The Leadership Gambit
The Leadership Gambit
The Toolkit for Business and Life You Were Never Taught
Let’s be real: you don’t need more cliche advice and a lot of content doesn’t go deep enough. You need practical guidance you can actually use to help you overcome your challenges or achieve your goals.
Recent studies show most people today feel unsupported, underprepared, and overwhelmed by a system and management that teaches very little about navigating, leading, or thriving in the chaos of modern life.
This podcast is for anyone who’s ready to take ownership of their personal journey and needs a guide to support them along their path.
We take over 20 years of real-world experience, hundreds of field experiments, and the best of leadership, psychology, and personal development knowledge and turn it into clear, honest, and useful guidance you can start using right away.
No fluff, real talk, and real tools, to thrive at work and in life.
Hosted by Chris Miller and Dane Smith. Edited by Joseph Pitz.
Episodes
57 episodes
S07E07: The Employee’s Guide to Managing Their Boss
Managing your manager is one of the most important career skills no one teaches you. In this episode, we break down practical, real-world tips for managing up, building trust, setting boundaries, and influencing your boss without authority....
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38:29
S07E06: Rest Without Guilt: The Skill No One Taught Us
Most of us think we’re taking time off, but our minds never actually stop working. In this episode, we break down why real rest feels so uncomfortable, why guilt shows up the moment we slow down, and how to finally detach in a way that restores...
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42:03
S07E05: Financial Intelligence: How To Buy Back Your Time
Most people were never taught how money actually works and as a result, millions live with unnecessary stress, paycheck-to-paycheck cycles, and financial habits driven by emotion instead of awareness.This episode gives listeners the tool...
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38:43
S07E04: The New Leadership Skills: Customer Experience
In a world where AI can copy almost anything, the one thing it can’t replace is the human experience people have with a brand. That’s why Customer Experience, or CX, has become one of the most powerful career accelerators for Millennia...
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33:35
S07E03: CYA - The Art and Science of Covering Your @ss
In this completely unscripted episode, we break down the real-world skill every professional needs but no one teaches: how to cover your ass at work. From handling unpredictable bosses to navigating messy colleagues, toxic politics, shifting pr...
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43:24
S07E02: Your Brain Is Being Hacked: Avoid Being Manipulated
Think you’re in control of your thoughts? Think again. In this episode, we expose how modern manipulation works, psychologically, emotionally, and digitally. From social media algorithms, emotional triggers, and cognitive hacks, your brai...
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48:01
S07E01: The Leadership Illusion: Why The System Doesn't Want Leaders
Most people think they know what leadership is, but what if everything we’ve been taught is wrong? In this episode, we break down why real leaders are disappearing, how companies confuse management with leadership, and what you can do to lead a...
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25:20
S06E08: Caring Smarter: Managing What Deserves Your Energy
Most people care too much about too little. It's not about not caring though, its about a need to start caring smarter. In this episode, we unpack what “selective caring” really means and why it’s the key to protecting your peace, focus, and co...
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36:32
S06E07: Old Power vs. New Power: How Work, Leadership, and Control Are Being Redefined
Power in the workplace is changing fast. In this episode, we unpack the clash between old power (control and hierarchy) and new power (influence and transparency), and what it means for you. Learn how to spot outdated leader...
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32:07
S06E06: Bouncing Back: Recovering From Setbacks
Setbacks can shake you. Your confidence, your identity, your direction. I’ve been there. In this episode, we dig into how to rebuild after life knocks you sideways. You’ll learn how to reframe failure, reset your nervous system, and reconnect w...
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32:16
S06E05: Stand Tall: Strategies to Stand Up for Yourself
Learn how to stand up for yourself at work without losing your cool or credibility. Dane and Chris share real strategies for setting boundaries, stopping self-devaluation, and handling disrespect with confidence. Because how people treat you is...
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49:58
S06E04: Surviving the Harsh Realities of Business
With more than 20 years in corporate life, Chris shares five harsh truths every professional needs to hear, from toxic bosses to false promises of balance. Learn how to protect yourself, stay sane, and succeed on your own terms. Mor...
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27:24
S06E03: Workplace Edge: 5 Tips to Rise Above the Rest
In a tough job market, average won’t cut it. Learn five practical ways to stand out at work, from setting clear goals to mentoring others, and rise above the competition with strategy, confidence, and intent.
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24:40
S06E02: The Expert Trap: How to Spot Bias, Politics, and Hidden Agendas
Experts are everywhere, but not all are credible. In this episode of The Leadership Gambit, we expose the “expert problem” and how to spot bias, fake authority, and recycled theories. Learn to separate truth from noise and take back co...
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43:03
S06E01: Confidence Uncovered: Separating Lies from Lasting Growth
Confidence isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you build. In this episode, we expose the biggest myths about confidence and share practical ways to build real, lasting confidence that holds up when life and work get tough. From sep...
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28:46
S05E08: Silence Your Inner Critic: Escaping the Imposter Trap
Ever feel like you don’t deserve your success, like you’re just waiting for someone to “find you out”? You’re not alone. Imposter syndrome affects up to 80% of us, including global superstars, CEOs, and maybe even you.In this episode, we...
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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23:44
S05E07: Rewriting the Manager-Employee Social Contract
The manager–employee social contract is broken. For decades, trust has eroded as workplaces shifted from caretaking managers and stable career paths to layoffs, cost-cutting, and “at-will” employment. Employees expect fair pay, growth, support,...
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36:54
S05E06: Career Death By a Thousand Cuts: 5 Behaviors to Avoid
Your reputation at work is a form of political capital, and you’re either investing in it or quietly draining it away. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on five common workplace behaviors that silently damage your personal brand and lim...
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28:39
S05E05: BS From the Boardroom: 3 Lies About Business
In this episode, we’re back to call BS on even more business myths that sound good in theory but fall apart in the real world.Last time, we tackled the so-called talent war, high-performing teams, and the search for “real leaders.” Today...
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28:22
S05E04: Leadership Is Lonely, Messy, and Absolutely Worth It
Welcome to the episode that strips away the buzzwords, the motivational posters, and the ego-driven nonsense. We're diving into the real truth about leadership, the kind no one warns you about until you’re in it. If you’re a Millennial...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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25:18
S05E03: Bad Bosses: 5 of the Most Damaging Mistakes Managers Make
Whether you’re leading a team or working for someone who is, you’ve probably seen (or experienced) some of the classic management fails. In this episode, we’re calling out five of the most damaging mistakes managers make from micromana...
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33:06
S05E02: Capture the Heart, Convince the Brain: The Art of Persuasion
In this episode, we tackle a question many people ask but few truly understand: How do I become more persuasive?Whether you're an executive, an individual contributor, or just trying to get your partner to join you for a workout...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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23:03
S05E01: BS From the Boardroom: 3 Lies About Business
In this episode, we’re calling BS on some of the biggest narratives that dominate corporate life. You’ve likely heard them a hundred times yourself: “There’s a war for talent.”“We build high-performing teams.”
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27:52
S04E09: Breaking Hard Habits: How I Beat Nicotine With Neuroscience
We all have habits we wish we could break but what if quitting wasn’t about willpower at all? What if the real key was learning how your brain works and using that to your advantage?In this episode, I share how I painlessly quit smoking ...
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33:05
S04E08: How to See What Others Miss: Becoming a Big-Picture Thinker
Big-picture thinking is one of the most talked-about but least understood skills in today’s workplace. We’re told to “see the forest, not just the trees”, but what does that actually mean in practice? In this episode, we pull back the curtain o...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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36:01