The CEO Shift

The CEO Shift is a leadership podcast for CEOs, agency owners, and founders ready to think differently about how they lead, grow, and scale.Hosted by Shawndel Spader of Spader Group, each episode features real conversations with experienced CEOs, authors, and industry experts who share the mindset shifts that helped them move from reactive to intentional leadership.This is not about doing more. It is about leading better.From decision-making and team development to profitability, systems, and mindset, The CEO Shift explores what it actually takes to build a business that works for you, not because of you.If you are ready to stop spinning your wheels and start leading with clarity, confidence, and purpose, this podcast is for you.Follow The CEO Shift on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The CEO Shift is a business podcast hosted by Shawndel Spader, with 29 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Shawndel Spader hosts The CEO Shift, a business show with 29 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #9

  No Decision Is a Bad Decision with Jess Haney

  Aug 18, 202622 minS2

  What if the most expensive thing in your business is the decision you keep putting off? In this episode of The CEO Shift, Shawndel Spader talks with Jess Haney, Partner and COO of Kismet Marketing, about decisive leadership and the shift every growing CEO eventually faces: learning to let go. Jess spent 13 years in education before taking a leap into agency ownership. With a gift for building systems and pulling people across the finish line, she has become a leader who values calm, clarity, and action. She shares why no decision is a bad decision, how to get a team clear on who leads what, how she decides what to offload to an employee, a contractor, or AI, and what she has learned building a women-owned business in male-dominated industries. If you have ever felt the loneliness at the top, this episode is a reminder that you were never meant to run it alone. Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Find every episode and subscribe for monthly email delivery at spadergroup.com/ceo-shift. Connect with Jess: Website: https://www.kismet-marketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kismetmarketing/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KismetMarketing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kismetmarketing/

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  Episode #8

  In the Absence of Clarity, People Make Stuff Up with Angela Dee

  Aug 4, 202621 minS2

  Growth rarely stalls because a CEO stopped working hard. It stalls because everything still lives in one person's head. Shawndel Spader sits down with Angela Dee, founder and CEO of Ascend Strategic Advisory, to unpack why clarity, not effort, is the real engine of scale. With more than 20 years in strategy and leadership development, Angela shares why teams invent their own narrative when direction is missing, how she productized her services and built a capability architecture so the business could run beyond her, and why she tells CEOs to build for the size they want to be rather than the size they are today. It is an honest look at the shift from being the center of everything to creating clarity In the Absence of Clarity, People Make Stuff Up | Angela Dee others can lead from. If you feel like the bottleneck in your own business, this episode is for you. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube, and find every episode at spadergroup.com/ceo-shift.

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  Episode #7

  Your Core Values Are Immutable DNA with Marc Robertz-Schwartz

  Jul 21, 202627 minS2

  What if your core values aren't a poster on the wall, but the immutable DNA of your company? In this episode of The CEO Shift, Shawndel Spader talks with Marc Robertz-Schwartz, President of RTU Solutions and author of The RED APPLES Way, about why the word "core" is the part most CEOs skip. Marc spent 15 years building the multimedia marketing agency Red Apples Media before selling it at the end of 2024, and he learned that the strongest companies define who they are first, then let those values drive every hire, partnership, and pivot. Marc and Shawndel get honest about staying people-first in an age of AI, why values should evolve without losing their center, and why the CEO always sets the cultural tone. They also trade a few laughs about jargon, from P&L to EBITDA. If you lead a company and want to lead with more clarity and intention, this conversation will help you take a hard look at whether your stated values still match how you actually operate. Connect with Marc Robertz-Schwartz: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertz/ Website: https://www.MarcRobertz.com The RED APPLES Way: https://www.TheRedApplesWay.com Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/RED-APPLES-Way-TransformedDesperation/dp/1966168586 Connect with The CEO Shift: Website: https://www.spadergroup.com/ceo-shift Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpaderGroup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spader-group-llc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spadergroup

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  Episode #6

  If Nobody Notices You, You're in the Wrong Room with Angela Obert

  Jul 7, 202629 minS2

  If nobody notices you in a networking room, you are not in the wrong. You are just in the wrong room. Angela Obert opens with that reframe and does not let up. Shawndel Spader sits down with Angela Obert, Franchise Owner and Community Facilitator of Network In Action Minnesota, a curated, trust-first community where relationships come before transactions. They dig into why authentic relationships drive growth and retention, how to tell a wrong room from the simple fear of doing something new, and why networking is a learnable skill, not a personality trait. Angela also shares the shift that changes everything for a stretched leader: let go of the hats, stay in your lane of genius, delegate, and learn to receive. If you feel like you are doing it all with no room left to grow, this conversation is for you. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube. Subscribe for monthly delivery at spadergroup.com/ceo-shift. Season and episode number: confirm on the master tracker before upload. Connect with Angela Website: www.niamn.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelaobert Free guide: https://www.niamn.com/better-networking-guide Guest pass: https://www.niamn.com/guest-pass Connect with Spader Group: Subscribe for monthly episode delivery: spadergroup.com/ceo-shift CEO Desicion Guide: SpaderGroup.com/ceo-guide

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  Episode #5

  Scaling a Business Through Productized IP with Pamela Slim

  Jun 23, 202622 minS2

  The amount of time you have been in business has nothing to do with how sophisticated your operations are. On this episode of The CEO Shift, Shawndel Spader talks with Pamela Slim, award-winning author and CEO of the Pamela Slim Agency, about scaling a business through productized IP. Pam has spent three decades helping experts package their ideas into frameworks that create bigger impact and new revenue streams. She shares her three-part test for a durable business: market fit (will it sell), method (will it work), and model (will it stick), and makes the case that your method, not you, should be the main character of your brand. The two also dig into when to update a proven method, the cost of shiny object syndrome, and where AI helps and where it can dilute your thought leadership. Connect with Pamela Website: https://pamelaslim.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelaslim Podcast: https://pamelaslim.com/podcast Free resource: https://pamelaslim.kit.com/35436399c4 Connect with The CEO Shift Subscribe and get episodes by email: spadergroup.com/ceo-shift Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube.

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