Extraordinary Leadership PODCAST

What if one of the greatest risks for an experienced leader is relying too much on what they already know? In a world being reshaped by AI, uncertainty and constant change, yesterday’s experience alone cannot prepare us for tomorrow’s challenges. Extraordinary leaders never stop growing & becoming. In this episode of the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, Dagmara sits down with Ahmed Al Mahmood, a strategic advisor and certified excellence assessor with nearly two decades of experience across strategy, performance transformation and government excellence in the UAE. Ahmed shares the philosophy that has shaped his own leadership journey — from pursuing new skills long before his title required them, to seeking mentors, embracing change, confronting setbacks and continuously questioning what he still needs to learn. Together, Dagmara and Ahmed explore: • Why leading yourself always precedes leading others• Why what made you successful in the past can limit your next level• How curiosity helps close the gap between what you know and what you don’t yet know• Why good planning multiplies your choices, not your certainty• What separates leaders with followers from leaders with a title• Why setbacks can reveal what you need to develop next• Why no one succeeds alone — and why senior leaders need advisors• How AI is reshaping the skills leaders need next• Why humility and continuous improvement are essential to extraordinary leadership• The legacy question: what does it mean for your leadership to live on through the generations you influence? One of Ahmed’s most powerful reminders is: “Every day is a new chessboard.” The pieces have moved. The environment has changed. And the thinking that created yesterday’s success may not create tomorrow’s. Perhaps one of the greatest advantages a leader can cultivate today is not knowing more than everyone else. It is the ability to keep growing & becoming. 🎙️ Listen to the full conversation and ask yourself: Where is your next level asking you to grow? About Ahmed Al Mahmood Ahmed Al Mahmood – Strategic Advisor & Excellence Assessor Ahmed Al Mahmood is a strategic advisor and institutional excellence expert at the Sharjah Finance Department, Government of Sharjah, with nearly two decades of experience across strategy, performance transformation, governance, and quality excellence in the UAE. He has led strategic initiatives for organisations including the Sharjah Department of Economic Development, Sharjah Advisory Council, and Rubu' Qarn Foundation, and serves on committees focused on future-oriented government practices. He is also a certified assessor for several UAE excellence awards, including the Dubai Quality Award and Sharjah Excellence Award. 🔗 Ready to elevate your leadership from the inside out? Join the 8-week Transformational Program — next cohort starts 25th June. https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/THE-ELEVATED-LEADER About Dagmara Asbreuk: A certified Executive Transformational Partner and keynote speaker, and Founder of Extraordinary Leadership. She brings 15+ years of global experience in Fortune 500 organizations and 10 years in leadership transformation. Recognized as one of Dubai's Top 15 Coaches, she is known for activating higher potential in senior executives and leadership teams through a unique blend of neuroscience and quantum consciousness. 👇 CONNECT WITH DAGMARA: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dagmara-asbreuk/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dagmaraasb/ 🌐 Website: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/ 👉 Book a non binding, leadership clarity call: https://calendly.com/dagmaraasbreuk/30-min-consultation 👉 Book Dagmara for your Leadership event, conference, summit Keynote Speaking: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/speaking 👉 Book Dagmara for your leadership Team Offsite: Leadership Team: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/ORGANIZATION 🔗 Ready to elevate your leadership from the inside out? Join the 8-week Transformational Program — next cohort starts 25th June. https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/THE-ELEVATED-LEADER ✨ If this episode resonates, please subscribe to the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast — it helps us reach more leaders who are ready to lead differently. 🔁 Share this episode with at least one leader who would benefit from these insights. 💬 And let me know in the comments: What is your biggest takeaway from today's episode? Chapters 00:00 – What Makes Extraordinary Leadership? 03:00 – How Ahmed Began His Leadership Journey 05:58 – The Skills Every Leader Must Master 08:22 – Vision, Curiosity & the Power of Mentorship 12:40 – From Leadership to Strategic Thinking 18:31 – Turning Setbacks Into Leadership Lessons 27:11 – Why Leaders Must Adapt Every Day 33:55 – The Power of Servant Leadership 39:01 – Strategic Planning for Uncertainty 45:38 – The Foundations of Excellence 50:00 – AI, Advisors & the Future of Leadership 58:24 – Leadership, Legacy & Continuous Learning #LeadershipIdentity #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveLeadership #TransformationalLeadership #ConsciousLeadership #LeadershipCoaching #SelfLeadership #DagmaraAsbreuk

