The Top 5% Method®

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 youHow Victoria carried her “Iron Maiden” persona for decades - and what finally cracked itBecoming COO at 24 and leading a 6,000-person organization without a traditional pathWhy 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 workWhole-human leadership - bringing your full lived experience into the way you leadHow to balance high expectations with genuine care, trust, and vulnerabilityThe 3 A’s of AI transformation: Alignment, Adoption & AbilityWhy AI success is 70% people and process, not just algorithms and toolingWhat Victoria learned from horrible leaders (and how not to lead)The biggest lie about success - and how she defines it nowWhat the top 5% achievers do that the other 95% don’tThe one lesson every founder needs to hear about not doing it all themselvesConnect with Victoria Pelletier via her website: victoria-pelletier.comSubscribe for more conversations with top 5% leaders who are building careers, companies, and cultures that truly drive impact.If this episode resonated, hit like, share it with a leader or founder who needs to hear it, and drop your favourite insight in the comments. 

Follow us on all podcasting channels. Comment + Watch the video on Spotify (coming soon). Follow us online: Accelerate your career in 2026. This is your sign to join us soon. We start on January 21st, 2026: https://www.top5percentmethod.com/ Apply now: https://www.top5percentmethod.com/career-accelerator-waitlist Join the high performance tribe in my FREE newsletter: https://www.top5method.com/ 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.

Follow us on all podcasting channels. Comment + Watch the video on Spotify (coming soon). Follow us online: Apply to Launch a side business, accelerate your career or develop your personal brand: https://www.top5percentmethod.com/ Join the 28,000 high performance tribe in my FREE newsletter: https://www.top5method.com/ 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

Follow us on all podcasting channels. Comment + Watch the video on Spotify (coming soon). Follow us online: Launch a side business, accelerate your career or develop your personal brand: https://www.top5percentmethod.com/ Join the 28,000 high performance tribe in my FREE newsletter: https://www.top5method.com/ 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.

Follow Us on all Podcasting Platforms + Watch the stream on Spotify 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