Hair Color, Horses, and Power of Presence with Brad Lande-Shannon

Jan 20

Most leaders know how to grind. Fewer know how to tell the truth about the fear underneath that grind. In this week’s episode of Fearful Giants, I sat down with Brad, a seasoned executive, culture advocate, and CPO at Madison Reed - someone who knows the inner terrain of leadership as well as the outer pressure of high-growth environments.

I met Brad years ago through the conscious leadership community, and I was immediately struck by his honesty, his humor, and his ability to read a room, or a horse, with stunning clarity. This conversation felt important because leaders everywhere are operating at a pace their bodies can’t sustain. Brad has lived that story and he’s rewritten it.

Brad has spent two decades shaping high-growth cultures and guiding transformation from the inside out. He's a founder, strategist, and community builder who currently leads people operations for Madison Reed's 1,200 employees. He also runs Awake Ranch, a retreat center where leaders learn through the purest mirror of all: horses.

“A shortcut for me is to walk outside. I can look at the horses or grass and recalibrate.”

— Brad Lande-Shannon

In This Episode, We Talk About:

What conscious leadership looks like inside a 1,200-person organization
The real impact of “above the line / below the line” on team dynamics
The fear underneath HR emergencies, and why leaders brace
How horses teach presence, pace, and the cost of overworking
How to build cultures where growth and honesty aren’t optional
What Brad had to release to grow Awake Ranch with ease

My Key Takeaways from this conversation with Liza Gurtin:

1. Presence is not a soft skill - it’s leverage.
Brad’s story about the horses nailed this home. Your energy sets the pace. People feel you before they hear you.

2. Conscious leadership only sticks when the top actually lives it.
Madison Reed’s CEO meets weekly with a conscious leadership coach. That commitment cascades down, it becomes the water the organization swims in.

3. Leaders brace when they don’t know what’s coming.
Brad named the HR version of this, the "I need five minutes" panic. We all have some version of it. Uncertainty triggers old patterns fast.

4. Growth can become pressure if we don’t pace ourselves.
“Sometimes people need a consciousness break.” The work works, but not if we weaponize it. Awareness requires rest.

5. Ease is a choice, not a personality trait.
Brad's decision to grow Awake Ranch without grinding, forcing, or muscling through, that's leadership maturity. Letting go of the hero narrative is its own form of courage.

This conversation with Brad left me feeling grounded and grateful, reminded that leadership is not about output. It's about presence.

Whether you're a founder, a parent, or somewhere in between, there's something universal in Brad's message: slow down enough to hear what your body is already telling you.

Listen to the full episode: