The Inner Edge: Leadership, Self-Mastery, and Reinvention for a New Era
Join Janet Ioli, executive coach and leadership expert, as she explores what it means to lead and live with authentic integration in our rapidly changing world.
In each episode, Janet—a trusted advisor to global executives and former Fortune 200 leader—guides you through the real challenges we don't talk about enough: reinventing yourself at midlife, navigating life transitions, leading with intuition in an AI-driven world, and integrating your spiritual and professional selves. This isn't your typical leadership podcast filled with quick tips and surface-level advice.
The Inner Edge is for leaders who are tired of compartmentalizing who they are and ready for deeper, more meaningful conversations. Whether you're facing an empty nest, caring for aging parents, questioning your purpose at 50, or simply craving more authentic connection in your leadership, this podcast meets you where the personal and professional intersect.
Janet brings her intuitive approach and decades of experience to conversations with guests who have reinvented themselves, thought leaders exploring the intersection of spirituality and business, and experts navigating our new era of constant change. Together, we explore what it means to stop following and start creating a future that aligns with your soul.
If you're ready to move beyond conventional wisdom and dive into the inner work that creates lasting transformation, welcome to The Inner Edge. This is where leadership meets life, and where your authentic self becomes your greatest asset.
The Inner Edge: Leadership, Self-Mastery, and Reinvention for a New Era
E131: Leadership Lessons from the Special Somebodies We’ve Lost
What can the people we’ve lost teach us about who we become? And how do their everyday choices—often unnoticed in the moment—shape our leadership, our values, and the way we show up in the world?
In this heartfelt conversation, Ian Ziskin returns to The Inner Edge to share the deeply personal journey that inspired his new collaborative book, Lives Lost and Leadership Found: Lessons from Special Somebodies. After losing both his brother and his mother only months apart, Ian began reflecting on the lessons they left behind.
As we talk, you’ll likely find your own “special somebodies” coming to mind—the people who shaped you, guided you, or quietly modeled who you wanted to become. Some may be gone. Some may still be here. And all of them leave imprints that matter.
This episode is a warm, reflective invitation to pause, honor, and acknowledge the leadership lessons that come from everyday human beings—not just from CEOs or experts, but from the people who taught us through the way they lived.
In this episode:
✅ How the loss of loved ones sparked Ian’s collaborative book project
✅ Why facing reality is essential for personal and organizational growth
✅ How advocacy, values, and “showing you care” become quiet but powerful forms of leadership
✅ Why the people who shaped us often never knew the impact they had
✅ The cathartic process of writing about a special somebody
✅ How to reflect on your own life lessons and why you should share them with the people who matter now
Resources:
Lives Lost and Leadership Found: Lessons from Special Somebodies by Ian Ziskin
Connect with Ian:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-ziskin-bb1504/
About Janet Ioli:
Janet Ioli is a globally recognized executive advisor, coach, and leadership expert with over 25 years of experience developing leaders in Fortune 100 companies and global organizations.
She created The Inner Edge—a framework, a movement, and a message that flips leadership from mere success performance to presence; from ego to soul. Through her keynotes, podcast, and programs, Janet helps high-achievers find the one thing that changes everything: the mastery within.
Her approach redefines leadership presence—not as polish or tactics, but as the inner steadiness people feel from you and the positive imprint you leave on individuals and organizations.
Chapters for Apple Podcasts
00:00:00 – Lives Lost and Leadership Found
00:04:44 – Lessons From Loss
00:12:23 – Everyday Leadership Models
00:14:41 – Acknowledging Impact
Connect with Janet Ioli:
Website: janetioli.com
Linkedin: Janet Ioli
Instagram: @leadershipcoachjanet
If you want to become more grounded, confident, and aligned with your deeper values in just 21 days, check out Janet Ioli’s book Less Ego, More Soul: A Modern Reinvention Guide for Women.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Select “Listen in Apple Podcasts,” then choose the “Ratings & Reviews” tab to share what you think.
Produced by Ideablossoms