The Hardest Conversation I've Ever Had with Jessi Marsh

Send us Fan Mail “You fight fear with gratitude." In this episode of the L3 Leadership Podcast, Doug Smith sits down with his longtime friend and former leader, Jessi Marsh, CEO of the Will Allen Foundation. Doug and Jessi unpack one of the hardest conversations of Doug’s career and the conflict that could have ended their working relationship. Instead, their willingness to have an honest conversation became a turning point in their relationship and taught them both powerful lessons about trust, communication, humility, conflict, and grace. Together, Doug and Jessi discuss how to have courageous conversations, rebuild trust, learn from people who think differently, lead with both capability and empathy, and make the most of the life you’ve been given. ⏱️ Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Introduction to Jessi Marsh 02:00 – The hardest conversation of Doug’s career 05:00 – Jessi’s response to Doug’s 360 review 06:00 – Intention vs. impact 11:00 – Learning how to have hard conversations 13:00 – Rebuilding trust 17:00 – The leadership lessons Jessi took from the experience 22:00 – Why avoiding conflict gets you nowhere 24:00 – Having conversations with people who think differently 26:00 – Challenging your own beliefs 30:00 – How Jessi approaches sharing her perspective publicly 37:00 – Jessi’s stage four colon cancer diagnosis 40:00 – Nine years cancer-free 41:00 – Navigating fear and uncertainty 44:00 – “You fight fear with gratitude” 46:00 – Finding gifts in difficult seasons 47:00 – How cancer changed Jessi’s perspective on life 53:00 – Why early detection matters 56:00 – Jessi’s promise to help others facing cancer 57:00 – Lightning Round 01:01:00 – Jessi’s biggest leadership pet peeve 01:04:00 – Being yourself when you can’t please everyone 01:06:00 – The legacy Jessi hopes to leave 🎙 Guest Jessi Marsh – CEO of the Will Allen Foundation Links: Will Allen Foundation - https://www.willallenfdn.org/ Light of Life Rescue Mission - https://www.lightoflife.org/ Function Health - https://www.functionhealth.com/ One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp - https://a.co/d/08HwR1nx Brené Brown - https://brenebrown.com/ Tim Keller sermons - https://gospelinlife.com/sermons/ The Communication Wheel / Information Wheel - https://www.hpsys.com/CW_Home.htm UPMC Hillman Cancer Center - https://hillman.upmc.com/difference 🤝 Sponsor Andocia Marketing Solutions The L3 Leadership Podcast is sponsored by Andocia Marketing Solutions. Andocia exists to bring leaders’ visions to life. Learn more at www.andocia.com 🎙️ LISTEN ON ALL PLATFORMS: https://www.buzzsprout.com/5082 SUBSCRIBE TO: @l3leadership @dougsmithlive Support the show