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Go First With Jaime TaetsAuthor: Jaime Taets, Owner, President & Founder
Hosted by CEO, leadership expert, keynote speaker and author Jaime Taets, Go First explores what happens when successful people stop waiting for certainty and start moving before they feel ready.Through honest conversations with CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs, athletes and high-performing leaders along with Jaime's solo insights the show goes behind the highlight reel to explore the decisions, fears, failures and transformations that shape successful people.Episodes explore leadership development, personal growth, resilience, burnout, decision-making, vulnerability, organizational change, energy, purpose and what it takes to create meaningful change in your work and life.Because clarity doesn't always come before action. Sometimes you have to Go First.If you're navigating a career transition, leading through change, questioning what success means now, facing a difficult decision or simply know there's another version of yourself waiting on the other side of action, this podcast is for you.Go First with Jaime Taets gives leaders practical insights, honest stories and the courage to take the next meaningful step.Why leaders keep hitting play:1. It names the fear you're not supposed to admit. Waiting to feel ready is often just waiting. If you're a leader stuck at the edge of a decision, hoping for more certainty before you move, this show gives you permission and a push to go first anyway.2. It's tactical, not just inspirational. Every episode delivers frameworks you can use immediately - how to separate the fear you should listen to from the fear that's just noise, how to make a decision without full information, how to build the kind of energy management that makes moving first sustainable instead of reckless.3. The guests have actually gone first. This isn't theory from consultants who've never made the call under pressure. Listeners have heard from a crisis-communications founder who rebuilt her career and her family through her son's cancer diagnosis, a Super Bowl Language: en-us Genres: Business, Management, Personal Journals, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Stop Seeking External Validation to Feel Worthy: A Solo Episode on the Addiction to Validation
Episode 113
Tuesday, 15 September, 2026
Why do so many leaders feel empty despite achieving everything they set out to accomplish? The answer might surprise you. It's not about insecurity or weakness. It's about validation, and it's addictive.In this solo episode, Jaime Taets pulls back the curtain on a theme she's seen emerging in leaders everywhere: the relentless need for external approval. She shares why validation isn't about being insecure, how early career success trains us to seek it, and why the addiction cycle keeps leaders chasing applause that never lasts.If you've ever felt like you're performing for an audience that's never satisfied, or you're staying in rooms you've outgrown because they still make you feel needed, this episode is for you. It's a call to examine your motivations, find worth in the quiet, unseen work, and ground your value in who you are, not what you achieve.Timestamped Chapters0:00 Welcome and why these solo episodes exist1:15 The theme emerging from leaders2:11 Why validation isn't about insecurity3:44 How success trains us to seek approval4:57 The addiction cycle of validation6:15 When validation becomes a dependency7:30 The ego trap of senior leadership8:45 Where are you seeking validation?9:47 The quieter work no one applauds10:30 Examining your motivations11:12 Internal vs. external validation11:57 Inspiring others by going first12:31 Closing reflectionQuotes from the Episode"Validation is addictive.""Yesterday's applause doesn't last today. Today you need more of it.""If you can remain grounded in who you are when the world is no longer validating you, that's the real test of leadership."Leadership InsightsQ: Why is validation addictive for leaders?A: Validation triggers the same reward pathways in the brain as other addictive behaviors. Early career success trains leaders to seek approval through performance, problem-solving, and visible achievements. Over time, that need for external validation becomes a dependency. It requires more frequent and bigger wins to feel the same sense of worth. The applause that once felt satisfying no longer lasts, and leaders find themselves chasing the next achievement just to feel seen.Q: How can leaders break the cycle of seeking validation?A: Breaking the cycle starts with examining your motivations. Ask yourself: Am I taking this on because it's the right thing to do, or because I want to be seen? Are you staying in rooms you've outgrown because they still make you feel needed? The shift happens when you begin to find worth in the quiet, unseen work and ground your value in who you are, not what you achieve. The real test of leadership is whether you can remain grounded when the world stops applauding.ResourcesLearn more about Jaime Taets and Keystone Group InternationalExplore Jaime's Executive RetreatsFollow Jaime on Instagram, LinkedIn, and FacebookIf this episode challenged how you think about validation and leadership, share it with another leader who needs to hear it.Subscribe to Go First with Jaime Taets for more conversations about leadership, growth, and taking that next step forward.Go First is the show where we talk about what it takes to move forward: first, fast, and with purpose.Everything you want is on the other side of the next unknown step. Let's Go First together.Jaime Taets
