What does it really take to be in the top 5% of leaders - without burning yourself out or armouring up?

In this episode of Driving Impact: The Top 5% Method, Katheline Jean-Pierre sits down with Victoria Pelletier - “turnaround queen”, transformation executive, and former “Iron Maiden” - to unpack what healthy resilience looks like in real life, and how to lead as a whole human in an AI-driven world.

Born to a drug-addicted teenage mother, adopted into a low-income family, and carrying decades of unprocessed trauma, Victoria became a COO at 24 and a CEO at 41. In this conversation, she shares how she moved from rigid armour to authentic, vulnerable leadership - and why that shift unlocked deeper trust, better teams, and bigger business results.

We also dive into how organizations can implement AI in a way that actually works for people, not just for the slide deck.

In this episode, we cover:

• Healthy resilience vs. protective armour - why “toughing it out” eventually breaks you
• How Victoria carried her “Iron Maiden” persona for decades - and what finally cracked it
• Becoming COO at 24 and leading a 6,000-person organization without a traditional path
• Why confidence is often mistaken for competence (and how she backs it up with execution)
• Building high-performing teams and earning the nickname “turnaround queen”
• Values-driven leadership: saying no to performative DEI and misaligned work
• Whole-human leadership - bringing your full lived experience into the way you lead
• How to balance high expectations with genuine care, trust, and vulnerability
• The 3 A’s of AI transformation: Alignment, Adoption & Ability
• Why AI success is 70% people and process, not just algorithms and tooling
• What Victoria learned from horrible leaders (and how not to lead)
• The biggest lie about success - and how she defines it now
• What the top 5% achievers do that the other 95% don’t
• The one lesson every founder needs to hear about not doing it all themselves

Connect with Victoria Pelletier via her website: victoria-pelletier.com

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SUMMARY:

Bianca Nepales shares her journey from being a public school teacher to becoming the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Lionsgate. She discusses the power of storytelling in influencing change, her role in promoting diversity in the entertainment industry, and her personal rituals for staying grounded and authentic. Bianca emphasizes the importance of mentorship, taking risks, and understanding the rules to rewrite them. She also shares her vision for using AI to democratize storytelling and empower diverse voices.

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In this Thanksgiving-week episode, Katheline introduces Part 1 of her framework for designing a wildly different 2026: the Calendar Audit. Rather than relying on memory, she argues your calendar tells the truth about how you actually spend your time. By reviewing month-by-month and categorizing hours across work, side projects, relationships, health, learning, and reactive versus strategic tasks, you'll uncover the gap between your stated values and reality. Katheline shares her own example: she claimed health was a priority but her calendar showed only 3 hours monthly—far below what she'd previously committed. The audit isn't about judgment; it's the data foundation needed to intentionally redesign how you spend your time in 2026.

00:00 Thanksgiving Reflections and Career Reinvention
01:19 The Importance of a Calendar Audit
02:09 Redesigning Your Career: A New Approach
02:39 Podcast Intro & Outro.mp4

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Follow our Guest Speaker Shantel Love:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/shantellove/
• https://payhip.com/ShantelLoveLLC

Summary:

• Shantel Love, VP at Pearson and author of "Promote Your D@mn Self," reveals the five essential strategies to build a powerful personal brand and advance your career, from documenting weekly wins to negotiating at every interaction. She shares how she sold 4,500 books, built a six-figure side business through speaking and consulting, and why the visibility gap costs women $782,000 over their careers.

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• Sign-Up for Sarah Barnes-Humphrey's upcoming book launch news 'I Buried Her in a French Press': https://bit.ly/Top5Sarah
• Apply to the Self-Pace Career Course: https://bit.ly/Accelerate90
• Explore the Side Hustle Creation Course: https://bit.ly/90DaySide

Summary:

Barnes-Humphrey's story isn't just another "entrepreneur overcomes adversity" tale. It's a masterclass in what happens when you strip away every external marker of success—the title, the salary, the respect, and have to find worth in yourself when society tells you you're worthless.

She mopped floors while building an empire. She scored recreational basketball games while creating content that would reach hundreds of thousands. She did whatever it took because she understood something fundamental: your value isn't determined by your job title or your LinkedIn profile. Real transformation isn't pretty... sometimes you have to bury the old version of yourself in whatever vessel you can find and start over.

Chapters:

00:00 The Journey of Podcasting and Business Growth

11:59 Unpacking the Book: I Buried Her in a French Press

24:12 Resilience and Reinvention During COVID-19

Summary

In this episode of The Top 5% Method, Katheline Jean-Pierre shares her daily "reset hack"—a 15-minute meditation practice combined with affirmations to lower cortisol and manage stress. She challenges hustle culture by emphasizing that sustainable peak performance requires listening to your body, prioritizing rest, staying hydrated, and making time for fun. Katheline's message is clear: being in the top 5% isn't about grinding harder—it's about training yourself to work smarter and making joy non-negotiable.

00:00 The Power of Meditation and Mindfulness

00:30 Balancing Fun and Responsibilities

02:15 Messages to your Cortisol self

03:30 The power of rest

5:08 Today's Takeaway for health

5:42 Lowering your cortisol

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Follow Dr. Jennifer Roelands:

• https://drjenniferroelands.com/

Complete her perimenopause quiz:

• https://drjenniferroelands.com/perimenopause-menopause-quiz/

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Summary:

Dr. Jennifer Roelands reveals why perimenopause can start earlier than you think and how symptoms like brain fog and anxiety are often misdiagnosed as other conditions. Learn the surprising connection between declining estrogen and dementia risk, plus why bone health screening matters. Discover actionable strategies for managing this important life transition and plan your next decades.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Menopause Awareness Month
01:07 Understanding Perimenopause
03:15 Hormonal Changes During Perimenopause
07:07 The Midlife Upgrade Perspective
08:42 Recognizing Symptoms and Family History
14:37 Preventative Measures for a Healthy Transition
18:21 Understanding Genetic Predispositions to Chronic Diseases
19:12 The Four Horsewomen of Chronic Diseases
20:10 The Importance of Movement and Exercise
25:20 Dementia: Prevention and Understanding Signs
28:11 Hormone Replacement Therapy Explained
30:56 Managing Weight Gain During Menopause
32:54 Supporting Women Through Menopause
35:18 Holistic Approaches to Health and Wellness

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Follow us online:

• Become more secure in your Tech Job: https://www.top5percentmethod.com/
• Join the high performance tribe in my FREE newsletter: https://www.top5method.com/

Summary:

Dr. Jennifer Roelands reveals why perimenopause can start earlier than you think and how symptoms like brain fog and anxiety are often misdiagnosed as other conditions. Learn the surprising connection between declining estrogen and dementia risk, plus why bone health screening matters. Discover actionable strategies for managing this important life transition and plan your next decades.