Lead Through It with Kim and Jada

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Lead Through It , Jada Willis and Kim Andrews reflect on a powerful conversation with leadership consultant Rachel Cooke and unpack what it really means to lead in seasons of uncertainty, overwhelm, and constant motion. Together, they explore the tension between planning and presence, and why letting go of rigid expectations can actually create more clarity, ene...

Send us Fan Mail What if the answer to burnout isn’t doing less, but designing work differently? In this episode, Kim and Jada sit down with Rachel Cooke, founder of Lead Above Noise, host of the Modern Mentor podcast, and a leading voice on creating healthier, more sustainable ways of working. After leaving a successful corporate HR career, Rachel set out to challenge the belief that exhaustion i...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Lead Through It , Jada and Kim sit down with executive coach, author, and Coaching Real Leaders host Muriel Wilkins for a conversation that is equal parts leadership wisdom, personal reflection, and deep exhale. Muriel shares the heart behind her work: helping leaders stop making leadership harder than it has to be. Together, they explore the mindset patterns th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jada and Kim sit down with Shannon Ive y for a powerful, funny, and deeply grounded conversation about voice, identity, self-advocacy, and what it means to take up space without apologizing for it. Shannon shares the journey that led her from theater professor to storyteller, coach, author, TEDx speaker, and founder of the Speak Like You Mean It method, including...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of this conversation, Kim and Jada pick up the “cliffhanger” from the previous episode and reveal the leadership tool hiding in plain sight: one-on-one check-ins. But this is not a conversation about adding more meetings to your calendar. It is about making better use of the time you already have. They unpack why recurring check-ins should not become another manager-driv...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Lead Through It , Jada and Kim pull back the curtain on the kinds of conversations showing up in real coaching sessions right now. From overwhelmed leaders and overextended managers to team members who need clearer expectations, they unpack why so many leadership challenges start with the same root issue: the leader carrying too much. Together, they talk about b...

Send us Fan Mail When everything feels like too much, it can be hard to know where to even begin. In this solo episode, Kim gets real about the overwhelm so many leaders, parents, and professionals are carrying right now. She shares what she is personally trying to get back on top of the mental load, from going back to pen and paper to experimenting with new boundaries around work and rest. Kim al...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jada and Kim sit down with Jace Woodrum , a South Carolina native, longtime advocate, and the first transgender executive director in the 100-year history of the nationwide American Civil Liberties Union. Jace has spent his career fighting for LGBTQ rights, healthcare access, and civil liberties, and now leads the ACLU of South Carolina at a time when many South C...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when your team feels off, culture feels heavy, and “fixing it” feels overwhelming? In this episode, we’re coming off a powerful conversation about what great culture looks like and bringing it back down to reality. Because most leaders aren’t starting from scratch… they’re stepping into something messy, unclear, or already strained. So where do you begin? We break i...

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually take to build a culture people don’t want to leave ? In this episode, we sit down with Cheryl Holland , Founder of Abacus Planning Group, to unpack what exceptional culture looks like in practice, not theory. This is not about perks or pizza parties. It is about the intentional, daily work of valuing people, building trust, and creating systems that support b...

Send us Fan Mail Most leaders treat LinkedIn like an afterthought. Something they’ll “get to eventually.” But the truth is, whether you’re active or not, you already have a presence there. And it’s either working for you or against you. In this episode, we break down why LinkedIn is no longer optional for leaders. It’s one of the most powerful tools you have to build credibility, attract opportuni...

