For leaders who chase big goals but crave meaning just as much as momentum — this conversation is for you.

Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Amy Porterfield, New York Times bestselling author of Two Weeks Notice, to unpack how ambition can serve you without consuming you.

Amy shares how she went from corporate employee at Tony Robbins to building a multimillion-dollar business — and how redefining “enough” transformed both her leadership and her life.

Together, they dig into the leadership lessons that every high-performer needs to hear: how to bet on yourself, stop moving the goalposts, and lead with clarity instead of chaos.

You’ll learn:

• The moment Amy realized she’d been chasing success at the expense of freedom
• How to tell the difference between healthy ambition and fear-driven overachievement
• Why most leaders keep moving the goal line — and how to stop
• The quiet leadership skill that accelerates growth: marking the moment
• How to evolve your business (and identity) without losing your purpose
• What “enough” really means — and how to build around it

This episode isn’t about slowing down — it’s about leading smarter.

📘 Grab Amy’s book: Two Weeks Notice 📰 Join her newsletter: AmyPorterfield.com/newsletter

🎧 Subscribe, comment, or leave a review — and keep leading with both strength and softness at BadassSoftie.com.

You’ve been grinding nonstop: chasing goals, managing pressure, holding it all together. But lately, even the wins don’t feel like wins anymore. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. In this solo episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson unpacks how burnout quietly steals your joy, and how reclaiming joy isn’t about pretending things are fine. It’s about reconnecting to purpose, energy, and the strength to keep showing up. Here's what you'll get: -Why burnout happens even when you “love what you do” -The science behind joy and how it rewires your brain for resilience -How to stop seeing joy as a reward — and start practicing it as daily work -What leaders gain when they make space for joy: clarity, courage, and connection -3 practical ways to reclaim joy this week (even when you don’t feel it yet) 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube @BadassSoftie 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify Joy isn’t what happens after you succeed, it’s what keeps you going. When you stop waiting for joy and start practicing it, you’ll lead (and live) like a true Badass Softie. www.BadassSoftie.com

What do you do when life doesn’t go to plan — when the roadblocks, losses, and grief feel like they’ve stopped you in your tracks? In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson opens up about the year he lost his father and became a dad in the same weekend. Through stories of heartbreak and unexpected joy, J.J. reveals how to keep moving forward when grief and growth show up at the same time. This episode isn’t prescriptive — it’s honest, human, and grounded in what it really means to lead through hard seasons without losing yourself. You’ll learn how to create small victories, stay connected to your community, and lead with compassion even when life feels uncertain. Here’s what you’ll take away: -How to keep moving when hardship hits at the most inconvenient time -Why creating small victories helps you stay grounded in chaos -The power of being fearlessly courageous with your community -How vulnerability builds strength, not weakness -Why compassion is the key to healing and forward movement -A simple monthly reflection practice to help you mark the moment and move 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube @BadassSoftie 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify When you stop waiting for life to get easier and start leading through both the heartbreak and the hope, you’ll discover what it truly means to lead with strength and softness — the heart of a Badass Softie. www.BadassSoftie.com

Most leaders don’t fail because they lack skill — they fail because they stop asking the right questions. When the path feels murky, pressure mounts, and clarity fades, it’s easy to slip into control or chaos. In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Amy Smith — a leadership coach and consultant who’s led global training for Apple, coached executive teams for McDonald’s, and served as VP of Certification at StoryBrand. Amy brings two decades of frontline leadership experience to show you how to build trust, create clarity, and lead through uncertainty. Together, J.J. and Amy unpack five guiding questions every leader should be asking to stay grounded and effective. You’ll learn why assuming positive intent changes every conversation, how to make confident calls when the path isn’t clear, and how the right one-on-ones can completely transform team culture. Here’s what you’ll take away: -The mindset shift that turns judgment into curiosity and builds lasting trust -How to lead with clarity when you don’t have all the answers -The five guiding questions that re-center your leadership in any situation -Why one-on-ones are your most powerful leadership tool — and how to use them -How to simplify meetings so they actually drive results -The single shift that unlocks trust, ownership, and growth on your team

Connect with Amy directly via email at Amy@HonuLeadership.comLinkedin.com/in/kudralobar/ 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube @BadassSoftie 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify When you stop leading from fear and start leading with curiosity and clarity, you create a culture where people thrive — that’s what it means to lead as a Badass Softie. www.BadassSoftie.com

