{"podcast":{"title":"Fit Happens: Why CEOs and Leaders Succeed or Fail","slug":"fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405","podcast_index_feed_id":7795405,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/gACIuRL7b7JSP4dtyitL00UT6qf9BTU7KbE36WYw6Fs/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yNTdl/MDY2MDQyMDAzMmFk/MWIzNjMwMzMwZjFh/NTRmMS5wbmc.jpg","author":"Andy Milad","episode_count":26,"summary":"Why do talented leaders fail in one role and thrive in the next? Jason Baumgarten has led hundreds of Board, CEO and c-suite transitions at Spencer Stuart. He covers CEO succession, how boards hire a CEO, and shares leadership research alongside candid opinions about leadership and governance. His guests include CEOs, Board Directors, Researchers, Authors and unique executives who share their own observations about leadership but also their own lessons and life stories. Jason covers everything from the impact of technology and AI on leaders to the personal toll and stress of leadership. Every episode brings new lessons, fresh perspectives and a glimpse into a leader’s story.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-25T00:17:11.274712+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405"},"episode":{"title":"He Left Silicon Valley to Run a Retreat in the Andes","slug":"he-left-silicon-valley-to-run-a-retreat-in-the-andes","published_at":"2026-08-20T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405/he-left-silicon-valley-to-run-a-retreat-in-the-andes","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/03aeb348","audio_url":"https://op3.dev/e/media.transistor.fm/03aeb348/a85d1593.mp3","summary":"He traded Silicon Valley for the Andes and built a life around a completely different definition of leadership. In this episode, I talk with Terry Cumes, CEO of Wilkatika Resorts in Peru's Sacred Valley and author of the new book Special Guests which explores leaving a career in education technology to run his family's wellness retreat full time. We dig into cross-cultural leadership, building community far from home, and why executive coaching and hospitality have more in common than people think. Key takeaways: Why Terry unlearned much of his business school training to lead a Quechua-speaking team What actually motivates loyalty in a multi-generational family business How a strong sense of place supports deep personal work The difference between clarity, authenticity, and vulnerability in leadership Why \"less efforting\" can be a more powerful leadership tool than problem-solving How intuition and analysis work together in high-stakes decisions What it takes to build community after a major relocation Connect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbaumgarten/ Email the show here: jason@fithappens.fm 00:00 Intro to Fit Happens 00:18 Meet Terry Cumes, CEO of Wilkatika 00:46 Leaving Silicon Valley for Peru 02:32 Discovering his hospitality superpower 03:39 Leading a very different workforce 04:22 Unlearning business school lessons 05:13 What translated universally: loyalty 06:49 Building community far from home 09:17 Isolation and practical fixes 10:39 Using travel as an external stimulus 12:23 Why the Sacred Valley was chosen 14:10 What makes a guest transform quickly 15:34 Hospitality and the limits of delegation 17:57 Boundaries in an always-on culture 18:28 His yoga journey and its evolution 21:08 Yoga and mindfulness going mainstream 22:18 Blending intuition…","meta_description":"He traded Silicon Valley for the Andes and built a life around a completely different definition of leadership. In this episode, I talk with Terry Cumes,…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3165,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405/episodes/he-left-silicon-valley-to-run-a-retreat-in-the-andes/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405/he-left-silicon-valley-to-run-a-retreat-in-the-andes.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}