Are you stuck in a role that leaves you squeezed between the people you manage and the ones managing you?

In this third episode of the SuperPumped Middle Management series, Ben Walters shares three strategies to lead with confidence, avoid self-sabotage, and stand out — without resorting to flattery or faking it. If you’re tired of feeling overlooked or uncertain about your future, this is the episode that gives you a fresh, actionable perspective.

Discover how to stop grandstanding, start preparing for leadership, and connect with the real decision-makers in your organization.

Website:
http://www.superpumped.com

Business launch readiness assessment:
https://launchreadyassessment.scoreapp.com

Book a complimentary 30-minute exploratory call:
https://calendly.com/ben-superpumped/30min

Socials and such:
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/superpumped/
https://youtube.com/@superpumpedlife
https://www.instagram.com/superpumped1
https://www.tiktok.com/@superpumped8
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-walters-165168365/
https://www.facebook.com/ben.walters.77770

Chapters:

00:40 — Are You in the Middle? Here’s Why It’s Tough
01:38 — Stop Sucking Up: It Doesn’t Work
03:05 — The “Christmas Vacation” Gift Line-up
04:00 — Why Doorway Chats Backfire
06:34 — Be Prepared for Your Leadership Moment
09:22 — When the COO Blew It
11:03 — The Dayton Startup and Randy’s Rise
12:07 — Tom Brady and Being Ready to Lead
14:00 — You Probably Won’t Be Chosen by Your Boss
15:13 — Get in Front of the Real Decision-Makers
16:44 — Read the Tea Leaves and Offer a Plan
17:33 — Summary: Three Tips to Lead from the Middle
17:58 — Ready for Coaching? Let’s Talk

Are you in a middle role—VP, assistant manager, executive director—where you're stuck between pressure from above and responsibility below?

In this second episode of the SuperPumped Middle Management series, Ben Walters reveals three game-changing insights that every aspiring leader must hear.

Learn why sucking up won’t get you promoted, how to prepare for your big moment, and who really decides who gets the top job.

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Take our Free Business-ready Assessment⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Free 30min call with Ben⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get in Touch:

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Chapters:

00:40 — Stop Sucking Up to Your Boss
02:29 — What Clark Griswold Gets Wrong
04:21 — You’re Wasting Time and Losing Trust
06:34 — Be Ready When Opportunity Strikes
09:22 — What Not to Do When You Get the Mic
10:32 — How Randy Earned a Promotion
12:07 — Tom Brady and the Power of Preparation
14:00 — Who Really Picks the Next Leader
15:47 — Learn What the Board Actually Cares About
17:33 — Be Prepared to Step In and Step Up

#leadershipdevelopment #careergrowth #middlemanagement #promotiontips #corporatesurvival #executivecoaching #SuperPumpedPodcast

Are you stuck in the middle, managing people below while answering to people above?

In this first episode of the SuperPumped Middle Management series, Ben Walters shares why so many people feel squeezed, stuck, and burned out in mid-level roles. Learn how to find hope and strategy in the chaos.

If you’ve ever felt powerless in your job, underpaid for the pressure, or uncertain how to advance without losing your mind… this is for you.

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Take our Free Business-ready Assessment⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Free 30min call with Ben⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get in Touch:

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Chapters:
00:40 — Are You in the Vice-Vice?
01:54 — When You’re Too Busy to Think
03:00 — Why Middle Management Is So Precarious
04:40 — You Have All the Pressure, But No Control
07:43 — Getting Paid Less Than the People You Supervise
10:58 — Four Reasons Your Role Feels Perilous
13:56 — Being Scapegoated or Sabotaged from the Top
16:25 — Burnout, Anxiety, and Broken Relationships
18:37 — Two Signs of Hope and Opportunity
20:00 — Fewer People = Greater Opportunity
21:08 — Ready to Move Up? Let’s Talk

#middlemanagement #careertransition #workburnout #promotionstrategy #leadershipdevelopment #corporateculture #SuperPumpedPodcast

Many executives and high performers land in top-tier roles — but not the top role — and feel stuck, undervalued, or exhausted.

