When the CEO Can’t Lead: Bijal Shah, Guild, and the Continuity Plan That Worked

When the CEO role finds you instead of the other way around, everything about leadership gets tested.

Bijal Shah shares what it was really like to step into the interim CEO role at Guild while on parental leave after a sudden crisis. The conversation sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, business, and wellbeing, and asks hard questions about leadership under pressure. What happens when there is no runway to prepare? How do you lead clearly when personal life and professional responsibility collide?

The episode explores business continuity, succession planning, and conscious leadership through lived experience rather than theory. Shah reflects on how quiet board preparation, steady culture, and honest feedback kept the company grounded. She also shares how conscious leadership became a practical tool at Guild, and why leaders need real mirrors who will push back. If you stepped away tomorrow, would your business hold steady, and would your leadership still work without you?

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Business Continuity Gets Real When A Founder Can’t Lead

03:36 Stepping In As Interim CEO While On Parental Leave

10:02 Succession Planning That Actually Works

13:49 Founder Reality Check For Business Continuity And Succession Planning

16:29 Conscious Leadership That Holds Up Under Pressure

20:56 Embedded Executive Coaching As A Real Business Advantage

31:49 A CEO Feedback Moment That Changed How She Leads

36:02 Three Practical Rules For Conscious Leadership

Links

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