Real Leadership Starts Long Before A Crisis Hits, with Jay Jacobson

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The leadership lessons that change you most rarely come from a boardroom. They come from rooms filled with grief, from high-pressure phone calls that rewrite the day, and from moments where the only real move is to show up with your whole self. That’s the lens we bring to this conversation on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life with Jay Jacobson, a funeral director turned disaster responder turned entrepreneur who was called to testify before the United States Senate on funeral ethics and who now teaches leadership from the inside out.

We dig into what funeral service teaches about emotional intelligence, empathy, and nonverbal communication. Jay explains how learning to read tone, body language, and what’s left unsaid becomes a daily practice of presence and integrity, and why that’s the foundation of servant leadership. We also talk about his earliest “training” as a paper boy, where dependability and face-to-face connection built trust long before any leadership title existed.

Then we zoom out to the future of work. With AI making knowledge instantly available, Jay argues the real advantage is the ability to connect with people, especially as phones and screens reshape how teens learn communication skills between ages 13 and 18. Finally, he shares what crisis leadership looks like on the ground, including his experience responding to United Flight 232 in Sioux City, and how personal tragedy later shaped his book, Lead by Legendary Example, built around pillars like mentorship, vision, adaptability, presence, and integrity.

If you want leadership that holds up in real life, press play, then subscribe, share this with someone who leads people, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Connect With the Guest:

🌐 Website: jacobsonprostaff.com
📖 Book: Lead by Legendary Example — available on Amazon in print and audiobook

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