S02 E13 "What if I Suck at CEO? Guess What? I'll Be Fine" | Carine Strom Clark

What does it really take to lead a company, build a meaningful career, and stop letting fear hold you back?

In this episode of the Untold Podcast, Jon sits down with Carine Clark, CEO of First Colony Mortgage, for a candid conversation about leadership, resilience, confidence, career growth, and living with greater intention.

Carine shares how a major health scare changed the way she approaches life and leadership. Rather than trying to do everything herself, she learned the importance of bringing people along, building teams that can succeed without her, and creating organizations that continue to work beautifully without their leader.

The conversation explores what it means to be a CEO, including Carine's description of the role as "chief emotional officer." She talks about managing people, navigating founder-led companies, making difficult decisions, removing friction, and thinking years ahead rather than simply managing the day-to-day.

Carine also opens up about overcoming self-doubt and why she wishes she had trusted herself sooner in her career. Her approach is simple: make a decision, move forward, recalibrate when necessary, and don't wait for everything to be perfect.

The episode also touches on long-distance cycling, Carine's work with Huntsman Cancer Institute, mentoring entrepreneurs, giving back, family, travel, and the importance of making time for the things that truly matter.

Key topics covered:
• Leadership and the role of a CEO
• Building teams that work without you
• Overcoming self-doubt and fear of failure
• Leadership after a major life experience
• Founder and CEO relationships
• Career growth and taking risks
• Decision-making and recalibration
• Creating meaningful work
• Mentorship and giving back
• Work-life balance and personal priorities
• Cycling and perseverance
• Making the most of your time
• Building a legacy that lasts beyond you

Carine Clark has spent her career leading companies and working with entrepreneurs, executives, and emerging leaders. In this conversation, she offers practical lessons on leadership, confidence, resilience, and making intentional choices in both work and life.

If you're interested in leadership, entrepreneurship, career development, personal growth, executive leadership, or stories about people who have changed the way they approach life and work, this episode of Untold is for you.

Subscribe to Untold for more conversations with leaders, entrepreneurs, and people sharing the experiences and lessons that shaped who they are.

#Leadership #CEO #Entrepreneurship #CareerGrowth #PersonalGrowth #Resilience #ExecutiveLeadership #UntoldPodcast

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Untold is the podcast hosted by Jon Spiesman where we uncover the best-kept business secrets of Utah.

Each week, we sit down with local entrepreneurs and business owners to explore their unique journeys, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the lessons they've learned along the way. Whether you're building your own business or just love a good underdog story, you'll find hidden gems of advice and inspiration in every episode.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Untold.
Jon and the Untold podcast team

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