Lifting Leaders Podcast

What if creating a healthier, happier workplace isn't just about reducing stress, but about intentionally creating more joy? And what if small, everyday leadership actions could make a bigger difference than we realize? In this Gems episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we're building on our recent conversation with Amy Leneker, national bestselling author of Cheers to Monday, to explore three s...

What if reducing workplace stress isn't about teaching employees to be more resilient, manage their stress better, or practice more self-care but about changing the workplace conditions that create unnecessary stress in the first place? In this episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we welcome Amy Leneker, leadership consultant, speaker, former C-suite executive, and national bestselling author o...

What is enough - and how do you know when you’ve reached it? In this Spark episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, cohost Kristal Roberts explores how defining “enough” can help us rethink success, clarify what really matters, and take meaningful action toward change. In a world that constantly encourages us to pursue more, more success, more money, bigger goals, bigger accomplishments, sometimes...

Leading organizational change takes more than a great plan. Successful, long-term change requires sustained leadership, employee engagement, resilience, and the ability to maintain momentum when progress is slow or unexpected challenges knock the work off track. In this Coaches Corner episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we explore practical strategies leaders can use to keep teams focused, mot...

As leaders, we face decisions that can shape our careers, teams, and organizations. Do we stay the course, make a change, or catch a new wave of opportunity? In this Gems episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, inspired by our conversation with our friend, leader, coach, and writer, Jack Schlosser, we explore five practical steps to strengthen leadership decision-making, navigate uncertainty, and...

How do you know when to stay the course, make a career change, or take a new direction when the future is uncertain? In this episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, Kristal Roberts and Tricia Rhine welcome back Jack Schlosser - executive coach, leadership advisor, speaker, author, and lifelong surfer - for a conversation about leadership, career transitions, resilience, decision-making, and naviga...

Change rarely happens in a straight line. Whether you’re leading organizational change, navigating a personal transition, or simply trying to figure out what comes next, there’s often a point where forward movement feels difficult. You know something needs to change but you’re not quite sure what to do next. Welcome to the messy middle of change. As we continue our Lead the Change journey on the L...

What does it take to move from hoping for change to actually making it happen, especially when you can’t be certain how things will turn out? In this episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, Kristal Roberts sits down with Melissa Castro, author of Intrinsic Leadership, to explore what it means to turn hope into agency and take meaningful action in the face of uncertainty. Drawing from two significa...

Season 6 of the Lifting Leaders Podcast is here! Kristal and Tricia are back from summer break and ready to begin a new chapter in our leadership journey: Lead the Change. But first, we’re catching up! We share a few highlights from our summer, from working in our yards and enjoying some much-needed downtime to taking day trips, exploring, and simply making space to recharge. Stepping away from ou...

As we wrap up Season Five of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we're reflecting on one of the most important leadership questions of our time: How do leaders inspire genuine hope without ignoring reality? In this season finale, we share 10 practical leadership strategies for creating hope during uncertainty, organizational change, and challenging times. You'll learn how effective leaders build trust by...

What if the only way forward was to let go? In this deeply personal Spark episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, co-host Kristal Roberts shares, for the first time publicly, the true story of a kayaking accident that nearly claimed her life - and the profound leadership lesson she discovered beneath the surface. Pinned under a dangerous log jam and fighting against a powerful current, Kristal fac...

Some leaders leave an impression. Others leave a legacy that continues to shape leaders for generations. This week, we honor the extraordinary life and enduring impact of Dr. John H. "Jack" Zenger, who passed away on July 3, 2026, at the remarkable age of 94. A pioneering leadership expert, bestselling author, researcher, teacher, consultant, and mentor, Jack transformed the field of leadership de...

What makes an inspirational leader? Is it charisma or is it a set of leadership skills anyone can develop? In this Coaches Corner episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, executive coaches Kristal Roberts and Tricia Rhine share eight practical leadership practices that can help you become a more inspirational leader, strengthen employee engagement, and create a workplace where people feel motivated...

