Lead with Spark | Authentic Leadership for Women, Executive Presence & Career Confidence

Have you ever walked into a room you absolutely earned the right to be in, and still felt like someone was about to pull you aside and say, we made a mistake? Have you landed the promotion, built the team, done the work, and immediately started wondering if it was all just luck?   Here is what most of the advice on imposter syndrome gets wrong: it treats the feeling like a problem to eliminate. Na...

In this powerful conversation on Lead with Spark, Lynsey sits down with international speaker, USA Today bestselling author, and empowerment coach Simone Knego to unpack one of the biggest hidden struggles women in leadership face: self-doubt. If you have ever looked successful on the outside while quietly second-guessing yourself on the inside, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Simone sh...

You are motivated. You are driven. You genuinely love what you do. And you are absolutely exhausted. And here's what nobody is telling you: those two things are not supposed to coexist.   In this episode, host and business coach Lynsey Mulder tackles the most searched topic for professional women in 2026 - burnout. Not the "take a bath" conversation. The real one. The one about why high-achieving...

Last week, Lynsey Mulder unsubscribed from over fifty email lists. Her favorite stores. Her travel blogs. Her daily news briefings. And somewhere around number thirty-seven, she realized this wasn't just an inbox problem.   In this episode, Lynsey takes the "unsubscribe" metaphor and runs with it, into the drama you never signed up for, the coworker who has made your time their time, the extra yes...

What if one of your most powerful leadership breakthroughs came not from a boardroom, a conference, or a business book, but from a humpback whale looking you dead in the eye off the coast of Cabo San Lucas?   In this episode, host and business coach Lynsey Mulder shares a deeply personal story from a recent trip to Cabo and the four unexpected leadership lessons that followed her all the way home....

If you've been laid off, you're quietly job searching, or you've had that 'I cannot do this for the next 20 years' moment, this episode is for you. Lynsey sits down with Camille Fetter, a nationally recognized executive search expert and founder/CEO of Talentfoot Executive Search and Staffing, to share calm, practical strategies for making a confident career move in today's market. In this convers...

Today’s episode is all about one of the biggest communication game-changers I’ve ever found, and it happens to be one of my most requested keynotes: Decode the Blueprint. Here’s the truth: you can have the right message and still not be heard… because different people speak different languages. And you don’t have to travel to Barcelona for that to be true - it happens every day at work, in sales c...

Ever walked out of a meeting thinking, “Well, that was fun… I said words, but I don’t think I sounded like a leader”? In this solo episode, Lynsey breaks down the real difference between executive presence and authenticity and answers the question so many women are searching for right now: Do I have to act like a leader to be taken seriously at work? You’ll hear three real-life stories (including...

If you have ever said "No problem" while your brain whispered "This is a problem," you are not alone. In this episode, Lynsey breaks down the People-Pleasing Tax - the hidden cost of always being the reliable one - and shares a simple, real-life way to set boundaries without guilt. You will learn how to stop people pleasing (especially people pleasing at work), how to say no without over-explainin...

We’re so lucky to have Danielle McGeough with us today! Honestly… when I grow up, I want to be Danielle. She’s a mom, professor at the University of Northern Iowa, certified Women-Centered Coach, and the host of one of the nation’s top podcasts, Plan Goal Plan. Danielle helps high achievers become as ambitious about their personal lives as they’ve been about their work—one bold goal at a time. In...

Every team has it: the steady one… and the energetic one. The calm processor… and the loud processor. The rule-follower… and the “let’s reinvent everything by Tuesday” person. In this episode of Lead with Spark, Lynsey shares two laugh-out-loud dog stories that turn into a surprisingly accurate leadership metaphor: how to lead mixed-energy teams without leaving “stuffing on the floor.” This isn’t...

Have you ever had a moment where you are doing the thing you are supposed to be doing... and a quiet thought shows up: Wait, is this it? In this episode of Lead with Spark, Lynsey normalizes reinvention and reframes it as a modern life skill. Not a crisis. Not a failure. Often, it is simply evolution. You will hear real stories from Lynsey’s own reinventions (from motherhood to leaving corporate)...

