Plucking Up with Liz Bohannon Jerry Colonna on Healthy Leadership & The Art of Growing Up
Oct 23, 2025
Jerry Colonna, a former venture capitalist turned leadership coach, shares his transformative journey from financial success to emotional integrity. He delves into shadow work and the importance of vulnerability in leadership, recounting personal crises and breakthroughs. Colonna emphasizes the need for authentic authority and community support, reflecting on how connection can heal strained relationships. His insights on impermanence teach us to embrace life's fleeting joys while navigating grief, making for an enlightening conversation on healthy leadership.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Leadership Starts With Inner Work
- Jerry Colonna pivoted from VC success to coaching because inner inquiry and emotional integrity are foundations of healthy leadership.
- He frames sustainable leadership as rooted in self-awareness rather than external metrics or status.
Annoyance Avoidance Is A Shadow
- A recurring blind spot for Jerry was 'annoyance avoidance'—moving away when uncomfortable rather than confronting issues.
- Making the unconscious conscious required turning toward pain instead of protecting himself.
Choosing To Stay Alive
- Jerry describes a seminal moment deciding not to give in to lifelong suicidal ideation and choosing to stay alive.
- He credits that decision as central to the goodness in his life today.