What if the next level of your leadership, business and life doesn't require you to do more — but to become more of who you truly are? In this solo episode, Dagmara Asbreuk explores one of the foundational principles of Extraordinary Leadership™: your identity creates your reality. Many ambitious CEOs and executives know they are capable of more. They have a bigger vision for their leadership, their impact, their business and their life. Yet despite more strategy, more knowledge and more effort, a gap can remain between what they know is possible and what they are actually experiencing. Why?Because we often try to create our future while continuing to lead from an identity shaped by our past. Dagmara explores how unconscious beliefs, narratives and protective patterns influence the way we lead, make decisions, build relationships, pursue success and respond to uncertainty — often without us realizing it. Drawing on her own journey from corporate leadership into entrepreneurship and transformational leadership work, she shares why some of her greatest shifts didn't come from another strategy, but from changing the identity from which she was operating. In this episode, you'll discover: • Why your current identity may be creating the gap between where you are and where you want to be• The difference between your conditioned self and the fullest, truest version of you• Why more achievement doesn't necessarily create greater confidence, trust or fulfilment• How identity shapes leadership, relationships, business results and your ability to navigate uncertainty• The three shifts that begin identity expansion: awareness, belief and commitment• Why becoming the leader capable of creating your vision starts from within Your identity isn't fixed.And the real question isn't whether the next version of you is possible.It's when you're ready to choose it. Because the next level of your leadership ultimately requires the next level of you. 🔗 Ready to elevate your leadership from the inside out? Join the 8-week Transformational Program https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/elevated-leader-cohort-3 About Dagmara Asbreuk:Dagmara Asbreuk is the Founder of Extraordinary Leadership™ and a Transformational Executive Leadership Partner. With 15+ years of Fortune 500 leadership experience and 10 years guiding CEOs and senior executives through transformation, she helps ambitious leaders evolve from within to elevate their leadership, influence, organisational impact and business results — without burning out. Her work integrates leadership and identity transformation with neuroscience, Positive Intelligence®, state mastery and deeper inner work. She has worked with leaders from global organisations including Maersk, IKEA, Chanel, Roche and Denso, as well as founders and business owners. . 👇 CONNECT WITH DAGMARA: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dagmara-asbreuk/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dagmaraasb/ 🌐 Website: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/ 👉 Book a non binding, leadership clarity call: https://calendly.com/dagmaraasbreuk/30-min-consultation 👉 Book Dagmara for your Leadership event, conference, summit Keynote Speaking: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/speaking 👉 Book Dagmara for your leadership Team Offsite: Leadership Team: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/ORGANIZATION 🔗 Ready to elevate your leadership from the inside out? Join the 8-week Transformational Program — next cohort starts 25th June. https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/THE-ELEVATED-LEADER ✨ If this episode resonates, please subscribe to the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast — it helps us reach more leaders who are ready to lead differently. 🔁 Share this episode with at least one leader who would benefit from these insights. 