Episodes

In this episode, Elena Armijo interviews Ned Hanlon, the president of AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) union, about leadership and the future of the arts industry. Ned shares his journey to union leadership, starting with his involvement in negotiating his contract with the Metropolitan Opera. He found his calling in the legal and negotiation side of union leadership and has been actively involved for the past 10 years. Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support y...

In this episode, Elena speaks with Brittany Cotton, an innovative leader in professional coaching. Brittany is the Head of Coaching at 7CTOs and also runs her own executive coaching business called Coach EXE. She shares how she stumbled into coaching after finishing her master's degree and feeling uncertain about pursuing a PhD program. Brittany talks about the fulfillment she found in coaching and how it allowed her to tap into something that was already inside her. She emphasizes that coaching...

In this final episode of 2023, Elena Armijo reflects on the year at The C-Suite Collective, the executive coaching company she founded, discussing the importance of slowing down in order to go fast. As a fast-paced leader, Elena realized that taking the time to ensure people were on board and understood expectations was crucial. Throughout the year, The C-Suite Collective intentionally focused on building strong foundations, including processes, values, and fostering community conversations. Ch...

In this episode, Elena speaks with Nomsa Khalfani and Amy Moy, the co-CEOs of Essential Access Health, to discuss their unique approach to co-leadership and their vision for transforming organizational culture. Nomsa and Amy have a long history together, having worked side by side in senior leadership roles for the past 10 years. When the previous CEO left, the board made the groundbreaking decision to appoint Nomsa and Amy as co-CEOs, recognizing their strong partnership and dedication to the o...

Today, Elena talks with Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, speaker, and author, Oakland McCulloch, about principles that can transform your leadership and your team. Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Listen to their conversation here! How can we continue to grow as leaders? We’ve all heard the phrase, “leaders are readers,” and yes, reading is a huge part of growing. But this is not the only way we leader...

In this episode, Elena speaks with psychotherapist and coach, Claudine Chiarmonte, about leading holistically, living with integrity, and engaging in self-healing. Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. What does wholeheartedness mean as a leader? Being authentic as a leader and bringing all of who you are to the table can be difficult to put into practice. However, part of being wholehearted as a leader mean...

Today, Elena talks with coach and founder, Melanie Paez, about the C-Suite Collective Retreat, being an inclusive leader, and checking your prejudices at the door. Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. What does it mean to create an environment of belonging? We hear this phrase a lot in the world, but what does it really mean? Well, it starts with awareness—awareness of yourself, of others, and of your envir...

Elena speaks with the leader of TalentXponential, Andria Taylor. They discuss compassion and competence in leadership, creating a sustainable workforce, and more! Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. You know those times when we enter a difficult conversation and our guard goes up? Our bodies are taut, our hearts start racing, and we begin sweating. We get defensive. But how do we work through that defensiv...

Today, Elena talks with pianist and coach, Robert Kuang, about being open to self-discovery, expanding your abilities, and resting in your natural strengths. Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. Everyone wants an innovative team, but, as a leader, are you creating a space for innovation to thrive? Maybe you’re not having as many creative conversations with your team, or maybe they’re not as eager to share t...

In this episode, Elena interviews Alycia James, a coach and healer who focuses on emotional freedom, intuitive development, and self-liberation. Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. What does celebrating Women’s History Month - and beyond - look like? Elena has thought a lot about how it would look to not only celebrate this month every year but live this month intentionally throughout the year. After a par...

In this episode, Elena and Isaac Quiroga talk about the importance of vision, valuable leadership principles, and why a willingness to try new things takes you on an incredible journey! Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. What does leading with your heart mean? This is a question that Elena has pondered multiple times over the past two years. Many leaders are afraid to lead with their hearts and are even m...

Are you a recovering perfectionist? In this episode, Elena speaks with Shirin Eskandani, a former opera singer and coach who helps others see their self-worth and beat perfectionism. 2020 was the year of pivoting. Pivoting from working in the office to working at home. Pivoting from celebrating birthdays, graduations, and weddings to delaying them. Pivoting from relationships and careers to adapting to uncertainty. As 2023 begins with layoffs and a looming recession, it seems the pivoting will n...

In the first episode of 2023, Elena speaks with coaches and podcasters Bay Leblanc Quiney and Laura Westman, who host West of Wonderland, a podcast about magic, wonder, and leadership. Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. What dream have you forgotten about? This is the start of a new year, so what do you want to accomplish with it? Wouldn’t it be amazing, at the end of this year, to say, “I’m achieving my dr...