In this solo coaching episode, Ben lays out the five most common reasons professionals resent their number 2 position and how to assess whether to stay, move up, or move on. It’s a must-listen for anyone who’s feeling the squeeze of leadership but missing the freedom of the top seat.

Chapters

00:39 – Are you stuck in a number two job?

01:42 – What is “the vice” for high-level leaders?

03:00 – Meet JD: a real-life VP stuck in a vice

04:00 – No. 1: Does your organization’s mission align with your values?

06:00 – No. 2: Your boss’s program and personality make or break your role 08:00 –

No. 3: Role clarity, autonomy, and meaningful work

10:00 – No. 4: Is there a real path to promotion?

12:09 – No. 5: Compensation and perks — in the right place

13:40 – Why compensation comes last (not first)

14:00 – Wrap-up: How to flip your vice into a SuperPumped life

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Take our Free Business-ready Assessment⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Free 30min call with Ben⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get in Touch:

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⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠

#workstress #careeradvice #superpumpedpodcast #corporatelife #workplacewellness #leadershiptips #toxicworkenvironment #worklifebalance

What does it mean to live a life of meaning, service, and connection — especially in a world increasingly shaped by grades, screens, and artificial intelligence?

In this powerful episode, award-winning teacher Merle Black reflects on 41 years in the classroom. From engaging students with the wonders of history to navigating education in the digital age, Merle shares what it means to teach and to be transformed in return. This conversation is a love letter to education, connection, and the power of authentic relationships.

In this wide-ranging and heartfelt conversation, Merle and host Ben Walters explore:

Why human connection matters more than perfect grades
How to ignite students’ curiosity in the age of distraction
Why AI can’t replace authentic teaching
The dangers of digital isolation — and the magic of real conversation
Why school should never feel like a prison
The value of eccentricity, vulnerability, and humor in the classroom
How education helps us become more fully human
Why former professionals may be exactly who schools need right now

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Take our Free Business-ready Assessment⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Free 30min call with Ben⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get in Touch:

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⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

00:00 — Ben’s Intro: Finding Meaning in Work
01:00 — Welcoming Merle and a Career of Impact
03:00 — Teaching History as Human Story
06:00 — Purpose Beyond the Paycheck
08:00 — Building Community Through Teaching
10:30 — Coaching, Connection, and Showing Up
13:00 — Being Present and Human in the Classroom
15:00 — Breaking Free from the “Prison” of School
18:00 — Embracing the Past to Live Better Futures
22:00 — Making History Fun, Personal, and Purposeful
25:00 — Students Helping Design Exams
27:00 — Reading, Writing, and the Role of AI
30:00 — Respecting Every Student’s Voice
34:00 — The Future of Teaching in the Age of AI
36:00 — Final Reflections: Meaningful Work and Hope for the Future
40:00 — What Merle’s SuperPumped About

#ai #teaching #educationmatters #classroomculture #edtech #AIconversation #teachingwithai #SuperPumpedPodcast

What do you do when the foundation of your identity begins to crack — or even collapse entirely? In this conversation, Glen Beasley opens up about navigating the complex intersections of work, purpose, and belonging after the September 11 attacks.

As a senior executive at Verizon at the time, Glen was at Boston’s Logan Airport when the first alarms about the network failures in New York City came through. He pivoted quickly — leaving the airport and heading back to lead response efforts — just as the scale of the national crisis began to unfold. What followed was a harrowing and transformative period in which Glen and his team worked to stabilize critical infrastructure, even as his personal identity and career trajectory began to shift beneath him.

