In this heartfelt episode of Whole Hearted Leadership Coaching Conversations, host Lantz Howard sits down with longtime friend Dr. Jay Raines, CEO of LeadersQ and author of the new book Culture Brand: A Proven Framework for Building a Culture That Wins.

Jay traces his path from nonprofit leadership and launching a leadership development firm in India (working with Toyota and startups) to returning to the U.S. in 2016 and growing LeadersQ—where he and his team have delivered thousands of coaching hours to over 80 Chick-fil-A owner-operators and hundreds of other leaders.

The conversation blends personal vulnerability and practical wisdom:

Protecting marriage through weekly “Sunday night board meetings”
The family-balanced, multi-year journey of writing his book
How running brought mental clarity—and how a shattered shin during a half-marathon forced him to confront absence of presence, learn dependence, and cultivate peace and a victor mindset

Jay unveils his Culture Brand framework—a Venn diagram that balances three essentials:

Results — excellence, accountability, goal-driven performance
Teaming — collaboration, encouragement, developing others
Character — coachability, dependability, ownership, attitude

Character serves as the “glue,” integrating results and relationships. He illustrates this with stories from introducing servant leadership in hierarchical Indian business cultures and real client transformations.

The episode closes with a striking metaphor: the Dodda Alada Mara (Big Banyan Tree) in Bangalore—a single tree spanning acres, thriving through interconnected “feeder” trunks long after the original center died—symbolizing cultures that endure and scale beyond the founder.

Key Takeaways

Guard sacred relational time (weekly spouse check-ins) as a core leadership habit.
Physical discipline sharpens mental clarity and reveals blind spots—suffering often exposes where we’re not truly present.
Lead from an “empty cup” (building relational trust) rather than a “full cup” (relying on authority)—it multiplies impact through abundance instead of scarcity.
Assess your team across Results, Teaming, and Character; celebrate strengths, but transparently tackle weaknesses—starting with yourself.
Intentionally build cultures that scale and leave a living legacy.

Learn more about coaching with Lantz Howard and discover how you can lead wholeheartedly in your true identity.