If you walk through the business section of a bookstore, you will see countless books on ROI, scaling, and operational systems. But you won't see many books that actually teach you how to be a good leader.

Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer isn't a traditional business book—it's a modern touchstone for authentic leadership. Palmer's life's work centers on helping people align their inner truth with their outer lives, even in the highest-stakes leadership roles.

Joining me to unpack this incredible book is Jerry Colonna. Jerry is the CEO and co-founder of Reboot.io, and the author of Reboot and Reunion. As a former venture capitalist turned executive coach, Jerry is legendary in the startup world for guiding leaders through "radical self-inquiry."

In this episode, we explore why true leadership begins with an inner understanding of our own demons, why people follow leaders they believe in (not the ones with all the answers), and how to cultivate a community that actually heals.

00:00 – Introducing Let Your Life Speak

02:22 – Leadership Begins Within: True leadership requires radical self-inquiry and the courage to confront your own shadow side.

04:17 – Leading from the Heart: The most powerful motivations for starting and running a business are entirely emotional, not logical.

06:33 – The Inner Journey is Hard: Society trains us to value outcomes and metrics, fundamentally disconnecting us from our authentic motivations.

10:54 – Vulnerability as a Superpower

12:41 – Struggle Well, Not Succeed Well: Attaching your self-worth solely to business outcomes will ultimately destroy your resilience when failure inevitably happens.

14:02 – Community Heals: Individual growth is impossible in isolation, and the best businesses function as communities that hold each other accountable.

15:28 – The Quaker Clearness Committee

📚Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer

• Reboot.io: Jerry's executive coaching company and leadership boot camps.
• Reboot by Jerry Colonna: Jerry's first book on leadership and the art of growing up.
• Reunion by Jerry Colonna: Jerry's latest book on leadership and belonging.
• Carl Jung: Mentioned for his psychological framework around the "shadow side."

Jerry Colonna, CEO of Reboot.io, Executive Coach & Author

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