Passion Struck with John R. Miles Oli Raison & Boris Maguire on Leadership Beyond the Boardroom | EP 703
What if the leadership answers you’ve been searching for can’t be found in another keynote, framework, or performance review but only by stepping completely out of the world you know?
In Episode 703 of Passion Struck, John R. Miles is joined by Oli Raison and Boris Maguire, founders of Safarini Leadership, for a conversation that challenges everything we think we know about growth, leadership, and belonging.
At a time when we are more globally connected than ever—and yet more polarized, distracted, and disconnected—leaders are facing pressures no playbook prepared them for: AI acceleration, climate anxiety, generational fracture, burnout, and a deep erosion of trust.
Oli and Boris believe the problem isn’t a lack of leadership training. It’s that we’re trying to become wiser leaders without changing the environments that shaped us. Their work takes executives out of boardrooms and into the Kenyan bush, immersed in nature, culture, and relationships, walking alongside Samburu elders to rediscover leadership as a lived, relational practice rather than a performative role.
Download the companion workbook: https://www.theignitedlife.net/p/ancient-wisdom-for-modern-leaders
This episode is part of The Season of Becoming series, following conversations with Brent Gleeson on the danger of comfort and Henna Pryor on why awkwardness is the frontline of growth.
Listen. Watch. Go Deeper.
👉 Read the full show notes here: https://passionstruck.com/leadership-in-the-wild-oli-raison-boris-maguire/
🔗 All links in one place — You Matter, Luma and Passion Struck books, Substack, YouTube, and Start Mattering apparel:
https://linktr.ee/John_R_Miles
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why today’s global challenges require elevated leadership, not louder leadership
- How cultural immersion rewires creativity, self-awareness, and decision-making
- Why nature sharpens focus, learning, and emotional regulation
- What Samburu elders can teach modern executives about belonging and purpose
- Why leadership cannot be developed in isolation—or in comfort
- How stepping out of familiar systems reveals who you actually are as a leader
- What it means to lead when connection isn’t optional—it’s survival
About the Guests
Oli Raison has spent over a decade founding, leading, and selling businesses in Kenya. He specializes in organizational culture, leadership development, and cross-cultural teams. Oli is fluent in Swahili, holds an MBA from Aston Business School, and a Certificate in Executive Coaching from UC Berkeley.
Boris Maguire has worked in over two dozen countries and lived in five. He has led teams across ten African nations, served as a startup CEO and Managing Director of a solar firm, and now leads global operations for one of Africa’s fastest-growing HR fintech companies. Boris holds an MPA from Columbia University, a BA from Duke, and a certificate from the African Management Institute.
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