Charisse Deschenes (00:31)
Hello, and welcome back to Unmuted. I'm Charisse.

Kellye Mazzoli (00:37)
and I'm Kellye. Today we're going to talk about something that I've been working on and building for a while now. It's called the City Executive Circle. and it's a private membership for city executives that I've created through my business, which I started back in 2022 City Boss Coaching. I just want to start by saying this membership isn't a side project for me. It is honestly a resource that I wish that I had had during all my years in city management.

It's going to be a dedicated private community online, very intentionally designed for city leaders who want to lead better, who want to feel better, and they want to grow while staying grounded, clear, connected, and doing all of that without sacrificing themselves personally in the process.

Charisse Deschenes (01:25)
And I want to set the tone upfront. This conversation isn't theoretical. It's not a branding exercise. It's not a pitch. It's the real exploration of what leaders in local government are experiencing today. The pressure, the responsibility and the ambiguity. It's also the isolation and why a structured, connected, human-centered environment like a City Executive Circle matters right now. More than ever.

So I want to begin with a big question. When you look across the profession right now and you see what city executives are navigating politically, emotionally, and operationally, what made you say this is the moment, this is the tool leaders need now?

Kellye Mazzoli (02:09)
Well, Charisse when I look back at all my years in city management and I look at what leaders are facing today, I hear all the time in my one-on-one coaching sessions, there really is a pattern that I think is impossible to ignore anymore. And that is that the people in city management, the humans who are running things, they have the most responsibility and often I'm finding that they have the least amount of support.

So, you know, this is our city managers. This is our assistant and deputy city managers. These are department directors. They are the individuals that everyone turns to in in moments of crisis or uncertainty we're expected to be very strategic, steady, emotionally contained and always available. At the same time, honestly, they're rarely given a space that's safe to do their own internal work. So I think that the

The expectation set for those in city management as a profession is to be calm for everyone. I think you're expected to be clear for everyone, strong for everyone, and somewhere inside of all of that, you have to find a way to support yourself while having a personal life and a family life. But I don't think that human beings really are honestly built to carry that weight alone. So that said, I do think, unfortunately,

the current structure of the city management profession is actually, isolating them. And it's by default.

Charisse Deschenes (03:43)
Yeah, I know that isolation compounds over time as well. They stop asking questions instead. And they stop trusting their own sense of direction because the job requires stoicism, not reflection.

So here's a question for you. Do you see the City Executive Circle as something that's only for leaders who are struggling or do you see it as just an essential for leaders who feel like stable but also want to stay that way?

Kellye Mazzoli (04:13)
Well, Charisse, I think that's a really great question. And the answer to that is no, you definitely do not need to be burned out to benefit from the City Executive Circle. In fact, I, you know, strong grounded leaders, I think are often the ones who are going to join first because they understand that clarity, stability, that they aren't just magically self-sustaining, that those things need maintenance. They need some rhythm to them.

and that they really need connection to flourish. But that said, if you are burned out or maybe you're hovering close to it or you think you might be, this is one of the clearest ways to turn the tide on that. So when you start reconnecting with people who understand your actual reality, when you start getting that weekly clarity, whenever you start getting that weekly connection, ⁓ whenever you start to apply small steady shifts,

your entire leadership posture gets to reset. So the answer to that question really is, no, you don't need to be burned out. And I think that a lot of the people who join, especially in the beginning, are the ones who already see value in having this connection and having this space and doing this work. But it's also gonna benefit those who may be teetering or might actually be in some of the burnout phase.

Honestly, I've designed City Executive Circle to be a consistent force that helps you stabilize and helps you move from sort of survival, reactionary mode back to your center.

Charisse Deschenes (05:46)
I like that a lot. and Kellye, like one thing I appreciate about the City Executive Circle is that this is an intentional choice to build it inside of a private network. And that's not a casual decision that you made. It's a statement about safety and the psychological space. So here's another question for you.

Why does a private, contained digital environment matter so much for city executives and what does it allow for them to do that the public platform simply cannot?

