 |
The Legendary Leaders PodcastAuthor: Cathleen O'Sullivan Growth Accelerator for Leaders
Welcome to the Legendary Leaders Podcast! This show aims to inspire you to start living your best life! My podcast guests will be sharing their own personal paths to success, the moments when they hit a wall that turned into their biggest breaking point, and we will be sharing some top tips on how to proactively create some exciting changes in your professional and personal life. Our guests, who are all leaders in their own rights, will be talking about how they started their journey, what inspired and motivated them, along with the challenges they had to overcome in order to get to where they are now, having achieved a more content and liberated life. All episodes will cover an array of topics from the importance of self-care and mindset, through to bravery and authenticity, and the importance of building communities and support networks. I have interviewed leaders who have all taken varied and interesting paths, from content creators, journalists through to designers, coaches, musicians as well as actors, business mentors, speakers and many, many more. They all faced tough challenges which served as motivation to live their best lives yet! Please enjoy listening to this series of podcasts as much as I have done creating them, and I really hope you take away lots to inspire, encourage and motivate you on your journey to becoming a Legendary Leader. Language: en Genres: Business, Careers, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Donzel Leggett – Transform, Don't Just Change: The Mindset for a Destiny-Driven Life
Tuesday, 18 November, 2025
What does it really mean to design your own destiny? In this episode of Legendary Leaders Podcast, host Cathleen O'Sullivan sits down with Donzel Leggett—former Fortune 200 executive, author of Make Your Destiny Happen, and founder of Destiny Development Delta whose career has spanned three decades of transformational global leadership. From his Key West roots to the pivotal moment he walked away from professional football, Donzel shares how he turned missed opportunities and painful kicks in the butt into clarity about his calling. With warmth and honesty, he opens up about the weight of expectations, the courage to challenge them, and how a life plan created at 24 has guided everything since—including losing 90 pounds in four months and bouncing back from a million-dollar business failure that shaped his next chapter. Together, Cathleen and Donzel explore the difference between change and transformation, why spending time with yourself is the most radical act of leadership, and how his Destiny Development Delta model helps people stop leaving life to chance. This conversation is for anyone ready to lead themselves with intention, passion, and purpose. Episode Timeline: 04:49 Growing up in Key West: lessons in diversity and strong women leaders 07:41 College football and missed opportunities to lead teammates 10:12 Creating a life plan at 24—and what destiny really means 15:11 Challenging expectations: when others' dreams don't match your own 23:34 Walking away from professional football and the emotional fallout 30:36 Three pivotal moments: football, fatherhood, and finding his calling 36:14 Recognizing your calling: the feeling you can't ignore 40:45 Why 90% of people can't answer where they want to be in 10 years 47:06 First steps to self-leadership—even when life feels overwhelming 52:19 Getting back on track: losing 90 pounds and finding balance 55:44 The restaurant that failed—and the million-dollar MBA 01:01:20 The Destiny Development Delta model: A-Attitudes and iLead Change 01:04:23 Change vs. transformation: chameleon or butterfly? 01:09:05 Transformation as an iterative journey through life's shifts 01:13:32 What's next: spreading hope around the world Key Takeaway: Creating Your Own Destiny: Donzel challenges the idea that destiny is predetermined—it's something you design by getting clear on what you want, building a life plan, and taking sustained action. Leading Yourself First: Leadership isn't about titles or hierarchy—it's about taking charge of your own life, whether you're an executive, a barber, or a stay-at-home parent. Transformation vs. Change: Real transformation means becoming something different (like a caterpillar to butterfly), not just making adjustments—and it starts with spending time with yourself to uncover what you truly want. The Power of a Life Plan: Donzel created his life plan at 24 and has followed it for over 30 years, showing how vision plus intentional action creates both success and fulfillment. Learning from Failure: From walking away from football to losing a million dollars on a restaurant, Donzel shows how reframing failure as learning and taking accountability fuels growth and resilience. About Donzel Leggett: Donzel Leggett is a global operations and leadership executive with over 30 years of experience leading large-scale teams and operations in consumer products companies, including a 28-year tenure at General Mills. He is the Principal and Founder of Destiny Development Delta, LLC, where he coaches executives and teams to unlock their full potential and build inclusive, high-performing cultures. He is the author of Make Your Destiny Happen, a transformational framework for designing and living a purposeful life. Known for driving exceptional results while uplifting people, his leadership approach centers on authenticity, accountability, and helping others take charge of their destinies. Donzel's mission is to inspire people globally to transform their leadership, envision their future, and take sustained action to make it reality. Connect with Donzel Leggett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donzelleggett/ Facebook (Donzel Leggett): https://www.facebook.com/donzel.leggett.9/ Facebook (Destiny Dev Delta): https://www.facebook.com/destinydevdelta Instagram (Donzel Leggett) https://www.instagram.com/donzel_leggett/ Linktree: https://li nktr.ee/destinydevdelta YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DonzelLeggett Make Your Destiny Happen Petite Podcast: https://feeds.captivate.fm/make-your-destiny-happen/ Website: https://destinydevdelta.com/ Make Your Destiny Happen Book: https://www.makeyourdestinyhappen.com Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan: Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/ FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.
