The Best Leadership Conversations Aren’t Happening in Boardrooms
The Unconventional Leadership podcast exists for the leaders who refuse to stop asking
that question and challenging themselves and those around them to become more.
About the Podcast
Since 2018, the Unconventional Leadership Podcast has brought together world-class leaders willing to share the real story: the wins, the hard lessons, and the decisions that defined them. These aren’t polished keynote moments. They’re honest conversations, filled with real insights, about what leadership actually requires and what it makes possible.
Every episode is built around a single belief: that the leaders willing to challenge conventional thinking are the ones who build something worth following.
Proudly sponsored by Xavier University’s Executive MBA Program.
Xavier University EMBA Program
You’ve spent years building your leadership capabilities. At some point, the next level requires more than experience. It requires credentials, a peer network, and a structured way to think differently about business. Xavier University’s Executive MBA program was built for exactly that moment.
Designed for working professionals with managerial and leadership experience, the 16-month program fits around your career rather than requiring you to step away from it. Classes meet twice a month on Fridays and Saturdays, and everything from textbooks to international travel is included in tuition.
Featured Episodes
How This Woman Broke Into the C-Suite - And Refused to Stay Silent. With Teresa Tanner.
Teresa Tanner spent 30 years making the toughest calls in rooms most leaders never enter – from a heroic boss who carried her through her daughter’s cancer diagnosis, to leaving the C-suite at the top of her game to build something no one had built before. In this conversation, she and Mike Sipple Jr. unpack how to find your voice at work, why a culture of integrity is impossible without healthy conflict, and how leading from your values (not your fear of loss) changes everything. They dig into the people-first strategy that cut new-parent attrition by 25%, why every applicant is a potential customer, the rhythms of reflection that keep leaders healthy, and the trail Teresa blazed with Reserve Squad to keep great talent connected instead of walking out the door.
The Hardest Thing to Scale is Talent. With Rubi Ho
Rubi Ho escaped Saigon as a child, built a successful corporate career, and then walked away from it all to become a “company coach.” In this conversation, he and Mike Sipple Jr. dig into why the hardest thing any leader will ever try to scale isn’t systems or processes, it is talent. As a proud alumnus of the Xavier Executive MBA program, Rubi brings a unique blend of values and deep consulting experience to the table. Together, Mike and Rubi unpack how to lead through volatile and uncertain times, why true leadership requires speaking the truth without ego, and how confronting your deepest fears changes the way you run a business. They explore the critical role of humans in an AI-driven world, the unique walls that family and founder CEOs hit, and how bringing your whole self to work is the ultimate secret to managing modern organizational reality.
What Makes Xavier University EMBA Different
Real- World Experience
Students work directly with Cincinnati-area organizations on consulting projects, from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. This isn’t theory. It’s applied leadership in real business environments.
Flexible by Design
No GMAT or GRE required, and the cohort-based schedule is built for people who are already leading teams and can’t step away from their careers.
An Experience Beyond the Classroom
Every cohort completes a 10-day international residency, with the destination shaped by faculty connections and student input. This is the kind of experience most leadership programs talk about but don’t deliver.
A Globally Recognized Credential
The Williams College of Business holds AACSB accreditation, considered the highest standard for business schools worldwide, and the EMBA program is ranked #24 nationally by U.S. News.
Who Is The EMBA Program For?
Includes:
16- Month Program
Classes Twice Monthly (Fri/Sat)
48 Credit Hours
International Residency
Real-World Consulting Projects
All Course Materials Included
AACSB Accredited
No GMAT/GRE Required
Marilyn Cox (EMBA ‘21)
President, Presto Sports
“I entered Xavier’s EMBA program as a vice president of marketing. Shortly after I graduated from Xavier, I received the opportunity to become President of PrestoSports.”
Yvette Simpson (EMBA ‘14)
Director of DEIB, Ulmer & Berne LLP
“When I think about having a curriculum and program that not only teaches you the ‘how to,’ but the ‘how to’ in the context of where you are, I can’t think of a better program. It wasn’t just spreadsheets.”
Rubi Ho (MBA ‘10)
Founder & CEO, The Rubi Ho Group
“What I found from Xavier specifically was that touch, emphasizing not only the competence of the program but also the relationships and genuine interest they showed in me as a human being.”
Take Your Next Step toward the Xavier EMBA
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