Leadership With a Twist

Your team is not an infinite resource. Neither are you. In this episode of Leadership With a Twist, Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dig into the human element of leadership, the people, the time, and the knowledge that actually get the work done. They name why “this isn’t sustainable” has become background noise in so many businesses instead of a call to action, and what happens when teams...

Is your team holding decisions for you every time you step away? You come back from a day off and find a pile of 97%-done work just waiting on your sign-off. The frustration is real. And it is not a team failure. It is a development moment. In this episode of Leadership With a Twist, Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler break down exactly what is happening when a capable, well-developed team st...

Most leaders aren't failing because they lack skill or effort. They're failing to lead themselves first. In this episode of Leadership with a Twist, Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dig into the difference between moving through your week with intention versus reacting to whatever lands in front of you. This conversation is for high performers who are getting results but feel like they're r...

Change is the one constant in life — but that doesn't make it easy. In this episode of Leadership With a Twist, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dig into why change feels so hard, how transitions actually work, and what leaders and professionals can do to navigate them with more clarity and confidence. Drawing on William Bridges' classic book Transitions: Making Sense of Life Changes,...

Proactive communication builds trust by making sure people always know they'll be informed when it matters. Are you waiting to be asked — or are you leading the conversation? In this episode of Leadership With a Twist, Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dig into one of the most powerful and often overlooked leadership communication skills: proactive communication. If your boss is coming to yo...

What is your leadership intention right now—and does your team actually experience it? Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler discuss how intention helps entrepreneurial leaders move beyond task-focused “doing” and reconnect to bigger business outcomes, relationships, and leadership reputation. They invite you to ask, “What am I really going for?” and use that intention as an anchor for how you s...

What's one responsibility you're currently holding that, if you're honest, probably belongs to someone else? Are you a high-performing entrepreneur or business leader who always steps in, fills the gaps, and gets it done — even when it means taking on more than your share? In this episode of Leadership With a Twist, hosts Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler unpack the hidden cost of over-respo...

What does it actually mean to lead the whole person — and why does it matter more than ever right now? In this episode of Leadership with a Twist, Heather McGonigal and Barbara Schindler dive deep into one of the most important — and most overlooked — principles of effective leadership: caring for the whole human being in your organization, not just the role they fill. You will hear why the outdat...

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...