In this 7‑minute interview, Professor Pete Alexander talks with Sonya Sigler, a former lawyer and operations executive who now runs a leadership‑coaching business and authored the book Welcome to the Next Level. Sonya explains her career path—from her first legal role at Sega, where she entered licensing and new‑business development and began mentoring women in the male‑dominated video‑game industry—to her current work helping leaders create strategic roadmaps. She shares her core philosophy that work‑life balance is a "mix" of choices within the same 24 hours, emphasizes the importance of intentional, communicative leadership, and offers practical advice on defining the kind of leader one wants to be. Sonya also recommends four other leaders (Kristen Salata, Mia Hewitt, Wendy Luttrell, and Mike Pelfini) for future podcast episodes and provides her contact information (SonyaSigler.com and a link to download her book). The conversation is concise, upbeat, and focused on actionable insights for business leaders.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
Well, my name is Sonya Sigler, and I appreciate you having me on. And I am a longtime lawyer and operations executive turned entrepreneur, and I help leaders make a roadmap or strategic plan for themselves as a leader and for their teams and their company.
Sonia, it's great to have you on the show. Question number 2, what's the best thing about working in your industry? Mm.
I really love helping people transform their lives and businesses. It's really amazing to see people actually take action and not just be inspired by what you say, but actually make the difference and make the changes.
Oh, I love it. Making the difference. It's, it's so impactful. Question number 3: I hear from other business leaders that staying in a good work-life balance for them and their team members is a challenge. What are your thoughts?
I think we all have the same 24 hours, and in my book called Welcome to the Next Level, I write about work-life mix because I really don't think there's a balance. I really think it's a mix, and I think it's a choice. I think, as I said, we have the same 24 hours and you get to choose your own priorities. And I think people forget that they have control over what they choose to do with those 24 hours.
That's very insightful. Question number 4: What other successful business leaders like yourself should be on my podcast?
Oh, I have a couple of suggestions for you. One is Kristen Salata, and she is the woman who did the voiceover for my book. The audiobook just came out, so I'm pretty excited. She's kind of a kick-ass lady. Another one is Mia Hewitt, and she's on the East Coast, and she's also doing some deep work with leaders. Another woman is Wendy Luttrell, and she's in the LA area, and she helps CEOs get off the ground, and it's really great to see the work she's doing. And then I have one guy to recommend, Mike Pelfini. He's also working with CEOs and seeing how he can help them How do we, as introverted leaders, succeed in an extroverted world? So those are kind of 4 people I would recommend that you talk to.
Wonderful. Thank you for those referrals. Question number 5: What insight or advice would you give to other business leaders?
Mm, I think my biggest piece of advice is what kind of leader do you want to be? So whether you're leading a team or whether you're leading your own company, what kind of leader do you want to be? Do you want to be a trusted advisor? Do you want to be efficient and productive? But be intentional about what you're doing to lead people and don't just let it happen. And don't think that they know what you're doing and why. You actually have to be a really good communicator and bring them along with whatever story you're telling and whatever goal you have. So that communication is key. And I think that intentionality is really key. Mm-hmm.
I can see that because being intentional means that you get the outcome that you're looking for.
Yeah.
Excellent. And question number 6: please tell me about your first job.
I'll tell you about my first job as a lawyer. It was at Sega, the video game company, and I was very popular with all my cousins. Um, it was kind of the best of times and worst of times. It was a really amazing place to be. It was growing. Um, but then I, um, while I was out taking the bar, somebody was placed over the head of my boss, and he ended up being not a good cultural fit for the company. And that kind of made things really difficult. And I would get migraines on Sunday afternoons thinking about having to go back to work on Mondays. And so I was seriously looking for another job. And I got amazing experience in the licensing world. I negotiated agreements, and then I got assigned to new business development. So I really got in on the ground floor of like all the virtual reality Really interesting stuff. And then I would say that's where I started mentoring others and I started a group to help women succeed in male-dominated industries. And obviously the video game industry is very male-dominated. So I got to start in all the things that were important to me, negotiating new business and working with startups and then mentoring people. So I've come full circle back to the mentoring. So yeah, an interesting place to start.
That is, it sure sounds like it. And obviously it reinforces how important a person's manager is to the success of that person on the job and how much they like their work.
Yeah, I mean, that's why I go back to be an intentional leader. Don't, you know, don't be on autopilot and don't be a drive-by, you know, jerk, if you will. I might use stronger words, but yeah.
I think we get where you're coming from there. So, Sonya, thank you so much for being on the show. How can people find you?
So you can find me at SonyaSigler.com. And if you would like to download a copy of the book, just SonyaSigler.com/book. And you can get Welcome to the Next Level. So appreciate having me here today. Thank you.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, or iTunes and search for the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
