyr, Senior Vice President and operational powerhouse with over 20 years of experience scaling companies, leading cross-functional teams, and orchestrating $100M+ transformations. But Marina’s biggest pivot wasn’t strategic—it was internal. From doubting her worth in high-stakes M&A to commanding a room full of execs with nothing but her instincts and a cell phone, Marina reveals how she stopped waiting for permission, started trusting her voice, and built the seat she knew she deserved.

Challenge →
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On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Kana Waanders, Lead Senior Software Engineer and co-author of Power Without Permission. Kana blends technical expertise with empathetic leadership, having grown from an intern to a trusted team leader by fostering trust, owning her voice, and leading with authenticity and compassion. Her journey reflects the transformative power of turning fear into fuel—both in and out of the office, where she doubles as a certified Jazzercise instructor. From near-burnout in grad school to nearly walking away from her leadership role, Kana reveals ho...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Michele Jewett—ICF-certified executive coach, longtime CEO facilitator, and founder of Q4 Leaders. With over 15 years helping high-performing leaders align performance with fulfillment, Michele shares the story of how her own life was rocked at 45: kids off to college, a dissolving marriage, no income, and a debilitating case of vertigo. Her path back? A simple but profound three-step framework: conceive, believe, achieve.

Challenge → Facing an empty nest, the collapse of her marriage, and no financial safety net, Michele had to comp...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Julie Stone, Director of Human Experience at Milestone Systems and co-author of Power Without Permission. With over two decades of experience in human-centered business transformation, Julie has built her career on turning empathy into action—mentoring emerging leaders, driving customer experience programs, and leading go-to-market strategies that prioritize people at the core. Her leadership superpower? Radical self-awareness. From feeling invisible in early sales meetings to intentionally rewriting how she shows up in every room, Julie shares the tactical mindset shifts that helped he...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, Andreas Pettersson sits down with Cheryl Strizelka, a neurodivergent mother, wife, and thought leader in the HR field. Known for her gift of reading the room and making people feel seen, Cheryl shares the raw, honest journey from people-pleasing and self-doubt to calm, confident leadership. After two decades in HR and a personal reckoning with imposter syndrome, Cheryl has become a powerful advocate for working women—helping them challenge limiting beliefs, stop over-apologizing, and reclaim their voice. From cutting her own hair to cutting ties with toxic leadership, Cheryl’s st...

On this episode of Adapt or Die, executive coach Andreas Pettersson talks with Martha Chrisander—former journalist, B2B SaaS leader, and co-author of Power Without Permission. From quietly crying off-camera at a company-wide kickoff to winning “Employee of the Year” moments later, Martha takes us inside her transformation from insecure overachiever to confident leader. She shares how imposter syndrome, internalized perfectionism, and generational pressure nearly stole her joy—and how a bold coaching exercise finally shattered the negative self-talk. The result: a more open, grounded leadership style and a generational pattern broken for her sons.

Challenge → Despite ex...

On this episode of Adapt or Die, executive coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Theresa Bassett, CEO of The Diamond Group—a digital marketing and sales strategy firm that’s helped clients generate over $550 million in revenue. Theresa recounts a defining moment in 2015 when a legal settlement demanded she grow revenue by 80% in under 100 days—or risk losing everything. From launching 27 websites in four weeks to winning an international airport contract with no prior experience, she unpacks how grit, clarity, and a proprietary roadmap called Momentum helped her turn chaos into a thriving, scalable agency.

Challenge → A crushing...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, Andreas Pettersson sits down with award-winning educator, consultant, and podcast host Scott J. Allen, Ph.D.—a leadership expert who’s trained organizations like NASA, Cleveland Clinic, and Toyota. Scott unpacks why most leaders fail not because of change, but because they cling to control. From psychological safety to adaptive leadership, this conversation rewires how we think about effective teams and decision-making in complexity.

Challenge → Too many leaders believe they must have the answers—creating environments where silence, blame, and outdated mindsets prevent growth.

Adaptation → Scott lean...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, tech CEO-turned-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Michel Langlois, one of the most respected CTOs in the U.S. and author of Beyond the Code. Michel shares how he helped transform Calix from a struggling hardware company into the #1 rural fiber provider in America. With zero safety nets and a bold vision, he led the company through a radical seven-year reinvention that scaled market cap 8X—and reshaped an entire industry.

Challenge → A collapsing hardware model, legacy resistance, and the sudden loss of 40% of revenue as the comp...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, Andreas Pettersson welcomes Spencer Horn, President & CEO of Altium Leadership & Coaching and former NASDAQ company executive. Spencer reveals the hard-earned leadership lessons behind his “Delegate to Elevate” philosophy—helping overwhelmed leaders escape bottleneck mode and build high-functioning teams that think, act, and lead. He unpacks how micromanagement nearly cost him everything and why vulnerability and accountability are now his greatest strengths.

Challenge → Spencer went from running a struggling training firm during the 2008 recession to becoming CEO—with no budget, rising pressure, and a command-and-control style that backfired, fast.