Send us Fan Mail What are you really promising the people you serve? In this quick-fire debrief, we unpack a powerful idea from our conversation with Melanie Huggins: your brand promise means nothing if it is not reflected in your everyday behaviors. It is easy to talk about culture at a high level. Most organizations have values on the wall, in the handbook, or in a strategic plan. But what actua...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “Why won’t my team just take initiative?” you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common frustrations leaders face. In this episode of Lead Through IT, Jada and Kim tackle the leadership question that sits underneath that frustration. Why do capable, smart people sometimes wait to be told what to do? And what can leaders do to create an envi...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful episode of Lead Through It, Jada and Kim are joined by Lyndsay Dowd , a top-tier sales leader, coach, and the author of Top-Down Culture . With 23 years of experience at IBM and a family legacy in the corporate world, Lyndsay shares the raw, transformative story of an unexpected career turning point at age 50 and how that moment became the push that led her to bui...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Lead Through It, hosts Jada and Kim sit down with Caroline Pennington , a powerhouse in the world of executive recruitment and personal branding. Caroline shares her journey from placing entry-level temporary employees to working with Fortune 500 boards and C-suite executives. Throughout the conversation, the trio explores: The LinkedIn "Secret Sauce":...

Send us Fan Mail What if the key to building a strong culture isn’t about you at all? In this episode, Kim and Jada sit down with Melanie Huggins , CEO of Girl Scouts of South Carolina Mountains to Midlands and former CEO of Richland Library, for a candid conversation about leadership, burnout, reinvention, and what it really takes to build a culture that lasts. With more than thirty years of lead...

Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to step into the CEO seat…and refuse to do it the traditional way? In this episode, Kim and Jada sit down with Danielle Pickens, a two-time CEO who is redefining what executive leadership can look like. After fifteen years as an independent consultant building her own company on flexibility and boundaries, Danielle stepped into the CEO role at Urban Schools...

Send us Fan Mail When life feels heavy, the news feels overwhelming, and everything seems just a little unsteady, leadership doesn’t get easier. It gets more human. In this episode, Kim and Jada get real about what it looks like to lead when both personal life and the world around us feel messy. From flat tires and pantry tears to national events that leave people emotionally drained, they unpack...

Send us Fan Mail What if leadership growth doesn’t start with being right, but with being a little less certain? In this episode, Kim and Jada reflect on their recent conversation with Monty Robertson and dig deeper into the idea of perspective, ego, and self-leadership. They explore what it really means to lead people when you don’t have all the answers, how resilience is built through lived expe...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Lead Through IT , Jada and Kim sit down with Monty Robertson , Executive Director of the Alliance for Healthiest South Carolina, for an honest conversation about leadership, ego, and what it really takes to bring people together when the stakes are high. Monty shares his unconventional leadership journey, from growing up in a small South Carolina town to leading...

Send us Fan Mail In this laser-focused episode of Lead Through It , Jada and Kim reflect on what it truly means to lead with both humility and credibility. Using insights from their conversation with Maia Molina-Schaefer, they explore how effective leaders balance listening and learning with confidently sharing perspective and direction. The discussion dives into values-driven decision making, bui...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when the system was never designed for you to win? In this powerful episode, we sit down with Maia Molina-Schaefer to talk about grit, identity, and leadership forged in the toughest environments imaginable. From growing up in a low-income immigrant household to becoming a Marine Corps and Army intelligence officer, military diplomat, and trailblazer for women in le...

Send us Fan Mail In the first full week of 2026, Lead Through It opens with a message that is honest, challenging, and necessary. This week, Jada goes solo to talk about the one thing that actually changes your business, your leadership, and your life: owning it. Not the surface-level version. The real one. If you feel stuck, frustrated, or like you keep circling the same problems, this episode wa...

Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode of Lead Through IT , Kim Andrews makes you an offer you might not want to refuse. It only costs you twenty minutes. This conversation is about pressing pause with intention. Kim walks listeners through a simple but powerful exercise designed to help you step out of survival mode, get honest about where your time and energy are really going, and reconnect with...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jada and Kim dive into one of the most frustrating parts of leadership and business growth: setting goals that actually work. After a week full of Disney conferences, AI discoveries, sick-kid snuggles, and plenty of pivoting, they sit down to talk honestly about why traditional goal setting often fails and what to do instead. Kim introduces her fresh take on goal...