Leadership With a Twist

What kind of leader are you — really? Not in the vision statement, not in the company all-hands, but in the moment when the pressure is on, the numbers are off, and your team is watching closely. In this episode of Leadership With a Twist, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dig into one of the most important — and most overlooked — dimensions of leadership development: what are you...

What keeps great leaders steady when everything around them is in flux? Leadership With a Twist hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dive deep into the concept of leadership reputation — not as something defined by others, but as a conscious, personal anchor you return to again and again. In today's fast-changing business landscape, where mass layoffs happen over email and industry norms...

Are external pressures — economic uncertainty, industry disruption, and rapid change — bumping your business around? You are not alone, and more importantly, you are not starting from scratch. In Episode 12 of Leadership With a Twist, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler explore how creative leaders can navigate chaos with clarity, confidence, and innovation. Whether you lead a small entr...

How much context is too much? How little is too little? In this episode of the Leadership With a Twist Podcast, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler tackle one of the most nuanced challenges in leadership communication: sharing the right context, with the right people, at the right time. Whether you’re delegating a project, presenting a new idea, or navigating cross-functional collaborati...

What does it actually take to build a team that stays engaged, motivated, and committed — even when the work gets hard? In this week's episode of Leadership With a Twist, Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler unpack the power of authentic appreciation as the foundation of healthy workplace culture. Most leaders know they should recognize their team — but few do it in a way that actually lands. I...

In this episode of Leadership With a Twist, Heather McGonigle and Barbara Schindler break down one of the most common leadership communication challenges: what do you do when a team member brings a big, exciting idea at exactly the wrong time? They emphasize treating yourself and your team as limited resources and making wise choices about focus, time, and talent. Heather introduces the “Impact Sc...

In this grounding episode of Leadership with a Twist, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler invite you to pause and check in with yourself as New Year's intentions begin to slip. You are likely feeling the pull of external momentum — the pace of work, performance reviews, new goals, and the relentless rhythm of daily life — and you may notice that you have been swept into the tide rather t...

Build Your Self-Care Action Plan to Prevent Burnout in Busy Seasons Heather McGonigal and co-host Barbara Schindler discuss why self-care is essential for entrepreneurial leaders and teams who often push themselves with limited resources and risk burnout. They introduce a proactive self-care action plan designed to be created before high-demand periods (like launches or returning after the holiday...

In this episode of The Leadership With a Twist Podcast, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dive into the importance of owning your part within a business. They discuss how role clarity, defined by organizational structures, leads to more effective collaboration and prevents the overextension of responsibilities. The co-hosts emphasize that understanding and respecting each team member's...

In this episode of Leadership Today, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler discuss the importance of preparing for performance reviews with a proactive and empowered mindset. They emphasize the need for team members to actively participate in the conversation, highlight their contributions, and align their career goals with the company's strategic vision. The conversation also touches on t...

Navigating Noise: Strengthening Intuition and Authenticity in Leadership In this episode of 'Leadership With a Twist,' hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler discuss the importance of navigating through the noisy and chaotic business world by developing one's intuition and inner guidance. They emphasize the role of authenticity and self-awareness in making better decisions, both personally...

Discover how to lead authentically by bringing your whole self to work in this transformative episode of Leadership With a Twist. Coaches Heather and Barbara explore the essential practice of whole person leadership, teaching you how to balance professional excellence with self-awareness and human limitations. Learn practical strategies for self-assessment, calendar renegotiation, and creating psy...

In this powerful conversation, Coach Heather and Coach Barbara from Empowering Leadership Teams reveal a game-changing concept for entrepreneurial leaders: homegrown wisdom. While most leaders instinctively look outside their organizations for guidance during times of change—to consultants, courses, and industry experts—they're often overlooking their most valuable resource: the collective intelli...

You're invited to discover a fresh approach to leadership that moves beyond traditional top-down authority. In this premier episode, you explore what it means to lead with a twist—bringing authenticity, heart, and the full human element into your leadership practice. Empowering Leadership Teams' Executive Coaches, Barbara Schindler and Heather McGonigal discuss why collaboration and active listeni...