Can a leader build trust without creating hope? Can people truly feel hopeful if they don't trust their leader? In this Lifting Leaders Podcast Spark Episode, co-host Tricia Rhine explores the powerful relationship between hope and trust in leadership and why these two qualities are essential for building high-performing teams, increasing employee engagement, and creating healthy organizational cu...

Five years after graduating with her Master's degree in Architecture, Madison Mulligan joins the Lifting Leaders Podcast to reflect on one of the most significant transitions many people face: moving from student life into the working world. In this special mother-daughter conversation, host Kristal Roberts and Madison explore the realities of early adulthood, including navigating uncertainty, bui...

What does true resilience look like when life, leadership, and uncertainty don’t go as planned? In this Gems episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we revisit powerful conversations from our Ignite Genuine Hope series and explore a theme that keeps emerging: resilience. You’ll hear insights from guests who model what it means to adapt, recover, learn, and move forward with purpose. Melanie Vargas...

What happens when you leave behind the familiar, embrace uncertainty, and intentionally build a life aligned with your values and purpose? In this inspiring episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, hosts Kristal Roberts and Tricia Rhine welcome leadership professionals Leah Fleischner and Sasha Farley for a powerful conversation about hope-led leadership, resilience, courage, personal reinvention,...

What happens when a milestone birthday becomes a mission to change lives? In this inspiring episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we sit down with P.L. and Kristen, founders of Cycle 5 To Survive (C5TS), an extraordinary initiative powered by purpose, courage, resilience, and a commitment to helping communities thrive. Through Cycle 5 To Survive, P.L. and Kristen are cycling across five continen...

In this special crossover episode, Melanie Vargas of What’s in Your Neighborhood joins Kristal Roberts and Tricia Rhine of the Lifting Leaders Podcast for a deeply honest conversation about leadership, vulnerability, hope, and the emotional neighborhoods we all carry within us.   Together, these three executive coaches and leadership practitioners explore what it means to lead in a world filled wi...

Sharing this Encore edition from 2025. As we recorded this episode, on the front end of Mother’s Day weekend, we started simmering on the topic of caregiving…something moms know all too well about.  So, with a world of respect, to all the moms out there, we are taking a look at caregiving, from a few different angles. The first angle is, of course, all about people who provide care for others.  Th...

What is hope-led leadership, and how do you actually practice it in today’s complex world? In this Coaches Corner episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we explore how to ignite genuine hope in leadership, not as a fleeting feeling, but as a disciplined, actionable leadership practice. We begin in a place many leaders avoid: the moment when something isn’t working. Instead of bypassing that tensi...

What does it take to move from awareness to genuine hope in leadership? In this transition episode of the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we close our Light the Spark phase and step into our next leadership focus: Ignite Genuine Hope — a deeper, steadier, and more sustainable way of leading in today’s complex world. We reflect on what it meant to light the spark — building self-awareness, courage, and im...

This week on the Lifting Leaders Podcast, we’re celebrating our 4-year anniversary, 176 episodes of leadership, hope, and meaningful conversations that continue to lift and inspire. Over the past year, we’ve shared: • 39 powerful guest interviews with leaders across industries • A special roundtable with returning guests and diverse perspectives • Conversations supporting three authors launching n...

Are you leading like a tourist, rushing, performing, and checking boxes or like a traveler, fully present and curious? Discover the leadership shift that sparks clarity, connection, and hope. In this powerful Lifting Leaders Podcast “Spark” episode, we explore a simple yet transformative idea inspired by a moment in Venice: Be a traveler, not a tourist. While it may sound like travel advice, this...

We are revisiting this Fan Favorite episode because it lit so many sparks for our listeners. In this inspiring episode of Lifting Leaders Podcast, we continue our “What Brings Us Hope” series with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and moral activist John Ondrasik, best known as Five for Fighting. Recorded just minutes before he stepped onstage, John shares a powerful reflection on music, moral co...