Podcast Summary: The Conscious Entrepreneur

EP 126: When the CEO Can’t Lead: Bijal Shah, Guild, and the Continuity Plan That Worked
Host: Sarah Lockwood
Guest: Bijal Shah, CEO of Guild
Date: February 2, 2026

Main Theme

This episode explores what happens when a fast-growing company faces an unexpected leadership crisis, and how conscious leadership, strong culture, and real business continuity planning enabled Guild to navigate its founder’s sudden medical absence. Bijal Shah shares her experience stepping into the interim CEO role while on parental leave and offers candid insights on succession, vulnerability as a leader, the realities of executive coaching, and how genuine conscious leadership shows up in action.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Guild’s Mission and Impact

• Guild helps unlock opportunities for American (and some international) workforces, collaborating with major employers (e.g., Target, Chipotle) to modernize tuition reimbursement, fill critical talent gaps, and provide cohorted learning.
• Shah highlights the fortune of building a purpose-driven and sustainable business simultaneously.
  • (02:16)

2. The Leadership Crisis: Founder’s Sudden Stroke

• Founder and then-CEO Rachel Romer suffered a serious stroke at age 34.
• Bijal Shah, on parental leave just 2.5 months postpartum, was called into interim CEO duty.
• Immediate priorities involved both personal logistics (childcare, physical recovery) and organizational needs.
  • Notable quote:

  “I had no additional information on what had happened or what her circumstance was, but it was a moment of needing to step into action...”
  — Bijal Shah (03:53)

3. Why the Continuity Plan Worked

• Silent but thorough board-level succession discussions and a written business continuity plan ensured readiness, though the executive team was not informed of specific successor names.
• The mission-driven, trusting, and ego-light executive culture was essential for a seamless handover:
  • Notable quote:

  “Not one person questioned me standing up and taking charge. Not the board, not our executive team.”
  — Bijal Shah (07:26)

• Bijal’s breadth of experience (having filled various business roles) was critical for rapid context–she wasn’t a “political candidate” for CEO, reducing friction and increasing honesty.

4. Lessons in Succession Planning

• Board and CEO must regularly discuss succession and ensure people are cross-skilled, though overt competition for “next” CEO can breed politics—potentially toxic for any company, especially smaller or growing ones.
  • Notable quote:

  “If you do do that, and there is hyper competitiveness, I can see a world in which those conversations lead to politics inside of an organization. … You can't afford to have politicking inside of a business.”
  — Bijal Shah (10:35)

• Realism: Even founders must accept that they may need to step back—and the business needs to survive regardless.
• Bijal advises all founders—not just unicorns—to think ahead: who steps in if you’re incapacitated for a month or longer?
• Critical tip for new interim leaders: Go on customer listening tours right away and make hard decisions quickly.
  • Notable quote:

  “One of the biggest … things you could do very quickly: One, go talk with every single customer … The second is rip band aids. Like, hard decisions need to be made fast, and it sucks. But I think it's important.”
  — Bijal Shah (15:22)

5. Conscious Leadership in Action

• Bijal candidly shares initial skepticism of “conscious leadership,” viewing it warily due to empty rhetoric she’d observed elsewhere.
• The “above the line/below the line” mindset (from The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership) became a personal cornerstone.
  • Notable quote:

  “The concept of when I’m above the line and when I’m below the line … has been game-changing for me in terms of knowing that when I’m making decisions, I’m making them with a clear head, with a perspective that isn’t defensive...”
  — Bijal Shah (16:29–17:43)

• At Guild, people regularly reference their Enneagram types or call out when they or others are “below the line.”
• An embedded executive coach (Sue) attends executive meetings, gives direct feedback (especially to Bijal), and acts as an organization-wide resource.
  • Notable quote:

  “She will ping me and be like, you are holding this business back because you are doing X ... And I trust she's trying to make me better and trying to make Guild successful.”
  — Bijal Shah (22:00)

6. Building Radical, Candid Feedback Loops

• Real feedback doesn’t happen by default; CEOs must intentionally cultivate it and be public about when their mind is changed by others.
  • Notable quote:

  “I try to give those examples to the broader leadership team, but also to the company… Because I come in sometimes hot, … I think you have to be able to match that back in some way.”
  — Bijal Shah (27:55)

• Concrete stories are key: Show, don’t just tell, about leaders being open to challenge.
• Bijal: If someone can’t persuade her, she encourages them to ask “the people who know how to change my mind” for coaching.