In this moving conversation, Glen and host Ben Walters talk about:

• Glen’s role at Verizon during and after 9/11

• The challenges of staying calm and decisive when the world is in chaos

• How crisis can accelerate identity shifts

• The work of rebuilding when the ground under you has changed

• Finding new forms of connection, faith, and service in the aftermath of trauma

• What it felt like to be at Logan Airport on the morning of 9/11

• How Glen's team at Verizon responded to the unprecedented network disruption

• Why major life shifts often follow moments of personal or national upheaval

• What it means to “belong” after your job, title, or sense of self changes

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Take our Free Business-ready Assessment⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Free 30min call with Ben⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get in Touch:

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⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

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⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:
00:00 — Intro: Glen’s Life and Work Before 9/11
03:42 — At Logan Airport as the Crisis Unfolded
06:30 — Responding Inside Verizon: Restoring Communication
10:58 — Navigating Identity in the Wake of Crisis
16:25 — Career Success vs. Personal Calling
20:13 — What Faith and Service Taught Him Next
25:32 — Choosing Purpose Over Platform
30:47 — Rebuilding What Matters

Hashtags:
#september11 #911 #verizon #leadershipincrisis #corporateleadership #communications #crisismanagement #SuperPumpedPodcast

Do you feel immense pressure to grow up? Are you pressuring (subtly or overtly) a young person to get their stuff together? Did life force you to grow up before you were ready? Are you unsure if the path you chose as a younger version of yourself is still right for you? In this episode, Ben Walters explores the struggles of adulting — from the pressure to have it all figured out to the tension between childhood choices, adult aspirations, and is this really it.

Through stories, hard questions, and moments of reflection, he reminds us that it’s okay to:

• Give ourselves grace when the path is unclear
• Revisit decisions made with a “younger brain”
• Reclaim the exuberance and joy of youth

Watch or listen to learn:
• Why “adulting” doesn’t have to mean knowing it all
• How to support yourself (and the young adults in your life) when making hard decisions
• The permission to pivot, evolve, and pursue joy at any age

Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Take our Free Business-ready Assessment⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Free 30min call with Ben⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get in Touch:

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⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠

Additional Resources:
Marian Arian, Maturation of the Adolescent Brain: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23579318/
For more from Dr. Katey Nicolai: https://www.joon.com/blog/late-adolescence | https://www.joon.com/blog/what-age-is-teenager

Chapters:
00:00 — Feeling Stuck? The Pressure to “Have It All Figured Out”
03:03 — When Do We Actually Become an Adult?
04:22 — Understanding the Brain and Developmental Milestones
06:38 — The Pressures Young Adults Face Today
08:30 — Helping Young Adults Discover What Brings Them Joy
12:17 — Making Space for Young Adults to Ask for Support
13:57 — Revisiting Old Decisions and Making New Choices
16:45 — Reclaiming the Exuberance of Youth
19:22 — Final Takeaways: Grace, Pivoting, and Finding Joy

#adulting #quarterlifecrisis #midlifecrisis #scrolling #pivot #reinvention #pursuejoy #SuperPumpedPodcast

Have you ever felt like life suddenly derailed your plans?
Ben Walters recounts how a broken engagement and a canceled flight reshaped the direction of his life — leading him to new opportunities and eventually, to the love of his life. Through moments of heartbreak, resilience, and bold action, this story reminds us that every missed train can be an invitation for a new one.

Watch or listen to learn:
What to do when life goes off track
How to create opportunity from setbacks
Why looking up can lead to life-changing connections

Find out more at ⁠⁠podcast.superpumped.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Take our Free Business-ready Assessment⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Book a Free 30min call with Ben⁠⁠⁠

Get in Touch:

⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:
00:00 — When Life Derails You: The Setup
03:00 — Starting Grad School
04:46 — Helping Others and Healing in South Africa
06:38 — Cancelled Flight, New Possibilities
09:57 — Making a Bold Request — and Getting It
12:39 — The Missed Connection That Created New Opportunities
18:15 — An Unexpected Meeting on the Flight Home
19:58 — The Power of Looking Up and Being Present

#missedflight #travelstories #embracechange #lifejourney #lookup #missedopportunities #overcomingobstacles #SuperPumpedPodcast