After growing up as one of the shyest kids—constantly moving, constantly adapting—Bennett Peji never imagined he would become a leader responsible for bringing entire communities together. From feeling like an outsider to leading large-scale, community-centered design projects, Bennett’s journey is a testament to the power of adaptability, empathy, and intentional growth.

This episode of Lonely at the Top is about redefining leadership through service, not control.
It’s about learning to navigate uncertainty without needing to predict the future, building trust across diverse perspectives, and turning what once felt like weaknesses into your greatest strengths.
It’s also about embracing change—not resisting it—and discovering how leadership can be a shared experience rather than a solitary burden.

Episode Highlights

• How Bennett transformed extreme shyness into a leadership superpower
• Why adaptability is one of the most valuable skills a leader can develop
• The challenge of leading diverse communities with competing perspectives
• What it really means to “share the load” as a leader instead of carrying it alone
• Why predicting the future isn’t necessary—and what to focus on instead
• The power of listening and letting others co-create solutions
• How constant change in childhood shaped Bennett’s leadership style
• The hidden cost of leadership: losing touch with your original craft
• Why preparation—not spontaneity—is the key to confident communication
• How meditation and intentional routines support long-term leadership wellbeing

Connect with Bennett

Bennett’s LinkedIn
Bennett’s Website

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After decades moving between corporate leadership, consulting, and academia, Jeff McAuliffe has seen leadership from every angle. From sitting at executive tables to building his own consulting practice from scratch, he’s learned that “the top” isn’t a fixed place—and that loneliness shows up in ways most people don’t expect.

This episode of Lonely at the Top is about the quiet realities of leadership that no one prepares you for.
It’s about navigating influence when you don’t have control, the tension between authority and authenticity, and what it really costs to hold both.

It’s also about redefining leadership as something more human: less about having answers, and more about creating space for truth.

Episode Highlights

• Why “the top” is relative—and why loneliness can exist at every level
• The hidden isolation of entrepreneurship and solo consulting
• Moving from corporate leadership to building something on your own
• Why great leaders don’t need to be “the one in charge”
• The challenge of influencing without authority
• What leaders wish they could say out loud (but usually don’t)
• Why “I don’t know” might be the most powerful leadership tool
• The role of emotions in leadership—and why most leaders avoid them
• Navigating environments where authority doesn’t work
• Leading through uncertainty while holding information you can’t share

Connect with Jeff

Jeff's Linkedin

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Lauren Goche has cracked the code on something most leaders never admit they need: community. A principal real estate broker, micro-influencer, and self-described love bully, Lauren built her career by staying connected — and then discovered that even she had a chaos habit she didn't see coming. In this episode, she talks with Rachel about the expensive sabbatical lesson that revealed she didn't know how to be calm, what it looks like to lead a team with radical care as the operating principle, and the strange isolating side effects of becoming someone people recognize in restaurants, on front porches, and at lunch while accidentally stealing your phone.

Episode Highlights

•⁠ ⁠She nearly took a job she dreaded — and a chance conference encounter changed everything
•⁠ ⁠Why Lauren deliberately chose never to own her own brokerage ("it's more headache and more lonely")
•⁠ ⁠The Mexico property: how a sabbatical got too quiet and she manufactured chaos to escape the calm
•⁠ ⁠Scarcity to abundance: growing up with housing instability and what it meant to be able to lose big without losing everything
•⁠ ⁠The love bully philosophy — why care for each other comes before care for clients, and why she'll bring you a sandwich whether you consent or not
•⁠ ⁠The parasocial side of Instagram fame: being recognized at her own front porch, and having a fan sprint away with her phone
•⁠ ⁠Lost friendships, nervous system repair, and learning to say no as a complete sentence
•⁠ ⁠Why community isn't soft — it's the infrastructure of a sustainable business

Connect with Lauren

Lauren's Instagram