In this episode, Jule sits down with Melanie Sue Hicks—TEDx speaker, author, workforce expert, and founder of Inked Elephant Publishing House.

Melanie shares the relatable reality of leading in a fast-paced environment—balancing productivity, communication, expectations, and the pressure to keep things moving. While she was warm and connected in person, she realized her written communication was landing differently. Short emails, limited context, and rushed messages were creating a disconnect between who she was as a leader and how others were experiencing her.

For leaders responsible for execution, retention, culture, and performance, her story highlights something that often gets overlooked:

The small moments of communication are not small.

In this conversation, Melanie and Jule discuss:

• Why high-performing leaders can unintentionally create disconnection when they move too fast
 • How tone, context, and clarity impact trust in day-to-day communication
 • Why small breaks in trust can quietly build into larger culture and performance issues
 • The concept of “invisible snake bites” and how unaddressed micro-moments can damage teams over time
 • How leaders can create safer feedback loops by receiving feedback well and acting on it
 • Why setting expectations early is one of the most practical ways to reduce confusion and resentment
 • How leaders can strengthen alignment by making values, behaviors, and communication match

If you’re leading a team where the pace is high, the expectations are constant, and the pressure to perform never really stops, this episode will remind you that communication is not just an administrative task. It is a leadership tool.

Connect with Melanie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniesuehicks/
Website: https://melaniesuehicks.com/

Connect with Jule:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesalem/
Website: www.julesalem.com

Dialing In is a leadership podcast for operators, executives, and founders building under pressure. Each episode explores how connection—when it’s intentional—becomes a true performance advantage.

Join us and subscribe to the show to be the first to hear new episodes.

In this episode, Jule sits down with Lia Garvin—author of The New Manager Playbook and host of Real Talk: Leading Small Teams.

Lia shares the raw reality of becoming a first-time manager—navigating difficult team dynamics, strained peer relationships, and the pressure of leading without a roadmap. From managing an underperformer who resented her promotion to losing a close friendship after stepping into leadership, her experiences highlight what so many leaders go through—but rarely talk about.

What changed everything wasn’t time. It was learning how to lead with intention, clarity, and structure.

In this conversation, Lia and Jule discuss:

 • Why high performers often struggle most when they first step into leadership 
 • How to reset relationships when managing former peers or friends 
 • The importance of setting boundaries—and why leadership is an identity shift 
 • How to build trust through consistent, specific recognition and follow-through 
 • Why clarity, structure, and practical frameworks make leadership easier over time 

If you’re a leader who feels like you’re learning in real time, with everyone watching, this episode will remind you that you’re not alone.

Because leadership isn’t something you’re just supposed to “figure out.”

It’s something you learn, refine, and grow into—one conversation at a time.

Connect with Lia:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liagarvin/
Website: https://www.liagarvin.com/ 

Connect with Jule:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesalem/
Website: www.julesalem.com

Dialing In is a leadership podcast for operators, executives, and founders building under pressure. Each episode explores how connection—when it’s intentional—becomes a true performance advantage.

Join us and subscribe to the show to be the first to hear new episodes.

In this episode, Jule sits down with Rob Kalwarowsky—TEDx speaker, executive coach, and author of Capitalizing on Chaos.

Rob did everything right. Elite education. High-performance career. Massive financial impact early in his role. But behind the external success was an internal battle—a toxic work culture, relentless self-pressure, and a leadership identity built on achievement alone.

What followed wasn’t just burnout. It was a breaking point that forced Rob to completely redefine how he led himself, and others.

In this conversation, Rob and Jule discuss:

• Why high achievers are often hardest on themselves
• How toxic cultures quietly erode even top performers
• The neuroscience behind fight, flight, freeze, and fawn in leadership
• The “I’m Human” reset and how it restores clarity under pressure
• Why self-awareness is the foundation of trust, engagement, and performance

If you’re a leader carrying pressure that no one else sees, this episode will challenge how you define success and sustainability.

Because sustainable high performance doesn’t start with grinding harder.

It starts with leading yourself differently.

Connect with Rob:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kalwarowsky/

Website: www.robkalwarowsky.com
Book: www.robkalwarowsky.com/book

Connect with Jule:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesalem/
Website: www.julesalem.com

Dialing In is a leadership podcast for operators, executives, and founders building under pressure. Each episode explores how connection—when it’s intentional—becomes a true performance advantage.

Join us and subscribe to the show to be the first to hear new episodes.

In this episode, Jule sits down with Kimberly Williams, HR executive and founder of Fair Path Project.

When Kim stepped into a senior HR role, she quickly realized the culture she had joined was being shaped by fear. Public humiliation. Unlawful directives. Discriminatory practices. And a leader whose behavior had been quietly tolerated for years.

What followed wasn’t a dramatic takedown. It was something far more strategic—documentation, board conversations, formal complaints, and the steady decision to lead with integrity even when her career felt at risk.