💬 And let me know in the comments: What is your biggest takeaway from today's episode? Chapters 00:00 - Introduction: Your Identity Creates Your Reality 01:12 - The Inner Drive Behind Extraordinary Leadership 02:35 - Your Next-Level Self Already Exists Within You 04:54 - Embodying the Future You Want to Create 06:12 - Belief, Setbacks & Becoming Your Highest Potential 07:16 - What Shapes Your Leadership Identity 08:31 - The Identity Gap Between Vision and Reality 09:28 - Your Current Self vs. Your Highest Potential 09:58 - My Corporate Leadership Journey: From Overdelivering to Transformation 11:30 - The Coaching Shift That Changed How I Led 13:17 - Identity Patterns in Entrepreneurship 14:33 - How Identity Transformation Changes Your Reality 15:15 - The Key to Leadership Growth Without Burnout 15:52 - The Three Reasons You're Not Yet Leading at Your Full Potential 18:13 - Is Your Identity Holding You Back? 18:40 - The Three Shifts: Acknowledge, Believe, Commit 19:22 - Shift 1: Acknowledge Your Reality 19:59 - Shift 2: Believe in the Version of You You Can Become 20:39 - Shift 3: Commit to Your Transformation 21:46 - How Identity Transformation Unlocks New Possibilities 22:18 - Extraordinary Leadership: From Identity to Impact 23:34 - Your Identity Is Not Fixed 24:09 - Closing: True Leadership Is About Becoming More 24:46 - Final Thoughts & Invitation #LeadershipIdentity #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveLeadership #TransformationalLeadership #ConsciousLeadership #LeadershipCoaching #SelfLeadership #DagmaraAsbreuk

In 350 years of technological disruption, steam, electricity, the internet, mobile, the number of times a government or industry has successfully stopped a technology from disrupting society is zero. So the question isn't "should AI happen." It's: are you the leader who adapts, or the one who gets left explaining why you didn't? I sat down with Brett King, ranked the #7 futurist in the world, advisor to the Obama administration and EU ministers, and dubbed the "King of Disruption" by the banking press, for a conversation that goes far beyond AI trends into what it actually takes to lead in an exponential era.   What we cover: • Why "should AI exist" is the wrong question, and what leaders should be asking instead • The real numbers behind AI's growth curve, and why 2032 will look nothing like 2026 • What entry-level job losses this year are already signaling about the next 5 years • How SCB Thailand's CEO handled the "will AI take my job" conversation with his team, a script for every leader • Why consciousness, not IQ, is the real leadership differentiator, and the subconscious pattern behind 95% of the behavior AI can't replace   "The economics won't matter, what you'll be asked isn't 'what do you do,' it's what you find meaningful."   About Guest Brett King is a globally recognized futurist, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker focused on artificial intelligence, fintech, banking, and the future of business. Ranked among the world's leading futurists and fintech influencers, he has delivered more than 1,000 presentations across 80 countries and advised governments, regulators, central banks, and major global brands. Brett is the founder of Moven, a pioneering mobile banking platform, and co-founder of LumaBrush AI, an AI healthcare venture. He hosts the globally ranked podcasts Breaking Banks and The Futurists, reaching millions of listeners in more than 180 countries. His books include Bank 4.0, Augmented, The Rise of Technosocialism, and Branch Tomorrow. His work has been cited by President Xi Jinping, and he has advised the Obama Administration on fintech policy. Known for making complex ideas accessible, Brett helps leaders understand how emerging technologies will reshape industries, organizations, and society over the coming decade and beyond.   🔗 Ready to elevate your leadership from the inside out? Join the 8-week Transformational Program — next cohort starts 25th June. https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/THE-ELEVATED-LEADER   About Dagmara Asbreuk: A certified Executive Transformational Partner and keynote speaker, and Founder of Extraordinary Leadership. She brings 15+ years of global experience in Fortune 500 organizations and 10 years in leadership transformation. Recognized as one of Dubai's Top 15 Coaches, she is known for activating higher potential in senior executives and leadership teams through a unique blend of neuroscience and quantum consciousness.   👇 CONNECT WITH DAGMARA: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dagmara-asbreuk/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dagmaraasb/ 🌐 Website: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/ 👉 Book a non binding, leadership clarity call: https://calendly.com/dagmaraasbreuk/30-min-consultation 👉 Book Dagmara for your Leadership event, conference, summit Keynote Speaking: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/speaking 👉 Book Dagmara for your leadership Team Offsite: Leadership Team: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/ORGANIZATION   ✨ If this episode resonates, please subscribe to the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast - it helps us reach more leaders who are ready to lead differently. 🔁 Share this episode with at least one leader who would benefit from these insights. 💬 And let me know in the comments: What is your biggest takeaway from today's episode? If this conversation shifted how you think about leading your team through what's coming, share it with a leader in your circle who's still asking "should we" instead of "how do we.   00:00 - Introduction: The host introduces guest Brett King 05:00 - Historical Patterns: King discusses historical tech disruptions over the past 350 years, emphasizing that resistance from governments or industries has never successfully halted technological advancement. 09:44 - Energy Demands of AI 11:15 - AI Scaling Laws 14:43 - The Future Purpose Economy 22:08 - Timelines for Global Milestones 26:36 - Consciousness and Self-Governance 36:41 - Workforce Displacement & Leadership 42:52 - Closing Remarks

