Jim Fielding

Hi, Jim Fielding

As an Executive Coach, Public Speaker, I have dedicated myself to empowering individuals and organizations to create inclusive and respectful spaces. Through workshops and collaborations, I have worked towards building a more diverse and equitable work environment. My best-selling book, "All Pride, No Ego," has been a source of inspiration for many on their leadership and personal growth journeys. I am dedicated to Authentic, Tranformative Growth based in Kindness and Compassion.

 Executive Coach, Professional Speaker, and Author 

Archer Gray

Archer Gray is a modern media company creating quality content, building businesses, and reimagining brands with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do.   We bring together innovative ideas and diverse communities to celebrate and amplify the stories it is time to experience.

Partner 

President, Archer Gray Co-Lab Group

Indiana University Ventures

I work as an in-house advisor on special projects for the IU Ventures group, The Office of the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs, and the Indiana University Office of Marketing and Communications.

Executive In Residence

ThenWhat Inc.

ThenWhat came from the colloquialism "on to the next." We magnify and develop clients’ aspirations, helping them scale creative concepts internationally, develop elevated product ideas, and tell compelling stories.

• Brand strategy, Positioning, Go to Market
• Consumer Engaged Creative Strategy.
• Target Market Behavior and Insight Reporting
• Prototyping, Product Creation and Scaling 
• Strategic Partnerships and Licensing
• Experiential Design and Merchandising 
• Marketing Activation and Consumer Experience
• Creative Content Development and Creation
• Practical Tech Integrations
• C-Suite Leadership and Operations 
• Physical Space Consulting

Co-Founder and Team Leader

Intersected Stories

A Consultant group that operates at the intersection of Quality Storytelling, Innovative Product and Experiences, and World Class Marketing.  
We provide support and analysis in the areas of Entertainment Licensing, Retail Business Development, Strategic Brand Management, and Content Development.

Founder

Hamilton Lugar School of International Studies at Indiana University

Founding member of Dean's Council for the new School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University.

Dean's Council Member

Fox Networks Group, Fox Studio, and FX Networks

Leading an innovative and driven team of Entertainment Licensing professionals as we align ourselves with key partners globally.  We service the Fox Film Studio, Fox TV Group, and FX Networks.

President, Consumer Products and Innovation

DreamWorks Animation and AwesomenessTV

Led a world wide team in the areas of Licensing, Franchise Strategy, Creative, Retail, Publishing, Product Development, and Consumer Experiences.   Successful global programs for all DreamWorks Films and Television, including the Trolls movie in Fall 2016

Global Head Consumer Products and Retail

AwesomenessTV

Claire's, Inc.

I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to lead a company with a longstanding heritage, an excellent market position, and a talented and experienced leadership team.

I believe everyone deserves to find their authentic path
and create a meaningful career journey that aligns with their true north.

As an Executive Coach certified by Emory University,
I bring over three decades of C-Suite experience in retail and media
to help leaders transform their potential into impact.

My recent venture as an author and speaker reflects my commitment to fostering inclusive communities, particularly championing LGBTQ+ voices in corporate spaces.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗜 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲:
• Senior Executives and C-Suite Leaders seeking authentic leadership paths
• Mid-Career Leaders navigating growth or transitions
• LGBTQ+ professionals building successful corporate careers
• Change-makers driven to create positive impact through their work

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲:
• Building High-Performing Teams and Cultures - The Disney Way 
• The Future of Leadership: How to Adapt & Stay Relevant in a Rapidly Changing World
• Why "It's Okay to not be Okay" is a Leadership Superpower
• Authenticity in a High-Stakes World: Balancing Business and Demands & Human Connection 
• Custom topics tailored to your organization's needs

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀:
Led a groundbreaking 3-year transformation with the LA Clippers, revolutionizing their retail experience at the Intuit Dome with a team of 10 innovators.

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽:
🔸 Ready to begin your transformation? Book a consultation: https://hijimfielding.com/
🔸 Explore my insights on authentic leadership in my book "All Pride, No Ego" https://a.co/d/cdSrRM6

Let's create impact through small gestures, random acts of kindness, and transformative education. Your journey to authentic leadership starts here.

💡 The moment you stop leading from fear is the moment you start leading with purpose.