Kellye Mazzoli (06:17)
Yeah, I think putting yourself out there publicly for city executives, for anybody in city management, mean, it's privacy in this day and age is not optional. is essential for us to be able to do our jobs while also growing and being uncomfortable and being a little vulnerable so that we can get to some genuine sort of stuff. You can't

process strategy for city management on Facebook. I'm sorry, it just isn't gonna happen. And I would be excited to see if somebody actually could do that in a way that works. I don't think that you could unpack political dynamics on LinkedIn. Not saying that, actually I shouldn't say you cannot. I mean, you can. I don't think I'd recommend it, right?

I don't think that you can really ask really vulnerable leadership type questions in these public spaces where maybe your staff or it's your residents or even council members like or maybe even the media might pick up on your ruminations. Right. Like even if you're just like putting something out there because you're just trying to see it, it's you know, it's not because you shouldn't be vulnerable and you shouldn't be honest and authentic. Those things are important.

Charisse Deschenes (07:20)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Kellye Mazzoli (07:32)
It's not a bad thing, however, it could very easily be misinterpreted without the context. So I knew that when I created the City Executive Circle, just like I protect the confidentiality with vigor, like I protect that confidentiality of my one-on-one clients, the only way you know that they are a client of mine is if they tell you, I am not the person who does that.

And so I knew when I was creating this membership that it needed to be a very clean, quiet, private world where city leaders can think and process and they can question and they can grow all without an audience or maybe more specifically the right audience, Like the other people who are in this world with you who are trying to do the same thing and trying to be good leaders too. So I think when a city executive logs in,

to the system that I've built, they are going to feel that stability. There's no algorithm, no noise, no public visibility built into this. It is a private paid for space that is protected and the environment truly is designed for genuine connection and real depth. So I think also something that sets the City Executive Circle apart is the ability to ask questions. I think.

inside this membership, you can ask those questions and that really honestly is game changing. Not only can you get coaching each month from me on those things that are on your mind, but you can also submit your questions anonymously if needed, right? If that is something like you still don't feel like that in this private community, you can still submit anonymously. I think that was really important. And so I wanted to allow leaders to be able to bring their real issues.

you know, the ones that they've been holding on alone without that inherent risk to their reputation or their political standing. And I will say this, I don't think that level of safety is available really anywhere else in the profession where they're diving into the real deep topics of leadership while

Charisse Deschenes (09:19)
Right.

Mm-hmm.

Kellye Mazzoli (09:36)
while being vulnerable and being around other people and still getting that connection. So it's kind of like all the pieces together. The only way to do that is if I protect privacy. And so that's why I've chosen to implement a system on a platform that is not Facebook, it is not Instagram, it is not LinkedIn, right? It is private

Charisse Deschenes (09:54)
Yeah, and you and I have talked a lot about that privacy and the, you know, behind the scenes of what's going on with local government leaders, you know, for the entire kind of existence of Unmuted. And so this is an excellent next step in your career, I think. But I do want to ask some more questions for you. So, Kellye, you use City Executive as a very intentional category.

And I want to ask the more nuanced version of the question, who specifically belongs in the City Executive Circle and what leadership realities define someone who will truly benefit from the community.

Kellye Mazzoli (10:32)
The the City Executive Circle is for anyone who carries, I would say, organizational responsibility and leadership expectations in city management. So that includes, like I was saying earlier, your city managers, your city administrators, your assistant or deputy city managers or city administrators. It could also include department directors. But honestly, it is way more than just titles. It is about the lived experience of the job.

So if you are the person others look to for clarity, steadiness, strategy, or emotional containment, then I would say you absolutely belong here in the City Executive Circle. And of course, you're connected in some way, shape, form, or fashion to city management. So I don't want to say it's exclusive, but it is private and it is protected and it is focused to helping those people who are

leaders in city management who are those professionals. So if you're trying to lead without losing yourself, then I think this community honestly is built precisely for that and for you.

Charisse Deschenes (11:37)
Yeah, the clarity of the membership gives people permission to step into the space designed for them. It's not generic leadership space at all, but one that matches their context exactly.