Every ambitious leader reaches a moment where growth feels blocked and almost no one realizes what's actually happening. In this episode, Dagmara reveals the hidden pattern that shows up at every threshold of expansion and why the most talented, experienced leaders are often the ones most likely to miss it. Whether you're leading organizational transformation, scaling your business, or navigating a career reinvention, this episode will change how you interpret the moments of struggle and restlessness that precede your next level. You'll discover: • The two very different ways expansion announces itself, through pain and through pull and why both are invitations, not problems to fix • Why the first instinct (change the strategy, push harder, wait for the right time) is almost always the wrong move • The "wobble moment" that causes even decisive leaders to sabotage their growth right at the threshold and how to recognize it in real time • A powerful perspective shift to move through discomfort and access the decision-making of your next-level self • Why the invitation to grow never disappears, it just gets louder If you've ever felt stuck despite doing everything right, or felt a quiet pull toward something more that you've been talking yourself out of, this episode is for you.   🔗 Ready to cross the bridge to your next level? Let’s explore the most aligned way: https://calendly.com/dagmaraasbreuk/30-min-consultation?month=2026-06   About Dagmara Asbreuk: A certified Executive Transformational Partner and keynote speaker, and Founder of Extraordinary Leadership. She brings 15+ years of global experience in Fortune 500 organizations and 10 years in leadership transformation. Recognized as one of Dubai's Top 15 Coaches, she is known for activating higher potential in senior executives and leadership teams through a unique blend of neuroscience and quantum consciousness.   👇 CONNECT WITH DAGMARA: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dagmara-asbreuk/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dagmaraasb/ 🌐 Website: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/   👉 Book a non binding, leadership clarity call: https://calendly.com/dagmaraasbreuk/30-min-consultation 👉 Book Dagmara for your Leadership event, conference, summit Keynote Speaking: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/speaking 👉 Book Dagmara for your leadership Team Offsite: Leadership Team: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/ORGANIZATION   🔗 Ready to elevate your leadership from the inside out? Join the 8-week Transformational Program — next cohort starts 25th June. https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/THE-ELEVATED-LEADER   ✨ If this episode resonates, please subscribe to the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast — it helps us reach more leaders who are ready to lead differently. 🔁 Share this episode with at least one leader who would benefit from these insights. 💬 And let me know in the comments: What is your biggest takeaway from today's episode?   00:00 - 01:38: Introduction to a pattern that blocks expansion for leaders and organizations. 01:39 - 02:37: Navigating the threshold of expansion, whether leading organizational change, a business, or a career transition. 02:38 - 04:10: Two ways leaders are invited to growth: through "pain" (struggle, resistance, or slipped performance) or a "pull" (curiosity or a sense of emptiness despite success). 05:07 - 06:10: The importance of internal recalibration and how an "inner baseline" can create a ceiling for business performance. 06:11 - 07:31: The recurring nature of growth invitations; if ignored, they often return with greater intensity. 08:04 - 10:48: Making the decision to expand and how being ready often causes the right mentors or teachers to appear. 10:49 - 13:34: Recognizing the "wobble" or hesitation that occurs at the final moment of commitment due to the mind's desire to protect the familiar. 13:35 - 15:47: Shifting from the current self's perspective to the "next level" self's perspective to overcome internal resistance. 15:48 - 17:54: Practical steps to access a desired state of being, including grounding oneself and making decisions from a place of realized vision. 17:55 - 19:17: Closing thoughts on embracing expansion from a conscious, intentional place.