Transformation in leadership isn't just change. 
It's an invitation to evolution.

True story: 
At Disney, in the midst of our reinvention, I faced my defining moment.
 In a high-stakes leadership team meeting, I said three words I'd spent 30 years avoiding: "I don't know."

And you know what happened? 
The room didn't collapse. 
The team didn't lose faith. 
They leaned in.

Here's what most leadership books won't tell you:
Real growth doesn't feel like achievement. 
It feels like surrender.

Your old strategies dissolve 
• Your comfort zone shatters 
• Your certainty fades away

Consider the leader's paradox:
The more you try to maintain control, the more it slips through your fingers. 
True power comes from letting go.

Why transformation terrifies leaders:
→ It's messy before it's masterful 
→ It's vulnerable before it's victorious 
→ It's chaotic before it's clear

The journey requires:
⚡ Releasing who you were expected to be
⚡ Embracing who you truly are
⚡ Leading from authenticity, not authority

The strongest leaders don't remember when they used to lead from fear. 
They only know how to lead with heart.

When the call to transform comes:
Don't ask "What if I lose control?"
Ask "What if I gain trust?"

Don't wonder "What will others think?" 
Wonder "What example will I set?"

Don't fear "What if I'm wrong?" 
Know "What if this changes everything?"

Your greatest impact awaits. 
What transformation are you resisting?

🎯 Here's the truth: 
Every leader faces this crossroads. 
The question is: Will you face it alone?
I've guided executives through this exact transformation. 
From Fortune 500 CEOs to startup founders. 
All Pride, No Ego. That's the journey.

Ready to start yours?
📩 DM Jim Fielding for a complimentary leadership strategy session
 ♥️ Share this with a leader who needs to hear it today

Coaching Executives and Teams to Drive Growth with Authenticity and Radical Kindness | USA Today Bestselling Author | Championing LGBTQ+ Community | Former Exec at Disney, Dreamworks, Fox

🎯 The Simple 2-Word Leadership Hack That Transformed My Disney Teams

Here's what 20+ years of leadership and coaching Fortune 500 executives taught me: the most powerful leadership tool isn't a framework or policy.

It's two words: "What if?"

At Disney, I watched a frustrated creative team transform overnight when their leader switched from giving solutions to asking one simple question: 
"What if we looked at this like our youngest viewers?"

The energy shift was electric. ⚡

Here's why "what if" questions create psychological safety that changes everything:

1️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 
When you ask "What if we approached this from the customer's view?" instead of dictating solutions, you're telling your team: "Your insights matter more than my experience."
I've seen the most guarded teams light up when given this permission to co-create.
2️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 
"What if this project doesn't work as planned?" opens a completely different conversation than "This project must succeed."
One creates fear. The other creates innovation.
3️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 
Nothing builds trust faster than a leader who chooses curiosity over certainty.
"What if I'm missing something important here?" shows your team that even you have blind spots.

This isn't weakness. 
It's Authentic Leadership.

🎯 Try these power-shift questions in your next meeting: 
• "What if we had unlimited resources?" 
• "What if our biggest competitor solved this first?"
 • "What if we're measuring the wrong things?"
 • "What if our newest team member has the answer?"

The safest, most innovative cultures aren't built through grand policies about "speaking up." 
They're built in small moments where curiosity becomes the default language.

💡 Your challenge: 
Replace one statement with a "what if" question in your next conversation.

Watch what happens.
⬇️ Share your insights below

And if your team needs help building a question-driven culture, let's talk. 😀

🚨 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘: The "never let them see you sweat" leadership model is killing your business.

Here's what 30+ years in leadership taught me:
 The most dangerous person in your organization isn't the one who admits uncertainty. 
It's the one pretending to have all the answers.

And I've got the receipts to prove it 👇
The most counterintuitive insight from two decades of leading teams and coaching executives? 
The highest-performing teams aren't led by the most confident leaders. 
They're led by the most honest ones.

I learned this lesson the hard way. 
When I was running Disney Store, I once had to pivot our entire Times Square store strategy mid-launch.
Instead of hiding the challenges, I gathered the team and admitted: 
"Our current approach isn't working, and I need your help."

