Iconic Leadership with Karissa Adkins

Everyone celebrates becoming an author. Very few people know how to become an authority. In this unapologetic episode, Karissa Adkins breaks down the truth about writing a book, building a movement, and creating lasting impact. If you've ever dreamed of becoming an author—or you've already written the book and aren't sure what comes next—this conversation is for you. Discover why your...

Healing isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about returning to the woman you were before survival mode shaped your identity. In this deeply empowering episode of ICONIC Leadership, Karissa teaches women how to begin healing stress patterns, regulate their nervous systems, and consciously rebuild their identity from a place of peace instead of pressure. This episode explores: nervous system regu...

Stress is costing women far more than they realize. In this episode of ICONIC Leadership, Karissa reveals the hidden emotional, physical, relational, and financial consequences of chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation in ambitious women. This episode dives into: burnout autoimmune disease inflammation hormonal imbalance high-functioning anxiety emotional exhaustion brain fog stress and l...

The hidden trauma patterns keeping women stuck in survival mode. Why do so many ambitious women struggle to slow down… even when they’re exhausted? In this powerful episode of ICONIC Leadership, Karissa dives into the nervous system patterns, childhood conditioning, and subconscious trauma responses that keep women addicted to stress, chaos, overworking, and emotional survival mode. This episode e...

I Thought I Was Having a Heart Attack at 32… It Was Chronic Stress Most ambitious women don’t realize they’ve been living in survival mode for years. In this raw and powerful episode of ICONIC Leadership, Karissa shares the terrifying night she thought she was having a heart attack at just 32 years old — only to discover her body was screaming from chronic stress, inflammation, trauma, and nervous...

In this powerful mother-daughter conversation, we break down the 10 Universal Laws of Iconic Leadership and what it truly means to become the role model your children, your spouse, and the world need you to be. We dive deep into mindset, confidence, self-image, personal growth, leadership, parenting, identity, and the impact a strong woman has on the people around her. My daughter shares what it w...

There are moments in life and leadership where it stops being about business… and starts being about impact. This episode is one of those moments. As we prepare to head to Kenya for the Rise Up Global Humanitarian & Empowerment Tour, I wanted to bring you behind the scenes of what this mission really means—why we do it, how it started, and the lives we’re committed to impacting. You’ll hear th...

What does it actually take to build a strong relationship when both people are ambitious, independent, and driven? In this episode, we open up about what makes our relationship work—from communication and boundaries to navigating growth, pressure, and evolving roles. As a military family, a blended family, and two individuals committed to personal and professional excellence, we’ve had to learn ho...

So you want to run a retreat? You want to bring people together… create transformation… build community… and elevate your brand. I love that. But let’s be real for a second— Most people have no idea what it actually takes to run a retreat that delivers and converts. In this episode of Iconic Leadership, I’m breaking down the real strategy behind hosting retreats that are not only transformational—...

Let’s talk about the side of the speaking industry that no one wants to admit. Because here’s the truth: Events are powerful. They can create connection, transformation, and massive income. But they can also be one of the most mismanaged, overpromised, and underdelivered spaces in the industry. In Part 3 of this series, I’m flipping the lens. Not as a speaker… But as someone who has: ➡️ spoken on...

Everyone wants to be a speaker. But very few people know how to turn speaking into sales. In Part 2 of this series, we’re going beyond the story—and into the strategy. Because here’s the truth: You don’t need more stages. You need a talk that actually converts. In this episode, I’m breaking down what it really takes to craft a signature talk that doesn’t just inspire people—but moves them to actio...

What if your voice wasn’t just something you used… but something that could build your entire business? In this episode of Iconic Leadership, I’m taking you inside the real, unfiltered journey of how I’ve generated over $500,000 from speaking—and why speaking is still my #1 lead generation strategy today. From getting paid to perform in a play as a child… to stepping back onto stages as an entrepr...

In this episode, I sit down with my husband for a powerful and real conversation around leadership—what it actually looks like beyond the surface. From the very beginning of our relationship, one of the things that stood out most to me was his perspective on leadership, discipline, and personal growth. Our early conversations were rooted in mindset, evolution, and what it truly means to lead—not j...

