Unpolished Wisdom

Marcus Marsden is Managing Partner of The Works Partnership and author of Start With Who. He'd built a career helping leaders ask the hard questions — until life asked them of him.In 2019, Marcus unexpectedly found himself leading a company he'd never planned to run. Four months later, COVID shut the world down.In this conversation, Marcus opens up about the difference between change and range, why going against his gut became his greatest leadership tool, and what he learned about comfort zones when crisis takes that option off the table.This is the Season 1 Finale of Unpolished Wisdom — and there's no one I'd rather close this season with.🔑 In this episode:- Identity range vs identity change in leadership- Leading through crisis and uncertainty- Stepping outside your comfort zone as a leader- The power of difficult conversations- Executive coaching and self-leadership- Building resilience after loss in business🎙️ Unpolished Wisdom is a podcast hosted by Dr. Katrina Gisbert-Tay, executive wellbeing coach and somatic practitioner, exploring burnout, identity, leadership transitions, and the messy middle of personal growth.

In this episode of Unpolished Wisdom, Dr. Katrina Gisbert Tay speaks to Siva Shanker Jayaraj. Siva grew up in a kampong in Malacca with no address and no plan — just an unshakeable belief that having nothing to lose was its own kind of freedom. That belief carried him to Nike, where he spent 11 years building some of the boldest brand experiences in Southeast Asia. Then one night, watching The Greatest Showman on a long-haul flight, he asked himself the question that changed everything: was Nike the circus, or was I?This is a conversation about walking away from the rocket, betting on yourself with no safety net, and what it really means to build a life on your own terms.