That moment of vulnerability? 
It unleashed innovation I never expected. 

The team didn't just solve the problem.
They revolutionized our entire Store Guest Experience model. 

The data backs this up: 
• Companies with psychologically safe environments are 76% more likely to see increased innovation 
• Teams that normalize vulnerability show 27% reduction in turnover 
• Organizations where leaders openly discuss challenges see 41% higher employee engagement

But here's what really matters - the practical impact I've witnessed:

📊 When leaders admit knowledge gaps, teams stop wasting energy on politics and start focusing on solutions 
📊 Companies that normalize "I don't know" discussions solve problems 3x faster
 📊 Departments where vulnerability is practiced see 52% higher employee satisfaction scores

Think about it: 
Every major business failure in the last decade wasn't from leaders saying "I'm not sure." I
t was from leaders who couldn't admit they might be wrong.

Ready to transform your leadership approach?

DM or book at an appointment to talk at the link in Bio.

Curious: 
What's the most powerful moment of vulnerability you've witnessed in leadership? Share below 👇

🪩 I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY 

Don’t just invite me.
Don’t just include me.
Help me thrive. 

🎉 Diversity is being invited to the party.

💃 Inclusion is being asked to dance.

⚖️ Equity is making sure the music, food, and space actually work for everyone.

🤝 Belonging is dancing your way — no mask, no hesitation.

🌱 Thriving is when you’re not just on the floor… you’re shaping the playlist, teaching new steps, and helping others shine.

Too many leaders stop at the invitation. 
They celebrate headcount without heartbeat. 
Numbers without nuance.

This is what I have learned and what we must continue to teach:

⚡ Diversity says you’re here.
⚡ Inclusion says you matter.
⚡ Equity says you’re supported.
⚡ Belonging says you’re safe.
⚡ Thriving says you’re celebrated and elevated.

If your people can’t thrive, you don’t have culture.
You have compliance.

Leadership is not about checking the invite list.

It’s about building communities and safe spaces where every person has a chance to grow, contribute, and be fully seen.

✨ What does thriving look like for you — at work, at home, in community?

💡 My first boss many years ago didn’t share this with me, I had to learn through my mistakes

Back then, I thought leadership was about looking the part.

Big title. 
Big decisions. 
Big presence.

I thought my job was to:
Know more than everyone else
Always have the answer
Keep a perfect game face, no matter what

Turns out, that’s not leadership. 
That’s theater.

After nearly four decades of work, here’s what I know for sure:

1️⃣ Clarity beats charisma. 
If they don’t know the goal, it doesn’t matter how much they like you.

2️⃣ Urgency is not a strategy. 
If everything is ASAP, nothing truly is.

3️⃣ You can’t coach someone you’re competing with.
Check your ego at the door.

4️⃣ Silence is still feedback.
 If they’ve stopped speaking up, you’ve already lost half the battle.

5️⃣ Kindness isn’t “soft.” 
It’s the force multiplier that changes everything.

📌 Your title gives you authority. 
Your behavior gives you leadership.

I put these into a new Authentic Leadership Cheat Sheet.

It’s for anyone stepping into a new season of leadership who wants to skip some of the face-plants I made along the way.

👇 What’s the leadership truth you wish your first boss had told you?

The most powerful leadership lesson I've learned?

It's not just about being a lifelong learner.
It's about being a courageous UNLEARNER

After two decades of coaching executives (and constantly learning myself), I've discovered that true growth rarely comes from adding more knowledge. It comes from having the humility to question what we think we know.

The hardest part?

Being Constantly Curious enough to recognize when our most cherished leadership "truths" are actually barriers to building truly inclusive teams.

Here are five beliefs I've had to unlearn (and continue unlearning) to create environments where everyone can thrive:

🔄 "Experience equals expertise" 
What I questioned: 
The person with the most experience always knows best. 

What staying curious taught me: 
Experience without reflection just creates deeply ingrained biases. 
True expertise comes from constant questioning, not accumulated years.

🔄 "Consistency means treating everyone the same" 
What I questioned: 
Fair leadership means identical treatment. 

What staying curious taught me: 
Equity requires meeting people where they are.
One team member's support might look completely different from another's. This isn't favoritism. It's recognizing humanity.

