Call and Response and “the Magical Middle”

On this episode of Gen X Amplified, I am joined by bestselling, award-winning author, Fortune 100 C-Suite advisor, and certified global executive coach, L. Michelle Smith. (https://www.lmichellesmith.com/) L. Michelle is the founder and CEO of no silos communications and the creator and host of The Culture Soup Podcast®, heard in over 70 countries. She has spent over 25 years helping leaders do the deep, transformational work that moves the needle — making VP before 30 and SVP before 40. She is also the author of the powerful and timely new book “Call & Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church,” (https://www.amazon.com/Call-Response-…) published by Amistad/HarperCollins in collaboration with JVL Media (  / jvlmediallc  ) — the company co-founded by Academy Award and EGOT-winning actress Viola Davis, (  / violadavis  ) Julius Tennon, and Lavaille Lavette. In this episode, L. Michelle and I discuss: • L. Michelle’s remarkable professional journey — from making VP before 30 and SVP before 40, to running her own agency for nearly a decade, to becoming one of the most sought-after leadership strategists and executive coaches in the country • The two pivotal moments that sparked the book — including a stunning black-and-white photograph handed to her by her mother on the eve of Thanksgiving, and a question asked after a keynote that garnered 25 million social media impressions • The Call & Response Leadership Revival Framework — built on three pillars: history and culture, applied science, and leadership theory — and how those three work together • Why this is emphatically NOT a faith-based leadership book — and why that distinction matters deeply • The ten leadership lessons spanning three domains — Self, Relationships, and Impact — and how each one is anchored in neuroscience and positive psychology • The central tension of the book: can the Black Church still sustain the leadership pipeline it once produced? • How the book speaks directly to mid-career professionals navigating what I call the “Magical Middle” — and which leadership lesson they most often overlook • And so much more!