Kellye Mazzoli (11:50)
Absolutely, yes. The City Executive Circle really is tailored to navigate the realities that you're navigating every day.

Charisse Deschenes (11:59)
Well, let's move on a little bit. One of the design choices that makes the City Executive Circle stand out in the weekly rhythm is the 15 minutes of learning and 15 minutes of applying. So here's the deeper question. Why did you choose that specific structure and what impact does that 15 minutes or that 15 minute model have on executives who are already operating at their limits?

Kellye Mazzoli (12:07)
Mm-hmm.

Well, I mean, I think that's the key. They're already operating at their limit, right? So first and foremost, I don't think any city leader, any city executive needs any more overwhelm. So the last thing that I'm gonna do is add another to-do item on their long list. And they don't need to spend long training hours or days or inherit a whole bunch of content that honestly they'll never get to and they'll never actually get to process.

Charisse Deschenes (12:30)
Yeah.

Kellye Mazzoli (12:52)
Leaders can do, and what they can do consistently is 15 minutes, right? I can do anything for 15 minutes, and so can city executives. So that's where it comes from. It's the 15-15 model, 15 minutes of grounded leadership insight, right? So you're gonna get some, you know, up to 15 minutes of me just giving you some information and some insight and challenging you to maybe think a little bit differently about a topic related to city leadership.

Plus then you're gonna get some prompts for 15 minutes of real practical application. So many times whenever we go to training, Charisse, I don't know if you feel this, but I feel like I get talked at and I never get a chance to actually apply. So the application is really important, but it can't be something complicated. It can't be like a whole brand new system. It needs to be something that I can do in about 15 minutes, try it out, see if I like it. If I do, great, maybe I'll keep doing it. And if I don't, then I...

can spend my next 15 minutes maybe trying something different. That does work for me. So honestly, that's it. It's really simple. It's for the whole week. You can commit to the 15 minutes of insight and the 15 minutes of application. You can commit to a month. You can commit to it for a year. But the model really is all about respecting your reality. It honors your time constraints. And most importantly, it's creating that consistency without all the unnecessary pressure.

that so much training and so much content actually does to us where you feel like you're always behind and my goal with designing this membership is that you are never behind here. You're never behind. There's not gonna be a moment where you're like, oh my gosh, I've got so much to catch up on. That's not how this is designed at all. So that's why it's the 15-15 model. And...

And honestly, you know, there is some neuroscience to it. And so the compounding effect of this weekly rhythm of giving yourself just like 15 minute chunks of time can be really, really powerful for somebody who feels like their calendars on overload, their inboxes on overload. So it really reinforces your growth identity. It helps you like stabilize your decision making. It really provides a structure that will hold you steady through unpredictable seasons.

because that's thing. I mean, we all go through different seasons at different times and sometimes we have a great council and it's really easy and sometimes, you know, we have a new council and they need a lot of handholding and that's fine too. there isn't, you know, one size fits all here, but with the 15 minute model, I think that works. So 15 minutes becomes really sustainable for every single leader. That sustainable 15 minutes then becomes consistent. And when you become consistent, that's where the transformation happens.

That's why I chose it. There's neuroscience backing it. It's an investment in yourself and it adds up over the course of the year if you just stick with it consistently. So that's where the transformation lies is in just 15 minutes.

Charisse Deschenes (15:46)
Yeah, I mean, I can do anything for 15 minutes. Just send me a timer, right? Sounds incredibly simple. So now for the little inside the City Executive Circle, can you talk a little bit about the coaching side? I think that adds a unique dimension. And I don't think that most executives' spaces have that. So let me ask a broader question for you. What happens?

Kellye Mazzoli (15:51)
Yeah.

Charisse Deschenes (16:10)
When city executives finally have a place where they can receive coaching that understands their political, organizational, and human realities. And second part, what does that unlock for them?

Kellye Mazzoli (16:21)
That is such a great question, Charisse. So at the, I think at the very fundamental level, it unlocks clarity. It also unlocks for them some emotional steadiness that maybe they haven't felt before. It will help them unlock identity. Not identity with a title or a role, but like their real deep down identity. So.