🔄 "Feedback should be balanced" 
What I questioned: 
Always pair criticism with praise. 

What staying curious taught me: 
The "feedback sandwich" creates mistrust.
Direct, specific, kindness-driven feedback builds psychological safety faster than artificial balance.

🔄 "Strong leaders protect their teams from uncertainty" 
What I questioned: 
Never share doubts or challenges. 

What staying curious taught me: 
Transparency about what you don't know creates space for collective problem-solving.
 It transforms hierarchy into partnership.

🔄 "Inclusion is about representation"
What I questioned: 
Having diverse faces means you've created belonging.
 
What staying curious taught me: 
True inclusion happens when people can influence how decisions are made, not just be present when they're announced.

The greatest act of leadership courage?
Saying: "I need to stay curious enough to unlearn this."

When we embrace being both learners AND unlearners, we create space for genuine innovation and belonging.

👇 What leadership "truth" are you curious enough to question? What have you had to unlearn to build a more inclusive culture?
Share below.

Ready to transform how your team learns, unlearns, and grows together? I'm currently booking Fall coaching sessions and team development workshops. 
We'll create a custom "Leadership Unlearning" experience that helps your organization stay Constantly Curious while building genuine inclusion.

DM me to explore how we can partner in building a culture of continuous learning and unlearning.

Unlearning

The tables we choose matter.

Some tables are crowded with gossip, politics, and keeping score. 
You leave feeling smaller, tighter, like possibility just got pushed out of the room.

Other tables? 
They hum with energy. 
People talk about ideas, dreams, new ways forward. 
You leave feeling stretched, curious, maybe even a little braver than when you sat down.

That’s the quiet truth of a growth mindset!
It’s not only about what you believe. 
It’s about the environments you put yourself in. 
The conversations you say yes to. 
The voices you allow to shape you.

Albert Einstein said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”

Growth mindset is exactly that:
💡 A willingness to change, to learn, to imagine more for yourself and for the people you lead.

I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that choosing tables of curiosity, innovation, and learning changes everything.
 It shapes how you see challenges, how you handle setbacks, and how you imagine what’s possible.

Titles fade. 
Résumés evolve.

💡 But the tables we choose—those are the places that write our story.

So I’ll ask: Which tables are you choosing these days?

Let me understand this.........
Because I am totally confused, concerned, and frustrated.

FACT CHECK:

⚡ The Trump Administration demands foreign investment in the USA and says we are "returning" to a Made in America First mentality.    
⚡ They are bringing back high paying, highly skilled factory work.
⚡ They implement confusing and ever changing tariff policies, which forces multinational companies to invest in USA.

⚡ South Korea is a long term strategic ally and a critical partner in standing up to the Russia, China, India alliance.
⚡ We believe in 'legal' immigration and want skilled workers to work, live, and pay taxes in the USA
⚡ Hyundai and LG have committed multiple BILLION dollars of investment in SE Georgia and their project has been celebrated and heralded as an example of the right kind of American investment

So, what do we do??

We conduct a month long investigation into the project. 
We raid and arrest 475 people, including 350 Korean Citizens.
We do not insure due process or treat the works with fairness and justice.
We make a key ally "Mad".

How does our Government explain this paradox?  I am waiting for a coherent explanation. 

I struggle to comprehend how this is good for our country, foreign direct investment, or the future of new billion dollar investments.

I ask myself: 

❓ What am I supposed to learn from this
❓ How am I supposed to address it, especially in my home state

I do not consider this a partisan or political issue or post. 
It is an international business, politics, and human rights post.

Open to any and all ideas or insights

Open article: Hyundai raid: South Korea mounts swift response to deal with raid on US facility by bbc.com

Hyundai raid: South Korea mounts swift response to deal with raid on US facility

Jeans, Justice, and Joy  - Field Notes 9/3/25
https://lnkd.in/e5FkAmUg

Please follow this link to the latest version of Field Notes, my regular newsletter.   If you are interested, you can subscribe at the link as well and receive regular updates to your inbox. 
I truly appreciate the opportunity to be in Community and Conversation with you.

Open article: Jeans, Justice, and Joy by jimfieldingfieldnotes.beehiiv.com

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