Most leaders think they’re self-aware — but they’re often just self-critical. The truth is, you can’t lead what you don’t feel. When emotions go unnamed, they run the show from behind the scenes, shaping decisions, reactions, and team dynamics. In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Tera Wages to unpack why emotional fluency is the missing link between burnout and breakthrough. Tera introduces the Core Emotion Wheel — a simple but transformative framework for identifying and naming emotions that can completely change how you lead, parent, and communicate. By learning to spot what’s really happening beneath the surface, you stop reacting out of fear or frustration and start responding with clarity, empathy, and control. It’s a tool that gives you language for what you feel so your emotions become data, not drama — and that shift changes everything about how you lead others and yourself. In this episode you’ll take away: -Why most leaders misread their emotions — and how to change that -How to use the Core Emotion Wheel to navigate tough conversations -The difference between “fixing” emotions and actually feeling them -How emotional clarity turns reaction into intentional leadership -Practical ways to bring calm, confidence, and connection into your day Get the Core Emotion Wheel at ConnectionCodes.co/BadassSoftie — the exact tool Tera shares to help you name what you’re feeling before it turns into burnout or conflict. 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube @BadassSoftie 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify When you stop running from emotion and start naming it, you unlock your ability to lead with both clarity and compassion — the essence of being a Badass Softie. www.BadassSoftie.com

Most leaders assume that working more hours means getting more done. But what if doing less actually produced better results—and a healthier, more loyal team? In this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Hannah Lee, co-founder and CEO of Second Mile. Hannah helps organizations shift from a five-day to a four-day work week without losing productivity or profit. Hannah has led this transformation inside her own business and seen firsthand how redefining productivity changes everything. Together, J.J. and Hannah explore how rest, trust, and smarter systems can fuel creativity and focus. You’ll learn why “time” is the most overlooked leadership tool—and how reclaiming it can make both your business and your people thrive. Here’s what you’ll take away: -Why working fewer days can increase profit, focus, and retention -How to spot and eliminate wasted effort across your team -Why rest and recovery are the true drivers of long-term performance -How AI can give you hours back each week when used strategically -Practical steps to test and implement a four-day model without disruption If you’re ready to start reclaiming time and leading more effectively, explore these ideas mentioned in the episode: -It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work — Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson -Shorter and Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang -Connect with Hannah at TheSecondMile.com or at LinkedIn.com/in/Hannah-R-Collins/ 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube @BadassSoftie 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify When you stop measuring success by how long you work and start focusing on what truly matters, you’ll build a business—and a life—that’s both productive and human. That’s the heart of being a Badass Softie. www.BadassSoftie.com

Most leaders feel caught between impossible expectations. Be driven, but stay humble. Strive for excellence, but give yourself grace. Speak with candor, but never lose kindness. If that tension sounds familiar, this episode will change how you lead. Dr. J.J. Peterson sits down with Tim Arnold — international keynote speaker, best-selling author, and leadership coach — to reveal how embracing tension instead of trying to solve it is the true mark of great leadership. Something Tim and J.J. have come to call “the dance.” You’ll learn how to stop chasing perfect balance and start managing life’s most critical leadership paradoxes — drive and grace, striving and accepting, candor and kindness — so you can lead with confidence and compassion. By the end, you’ll know how to create a culture where people feel both challenged and cared for — and where your leadership finally feels sustainable. Here’s what you’ll take away: -Why balance is a myth — and tension is the real goal -How to hold high expectations without losing grace -The difference between striving and accepting (and why you need both) -Why true confidence requires humility -How candor and kindness together build trust that lasts 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube @BadassSoftie 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify

When you stop trying to solve the tension and start learning to dance with it, you’ll discover a whole new way to lead — with both strength and softness. That’s the heart of being a Badass Softie. www.BadassSoftie.com

Have you ever worried that if you’re honest about your struggles, your team will lose respect for you? Many leaders default to fear and control to protect authority but that approach actually kills creativity and trust.

On this episode of Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson shows why being “safe” doesn’t mean being weak. True safety creates environments where teams can take risks, tell the truth, and do their best work. Skill may get you in the room, but character is what keeps you there.

This week J.J. is joined by Blaine Hogan — a creative director and storyteller who has worked with Nike, LeBron James, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and more. Blaine shares how panic attacks, failure, and rebuilding character shaped his leadership and why honesty and vulnerability became the very tools that made him stronger. His story shows you how to stop leading from fear, build the kind of trust that fuels creativity, and turn personal setbacks into the credibility your team needs to follow you.

You’ll take away: -Why “safe” doesn’t mean “soft” and how safety drives performance -How fear-based leadership destroys creativity and trust -Why character outlasts skill in every leadership role -How honesty and vulnerability strengthen your authority -Practical ways to build teams that take risks and deliver results

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube @BadassSoftie 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify

When you stop leading from fear and start leading with courage and character, you’ll create the kind of culture where people and performance can truly thrive. That’s the essence of being a Badass Softie. www.BadassSoftie.com