I know that when leaders get to finally ask the real questions, those ones that we've been talking about, that they've been carrying for years, those questions that they wanna ask, but they're afraid of risking their credibility. When you have a space that you can bring those to or others can bring theirs and you can hear what they're getting coaching on, then the thinking becomes sharper, the decision-making becomes clear.

So I would just say that coaching in the City Executive Circle is a key piece of what we're gonna do. I think it helps executives to really understand their patterns, interpret their environment, and reconnect with their internal compass. So instead of reacting to the external noise and just putting out those fires all the time, whenever you get that coaching, it helps you dip in and it helps you stay focused and strategic.

So I think beyond the coaching too, I wanna add is the connection that whenever you start hearing that there are others in this profession who are struggling with similar things, that that connection, just knowing that somebody else out there is actually going through the same thing, it helps stabilize the human system. We start remembering, hey, there's real people out there who are being real humans trying to live

like real lives inside of real communities, right? And that connection through that coaching and through the community, that is the antidote to the isolation, the leadership isolation problem that we have. So the City Executive Circle, I don't think is just a resource. It is really honestly a place where leaders can return to their most human to return to themselves.

Charisse Deschenes (18:28)
Well, fabulous, Kellye. So excited about this. Now I want to turn a little bit though to the practical reality of cost. And as I understand it, you're offering the lowest pricing the City Executive Circle will ever be offered. Is that correct? All right. Then it's called the founders pricing and many leaders have already joined the priority list, but there's also something else that you're planning to give those.

Kellye Mazzoli (18:30)
You

Yes, yes it is.

Mm-hmm.

they have.

Charisse Deschenes (18:56)
who sign up early, right?

Kellye Mazzoli (18:58)
yeah, yeah, so yeah, there is. I'm really excited about that.

Charisse Deschenes (19:01)
Okay.

All right. Well, overall, tell us what the Founders' Window represents and why offer a special session for leaders who step in before January 1st.

Kellye Mazzoli (19:13)
Well, hold that people who get in on the ground level, people who choose to be founders, they help shape culture. And they're the ones who are helping shape identity. These are the people who create momentum. So I wanted to honor people who are willing to step in early, to be innovators, and to sign up for the membership.

Now, the late December session that you're talking about before January 1st, those who sign up, it'll give them a little bit of a head start to 2026, not to the membership itself, but to 2026 so that you can enter into the year a little more grounded, a little more clear, and a little more intentional before that weekly rhythm begins.

And so, yeah, I'm really excited. The founder's pricing is incredible and I will not offer it again. This only works here right at the very beginning and it won't work in the future. So this is a special time to get in and to get started and to get some extra time with me before everything kicks off in January.

Charisse Deschenes (20:18)
So, well, I'm so excited for you and I'm so excited to have talked to you today about launching the City Executive Circle membership. And I just wanted to see if you had anything more that you wanted to close with.

Kellye Mazzoli (20:20)
Thank you.

Thank you so much, Charisse. I really do appreciate this time and this platform to talk through this with you. And I would like to leave the listeners with a few, just a few things, some key points. So if you feel like this conversation is resonating and you're interested at all in any level to join the City Executive Circle, then don't hesitate. Go to CityBossCoach.com forward slash membership.

Now, whether whenever you get there, depending on when you listen to this, if you land there and it's ahead of the launch window, then that's fine. Or if enrollment is open, that's fine too. That page will be your next step. So whenever you go there, you'll be able to either confirm that you're on the founder's pricing list and join that priority group of leaders. Or if the doors are already open, then you'll see a link there where you can enroll right away.

And do remember if you opted before January 1st, before we hold the special session, you'll be invited to that bonus session that last week of December. And it's really just designed to help you start your 2026 grounded, clear and intentional. Everything you need is at CityBossCoach.com forward slash membership. And with that, I'll just say I will see you inside the Circle.

Charisse Deschenes (21:45)
With that, Kellye, we definitely hope to see each other and each of you out there in the Circle. And until then, lead well, don't lead alone, and unmute yourself inside the City Executive Circle.