From Terrible Boss to Leader Worth Following – A Real Conversation with Layci Nelson
What if great leadership isn’t about being perfect—but about being honest enough to change?
In this powerful and refreshingly real episode, I sit down with Layci Nelson, founder of the Transcend Leadership Collective, to unpack one of the most important truths in leadership today: leadership is learned, not inherited.
Layci openly shares her journey from being, in her own words, a “terrible boss” to becoming a highly respected leadership coach who has trained thousands of leaders across high-pressure, action-driven industries—including agriculture, logistics, manufacturing, and even the U.S. Army.
Together, we explore:
The moment of self-awareness that changed everything for Layci
Why most leadership training fails frontline and operational leaders
How communication (not authority) creates trust, safety, and performance
What it really takes to create sustainable behavior change in leaders
Why self-awareness is the foundation of influence, not a “soft skill”
With a background in Social Work, Psychology, and Sociology, Layci brings a deeply human, neuroscience-aligned approach to leadership—bridging theory with practical, immediately usable tools that work in the real world, not just corporate boardrooms.
This episode is for:
Leaders who feel the pressure of responsibility and want to lead better
Business owners managing people in fast-paced, operational environments
Anyone ready to move from control and reaction into clarity and conscious leadership
Honest. Grounded. Practical. And deeply human.
🎧 Tune in and discover why the best leaders are not the ones who never fail—but the ones who are brave enough to look in the mirror and evolve.
You can connect with Layci here:
https://www.transcendleadershipcollective.com/
or
https://www.linkedin.com/in/layci-nelson/
Thank you for listening
Alexandra Terrey
https://thementoringeffect.com/