Feedback can be one of the most powerful accelerators of leadership growth… and one of the most emotionally complicated.
In this episode of The Tessa Tubbs Podcast, Tessa is joined by Nigel Bristow (bestselling author, speaker, and feedback thought leader, and author of Feedback Breakthrough) for a practical, deeply human conversation about why receiving feedback is often harder than giving it and how to build the resilience to use feedback as fuel instead of friction.
Together, they unpack three common myths that keep leaders stuck, defensive, or discouraged and offer reframes and practices to help you approach feedback with more clarity, humility, and confidence.
- Why even confident, self-aware leaders still struggle to receive feedback well
- How “inaccurate” feedback can still be useful and reveal your real-world impact
- Why discomfort doesn’t mean failure; it often means growth is happening
- Practical ways to build resilience so feedback becomes a source of strength, not stress
If you’ve ever felt your nervous system spike when feedback comes your way, this episode will help you shift from protecting your ego to growing your leadership.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why even confident, self-aware leaders still struggle to receive feedback well
- How “inaccurate” feedback can still be useful and reveal your real-world impact
- Why discomfort doesn’t mean failure; it often means growth is happening
- Practical ways to build resilience so feedback becomes a source of strength, not stress
If you’ve ever felt your nervous system spike when feedback comes your way, this episode will help you shift from protecting your ego to growing your leadership.
About Nigel:
Nigel Bristow has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in organizational behavior. As the founder of Targeted Learning, Nigel had the privilege of consulting with, and developing leadership programs for, several outstanding Fortune 500 companies, including 3M, Microsoft, Boeing, Textron, and ConocoPhillips.Nigel retired several years ago after selling Targeted Learning—only to come out of retirement in 2025 with the publication of his best-selling book, The Feedback Breakthrough: Harness the Gift of Feedback and Bring Your A-Game to Life.Nigel is currently the founder and president of Feedback HQ, LLC. The mission of Feedback HQ is to help leaders harness the power of feedback to win—as individuals, teams, and organizations.
FdbkHQ.com