7. Modeling Vulnerability and Growth

• Bijal receives candid criticism openly and seeks out specific examples to learn. She shares a recent case where her questioning as CEO inadvertently disrupted the team’s priorities.
  • Notable quote:

  “In this meeting. You did this thing that led to this question, which then led these people down a 24-hour path of trying to pull together something. Did you want that? And I'm like, no, I just wanted an answer to my question.”
  — Bijal Shah (31:48–34:05)

• As a result, Shah worked with her team to find ways to avoid these disruptions in the future.

8. Practical Advice for Conscious Leaders

• Bijal’s “Pocket Guide” to Conscious Leadership:
  1. Assess if it’s really for you: You must be willing to park your ego, care about the greater good, and commit to purpose beyond yourself.
  2. Find your “mirror”: This is someone (inside or outside) who will tell you the truth because they want you to succeed, not undermine you.
  3. Accept naysayers: Not everyone will buy into conscious leadership; your focus is building a great business and personal growth, not getting universal buy-in.
  • Notable quote:

  “The mirror isn’t someone who wants you fired or someone who wishes you didn’t have your job. It’s the people who believe in you so much that they want you to be better, and therefore they’re willing to tell you the hard truths.”
  — Bijal Shah (37:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Board-Level Succession:

  “I think more conversation between the board and the CEO ... around what does succession planning look like ... has been a really important conversation to have.”
  (12:38)

• On Letting Go & Mission-Driven Teams:

  “It’s easy ... for us to say: How do you put that mission first and yourself second? And that’s how this team got built.”
  (06:37)

• On Culture Over Politics:

  “You can't afford to have politicking inside of a business. It just is. I don't think it's good for the culture or the company or how quickly you're trying to move.”
  (10:53)

• On Embedded Coaching:

  “She’s most critical of me ... She will ping me and be like, you are holding this business back ... She's just very, she's been emboldened ... to just speak what she thinks...”
  (21:00–22:00)

• On Being a Student of Feedback:

  “I will give you feedback, but then I'll give you an example. And I need that. I'm like a learn by doing person ... I learn by making mistakes and I learn by people giving me examples.”
  (32:35)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 02:16: Shah introduces Guild’s mission and core offerings.
• 03:53: The personal context of stepping up as interim CEO while on parental leave.
• 07:26: Culture and trust enabled a seamless transition.
• 10:35: Succession planning realities and board-level conversations.
• 13:28: Applicability of continuity planning for all organizations, not just unicorns.
• 15:22: Customer listening tours and ripping off Band-Aids as new leader actions.
• 16:29–17:43: The journey from skepticism to embracing conscious leadership.
• 20:56: Embedded coach Sue’s role and impact.
• 27:55: Modeling and celebrating dissent in decision-making.
• 31:48–34:05: Shah’s story of candid feedback—and how it immediately changed her leadership.
• 36:00–41:14: Bijal’s 3-point advice for anyone aspiring to conscious leadership.

Podcast Tone & Style

• The conversation is candid, practical, and leans into vulnerability and transparency.
• Bijal Shah is forthright about her previous skepticism, personal challenges, leadership missteps, and the real-world impact of conscious leadership practices.
• Sarah Lockwood’s interviewing emphasizes real application, inviting Bijal to elaborate on both theory and tactics for leaders at all stages.

Summary Takeaways

1. Leadership continuity isn’t only about good plans—it’s about a strong, trusting culture and courageous self-awareness at all levels.
2. Conscious leadership comes down to practiced habits, regular feedback, and genuine buy-in, not just words or frameworks.
3. Succession and growth demand letting go of ego, seeking honest mirrors, investing in critical feedback, and focusing on purpose before title.
4. Direct feedback and vulnerability make organizations—and their leaders—more resilient.

This episode is a must-listen for founders and executives facing the reality that health, family, or other crises might suddenly make them step aside. It’s also invaluable for anyone seeking to lead with self-awareness, steady conviction, and a culture of open feedback.