If you’ve ever said “yes” out of habit… then immediately felt annoyed, overwhelmed, or resentful — this episode is for you. In today’s episode of Lead with Spark, we’re talking about how to set boundaries without guilt, without over-explaining, and without feeling like you’re being “difficult.” Because here’s the truth: boundaries aren’t rude — they’re leadership. And if you don’t create boundarie...

What if the story you have been telling yourself about your limits is complete nonsense? In this episode of Lead With Spark, Lynsey sits down with Saphira Howell, author of Impossibullshit: Break the Lies that Keep You Small and Do What You Believed You Couldn’t. Saphira went from early YouTube creator with tens of millions of views to Head of Marketing at a fast growing startup, self taught stock...

If you’ve started identifying your strengths but still hesitate to use them at work, this episode is for you. We’re diving into the real questions women professionals ask about unleashing their superpowers: how to talk about your strengths without feeling like you’re bragging, how to use strengths that don’t feel “work-related,” and how to bring your strengths to your leader in a way that actually...

New Year’s Eve can be exciting, but it can also create pressure to have your goals, your word of the year, and your entire plan for 2026 figured out by midnight. In this Lead With Spark episode, Lynsey gives you permission to pause. Planning is powerful, but rushing can turn hope into heaviness. Instead of a step-by-step framework, Lynsey shares real examples from her own end-of-year prep, includi...

Christmas Eve can feel both magical and heavy. In this short episode of Lead With Spark, Lynsey shares a powerful 10-minute Christmas Eve reset plan to reduce holiday stress, quiet pressure, release perfectionism, and create space for meaning and gratitude. This reset is not just for home. Lynsey uses the same strategy at work before big team meetings, conferences, leadership events, and team buil...

Feeling like the Grinch this year? Same. In this episode, Lynsey shares why the holiday spirit can feel harder during transition seasons, like the first Christmas when your adult kids are building traditions in their own homes. You will learn the Minimum Viable Holiday framework, a simple way to protect your peace, set realistic boundaries, and still create meaningful moments without burning out....

When your workplace feels a little too spicy, who do you call? In this conversation, Lynsey sits down with Wendy Sellers, The HR Lady®, to talk about what it really takes to be a leader people will follow willingly, not just a manager with a title. Wendy is an HR consultant, speaker, mentor, and author of two boldly titled books: “Suck It Up, Buttercup: Be a Leader People Will Follow” and “How to...

In this episode of Lead with Spark, Lynsey borrows the phrase “love of the game” from sports and brings it straight into your career, leadership, and life. Instead of blaming yourself for a lack of motivation, you will explore why your drive always follows your why, and what it means if your “love of the game” has faded. Lynsey walks through four possibilities, right game wrong position, right gam...

In this pre Thanksgiving episode of Lead with Spark, Lynsey explores the power of gratitude as more than a seasonal feeling. It is a daily leadership skill that shapes your mindset, your home, and your work. You will learn how gratitude supports an abundance mindset, reduces stress, strengthens relationships, and helps you stay grounded when life feels full and messy. Lynsey shares her family’s “T...

Do you look like a successful, high-achieving woman from the outside, but inside you are battling doubt, overwhelm, or emotional whiplash from one hard conversation or email? In this episode of Lead with Spark, Lynsey breaks down the connection between identity, emotional intelligence, and leadership so you can stop letting your feelings run the show and start leading from a grounded, confident ce...

Leaders don’t just manage tasks, they design the environment where people and ideas thrive. In this conversation with Gina Brown (MAGNIFY Innovation & Leadership), we break down what neurodiversity really means, how executive function shows up at work (focus, working memory, transitions), and practical ways to build cultures of empathy, clarity, and curiosity, without lowering the bar. If you’...

When the “official lane” looks safe but feels small, it’s time to rethink fit. Inspired by the classic Put Me in the Zoo (Seuss-adjacent), this episode explores how we chase titles and conformity when our strengths are actually asking for a different stage—more authentic, a little bold, and genuinely useful. I share the family story behind a 1967 inscription, a quick overview of the book, and a pr...

Feel stuck defending a role that drains you because “the benefits are good”? This episode tackles corporate Stockholm syndrome, not the clinical diagnosis, but the mindset where fear and comfort have us protecting the very systems that keep us small. We unpack F.E.A.R. (False Evidence Appearing Real), share current career trends (shorter tenures, cooled quits), and give you five practical ways to...