In this conversation, Kim and Jule discuss:

• How to recognize when a “high performer” has become a high organizational risk
• Why documentation is a leadership tool—not just an HR tactic
• The psychology behind why only 5% of people speak up
• How retaliation shifts the legal and power dynamics
• What courage actually looks like inside a power imbalance

If you’re a leader responsible for results and culture, this episode will challenge how you think about integrity, authority, and long-term performance.

Connect with Kim:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-e-williams/

Website: https://www.fairpathproject.com/

Connect with Jule:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesalem/
Website: www.julesalem.com

Dialing In is a leadership podcast for operators, executives, and founders building under pressure. Each episode explores how connection—when it’s intentional—becomes a true performance advantage.

Join us and subscribe to the show to be the first to hear new episodes.

In this episode, Jule sits down with Bruce Nichols, seasoned HR executive and organizational change leader.

What started as a candid comment at a leadership dinner quickly turned into a mandate: redesign a fragmented employee relations process and rebuild trust across HR. What Bruce discovered wasn’t just a workflow issue, it was a connection issue. Managers felt unsupported. Employees felt unheard. HR felt divided.

What followed wasn’t a quick fix. It was culture work.

In this conversation, Bruce and Jule discuss:

• Why broken processes are often symptoms of broken trust
• How creating a “one team” identity shifts alignment and accountability
• The power of being physically present with your team
• Why surveys don’t fix culture — action does
• How clarifying the “why” unlocks engagement and performance

If you’re a leader responsible for results, people, and operational excellence, this episode will challenge how you think about alignment, ownership, and performance.

Connect with Bruce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucernichols/

Connect with Jule:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesalem/
Website: www.julesalem.com

Dialing In is a leadership podcast for operators, executives, and founders building under pressure. Each episode explores how connection—when it’s intentional—becomes a true performance advantage.

Join us and subscribe to the show to be the first to hear new episodes.

In this episode, Jule sits down with Tiffany Bailey, CEO of Bayside Sod.

After years of growth, Tiffany’s business partner, who had helped scale the company through strong relationship-driven sales, reached a breaking point. The company needed a sales manager. He was wired to be a sales producer. What followed wasn’t a dramatic split, but something far more complex: frustration, hurt, months of difficult conversations, and the uncomfortable realization that forcing the wrong fit would cost them both.

In this conversation, Tiffany and Jule discuss:

• The difference between being great at sales vs. managing sales
• Why misalignment often shows up long before we’re ready to admit it
• How to pause instead of react when emotions are high
• Turning inward before pointing the finger outward
• Redefining roles to protect both the relationship and the business

If you’re a founder, operator, or leader navigating growth, role shifts, or partnership tension, this episode will help you think differently about alignment, ownership, and long-term performance.

Connection isn’t about forcing people to change. It’s about building structures where people can thrive.

Connect with Tiffany:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/
Bayside Sod: https://baysidesod.com/

Connect with Jule:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesalem/
Website: www.julesalem.com

Dialing In is a leadership podcast for operators, executives, and founders building under pressure. Each episode explores how connection—when it’s intentional—becomes a true performance advantage.

Join us and subscribe to the show to be the first to hear new episodes.

In this episode Jule sits down with seasoned operations leader, Natascha Verandes.

At the height of the pandemic, Natascha’s organization moved forward with a full-scale restructuring—reshuffled teams, new reporting lines, shifting client portfolios, and revenue pressure—all while employees were navigating lockdowns, uncertainty, and fear. She suddenly inherited a brand-new team across North America, many of whom didn’t even know they were being reassigned.

In this conversation, Natascha and Jule discuss:

• Why connection must come before correction
• How clarity and over-communication build confidence in uncertainty
• Adjusting your leadership style using DISC to earn trust faster
• Leading as the buffer between senior leadership and frontline teams
• Turning crisis into a growth opportunity—without burning out

If you’re a leader responsible for results and people, especially in high-pressure environments like GovCon and contact centers, this episode will challenge and equip you.

Connect with Natascha:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natascha-verandes-07623629/

Website: https://www.letspivottogether.com/

Connect with Jule:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesalem/

Website: www.julesalem.com

Dialing In is a leadership podcast for operators, executives, and founders building under pressure. Each episode explores how connection—when it’s intentional—becomes a true performance advantage.

Join us and subscribe to the show to be the first to hear new episodes.

Dialing In is built on one core belief—you don’t lose performance first, you lose connection. Each episode features honest conversations with founders, operators, and executives about the disconnects they didn’t see coming and the choices that helped them rebuild trust, alignment, and results.

No hype. No surface-level leadership talk.
Just real conversations for leaders building under pressure.

Dialing In is a leadership podcast for operators, executives, and founders building under pressure. Each episode explores how connection—when it’s intentional—becomes a true performance advantage.

Join us and subscribe to the show to be the first to hear new episodes.