I want to thank you all who have listened to this show this year. The people that I've interviewed and brought to you are very dear and close to my heart and leaders in the world I see having a huge impact on disrupting the norm and creating a world that they envision for all of us in the future. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for listening. I want to wish you all a very warm and healthy holiday season. We're going to take a short break and be back at the beginning of the year with ...

Why do we stay committed to our dreams? Elena and Angela Shanker discuss this question as they talk about being a successful musician in NYC and following your dreams despite hardships. Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. What is your current relationship to commitment? For some, commitment is a burden. For others, it’s an obligation or responsibility. But let’s dig a little deeper. What is your commitment b...

Can you be a strong leader and feel deeply? In this episode, Elena and her guest, Lauren Borden, discuss the leadership strengths of HSPs, the benefits of emotional awareness, and more! Check out Elena’s website to learn more about how she can support you in seeing and using the power that resides within you. What gifts would more emotional awareness allow you to receive? Deeper relationships? Better communication with others? A stronger business? When you become more aware of your own emotional...

On this episode, Elena speaks with screenwriter and podcast producer, Eric McKeever, about his show, The Coach, why audio comedy is important, and how to stop resisting creative ideas. What creative project or idea have you been resisting? If you’re a creative or an entrepreneur, it seems new ideas are always coming to mind. Oftentimes, this can result in us acting on all of our new ideas, which keeps us from moving forward because we’re going in so many directions. Or, in response to spreading ...

John Biethan discusses the power of being heard, and podcasting’s unique ability to make that possible, because we all have something of value to say. What do you want to be known for in the world? What would you want people to say “thank you” for when you’re gone? In her Weekly Coaching Tip, Elena provides insight on how to look into the future, consider the qualities you want to be remembered for, the legacy you want to leave, and how to work backwards from there to start making them a reality...

In her weekly Coaching Tip, Elena provides insight on what it means to be vulnerable and highlights the benefits of emotional exposure. Blaine Heck discusses the complexities of fertility and pregnancy for women in the workplace, as well as the hurdles that must be overcome with a disability. What does “being vulnerable” actually mean? While conventional wisdom says being vulnerable is being exposed to the potential of physical or emotional harm, Elena gives her own thoughts, using an illustrati...

What is your current relationship with spirituality? We'll take a closer look at that in our coaching tip for the week. And in our interview segment, we’ll be joined by Meghan Smith, a spiritual teacher, leader, and coach. Learn more about how Elena can support you here https://elenaarmijo.com/ Meghan completed the Accomplishment Coaching Program in Victoria, B.C. Canada in 2019 and stayed on in a leadership role with the company for an additional two years upon graduation. Her podcast “The Skep...

With the Great Resignation, the current recession, and other issues, so many teams are facing several crises now. Find out what you can do to lead more effectively through all of these challenges and more. Did you know that what happens throughout an organization is magnified at the C-Suite or executive level? Of course, each department and each level of the organization struggles with certain things. Today’s guest says something that might surprise you: she says it moves upward. The person at t...

Where are you neglecting to celebrate in your life? We'll look at that in our coaching tip for the week. In our interview segment today, we have Alex Terranova, professional certified coach, founder of The Dream Mason, Inc., and author of Fictional Authenticity. Elena says of him, “I love this man so much. We met in our coach training program, and after an entire year of intense immersive training, we came out better humans and coaches for the world.” Learn more about how Elena Armijo can suppor...

In this episode, Elena talks with Hilary Hoffman about how she got integrated into the C-Suite Collective. After nearly a decade in finance, spending her time most notably at Goldman Sachs and Oaktree Capital Management, Hilary Hoffman launched her fitness platform The SOTO Method in 2021. The SOTO Method is a program she initially created for herself; strapped for time, she craved a more efficient burn. The workout needed to reflect her reality: she had only 35 minutes, and every single second ...

What is the difference between a mentor and a coach? We look at that in this episode, and in our interview segment, we have Steve Friedman. Steve is an executive coach and consultant who has had several professions. He was the president of Pace University from 2007 to 2017, and he served as the dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. He was a well-established lawyer and created many, many breakthroughs for people in the world. He says, “For the last four or five years, I've ...