Shows / FINE is a 4-Letter Word
FINE is a 4-Letter Word
"Fine" is a lie leaders tell themselves — and it costs them their people, their culture, and their impact. Every episode, a leader gets honest about what it really takes to lead with empathy, vulnerability, gratitude, and courage… especially when everything isn’t fine. We're sharing how human connection drives innovation, retention, profitability and ultimately, legacy. I trust something in this conversation will stay with you. One thing’s for sure… you’ll never hear—or say—the word “fine” in…
Episodes
FINE is a 4-Letter Word251. Successful at a Life I Didn’t Want with Mark Reynolds
Mark Reynolds took a job on a promise to stay for one year. At the ten-year mark, he looked up and realized he had what he calls "all the trappings of…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word250. Afraid of Being Found Out with Adrian Hale Bishop
For most of his adult life, Adrian Hale Bishop lived with a quiet, constant question: what happens if people find out? He kept the parts of his life carefully…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word249. Why Not You with Ryan Lavarnway
Ryan Lavarnway spent ten seasons in Major League Baseball and was called up and sent back down to the minors 26 times over 12 years. He was the slowest player…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word248. Not From a Nice Family with Diana Keough
In 1988, Diana Keough came home for Christmas for the first time in three years. She was married, she had a six-month-old baby, and she was determined to…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word247. The Pause Is the Work with Jobert Abueva
On September 6, 1997, the day of Princess Diana's funeral, Jobert Abueva couldn't get out of bed. He was in a Hong Kong hotel room, paralyzed for the better…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word246. Toxic Optimism with John Azar
John Azar fled Syria at 16 in the middle of a civil war, arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina not speaking a word of English, and eventually built his way to…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word245. It's Not Your Job to Fix Everything with Lori Saitz
How many things in your life are you currently trying to fix that aren't even yours to fix? An employee who isn't performing the way you want. A team member…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word244: A Google Search Got Him Fired with Shane Lukas
Shane Lukas built his career on the belief that transparency, done right, protects you. He had spoken about his history in sex work advocacy at national and…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word243: Wrong Tape, Wrong Story with Henry Tolbert
Henry Tolbert was sitting at a fire pit behind a rental house, grilling hot dogs for his wife and four daughters because the insurance money for their flooded…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word242: A Toddler Saved His Life with Jim Morris
Content Note: This episode includes a brief, non-graphic reference to a personal crisis involving suicidal thoughts. Jim Morris grew up believing giving was…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word241: The Surprising Path to Happiness with Suneet Bhatt
Suneet Bhatt spent 12 years in private equity and venture-backed businesses, and every job followed the same arc: new and exciting at first, then, faster each…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word240: Get Back on the Horse with Amanda Van Der Heiden
Replaced by Three Employees and Called It a Badge of Honor with Amanda Van Der Heiden Amanda Van Der Heiden could trot on a horse before she could walk. When…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word239: Concentration Camp for Throwaway Teens with Cyndy Etler
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of childhood abuse, institutional trauma, and a reference to suicidal ideation, drawn from Cyndy's own published…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word238: AI Can't Do This with Scott Doggett
Scott Doggett spent 30 years in corporate America, first running hotel and resort operations, then leading learning and development teams up to vice president…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word237: Trash Bags to Backpacks with Rob Scheer
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of childhood abuse, foster care, and homelessness. Rob Scheer was thrown out at 18 with a trash bag. He spent…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word236: Built It, Sold It, Bought It Back with Jodi Scott
Jodi Scott co-founded Green Goo, a plant-based first aid brand, after a bike fall led her past an abandoned Southern estate and a first aid cabinet she could…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word235: You Get Paid for This? with Will Steel
Will Steel could ride along on a milk delivery route before he could read. His mother ran the round for 40 years, seven days a week, just to cover the grocery…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word234: She Woke Up Angry She Survived with Candice Van Dertholen
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of domestic violence, a suicide attempt, and complicated grief. Candice Van Dertholen was a single mother at 22…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word233: 17 Years in a Toxic Marriage with Everte Farnell
