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OwlCast: The Leadership & Coaching Podcast

OwlCast: The Leadership & Coaching Podcast

By: David Morelli with Co-Host William Oakley
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OwlCast is a podcast on leadership and coaching. You can expect to get insights to help you solve the thorny problems of life and leadership – all with a dollop of laughter thrown in. Your dynamic hosts, David and William, will help you become a more kickass leader. Together, they won’t only motivate you, they’ll give you scientifically proven tools to become better – full stop!David Morelli 2020-2025 Career Success Economics Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Presence: The One Thing You Can’t Fake

    Presence: The One Thing You Can’t Fake
    Jun 9 2026
    You’ve felt it before—those rare moments when someone is fully with you. No distractions, no agenda, no performance… just presence. And you’ve felt the opposite too—the “I’m here, but I’m not really here” conversations that leave you feeling unseen. In this episode, David and William unpack what presence really is—and why it’s one of the most powerful and misunderstood aspects of leadership and coaching. If you’ve ever been told to “work on your executive presence” but had no idea what that actually meant… this conversation finally puts language to the invisible.

    Key Topics:

    • Presence is the alignment of attention, intention, and emotion.
    • You can’t measure your own presence—others feel it instantly.
    • Lack of presence impacts promotions, reputation, and influence.
    • Presence is not a tactic—it’s a “beingness,” not a checklist skill.
    • Executive presence ≠ dominance; it’s grounded, authentic alignment.
    • Coaching presence is different:
    • Focused fully on the other person
    • Neutral emotion
    • Clear intention to support their growth
    • The fastest way to lose presence? Focusing on yourself.
    • Growth tip: You don’t “add” presence—you remove what gets in the way
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    53 mins
  • You’re NOT Listening: (Oops, neither am I!)

    You’re NOT Listening: (Oops, neither am I!)
    Jun 2 2026
    Most of us think we’re good listeners… but we’re really just waiting for our turn to talk. In this episode, David and William call out the hidden habits—reloading, multitasking, and conversational narcissism—that quietly break trust, kill engagement, and cost more than we realize.

    Key Topics:

    • Listening ≠ hearing — true listening is about understanding, not responding.
    • Silence is a leadership skill—it allows people to process, open up, and feel heard.
    • Deep listening reduces stress, lowers defensiveness, and increases trust
    • There are 3 levels of listening:
    o Level 1: Me-focused
    o Level 2: You-focused
    o Level 3: Context & what’s not said
    • Leaders who don’t listen create disengagement, poor performance, and turnover.
    • Practical moves:
    o Pause (count to 3)
    o Paraphrase before responding
    o Don’t interrupt
    o Listen with your eyes
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    52 mins
  • Start with People: The Rest Follows with Fortune 100 CHRO Mike Theilmann

    Start with People: The Rest Follows with Fortune 100 CHRO Mike Theilmann
    May 26 2026
    What if career success has less to do with titles and compensation—and more to do with who you choose to work for? In this powerful conversation, Fortune 100 CHRO Mike Theilmann shares his unconventional career path and a radically human philosophy: start with people, and everything else follows. This episode is packed with real stories about development, courage, coaching, and what it actually means to put people first at scale.

    Reach Mike here: mtheilmann@icloud.com

    Key Topics:

    • Pick the person, not the position
    Careers accelerate when you work for leaders who genuinely develop people.

    • Ask better interview questions
    “Who have you developed?” may be more important than any job description.

    • Development doesn’t come from comfort
    Growth comes from being stretched into situations you don’t fully understand—yet.

    • Coaching and feedback are different tools
    Feedback helps people learn from moments; coaching helps people think and grow over time.

    • People-first leadership scales
    When organizations prioritize human capability, business results follow.

    • You don’t wait for the ladder—you pull it down
    Ownership, curiosity, and initiative matter more than permission.
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
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