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The L3 Leadership Podcast with Doug SmithAuthor: Doug Smith
The L3 Leadership Podcast is focused on leadership development and personal growth. We are obsessed with helping you grow to your maximum potential and maximizing the impact of your leadership. We release a new episode every week to help you grow and develop as a leader. You will hear a mix of personal lessons from our Founder, Doug Smith, and conversations Doug has with world-class leaders from around the world. Doug interviews leaders like Pittsburgh Steelers Coach, Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Penguins Coach, Mike Sullivan, Tony Horton, Liz Wiseman, Brian Tome, John Mark Comer, Mark Batterson, Ryan Hawk, Nona Jones, Claude Silver, Ken Coleman, Christy Wright, Rachel Cruze, Mark Cole, and many more. Our hope is that you will not only learn great leadership lessons but that you will catch great leadership from the lives of the leaders that we expose you to. Language: en-us Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Hardest Conversation I've Ever Had with Jessi Marsh
Episode 451
Tuesday, 22 September, 2026
Send us Fan Mail“You fight fear with gratitude."In this episode of the L3 Leadership Podcast, Doug Smith sits down with his longtime friend and former leader, Jessi Marsh, CEO of the Will Allen Foundation.Doug and Jessi unpack one of the hardest conversations of Doug’s career and the conflict that could have ended their working relationship. Instead, their willingness to have an honest conversation became a turning point in their relationship and taught them both powerful lessons about trust, communication, humility, conflict, and grace.Together, Doug and Jessi discuss how to have courageous conversations, rebuild trust, learn from people who think differently, lead with both capability and empathy, and make the most of the life you’ve been given.⏱️ Episode Breakdown00:00 – Introduction to Jessi Marsh02:00 – The hardest conversation of Doug’s career05:00 – Jessi’s response to Doug’s 360 review06:00 – Intention vs. impact11:00 – Learning how to have hard conversations13:00 – Rebuilding trust17:00 – The leadership lessons Jessi took from the experience22:00 – Why avoiding conflict gets you nowhere24:00 – Having conversations with people who think differently26:00 – Challenging your own beliefs30:00 – How Jessi approaches sharing her perspective publicly37:00 – Jessi’s stage four colon cancer diagnosis40:00 – Nine years cancer-free41:00 – Navigating fear and uncertainty44:00 – “You fight fear with gratitude”46:00 – Finding gifts in difficult seasons47:00 – How cancer changed Jessi’s perspective on life53:00 – Why early detection matters56:00 – Jessi’s promise to help others facing cancer57:00 – Lightning Round01:01:00 – Jessi’s biggest leadership pet peeve01:04:00 – Being yourself when you can’t please everyone01:06:00 – The legacy Jessi hopes to leave🎙 GuestJessi Marsh – CEO of the Will Allen FoundationLinks:Will Allen Foundation - https://www.willallenfdn.org/Light of Life Rescue Mission - https://www.lightoflife.org/Function Health - https://www.functionhealth.com/One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp - https://a.co/d/08HwR1nxBrené Brown - https://brenebrown.com/Tim Keller sermons - https://gospelinlife.com/sermons/The Communication Wheel / Information Wheel - https://www.hpsys.com/CW_Home.htmUPMC Hillman Cancer Center - https://hillman.upmc.com/difference🤝 SponsorAndocia Marketing SolutionsThe L3 Leadership Podcast is sponsored by Andocia Marketing Solutions. Andocia exists to bring leaders’ visions to life. Learn more at www.andocia.com🎙️ LISTEN ON ALL PLATFORMS:https://www.buzzsprout.com/5082SUBSCRIBE TO:@l3leadership@dougsmithliveSupport the show
