Making Strategic Bets in a New Season with Elizabeth Dixon

What if the biggest risk a leader faces isn’t failure… but never stepping into the season God is calling them to?

In this episode of Linch with a Leader, Mike Linch sits down with Elizabeth Dixon, former Chick-fil-A Support Center leader, CEO of the Trilith Foundation, author, entrepreneur, and founder of Slumber Sleepwear—for a conversation every leader eventually faces: how to recognize a new season, take a strategic risk, and trust God when the future feels uncertain.

After two decades helping shape the customer experience culture at Chick-fil-A and leading the Trilith Foundation alongside visionary leaders, Elizabeth stepped into a completely new season, launching her own businesses and consulting work. Her story is a powerful reminder that some of the most meaningful leadership moments happen when we’re willing to leave stability in order to pursue calling.

Mike and Elizabeth unpack what it means to make a strategic bet in leadership. They talk about the tension between security and purpose, how wise leaders weigh risk and reward, and why some of the greatest opportunities in life only appear after you step out in faith.

They also explore the difference between failure and feedback, why fear of failure holds so many leaders back, and how our identity can come under attack when we step into new territory.

Elizabeth shares how entrepreneurship has deepened her dependence on God, why abiding matters more than striving, and how leaders can move forward with confidence, even when they don’t have every answer.

Whether you’re leading a church, building a business, raising a family, or discerning what God’s next season might be for your life, this conversation will encourage you to think bigger, trust deeper, and take the kind of risks that shape a meaningful life.

Leadership Lessons from Elizabeth Dixon

• Risk isn’t just what you stand to gain, it’s what you stand to lose.

• Sometimes others believe in us more than we believe in ourselves.

• Strategic bets close the gap between where we are and where we could be.

• Failure isn’t a verdict on your identity, it’s feedback that helps you grow.

• The greatest regret isn’t failure; it’s never trying.

• The enemy often attacks our identity when we step into new territory.

• God didn’t call us to be the vine, He called us to be the branch.

• Leaders who take bold steps of faith often discover opportunities they couldn’t see before.