What if everything you’re chasing—money, success, validation, love—was never about the achievement itself… but about how you want to feel? In this episode of Iconic Leadership with Karissa, we dismantle the illusion of success and reveal the truth most high-achieving women never learned: without emotional self-mastery, no level of success will ever feel like enough. You’ll discover why income goal...

You don’t need more followers. You need more rooms. In this episode, I’m breaking down the exact strategies I use — and teach — to help women go from simply attending events to being the woman everyone remembers… and wants on their stage. Whether you’re walking into a networking event, conference, mastermind, or community gathering, these rooms are filled with opportunity. Podcast hosts. Event org...

Confidence doesn’t disappear as women become more successful — it destabilizes under pressure. In this episode of Iconic Leadership with Karissa, we bring a private conversation into the public space after seeing the same pattern show up again and again on VIP calls with high-level, ambitious women. Women who are capable, intelligent, and experienced — yet second-guess themselves more at higher le...

Visibility isn’t a marketing issue — it’s a leadership capacity issue. In this episode of Iconic Leadership with Karissa, we unpack why visibility feels heavy, unsafe, or exhausting for powerful women who are deeply capable of impact, and what must shift internally for being seen to feel grounded, embodied, and sustainable. If you’ve ever delayed posting, avoided speaking opportunities, downplayed...

Most women who are built for more don’t struggle because they lack talent or strategy. They struggle because they’re leading from an identity that no longer fits. In this episode, Karissa shares the identity shift that took her from self-doubt and playing small to leading a global movement — and why women who feel called to more often hesitate right before they’re meant to rise. This conversation...

In this episode of Iconic Leadership with Karissa, I’m joined by Tiff Lukasiewicz — the founder of Lioness Alchemy Collective and the woman who helps you remember your roar. Once a people-pleasing perfectionist who lost herself in love, Tiff rebuilt her life from the inside out — one breath, one boundary, one brave decision at a time. Today, she helps women who’ve lost themselves in toxic or emoti...

Meet Kay Spears ,  a functional nutritionist with over 30 years of clinical wisdom and an intuition sharp enough to call you out and call you forward. Kay is the expert physicians turn to when cases don’t make sense, symptoms don’t match labs, and burnout hides behind achievement. She specializes in decoding hormone chaos, chronic stress patterns, gut dysfunction, and the kind of exhaustion that s...

In this episode of Iconic Leadership with Karissa , I’m joined by Jenn Jorgensen — a mother and volunteer who embodies a truth we don’t talk about enough: leadership doesn’t begin in the boardroom, it begins at home. Jenn’s advocacy for children’s mental health grew out of motherhood — from the responsibility, intuition, and courage required to lead a family through emotional challenges with care...

In this episode of Iconic Leadership , Karissa sits down with Traci Coven , the coach athletes, parents, and leaders turn to when they’re done playing small and ready for real change. From multi-sport athlete to corporate change strategist to founder of ADAPT Sports Lab and creator of the ADAPT System , Traci shares how resilience, adaptability, and inner-game mastery separate those who break unde...

What happens when everything you built burns down—and you rise anyway? In this deeply powerful episode of Iconic Leadership , Karissa Adkins sits down with transformational leader, embodiment coach, and multi–best-selling author Angel Cottrell for a raw, expansive conversation about divine collapse, embodied leadership, and why heart-led business is not a weakness—but the ultimate strategic advant...

What happens when one number changes everything? In this deeply moving episode of Iconic Leadership, Karissa sits down with Leanne Harrell—award-winning multi-unit fitness franchisee, visionary leader, empowerment advocate, Alpha Queens Rising co-author, and RISE keynote speaker—for a conversation that goes far beyond business. Leanne opens up about the emotional weight of generational breast canc...

In this deeply moving episode of Iconic Leadership , Karissa sits down with Sarah Bouse —Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, creator of the ASCEND Method™, and a woman who embodies what it truly means to rise without apology. Sarah’s leadership wasn’t born in boardrooms—it was forged in moments where her body was dismissed, her voice minimized, and her future questioned. From a terrifying...