E131: Leadership Lessons from the Special Somebodies We’ve Lost

Episode notes

What can the people we’ve lost teach us about who we become? And how do their everyday choices—often unnoticed in the moment—shape our leadership, our values, and the way we show up in the world? In this heartfelt conversation, Ian Ziskin returns to The Inner Edge to share the deeply personal journey that inspired his new collaborative book, Lives Lost and Leadership Found: Lessons from Special Somebodies. After losing both his brother and his mother only months apart, Ian began reflecting on the lessons they left behind. As we talk, you’ll likely find your own “special somebodies” coming to mind—the people who shaped you, guided you, or quietly modeled who you wanted to become. Some may be gone. Some may still be here. And all of them leave imprints that matter. This episode is a warm, reflective invitation to pause, honor, and acknowledge the leadership lessons that come from everyday human beings—not just from CEOs or experts, but from the people who taught us through the way they lived.