What’s the best recipe for cultivating future leaders and empowering current ones? How do you create a positive work culture? You likely can’t come up with a quick answer to either question because there are no easy answers. 

We know this because we’re continually working on both. 

The senior leadership team had been endeavoring to give back to the community in a meaningful way, and to help positively impact the lives of others. They collectively realized leaders can influence lives on a broader scale than in their jobs alone. 

Rebel president and chief operating officer Allison Minutillo says: “Good leaders spark creativity and empower others to be their best selves; they challenge and motivate people to achieve things they didn’t think were possible. But bad leaders? They can wreak havoc on an organization, culture, and peoples’ lives. They create misery. We’re on a mission to change how leaders lead and inspire the next generation to lead in a rebellious, positive way that changes lives.” She added: “It’s the ultimate ripple effect.”

How is Rebel effecting change in leadership? From the inside-out (hey, we’re rebels). Minutillo recalls one client call that was “rough.” There was tension as the Rebel team laid out some “hard truths” to the client, but, she said, it was raw, authentic and healthful and it allowed for a swift resolution. The client was pleased.

That call was reflective of a broader movement within the company, which had been occurring organically for the past couple of years. They began shifting their perspective toward more effective communication, which merged with their thoughts and conversations about leadership — and about changing the status quo.

Organizationally, Rebel is focused on strengths-based leadership. The culture focuses first on employee strengths and aligns those in areas of business need and passion areas. Each rebel is honest about their weaknesses and fosters authentic dialog to coach and nurture one another to be their best selves every day. Positivity catches on as quickly as negativity, and it has the power to transform businesses — and lives. 

They started feeling a shift — a leader-shift, if you will.

Their excitement was irrepressible and so was the need to share. All the disparate thoughts came together with, as Rebel CEO and owner Bryn Tindall called it, “One magic word: podcast.”

The podcasts came fast and furious. “We thought of the idea on Friday; by Monday we had a 54-episode list and a podcast URL. We bought the equipment and started — as if it all had been fated to happen,” said Minutillo.

The content is about all facets of Rebel Leadership: an unconventional take on the complicated, emotional, interpersonal aspects of leading and growing an organization. Topics range from intimate conversations about courage and loss to the power of saying “yes”; setting expectations as Bill Bellichick does so effectively; and one “millennial heart-to-heart.” But authentic discussions apply to anyone — leader or not — in almost every sector or industry. In sharing these stories, she says, we help shed light on how to achieve effective and rebellious leadership.

What sets these conversations apart from the typical leadership corporate speak? “People truly listen to each other,” says Jess Reilly, senior vice president of marketing services. 

“It’s not just about creating a podcast,” Reilly says: “It’s about creating a culture of people who respect one another, listen to diverse perspectives, and really reflect at the end of each day. Because leadership is hard. It’s a lifelong marathon.”

This podcast is guaranteed “to trigger your next ah-ha moment and help you power through that next chapter or conversation in your own role, whatever that may be,” Minutillo adds.

Listen to the Rebel Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or whenever you grab your podcast content.