In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey welcomes Kathy Bresler, founder of Altar Community, a Chicago-based hub for connection, wellness, and growth. Kathy shares her journey from corporate strategist to reluctant boss and accidental entrepreneur. After years of envisioning a gathering space, she opened Altar in early 2020, just as the pandemic shut everything down. Forced to pivot, she and her community shifted online, building resilience through shared purpose.

Kathy reflects on her struggles with leadership, from toggling between being too directive and too accommodating, to learning how to balance vision with execution. She candidly explores perfectionism, self-doubt, and the weight of wanting to be liked while leading. Through it all, Kathy found strength in purpose, community, and a commitment to growth, offering lessons in perseverance and authenticity for every leader who has wrestled with their own bad boss moments.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Accidental Entrepreneurship

01:36 The Vision of Altar Community

03:28 Launching Altar Amidst COVID

06:17 Pivoting to Online Community

11:13 Kathy’s Corporate Background

14:42 Turning Point: Breast Cancer Diagnosis

17:23 Reluctant Boss: Challenges of Leadership

23:05 The Conundrum of Coaching vs. Leading

25:29 Influential Books and Self-Discovery

30:59 Embracing the Entrepreneurial Journey

34:01 Purpose Over Profitability

About: 

Beth Fahey is a leadership coach, Expert EOS Implementer, and co-creator of the How to Be a Great Boss Workshops. With nearly 40 years of hands-on leadership experience, Beth has worn many hats: from working in film and owning a bakery to leading a national trade association.

 

Now, as the host of The Bad Boss Confessional, she shares candid stories about the challenges of leadership, mistakes made, lessons learned, and the path to becoming the kind of boss your team actually wants to follow. Through humor, honesty, and heart, Beth is on a mission to help leaders grow, one confession at a time.

 

Show Links

For more information about Beth Fahey follow the links below.

Website: www.eosworldwide.com/beth-fahey 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BethFaheyEOS

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bethfaheyeos/

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@bethfaheyeos

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bethfahey/

Bad Boss Confessional YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional 

Beth's Youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/@bethfaheyeos 

Guest Links

Kathy Bresler is the founder of ALTAR Community, a hidden gem in Chicago that’s both a vibrant community and an inspiring event space. ALTAR hosts everything from curated corporate offsites for teams and leaders to speaker series and wellness programs — all designed to help people connect, recharge, and grow. A visionary entrepreneur, Kathy speaks candidly about the messy, humbling, and ultimately transformational journey of turning vision into leadership.

Altar Community: https://www.altarcommunity.com/kathy-bresler

Sponsor Links

Thanks to our Sponsors

A big thank you to our amazing sponsors for making this episode possible:

Titus Talent – Helping organizations make the best hiring decisions with performance-based talent strategies.

Strety – Empowering teams through strategic planning and performance management tools built for modern workforces.