In this episode of Say It Skillfully®, host Molly Tschang engages in a deeply human, candid, and inspiring conversation with Ron Carucci — bestselling author, executive coach, and co-founder of Navalent. Together, they trace Ron’s extraordinary journey from a chaotic Long Island childhood to becoming one of the most trusted voices in leadership, organizational transformation, and personal growth.

Ron opens up about the trauma and humor of growing up in a loud Italian household, discovering his love for the arts, navigating early career pivots, and finding purpose in helping leaders use their voices to serve the greater good. He shares vulnerable insights about therapy, impostor syndrome, mental health, parenting, marriage, failure, and what it means to truly “play big.”

This episode offers profound lessons in honesty, self-compassion, resilience, and leading with integrity. Ron’s wisdom — centered on the belief that “nothing in life is irrevocable except death” — invites listeners to rethink how they show up in their work, relationships, and inner lives.

A powerful celebration of growth, shared humanity, and the courage to become who you are meant to be.

00:00 Introduction to Ron Carucci
01:00 Growing Up in a Loud Italian Family
02:51 Childhood Dynamics, Bullying & Identity
04:36 Juilliard, Early Dreams & Family Expectations
05:44 Pivoting from the Arts to Purpose-Driven Work
06:29 A Transformational Moment with a Young Soldier
07:10 Discovering the Power of Story
07:47 Sibling Relationships & Processing Trauma
09:36 Therapy, Internal Parts & Self-Understanding
11:10 Entering the Corporate World & Early Lessons
12:24 Learning the Language of Leadership Development
13:03 Navigating Marriage, Partnership & Life on the Road
14:05 Long-Distance Love & Building a Family
15:36 Early Career Ambition & Realizations
20:12 The PepsiCo Chapter — Politics, Ego & Hard Lessons
23:09 Imposter Syndrome & Speaking Truth to Power
25:26 Struggles with Diplomacy & Authenticity
26:58 Parenting, Repair, and Generational Healing
29:15 Mentorship & the Legendary Toby
31:19 Writing as Validation, Craft, and Inner Work
34:16 Wrestling with the Mental Health of Book Writing
35:06 Tennis: Self-Care, Mental Health & Mastery
38:31 What Tennis Reveals About the Self
38:57 Symbolism in Collecting Keys, Doorknobs & Mugs
40:57 Identity, Introversion & Misconceptions
42:13 Career Do-Overs & Lessons Learned
43:44 His Proudest Accomplishment: Fatherhood
44:28 Rapid-Fire Questions
45:28 Top Takeaways & Ron’s Life Philosophy
46:36 Final Reflections & Closing