719: Beth Goff-McMillan is a CEO & Wanderer [podcast]

April 8, 2026·36 min·3 clips

Beth reveals how traveling makes her more relatable as a CEO, helping her ask deeper questions and connect with employees.

The setup is John Garrett asking the show's usual question: who are you beyond the job title? The quick rapport gives Beth room to come across as a CEO with a wanderer's curiosity, not just another clean title. The banter stays easy. Then the conversation moves into what travel has taught her about vulnerability, relatability, and letting people finish their answers. That is where it starts to click. Beth says seeing different slices of life gives her more shared experiences with employees, clients, influencers, and whoever is across from her. She has chosen not to stay in her bubble, and that choice connects wandering for fun with leading more carefully when a room gets complicated. John asks whether that wandering mindset carries over to CEO Beth, and her answer is a plain yes. Nothing flashy. It comes down to asking questions, staying open to vulnerability, and leaving silence alone instead of rushing to fill it. That pause does real work. Beth talks about tougher questions around family, upbringing, education, and school, and how people sometimes need a moment before they can answer honestly. Simple idea, better than it sounds. The show keeps the mood friendly, so the heavier point comes through stories, quick affirmations, and John's amused curiosity. Nobody makes it feel like homework. Beth's point is more useful: travel has taught her to meet people where they are, and that changes how she listens at work. The close comes back to the real Beth. John jokes that clients who have seen that side of her may be the right ones, then points listeners back to the show's bigger idea about being more than what you do.

As heard by us

Curiosity becomes leadership when wandering turns into better listening.

Beth Goff-McMillan's wandering streak gives the episode its shape, with travel and curiosity turning into a clear case for how she leads. The strongest moments stay grounded in practice: shared experiences and slower, deeper listening make a CEO feel more approachable to…

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Why you'd press play

If you like leadership stories with actual personality, this one stays human.

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