Everte Farnell spent seventeen years married to a partner he now believes had borderline personality disorder, enduring verbal, emotional, and eventually…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word232: The Patterns Running Your Life With Dr. Kevin Mays
You're not failing because of lack of skill or effort. You're failing because of patterns you picked up before you were old enough to choose them. Dr. Kevin…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word231: Promises You Make To Yourself With Scott Lackey
Scott Lackey grew up as a free-range kid roaming the woods and building forts, convinced he had all the time in the world. Then three questions from three…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word230. The Walmart Love Story with Dr. Andrena Phillips
Raised in a household steeped in integrity, respect, and love, Dr. Andrena Phillips credits her upbringing and the strong leadership modeled by her Marine…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word229. Grief, Golf, and Van Life with Kym Coco
From a childhood shaped by the loss of her father and the blending of deeply religious family values, Kym Coco developed an early appreciation for spirituality…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word228. Drunk at His Desk with Dan Flanagan
What if everything you’ve gone through in life — the chaos, the loss, the addiction, the grief — was the exact preparation you needed to save someone else's…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word227. Five years of Fine is a 4-Letter Word
Welcome to the celebration of five years of fine is a four letter word. I'm your host, Lori Saitz, and man, what a ride it has been. Five years. I don't know…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word226. This Wasn't Supposed to Happen with Nicole Milone
What would you do if your business partner, the woman who recruited you, trained you, and believed in you before you believed in yourself, didn't come home…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word225. Sued for $60 Million. Not Guilty. with Shane Barker
What would you do if you woke up one day to find the California Attorney General was suing you for $60 million — and you hadn't done anything wrong? That's…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word224. Do It Scared with Vanessa McDowell Atlas
What if the secret to being an exceptional leader isn't about being stronger, working harder, or having all the answers — but about being the first one in the…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word223. I Can't Get Off the Highway with Melissa Coloton
What happens when your life looks successful and you keep telling yourself it is… but then you find yourself pulled over on the side of the highway with clammy…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word222. Unshakeable Relief with Janice DaCosta
What happens when the thing you pride yourself on most… is the very thing quietly breaking you? Janice DaCosta grew up in a world where excellence wasn’t…
- FINE is a 4-Letter Word
221. Connection Is the Real Life Hack
We’re more connected than ever… and more lonely than ever. Because connected online is very different than connected offline. In this solo episode, I'm…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word220. Broke Built Me Better with Barry Bradham
Shaped by a childhood of resourcefulness and grit, Barry Bradham’s story moves beyond your usual rags-to-riches narrative. Raised in a family where money was…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word219. Running Full Speed… Into a Wall with Lindsey Korell
If your body pulled the emergency brake tomorrow, would you wish you’d slowed down sooner? Growing up on a dude ranch in the remote town of Utica, Montana…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word218. The Danger of Handling Everything with Emma Collyer
What if the moment you tell yourself “I’m fine” is the exact moment you should be paying closer attention? Rooted in the core values of hard work, family, and…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word217. I Built It. Then I Walked Away with Ali Brown
What happens when the life you worked relentlessly to build suddenly stops feeling like you belong in it? From the outside, Ali Brown had it all. An epic…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word216. Success Didn’t Fix It with Anthony Spark
What happens when you get everything you thought would finally make you feel okay… and it doesn’t? Anthony Spark grew up in chaos, learned independence early…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word215. Nice is Not Kind with Allie Jones
Growing up in Iowa, Allie Jones was immersed in a culture of “Iowa nice,” a brand of politeness defined by being helpful, agreeable, and perpetually pleasant…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word214. I Divorced My Parents with Andrew Quebbemann
Raised in a hardworking, Catholic family that seemed picture-perfect from the outside, Andrew Quebbemann learned early on the value of self-reliance and doing…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word213. Change Your Mind About It with Stef Warlick
Stef Warlick grew up with the kind of values that leave a lasting imprint. Guided by a mother who came from a strict Catholic upbringing and believed deeply in…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word212. Easy Doesn’t Mean It Wasn’t Scary with Kathryn Eipl
