Why Great Leaders Choose Love Over Fear w/ Ryan Heil

Choose love over fear. It’s more than a feel-good mantra. It’s a radical leadership choice that can transform teams, ignite innovation, and turn crisis into opportunity. Washington Speakers Bureau President Ryan Heil has built his career proving that love, not fear, is the real competitive advantage in business and life. In this episode of Reflect Forward: Advice for Leaders, I sit down with Ryan to unpack how this philosophy has shaped his journey from professional baseball to earning a PhD in organizational culture, co-authoring Choose Love Not Fear with his father, and leading a major turnaround at one of the most influential organizations in the speaking industry. We explore why choosing love over fear creates stronger teams, deeper trust, and cultures that can adapt to disruption—plus how Ryan and his team navigated the pandemic’s devastating impact on the speaking industry to emerge stronger than ever. Key Takeaways: • Love is a leadership strategy – Choosing love over fear builds trust, engagement, and sustainable performance. • Fear-based leadership fails in the long run – It may get short-term compliance, but it erodes creativity, passion, and loyalty. • Creative abrasion fuels innovation – Healthy conflict, when guided with respect, produces better ideas and stronger solutions. • Culture change starts one belief at a time – Turnarounds require relentless clarity on values, vision, and “why.” • Relationships are the real currency – They outlast trends, technologies, and even market disruptions. • Crisis is a catalyst for reinvention – Use uncertainty to question old assumptions and build better ways forward. • Your team may not always love you back – But consistent, steady leadership earns respect and trust over time. Mic Drop Moments: • “It’s easy to lead with fear. But fear makes us dumber. Love unleashes human potential.” • “We don’t have speaker contracts—we have handshakes. Integrity is the glue that holds our relationships together.” • “Success is temporary. So is failure. The real skill is knowing how to pivot fast.” • “AI can recommend a speaker, but it can’t tell you who will stay after the keynote to shake every hand.” • “Love your team even when they don’t love you back. That’s leadership.” Connect with Ryan: • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmheil/ • Learn more about Washington Speakers Bureau: https://www.wsb.com/ • Get the book Choose Love Not Fear: https://www.amazon.com/Choose-Love-Not-Fear-Engagement/dp/1734105135 Connect with Kerry Don’t forget to subscribe to Reflect Forward on your favorite podcast platform or YouTube. Visit my website, kerrysiggins.com, to explore my book, The Ownership Mindset, and get more leadership resources. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok! Find Reflect Forward on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerrysiggins-reflectforward Find out more about my book here: https://kerrysiggins.com/the-ownership-mindset/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins/