THIS Leader Podcast

In this Q&A episode, Claire responds to two questions from leaders navigating trust challenges they didn't create — what she calls the Trust Tax. Question 1: The Inherited Accountability Vacuum. A leader inherits a team that has always operated independently — without clear standards or consistent oversight. Now every attempt to introduce accountability is met with resistance and defensiveness. Cl...

What happens when the person who helps organizations develop their people hits a wall of their own? Jeremy Hannah spent 20 years building talent ecosystems inside Fortune 500s and fast-growing companies — then burned out so completely he questioned whether he wanted to do the work at all. What followed was a globe-trotting sabbatical across 21 countries, a rediscovery of his own curiosity, and a r...

We've all been there — a conversation shifts, our chest tightens, and we either shut down or come out swinging. Neither response is what we want, but most of us were never taught how to handle conflict well. That's exactly what this episode is about. Conflict resolution expert Maryse Postlewaite shares her Five Keys to Conflict Resolution — a practical framework built around the internal tools lea...

What if the resistance, disengagement, and burnout you're seeing on your team has nothing to do with your people — and everything to do with what's happening inside their brains?  In this episode, Claire sits down with Dr. Lisa Riegel, brain-based leadership expert and author of Aspirations to Operations, to explore the neuroscience behind why people behave the way they do at work — and what leade...

Low trust doesn't always announce itself. It shows up as Sunday night dread, meetings where the same issues get rehashed without resolution, silos between departments, and difficult behaviors nobody takes the time to address. In this episode — Part 2 of a short Trust Series — we zoom out from individual relationships to look at the bigger picture: what happens when low trust infects an entire team...

In this episode, Claire explores the dynamics of low-trust relationships — what they feel like, how trust gets broken, and the one thing most people get wrong when they try to fix it. The Key Insight: We have a compulsion to blame the trust problem on others. The secret to clarity and the possibility of rebuilding is to bring calm curiosity to the situation and BE the solution yourself. Key Concep...

What if the key to leading your team more effectively wasn't a new strategy — but a new question? In this episode, I talk with Erika Leonard, co-leader of the WorkPower Project at SafetyPowers.org , about what truly connected workplace communication looks like, and what quietly gets in the way. Erika and her team set out to build communication resources for employees with disabilities — and what t...

In this episode, we explore feedback as one of the most loving things you can do in a professional relationship—and why avoiding hard conversations is actually unkind.  In this episode, you'll hear about: Why We Avoid Feedback: The real reasons we stay silent (and why those reasons are usually about protecting ourselves from discomfort, not protecting the other person) The Cost of Silence: How avo...

In this episode, I welcome back Roxanne Harrison to explore how ancient wisdom can help modern leaders break free from the patterns that create burnout. As we enter the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese lunar calendar—a year of intense energy and transformation—Roxanne shares how each of the nine Enneagram types can navigate high-energy seasons without exhausting themselves. If you've ever fel...

In this episode, you'll hear about: The Three Types of Clarity Every Leader Needs: Strategic Clarity (what work moves the needle), Responsibility Clarity (who owns what), and Progress Clarity (how we're tracking)—and why Strategic Clarity is the foundation for everything else. Claire's Personal Burnout Story: How working at a job she loved without knowing how she was measured led to exhaustion, an...

You're committed to developing your people, but what happens when a crisis hits and you need results now? This is the tension between being patient and decisive—one of the hardest parts of leadership. My guest, Frances Robustelli, City Manager of St. Pete Beach, Florida, faced this challenge head-on. Just months into her new role, back-to-back hurricanes devastated her community, shutting down 90%...

Welcome to Episode 50! We've made it to the top 1% of podcasters—and in this milestone episode, we're talking about why leadership transitions are so hard and what actually needs to change when you move to a new level.  In this episode, you'll hear about: The Peter Principle: Why people rise to their "level of incompetence" (spoiler: it's not about your capability—it's about operating at the wrong...

In this episode, I explore how physical fitness serves as a powerful laboratory for leadership development—and why the lessons you learn pushing your body are the exact skills you need to lead yourself and others well. The Translation Between Fitness and Leadership If you're like most leaders I work with, you've heard yourself say: "I don't leave my desk for lunch." "I don't take breaks." "I don't...

Welcome to Episode 48 of THIS Leader! As we step into 2026, I'm inviting you to pause before diving headfirst into another year of endless demands and obligations.  In this episode, you'll hear: The Power of Intentional Reflection: Why getting clear on what you truly want - not what you think you should want - changes everything about how you lead and live  Your Multiple Roles as Opportunities: Ho...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jared Fujishin—who wrote his PhD dissertation specifically on nonverbal communication—to explore how leaders can close "the trust gap" between their good intentions and actual connection with their teams. You might spend hours crafting the perfect message, but if your nonverbal signals are sending a different story, your carefully chosen words won't land. Jared...

Welcome to Episode 46! After the incredible response to my recent episode on leading change, so many of you reached out asking, "But what about when people resist anyway?" This episode is for you.  In this episode, you'll hear about: The many faces of resistance and what those behaviors are really telling you The most common sources of pushback (and why they're usually legitimate) How to lead chan...

Welcome to Episode 45! In this episode, I'm sharing my all-time favorite end-of-year ritual, a powerful reflection process that transforms lessons learned into actionable guidelines for the year ahead. In this episode, you'll discover: The three essential reflection questions that reveal meaningful patterns in your year  How to turn lessons learned into memorable "guidelines"—short, powerful state...

Last week, we explored how change affects you personally. This week, we're focusing on YOUR ROLE as a leader when change is happening—because your team is looking to you to guide them through their transitions.   In this episode, you'll hear about: Managing Your Team's Threat Responses (The SCARF Model) Status: How to provide reassurance without making promises you can't keep Certainty: Sharing wh...

Change is exhausting - even when it's a good change. In this episode, I share a story about my own recent emotional roller coaster ride and walk you through the neuroscience and psychology of why navigating change hits us harder than we think. You'll learn practical frameworks to understand what's happening in your brain and a simple exercise to map what you're actually carrying so you can take be...

Just days before Thanksgiving, I'm sharing something deeply personal—a practice that keeps me grounded, energized, and honestly, keeps me from becoming a grumpy old person. This episode is about the power of soaking in what's right and good, even when life feels overwhelming.  In this episode, you'll hear about: Why gratitude can feel complicated – and why this isn't about toxic positivity or pret...

In this episode, I explore the tension between capability and genuine desire with Stephanie Sonnenshine—a former CEO who led one of California's most influential organizations through a pandemic and major transitions, then made the intentional choice to step away and pursue coaching and consulting work that truly lights her up. If you're a high-achieving leader who finds yourself saying yes to opp...

Do you wake up Monday mornings with subtle dread—not because you hate your job, but because you've stopped growing? You're competent, maybe even excellent, but you've plateaued. Meanwhile, opportunities surround you, but you're not sure how to position yourself to seize them. Sherri Thomas has successfully rebranded herself four times across different industries—from radio DJ to Fortune 100 career...

In this personal episode, I share my journey from chronic people-pleaser to assertive leader and reveal practical frameworks for finding your voice. Growing up too agreeable cost me career opportunities and wrong relationships. The key insight: when nothing is important to you, it's easy to get pulled into anything important to others.  Key Concepts: Three Communication Styles: Passive - Avoiding...

How much of your day do you spend trying to control things that are actually outside your control? As leaders, we plan and strategize, but often find ourselves spinning our wheels on things we simply can't influence. What if recognizing the limits of our control isn't a weakness, but the key to building stronger teams and achieving better results? Kate Terrell, former Chief Human Resources Officer...

In this transformative episode, I show you how to escape the Drama Triangle pattern that exhausts leaders and robs them of power. If you've ever said yes when you want to say no, then felt resentful about your obligations, and then got angry at others for your situation, congratulations! You've just cycled through all three Drama Triangle roles: Rescuer, Victim, and Persecutor, and you've given yo...