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On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, Andreas Pettersson sits down with Nicolas Pokorny, neuroscientist, global executive, and Founder & CEO of Mammoth Leadership Sciences. With over 30 years of experience leading multicultural teams, Nicolas unpacks a pivotal leap: moving from managing a small group of direct reports to guiding a large, layered organization. His approach—rooted in neuroscience, organizational behavior, and strategic transformation—has helped shape cultures so strong, one was accused of being “too good to be true.”

Challenge → Nicolas went from leading a team of 8 to overseeing a 100-person department through multiple leadership layers, cu...

When COVID shut down every client contract and wiped out his production pipeline, Graeme Watt—Principal and Lead Strategist of the award-winning agency Anthem Creative—faced an unthinkable leadership moment. On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, host Andreas Pettersson unpacks how Graeme chose purpose over panic and commissioned a self-funded storytelling project that became a viral beacon of hope.

From launching grassroots nonprofits to helping organizations like World Vision and The Chosen raise over $50 million, Graeme’s career has centered on human flourishing. But when the pandemic struck, his team’s future was at risk—...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, Andreas Pettersson speaks with Tom Galido—5x founder, 3x CEO, and heart transplant survivor—about what it really takes to scale businesses and survive life-altering adversity. From collapsing in the CEO seat to rebooting his life during COVID lockdown, Tom shares raw truths about operational risk, startup culture traps, and why resilience is the most undervalued trait in business.

Challenge → A life-threatening heart condition hit just as Tom was leading a turnaround—forcing him to balance hospital stays with board meetings, succession planning, and shielding his kids from fea...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Bill Weathersby, 8-time founder and Chairman of Next Stage Trajectory. Bill shares raw, battle-tested lessons from 40+ years of building, scaling, and selling founder-led businesses—offering sharp insight into when to fire a salesperson, how to accelerate go-to-market without a perfect product, and why “success starts with knowing your walk-off number.”

Challenge → Hiring top sales talent with

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Rick Williams—physicist-turned-CEO, board advisor, and author of the Amazon #1 best-seller Create the Future. With decades of cross-industry leadership experience, Rick distills a lifetime of insight into one radical premise: Success is a choice. From boardrooms that fear dissent to entrepreneurs climbing toward irrational dreams, this conversation delivers a masterclass in intentional decision-making.

Challenge → Leaders often make decisions in a vacuum—disconnected from long-term impact and driven by conformity, not clarity. Too many let business plans collec...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Alex Kuhn, founder of Born to Lead®—one of the fastest-growing coaching companies in the world. From NCAA swim coach to serial entrepreneur, Alex shares why most business models crush true leaders—and how ditching $200K worth of “expert advice” helped him scale purpose-driven brands and a portfolio of impact, all while prioritizing dinner with his family.

Challenge → Leaving a successful coaching career to launch a business that earned just $4,225 in its first year, despite sinking $200,000+ into programs, masterminds, and systems tha...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Ryan Schonfeld, a former police officer and the founder & CEO of HiveWatch—a SaaS security platform reshaping how enterprises protect their people and assets. Ryan shares how frustration with outdated security systems pushed him to leave a Fortune 500 role and build a venture-backed startup amid a global pandemic.

Challenge → A career bound by “that’s how it’s always been done,” disconnected legacy systems, and a security industry slow to innovate—just as COVID-19 shut down the world and decentralized every workplac...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, executive coach and former tech CEO Andreas Pettersson speaks with Marius Vygantas, founder of Soling Partners and former Project Manager in the Executive Office of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. From Chicago to Dubai and back, Marius shares how trusting his gut—and preserving his integrity—shaped a 20-year global career spanning sovereign strategy, aerospace, and international business development.

Challenge → Marius left Goldman Sachs and the Federal Reserve to move to the Middle East at 23—with no local contacts. He faced high-stakes negotiations, geopolitical nuance...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, executive coach and former tech CEO Andreas Pettersson sits down with Annette Franz, globally recognized thought leader, author of three books, and CEO of CX Journey Inc. With 30+ years of experience in culture transformation, EX, and CX, Annette shares what most leaders get wrong about customer experience—and why it’s rarely a “communication” issue.

Challenge → Companies struggling with retention, poor CX, or stagnant growth often blame surface issues—but Annette reveals that the true bottleneck is cultural misalignment and disengaged leadership at the top.

Adaptation →...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, executive coach and former tech CEO Andreas Pettersson sits down with Marina St. Cyr, Partner & SVP of Operations at Access Partners, commercial real estate investor, published author, and mother of four. With a career shaped by complex M&As and cross-functional leadership, Marina brings battle-tested insights on navigating professional reinvention—without losing sight of what matters most at home.

Challenge → Leading multiple companies and teams through high-stakes acquisitions while balancing personal responsibilities, Marina was repeatedly forced to adapt, reset, and reframe her path.

