S02 E11 When Your Dream Career is No Longer Big Enough | Jon Laudie

From Netflix & Ancestry to leading ZeroRez as President and CFO, Jon Laudie shares the leadership lessons that transformed both his career and his perspective on success.

In this episode of Untold: The Best Kept Secrets of Utah, Jon opens up about overcoming imposter syndrome, transitioning from the tech industry into home services, and discovering that true leadership isn't about having all the answers—it's about building trust, empowering people, and leading with authenticity.

Drawing from his experience at Netflix, Ancestry, and ZeroRez, as well as insights from interviewing over 100 CEOs, athletes, and business leaders for his upcoming book, Jon reveals why empathy, humility, and trust are the qualities that define exceptional leaders.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, finance professional, or aspiring leader, this conversation is packed with practical leadership insights you can apply immediately.

In This Episode:
Why Jon left the tech industry for ZeroRez
Overcoming imposter syndrome in leadership
The transition from CFO to President
Leading beyond numbers and financial metrics
Building trust within teams
Why empathy makes stronger leaders
Lessons from interviewing 100+ successful leaders
The difference between being trustworthy and being trusting
Authentic leadership and personal growth
How empowering others accelerates success

If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more conversations with today's most inspiring business leaders, entrepreneurs, and executives.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction
02:08 Meet Jon Laudie
03:10 Why ZeroRez felt "off-brand"
05:30 Overcoming imposter syndrome
08:50 From CFO to President
11:30 Lessons beyond finance
13:40 Leadership is about people
17:30 Putting people before numbers
20:30 Insights from interviewing 100+ leaders
23:00 Trust vs. being trusting
27:00 Authenticity over appearances
31:00 Jon's most important leadership lesson
33:50 Final thoughts

Connect with the Guest

Jon Laudie – President & CFO, ZeroRez

About the Podcast

Untold: The Best Kept Secrets of Utah features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, executives, and innovators, uncovering the leadership lessons, business strategies, and personal stories behind their success.

Keywords

leadership, leadership podcast, business leadership, Jon Laudie, ZeroRez, CFO, President, executive leadership, entrepreneur, business podcast, finance leadership, imposter syndrome, authentic leadership, empathy in leadership, trust in leadership, Stephen Covey, leadership development, personal growth, executive coaching, Utah business, Netflix, Ancestry, business success, management, workplace culture, servant leadership, emotional intelligence, leadership mindset, professional development, entrepreneurship

Connect with Jon on LinkedIn where he shares leadership insights regularly:
https://linkedin.com/in/jonspiesman

Book a free exploration call with Jon here: https://calendly.com/d/ytw-khm-4r5?utm_source=LI&utm_campaign=Bio

Listen to Untold on these podcast platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0bshg8B2x1kX665eeYkk52
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/untold/id1805797903
Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa845f62-543e-44b2-a6f1-7704bccfc099/untold

Untold is the podcast hosted by Jon Spiesman where we uncover the best-kept business secrets of Utah.

Each week, we sit down with local entrepreneurs and business owners to explore their unique journeys, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the lessons they've learned along the way. Whether you're building your own business or just love a good underdog story, you'll find hidden gems of advice and inspiration in every episode.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Untold.
Jon and the Untold podcast team

#UntoldPodcastWithJon #UtahBusiness #EntrepreneurPodcast #JonSpiesman #SmallBusinessStories #LocalBusinessUtah #StartupJourney #PodcastForEntrepreneurs