What if the relationships you're not nurturing are the exact doors that strategy alone can never open? In this episode, Dagmara sits down with Gautam Ganglani, author of Breaking Bread, CEO of Right Selection for Thought Leadership, and a master of building meaningful relationships to explore the one skill most leaders underestimate as they climb higher: the ability to connect with real intention. In this episode you'll discover: • Why meaningful relationships are the engine behind leadership impact, influence, and success • What "breaking bread" actually means and how it goes far beyond dinner • The three pieces of advice Gautam received at age 13 that shaped everything he built • Simple, intentional actions that take minutes but create lasting emotional connection • How to nurture relationships in a virtual world without losing the human element • Why loneliness increases as leaders rise and what to do about it • The role of self-mastery and inner work in becoming a leader people truly connect with • How Gautam turned a 5-minute corridor conversation into a CEO's personal email and phone number   Through real stories: • A 6-week LinkedIn nurturing strategy that led to a 2-year coaching contract • A CEO who felt he already knew Gautam before they ever met in person • A spontaneous hallway encounter that became a masterclass in breaking bread in real time This is the conversation that reminds every senior leader: the doors strategy cannot open, relationships can.   About the Guest: Gautam Ganglani is a Strategic Connector, Author, Speaker, and Community Builder with over 30 years of experience helping leaders and organizations build meaningful relationships that drive growth and success. He is the Founder & CEO of Right Selection, author of Breaking Bread, and dedicated to creating high-trust connections through meaningful conversations.   🔗 Ready to elevate your leadership from the inside out? Join the 8-week Transformational Program — next cohort starts 25th June. https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/THE-ELEVATED-LEADER   About Dagmara Asbreuk: A certified Executive Transformational Partner and keynote speaker, and Founder of Extraordinary Leadership. She brings 15+ years of global experience in Fortune 500 organizations and 10 years in leadership transformation. Recognized as one of Dubai's Top 15 Coaches, she is known for activating higher potential in senior executives and leadership teams through a unique blend of neuroscience and quantum consciousness.   👇 CONNECT WITH DAGMARA: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dagmara-asbreuk/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dagmaraasb/ 🌐 Website: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/   👉 Book a non binding, leadership clarity call: https://calendly.com/dagmaraasbreuk/30-min-consultation 👉 Book Dagmara for your Leadership event, conference, summit Keynote Speaking: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/speaking 👉 Book Dagmara for your leadership Team Offsite: Leadership Team: https://www.theextraordinaryleadership.com/ORGANIZATION   ✨ If this episode resonates, please subscribe to the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast, it helps us reach more leaders who are ready to lead differently. 🔁 Share this episode with at least one leader who would benefit from these insights. 💬 And let me know in the comments: What is your biggest takeaway from today's episode?   00:00 Introduction : The one skill most leaders underestimate 01:54 Gautam Ganglani introduces himself 02:20 Gautam's story: being bullied at 13 and the three pieces of wisdom that changed everything 08:08 What makes a relationship meaningful and how most people get it wrong 09:05 Breaking bread vs. routine connection: birthday messages, emails, networking 12:44 Why most networking events produce nothing and what to do instead 13:02 Intentionality, emotional intelligence, and presence as relationship tools 14:32 Real story: how 6 weeks of LinkedIn comments led to a 2-year coaching contract 20:18 Breaking bread in a virtual world and why cameras are non-negotiable 22:01 Loneliness at the top and the human need to belong 22:56 The biggest challenge leaders face in building real connection today 25:35 The balance between AI, speed, and human connection 26:07 How inner work and self-mastery directly impact your ability to connect 27:26 Why every leader needs a coach and why Gautam has several 30:08 Subconscious communication and what really creates connection 31:26 Gautam's final advice: intentionality, abundance mindset, and the emotional bank account 33:30 The 5-minute corridor story, earning a CEO's personal contact in real time 35:46 Closing reflections and Dagmara's challenge to listeners