Adaptation → Marina embrac...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech CEO turned executive coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Carolina Hernandez—CEO, real estate investor, and proud Latina leader breaking barriers in construction and beyond. As co-owner of LouisGloria Painting LLC, Carolina runs a 50+ employee luxury painting firm serving the top 1% of Dallas-Fort Worth. But she started as an 18-year-old bookkeeper who solved an IRS audit and earned the trust of her now-mentor and business partner.

Challenge → Being both the founder’s family and the only w...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Tim McVay, second-generation president of Marco Transport—a 31-truck heavy-haul fleet moving 260-thousand-pound “yellow iron” across the Southwest. Tim recounts how a routine scan in 2023 blindsided him with Stage-4 colorectal cancer and why he still shows up at 6 a.m., greets every nurse with “I’m fantastic,” and opens the company books so employees feel like owners.

Challenge → A sudden terminal diagnosis, surging insurance costs, and a labor market where driver turnover can hit 100 %—all while Tim’s father’s legacy company faced...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Stella Han, software-engineer-turned-founder of Fractional, the platform letting everyday investors pool small checks into big real-estate deals. Stella traces her journey from “cheap family labor” on Bay-Area flips to hacking a one-page mock-site that drew 2,000 wait-listers and vaulted her into Y Combinator—then reveals the high-stakes pivot that saved the company.

Challenge → Legal and accounting chaos crushed early group deals, and a consumer-focused product stalled when rising rates froze $5k hobby investors.Adaptation → After a six-hour co-founder debate, Stella yanked the consumer r...

In her teens, poet and entrepreneur Ryanna Hammond felt life slipping out of reach. By 28, she’d published seven books, launched the lifestyle brand All With Heart, healed generational wounds—and is now preparing for motherhood. In this episode of ADAPT or Die, Ryanna walks host Andreas Pettersson through the inner work that turned a private journal into a public mission.

Challenge → Years of depression, disordered eating, and self-doubt left Ryanna stuck in numbing routines.Adaptation → A four-month, full-time therapy program—mixing CBT, breath-work, group sessions, and daily writing—taught her radical honesty and vulnerability. With a nudge from a frien...

Supply-chain whiplash, 40 % ingredient hikes, and an ERP rollout that face-planted—2022 nearly soured Alex Wendling, 28-year-old president of Custom Flavors. In this episode of ADAPT or Die, Alex reveals how scrapping a six-figure system (and 13 months of work) became the catalyst for three straight years of double-digit growth.

Challenge → COVID demand spikes and runaway costs exposed brittle pricing models while a “can’t-fail” software switch ground production to a halt.Adaptation → Alex pulled the plug, rebuilt on a real-time operating system, and shifted from hands-on “chief problem solver” to process-first strategist—empowering leads to own decisions and standardizing every meeting, hand-off...

Most elite leaders swear by data—but ignore the data their own bodies generate. Neuro-emotional performance coach Leila Entezam joins host Andreas Pettersson to prove that feelings are the missing metric at the top.

Challenge → High-stakes CEOs, founders, and athletes hit a wall: detachment, compartmentalization, and a nagging sense of emptiness despite record-breaking results.Adaptation → Leila blends neuroscience, psychology, and EQ to show why the brain processes information emotion-first. By slowing down, cultivating somatic awareness, and seeing emotions as a critical dataset, high performers unlock deeper decision-making, richer connections, and sustainable momentum.Success → Clients trade burnout for balance, rebuild...

Serial entrepreneur and technologist Jeff Kunzelman (3 exits out of 6 startups) joins Andreas to unpack why today’s AI wave is “10 × bigger—and faster—than the original internet boom.”

They cover:

Challenge - Spotting market-shifting tech before it’s obvious—and the risk of waiting even 12 months.Adaptation - Using generative-AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Notebook LM) to collapse weeks of research and prototyping into minutes—and the culture shift CEOs need to spark that curiosity.Success - Building leaner, higher-impact teams, saving 2–3 hours per day, and turning interns into instant thought partners.

Lightning Round highlights: Jeff’s current AI tool sta...

When securities attorney & serial entrepreneur Bethany LaFlam watched her first investment fund implode, she lost more than cash—she lost confidence. In this premiere of ADAPT or Die, host Andreas Pettersson unpacks the exact moment Bethany hit rock-bottom, the mindset pivot that set her free, and the measurable wins that followed.

Challenge → A brilliantly complex $50 M fund no investor could understand—followed by debt, doubt, and angry LPs.Adaptation → Bethany gave herself permission to fail forward, invested in masterminds & coaching, and coined her core philosophy: OPE—Other People’s Everything.Success → She rebuilt credit, launched a thriving securities law firm, and...

ADAPT or die: Transformative Leadership Conversations is a weekly podcast where former tech CEO and leadership coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with top executives, founders, and change-makers to dissect the pivotal moments that forced them to pivot—or perish.

Each 30-minute episode follows a Challenge → Adaptation → Success framework, offering real-world insights into how leaders navigate disruption.

Episodes also feature a rapid-fire “Hot-Seat” coaching segment, providing actionable takeaways for listeners.

Visit www.leadersadapt.com/adaptordie for show notes, free resources, and coaching programs.

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