Kathryn Eipl spent much of her professional life doing exactly what she was trained to do: keep everything together, move forward no matter what, don’t feel…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word210. Not Your Good Girl with Kristi Straw
Growing up in the Midwest during the 1980s, Kristi Straw was raised with traditional values of being the quiet, grateful “good girl," don’t speak too boldly…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word209. Rush is the Pace of Fear with Pia Mailhot-Leichter
Growing up in a household where freedom was paramount, Pia (Myo Lischter) Mailhot-Leichter was raised by rebellious, artistic parents. From her mother’s escape…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word208. Confidence Isn't an Amazon Delivery with Meshell Baker
Raised with strong faith values across multiple religious traditions, Meshell Baker discovered early on that the best people she encountered weren't defined by…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word207. Wine Is Not a Lifestyle Thanksgiving Solo
Holiday solo episode today. On what might be a controversial topic, but what the hell. LFG! It’s no secret that this girl loves shopping. I inherited this love…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word206. The Weight He Finally Put Down with Christopher Bylone
Christopher Bylone grew up on a New Jersey family farm where no one was above mucking stalls, and lending a hand wasn’t optional. His grandfather, decades…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word205. Vulnerability Is the New Invincibility with Coach Matt Doherty
What happens when a basketball star loses everything from his NBA dream, his identity, and even his beloved coaching job at his alma mater? In today’s episode…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word204. The Bully in the Mirror with Massimo Backus
Fine is a 4-Letter Word is all about those moments when “fine” is just the mask we wear before life gives us a loud wake-up call. For Massimo Backus, that…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word203. When Silence Speaks Louder Than Words with Karen Brown
Hey high achiever, what if the only way to save your life… was to finally stop doing all the things and learn how to be? In this powerful and deeply honest…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word202. Three Kinds of Truths with Angie Tumlinson
Stop and ponder for a moment. Is it possible that everything you thought was keeping you “safe” was actually keeping you small? We often look to resolve our…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word201. Build It Boldly with Dr. Kimberly McGlonn
Welcome to a new season of Fine is a 4-Letter Word. I’m excited for today’s guest because there is no better time for you to meet someone who embodies what it…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word200. Valuing Yourself Equally with Others In Friendships: A Special Episode With Lori
By the time you see this episode, I’ll be in Tanzania, petting lions and riding zebras. (Ok, I KNOW, that’s not likely to happen, but I wish it could!) This…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word199. Heart Work, Not Hard Work with Shaun Murphy
If you’re having difficulty finding what you’re looking for in life, have you thought about looking in a completely different place? One that might require…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word198. Leading With Humanity Over Hustle with Christian Agulles
A lot of companies use positive-sounding cliches like “people over profit” and “work-life balance”. This sounds good, until somebody pulls the sales reports…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word197. Leading Magnanimously with Andrew Brummer
What if the secret to a peaceful, impactful life is simply refusing to live by anyone else’s rules?” Then imagine what would change if you stopped living for a…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word196. My Conversations With God with Neale Donald Walsch
Do you believe God talks with you? In fact, God is never not talking with you! Depending on your background, beliefs, and point of view, this might sound…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word195. Generals Eat Last with Tony Crescenzo
How many battles are you fighting without even being aware you’re in the arena? It might seem like everything is “fine”. Sure, you had struggles, some hard…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word194. It’s Time We Talk About Money with Anders Jones
Ever heard the phrase “may you live in interesting times?” Seems applicable these days. And it’s causing a lot of people to live with a constant feeling of…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word193. Fighting A Bear In The Cave with Eddie Sand
If the self-help industry was actually effective, the world would be full of people in perfect health with boundless wealth, always succeeding at everything…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word192. Show Up, Smile, And Support with Kevin Schnieders
Some people are just born with it. Whether it’s the intelligence you need to thrive, personality traits that make you likable – or your dad owning the company…
FINE is a 4-Letter Word191. Know Who's In Your Entourage with Margaret Rogers
Time and again, as you go through nearly 200 episodes of Fine Is a 4-Letter Word, you'll find stories from guests who found themselves disconnected from what's…