Episode
#55: Winning Words: How to Lead When the Culture is Broken
- Podcast
- The StoryBrand Podcast
- Published
- Jan 19, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2630
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://storybrand.com
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-storybrand-podcast-556745/episodes/55-winning-words-how-to-lead-when-the-culture-is-broken/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-storybrand-podcast-556745/55-winning-words-how-to-lead-when-the-culture-is-broken.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Get free marketing videos from Donald Miller every week at: WeeklySoundbite.com Leaders often inherit a culture. The problem is, some of those cultures are toxic, broken, and built on a belief system of losing. When you walk into a room where failure has been normalized, where low standards are expected and defeat is baked into the identity, it's not just about improving performance. You have to rewrite the entire story people believe about themselves. That's where many leaders fail. They try to motivate or strategize their way through it without changing the narrative. But what if turning a culture around starts with something as simple and powerful as the words you repeat? In this episode, Donald Miller breaks down how Curt Cignetti, the new head coach at Indiana, didn't just win football games—he rewired an entire organization's identity. From powerful soundbites to obsessive attention to detail, Don explores the leadership and messaging strategies that transformed Indiana from a historic underdog into a national powerhouse. If you're leading any kind of turnaround, this episode is your playbook. -- Click HERE to get in-person help creating your marketing at the next available StoryBrand Your Business LIVE event! Click HERE to find a StoryBrand certified marketing coach to help you grow your business! Learn how to make your marketing and messaging work using a proven framework in the updated book, Building a StoryBrand 2.0 . Order it now on Amazon or wherever you buy books!