
How Leaders Lead gives you a front-row seat to exclusive conversations with the world’s most iconic leaders across business, sports, and entertainment. Hosted by David Novak, Co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands, this podcast pulls back the curtain on how top CEOs, founders, and game-changers make things happen. When you tune in, you’ll learn from legends like Tom Brady, Condoleezza Rice, Jami... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 459 | Founded | 9 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | EntrepreneurshipManagementBusiness | |||

If you lead a business, you know providing great service is vital.
But what does that actually mean?
For David Lafitte, CEO of the popular Western retailer Tecovas, it means radical hospitality. Stuff like offering shoppers free drinks, personaliza... more
Today, she is the CEO of Ulta Beauty, leading over 1500 stores worldwide, striking partnerships with Chanel and Beyonce, and creating record growth since she took over in early 2025.
That kind of career momentum doesn’t happen by accident. And in th... more
What’s the soul of your brand? And why might it be the secret to unlocking a new chapter of growth for your company?
Today, David sits down with Mark Smucker. He’s the CEO and Chair of The J.M. Smucker Company, which is home to iconic brands like Sm... more
Minted Founder Mariam Naficy was ready to shut it all down. She’d spent nearly all the capital from her angel round, but nothing was selling.
Then, she experimented with crowdsourcing stationery and card designs from independent artists, and everyth... more
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There is no other podcast that has:
1. Host has former chairman and CEO of >$1B valuation company.
2. Guests as real CEOs consistently of >$1B valuation companies.
All other podcasts have super junior hosts, super junior guests, and super theoretical leadership lessons.
Thank you David Novak!
Have listened to a number of “leadership” podcasts…This is the one! It brings great discussion with leaders from varied fields that have a lot of real world experience, and unique perspectives…and host David Novak has been there, done that as well. Great job!
Every single episode will challenge you, inspire you and give you immediate skills and practical steps to improve your leadership. The interviews are top-notch, the guest are brilliant and David is an incredible host. Thank you so much for producing incredible leadership podcast!
If you’re passionate about leadership and personal growth, How Leaders Lead with David Novak is a must-listen. David has a knack for making every conversation feel authentic, relatable, and packed with valuable insights. His guests are accomplished, hardworking individuals, and you can tell he genuinely enjoys learning from them—which makes it even more inspiring to tune in. Whether you’re leading a team or just trying to get better at life, this podcast leaves you with ideas you can actually us... more
On a recent episode, Koula mentioned visiting an ice cream shop just to take in the smells--not necessarily eat the ice cream. David responded by saying this was "the dumbest thing he had ever heard." He could have made light of this without saying her remarks were dumb in front of thousands of listeners. It sounded condescending...would he have used that language while interviewing one of his world-class guests? I would never tell any of my team members their remarks are "dumb"--even in a light... more
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #33 | |
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Apple Podcasts | #148 | |
Apple Podcasts | #128 | |
Apple Podcasts | #202 | |
Apple Podcasts | #246 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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This show features in-depth conversations with top leaders across business, sports, and culture, offering practical leadership lessons drawn from real-world experiences. Guests range from CEOs and founders to coaches and industry disruptors, with a strong emphasis on authentic storytelling, culture, strategy, and how to lead through change. Episodes highlight brand building, team dynamics, crisis management, and the human side of leadership, often including tactical takeaways you can apply to your own organization. A standout trait is the host's experience as a former CEO, which tends to yield candid, battle-tested insights and actionable frameworks that span industries and roles.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for How Leaders Lead. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to How Leaders Lead and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
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How Leaders Lead launched 9 years ago and published 459 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on How Leaders Lead include:
1. David Lafitte
2. Kecia Steelman
3. Mark Smucker
4. Mariam Naficy
5. Kurt Kane
6. JC Curleigh
7. Julie Hansen
8. John Donahoe
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